Niluial, let me give you an exsample taken from the quizthread that started this discussion about David Day: The last question conserning the mearas and snowmane... David Day says about Snowmane that he is a meara. Tolkien never says that snowmane is a meara. People may assume that Snowmane is a meara, being the kings horse.
But the mearas that we know of: Felarof and Shadowfax were ridden without saddle, bridle or stirrup.
From LOTR
Quote:
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Théoden at once called a halt. The Riders turned about and seized their spears. Aragorn dismounted and set Merry on the ground, and drawing his sword he stood by the king’s stirrup.
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This however clearly shows that Snowmane was ridden with saddle and stirrup, an arguement for those that say that he was not one of the mearas.
I do not have the answer, because Tolkien doesnt give a desisive answer. David Day however has no problem writing books where he lets his own conclusions stand as fact.
If we read on about the mearas in the Tolkien Companion by mr. Day we can learn about the horse of Eorl that:
Eorl renamed him Felaróf, Father of Horses, for from him came forth the mearas.
So David Day says that Felaróf means Father of Horses, which is funny, because Tolkien never says so. He does however say this in the notes to
Cirion and Eorl in Unfinished Tales note 28.
Quote:
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Felaróf is a word of the Anglo-Saxon poetic vocabulary, though not in fact recorded in the extant poetry; "very valiant, very strong."
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These are just minor errors by David Day - much worse cases are seen all over his 'works'. The main problem being that David Day NEVER says: this is how I see it, or I suppose... or I think... Everything is stated as facts and made into small dictionarys and encyclopedias about Tolkien, and by readers belived to be facts about ME.
Note also that the title of this thread Literary Burglar was actually something that Christopher in public has called David Day - that should be enough for most people.
[ October 05, 2003: Message edited by: Telchar ]