Thread: One-word Tolkien Trivia

Here's one:

Masthead.

Have fun with it.

Originally Posted by CarsontheSage

Here's one:

Masthead.

Have fun with it.

Wasn't it Queen Berúthiel that was last seen in a ship sailing past Umbar with one of those legendary cats on the masthead?

Originally Posted by Boraxxe

Wasn't it Queen Berúthiel that was last seen in a ship sailing past Umbar with one of those legendary cats on the masthead?

Correct.

That was rather fast....

Originally Posted by CarsontheSage

Correct.

That was rather fast....

I have to admit I had to do some Googling to get there.

It has been many years since I read Unfinished Tales.

BTW: that is the only place that masthead and Tolkien connect.

LOTR, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, The Children Of Hurin ... none of those would have got you there.

Quite a poser. I congratulate you.

Now I have to come up with a clue.

Ok, how about "Blemish"

A synonym for "Pimple" which was a derogatory nickname given to Lotho Sackville-Baggins.

Originally Posted by Vilnas

A synonym for "Pimple" which was a derogatory nickname given to Lotho Sackville-Baggins.

Thats it.

You're on Vilnas.

Playing these riddle games is always a mixture of bittersweet: Cool, I got it right! Oh crud, now I have to come up with the next question.

Originally Posted by Vilnas

Playing these riddle games is always a mixture of bittersweet: Cool, I got it right! Oh crud, now I have to come up with the next question.

Hehe that's so true. I always feel rather anxious when answering: "If this is correct I'll need to think up a riddle". To answer or not to answer, such a hard choice.

Of course that means that you guys who always come up with such great riddles have my respect. /bow

Alright, here we go. Another Vilnas Special Two-Step Riddle:

OMD

For those unfamiliar with this format, the clue points to an interim completely non-Tolkien answer from movies, literature or music. This interim answer is itself a clue that points to a final answer which is uniquely Tolkien.

Personally, I feel that this riddle is much easier than my last one (Butler's daughter). But that one was guessed pretty quickly, so I suppose that means this one will drag out.

Originally Posted by Vilnas

OMD

just to clearify...OMD=Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark yes?

It certainly can be read that way.
















Oh, fine. Yes, that's what it means.

Originally Posted by Vilnas

It certainly can be read that way.

Oh, fine. Yes, that's what it means.

Just wanted to make sure I wasn't having flashbacks to the 80's! ;P

All That is Gold Does Not Glitter

Originally Posted by Boraxxe

All That is Gold Does Not Glitter

I'm not understanding that as an answer Boraxxe. Can you flesh out what you mean there?

Well, OMD recorded a single; All That Glitters Is Not Gold.

The first line of the well known Tolkien poem is very similar.

Originally Posted by Boraxxe

Well, OMD recorded a single; All That Glitters Is Not Gold.

The first line of the well known Tolkien poem is very similar.

Ah, now I understand. Well that is certainly an acceptable answer, although not the one I had in mind. You may have the next riddle. Anyone want to take a crack at my intended answer for OMD? It flows directly from the band name.

How the Valar formed Arda? It was orchestrated according to the 'Music of the Ainur' and was done before Iluin and Ormal were made, in the darkness.

I would have accepted that one too, although a case could be made that the Music of the Ainur was more "Choral Maneuvers in the Dark" rather than "Orchestral." I'm actually pretty disappointed with myself for not foreseeing that one.

Any final guesses regarding a collection of instruments being played in the dark?

Originally Posted by Vilnas

I would have accepted that one too, although a case could be made that the Music of the Ainur was more "Choral Maneuvers in the Dark" rather than "Orchestral." I'm actually pretty disappointed with myself for not foreseeing that one.

Any final guesses regarding a collection of instruments being played in the dark?

In the hobbit... the dwarves playing music in bag end. That was at night am I right? I don't have the book with me right now, so please correct me if I'm wrong

Originally Posted by Elangr

In the hobbit... the dwarves playing music in bag end. That was at night am I right? I don't have the book with me right now, so please correct me if I'm wrong

That's the one I had in mind. The dwarves are a mini-orchestra with the assortment of instruments that they brought with them (I always wondered what happened to the instruments afterward - some of them seem so impractical for their adventure). It is night and the lamps have gone out. When Bilbo wants to light them again, Thorin says to leave it dark - dark for dark business.

