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The Acceptable Sacrifice by Larner	22 Review(s)
Eliazbeth Wherry	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/9/2008
Sezpilona was Quite pleased I finally got around to telling you by the way. Elizabeth Wherry Author Reply: I'm honored, Eliazbeth.

Eliazbeth Wherry	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/2/2008
Dear Larner, My best friend (the one who got me into SoA and your stories) wanted me to tell you her name. Her actual name I won't give but you should be firmiliar (I misspelled that) with sezplino10. She wanted me to tell you that we are best friends. Author Reply: Oh, I'm glad you're a friend of Szepilona! I've enjoyed having her read my work and comment on it, and she's worked through a good deal of what I've written over the years.

AspenJules	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 8/23/2006
Ok, that was a good chapter! I loved the conversation between Frodo and Gandalf about the effect the Ring had on him with respect to the lasses. I'd never read an explanation for why he remained celibate, even in the "frodo's healed" fics other than that he was consumed by guilt or was too ill or ... I guess that's about it. Poor Frodo - the more I read about the (possible) effects the Ring had on him while in his possession... sighs Author Reply: I try to remain logical as to what could have led to many of the truths about Frodo. He's unlike Bilbo in so many ways, and my own experience is that those who had good families and lost them as he did wish to recreate that joy by developing families of their own. If he didn't remarry, there must have been an overwhelming reason he didn't, I'd think.

Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 5/26/2006
Re-reading now and reviewing these first beautiful chapters. I was looking through favourite stories, trying to while away some time since I must stay up, and realised I didn't remember much about these first chapters, having read through them in a blur of excitement at having something new to enjoy. :) Now. I know I catch at every single little straw, but I really do want to know. Is it "hannon le" or "le hannon"? I picked up the former from the first part of Antane's "Measure of Love" saga, and then when I looked on CoE I read that it was the latter. I'm not so sure I like Sindarin grammar. :) Perhaps Frodo was not a simple Hobbit. But he did love the Shire and was a part of it. Not in the way that Bilbo and Sam were, but a part of it nonetheless, and he loved it dearly. I wouldn't change the ending of LOTR, but I can't count the times I've wished he could have healed there, and remained happily ever after. Frodo's and Sam's weakness, Frodo's conflicts within himself, being at the feast and wanting lots of food even when he knows he couldn't eat it, the smell of food being both delicious and sickening to him...it all seems so very...real. I guess when one writes an epic as long and wordy as LOTR, it's necessary to be sparing with details like these--and I don't think it would have been acceptable to the general public in Tolkien's day, either, to give such an intimate account, esp. things like Gandalf's discussion with Frodo--but it's the touches like these that make the characters alive and the story worth reading. I've been doing research on trauma off and on for a couple of years now (for writing purposes), and I've learned and am learning more from this and some of your other stories than I did in all that research--I think because you take the things I've read about in stiff, almost unfeeling articles and apply it to very different circumstances, and present effects and consequences I never even thought of. I hope in this rereading to pick up on things I missed the first go-round. God bless, Galadriel P.S. Sorry for being wordy--I tried to make it "short and sweet," but I don't have a gift for that anyway, and especially not at this hour. Author Reply: In the movies they used "hannon le" and so I used it that way here. Sindarin has a different grammatical and syntactical structure than English, so you can't go by English structures completely; but I will use what is now the better known structure as that in the films is now known world-wide. I've always had a tendency to make connections between what I've learned from one source to what might be going on in another--I love the scientist James Burkes's "Connections" series, for the man's mind and mine work much the same. And to take what I've learned from real life and put it into my own stories--well, I've been doing that for years, after all. So glad you, too, are rereading. I just finished rereading it myself, you see. Thank you for letting me know what new insights you pick up on the second go-round.

Grey Wonderer	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/16/2005
Very interesting look at Frodo's lack of female companions. It makes sense that the ring would change that as well. In a way he must have stayed away from lasses to keep from harming them. I wonder if it was a comfort to know that the violent thoughts were not his or if it alarmed him to have been controled so? I am enjoying this very much. Author Reply: Personally, I suspect Frodo felt both ways, furious and alarmed to find out how little control he appeared to have over his own life at the time, combined with relief to know that this wasn't HIM thinking these things. How much of the closing down of sexuality was due to his own unconscious realization he didn't wish to experience such urges and how much was the Ring suppressing his sexual nature as punishment for not following its agenda is questionable. So glad you are enjoying it so far.

Pearl Took	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/2/2005
A lot of deep stuff here, stuff I've never thought about. Did I miss something in the earlier chapters - what is the whole Iorhael thing? Is it a name you have made up for Frodo? What does it mean? I'm feeling a bit lost with not knowing. Author Reply: I'm sorry--Iorhael is Sindarin for Frodo's name--both mean "Wise One." You'll find a number of fanfics, particularly when Frodo is speaking with Elves, where they call him that, and I often have him called that in the scenes where he is in the Undying Lands. I think the first awareness of this was given in the proposed epilogues Tolkien had planned for the story, which he later dropped from inclusion. Iorhail and Iorhael were the proposed translations for Frodo-lad's name, with the latter winning out in the end; Samwise would be translated Perhael--both mean Half-wise. Aragorn, however, preferred to think of Sam as Lanhael or "Plain-wise" or Panthael or "Fully-wise."

