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Lord of Andúnië

2021-02-20T06:39:23Z

Cosmicdense: Improve headnote wording and reduce detail given in body of article. Line is not a cadet branch, which refers to male descent.

The '''Lords of Andúnië''' were the [[Númenóreans|Númenórean]] lords who ruled the shoreland region of [[Andustar]] in western [[Númenor]] from the great city of [[Andúnië]].<ref>{{UT|IMap}}</ref> The noble dynasty was related to the [[House of Elros]] as descendants of [[Silmariën]], eldest child of [[Tar-Elendil]].

==Description==
As rulers of one of the major regions of [[Númenor]], the Lords of Andúnië were members of the [[Council of the Sceptre]]. Being the chief councellors of the [[Kings of Númenor]], they were the second most honourable lords in the kingdom.<ref>{{UT|Wife}}, Note 23</ref><ref name="Akallabeth">{{S|Akallabeth}}</ref> From their beginning, these lords revered and were ever-loyal to the [[Kings of Númenor]]; in addition to this, they had great love for the [[Eldar]] and the [[Valar]].<ref name="Akallabeth"/>

Their symbol of office was a [[Sceptre of Annúminas|silver sceptre]] which was afterwards held by the [[Kings of Arnor]].<ref>{{App|Eriador}}</ref> The house inherited the [[Ring of Barahir]] (given by [[Tar-Elendil]] to his daughter [[Silmarien]]),<ref name="note">{{UT|Numenor}}, Note 2</ref> the original [[Elendilmir]] from [[Silmariën]],<ref name="Gladden">{{UT|Gladden}}</ref> and the [[palantíri]] of [[Amandil]] (gifted by the [[Eldar]]).<ref name=rings>{{S|Rings}}</ref>

==History==
[[Tar-Elendil]], the fourth [[King of Númenor]], was the first King whose eldest child was a daughter. [[Silmariën]], as a woman, could not receive the [[Sceptre of Númenor]] at the time because of the [[Númenóreans|Númenórean]] law of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnatic_primogeniture agnatic primogeniture] that then existed in the realm; she could not succeed her father as [[Queen of Númenor]] and instead her younger brother, [[Tar-Meneldur]], took up the [[Sceptre]].<ref name="UTWife">{{UT|Wife}}</ref> Instead, [[Silmariën]] married [[Elatan|Elatan of Andúnië]] and their son was [[Valandil (Lord of Andúnië)|Valandil]], who became the first of the Lords of Andúnië.<ref name="UTWife"/>

When the [[Shadow]] fell on [[Númenor]], the Lords remained [[Faithful]] and helped them as they could, but still retained their office during those dark times.<ref name="Akallabeth"/> They could not declare their true allegiance openly but they instead attempted to dissuade the [[Kings of Númenor]] with wiser counsel.<ref name="Akallabeth"/>

[[Inzilbêth]], a lady of noble descent (descended from [[Tar-Calmacil]]), was wed to [[Ar-Gimilzôr]].<ref>{{UT|Kings}}, Ar-Gimilzôr</ref> Her [[Faithful]] ways were passed onto her elder son [[Tar-Palantir]] who was the last [[Faithful]] [[King of Númenor]].<ref name="Akallabeth"/>

[[Amandil]], the last Lord of Andúnië and dear friend of [[Ar-Pharazôn]], was stripped of his titles for supporting the [[Faithful]] during [[Sauron]]'s sojourn in [[Númenor]].<ref name="Akallabeth"/>

Shortly before the [[Downfall of Númenor|Downfall]], a family of [[Faithful]] akin to [[Elendil]] (and thus akin to the Lords of Andúnië) colonized [[Belfalas]].<ref name="prince">{{UT|Cirion}}, Note 39</ref> From that ancient family arose the [[House of Dol Amroth]] and its hereditary [[Princes of Dol Amroth|Princes]] who could claim descent from the Lords of Andúnië.<ref name="prince"/>

The last of this line and house was [[Elendil]], son of [[Amandil]], who led his sons away from [[Númenor]] in time to escape its [[Downfall of Númenor|Downfall]], and founded the kingdoms of [[Arnor]] and [[Gondor]] in [[Middle-earth]].<ref name="note"/>

==List of Lords==
*1. [[Valandil (Lord of Andúnië)|Valandil]] ({{SA|630}} – c. {{SA|870|n}})
*2-14. Unknown (''dates unknown'')
*15. [[Eärendur (Lord of Andúnië)|Eärendur]] (''dates unknown'')
*16. Unknown (''dates unknown'')
*17. [[Númendil]] (''dates unknown'')
*18. [[Amandil]] (sailed West {{SA|3316|n}})

{{references}}
{{numenor}}
[[Category:Mannish Titles]]
[[Category:Rulers of Númenor]]
[[fi:Andúniën ruhtinaat]]

Annúminas

2021-02-20T04:42:17Z

Cosmicdense: add link

{{location infobox
| name=Annúminas
| image=[[File:Ted Nasmith - Annúminas.jpg|250px]]
| caption="Annúminas" by [[Ted Nasmith]]
| pronun={{respell|ahn|noo|mee-nas}}
| othernames=
| location=[[Eriador]], southern shores of [[Lake Evendim|Lake Nenuial]]
| type=City
| description=
| regions=
| towns=
| inhabitants=[[Arnorians]]
| created={{SA|3320}}
| destroyed=
| events=
}}
{{Pronounce|Annuminas.mp3|Ardamir}}
'''Annúminas''' was the city of the [[Kings of Arnor]] before the capital of the [[Arnor|North Kingdom]] was relocated to [[Fornost Erain]]. The city lay on the south-east shore of [[Lake Evendim|Lake Nenuial]], near the source of the [[Baranduin]] river. To the south and west of Annúminas rose the [[Hills of Evendim]].<ref>{{UT|West}}</ref>

==History==
The city was founded by [[Elendil]] in {{SA|3320}} shortly after his arrival in [[Lindon]] following the destruction of [[Númenor]].<ref>{{PM|Second}}, p. 176</ref> With the establishment of Arnor the city became the capital of the realm for several centuries; and was home to the [[Annúminas-stone]], one of the three ''[[palantíri]]'' of the North-Kingdom,<ref>{{S|Rings}}</ref> and the [[Sceptre of Annúminas]], originally the rod of office of the [[Númenóreans|Númenórean]] [[Lords of Andúnië]], the heirloom of and symbol of kingship in Arnor.<ref name=Eriador>{{App|Eriador}}</ref>

Due to losses in the war against [[Sauron]] and the [[Disaster of the Gladden Fields]], the number of the [[Dúnedain of Arnor]] began to dwindle, until eventually Annúminas was deserted and [[Fornost Erain]] became the capital.<ref>{{FR|Council}}</ref><ref group=note>[[Robert Foster]], in ''[[The Complete Guide to Middle-earth]]'', suggested that the city was deserted sometime between {{TA}} 250 and {{TA|861|n}}. The latter date is when the kingdom of Arnor fractured into three separate successor kingdoms.</ref> After {{TA|861}} the ruins of Annúminas belonged to the petty Arnorian successor kingdom of [[Arthedain]].

The two relics which had been housed in Annúminas survived the city: The ''palantír'' remained for more than a millennium after the loss of its city, but was ultimately drowned with [[Arvedui]] in the [[Icebay of Forochel|cold northern seas]].<ref name=Eriador/> The silver Sceptre of Annúminas would have been removed to Fornost by the Kings, and eventually came to be kept by [[Elrond]] in [[Rivendell]].<ref>{{App|Tale}}</ref>

At the time of the coronation of [[Aragorn|King Elessar]] at the end of the [[Third Age]] Annúminas had lain in ruins for more than two thousand years. Yet Aragorn soon set his mind to preparing a place to stay in the ancient city. Aragorn sometimes came North to his house in Annúminas restored and stayed for a while beside Lake Evendim, and when that happened everyone in [[the Shire]] was said to be glad.<ref name=Eriador/>

==Etymology==
The name ''Annúminas'' is [[Sindarin]] from ''[[Annûn|annún]]'' ("west") and ''[[minas]]'' ("tower"): "Tower of the West".<ref>{{S|Index}}, entry "Annúminas"</ref>

==Appearances in adaptations==
'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
[[File:Annúminas LOTRO.jpg|200px|thumb|A view of Annúminas in ''The Lord of the Rings Online'']]
:The city of Annúminas is available for exploration and adventuring in its entirety. It is partially submerged in the waters of the lake and is overrun by servants of Angmar, who invaded the city looking for instructions to operate its palantír. A group of the Dúnedain of the North, calling themselves Wardens of Annuminas, strives to preserve the ancient city of their ancestors and its rich history, taking fight against Angmar forces, Tomb-Robbers seeking to plunder ancient relics and even the forces of nature itself when necessary. The city is situated on the hill slope and as such is presented as a multi-levelled place akin to [[Minas Tirith]]: travellers are constantly going either uphill or downhill to reach their destination. Inside the city are several market places, living quarters, pools, gardens and other artefacts of everyday life. At the highest point is the King's Seat of power - the chamber of Ost Elendil. To the east of the city lies the Way of Kings - a row of tombs where Kings of Arnor reside, including a ceremonial Tomb of Elendil, where some of his belongings are buried in memory of the city's founder.

[[File:ArdaCraft Annúminas.png|200px|thumb|left|The ruins of Annúminas on [[ArdaCraft]]'']]
'''2017: ''[[ArdaCraft]]'':'''
:As part of their effort to re-create all of Middle-earth, [[ArdaCraft]] built Annúminas in the late Third Age, long after it had been abandoned. It drew inspiration from Roman, Byzantine and Babylonian ruins.

{{references|notes}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Annuminas}}
[[Category:Arnor]]
[[Category:Cities, towns and villages]]
[[Category:Pronounced articles]]
[[Category:Sindarin locations]]
[[de:Annúminas]]
[[fi:Annúminas]]
[[fr:encyclo/geographie/villes_tours_et_forteresses/eriador/annuminas]]

Roverandom

2021-02-07T18:31:33Z

Cosmicdense: Remove Tinker link.

{{book
| title=Roverandom
| image=[[File:Roverandom.jpg|225px]]
| author=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]
| foreword=
| introduction=
| editor=[[Christina Scull]] & [[Wayne G. Hammond]]
| contributors=
| translator=
| illustrator=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]
| publisher=
| publisherUK=[[HarperCollins]]
| publisherUS=[[Houghton Mifflin]]
| date=
| dateUK=[[5 January]] [[1998]]
| dateUS=[[15 April]] [[1998]]
| format=Hardback
| pages=128
| isbn=0261103539
| noisbn=
| issn=
| series=[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]
| precededby=
| followedby=
}}
'''''Roverandom''''' is a short children's story by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] published posthumously in [[1998]]. Originally told in [[1925]] - and written down in [[1927]] - the story tells of the adventures of the dog [[Rover]] who is turned into a toy by the wizard [[Artaxerxes]]. Rover goes on adventures to the [[moon]] and the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea on his quest to undo his bewitchment.

Tolkien wrote ''Roverandom'' for his second son, [[Michael Tolkien|Michael]], to console him for the loss of his own little black-and-white toy dog on a beach in Yorkshire.

==History==
In early September [[1925]], the Tolkien family (then [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Ronald]], [[Edith Tolkien|Edith]], [[John Tolkien|John]], [[Michael Tolkien|Michael]] and a one-year-old [[Christopher Tolkien|Christopher]]) went on holiday to the seaside resort of Filey in Yorkshire. Although Tolkien had holidayed there previously in [[1922]], Tolkien described Filey as "a very nasty little suburban seaside resort".<ref name="bio">{{HM|Bio}}</ref>{{rp|146}} During the holiday, Michael lost his beloved black-and-white toy dog on the beach; although the family searched for it, the toy dog could not be found.

To console his son, Tolkien created the story of ''Roverandom'' to explain the adventures of the dog. Tolkien wrote the story down, based on his own oral version, in [[1927]] and also provided a number of illustrations which have since been published.<ref name="AI"/>{{rp|77-83}} A few years later, Tolkien submitted ''Roverandom'' for publication to [[George Allen & Unwin]] in [[1936]] and although the book was described by [[Rayner Unwin]] as "well written and amusing" it was never considered for publication, perhaps as a result of a desire for a [[The Lord of the Rings|sequel to ''The Hobbit'']].<ref name="Roverandom"/>{{rp|xvii}}

The popularity of ''Roverandom'' led to Tolkien creating other stories for his children, including ''[[Mr. Bliss]]''.<ref name="bio">{{HM|Bio}}</ref>{{rp|216 ff}} And whilst each of these tales remained distinct and separate, [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]] have noted a number of similarities and crossovers with ''Roverandom''. These include points of convergence with ''The Book of Lost Tales'' and ''[[The Silmarillion]]''<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. lxxii</ref> in both the great whale [[Uin]] and the geography of "the [[Shadowy Seas]]", "the great [[Bay of Eldamar|Bay of Fairyland]] beyond the [[Enchanted Isles|Magic Isles]]" where Roverandom then saw "in the last [[Aman|West]] the [[Pelóri|Mountains of Elvenhome]]".<ref name="Roverandom">{{HM|R}}</ref>{{rp|73-4}} They also note the similarity of not just the spiders of the Moon and those in ''[[The Hobbit]]'', but that Tolkien also recycled several elements of his drawings in his illustrations of ''The Hobbit'', including the dragon, the spider and the mountainous landscape.<ref name="AI">{{HM|AI}}</ref>{{rp|81}}

''Roverandom'' was finally published by [[HarperCollins]] on [[5 January]] [[1998]], edited by [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]], over 70 years after it was first written.<ref name="AM1998">{{webcite|website=AMUK|articleurl=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roverandom-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0261103539|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=1 June 2014}}</ref> Since [[2008]], ''Roverandom'' has also been included in the collection ''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]''.<ref>{{webcite|website=TL|articleurl=http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/836-Tales-from-the-Perilous-Realm.php|dated=1 July 2008|accessed=1 June 2014|articlename=Tales from the Perilous Realm Cover Revealed}}</ref>

==Description from the publisher==
{{blockquote|An unpublished full-length story written and illustrated by the author of The Hobbit. In 1925, while the Tolkiens were on holiday at Filey in Yorkshire, four-year-old Michael lost his beloved little lead dog on the beach. To comfort him, J.R.R.Tolkien wrote Roverandom, a story about a real dog, Rover, who is turned into a toy by a wizard. When dropped on the beach by a small boy, the toy is transported to the moon along the path of light the moon makes when it shines over the sea. The Man in the Moon renames him ‘Roverandom’ and gives him wings. Roverandom and Moondog set out on a series of adventures, encountering the Great White Dragon and other moon fauna like giant spiders and dragon-moths. Finally, back on Earth, Roverandom travels under the sea inside Uin, oldest of the whales, to ask the wizard who changed him into a toy to undo the spell. J.R.R.Tolkien was a prolific storyteller to his children, though few of his early stories survive. Roverandom was a particular favourite, so much so that Tolkien wrote it out and even illustrated it himself. But for over 70 years it has remained unpublished. Bearing many of the hallmarks which were to make The Hobbit such a classic ten years later, this delightful book is finally published together with Tolkien’s own paintings and drawings. Introduced by Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull, authors of the acclaimed J.R.R.Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator, this book is destined to become a classic and will be welcomed by Tolkien fans of all ages.<ref name="AM1998"/>}}

==Plot==
[[File:Alan Lee - Edge of the World.jpg|thumb|left|Edge of the World by [[Alan Lee]]]]
[[Rover]], a black and white dog who lives with old lady and a cat named Tinker, is playing in the garden with his yellow ball when a wizard comes along and picks it up. When the wizard, [[Artaxerxes]], refuses to give the ball back Rover bites his trousers; in retaliation, the wizard turns Rover into a small toy dog and transports him into a toy store. Placed in the window of the shop, Rover is sold for a sixpence to a woman who gives Rover to her [[Michael Tolkien|second son (boy Two)]]. The next day, Rover is taken to the beach by boy Two but falls out of his pocket when startled by a [[gulls|seagull]]. The boys (and [[J.R.R. Tolkien|their father]]) search for the toy dog but they can't find him. As the tide comes in, Rover is turned back into a real dog (but not his normal size) by [[Psamathos Psamathides]], an ugly sand-sorcerer who is the oldest of the Psamathists.

