Tolkien vocabulary I (serious) - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

***Mister Underhill*** · 07-23-2002, 01:10 PM

I've always thought Tolkien usually used "leaguer" to mean not so much a siege as simply a containment or partition. So when they put a "leaguer" on Angband, they're not actively laying siege to the fortress, but they are preventing anyone from getting in or out. Likewise, the leaguer of Gondolin is a sort of self-imposed containment with the obvious purpose of keeping the city's location secret. No one can leave. I wouldn't characterize Gondolin as a military encampment.

Maybe Unabridged Oxford-boy (I saw that smug smile! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]) has more information -- my wimpy Webster's is no help.

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07-23-2002, 01:10 PM	#14
*Mister Underhill* Dread Horseman Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Behind you! Posts: 2,744	I've always thought Tolkien usually used "leaguer" to mean not so much a siege as simply a containment or partition. So when they put a "leaguer" on Angband, they're not actively laying siege to the fortress, but they are preventing anyone from getting in or out. Likewise, the leaguer of Gondolin is a sort of self-imposed containment with the obvious purpose of keeping the city's location secret. No one can leave. I wouldn't characterize Gondolin as a military encampment. Maybe Unabridged Oxford-boy (I saw that smug smile! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]) has more information -- my wimpy Webster's is no help.