# Can someone help me with this....



## Fundin Snowarm (Jan 21, 2004)

Where would Glorfindel have been during the events in the Hobbit?


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## Starflower (Jan 21, 2004)

don't know..he's never mentioned, but I would assume he was in Rivendell.


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## Bucky (Jan 21, 2004)

_Where would Glorfindel have been during the events in the Hobbit?_

Off on a hunting trip with The Sons of Elrond & Legolas.


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## Fundin Snowarm (Jan 21, 2004)

Thanks for thoughts


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## Inderjit S (Jan 23, 2004)

Glorfindel would most probably have been in Rivendell. I see no reason for him to have been away at that time.

The sons of Elrond may have been hunting with the Rangers, whose leader had recently been slain and whose heir was too young to fight. I wonder who took over after Arathorn's death? Arwen was in Lothlórien, Legolas in Mirkwood. (Just going over some of the main characters.) Gilraen and Aragorn would have been in Rivendell too. Gimli may have been in the Blue Mountains, though he was away on a journey when Gandalf first visited Thorin after meeting him close to Bree. Of course a lot of these characters didn't exist at the time of the writing of the Hobbit.


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## Bucky (Jan 23, 2004)

As Inderjit S says, these folks didn't exist yet in Tolkien's mind, except
Glorfindel & he was probably still dead in Tolkien's mind at the time he wrote The Hobbit.

Now, within the confines of Moddle-earth.......

Gimli says he was too young to go also, right?

Legolas, a fair assumption would be that he fought in The Battle Of Five Armies.

The Sons Of Elrond, in TLOR, it says they were always off hunting orcs, 'forgetting not their mother's torment in the pen's (den's?) of the orc's' who had captured her.

Glorfindel, he most likely was in Rivendell, just not mentioned as even Master Elrond 'comes into many tales, but his part in this one is small, but important, as we will see.....'


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## Inderjit S (Jan 23, 2004)

> Gimli says he was too young to go also, right?



Yes, that was what he tells Gandalf and co. in Minas Tirith. Fili and Kili were pretty young for Dwarves (I think it was some 50 years younger the other Dwarves?) and Gimli was older then both of them, yet they went. They may have been allowed to go because they were close kin with Thorin, being Dis's (Thorin's sister) children. Though Tolkien comments in some drafts to the appendix (Given in HoME 12) Dwarves were not as close with their nephews as Men and Elves were they seem to be pretty close (they sacrificed themselves for Thorin) and being of Thror's line would want to take part in their house’s vengeance upon Smaug. 

Glorfindel of course appears in 'The Fall of Gondolin' and in the Silmarillion work that existed about the time that the writing of the Hobbit, but Tolkien hadn't yet envisaged him living in Rivendell or of being alive in M-E at all. (Though of course in HoME 6 in the drafts to LoTR we hear that Glorfindel tells the Hobbits about his ancestry in Gondolin. From the start of his conception and appearance in LoTR Tolkien seems to have been the same Glorfindel who slew the Balrog in Gondolin.)

The sons of Elrond were often out somewhere or another, killing and maiming. They were with Arathorn when he was slain. They were also out on errantry when the Hobbits arrived in Rivendell, though whether or not they were of the riders sent by Elrond to aid Frodo and counter the Nazgûl it is not said they may have been with the Rangers who were encamped upon Weathertop not long before the Hobbits and Aragorn's arrival there. (Most of the Rangers were in the southern borders of the Shire, some had been slain and driven off by the Nazgûl and some had gone to warn Aragorn who was on the East Road.) They seem to be there fathers main and most trusted messengers. (i.e. they are sent to Lothlórien to bear tidings there. Some of Elrond's folk had passed close by to visit Radagast in Rhosgobel, but he wasn't at home. They would only speak of their errand to Elrond.)

Legolas may have been in the battle (though he never says so, but then again he never has a reason to say so) but if he was the only child of Thranduil he may have been left behind as his heir. Though of course the original purpose of Bard's and Thranduil's army was the intimidate Thorin into giving up the treasure (there were after all only 13 dwarves) and they didn't know they would be involved in a large-scale battle. Legolas may of course have been a psychopath who went there with intention of killing someone or something.  

hehe, it's 'dens' Bucky.


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## Eledhwen (Jan 23, 2004)

I think it's great fun to try and weave the rest of Middle Earth into the tale of The Hobbit. Tolkien never intended The Hobbit to be part of his Mythology, but as he himself admitted, it not only fitted, but became the beginning of the end.

Glorfindel may have been present at the White Council of 2851 and 2953; and it seems likely that he would have been stirred by Gandalf's account of his visit to Dol Guldur. I don't think this balrog-slayer was sitting on a cushion by the tale fire all the time he was at Rivendell, and sorties with Elrond's sons would be one way of keeping an eye on the enemy. Of all Rivendell's Elves, he was the one who went out looking for the fellowship. I suspect these were not the first times he saw off an enemy staking out the river crossings to Rivendell.


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## Inderjit S (Jan 23, 2004)

Yes, it was most probable that Glorfindel was a part of the council and present at the meetings (at least the ones in Rivendell) since he was one of the wisest and most respected Elf in Middle-Earth. The council of 2851 was held at Rivendell (Hunt for The Ring) though of course there would have been other meetings apart from the aforementioned ones. 



> Of all Rivendell's Elves, he was the one who went out looking for the fellowship.



Actually, quite a few ('Such as can ride against the nine') had been sent, 'north, south and west'.


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## Bucky (Jan 23, 2004)

_Fili and Kili were pretty young for Dwarves (I think it was some 50 years younger the other Dwarves?) and Gimli was older then both of them, yet they went. They may have been allowed to go because they were close kin with Thorin, being Dis's (Thorin's sister) children._

I think this is true & may be stated somewhere. Maybe by Gimli in UT?


_Legolas may have been in the battle (though he never says so, but then again he never has a reason to say so) but if he was the only child of Thranduil he may have been left behind as his heir._

This crossed my mind too, but as you say, they weren't going expecting battle, but kinda were, you know what I mean?
One thing I wonder about Legolas being at the Battle Of Five Armies & the interaction with the different races before & after......
"I feel young, like I have not felt since travelling with you children." as he tells Aragorn & Gimli upon being in Fangorn.
Now, that indicates he hasn't been around any Dwarves, Men or Hobbits in a long time. 



_Yes, it was most probable that Glorfindel was a part of the council and present at the meetings (at least the ones in Rivendell) since he was one of the wisest and most respected Elf in Middle-Earth. _

I agree here too.

Tolkien says in 'The Sil', 'The White Council, & therein were Elrond & Galadriel & Cirdan, & other lords of the Eldar, & with them were Mithrandir & Curunir.' 

So, who better among the 'other lords of the Eldar' than 'one who can stand against the Nine', has dwelt in the Blessed Realm & destroyed a balrog?


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## jallan (Jan 23, 2004)

Bucky said:


> _
> One thing I wonder about Legolas being at the Battle Of Five Armies & the interaction with the different races before & after......
> "I feel young, like I have not felt since travelling with you children." as he tells Aragorn & Gimli upon being in Fangorn.
> Now, that indicates he hasn't been around any Dwarves, Men or Hobbits in a long time._


_Or if Legolas has been, it has been mostly when in the company of other Elves.

It's odd to think that in physical form Legolas may be older than Gandalf._


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