The Master of Lake-town was the title given to the leader of Lake-town during the late Third Age.
History[]
According to the Master who held this title at the arrival of Thorin and Company in Lake-town in TA 2941, the masters had always been elected from among the old and wise.[1]
During the Quest of Erebor in TA 2941, when the company of Thorin arrived in Lake-town, they were taken by the captain of the guard through the market-place to the Great House where the current Master was feasting. Subsequently, Thorin declared the return of the King under the Mountain. This news quickly spread throughout the town and the people began to shout, sing, and rejoice. The Master doubted that there ever was a 'King under the Mountain', and doubted even more so that it was Thorin, but he had to take heed of the clamour. Therefore he pretended to believe Thorin's story, and the Master yielded his own great chair to him. The Master figured that the Dwarves would stay without fulfilling their promises, and then he could comfortably boot them out. The Master accommodated the Dwarves and Bilbo Baggins for two weeks before they thought about departing for the Lonely Mountain. The Master was shocked that Thorin would dare to approach Smaug and he wondered whether he really was who he said he was. All the same, he was more than willing to let them go because they were expensive to keep and their arrival had caused business to come to a standstill. Alongside his councilors, the Master "bade them farewell from the great steps of the town-hall".[2]
The Master of Lake-town, acted by Stephen Fry
When Smaug attacked Lake-town, the people urged the Master to tell them what needed to be done. But as the flames leaped from the dragon's jaw, the Master fled in his gilded boat. Thus it was that Bard took control of the situation and ultimately slew the dragon himself. The surviving townsfolk gathered on the western shore of the Long Lake and lamented at the loss of their home. The people then directed their anger at the Master, accusing him of selfishness and calling him "Moneybags". They demanded that Bard become their king. In response, the Master, in a demonstration of his charisma and oratorical prowess, rebutted the people and convinced them that their anger should be directed towards Thorin and Company instead of him. The Master remained quiet as the survivors set up camps along the shore and Bard assumed effective control of all the people, but did so only in the Master's name. When the hosts of Esgaroth and the Elvenking set off for Erebor to demand their share in the treasure, the Master did not go. Those who stayed behind began to prepare for the oncoming winter by building huts and collecting resources; meanwhile, the Master directed the process of planning a new town.[1]
After the Battle of Five Armies, Bard gave a large amount of gold to the Master for the help of the Lake-people. However, the Master caught the 'dragon-sickness', stole most of the gold and fled with it from Lake-town.[3] After his companions had deserted him, he starved to death in the Waste[3] sometime between TA 2941 and TA 2949. According to Balin, the new Master of Lake-town was wiser and very popular, because the people gave him the credit for the prosperity as much wealth went up and down the River Running.[3]
In adaptations[]
The Hobbit film trilogy[]
The Master in the films
In Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Hobbit, the Master is played by English actor Stephen Fry. In the films, he has a more directly antagonistic role of a greedy and corrupt public official whose primary concern is to retain his own power and position. He shows little interest in Lake-town’s destitute state, instead turning his attention to the acquisition of tolls and taxes.
In TA 2941, when the growing civil unrest that concerned his leadership, and threatened for an election, the Master used a network of informants throughout the city to spy on Bard, as he was jealous of the bargeman and was suspicious that he was responsible for the growing threat to his authority.
When Thorin and Company are arrested for stealing weapons from the Lake-town armoury, the Master is quick to label them as enemies of the state. However, the revelation of Thorin’s royal linage and his promise of a share in the riches of the Lonely Mountain, persuades the Master to welcome the Dwarves, seeing the situation as a chance not only to restore his ailing popularity, but also as a way of increasing his own wealth. Providing the Dwarves with weapons and equipment the Master bids them farewell, trusting to their gratitude upon the successful completion of their quest.
Master of Lake-town and Alfrid escaping from the flame of Smaug
Later, as Bard attempts to reach the wind lance ballista atop the Great House, guards sent by the Master arrest him under fabricated charges. Bard manages to escape, only to be knocked unconscious by the Master himself, who subsequently has him incarcerated. His every whim is attended to by his personal assistant and councillor Alfrid Lickspittle, who performs tasks that the Master deems beneath himself, such as emptying his chamber pot.
