Quick note- "Cotton" doesn't refer to the fibrous plant, but is a worn-down form of "Cotman"
"Grubb" is less likely, I think, to refer to insect larvae than the verb "to grub", dig: a very Hobbitish name, and suited to the auctioneer Grubbs' partner Burrowes.
Breaking the list down further- "Mugwort" is an example of the botanical names which Tolkien tells us were predominant in the Bree-land among Hobbits and Men alike: Butterburr, Ferny, Goatleaf, Appledore, Heathertoes
Shire-hobbit girl children seem to have been overwhelmingly named for flowers, with a few gemstones thrown in.
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The entire plot of The Lord of the Rings could be said to turn on what Sauron didn’t know, and when he didn’t know it.
Last edited by William Cloud Hicklin; 08-02-2015 at 08:16 PM.
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