Tom bombadill - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

galpsi · 08-15-2000, 08:26 PM

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<img src="http://www.barrowdowns.com/images/posticons/bluepal.jpg" align=absmiddle> Re: I disagree

I guess that I'm with Taimar on this -- at least in as far as thinking that she is the Withywindle's daughter -- and thereby not an elf. I'm not inclined to think her a maia, however. I make her a sprite, by virtue of her being a river-daughter (and following the previous logic of the BoLT, I guess that that makes her a lesser vala, though I personally think that "sprite" is identification enough).
As far as her elfin identity, among the first things JRRT says of Goldberry is that she made the hobbits feel as if they were <blockquote>Quote:<hr> "folk that, knocking at a cottage door to beg for a drink of water, have been answered by a fair young elf-queen..."<hr></blockquote>
Because this is a simile, the very logic of English comparative usage maintains that she is not literally a fair young elf-queen, but rather is like a fair young elf-queen.

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08-15-2000, 08:26 PM	#30
galpsi The Unquiet Dead Join Date: Jun 2000 Posts: 971	<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Unquiet Dead Posts: 0</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE> <img src="http://www.barrowdowns.com/images/posticons/bluepal.jpg" align=absmiddle> Re: I disagree I guess that I'm with Taimar on this -- at least in as far as thinking that she is the Withywindle's daughter -- and thereby not an elf. I'm not inclined to think her a maia, however. I make her a sprite, by virtue of her being a river-daughter (and following the previous logic of the BoLT, I guess that that makes her a lesser vala, though I personally think that "sprite" is identification enough). As far as her elfin identity, among the first things JRRT says of Goldberry is that she made the hobbits feel as if they were <blockquote>*Quote:*<hr> "folk that, knocking at a cottage door to beg for a drink of water, have been answered by a fair young elf-queen..."<hr></blockquote> Because this is a simile, the very logic of English comparative usage maintains that she is not literally a fair young elf-queen, but rather is like a fair young elf-queen. </p>