Where did Radagast dwell?

[Quempel]

The first working map that J.R.R. Tolkien made of Middle-earth shows Rhosgobel situated on the edge of Mirkwood just south of the Gladden Fields. However, a note appended to the essay on the Istari in Unfinished Tales places Rhosgobel farther north, between the Old Forest Road and the Carrock.

http://www.tuckborough.net/dwellings.html

I found this looking for information. I think that Tolkien wasn't set on where it was and had changed it. That said, I always believed Radagast lived in the woods near by Mirkwood, but did not interact much with Elves or Humans but with animals and plants, so he would not be out and about within the normal paths and Rhosgobel could cover the area between southern edge of mirkwood and going further north between the Old Forest Road ect.

[Aiwendil]

Here's a highly speculative idea: suppose we try to reconcile the various quotations by positing two distinct homes for Radagast?

At one time, Radagast lived at his 'old home', Rhosgobel, which was near the borders of Mirkwood at around Beorn's latitude (the northern of the two locations), thus satisfying:

It was Radagast the Brown, who at one time dwelt at Rhosgobel, near the borders of Mirkwood.

In a very late note on the names of the Istari Radagast is said to be a name deriving from the Men of the Vales of Anduin, "not now clearly interpretable." Rhosgobel, called "the old home of Radagast" in The Fellowship of the Ring II 3, is said to have been "in the forest between the Carrock and the Old Forest Road."

Later (by the time of The Hobbit), Radagast left Rhosgobel for some reason and took up residence at another location further south, thus making this statement true when it was made:

perhaps you have heard of my good cousin Radagast who lives near the Southern borders of Mirkwood?

The only quotation against which this supposition seems to go awry is this:

...and some of these had crossed the Mountains and entered Mirkwood, while others had climbed the pass at the source of the Gladden River, and had come down into Wilderland and over the Gladden Fields and so at length had reached the old home of Radagast at Rhosgobel. Radagast was not there; and they had returned over the high pass that was called the Dimrill Stair.

This suggests that Rhosgobel was at roughly the same latitude as the Gladden Fields. It also suggests that (even though Rhosgobel is his 'old home' and he is not there) Elrond expected Radagast to be at Rhosgobel. However, one could imagine that the scouts passed 'over the Gladden Fields' northward and so came to Rhosgobel (though why they would not cross at the more northern pass is a mystery). One could further suppose that Radagast had not definitively abandoned Rhosgobel in favour of the more southern location; perhaps he spent some time at each (and indeed, that may be why he was not at Rhosgobel when Elrond's people arrived).

I don't think I really believe the above proposal, but I thought it might be interesting to consider.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Aiwendil, it's true, as you said yourself, that the version you posted does not make sense - however, what if we reversed it? What if Radagast at first lived near the Southern end of the forest, that was his "old home" - he lived there still by the time Gandalf visited Beorn (as Gandalf says to Beorn). This "old home" was what the scouts visited:

...and some of these had crossed the Mountains and entered Mirkwood, while others had climbed the pass at the source of the Gladden River, and had come down into Wilderland and over the Gladden Fields and so at length had reached the old home of Radagast at Rhosgobel

And Radagast was not there. He moved. Why? Because, as we read elsewhere, Dol Guldur was populated again, "and with power sevenfold". It was no longer safe for Radagast to dwell down there, so he moved further North and built "New Rhosgobel" in the land near the Beornings, who probably were his friends and where he felt safer.

And this:

In a very late note on the names of the Istari Radagast is said to be a name deriving from the Men of the Vales of Anduin, "not now clearly interpretable." Rhosgobel, called "the old home of Radagast" in The Fellowship of the Ring II 3, is said to have been "in the forest between the Carrock and the Old Forest Road."

is just how Christopher explains the note of his father. The note was, as it seems to me from this quote, something like "Rhosgobel was between the Carrock and Old Forest Road". Christopher added the words "called the old home of Radagast". Do you see where I am heading? Christopher was not aware that there were two Rhosgobels and identified the "old home" with Rhosgobel from this note. But the Rhosgobel from the note was Rhosgobel#2.

I'm not expecting this to be accepted as a canonical answer, but we have one proverb in Czech: I don't know if an equivalent is in English, but we say "So that the wolf was fed but the goat remained whole". I think this is the case when the wolf was fed - but the goat remained whole.

[Aiwendil]

Another interesting idea, Legate. The problem of course is that then you need to posit two Rhosgobels, which is not anywhere suggested. Whereas if we suppose that the southern location was not called Rhosgobel, we don't have that problem - but we run into trouble with the LotR quote.

I think the 'real' answer is simply that when he wrote the late note, JRRT had forgotten what he'd written many years earlier. It certainly wouldn't be surprising, nor the only instance.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Aiwendil

Another interesting idea, Legate. The problem of course is that then you need to posit two Rhosgobels, which is not anywhere suggested. Whereas if we suppose that the southern location was not called Rhosgobel, we don't have that problem - but we run into trouble with the LotR quote.

Well, I thought that both the places could be called Rhosgobel. Radagast lived in "Rhosgobel 1" in the South, and when he had to leave it, he lacked the place so much that he named the second place where he dwelt the same (and probably built that "russet village" there, along with his friends who were, let's say, woodsmen who also had to leave their former homes).

[Aiwendil]

Yes, that's conceivable. Another point in favour of your hypothesis is that it seems more probable that Radagast would move from south to north, rather than vice versa, as Dol Guldur's power increased.

On the other hand - let me take one more stab at my proposal. Suppose that at the time when Elrond sent out his scouts, Radagast was at neither of his homes (off on an adventure somewhere, perhaps). The scouts passed over the Gladden fields and visited his southern home (the one not named Rhosgobel). Finding him not there, they went northward and visited his 'old home' at Rhosgobel, between the Carrock and the forest road. He was not there either. That would, I think, satisfy the letter of what is stated in LotR, if not the spirit. One could further suppose that he did not move south until after Sauron had returned to Mordor - at which time the terror of Dol Guldur would have been somewhat reduced.

Again, this is just an entertaining exercise as far as I'm concerned. I would be very, very surprised if Tolkien had any such convoluted concept in mind.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Well, yes, this idea would be possible as well. In that case, Radagast's movement to South would be probably a movement made by the White Council in their preparations to strike towards Dol Guldur, planting a scout near the targeted spot.

But I think we have said quite enough on that topic. Now, we can make a nice bridge to my next question: it seems obvious, and it has been already mentioned here, that Radagast abandoned his dwelling later. The fact that the scouting party did not find him is not much of a proof of that; he could have been just outside for a few days or weeks, let's say rallying some birds to his cause in sending help to Gandalf or Saruman. But from Gandalf's words at the Council:

It was Radagast the Brown, who at one time dwelt at Rhosgobel, near the borders of Mirkwood.

we can presume that Radagast had, for some reason, indeed left his home. Of course we could interpretate it that way that he first (i.e. when he came to Middle-Earth) did not have any "home" and later he settled down at Rhosgobel, but all the other things could point to the fact that he was indeed living there and then, some time after the events described in the Hobbit, he left his home. Now, taking aside my and Aiwendil's hypothesis about "two homes", where else and why do you think Radagast could move away from his home? I would be very interested to hear different ideas and suggestions, for many people can bring many different and interesting ideas. So, what do you think? Why did Radagast leave Rhosgobel (if he did) and where did he go (if anywhere)?