The Arda 300

[Alatar]

I would have thought that was just an epithet, not even a nickname. As far as I remember he was only ever named by his title "The Master".

[Dân o Nandor on Anduin]

The logical assumption is that there were multiple Masters of Lake-town over the years. So 'Moneybags' is no doubt an epithet, but one of a particular character that we can all recognize. But not of my making. VtF admirably quotes the passage.

I'm glad however, Alatar, you're still attuned! I'll appreciate any feedback!

[kzer_za]

By the way, here's a great version of Hunthor's song:

[Voronwë the Faithful]

And here is another:

[Morwenna]

I finally watched all those videos! Well, all except the two that were removed from the links. What a ride!!

[Dân o Nandor on Anduin]

A ride you enjoyed, I hope Morwenna, not the kind that left you nauseous. As for the versions of 'Stand By Me', well you know it was the name of the band that made it a no-brainer for my choice.


#220 Pelendur, 2nd Steward of Gondor – gondorian dúnadan steward
[TG:22,EoA:9,Wik:16,RF:5,JT:15,LR:1,UT:2,H12:2=72pts,13indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Pelendur
Sizable entries in both Tyler & Wikipedia give this critical arbiter much of his points. Tyler calls him, “in a sense”, the first Ruling Steward, though that title would not be officially adopted until Pelendur’s grandson. (I went with Ian Stewart & the Stones for the last Steward that appeared, Denethor I. Now its Stu & Zeppelin…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvKGM93yoC

#219 Estë the Healer, wife of Lórien (f) – vala queen
[TG:24,EoA:1,Wik:4,RF:4,JT:7,MD:2,DD:10,Sil:2,H1:2,H4:2,H5:4,H10:6,H11:4=72pts,46indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Est%C3%AB
The 2pts she’s awarded from Drout, are due to Marjorie Burns’ ‘Old Norse Literature’ entry in which Estë is compared to “the Norse healing goddess Eir”; and Matthew Dickerson’s ‘Valar’ entry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc4REpJ9FsE

#218 Nessa, wife of Tulkas (f) – vala queen
[TG:17,EoA:1,Wik:4,RF:4,JT:4,MD:2,DD:7,Sil:2,H1:2,B1:7,H2:2,H3:2,H4:2,H5:4,H10:10,H11:2=72pts,49indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Nessa
Her 2pts from Drout come from the same 2 entries as Estë (above), with Burns likening Nessa to the Norse giantess Skaldi, who marries a god. She’s listed as the least of the Queens of the Valar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QK3E7-aL0w

#217 Hyarmendacil I, 15th King of Gondor & 4th Ship-king – gondorian dúnadan king
[TG:16,EoA:9,Wik:6,RF:8,JT:20,LR:2,UT:2,H12:10=73pts,11indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Hyarmendacil_I
I think it safe to say that the kings remaining on this list didn’t acquire their ranking by happenstance. Gondor’s greatest war-leader Ciryaher, re-named himself ‘South-victor’ after his conquests. Gondor would never again reach the heights of his reign in the Third Age.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHpgFbuo7IY

#216 Berúthiel, Queen of Gondor (f) – black-númenórean southron queen
[TG:31,EoA:4,Wik:28,RF:3,LR:1,LT:1,UT:4,H6:2=74pts,7indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Ber%C3%BAthiel
While Burns likens Nessa (above) with the Norse giantess Skaldi, Tolkien himself likened Berúthiel to Skaldi, for different reasons of course: in the latter case, due to both’s dislike of “seaside life”. Online sources contribute most of her points, but I wish I could’ve awarded another for Ted Nasmith’s song ‘Berúthiel’, having witnessed him perform it. (I checked, and it wasn’t available on you-tube, so I had to go with this one…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCJux_7W2i8

#215 Tar-Minastir, 11th King of Númenor – númenórean king
[TG:23,EoA:6,Wik:3,RF:5,JT:14,LR:1,Sil:3,UT:6,LoE:9,H12:4=74pts,14indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Tar-Minastir
He’s another great war-leader king, like Hyarmendacil I (above); but this time of Númenor, as he sent the great fleet to aid Gil-galad and defeat Sauron prior to Númenor establishing their dominions in Middle-earth. (The geography isn’t at all the same, but the spirit definitely is…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMSWcI6B7qc

