Author: lfsaldenbirch

Gleam

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“Gleam”, distributed fairly evenly throughout the work, is related to “glimmer” and “glimpse”.  The root *glim- can be found in glimmer, glimpse, glim (brightness).  It’s a ray of light or even of radiant beauty.

  • 01.075 There many a gleaming golden hoard
  • 03.001 and behind its shoulders the tips of snow-peaks gleamed.
  • 04.041 It burned with a rage that made it gleam
  • 05.126 and his eyes gleamed cold
  • 05.127 in the gleam of his own eyes,
  • 06.052 but you could see his eyes gleaming
  • 08.005 and when it was Bilbo’s turn he would see gleams
  • 08.005 and sometimes they would gleam down
  • 08.071 Their gleaming hair was twined with flowers;
  • 10.020 The gold gleamed on his neck
  • 11.029 there was a gleam of yellow upon its far roof,
  • 11.032 A gleam of light came straight through the opening
  • 11.037 The gleam went out,
  • 13.009 There was not a gleam of light –
  • 13.017 a twinkling gleam showed them returning,
  • 13.019 the same white gleam had shone before him
  • 17.050 with a gleam of chill flame,
  • 17.055 in the gloom the great dwarf gleamed like gold
  • 17.062 Seeing the sudden gleam
  • 18.032 that it gleamed ever
  • 18.053 snow yet unmelted was gleaming pale.

“gleam, n.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.

Farewell

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This compound word is simply the imperative phrase “fare well” treated as one word.  The OED classes it as poetical, so I will add our poetry tag to it.  It’s a lovely, high-sounding word for formal leavetakings.

  • 03.050 Now they rode away amid songs of farewell
  • 07.002 The dwarves were crying farewells
  • 07.007 Farewell!’ they cried,
  • 07.012 farewell wherever you fare!’
  • 07.129 and bidding him many farewells they rode off
  • 07.146 Now Gandalf too said farewell.
  • 10.045 and his councillors bade them farewell
  • 16.046 and then he said farewell to the elves
  • 17.027 Farewell!’
  • 17.029 in the meanwhile farewell!’
  • 18.017 ‘Farewell, good thief,’
  • 18.018 ‘Farewell, King under the Mountain!’
  • 18.019 Farewell!’ (Thorin to Bilbo)
  • 18.038 ‘Farewell, Balin!’
  • 18.038 and farewell, Dwalin;
  • 18.038 and farewell Dori, Nori, Ori,
  • 18.038 Farewell Thorin Oakenshield!
  • 18.044 Farewell! O Elvenking!’
  • 18.045 Farewell! O Gandalf!’
  • 18.049 Farewell!’ (Thranduil to Bilbo)
  • 19.018 he said farewell to Elrond,

“farewell, int., n. (and adj.), and adv.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.

Lexomics, Michael Drout, and Tags

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As we explore the words, you may notice the tags which each word earns.  I’m hoping at the end of the word-documentation to use the awesome lexomics software of Professor Michael Drout of Wheaton College and special guest lecturer at Signum University.  This is why we are examining each word for interesting special categories which we might use to analyze the text and find the patterns.  My data-moosher spent part of this morning looking through Dr. Drout’s code and is excited to help me use it in June.

Ere

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This tough old adverb, preposition, conjunction, and adjective with a poetical and old-fashioned sound is still an active word in the OED.  There are obsolete meanings for “ere” which overlap with the uses we see here.  It’s used in solemn dwarvish poetry in the Shire, and outside of the Shire during parleys between leaders after chapter 10.  And the narrator uses it.  Our narrator only lets his personality show once in a while – usually speaking directly to the reader/listener.  He uses it in battle scenes – it sounds to me that the narrator has become excited into a higher-register state.  We’re going to keep our eye on these passages.  I’m labeling this one as both poetical and high.

  • 01.073 We must away ere break of day
  • 01.077 We must away, ere break of day,
  • 01.082 We must away, ere break of day,
  • 01.144 We must away, ere break of day,
  • 15.053 Begone now ere our arrows fly!
  • 15.054 Gather your wisdom ere we return!’
  • 15.055 Ere many hours were past, (narrator)
  • 17.037 ere I begin this war for gold.
  • 17.048 Ere long the vanguard swirled (narrator)
  • 19.007 Ere long now,’

“ere, adv.1, prep., conj., and adj.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.

Dim

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I expect less than outdoor lighting in a story about dwarves and their treasure inside a mountain, yet we do not see “dim” after Chapter 13.  Fascinating!

  • 01.068 in the dim light it made him look strange
  • 01.082 and caverns dim
  • 03.010 and the light became very dim,
  • 04.005 with a dreadful fall into a dim valley at one side of them.
  • 05.005 and dim before his eyes.
  • 07.045 They passed through this dim hall,
  • 07.126 in the dim shadows of that place
  • 08.002 As their eyes became used to the dimness
  • 08.032 when they became aware of the dim blowing of horns
  • 08.076 There was the usual dim grey light
  • 09.053 Where the forest wide and dim
  • 09.061 There was a dim sheet of water no longer overshadowed,
  • 12.012 It is almost dark so that its vastness can only be dimly guessed,
  • 12.014 could dimly be seen coats of mail,
  • 12.020 he had caught the dim echoes of a knocking sound
  • 13.023 and of the dim beginnings of wide stairs
  • 13.044 Before them light came dimly through great doors,

Cheer

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I am pleased to note that cheer is distributed pretty evenly among the chapters.  If only “more of us valued food and cheer and song”.  Indeed.

