News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
| About Us News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
|
| Eärendil’s Tale by Bodkin | 5 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| lwarren | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 3/29/2005 |
| Celebrian certainly had quite a talk with Elwing, didn't she? It was fascinating to hear about her development and growth, how Celeborn was the only one who let her be herself and encouraged and gave her confidence when he came to visit. The meeting with Earendil was funny, too, with her being dragged in an hour before and forcibly cleaned up...yet no one knew she was barefoot under that lovely gown! :-) Glasiel is a likable character,too; foster sister, friend, nanny to the twins, and I would imagine Earendil learned to toe the mark with his wife when Glasiel was around to point out his ... deficiencies! LOL But she DID learn to care about him, and they WERE too young to marry(which seemed to caus many of the problems), tho' physically mature. It was sad, tho' that he left her alone, and only had a year (?) with the twins. No wonder Elrond only vaguely remembers him! I especially liked Celebrian's defense of her mother...who of course, seemed condemned no matter what! Another great chapter! I am enjoying this history lesson immensely! :-) linda Author Reply: I couldn't quite see why it was that Celeborn didn't care for young Elwing - she was, after all, his brother's granddaughter and he was her closest kin. So it seemed logical that it was Galadriel's presence that made it impossible and that he wouldn't want to take her from those who made her feel safe. For Earendil and Elwing to have married in their twenties, they must have grown at more-or-less human speed - but they would have been treated as young elves and probably acted as humans younger than their years. (I must make sure Glasiel comes into some later chapters, too.) And both E and E were children who had grown up through times of trauma. They probably both needed security and were likely to grab at whatever offered it. I think Earendil might have been back from his voyages after the twins' first year - but he wasn't around consistently. (The history tends more towards imagination from here. The Lost Tales offer some possibly scenarios, some of which I have ruled out instantly (eg the rape of Elwing) and others which seem - well, a bit fairytale. I think I know where chapter 6 leads, though.) (And I do think that Galadriel gets a lot of stick for being Noldor and daring to behave as if she is the equal of males. And because Tolkien did end up with her filling that rather Marist role.) | |
| Lairewen | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 3/4/2005 |
I'm really enjoying this story, I have a soft spot for Earendil and I like how you've written him. His interactions with Elrond are lovely. Hoping to see more soon. :) Author Reply: Thank you. There will be more - he might actually put to sea at some point. And I've just this second realised that he will have to put his case to the Valar. Oh dear, that sounds a bit taxing. I'm glad you like Earendil and Elrond. I think they deserve a good relationship, even if it can't really be a father / son one. | |
| Karri | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 2/22/2005 |
| A nicely woven chapter! :-) And very entertaining, as well. Author Reply: Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. | |
| elliska | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 2/20/2005 |
| Ooo I loved this one. I love the Sindar / Noldor jabs--you know I just can't resist that stuff and I like the way you handle it. I like seeing both sides and neither being the only right argument. The is very realistic. And I like how you portray these elves as old and wise enough to recognize that reality, speak their mind and not fight about it. That seems very in character to me. The discussion of Celeborn and Galadriel's place (or lack thereof) in Elwing's life was great. I liked hearing Celebrian recognizing her father's actions in the stories of her mother-in-law / sort-of-sister (since Celeborn was a father figure for Elwing). That was very nicely done. I really like picturing Celeborn as an ada of daughters. I bet he was great. But I particularly liked the explanation of why Elwing was so young when she was married / became a mother. To be honest, that always confused me a little when I read the Silm. As sad as this is going to sound, it never occurred to me until I read this chapter of this fic that Elwing, being half-elven might grow faster than elves. Duh! Great exploration of that and Glasiel's opinions of it. I also loved the discussion on Elwing's marriage at such an age / to such a person. I loved this: ‘He went to Balar,’ Glasiel said simply. ‘I do not know if you ever realised – but he wanted to consult with Tuor and go back with him to Nan-tathren to speak with Idril.’ She smiled. ‘Whatever you said to him had clearly made him decide in Eärendil’s favour, but he was not about to let the exiles of Gondolin feel that you were unprotected. You were Elu’s heir and his kin – and you would be treated as such.’ That sounds SOOO like Celeborn. Quiet. Behind the scenes. And don't mess with him and his or you will not live to regret it! And I loved Celebrian's reply about Celeborn's reaction to Elrond. Great! And just so you know--I have a whole sheet of paper where I have written the family trees and who is cousins to what degree. Maddening but fascinating to me. :) Great chapter. And I needed it this weekend. Thanks! Author Reply: I'm glad you enjoyed it - and that it helped with your weekend. Looking at the family tree, I couldn't see that Celeborn would have left Elwing completely to the care of those who escaped from Doriath. But, had he been her guardian, surely it would have been notable enough to mention him - so this is a way of dealing with it! And the Noldor/Sindar . . . edginess gives it a reason. Yes, Celeborn would be great as an ada of daughters - and protective, very protective. Do you think that men growing up among elves would take longer to grow up mentally? There wouldn't be the same kind of pressure to be adult by 16 or so, because to elves 16 is barely starting-school age - so Elwing might have grown tall, but no-one would expect her to be mature. According to some of my pieces of paper, Tuor and Idril disappeared before Elwing and Earendil married - but I think Idril would have wanted to see them settled down first and do her best to see they had security. (Other sources put their disappearance later - so I felt justified.) Elven ages make the degrees of cousinship really interesting - Celebrian is 4th generation, while Elrond is 6th (via Nimloth and Idril) and 5th (through Dior), but she wasn't born until ?mid-2nd-Age? And then, aren't first cousin marriages supposed to be proscribed? But the two generation degree of removal presumably made it OK. And there again, marriages within the royal houses would very quickly eliminate most eligible connections, because they're all related. Have you gone for working out the percentages of different kindreds in Elrond's family? That's quite fun! | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 2/20/2005 |
| Elven families are very confusing to me, so I'm going to pretend I understood the stuff about who was related to whom and let it go. I do feel badly for Elwing. As you say, she and Earendil were so young to do everything they did, even by the standards of men. And Elwing lost her children, which is about the worst thing I can think of. Author Reply: I read something recently where Boromir had a similar reaction to the hobbits trying to explain hobbit genealogy. I was trying to find it - but failed, so I can't say anything more about it! Yes - and she left them in a state of terror vulnerable to probably the nastiest bunch of elves available. And she couldn't have known that Maglor would become defensive of them and take them under his wing. She must have been tormented by her choice for a long time, although I suppose she would have known the outcome by the end of the First Age. But even then, knowing her children were safe is not the same thing as bringing them up herself. And, looking at the dates, Earendil only just about seemes to have been around long enough to impregnate her - I'm not surprised Glasiel is still a bit disapproving. | |