When Rover wakes up he is met by a seagull named [[Mew]]. Mew is Psamathos's postman and flies Rover around the beach before taking him to a great cliff with hundreds of other [[wikipedia:Black-backed gull|black-backed gulls]]. After collecting various messages, Mew took Rover along the moon-path flying over the [[wikipedia:Isle of Dogs|Isle of Dogs]] (a home for lost dogs with bone-trees) and passing [[Circles of the World|the edge of the world]] to reach the moon. Atop of a tall white tower, Rover and Mew meet the [[Man-in-the-Moon]] who gives Rover wings so Rover can play with the Man-in-the-Moon's dog (also named "Rover"). The Man-in-the-Moon renames Rover "Roverandom" and Rover stays with the Man-in-the-Moon and goes on many adventures around the [[moon]]. On one of their adventures, Roverandom and the moon-dog accidentally journey into the shadowy edge of the dark side of the moon and seek refuge in a cave; the cave turns out to be the lair of the Great White Dragon. The Great White Dragon used to live on [[wikipedia:Snowdon|Snowdon]] and damaged the [[wikipedia:Great Britain|Three Islands]] but now, residing on the moon, was determined to [[wikipedia:Lunar eclipse|turn the moon red]] and chase the dogs. However, as they came close to the Man-in-the-Moon's tower the dragon was hit by a great rocket - the black splodges on his body caused him to be renamed the "Mottled Monster".

The Man-in-the-Moon takes Roverandom to the dark side of the moon (where everything is in reverse) but going down a hole right through the middle of the [[moon]]. After meeting two spiders, they follow a long grey path to a valley filled with children. Sliding down the black cliff-edge into the valley, Roverandom discovers that the children in the valley are all dreaming. After seeing a yellow ball, he meets boy Two again - the boy Two talk and play together until boy Two suddenly disappears when he wakes up. Returning to the white side of the moon, Roverandom looks into the Man-in-the-Moon's telescope to see the boys on the beach and Artaxerxes waiting outside his house. Although Roverandom likes being on the moon, he longs to return to the world and be with boy Two; the Man-in-the-Moon says that this is now possible as [[Artaxerxes]] has married the daughter of the Mer-king and is living at the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea. After saying goodbye to the Man-in-the-Moon and Moon-Rover, Mew collects Roverandom and takes him back to the world.

When back in the cove, Psamathos says he will return Roverandom to his normal size and he can go and live with the old lady (to whom he rightfully belongs, not boy Two), however, Psamathos's magic fails against Artaxerxes' bewitchment. Roverandom goes to see Artaxerxes as the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea and is taken there in the mouth of a giant whale named [[Uin]]. Artaxerxes is very busy as the Pacific and Atlantic Magician ([[wikipedia:Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|PAM]] for short) and ignores Roverandom's requests. However, he gives Roverandom webbed feet so he can play with Mrs Artaxerxes's mer-dog "Rover". After Artaxerxes fails to deal with the Sea-serpent (who is woken up thanks to Roverandom), the mer-people ask Artaxerxes to leave; Artaxerxes leaves with Roverandom, and agrees to turn Roverandom to his normal size, as Roverandom was the only person to have been polite to the wizard.

After returning to the England (but not Psamathos's cove), [[Artaxerxes]] restores Roverandom to his normal size. Roverandom is sent to walk home all by himself but when he gets back to the old lady's house he discovers boy Two playing in the garden with his yellow ball: the old lady was the grandmother of boy Two. Afterwards, Roverandom lives with boy Two in the house by the beach and over many years became good friends with [[Psamathos Psamathides|Psamathos]].

==Characters==
[[File:Alan Lee - Mottled Monster.jpg|thumb|right|The Mottled Monster by [[Alan Lee]]]]
* '''[[Rover]]''' - later known as '''Roverandom''' - is a black and white dog who is turned into a toy by the wizard Artaxerxes. The story follows his adventures to the moon and back.
* '''[[Artaxerxes]]''', a 2,000-year old wizard from [[wikipedia:Persia|Persia]] who mistakenly ended up in [[wikipedia:Pershore|Pershore]]. He is an old man with ragged trousers and a green hat who turns Rover into a toy for not saying "please" and biting his trousers. He becomes the Pacific and Atlantic Magician (PAM) after he marries a daughter of the Mer-king.
* '''[[Psamathos Psamathides]]''', the head of the Psamathists, a fat and ugly sand-sorcerer who transforms Rover from a toy into a small "fairy-dog".
* '''[[Man-in-the-Moon]]''', the greatest of all magicians, who lives in a white tower in the moon. He renames Rover "Roverandom" and gives him wings.
* '''[[Mew]]''', a black-backed gull who is Psamathos's postman. He takes Rover to and from the moon.
* '''[[Uin]]''', a giant whale who transports Roverandom to and from the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea.
* '''Great White Dragon''', a resident of the moon who chases Roverandom and the moon-Rover. Following his encounter with the Man-in-the-Moon he is renamed the "Mottled Monster".
* '''Rover''', the '''moon-dog''', the Man-in-the-Moon's flying dog.
* '''Rover''', the '''mer-dog''', Mrs Artaxerxes's underwater dog.
* '''Tinker''', a large black cat who lived in the same house as Rover.
* '''Boy Two''' (representing [[Michael Tolkien]]), the owner of toy-dog Rover who encounters Roverandom on the dark side of the moon.

==Reception==
Most reviews from the general press offered modest praise, with more enthusiastic acclaim from Tolkien aficionados; reviewers particularly lauded Tolkien's descriptive ability. Tolkien scholar [[David Bratman]] praised ''Roverandom'' saying "Mum is not the word for ''Roverandom'': this book can be enjoyed by anyone who loves ''The Hobbit'', from the most abstruse Tolkien scholar to intelligent children of perhaps age 8 or 10." Although admitting that this was a less-polished work by [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]], Bratman did confirm that "Some of the best writing is in lyrical descriptions of the moonscape and seascape."<ref>{{webcite|author=[[David Bratman]]|dated=April 1998|articleurl=http://www.mythsoc.org/reviews/roverandom/|articlename=Reviews: Roverandom|website=[http://www.mythsoc.org/mythprint/ Mythprint]|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> Jessica Yates, writing in ''Books for Keeps'', pointed out the connections between ''Roverandom'' and both ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' and other children's stories from the 1920s. Yates concluded that ''Roverandom'' is "a jolly good children's tale" with a "scholarly and most useful introduction".<ref>Jessica Yates, "Review: Roverandom" in ''Books for Keeps'', March 1998</ref>

Writing for ''[http://www.januarymagazine.com January Magazine]'', David Grayson also praised the descriptions - particularly the "sense of awe" - of ''Roverandom''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s world and felt this would be a good book to introduce children to [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]. However, Grayson also made clear that this was a "mediocre tale".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.januarymagazine.com January Magazine]|author=David Grayon|articlename=A Forgotten Tolkien Tale|articleurl=http://www.januarymagazine.com/fiction/roverandom.html|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> Trent Walters felt that the editorial content was "tastefully done" and summarised the book: "Whether Roverandom will become a classic or not is up to the future generations of young readers and what they remember loving and what they choose to read to their own kids. But, if you're just looking for an unalloyed, unmolested good time to read aloud to your children (or your make-believe children), call up this book."<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.sfsite.com SFSite]|articlename=Roverandom|articleurl=http://www.sfsite.com/03a/rov76.htm|author=Trent Walters|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

Daniel Offer of ''[http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk Fantasy Book Review]'' offered cautious praise of ''Roverandom'' giving it a 7/10 score: "While ''Roverandom'' will probably never be listed among the great classics, this theme rings true, making the book a valuable addition to any library." But Offer did caution that "The book is probably not so compelling that you will be unable to put it down, and it probably won’t be one that you reread every year. [...] The doggy protagonist seemed rather flat, and was much less interesting than the things he saw and the things he did." Offer summed up the book as "charming".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk Fantasy Book Review]|author=Daniel Offer|articleurl=http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/JRR-Tolkien/Roverandom.html|articlename=Roverandom by JRR Tolkien|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

Adam Mars-Jones, writing in ''[http://www.theguardian.com The Observer]'', mirrors Bratman's praise of Tolkien's descriptions: "In his descriptions Tolkien brings off the occasional effect worthy of epic". However, Mars-Jones was overall more scathing as he criticsed the book for being edited "to within an inch of its life" whilst the characterisation was "rudimentary" and that the flat-Earth cosmology was unsatisfactory. He concluded that "most admirers of Tolkien will want to turn down this chance".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.theguardian.com The Observer]|articleurl=http://www.theguardian.com/books/1998/jan/01/jrrtolkien.classics|articlename=Hobbit forming|author=Adam Mars-Jones|dated=1 January 1988|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> A review in ''The Telegraph'', titled "Completists always prove willing buyers", argued that the story might not be strong enough in its own right,<ref>"Completists always prove willing buyers" in ''[http://www.telegraph.co.uk The Daily Telegraph]'' 9 May 1998, p. A4</ref> whilst ''[http://www.kirkusreviews.com Kirkus]'' offered the most strident warning: "The story was rejected by Tolkien's publisher in 1937 and has lain neglected ever since. With good reason. [...] Even for Tolkien scholars, these are awfully thin bones to pick over."<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.kirkusreviews.com Kirkus]|articleurl=http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jrr-tolkien/roverandom/|articlename=Roverandom|dated=1 February 1998|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

Average readers' scores for ''Roverandom'' are fairly consistent in moderate praise. On [http://books.google.co.uk/books Google], average readers' scores are 4.12/5 (8.24/10),<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://books.google.co.uk/books Google Books]|articleurl=http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Roverandom.html?id=cmGw_3eMv8gC&redir_esc=y|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> and the average score at [http://www.goodreads.com Goodreads] is 3.83/5 (7.66)<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.goodreads.com Goodreads]|articleurl=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23617.Roverandom|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> which was mirrored by users on [http://www.amazon.com Amazon] who have given ''Roverandom'' an average score of 3.87/5 (7.73/10).<ref>{{webcite|website=AM|articleurl=http://www.amazon.com/Roverandom-J-R-R-Tolkien/product-reviews/0395957990|articlename=Customer Reviews - Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

==Publication history==
{{Gallery
|title=
|width=165
|height=220
|lines=2
|File:Roverandom.jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 1998 hardback
|File:Roverandom (1998 paperback).jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 1998 paperback
|File:Roverandom (2002).jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 2002 paperback
|File:Roverandom (2013).jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 2013 pocket hardback
}}
* [[HarperCollins]] hardback, first edition hardback with dustjacket ([[5 January]] [[1998]]), pp. 128 ISBN 0261103539
* [[HarperCollins]] paperback, same as first edition hardback ([[17 August]] [[1998]]), pp. 128. ISBN 0261103547
* [[HarperCollins]] paperback ([[2 September]] [[2002]]), pp. 116. ISBN 0007149115
* [[HarperCollins]] pocket hardback with dustjacket ([[26 September]] [[2013]]), pp. 144. ISBN 9780007523283

==See also==
*''[[Mr. Bliss]]''
*''[[Letters from Father Christmas]]''
*''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]''
**''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]''
**''[[Farmer Giles of Ham]]''
**''[[Leaf by Niggle]]''
**''[[Smith of Wootton Major]]''
*''[[The Orgog]]''

== External links ==
*[http://www.hammondandscull.com/addenda/roverandom.html Addenda and Corrigenda to ''Roverandom'']
{{references}}
{{perilousrealm}}
{{title|italics}}
[[Category:Books by J.R.R. Tolkien]]
[[Category:Fiction books]]
[[Category:Posthumous publications]]
[[Category:Publications by title]]
[[Category:Roverandom| ]]

Cat (disambiguation)

2021-02-07T18:26:24Z

Cosmicdense: Remove Tinker link.

'''Cat''' could refer to:

* [[Cats]], animals that lived in [[Arda]].
** The [[Cats of Queen Berúthiel]].
* [[Cat (poem)]], a poem written by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]].
* [[Tevildo]], Prince of Cats, an abandoned character later replaced by [[Sauron]].
* Tinker, the cat in ''[[Roverandom]]''.
{{disambig}}

Roverandom

2021-02-07T18:25:12Z

Cosmicdense: Remove Tinker link.

{{book
| title=Roverandom
| image=[[File:Roverandom.jpg|225px]]
| author=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]
| foreword=
| introduction=
| editor=[[Christina Scull]] & [[Wayne G. Hammond]]
| contributors=
| translator=
| illustrator=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]
| publisher=
| publisherUK=[[HarperCollins]]
| publisherUS=[[Houghton Mifflin]]
| date=
| dateUK=[[5 January]] [[1998]]
| dateUS=[[15 April]] [[1998]]
| format=Hardback
| pages=128
| isbn=0261103539
| noisbn=
| issn=
| series=[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]
| precededby=
| followedby=
}}
'''''Roverandom''''' is a short children's story by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] published posthumously in [[1998]]. Originally told in [[1925]] - and written down in [[1927]] - the story tells of the adventures of the dog [[Rover]] who is turned into a toy by the wizard [[Artaxerxes]]. Rover goes on adventures to the [[moon]] and the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea on his quest to undo his bewitchment.

Tolkien wrote ''Roverandom'' for his second son, [[Michael Tolkien|Michael]], to console him for the loss of his own little black-and-white toy dog on a beach in Yorkshire.

==History==
In early September [[1925]], the Tolkien family (then [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Ronald]], [[Edith Tolkien|Edith]], [[John Tolkien|John]], [[Michael Tolkien|Michael]] and a one-year-old [[Christopher Tolkien|Christopher]]) went on holiday to the seaside resort of Filey in Yorkshire. Although Tolkien had holidayed there previously in [[1922]], Tolkien described Filey as "a very nasty little suburban seaside resort".<ref name="bio">{{HM|Bio}}</ref>{{rp|146}} During the holiday, Michael lost his beloved black-and-white toy dog on the beach; although the family searched for it, the toy dog could not be found.

To console his son, Tolkien created the story of ''Roverandom'' to explain the adventures of the dog. Tolkien wrote the story down, based on his own oral version, in [[1927]] and also provided a number of illustrations which have since been published.<ref name="AI"/>{{rp|77-83}} A few years later, Tolkien submitted ''Roverandom'' for publication to [[George Allen & Unwin]] in [[1936]] and although the book was described by [[Rayner Unwin]] as "well written and amusing" it was never considered for publication, perhaps as a result of a desire for a [[The Lord of the Rings|sequel to ''The Hobbit'']].<ref name="Roverandom"/>{{rp|xvii}}

The popularity of ''Roverandom'' led to Tolkien creating other stories for his children, including ''[[Mr. Bliss]]''.<ref name="bio">{{HM|Bio}}</ref>{{rp|216 ff}} And whilst each of these tales remained distinct and separate, [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]] have noted a number of similarities and crossovers with ''Roverandom''. These include points of convergence with ''The Book of Lost Tales'' and ''[[The Silmarillion]]''<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. lxxii</ref> in both the great whale [[Uin]] and the geography of "the [[Shadowy Seas]]", "the great [[Bay of Eldamar|Bay of Fairyland]] beyond the [[Enchanted Isles|Magic Isles]]" where Roverandom then saw "in the last [[Aman|West]] the [[Pelóri|Mountains of Elvenhome]]".<ref name="Roverandom">{{HM|R}}</ref>{{rp|73-4}} They also note the similarity of not just the spiders of the Moon and those in ''[[The Hobbit]]'', but that Tolkien also recycled several elements of his drawings in his illustrations of ''The Hobbit'', including the dragon, the spider and the mountainous landscape.<ref name="AI">{{HM|AI}}</ref>{{rp|81}}

''Roverandom'' was finally published by [[HarperCollins]] on [[5 January]] [[1998]], edited by [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]], over 70 years after it was first written.<ref name="AM1998">{{webcite|website=AMUK|articleurl=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roverandom-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0261103539|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=1 June 2014}}</ref> Since [[2008]], ''Roverandom'' has also been included in the collection ''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]''.<ref>{{webcite|website=TL|articleurl=http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/836-Tales-from-the-Perilous-Realm.php|dated=1 July 2008|accessed=1 June 2014|articlename=Tales from the Perilous Realm Cover Revealed}}</ref>

==Description from the publisher==
{{blockquote|An unpublished full-length story written and illustrated by the author of The Hobbit. In 1925, while the Tolkiens were on holiday at Filey in Yorkshire, four-year-old Michael lost his beloved little lead dog on the beach. To comfort him, J.R.R.Tolkien wrote Roverandom, a story about a real dog, Rover, who is turned into a toy by a wizard. When dropped on the beach by a small boy, the toy is transported to the moon along the path of light the moon makes when it shines over the sea. The Man in the Moon renames him ‘Roverandom’ and gives him wings. Roverandom and Moondog set out on a series of adventures, encountering the Great White Dragon and other moon fauna like giant spiders and dragon-moths. Finally, back on Earth, Roverandom travels under the sea inside Uin, oldest of the whales, to ask the wizard who changed him into a toy to undo the spell. J.R.R.Tolkien was a prolific storyteller to his children, though few of his early stories survive. Roverandom was a particular favourite, so much so that Tolkien wrote it out and even illustrated it himself. But for over 70 years it has remained unpublished. Bearing many of the hallmarks which were to make The Hobbit such a classic ten years later, this delightful book is finally published together with Tolkien’s own paintings and drawings. Introduced by Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull, authors of the acclaimed J.R.R.Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator, this book is destined to become a classic and will be welcomed by Tolkien fans of all ages.<ref name="AM1998"/>}}

==Plot==
[[File:Alan Lee - Edge of the World.jpg|thumb|left|Edge of the World by [[Alan Lee]]]]
[[Rover]], a black and white dog who lives with old lady and a cat named Tinker, is playing in the garden with his yellow ball when a wizard comes along and picks it up. When the wizard, [[Artaxerxes]], refuses to give the ball back Rover bites his trousers; in retaliation, the wizard turns Rover into a small toy dog and transports him into a toy store. Placed in the window of the shop, Rover is sold for a sixpence to a woman who gives Rover to her [[Michael Tolkien|second son (boy Two)]]. The next day, Rover is taken to the beach by boy Two but falls out of his pocket when startled by a [[gulls|seagull]]. The boys (and [[J.R.R. Tolkien|their father]]) search for the toy dog but they can't find him. As the tide comes in, Rover is turned back into a real dog (but not his normal size) by [[Psamathos Psamathides]], an ugly sand-sorcerer who is the oldest of the Psamathists.

