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Elf, Interrupted: Book One: Glorfindel Redux by Fiondil	10 Review(s)
hawkeye	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 9/3/2014
Sometimes I think Námo enjoys being scary. But sometimes it seems like he's sad that people are so afraid of him too. Though really, he's got himself to blame for scaring the poor elves so. exasperation Perhaps Vairë is the one I should be feeling sorry for :P Glorfindel is quite the mother hen. I've often wondered what happened to Eluréd and Elurín. Hopefully they can find peace now. It's interesting that Finrod is so intimidated when meeting Námo in this chapter. In some ways, elves who have been in Mandos seem to have a different view of him. But here, he seems as nervous as anyone, even not reborn, would be. It will be interesting to see what happens when Glorfindel really is released. Finrod has had a while to mature, so there might be a bit of a mother hen role reversal where these two are concerned :P At any rate, another wonderful chapter. Thanks for writing! Author Reply: Hi Hawkeye. I think you're right, but most times, I think Námo much prefers being a loving Vala. He's scary only when he needs to be. As Rilke says, "Every angel is terrifying". Finrod is naturally nervous, not understanding why Námo has summoned him. Think of being summoned by some authority figure in your life and your first immediate reaction is usually "what did I do wrong?" even if you didn't do anything wrong and the person who summoned you isn't out to castigate you. We'll see how much of a role-reversal there is between Finrod and Glorfindel once the latter is released from Mandos. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it.

Celeth	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 3/14/2013
Glorfindel's mother hen role seems rather incongruous with his image as a seasoned and mighty warrior, but it shows a softer side of him. And of course, after all the time he has spent receiving the same loving care from Lord Namo and the Maiar, it's not really hard to imagine that he would be ready and willing to show the same to Elured and Elurin, and others who need it. You actually dreamt of the scenes in Mandos? Wow! I wonder if your Muse might not be Lord Namo himself? Maybe he decided he had enough of the inaccuracies in other people's portrayal of him and his domain, and enlisted his brother Irmo's help to put the record straight? Author Reply: Hi Celeth. Of course, the ironic thing is that, at this point, Glorfindel has no memory of being a seasoned and mighty warrior who fought in the Nirnaeth and killed a balrog, so his nurturing the twins does seem incongruous, but as Námo points out, it's good practice for the future. And I suspect you're right about Lord Námo wanting to set the record straight about himself and chose me as his conduit. Lucky me! LOL! Oh well, I can't complain that it hasn't been fun. Thanks for reviewing. It's appreciated.

Midnight Promise	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/8/2009
Wow, I read this story a long time ago and forgot how good it was! :) Aw, poor twins! huggles I hope to see them in later stories, good and whole. :) Author Reply: Hi, MP. I know what you mean. I re-read this myself not too long ago to make some minor corrections and was amazed at how much I'd forgotten had happened. lol I'm glad you are enjoying this story the second time around. We may see the twins later, good and whole, but I can't promise anything specific at this time.

6336	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 5/11/2009
Did Glorfindel ever meet up with Elured and Elurin after he returned from Endore? Lynda Author Reply: Well, that's a tale for another time, but I greatly suspect that he did. Perhaps someday if I write about Glorfndel's return to Aman, we will find out.

Kaylee	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/26/2008
Aw!!! Poor Elured and Elurin...:( Their death must have been so terrible...but at least now they have Glorfi to help them through it. And help them he does indeed. I'm glad that by the end of the chapter they trusted him enough to let go of each other and hold on to Glorfi. It's for the best. hugs them And poor Finrod, chafing at the delay in Glorfi's release. Well, Glorfi has work he needs to do, just as Finda has work he needs to do, I'm sure. And he's not doing it (my amme would say that's naughty wry grin. I think she'd do very well helping out Lord Namo...no doubt her classroom of preschool kids are much like Reborn elflings.) Well, I'm sure soon our dynamic duo will be reunited. (Actually, I know they will be, lol) ~Kaylee! Author Reply: We don't know any details of how (or if) the twins died, but left alone in the woods the equivalent of 2-3 year olds... not very good odds. And in apite of the wait to be reunited... a hundred years isn't all that long for an elf.

6336	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/7/2008
I think someone should write a book or teach courses in Reborn care, it would certainly help people to understand the difficulties the Reborn have in integrating back in to society! You are right it, should have been Namo who had a little 'chat' with a certain Hacker!:<) Lynda Author Reply: You're probaby right but it would have to be the Reborn who write it, since they're the only ones who know about it from the inside out, so to speak.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 2/12/2008
They were almost infants when they were abandoned in the forest to their fates. And at last they trust enough to face what will be side by side rather than intertwined. Author Reply: They were infants. At age 7 they were the equivalent of 4-year-olds in human terms. Still, with Glorfindel's help they are finally findng the healing they need.

