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Gerontius Took

2012-07-13T19:32:42Z

76.248.70.109: /* Etymology */

{{hobbit
|image=[[File:Liz Danforth - Gerontius took.jpg|250px|link=Liz Danforth]]
|name=Gerontius Took
|othernames=Old Took
|birth={{SR|1190}}
|death={{SR|1320}}
|parentage=[[Fortinbras Took I]]
|location=[[Great Smials]], [[Tuckborough]]
|race=Hobbit
|gender=Male
|height=
|hair=
|eyes=
}}
'''Gerontius Took''' ({{SR|1190}} - {{SR|1320|n}}, died aged 130), also known as '''The Old Took''', was a renowned [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] and twenty-sixth [[Thain]] of [[the Shire]].

==History==
Gerontius was the only son of [[Fortinbras Took I|Fortinbras I]]. He married [[Adamanta Chubb]], who gave birth to twelve children: [[Isengrim Took III|Isengrim III]], [[Hildigard Took|Hildigard]], [[Isumbras Took IV|Isumbras IV]], [[Hildigrim Took|Hildigrim]], [[Isembold Took|Isembold]], [[Hildifons Took|Hildifons]], [[Isembard Took|Isembard]], [[Hildibrand Took|Hildibrand]], [[Belladonna Took|Belladonna]], [[Donnamira Took|Donnamira]], [[Mirabella Took|Mirabella]] and [[Isengar Took|Isengar]].

After the death of his father in {{SR|1248|n}}, Gerontius became the twenty-sixth [[Thain]] of [[the Shire]].<ref>{{App|Took}}</ref> He was a friend of [[Gandalf]], who gave him a pair of magic diamond studs.<ref>{{H|Party}}</ref>

Gerontius Took reached the impressive age of 130, which made him the oldest [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] until his grandson [[Bilbo Baggins]] celebrated his 131st Birthday.<ref>{{RK|Havens}}</ref> He also held the record of most offspring, until [[Samwise Gamgee]] bested him with [[Tolman Gardner|Tom]]'s birth in {{SR|1442}}.<ref>{{App|Gamgee}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The word element ''geron'' is Greek for ''old''. He was called ''The Old Took'' not because of his age, but because of his numerous younger relatives.<ref name="RC">{{HM|RC}}, page 54</ref>

Gerontius was also a Latin name of the Late Roman Empire, and is one of the very few Greco-Latin names appearing in Hobbit lore.

Gerontius is the Latinization of the Welsh name ''Geraint'', a royal name found in ''The [[Wikipedia:Mabinogion|Mabinogion]]'' and in Tennyson's ''[[Wikipedia:Geraint_and_Enid#Geraint_and_Enid|Geraint and Enid]]''.<ref>[[Mark T. Hooker]], [[Tolkien and Welsh]], p. 133</ref>

==Inspiration==
In a letter to Mr. and Mrs. Kloos, Tolkien wrote that when he wrote ''The Hobbit'', he had imagined Bilbo's grandfather to be old, because both of his grandparents were around a hundred years old when they died.<ref name="RC"/>

{{references}}
{{Sequence
|prev=[[Fortinbras Took I]]
|next=[[Isengrim Took III]]
|list=26th [[Thain]] of [[The Shire]]<br>{{SR|1248}} - {{SR|1320|n}}
|}}
[[Category:Characters in The Hobbit]]
[[Category:Hobbits]]
[[Category:Thains]]
[[Category:Took]]
[[de:Alter Tuk]]
[[fr:encyclo/personnages/hobbits/touque/gerontius_touque]]
[[fi:Gerontius Tuk]]

Gerontius Took

2012-07-13T19:31:56Z

76.248.70.109: /* Etymology */ added Latinization of Geraint

{{hobbit
|image=[[File:Liz Danforth - Gerontius took.jpg|250px|link=Liz Danforth]]
|name=Gerontius Took
|othernames=Old Took
|birth={{SR|1190}}
|death={{SR|1320}}
|parentage=[[Fortinbras Took I]]
|location=[[Great Smials]], [[Tuckborough]]
|race=Hobbit
|gender=Male
|height=
|hair=
|eyes=
}}
'''Gerontius Took''' ({{SR|1190}} - {{SR|1320|n}}, died aged 130), also known as '''The Old Took''', was a renowned [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] and twenty-sixth [[Thain]] of [[the Shire]].

==History==
Gerontius was the only son of [[Fortinbras Took I|Fortinbras I]]. He married [[Adamanta Chubb]], who gave birth to twelve children: [[Isengrim Took III|Isengrim III]], [[Hildigard Took|Hildigard]], [[Isumbras Took IV|Isumbras IV]], [[Hildigrim Took|Hildigrim]], [[Isembold Took|Isembold]], [[Hildifons Took|Hildifons]], [[Isembard Took|Isembard]], [[Hildibrand Took|Hildibrand]], [[Belladonna Took|Belladonna]], [[Donnamira Took|Donnamira]], [[Mirabella Took|Mirabella]] and [[Isengar Took|Isengar]].

