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Fiondil's Tapestry by Fiondil	10 Review(s)
Sitara	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 2/11/2009
I suppose I should keep my mouth shut. I don't know anymore how many times I've said these words and the answer is always the same: I cannot. I cannot keep quiet any longer. I apologize, in advance, for my impudence and I leave to your judgement the truth or the folly of the things I'm going to say. For once (and only this time!), I would leave rendering judgement concerning the deeds of the Firsborn to the Firstborn themselves. This time I will think over the deeds of the Secondborn, more to the point, the actions of the only Secondborn involved in this. To a certain point, not further. Beren. And, (as a Mortal pondering the deeds of another Mortal), let me tell you in brief words what I learned about this part of Silmarillion. Somehow, Beren, a Man from Beor's house, entered Doriath, penetrating Melian's Girdle, where he saw the love of his life dancing in a glade. Needless to say, he went head over toe with the most fair of Iluvatar's Children and she loved him too. But, as always, there is be a problem, as in all the fairytales. The girl's father is less than impressed with the rank and attributes of his want-to-be-son-in-law and he thinks to put to good use some knowledge brought to him by certain doomed relatives. He wants, as a price for the bride, a Silmaril, no more no less. I won't bother to say now something about Elwe Singollo. Others did, quite vocal, and I won't disagree with them. Instead, I will look to the other side of the coin. What Beren did then? Well, after throwing a barb regarding the trading qualities of his future father-in-law (after all, what could have done a Man to prove his ...manliness "hope I got it right"), he set out wearing high his bann..er..ring to Nargothrond to collect a debt. Where he finally found out (if he didn't already know but I'd grant him the benefit of this doubt)what exactly was the thing he sought to acquire, from his friend's mouth who now learns from experience a thing or two as in respect to vows. As I did, finally understanding why the Lord warned ud about taking ANY vow. Well, what should our noble and brave Mortal do? Only two things. One, to go forward with his quest, with or without Felagund (better with him, though), to pursue further the jewel and, through many sacrifices and brave deeds, to finally claim a Silmaril from Morgoth's crown, showing thusly that a Mortal and a young gi..er..female did what some stupid and conceited hotheaded fools couldn't. And, of course, to win the hand of his lady, as her heart was already taken. The price would be , of course, blood and bitter loss but, in the end, the heroic deed will be done and Samwise Gamgee will hear after more than two ages stories that would fill him with awe. Brave. Heroic. The other thing...well, for the other thing, it would have been need of something more than bravery and courage. It would have been need of Love. "Agape". To not raise up to the challenge, to appear like a coward, to break your own heart in order to save the other's, to keep all the suffering for yourself and your love..."If You are the Son of God, jump off!". This was echoing through my mind while reading the part I could read from Beren's and Luthien' story. To tell the tempter: "I could do it, but I choose to not do so. I won't be the one to release upon this already dreaded land something akin to plague! If I believed for one second that our love is worth all that, then that means only that this love isn't anymore love, but pure selfishness. I choose to break mine and Luthien's heart rather than to bring ruin upon these lands! Leave the Jewels to Morgoth and we , the Free People, we would have eachother against the enemy!" And I dare Elwe Thingol to sneer at this kind of words! What would have been "all that"? Let's see "counting on fingers": the peace and ultimately very existence of two kingdoms, the life of a friend and his followers , the life af another friend, even forelegged, the life of a father-in-law and the happiness of an Ainur, the lives of a son and two grandsons, possibly a Battle of Unnumbered Tears with its deads, a High King among them, their own lives, a ship destined to wander the skies until the End with its sailor and the last, the remaining sanity and life of seven fellows that were somehow trustworthy until they heard the "S" word. I know I'm somehow exaggerating but only if the tenth part of his would be true.... What I'm trying to say is only that the things are never so simple as they may appear. And all of them have sinned and all of them are bearing a part of that guilt that engulfs Arda. Melkor's darkness touched them all, not only that one or this one. And, until each of us would turn the accusing finger to his own chest, until then Arda won't be healed. I'm sorry if I upset you with my words but I couldn't help myself. I wrote this several days after reading your piece, that caught nicely a side of the coin. I only thought that Elu Thingol would never miss flamers and judges. "grin". What about the others? I know Eru allows our mistakes and through they His plans are carried further, but a mistake remains still a mistake. And no one is held blameless. I apologize again and I bid you a very good night, Sitara Author Reply: Well, Sitara, I'm not entirely sure what the point of your diatribe is or what it has to do with the story, which is about Círdan and Elu and not about Beren at all. grin If Beren had not done what he did, he and Lúthien would never have married, so his son and their grandchildren would never have been born, so he wouldn't have 'saved' them from death anyway. Nor would the others be saved. Morgoth would have destroyed them in the end regardless of what other decisions were made. And, of course, there would be no story and no one would care. Thinking that if Beren had refused Elu's challenge, all would have been well is, to my mind, naive, for it wasn't just one thing or one person making these decisions. One could say that if Elu had not issued the challenge or if Finrod had not given his ring to Barahir or if this, that or the other had not happened, things might have turned out better, but we don't know that; it could very well have turned out even worse than it did. So, blaming Beren for what followed is pointless. As for vows... Jesus' admonishment against them had to do with taking vows in a court of law, i.e. be careful not to perjure yourself for the sake of gain against another. Other vows, for instance, taking vows to dedicate your life to the service of the poor, are acceptable. Perhaps in the future you might want to limit your reviews to what you thought of the story itself and anything else you want to say about it you can always tell me in a PM. grin

