"Lord of the Rings": More Than Verses, Lore Quiz

Answer: None of these

It was the dragon Smaug who wrongfully processed and guarded the gold of dwarves. This song is a complete dwarf adventure song from 'The Hobbit'. It says a lot about the dwarves' genius with gold, and how the dragons invaded the dwarves and destroyed their homes.

Answer: A way where many paths and errands meet

This is Bilbo's adventure song. At 111 years, this hobbit felt his final craving for outdoor adventure. However, after this he retired to Rivendell. In "Lord of the Rings", Bilbo features quite a bit less than in "The Hobbit"; however, he is seen as a cheery old hobbit of whom Frodo and the other hobbits were very fond.

Bilbo sang this song lightheartedly as he got rid of his burden of the 'One Ring', which he left for Frodo as Bilbo left Bag End for good.

When the ring was destroyed, Bilbo was 130 years and could really feel his age, for it was only the 'One Ring' which had made Bilbo look unnaturally young while he was in actuality very old. Bilbo had a retirement adventure song as well, which goes -

'The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
Let others follow it who can!

But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet'

The kind, cheer-filled hobbit had educated Frodo and Sam with rich stories and lore, and was no doubt instrumental in filling Sam's heart with delight for Elves, Oliphaunts and Gil-galad stories. Bilbo's love for cheer and peace always kept the hobbit in an optimistic, hopeful and generous spirit.

Answer: His star fell into darkness in Mordor

The songs and poems in 'The Lord of the Rings' talk about times before. The exact lines of the poem run:

'But long ago he rode away,
And where he dwelleth none can say;
For into darkness fell his star
In Mordor where the shadows are.'

This is about 'Gil-galad'. More of his story is mentioned in "The Silmarillion", composed by J.R.R Tolkien but edited by his son Christopher Tolkien after his father's death. Sam sang this song in "The Lord of the Rings", again a song written by Bilbo Baggins.

Answer: returning feet and voices at the door

Bilbo sang this song as Frodo was leaving Rivendell with his companions on the quest to destroy the 'One Ring' in Mount Doom. Bilbo gave Frodo his sword, Sting, and a coat of dwarf-mail which Bilbo took from his adventure in 'The Hobbit'. Bilbo also gave Frodo his good wishes and blessings along with these things and, to an extent, it protected Frodo in his perilous journey.

As mentioned in the song, Bilbo eagerly waited for Frodo's return. In fact, when Frodo asked how he could repay Bilbo for the items he gave, all Bilbo asked of Frodo was Frodo's safe return and collections of songs, tales and stories Bilbo could use in finishing his second book on Frodo's journey.

Answer: In the woods of Eastfarthing before farmer Maggot's land.

This is not so much a drinking song of the hobbits as one intended to be sung while lying under a tree and watching the clouds go sailing by.

'Ho! Ho! Ho! To the bottle I go
To heal my heart and drown my woe,
Rain may fall and wind may blow,
And many miles be still to go
But under a tree I will lie,
And let the clouds go sailing by'

A happy peaceful song, Pippin and Sam were humming it before their jovial mood was broken hearing a horrible piercing cry of some creature, presumably the 'Black Riders' who were quite near the trail of the hobbits.

Answer: Winter

In the song, the Ent calls the Entwife to come to his wild land, in summer, in spring and the Entwife says her garden land is fairer in those seasons and she would not leave her land to meet the Ent at his land. In winter, Entwife agrees she would look for the Ent and come to him; for it would be dark and barren on her land that season. The feeling from the Ent is mutual, where he is willing to leave his land and search for Entwife in winter, for in winter his land, as for the Entwife, is not fair but filled with darkness and falling trees, starless nights and bitter wind from the east.

In the rain, they agree to go to the west, escaping the bitter wind from the east. The last line mentioned in the question is their mutual chorus.

A note about these Ents and Entwives, they are Shepherds of the forest. Treebeard is the Ent called Fangorn in "The Lord of the Rings". He was ultimately responsible for Merry and Pippin growing taller as he fed them his Ent drink. They grew three inches taller than they were because of drinking Treebeard's Ent drink.

Answer: Hammers

The song tells of how Khazad-dum once was, in Durin's days. Dwarfs were busy with their work beautifying Khazad-dum and creating, sculpturing items of beauty in Moria. Moria was rich, 'with golden roof and silver floor and runes of power upon the door.' However, the Orcs plundered their riches and Moria became a dark, barren place.

