 | |
| Unknown | |
| Bladorthin | |
|---|---|
| Biographical Information | |
| Titles | King |
| Position | King of an unknown realm in Middle-earth |
| Location | Unknown |
| Death | before T.A. 2941 |
| Physical Description | |
| Gender | Male |
... the spears that were made for the armies of the great King Bladorthin (long since dead), each had a thrice-forged head and their shafts were inlaid with cunning gold, but they were never delivered or paid for...
Bladorthin was a great King of some realm of Middle-earth, sometime in the Third Age.[1]
Questions about whether Bladorthin was a Man or an Elf, or precisely where his kingdom lay, must remain within the realm of speculation.
History
Sometime during the mid- to late Third Age, Bladorthin ruled a kingdom which maintained armies and had a trade relationship with the Dwarven Kingdom under the Mountain.[1]
Bladorthin charged the Dwarves of Erebor with making multiple spears for his armies. These spears were to each consist of "a thrice-forged head" with a shaft cunningly lined with gold. While the spears were forged, the Dwarves never delivered them and Bladorthin never payed for them. As a consequence, the spears remained in Erebor.[1]
In T.A. 2941 during the Quest of Erebor, long after Bladorthin had passed away, Thorin and Balin pondered on whether or not Bladorthin's order was still intact.[1]
Etymology
John D. Rateliff, noting that Tolkien never explained the meaning of Bladorthin, identifies the name as "clearly Gnomish (or perhaps Noldorin)". The Gnomish element blador "probably applies to wide open country" (cf. Bladorinand, an early name of Beleriand), whereas the element -thin likely has the meaning of "grey" (as in Thingol). This would give the translation "the Grey Country", "Grey Plains Fay", or "Grey Master of the Plains".[2]
Like Rateliff, Andreas Möhn also identified the name as Gnomish, however, he claimed that blador meant "wide earth, flat earth" and interpreted the whole name as "wide earth-grey" or "Grey One of the wide lands". He also speculated that the Quenya form of Bladorthin may have been Palursindo.[3]
Unlike them, Michael L. Martinez did not believe that Bladorthin was Gnomish, noting not only that the element -blad only appeared in Bladorion, a name which Tolkien abandoned, but also that the element is similar in sound to "Blaed(a)", an Old English name for "renowned".[4]
Other versions of the legendarium
In the early drafts of The Hobbit, Bladorthin was the name of Gandalf (who would later be assigned the colour "grey" in The Lord of the Rings) for much of the narrative until Tolkien decided to change it late in the writing process. A connection can still be seen with the element -thin with the probable meaning "grey" (see above).[2]
Portrayal in adaptations
2003: The Hobbit (2003 video game):
- Bladorthin's spears are some of the items that Bilbo Baggins must find in Erebor during a quest in the "Inside Information" chapter.
Speculation
- Robert Foster suggests Bladorthin was an Elven king whose premature death prevented the trade. The speculation that his death was premature narrows down the time of his death between T.A. 1999 (the establishment of the Kingdom under the Mountain) and T.A. 2770 (its destruction by Smaug).[5]
- J.E.A. Tyler also interprets his death as premature.[source?]
- Michael L. Martinez also interprets his death as premature, and suggests that he was a King of Dale, perhaps an ancestor of Girion.[4]
- Douglas A. Anderson in The Annotated Hobbit suggests he was a mortal Man.[6]
- An article on the Tolkienwiki suggests not only that his death was premature but that his kingdom was destroyed by Sauron, presumably located near the Sea of Rhûn.[7]
- Andreas Moehn counters most of the common theories, notably the interpretation that his death was premature. As The Hobbit does not mention his death as such, most probable is that Smaug's descent on the Lonely Mountain in T.A. 2770 was what prevented the trade. Therefore he must died sometime later. He also rejects the theory that his kingdom was related to Dale, and locates it in Dorwinion. In addition, he also suggests that Bladorthin may have been related to the Kings Thorin mentioned who used to send for the smiths of Erebor, rewarding "even the least skillful most richly"[8].[3]
External links
- Andreas Möhn, "The History of the Men of Darkness in Rhún and Harad", Lalaith's Middle-earth Science Pages, accessed 17 October 2012
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Inside Information"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, John D. Rateliff (ed.), The History of The Hobbit: One-volume Edition, pp. 52-3, 62-3
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Andreas Möhn, "The mysterious king Bladorthin and his political identity in the Third Age", Lalaith's Middle-earth Science Pages, accessed 30 July 2008
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Michael L. Martinez, Parma Endorion: Essays on Middle-earth, Chapter 7: "Things You Might Not Have Known About The Northmen", "The Great King Bladorthin", pp. 78-9
- ↑ Robert Foster, The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, entry "Bladorthin"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien; Douglas A. Anderson, (ed.), (2002) The Annotated Hobbit: Revised and Expanded Edition
- ↑ The Tolkien Wiki Community, "FAQ: Who was King Bladorthin?" 24 August 2003, Tolkienwiki, accessed 29 June 2012
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "An Unexpected Party"