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Fiondil's Tapestry by Fiondil	13 Review(s)
Kaylee	Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 2/8/2009
Poor Earendil, having to fly in that ship all alone! Well, at least he will have company this first time. Thankfully it will not be too long before Tancol is created and then Earendil can stay with Elwing as he desires to do. smiles I do wonder, though, how Elrond (and if Elros) learned that Gil-Estel was his adar? ~Kaylee! Author Reply: According to the Silmarillion, at the War of Wrath, Eärendil flew his ship close to Arda bringing with him a great host of birds including Thorondor and the Eagles of Manwë and slew the dragon, Ancalagon the Black. I'm sure his sons were there when it happened, fighting alongside the Elves and Men and Maiar who made up the Host of the Valar.

Calenlass Greenleaf	Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 1/29/2009
The last paragraph--I can't make heads or tails of it, but it sound scientific. :) I love Eärendil stories; there are too few of them, and this one was a pleasure to read. ~Cal Author Reply: The last paragraph is indeed scientific and delineates some of the physical characteristics of Venus and its orbit. The last thing -- Albedo -- is of course the most important since it indicates the planet's 'brightness' and has to match that of the Silmaril. I'm glad you enjoyed this Eärendil tale, Cal. Thanks for letting me know.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 1/25/2009
I felt sorry for Eärendil. It was such a difficult time for him; he had to leave his family, trying the impossible in finding the way to Valinor and help from there, the attack on Sirion and him not knowing what happened to his sons, and then Elwing made the choice he obviously was not completely comfortable with. And on top of all that, he was given the task of sailing Vingilot in this very unusual manner and Manwë’s explanations have to be rather confusing for him, too. A bit much to take in in so short a time. And I find it so sad that he will never see Elros again and will have to wait for so long to meet Elrond. Well, at least it will not be so long until he gets to meet Glorfindel, I hope – finally a familiar face! Author Reply: Eärendil certainly had it tough, but given who his ancestors were, we know he will prevail and shine (literally and figuratively). And while it might be long by human standards, it certainly won't be long by Elvish ones before he and Glorfindel meet again.

Independence1776	Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 1/24/2009
I just now figured out that I could leave more than one review on a chapter. I'm too used to not being able to. Thank you for answering that question! I knew the Silm said the Valar didn't go, so I was confused why people had them doing so. I'll definitely check out her story- thanks for the rec! Author Reply: It took me a while to realize I could leave more than one reply to a reader's review as well. grin You're most welcome on both counts. I think the problem is that people do not read carefully enough or they base their ideas on faulty information gotten from a website rather than going to the original source, in this case "The Sillmarillion" itself. As a friend of mine, who is a professional journalist, always said to me: "Research, research, research" and I've taken that bit of advice to heart, as you can see. grin

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 1/23/2009
From the legend to physics. Love it! Poor Earendil has no idea how things work as yet. Poor guy--can't go back home and will see his children only from a distance as they grow to--to what they become, not until Elrond at last comes to Aman. Author Reply: Thanks, Larner. I'm glad you enjoyed this. You really do have to feel for Eärendil. He's totally out of his depth here. Hopefully Elwing and the Valar will help him adjust.

Independence1776	Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 1/23/2009
"They were counted among the Elves and his Mortal kin were apparently of little importance to anyone." Never. "Eärendil felt himself grow pale at that thought, his expression one of deep loss, and Manwë put a comforting arm around the young man’s shoulders." For he did lose everything, save Elwing (and Elrond, though he doesn't know that yet). "When Arda comes to an end, so will you and what happens afterwards only Ilúvatar knows." Thoughts like this have given me some interesting ideas about Dagor Dagorath that completely ignore almost everything Tolkien said about it, for the earth/solar system will end far before the rest of Eä. "After that you are free to do as you wish, to live where you will with your beloved Elwing." I love this, for I cannot see them being forever seperated like in many other fics. "They [the Noldor], in fact, served a purpose though they would be loath to know that they served as our instruments in spite of everything." laughs Especially Fëanor and his sons! "Your early ancestors came into existence before the first rising of Anor, but it was with the coming of the Sun that some of them threw off the yoke of thralldom to the Dark One, as you call him." Methinks I need to get around to reading "Myths Transformed" though it'll have to wait until I finish reading and taking notes on HoME 11 and 12, since I have to return the latter two to the library soon. (I thankfully own Morgoth's Ring- I can't find any of the latter volumes of HoME in the stores.) "The Valar will not, for that would bring total destruction to Arda." Hmm... That brings me to a canon question- why do you have them not going to war when other people say they did? Is the latter something in HoME? "Your role is to bring hope to the beleaguered peoples of Ennorath, to be a sign that the Valar have not forsaken them in their hour of need. It will take time for us to prepare for war, so your task will be to offer solace to those of Beleriand who must endure until the host of the Valar can reach them." Wonderful description of his role! Oh, I love the fact that Eärendil is scared of flying. It makes sense; no one- save those fortunate enough to ride on Manwë's eagles- has any experiance with it. And thus Venus will shortly come into existance... Love the effort you've put into researching this. Author Reply: Hi, Indy. To answer your question about the Valar going to war... the Silmarillion clearly states that the Valar themselves did not participate in the War of Wrath. They sent Eönwë as Manwê's Herald to lead the Host of Valinor which consisted of Elves and Maiar. Tolkien even states in his "Notes on Motives in the Silmarillion" that Manwë would not 'descend from Taniquetil until the Dagor Dagorath'. (That's not a direct quote but it's pretty close to it.) There is a story archived on SoA written by perelleth -- "Many Fruitless Victories" -- which describes Arda ending even though Eä still remains. It's quite an interesting take on things and does not involve the Dagor Dagorath. You might want to check it out, as well as her other stories. I'm glad you liked this story. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it and all your commnets.

