1. A mutt full of courage, we hear, for him.
2. For him, pride (and greed) comes before the Fall
DRAGONS: According to Martin, it's their dance.
4. The Sire of the greatest.
5. The one with many colors, named by his tower.
6. The plague of Arda, and bane of young.
SAURON: Described by the title.

2. Melkor? Or maybe Ar-Pharazon?

Is the password BADDIES?

5. ISENGARD?

B: A mutt full of courage, we hear, for him.
AR-PHARAZON: For him, pride (and greed) comes before the Fall
DRAGONS: According to Martin, it's their dance.
D: The Sire of the greatest.
ISENGARD: The one with many colors, named by his tower.
E: The plague of Arda, and bane of young.
SAURON: Described by the title.

Which presumably makes D DRAUGLUIN?

hS

B: A mutt full of courage, we hear, for him.
AR-PHARAZON: For him, pride (and greed) comes before the Fall
DRAGONS: According to Martin, it's their dance.
DRAUGLUIN: The Sire of the greatest.
ISENGARD: The one with many colors, named by his tower.
E: The plague of Arda, and bane of young.
SAURON: Described by the title.

1. Balrog now I’m forcing the clues to fit

Bulldog + …synonym for courage scrambled in the middle… sounds like Balrog

Not so.

I think B might be BOLDOG instead, from the Lay of Leithian era.

For E, "bane of the young" plus Urwen saying it suggests EVIL BREATH, killer of... well, Urwen!

hS

Now it ends
 

BOLDOG: A mutt full of courage, we hear, for him.
AR-PHARAZON: For him, pride (and greed) comes before the Fall
DRAGONS: According to Martin, it's their dance.
DRAUGLUIN: The Sire of the greatest.
ISENGARD: The one with many colors, named by his tower.
EVIL BREATH: The plague of Arda, and bane of young.
SAURON: Described by the title.

And over to Pervinca!

Thanks - but I only solved the easiest clues, I think, and only got the password because of G55's work. ;) Still, here, according to the rules, is the next password:

1. Initially ruby red hot spam in a mélange shows directions.
2. An affectionate chap, this Bill.
3. Exclamation jars out here.
4. Nothing for Pony waiter who’s lost weight? See what a muddle there is here!
5. Oh Mr Branagh, protect us! Hear him! See him!
6. Gallant and brave, but confused, and with a liquid shift.
7. He’s all about this undergarment and its cup size!
8. Haradrim lad rises to the challenge. See the place within!
9. French betrayal without care meets a mixed-up boy for this chap.

8. Imladris

Is #2 a certain comedically named troll WILLIAM HUGGINS, (esquire)?

1. Initially ruby red hot spam in a mélange shows directions.
HUGGINS: An affectionate chap, this Bill.
3. Exclamation jars out here.
4. Nothing for Pony waiter who’s lost weight? See what a muddle there is here!
5. Oh Mr Branagh, protect us! Hear him! See him!
6. Gallant and brave, but confused, and with a liquid shift.
7. He’s all about this undergarment and its cup size!
IMLADRIS: Haradrim lad rises to the challenge. See the place within!
9. French betrayal without care meets a mixed-up boy for this chap.

It is. ;)

Password: THE HOBBIT?

1. THROR'S MAP: R. R. + hot + spam - and does indeed show directions!

THROR'S MAP: Initially ruby red hot spam in a mélange shows directions.
HUGGINS: An affectionate chap, this Bill.
E Exclamation jars out here.

H Nothing for Pony waiter who’s lost weight? See what a muddle there is here!
O Oh Mr Branagh, protect us! Hear him! See him!
B Gallant and brave, but confused, and with a liquid shift.
B He’s all about this undergarment and its cup size!
IMLADRIS: Haradrim lad rises to the challenge. See the place within!
T French betrayal without care meets a mixed-up boy for this chap.

Good work!

O: Oh Ken, shield! (OAKENSHIELD)

hS

THROR'S MAP: Initially ruby red hot spam in a mélange shows directions.
HUGGINS: An affectionate chap, this Bill.
E Exclamation jars out here.

H Nothing for Pony waiter who’s lost weight? See what a muddle there is here!
OAKENSHIELD: Oh Mr Branagh, protect us! Hear him! See him!
B Gallant and brave, but confused, and with a liquid shift.
B He’s all about this undergarment and its cup size!
IMLADRIS: Haradrim lad rises to the challenge. See the place within!
T French betrayal without care meets a mixed-up boy for this chap.

For the second B I originally thought Bra'n'D, but 'all about' makes it even simpler: BARD.

hS

THROR'S MAP: Initially ruby red hot spam in a mélange shows directions.
HUGGINS: An affectionate chap, this Bill.
E Exclamation jars out here.