After Bard is arrested under fabricated charges, the dragon Smaug attacks Lake-town. The Master tries to escape on a boat with all of the town's gold as an act of cowardice, along with Alfrid, the captain of the guards Braga, and a few guards. But when Smaug is killed by the Black Arrow shot by Bard, the Master, his boat, and everyone on it (except Alfrid, who was abandoned shortly before that) are crushed to death under the weight of the dragon's dead body.
Personality[]
Taking great pride in his power and position, the Master cared only for his own prosperity and gain. His pompous attire manifests as an outward expression of his greed, displaying his wealth for all to see. Harboring a powerful sense of his own self-importance, the Master dresses his guards in regalia every bit as pretentious as his own. Despite his democratically held position, the Master suppressed all challenges to his authority.
In line with the book, the Master is shown to have a good head for business, a talent expressed in the films through the toll gates he has constructed, and the taxes he has levied. He also displays a keen political mind befitting someone of his position, recognizing the arrival of the Dwarves as a way of bolstering his own failing popularity.
Radio[]
- John Bryning voiced the character in the 1968 BBC Radio radio adaptation of The Hobbit.
- Heinz Theo Branding voiced the character in the 1980 German radio serial adaptation of The Hobbit.[4]
LEGO[]
The Lego Master of Lake-town
Master of Lake-town appears in one LEGO set, 79013 Lake-town Chase. He also appeared in LEGO The Hobbit: The Video Game as an unlockable character. He can be found on a bridge of Lake-town.
Non-canon names[]
The Master is given a number of names in adaptations or spin-off material, which is not canonical.
In the play adaptation of The Hobbit by Edward Mast, the Master is named "Maxwell".
In The Lord of the Rings Online, he is given the name "Othur".
Trivia[]
- The Master’s affliction with the medical condition Gout as seen in the films is likely a reference to the condition’s historic name – “rich man’s disease”, a reference to the Master’s own financial position.
- In the Rankin/Bass adaptation of The Hobbit, the Master does not appear, and Bard runs the town instead.
Voice Dubbing actors[]
| Foreign Language | Voice dubbing artist |
|---|---|
| Portuguese (Brazil) (Television/DVD) | Alfredo Martins |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Alejandro Mayén |
| Spanish (Spain) | Jordi Royo |
| Italian (Italy) | Massimo Lopez |
| French (France) | Michel Papineschi |
| German | Alexander Duda |
| Polish | Jan Prochyra |
| Czech | Jiří Schwarz |
Gallery[]
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Afrikaans | Meester van Meerdorp |
| Albanian | Mjeshtër i Liqenit-qytet |
| Amharic | ሐይቅ-ከተማ መምህር |
| Arabic | ماجستير في بحيرة بلدة |
| Armenian | Վարպետ լճի-քաղաք |
| Azerbaijani | Göl şəhər Usta |
| Basque | aintzira-herri Masterra |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Майстар-Лэйк горада |
| Bengali | লেক শহরের মাস্টার |
| Bosnian | Majstor Jezera-grad |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Майстор на Езерния град |
| Cambodian | មេនៃបឹងទីក្រុង |
| Catalan | Mestre de la Ciutat del Llac |
| Cebuano | Agalon sa Lanaw-lungsod |
| Chichewa | Mbuye wa nyanja mzinda |
| Chinese (Hong Kong) | 長湖鎮鎮長 |
| Croatian | Majstor Jezer-grada |
| Czech | Mistr Jezerní-město |
| Danish | Mestre af Søen-by |
| Dutch | Meester van Meerstad (Master of Lake-town)
Meester van Esgaroth (Master of Esgaroth) |
