Epic Tolkien Bookclub: Week Five

[sigridhr]

 Epic Tolkien Bookclub: Week Five (The Hobbit)
Chapter IX: Barrels out of Bond
Chapter X: A Warm Welcome

Rules

I very much doubt we'll require much in the way of formal rules, but just for the sake of formality and clarity:

• Discussion is welcome and encouraged, as is disagreement. Name-calling and personal attacks will be punished by forcing you to read Evil!Thranduil Badfic for the rest of eternity. 
  
• There is no spoiler policy in place. Although we're reading the Hobbit, please feel free to bring in things from other Tolkien works, any of the films, the History of Middle Earth, the Letters of JRR Tolkien, and, if you should like, other literary sources. 
• There is no such thing as too much geekery. Or taking the text too seriously.  
• If you have any concerns at any point, I'm the closest thing this gong show has to a mod, so feel free to get in touch. I can be reached either by PM through this site, or directly by email at sigridhr.lokidottir@gmail.com. 

Discussion on this post will officially run from Friday 8th February 2013 to Friday 15th February 2013. However, the post will remain open after that point, so you're more than welcome to continue discussions on. 

Comments

[hibari-sensei.livejournal.com]

I wonder if the dwarvish language has words for non-immediate family members or even brother and sister. "Thorin son of Thrain son of Thror" and "the sons of my father's daughter" are so tedious. Then again, they could just like showing off their patrilineages.

[j_quadrifrons]

The "son of x son of y" construction is pretty common in tribal societies, and wouldn't be seen as any more cumbersome than reciting your full name (middle name included) - significant, but not cumbersome.

"sons of my father's daughter," on the other hand, probably does have either a single word or a formal construction. Tolkien doesn't use "cousins" because it doesn't carry the right connotations. Sister-sons (which is the terminology the Rohirrim use, and which is the traditional Middle English phrasing) are a big deal when you're trying to establish patrilineage - if you're a man, you can never be sure that your sons are your sons, but you can be damn sure your sister's sons belong to her.