There was a special metal called Mithril, Moria-silver in Moria. This metal was 10 times costlier than gold. The dwarfs delved deep into Moria to acquire this metal, and brought evil creatures called Balrogs from the deep earth. Durin was killed by a Balrog and thus this creature is known as Durin's Bane.

Gandalf had said that the gift Thorin had given to Bilbo, a mail made of Mithril, was worth more than the Shire with everything in it. Frodo, who was given this Mithril mail by Bilbo for his journey, staggered hearing the worth of the 'kingly gift' he was wearing, hidden underneath his tunic. However, it saved his life as he was protected when an orc stabbed him in Moria.

There is no doubt that Bilbo was a wise old lovable hobbit to one and all.

Answer: elf-children

Treebeard was trying to place who Merry and Pippin were from the list he had been taught as a young Ent. However, even though bear, eagle, and hound were there in his list, there was no mention of hobbits. Pippin had suggested that Treebeard could put hobbits in the list as 'Half-grown hobbits, the hole dwellers'.

The exact lines of the song -

'Learn now the lore of Living Creatures!
First name the four, the free peoples:
Eldest of all, the elf-children;
Dwarf the delver, dark are his houses;
Ent the earthborn, old as mountains;
Man the mortal, master of horse:'

Merry and Pippin became immediate friends of Treebeard, in what the Ent felt was a hasty fashion.

Treebeard later put hobbits into his Ent list as 'hungry as hunters, the Hobbit children, the laughing-folk, the little people'.

Answer: False

The creature described is an Oliphaunt. Sam had heard of these creatures from Shire talk and gossip news from Bree. The big folks in ancient times rode on Oliphaunts, who could carry a tower on their backs.

The exact lines of the poem -

'Grey as a mouse,
Big as a house,
Nose like a snake
I make the earth shake.'

Before the pass of Cirith Gordor, in a pit out of view from the enemy, Sam, Frodo and Gollum had taken refuge. They were near to Mordor and could see the black gate, Morannon and the teeth of Mordor, two towers from which the enemy's armies kept watch on those who entered Mordor. It was evident to all the three that it was impossible to reach Mordor without being captured by their enemies.

Frodo's mind was set to go and try getting through Mordor this way since he had no other choice. Sam's mind was made up to go with Frodo where ever he went.
It was Gollum who dissuaded Frodo from using this route; he kept persuading Frodo to try another route to Mordor which Gollum said he knew and promised he would guide them to. It was at this stage that Frodo, in turmoil, was trying to recall what Gandalf had told him regarding which route he should pursue to go into Mordor, and was feeling that he was going somewhere that even great people like Gandalf had never dared to go. Frodo, a mere hobbit of Shire was destined to undertake a very perilous task and, very rightly, he felt it was an evil fate.

It was at this point that Sam asked Gollum whether the men from south, whom Gollum had seen going to Mordor, were riding on Oliphaunts and went about reciting the poem about Oliphaunt. Frodo was unintentionally cheered by Sam's fireside recital of the Oliphaunt poem, and gained strength to follow Gollum's counsel in reaching Mordor via whatever route Gollum next took them through.

Sam wanted to see an Oliphaunt, and would have risked sneaking a peek from his hiding pit if Oliphaunts were on land. Gollum had no interest in seeing Oliphaunts. Frodo, after getting cheered, said "I wish we had a thousand oliphaunts with Gandalf on a white one at their head."

Gollum decided to lead the hobbits, who were unaware of his plan, to Cirith Ungol, to the giant blood sucking spider-Shelob. Before their arrival at Cirith Ungol, however, Frodo and Sam were fortunate to have had a pleasant meeting with Faramir, who became a friend of the hobbits. Sam was also treated with the sight of seeing an Oliphaunt in Ithilien, where the soldiers of Gondor fought with men of Harad and an oliphaunt came into the battle.

Answer: Nimrodel

The verses talk about the tale of Nimrodel. This river which Nimrodel's voice had fallen into was named after her. Her love, Amroth, was waiting for her with a ship in the sea of Bay of Belfalas to sail with her to the elven haven. However, Nimrodel was lost and could never reach Amroth. Amroth's ship was caught in the wind and he was lost in the sea. Nobody after this had heard about Nimrodel and Amroth.

This river had the power to heal the weary. In spring, the voice of Nimrodel could be heard in the falls. The river Nimrodel flows to Celebrant, which in turn flows to Anduin which flows into the sea of Belfalas. When the wind comes from the south, the voice of Amroth can be heard coming below from the sea.

It was Legolas who sang this poem to his companions, who were in grief after losing Gandalf in Moria when they reached the river Nimrodel.