When Rover wakes up he is met by a seagull named [[Mew]]. Mew is Psamathos's postman and flies Rover around the beach before taking him to a great cliff with hundreds of other [[wikipedia:Black-backed gull|black-backed gulls]]. After collecting various messages, Mew took Rover along the moon-path flying over the [[wikipedia:Isle of Dogs|Isle of Dogs]] (a home for lost dogs with bone-trees) and passing [[Circles of the World|the edge of the world]] to reach the moon. Atop of a tall white tower, Rover and Mew meet the [[Man-in-the-Moon]] who gives Rover wings so Rover can play with the Man-in-the-Moon's dog (also named "Rover"). The Man-in-the-Moon renames Rover "Roverandom" and Rover stays with the Man-in-the-Moon and goes on many adventures around the [[moon]]. On one of their adventures, Roverandom and the moon-dog accidentally journey into the shadowy edge of the dark side of the moon and seek refuge in a cave; the cave turns out to be the lair of the Great White Dragon. The Great White Dragon used to live on [[wikipedia:Snowdon|Snowdon]] and damaged the [[wikipedia:Great Britain|Three Islands]] but now, residing on the moon, was determined to [[wikipedia:Lunar eclipse|turn the moon red]] and chase the dogs. However, as they came close to the Man-in-the-Moon's tower the dragon was hit by a great rocket - the black splodges on his body caused him to be renamed the "Mottled Monster".

The Man-in-the-Moon takes Roverandom to the dark side of the moon (where everything is in reverse) but going down a hole right through the middle of the [[moon]]. After meeting two spiders, they follow a long grey path to a valley filled with children. Sliding down the black cliff-edge into the valley, Roverandom discovers that the children in the valley are all dreaming. After seeing a yellow ball, he meets boy Two again - the boy Two talk and play together until boy Two suddenly disappears when he wakes up. Returning to the white side of the moon, Roverandom looks into the Man-in-the-Moon's telescope to see the boys on the beach and Artaxerxes waiting outside his house. Although Roverandom likes being on the moon, he longs to return to the world and be with boy Two; the Man-in-the-Moon says that this is now possible as [[Artaxerxes]] has married the daughter of the Mer-king and is living at the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea. After saying goodbye to the Man-in-the-Moon and Moon-Rover, Mew collects Roverandom and takes him back to the world.

When back in the cove, Psamathos says he will return Roverandom to his normal size and he can go and live with the old lady (to whom he rightfully belongs, not boy Two), however, Psamathos's magic fails against Artaxerxes' bewitchment. Roverandom goes to see Artaxerxes as the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea and is taken there in the mouth of a giant whale named [[Uin]]. Artaxerxes is very busy as the Pacific and Atlantic Magician ([[wikipedia:Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|PAM]] for short) and ignores Roverandom's requests. However, he gives Roverandom webbed feet so he can play with Mrs Artaxerxes's mer-dog "Rover". After Artaxerxes fails to deal with the Sea-serpent (who is woken up thanks to Roverandom), the mer-people ask Artaxerxes to leave; Artaxerxes leaves with Roverandom, and agrees to turn Roverandom to his normal size, as Roverandom was the only person to have been polite to the wizard.

After returning to the England (but not Psamathos's cove), [[Artaxerxes]] restores Roverandom to his normal size. Roverandom is sent to walk home all by himself but when he gets back to the old lady's house he discovers boy Two playing in the garden with his yellow ball: the old lady was the grandmother of boy Two. Afterwards, Roverandom lives with boy Two in the house by the beach and over many years became good friends with [[Psamathos Psamathides|Psamathos]].

==Characters==
[[File:Alan Lee - Mottled Monster.jpg|thumb|right|The Mottled Monster by [[Alan Lee]]]]
* '''[[Rover]]''' - later known as '''Roverandom''' - is a black and white dog who is turned into a toy by the wizard Artaxerxes. The story follows his adventures to the moon and back.
* '''[[Artaxerxes]]''', a 2,000-year old wizard from [[wikipedia:Persia|Persia]] who mistakenly ended up in [[wikipedia:Pershore|Pershore]]. He is an old man with ragged trousers and a green hat who turns Rover into a toy for not saying "please" and biting his trousers. He becomes the Pacific and Atlantic Magician (PAM) after he marries a daughter of the Mer-king.
* '''[[Psamathos Psamathides]]''', the head of the Psamathists, a fat and ugly sand-sorcerer who transforms Rover from a toy into a small "fairy-dog".
* '''[[Man-in-the-Moon]]''', the greatest of all magicians, who lives in a white tower in the moon. He renames Rover "Roverandom" and gives him wings.
* '''[[Mew]]''', a black-backed gull who is Psamathos's postman. He takes Rover to and from the moon.
* '''[[Uin]]''', a giant whale who transports Roverandom to and from the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea.
* '''Great White Dragon''', a resident of the moon who chases Roverandom and the moon-Rover. Following his encounter with the Man-in-the-Moon he is renamed the "Mottled Monster".
* '''Rover''', the '''moon-dog''', the Man-in-the-Moon's flying dog.
* '''Rover''', the '''mer-dog''', Mrs Artaxerxes's underwater dog.
* '''[[Tinker]]''', a large black cat who lived in the same house as Rover.
* '''Boy Two''' (representing [[Michael Tolkien]]), the owner of toy-dog Rover who encounters Roverandom on the dark side of the moon.

==Reception==
Most reviews from the general press offered modest praise, with more enthusiastic acclaim from Tolkien aficionados; reviewers particularly lauded Tolkien's descriptive ability. Tolkien scholar [[David Bratman]] praised ''Roverandom'' saying "Mum is not the word for ''Roverandom'': this book can be enjoyed by anyone who loves ''The Hobbit'', from the most abstruse Tolkien scholar to intelligent children of perhaps age 8 or 10." Although admitting that this was a less-polished work by [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]], Bratman did confirm that "Some of the best writing is in lyrical descriptions of the moonscape and seascape."<ref>{{webcite|author=[[David Bratman]]|dated=April 1998|articleurl=http://www.mythsoc.org/reviews/roverandom/|articlename=Reviews: Roverandom|website=[http://www.mythsoc.org/mythprint/ Mythprint]|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> Jessica Yates, writing in ''Books for Keeps'', pointed out the connections between ''Roverandom'' and both ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' and other children's stories from the 1920s. Yates concluded that ''Roverandom'' is "a jolly good children's tale" with a "scholarly and most useful introduction".<ref>Jessica Yates, "Review: Roverandom" in ''Books for Keeps'', March 1998</ref>

Writing for ''[http://www.januarymagazine.com January Magazine]'', David Grayson also praised the descriptions - particularly the "sense of awe" - of ''Roverandom''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s world and felt this would be a good book to introduce children to [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]. However, Grayson also made clear that this was a "mediocre tale".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.januarymagazine.com January Magazine]|author=David Grayon|articlename=A Forgotten Tolkien Tale|articleurl=http://www.januarymagazine.com/fiction/roverandom.html|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> Trent Walters felt that the editorial content was "tastefully done" and summarised the book: "Whether Roverandom will become a classic or not is up to the future generations of young readers and what they remember loving and what they choose to read to their own kids. But, if you're just looking for an unalloyed, unmolested good time to read aloud to your children (or your make-believe children), call up this book."<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.sfsite.com SFSite]|articlename=Roverandom|articleurl=http://www.sfsite.com/03a/rov76.htm|author=Trent Walters|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

Daniel Offer of ''[http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk Fantasy Book Review]'' offered cautious praise of ''Roverandom'' giving it a 7/10 score: "While ''Roverandom'' will probably never be listed among the great classics, this theme rings true, making the book a valuable addition to any library." But Offer did caution that "The book is probably not so compelling that you will be unable to put it down, and it probably won’t be one that you reread every year. [...] The doggy protagonist seemed rather flat, and was much less interesting than the things he saw and the things he did." Offer summed up the book as "charming".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk Fantasy Book Review]|author=Daniel Offer|articleurl=http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/JRR-Tolkien/Roverandom.html|articlename=Roverandom by JRR Tolkien|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

Adam Mars-Jones, writing in ''[http://www.theguardian.com The Observer]'', mirrors Bratman's praise of Tolkien's descriptions: "In his descriptions Tolkien brings off the occasional effect worthy of epic". However, Mars-Jones was overall more scathing as he criticsed the book for being edited "to within an inch of its life" whilst the characterisation was "rudimentary" and that the flat-Earth cosmology was unsatisfactory. He concluded that "most admirers of Tolkien will want to turn down this chance".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.theguardian.com The Observer]|articleurl=http://www.theguardian.com/books/1998/jan/01/jrrtolkien.classics|articlename=Hobbit forming|author=Adam Mars-Jones|dated=1 January 1988|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> A review in ''The Telegraph'', titled "Completists always prove willing buyers", argued that the story might not be strong enough in its own right,<ref>"Completists always prove willing buyers" in ''[http://www.telegraph.co.uk The Daily Telegraph]'' 9 May 1998, p. A4</ref> whilst ''[http://www.kirkusreviews.com Kirkus]'' offered the most strident warning: "The story was rejected by Tolkien's publisher in 1937 and has lain neglected ever since. With good reason. [...] Even for Tolkien scholars, these are awfully thin bones to pick over."<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.kirkusreviews.com Kirkus]|articleurl=http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jrr-tolkien/roverandom/|articlename=Roverandom|dated=1 February 1998|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

Average readers' scores for ''Roverandom'' are fairly consistent in moderate praise. On [http://books.google.co.uk/books Google], average readers' scores are 4.12/5 (8.24/10),<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://books.google.co.uk/books Google Books]|articleurl=http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Roverandom.html?id=cmGw_3eMv8gC&redir_esc=y|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> and the average score at [http://www.goodreads.com Goodreads] is 3.83/5 (7.66)<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.goodreads.com Goodreads]|articleurl=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23617.Roverandom|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> which was mirrored by users on [http://www.amazon.com Amazon] who have given ''Roverandom'' an average score of 3.87/5 (7.73/10).<ref>{{webcite|website=AM|articleurl=http://www.amazon.com/Roverandom-J-R-R-Tolkien/product-reviews/0395957990|articlename=Customer Reviews - Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

==Publication history==
{{Gallery
|title=
|width=165
|height=220
|lines=2
|File:Roverandom.jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 1998 hardback
|File:Roverandom (1998 paperback).jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 1998 paperback
|File:Roverandom (2002).jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 2002 paperback
|File:Roverandom (2013).jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 2013 pocket hardback
}}
* [[HarperCollins]] hardback, first edition hardback with dustjacket ([[5 January]] [[1998]]), pp. 128 ISBN 0261103539
* [[HarperCollins]] paperback, same as first edition hardback ([[17 August]] [[1998]]), pp. 128. ISBN 0261103547
* [[HarperCollins]] paperback ([[2 September]] [[2002]]), pp. 116. ISBN 0007149115
* [[HarperCollins]] pocket hardback with dustjacket ([[26 September]] [[2013]]), pp. 144. ISBN 9780007523283

==See also==
*''[[Mr. Bliss]]''
*''[[Letters from Father Christmas]]''
*''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]''
**''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]''
**''[[Farmer Giles of Ham]]''
**''[[Leaf by Niggle]]''
**''[[Smith of Wootton Major]]''
*''[[The Orgog]]''

== External links ==
*[http://www.hammondandscull.com/addenda/roverandom.html Addenda and Corrigenda to ''Roverandom'']
{{references}}
{{perilousrealm}}
{{title|italics}}
[[Category:Books by J.R.R. Tolkien]]
[[Category:Fiction books]]
[[Category:Posthumous publications]]
[[Category:Publications by title]]
[[Category:Roverandom| ]]

Cats

2021-02-07T18:23:46Z

Cosmicdense: Remove Tinker link.

{{disambig-more|Cats|[[Cat (disambiguation)]]}}
[[Image:Paula DiSante - Reporting to Beruthiel.JPG|right|250px|thumb|[[Berúthiel]] and the white cat, by [[Paula DiSante]]]]
{{quote|It won't sound too pretty to say you've caught the kitten and let the cat escape.|[[Gorbag]] in ''[[The Two Towers]]'', "[[Shelob's Lair (chapter)|Shelob's Lair]]"}}

'''Cats''' were animals that lived in [[Arda]].

==History==
Other than use as company, for which the [[Hobbits]] and [[Bree-men|Bree-folk]] used pets,<ref name="RitD"/><ref name="Sign"/> cats were used for the hunt<ref name="XR"/> and for spying.<ref name="UTI7"/> They were soft-footed,<ref name="XR">{{TT|Journey}}</ref> keensighted<ref name="Journey"/> and agile.<ref name="Cirith">{{TT|Stairs}}</ref>

===The Cats of Berúthiel===
{{main|Cats of Queen Berúthiel}}
In the late ninth and possibly early tenth century of the [[Third Age]], [[Berúthiel]], wife of [[Tarannon]], King of Gondor, kept cats, nine black and one white. The marriage of Tarannon and Berúthiel was not a pleasant one: his love for the [[Belegaer|Sea]] drove her mad. She hated all making, all colours and elaborate adornment, and set her cats to spy on everyone, learning their secrets. Berúthiel conversed with the cats and read their mind and memory. She even set the white cat to spy on the others, to torment them. Berúthiel's reign of terror came to an end when Tarannon put her and her cats on a ship and set it adrift. It was last seen passing [[Umbar]].<ref name="UTI7">{{UT|Istari}}, note 7</ref>

All memory to them was erased (and the [[Book of the Kings]]), though legends of the cats and their ability to spy remain.<ref name="UTI7"/><ref name="Journey">{{FR|Journey}}</ref>

===Other cats===
Though there are no other cats that play a large role in history, some are mentioned in [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] folklore (for example, the Hobbit poem ''[[Cat (poem)|Cat]]''<ref name=Cat>{{ATB|12}}</ref>). [[Bob]], the ostler of the [[Prancing Pony]], had a cat. After [[Frodo Baggins]] sang ''[[The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late]]'' (in which the ostler of an unnamed inn had a tipsy cat that played a five stringed fiddle), several patrons suggested that he had to do the same.<ref name="Sign">{{FR|Sign}}</ref> Similarly, a cat, or "four-legs", was part of an old [[Riddle-game|riddle]] [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] asked [[Gollum]].<ref name="RitD">{{H|Riddles}}</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==
One of the more important cats in the development of the [[legendarium]] was [[Tevildo]], the Prince of Cats. Mentioned only in early writings of ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', Tevildo was a demonic servant of [[Melko]], who would eventually be replaced by [[Sauron]].<ref>{{LT1|Music}}, p. 52</ref> He is the principal antagonist in ''[[The Tale of Tinúviel]]''.<ref>{{LT2|I}}, passim; see pp. 53-6</ref> Other cats appearing in ''The Tale of Tinúviel'' include [[Miaulë]], [[Oikeroi]], and [[Umuiyan]].

In this early stages of the [[Elvish]] languages, the [[Gnomish]] vocabulary about cats was ''miog'' ("cat"), ''miaug''/''miog'' ("tom cat"), ''miaulin'' ("she cat").<ref>{{PE|11}}, p. 57</ref> The [[Qenya]] word for "cat" is ''meoi''.<ref>{{LT2|Appendix}}, entry "Tevildo"</ref> Later Qenya words were ''miue'' ("cat"), ''titse'' ("kitten").<ref>{{PE|21}}, pp. 12-13, 20, 27</ref>

==Other fiction==
Tinker is a cat appearing in ''[[Roverandom]]''.<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[Roverandom]]''</ref>

==Inspiration==
Especially in the case of Berúthiel and Tevildo, cats in Middle-earth are portrayed in a negative light. It could be argued that Tolkien was not a cat-person. When a cat-breeder asked permission to use names from ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' for her cats, Tolkien replied to [[Allen and Unwin|Allen & Unwin]]:
{{blockquote|I fear that to me Siamese cats belong to the fauna of Mordor, but you need not tell the cat breeder that.|[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Letter 219]] (dated [[14 October|October 14]], [[1959]])}}

==Portrayal in adaptations==

'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Cats are found throughout Middle-earth, especially in Bree-land. There is a "cat lady" who has a house full of cats. Lore-masters can also have a non-combat cat pet.