Alquawende	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 12/19/2008
I always wondered if someone else had the same thought as I did, that in a way, Thingol did have a hand in Finrod's death. Cirdan sounds so noble and wise here. I like how you wrote Galadriel weeping because it shows she did have a soft side and wasn't too proud to not show tears at the death of a beloved eldest brother. Thanks for writing! I'm really enjoying these stories! Author Reply: I tried to make all the characters, whether canon or non, as well-rounded as possible. Certainly Galadriel would have wept at the news of her brother's death. We really only see her two ages later when her griefs have healed to some extent. Anyway, I'm glad you are enjoying these little fics. I've enjoyed writing them. Thanks for letting me know.

6336	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 11/9/2008
Hi, spotted a typo, 7 lines up from bottom of first section, disappear instead of disappeared. Lynda Author Reply: Thanks for the heads-up. I appreciate it.

Earlinde	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 10/2/2008
squels in delight Oh wow! I absoutley love this story or stories! I read it because somebody is taking their time updating Wars of the Valar. looks shoots a glare But I am so glad that I did. I really loved BIRTHDAY, SMOKE, MONSTER, and COURTEOUS. As usual excellent imagery and characterizing. Have you ever considered doing one on Manwë and Varda's courtship? Just a thought. Keep up the amazing work! Author Reply: Well, I'm glad you finally found my Tapestry stories, Earlinde, and that you especially enjoyed BIRTHDAY, SMOKE, MONSTER and this one. Wars of the Valar is updated on a regular basis... you just have to be patient. As for Manwë and Varda's courtship... perhaps I will someday if they ever bother to tell me all the details. grin

Shemyaza	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 9/26/2008
Oh you did Cirdan! Wonderful. Next to Eonwe and Namo he is one of my most favourite characters. When writers usually write about him, he is nearly always an addendum to Gil-galad (another favourite character of mine) or Elrond, which is a shame because there are a wealth of possibilities around him. Isn't it strange that Elu Thingol always coms across as proud, bombastic and arrogant, no matter who writes him? And of course it was those qualities that effectively ended his life. It's so difficult to write him with any kind of sympathy. I wonder if it was the fact that he married a Maia which perhaps made him think that his realm was utterly invulnerable behind that girdle? However, even lessened in power as Morgoth was, he was still a fallen Vala which I guess would make him a tad more powerful than a Maia and once he turned his eye upon the realm he would and did find some way around the protection Melian wove around it. I get the impression that although he obviously loved his daughter, he seemed to think of her as a beautiful possession, therefore she was doomed at the outset to love someone her father would deem unsuitable. Someone like an aftercomer. Yet, like any other parent, his grief must have been enormous when he realised that Luthien had gone into the lion's den with her lover. I wonder if Meliajn felt like slapping him silly sometimes! Author Reply: Hi, Shemyaza. I'm glad you like Círdan in this. I don't think he gets enough good scenes from fanfic writers. Like you say, he seems to be always an addendum to Gil-galad or Elrond. In one of my othe Tapestry fics, "HOLLOW: Founding Nargothrond" I portray Elu Thingol very sympathetically, showing him the wise and concerned king that he must have been all those long years before Beren showed up. No doubt he relied on Melian's powers to keep Doriath safe, but the Dwarves were already inside Doriath when they killed him and then Melian departed for Aman after his death, leaving the kingdom vulnerable to attack from outside. I have the feeling that Melian did indeed want to slap him silly sometimes and in fact, according to the Silmarillion, she withheld her wisdom and counsel from him after this, stating that the doom which Thingol had set in motion had to play itself out. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights into these characters. I appreciate it.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 9/25/2008
Alas for the grief of Elu Thingol. It does indeed seem he is realizing his own time is nearing. Foolish Elf! I find myself right now in greater sympathy for Cirdan. Author Reply: Elu Thingol was indeed foolish. Círdan I think can see the writing on the wall and knows that there is nothing more he can do to save Thingol and his people except to offer them a haven when the time comes, which he eventually does on Tol Balar at the mouths of the Sirion. Thanks for reading and reviewing, Larner. I appreciate it.