Edlyn	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 3/12/2007
Here is my promised review of chapter 4 at last. I apologise for the tardiness of this but the "real world" has kept me rather busy. Things are slowing down now and I can re-read the chapter and do a proper review. The first thing that set my mind wondering and considering was the mention of what I have taken to calling the Halls of Solitude. It is not a long paragraph but there is a lot of unspoken yet understood information in it, particularly given what you told us about judgment in chapter two. First of all, I've come to the conclusion that repentance and acceptance of the forgiveness of Eru is a requirement of re-embodiment. Given the unconditional love of Eru I strongly suspect that the fëar that end up in the Halls of Solitude must be those who refuse to accept the forgiveness that Eru and the Valar freely offer when the fëa repents the mistakes and ill deeds of their earthly life. Being unable to accept that forgiveness they isolate themselves from all, whether it be other fëar, maiar, or Valar, unable to recognize the presence of any. I think it likely that these fëar are incredibly selfish or egocentric and can think of two reasons for a fëa to not accept forgivness (though I'm sure there are likely more): - a flat out refusal to accept the authority of Eru and the Valar. I can accept the idea that some elves would find themselves resentful and antagonist towards the idea of anyone or anything having authority over them. Some people automatically infer that accepting forgiveness from someone means that you agree that the one offering forgiveness is superior to yourself. Hmmmm, this brings up another issue: Is it possible to be an elf to be aetheist? No. I'm not going into that. The can of worms that will open would be a worse mess than a 10-gallon aquarium containing the Watcher in the Water... - pride in one's sins. These fëar refuse forgiveness because they pridefully believe that their sins/crimes are so terrible that even Eru cannot/will not forgive them. This is different than the situation where low self worth creates the belief. The latter fëar are not prideful, but the opposite and the Powers are certainly astute enough to know the difference. Now there are definitely other fëar that flat out refuse to repent of their crimes and those I think, rather than ending up in the Halls of Solitude, likely end up cast out of Arda into the Void. I can certainly understand Lord Námo's grief for the occupants of the Halls of Solitude. He is most definitely a healer and it grieves a healer when someone who is hurt refuses treatment. Goodness, the review and commentary on that one paragraph is almost as long as your chapter! In regards to Time: So Time is a convenience to the Powers (at least in the Halls of Mandos--and likely elsewhere as well). Hmmmm. Time essentially does not exist for the fëar in the Halls of Renewal. That makes sense to me. Children live in the "now" and that's what these fëar are. But this also creates a bit of a paradox. Memory apprears to require existance of Time in order to function. The Reborn have memories of their time in the Halls. So perhaps Time exists but the healing fëar are kept unaware of it save as a general feeling of this has already happened, I met so-and-so before I met him, etc. Silly songs fit for elflings. I suppose I must be an elfling then. I find myself singing the silly songs I learned as a child while I do certian chores (such as laundry, ironing and doing the dishes). It makes me smile, makes my heart light, and makes the mundane jobs fun to do. Finrod is truly an adolescent, in the classical definition of "adulescere" (literally, "to grow up" or "being in the process of" becoming an adult). I'm thinking that oen of the reasons Finrod wants Glorfindel with him "right now" isn;t just because he loves and misses him but he wants and needs a friend who truly understands his experiences. His father and family don't understand (at least not more than intellectually) what he went through though they can sympathise. But Glorfindel has been through it and can comiserate with the emotional instability, frustration and hurt he feels. The situation reminds me of trying to explain to someone who has never been near a firearm in their life what it was like to have a shotgun pointed at my head during the robbery of a bank that I worked for, not knowing if the man was going to pull the trigger even though I was doing what he said to do. They are horrified and say things like "how terrible" and "you poor thing" then expect that I'll be perfectly normal in a few days. But they don't want to know about the nightmares that went on for months, or the worry of never knowing when catching a movement out of the corner of my eye would trigger my memory and send me to the floor with my hands over my head. They didn't experience anything like it and can't imagine the things it did to change me. However, in time I "grew up" and was able to place the event in perspective. Finrod just doesn't yet have the perspective to deal with things, hence his impatience and the need for Lord Námo's reminder and reassurances. My heart simply aches for the twins. It really says a lot about Glorfindel's character that he is the first to notice Elúrin and Elúred and to offer his friendship to them. The nightmare and follow-up scene reminded my of reading about a set of conjoined twins who were separated (successfully) after four years of being physically attached to each other. Once the surgery was over the doctors laid them together in a single bed touching each other and facing each other the way they'd been their entire life. Gradually, they moved the twins apart and after about a week the two children were able to be in separate beds and begin to play on their own without being upset and frightened. I was very glad to see that Elúrin and Elúred's "surgery" was successful for them and their "surgeon." The image of Glorfindel lying with the sleeping twins, one in each arm and them clutching separate locks of his hair, made me smile at the same time it brought tears to my eyes. Most definitely a lovely and thought provoking chapter, mellon-nin. May you live blessed, Edlyn Author Reply: Tolkien does state somewhere in his writings that there are those who dwell in Mandos who are so wrapped up in themselves that they cannot allow even Eru in and so they walk the halls alone. Those who dwell in the Hall of Solitude, I think, are those fëar who, while they did not refuse Mandos' call (as the Houseless in Middle-earth have done) they have refused Judgment, for with Judgment comes Forgiveness and Reconciliation and they neither wish it or can accept it for themselves. So, while they are not Houseless, neither are they counted among those fëar who are destined to be Reborn within Arda. Those in the Halls of Solitude will not be Reborn until Arda is Remade and all wrongs have been redressed. For the Valar Time is something they have come to accept as a necessary condition of their being in Arda, but they were originally created in Timelessness and still retain the memory of that within them, thus they are both within and without Time. And while Time rules them, it is a voluntary subjection on their part, which is why I think Tolkien gives them a limited power over Time in that they are free to move back and forth within it, though they cannot effect events that have already happened (i.e., go back and "fix" things). Finrod does indeed pine for someone who will understand, not only what it means to be Reborn, but perhaps even more importantly, what it means to have died, and died horribly. That alone sets him apart and makes it impossible for his family to totally understand him or the way he acts and reacts to things. They remember him from "before", and cannot reconcile that cherished image with the ellon standing in front of them now pining for a friend they've never met and talking about being a king of a kingdom they've never seen or of dying for the sake of a Secondborn, whom, except for Arafinwë, none of them have ever met and never will. So, it's no wonder that Arafinwë is a tad upset and Námo has to give his former charge a mild (for him) reprimand. And as Manwë points out with regards to his handling of the twins: Glorfindel does need the practice. grin

