Tuor, you've got it! The speaker is Feanor, defending the correct pronunciation of þ in Quenya (and deriding that adopted by his stepmother Indis and her children); from The Shibboleth of Feanor, HoME XII. Probably rather esoteric...

Anyway, it's your turn.

Thanks. You must be one of those real M-E
specialists. I have some of CT's specialist
volumes on M-E but haven't really read/studied
them. I'm out for a while but will try to post
sometime today.

Aha, that's the solution of this riddle! I was sure that I had never read this quote before.:p

@Pitchwife: in this thread we use quotes from LotR, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.
For the HoME, there is a separate "Palantir of Fortune"-thread here.
As you see, nobody posted there since almost 2 years, but you are welcome to revive it!:)

For Tolkien's "Minor Works" there is also a separate Palantir of Fortune thread.

I had concluded it was one of Finwë's descendants speaking, but like Guinevere I was flummoxed as to the source.

Apologies to everybody - I wasn't aware that there are different Palantírs for different sources, though I guess I could have found out if I had tried. And I wasn't trying to show off (welll... maybe a little bit;)). By the way, guess where I first learned that this obscure text exists?:)

Interesting. And on reconsideration, since I didn't get
the speaker, why not someone else take the next
quote? Whoever's ready first.

You were the closest to having it, Tuor, so I've no problem with you going ahead.

Fair enough. try this one:

- - - ' - / - - - - - / - - - - - - - - - / - - - - - - - / - - - - - - , / - - /
- - - - - - - - - / - - - / - - - - / - - - - - - / - - / - - - .

T

M for me.

C, please!

Are there any O's?

- o - ' t / - t - - t / - - - m - - - - - / - - - - - - t / o - - - - - , / o - /
- o m - t - - - - / - - - / - - - - / - - - - - - / - o / - o - .

tomc (no "c"s)

S pleassse

- o - ' t / s t - - t / - - - m - - - - - / - - - - - s t / o - - - - s , / o - /
- o m - t - - - - / - - - / - - - - / - - - - - - / - o / - o - .

stomc (no "c"s)

R's?

- o - ' t / s t - r t / -r- - m - - - - - / - - - - - s t / o r - - r s , / o r /
- o m - t - - - - / - - - / - - - - / - - - - - - / - o / - o - .

rstomc (no "c"s)

How about E?

A?

An 'N' would be useful

- o n ' t / s t a r t / -r- - m - - - n - / a - a - n s t / o r - e r s , / o r /
- o m e t - - n - / - a - / - - - - / - a - - e n / - o / - o - .

Toms crane (no "c"s)

I have the words worked out, and it's maddeningly familiar, but I can't place the speaker...

EDIT- Finally got it.

Thorin to Bombur in Mirkwood.

That's it. The quote was selective to
make it suggestive of, say, an orc.

Your turn.

You indeed had me thinking along those lines, which is the reason I found it so vexing.

Here's the next:

- -/ - - - -/ - - - - -/ - -/ - -/ - - -/. - - -/ - - - - - -/ - -/ - - - - -/ - - -/
- - - - - - -/, - - - - - -/ - -/ - -/ - -/ - - -/ - - - - -/ - -/ - - -/ - - - - - -/.

Any "O"s?

O

- -/ - - - -/ - - - - -/ - -/ o -/ - - -/. - - -/ - - - - - -/ - -/ - - - - -/ - o -/
- o - - - - -/, - - o - - -/ - -/ - -/ - -/ - - -/ - o - - -/ o -/ - - -/ - - - - - -/.

I?

"a"s, please.

N please

OIAN

- -/ - i - -/ - - - i -/ - -/ o -/ a - -/. - - -/ - - - - - -/ - -/ - - a - -/ n o -/
- o - - a n -/, - - o - - -/ i -/ - -/ - -/ - - -/ - o - - -/ o -/ - i -/ - a - - - -/.

T-time!:)

OIANT

- -/ - i - -/ - t - i -/ - -/ o -/ a - -/. - - t/ - - - - - -/ - -/ - - a - -/ n o t/
- o - - a n -/, - - o - - -/ i t/ - -/ - -/ - - -/ - o - t -/ o -/ - i -/ - a t - - -/.

"F"s?

How about R?

OIANTFR
My apologies for leaving out a couple of Ts previously.

- -/ - i - -/ - t r i -/ - -/ o f/ a - -/. - - t/ - - - - - f/ - -/ - - a - -/ n o t/
- o - - a n -/, t - o - - -/ i t/ - -/ - -/ t - -/ - o - t h/ o f/ h i -/ f a t h - r/.

"L"s?

OIANTFRL

- -/ - i l l/ - t r i -/ - -/ o f/ a l l/. - - t/ - - - - l f/ - -/ - - a l l/ n o t/
- o - - a n -/, t - o - - -/ i t/ - -/ - -/ t - -/ - o - t h/ o f/ h i -/ f a t h - r/.

"h"s, please.

http://www.myrias.de/Templates/Elrond/images/idea.gif

"He will strip me of all. But myself he shall not command, though it be by the mouth of his father."

The thoughts of Erendis (about Aldarion).

You have it, Guinevere.
The thread's yours. :)