H Nothing for Pony waiter who’s lost weight? See what a muddle there is here!
OAKENSHIELD: Oh Mr Branagh, protect us! Hear him! See him!
B Gallant and brave, but confused, and with a liquid shift.
BARD: He’s all about this undergarment and its cup size!
IMLADRIS: Haradrim lad rises to the challenge. See the place within!
T French betrayal without care meets a mixed-up boy for this chap.

Correct - King Bard, known for cup D sized man boobs in later life.

T: French for "betrayal" is trahison. If we drop the -ison as somehow being "care", and add lad > ald, we meet TRAHALD.

E: so you can make a soundalike for ESGAROTH from the first syllables of your three words: Ex > es, jar > gar (like "gif"), out > outh > oth.

H: so I wanted "lost weight" to mean a letter or two removed (eg g, lb), but that makes it really hard to find an H. If it doesn't, mean that, then we could be looking at O + (B/N)ob + light, which... I guess it has most of the letters for HOBBITON? You can get even closer with Nil + Bob + hot, if the weight-loss made him attractive (or sweaty).

B: No idea; I'm gonna guess BILBO or BALIN, as both are either gallant or brave and have liquids in their names.

hS

THROR'S MAP: Initially ruby red hot spam in a mélange shows directions.
HUGGINS: An affectionate chap, this Bill.
ESGAROTH: Exclamation jars out here.

HOBBITON: Nothing for Pony waiter who’s lost weight? See what a muddle there is here!
OAKENSHIELD: Oh Mr Branagh, protect us! Hear him! See him!
B Gallant and brave, but confused, and with a liquid shift.
BARD: He’s all about this undergarment and its cup size!
IMLADRIS: Haradrim lad rises to the challenge. See the place within!
TRAHALD: French betrayal without care meets a mixed-up boy for this chap.

ESGAROTH is OH + GRATES (jars) mixed up. 'Out' is the anagram indicator.

TRAHISON - SOIN (care) + LAD = TRAHALD.

O + BOB + THIN = HOBBITON.

B starts off with a word meaning gallant and brave.

Only one to go!

As stated above, B starts off with a word meaning gallant and brave.

I'm running up against Boldog, who does not appear in The Hobbit. BOLG?

... or, okay, if the synonym is "noble", we can do an L>R shift and hit BEORN?

hS

THROR'S MAP: Initially ruby red hot spam in a mélange shows directions.
HUGGINS: An affectionate chap, this Bill.
ESGAROTH: Exclamation jars out here.

HOBBITON: Nothing for Pony waiter who’s lost weight? See what a muddle there is here!
OAKENSHIELD: Oh Mr Branagh, protect us! Hear him! See him!
BEORN: Gallant and brave, but confused, and with a liquid shift.
BARD: He’s all about this undergarment and its cup size!
IMLADRIS: Haradrim lad rises to the challenge. See the place within!
TRAHALD: French betrayal without care meets a mixed-up boy for this chap.

Exactly so. Shift from one liquid to another.

And over to Galadriel!

Thank you! Here's another (hopefully) easy one.


1. Angband? Singular and undescriptive. You in, by the sound of it, and cold and blue.
2. Me, a Numenorean queen, loses myself when confusion noted, and shining bright.
3. The sun shines in rightless kingdom.
4. Ringil gets five first over top for a right, before it floats.
5. Earwen changes the head of war for backwards top, and a relative appears.
6. Light goes a different way and becomes its opposite.
7. A fictional coin for reaping.

2. Isilme?
6. Night?

1. Urin? He saw Angband, up close and personal, and he ended up...well, in cold and blue.

1. Angband? Singular and undescriptive. You in, by the sound of it, and cold and blue.
2. Me, a Numenorean queen, loses myself when confusion noted, and shining bright.
3. The sun shines in rightless kingdom.
4. Ringil gets five first over top for a right, before it floats.
5. Earwen changes the head of war for backwards top, and a relative appears.
6. NIGHT: Light goes a different way and becomes its opposite.
7. A fictional coin for reaping.


Yes to Night. No to Isilme. And I don't even know who Urin is...

(Urin is an old form of Hurin's name.)

In order of my thought process this morning:

#7: A SICKLE is a coin from Harry Potter, I believe.

#3: Can't make this Gondor, but if you remove R(ight) from Arnor, you get ANOR, the Sun.

Hmm... lots of sky stuff here.

#5: the 'head of war' is W. "Earen" evokes a certain name that fits the theme, and sure enough, a top is a lid > EARENDIL.

