Thanks, Squatter (and davem), for the background information on the older usage of the word "tale" and the phrase "tale of years". To me, "tale" was always synonymous with "narrative", so this is something I've learned!
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth.. .'
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