Rhyselle	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 2/28/2007
I wonder what makes the difference between those elves who come to the Mardi Envinyato and those who are sent to the spirit prison to be alone until Arda's Renewal. Is it a moral distinction? Obviously it pains Namo that there even needs to be such a place in his Halls. Your introduction of the twins into Glorfindel's life struck a chord in me. The foreshadowing of the years an age or more in the future where he would be instrumental in the rearing up of Elrond's twin boys is part of it, but also I can see that these children will immediately appeal to Glorfindel's inner need to be needed and to protect and take care of other people. Finrod's fears when he is summoned to meet with Namo were perfectly understandable. Although in the body of an adult, he's still not "grown up" and I remember my worry when someone in authority summoned me to speak with them when I was a 13 year old! To have a Vala summon you must be so much worse. It occurs to me that the Valar spend a considerable amount of time telling people with whom they interact to not be afraid! The Maiar too, I'd think. Just as in the instances in the Bible where angels appear unto men, "Fear not" seems to be the standard opening communication with the Valar. :) The image of Finrod cuddling with his stuffed animal is just adorable. I like how you didn't specify what type of animal it was... it allows me to envision him snuggling with a fuzzy stuffed Hedgehog, while others might envision a cat or a bear or whatever else their favorite toy was. Author Reply: Well, like Manwë says, Glorfindel needs the practice. grin And I suspect that the Valar are also addressing his inner need to be needed as well. I think, no matter how old we are, we all have that "fear" of being summoned before whatever authorities may exist in our lives. I know that there was always a sense of trepidation whenever my supervisor summoned me to her office (in my last job) and I didn't know the reason why. Being summoned by one of the Valar, especially THIS Vala, has to be even worse for the one being summoned, even if you know you haven't done anything wrong. grin I purposely keep the "stuffed toy" image vague so as to allow each reader to bring into the story a part of themselves with which they can identify. For me it's a teddy bear that was given to me when I was in my 20s undergoing treatment for cancer. I still have the bear even after 30 years.

Aglarendis	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/9/2006
As always, well done! Oh, poor Elured and Elurin! These are another pair about whom I am quite curious. I wondered how old they were when they died. How did you figure out that they were born in 500? Hmm, perhaps I should be reading the History of Middle-earth instead of fan fiction. What a cute picture of Glorfindel crawling over Namo, quite amusing. And why do I suspect that dear Namo could easily have helped the twins to awaken, but, as I have been told many times, God is pleased to work through His people, and not just his messengers. I loved the portrayals of Manwe and Varda. I think people often think that the valar are too high above both elves and men, but at least in the way I see this world, this is far from the truth. I think it is the wish of the valar to be more like older brothers and sisters to those who will have it so. So, Finrod has an important role to play in the outside world, does he? I trust we shall learn more about this role as the story continues? Poor Finrod, trying so hard to be an adult, yet still feeling so much like a child. I'm glad Namo was so patient with him. So, I move on to the next chapter! Still want me to review every chapter? (grin) Author Reply: I believe in my historical note I state that they were 7 years old when Doriath was destroyed and probably died shortly thereafter. I gave no details of their death because it remains a mystery. I have even read some fan fiction in which they didn't die at all but survived (which is an equally valid reality since no one knows for sure what happened to them). At any rate, I thought it would be interesting for Glorfindel to have some "practice" dealing with twins since he's going to be heavily involved in Elrond's twin sons for a long time. And yes, I suspect Námo was quite capable of bringing the twins out of their nightmare, but it was important for both Glorfindel and the twins that Glorfindel do it. I have tried to portray the Valar as more than distant and forbidding figures, but beings who are so full of love and Love that they can't help but be merry and see themselves as older siblings to us younger Children. That's why my portrayal of Námo in all my stories involving him portray him as a joyful being, for how can anyone who's stood before the Throne of Ilúvatar be anything else? And you'll just have to wait and see about Finrod.... You go ahead and review every chapter. I enjoy reading your comments. Thanks.

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