Poll : Magical Creatures in The Hobbit, Your favorite and least favorite |
  Jun 18 2008, 11:43 AM
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#1
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Leaky's Official Donut Maker and Mosquito Man  Posts: 11,140 Joined: 10:51am August 25, 2005 Location: Playing kal-toh with Professor Snape    |
In The Hobbit we see many different peoples and beings and creatures, some are friendly, some are cruel, others like the good things in life while some just want to destroy everything nice.
We meet cute animals and ugly beings, connoisseurs of fine food, and those that are happy to eat a pony, individuals that show concern for their friends and friendless foes that are more concerned about treasure. Bilbo has good and bad adventures with most of the beings that we see in The Hobbit. Who are your favorite and least favorite? Who would you most like to meet, and who would you hope to avoid at any cost? There are songs and feasts, traps and tragedies, so tell us who are your most and least favorite magical creatures, and why. 
This post has been edited by Moose_Starr: Jun 19 2008, 09:56 AM --------------------   I'm 1 of the 99.99% W.L.Y.J.  When I sleep I dream, and when I dream I can rise above the walls Remember Cameron Duncan Thanks Jeff! |
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Jun 24 2008, 08:24 AM
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#2
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Exclusive distributor of The Dungbomb Protection Kit  Posts: 2,632 Joined: 10:52pm March 5, 2007 |
I had to puzzle over this a little bit. I chose the dragon as my favorite magical creature from this book. I just love how Tolkein has interpreted dragon's, making them very sly and the conversations between Smaug and Bilbo are very well done.
For my least favorite, I picked dwarves *ducks flying hexes coming from my computer*. To me, the dwarves came off as rather greedy and selfish, and in light of Bilbo's unselfishness...well, it just makes them look bad. |
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Jun 24 2008, 11:51 AM
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#3
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Flesh-Eating-Slug Catcher Posts: 201 Joined: 11:53am April 21, 2008 Location: Managing Mischief with Elvendork |
Favorite I vote Wizard, because I like Gandalf and his humor, also Beorn because I think, he is the most genuine character.
However I also like the Hobbits, Elf, Dwarf and many other characters. Least favorite I vote spider. I do not like spiders and giant spiders who eat people are not nice to read about! --------------------   W.L.Y.J. 1 of the 99.99% Images curtesy of Hagiographer13 & Moose_Starr |
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Jun 24 2008, 07:37 PM
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#4
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Transfiguration Today's Star Reporter  Posts: 2,027 Joined: 3:59pm May 15, 2008 Location: Sunny Phoenix, Arizona("It's a Dry Heat!") |
For favorite creature, I voted for the elves. I like the way they sing and laugh; they are hospitable (most of the time), and make good allies. Their magic seems to be more like that of Gandalf, and they usually work well with the other people/creatures who are on the high ground morally.
For least favorite, I chose the goblins. I will have to go back to the text, but I thought the Orcs were more in the LOTR--bigger and badder goblins. Anyway, goblins are created by capturing and torturing elves, so that shows how depraved they are. Ugh. If I ever had to face a goblin, I'd want a wizard like Gandalf around, and hopefully an elven sword to defend me. -------------------- "And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure."
Phoenix avatar courtesy of ofenjen; thanks to atschpe for help |
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Jun 25 2008, 04:58 PM
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#5
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One Half of the DDD  Posts: 8,476 Joined: 5:31pm August 30, 2006 Location: Siriusly Dreaming Somewhere |
For my favourite I chose Beorn because he's strong and powerful but seems to use it to protect and help rather than destroy which is admirable.
As for least favourite, I'm with Pyxis on not liking the dwarves - they're such fair weather friends, friendly towards Bilbo when things are going well and dismissive of him when they aren't - and also Butterfly_Boy because I also don't like spiders at the best of times, to have ones large enough to eat people is  , Aragog and his family were one of the scariest parts of CoS for me.
--------------------  November's book is The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger "THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" roared Black. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!" |
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Jun 27 2008, 12:34 PM
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#6
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Loyal Lockhart Fan Posts: 4,285 Joined: 10:42am February 15, 2005 Location: Embracing my Inner Slytherin |
I chose wizard for my favourite: I agree with Butterfly_Boy about Gandalf's humour. And he is very clever.