Ellie	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 9/25/2008
I enjoyed this very much! Love seeing an indignant Cirdan! Thingol was pitiful and very well protrayed in all of his anger and guilt. I like seeing Cirdan as teh messenger of Ulmo, but what a sorrowful message to have to send! As always, well done and a most enjoyable read! Author Reply: Thanks, Ellie. I thought it was time to do something with Círdan. He is an intriguing character and little is written about him except as a cameo in other stories. I'm glad you liked the way I portrayed Thingol as well. He is a traqic figure, a king Lear type I think, though he does reconcile with his daughter at the end. Still, lust for the Silmarili has tainted his soul and he doomed himself and his kingdom the moment he sent Beren on his quest, though he did not know it.

artistic sprite	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 9/25/2008
Ooh, angsty! Author Reply: Glad you think so. grin

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 9/24/2008
My first thought at reading the title was ‚What did Glorfindel do this time? grin Could it be that I am reading too much EI? shakes head Elu should take lessons in manners from his brothers. To refuse to receive Círdan was unexcusable rude, mourning or not. Celebor said it perfectly when he called him a fool, IMO, and I was glad he had the courage to tell that Elu to his face. Elu was – and is - behaving like an elfling, not like the wise King he is – or should be. We all know his arrogance will be his downfall, and this story illustrates that very well. And now the best and the brightest of them is dead, thanks to you. Círdan’s right here sigh Really, sometimes I am wondering how Elves like Turgon and Elu Thingol felt after they were reborn and regained their memories. Rebirth might give them a new sight on things, like it probably did with Celepharn/Artelemnar, and to live with the guilt they heaped on themselves in their first lifes must be difficult. Author Reply: No, this one definitely is not about Glorfindel. grin Elu Thingol is an interesting character who is usually portrayed as arrogant and down-right mean, and there is some justification for that, but he is more complex than that as I've tried to show here and in other fics where he is featured, such as the one where he aids Finrod in founding Nargothrond. Círdan, I think, doesn't get enough press, so I wsa happy enough to showcase him here as more than just a good builder of ships but a lord in his own right, no less puissant than any of the other lords of Beleriand. Hopefully, people like Elu and Turgon, upon being re-embodied and regaining their memories are able to put them into perspective and move on. At least that's the theory. Thanks for reviewing, Kitty.

6336	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 9/24/2008
Elu is not the first father to try to prevent a marriage between his daughter and, to him at any rate, an unsuitable man! He obviously has a lot of faith in his wifes girdle of protection but a wise man would back it up with his own forces and not rely on it entirely. I will have to go bck and read the Sill' again as I am not sure what brought down Doriath, though I think Dwarfs had some thing to do with it and a necklace and a Silmarill! I wonder how much longer Beleriand would have lasted if people had used their heads and not their hearts, stubborn, blooming Noldor! Tolkien does have some of the best lines, doesn't he! I do like 'farn', such a strong word and not one to get Eonwe pulling his Book out! More please, Lynda Author Reply: Elu is like many fathers with daughters, I fear. His death was indeed brought about by Dwarves when he and they argued over the Nauglamir in which Thingol had commissioned the Dwarves to set the silmaril that Beren won for him. We see in this little fic the beginnings of the corruption of Thingol's heart, tainted by lust for something he has never seen. A sad and tragic thing. And Thingol of course wasn't a Noldo, but a Teler or Sinda. I doubt Beleriand would have survived too much longer even if everyone had kept their heads. Fëanor's curse and the Valar's doom (not to mention Morgoth) were too strong to withstand forever. "Farn" is a good word. grin I like it myself. Thanks for reviewing, Lynda.

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