[Nogrod]

Well, of the four G55 mentioned in her opening post I'd pretty much think Bombadill and "There and Back Again" to be the best contestants.

Okay. Let's try some competition as it seems Bombadill is surfing away.

Now Bombadill, obviously could be seen as an absurd character both in the story but also as to why he is in the story in the first place. But on the other side he seems to be a most competent, decent and powerful character... If Gandalf spends time with him to learn things, if he saves the hobbits two times, if someone as wise and delightful as Goldberry wants to live with him... so can he really be that absurd?

Then again, any decent hobbit knows taking on a journey of "There and Back again" - let alone any journey off the Hobbitton - is an absurd idea. Why would anyone in their right minds want to do that? From a hobbit perspective it would be a most absurd thing to do.

I liked the argument that Attercop is absurd as it and other spiders went mad of being called names, but I'm not sure that is enough to challenge the other two.

With Merry I agree with Menel, that he's nowhere close to Pip in absurdity... if you can call a hobbitt-sillyness or thoughtlesness, or childishness, or inexperience etc. "absurd" in the first place.


Of others I think a case could be made for Isengard and Legolas (in case we interpreted it as the movie-Legolas aka. Orlando Bloom doing his skateboarding stunts etc. - that was absurd indeed!), maybe Denethor as well...

I try to come back a bit later with some added ideas on especially the latter ones.