Password

[Pervinca Took]

So - I tried Ragnir, and he was blind and closer to Turin's family.

RAN + RIG for set-up?

[Galadriel55]

Perfect. Over to you.

[Pervinca Took]

I had Rannveig or something running through my mind, but I think that might be from a Norse saga I read a long time ago. Another great themed password, Galadriel! :)

1. See her as the hue of Edith’s hair meets first person, loses direction, and blends.
2. The French add gold; spin for a metallurgist.
3. Spin a bay window and add direction for him.
4. Part of church changes note, spins, reflects her.
5. See the French Orkling mingled, reflecting him.

[Nerwen]

Is #4 VÁNA? Or rather ANÁV, since it's reflected? ("Nave" - E + A).

[Pervinca Took]

1. See her as the hue of Edith’s hair meets first person, loses direction, and blends.
2. The French add gold; spin for a metallurgist.
3. Spin a bay window and add direction for him.
ANAV: Part of church changes note, spins, reflects her.
5. See the French Orkling mingled, reflecting him.

[Galadriel55]

2. Aule: Le+Au

[Pervinca Took]

1. See her as the hue of Edith’s hair meets first person, loses direction, and blends.
AULE: The French add gold; spin for a metallurgist.
3. Spin a bay window and add direction for him.
ANAV: Part of church changes note, spins, reflects her.
5. See the French Orkling mingled, reflecting him.

[Galadriel55]

1. Vaire: raven - N + I

[Pervinca Took]

VAIRE: See her as the hue of Edith’s hair meets first person, loses direction, and blends.
AULE: The French add gold; spin for a metallurgist.
3. Spin a bay window and add direction for him.
ANAV: Part of church changes note, spins, reflects her.
5. See the French Orkling mingled, reflecting him.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

3 is Lórien, and I think the password is Valar, so 5 must be rokleM

[Pervinca Took]

VAIRE: See her as the hue of Edith’s hair meets first person, loses direction, and blends.
AULE: The French add gold; spin for a metallurgist.
LORIEN: Spin a bay window and add direction for him.
ANAV: Part of church changes note, spins, reflects her.
ROKLEM: See the French Orkling mingled, reflecting him.

Indeed. Over to you.

Oriel + N.
Le + Mork.

[Galadriel55]

Would you mind explaining Lorien and Melkor please?

[Pervinca Took]

See the bottom of my post, where I added it when I put the answers in.

I do think, though, that when *guessing* an answer, we should provide the working out.

[Galadriel55]

Who or what is Mork? :confused:

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

He was one of the title characters in the Happy Days spin-off Mork and Mindy, and was played by Robin Williams.

Edit: As promised earlier, here's another word of passing

1: Shot and fled up to the water
2: Farm in a southern land hides one worth hearing
3: Flower's deranged smirk on tree? Not half!
4: Nag swallows line on golden ladder: it's a hot one
5: Round on father of a terrible promise
6: Wood's awful threat for a French one
7: Driver of Smiley's people that girl forgot.
8: King's call received by two men
9: Herd root around for fallen leader
10: Wronged outlaw replaced bad boss
11: Questionable country bordering on hostile

[Pervinca Took]

11. South Gondor, now a debatable and desert land?

9. Orodreth (anagram).

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

9 is right and 11 is wrong but close

1: Shot and fled up to the water
2: Farm in a southern land hides one worth hearing
3: Flower's deranged smirk on tree? Not half!
4: Nag swallows line on golden ladder: it's a hot one
5: Round on father of a terrible promise
6: Wood's awful threat for a French one
7: Driver of Smiley's people that girl forgot.
8: King's call received by two men
9: ORODRETH Herd root around for fallen leader
10: Wronged outlaw replaced bad boss
11: Questionable country bordering on hostile

[Pervinca Took]

Harad for 11?

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

It's not Harad. You were close before verbally, not geographically.

[Pervinca Took]

5. Not sure about 'round on,' but possibly a reference to FEANOR and his terrible oath? Eight took it, but he was their biological father and its originator.

[Galadriel55]

10. Neithan, because nothing more cryptic comes to mind with this red flag in front of my eyes.

And maybe Arnor for the questionable country?

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Neithan is right for 10. Fëanor isn't for 5, but you're heading in the right direction. Arnor isn't the questionable country.

I'm leaving for Oxford tomorrow night and probably won't be able to check in here until Sunday, for which I apologise in advance. I'll pop my head round the door before I leave.

1: Shot and fled up to the water
2: Farm in a southern land hides one worth hearing
3: Flower's deranged smirk on tree? Not half!
4: Nag swallows line on golden ladder: it's a hot one
5: Round on father of a terrible promise
6: Wood's awful threat for a French one
7: Driver of Smiley's people that girl forgot.
8: King's call received by two men
9: ORODRETH Herd root around for fallen leader
10: NEITHAN Wronged outlaw replaced bad boss
11: Questionable country bordering on hostile

[Galadriel55]

Nargothrond for password?

1. NAROG, as it is water and contains "ran"?

6. Keep thinking about Taur-nu-Fuin, as it contains "un" and is a wood. Don't know about awful threat.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Narog is right for 1 (Go and ran backwards), and the password is indeed Nargothrond. 6 is not Taur-nu-Fuin


1: NAROG Shot and fled up to the water
2: A Farm in a southern land hides one worth hearing
3: R Flower's deranged smirk on tree? Not half!
4: G Nag swallows line on golden ladder: it's a hot one
5: O Round on father of a terrible promise
6: T Wood's awful threat for a French one
7: H Driver of Smiley's people that girl forgot.
8: R King's call received by two men
9: ORODRETH Herd root around for fallen leader
10: NEITHAN Wronged outlaw replaced bad boss
11: D Questionable country bordering on hostile

[Galadriel55]

Glaurung for G? Gold could be Au, line accounts for L, rung for ladder. Only thing is, NAG doesn't add up exactly to the rest of the letters.

[Pervinca Took]

D ... Dunland? (un-land?)

[Pervinca Took]

OK, Squatter has just confirmed in person that Dunland is wrong.

DAGORLAD? - a plain, so not really a country, and there were certainly hostilities there.

...

(Faramir Jones has made me aware of another Middle-earth substance - *silmari* - wish I'd known in time for my Mithril password!)

[Pervinca Took]

I think 3 might be RINGWIL - 'grin' rearranged plus half of 'willow' (although it says 'not half' - so one half of willow but not the other half?)

[Galadriel55]

2. Arminas, bringing wise counsel to shut the doors, hiding in the words of the clue.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Glaurung is right, but the structure is GG (nag) around l au run (ladder)
Arminas and Ringwil are both right too, but Dagorlad is not.


1: NAROG Shot and fled up to the water
2: ARMINAS Farm in a southern land hides one worth hearing
3: RINGWIL Flower's deranged smirk on tree? Not half!
4: GLAURUNG Nag swallows line on golden ladder: it's a hot one
5: O Round on father of a terrible promise
6: T Wood's awful threat for a French one
7: H Driver of Smiley's people that girl forgot.
8: R King's call received by two men
9: ORODRETH Herd root around for fallen leader
10: NEITHAN Wronged outlaw replaced bad boss
11: D Questionable country bordering on hostile

[Galadriel55]

My initial thoughts were that this clue is related to the Ring of Barahir, a "round" on Finrod who made the fateful promise to help Barahir's house. Pursuing that line of thought, I couldn't think of anyone related to that story who would start with O. Not sure if there were other named round items belonging to Feanor or Finwe, who could be the father.

If you take Round to mean the initial O, the rest doesn't shape itself too nicely either.

Unless it's just OATH OF FEANOR?

[Pervinca Took]

I wonder if 8 might be RED ARROW.

[Pervinca Took]

6. TAUR-EN-FAROTH.

Awful= anagram indicator.

So, switch around THREAT, FOR A and UN.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

I wonder if 8 might be RED ARROW.
Wonder no longer! It isn't.

My initial thoughts were that this clue is related to the Ring of Barahir, a "round" on Finrod who made the fateful promise to help Barahir's house. Pursuing that line of thought, I couldn't think of anyone related to that story who would start with O. Not sure if there were other named round items belonging to Feanor or Finwe, who could be the father.

You're barking up the wrong tree there.

Unless it's just OATH OF FEANOR?

That's the right tree. Round (O), then an anagram of 'on father of a'.

Pervinca is right about 6 on all counts, so we have:

1: NAROG Shot and fled up to the water
2: ARMINAS Farm in a southern land hides one worth hearing
3: RINGWIL Flower's deranged smirk on tree? Not half!
4: GLAURUNG Nag swallows line on golden ladder: it's a hot one
5: OATH OF FËANOR Round on father of a terrible promise
6: TAUR EN FAROTH Wood's awful threat for a French one
7: H Driver of Smiley's people that girl forgot.
8: R King's call received by two men
9: ORODRETH Herd root around for fallen leader
10: NEITHAN Wronged outlaw replaced bad boss
11: D Questionable country bordering on hostile

[Pervinca Took]

11. Dor-Lomin a questionable country because it was part of Hithlum? Later taken by Morgoth; destroyed in the War of Wrath.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Not Dor-Lómin either, I'm afraid. You're overthinking this one.

[Pervinca Took]

Dimbar.

If South Gondor was debatable and desert, Dimbar was sandy and a 'sad-land.'

[Pervinca Took]

8. ROMENDACIL?

Declaim + Ron is only one man plus call, but two men/kings were called Romendacil.

OR

Claim + Ron + Ed.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Neither Dimbar nor Rómendacil is right.

[Pervinca Took]

Dol Guldur, then.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Nope

[Pervinca Took]

Dorthonion, which borders the Ered Gorgoroth.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

It's not that one either. This one is not going to be an easy answer to guess (this year at least), but it should be fairly easy to work out on cryptic principles and check by search engine.

