Talk:30 June

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Latest comment: 17 March 2019 by Mith

"Gandalf on his way to Bree encounters Radagast, who informs him that the Nazgûl are abroad."

  • Gandalf tells during the Council of Elrond that he was in the Shire "at the end of June". Then he went to the southern borders of the Shire, from there to the East and the North, and met with Radagast while on Greenway heading north. No exact dates here. Further on, when delivering Gandalf's letter on 29 September, Butterbur says: "Three months back he [Gandalf] walked right into my room without a knock." One might think that Gandalf was in Bree on 29 June, but is Butterbur being exact with his dates? I doubt it, but if Gandalf's "at the end of June" in the Shire actually was 25 June or so, he might have been in Bree four-five days later. Anyway, in this article one might only say Gandalf was in the Shire at the end of June but not necessarily at 30 June. Anyway, meeting with Radagast on 30 June is not supported by Gandalf's account in Rivendell. Or is there some other source? --Tik 14:22, 14 March 2019 (UTC)
I agree, and I took a look at Untangling Tolkien but suggests it took place on Midyear's Day, as does our Third Age 3018 article. I've slightly amended the text but what do you suggest? --Mith (Talk/Contribs/Edits) 08:43, 17 March 2019 (UTC)Reply[reply]
In my opinion, the dates concerning Gandalf's meeting with Radagast and his visit to Bree are just as vague as stated in the book: "at the end of June" in the Shire means some of the last days of the month, and Butterburs "three months back" cannot safely be translated as "29 June" even if one might take it as face value. (If I was having the conversation with Strider and the hobbits, and, being as absent-minded as Butterbur, would I precisely remember in which day Gandalf was there? If so, I would perhaps say "precisely three months back" and be proud to have kept the date in my mind.) One might speculate how long could it take for Gandalf to ride from the southskirts of the Shire to Bree – if he left the Shire, say, at 25 June, he might well have been in the Pony in 29 June, I suppose. But who knows? --Tik 09:10, 17 March 2019 (UTC)