Originally Posted by Vilnas

That's the one I had in mind. The dwarves are a mini-orchestra with the assortment of instruments that they brought with them (I always wondered what happened to the instruments afterward - some of them seem so impractical for their adventure). It is night and the lamps have gone out. When Bilbo wants to light them again, Thorin says to leave it dark - dark for dark business.

Haha wow I totally did not expect to get that... the answers involving the ainur seemed so much better qualified.

Lets see what boraxxe has for us

Originally Posted by Sylux14

If I had to guess, it's the Ainulindalë, Eru's great music that brought Eä into existence, and Eru is the conductor and composer of this "orchestra". If it's anything like Genesis, then it would have been done before even light existed, and knowing Tolkien's Catholic background, that's highly likely even with his dislike of allegory.

I responded to Elenluin-Menelloth on this above.

Originally Posted by Sylux14

(P.S. - Be careful with these Vilnas. Not everyone knows about (or has even heard of) the things you know about. I've never heard of OMD.)

I hear you. Ultimately this is a JRRT forum, not a literature/pop culture forum, and for that reason I am always hesitant to go to this format. It's just that after four years I have run out of ways of framing JRRT trivia questions. Fortunately we have a pretty diverse group, and so far there has always been someone out there with the right background to catch the initial reference.

There's always Google . It was the first result for OMD.

I need to read the Hobbit again, I had no memory of that orchestra.

If only I could shorten my forum name, what madness took me to add a surname.

Well, I am out of time for this afternoon and since I don't have a riddle ready I guess Elangr can take the tiller.

Have fun!

Originally Posted by Boraxxe

Well, I am out of time for this afternoon and since I don't have a riddle ready I guess Elangr can take the tiller.

Have fun!

Oh.... ok. Well lets see....

Anyone who has a riddle can put it up. I don't think I can do one right now.

As Boraxxe and Elangr have left the chance open,

Extinct

The Entwives? Tolkien eventually concluded that they became extinct when Sauron ravaged the Brown Lands, their home.

I've got another answer as well, but I don't know whether the rules permit more than one answer per post...

I assume that Ents and Entwives are of the same species and thefore the Ent species is not extinct.

You're quite close though .

Entings, then? There have been none of those for a terrible long count of years...

Wouldn't Ents, Entwives and Entings be of the same species? I mean Ent + Entwife = Enting. So as long as the last Ent is still alive, the Ents wouldn't be extinct.

I meant close as in the answer is a species that used to live in middle earth.

Originally Posted by Elenluin-Menelloth

Wouldn't Ents, Entwives and Entings be of the same species? I mean Ent + Entwife = Enting. So as long as the last Ent is still alive, the Ents wouldn't be extinct.

Yep, all forms of ents are still ents, just like men woman and children are all human.

Although, the ents are certainly on the path to extinction.


The great dragons are all extinct, as Smaug was the last of them. I feel like that will be disqualified on similar grounds though...

Great Dragons, not quite sure about that. Smaug was the last of the great fire-drakes, but were great dragons and normal dragons two different species?

Hint: It is stated in the books that they were the last of their kind, and we read through their deaths.

The winged steeds of the Nazgul, the fell-beasts.

The fell beasts are extinct I guess, if Aragorn's army properly checked Mordor for any survivors. Who knows how many of them Sauron kept, Legolas shot one down but the Nazgul was horsed again. (If we go into Mordor in game that's something we might have to do, clean up all the fellbeast, trolls, orcs )

The answer I had in mind was the petty dwarves, it is said in the Silmarillion that Mim and his sons were the last of their race and we see them die.

Your turn Boraxxe.

Here is the next one:

falcon

Originally Posted by Boraxxe

Here is the next one:

falcon

It can't be that this is difficult.
It must be that no one wants to take a turn.

Originally Posted by Boraxxe

It can't be that this is difficult.
It must be that no one wants to take a turn.

Or it could just be that people are out-of-town or something like that.

Originally Posted by Boraxxe

Originally Posted by Boraxxe

Here is the next one:

falcon

It can't be that this is difficult.
It must be that no one wants to take a turn.

I will bite, then. Peregrin Took?

Ooh, that's a very good answer.