[Pervinca Took]

Just copying it onto the current page for ease of viewing:

1: NAROG Shot and fled up to the water
2: ARMINAS Farm in a southern land hides one worth hearing
3: RINGWIL Flower's deranged smirk on tree? Not half!
4: GLAURUNG Nag swallows line on golden ladder: it's a hot one
5: OATH OF FËANOR Round on father of a terrible promise
6: TAUR EN FAROTH Wood's awful threat for a French one
7: H Driver of Smiley's people that girl forgot.
8: R King's call received by two men
9: ORODRETH Herd root around for fallen leader
10: NEITHAN Wronged outlaw replaced bad boss
11: D Questionable country bordering on hostile

[Pervinca Took]

8. RODNOR.

Rod + Ron. Another name for Gil-Galad.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Not Rodnor, I'm afraid.

[Pervinca Took]

Smiley's People had a courier called Raven. Could that be the driver element of that clue?

[Mithalwen]

Is 11 just "Debatable Land" - the North Marches of Nargothrond?

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Smiley's People had a courier called Raven. Could that be the driver element of that clue?
No. Only the most basic Le Carré knowledge is required for that clue.

Is 11 just "Debatable Land" - the North Marches of Nargothrond?
Yes it is.

1: NAROG Shot and fled up to the water
2: ARMINAS Farm in a southern land hides one worth hearing
3: RINGWIL Flower's deranged smirk on tree? Not half!
4: GLAURUNG Nag swallows line on golden ladder: it's a hot one
5: OATH OF FËANOR Round on father of a terrible promise
6: TAUR EN FAROTH Wood's awful threat for a French one
7: H Driver of Smiley's people that girl forgot.
8: R King's call received by two men
9: ORODRETH Herd root around for fallen leader
10: NEITHAN Wronged outlaw replaced bad boss
11: DEBATABLE LAND Questionable country bordering on hostile

[Mithalwen]

Can't get this to work properly since the clue suggests a person and this is a place but I won't think of any other possibility until I have got it out of my system. Hill of Spies ? Smiley was a spy-master IIRC and Hill of spies was where Nienor suffered dragon-induced memory loss.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

You're spot on. The missing part of the clue is a driver's name. Take your pick between Graham and Damon.

1: NAROG Shot and fled up to the water
2: ARMINAS Farm in a southern land hides one worth hearing
3: RINGWIL Flower's deranged smirk on tree? Not half!
4: GLAURUNG Nag swallows line on golden ladder: it's a hot one
5: OATH OF FËANOR Round on father of a terrible promise
6: TAUR EN FAROTH Wood's awful threat for a French one
7: HILL OF SPIES Driver of Smiley's people that girl forgot.
8: R King's call received by two men
9: ORODRETH Herd root around for fallen leader
10: NEITHAN Wronged outlaw replaced bad boss
11: DEBATABLE LAND Questionable country bordering on hostile

Two quick points: I won't be around now until Sunday and I'm not completely satisfied with my clue for 8, which might need rephrasing if nobody gets it soon.

[Mithalwen]

Oh Damon please. I used to have a bit of crush on him back in the day and Graham was a bit louche for my tastes...

[Pervinca Took]

I still don't see how the driver part works.

[Mithalwen]

Graham Hill and his son Damon were both successful British racing drivers.

[Pervinca Took]

Ah! Hadn't heard of Graham, but I remember Damon.

[Mithalwen]

Graham Hill was killed in 1975 so a bit before I started watching F1 . He was a dead ringer for Dick Dastardly.

[Pervinca Took]

This did make me smile, because I remember Harry Enfield as one of the Self-Righteous brothers, giving the *real* Damon Hill a dressing-down. It was hilarious, but almost too painful to watch. 'Oi! Hill! Noooooooo!!!'

[Galadriel55]

Bumping this because I ran out of ideas long ago and it seems like everyone else did too.

I could guess "Royal Dub" for the last clue, but I have doubts of being taken seriously. ;)

Unless there was a king named "Ringpair"?

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Reading the clue through again, it doesn't quite work. Here's a revised version.

8: King's call received by two outlaws in a row.

See how you get on with that one.

[Nerwen]

Reading the clue through again, it doesn't quite work. Here's a revised version.

8: King's call received by two outlaws in a row.

See how you get on with that one.
Badly. More hints please!:Merisu:

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Fair enough. I think the answer has been mentioned by another, better known name already. Obviously you've worked out that there's a theme to the clues, which should narrow down the personnel a bit. One bit of standard British crossword shorthand involving 'call' may not travel as well as I thought it might.

[Galadriel55]

If you mean ring, it comes across well but I couldn't fit it with other elements. If you mean something else, I can't argue there.

[Nerwen]

Wait, is it the Ring of Barahir?

[Pervinca Took]

That looks like a brilliant answer ... only thing is, how can it have already been named ? What other names did the Ring of Barahir have?

[Nerwen]

That looks like a brilliant answer ... only thing is, how can it have already been named ? What other names did the Ring of Barahir have?
None, as far as I know. However G55 mentioned it in reference to one of the other clues.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Indeed she did, and I remembered it as a guess on this clue instead of 5. The Ring of Barahir isn't the right answer, but it's very close.

[Pervinca Took]

Ring of Felagund, its original name?

[Galadriel55]

Ring of Felagund, its original name?

Huh, I didn't know it was actually called that.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Ring of Felagund, its original name?

I didn't know it was actually called that.
Neither did I until quite recently. But where's the fun in calling something by a name that anybody knows?

Pervinca has the right answer and Galadriel got the password, so at last the horror is over. The solution looks like this.

1: NAROG Shot and fled up to the water
2: ARMINAS Farm in a southern land hides one worth hearing
3: RINGWIL Flower's deranged smirk on tree? Not half!
4: GLAURUNG Nag swallows line on golden ladder: it's a hot one
5: OATH OF FËANOR Round on father of a terrible promise
6: TAUR EN FAROTH Wood's awful threat for a French one
7: HILL OF SPIES Driver of Smiley's people that girl forgot.
8: RING OF FELAGUND King's call received by two outlaws in a row.
9: ORODRETH Herd root around for fallen leader
10: NEITHAN Wronged outlaw replaced bad boss
11: DEBATABLE LAND Questionable country bordering on hostile

[Pervinca Took]

I didn't know either, but I remembered Beren saying something like 'By the Ring of Barahir, which was given to (me? my father?) by Finrod Felagund ...' - so just on the offchance I googled 'Ring of Felagund' to see if it existed as an alternative name for the circlet in question.

Look forward to G55's password! :)

[Mithalwen]

I knew. I just didn't make the connection between ring and call. Well done Gally, I don't suppose anyone would like to have a go at Palantir of Fortune so I don't feel I am hogging it while the next Password is incubating.

[Galadriel55]

Cheers for teamwork!

I cheated a little with the password theme on this one. The clues were partially inspired by Squatter's last one *bows*, but I may have overdone some of them. Let's see how it goes, and if people are stuck I will give hints or rephrase.


1. Remove bonds, live briefly and eccentrically, like a bird.
2. Wordsmith illustrates concealed silver flower.
3. Eater switches direction after pointless anger in the street.
4. The riot is short and disordered: too much talk slows down progress.
5. Guardpost seems to charge tax in popular game.
6. You go in solo, but usually travel in company.

[Pervinca Took]

1. Tinuviel = untie + vil?

(She did live briefly too, and eccentrically, in a particular way that Arwen didn't, in the Land of the Dead that Live ... and there is the 'release from bondage' connection too).

Plus it means nightingale, of course.

[Pervinca Took]

3. Rath Dinen - diner changes r for n; wrath loses w; it's a street in Minas Tirith.

Wild guess at TIRION for the password?

[Galadriel55]

Yes for the clues, no to the password.

[Galadriel55]

Reposting the password with updates:

1. TINUVIEL Remove bonds, live briefly and eccentrically, like a bird.
2. Wordsmith illustrates concealed silver flower.
3. RATH DINEN Eater switches direction after pointless anger in the street.
4. The riot is short and disordered: too much talk slows down progress.
5. Guardpost seems to charge tax in popular game.
6. You go in solo, but usually travel in company.

[Pervinca Took]

Thrain, perhaps?

[Galadriel55]

Thrain, perhaps?

Not that either.

There is a theme to the password, though I cheated a bit with it and it might not be evident until more clues are revealed.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

I think 2 is Ithil and 4 is Ioreth, possibly leaving Tirith as the password. I also think that 6 might be Houses of the Dead

[Galadriel55]

Almost everything is correct, but 6 is not.


1. TINUVIEL Remove bonds, live briefly and eccentrically, like a bird.
2. ITHIL Wordsmith illustrates concealed silver flower.
3. RATH DINEN Eater switches direction after pointless anger in the street.
4. IORETH The riot is short and disordered: too much talk slows down progress.
5. T Guardpost seems to charge tax in popular game.
6. H You go in solo, but usually travel in company.

[Pervinca Took]

I nearly said Tirith! But I had started looking for a connecting theme, or a wiggly password.

Can you explain the wordsmith part of ithil? Is it to do with ithildin being used for writing?

Is H Halls of Mandos, or is that too close to Squatter's guess?

... or is the Helcarexe narrow enough that one would have to enter it alone?

I found TALIEN as another word for flets, used as guard posts in Lothlorien, but I can't make the cryptic bits work with it.

[Galadriel55]

Ithil is hidden in the words of the clue, wordsmITH ILlustrates.

Cannot say yes to any of the guesses so far. This is where it becomes challenging with respect to the theme. I would recommend forgetting about Minas Tirith and approaching the clues without the geographic and temporal connnection in mind.



EDIT: Reposting on this page.

1. TINUVIEL Remove bonds, live briefly and eccentrically, like a bird.
2. ITHIL Wordsmith illustrates concealed silver flower.
3. RATH DINEN Eater switches direction after pointless anger in the street.
4. IORETH The riot is short and disordered: too much talk slows down progress.
5. T Guardpost seems to charge tax in popular game.
6. H You go in solo, but usually travel in company.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

5. is Tol-in-Gaurhoth, and 6 could simply be Huan

[Pervinca Took]

I get all the elements in those two answers except the 'popular game.' Ah, ok ... 'in' for popular ... but what is Gaurhoth? Some obscure variant of lacrosse, or something?

Is the theme watchtowers - the watchtowers themselves, parts of them (like Rath Dinen), people who worked in one (Ioreth) and beings who visited or rescued someone from one (Tinuviel and Huan)?

