Stories of Arda - Lord of the Rings Fan-Fiction Archive


	About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

Elf, Interrupted: Book One: Glorfindel Redux by Fiondil	10 Review(s)
hawkeye	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 1/5/2015
Oh Vorondil. Are you really so... naive? I find it interesting how the different elves behave around the Valar. Ingoldo and Tinwetariel have lived near the Valar for Eru only knows how long. They fear them too, I think, on some level. But despite all that, neither one takes much thought to their actions. Vorondil is more difficult to read. On the one hand, he is a minor, and children can be cruel. It is sad to see someone so young (and an elf) being so hateful, and I have to wonder at his parents not keeping that in check. Interesting that Vorondil's father was in the war. Perhaps more disturbing than anything is I feel like Vorondil is being used. It's pretty obvious during that conversation that Ingoldo and Tinwetariel are leading him on. It's hard to believe that Ingoldo is Ingwë's brother. Hopefully Ingwë is keeping a close eye on him. After all this time, you can't say that he doesn't know how is brother is. At least I hope... Valandur fascinates me and I would love to read more about him. I will have to read In the High King's Secret Service 8D At any rate, I can't wait to see more of him here. At least Ingwë will know where Vorondil and Tulcaner went. And Ingwë. "What he said to the High King, no one ever learned, but within the hour, messengers were being sent to Taniquetil and Valmar under the High King’s seal." This really does show the truth of Ingwion's assessment that his father, while angry, isn't cutting any ties with the Valar. Even assuming that he doesn't know what the Valar are up to, he is astute enough to move now. I would be interested to know how much of a role Valandur played here too. I wonder if he knew that Vorondil lied. As old as Valandur and Ingwë must be, their ability to read people must go far beyond Vorondil's. I actually feel bad for Vorondil, as much as I dislike him. He is obviously deeply conflicted. On the one hand, he is in awe of these renown warriors and the fact that he can't be one of them must feel unbearable. He is very petty though, and his hatred, wherever it comes from, makes him a target. His reaction to Sador's initiation was despicable. Hopefully he doesn't end up like Ingoldo and his wife, but I don't hold out a lot of hope right now. Now what has happened to Glorfindel!? Thanks for another exciting chapter, Fiondil :) Author Reply: Hi Hawkeye. Vorondil is the equivalent of an 16-year old, so yeah, he can be very naive when it comes to the adult world. We'll learn eventually what motivates his hatred later. The same with Ingoldo. Valandur is a fascinating ellon and I hope you do get to read "In the High King's Secret Service" someday and learn how he came to be where he is now. I have no doubt that he knew that Vorondil was being less than truthful. And Ingwë is first and foremost the High King and however angry he might be, he knows his duty both to his people and to the Valar. Vorondil is deeply conflicted and therein lies the seed of his downfall as we will eventually see. As for what happened to Glorfindel, we will see that in the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing. It's much appreciated.

Siiw	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 11/8/2011
These chapters make a lot more sense now after reading IDB. And Valandur slow...? Lol! That is wrong and we know it even more now. I want to re-read the whole story now, knowing what happened in the past puts many things into a different light. Author Reply: Hi Siiw. I'm sure they do make more sense now after reading IDB. And re-reading the whole story is fine by me. grin And you're right. Knowing what happened in the past will put what is said (and not said) into a different light. Enjoy! And thanks for leaving a review. I appreciate it.

6336	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 8/29/2008
Hi, rereading, again, just had a thought. Is Namo holding onto the Vanya dead until the Elves who refused to fight in the War of Wrath (and why is this never translated into Quenya or Sindarin, it's always refered to as the War of Wrath, even the final battle is translated?) have forgiven themselves for failing to heed the Valar's request? Or are they still pissed with the Noldo for leaving in the first place, may be a little touch of envy for having the guts to go in the first place, Feanor's Oath or not? Do you know how many referance books I have to keep handy when reading one of your stories? I must have a shelf full of Elf stuff! Keep on writing, Lynda Author Reply: Namo is holding onto the Vanyar dead because they did not die first. It's sort of a first-in-first-out thing. At the same time, he is withholding their release simply because the Vanyar and the Noldor who did not rebel feel that they are entitled to have their dead released before the Rebels because of their 'supposed' privileged position of never having rebelled. He will not release them under those conditions, something that is hinted at if not explicitly said throughout this story.

