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| Thain by Lindelea | 3 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 9/10/2004 |
| It will do Pippin a power of good to spend some time working with simple folk and learning a bit about responsibility and love of the land. He can be, shall we say, a bit of a spoilt brat, who gets away with it because he is charming and generally well-meaning. | |
| Connie B. | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 9/9/2004 |
| I have the feeling that things won't always be this easy for Pippin. I think the old shepherd is breaking him in gently. I'm glad you updated this story. Looking forward to more. Connie B. | |
| Lyta Padfoot | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 9/9/2004 |
| The old shepherd was wonderful! I especially loved the ewe that liked to be petted. Pity Pippin won't stay with him long. A quick question: what is the status of shepherds in the Shire? In medieval Europe, Rome, Greece, and biblical times they are social outcasts, thought down on, and seldom married. Being on the edge of society was lonely, this is why shepherds often took in children who were exposed (abandoned to die soon after birth) to raise as their own (mythology is full of these stories). You've shown wool as a major cash crop in the Shire, perhaps this elevates shepherd status. Author Reply: As I see it, shepherds in the Shire protect a valuable commodity, but they are thought of as eccentric or odd by more staid and steady hobbits. After all, they are wanderers, following the sheep from pasture to pasture, and they don't even have the respectability of owning the land they graze. From what I've read, the landowner(s) were paid "per head" for grazing privileges which is one of the reasons for an accurate head count. Gladdy only sees her hobbit once a week or so! (She probably wandered with him in her younger years.) Gypsies, nomads, wanderers, shepherds... have always excited suspicion in more rooted society, or at the least "people look at them funny". Paladin, however, got to know this particular shepherd pretty well in earlier years. So he's put Pippin in the best hands he knows. Thanks for commenting! | |