 | |
| Hobbit | |
| Gerontius Took | |
|---|---|
| Biographical Information | |
| Other names | The Old Took |
| Titles | Thain of the Shire |
| Location | Great Smials, Tuckborough |
| Birth | S.R. 1190 |
| Rule | S.R. 1248 - 1320 (72 years) |
| Death | S.R. 1320 (aged 130) |
| Family | |
| Family | Took |
| Parentage | Fortinbras Took I |
| Spouse | Adamanta Chubb |
| Children | Isengrim, Hildigard, Isumbras, Hildigrim, Isembold, Hildifons, Isembard, Hildibrand, Belladonna, Donnamira, Mirabella and Isengar |
| Physical Description | |
| Gender | Male |
| Gallery | Images of Gerontius Took |
Gerontius Took (S.R. 1190 - 1320, died aged 130), also known as The Old Took, was a renowned Hobbit and twenty-sixth Thain of the Shire.
History
Gerontius was the only son of Fortinbras I. He married Adamanta Chubb, who gave birth to twelve children: Isengrim III, Hildigard, Isumbras IV, Hildigrim, Isembold, Hildifons, Isembard, Hildibrand, Belladonna, Donnamira, Mirabella and Isengar.
After the death of his father in 1248, Gerontius became the twenty-sixth Thain of the Shire.[1] He was a friend of Gandalf, who gave him a pair of magic diamond studs[2] and performed firework tricks during Gerontius' midsummer-eve parties.[3][note 1]
Gerontius Took reached the impressive age of 130, which made him the oldest Hobbit until his grandson Bilbo Baggins celebrated his 131st Birthday.[4] He also held the record of most offspring, until Samwise Gamgee bested him with Tom's birth in S.R. 1442.[5]
Etymology
He was called The Old Took not because of his age, but because of his numerous younger relatives.[6]
Gerontius is a Latin name, which means "Old-man". It is derived from Greek Geróntios. The element géron is Greek for "old". Gerontius was a popular name in the Late Roman Empire and is rendered as Geraint in Welsh.[7] Geraint is found as a royal name in The Mabinogion and in Tennyson's Geraint and Enid.[8]
Gerontius is one of the very few Greco-Latin names appearing in Hobbit lore.
Inspiration
In a letter to Mr. and Mrs. Kloos, Tolkien stated that when he wrote The Hobbit, he had imagined Bilbo's grandfather to be old, because both of his grandparents were around a hundred years old when they died.[6]
Portrayal in adaptations
2012: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey:
- The Old Took appears in a scene in the Extended Edition, played by Dan Hennah.
Notes
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix C, "Took of Great Smials"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "An Unexpected Party"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Out of the Frying-Pan into the Fire"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Grey Havens"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix C, "The Longfather-tree of Master Samwise"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 54
- ↑ Jim Allan (1978), An Introduction to Elvish, The Giving of Names, p. 191
- ↑ Mark T. Hooker, Tolkien and Welsh, p. 133
Born | Gerontius Took | Died |
Preceded by | Followed by |
| Thains of the Shire |
|---|
| Bucca of the Marish (from S.R. 379) · 10 unknown Oldbucks · Gorhendad Oldbuck (until S.R. 740) · Isumbras I (from S.R. 740) · 8 unknown Tooks (includes: Isengrim I · Ferumbras I · Paladin I · Isumbras II) · Isengrim II (S.R. 1083 - 1122) · Isumbras III (1122 - 1159) · Ferumbras II (1159 - 1201) · Fortinbras I (1201 - 1248) · Gerontius (1248 - 1320) · Isengrim III (1320 - 1330) · Isumbras IV (1330 - 1339) · Fortinbras II (1339 - 1380) · Ferumbras III (1380 - 1415) · Paladin II (1415 - 1434) · Peregrin I (1434 - 1484) · Faramir I (from 1484) |