FIGWIT is.......

[mark12_30]

Not named, but plausible:

Elrond was there, and several others were seated in silence about him. Frodo saw Glorfindel ...

Beside Glorfindel there were several other counsellors of Elrond’s household, of whom Erestor was the chief; and with him was Galdor, an Elf from the Grey Havens who had come on an errand from Círdan the Shipwright. There was also a strange Elf clad in green and brown, Legolas, a messenger from his father, Thranduil, the King of the Elves of Northern Mirkwood.

Well, well. Lindir.

You know, Lindir always annoyed me with his "Mortals have not been our study" quip. I thought it was a bit arrogant.

‘Now we had better have it again,’ said an Elf.

Bilbo got up and bowed. ‘I am flattered, Lindir,’ he said. ‘But it would be too tiring to repeat it all.’

‘Not too tiring for you,’ the Elves answered laughing. ‘You know you are never tired of reciting your own verses. But really we cannot answer your question at one hearing!’

‘What!’ cried Bilbo. ‘You can’t tell which parts were mine, and which were the Dúnadan’s?’

‘It is not easy for us to tell the difference between two mortals,’ said the Elf.

‘Nonsense, Lindir,’ snorted Bilbo. ‘If you can’t distinguish between a Man and a Hobbit, your judgement is poorer than I imagined. They’re as different as peas and apples.’

‘Maybe. To sheep other sheep no doubt appear different,’ laughed Lindir. ‘Or to shepherds. But Mortals have not been our study. We have other business.’

Ah there, I should be less defensive about the musings of an overly-sheltered elf.

[Mithalwen]

I wonder how much arrogance and how much keeping clear due to unfortunate track records... or course the hobbits, and increasingly most mortal men haven't made much study of elves either though that is generally regarded as ignorance rather than arrogance - and of course the elves have rather more time at their disposal. The rohirrim regard Lorien with gread superstition and suspicion and have done for a long time if the story of Cirion and Eorl is an indicator and Boromir seems more of their mind though of course he had his own reasons for feeling uneasy under Galadriel's gaze. Only exceptional men even among the highborn other than the Northern Dunedain, seem to have a knowledge of Elves, Denethor, Faramir, Imrahil..

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

Only exceptional men even among the highborn other than the Northern Dunedain, seem to have a knowledge of Elves, Denethor, Faramir, Imrahil..

And even they regard the Elves rather warily.

And I'm sorry, but Figwit has always sounded to me like something Elrond would utter when Bilbo spilled pipe-ash on the Hall of Fire's carpeting.

[Elmo]

Living at Rivendell surely he would have encountered many travellers, men and dwarf. He lived in the same place as Aragorn for about 20 years. Surely someone living in such a cosmopolitan place wouldn't fall into the 'they all look the same' brigade.

[Mithalwen]

But don't forget it was a trick question - it was all Bilbo's so nothing to tell apart. And until Frodo and Co arrived Bilbo would have been the only hobbit he had met.

[Pitchwife]

...a young man with a pretty but rather bland face and a none too intelligent expression on it. What's all the hype about him?

[mark12_30]

For myself, rather than any inherent interest in FIGWIT himself, it is a contentment that some canonical character has, after all, shown up.

I would be more satisfied still if the blacksmith from ROTK who reforged Narsil, showed up as Galdor's right hand man. Or perhaps Glorfindel's right hand man.

I doubt that Glorfindel or Galdor would have been forging the sword themselves. But then, why not? They had millenia to pick up various skills. Hmmm. The ROTK blacksmith as Glorfindel... now that would be interesting.