[Galadriel55]

5. is Tol-in-Gaurhoth, and 6 could simply be Huan

Yes and yes.

1. TINUVIEL Remove bonds, live briefly and eccentrically, like a bird.
2. ITHIL Wordsmith illustrates concealed silver flower.
3. RATH DINEN Eater switches direction after pointless anger in the street.
4. IORETH The riot is short and disordered: too much talk slows down progress.
5. Tol-in-gaurhoth Guardpost seems to charge tax in popular game.
6. Huan You go in solo, but usually travel in company.

I get all the elements in those two answers except the 'popular game.' Ah, ok ... 'in' for popular ... but what is Gaurhoth? Some obscure variant of lacrosse, or something?

Nah, I was referring to Werewolf = gaurhoth. By the way sign ups are open for a simple game. (No shameless plug here at all, absolutely no self-advertising.) :Merisu:

Is the theme watchtowers - the watchtowers themselves, parts of them (like Rath Dinen), people who worked in one (Ioreth) and beings who visited or rescued someone from one (Tinuviel and Huan)?

No, the theme was Minas Tirith - but there were two Minas Tiriths in the legendarium. The clues were split in half between the two.


Back over to Squatter.

[Pervinca Took]

Yes, I remembered there was a Minas Tirith in the First Age, and I believe that became Tol-In-Gaurhoth. But one clue is Ithil ... wasn't that the Minas that became Morgul, so not one of the Tiriths?

Great password, by the way!

[Galadriel55]

Yes, I remembered there was a Minas Tirith in the First Age, and I believe that became Tol-In-Gaurhoth. But one clue is Ithil ... wasn't that the Minas that became Morgul, so not one of the Tiriths?

Great password, by the way!

Yeah it was. Maybe it wasn't a very strong theme.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

That was a good little theme, and Ithil does fit, albeit tangentially. Minas Anor only became Minas Tirith after the fall of its sister city.

I've put this together in something of a hurry, but hopefully it should be a bit easier to parse than my last one.

1. Just over a century before rise of moody cinema, this character was known to be good
2. Silver youth admits little Tolkien to dwarf tourist attraction
3. Ancestor lost everything on doubles at first
4. King was simply nothing when confused
5. River's southern profundity? Quite the reverse!
6. Provincial dormer through which one might glimpse the king
7. Wear on saddle perhaps swallows large sum in equestrian parts.
8. Captain has man downstairs in a flap.
9. Setter doubly English about tree behind falling note in place for a good hiding
10. Ash or alder holding genius by another name.
11. Route descending from one point to another.

[Mithalwen]

Will try Undeep for 5 as reverse of profundity.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Not quite. You're not accounting for the whole clue.

[Galadriel55]

6. Aldor?

[Mithalwen]

True. how about North undeep then reversing also Southern.

[Pervinca Took]

If Mary Beard is a genius, could 10 be Treebeard?

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

6. Aldor?
Indeed so

how about North undeep then reversing also Southern
That's more like it.

If Mary Beard is a genius, could 10 be Treebeard?
Not even if she is, I'm afraid.

1. Just over a century before rise of moody cinema, this character was known to be good
2. Silver youth admits little Tolkien to dwarf tourist attraction
3. Ancestor lost everything on doubles at first
4. King was simply nothing when confused
5. NORTH UNDEEP River's southern profundity? Quite the reverse!
6. ALDOR Provincial dormer through which one might glimpse the king
7. Wear on saddle perhaps swallows large sum in equestrian parts.
8. Captain has man downstairs in a flap.
9. Setter doubly English about tree behind falling note in place for a good hiding
10. Ash or alder holding genius by another name.
11. Route descending from one point to another.

[Pervinca Took]

1. CIRION. CI = 101; film noir is moody cinema, rising/running upwards/backwards.

Password CALENARDHON, and Rohan for the theme.

Which I think might make 10 OROFARNE. (A rowan is a mountain ash, although my botany does not extend to alders).

And 4 EOMER (0 + mere).

[Pervinca Took]

I think 7 is RIDDERMARK. Mark for wear. Could the large sum be D for a thousand? Can a saddle be called a rider?

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

You're right about everything except 10. And the theme if I'm being really pedantic.

Speaking of pedantry: D is 500; M is a thousand. Wear on saddle = Rider mark. Also I appear to have confused Cirion with Mardil for some reason. Fortunately you got him anyway.

1. CIRION - Just over a century before rise of moody cinema, this character was known to be good
2. A Silver youth admits little Tolkien to dwarf tourist attraction
3. L Ancestor lost everything on doubles at first
4. ÉOMER - King was simply nothing when confused
5. NORTH UNDEEP - River's southern profundity? Quite the reverse!
6. ALDOR - Provincial dormer through which one might glimpse the king
7. RIDDERMARK - Wear on saddle perhaps swallows large sum in equestrian parts.
8. D Captain has man downstairs in a flap.
9. H Setter doubly English about tree behind falling note in place for a good hiding
10. O Ash or alder holding genius by another name.
11. N Route descending from one point to another.

[Pervinca Took]

Maybe the theme is Calenardhon, then - Rohan plus Anorien.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

I think some answers predate or are otherwise not exclusive to Rohan, so I suppose it's an important distinction. Having a theme that's not the password just seems like too much work to me.

[Pervinca Took]

We didn't use to have themes as well as passwords. But G55 did a really good one that had both, and then it seemed like a good challenge to write them that way.

[Pervinca Took]

2. AGLAROND. Ag + lad + Ron(ald).

(The caves behind Helm's Deep).

I've been thinking for a while that 9 could be Helm's Deep. There is ELM there, and a note (D). I just can't get sheep to = setter. It ought to be a dog. Although it does have the same form in English in the plural (double??)

Unless the setter is John Noakes's Shep and we double the E!

Or ... perhaps the setter is a badger, or a brock.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

2. AGLAROND. Ag + lad + Ron(ald).
Exactly.

There's a very good reason why you can't get Helm's Deep to work for 9: it's not the solution. I can tell a setter from a collie, even when it's barking up the wrong tree.

1. CIRION - Just over a century before rise of moody cinema, this character was known to be good
2. AGLAROND - Silver youth admits little Tolkien to dwarf tourist attraction
3. L Ancestor lost everything on doubles at first
4. EOMER - King was simply nothing when confused
5. NORTH UNDEEP - River's southern profundity? Quite the reverse!
6. ALDOR - Provincial dormer through which one might glimpse the king
7. RIDDERMARK - Wear on saddle perhaps swallows large sum in equestrian parts.
8. D Captain has man downstairs in a flap.
9. H Setter doubly English about tree behind falling note in place for a good hiding
10. O Ash or alder holding genius by another name.
11. N Route descending from one point to another.

[Galadriel55]

2. AGLAROND. Ag + lad + Ron(ald).

(The caves behind Helm's Deep).

Good one! I've been trying to make that one work for days, but couldn't get the right cryptic combination.

Meanwhile, a google search for "ash or alder" yielded a bunch of guitar stuff. Virtuoso guitarist? Rockstar? I've toyed a bit with various rocks and stars just cause that would be a pretty amusing interpretation.


Deorwine for 8, as it contains "down"?

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

a google search for "ash or alder" yielded a bunch of guitar stuff
Did it really? Just goes to show how little help Google is going to be, I suppose. Rock on, though.

Deorwine for 8, as it contains "down"?
I think you might get closer to the answer if you considered the other six and a half words in the clue as well.

[Mithalwen]

10 I am now confident is Orald the name for Tom Bombadil down that way

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

The very same. Your confidence is well placed.

1. CIRION - Just over a century before rise of moody cinema, this character was known to be good
2. AGLAROND - Silver youth admits little Tolkien to dwarf tourist attraction
3. L Ancestor lost everything on doubles at first
4. EOMER - King was simply nothing when confused
5. NORTH UNDEEP - River's southern profundity? Quite the reverse!
6. ALDOR - Provincial dormer through which one might glimpse the king
7. RIDDERMARK - Wear on saddle perhaps swallows large sum in equestrian parts.
8. D Captain has man downstairs in a flap.
9. H Setter doubly English about tree behind falling note in place for a good hiding
10. ORALD Ash or alder holding genius by another name.
11. N Route descending from one point to another.

[Mithalwen]

If the clue works out tidily, as it did, then it is more likely right. However confidence about anything else rather lacking so will ponder more.

[Pervinca Took]

I didn't know Tom was a genius! :) I guess his poetry is day-off stuff.

[Mithalwen]

I suspect Squatter meant it in the sense of genius loci, that is how I took it anyway, since Bombadil's poetry is sub-Vogon, in my opinion.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

While the primary meaning is intended to recall genius loci and therefore Tom, the alternative meaning is an intentional misdirection.

[Pervinca Took]

I didn't realise they ever referred to Bombadil/Orald in Calenardhon. Whereabouts is it mentioned?

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

At the Council of Elrond

But many another name he has since been given by other folk: Forn by the Dwarves, Orald by Northern Men, and other names beside. He is a strange creature, but maybe I should have summoned him to our Council.

Orald is an Old English word, so should represent Rohirric. It's likely that it survives from a now extinct language spoken by the ancestors of the Rohirrim before they came to Calenardhon. It's a tenuous link, but I did say that I put this together in a hurry: the link with Calenardhon came from an on-line source that I didn't fact-check.

[Mithalwen]

Council of Elrond. Elrond comments that the Old Forest is the remnant of a larger expanse that stretched as far as Dunland and the Orald was the name of Bomabadil among the Northmen ancestors of the Rohirrim. Gandalf implies that his range was greater in previous times so it is possible that Bombadil walked the fringes at least of the Mark at one time though who knows if the Rohirrim had any legends of him. No doubt Balfrog could point you in the direction of an article on the subject ;)

[Mithalwen]

By any chance, is 10 simply the North-South Road? Or is that a trap for heffalumps?

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

By any chance, is 10 simply the North-South Road? Or is that a trap for heffalumps?
Not a trap, although I may claim later that it was a cunning double bluff. In any case, that's the right answer.