{{references}}
[[Category:Cats| ]]
[[Category:Servants of Melkor]]

[[de:Katzen]]

Talk:Tinker

2021-02-07T18:21:46Z

Cosmicdense:

I spent much time working on the Roverandom articles some years ago. I never created an article about Tinker because, as this article demonstrates, there is very little to say. My suggest is we delete this. --{{User:Mith/sig}} 15:01, 6 February 2021 (UTC)

Makes perfect sense; I'll try to clear the links & delete article now. [[User:Cosmicdense|Cosmicdense]] 18:21, 7 February 2021 (UTC)

Cat (disambiguation)

2021-02-05T04:15:43Z

Cosmicdense: correct title

'''Cat''' could refer to:

* [[Cats]], animals that lived in [[Arda]].
** The [[Cats of Queen Berúthiel]].
* [[Cat (poem)]], a poem written by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]].
* [[Tevildo]], Prince of Cats, an abandoned character later replaced by [[Sauron]].
* [[Tinker]], the cat in ''[[Roverandom]]''.
{{disambig}}

Tevildo

2021-02-05T04:09:08Z

Cosmicdense: Add and correct detail.

{{evil infobox
| name=Tevildo
| image=[[File:Alan Lee - Tevildo and Tinúviel.jpg|250px]]
| caption="Tevildo and Tinúviel" by [[Alan Lee]]
| pronun=
| othernames=''Tifil/Tiberth'' ([[Gnomish|G]])
| titles=
| position=
| location=
| affiliation=[[Melko]]
| language=
| birth=
| birthlocation=
| rule=
| death=
| deathlocation=
| age=
| notablefor=
| parentage=
| siblings=
| spouse=
| children=
| race=[[Cats|Cat]]
| gender=Male
| height=
| hair=
| eyes=
| clothing=
| weapons=
| steed=
}}
'''Tevildo''', or the '''"Prince of Cats"''', was a servant of [[Melko]] according to the early version of the [[Legendarium]] in ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]''.

==History==
He was an evil [[fays|fay]] in the form of a great black [[Cats|cat]] with a collar of gold, which gave him much of his evil power. He was considered a prince of the servants of Melko and lived in a hilltop castle near [[Angband|Angamandi]] with other tiger-size cats. During the [[Quest for the Silmaril]], [[Beren]] was captured by Melko and forced to work in Tevildo's kitchens. However, the cat was defeated by his archenemy [[Huan]] and [[Lúthien|Tinúviel]], who forced him to give up his collar and reveal the spell which held the stones of his castle together. Melko learned Tevildo had lost his power and the cats reduced to normal size and exiled them.

Later Tevildo's place in the narrative was replaced by that of the Necromancer, [[Thû]] (later renamed ''Sauron''), in the later [[Legendarium]]. Thû (and later [[Sauron]]) was the "Lord of Werewolves", in contrast to Tevildo's position as "Prince of Cats"; the cat-versus-dog theme prominent in the "[[Tale of Tinúviel]]" was thus eliminated in later writings.<ref name="LT2I">{{LT2|I}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
''Tevildo'' is [[Qenya]]. Although it is not given a literal translation, it is said to derive from the root TEFE related with "hate" or "hatred". His [[Gnomish]] name is '''''Tifil'''''.<ref>{{LT1|Appendix}}, entry "Tevildo"</ref> This Gnomish name was later changed to '''''Tiberth'''''; and he was given the titles ''Vardo Meoita'' in Qenya and ''Bridhon Miaugion'' in Gnomish, both meaning "Prince of Cats".<ref>{{LT2|Appendix}}, entry "Tevildo"</ref>

==Inspiration==
''Tevildo'' resembles in form the name ''[[:Wikipedia:Tybolt|Tybalt]]'' from William Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet'', who also has the title of "Prince of Cats".

== See also ==
* [[Miaulë]]
* [[Oikeroi]]
* [[Umuiyan]]

{{References}}
[[Category:Cats]]
[[Category:Characters in The Book of Lost Tales]]
[[Category:Servants of Melkor]]
[[Category:Qenya names]]

Berúthiel

2021-02-05T03:26:39Z

Cosmicdense: add link

{{gondorian infobox
| name=Berúthiel
| image=[[File:Paula DiSante - Reporting to Beruthiel.JPG|250px]]
| caption="Reporting to Beruthiel" by [[Paula DiSante]]
| pronun=
| othernames=
| titles=Queen of [[Gondor]]
| position=
| location=[[Gondor]]
| affiliation=
| language=
| birth=
| birthlocation=
| rule=
| death=
| deathlocation=
| age=
| notablefor=her [[Cats of Queen Berúthiel|cats]]; spying on people of Gondor
| house=
| parentage=
| siblings=
| spouse=[[Tarannon Falastur|Tarannon]]
| children=None
| gender=Female
| height=
| hair=
| eyes=
| clothing=
| weapons=
| steed=
}}
'''Berúthiel''' was a Queen of [[Gondor]] in the early part of the [[Third Age]]. She was the wife of King [[Tarannon Falastur]], and was noted as being "nefarious, solitary, and loveless".<ref name=Istari>{{UT|13a}}, note 7</ref> It is therefore of no surprise that she and Tarannon produced no heirs.<ref name=Tarannon>{{App|Gondor}}, entry for King Tarannon</ref>

==History==
Berúthiel was a [[Black Númenóreans|Black Númenórean]].<ref name=Interview>{{webcite|author=[[Daphne Castell]]|articleurl=https://fantasticmetropolis.com/i/tolkien|articlename=The Realms of Tolkien|dated=|website=[https://fantasticmetropolis.com/i/tolkien ''The Realms of Tolkien'']|accessed=15 January 2021}}.</ref> It is possible that Berúthiel was from an inland city that was located further to the south than Umbar.<ref group=note>It is mentioned that she loathed the smell of the sea, fish and gulls. She was compared to the giantess Skadi who married Njord, the sea-god and got fed up with the seaside life, and was kept awake by the gulls and finally went back to live in Jotunheim. Since King Tarannon had her set on a ship and set adrift on the sea before a north wind and the ship was last seen flying past Umbar it is possible that she went back to the inland city with this ship and that this inland city was to the south of Umbar. Being the descendents of the [[King's Men]] most of the Black Númenóreans lived in [[Umbar]] and in other former Númenórean colonies in the south of Middle-earth.</ref><ref name=Interview/><ref name=Istari/>

Tarannon's reason for marrying her is not known. It is possible that the marriage was in connection with his extensions of the realm of Gondor along the coasts south of the mouths of the Anduin<ref name=Tarannon/> to maintain peaceful relations with the realm that she came from.

Tarannon brought her to live with him in his house south of [[Pelargir]] next to the [[Ethir Anduin|mouths of the river Anduin]] near the [[Belegaer|Sea]]. She hated Pelargir (loathing the smell of the sea, and fish, and the [[gulls]]), however, and dwelt in the [[King's House]] in [[Osgiliath]] instead. There she decorated the courtyard with strange and disturbing sculptures but kept the inside of the house mostly bare. She herself wore dark, drab clothing and "hated all making, all colors and elaborate adornments".

Berúthiel loathed cats, but they became attracted to her for precisely that reason. They followed her around, and eventually she took advantage of their company by enslaving and torturing them. In total she had ten [[Cats of Queen Berúthiel|cats]], nine black and one white. Berúthiel set the black cats to spy on the [[Men]] of Gondor and the white cat to spy on the black ones. She managed to learn many dark secrets about the realm and its people by conversing with them and "reading their memories". These cats were infamous among the Gondorians, but they dared not touch them; however, Men would curse whenever they saw one pass by them.

Eventually, Tarannon exiled Berúthiel from Gondor and her name was erased from the [[Book of the Kings]]. He had her set on a ship that "was last seen flying past Umbar with a cat at the masthead and another as a figurehead on the prow".<ref name=Istari/>

==Legacy==
No wars with Umbar or Harad are mentioned during the reign of King Tarannon.<ref name=Tarannon/> It is possible that the setting Berúthiel on a ship that was last seen flying past Umbar offended the realm that Berúthiel was from. The conquest of Umbar took place during the reign of King [[Eärnil]] 23 years after the death of King Tarannon.<ref>{{App|Gondor}}, entry for King Eärnil</ref>

Despite the erasure of her name from Gondor's records, Berúthiel and her cats were so notorious that they were held in the memory of Gondorians for centuries; [[Aragorn]] alluded to them more than 2,000 years after her death.<ref>{{FR|II4}}</ref>

==Etymology==
{{Pronounce|Beruthiel.mp3|Ardamir}}
The name ''Berúthiel'' is [[Sindarin]]. It seems to mean "Angry Queen", incorporating ''[[bereth|ber(eth)]]'' ("queen, spouse") + ''[[rúth]]'' ("anger") + feminine suffix ''[[-iel]]''. Since the Black Númenóreans did not use the [[Elvish|Elven tongues]], this title was probably given to her by the Gondorians and is not her real name.

==Genealogy==
{{familytree/start}}
{{familytree | | | | | | | ATA | | |ATA=[[Atanatar I]] ''{{TA|480|n}} - {{TA|748|n}}''}}
{{familytree | | | | | | | |!| | | |}}
{{familytree | | | | | | | SIR | | |SIR=[[Siriondil (King of Gondor)|Siriondil]] ''{{TA|570|n}} - {{TA|830|n}}''}}
{{familytree | | | | | |,|-|^|-|.| |}}
{{familytree | BER |~| TAR | | TAC |BER='''BERÚTHIEL''' ''unknown''|TAR=[[Tarannon Falastur]] ''{{TA|654|n}} - {{TA|913|n}}''|TAC=[[Tarciryan]] ''unknown''}}
{{familytree | | | | | | | | | |!| |}}
{{familytree | | | | | | | | | EAR |EAR=[[Eärnil I]] ''{{TA|736|n}} - {{TA|936|n}}''†}}
{{familytree | | | | | | | | | |!| |}}
{{familytree | | | | | | | | | CIR |CIR=[[Ciryandil]] ''{{TA|820|n}} - {{TA|1015|n}}''†}}
{{familytree/end}}

==Inspiration==
In an interview from 1966, Tolkien likened Berúthiel to the giantess [[Wikipedia:Skaði|Skaði]] of Norse mythology, since they both shared a dislike for "seaside life".<ref name=Interview/><ref>[[Humphrey Carpenter]], ''[[The Inklings (book)|The Inklings]]'', "Thursday evenings", pp. 137-8</ref>

{{references|n}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beruthiel}}
[[Category:Black Númenóreans]]
[[Category:Gondorians]]
[[Category:Third Age characters]]
[[Category:Sindarin names]]
[[de:Berúthiel]]
[[fr:encyclo:personnages:hommes:3a:dunedain:gondoriens:beruthiel]]
[[fi:Berúthiel]]

Umuiyan

2021-02-05T03:12:25Z

Cosmicdense: add details

{{evil infobox
| name=Umuiyan
| image=
| caption=
| pronun=
| othernames=
| titles=
| position=Doorkeeper
| location=
| affiliation=[[Tevildo]]
| language=
| birth=
| birthlocation=
| rule=
| death=
| deathlocation=
| age=
| notablefor=
| parentage=
| siblings=
| spouse=
| children=
| race=[[Cats|Cat]]
| gender=Male
| height=
| hair=
| eyes=
| clothing=
| weapons=
| steed=
}}
'''Umuiyan''' (alternate name '''Gumniow''')was [[Tevildo]]'s doorkeeper. After he fell asleep under the influence of [[Tinuviel|Tinuviel's]] cape Tevildo ordered him killed. <ref>{{LT2|I}}, p. 24</ref>

{{references}}
[[Category:Cats]]
[[Category:Characters in The Book of Lost Tales]]
[[Category:Servants of Melkor]]

Ethir Anduin

2021-01-30T02:37:39Z

Cosmicdense: move passage to chronological place

{{location infobox
| name=Ethir Anduin
| image=[[File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Ethir Anduin.jpg|250px]]
| caption=A map showing Ethir Anduin from [[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980 film)]]
| pronun=
| othernames=Mouths of Anduin
| location=South of [[Lebennin]] in [[Gondor]], leading into the [[Bay of Belfalas]]
| type=River delta
| description=
| regions=
| towns=
| inhabitants=[[Nandor]], later [[Men]]
| created=
| destroyed=
| events=[[War of the Ring]]
}}
The '''Ethir Anduin''', also known as the '''Mouths of Anduin''' and '''Anduin's Mouths'''<ref>{{PM|Elendil}}</ref>, was the delta of the river [[Anduin]], south of [[Pelargir]] in [[Gondor]].

==History==
The delta's first settlers were probably [[Nandor]]. Some of the Nandor who had lived upstream, in the Vales of Anduin under the [[Misty Mountains]], passed to its Mouths southward.<ref>{{UT|Galadriel}}, "Appendix A: The Silvan Elves and Their Speech"</ref> After they were gone, the "lesser men" settled there,<ref name="AIiv"/> though they were likely in conflict with [[Haradrim]]. After the coming of the [[Númenóreans]], the confluence of cultures in the Ethir and [[Pelargir]] formed one of the earliest forms of [[Westron]].<ref>{{App|Men}}</ref> The Númenoreans made a passage taken by the ships going to and from Pelargir.<ref>{{VT|42a}}, p. 11</ref>

During the [[Akallabêth|Drowning of Númenor]], the shores of the [[Bay of Belfalas]] had retreated a great distance, putting Pelargir much farther inland than it had been in its beginning. Afterwards, the Anduin carved a new path by many mouths to the Bay.<ref>{{PM|Second}}</ref>

The delta was populated mostly by [[Fish|fishermen]] and other sea-crafty folk,<ref name="TLD">{{RK|V9}}</ref> and became an important part of Gondor in the days of [[Tarannon]], the first [[Ship-kings|Ship-king]].<ref name="AIiv">{{App|Gondor}}</ref>

During the [[War of the Ring]], some hundred fishermen that could be spared from the boats were sent to the defense of [[Minas Tirith]].<ref name="MT">{{RK|V1}}</ref> This left the Mouths themselves open to [[Umbar]]ian conquest,<ref>{{RK|Battle}}</ref> but the occupation did not last very long; [[Aragorn]] and the [[Grey Company]] liberated it several days later.<ref name="TLD"/>

==Etymology==
The Ethir Anduin was also known as the "Mouths of Anduin". ''[[Ethir]]'' is a [[Sindarin]] word meaning "Mouth of a river".<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Christopher Tolkien]] (ed.), ''[[The Lost Road and Other Writings]]'', "[[The Etymologies]]", entry ED</ref> ''[[Anduin]]'' simply means "Long river".<ref>{{S|Appendix}}, entries ''[[and]]'' and ''[[duin]]''</ref>

==Portrayal in adaptations==
'''1980: [[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980 film)]]:'''
:[[Gandalf]] mentions the Ethir (wrongly pronounced Ee-thur) as he explains the coming of the [[Aragorn|Black ships]] to the audience.
{{references}}
[[Category:Gondor]]
[[Category:Rivers]]
[[Category:Sindarin locations]]

[[de:Ethir Anduin]]
[[fr:encyclo/geographie/eaux/gondor/ethir_anduin]]
[[fi:Ethir Anduin]]

Andúnië

2021-01-30T02:18:23Z

Cosmicdense: spelling

{{location infobox
| name=Andúnië
| image=[[File:Felix Sotomayor - Andunie.jpg|250px]]
| caption="Andunie" by Felix Sotomayor
| pronun={{respell|an|doo|nee-eh}}
| othernames=
| location=[[Andustar]] in western [[Númenor]]
| type=City/Port
| description=
| regions=
| towns=
| inhabitants=[[Númenóreans]], later the [[Faithful]]
| created=
| destroyed={{SA|3319}}, during the [[Downfall of Númenor]]
| events=
}}
{{Pronounce|Andunie.mp3|Ardamir}}
'''Andúnië''' was an important city and port in the realm of [[Númenor]].
==Geography==
It was located on the [[Bay of Andúnië]] in the [[Andustar]] region, on the western end of [[Elenna]].<ref>{{UT|NMap}}</ref> Part of the town lay beside the shore but many dwellings were set upon the steep slopes behind.

The main road of Númenor, which ran from [[Rómenna]] westward through [[Armenelos]], continued on to Andúnië.<ref>{{UT|Numenor}}</ref>

==History==
Andúnië was initially the largest city of Númenor because the [[Falmari|Elves]] of [[Tol Eressëa]] would often visit the haven.<ref name="Akallabeth">{{S|Akallabeth}}</ref>

In {{SA|630}}, [[Tar-Elendil]] created the title [[Lord of Andúnië]] in honor of his first grandson, [[Valandil (Lord of Andúnië)|Valandil]].<ref>{{UT|earlier}}</ref> A distaff branch of the line of [[Elros]], the [[:Category:Lords of Andúnië|Lords of Andúnië]] were important nobles and members of the [[Council of the Sceptre]].<ref>{{UT|Wife}}, Note 23</ref> Since Andúnië was an Elf-haven, the Lords of Andúnië were also the leaders of the "[[Faithful]]" — those who advocated continued friendship with the Elves and obedience to the [[Valar]].