Lindelea	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/31/2005
Iorhael--be practical. You and Sam are not the only ones receiving light meals and soft foods. Look about you--that soldier with the bandaged jaw--he’s getting only broth, while that one over there with his belly wrapped is receiving the same. They are feeding thousands here, and have had to bring meat or cattle here from the other side of the River. Would you deny someone else the food you wish to have before you--food that you could not eat anyway--just to satisfy your own pride? (You know, I never thought of this, but it makes perfect sense! There would have been convalescents at the feast, and they would have had special consideration.) The discussion of Frodo's loss of innocence, and the other effects of the Ring's attempt at domination, was fascinating, but chilling and sad at the same time. After all, sexuality in its purest form, when not twisted to selfish use, is about re-creation, fertility, flowering and fruiting, and all the joy and pleasure inherent in creativity. To see Frodo realise how scarred, battered, even twisted he remains as a result of bearing the Ring is shattering. Author Reply: Yes, there would have been many healing at the feast, and I like to think that Frodo would begin identifying with them rather quickly, whether the one who argues with him is his deepest self or a Maia's thought or someone perhaps even greater. As so far Frodo still doesn't know, that question, at least, remains moot. It is now that Frodo truly begins to appreciate just how deeply the Ring has scarred him, and how quickly after receiving it this began to happen. In "The Ties of Family" the Ring stole his right to dance before others from him; he's probably realized from time to time for years something had stolen his sexuality from him; he's now appreciating HOW that was done and WHY it was done. Perhaps for the first time he's appreciating that it has stolen also his innocence, but is not yet fully aware that he has received the rightful compensation for that--increased sensitivity and compassion and an enlarged ability to seek healing for others. One must truly lose innocence to fully appreciate those sensibilities. But to retain virginity at such a cost, to have that not be a proper offering but a right wrested from him by the twisted will of the Ring, must have been among the worst of blows for such as Frodo. And he's beginning to see the pockets of resentment the Ring has sown into his soul.

periantari	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/21/2005
how interesting to relate the losing of innocence to virginity--i never thought of it like that. I really like how Aragorn was so thankful to Frodo and all the nice words he said to him. It is really true that all of Middle-Earth did owe Frodo for what he did on his Quest... Really liked this: Somehow Aragorn came to be by him, and he felt such relief as the King looked down into his eyes, placed his hands upon his shoulders, knelt to hold him close in embrace. sweet. :( :) Frodo deserves this. And the later bit with Frodo and Gandalf's dialogue was really powerful as well... But would the RIng really take away Frodo's desire for hobbit-lasses? It was interesting to read about him wanting to take another by force though. Author Reply: The Ring was created to enhance domination of others, and that is what it would seek to bring out, I think, in its bearers. Physical and emotional love of the positive kind known among Hobbits in which the relationship is usually an equal partnership with love freely given and received would, I think, be repugnant to such as the Ring, and it would seek to spoil it in one manner or another, seeking the total submission or subsuming of the partner. Once it realized neither Bilbo nor Frodo was apt to rape or sadism and actively put aside such thoughts, and assured its will to dominate would always be opposed, I truly think that it would seek to shut down sexual awareness in its bearers as a punishment of sorts. Then it would allow some awareness of the process to slip through so that they realized something was wrong and evenly at times actively regretted it--until a likely lass came along at which it would again actively suppress the awareness again--or the bearer himself might unconsciously begin doing so as a means of avoiding the repugnant thoughts. Either way, the bearer of the Ring is left alone and emotionally isolated, which would be how the Ring would like it. Many people equate virginity and innocence, and probably Frodo had before he went on the quest and realized they were NOT the same thing at all. And I love to think that Aragorn felt that Frodo was his brother of the spirit. The free peoples of Middle Earth would have been lost and Gondor, Arnor, Rohan, and the Shire and other lands would have been overrun had Frodo failed to get the Ring to the Sammath Naur; and Aragorn's hope for his marriage to Arwen would have been totally lost. For no less person than the King of Gondor and Arnor reunited would Lord Elrond allow his daughter to remain in Middle Earth, sacrificing her immortality, after all. Thanks for the comments, and glad you enjoy the story so far.

Antane	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/20/2005
Larner, in response of yours to my comments, I agree that the rape of Frodo occured in his mind, heart and soul, not physically though I know some fan writers have him abused in the tower in such a way and I certainly wouldn't put it past the orcs to do that. Namarie, God bless, Antane :) Author Reply: No, I wouldn't put it past orcs, either; but I still believe the orders to those guarding the borders of Morder was that they were to bring in intruders alive and unspoiled, much as Saruman had insisted for those being brought to him. I suspect both Saruman and Sauron preferred to do their own nastiness and see how the degradation struck their prisoners.

Radbooks	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/20/2005
Such a mixture of emotions in this chapter. I smiled when Frodo was speaking with Eomer and he didn't know who he was and all of the horse symbols on his clothing. I was relieved and happy when he was speaking with Aragorn and Aragorn was able to bring comfort to him, and Frodo was able to get a little peace for a short time. And then... and then, I was moved to tears during the whole conversation with Gandalf about how the Ring influenced Frodo and how he was tempted to take lasses by force. It was a tough section, but well done. Author Reply: It had to have been an overwhelming experience--being led out before thousands of strangers and being hailed in so many languages; sitting on a throne with ones friend who's meant to be king kneeling before them; changing into princely garments as though they were princes of Elves or Men; wearing mail, swords, and circlets to a feast.... Frodo must really have felt out of his depth, and to be expected to be courteous with perfect strangers like that and to try to figure out who these folks are and keep them straight when there eating outside and all must have been so confusing! It's a humorous and at the same time sad moment, with Frodo so overwhelmed. To finally be able to connect with Aragorn must have been a relief. I try to be realistic and yet not crude; I've kept insisting through my tales that the Ring burnt out the capacity for romantic love, particularly as it understood only domination. To see how it might have influenced him to try to become like its master, and then give it up as a bad job and seek to suppress sexual attraction in the end because Frodo just wasn't the type to be sadistic and grasping seemed logical, considering the Ring's and Sauron's shared nature. Looking forward to your next chapter, of course....

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