Master of Lake-town

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.The Hobbit, Chapter XIV: "Fire And Water"
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".The Hobbit, Chapter X: "A Warm Welcome"
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.
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.The Hobbit, Chapter XIX: "The Last Stage" After his companions had deserted him, he starved to death in the Waste 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.
== 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 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.
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.Der Hobbit (hörspiel). (German: "The Hobbit (radio play)". Ardapedia.org (German-language wiki of Tolkien's Legendarium). Retrieved/cited 30 May 2021.
=== 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
==Gallery==
Hqdefaultxd.jpg|Master of Lake-town in Mirkwood
==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)
Meister der Stadt (Master of the City)
Meister von Seestadt (Master of Lake-town)
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
== References ==
Category:The Hobbit characters
Category:The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug characters
Category:The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies characters
Category:Non-canonical deaths in battle
Category:Men of Dale and Lake-town
Category:Ranks and titles of Men
de:Meister der Stadt
es:Gobernador de Esgaroth
it:Governatore di Esgaroth (personaggio)
pl:Rządca Esgaroth
ru:Бургомистр