#214 Bregalad ‘Quickbeam’ – ent
[TG:16,EoA:8,Wik:5,RF:9,JT:7,DD:14,LR:3,H7:2,H8:6,H9:2,HoF+:2=pts,74pts,24indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Quickbeam
He’s the first to appear with points (2) awarded from a few online favourite character lists that I initially used, as I thought them relevant to a minimal degree: the overall total of which is a mere .01% of the list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wzF5wbONjE

#213 Ilmarë, handmaid of Varda (f) – maia handmaid
[TG:17,EoA:6,Wik:6,RF:2,JT:2,MD:1,DD:6,JG:1,Sil:1,H1:4,B1:16,H5:8,H10:4=74pts,25indx.pg]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Ilmar%C3%AB
She’s one of the few Maiar to have made it into the Valaquenta of the published Sil. However, she’s been a character since the ‘Lost Tales’, and Garth notes her early incarnations as Erinti, Vala of Love, representing Edith. Upon my final go-through, I found it necessary to transfer 2 of Nessa’s points (above & adjusted accordingly) to Ilmarë, as CT notes in the lexicons under the name Nessa, that in QL it’s a name of Erinti, as “there was clearly much early shifting among the goddesses”. Thus she ranks right amongst the non-Aratar Valier, one of which remains. (Ilmarë is translated most often as ‘Starlight’…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTfB8Q6DpZ0

#212 *Sador Labadal, servant of Húrin – adan (drúadan?) woodman/carpenter
[TG:29,EoA:2,Wik:27,CoH:5,UT:10,H11:2=75pts,22indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Sador
He’s the 8th last asterisked character (followed by the 7th last below), as he doesn’t appear before UT. As such he gets no points from Foster or Tyler, and only 2 from Encyclopedia of Arda. As for his racial classification, CT does state in UT: “It was my father’s intention ultimately to transform Sador, the old serving-man in Húrin’s house in Dor-lómin, into a Drûg”. The tone of this, given all of CT’s writings, seems more unequivocal than ephemeral; nonetheless the listing above is how I present Sador here. How I tally the final 1210+ totals, will probably see 2 drúedain appear, for the additional reason that CT’s same footnote above lends enough skepticism as to which House, if any, of the Edain Sador had belonged. No doubt, Tolkien was in the process of bringing his earlier mythology, with an eye for publication (sadly undone), more in line with LotR. (If Bilbo’s blade Sting had qualified to make this list, Bobby Darin would’ve certainly supplied the song; as it is, he can still appear, here in another pre-classic rock number…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjFRLOktHXo

#211 *Khamûl the Black Easterling, 2nd Chief of the Nazgûl – ringwraith
[TG:21,EoA:1,Wik:7,DD:39,UT:8=76pts,5indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Kham%C3%BBl
Yes, without Day’s A-Z he’s right off the map. So does Khamûl belong here, and does Day’s book contribute justifiably? This is the culmination of that thesis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlzpJL3XBPU


glossary:

*=as in CT's indexing in UT (ie. characters not appearing in Hobbit/LotR/AdvTB/Sil)
@=guest at Bilbo’s Farewell Party
(f)=female (n)=neutral

POINTS - for ENTRIES: TG=Tolkien Gateway,EoA=Encyclopedia of Arda,Wik=Wikipedia,RF=Robert Foster’s Complete Guide to Middle-earth,JT=J.E.A. Tyler’s Tolkien Companion,DD=David Day’s A-Z of Tolkien; for INDICES: LR=Lord of the Rings,Sil=Silmarillion,UT=Unfinished Tales,HX=History of Middle-earth Vol.X,LT=Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien,HC=Humphrey Carpenter’s Biography,JG=John Garth’s Tolkien and the Great War,JR=John Rateliff’s History of The Hobbit,DK=Douglas Kane’s Arda Reconstructed; for both ENTRIES & INDICES: MD=Michael Drout’s Tolkien Encyclopedia; for NAME-LISTS: CoH=Children of Húrin,B1 or B2=the ‘Qenya & Gnomish Lexicons’ from Book of Lost Tales Vols.1&2,FoG=the ‘Fall of Gondolin’ from BoLT Vol.2,LoE=the ‘Line of Elros’ tree & list from UT; MISC: HoF+=votes from the Hall of Fire thread that initiated this project + a composite of selected favourite character lists.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Am I correct in believing that Estë and Nessa are the first of the final count of the Valar to make the list?