If #4 gets 'five first', that could be a Roman V, which means the password can be HEAVENS.

#1: Should end with -uin (but not the whale). Angband is the Hells of Iron; take away the plural and the descriptor and we get the stay HELLUIN.

#4: 'it floats' + V suggests VINGILOT, ship of Earendil. Ringil > Vingil, 'over top' could be top backwards, and 'for a right' would indicate that we're only using the right part, ie -ot.

hS

Yes and yes and yes! Vingilot comes from Ringil - R(ight) + V (Roman 5) + O. T. (first of Over Top).

One more to go!


1. HELLUIN: Angband? Singular and undescriptive. You in, by the sound of it, and cold and blue.
2. E Me, a Numenorean queen, loses myself when confusion noted, and shining bright.
3. ANOR: The sun shines in rightless kingdom.
4. VINGILOT: Ringil gets five first over top for a right, before it floats.
5. EARENDIL: Earwen changes the head of war for backwards top, and a relative appears.
6. NIGHT: Light goes a different way and becomes its opposite.
7. SICKLE: A fictional coin for reaping.

Well, working backwards from "I can only think of two astronomical Es and the other one is gone"... Me + Miriel - I + E, shaken not stirred, = ELEMMIRE.

hS

Correct! And with that, over to Hui.


1. HELLUIN: Angband? Singular and undescriptive. You in, by the sound of it, and cold and blue.
2. ELEMMIRE: Me, a Numenorean queen, loses myself when confusion noted, and shining bright.
3. ANOR: The sun shines in rightless kingdom.
4. VINGILOT: Ringil gets five first over top for a right, before it floats.
5. EARENDIL: Earwen changes the head of war for backwards top, and a relative appears.
6. NIGHT: Light goes a different way and becomes its opposite.
7. SICKLE: A fictional coin for reaping.

Great! That was fun, putting it together a piece at a time. And here we go:

1. - Speaker of a spell: "Become a limb!"
2. - The opposites of your wife's parents are wicked.
3. - A son named his father, but hesitated at the beginning of the world.
4. - A tasty king.
5. - Sounds grim, heir to the house.
6. - Before the road, a woman can go back and forth and seem fair.
7. - A confused alien with a Greek eye, and the first High King? I'm seeing red.
8. - In the shadows, hear me initially name my ideas for a villain.
9. - Muffin lost his tail, found a big stick, turned around and went down into a cave.
10. - Link up and profit in a break in the sun.
11. - A cat in eyeshadow definitely can't fly, but...
12. - The wretched band with an icy world covered in glitter.
13. - The Elvish fingermarks left by the childlike, or close enough for the youngest.
14. - Take a note at the top of the park, direct to the start of the word, and hide from him.

hS

2. Outlaws

Outlaws it is!

1. - Speaker of a spell: "Become a limb!"
OUTLAWS - The opposites of your wife's parents are wicked.
3. - A son named his father, but hesitated at the beginning of the world.
4. - A tasty king.
5. - Sounds grim, heir to the house.
6. - Before the road, a woman can go back and forth and seem fair.
7. - A confused alien with a Greek eye, and the first High King? I'm seeing red.
8. - In the shadows, hear me initially name my ideas for a villain.
9. - Muffin lost his tail, found a big stick, turned around and went down into a cave.
10. - Link up and profit in a break in the sun.
11. - A cat in eyeshadow definitely can't fly, but...
12. - The wretched band with an icy world covered in glitter.
13. - The Elvish fingermarks left by the childlike, or close enough for the youngest.
14. - Take a note at the top of the park, direct to the start of the word, and hide from him.

hS

9. Finrod?

Not Finrod.

hS

Outlaws - LOL. :D

1. BELEG? "Be leg!"

Correct indeed!

BELEG - Speaker of a spell: "Become a limb!"
OUTLAWS - The opposites of your wife's parents are wicked.
3. - A son named his father, but hesitated at the beginning of the world.
4. - A tasty king.
5. - Sounds grim, heir to the house.
6. - Before the road, a woman can go back and forth and seem fair.
7. - A confused alien with a Greek eye, and the first High King? I'm seeing red.
8. - In the shadows, hear me initially name my ideas for a villain.
9. - Muffin lost his tail, found a big stick, turned around and went down into a cave.
10. - Link up and profit in a break in the sun.
11. - A cat in eyeshadow definitely can't fly, but...
12. - The wretched band with an icy world covered in glitter.
13. - The Elvish fingermarks left by the childlike, or close enough for the youngest.
14. - Take a note at the top of the park, direct to the start of the word, and hide from him.

hS

Then 9 must be Thingol.