The Master of Lake-town or "The Master" was the original leader of Lake-town when Bilbo Baggins and his companions arrived. He is described as being greedy, but not undeserving of his position in terms of intelligence and charisma. He was an acquaintance of Bard the Bowman, and the captain of the town archers, allowing him to remain in Lake-town while the Lakemen recovered from their ordeal with Smaug.
His actual name is unknown.
Biography
The Master of Lake-town ruled from 2920 to 2941 of the Third Age, drawing to a close at the time of the Battle of Five Armies. The Master's rule in Lake-town was rather amicable, and therefore under his dominion the Men of the Long Lake traded peaceably with the Elves of Mirkwood, creating a steady trade that was kept until 2941, when Thorin and his friends came to wrest dominion of the Lonely Mountain and its riches from Smaug, who had arrived 120 years before the Master's rule, in the year TA 2770.
When the Dwarves arrived, the Master of Lake-town greeted them generously, but only to keep public spirits up.[1] After the destruction of Lake-town and the slaying of the dragon by Bard, the townspeople denounced the Master as a coward and called for Bard's ascension as King. The Master, who was an adroit politician, shifted blame for Lake-town's destruction to Thorin and the Dwarves, who had roused the dragon in the first place. This succeeded in turning the townspeople's ire towards the Dwarves. Bard took the lead in rebuilding the remains of the town and gathering supplies for the coming winter, but was careful to act in the Master's name, so as not to usurp the latter's authority.[2]
After the Battle of Five Armies, Bard became King of Dale, but gave a generous portion of his share of the Lonely Mountain's treasure (received from Dain II Ironfoot) to the Master, for the re-building of Lake-town. Unfortunately, the Master succumbed to greed and fled Lake-town with most of the gold, and later died of starvation in the wastes, after being deserted by his companions.[3]
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.
Portrayal in adaptations
The Hobbit film trilogy
In Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Hobbit, the Master is played by English actor Stephen Fry. In the films, he takes on a more directly antagonistic role, presented as a greedy and corrupt public official, whose primary concern rests with retaining 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 armory, 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.
Later, as Bard attempts to reach the windlance ballista atop the Lake-town Town Hall, 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 councilor 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.
LEGO
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 |
Appearances
- The Hobbit (First appearance)
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
- LEGO The Hobbit sets
- LEGO The Hobbit: The Video Game
Gallery
Translations around the world
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 |
Esperanto | Mastro de Lago-urbeto |
Estonian | Kapten Järve-linna |
Finnish | Mestari Järvikaupungin |
French | Le Maître de LacVille |
Frisian | Master fan Mar-stêd |
Galician | Mestre da Cidade do Lago |
Georgian | ოსტატი ტბის ქალაქი |
German | Bürgermeister von Seestadt |
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 |
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 |
Malay | 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 |
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 |
Sudanese | 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 |
Girion | |
Master of Lake-town | |
Bard I • Bain • Brand • Bard II |
References
- ↑ The Hobbit, Chapter X: "A Warm Welcome"
- ↑ The Hobbit, Chapter XIV: "Fire And Water"
- ↑ The Hobbit, Chapter XIX: "The Last Stage"