I approve of the way you listed my old alter ego. Hopefully Sador at TORN will approve too.

As for Stand By Me, I agree with your choice, but I love that "Playing for Change" version and so I always look for an opportunity to share it. I just love the whole concept of playing music together across the globe.

[Dân o Nandor on Anduin]

Well, Vairë appeared first, if that's what you mean. But glad you approve of the way I handled Sador. And playing music across the globe, with Tolkien as a conduit, is what this is (secondarily) all about!

Soon the top 200!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Oh yeah. I was looking at the master list, which had not yet had the update with Vairë in it added, and I forget that she had been included in that update.

[Dân o Nandor on Anduin]

#210 Erkenbrand, Lord of the Westfold – rohirrim lord
[TG:29,EoA:2,Wik:7,RF:7,JT:7,LR:2,UT:6,H8:16=76pts,35indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Erkenbrand
It was he who was entrusted with the western defences of Rohan, and fortifying the Hornburg, following the emergence of Saruman as the ‘Judas’ Wizard. Fortunately Erkenbrand met and rode with Gandalf to the Battle of Helm’s Deep before the dawn of the rising sun…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZawnqnroVNk

#209 Aranarth, 1st Chieftain of the Dúnedain – arnorian dúnadan chieftain
[TG:41,EoA:13,Wik:10,RF:4,JT:6,LR:1,H12:2=77pts,9indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Aranarth
This king without a kingdom, who was descended from both Isildur & Anárion, acquired 64 of his points from the 3 online sources, where it seems his legacy has been most notably elaborated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdTKbODBMpk

#208 Gorlim the Unhappy, outlaw companion of Barahir – 1st house adan warrior/outlaw
[TG:24,EoA:2,Wik:10,RF:7,JT:10,MD:1,DK:1,Sil:4,H2:2,H3:6,H4:2,H5:4,H11:4=77pts,42indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Gorlim
No less than 13 sources contribute to his standing. His point from Drout’s Encyclopedia comes from Thomas Honegger’s entry on ‘Treason’. In it, he notes the resistance to torture Gorlim endures to not betray his comrades, and the difficult choice he faced upon the offer to be reunited with his wife. Kane, for his part, cites the sources that preceded the version in the published Sil, and notes that in both the ‘Lay of Leithian’ and the original QS text, “Gorlim’s treachery [was] much more deliberate than in the final story”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mDur9JQefE

#207 Thengel, 16th King of Rohan – rohirrim king
[TG:20,EoA:1,Wik:3,RF:6,JT:30,LR:2,UT:2,H7:6,H8:4,H9:2,H12:2=78pts,22indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Thengel
Tyler’s thorough entry gives this King, whom Aragorn once served, his most points. Little is known of his mother or 2 elder sisters, but it’s within the realm of possibility that when Thengel came of age, and had to get outta Rohan due to the intolerable situation with his father, he appealed to at least one of his sisters to escape with him…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0CTL7QUjtQ

#206 Elanor the Fair, daughter of Sam Gamgee (f) – hobbit
[TG:31,EoA:2,Wik:8,RF:10,JT:14,LR:2,LT:1UT:4,H9:6=78pts,32indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Elanor_Fairbairn
Her point from Letters is from Tolkien’s October 1955 response to Katherine Farrer, following the release of RotK, in which he states “I still feel the picture incomplete without something on Samwise and Elanor, but I could not devise anything that would not have destroyed the ending”. Of course 6 of her points derive from the Epilogue in HoMe9 in which she plays her largest role, with dialogue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9Itt02QOO0