Kaylee	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 8/10/2008
Ah, and so Oromë isn't the only one hunting...scowls at Vorondil addressing Vorondil You'd best be glad I have reasons to like you later, youngling. If first impressions were the only thing that mattered, you'd never get in my good books. back to Fiondil Anyway, meldonya, it's good to see that Valandur's not clueless and that Vorondil and the others are being watched! ~Kaylee!! Author Reply: Some people are just stupid enough to think that they are being smart enough to outsmart those who are actually smarter than they. Vorondil and his ilk are like that. Valandur didn't become Ingwë's chief loremaster and spymaster by being stupid. Something that Vorondil will learn to his sorrow soon enough.

Tari	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 3/4/2008
Ingoldo, Timwetariel and Vorindil are pure evil. They leave a bad taste in my mouth. Did they really think the other Elves were so stupid as to not find out what they were planning? There are Maiar all over, invisible but watching. Three cheers for Valandur seeing through their ploy. Tari Author Reply: Some people are born stupid and others have stupidity thrust upon them. Familiarity breeds contempt and I think most elves are so used to being around invisible Maiar that they simply forget they are there. Valandur, of course, is nobody's fool, which is why he's Ingwë's Chief Loremaster.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 2/13/2008
Ah, so it does appear that Melkor continues to have listeners even there within the heart of Aman! Didn't expect Ingoldo to be part of it, but I'm not truly surprised, I suppose. Author Reply: Well, with Ingoldo being married to Tinwetariel, why are you surprised? Those two have a history of causing trouble, something I hope to write about some day.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 3/12/2007
Oh dear. Vorondil definitely has a problem. Beyond being stupid and narrow-minded, that is. He is being used - and, I suspect, set up to take the blame for something that Tinwetariel and Ingoldo have been planning for a long time. After all, why else would people that powerful, with plenty of followers of their own, need a rather deluded and gullible young ellon to do their dirty work for them? Fortunately it is pretty well impossible to do anything secretly in Aman - you'd have thought T and I would have noticed that! Or have they been getting away with their obnoxiousness for so long that they have forgotten that they are not fire-proof? Author Reply: Sometimes people overlook the obvious. Just remember, familiarity breeds contempt and all that. And yes, as culpable as Vorondil is, Ingoldo and Tinwetariel are even more so, especially when you stop to remember that Vorondil is still a minor (he's only 44 years old). That makes what T & I are doing to him even worse.

hanci	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 3/7/2007
I never thought the plan would be that simple! To take Glorfindel to Taniquetil! Applause for you. Vorondil is in for a nasty awakening. A pity he didn't got to hear an unedited version from his father. But words probably wouldn't suffice. Author Reply: Thanks. Plans don't have to be convoluted, you know, to be effective. Of course, these people are forgetting that the prohibition isn't that Glorfindel wasn't supposed to be on Taniquetil, but that he wasn't supposed to go to Taniquetil of his own accord. Bringing him there against his will would not anger the Valar towards Glorfindel, only towards those who would threaten him with the Valar's wrath. You have to wonder how many elflings grew up with the white-washed version of the War. My own father fought in WWII. I know for a fact that he never told us the real truth about his experiences. Whenever he spoke of it, it was always one party after another for him (in a manner of speaking). Not until I was very much older did I begin to understand what it was really like, especially with such TV shows as "The World at War" (back in the 70s) and movies like "Saving Private Ryan". Vorondil's father was himself quite young (in elvish terms) when he followed Eönwë's banner to Beleriand. He probably had a hard enough time processing his experiences for himself, never mind trying to explain it properly to his son.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 3/7/2007
I see my suspicions about the reason for Glorfindel’s vanishing weren’t unfounded. Though I doubt these idiotic conspirators will have any success with this plot in the end. They are so stupid it hurts! Do they truly think the Valar wouldn’t know how Glorfindel got to Taniquetil?? groans But I am pleased to see Valandur was suspicious, also, and talked to the High King. And they seem to have guessed right. Somehow I have the feeling the High King will not be pleased with some certain elves. Not pleased at all. Author Reply: I think that for the Amaneldi, the existence of the Valar and Maiar is so much a part of their mental background that they forget they're there. It's like white noise. After awhile you don't even hear it.

