Gerontius Took, more commonly known as The Old Took, was a Hobbit of the Shire and the twenty-sixth Thain of the Shire. He was best known for being the third oldest Hobbit in Middle-earth's history, living to the ripe old age of 130 years. Only Bilbo and Gollum, whose lifetimes were prolonged by the powers of the Ring, lived longer.
Biography
_.jpg){kind=link}
The Old Took in his younger years
Gerontius was a friend of Gandalf, and was a direct ancestor to the majority of the famous Hobbits. His great-uncle in the Took family was the renowned and large Bandobras "Bullroarer" Took. In The Hobbit, it is revealed that Gandalf once gave him "a pair of magic diamond studs that fastened themselves and never came undone till ordered."
Gerontius married Adamanta Chubb and had twelve children; eight sons: Isengrim III, Isumbras IV, Hildigrim (great-grandfather to Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck), Isembold, Hildifons, Isembard, Hildibrand (great-grandfather to Fredegar Bolger), and Isengar; and four daughters: Hildigard, Belladonna (mother to Bilbo Baggins), Donnamira, and Mirabella (grandmother to Frodo Baggins). He was Thain for 72 years at the time of his death in TA 2920 (SR 1320).[2]
Line of Tooks
|
| Gerontius Took |
| Adamanta Chubb | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hildigrim |
| Rosa Baggins |
| Numerous children | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
| Adalgrim Took | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paladin II |
| Eglantine Banks |
| Three daughters |
| Esmeralda |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Saradoc Brandybuck | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pearl |
| Pimpernel |
| Pervinca |
| Peregrin |
| Diamond |
| Meriadoc Brandybuck | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Faramir |
| Goldilocks Gardner | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Appearances in the Books and Films
In the books
In the films
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (first appearance) (extended edition only)
Portrayal in adaptations
The Hobbit film trilogy
Gerontius "The Old" Took was portrayed by Dan Hennah in the extended edition of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Video games
- The Old Took was mentioned in the portable version of LEGO The Lord of the Rings: The Video Game
Translations around the World
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
|---|---|
| Norwegian | Gerontius "Gamle Token" Toker Gerontius "Gammel-Tóken" Tók |
| Thain of The Shire | ||
| Preceded by Fortinbras Took I |
Gerontius Took | Succeeded by Isengrim Took III |
| TA 2848 - TA 2920 | ||
References
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B: The Tale of Years (Chronology of the Westlands), "The Third Age"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix C: Family Trees, Took of Great Smials