#205 Hama, Captain of the King’s Guard of Rohan – rohirrim captain
[TG:31,EoA:1,Wik:31,RF:4,JT:4,LR:2,UT:2,H7:2,H8:2=79pts,23indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Hama
The Battle of Helm’s Deep, a victory in the end for Rohan, left brutal scars; including the only ever breach, due to Saruman’s explosives, of the Deeping Wall, as well as the hewing of Hama’s body before the Gate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfU_1ABKT-4

#204 Felaróf ‘Mansbane’, horse of Eorl – meara mount
[TG:15,EoA:13,Wik:2,RF:8,JT:11,DD:26,LR:1,UT:2,H7:2,H12:2=82pts,12indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Felar%C3%B3f
The first of the Mearas, he was tamed only by Eorl.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8On3UiBOTdQ

#203 Ar-Gimilzôr, 23rd King of Númenor – númenórean king
[TG:32,EoA:2,Wik:4,RF:6,JT:5,LR:1,Sil:3,UT:6,LoE:15,H5:2,H9:4,H12:2=82pts,13indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Ar-Gimilz%C3%B4r
“He was the greatest enemy of the Faithful that had yet arisen; and forbade utterly the use of the Eldarin tongues, and would not permit any of the Eldar to come to the land, and punished those that welcomed them”: as stated in UT’s ‘Line of Elros’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_CoqOgoyaU

#202 *Andróg, outlaw companion of Túrin Turambar – 3rd house adan outlaw
[TG:40,Wik:34,CoH:2,UT:6=82pts,19indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Andr%C3%B3g
It was he who spoke up for Túrin’s joining his band of outlaws, and for a brief time, Andróg, Túrin, Beleg, & Mîm lived together on Bar-en-Danwedh, and oooh the dysfunction…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7JAioASm8c

#201 Tar-Ancalimë, 7th Ruler of Númenor & 1st Ruling Queen (f) – númenórean ruling-queen
[TG:26,EoA:12,Wik:3,RF:4,JT:2,DK:1,LR:1,UT:18,LoE:11,H12:4=82pts,29indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Tar-Ancalime
To produce an heir, she had a loveless marriage with Hallatan of Hyarastorni, who died 74 years before her; she neglected her father’s policy of lending aid to Gil-galad; and she forbade her serving women to marry. But it’s not like she literally killed anyone…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJzOzrhgElM


The top 200 will fittingly begin with the mother of #201 above…


glossary:

*=as in CT's indexing in UT (ie. characters not appearing in Hobbit/LotR/AdvTB/Sil)
@=guest at Bilbo’s Farewell Party
(f)=female (n)=neutral

POINTS - for ENTRIES: TG=Tolkien Gateway,EoA=Encyclopedia of Arda,Wik=Wikipedia,RF=Robert Foster’s Complete Guide to Middle-earth,JT=J.E.A. Tyler’s Tolkien Companion,DD=David Day’s A-Z of Tolkien; for INDICES: LR=Lord of the Rings,Sil=Silmarillion,UT=Unfinished Tales,HX=History of Middle-earth Vol.X,LT=Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien,HC=Humphrey Carpenter’s Biography,JG=John Garth’s Tolkien and the Great War,JR=John Rateliff’s History of The Hobbit,DK=Douglas Kane’s Arda Reconstructed; for both ENTRIES & INDICES: MD=Michael Drout’s Tolkien Encyclopedia; for NAME-LISTS: CoH=Children of Húrin,B1 or B2=the ‘Qenya & Gnomish Lexicons’ from Book of Lost Tales Vols.1&2,FoG=the ‘Fall of Gondolin’ from BoLT Vol.2,LoE=the ‘Line of Elros’ tree & list from UT; MISC: HoF+=votes from the Hall of Fire thread that initiated this project + a composite of selected favourite character lists.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

And how much higher than that will her daddy be?

(That is, of course, a rhetorical question that will be answered when it is answered.)