Rhyselle	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 3/7/2007
Again, writing the review as I go along in my reading. Ah, so now we get to see some of the background events outside of Glorfindel’s knowledge. Vorondil’s jealousy and dislike should have been warning signs to me in earlier chapters but so much was going on that he slipped entirely off of my radar. I had to remind myself that he is a very inexperienced ellon, although that certainly does not excuse his attitude and behavior. What I’m wondering is just what has caused his hatred for the Reborn. Who inculcated this attitude in him to begin with? He had to have learned it somewhere (I’m recalling “You’ve Got to Be Taught” from SOUTH PACIFIC). And while he has these strong desires to be a real warrior, he certainly does not know what being a real warrior entails—and it seems that his father didn’t do him any favors by whitewashing what the War of Wrath was really like. The comment that he respects and fears the Valar makes me wonder then how he can justify going against their actions in regards to the Reborn, and the only thing I can think of is that he has not personally interacted with the Valar much at all—and that since he is young, he still is very self-centered and still immature and unable to recognize in his heart that the Valar do have a purpose in all they do. I suppose much of his hatred of the Reborn have to do with the prejudice against the Sindar whose ancestors remained in Middle Earth for the love of it, and the anger that the Amaneldi held against the Noldor Exiles for the Kinslaying all those many centuries before. It’s an interesting point that he so desires to wear the warrior braids that were a practice of the very subsets of Elves that he despises. Much of this first section reiterates over and over how Vorondil is conflicted and confused but refuses to admit it to himself. Frankly, he meets all of my standards of judging a person to be mentally ill. Ingoldo and Tinwetariel intrigue me in that there are some unanswered questions about them. Just what did Tinwetariel do before that caused Ingwe to give her that reminder when he told her off for slighting Glorfindel publicly in front of the court? There’s implications of negative history here that really bother me! In regards to the Song, it is interesting that Vorondil did not find the comfort in it that apparently most of the other Eldar did. Is it possible that his own selfish and hateful tendencies have made him incapable of finding the even some of the joy in it that someone like one of the Reborn who have been forgiven and cleansed experience? He felt guilt at the sight of the Elder King—so what was it in his heart that he had to feel guilty about? I believe that subconsciously he knows that he is wrong to despise the Reborn, but is too stubborn to admit it to himself and to change the way he thinks, and thus perpetuates his inner discontent and hatred of those of whom he is jealous. I would hope that had he not spent time with Ingoldo and Tinwetariel, Vorondil would not have actually made the choice to act upon his feelings. It is apparent to me that they are using Vorondil as an agent for their own purposes against Glorfindel. He is a minor, and from a legalistic standpoint, would that be held to be a mitigating factor? Those who should have been teaching him to turn away from his hatred, instead feed it, and subtly direct him into the actions that he will surely come to regret. Not that this excuses his hatred, of course. It is rather arrogant of them to believe that the Noldor who have returned to Tol Eressea have not been forgiven by the Valar. I can understand the Vanyar being upset that their loved ones who died in the War of Wrath have not been released from Mandos yet—but none of them seem willing to even think that there might be a reason for that. (A reason that occurs to me is that they need a LOT of healing. They’d not had the experience of centuries of war against Morgoth’s creatures—and the kinslayers, too—and had grown up in peacefulness, and so the horror of the events and actions they lived through during the War of Wrath would have affected them far worse than it would someone who had lived their lives in pretty much constant peril.) I thought