Rosie Cotton, pleased to meet you!

Hello,
My name is Rosie Cotton, daughter of Tolman Cotton and Lily Brown. Like many hobbit women, I am named after a flower, as you can see in both my mother's name and the names of a few of my daughters: Rose-lass, Daisy, and Primrose. Speaking of children, I also have a record 13 of them, many of whom were named after the hobbit heros. I am actually married to one of those heros, Samwise.
We were married in the spring of the year 3020 of the third age. While I might be married to an adventurer, I myself am not one, having only had one trip to Gondor, which is quite enough for me!

I am sort of familar with my namesake. I knew beforehand that she was the eventual wife of Sam, but nothing else besides that. However, I like haveing a more minor character, because I feel like there is always something more to learn, especially when it comes to Tolkin's characters.

I am Elwing

I’m also known as Elwing the White. I am the wife of Earendil the Mariner, mother of twins Elrond and Elros. I can speak to birds and transform into a swan. I am half-elven, but chose to be counted among the Elves, because of my grandmother, Luthien. When the Sons of Feanor came to the Havens of Sirion, to claim the Silmaril I possessed, I threw myself into the sea and became a great white bird. My grandchildren are twins—it runs in the family—Elladan and Elrohir, and Arwen Undomiel. The White Tower of Elwing was built for me to live in, so I could see my husband as he drew near the Earth from the Heavens.  

My name is Haleth

I am Haleth, son of Helm Hammerhand, and next in line to become King of the Mark. My father was the ninth King of Rohan. He was the one who attempted to withstand a great invasion of Dunlendings. His famous last stand was at a prolonged seige of Helms Deep (named in his likeness), where he defended the fortress during the long winter.

Unfortunately I was not able to take over the throne upon his death, as I was overtaken at Edoras and stood as one of the last defenders of the Golden Hall, Meduseld. My younger brother was also slain during the seige of Helm's Deep, with my father.  The throne instead went to my cousin Fréaláf Hildeson, who ruled for 39 years.



I couldn't find too much information about my character, but I will make sure to keep a more keen eye out as I continue the readings for this class. I'm sure I missed some references in the Lord of the Rings, and maybe there are some elsewhere as well.

Who Am I? "I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means me!" (The Hobbit).

I am one of the Maiar (or Ainur), one of five Istari (Wizards) sent to Middle Earth to oppose Sauron during the Third Age, second to Saruman. A great many names have since been given to me. Although I was originally named Olórin when in Valinor, you may know me as Gandalf the Grey (and later Gandalf the White). To the Elves I am Mithrandir (the Grey Pilgrim), to the Dwarves I am Tharkûn, and to the Hobbits of the Shire I am “that dratted wizard” constantly leading the Baggins’ into unhobbit-like adventures (The Fellowship).

You may first have seen me when I decided that Bilbo Baggins could do with an adventure, whether he agreed with me or not. I guided the Company of Dwarves when I could, and with the White Council (including Saruman, Galadriel, Círdan, and Elrond) I attacked Dol Guldur and the Necromancer (Sauron).

After Bilbo returned home, I kept an eye on him and the Shire and eventually discerned the identity of the One Ring. Aragorn and I searched for Gollum, discovering eventually that through him, Sauron had learned of the One Ring’s location. I advised Frodo to leave as soon as possible, but was betrayed by Saruman, so I only met up with Frodo and his companions (the other hobbits and Aragorn) at Rivendell where the Fellowship was formed.

Upon reaching Moria, I battled and slayed the Balrog, sacrificing myself for my mission, and Eru Ilúvatar sent my spirit back to Middle Earth, allowing me to use more of my powers as Gandalf the White to support those opposing Sauron. I advised the Army of the West to act as a distraction to buy Frodo time, which thankfully worked.

After more than 2000 years away, I returned to Valinor alongside Frodo, Bilbo, Elrond, and Galadriel.

My namesake is one of the most confusing characters to me, since he has so much influence and is seen so differently by so many different people. If I had only watched the movies I would never have known half so much about him, nor how powerful he was!