After the death of his father in {{SR|1248|n}}, Gerontius became the twenty-sixth [[Thain]] of [[the Shire]].<ref>{{App|Took}}</ref> He was a friend of [[Gandalf]], who gave him a pair of magic diamond studs.<ref>{{H|Party}}</ref>

Gerontius Took reached the impressive age of 130, which made him the oldest [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] until his grandson [[Bilbo Baggins]] celebrated his 131st Birthday.<ref>{{RK|Havens}}</ref> He also held the record of most offspring, until [[Samwise Gamgee]] bested him with [[Tolman Gardner|Tom]]'s birth in {{SR|1442}}.<ref>{{App|Gamgee}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The word element ''geron'' is Greek for ''old''. He was called ''The Old Took'' not because of his age, but because of his numerous younger relatives.<ref name="RC">{{HM|RC}}, page 54</ref>

Gerontius was also a Latin name of the Late Roman Empire, and is one of the very few Greco-Latin names appearing in Hobbit lore.

Gerontius is the Latinization of the Welsh name ''Geraint'', a royal name found in ''The [[Wikipedia:Mabinogion|Mabinogion]]'' and in Tennyson's ''[[Wikipedia:Geraint_and_Enid#Geraint_and_Enid|Geraint and Enid]]''.<ref>[Mark T. Hooker]], {Tolkien and Welsh]], p. 133</ref>

==Inspiration==
In a letter to Mr. and Mrs. Kloos, Tolkien wrote that when he wrote ''The Hobbit'', he had imagined Bilbo's grandfather to be old, because both of his grandparents were around a hundred years old when they died.<ref name="RC"/>

{{references}}
{{Sequence
|prev=[[Fortinbras Took I]]
|next=[[Isengrim Took III]]
|list=26th [[Thain]] of [[The Shire]]<br>{{SR|1248}} - {{SR|1320|n}}
|}}
[[Category:Characters in The Hobbit]]
[[Category:Hobbits]]
[[Category:Thains]]
[[Category:Took]]
[[de:Alter Tuk]]
[[fr:encyclo/personnages/hobbits/touque/gerontius_touque]]
[[fi:Gerontius Tuk]]

Tolkien and Welsh

2012-07-13T19:13:22Z

76.248.70.109: added links to internal pages; added link to ToC on publisher's site

{{book
| title=<small>Tolkien and Welsh (Tolkien a Chymraeg): Essays on J.R.R. Tolkien's Use of Welsh in his Legendarium</small>
| image=[[File:Tolkien and Welsh.png|225px]]
| author=[[Mark T. Hooker]]
| illustrator=[[James Dunning]]
| publisher=Llyfrawr
| date=[[26 June]] [[2012]]
| format=Paperback
| pages=xxx + 274 (304)
| isbn=978-1477667736
}}
'''''Tolkien and Welsh (Tolkien a Chymraeg): Essays on J.R.R. Tolkien's Use of Welsh in his Legendarium''''' is a collection of articles by [[Mark T. Hooker]] on [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s use of [[Welsh]] language and culture.

==From the publisher==

''Tolkien and Welsh'' provides an overview of J.R.R. Tolkien's use of Welsh in his Legendarium, ranging from the obvious (''[[Gwynfa]]''), to the apparent (''[[Took Family |Took]]''), to the veiled (''[[Gerontius]]''), to the hidden (''[[Goldberry]]'').

Though it is a book by a linguist, it was written for the non-linguist with the goal of making the topic accessible. The unavoidable jargon is explained in a glossary, and the narrative presents an overview of how Welsh influenced Tolkien's story line, as well as his synthetic languages Quenya and Sindarin.

The study is based on specific examples of attested names, placed in the context of their linguistic and cultural background, while highlighting the peculiar features of Welsh, "the senior language of the men of Britain" (MC 189), that Tolkien found so intriguing. It supplements, rather than competes with [[Carl Phelpstead]]'s excellent ''[[Tolkien and Wales]]'', which sidestepped the topic of the Celtic linguistics behind Tolkien's work. Learn the story behind ''[[Lithe]]'', ''[[Buckland]]'', ''[[Anduin]]'', and ''[[Baranduin]]''.
==External links==
*[http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/1044_Tolkien_and_Welsh_Mark_Hooker.php ''Tolkien and Welsh''] at the [[Tolkien Library]]
*[http://llyfrawr.com/TolkienAndWelsh/TableOfContents.html ''Table of Contents''] at the Publisher's webSite
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''{{PAGENAME}}''}}
[[Category:Linguistic books]]
[[Category:Publications by title]]