h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Gnomon

I'm your Sub-editor for Tolkien's Elves. The new version is A87871684 - please subscribe.

I still haven't read any more Tolkien, but I really enjoy your Entries bringing the folklore together in a clear way.

I added in the link to your Orcs Entry. Can I just clarify: "Although Fingolfin succeeded in wounding Morgoth, he was totally outclassed by the Vala" - Vala here means a member of the Valar, I presume?

Galadriel: "Throughout many ages she believed she was banned from returning there." The paragraph indicates she was banned, not just that she believed she was banned, so I'm not clear about that.

Thank you

Hi Gnomon

I have also Sub-edited the Ham Sandwich Theorem. The new version is A87873051 - please subscribe.

This is an excellent Entry, so I only added a couple of links. I hope everything is OK for you, and then this is ready to go to the next stage

On "Tolkien's Elves":

1. Vala is indeed the singular of Valar. Rather than having to explain this, just change it to

he was totally outclassed by him

It will be obvious what is meant.

2. The question of whether Galadriel was banned or not is something Tolkien never fully decided. The ban on all the other Elves going west was lifted at the end of the First Age, but Galadriel seems to have thought that she was still banned about 5,000 years later. In one note published during Tolkien's lifetime he stated that she had in fact been banned forever, but that this was lifted when she refused to take the Ring.

Probably the best way of dealing is as follows:

Galadriel - a niece of Fëanor, she joined in his revolt against the Valar and left Valinor at about the same time. As one of the leaders of the revolt, she was personally banned from ever returning. Throughout most of the Second and all of the Third Ages, she and her husband Celeborn ruled a small kingdom of Nandorin Elves who lived on the banks of the Great River. Under her influence, this became the Golden Wood of Lorien. She provided some valuable help and advice to Frodo in his quest to destroy the One Ring. Frodo offered her the ring, but she refused to take it. For this, her ban from Valinor was finally lifted, allowing her to return to where she had been born.

I'll have a read through the rest of it and let you know when I'm happy.

Yes, I'm happy with the rest of the Elves entry.

In the Ham Sandwich / Pancake entry, I state the pancake theorem for two pancakes side by side on a hotplate, but then go on to prove it with the pancakes on a table.

Do you think it should be changed so that the whole thing takes place on a hotplate? Or on a table?

Thanks Gnomon - I made those changes to the Elves Entry and sent it on its way.

Good point about the hotplate/table. I could visualise the hotplate well, but in my mind it is just large enough to accommodate two pancakes side by side, so then the idea of drawing a circle around both pancakes on the hotplate doesn't work. Therefore, I changed the word to table, as that is easily able to be visualised as big enough to draw the circle later on. Are you happy with that, too?

Yes, that's great. Thank you.

Thanks Gnomon

I've been busy today - I sub-edited Sauron as well. The new version is A87870540 - please subscribe.

Another excellent summary of Tolkien's work Easy to sub, so if you're happy with that, it can be sent on its way towards the Front Page too!

Thanks, Sasha. That looks fine, so send it off into the publishing queue.

My 100th sub-edited Entry - an excellent Entry to mark the occasion Thank you for your help with my little mission

Once you get into the swing of it, you can plough through sub-editing most entries. I used to do about five a day at one stage.

Then you get hit by a big, difficult one, say on Roman Britain, and it can take you the best part of two weeks' work.

I'm in awe of five in a day... Three Gnomon Entries in a day is definitely my limit - it was quite a challenge even though there wasn't much to do to each Entry. Mostly I can do one in a day, but there are indeed ones that need several days to work through steadily and re-read with fresh eyes.

All good fun, though, and no doubt I'll be calling here again soon after having read more of your writing