1. CIRION - Just over a century before rise of moody cinema, this character was known to be good
2. AGLAROND - Silver youth admits little Tolkien to dwarf tourist attraction
3. L Ancestor lost everything on doubles at first
4. EOMER - King was simply nothing when confused
5. NORTH UNDEEP - River's southern profundity? Quite the reverse!
6. ALDOR - Provincial dormer through which one might glimpse the king
7. RIDDERMARK - Wear on saddle perhaps swallows large sum in equestrian parts.
8. D Captain has man downstairs in a flap.
9. H Setter doubly English about tree behind falling note in place for a good hiding
10. ORALD - Ash or alder holding genius by another name.
11. NORTH-SOUTH ROAD - Route descending from one point to another.

[Pervinca Took]

Perhaps the setter is Huan, he drops a note (a) and to get HORNBURG we need ORBRG.

No tree though. Couldn't get Huorn to work as well as Huan. And GB not same as two Englands.

(Awaits inevitable sardonic slicing of the Squatter).

[Galadriel55]

Perhaps the setter is Huan, he drops a note (a) and to get HORNBURG we need ORBRG.

No tree though. Couldn't get Huorn to work as well as Huan. And GB not same as two Englands.

(Awaits inevitable sardonic slicing of the Squatter).

I've been playing around with Helm's Deep, on the premise that elm is a tree, there are a couple letters that could be used as notes, and maybe double E in deep is two Englands. But even if you stretch it this way, there are still extra bits. And no setter.

Setter - what's a setter? Just a dog? Someone who sets? Who or what is known for setting something? It makes no sense right now.

By any chance, is 10 simply the North-South Road? Or is that a trap for heffalumps?

This is absolutely brilliant. The clue is good too, deceptively simple but with more logic to it than I've initially thought.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Perhaps the setter is Huan, he drops a note (a) and to get HORNBURG we need ORBRG.
Huan isn't a setter. Tolkien seems to imply that he's some special breed native to Valinor. Also the answer isn't Hornburg, which is too close to Aglarond to make for a good password. As for doubly English: well, that's definitely not British. A possible clue for Hornburg would be something like "Short gardener joins Navy, getting back rations for use against Isengard."

I've been playing around with Helm's Deep, on the premise that elm is a tree, there are a couple letters that could be used as notes, and maybe double E in deep is two Englands. But even if you stretch it this way, there are still extra bits. And no setter.

As I told Pervinca earlier on, the reason you can't make Helm's Deep fit the clue for 9 is that it's not the right answer. When I get a convoluted one like this, I usually forget about what the answer could be and try to break down the clue into instructions and mini-clues, then play around with solutions for those combined in different ways. Often I don't even bother with the overall definition until I think I have an answer. Never make assumptions about which part of the clue applies to which other part: it's a classic trick to get you applying an instruction for one element to another one through misleading grammar.

[Pervinca Took]

I already knew what a possible clue for Hornburg could be, thanks. I was merely playing with it because it is a good place for a good hiding in two senses of the expression.

Furthermore, I personally wouldn't consider it remotely remiss to put it in the same puzzle as Aglarond. But never mind.

[Galadriel55]

I was merely playing with it because it is a good place for a good hiding in two senses of the expression.

My reasoning too. The only better place that intuitively comes to mind is Dunharrow, but most stuff there doesn't start with an H. There's Harrowdale but that worked less well than the other options.

[Pervinca Took]

My reasoning too. The only better place that intuitively comes to mind is Dunharrow, but most stuff there doesn't start with an H. There's Harrowdale but that worked less well than the other options.

That's why I'm thinking 'setter' might be the straight part. Maybe a warrior from the lament for the fallen. Or perhaps a river can be a setter? We haven't had a river yet.

Or ... hang on ... a scribe. A setter puts writing into type, but perhaps it could work metaphorically for a people before the daisy wheel and the carbon sheet.

Or a trend setter.

[Mithalwen]

Leod. Father of Eorl. name formed by initials of other clue words as indicated by at first.

Part of me wants setter to be Badger or Squatter himself as setter of the clue.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Leod. Father of Eorl. name formed by initials of other clue words as indicated by at first.
Quite so

Part of me wants setter to be Badger or Squatter himself as setter of the clue.
Both reasonable. It's probably worth seeing where they go.
There's Harrowdale but that worked less well than the other optionsThere are more options that you're not considering, but that's also a good direction to try.
perhaps a river can be a setter?
Not to me. I like the typesetting, though.

Edit: I'm not at all happy with my definition for 9, but don't want to edit the puzzle this close to the end. I'll change it if nobody gets it over the weekend.

1. CIRION - Just over a century before rise of moody cinema, this character was known to be good
2. AGLAROND - Silver youth admits little Tolkien to dwarf tourist attraction
3. LEOD Ancestor lost everything on doubles at first
4. EOMER - King was simply nothing when confused
5. NORTH UNDEEP - River's southern profundity? Quite the reverse!
6. ALDOR - Provincial dormer through which one might glimpse the king
7. RIDDERMARK - Wear on saddle perhaps swallows large sum in equestrian parts.
8. D Captain has man downstairs in a flap.
9. H Setter doubly English about tree behind falling note in place for a good hiding
10. ORALD Ash or alder holding genius by another name.
11. NORTH-SOUTH ROAD Route descending from one point to another.

[Pervinca Took]

Due to its location and because it has FIR in it, perhaps Halifirien might work for the H clue.

Perhaps double English is two letters from the word English?

Or there are bits of the word 'English' either side of the FIR (so doubly), and the note A falls into the bit before?

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

It is Halifirien. Setter (I) doubly and En, around fir, after Lah backwards. The definition is rubbish, though, as nobody ever hid anything there. I must have confused it with Dunharrow.

1. CIRION - Just over a century before rise of moody cinema, this character was known to be good
2. AGLAROND - Silver youth admits little Tolkien to dwarf tourist attraction
3. LEOD Ancestor lost everything on doubles at first
4. EOMER - King was simply nothing when confused
5. NORTH UNDEEP - River's southern profundity? Quite the reverse!
6. ALDOR - Provincial dormer through which one might glimpse the king
7. RIDDERMARK - Wear on saddle perhaps swallows large sum in equestrian parts.
8. D Captain has man downstairs in a flap.
9. HALIFIRIEN Setter doubly English about tree behind falling note in place for a good hiding
10. ORALD Ash or alder holding genius by another name.
11. NORTH-SOUTH ROAD Route descending from one point to another.[/QUOTE]

[Galadriel55]

I want to guess Dwimmerlaik for the last one on a hunch. All this time I've been going through leaders of the Rohirrim and their allies, so maybe an enemy would do better here.

[Pervinca Took]

And there was I, pondering who might have set the questions for the Meduseld Yule Quiz.

As Calenardhon includes Anorien, I've thought of DAMROD - Rod for the man, downstairs ... don't know, because it's at the end of the clue, not the beginning? Couldn't get the flap in at first, but could 'mad' be 'in a flap?' (Although in a flap is more likely to be an anagram indicator, perhaps). (No doubt all that is completely wrong).

I don't see how 'I' is a setter ... unless you set your eye on something?

Or was Mithalwen right? Was it I as in 'me' (meaning Squatter the Setter?)

P.S. Providing someone, at some point, has been duffed up in Halifirien, it is a good place for a hiding. No horcrux needed.

[Mithalwen]

I considered Halifirien but couldn't make it tidy.

Dunhere? just to get out of system. I keep hearing it in my head as down here in a cod-Scottish accent "doon".... my head is a weird place

[Pervinca Took]

I like Mithalwen's reasoning. And the flapping wings of G55's Dwimmerlaik steed.

[Mithalwen]

In a flap could be an anagram indicator with Captain as straight clue and the rest as the anagram or suggesting words that are in the anagram. But equally in a flap could be straight clue but seems less likely in this context. Man downstairs? As in a servant (upstairs downstairs) Hell.. probably something else...

[Galadriel55]

In a flap could be an anagram indicator with Captain as straight clue and the rest as the anagram or suggesting words that are in the anagram. But equally in a flap could be straight clue but seems less likely in this context. Man downstairs? As in a servant (upstairs downstairs) Hell.. probably something else...

I also considered it in the context of a directional clue: "flap" or "a flap" or synonyms of thereof surrounding the rest of the clue. But a scramble indicator seemed most likely to work.

[Pervinca Took]

DENETHOR has 'nether' in it, and it's in a flap. I was hoping a D.O. could be a kind of army officer, like a C.O., but no luck there.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

None of those are the right answer, but Mithalwen is headed in the right direction.

[Pervinca Took]

There was a steward called DIOR, if the right direction part of Mithalwen's reasoning was 'servant' for 'man downstairs.'

Or it's 'Dori' in a flap, and Dori would be metaphorically downstairs as he was a dwarf?

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

That fits the clue nicely, but it's not the answer I had in mind. I was being a bit less metaphorical about the stairs.

[Pervinca Took]

Wondering if DARO could be the downstairs bit ... below/get down. But nearest captain DAMROD which I think you said was wrong.

Or DRUIN (wild man) in a flap could = DURIN, deep downstairs in Moria.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Neither of those, I'm afraid. Try more wordplay and less allusion.

[Mithalwen]

Doorward (of Théoden) ie Hama is my thought now... He was Captain of the king's riders but when we first encounter him he is up some stairs, however as a servant he could be downstairs in that sense. But I feel there should be an anagram and I can't see it. But I am probably just plain wrong.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

It's not Háma, but you'll get there if you follow various ideas you've put forward already.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Dunhere? just to get out of system. I keep hearing it in my head as down here in a cod-Scottish accent "doon".... my head is a weird place

I don't know how I missed this. That is the right answer. Sorry about the mix up: I've been particularly tired lately. Now that you've mentioned it, all I'm thinking is: Dunhere ye cannae get guid haggis. Care to have a stab at how it works?

The solution looks like this, and Pervinca had the password.

