Bolger of Budgeford
The Bolger family was a hobbit family that lived in the Shire. They lived in the village of Budgeford, which was located in the Eastfarthing of the Shire. An important member of this family was Fredegar Bolger.
Origin[edit]
The Bolger were originally of Fallohidish origin.[1] They also traced their origin to one Gundolpho Bolger (S.R 1131 - (S.R 1230). He was either born in or near Budgeford. His wife, who founded the Bolger family with him was one Alfrida of the Yale.[2]
Characteristics[edit]
The Bolgers were known to be very fat and chubby. Just like the Brandybucks, and the Tooks, the Bolgers also had a penchant for heroic and noble names, such as with the names, Fastolph, Odovacar, Gundabald, and Fredegar.
Below is Tolkien's description of the type of names he used for the Bolgers:
In some old families, especially those of Fallohide origin such as the Tooks and the Bolgers, it was, however, the custom to give high-sounding first-names. Since most of these seem to have been drawn from legends of the past, of Men as well as of Hobbits, and many while now meaningless to Hobbits closely resembled the names of Men in the Vale of Anduin, or in Dale, or in the Mark, I have turned them into those old names, largely of Frankish and Gothic origin, that are still used by us or are met in our histories. I have thus at any rate preserved the often comic contrast between the first-names and surnames, of which the Hobbits themselves were well aware. Names of classical origin have rarely been used; for the nearest equivalents to Latin and Greek in Shire-lore were the Elvish tongues, and these the Hobbits seldom used in nomenclature. Few of them at any time knew ‘the languages of the kings’, as they called them.
Connection with other hobbit families[edit]
Boffin[edit]
It seems as if the Bolgers and the Boffins have a huge connection. This comes from two facts.
The first fact is that its female founder, Alfrida of the Yale, seems to be associated with the Yale, the old home of the Boffins. This could make Alfrida a distant kinswoman of the Boffins, which would make the entire Bolger family connected to the Boffins.
The second fact is that the Bolgers were known for the fat size, and one Otto Boffin, was also known as Otto the Fat.[4]
Baggins[edit]
The Bolgers and the Bagginses had a large connection. In fact, 5 of out 15 Bolger marriages were to Bagginses.
Family Tree of the Bolgers[edit]
Below is a family tree of the Bolger family.[5] Everything from the family tree comes from the family tree of Bolgers in Appendix C, unless otherwise noted.
| Gundolpho 1131-1230 | Alfrida of the Yale | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gundahar 1174-1275 | Dina Diggle | Rudolph 1178 | Cora Goodbody | Gundahad 1180 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adalgar 1215-1314 | Adaldrida 1218 | Marmadoc Brandybuck | Fastolph 1210 [note1 1] | Pansy Baggins | Gundabald 1222 | Salvia Brandybuck | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rudigar 1255-1348 | Belba Baggins | Rudibert 1260 | Amethyst Hornblower | Ruby 1264 | Fosco Baggins | Theobald 1261 | Nina Lightfoot | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Herugar 1295-1390 | Jessamine Boffin | Adalbert 1301-1397 | Gerda Boffin | (DROGO) | Primula Brandybuck[6] | Wilibald 1304-1400 | Prisca Baggins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Odovacar 1335-1431 | Rosamunda Took | Filibert 1342-1443 | Poppy Chubb-Baggins | (FRODO) | Wilimar 1347 | Heribald 1351 | Nora 1360 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fredegar 1380 | Estella 1385 | (MERIADOC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes[edit]
- ↑ Recorded to have various descendants
Etymology[edit]
The name Bolger is a reference to the "bulged" size of the average Hobbit belly, referring to their fatness.[7]
Both Bolger and Bulger are real-life English surnames although not necessarily of the same etymology.
It was a translation of the Westron word Bolgra of a similar etymology (fat, chubby)
Pronunciation[edit]
Bolger is pronounced like (BOL-JUHR). The 'g' is a soft 'g' and is pronounced as in bulge.[8]
References[edit]
- ↑ .Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, On Translation
- ↑ .Lord of the Rings, Appendix C, Bolger of Budgeford.
- ↑ .Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, On Translation
- ↑ .Lord of the Rings, Appendix C, Boffin of the Yale
- ↑ Lord of the Rings, Appendix C, Bolger of Budgeford
- ↑ Lord of the Rings, Appendix C, Baggins of Hobbiton
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings" in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion
- ↑ Lord of the Rings, Appendix E, Pronunciation of Words and Names.
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