Edited to add: I've never heard the Zombies' version of "She's Not There"; that was cool to listen to, though of course I miss Carlos' guitar. But the Zombies clearly were the correct choice; very appropriate! However, I particularly appreciated the Animals "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" for Thengel. That is definitely one of the most appropriate yet!

[kzer_za]

I'm glad Aldarion and Erendis both make the top 200. It's interesting how much their dysfunctional marriage messes up their daughter and grandchildren (and maybe even great-grandchildren? I don't remember exactly how far it goes). That story deserves be known by more than just high-level Tolkien nerds.

[Morwenna]

The only thing is, I would have preferred the Turtles' "Eleanor" in that context.

Voronwë, you never heard the Zombies' "She's Not There"?? Not even the hit single back when??

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I was a year old "back when" it reached No.1 on the Cashbox chart (No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100) in the United States. Nope, I had never heard any version of it other Carlos Santana's (which I have heard several times live). Great song though.

[Dân o Nandor on Anduin]

#200 *Erendis Tar-Elestirnë, Lady of the Westlands, Queen of Númenor (f) – númenórean queen
[TG:15,EoA:15,Wik:22,MD:1,UT:24,LoE:1,H12:4=82pts,49indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Erendis
She’s indexed under 5 names & epithets in UT, the source of most of her points; including Uinéniel ‘Daughter of Uinen’. “Call me by no such name!” Erendis said aloud after Valandil, Lord of Andúnië, named her so at a feast, “I am no daughter of Uinen: rather she is my foe”. (I couldn’t find songs that attempt to accurately depict this dysfunctional relationship, for both Erendis, and Aldarion later, without opening a serious gender debate – thus in both cases their songs represent the wishes that each may have preferred).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXTaWgP3mOQ

#199 *Pengolod the Wise, of Gondolin – noldo loremaster
[TG:34,Wik:9,MD:1,DK:2,H4:4,H5:6,H9:2,H10:8,H11:10,H12:6=82pts,107indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Pengolod
As Erendis above, Pengolod is an asterisked character, of which only 3 now remain. 2 of his points, and 11 of his indexed pages come from Kane, who notes that much was lost in the extraction of Pengolod from the published Sil due to his dialogue, observations, and ‘poetic prose’. His point from Drout comes from David Bratman’s entry on HoMe12, particularly the ‘Teachings of Pengolod’, “written by Tolkien in the 1950’s [that] addresses the question of how immortal Elves can have a language that changes and develops”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoI8meVAySE

#198 Paladin II Took, 31st Thain of the Shire – hobbit thain
[TG:34,EoA:13,Wik:5,RF:7,JT:15,MD:1,LR:2,H6:2,H8:2,H9:2=83pts,14indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Paladin_II
He appears in Janet Brennan Croft’s ‘Pippin’ entry in Drout’s Encyclopedia. (Paladin, Aladdin, may be a stretch, but this song needs to appear somewhere…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtkP5gTX6Hc

#197 Uglúk – orc soldier
[TG:40,EoA:1,Wik:4,RF:3,JT:18,DD:12,LR:1,H7:2,H12:2=83pts,22indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Ugl%C3%BAk
Nearly half his points come from his thorough Tolkien Gateway entry (above), in which his many media depictions are given.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq7PiHX1nn0

#196 Bandobras ‘Bullroarer’ Took – hobbit warrior
[TG:46,EoA:3,Wik:2,RF:9,JT:10,JR:4,LR:3,H6:2,H9:4=83pts,23indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Bandobras_Took
This founder of the North-Tooks gets more than half his points from Tolkien Gateway, which includes his appearance in Jackson’s ‘Hobbit’ (above).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1_4TnPT8os

#195 Déagol – stoor fisherman
[TG:15,EoA:6,Wik:11,RF:7,JT:10,MD:1,LR:2,LT:1,H6:4,H7:4,H12:2,HoF+:20=83pts,32indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Déagol
He gets points from the initial thread that inspired this list, voting for characters that were deemed most important to the story that is the legendarium. Déagol certainly had his 15 minutes of fame.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuHhLiRkxNM

