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Dates
Born c. III 2902 (c. 1302 by the Shire-reckoning)1
Race
Hobbits
Culture
Shire-hobbits
Family
Born a Brownlock; married into the Baggins family
Settlements
The Baggins family was most closely associated with Hobbiton
Pronunciation
Gilly is probably pronounced 'ji'lly' (see note 2 on the name's meaning)
Meaning
Uncertain, but probably named for the gillyflower2

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About this entry:

  • Updated 2 September 2022
  • This entry is complete

Gilly Brownlock

Wife to Posco Baggins

A Shire-hobbit who joined the Baggins family when she married Posco Baggins, son of Polo. Through their three children Ponto, Porto and Peony, Gilly and Posco gave rise to a populous branch of the family, though none of their descendants played an important part in the War of the Ring. Gilly's husband Posco seems not to have survived to see Bilbo's famous Birthday Party, but Gilly herself (who would have been roughly a hundred years old at the time) was among those who saw Bilbo disappear.


Notes

1

We have no specific dates for Gilly Brownlock, but her husband Posco Baggins was born in III 2902, and so presumably Gilly was born relatively close to that year. We know that Gilly survived until at least III 3001 (S.R. 1401), because she attended Bilbo Baggins' famous Birthday Party in that year (when she must have been close to a hundred years old).

2

It might be natural to read 'Gilly' as an abbreviation, perhaps for a name like 'Gillian'. Actually, given the Hobbits' preference for naming girls after flowers or jewels, the name 'Gilly' probably has a connection to the gillyflower (which is a name given to various different kinds of flower, including varieties of carnations or wallflowers). As part of this flower name, gilly derives via a circuitous route from Greek κάρυο, 'nut'.

The gillyflower's name is pronounced with a soft 'g', so assuming that Gilly Brownlock was named for this flower, her name would be pronounced as 'ji'lly'.

See also...

Brownlock Family, Peony Baggins , Ponto Baggins, Porto Baggins, Posco Baggins

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 2 September 2022
  • This entry is complete

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