1. CIRION - Just over a century before rise of moody cinema, this character was known to be good
2. AGLAROND - Silver youth admits little Tolkien to dwarf tourist attraction
3. LEOD Ancestor lost everything on doubles at first
4. EOMER - King was simply nothing when confused
5. NORTH UNDEEP - River's southern profundity? Quite the reverse!
6. ALDOR - Provincial dormer through which one might glimpse the king
7. RIDDERMARK - Wear on saddle perhaps swallows large sum in equestrian parts.
8. DUNHERE Captain has man downstairs in a flap.
9. HALIFIRIEN Setter doubly English about tree behind falling note in place for a good hiding
10. ORALD Ash or alder holding genius by another name.
11. NORTH-SOUTH ROAD Route descending from one point to another

[Mithalwen]

As a wise wizard said, absurdly simple when you have the answer. Dunhere, a captain is formed of an anagram of under and he.

Sorry about the ISIHAC Dougal and Hamish "You'll have had yer tea" style earworm. :o

[Pervinca Took]

Have one ready, but it's on my laptop and I'm somewhere without internet access. I'll try to post it tonight.

[Pervinca Took]

1. She’s a good catch, you hear, but it sounds like a twisted deal.
2. Orome loses an article, but two directions lead to her.
3. Blue Peter dog, we hear, is very clever. She runs backwards and secures the room!
4. See him labour and aspirate with four-fifths of a battering ram, however badly.
5. Perturbed, the blessed Welsh virgin joins the air force, running back to find him.
6. She wraps knowledge (albeit twisted) around a volatile metal.
7. Foxy place of note; sounds like he needs to defrost, though.

[Galadriel55]

2. Arwen = araw - a + e + n

[Nerwen]

I believe #5 is FARAMIR (backwards). Mari (Welsh form of Mary) + R.A.F.

[Pervinca Took]

It's Mair, not Mari, but it gets you the same letters.

Both answers are correct. :)

1. She’s a good catch, you hear, but it sounds like a twisted deal.
Arwen: Orome loses an article, but two directions lead to her.
3. Blue Peter dog, we hear, is very clever. She runs backwards and secures the room!
4. See him labour and aspirate with four-fifths of a battering ram, however badly.
Rimaraf: Perturbed, the blessed Welsh virgin joins the air force, running back to find him.
6. She wraps knowledge (albeit twisted) around a volatile metal.
7. Foxy place of note; sounds like he needs to defrost, though.

[Galadriel55]

6. ELANOR as lore + Na

[Pervinca Took]

Indeed. (And sodium is probably volatile even without flipping itself backwards).

1. She’s a good catch, you hear, but it sounds like a twisted deal.
Arwen: Orome loses an article, but two directions lead to her.
3. Blue Peter dog, we hear, is very clever. She runs backwards and secures the room!
4. See him labour and aspirate with four-fifths of a battering ram, however badly.
Rimaraf: Perturbed, the blessed Welsh virgin joins the air force, running back to find him.
Elanor: She wraps knowledge (albeit twisted) around a volatile metal.
7. Foxy place of note; sounds like he needs to defrost, though.

[Pervinca Took]

Perhaps Mithalwen can help with 3? She'll remember the same generation of Blue Peter dogs as me.

[Nerwen]

Perhaps Mithalwen can help with 3? She'll remember the same generation of Blue Peter dogs as me.
Mith? Where are you?:(

By the way, does "she" refer to the answer or to the clue (the dog)?

[Pervinca Took]

That would be telling. :p

But I guess it's kind of both.

[Mithalwen]

Mith has migraine and is trying to sort out removals and aunts and Christmas.
These things may not be entirely unrelated.:cool:

Blue Peter dogs I remember are Shep, Petra and the spectacularly unoriginally named Goldie (golden retriever) though I suppose we should be grateful - these days a public vote would no doubt have resulted in Doggy McDogface.

Petra and Goldie were bitches and Shep was a dog

[Nerwen]

Well, Pervinca says "she" refers to both clue and answer. And she runs backwards...

Artep? Eidlog? Anyone remember these characters?

[Pervinca Took]

Firstly, there is an important part of the clue that you are ignoring.

Secondly, I didn't say whether the answer ran backwards before or after it was assembled.

[Huinesoron]

I'm going to throw out a random guess for Goldilocks Gardner (what were you saying about unimaginative names...?), which captures 'Blue Peter dog', 'secures the room' (locks), and 'she'. I can't make it fit the rest of the clue (unless 'Skcoliglog' rings any bells...?), but I'm not spectacular at these and may be missing something obvious.

I feel like there was also a Blue Peter dog named Bonnie. Bonnie+Door = Gondor, if 'we hear' means something like 'sounds like'. And, um... Gondor is very clever? :D?

(I guess backwards that would be 'Rodnog', which could possibly be valid Sindarin.)

[Pervinca Took]

Welcome to the boards, Huinesoron, and to the joys of (mostly) cryptic Tolkien clues. :)

Goldilocks is correct. It runs backwards because I couldn't make the password AND the theme work otherwise. The 'we hear' is because we hear 'Goldie' but we don't use the 'e.'

1. She’s a good catch, you hear, but it sounds like a twisted deal.
Arwen: Orome loses an article, but two directions lead to her.
Skcolidlog: Blue Peter dog, we hear, is very clever. She runs backwards and secures the room!
4. See him labour and aspirate with four-fifths of a battering ram, however badly.
Rimaraf: Perturbed, the blessed Welsh virgin joins the air force, running back to find him.
Elanor: She wraps knowledge (albeit twisted) around a volatile metal.
7. Foxy place of note; sounds like he needs to defrost, though.

[Nerwen]

Long shot- is the password FASTRED?

[Pervinca Took]

Yes.

F: She’s a good catch, you hear, but it sounds like a twisted deal.
Arwen: Orome loses an article, but two directions lead to her.
Skcolidlog: Blue Peter dog, we hear, is very clever. She runs backwards and secures the room!
T: See him labour and aspirate with four-fifths of a battering ram, however badly.
Rimaraf: Perturbed, the blessed Welsh virgin joins the air force, running back to find him.
Elanor: She wraps knowledge (albeit twisted) around a volatile metal.
D: Foxy place of note; sounds like he needs to defrost, though.

Mith, I remember a public vote for the naming of Goldie's puppies. Maybe there was one for Goldie herself and I didn't know? Anyway, the winning name for a puppy was Lady Diana, which I believe they shortened to Lady. I guess it was 1981. ;)

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

I think these are probably the remaining answers.

1. Finduilas: Find, u, anagram of sail
4. Turgon: T[rade] U[nion], and anagram of Gron[d]
7. Denethor: Den, E, thor

Welcome to the Downs, Huinesoron. Have fun being dead.

[Pervinca Took]

Homophone of sale.

And thor sounds like thaw, of course.

Two correct. But Turgon is wrong.

As a hint, if you can work out what the theme is, it may lead you to the remaining answer.

Finduilas: She’s a good catch, you hear, but it sounds like a twisted deal.
Arwen: Orome loses an article, but two directions lead to her.
Skcolidlog: Blue Peter dog, we hear, is very clever. She runs backwards and secures the room!
T: See him labour and aspirate with four-fifths of a battering ram, however badly.
Rimaraf: Perturbed, the blessed Welsh virgin joins the air force, running back to find him.
Elanor: She wraps knowledge (albeit twisted) around a volatile metal.
Denethor: Foxy place of note; sounds like he needs to defrost, though.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Well, the theme is Middle-earth couples: Finduilas of Dol Amroth and Denethor II, Faramir Took and Goldilocks Gamgee, Elanor Gamgee and Fastred of Greenholm. That leaves Arwen and Thorongil (Toil, including h as your aspirant and an anagram of most of Grond

[Pervinca Took]

That's better.

Of course, I could have chosen Samwise and Rose instead of making Faramir Took and Goldilocks walk backwards, but that would have been boring. And it's also more fun to put that couple instead of the more obvious Faramir and Eowyn.

Thanks to Morsul the Dark, whose theme of namesake pairs led to my idea of couples as a theme.

Finduilas: She’s a good catch, you hear, but it sounds like a twisted deal.
Arwen: Orome loses an article, but two directions lead to her.
Skcolidlog: Blue Peter dog, we hear, is very clever. She runs backwards and secures the room!
Thorongil: See him labour and aspirate with four-fifths of a battering ram, however badly.
Rimaraf: Perturbed, the blessed Welsh virgin joins the air force, running back to find him.
Elanor: She wraps knowledge (albeit twisted) around a volatile metal.
Denethor: Foxy place of note; sounds like he needs to defrost, though.

THEME: COUPLES

And over to Nerwen.

[Mithalwen]

Nerwen?

[Pervinca Took]

I was about to say the same thing.

NEEERRRRRRRR - WEEEEEEEEEEN!!!!

[Nerwen]

Okay, okay! I'll think of something!

[Nerwen]

Here you go!

1. Slender cave amphibian is disturbed to become pallid plant.
2. Agitated ballroom dance loses element for fateful landing place.
3. Reassemble and decorate cable-car to arrive at sacred mountain.
4. Loan cover for muddled tall chap.
5. Princess to wed metaphysical poet's island?
6. Spanish gold encountered in king's tower.
7. From eternal city, all roads lead confused grandmother to haven.

[Pervinca Took]

4. Might TUOR in a jumbled state be the initials of a kind of loan cover somewhere? I believe Tuor was the tallest bloke ever, although not sure if that was amongst men only, or men *and* elves.

[Nerwen]

4. Might TUOR in a jumbled state be the initials of a kind of loan cover somewhere? I believe Tuor was the tallest bloke ever, although not sure if that was amongst men only, or men *and* elves.
No, you're looking for someone who lived much later.

[Pervinca Took]

PPI is a kind of loan cover, but I have a feeling the answer ain't Pippi Longstocking either. :D

[Pervinca Took]

I think 2 might be UMBAR from Rumba, except I can't see how it loses an element.

The tall guy could be ELENDIL (lid = cover) but can't get the 'loan' bit to work.

[Galadriel55]

The tall guy could be ELENDIL (lid = cover) but can't get the 'loan' bit to work.

LEND + LIE maybe?

[Pervinca Took]

I did think of LEND, but lie is not cover, where lid is.

[Nerwen]

No, it is Elendil- I made a mistake with the letters from doing this in a hurry!:o

And #2 is indeed Umbar: rhumba - H (for hydrogen). I didn't know you could write it without an H in English.

