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Old 09-08-2003, 09:47 PM   #36
Aiwendil
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Join Date: Mar 2001
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Sting

Quote:
Here we have a troublesome point in the narrative. I don't understand the change from "that" to "a" in FG-B-06.05b.
I think that FG-B-06.05b was deleted. In the FoG section 4 thread, I think Maedhros and I came to a tentative agreement not to keep this change.

Quote:
"dragon of fire" in the first sentence is a type 3. But that brings in some confusion since "the very feet of the trampling beast" and "a foot of the creature" most refer to the bronze serpent that had ruined the wall, since the description of the type 3 monsters does not allow any feet. The following "drake" and "beast" must refer therefore to the same type dragon that Tour had hurt. In this paragraph we get some confusion between the first mentioning of a type 3 and than a fight against a type 2. Since the safest way to bring in clarity is elimination of one dragon I suppose that could go:
Hmm, I'm not sure what to make of this. But in this case, there is clearly no change relating to the addition of the type 4 dragons. The text may be unclear, but it is not made unclear as a result of our meddling; it is an original feature. So since it is the original text itself that contains the confusing point, I would leave it. It is not our job to improve or clarify Tolkien's text - the only time clarification ought to be considered is when something becomes unclear as a result of changes we have made.

Quote:
So I am at a loss to decide what to do with these "fire-drake". But since the project leans against changes for clarity, and only such one could be made here, we must let the reader decide for himself what to make of it.
Agreed. The "fire-drake" could easily be a type 4. Was not Glaurung an "Uruloke"?

Quote:
Again a detail that is new and surprising: The "serpents of iron" could "spout flame"! I am again at a lose, what we should do here. I am inclined to deny the possibility of iron serpents that spout flame. But that goes for the old Tale as it does for our version. If this is a slip of the pen it has survived the revision from Tour A to Tour B and the proofread before the reading to the Exeter College (or was produced in one of these). So we could let it stand.
You're right - this is indeed extremely puzzling. But again, and as you point out, it is a feature of the original tale and as such ought to be left alone, whether it makes sense or not.

[ September 10, 2003: Message edited by: Aiwendil ]
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