Indeed and a tragic hero himself.

Indeed he was.

His office is preserved in Bletchley Park, with (allegedly) his mug padlocked to a radiator so no-one else could use it. I even bought my dad a book called Enigma (or something with Enigma in the title) for Christmas last year (from the Bletchley Park shop). (EDIT: Actually I don't think it was called Enigma, but Colossus).

I considered Miruvor, but couldn't make it work! - uv - very clever. I couldn't do anything at all with the unseen rays! I was convinced it started with mir (jewel) but couldn't do the rest ... no luck putting fea on the end (although I did trying suffixing it with the word gin!)

Galadriel, why did you think the T clue began TO?

Time for another, as we're all awake? :)

1. Hama’s initial finale as a gardener’s son.
2. French cup changes note for a Telerin digit.
3. Strange the Italian should merge in this elf.
4. One buttery biscuit that Finrod loved.
5. Near palindrome and heir apparent.

An endless Tom Bombadil. As things rarely start with Bombadi-, I thought I'd look for To-'s.

4. Amarie?

Miruvor is correct though that is moot now

I'm really sorry, Mith. I counted up all the clues as solved and didn't realise that you hadn't at that point confirmed Miruvor. I should have waited. :( Also Galadriel's post jumped onto the last page as I edited two of my previous posts together to remove a double post (I had posted separately at first because I know edits don't always show up on your Kindle).

And it was a great password - really challenging (as were the clues).

1. Hama’s initial finale as a gardener’s son.
2. French cup changes note for a Telerin digit.
3. Strange the Italian should merge in this elf.
AMARIE: One buttery biscuit that Finrod loved.
5. Near palindrome and heir apparent.

Correct (although I haven't seen Marie biscuits for quite a few years).

TASSA for 2
telerin for index finger apparently after a speculative google swapping the e of tasse for an a

Indeed! I don't know how the need of a word for an index finger arose when JRRT was writing about the Teleri. If someone burned a fleet of your ships, you'd probably shake your fist rather than waggle your forefinger severely. But then, we're not elves. ;)

1. Hama’s initial finale as a gardener’s son.
TASSA: French cup changes note for a Telerin digit.
3. Strange the Italian should merge in this elf.
AMARIE: One buttery biscuit that Finrod loved.
5. Near palindrome and heir apparent.

I am more curious why there is a quenya word for hermaphrodite ...

Eep! I can't really think of an answer for that ....

http://www.silmarillionwritersguild....f/22_words.php
Ahem

Hum bit of a stab in the dark but Sam for no 1? I had thought it would begin with H..hama's initial but the t makes that unlikely. However the finale made me think to work backwards and sam was son of a gardener ..but not at all confident.

Not Sam, and you're right about Hama's initial.

It isn't a "conventional" password. It's a bit like Galadriel's last one. ;)

HAMSON? Sam's big brother?

No. You're heading in the right direction, and you're right about the H, but there's a crucial cryptic part of the clue that you're not using.

Well, it can hardly be Hendlike, can it? ;)

No, it can't ... but why would it be?

It's actually pretty close, but who the blazes is Hendlike?

A character who fits the clue perfectly, but, unfortunately, does not exist. ;)

Ah, I see. "As" isn't part of the cryptic clue, though. I've only just realised where you got the "like" from.

It's not that hard. All you have to do is look at one of the family trees.

Harret and Hepilogue don't seem to exist either. Guessing Harding just to tick him off the list of possibilities.

EDIT: It's a bit too early for the password, but, just a stab in the dark - AMON AMARTH?

Not Harding, but quite similar.

Not Amon Amarth, but you're right about it being two words - and in one sense quite close.

Galadriel was so closem if itvis Hending son of Holman the greehanded.
Since one of the thes in Italian is gli and since strange may be an anagram hint I am wondering about a Gil...not that I am at all fixated on a certain High king...noooo

Yes, H + ENDING (for finale).

"Strange" isn't in this case an anagram indicator (I hadn't even thought of that, actually, so it was not an intention to mislead). Maybe think of some synonyms for strange? ;)

HENDING: Hama’s initial finale as a gardener’s son.
TASSA: French cup changes note for a Telerin digit.
3. Strange the Italian should merge in this elf.
AMARIE: One buttery biscuit that Finrod loved.
5. Near palindrome and heir apparent.

Elmo?

No. You need to fulfil the "strange" aspect of the clue.

Probably middle aged prejudice but the nearest I could get was emo plus l which is one of the italian thes.
Back to drawing board.

Thesaurus suggests rum.. so Rumil? Of Lorien or not...

The thesaurus is right. I went to it with "rum" and found "strange." I'm sure I checked that "il" was one of the Italian words for "the," so I hope I'm right. I think one of the Medicis was referred to as "Il Magnifico."

One of the worthies of the Ivy Bush in the BBC radio dramatisation says "And they're rum folk in Buckland, living on the wrong side of Brandywine river and all." I'm not sure if those precise words appear in the book, though.

HENDING: Hama’s initial finale as a gardener’s son.
TASSA: French cup changes note for a Telerin digit.
RUMIL: Strange the Italian should merge in this elf.
AMARIE: One buttery biscuit that Finrod loved.
5. Near palindrome and heir apparent.

Forgot to say that the bolded bit above made me chuckle when you posted it and brightened up my day. ;)

It is... I think the book says queer.*kindlesearch reveals no use of rum" but I have heard it..it just was one of those words that I recognise rather than think of.

I've heard the expression "It's a rum do." My dad has said it a few times. As for the BBC dramatisation, in the same scene someone (Daddy Twofoot, possibly) does say "Bag End is a queer place, and its folk are queerer," and I think someone else uses the word too, so perhaps "rum folk" was just to avoid using the same expression too many times within one scene.

I have heard rum lot, and the Forsyte saga has rum titoo which seems to appear nowhere else.

Soooo - how about the password? It should be pretty easy now. ;)

?

I suppose it is Parth Galen but the palindrome is tricky unless it is a word like palindrome and is Paladin, though I think he was heir presumptive at the time of LOTR.

Or Pippin..spent so long gawping at family trees I forgot about nicknames.

Both correct. Pippin is very nearly a palindrome, and is the heir-apparent to the Thainship at the time of LOTR. Whether it was hereditary but one could decline, or the system was more elective, however, I'm not completely sure.

HENDING: Hama’s initial finale as a gardener’s son.
T***A: French cup changes note for a Telerin digit. (TASSA).
RUMIL: Strange the Italian should merge in this elf.
AMARIE: One buttery biscuit that Finrod loved.
PIPPIN:: Near palindrome and heir apparent.

Answer = PARTH GALEN.

Well done, and over to you. :)

EDIT: Whoops! The word "***" sets off the auto-censor, but was only created because I put bold codes either side of it, to highlight the fact that the password goes up the first column of letters and down the last ones.

1 NINIEL Drippy girl.
2 AEGLOS Lo! Sage bewildered gives arm for hero.
3 American mystique muddled elf.
4 Article originated ranging in the South.
5 Mount mythical bird before entrance alternatively?
6 IANT IAUR Old Elvish spanner
7 in France this twisted "The Lion King" by substituting ruler.

2. Aeglos?

EDIT: 1. Niniel or Nienor? (Niniel is the more teary one semantically, I think).

Both correct. I would have accepted either but was thinking Niniel.

I wonder if the spanner could be a ford instead of a bridge - Sarn Athrad? Original Elvish name of Sarn Ford.

Not Sarn Athrad..mainly because I nevererdovit before.

6. Iant Iaur?