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| The Road to Edoras by Dreamflower | 14 Review(s) |
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| harrowcat | Reviewed Chapter: 38 on 4/25/2007 |
| I love these riddles and the varying styles from the different cultures. And of course it brings to mind the bit in FOTR, (I think,) where Frodo and Gandalf are talking about Bilbo and Gollom's riddle game and Gandalf's assumption that Gollom is related to hobbits. Author Reply: Well, I chose the old traditional "nursery" riddles for hobbits, and those of the Rohirrim were old Anglo-Saxon riddles. It's clear from The Hobbit, and as you say, Gandalf and Frodo's discussion, that the riddle game is a very wide-spread custom in Middle-earth. And I thought that it might be one of those things that the Shire would have in common with Rohan, besides some of their old words. | |
| SurgicalSteel | Reviewed Chapter: 38 on 4/25/2007 |
| And so they've reached Rohan! Love that the hobbits are so cleverly able to forage for suitable food, and the riddle contest was just wonderful. Author Reply: I think that foraging would be something that almost all hobbits would learn at a young age. Rambles through fields and woods in the Shire would probably frequently be punctuated by the desire to eat--and the discovery of nuts, berries, mushrooms, and all sorts of edible greens and roots! I was fortunate enough to come across a book of Anglo-Saxon verse, and the riddles gave me the idea of a riddle contest between Men and Hobbits, LOL! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 38 on 4/24/2007 |
| A riddle, a riddle we have. And now all know what Bilbo had in his pocket, don't they? I could guess some of these, for the icicle one is common enough and I got the plow one right away. I guessed "dark" for the one about the fog, although mist and smoke could also be answers. Yes, Hobbits are handy to have along when traveling through the wild, aren't they? Author Reply: Yes, we do. I've always thought it must have been difficult for Bilbo, keeping his "magic ring" a secret, while telling all those stories of his Adventure. But we know he did so, for Frodo was the only one he'd confided in. (Merry found out as well, but he kept that to himself, sharp lad!) But it would explain why most hobbits had a hard time believing his tales--without his being literally invisible, many of his feats would have been hard to explain. Simply saying he hid very well would sound rather lame to his listeners once they were old enough to understand logic. The riddles were fun to research, and I came up with many more than I could have used here. What's interesting about the Anglo-saxon ones (which I used for the Rohirrim) is that it seems to be the sheer wordiness of them that would obfuscate the answer. Oh, and "dark" would be a good answer, wouldn't it? I think Hobbits are pretty handy. I love to give them a chance to show their stuff. | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 38 on 4/24/2007 |
| Ah, but that was a delight! Lovely riddles, and very much in the spirit of The Hobbit. (Alas, poor Clodio. Why do I think he enjoyed a riddle or two in his time?) Author Reply: I was so thrilled the other day to come across those Anglo-Saxon riddles at the library, and immediately thought a riddle competition between the Rohirrim and the hobbits would be a fun way for them to pass an evening. He probably did, poor chap. | |