#194 Valacar, 20th King of Gondor – gondorian dúnadan king
[TG:27,EoA:13,Wik:6,RF:9,JT:18,LR:1,UT:6,H12:4=84pts,14indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Valacar
He was sent North to Rhovanion (and Johnny Horton can make an appearance on any list of mine…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSt0NEESrUA

#193 Nori, companion of Thorin Oakenshield – dwarf adventurer
[TG:42,EoA:8,Wik:1,RF:3,JT:4,DD:14,JR:8,LR:1,H6:2,H12:2=85pts,20indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Nori
He’s the first of Thorin’s company to appear. The rest will be spread out rather evenly for the remainder of the list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DohRa9lsx0Q

#192 Tilion, Steersman of the Moon – maia hunter/adventurer
[TG:21,EoA:4,Wik:5,RF:8,JT:4,DD:11,MD:2,JG:1,DK:1,Sil:1,H1:8,B1:5,H2:2,H4:4,H5:2,H10:4,H11:2=85pts,60indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Tilion
Garth, Drout, & Kane all appear amongst the 17 sources that contribute to this cosmic Maia’s ranking. Kane notes that Tilion was drawn to the splendour of Arien’s beauty, as fair as she was, that is until CT got the trimming shears out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qlnp_oKHzQY

#191 Rómendacil I, 8th King of Gondor – gondorian dúnadan king
[TG:19,EoA:26,Wik:5,RF:7,JT:11,MD:1,LR:3,UT:8,H12:6=86pts,9indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Romendacil_I
He ordered the ‘Tradition of Isildur’ set down in a sealed scroll to be delivered by the Steward before the crowning of the King. And he was the first King that headed East…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIRP4gydheQ


glossary:

*=as in CT's indexing in UT (ie. characters not appearing in Hobbit/LotR/AdvTB/Sil)
@=guest at Bilbo’s Farewell Party
(f)=female (n)=neutral

POINTS - for ENTRIES: TG=Tolkien Gateway,EoA=Encyclopedia of Arda,Wik=Wikipedia,RF=Robert Foster’s Complete Guide to Middle-earth,JT=J.E.A. Tyler’s Tolkien Companion,DD=David Day’s A-Z of Tolkien; for INDICES: LR=Lord of the Rings,Sil=Silmarillion,UT=Unfinished Tales,HX=History of Middle-earth Vol.X,LT=Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien,HC=Humphrey Carpenter’s Biography,JG=John Garth’s Tolkien and the Great War,JR=John Rateliff’s History of The Hobbit,DK=Douglas Kane’s Arda Reconstructed; for both ENTRIES & INDICES: MD=Michael Drout’s Tolkien Encyclopedia; for NAME-LISTS: CoH=Children of Húrin,B1 or B2=the ‘Qenya & Gnomish Lexicons’ from Book of Lost Tales Vols.1&2,FoG=the ‘Fall of Gondolin’ from BoLT Vol.2,LoE=the ‘Line of Elros’ tree & list from UT; MISC: HoF+=votes from the Hall of Fire thread that initiated this project + a composite of selected favourite character lists.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Unfortunately, that clip of "Woman" says it is blocked in my country. Love that song, so I listened to another one (but I can't help but wonder what songs you considered for Erendis and her ex).

It would not have occurred to me that I would have boosted Pengolod significantly; that is pretty cool. I think it is fair to say that you probably have read my book more carefully than probably anyone else. You might even know it better than I do!

[Dân o Nandor on Anduin]

Blocked by your country! Are we back in the cold war?

And I consider your book a cornerstone of the legendarium. I'm curious which character you happened to lend the most points to. I could check, but haven't done so yet...

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Well, you know that John was considered an enemy of the state.

You are most kind. I'm curious too; my guess would be Míriel, but time will tell. Once the list is complete, I'll be able to check myself, won't I?

[yovargas]

*peaks into thread*

Hey look, I actually recognize a couple names now!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

You might even recognize some of the songs. Even if they are mostly songs for old fogies like me.