Elainen

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Elainen (Elaine)

'Queen of Hobbits'



"Elainen tárin periandion ar meldenya anyáran"

(to Elaine, queen of Hobbits and my very old friend)


In general a signed edition of the Hobbit is something most Tolkien collectors dream about, but this particular copy however can be called the pearl of all signed Hobbits; this is because it is dedicated and belonged to a pupil of Tolkien called Elaine Griffiths. If not for Elaine Griffiths we would not have known The Hobbit today.

Tolkien called her ‘Queen of Hobbits’ and this was probably not only referring to her small stature. Tolkien had written "The Hobbit" for his children, but it was Elaine Griffiths, who had read a typescript of the book, who suggested it to be published.


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Elaine - The Blackberry Flower.

Folklore in the United Kingdom tells that blackberries should not be picked after Old Michaelmas Day (11 October) as the devil (or a Púca) has made them unfit to eat by stepping, spitting or fouling on them. There is some value in this legend as autumn's wetter and cooler weather often allows the fruit to become infected by various molds such as Botryotinia which give the fruit an unpleasant look and may be toxic.

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