I found the following in the MED as I was translating for my final:
baratur (n.) Also bar(r)etour, bariter.
1. One who incites to, or engages in, contention or riot; malefactor, brawler, wrangler;
2. Fighter, warrior, champion;
3. Deceiver, cheat;
4. As surname,
Well, well, well, the Tolkien references never cease, do they? "Baratur" sounds awfully familiar, like "Barad-Dur," the Dark Tower of Sauron. Definition one here fits Sauron well, with respect to the cosmogony of Middle Earth. Definition matches the description of Sauron seen on film in the opening scenes of The Fellowship of the Ring (which I recognize is not the book, but the coincidence here elevates the quality of the film a bit, I'd say). Definitions three and four work together, as he is at least once referred to as "Sauron the Deceiver."
On an oblique course, we need to revive this word. It's still useful, I'd say, and the students over in SIS could put it to good use on some of the people the discuss.
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Very cool. I have to say, after everything we've read in this class, after attempting to gloss a recipe and letter for my mini-edition and seeing how many words don't mean what I expect them to mean, and after all the little things we've each found that somehow illuminate Tolkien, I have a newfound appreciation for just how well he mastered Old and Middle English to be able to use them the way he did. I'm really looking forward to re-reading LOTR over break and seeing how much more I get now!
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