On 11 Aug., 22:26, calvin <cri... DeleteThis @windstream.net> wrote:
> ... ; wolves there were and ravening dogs and great weasels
> full of the thirst of blood whose nostrils could take scent
> moons old through running water, or whose eyes find among
> shingle footsteps that had passed a lifetime since; ...
>
> - from The Book of Lost Tales II - The Fall of Gondolin
Thanks a lot, Calvin! This quote brings back happy childhood memories
of my first years as prophet of Tolkien, when I went to the zoo and
read this passage to the weasels over and over again, to see how they
might react. I never got any result, partly because my father always
dragged me away from the weasel territorium after just four days, and
partly because they were not weasels, but martens. I was not a very
clever child.
The truth is, of course, that "sniffing footsteps that had passed a
lifetime" was not a very impressive ability. As my research has
proven, in the late First Age Middle-earth had not a very effective
agriculture. There just were not enough cows per capita to have good
leather boots for anyone. Also, the shoe industry was largely based on
Elven standards and had not yet been adapted to human standards
(humans have much more productive sweat glands). So most humans,
wearing thick low-quality Elven boots, must have had extraordinarily
smelly and sweaty feet. My guess is they left little puddles wherever
they walked. So the only remarkable thing about these weasels is: they
were foul enough that they could actually stand sniffing these
footsteps, without saying hello to their breakfast again.
Noel
>> Stay informed about: Melko's weasels 
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