| Esperanto | Mastro de Lago-urbeto |
| Estonian | Kapten Järve-linna |
| Finnish | Järvikaupungin Isäntä |
| French | Le Bourgmestre de LacVille |
| Frisian | Master fan Mar-stêd |
| Galician | Mestre da Cidade do Lago |
| Georgian | ოსტატი ტბის ქალაქი |
| German | Bürgermeister von Seestadt (Master of Lake-town)
Meister von Esgaroth (Master of Esgaroth) |
| Greek | Άρχοντας της πόλης-Λίμνης |
| Gujarati | તળાવ નગર માસ્ટર ઓફ |
| Haitian Creole | Mèt nan Lak-vil |
| Hebrew | ריבונו של עיר האגם |
| Hindi | झील-टाउन के मास्टर |
| Hmong | Tswv ntawm lub pas dej-lub zos |
| Hungarian | Tóváros Ura |
| Icelandic | Skipstjóri af Stöðuvatn-bærinn |
| Irish Gaelic | Máistir Loch-bhaile |
| Italian | Governatore di Pontelagolungo (Master of Lake-town)
Governatore di Esgaroth (Master of Esgaroth) |
| Japanese | レイクタウンのマスター |
| Kannada | ಮಾಸ್ಟರ್ ಲೇಕ್ ಪಟ್ಟಣದ |
| Kazakh | Көл-қала шебері (Cyrillic) Köl-qala şeberi (Latin) |
| Korean | 호수 마을의 주인 |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Лейк-шаардын кожоюну |
| Laotian | ຕົ້ນສະບັບຂອງການສຶກຕົວເມືອງ ? |
| Latvian | Maģistrs ezera-pilsētas |
| Lithuanian | Meistras Ežero-miestelio |
| Luxembourgish | Meeschtesch vum Séi-Stad |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Господар на езерото град |
| Malagasy | Tompon'ny Farihy-tanàna |
| Malaysian | Induk Bandar-tasik |
| Maltese | Kaptan tal-Lag-belt |
| Maori | Te Kaiwhakaako o Roto-pa |
| Marathi | लेक नगर मास्टर |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Нуур-хотын мастер |
| Nepalese | लेक-शहर मास्टर |
| Norwegian | Mester av Langsjøby |
| Pashto | د جهيل د ښار د ماستر |
| Persian | استاد دریاچه شهر |
| Polish | Rządca Jezioro-miasto (Master of Lake-town)
Rządca Esgaroth (Master of Esgaroth) |
| Portuguese (Brazil) | Senhor da Cidade do Lago (book) Mestre da Cidade do Lago (films) |
| Punjabi | ਝੀਲ-ਕਸਬੇ ਦੇ ਮਾਲਕ ਦੇ |
| Romanian | Maestru de Lac oraș |
| Russian | Мастер-Лейк города |
| Samoan | Matai o Leki-taulaga |
| Scottish Gaelic | Mhaighstir de Loch-bhaile |
| Serbian | Мастер Језерград (Cyrillic) Gospodar od Jezer-grad (Latin) |
| Sesotho | Mong'a Letšeng-toropong |
| Sindhi | ڍنڍ-ڳوٺ جي ماسٽر |
| Sinhalese | ලේක්-නගරයේ ස්වාමියා |
| Slovak | Majster Jazero-mesto |
| Slovenian | Mojster Jezero-mesto |
| Somalian | Sayidkiisa oo Badda-magaalada |
| Spanish (Spain and Latin America) | Gobernador de Ciudad del lago (Master of Lake-town)
Gobernador de Esgaroth (Master of Esgaroth) |
| Sundanese | Ngawasaan ti Danau-kota |
| Swedish | Mästare på Sjöstaden |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Магистри Лейк-шаҳр |
| Tamil | ஏரி-நகரம் மாஸ்டர் |
| Telugu | లేక్ పట్టణం మాస్టర్ |
| Thai | ต้นแบบของเมืองริมทะเลสาบ |
| Turkish | Göl kasabası Efendisi |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Майстер-Лейк міста |
| Urdu | جھیل ٹاؤن کا مالک |
| Uzbek | Кўл-шаҳар устаси (Cyrillic) Ko'l-shahar ustasi (Latin) |
| Vietnamese | Thạc sĩ thị trấn Hồ |
| Welsh | Meistr o Llyn-dref |
| Xhosa | Inkosi Edikeni-idolophu |
| Yiddish | האר פון לייק-שטאָט |
| Rulers of Dale and Lake-town | |
|---|---|
| Girion | |
| Master of Lake-town | |
| Bard I • Bain • Brand • Bard II | |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Hobbit, Chapter XIV: "Fire And Water"
- ↑ The Hobbit, Chapter X: "A Warm Welcome"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Hobbit, Chapter XIX: "The Last Stage"
- ↑ Der Hobbit (hörspiel). (German: "The Hobbit (radio play)". Ardapedia.org (German-language wiki of Tolkien's Legendarium). Retrieved/cited 30 May 2021.