The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Race
Culture
Family
Born a Baggins; married into the Bolger family
Settlements
The Baggins family was associated with Hobbiton, while the folkland of the Bolgers was around Budgeford
Pronunciation
Prisca is pronounced 'pri'ska'
Meaning
Uncertain2

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About this entry:

  • Updated 29 June 2024
  • Updates planned: 1

Prisca Baggins

Daughter of Polo Baggins

The daughter of Polo Baggins, Prisca was a descendant of Balbo Baggins through three generations, and thus a distant relation of Bilbo and Frodo. She married Wilibald Bolger, and while no children are mentioned in earlier editions of The Lord of the Rings, later editions list three: Wilimar, Heribald and Nora.


Notes

1

While we don't know exactly how long Prisca lived, we can be sure that she reached at least the age of ninety-five. That's because she's recorded as having been among the guests at Bilbo Baggins' Farewell Party, which took place in the year III 3001 (or S.R. 1401). Note that Prisca's presence at the Party is only marked in later editions of The Lord of the Rings; earlier editions omitted this point, leading some older sources to draw the natural assumption that she must have died before III 3001.

2

Prisca Baggins came from a branch of the Baggins family whose names, for generations, had followed the pattern of having two-syllable names with an initial 'P'. On that basis, Prisca simply follows the pattern set by her father Polo and grandfather Ponto, and Prisca might be taken as a meaningless Hobbit-name, devised simply to follow the same phonetic pattern.

On the other hand, the name Prisca can be interpreted as coming from Latin, in which language it meant 'ancient', 'venerable' or 'esteemed' (as does its modern derivative Priscilla). It may be noted that Tolkien's own daughter was named Priscilla, and in his letters he called her several times by the shortened name 'Prisca'. This connection must surely have at least influenced the naming of Prisca Baggins.

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About this entry:

  • Updated 29 June 2024
  • Updates planned: 1

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