1. Slender cave amphibian is disturbed to become pallid plant.
UMBAR Agitated ballroom dance loses element for fateful landing place.
3. Reassemble and decorate cable-car to arrive at sacred mountain.
ELENDIL Loan cover for muddled tall chap.
5. Princess to wed metaphysical poet's island?
6. Spanish gold encountered in king's tower.
7. From eternal city, all roads lead confused grandmother to haven.

[Galadriel55]

7. Romenna was a city, possibly a haven. Rome + Nan.

[Nerwen]

That's it!

1. Slender cave amphibian is disturbed to become pallid plant.
UMBAR Agitated ballroom dance loses element for fateful landing place.
3. Reassemble and decorate cable-car to arrive at sacred mountain.
ELENDIL Loan cover for muddled tall chap.
5. Princess to wed metaphysical poet's island?
6. Spanish gold encountered in king's tower.
RÓMENNA From eternal city, all roads lead confused grandmother to haven.

[Pervinca Took]

Is the password (and maybe also the theme) NUMENOR?

I have been looking for towers with ORO (Spanish gold) in them). I believe there is one called OROMET (to cover encountered as well as gold).

I am not very good at zoology - I was trying to turn salamander into various blooms without success. But if Numenor is right, 1 I guess has to be NIPHREDIL.

P.S. Well done, G55! I was trying to do something with lots of directions (for East Road, North Road, etc) followed by confused nan, and didn't get very far.

[Pervinca Took]

Could the metaphysical poet's island simply be 'no man' - from Donne's 'No man is an island?' The only N candidates I can think of for princesses are Nerdanel and Nimrodel - neither married a *man* - but Nimrodel ended up not marrying at all.

I did try with island as the straight clue, but none seem to begin with an N.

[Nerwen]

NUMENOR it is!

As regards your other guesses- the princess in question is Ancalimë, who said her preferred husband would be "Úner" = "Noman".

OROMET was a tower built by Tar-Minastir.

NIPHREDIL is not correct- there are plants other than flowers...


N Slender cave amphibian is disturbed to become pallid plant.
UMBAR Agitated ballroom dance loses element for fateful landing place.
M Reassemble and decorate cable-car to arrive at sacred mountain.
ELENDIL Loan cover for muddled tall chap.
NOMAN Princess to wed metaphysical poet's island?
OROMET Spanish gold encountered in king's tower.
RÓMENNA From eternal city, all roads lead confused grandmother to haven.

[Pervinca Took]

Ah! I did think of Ancalime, because I am reading Unfinished Tales at the moment, and read Aldarion and Erendis last weekend. I particularly remember her saying her preferred husband would be 'No man.' I just thought I had to give the name of a princess beginning with N.

[Pervinca Took]

If you 'thin' salamander by removing an A and the R, and disturb it, then (provided you add another E and another S) you can get NESSAMELDA, a Numenorean plant.

[Galadriel55]

I'm gonna say Meneltarma based on the straight clue.

[Pervinca Took]

I've been trying to scramble synonyms of cable-car to get Meneltarma, too.

[Nerwen]

MENELTARMA is correct- do you want me to explain the clue, or would you prefer to guess?



NESSAMELDA is ingenious, but not the right answer. The clue refers to a rather obscure animal.

[Pervinca Took]

Speaking for myself, I would love to see an explanation of the clue.

[Pervinca Took]

I think the only options left for the plant are NELDOR (elvish for 'beech') and NIMLOTH.

I don't know of, nor can I find, any amphibians that either could be scrambled from. But I will guess NIMLOTH because it was white (pallid) and it grew on Numenor (Numenor being both theme and password).

[Nerwen]

NIMLOTH Slender cave amphibian is disturbed to become pallid plant.
UMBAR Agitated ballroom dance loses element for fateful landing place.
MENELTARMA Reassemble and decorate cable-car to arrive at sacred mountain.
ELENDIL Loan cover for muddled tall chap.
NOMAN Princess to wed metaphysical poet's island?
OROMET Spanish gold encountered in king's tower.
RÓMENNA From eternal city, all roads lead confused grandmother to haven.

It is indeed NIMLOTH- anagram of "thin olm". An olm is a rare cave-dwelling salamander found in Eastern Europe.

I'll wait to see if G55 wants me to explain MENELTARMA.

[Pervinca Took]

OK ... I guess I can go ahead and post the next password, though? Maybe you could PM me the explanation?

P.S. GREAT password!

[Galadriel55]

Oh yes please, explain away! I have absolutely no clue how it works, I was just going by the straight part.

[Pervinca Took]

Look forward with G55 to the demystifying of Meneltarma!

Meanwhile, the next password (I've been scribbling away and now have a few passwords up my sleeve!) ...

1. Lady born where three ways meet, however tortuously.
2. She certainly troubled Cupid’s counterpart!
3. Wells girl found a way to reveal her.
4. Secluded lady? Ancient letter reveals her.
5. Eva’s epesse? For her, the simile has not grown stale.
6. Sounds like a utopic time for her.
7. Noble lady runs back for Ol’ Blue Eyes.

[Nerwen]

Okay then- MENELTARMA = ENAMEL TRAM.:smokin:

[Nerwen]

#7 is ARTANIS. (Sinatra backwards).

[Nerwen]

And could #2 be ROSE? (Anagram of "Eros").

[Pervinca Took]

It's 'Sinatra' ('Artanis' backwards), but you can have it. :D

'Rose' is correct, too, and for the reason you state.

'Enamel tram' is a WICKED synonym! :)

1. Lady born where three ways meet, however tortuously.
Rose: She certainly troubled Cupid’s counterpart!
3. Wells girl found a way, through confusion, to reveal her.
4. Secluded lady? Ancient letter reveals her.
5. Eva’s epesse? For her, the simile has not grown stale.
6. Sounds like a utopic time for her.
Sinatra (Artanis): Noble lady runs back for Ol’ Blue Eyes.

[Pervinca Took]

Nerwen probably guessed the two easiest ones, but I don't think the rest are *all* that hard.

Maybe give me your thoughts so far, and then I'll give hints?

[Galadriel55]

For 6 I have been unsuccessfully trying to come up with synonyms for either utopic as in future or utopic as in very good.


Also, was it just me or was the Downs inaccessible in the last couple days?

[Pervinca Took]

It was, yes.

Try finding a word meaning 'utopic time' rather than utopic. It's a word you'll be more used to in its related adjectival form.

Or maybe have a guess at the password?

[Galadriel55]

Hmm, Idril as in idyll?

And the only thing I can see in the password is Artanis, because it's flashing the right letters at me from the bottom clue :D. I'll work on that.

[Pervinca Took]

Indeed!

1. Lady born where three ways meet, however tortuously.
Rose: She certainly troubled Cupid’s counterpart!
3. Wells girl found a way, through confusion, to reveal her.
4. Secluded lady? Ancient letter reveals her.
5. Eva’s epesse? For her, the simile has not grown stale.
Idril: Sounds like a utopic time for her.
Sinatra (Artanis): Noble lady runs back for Ol’ Blue Eyes.

[Huinesoron]

Well, I can't make head nor tail of the clues themselves (though the 'ancient letter' keeps pointing me at Miriel Th/Serinde for #4, and she could definitely be described as 'secluded'), but with three datapoints, I'm sure it's possible to deduce the password.

There are two words that come to mind as fitting the -R---IS pattern, both names: Artanis and Erendis. However, neither of them seem to fit as a linking theme. It's possible that Erendis could be the password, making a hidden eighth name in the set; I've not been around long enough to know if that would be valid under the rules.

But assuming for a moment that neither Erendis nor Miriel are relevant, what can the three names we do have tell us? Rose Cotton-Gamgee, Artanis, and Idril Celebrindal are all:


Women (obviously)
Wives (also obviously)
Connected to a journey over the Sea (Rose's husband went, the other two made their own - Artanis twice!)
Known by an epesse - Rosie, Galadriel, and Idril, which isn't her original Quenya name. (Clue #5 could point to this.)
Resident in isolationist enclaves. I know, that describes half of Middle-earth, but the Shire, Lorien, and Gondolin make a good showing. (Clue #4's 'secluded' could point to this.)
Related to a resident or guest in Imladris (ie, Sam, Celebrian, and Elrond himself).
People whose status is in doubt in the evolving Legendarium. Not Rosie Cotton this time, but Meril-i-Turinqi, the Lady of Tol Eressëa, whose name indeed translates to Rose. Does she still exist? How did Artanis reach Middle-earth? Is Idril in Valinor with Tuor, or sleeping in the Tower of Pearl?


... it turns out three datapoints isn't enough to narrow things down in a hyper-connected setting like Middle-earth. Darn.

That '-IS' in the password really bothers me. It's just not a common word-ender in English, so my mind keeps parsing it as Elvish, which almost certainly means a name... but whose (or where's)? Other than Rivendell, there's no-one/where obviously linking Rosie to the other two - the hazard of being a Hobbit, I suppose.

... yeah, I was hoping something would have sprung out at me by this point, but no such luck. Maybe some of my ramblings will help someone else out. :)

hS

EDIT: They are also, weirdly enough, all credited with seeing the future: obviously Galadriel's mirror and Idril's foresight, but also Rosie's words to Sam: "They said you were dead; but I’ve been expecting you since the Spring." The Spring in question, of course, was when the Ring was destroyed; if not actual foresight, we can at least credit Rosie with an uncanny awareness of distant events... (No, probably not, but you never know!)

[Pervinca Took]

The password is indeed ERENDIS. It couldn't be Artanis, because that is the answer to the final clue, and I don't tend to use an answer twice in one puzzle.

It's only relatively recently that we've had themes every time as well as passwords.

Mine does have a theme too. But it isn't one that you have yet suggested (ingenious though many of your suggestions are!)

Miriel is not the answer to number 4. You might want to consider that the 'straight' part of the clue is not always at the beginning.

Don't forget that the theme may not be spelt out, as with Nerwen's 'Numenor' one. It may be 'silent,' but with all the answers - INCLUDING the password - fitting it.