that the wording that Tinwetariel used in regards to Glorfindel never returning to Vanyamar was sneaky and nasty. By implying a more horrific action—murder—she is able to nudge Vorondil into a lesser action against Glorfindel, but one that could still have severe ramifications for the Reborn. (Of course, we readers know that the ban on Glorfindel’s coming to Taniquetil has been lifted but no one else knows that.) At least they are not so far gone as to actually openly promote murder… although I’m sure that’s more for pragmatic reasons than moral. And Tinwetariel is way too practiced at knocking down other people in ways that don’t point directly to herself, IMO! And Ingoldo seems to have made these sort of plans to hide illicit actions from those in authority before… this was just a bit too practiced, and the fact that he had men in his following who would be willing to attack another elf is telling. I think that it wasn’t that Vorondil was asking to leave the city on the hunting trip that triggered suspicion, but the people with whom he was going. I have to admit that it amuses me to think that these people believe that they are going to get away with all their plots and plans—they live in Valinor and the Valar are able to be anywhere with the speed of thought, and there are unclothed Maiar about, doing their various duties—and we saw in the aftereffects of the Song that there are LOTS of unclothed Maiar around! They’ve completely ignored these facts and assume their secrets are still secrets. The Valar have said that they will not openly interfere in an Eldar to Eldar dispute, but they DO know what is going on and I’m really looking forward to how this all resolves. On to read the next chapter! Author Reply: I'm glad Vorondil slipped your mind. grin Everyone, I think, automatically thought of Tinwetariel and Ingoldo as the culprits, and they were correct, but not entirely. Vorondil's role in all this, I hope, came as a surprise, though not entirely unexpected. Vorondil is very young. Of the five fosterlings in Ingwë's court, he is the youngest. The other four are 47-48 years old, but Vorondil is not quite 45. In fact, he and Glorfindel are at the same emotional stage in their development. The difference, of course, is that Glorifndel is able to call on centuries of previous memories as an adult to help him make informed decisions. The fact that Vorondil is still a minor will be a deciding factor in future chapters. As to the origins of Vorondil's antipathy towards the Reborn: not everything is a learned trait, but certainly Vorondil has picked up ideas, not even necessarily from his parents, about the worth of the Reborn. It wouldn't be hard to do where there might be friends and other relatives who's loved ones died in the War and have not yet been released. Vorondil might have extended that to wondering what would've happened if his own father had died. He himself would not have been born, for his parents did not marry until after the War. Couple that knowledge with his father's stories of the war, perhaps with stories of how close Aulendil came to getting killed, and you have a fear-factor being built inside a small child and resentment that "if daddy had died he wouldn't have been released so he could marry mommy and I could be born". Obviously, there is no logic to this kind of thinking, but children are rarely logical. And then, seeing all the Exilic Noldor being reborn instead of the "Faithful" Amandeldi would just fuel the fear and the hatred even more. Ingoldo and Tinwetariel are a nasty pair, there is no doubt, in the way the manipulate Vorondil. And obviously, some people never learn from their mistakes. As to the negative history, that may have to wait for another story, but, like Tolkien, I like to deepen the tapestry of my stories with what Dennis L. Mckiernan calls "red slippers" that point to other stories that exist besides the one you are reading. Nothing occurs in a vacuum and I like to show that by planting such "history" in my own stories without necessarily explaining them. I thought it ironic that Ingoldo thinks that Glorfindel would be less protected in Valmar (the city of the Valar, themselves) than in Vanyamar and could be more easily taken, myself. grin

Return to Chapter List