Question about “The Riddle of Strider” (Lord of the Rings books)

krunchyfrogg

Explorer

• Mar 20, 2018

• #1

Question about “The Riddle of Strider” (Lord of the Rings books)

“The Riddle of Strider” is the poem, written by Bilbo Baggins, about Aragorn.

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

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My question is this:

Why is it often written in Quenya if Bilbo wrote it? Did he learn to write high elven in his years at Imladris?

I have seen the poem written in quenyan online, but I can’t remember if it appears like that in the books (as the inscription on the One Ring is shown as an image). Does it ever appear in high elvish or are these just fan written adaptations?

 

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jonesy

A Wicked Kendragon

• Mar 21, 2018

• #2

It wasn't written by Bilbo. It was written by "G". As in Gandalf. It was his warning to Frodo.

 

D

Dave Goff

Explorer

• Mar 21, 2018

• #3

I think you're both right. The Riddle was in Gandalf's letter to Frodo as a way of identifying Strider, but later we find out that Bilbo wrote it. He might be lying, but it seems unlikely. It also would have been written after Bilbo had been living in Rivendell for some time, so it's likely he would have worked hard to produce poems in the native language, which would be Sindarin, right?
Also, I think there is something about Bilbo working on translating Elvish texts to Westron while in Rivendell.

 

O

Olgar Shiverstone

Legend

• Mar 22, 2018

• #4

It's not written in elvish in the books.

 

jonesy

A Wicked Kendragon

• Mar 22, 2018

• #5

Dave Goff said:

The Riddle was in Gandalf's letter to Frodo as a way of identifying Strider, but later we find out that Bilbo wrote it.

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Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. He does whisper that he himself wrote it many years ago when he met Strider the first time.

 

D

Dave Goff

Explorer

• Mar 22, 2018

• #6

Olgar Shiverstone said:

It's not written in elvish in the books.

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I mostly agree with that, except that I'm willing to entertain the idea that it could have been written in Elvish even though it was recited in Westron so that the gathered peoples could all understand it.

 

MarkB

Legend

• Mar 22, 2018

• #7

It was composed by Bilbo, but not necessarily written down by him. I envision it as something he spun together spontaneously on some long comfortable night of gentle revelry in Rivendell, and recited to an audience of elves and various other visitors to the Last Homely House, and that it was some of the audience who first wrote it down. Since most of them were elves, naturally they'd have written it down in Elvish.

 

krunchyfrogg

Explorer

• Mar 22, 2018

• #8

Bilbo did compose a book translating elvish, didn’t he?