However, as the [[Shadow]] was falling upon Númenor, Armenelos became larger and more important than Andúnië. By the close of the Second Age, the Faithful were labeled as traitors by the [[King's Men]] and deported to Rómenna in the east.<ref name="Akallabeth"/> Andúnië was ultimately destroyed in the [[Downfall of Númenor]] in {{SA|3319|n}}.

[[Amandil]], the last of the Lords of Andúnië, was the ancestor of the Kings of [[Arnor]] and [[Gondor]] in [[Middle-earth]].

==Etymology==
''Andúnië'' is a variant of the [[Quenya]] word '''''[[andúnë]]''''', meaning "sunset".

{{references}}
{{numenor}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andunie}}
[[Category:Cities, towns and villages]]
[[Category:Númenor]]
[[Category:Quenya locations]]
[[Category:Quenya nouns]]
[[de:Andúnië]]
[[fi:Andúnië]]
[[fr:encyclo:geographie:villes_tours_et_forteresses:numenor:andunie]]

House of Haleth

2021-01-30T00:57:47Z

Cosmicdense: retitle section

{{Noble House infobox
| name=House of Haleth
| image=[[File:Turner Mohan - Haleth and guardswomen.jpg|250px]]
| caption="Haleth and guardswomen" by [[:Category:Images by Turner Mohan|Turner Mohan]]
| othernames=''Halethrim'' ([[Sindarin|S]]) ''Haladin'' ([[Mannish|M]]) Folk of Haleth, Men of Brethil, Men of Haleth, People of Haleth
| founder=[[Haleth]] took command of her people after her father [[Haldad]] was slain by [[Orcs]]
| leader=[[Halad]]
| location=[[Thargelion]], [[Brethil]], later [[Númenor]]
| affiliation=
| rivalry=
| destroyed={{FA|501}}
| language=[[Sindarin]], unknown [[Mannish]] tongue
| members=[[Haldan]], [[Haldir]], [[Brandir]]
| race=[[Edain]]
| distinctions=
| height=Smaller than the [[Bëorians]]
| hair=
| skin=
| clothing=
| weapons=Axes
| heirlooms=
}}
The [[House of Haleth]] was the second House of the [[Edain]] to come over the [[Blue Mountains|Ered Luin]] into [[Beleriand]] and survived longest of all three houses, owing to their defensive strategy during the [[Wars of Beleriand]].

The followers of [[Haldad]] and his descendants would become the '''Folk of Haleth''', the '''Haladin''', the '''Halethrim''', '''Men of Brethil''', '''Men of Haleth''', and the '''People of Haleth'''.

==History==
=== Origins ===
{{main|Pre-Númenóreans}}
The [[pre-Númenóreans|ancestors]] of the Haladin moved from [[Hildórien]] to the [[Westlands|West]]. During their migration they joined the [[Drúedain]] near the [[White Mountains]] and stayed with them on friendly terms.<ref name=Druedain>{{UT|Druedain}}</ref>

When the core of their team was pressed to wander on, some Drúedain accompanied them northwards<ref name=Druedain/>, passing through the [[Gap of Rohan|opening between]] the [[Misty Mountains]] and the [[White Mountains]]. Many stayed behind because of the dense forest covering the [[Minhiriath]] and the western half of [[Enedwaith]] between the [[Greyflood]] and the [[Isen]] and became herd-tenders. Their descendants were peoples in the forests of the shore-lands south of the [[Blue Mountains]], especially in Minhiriath<ref>{{PM|X}}</ref>

Their kin of the White Mountains apparently were later driven off (from the most part) by [[Men of Darkness]] during the [[Dark Years]], removed to the southern dales of the [[Misty Mountains]] and thence some passed into the empty lands until the [[Barrow-downs]], from whom came the [[Men of Bree]].<ref name=F>{{App|F1ii}}</ref>
===In Beleriand===
[[File:Steamey - Funeral of Haldad and Haldar.jpg|thumb|''Funeral of Haldad and Haldar'' by [[:Category:Images by Steamey|Steamey]]]]
The Haladin entered Beleriand in {{FA|312}}.<ref>{{WJ|14}}, p. 227</ref> They came secretly in small parties in the woods of [[Ossiriand]], and were in strife among themselves. The [[Laegil]] were unfriendly to them. Their numbers are not known, but they were probably more than 2000.<ref name=atani>{{PM|Atani}}</ref>

Unlike The [[House of Bëor]] before them and the [[House of Hador]] after, they did not advance to [[Estolad]] but instead dwelt without leave in the south of [[Caranthir]]'s realm of [[Thargelion]].<ref name=guide/> The Haladin had no overall leader and so settled in scattered groups in that region.

[[Morgoth]] already knew about the coming of hostile Men to Beleriand and sent his servants to afflict the Haladin.<ref name=atani/> So their style of living came to an end in {{FA|375}} when a host of orcs assaulted their territory. In answer to this [[Haldad]] took command of the people, building a stockade between the angle of the rivers [[Gelion]] and [[Ascar]] south of [[Sarn Athrad]]. There he led the defence of his people until he and his son [[Haldar]] were slain whereupon his daughter [[Haleth]] took up the leadership of the house and held out for a week until Caranthir's army could relieve them.<ref name=guide/>

In honour of the valiance of Haleth, Caranthir offered the House of Haleth a feif in his lands but Haleth declined and instead led her people away passing through Estolad and [[Nan Dungortheb]] before temporarily inhabiting [[Talath Dirnen]]. King [[Thingol]] of [[Doriath]] granted to Haleth the [[Forest of Brethil]] on condition that she defended the [[Crossings of Teiglin]]. She led then her people (now known as the '''House of Haleth''' in her honour) and they settled as woodsmen centered around the capital of [[Amon Obel]]. For the following years they guarded the northern flank of [[Nargothrond]].<ref name=guide/>

Eventually Haleth died but as she had produced no heirs the title of [[Chieftain of the Haladin]] returned to her brother Haldar's line and to his son [[Haldan]] who ruled for 31 years before dying leaving the leadership of the house to his son [[Halmir]].

Four years after in {{FA|455}}, [[Morgoth]] broke the [[Siege of Angband]] in the [[Dagor Bragollach]]. The House of Haleth played no active part in the battle but fought the hosts of orcs that threatened their realm with the aid of the [[Sindar]] of Doriath under [[Beleg|Beleg Cúthalion]]. Both Doriath and Brethil refused to play any great part in the war of the [[Noldor|Ñoldor]] and their allies and only seldom did the Haladin march to war alongside them.

After the loss of [[Dorthonion]], their numbers were joined by refugees from the [[House of Bëor|First House]].<ref name=guide/>

Of Halmir's four children, two married into the House of Hador; [[Haldir (Chieftain of the Haladin)|Haldir]], his heir married Hador's daughter [[Glóredhel]], while [[Hareth]] married [[Galdor (Lord of Dor-lómin)|Galdor]] producing the famed brothers [[Húrin]] and [[Huor]], who, in the upheaval following the Bragollach were fostered for a while by Haldir in Brethil.

After the fall of [[Minas Tirith in Beleriand|Minas Tirith]], the Haladin were harassed by frequent Orc-raids in the Crossings from [[Tol-in-Gaurhoth]].<ref name=guide/>

When the [[Union of Maedhros]] was formed, Halmir offered the aid of the House of Haleth and made preparations for war but a year prior to the [[Nirnaeth Arnoediad]] he died and the promise was left for his son Haldir to fulfill. Haldir took part in the battle where the Haladin covered the retreat of [[Fingon]] and suffered heavy losses on [[Anfauglith]]. Haldir was slain alongside his brother [[Hundar]].<ref name=guide/>

The son of Haldir [[Handir]] took up the leadership but he himself was slain in one of the many orc raids on Brethil at that time and the position passed to his son [[Brandir]]. Their defeat allowed the forces of the enemy to access and [[sack of Nargothrond|sack Nargothrond]].<ref name=guide/>

=== Decline ===
After the death of [[Handir]] the Haladin dwindled and became more reclusive but survived on. They remained in their woods, occasionally ambushing Orcs at the Crossings.<ref name=guide/>

It was during the reign of Brandir that [[Túrin|Túrin Turambar]] son of Húrin came to Brethil and became in all but name its leader, leading them in warfare in much the same manner as he had the elves of [[Nargothrond]]. Túrin's presence brought the dragon [[Glaurung]] to Brethil and though Túrin succeeded in slaying the beast, he slew Brandir in a rage as the final threads sparing him from his doom unravelled. Túrin's suicide ended that period in the history of the Haladin.

But their dealings with Húrin and his cursed kin were not yet over for Húrin himself came among them after twenty eight years of captivity in Angband. Now a broken man he succeeded in sparking a civil war in the House of Haleth owing to his perception of the treatment of his [[Morwen|wife]] whom he found at the [[Stone of the Hapless|grave of their children]]. [[Obel Halad]] was burnt and all potential heirs slain or driven away in the anarchy that followed. In that way did the House of Haleth cease to be in the year {{FA|500}}. The Drúedain who had dwelt in the forest of Brethil were reduced to a few families of mainly women and children, who fled to the [[Mouths of Sirion]].<ref name=Druedain/>

==Characteristics==
Little information is given as to the physical characteristics of the House of Haleth, save for the fact that they were shorter in stature than those of the House of Bëor.<ref name=Druedain/> ''The Silmarillion'' describes them as being similar in appearance to members of the House of Bëor, suggesting dark hair and grey eyes.{{fa

The Haladin belonged to a different branch than the other Edain of the west, and differed in a number of ways. They spoke an unrelated dialect of [[Mannish]],<ref name="guide" /> and although some of them learned [[Sindarin]] to communicate with the [[Eldar]] and the other Edain, they were not fluent in it.<ref name=atani/>

Their numbers were fewer<ref name=guide/> and their birth rates were slightly enough to compensate for their losses to the war; women were fewer than men, and many remained unwed.<ref name=atani/><ref name=note>{{PM|XNotes}}, #50</ref>

They were secretive and conservative, unwilling to adopt new things and customs, remaining apart, preferring solitude and to protect their woodlands instead of allying themselves with the [[Elves]] and participating to the greater events. They had their own customs and practices that seemed strange to the Elves and Edain alike, like their ancient practice of having women warriors and amazons (like Haleth, who had a picked bodyguard of women),<ref name=atani/> perhaps owing to their small numbers.<ref name=note/>

Indeed, they excelled in forest warfare, and Orcs, even especially trained for this, dared not to cross their borders. They had a few dealings with the outsiders except their participation to the War where they proved loyal allies; reflecting their population, they sent small companies (rarely women<ref name=note/>) beyond their borders, who were esteemed as redoubtable warriors.<ref name=atani/>

In battle they bore axes.<ref name="guide">{{HM|Guide}}, entry "Haladin"</ref>

==Other names==
'''''Haladin''''' is the [[Mannish]] term for this house, literally meaning "Wardens".<ref>{{WJ|I}}, p. 270</ref> '''''Halethrim''''' is the rarely seen [[Sindarin]] rendering for "People of Haleth".<ref>{{CH|17}}, p. 247</ref>

==Terminology==
In the notes to the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'', [[Christopher Tolkien]] points out an interesting usage of the term ''Haladin''. It would seem that [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] at some point intended ''Haladin'' to refer only to the noble line of the House of Haleth and not the House of Haleth as a whole.{{fact}}

Whether this definition of ''Haladin'' would have survived into the final intent is questionable. This article takes the more widely used definition of referring to the entire People of Haleth.

==Family tree==
<div style="overflow-x: scroll; overflow-y: hidden; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA; padding: 3px; background: #EEEEEE;">
{{familytree/start}}
{{familytree |boxstyle=white-space:nowrap;background-color:#FFFFFF;| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |HDD| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |HDD=[[Haldad]]}}
{{familytree | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |,|-|^|-|.| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}
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{{familytree |boxstyle=white-space:nowrap;background-color:#FFFFFF;| | | | | | |GAL|y|HRT| | | | | |HLD|y|GLO| |HUN| |HIR|y|ENT| | |GAL=[[Galdor (Lord of Dor-lómin)|Galdor]]|HRT=[[Hareth]]|HLD=[[Haldir (Chieftain of the Haladin)|Haldir]]|GLO=[[Glóredhel]]|HUN=[[Hundar]]|HIR=[[Hiril]]|ENT=[[Enthor]]}}
{{familytree | | | | | | | |,|-|^|-|.| | | | | | | | | |!| | | |,|-|^|-|.| | | |!| | | | | |}}
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{{familytree | | | | | |!| | | |,|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|.| | | |!| | | | | | | |!| | | |,|-|^|-|.| |}}
{{familytree |boxstyle=white-space:nowrap;background-color:#FFFFFF;|IDR|y|TUO| |TUR| |LAL| |NIE| |BRA| | | | | |HDG| |HTR| |MTR|IDR=[[Idril]]|TUO=[[Tuor]]|TUR=[[Túrin]]|LAL=[[Lalaith]]|NIE=[[Nienor]]|BRA=[[Brandir]]|HDG=[[Hardang]]|HTR=[[Hunthor]]|MTR=[[Manthor]]}}
{{familytree | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}
{{familytree |boxstyle=white-space:nowrap;background-color:#FFFFFF;| | |EAR| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |EAR=[[Eärendil]]}}
{{familytree/end}}
</div>

{{References}}
[[Category:House of Haleth| ]]
[[Category:Mannish Noble Houses|Haleth]]
[[de:Haus Haleth]]
[[fr:encyclo:peuples:hommes:peuple_de_haleth]]
[[fi:Halethin kansa]]

User:Cosmicdense

2021-01-29T23:31:11Z

Cosmicdense: Created article from red link.

I shall have naught.

Roverandom

2021-01-29T23:04:43Z

Cosmicdense: bold

{{book
| title=Roverandom
| image=[[File:Roverandom.jpg|225px]]
| author=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]
| foreword=
| introduction=
| editor=[[Christina Scull]] & [[Wayne G. Hammond]]
| contributors=
| translator=
| illustrator=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]
| publisher=
| publisherUK=[[HarperCollins]]
| publisherUS=[[Houghton Mifflin]]
| date=
| dateUK=[[5 January]] [[1998]]
| dateUS=[[15 April]] [[1998]]
| format=Hardback
| pages=128
| isbn=0261103539
| noisbn=
| issn=
| series=[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]
| precededby=
| followedby=
}}
'''''Roverandom''''' is a short children's story by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] published posthumously in [[1998]]. Originally told in [[1925]] - and written down in [[1927]] - the story tells of the adventures of the dog [[Rover]] who is turned into a toy by the wizard [[Artaxerxes]]. Rover goes on adventures to the [[moon]] and the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea on his quest to undo his bewitchment.

Tolkien wrote ''Roverandom'' for his second son, [[Michael Tolkien|Michael]], to console him for the loss of his own little black-and-white toy dog on a beach in Yorkshire.

==History==
In early September [[1925]], the Tolkien family (then [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Ronald]], [[Edith Tolkien|Edith]], [[John Tolkien|John]], [[Michael Tolkien|Michael]] and a one-year-old [[Christopher Tolkien|Christopher]]) went on holiday to the seaside resort of Filey in Yorkshire. Although Tolkien had holidayed there previously in [[1922]], Tolkien described Filey as "a very nasty little suburban seaside resort".<ref name="bio">{{HM|Bio}}</ref>{{rp|146}} During the holiday, Michael lost his beloved black-and-white toy dog on the beach; although the family searched for it, the toy dog could not be found.

