Tolkien Reading Day at read_lotr_aloud: Voice Post

[bingo_bolger_baggins]

Happy Ring Day! lavendertook here with a post for Tolkien Reading Day at read_lotr_aloud. All today's readings are here.



Partial transcriptions with some differing intro's than I make in the voice post follow here:

In The Return of the Shadow which is Vol. 6 of The History of Middle-Earth and a recounting of the early drafts of FOTR, Christopher Tolkien quotes his father's biographer Humphrey Carpenter's statement that the name "Bingo" comes from "the name of a family of toy koala bears owned by his children, 'The Bingos'" (qtd in RotS 28).

CT then footnotes this to state:

I find it difficult to believe this, yet if it is not so the coincidence is strange. If Bingo Baggins did get his name from this source, I can only suppose that the demonic character (composed of monomaniac religious despotism and a lust for destruction through high explosive) of the chief Bingo (not to mention that of his appalling wife), by which my sister and I now remember them, developed somewhat later. (34)

In The Return of Shadow, Part 1 of The History of The Lord of the Rings Christopher Tolkien transcribes his father's notes as follows:

Too many hobbits. Also Bingo Bolger-Baggins a bad name. Let Bingo=Frodo, a son of Primula Brandybuck but of father Drogo Baggins (Bilbo's first cousin). So Frodo ( =Bingo) is Bilbo's first cousin once removed both on Took side and on Baggins. Also he has as proper name Baggins.

[Frodo struck out] No--I am too used to Bingo.

Then Christopher Tolkien adds:

All of this from 'No - I am now too used to Bingo', was struck out in pencil, and at the same time my father wrote 'Sam Gamgee' in the margin, and to 'Bingo originally intended to go alone' he added 'with Sam'. It may be that this is where he first set down Sam Gamgee's name. (221)

"But if I may say so, though it was a grand day at Kormallen, and the happiest I have known, I never have felt that you got as much praise as you deserve."
"Of course not, Sam," said Frodo. "I'm a hobbit. But why grumble? You've been far more neglected yourself. There's never only one hero in any true tale, Sam, and all the good folk are in others' debt. But if one had to choose one and one only, I'd choose Samwise."
"Then you'd be wrong, Mr. Frodo," said Sam. "For without you I'm nothing. But you and me together, Mr. Frodo: well, that's more than either alone." (EotTA 92)

Comments

[lbilover.livejournal.com]

But you and me together, Mr. Frodo: well, that's more than either alone.
That's where I got my journal title from: 'More Than Either Alone'. That really sums it up, doesn't it?? And I love Merry's line after that, too!

All of this from 'No - I am now too used to Bingo', was struck out in pencil, and at the same time my father wrote 'Sam Gamgee' in the margin, and to 'Bingo originally intended to go alone' he added 'with Sam'. It may be that this is where he first set down Sam Gamgee's name.
*happy sigh* *happy happy happy sigh*

Thank you for this fascinating reading! So what does Bingo think about the monomaniac religious despotism and a lust for destruction through high explosive that was mentioned?? He seems a peaceable hobbit to me! *g*

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

I love that you took your LJ name from there. (-:

Well, you know, Bingo, being an early drafter, never did relinquish the sword like final draft Frodo did--and he's mighty ambivalent about his violent side, but he does have a bit more of a temper than Final Fro. As for dealing with his explosive marsupial origins, it's always been a facet of his being. On the very first day of writing in his LJ, in his second entry, he had a dream (http://bbolger-baggins.livejournal.com/725.html) about it, and later, when the Valar made a rain fall turning everyone into their canon selves, he took on his furry origins (http://bbolger-baggins.livejournal.com/20024.html), and later, when he was learning to muse, he inadvertantly turned himself (http://bbolger-baggins.livejournal.com/48531.html) koala (with appropriate icon in place) had some continuing adventures in this form again. (-: I loved writing koala!Bingo. (-:

[lbilover.livejournal.com]

ROFLMAO! Best first line of a post ever:
Bingo continued on his way up Bagshot Row carrying his little sack of explosives.

*giggles like a loon*

I can see why you liked writing koala!Bingo!

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

:-D Thank you! Glad you enjoyed.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

What a fantastic passage and reading! Thank you so much.

"Then you'd be wrong, Mr. Frodo," said Sam. "For without you I'm nothing. But you and me together, Mr. Frodo: well, that's more than either alone."

I do love this.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you enjoyed! Discovering the HoME on the shelves the winter the first film came out was very magical for me.

I love your icon--beautiful!

[dreamflower]

Fascinating! I'm so glad JRRT decided to go with Frodo after all.

I really enjoy the insights of HoMe, but that was one very wise change. (As was the decision *not* to describe Frodo as having a "white lock at his temple" and a "wart on his chin"! LOL!

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

It was a very wise change to make, but ssshhhh!--this is my Bingo's LJ and he's very sensitive about his name.

I don't remember about the white lock and wart--the lock would have been kind of cool though. The wooden shoe wearing hobbit ranger Trotter was another fortunate change, no doubt.(-;

[dreamflower]

*grin* Well, Bingo is certainly a respectable hobbit name--after all it was Bilbo's uncle's name!

The white lock and the wart were in the original version of Gandalf's letter in Bree.

I've got plans for "Trotter". shhhh.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Ooooo, I want to see what your plans with Trotter result in. (-:

[dreamflower]

That particular plot bunny won the "Finish-a-thon" vote, so posting has begun:

http://dreamflower02.livejournal.com/349153.html

[belleferret.livejournal.com]

" But if one had to choose one and one only, I'd choose Samwise."
"Then you'd be wrong, Mr. Frodo," said Sam. "For without you I'm nothing. But you and me together, Mr. Frodo: well, that's more than either alone."

Ah there is no better way to say it than that. *happy sighs*

But I do have to agree with this: Bingo Bolger-Baggins a bad name. LOL!

Thank you so much! I really enjoyed hearing these snippets from HOME!

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

It's a shame those lines didn't make it into the final draft, but it was a nice thrill to find them in the HoME.

Poor Bingo. Really, it's not any sillier sounding than "Frodo" except for the associations with the dog rhyme, and the game, but associations can be everything, alas. (-;

I'm glad you enjoyed--thanks for listening. (-:

[addie71.livejournal.com]

Oh, I enjoyed this very much. Thank you.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome. (-:

[frodosweetstuff.livejournal.com]

Oooh, it was lovely to hear your voice but I have to admit, it was even lovelier to find out all this stuff that I wasn't aware of!!!!

'Bingo originally intended to go alone' he added 'with Sam'. It may be that this is where he first set down Sam Gamgee's name. (221)
Awwwwww! *happy*

"For without you I'm nothing. But you and me together, Mr. Frodo: well, that's more than either alone."
*happy sigh* Yes yes yes!!!!

Thank you so much for this!! *hugs*

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And I'm glad I was able to bring you parts of the HoME you hadn't seen. Not everybody has a Smeagol-like joy in digging through them. I'm pretty Smeagolly. :-P

You're welcome. *hugs back*

[frodosweetstuff.livejournal.com]

*throws you a juicy sweet fish* :D