Dwarven Bounder?

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Harper
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Re: Dwarven Bounder?

Post by Harper »

Fell is one of those words which has a number of meanings.

The adjective form often has some dark connotations associated with it: terrible, cruel, etc.

I don't get that from you/your character.

Some form of "-Ward" sounds like it would work well. Mountain-Ward?
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Iodo
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Re: Dwarven Bounder?

Post by Iodo »

Harper wrote:Fell is one of those words which has a number of meanings.

The adjective form often has some dark connotations associated with it: terrible, cruel, etc.

I don't get that from you/your character.

Some form of "-Ward" sounds like it would work well. Mountain-Ward?
Well that throws a spanner in the works :lol: I hear the word 'fell' and just think of mountains, I guess its back to thinking then :mrgreen:
Gimli: It's true you don't see many Dwarf-women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for Dwarf-men.
Aragorn: It's the beards.
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Harper
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Re: Dwarven Bounder?

Post by Harper »

Come to think of it, I believe "fell" is the root of "felon."

That doesn't work with a Ranger-type character.
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Elleth
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Re: Dwarven Bounder?

Post by Elleth »

Also though "A hill or stretch of high moorland, especially in northern England."

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/fell

... which IIRC also describes the environs around the Lonely Mountain fairly well? And it certainly matches her own stomping grounds.

So "Fell-Ward" works as well as "Door-Ward" for my two pence. To each their own, of course. :)
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Harper
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Re: Dwarven Bounder?

Post by Harper »

Yes, I am aware of that definition. If that was the only meaning, I agree that it would work well for a Dwarf.

But like I said, "fell" is one of those words with a number of definitions.

I think it works well for a warrior-type persona. I don't think that it works as well for a ranger-type.

Just my opinion.
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Greg
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Re: Dwarven Bounder?

Post by Greg »

Harper wrote:Come to think of it, I believe "fell" is the root of "felon."

That doesn't work with a Ranger-type character.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! A paranoid resident of Bree might very well disagree with you, and say it fits rather well, not knowing any better.
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Harper
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Re: Dwarven Bounder?

Post by Harper »

That's fair!

Still, while they may not have prevented that kind of image from being bandied about, I don't believe than they would have called themselves that (except while joking) amongst their own company.
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Re: Dwarven Bounder?

Post by Iodo »

According to the dictionary Elleth linked 'fell' meaning hills is the old English/norse definition and fell from felon is from French:
fell:

A hill or stretch of high moorland, especially in northern England.
in place names ‘Cross Fell’

Origin:
Middle English: from Old Norse fjall, fell ‘hill’; probably related to German Fels ‘rock’.
fell:
ADJECTIVE:
Of terrible evil or ferocity; deadly.
‘the fell disease that was threatening her sister’

Phrases:
in (or at) one fell swoop
literary All in one go.
‘in one fell swoop they exceeded the total number of tries scored last year’

Origin:
Middle English: from Old French fel, nominative of felon ‘wicked (person)’ (see felon).
So maybe it would be OK to use, I don't imagine it would worry dwarves to much if a word possibly had another meaning?
Gimli: It's true you don't see many Dwarf-women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for Dwarf-men.
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Elleth
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Re: Dwarven Bounder?

Post by Elleth »

If we use the narrative voice of the books as a guide to "contemporary Westron rendered into English" then "fell" is indeed used in the "terrible ferocity" sense - "fell and fair to look upon" and all.

That said, I personally think the use here just fine: one doesn't think a dairymaid a cow nor a swineherd a pig.
If you're still concerned, you could always render it plural - "Fells-ward" - which removes all ambiguity.


This conversation has been educational for me to: there's a spot of land I used to roam known as "the Fells" and I was never certain why. But on reflection, prior to the forests reclaiming so much of New England, it must have seemed quite a moorland. How interesting!
:)
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Re: Dwarven Bounder?

Post by Greg »

Harper wrote:That's fair!

Still, while they may not have prevented that kind of image from being bandied about, I don't believe than they would have called themselves that (except while joking) amongst their own company.
Agreed.
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Harper
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Re: Dwarven Bounder?

Post by Harper »

Iodo, if you still like the ring of the title, I think that Elleth's idea of using the plural, "Fells," is an ingenious compromise.
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Iodo
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Re: Dwarven Bounder?

Post by Iodo »

Elleth wrote:If we use the narrative voice of the books as a guide to "contemporary Westron rendered into English" then "fell" is indeed used in the "terrible ferocity" sense - "fell and fair to look upon" and all.

That said, I personally think the use here just fine: one doesn't think a dairymaid a cow nor a swineherd a pig.
If you're still concerned, you could always render it plural - "Fells-ward" - which removes all ambiguity.


This conversation has been educational for me to: there's a spot of land I used to roam known as "the Fells" and I was never certain why. But on reflection, prior to the forests reclaiming so much of New England, it must have seemed quite a moorland. How interesting!
:)
Harper wrote:Iodo, if you still like the ring of the title, I think that Elleth's idea of using the plural, "Fells," is an ingenious compromise.
Thank you Elleth for the great idea, and thank you everyone for the inspiration and help deciding!
I think I'll use the term fells-ward :mrgreen:
Gimli: It's true you don't see many Dwarf-women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for Dwarf-men.
Aragorn: It's the beards.
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Harper
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Re: Dwarven Bounder?

Post by Harper »

...

Well met, Iodo Fells-Ward!
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Iodo
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Re: Dwarven Bounder?

Post by Iodo »

Harper wrote:...

Well met, Iodo Fells-Ward!
Thank you :mrgreen:
Gimli: It's true you don't see many Dwarf-women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for Dwarf-men.
Aragorn: It's the beards.
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Re: Dwarven Bounder?

Post by BrianGrubbs »

I know I'm really late to the game on this one, but I'm really surprised that no one brought up the dwarves song from the Unexpected Party, which says (I believe in verse two and I think I have these words correct I'm typing from memory) "The dwarves of yore made mighty spells, while hammers fell like ringing bells, in places deep where dark things sleep, in hollow halls beneath the fells."

So yeah, Fells-Ward is perfect!

Brian
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