To console his son, Tolkien created the story of ''Roverandom'' to explain the adventures of the dog. Tolkien wrote the story down, based on his own oral version, in [[1927]] and also provided a number of illustrations which have since been published.<ref name="AI"/>{{rp|77-83}} A few years later, Tolkien submitted ''Roverandom'' for publication to [[George Allen & Unwin]] in [[1936]] and although the book was described by [[Rayner Unwin]] as "well written and amusing" it was never considered for publication, perhaps as a result of a desire for a [[The Lord of the Rings|sequel to ''The Hobbit'']].<ref name="Roverandom"/>{{rp|xvii}}

The popularity of ''Roverandom'' led to Tolkien creating other stories for his children, including ''[[Mr. Bliss]]''.<ref name="bio">{{HM|Bio}}</ref>{{rp|216 ff}} And whilst each of these tales remained distinct and separate, [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]] have noted a number of similarities and crossovers with ''Roverandom''. These include points of convergence with ''The Book of Lost Tales'' and ''[[The Silmarillion]]''<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. lxxii</ref> in both the great whale [[Uin]] and the geography of "the [[Shadowy Seas]]", "the great [[Bay of Eldamar|Bay of Fairyland]] beyond the [[Enchanted Isles|Magic Isles]]" where Roverandom then saw "in the last [[Aman|West]] the [[Pelóri|Mountains of Elvenhome]]".<ref name="Roverandom">{{HM|R}}</ref>{{rp|73-4}} They also note the similarity of not just the spiders of the Moon and those in ''[[The Hobbit]]'', but that Tolkien also recycled several elements of his drawings in his illustrations of ''The Hobbit'', including the dragon, the spider and the mountainous landscape.<ref name="AI">{{HM|AI}}</ref>{{rp|81}}

''Roverandom'' was finally published by [[HarperCollins]] on [[5 January]] [[1998]], edited by [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]], over 70 years after it was first written.<ref name="AM1998">{{webcite|website=AMUK|articleurl=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roverandom-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0261103539|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=1 June 2014}}</ref> Since [[2008]], ''Roverandom'' has also been included in the collection ''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]''.<ref>{{webcite|website=TL|articleurl=http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/836-Tales-from-the-Perilous-Realm.php|dated=1 July 2008|accessed=1 June 2014|articlename=Tales from the Perilous Realm Cover Revealed}}</ref>

==Description from the publisher==
{{blockquote|An unpublished full-length story written and illustrated by the author of The Hobbit. In 1925, while the Tolkiens were on holiday at Filey in Yorkshire, four-year-old Michael lost his beloved little lead dog on the beach. To comfort him, J.R.R.Tolkien wrote Roverandom, a story about a real dog, Rover, who is turned into a toy by a wizard. When dropped on the beach by a small boy, the toy is transported to the moon along the path of light the moon makes when it shines over the sea. The Man in the Moon renames him ‘Roverandom’ and gives him wings. Roverandom and Moondog set out on a series of adventures, encountering the Great White Dragon and other moon fauna like giant spiders and dragon-moths. Finally, back on Earth, Roverandom travels under the sea inside Uin, oldest of the whales, to ask the wizard who changed him into a toy to undo the spell. J.R.R.Tolkien was a prolific storyteller to his children, though few of his early stories survive. Roverandom was a particular favourite, so much so that Tolkien wrote it out and even illustrated it himself. But for over 70 years it has remained unpublished. Bearing many of the hallmarks which were to make The Hobbit such a classic ten years later, this delightful book is finally published together with Tolkien’s own paintings and drawings. Introduced by Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull, authors of the acclaimed J.R.R.Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator, this book is destined to become a classic and will be welcomed by Tolkien fans of all ages.<ref name="AM1998"/>}}

==Plot==
[[File:Alan Lee - Edge of the World.jpg|thumb|left|Edge of the World by [[Alan Lee]]]]
[[Rover]], a black and white dog who lives with old lady and a cat named [[Tinker]], is playing in the garden with his yellow ball when a wizard comes along and picks it up. When the wizard, [[Artaxerxes]], refuses to give the ball back Rover bites his trousers; in retaliation, the wizard turns Rover into a small toy dog and transports him into a toy store. Placed in the window of the shop, Rover is sold for a sixpence to a woman who gives Rover to her [[Michael Tolkien|second son (boy Two)]]. The next day, Rover is taken to the beach by boy Two but falls out of his pocket when startled by a [[gulls|seagull]]. The boys (and [[J.R.R. Tolkien|their father]]) search for the toy dog but they can't find him. As the tide comes in, Rover is turned back into a real dog (but not his normal size) by [[Psamathos Psamathides]], an ugly sand-sorcerer who is the oldest of the Psamathists.

When Rover wakes up he is met by a seagull named [[Mew]]. Mew is Psamathos's postman and flies Rover around the beach before taking him to a great cliff with hundreds of other [[wikipedia:Black-backed gull|black-backed gulls]]. After collecting various messages, Mew took Rover along the moon-path flying over the [[wikipedia:Isle of Dogs|Isle of Dogs]] (a home for lost dogs with bone-trees) and passing [[Circles of the World|the edge of the world]] to reach the moon. Atop of a tall white tower, Rover and Mew meet the [[Man-in-the-Moon]] who gives Rover wings so Rover can play with the Man-in-the-Moon's dog (also named "Rover"). The Man-in-the-Moon renames Rover "Roverandom" and Rover stays with the Man-in-the-Moon and goes on many adventures around the [[moon]]. On one of their adventures, Roverandom and the moon-dog accidentally journey into the shadowy edge of the dark side of the moon and seek refuge in a cave; the cave turns out to be the lair of the Great White Dragon. The Great White Dragon used to live on [[wikipedia:Snowdon|Snowdon]] and damaged the [[wikipedia:Great Britain|Three Islands]] but now, residing on the moon, was determined to [[wikipedia:Lunar eclipse|turn the moon red]] and chase the dogs. However, as they came close to the Man-in-the-Moon's tower the dragon was hit by a great rocket - the black splodges on his body caused him to be renamed the "Mottled Monster".

The Man-in-the-Moon takes Roverandom to the dark side of the moon (where everything is in reverse) but going down a hole right through the middle of the [[moon]]. After meeting two spiders, they follow a long grey path to a valley filled with children. Sliding down the black cliff-edge into the valley, Roverandom discovers that the children in the valley are all dreaming. After seeing a yellow ball, he meets boy Two again - the boy Two talk and play together until boy Two suddenly disappears when he wakes up. Returning to the white side of the moon, Roverandom looks into the Man-in-the-Moon's telescope to see the boys on the beach and Artaxerxes waiting outside his house. Although Roverandom likes being on the moon, he longs to return to the world and be with boy Two; the Man-in-the-Moon says that this is now possible as [[Artaxerxes]] has married the daughter of the Mer-king and is living at the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea. After saying goodbye to the Man-in-the-Moon and Moon-Rover, Mew collects Roverandom and takes him back to the world.

When back in the cove, Psamathos says he will return Roverandom to his normal size and he can go and live with the old lady (to whom he rightfully belongs, not boy Two), however, Psamathos's magic fails against Artaxerxes' bewitchment. Roverandom goes to see Artaxerxes as the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea and is taken there in the mouth of a giant whale named [[Uin]]. Artaxerxes is very busy as the Pacific and Atlantic Magician ([[wikipedia:Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|PAM]] for short) and ignores Roverandom's requests. However, he gives Roverandom webbed feet so he can play with Mrs Artaxerxes's mer-dog "Rover". After Artaxerxes fails to deal with the Sea-serpent (who is woken up thanks to Roverandom), the mer-people ask Artaxerxes to leave; Artaxerxes leaves with Roverandom, and agrees to turn Roverandom to his normal size, as Roverandom was the only person to have been polite to the wizard.

After returning to the England (but not Psamathos's cove), [[Artaxerxes]] restores Roverandom to his normal size. Roverandom is sent to walk home all by himself but when he gets back to the old lady's house he discovers boy Two playing in the garden with his yellow ball: the old lady was the grandmother of boy Two. Afterwards, Roverandom lives with boy Two in the house by the beach and over many years became good friends with [[Psamathos Psamathides|Psamathos]].

==Characters==
[[File:Alan Lee - Mottled Monster.jpg|thumb|right|The Mottled Monster by [[Alan Lee]]]]
* '''[[Rover]]''' - later known as '''Roverandom''' - is a black and white dog who is turned into a toy by the wizard Artaxerxes. The story follows his adventures to the moon and back.
* '''[[Artaxerxes]]''', a 2,000-year old wizard from [[wikipedia:Persia|Persia]] who mistakenly ended up in [[wikipedia:Pershore|Pershore]]. He is an old man with ragged trousers and a green hat who turns Rover into a toy for not saying "please" and biting his trousers. He becomes the Pacific and Atlantic Magician (PAM) after he marries a daughter of the Mer-king.
* '''[[Psamathos Psamathides]]''', the head of the Psamathists, a fat and ugly sand-sorcerer who transforms Rover from a toy into a small "fairy-dog".
* '''[[Man-in-the-Moon]]''', the greatest of all magicians, who lives in a white tower in the moon. He renames Rover "Roverandom" and gives him wings.
* '''[[Mew]]''', a black-backed gull who is Psamathos's postman. He takes Rover to and from the moon.
* '''[[Uin]]''', a giant whale who transports Roverandom to and from the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea.
* '''Great White Dragon''', a resident of the moon who chases Roverandom and the moon-Rover. Following his encounter with the Man-in-the-Moon he is renamed the "Mottled Monster".
* '''Rover''', the '''moon-dog''', the Man-in-the-Moon's flying dog.
* '''Rover''', the '''mer-dog''', Mrs Artaxerxes's underwater dog.
* '''[[Tinker]]''', a large black cat who lived in the same house as Rover.
* '''Boy Two''' (representing [[Michael Tolkien]]), the owner of toy-dog Rover who encounters Roverandom on the dark side of the moon.

==Reception==
Most reviews from the general press offered modest praise, with more enthusiastic acclaim from Tolkien aficionados; reviewers particularly lauded Tolkien's descriptive ability. Tolkien scholar [[David Bratman]] praised ''Roverandom'' saying "Mum is not the word for ''Roverandom'': this book can be enjoyed by anyone who loves ''The Hobbit'', from the most abstruse Tolkien scholar to intelligent children of perhaps age 8 or 10." Although admitting that this was a less-polished work by [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]], Bratman did confirm that "Some of the best writing is in lyrical descriptions of the moonscape and seascape."<ref>{{webcite|author=[[David Bratman]]|dated=April 1998|articleurl=http://www.mythsoc.org/reviews/roverandom/|articlename=Reviews: Roverandom|website=[http://www.mythsoc.org/mythprint/ Mythprint]|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> Jessica Yates, writing in ''Books for Keeps'', pointed out the connections between ''Roverandom'' and both ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' and other children's stories from the 1920s. Yates concluded that ''Roverandom'' is "a jolly good children's tale" with a "scholarly and most useful introduction".<ref>Jessica Yates, "Review: Roverandom" in ''Books for Keeps'', March 1998</ref>

Writing for ''[http://www.januarymagazine.com January Magazine]'', David Grayson also praised the descriptions - particularly the "sense of awe" - of ''Roverandom''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s world and felt this would be a good book to introduce children to [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]. However, Grayson also made clear that this was a "mediocre tale".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.januarymagazine.com January Magazine]|author=David Grayon|articlename=A Forgotten Tolkien Tale|articleurl=http://www.januarymagazine.com/fiction/roverandom.html|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> Trent Walters felt that the editorial content was "tastefully done" and summarised the book: "Whether Roverandom will become a classic or not is up to the future generations of young readers and what they remember loving and what they choose to read to their own kids. But, if you're just looking for an unalloyed, unmolested good time to read aloud to your children (or your make-believe children), call up this book."<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.sfsite.com SFSite]|articlename=Roverandom|articleurl=http://www.sfsite.com/03a/rov76.htm|author=Trent Walters|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

Daniel Offer of ''[http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk Fantasy Book Review]'' offered cautious praise of ''Roverandom'' giving it a 7/10 score: "While ''Roverandom'' will probably never be listed among the great classics, this theme rings true, making the book a valuable addition to any library." But Offer did caution that "The book is probably not so compelling that you will be unable to put it down, and it probably won’t be one that you reread every year. [...] The doggy protagonist seemed rather flat, and was much less interesting than the things he saw and the things he did." Offer summed up the book as "charming".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk Fantasy Book Review]|author=Daniel Offer|articleurl=http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/JRR-Tolkien/Roverandom.html|articlename=Roverandom by JRR Tolkien|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

Adam Mars-Jones, writing in ''[http://www.theguardian.com The Observer]'', mirrors Bratman's praise of Tolkien's descriptions: "In his descriptions Tolkien brings off the occasional effect worthy of epic". However, Mars-Jones was overall more scathing as he criticsed the book for being edited "to within an inch of its life" whilst the characterisation was "rudimentary" and that the flat-Earth cosmology was unsatisfactory. He concluded that "most admirers of Tolkien will want to turn down this chance".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.theguardian.com The Observer]|articleurl=http://www.theguardian.com/books/1998/jan/01/jrrtolkien.classics|articlename=Hobbit forming|author=Adam Mars-Jones|dated=1 January 1988|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> A review in ''The Telegraph'', titled "Completists always prove willing buyers", argued that the story might not be strong enough in its own right,<ref>"Completists always prove willing buyers" in ''[http://www.telegraph.co.uk The Daily Telegraph]'' 9 May 1998, p. A4</ref> whilst ''[http://www.kirkusreviews.com Kirkus]'' offered the most strident warning: "The story was rejected by Tolkien's publisher in 1937 and has lain neglected ever since. With good reason. [...] Even for Tolkien scholars, these are awfully thin bones to pick over."<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.kirkusreviews.com Kirkus]|articleurl=http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jrr-tolkien/roverandom/|articlename=Roverandom|dated=1 February 1998|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

Average readers' scores for ''Roverandom'' are fairly consistent in moderate praise. On [http://books.google.co.uk/books Google], average readers' scores are 4.12/5 (8.24/10),<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://books.google.co.uk/books Google Books]|articleurl=http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Roverandom.html?id=cmGw_3eMv8gC&redir_esc=y|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> and the average score at [http://www.goodreads.com Goodreads] is 3.83/5 (7.66)<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.goodreads.com Goodreads]|articleurl=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23617.Roverandom|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> which was mirrored by users on [http://www.amazon.com Amazon] who have given ''Roverandom'' an average score of 3.87/5 (7.73/10).<ref>{{webcite|website=AM|articleurl=http://www.amazon.com/Roverandom-J-R-R-Tolkien/product-reviews/0395957990|articlename=Customer Reviews - Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

==Publication history==
{{Gallery
|title=
|width=165
|height=220
|lines=2
|File:Roverandom.jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 1998 hardback
|File:Roverandom (1998 paperback).jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 1998 paperback
|File:Roverandom (2002).jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 2002 paperback
|File:Roverandom (2013).jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 2013 pocket hardback
}}
* [[HarperCollins]] hardback, first edition hardback with dustjacket ([[5 January]] [[1998]]), pp. 128 ISBN 0261103539
* [[HarperCollins]] paperback, same as first edition hardback ([[17 August]] [[1998]]), pp. 128. ISBN 0261103547
* [[HarperCollins]] paperback ([[2 September]] [[2002]]), pp. 116. ISBN 0007149115
* [[HarperCollins]] pocket hardback with dustjacket ([[26 September]] [[2013]]), pp. 144. ISBN 9780007523283

==See also==
*''[[Mr. Bliss]]''
*''[[Letters from Father Christmas]]''
*''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]''
**''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]''
**''[[Farmer Giles of Ham]]''
**''[[Leaf by Niggle]]''
**''[[Smith of Wootton Major]]''
*''[[The Orgog]]''

== External links ==
*[http://www.hammondandscull.com/addenda/roverandom.html Addenda and Corrigenda to ''Roverandom'']
{{references}}
{{perilousrealm}}
{{title|italics}}
[[Category:Books by J.R.R. Tolkien]]
[[Category:Fiction books]]
[[Category:Posthumous publications]]
[[Category:Publications by title]]
[[Category:Roverandom| ]]

Roverandom

2021-01-29T23:03:08Z

Cosmicdense: add link

{{book
| title=Roverandom
| image=[[File:Roverandom.jpg|225px]]
| author=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]
| foreword=
| introduction=
| editor=[[Christina Scull]] & [[Wayne G. Hammond]]
| contributors=
| translator=
| illustrator=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]
| publisher=
| publisherUK=[[HarperCollins]]
| publisherUS=[[Houghton Mifflin]]
| date=
| dateUK=[[5 January]] [[1998]]
| dateUS=[[15 April]] [[1998]]
| format=Hardback
| pages=128
| isbn=0261103539
| noisbn=
| issn=
| series=[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]
| precededby=
| followedby=
}}
'''''Roverandom''''' is a short children's story by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] published posthumously in [[1998]]. Originally told in [[1925]] - and written down in [[1927]] - the story tells of the adventures of the dog [[Rover]] who is turned into a toy by the wizard [[Artaxerxes]]. Rover goes on adventures to the [[moon]] and the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea on his quest to undo his bewitchment.

Tolkien wrote ''Roverandom'' for his second son, [[Michael Tolkien|Michael]], to console him for the loss of his own little black-and-white toy dog on a beach in Yorkshire.

==History==
In early September [[1925]], the Tolkien family (then [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Ronald]], [[Edith Tolkien|Edith]], [[John Tolkien|John]], [[Michael Tolkien|Michael]] and a one-year-old [[Christopher Tolkien|Christopher]]) went on holiday to the seaside resort of Filey in Yorkshire. Although Tolkien had holidayed there previously in [[1922]], Tolkien described Filey as "a very nasty little suburban seaside resort".<ref name="bio">{{HM|Bio}}</ref>{{rp|146}} During the holiday, Michael lost his beloved black-and-white toy dog on the beach; although the family searched for it, the toy dog could not be found.