  • 02.047 Then the night could have been spent cheerily.
  • 05.008 and after all if their holes are nice cheery places
  • 05.074 and cheerful,
  • 06.065 shouted and cheered.
  • 07.142 So cheer up Bilbo
  • 07.142 Cheer up Thorin
  • 08.037 They were at first inclined to be cheered by the change,
  • 10.037 or cheered if any dwarf showed so much as his nose.
  • 10.039 for he was not feeling particularly cheerful.
  • 12.043 Cheer up Bilbo!’
  • 12.081 in the meanwhile his friends did their best to cheer him up;
  • 13.039 for a drink of something cheering
  • 14.007 Think of something cheerful!’
  • 14.010 The cheering stopped
  • 14.013 and fro cheering on the archers
  • 14.038 and it cheered them greatly
  • 16.024 from this cold cheerless place,’
  • 16.046 Puzzled but cheered,
  • 18.019 If more of us valued food and cheer and song
  • 18.043 and cheerless road,

Beard

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Dwarves definitely have beards, as do Beorn and Gandalf.  I’ve included all mentions of beards here and noted specially those places (only after Chapter 11) when “beard” is used as part of a saying – a blessing (it is good for beards to grow long and full), or curse, or exclamation.

  • 01.004 and smaller than the bearded Dwarves.
  • 01.004 Hobbits have no beards.
  • 01.007 over which his long white beard
  • 01.026 with a blue beard
  • 01.031 on the step with a white beard
  • 01.035 said Balin with the white beard.
  • 01.038 and yellow beards;
  • 01.071 while the shadow of Gandalf’s beard wagged against the wall.
  • 01.124 and my grandfather with singed beards.
  • 02.026 as he had no beard.
  • 03.010 His head and beard wagged this way and that
  • 03.016 With beards all a-wagging?
  • 03.018 and most of all at their beards.
  • 03.027 “Don’t dip your beard
  • 06.046 Thorin’s beard wagging beside him,
  • 06.052 with their beards dangling down,
  • 06.078 till beards blaze, and eyes glaze;
  • 07.022 and a great beard.
  • 07.034 Standing near was a huge man with a thick black beard
  • 07.069 and bowed so low that their beards swept the stone floor.
  • 07.095 and shook their beards,
  • 08.088 or a bit of beard or of a hood.
  • 08.107 and as for his beard,
  • 10.010 in his draggled beard;
  • 10.038 with beards combed
  • 11.018 and tread on my beard,
  • 11.026 and our beards will grow
  • 11.032 and the dwarves with wagging beards watching impatiently.
  • 12.004 may your beard grow ever longer,’
  • 16.010 may his beard grow ever longer;
  • 17.015 By the beard of Durin!
  • 17.015 May his beard wither!
  • 17.031 Their beards were forked
  • 17.035 in their beards.
  • 18.038 May your beards never grow thin!’
  • 19.042 that Balin’s beard was several inches longer,

Axe

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I certainly have an axe in my tool shed!  In Chapters 1 and 7, it’s a tool for wood-splitting – as Gandalf says, in the Shire “axes are used for trees”.  I find it lovely that between the axes of the goblins and the axes in the Mountain and in the battle, Beorn’s house was a little rest – a place where his huge axe was for firewood.

  • 01.117 and axes are used for trees,
  • 04.025 carrying the axes
  • 04.025 Hammers, axes, swords, daggers, pickaxes, tongs,
  • 06.072 and axes
  • 07.034 and was leaning on a large axe.
  • 07.035 put down his axe
  • 12.014 and axes,
  • 13.035 with a silver-hafted axe
  • 17.056 Thorin wielded his axe with mighty strokes,
  • 18.016 and notched axe were cast upon the floor.

OED Online

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Excellent news, word fans!  I now have a subscription to the Oxford English Dictionary on line.  I’m learning oodles and oodles about its features.  Most important of all, I have learned the difference between obsolete and archaic words as the OED classifies them.  Obsolete words have not been spotted by the OED folks in about 100 years.  Archaic words are formerly common, now headed toward obsolescence.  Rare words are a different category.  Clearly, any word in a published work by Professor Tolkien can’t be obsolete but sometimes he uses an obsolete meaning of an otherwise in-use word.  The great news for me is that the OED will declare whether a word is archaic, or a meaning is obsolete. I will not be eyeballing trends in the Google Ngram Viewer and making a judgement call.  Also, I have learned how to cite each word look-up.

Tomorrow as soon as I can, I’ll retro-edit entries to date to change the archaism and obsolescence rating to that of the OED and fix citations.  Learning every day!  I hope that you’ve enjoyed today’s words beginning with “be-“, I know I have!