E: Lady born where three ways meet, however tortuously.
Rose: She certainly troubled Cupid’s counterpart!
E: Wells girl found a way, through confusion, to reveal her.
N: Secluded lady? Ancient letter reveals her.
D: Eva’s epesse? For her, the simile has not grown stale.
Idril: Sounds like a utopic time for her.
Sinatra (Artanis): Noble lady runs back for Ol’ Blue Eyes.

...

As a hint, the theme is proving difficult because of the *order* in which the clues have so far been guessed.

[Galadriel55]

Ugh, I'm so stupid. Nuneth. I think I tried to make NUN fit for another recent password, and for some reason I guess I thought I've tried that path here as well.

Good work on Erendis, HS!

[Pervinca Took]

Indeed! NUN for the secluded lady, plus the Old English letter ETH, gives us NUNETH.

E: Lady born where three ways meet, however tortuously.
Rose: She certainly troubled Cupid’s counterpart!
E: Wells girl found a way, through confusion, to reveal her.
Nuneth: Secluded lady? Ancient letter reveals her.
D: Eva’s epesse? For her, the simile has not grown stale.
Idril: Sounds like a utopic time for her.
Sinatra (Artanis): Noble lady runs back for Ol’ Blue Eyes.

P.S. You are definitely NOT stupid!

[Galadriel55]

Okay, some thoughts out loud in case someone gets inspiration. I am thinking that the 3 ways in #1 are 3 letters of E S N W R L, which are direction letters. E is first, obviously. Don't know what to do with tortuously - it sounds like it's an anagram indicator, but if I'm right about the three ways there's nothing to mix. Maybe they are mixed with "born".

Elwing?

[Pervinca Took]

You are right about ways, born and tortuously.

It isn't Elwing, though.

Or rather, you are *nearly* right about born. When you're fully right, there will be something more promising to mix the ways with.

[Huinesoron]

#1: If it's not 'born', how about 'birth'? That gives a very promising -th ending, though the obvious letter to put in front of it would be E, which is already used at the start. (This line of thinking is pointing me at 'Elbereth', though that doesn't even have the I - it would be extremely tortuous.)

... I've just spent five minutes staring at the direction letters and gotten nowhere. Anagrams aren't my thing.

Is it possible that the theme is mothers? All five names are, and at least three were mothers to people more famous than them (Earendil, Erendis, and Tar-Ancalime). That would rule out Elbereth for #1. I want to do something with Emeldir, but while she has the E-L-R for directions, I can't turn 'medi' into a word to do with birth. (Demi? Mide? Dime? Diem! No.)

Eowyn is a mother, but taking away her directions just leaves 'yo'. Earwen also comes to mind, but she'd be left with 'are', which isn't any more useful. (Morwen) Eledhwen/Elfsheen would also fit, but nothing helpful jumps out from 'ledhe' or 'lfhee'. ... no, I don't think I can make a guess for #1 (other than Elbereth right off the bat).

I will, however, throw out a hasty guess at Dernhelm for #5; it is indeed an epesse for a mother, though I can't get it to fit the rest (possibly because I keep getting stuck on Eva == Evita, which I think is a blind alley).

(I am ashamed to admit I had to look up who Nuneth is; it's been a while since I needed to do that for a Legendarium character!)

hS

[Galadriel55]

(I am ashamed to admit I had to look up who Nuneth is; it's been a while since I needed to do that for a Legendarium character!)

I have been shamelessly consulting the Enc. of Arda for the last few years when it comes to riddles and passwords. :D

[Pervinca Took]

Huinesoron, you are very close on the theme, but not *quite* there.

In the UK, we have a word for born which is actually French, but is used on things like forms for when a woman has just filled in her married name, telling her where to write her birth surname. At least, it used to be. (It might just say 'any previous names' now).

I think I first came across this word for 'born' as the answer to a crossword clue.

[Pervinca Took]

Dernhelm and Elbereth are both wrong, I'm afraid.

I didn't know who Nuneth was until just recently, when I read 'Unfinished Tales' *properly.* (I skipped bits when I was younger).

I've added a word to the D clue, which should make it much easier. Probably very easy if you went to school in the UK, but still googleably easy if you didn't.

E: Lady born where three ways meet, however tortuously.
Rose: She certainly troubled Cupid’s counterpart!
E: Wells girl found a way, through confusion, to reveal her.
Nuneth: Secluded lady? Ancient letter reveals her.
D: Eva Smith's epesse? For her, the simile has not grown stale.
Idril: Sounds like a utopic time for her.
Sinatra (Artanis): Noble lady runs back for Ol’ Blue Eyes.

[Huinesoron]

Okay, so the word you're looking for is probably 'nee', with or without the accent. To which we want to add three direction letters, while still starting with E... Elenwe, mother of Idril (with Left, West, and East)?

Which points at a theme of 'Mother-daughter pairs' (which also makes sense with your comment about the order they appeared in). We have Nuneth>Erendis and now Elenwe>Idril. So...

We clearly went to quite different schools; I never studied An Inspector Calls, so yeah, I had to google that. (I did watch the adaptation a couple of years back, though, and my sibling did it at school.) But Daisy Gardner is Sam and Rosie's daughter, and fits for #5. I don't get the 'stale' part, though. A daisy is a Day's Eye, which is definitely a simile, but 'stale'?

And, well, process of deduction says #3 should be Earwen, Artanis' mother, but other than 'well=water=sea' making for an extremely rough translation of her name, I can't make her fit the clue.

This is seriously stretching my brain... how am I doing?

hS

[Pervinca Took]

Good work! :)

It's always a good idea to check whether my password puzzles have an odd number of clues. If they do, the theme might be pairs of some kind (with the password completing one of the pairs). The theme of this one is indeed mothers and daughters (my last one was couples; Morsul the Dark did a 'namesake pairs' one not that long back, which probably gave me the idea).

I didn't study 'An Inspector Calls' at school either, but most of my friends' kids seem to. It probably came in with GCSE's. I remember a TV version of it in the early 80's, though, and hearing something like 'Did you know Eva Smith, or Daisy Renton?' [the name Eva Smith took for herself later on in her story].

'Day's eye' is a metaphor. ;) In fact, probably a kenning?

The simile I was referring to was the well-known 'As fresh as a daisy.' (Hence 'not stale').

'Wells girl' meant female H G Wells character. From memory I can only think of three. In 'The War Of The Worlds' there are Carrie and Beth, but the one I was looking for was WEENA from 'The Time Machine' (add the directional R and 'confuse' it all for Earwen).

It was quite difficult to find mothers and daughters who would actually fit into a password; hence I had to put one of them in backwards.

Elenwe: Lady born where three ways meet, however tortuously.
Rose: She certainly troubled Cupid’s counterpart!
Earwen: Wells girl found a way, through confusion, to reveal her.
Nuneth: Secluded lady? Ancient letter reveals her.
Daisy: Eva Smith's epesse? For her, the simile has not grown stale.
Idril: Sounds like a utopic time for her.
Sinatra (Artanis): Noble lady runs back for Ol’ Blue Eyes.

[THEME: MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS]

Huinesoron, I think it was you who guessed the password? In which case, over to you! :)

[Huinesoron]

Oh, Weena the Eloi! It's been far too long since I read that.

I'm afraid I'll have to pass on creating one; as my attempts here have shown, I'm terrible at interpreting crossword clues, and creating them would be even harder. Perhaps next time, if I ever manage to guess one again. ;)

hS

[Pervinca Took]

Nerwen and Galadriel, you each guessed two clues. Would either of you like to post the next password?

If you don't have time, I have some already prepared, including two quite silly ones that are not so hard as the last. ;)

Huinesoron, don't be so hard on yourself! If anything, you were being too intelligent for the answers, by overthinking the clues. We've all been in that position; it's only easy when you know/wrote the answer and clue.

Don't be daunted by thinking you need to provide a theme as well as a password. That's only a recent thing. You don't have to provide a theme as well.

[Galadriel55]

I will pass on making the password. I will not be able to come up with anything worthwhile in the next few days.

Hui - maybe you should give it a go! Passwords have very few set rules, and each one of us has a different style of making the clues. If you scroll back to look at past examples in the last few months, you'll notice Squatter's passwords tend to be pure classic cryptic clues, while Morsul's tend to be more "straight clue heavy". There is no set rule for how you make the clues.

[Pervinca Took]

In fact, password clues do not even have to be cryptic. We just tend to write them that way.

[Huinesoron]

Hui - maybe you should give it a go! Passwords have very few set rules, and each one of us has a different style of making the clues. If you scroll back to look at past examples in the last few months, you'll notice Squatter's passwords tend to be pure classic cryptic clues, while Morsul's tend to be more "straight clue heavy". There is no set rule for how you make the clues.

Hmm... I'll give it a stab, then. I've got something half assembled; we'll see if the rest comes together.

hS

[Huinesoron]

Okay. I've definitely gone more 'riddle' than 'cryptic' here, though that's not to say there isn't some cryptic crossword chicanery in here. There is a theme, too.

(It's probably polite to mention that a couple of the answers are multiple words long; they're still taken straight from Tolkien, though.)

1. Before the blackness, seek their doom.
2. The slender bough bears a unique gift, but what meaning does it hold?
3. An elder claimed this eldest title, and sought the eldest's crown, but the eldest's servant ended him.
4. Here ended the endless; what did the makers make it?
5. Seven times named, but twice unnamed; what name is mine but never was?
6. A son full-grown bears his father's name in full.
7. Fall back, o masked one, and let the French striplings take the field.

So, um... good luck!

hS

[Pervinca Took]

3. An unconfident suggestion: Feanor claimed the title of High King of the Noldor, but was ended by a servant of the eldest Ainu.

6. Feanor was originally called Finwe, after his father (Curufinwe apparently came later as a name).

[Huinesoron]

Sadly neither suggestion is correct. I will mention that #3 is in strict chronological order, and that #6 is a touch on the cryptic side (and isn't looking for a name, as such).

[Pervinca Took]

4. The Endless Stair ended at Zirak-Zigil/Celebdil. The dwarves of Moria made it, and they made it winding/spiral.

[Huinesoron]

1. Before the blackness, seek their doom.
2. The slender bough bears a unique gift, but what meaning does it hold?
3. An elder claimed this eldest title, and sought the eldest's crown, but the eldest's servant ended him.
Zirak-Zigil - Here ended the endless; what did the makers make it?
5. Seven times named, but twice unnamed; what name is mine but never was?
6. A son full-grown bears his father's name in full.
7. Fall back, o masked one, and let the French striplings take the field.