Discussion on The Hobbit, Chs. 1-5

Choose one idea raised by one of your classmates in the class discussion today that you find interesting or problematic. Write a blog posting that discusses your thoughts about that idea.

I Am Pippin

I am Pippin, or Peregrin Took, a simple hobbit from the Shire.  Frodo Baggins is my second cousin once removed, and Merry is my first cousin.  I first appear in the story in the Shire, where I help Frodo move out of the Shire, and end up heading out with him on his quest to Rivendell.  Upon reaching Rivendell  Elrond was convinced to allow Merry and myself to join Frodo, Sam, Aragorn and the others on their quest to destroy the One Ring.  Merry and I were separated from everyone at Amon Hen and taken by a troop of orcs towards Isengard.  I managed to free myself and help Merry get away during a skirmish, and we ended up helping rally the Ents to bring down Isengard.  I also traveled to Minas Tirith and fought in the Battle on the Pelennor Fields, and saw our eventual victory in the War of the Ring. 

Even though I went on all of these great adventures, what I really value is rest, good food and ale, and the company of my friends.  If I had known all the terrors that we would have to face on our journey, I don't think I would have had the courage to go.  I am known as one of the more foolish and lighthearted members of the Fellowship of the Ring, not letting serious situations weigh me down too much.

I'm Merry

Hi, My name is Meriadoc Brandybuck. Please call me Merry. I am a very unusual hobbit, because I am interested in the world outside of the shire. I am fascinated by maps, and I always listen attentively to Bilbo's stories when I get the chance. I was instrumental in figuring out the existence of the ring, and subsequently plotting along with Pippin and Sam to go with Frodo on his quest.

At the breaking of the Fellowship I was captured by the Uruk-Hai of Isengard, along with Pippin, after they killed Boromir. Pippin and I managed to escape during the Uruk-Hai's fight with the Rohirrim. Then we fled in to the forest of Fangorn and helped rouse the Ents to crush Isengard.

In the battle of the Pelennor fields I snuck up behind the Witch-king of Angmar and cut into the back of his leg, giving Eowyn the chance to cut him down. 

My opinion on Merry is mixed. I have always viewed Merry and Pippin (I can only think of them as a unit really) as the dumbest and least useful members of the fellowship. However they both manage to prove their bravery later on, and on my second read through of the books I have gained more of an appreciation for their willingness to go to Mordor with Frodo, and failing that, their decisions to fight. all the other members of the fellowship have more of a clear purpose, and most of them have more experience, but Merry is able to end up doing a great deed on the fields of Pelennor. 

I am Tom Bombadil

Hey dol!

I am called Tom Bombadil and I am quite a peculiar figure! I live close by the Old Forest with my lovely wife Goldberry, the daughter of the River. I am the Eldest and I have seen all the different beings and creatures come and go throughout their lands and through the ages. That being said, I have little interest in the goings-on outside my domain and would much rather sing my songs and spend time within the regions of my land.

Although the beginning of my existence is tricky to put a pin on, I first arrive in the story of the Ring when Frodo Baggins and his fellow hobbits, Merry, Pippin and Sam, have a unfortunate encounter with Old Man Willow in the Old Forest. After this event, Goldberry and I hosted the hobbits in our home where they could rest, feast, and enjoy all my fantastic stories. It is at this point that it is revealed that the Ring holds no power over me, let alone any noticeable effect. However, as I stated before, I have no desire to do anything with it as it concerns happenings outside my domain.

Personally, I find Tom Bombadil's character fascinating and I wish he appeared more actively in the rest of The Lord of the Rings series besides in The Fellowship of the Ring. I have a feeling he's one of Tolkien's more allegorical characters since he's so ambiguous, so I look forward to possibly learning more about him.

I am Aragorn

I am called Aragorn though I have a great many other names that have been given to me.  To some, I am Strider, the Ranger of the North, one of the Dunedain of the line of Numenor, while to my elven companions, I am called Elessar. I served as one of the nine companions known as the Fellowship of the Ring aiding the hobbit Frodo as he sought to destroy the One Ring in Mordor.