To console his son, Tolkien created the story of ''Roverandom'' to explain the adventures of the dog. Tolkien wrote the story down, based on his own oral version, in [[1927]] and also provided a number of illustrations which have since been published.<ref name="AI"/>{{rp|77-83}} A few years later, Tolkien submitted ''Roverandom'' for publication to [[George Allen & Unwin]] in [[1936]] and although the book was described by [[Rayner Unwin]] as "well written and amusing" it was never considered for publication, perhaps as a result of a desire for a [[The Lord of the Rings|sequel to ''The Hobbit'']].<ref name="Roverandom"/>{{rp|xvii}}

The popularity of ''Roverandom'' led to Tolkien creating other stories for his children, including ''[[Mr. Bliss]]''.<ref name="bio">{{HM|Bio}}</ref>{{rp|216 ff}} And whilst each of these tales remained distinct and separate, [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]] have noted a number of similarities and crossovers with ''Roverandom''. These include points of convergence with ''The Book of Lost Tales'' and ''[[The Silmarillion]]''<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. lxxii</ref> in both the great whale [[Uin]] and the geography of "the [[Shadowy Seas]]", "the great [[Bay of Eldamar|Bay of Fairyland]] beyond the [[Enchanted Isles|Magic Isles]]" where Roverandom then saw "in the last [[Aman|West]] the [[Pelóri|Mountains of Elvenhome]]".<ref name="Roverandom">{{HM|R}}</ref>{{rp|73-4}} They also note the similarity of not just the spiders of the Moon and those in ''[[The Hobbit]]'', but that Tolkien also recycled several elements of his drawings in his illustrations of ''The Hobbit'', including the dragon, the spider and the mountainous landscape.<ref name="AI">{{HM|AI}}</ref>{{rp|81}}

''Roverandom'' was finally published by [[HarperCollins]] on [[5 January]] [[1998]], edited by [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]], over 70 years after it was first written.<ref name="AM1998">{{webcite|website=AMUK|articleurl=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roverandom-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0261103539|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=1 June 2014}}</ref> Since [[2008]], ''Roverandom'' has also been included in the collection ''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]''.<ref>{{webcite|website=TL|articleurl=http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/836-Tales-from-the-Perilous-Realm.php|dated=1 July 2008|accessed=1 June 2014|articlename=Tales from the Perilous Realm Cover Revealed}}</ref>

==Description from the publisher==
{{blockquote|An unpublished full-length story written and illustrated by the author of The Hobbit. In 1925, while the Tolkiens were on holiday at Filey in Yorkshire, four-year-old Michael lost his beloved little lead dog on the beach. To comfort him, J.R.R.Tolkien wrote Roverandom, a story about a real dog, Rover, who is turned into a toy by a wizard. When dropped on the beach by a small boy, the toy is transported to the moon along the path of light the moon makes when it shines over the sea. The Man in the Moon renames him ‘Roverandom’ and gives him wings. Roverandom and Moondog set out on a series of adventures, encountering the Great White Dragon and other moon fauna like giant spiders and dragon-moths. Finally, back on Earth, Roverandom travels under the sea inside Uin, oldest of the whales, to ask the wizard who changed him into a toy to undo the spell. J.R.R.Tolkien was a prolific storyteller to his children, though few of his early stories survive. Roverandom was a particular favourite, so much so that Tolkien wrote it out and even illustrated it himself. But for over 70 years it has remained unpublished. Bearing many of the hallmarks which were to make The Hobbit such a classic ten years later, this delightful book is finally published together with Tolkien’s own paintings and drawings. Introduced by Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull, authors of the acclaimed J.R.R.Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator, this book is destined to become a classic and will be welcomed by Tolkien fans of all ages.<ref name="AM1998"/>}}

==Plot==
[[File:Alan Lee - Edge of the World.jpg|thumb|left|Edge of the World by [[Alan Lee]]]]
[[Rover]], a black and white dog who lives with old lady and a cat named [[Tinker]], is playing in the garden with his yellow ball when a wizard comes along and picks it up. When the wizard, [[Artaxerxes]], refuses to give the ball back Rover bites his trousers; in retaliation, the wizard turns Rover into a small toy dog and transports him into a toy store. Placed in the window of the shop, Rover is sold for a sixpence to a woman who gives Rover to her [[Michael Tolkien|second son (boy Two)]]. The next day, Rover is taken to the beach by boy Two but falls out of his pocket when startled by a [[gulls|seagull]]. The boys (and [[J.R.R. Tolkien|their father]]) search for the toy dog but they can't find him. As the tide comes in, Rover is turned back into a real dog (but not his normal size) by [[Psamathos Psamathides]], an ugly sand-sorcerer who is the oldest of the Psamathists.

When Rover wakes up he is met by a seagull named [[Mew]]. Mew is Psamathos's postman and flies Rover around the beach before taking him to a great cliff with hundreds of other [[wikipedia:Black-backed gull|black-backed gulls]]. After collecting various messages, Mew took Rover along the moon-path flying over the [[wikipedia:Isle of Dogs|Isle of Dogs]] (a home for lost dogs with bone-trees) and passing [[Circles of the World|the edge of the world]] to reach the moon. Atop of a tall white tower, Rover and Mew meet the [[Man-in-the-Moon]] who gives Rover wings so Rover can play with the Man-in-the-Moon's dog (also named "Rover"). The Man-in-the-Moon renames Rover "Roverandom" and Rover stays with the Man-in-the-Moon and goes on many adventures around the [[moon]]. On one of their adventures, Roverandom and the moon-dog accidentally journey into the shadowy edge of the dark side of the moon and seek refuge in a cave; the cave turns out to be the lair of the Great White Dragon. The Great White Dragon used to live on [[wikipedia:Snowdon|Snowdon]] and damaged the [[wikipedia:Great Britain|Three Islands]] but now, residing on the moon, was determined to [[wikipedia:Lunar eclipse|turn the moon red]] and chase the dogs. However, as they came close to the Man-in-the-Moon's tower the dragon was hit by a great rocket - the black splodges on his body caused him to be renamed the "Mottled Monster".

The Man-in-the-Moon takes Roverandom to the dark side of the moon (where everything is in reverse) but going down a hole right through the middle of the [[moon]]. After meeting two spiders, they follow a long grey path to a valley filled with children. Sliding down the black cliff-edge into the valley, Roverandom discovers that the children in the valley are all dreaming. After seeing a yellow ball, he meets boy Two again - the boy Two talk and play together until boy Two suddenly disappears when he wakes up. Returning to the white side of the moon, Roverandom looks into the Man-in-the-Moon's telescope to see the boys on the beach and Artaxerxes waiting outside his house. Although Roverandom likes being on the moon, he longs to return to the world and be with boy Two; the Man-in-the-Moon says that this is now possible as [[Artaxerxes]] has married the daughter of the Mer-king and is living at the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea. After saying goodbye to the Man-in-the-Moon and Moon-Rover, Mew collects Roverandom and takes him back to the world.

When back in the cove, Psamathos says he will return Roverandom to his normal size and he can go and live with the old lady (to whom he rightfully belongs, not boy Two), however, Psamathos's magic fails against Artaxerxes' bewitchment. Roverandom goes to see Artaxerxes as the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea and is taken there in the mouth of a giant whale named [[Uin]]. Artaxerxes is very busy as the Pacific and Atlantic Magician ([[wikipedia:Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|PAM]] for short) and ignores Roverandom's requests. However, he gives Roverandom webbed feet so he can play with Mrs Artaxerxes's mer-dog "Rover". After Artaxerxes fails to deal with the Sea-serpent (who is woken up thanks to Roverandom), the mer-people ask Artaxerxes to leave; Artaxerxes leaves with Roverandom, and agrees to turn Roverandom to his normal size, as Roverandom was the only person to have been polite to the wizard.

After returning to the England (but not Psamathos's cove), [[Artaxerxes]] restores Roverandom to his normal size. Roverandom is sent to walk home all by himself but when he gets back to the old lady's house he discovers boy Two playing in the garden with his yellow ball: the old lady was the grandmother of boy Two. Afterwards, Roverandom lives with boy Two in the house by the beach and over many years became good friends with [[Psamathos Psamathides|Psamathos]].

==Characters==
[[File:Alan Lee - Mottled Monster.jpg|thumb|right|The Mottled Monster by [[Alan Lee]]]]
* '''[[Rover]]''' - later known as '''Roverandom''' - is a black and white dog who is turned into a toy by the wizard Artaxerxes. The story follows his adventures to the moon and back.
* '''[[Artaxerxes]]''', a 2,000-year old wizard from [[wikipedia:Persia|Persia]] who mistakenly ended up in [[wikipedia:Pershore|Pershore]]. He is an old man with ragged trousers and a green hat who turns Rover into a toy for not saying "please" and biting his trousers. He becomes the Pacific and Atlantic Magician (PAM) after he marries a daughter of the Mer-king.
* '''[[Psamathos Psamathides]]''', the head of the Psamathists, a fat and ugly sand-sorcerer who transforms Rover from a toy into a small "fairy-dog".
* '''[[Man-in-the-Moon]]''', the greatest of all magicians, who lives in a white tower in the moon. He renames Rover "Roverandom" and gives him wings.
* '''[[Mew]]''', a black-backed gull who is Psamathos's postman. He takes Rover to and from the moon.
* '''[[Uin]]''', a giant whale who transports Roverandom to and from the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea.
* '''Great White Dragon''', a resident of the moon who chases Roverandom and the moon-Rover. Following his encounter with the Man-in-the-Moon he is renamed the "Mottled Monster".
* '''Rover''', the '''moon-dog''', the Man-in-the-Moon's flying dog.
* '''Rover''', the '''mer-dog''', Mrs Artaxerxes's underwater dog.
* ''[[Tinker]]'', a large black cat who lived in the same house as Rover.
* '''Boy Two''' (representing [[Michael Tolkien]]), the owner of toy-dog Rover who encounters Roverandom on the dark side of the moon.

==Reception==
Most reviews from the general press offered modest praise, with more enthusiastic acclaim from Tolkien aficionados; reviewers particularly lauded Tolkien's descriptive ability. Tolkien scholar [[David Bratman]] praised ''Roverandom'' saying "Mum is not the word for ''Roverandom'': this book can be enjoyed by anyone who loves ''The Hobbit'', from the most abstruse Tolkien scholar to intelligent children of perhaps age 8 or 10." Although admitting that this was a less-polished work by [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]], Bratman did confirm that "Some of the best writing is in lyrical descriptions of the moonscape and seascape."<ref>{{webcite|author=[[David Bratman]]|dated=April 1998|articleurl=http://www.mythsoc.org/reviews/roverandom/|articlename=Reviews: Roverandom|website=[http://www.mythsoc.org/mythprint/ Mythprint]|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> Jessica Yates, writing in ''Books for Keeps'', pointed out the connections between ''Roverandom'' and both ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' and other children's stories from the 1920s. Yates concluded that ''Roverandom'' is "a jolly good children's tale" with a "scholarly and most useful introduction".<ref>Jessica Yates, "Review: Roverandom" in ''Books for Keeps'', March 1998</ref>

Writing for ''[http://www.januarymagazine.com January Magazine]'', David Grayson also praised the descriptions - particularly the "sense of awe" - of ''Roverandom''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s world and felt this would be a good book to introduce children to [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]. However, Grayson also made clear that this was a "mediocre tale".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.januarymagazine.com January Magazine]|author=David Grayon|articlename=A Forgotten Tolkien Tale|articleurl=http://www.januarymagazine.com/fiction/roverandom.html|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> Trent Walters felt that the editorial content was "tastefully done" and summarised the book: "Whether Roverandom will become a classic or not is up to the future generations of young readers and what they remember loving and what they choose to read to their own kids. But, if you're just looking for an unalloyed, unmolested good time to read aloud to your children (or your make-believe children), call up this book."<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.sfsite.com SFSite]|articlename=Roverandom|articleurl=http://www.sfsite.com/03a/rov76.htm|author=Trent Walters|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

Daniel Offer of ''[http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk Fantasy Book Review]'' offered cautious praise of ''Roverandom'' giving it a 7/10 score: "While ''Roverandom'' will probably never be listed among the great classics, this theme rings true, making the book a valuable addition to any library." But Offer did caution that "The book is probably not so compelling that you will be unable to put it down, and it probably won’t be one that you reread every year. [...] The doggy protagonist seemed rather flat, and was much less interesting than the things he saw and the things he did." Offer summed up the book as "charming".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk Fantasy Book Review]|author=Daniel Offer|articleurl=http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/JRR-Tolkien/Roverandom.html|articlename=Roverandom by JRR Tolkien|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

Adam Mars-Jones, writing in ''[http://www.theguardian.com The Observer]'', mirrors Bratman's praise of Tolkien's descriptions: "In his descriptions Tolkien brings off the occasional effect worthy of epic". However, Mars-Jones was overall more scathing as he criticsed the book for being edited "to within an inch of its life" whilst the characterisation was "rudimentary" and that the flat-Earth cosmology was unsatisfactory. He concluded that "most admirers of Tolkien will want to turn down this chance".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.theguardian.com The Observer]|articleurl=http://www.theguardian.com/books/1998/jan/01/jrrtolkien.classics|articlename=Hobbit forming|author=Adam Mars-Jones|dated=1 January 1988|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> A review in ''The Telegraph'', titled "Completists always prove willing buyers", argued that the story might not be strong enough in its own right,<ref>"Completists always prove willing buyers" in ''[http://www.telegraph.co.uk The Daily Telegraph]'' 9 May 1998, p. A4</ref> whilst ''[http://www.kirkusreviews.com Kirkus]'' offered the most strident warning: "The story was rejected by Tolkien's publisher in 1937 and has lain neglected ever since. With good reason. [...] Even for Tolkien scholars, these are awfully thin bones to pick over."<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.kirkusreviews.com Kirkus]|articleurl=http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jrr-tolkien/roverandom/|articlename=Roverandom|dated=1 February 1998|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

Average readers' scores for ''Roverandom'' are fairly consistent in moderate praise. On [http://books.google.co.uk/books Google], average readers' scores are 4.12/5 (8.24/10),<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://books.google.co.uk/books Google Books]|articleurl=http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Roverandom.html?id=cmGw_3eMv8gC&redir_esc=y|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> and the average score at [http://www.goodreads.com Goodreads] is 3.83/5 (7.66)<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.goodreads.com Goodreads]|articleurl=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23617.Roverandom|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> which was mirrored by users on [http://www.amazon.com Amazon] who have given ''Roverandom'' an average score of 3.87/5 (7.73/10).<ref>{{webcite|website=AM|articleurl=http://www.amazon.com/Roverandom-J-R-R-Tolkien/product-reviews/0395957990|articlename=Customer Reviews - Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

==Publication history==
{{Gallery
|title=
|width=165
|height=220
|lines=2
|File:Roverandom.jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 1998 hardback
|File:Roverandom (1998 paperback).jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 1998 paperback
|File:Roverandom (2002).jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 2002 paperback
|File:Roverandom (2013).jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 2013 pocket hardback
}}
* [[HarperCollins]] hardback, first edition hardback with dustjacket ([[5 January]] [[1998]]), pp. 128 ISBN 0261103539
* [[HarperCollins]] paperback, same as first edition hardback ([[17 August]] [[1998]]), pp. 128. ISBN 0261103547
* [[HarperCollins]] paperback ([[2 September]] [[2002]]), pp. 116. ISBN 0007149115
* [[HarperCollins]] pocket hardback with dustjacket ([[26 September]] [[2013]]), pp. 144. ISBN 9780007523283

==See also==
*''[[Mr. Bliss]]''
*''[[Letters from Father Christmas]]''
*''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]''
**''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]''
**''[[Farmer Giles of Ham]]''
**''[[Leaf by Niggle]]''
**''[[Smith of Wootton Major]]''
*''[[The Orgog]]''

== External links ==
*[http://www.hammondandscull.com/addenda/roverandom.html Addenda and Corrigenda to ''Roverandom'']
{{references}}
{{perilousrealm}}
{{title|italics}}
[[Category:Books by J.R.R. Tolkien]]
[[Category:Fiction books]]
[[Category:Posthumous publications]]
[[Category:Publications by title]]
[[Category:Roverandom| ]]

Roverandom

2021-01-29T23:01:44Z

Cosmicdense: add link

{{book
| title=Roverandom
| image=[[File:Roverandom.jpg|225px]]
| author=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]
| foreword=
| introduction=
| editor=[[Christina Scull]] & [[Wayne G. Hammond]]
| contributors=
| translator=
| illustrator=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]
| publisher=
| publisherUK=[[HarperCollins]]
| publisherUS=[[Houghton Mifflin]]
| date=
| dateUK=[[5 January]] [[1998]]
| dateUS=[[15 April]] [[1998]]
| format=Hardback
| pages=128
| isbn=0261103539
| noisbn=
| issn=
| series=[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]
| precededby=
| followedby=
}}
'''''Roverandom''''' is a short children's story by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] published posthumously in [[1998]]. Originally told in [[1925]] - and written down in [[1927]] - the story tells of the adventures of the dog [[Rover]] who is turned into a toy by the wizard [[Artaxerxes]]. Rover goes on adventures to the [[moon]] and the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea on his quest to undo his bewitchment.

