Quote:
Originally Posted by Inziladun
If forsaken was simply meant as an adjective instead of part of the inn's name, wouldn't Aragorn have referred to it as the forsaken inn?
|
Depends, I think - if it had been forsaken for a long time and/or the ruins were a well-known landmark, the name would have become a standing term and thus acquired upper-case initials, especially if it was the only such place in the region.
If it was the name of a working inn, it would indicate a weird sense of humour on the landlord's part, and an even weirder sense of advertising. I mean, imagine yourself in the boots of a weary traveller stumbling across a roadsign
1 mile to Forsaken Inn! Wouldn't your heart be gladdened?
Well, in bad weather you might at least hope the wretched thing still had a roof...
OK, there's the possibility it had been restored and reopened after having been abandoned for quite a while, in which case people might still refer to it as the Forsaken Inn out of habit, and because it's easier to pronounce than TAFKATFI (The Accomodation Formerly Known As The Forsaken Inn).
Or (as it's Aragorn who mentions it) maybe it was truly forsaken in the sense of no longer being a working inn, but frequented and maintained as an (unmanned) outpost by the Rangers - a place where they could find some shelter and firewood on their wanderings, perhaps a small store of
cram and cured meat too. If it was a well-known place among them, that could explain the capitals.