It would've been 'what did the makers name it', but I had the word 'name' in the next two clues, plus I couldn't resist the repeated word-use.

hS

[Pervinca Took]

Is the password KHUZDUL, with a theme of dwarves/dwarf-related things?

[Pervinca Took]

And DURIN for 5, although I'm not sure about twice unnamed/mine but never was. Were we only told about 5 of the Durins, because the last two were yet to come?

[Huinesoron]

K - Before the blackness, seek their doom.
H - The slender bough bears a unique gift, but what meaning does it hold?
U - An elder claimed this eldest title, and sought the eldest's crown, but the eldest's servant ended him.
Zirak-Zigil - Here ended the endless; what did the makers make it?
Durin - Seven times named, but twice unnamed; what name is mine but never was?
U - A son full-grown bears his father's name in full.
L - Fall back, o masked one, and let the French striplings take the field.

That was impressively quick! I guess there aren't all that many words with a Z in the middle...

The theme is actually a bit more specific than you suggest; I'll let you keep working on that. :)

For Durin - there are seven Durins, but we don't know either their Khuzdul names, nor their 'actual' Middle-earth names - 'Durin' is Old Norse, not Old Westron. So they were 'unnamed' twice, and the name they actually have was never 'really' used.

hS

[Pervinca Took]

I wonder if one of the U's could be 'Under the Mountain.' I'm leaning towards it being the second one, (not that it is probably either!)

[Huinesoron]

I wonder if one of the U's could be 'Under the Mountain.' I'm leaning towards it being the second one, (not that it is probably either!)

Alas, no, though one of them has a certain resonance with it.

hS

[Pervinca Took]

The K clue ... Khazad-dum I believe meant dwarf mansion (a place of splendour), but was doomed to become Moria, which I believe means darkness/blackness.

[Huinesoron]

Khazad-dum - Before the blackness, seek their doom.
H - The slender bough bears a unique gift, but what meaning does it hold?
U - An elder claimed this eldest title, and sought the eldest's crown, but the eldest's servant ended him.
Zirak-Zigil - Here ended the endless; what did the makers make it?
Durin - Seven times named, but twice unnamed; what name is mine but never was?
U - A son full-grown bears his father's name in full.
L - Fall back, o masked one, and let the French striplings take the field.

Khazad-dum it is, which was not only doomed, it also includes a word phonetically very similar to 'doom'. (And Moria is the Black Pit, of course - much to the chagrin of Durin after Celebrimbor engraved it on his doors.)

hS

[Pervinca Took]

Wondering if the first U could be Uzbad Khazaddum. I was looking through the U's on Tolkien Gateway, and this is apparently 'Lord of Moria' in Khuzdul, from the runes on Balin's tomb.

Balin was an old dwarf, I believe, and assumed the title some of the Durins had - the sixth, I think, being killed by a Balrog (servant of the first Dark Lord and eldest Ainu).

[Huinesoron]

Khazad-dum - Before the blackness, seek their doom.
H - The slender bough bears a unique gift, but what meaning does it hold?
Uzbad Khazaddumu - An elder claimed this eldest title, and sought the eldest's crown, but the eldest's servant ended him.
Zirak-Zigil - Here ended the endless; what did the makers make it?
Durin - Seven times named, but twice unnamed; what name is mine but never was?
U - A son full-grown bears his father's name in full.
L - Fall back, o masked one, and let the French striplings take the field.

Exactly right on Balin, and when he was killed (shot by an orc, I believe, who was definitely a servant of one Ainu or another) he eas looking into Mirrormere - at Durin's Crown.

hS

[Pervinca Took]

Could H be Hollin? There seems to be a Moria connection to the clues, and Hollin was close by, and I think the name is connected with holly.

[Huinesoron]

I like your thinking, but I'm afraid not.

hS

[Nerwen]

Well, I'm back, she said.

Congratulations on guessing the last one, Huinesoron. A question- is it significant that the password is KHUZDUL rather than KHAZÂD?

[Nerwen]

What about AZAGHÂL (backwards) for the last one?

[Huinesoron]

Khazad-dum - Before the blackness, seek their doom.
H - The slender bough bears a unique gift, but what meaning does it hold?
Uzbad Khazaddumu - An elder claimed this eldest title, and sought the eldest's crown, but the eldest's servant ended him.
Zirak-Zigil - Here ended the endless; what did the makers make it?
Durin - Seven times named, but twice unnamed; what name is mine but never was?
U - A son full-grown bears his father's name in full.
Lahgaza [Agazhal] - Fall back, o masked one, and let the French striplings take the field.

[Theme: Khuzdul]

Yes and yes, and I'm going to take that as close enough to a theme guess to count. 'Durin' is the only outlier, standing in for a Khuzdul name we simply don't have; all of the others are directly tied to the language.

And I sincerely apologise for La Gaza. ;)

hS

[Pervinca Took]

Understand La for French 'the,' but could you explain Gaza?

(I was trying to construct something from le/la + lad).

Was Azarghal masked at some point?

[Huinesoron]

One of the two parts of the Palestinian Territories is the Gaza Strip. Since I felt that 'French strippers' was probably inappropriate, striplings it was.

I'm pretty sure it was Azaghal's dwarves who resisted Glaurung by virtue of their iron masks; poetic license says their king probably had one too.

hS

[Pervinca Took]

Ah, I see. I knew about the Gaza strip. Just thought it must be a synonym of stripling/lad that we were looking for.

Can't find anything in Khuzdul to fit the remainng clues, and very little of it at all beginning with U or H.

There is HAZAD, meaning seven, but it's nothing to do with a branch or a gift. Except that seven rings were gifted to the dwarves.

[Nerwen]

Ah, I see. I knew about the Gaza strip. Just thought it must be a synonym of stripling/lad that we were looking for.

Can't find anything in Khuzdul to fit the remainng clues, and very little of it at all beginning with U or H.

There is HAZAD, meaning seven, but it's nothing go do with a branch or a gift. Except that seven rings were gifted to the dwarves.
And dwarven culture doesn't feature plants very much, so- what meaning does it hold? Curious...

[Pervinca Took]

Unless it's the trees carved on the door of Moria. I think they bear crescent moons (because I can hear Ian Holm's Frodo saying so in my head).

[Huinesoron]

Clues, clues, clues...

H - The slender bough bears a unique gift, but what meaning does it hold?

-Neither the 'slender bough' nor the 'meaning' are in Khuzdul, and most of the time neither is the 'gift'.
-It may help to consider synonyms.

U - A son full-grown bears his father's name in full.

-The answer is not a full Khuzdul word, but the meaning is extremely clear from context.
-The clue tells you exactly where to find the answer.

hS

[Nerwen]

#6 is also most puzzling, since we know very few Khuzdul personal names, and none beginning with U (IIRC).

However, in the already-mentioned inscription on Balin's tomb,Balin Fundinul Uzbad Khazaddumu/Balin son of Fundin, Lord of Moria we have a sort of hybrid patronymic formed from the Mannish name Fundin + -ul. Is the answer simply this ending -ul?

[Pervinca Took]

I was wondering if it was something along those lines.

... It's in 'full.'

Also, if it means 'son of,' I guess males only use that form of patronymic once they're full-grown?

And was that the one of the two remaining unsolved clues where you said the answer was there in the clue?

[Pervinca Took]

Khazad-dum - Before the blackness, seek their doom.
H - The slender bough bears a unique gift, but what meaning does it hold?
Uzbad Khazaddumu - An elder claimed this eldest title, and sought the eldest's crown, but the eldest's servant ended him.
Zirak-Zigil - Here ended the endless; what did the makers make it?
Durin - Seven times named, but twice unnamed; what name is mine but never was?
U - A son full-grown bears his father's name in full.
Lahgaza [Agazhal] - Fall back, o masked one, and let the French striplings take the field.

[Theme: Khuzdul]

hS

Just copied onto this page so we can see the clues without having to click back.

H clue:

Possible synonyms for 'meaning' could be SENSE, GIST (which has some of GIFT in it) or POINT.

'Slender bough' could be TWIG or BRANCH 'thinned' by the removal of one or more of its letters. Or perhaps LOG.

Or ROD. But HARHODROND is Elvish, and does not satisfy the other criteria either.

Hmmm ....

[Huinesoron]

Khazad-dum - Before the blackness, seek their doom.
H - The slender bough bears a unique gift, but what meaning does it hold?
Uzbad Khazaddumu - An elder claimed this eldest title, and sought the eldest's crown, but the eldest's servant ended him.
Zirak-Zigil - Here ended the endless; what did the makers make it?
Durin - Seven times named, but twice unnamed; what name is mine but never was?
-Ul - A son full-grown bears his father's name in full.
Lahgaza [Agazhal] - Fall back, o masked one, and let the French striplings take the field.

[Theme: Khuzdul]

'-ul' it is, and Balin (the only use I know of) was full-grown at the time. More - he was as full as he would ever be grown, since he was, y'know... dead. (And yeah... it's 'in fULl'.)

For H: Pervinca, you actually mentioned one of the synonyms you need to find in your most recent post... but not in the right context. EDIT: And now you've said them both...

hS

[Pervinca Took]

I suppose the synonyms need translating into Khuzdul.

[Huinesoron]

I suppose the synonyms need translating into Khuzdul.

Not even I would be that cruel.

[Pervinca Took]

I can't have mentioned them. They don't combine with H to make anything meaningful.

[Huinesoron]

I never said they did. :D

The 'it' refers back to 'gift', not 'slender bough'.

hS

[Nerwen]

Thinking aloud...

Well, I went and consulted the Ardalambion website, according to which no known word or word element in Khuzdul begins with H ("hazad" is Adûnaic). So if that's right the answer must be a word or phrase translating something in Khuzdul- e.g. HADHODROND might be the right type of answer, anyway.

[Huinesoron]

Indeed, you are digging in the right direction. :)

hS