Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
In the Lord of the Rings, a homeland area of the Hobbits is called Buckland, no doubt in contribution to Tolkien's stay in Dover.
The Hobbits are actually Dovorians, in the author's intended description, although he does not state it openly.
His reference to the finding of a Golden Ring is also based in Dover, although this Ring is a good one.
Guest 675- Registered: 30 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,610
Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
The Shire, the land of the Hobbits, was overrun by supporters of the white wizard, counciller what was his name... who turned to Mordor,
But Gandolf the Grey, friend of the Hobbits, who became the new White Wizard, had confiscated his crystal ball.
The Hobbits became more distressed as the new Chancellor placed taxes on their tobacco weed, and started knocking down their round dwellings and replacing them with cement blocks.
But the Hobbits united to confront their oppressors...
Guest 750- Registered: 12 Apr 2012
- Posts: 72
#20 Thanks for that Peter - have now scrapped my S.H.T.E (Saving Hobbits in Their Environment) Campaign.
Maybe Hobbits are actually evil developers, ready to pounce on all sort of green land to build their burrows!
Guest 650- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 542
Ah, for post 19 - it was to be shown that censorship is never complete. The Press did indeed publish accounts of the strange incident near Farthingloe farm, and other such matters, but were careful not to be too specific. Those of us who are old enough will remember the reports that even reached the Nationals, about the "Cave Kids" in Dover.
Reporters could only use the word "Cave" as they hadn't the concept at that time of the cosy, well-excavated hobbit holes; the definitive account, "The Hobbit", while published, wasn't generally available until around 1949. The official reason given for this was paper shortage and rationing during the Second World War.
Of interest is that Tolkien turned down a salary as a codebreaker during that war - there are those who would theorise that he may have had a better offer simply to remain silent on what he knew. If so, doubtless this would have been to ensure that a country under threat would continue to report and investigate any unexpected or unusual events, and not attribute them merely to movements of the "little folk".
Guest 675- Registered: 30 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,610
Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Lara, the Hobbits are good folk, those who overran the Shire were the bad men, masterminded by the white wizard who had united with Mordor.
In the Lord of the Rings, Hobbits live in rounded barrows, to all effect houses.
Tolkien used the name Buckland for one of their areas, he avoided using the name Farthingoe. In the book, Hobbits are people, only a little smaller than other people.
What he came across at Farthingloe, he had to keep secret.
Guest 650- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 542
Alas, even the great Tolkien couldn't keep it entirely a secret. These things will out. For The Shire itself, the home of the hobbits, is divided into Farthings.
Thence comes the name Farthing-low - a reference to the way the area descends into the valley as one approaches Dover.
Guest 700- Registered: 11 Jun 2010
- Posts: 2,868
Wonderful!
There are some little people in our greenhouse, not sure if they are Hobbits....
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Lincolnshire Born and Bred
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
The Lord of the Rings also uses Bredenstone in its geographical demarcations of the Shire, with reference to the Farthings: the name is coded as follows:
Three Farthing stone marked the border between the Westfarthing, Southfarthing, and Eastfarthing.
Tolkien knew of Eastern Heights and Western Heights, and the mystery as to why the War Office may have been breathing down his back could be found....
in the secret tunnels of Dover ..... some of which were destined to become Britain's High Command during WWII...
The mystery of Farthingloe is not at all complete here, though! It goes on... and there are some astonishing findings, to do with Bredon Hill, as I discovered little over a week ago.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Here's another clue:
"There has always been debate on whether Buckland belongs in the Shire or no. Many Hobbits from the West Farthing firmly detest any involvement ..."
Buckland became a part of Dover during the 19th century.
Tolkien's book is written in code.
He's referring to ancient Dover in order hide/reveal the secret, and is giving clues.
Farthingloe is part of the area he refers to, with Eastern and Western Heights, to define the territory of the secret.
Guest 650- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 542
Absolutely - The Shire is bounded on the west by downland, and in the south by marshes. We know them now as the South Downs and the Romney Marsh. Rómenna is a very ancient name, from the spirit language Quenya, referring to an old harbour.
On the east, The Shire is marked by the River Baranduin, its name meaning golden-brown. The hobbits knew it as the Brandywine. This was crossed by a bridge; in Dover to this day we have Bridge Street, crossing what we now call the Dour (after that well-known grumpy-guts Henry VIII, who is said to have first married Anne Boleyn in secret in Dover). Though they may no longer understand the significance of their actions, inhabitants of the town still pay homage to the ancient ways and lore by the imbibing of golden-brown liquids, leaving their shiny cylindrical tokens, the containers of this magical liquid, on the banks of the river to mark their passing.
As for the secret tunnels under the castle and elsewhere in Dover, who is to say that these are not ancient hobbit holes? Inhabitants could be there still, protected by an agreement, under the cntract of Elf and Safety, that certain of the tunnels will not be opened to the public in return for the big folk - us - having use of some. That the little folk are still around is proved by Kath's amazing photo; I'm not sure they are hobbits either, and the middle one has rather the look of a leprechaun about him. Whatever the case, I certainly wouldn't want to meet one of those Ents behind them on a dark night!
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,894
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
We could open the Western Heights as a Hobbit Theme Park - will get huge crowds in !!!
Been nice knowing you :)
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,894
Now that is a good idea.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
In The Lord of the Rings, there is the great tower standing on a mountain called: red eye of Sauron. This eye can see all around and detect anyone approaching Mordor.
"Mordor was unique because of the three enormous mountain ridges surrounding it, from the north, from the west and from the south. The mountains both protected the land from an unexpected invasion by any of the people living in those directions and kept those living in Mordor from escaping."
Tolkien's description was too close for the liking of a War Office before and during WWII, when Swingate was erected on a cliff top in the form of three enormous towers with top secret radar to detect any incoming planes.
Dover was known to be the place where any unexpected invasion would come, from the lands in the directions yonder the mountains (across the sea).
Guest 703- Registered: 30 Jul 2010
- Posts: 2,096
By that account he seems to have invented time travel as well
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Ray, I have to remind you of the topic of this thread: the secret of Farthingloe
Tolkien didn't invent time travel, but came across information with an eye to the future...
He wrote his book much earlier than it was printed, which was after WWII, and some of the information he was coming out with happened to correspond with what was being developed long before 1937 (radar). All top secret, of course!
Radar wasn't simply invented in 3 days and then placed on a hill top!
I tried to play down this thread, but ended up having to give credence to Chris
Enough now
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
In Tolkien's encrypted language, dor means stone. Hence the names: Mordor (Dark Stone), Gondor... And Mordor was protected by the Black Gate.
Mystifying was the choice of the name Swingate, which includes the root: win.
Winston (win-stone) Churchill was to take up his high command residence near a hill with a church.
"The famous White Cliffs of Dover stand guard at the Gateway to England..."
Britain's high command was based at Dover.
What secret did Tolkien find at Farthigloe, and did he know too much...?
Furhtermore, was Hitler the Sauron of Mordor...?
Who knows... what this secret is?