Yet, upon the breaking of the fellowship, I set out on my own adventure accompanied by my friends Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf to save the kingdoms of Rohan and Gondor from certain destruction.  I am a descendant of the kings of Gondor and wielding the reforged sword Anduril, the scourge of Sauron, I returned to Minas Tirith and took my place as king.  I am wed to Arwen Evenstar, daughter of Elrond, the lord of Rivendell where I grew up and was treated as a son.

Many of my companions, particularly the hobbits, would have described me as strange and mysterious when they first came across me at the Prancing Pony, but through the course of events leading to the dawn of the Fourth Age, I increasingly walked down the path that had been set before me and embraced the kingly destiny I had been born with.  With wise counsel and loyal friends, I am a friend to many who are fair and good but a dangerous foe to those who wished to bring Middle-Earth under a shroud of darkness.

So, my advice to all those who may read this is this: be slow to judge someone before you know them, for they may just surprise you.  After all, "All that is gold does not glitter."

I am Celeborn

I am Lord of Lothlorien and husband to the Lady Galadriel. My daughter, Celebrian, married Elrond. I am a grandfather to their child, Arwen. I was around in Middle Earth since the First Age and sailed to Valinor early in the Fourth Age. My kinsman, Thingol was killed by dwarves in the First Age when he refused to give the Silmaril to them. I have had distrust towards dwarves from that moment.
I welcomed The Fellowship of the Ring into Lothlorien despite my mistrust of dwarves and pledged to help them in any way I could.

I don't know enough about Celeborn to have much of an opinion on him. Of what I've seen of him in The Lord of the Rings he seems very laid back, letting Galadriel take charge of major events.

I am Samwise

I am currently reading through Lord of the Rings for the first time so I tried to do as little external research on my pseudonym as possible for this post. So far, I have read "The Hobbit" and most of "The Fellowship of the Ring". As far as I know, Samewise Gamgee is the chief supporting character of the Lord of the Rings. He accompanies Frodo during his travels, beginning at the shire. He originally worked for the Baggins' estate doing gardening and landscaping. This is initially how Sam overheard details regarding Frodo's departure from the shire. Sam seems to be a fairly adventurous hobbit, and a very loyal one at that. Sam was willing to drop everything and leave the shire with Frodo. Sam is as good a friend as anyone could ask for.     

"On Fairy-stories" Source Materials

From today's exercise and class discussion, select one of the Source Materials identified by a group other than your own and write a blog posting in which you discuss its importance in Tolkien’s essay

"On Fairy-stories" Vocabulary

From today's exercise and class discussion, select one word from the Vocabulary list of a group other than your own and write a blog posting in which you discuss that word’s meaning and its importance in Tolkien’s essay.

Elendil - Mára rë!

Hello, all!

I am Elendil, son of Amandil. Possibly the largest thing people know about me is that I served as the first High King of Gondor, helped lead the War of the Last Alliance, and I ultimately am offed by Sauron himself. Sauron had a vendetta against me due to my father. I am not from Middle Earth however despite my fighting in it - I am from Númenor, which is nestled between Middle Earth and Aman.

My main connection is to Sauron and the Elven High King Gil-galad in the war. For those who have seen the movies, I am portrayed by Peter McKenzie in Fellowship of the Ring.

I honestly am extremely happy about my name sake. Elendil has a fantastic legacy, and is such a strong character that I'm happy to be signing as him. He accomplished so much in his stories, was smart and diplomatic between kingdoms, and overall was incredibly brave and tenacious.

That's about me,
Elendil

I am Galadriel

Hello ,
My name is Galadriel. I am a royal elf, born in Valindor. I am bearer of the of one of the 3 rings of power held be the elves, ring Nenya.  I rule the woods of Lothlórien with my husband Celeborn.

  I briefly hosted the fellowship of the ring during the war of the ring. During this time, I allowed Frodo and Sam to look into the mirror of Galadriel to see what could possibly become of their future. I also gave a magical phial to Frodo to allow him to pass through Shelob’s lair.  I also helped get Gandalf rescued from Celebdil and brought him back to health.  The power of my ring helped the elves during battle as well.