 Least favourite? I went for Gollum - he was just a weird slimy nasty little thing - ewww!!! -------------------- |
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Jun 27 2008, 09:55 PM
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#7
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Professional Diagon Alley Window Shopper Posts: 67 Joined: 6:29am November 25, 2006 |
I love Beorn, just because he is such a unique character that you don't see the likes of again in the Lord of the Rings.
But how about the Stone Giants? They make a brief appearance to hurl boulders at Bilbo and his companions as they shelter on "the doorstep" and are never seen again. I wish I could read more about them. |
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Jun 29 2008, 10:47 AM
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#8
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Leaky's Official Donut Maker and Mosquito Man Posts: 11,140 Joined: 10:51am August 25, 2005 Location: Playing kal-toh with Professor Snape |
So it's about time that I voted in this poll
 My favorite characters include Gandalf because he seems a wise yet fun wizard and I love his sense of humor and laid back style. Also, Beorn seems like a fascinating character, a man-bear who is to be feared as a mighty bear but is the gentlest of guys. I was really struck by the description of his vegetarianism. As a vegan I oftentimes cringe when reading about feasts because even the noblest of people seem to eat nothing but meat, and in Harry Potter the feasts seem to not reflect the present time. I know Hogwarts seems medieval because electricity & appliances cant work around magic, and they still use quills and parchment but realistically many of the students would be vegetarian or vegan yet we see so little fruit or vegetables except in desserts and juice. Yet here we are in the 1930s with a pretty solid understanding of the vegetarian diet, so I really liked Beorn after reading about that and his care and respect for animals. In general I like the elfs of The Hobbit less than those in LOTR although Elrond is a fine elf with an understanding of moon runes and more how I remember the Middle Earth Elfs to be. And of course I like The Hobbits, Eagles & most everyone, even Smaug, it wasnt his fault that he was written as a bad guy. I agree with kbdiggity that it would have been interesting to learn more about the stone Giants. My least favorite characters are the spiders. One word: eww. And they're flesh eating giant evil spiders so I dont like them at all lol. Also the Goblins seem really unpleasant. I've never felt so sorry for ponies as when reading The Hobbit, they get a raw deal & eaten a lot. Although Gollum is a nasty piece of work, & secretly intends to eat Bilbo, he's not my least favorite character because like Smaug he's somehow fascinating. -------------------- I'm 1 of the 99.99% W.L.Y.J. When I sleep I dream, and when I dream I can rise above the walls Remember Cameron Duncan Thanks Jeff! |
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Jun 29 2008, 12:13 PM
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#9
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Smart Cookie  Posts: 3,108 Joined: 1:26am September 30, 2006 Location: Somewhere in time and space |
Oh, fun
All right, I'm not very original picking wizard as one of my favourite creatures, but I like Gandalf *a lot* (and we don't see any other wizards in the Hobbit much - and as far as we know they're all good). He's just so cool and mysterious and you can sense that he *knows things* and I think, it would be just so cool to just travel with him, you know, learn what he knows and just have fun sometimes.My other choice for favourites is what some of you chose as well - Beorn. I find him reeaally interesting. He seems, well, kind of wild (like you've got to be careful when you come with a bigger company to visit him) and scary sometimes, but he cares about his animal-friends a lot and will protect them, and his *farm* seems such a pleasant place  As for the least favourites I chose wargs, orcs and goblins (since I can't really say the difference between the last two  ). Those wargs scare me far more than those spiders, and orcs and goblins are just nasty.Even though I think Gollum is nasty as well, I find him somehow fascinating and sad (and my edition of The Hobbit has a very cool picture of Gollum, so, I think, this helps as well ).
-------------------- I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine. (P&P)
Images from hallonpaj, phistolemon_, alata_elentari @LJ.   |
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Jun 29 2008, 01:34 PM
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#10
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The Other Half of the DDD Posts: 4,941 Joined: 10:10am March 16, 2007 Location: Marauding with Moony, Padfoot and Prongs |
I voted for wizards as my favourite, mainly because of Gandalf. He just kicks
 ! I'd feel very safe around him. I also like Beorn and the Elves as well, not forgetting Hobbits!!My least favourite are the Goblins. I just think they're nasty and evil, basically! 
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