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Dreamflower's Musings by Dreamflower	6 Review(s)
KathyG	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 9/3/2016
Is Dana's Annotated Tale of Years still available on the Internet? I should like to read it, if it is. I know it's no longer available on that URL you posted, more's the pity. Author Reply: It is still available, but no longer at the original link. I will have to see if I can find the new link for you. Author Reply: It is still available, but no longer at the original link. I will have to see if I can find the new link for you. It may take a little time.

Lindelea	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 5/11/2007
Came back to read this again, this morning, while on a tea break. (Why am I on the computer when I have a kajillion things to be doing?) Since "Winter" is on the shelf I can think back further, to remember that I made a similar listing of Gandalf's "dates" in the ToY before writing "Shire". I wanted to know if it was plausible that he might have met the Fallohides before/during their migration. It might be a stretch, but he had arrived in ME recently enough to have encountered the first hobbits to cross the Misty Mountains, and might have been travelling between Rivendell and Lorien on business during that time. I finally decided that he had a brief acquaintance with the Fallohides, helping them (perhaps prompted to help them, even), and then seeing them settled, moved on to other affairs. ...which, in my world, might mean that his great friendship with Gerontius might have started with a chance resemblance to some long-dead Fallohide... (in any event, I've already given Bilbo a resemblance to Pickthorn, enough to startle a passing guardian...) It seems the Muse might be stirring, which would be nice for a summer diversion. Anyhow, thanks for these thoughtful and thought-provoking essays. Author Reply: It's quite possible he might have come across some of the early proto-hobbits--it's clear from what he says about Smeagol that he had some acquaintance with the Stoors. I know Larner has him involved in the early hobbit migrations, and he comes into contact with some hobbits then. I do think his acquaintance with them, if any, prior to TA 2758 must have been fleeting, because he said that what first drew his attention to hobbits was the compassion and Pity they showed one another during the Long Winter. But that's just my own opinion, and I like the idea of him maybe helping them out earlier as well. And I've not forgotten Bilbo's close resemblance to his ancestor! I hope that the bunny sticks around--and I know with summer coming you'll have a bit more time to write! grin

Raksha The Demon	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 10/1/2006
Excellent subject for an essay; Gandalf's story has all these hidden crannies, and the better sense one can make of his comings and goings, the easier it is to understand him. A note about the time Gandalf spent in Minas Tirith after 2983 - Faramir states in The Two Towers that Gandalf came to Minas Tirith to examine the ancient lore preserved in the treasuries, which most people are not able to read (Faramir says he can read a little of the recordds, since he "had teaching"). He also says that "I first saw him (Gandalf) when I was a child, and he has been twice or thrice since then." Faramir's words imply, to me, that Gandalf came to Gondor once during Faramir's childhood. In my opinion, that particular visit must have been of fairly long duration, perhaps several weeks, since Faramir's bond with Gandalf dates from that time. And then Gandalf came "twice or thrice", it's implied, after Faramir's childhood ("since then") - I would think, visits of at least a couple of weeks, perhaps once during Faramir's teenaged years and once or two times after that. I think Gandalf had visited Minas Tirith in the ten years preceding 3018, and renewed his friendship with Faramir; he seems very familiar with Faramir as a man and Captain, enough to, when quartered in the guest house in ROTK, think out loud "When will Faramir return", and enough to be comfortable giving Faramir personal and public support and to know him very well. What's interesting is that Faramir, when speaking to FRODO in TTT, says "twice or thrice" rather than making a definite statement of how many times Gandalf has visited Minas Tirith. It could speak to some tension between Denethor and Faramir over Gandalf's friendship, or it could be that Faramir does not fully trust Frodo at that time and is not going to tell him everything he knows about the Grey Pilgrim's comings and goings down to the last detail... Author Reply: "Hidden crannies" is a good way to put it! Oh that makes perfect sense: one fairly lengthy visit, followed by two or more shorter and briefer ones. As to the lengthy visit--I'd actually posit a visit of months, or perhaps even as long as a year--since he was given a guest house to stay in at the time! How old do you suppose Faramir was at the time, I wonder? He'd have to be old enough to learn from the wizard--already able to read and write and perhaps know a little history--maybe his early pre-teens? That would put his presence there sometime in the years following Frodo's adoption?

Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 10/1/2006
Ooo! Thank you for this! It will be very helpful to a lot of us, I think. And I admire you; I've tried to go through all the info in the Tale of Years several times, but interruptions distract and I lose my place every time. I think I need to change my plans for my current really long running story now. :) God bless, Galadriel Author Reply: I hope it will be helpful!! As far as the Tale of Years goes, you might want to check this: Dana's Annotated Tale of Years: http://danachan.livejournal.com/573731.html She's gone to the trouble of transcribing the Tale of Years, adding to it some info JRRT left out, such as the birthdates of Merry and Pippin, and the year Frodo was adopted, and correcting some errors, such as Sam's birthdate (which was incorrect in the ToY). Not only that, but she also added the years in Shire Reckoning to it, which makes it a lot easier to figure things out. And she has links where you can navigate to each Age more easily. She really did a good job, and put in a lot of hard work on it!

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 10/1/2006
And this had pretty much agreed with what I thought. Author Reply: Yes, I got to wondering, when reading fics that seemed to have Gandalf dropping in all the time. It works--as long as the writers pay attention to when that might have happened. I've seen several fics, for example, in which the writers have Gandalf dropping in frequently during the years just prior to the Quest. That automatically makes a story AU.

Lindelea	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 10/1/2006
Fascinating. I've been contemplating the same thing, while working on the "Winter" story. Author Reply: It's pretty much all there in the Tale of Years, though some of it is from The Hobbit and from FotR, it's quite obvious that while Gandalf did not spend nearly as much time in the Shire as some folk would like to have seen, he did have the opportunity to come and go more often than say every four or five years. In fact, the nine year gap just before the Quest seems a bit unusual.

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