Tolkien wrote ''Roverandom'' for his second son, [[Michael Tolkien|Michael]], to console him for the loss of his own little black-and-white toy dog on a beach in Yorkshire.

==History==
In early September [[1925]], the Tolkien family (then [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Ronald]], [[Edith Tolkien|Edith]], [[John Tolkien|John]], [[Michael Tolkien|Michael]] and a one-year-old [[Christopher Tolkien|Christopher]]) went on holiday to the seaside resort of Filey in Yorkshire. Although Tolkien had holidayed there previously in [[1922]], Tolkien described Filey as "a very nasty little suburban seaside resort".<ref name="bio">{{HM|Bio}}</ref>{{rp|146}} During the holiday, Michael lost his beloved black-and-white toy dog on the beach; although the family searched for it, the toy dog could not be found.

To console his son, Tolkien created the story of ''Roverandom'' to explain the adventures of the dog. Tolkien wrote the story down, based on his own oral version, in [[1927]] and also provided a number of illustrations which have since been published.<ref name="AI"/>{{rp|77-83}} A few years later, Tolkien submitted ''Roverandom'' for publication to [[George Allen & Unwin]] in [[1936]] and although the book was described by [[Rayner Unwin]] as "well written and amusing" it was never considered for publication, perhaps as a result of a desire for a [[The Lord of the Rings|sequel to ''The Hobbit'']].<ref name="Roverandom"/>{{rp|xvii}}

The popularity of ''Roverandom'' led to Tolkien creating other stories for his children, including ''[[Mr. Bliss]]''.<ref name="bio">{{HM|Bio}}</ref>{{rp|216 ff}} And whilst each of these tales remained distinct and separate, [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]] have noted a number of similarities and crossovers with ''Roverandom''. These include points of convergence with ''The Book of Lost Tales'' and ''[[The Silmarillion]]''<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. lxxii</ref> in both the great whale [[Uin]] and the geography of "the [[Shadowy Seas]]", "the great [[Bay of Eldamar|Bay of Fairyland]] beyond the [[Enchanted Isles|Magic Isles]]" where Roverandom then saw "in the last [[Aman|West]] the [[Pelóri|Mountains of Elvenhome]]".<ref name="Roverandom">{{HM|R}}</ref>{{rp|73-4}} They also note the similarity of not just the spiders of the Moon and those in ''[[The Hobbit]]'', but that Tolkien also recycled several elements of his drawings in his illustrations of ''The Hobbit'', including the dragon, the spider and the mountainous landscape.<ref name="AI">{{HM|AI}}</ref>{{rp|81}}

''Roverandom'' was finally published by [[HarperCollins]] on [[5 January]] [[1998]], edited by [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]], over 70 years after it was first written.<ref name="AM1998">{{webcite|website=AMUK|articleurl=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roverandom-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0261103539|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=1 June 2014}}</ref> Since [[2008]], ''Roverandom'' has also been included in the collection ''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]''.<ref>{{webcite|website=TL|articleurl=http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/836-Tales-from-the-Perilous-Realm.php|dated=1 July 2008|accessed=1 June 2014|articlename=Tales from the Perilous Realm Cover Revealed}}</ref>

==Description from the publisher==
{{blockquote|An unpublished full-length story written and illustrated by the author of The Hobbit. In 1925, while the Tolkiens were on holiday at Filey in Yorkshire, four-year-old Michael lost his beloved little lead dog on the beach. To comfort him, J.R.R.Tolkien wrote Roverandom, a story about a real dog, Rover, who is turned into a toy by a wizard. When dropped on the beach by a small boy, the toy is transported to the moon along the path of light the moon makes when it shines over the sea. The Man in the Moon renames him ‘Roverandom’ and gives him wings. Roverandom and Moondog set out on a series of adventures, encountering the Great White Dragon and other moon fauna like giant spiders and dragon-moths. Finally, back on Earth, Roverandom travels under the sea inside Uin, oldest of the whales, to ask the wizard who changed him into a toy to undo the spell. J.R.R.Tolkien was a prolific storyteller to his children, though few of his early stories survive. Roverandom was a particular favourite, so much so that Tolkien wrote it out and even illustrated it himself. But for over 70 years it has remained unpublished. Bearing many of the hallmarks which were to make The Hobbit such a classic ten years later, this delightful book is finally published together with Tolkien’s own paintings and drawings. Introduced by Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull, authors of the acclaimed J.R.R.Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator, this book is destined to become a classic and will be welcomed by Tolkien fans of all ages.<ref name="AM1998"/>}}

==Plot==
[[File:Alan Lee - Edge of the World.jpg|thumb|left|Edge of the World by [[Alan Lee]]]]
[[Rover]], a black and white dog who lives with old lady and a cat named [[Tinker]], is playing in the garden with his yellow ball when a wizard comes along and picks it up. When the wizard, [[Artaxerxes]], refuses to give the ball back Rover bites his trousers; in retaliation, the wizard turns Rover into a small toy dog and transports him into a toy store. Placed in the window of the shop, Rover is sold for a sixpence to a woman who gives Rover to her [[Michael Tolkien|second son (boy Two)]]. The next day, Rover is taken to the beach by boy Two but falls out of his pocket when startled by a [[gulls|seagull]]. The boys (and [[J.R.R. Tolkien|their father]]) search for the toy dog but they can't find him. As the tide comes in, Rover is turned back into a real dog (but not his normal size) by [[Psamathos Psamathides]], an ugly sand-sorcerer who is the oldest of the Psamathists.

When Rover wakes up he is met by a seagull named [[Mew]]. Mew is Psamathos's postman and flies Rover around the beach before taking him to a great cliff with hundreds of other [[wikipedia:Black-backed gull|black-backed gulls]]. After collecting various messages, Mew took Rover along the moon-path flying over the [[wikipedia:Isle of Dogs|Isle of Dogs]] (a home for lost dogs with bone-trees) and passing [[Circles of the World|the edge of the world]] to reach the moon. Atop of a tall white tower, Rover and Mew meet the [[Man-in-the-Moon]] who gives Rover wings so Rover can play with the Man-in-the-Moon's dog (also named "Rover"). The Man-in-the-Moon renames Rover "Roverandom" and Rover stays with the Man-in-the-Moon and goes on many adventures around the [[moon]]. On one of their adventures, Roverandom and the moon-dog accidentally journey into the shadowy edge of the dark side of the moon and seek refuge in a cave; the cave turns out to be the lair of the Great White Dragon. The Great White Dragon used to live on [[wikipedia:Snowdon|Snowdon]] and damaged the [[wikipedia:Great Britain|Three Islands]] but now, residing on the moon, was determined to [[wikipedia:Lunar eclipse|turn the moon red]] and chase the dogs. However, as they came close to the Man-in-the-Moon's tower the dragon was hit by a great rocket - the black splodges on his body caused him to be renamed the "Mottled Monster".

The Man-in-the-Moon takes Roverandom to the dark side of the moon (where everything is in reverse) but going down a hole right through the middle of the [[moon]]. After meeting two spiders, they follow a long grey path to a valley filled with children. Sliding down the black cliff-edge into the valley, Roverandom discovers that the children in the valley are all dreaming. After seeing a yellow ball, he meets boy Two again - the boy Two talk and play together until boy Two suddenly disappears when he wakes up. Returning to the white side of the moon, Roverandom looks into the Man-in-the-Moon's telescope to see the boys on the beach and Artaxerxes waiting outside his house. Although Roverandom likes being on the moon, he longs to return to the world and be with boy Two; the Man-in-the-Moon says that this is now possible as [[Artaxerxes]] has married the daughter of the Mer-king and is living at the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea. After saying goodbye to the Man-in-the-Moon and Moon-Rover, Mew collects Roverandom and takes him back to the world.

When back in the cove, Psamathos says he will return Roverandom to his normal size and he can go and live with the old lady (to whom he rightfully belongs, not boy Two), however, Psamathos's magic fails against Artaxerxes' bewitchment. Roverandom goes to see Artaxerxes as the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea and is taken there in the mouth of a giant whale named [[Uin]]. Artaxerxes is very busy as the Pacific and Atlantic Magician ([[wikipedia:Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|PAM]] for short) and ignores Roverandom's requests. However, he gives Roverandom webbed feet so he can play with Mrs Artaxerxes's mer-dog "Rover". After Artaxerxes fails to deal with the Sea-serpent (who is woken up thanks to Roverandom), the mer-people ask Artaxerxes to leave; Artaxerxes leaves with Roverandom, and agrees to turn Roverandom to his normal size, as Roverandom was the only person to have been polite to the wizard.

After returning to the England (but not Psamathos's cove), [[Artaxerxes]] restores Roverandom to his normal size. Roverandom is sent to walk home all by himself but when he gets back to the old lady's house he discovers boy Two playing in the garden with his yellow ball: the old lady was the grandmother of boy Two. Afterwards, Roverandom lives with boy Two in the house by the beach and over many years became good friends with [[Psamathos Psamathides|Psamathos]].

==Characters==
[[File:Alan Lee - Mottled Monster.jpg|thumb|right|The Mottled Monster by [[Alan Lee]]]]
* '''[[Rover]]''' - later known as '''Roverandom''' - is a black and white dog who is turned into a toy by the wizard Artaxerxes. The story follows his adventures to the moon and back.
* '''[[Artaxerxes]]''', a 2,000-year old wizard from [[wikipedia:Persia|Persia]] who mistakenly ended up in [[wikipedia:Pershore|Pershore]]. He is an old man with ragged trousers and a green hat who turns Rover into a toy for not saying "please" and biting his trousers. He becomes the Pacific and Atlantic Magician (PAM) after he marries a daughter of the Mer-king.
* '''[[Psamathos Psamathides]]''', the head of the Psamathists, a fat and ugly sand-sorcerer who transforms Rover from a toy into a small "fairy-dog".
* '''[[Man-in-the-Moon]]''', the greatest of all magicians, who lives in a white tower in the moon. He renames Rover "Roverandom" and gives him wings.
* '''[[Mew]]''', a black-backed gull who is Psamathos's postman. He takes Rover to and from the moon.
* '''[[Uin]]''', a giant whale who transports Roverandom to and from the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea.
* '''Great White Dragon''', a resident of the moon who chases Roverandom and the moon-Rover. Following his encounter with the Man-in-the-Moon he is renamed the "Mottled Monster".
* '''Rover''', the '''moon-dog''', the Man-in-the-Moon's flying dog.
* '''Rover''', the '''mer-dog''', Mrs Artaxerxes's underwater dog.
* '''Tinker''', a large black cat who lived in the same house as Rover.
* '''Boy Two''' (representing [[Michael Tolkien]]), the owner of toy-dog Rover who encounters Roverandom on the dark side of the moon.

==Reception==
Most reviews from the general press offered modest praise, with more enthusiastic acclaim from Tolkien aficionados; reviewers particularly lauded Tolkien's descriptive ability. Tolkien scholar [[David Bratman]] praised ''Roverandom'' saying "Mum is not the word for ''Roverandom'': this book can be enjoyed by anyone who loves ''The Hobbit'', from the most abstruse Tolkien scholar to intelligent children of perhaps age 8 or 10." Although admitting that this was a less-polished work by [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]], Bratman did confirm that "Some of the best writing is in lyrical descriptions of the moonscape and seascape."<ref>{{webcite|author=[[David Bratman]]|dated=April 1998|articleurl=http://www.mythsoc.org/reviews/roverandom/|articlename=Reviews: Roverandom|website=[http://www.mythsoc.org/mythprint/ Mythprint]|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> Jessica Yates, writing in ''Books for Keeps'', pointed out the connections between ''Roverandom'' and both ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' and other children's stories from the 1920s. Yates concluded that ''Roverandom'' is "a jolly good children's tale" with a "scholarly and most useful introduction".<ref>Jessica Yates, "Review: Roverandom" in ''Books for Keeps'', March 1998</ref>

Writing for ''[http://www.januarymagazine.com January Magazine]'', David Grayson also praised the descriptions - particularly the "sense of awe" - of ''Roverandom''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s world and felt this would be a good book to introduce children to [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]. However, Grayson also made clear that this was a "mediocre tale".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.januarymagazine.com January Magazine]|author=David Grayon|articlename=A Forgotten Tolkien Tale|articleurl=http://www.januarymagazine.com/fiction/roverandom.html|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> Trent Walters felt that the editorial content was "tastefully done" and summarised the book: "Whether Roverandom will become a classic or not is up to the future generations of young readers and what they remember loving and what they choose to read to their own kids. But, if you're just looking for an unalloyed, unmolested good time to read aloud to your children (or your make-believe children), call up this book."<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.sfsite.com SFSite]|articlename=Roverandom|articleurl=http://www.sfsite.com/03a/rov76.htm|author=Trent Walters|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

Daniel Offer of ''[http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk Fantasy Book Review]'' offered cautious praise of ''Roverandom'' giving it a 7/10 score: "While ''Roverandom'' will probably never be listed among the great classics, this theme rings true, making the book a valuable addition to any library." But Offer did caution that "The book is probably not so compelling that you will be unable to put it down, and it probably won’t be one that you reread every year. [...] The doggy protagonist seemed rather flat, and was much less interesting than the things he saw and the things he did." Offer summed up the book as "charming".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk Fantasy Book Review]|author=Daniel Offer|articleurl=http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/JRR-Tolkien/Roverandom.html|articlename=Roverandom by JRR Tolkien|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

Adam Mars-Jones, writing in ''[http://www.theguardian.com The Observer]'', mirrors Bratman's praise of Tolkien's descriptions: "In his descriptions Tolkien brings off the occasional effect worthy of epic". However, Mars-Jones was overall more scathing as he criticsed the book for being edited "to within an inch of its life" whilst the characterisation was "rudimentary" and that the flat-Earth cosmology was unsatisfactory. He concluded that "most admirers of Tolkien will want to turn down this chance".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.theguardian.com The Observer]|articleurl=http://www.theguardian.com/books/1998/jan/01/jrrtolkien.classics|articlename=Hobbit forming|author=Adam Mars-Jones|dated=1 January 1988|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> A review in ''The Telegraph'', titled "Completists always prove willing buyers", argued that the story might not be strong enough in its own right,<ref>"Completists always prove willing buyers" in ''[http://www.telegraph.co.uk The Daily Telegraph]'' 9 May 1998, p. A4</ref> whilst ''[http://www.kirkusreviews.com Kirkus]'' offered the most strident warning: "The story was rejected by Tolkien's publisher in 1937 and has lain neglected ever since. With good reason. [...] Even for Tolkien scholars, these are awfully thin bones to pick over."<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.kirkusreviews.com Kirkus]|articleurl=http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jrr-tolkien/roverandom/|articlename=Roverandom|dated=1 February 1998|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

Average readers' scores for ''Roverandom'' are fairly consistent in moderate praise. On [http://books.google.co.uk/books Google], average readers' scores are 4.12/5 (8.24/10),<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://books.google.co.uk/books Google Books]|articleurl=http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Roverandom.html?id=cmGw_3eMv8gC&redir_esc=y|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> and the average score at [http://www.goodreads.com Goodreads] is 3.83/5 (7.66)<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.goodreads.com Goodreads]|articleurl=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23617.Roverandom|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> which was mirrored by users on [http://www.amazon.com Amazon] who have given ''Roverandom'' an average score of 3.87/5 (7.73/10).<ref>{{webcite|website=AM|articleurl=http://www.amazon.com/Roverandom-J-R-R-Tolkien/product-reviews/0395957990|articlename=Customer Reviews - Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref>

==Publication history==
{{Gallery
|title=
|width=165
|height=220
|lines=2
|File:Roverandom.jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 1998 hardback
|File:Roverandom (1998 paperback).jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 1998 paperback
|File:Roverandom (2002).jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 2002 paperback
|File:Roverandom (2013).jpg|[[HarperCollins]] 2013 pocket hardback
}}
* [[HarperCollins]] hardback, first edition hardback with dustjacket ([[5 January]] [[1998]]), pp. 128 ISBN 0261103539
* [[HarperCollins]] paperback, same as first edition hardback ([[17 August]] [[1998]]), pp. 128. ISBN 0261103547
* [[HarperCollins]] paperback ([[2 September]] [[2002]]), pp. 116. ISBN 0007149115
* [[HarperCollins]] pocket hardback with dustjacket ([[26 September]] [[2013]]), pp. 144. ISBN 9780007523283

==See also==
*''[[Mr. Bliss]]''
*''[[Letters from Father Christmas]]''
*''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]''
**''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]''
**''[[Farmer Giles of Ham]]''
**''[[Leaf by Niggle]]''
**''[[Smith of Wootton Major]]''
*''[[The Orgog]]''

== External links ==
*[http://www.hammondandscull.com/addenda/roverandom.html Addenda and Corrigenda to ''Roverandom'']
{{references}}
{{perilousrealm}}
{{title|italics}}
[[Category:Books by J.R.R. Tolkien]]
[[Category:Fiction books]]
[[Category:Posthumous publications]]
[[Category:Publications by title]]
[[Category:Roverandom| ]]