June 20, 2003

Histories
Lilly

Hey, did you guys know that in Tolkien's earliest LOTR writings Strider was a hobbit named Trotter who turned out to be Bilbo in disguise?

In one early version Farmer Maggot was a cruel hobbit, bent on Baggins destruction; he held a grudge in one version against Bilbo and in another against Frodo for killing one of his dogs.

Everyone in Bree was originally a hobbit.

The original name of Frodo was Bingo (in a few versions Bilbo's son), and his companions were named Odo, Frodo, and Marmaduke.

The hobbit named Marmaduke eventually became Meriadoc.

The hobbits Frodo and Odo were eventially combined in an attempt to get rid of Odo, who Tolkien thought was one hobbit too many. The character Odo still remained, though, and had the role of who is now Fatty Bolger.

A hobbit named Samwise Gamgee was created to replace Odo, but he already had a too defined character to take on another's traits.

The hobbit Frodo (who took on Odo's traits rather than Sam, along with most of his lines) was later renamed Fosco when Bingo was (at long last) named Frodo. Fosco was later renamed Pippin.

Isn't that funny? I'm reading the sixth history of Middle Earth...pretty good.

Yours.

~Lilly