Sunny	Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 1/23/2009
Did you have a bit of musical inspiration for the title here? Vangelis has a composition called _Albedo 0.39_ - and it is one I rather like (If you like that sort of music, and haven't heard that one, I recommend that you hunt it up!) Author Reply: I based the title on Vangelis' compostion. It's one of my favorites. grin

Alquawende	Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 1/23/2009
I like how this story explains why the Valar acted only when Earendil came and not before. And also, the sympathetic view on the Noldor in Beleriand. I completely agree that if they weren't there, all Middle Earth would be in turmoil and chaos since no one would be there to keep Morgoth at bay, in the North. Thanks for writing! Author Reply: Hi, Alquawendë. Tolkien clearly states that the Noldor besieging Morgoth allowed the Edain to reach Beleriand and kept Morgoth from completely destroying Arda. Since the Silmarillion is written from the point of view of Men getting this information from the Noldor who had their own reasons for distrusting the Valar, it's little wonder that we don't see this motive in the Silmarillion itself. Luckily, Tolkien felt the need to 'explain' his Legendarium and so we have this 'background' information that we normally would not have had.

6336	Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 1/23/2009
The things you have to research writing Fan Fiction is unbelieveable! If you don't get an obscure fact correct somebody is bound to come down on you like a ton of bricks and put you right! I can understand how Earendil feels, he is a stranger in a strange land and he can't go home, his two little boys are back there and he does not know if they still survive and now they want him to fly his ship, in the air?! To top it all off Elwing can't be there to help him either! Poor guy, makes you want to crawl into bed and pull the covers up over your head until it all goes away! More please, Lynda Author Reply: I think anyone who attempts even the most basic plot around any of Tolkien's characters has to do the requisite research or else there's no point. I try very hard to stay in canon but I'm not afraid to step slightly outside of it so long as I can justify it based on Tolkien's own words, which, luckily for us, can sometimes be somewhat vague and can be interpreted in more than one way. Eárendil is in a tight spot, for sure, but he is not his father's (or his motehr's) son for nothing and we know he has a great deal of personal courage and nobility. So, as hard as it is for him at this moment, he rises (literally grin) to the occasion and does what is needed for the benefit of others. That's a true hero in my book.

Sitara	Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 1/23/2009
You simply love astronomy, don't you? Absolutely wonderful. Venus is the right choice, indeed, in my opinion. This leads my twisted mind to a little question: the Phial, the recipient given to Frodo by Galadriel ("biting tongue") contained Earendil's light, still lingering in the fountains built within her garden (or so it was translated "grin"). Does that mean that the Light that helped Frodo and Sam and lead ultimately to the Ring's destruction was one of the silmaril's Light? Veeery interesting... I liked Manwe's explanations and reassurance given to Earendil. He need all the confort he can get for it is said that he accepted Elwing's choice, despite his wishes to stay with his father's kin. So, the rebellious Noldor fullfiled after all the Valar's purposes despite their own agenda, and the same Valar didn't curse them for their rebellion. True. "gritting teeth" . However, I'll save debating this for a more appropriate time and story. Ulmo is truly a marvel. I think I've seen in some place in "The Shapping of Middle-Earth" that only Ulmo and Manwe from the Valar didn't close their hearts for the Exiled Elves and this places Ulmo in my most highly regard. Again, a very interesting interaction between the Elder King and Earendil. I have to notice that his question about why the Valar have expected so much for confronting Melkor, implicitly meaning why they needed him as a catalyst or anyone for that purpose remained somehow unaswered but I think I know that answer. Even I don't like it even a single bit. "sad smile" May you have a wonderful evening and week-end. Sitara Author Reply: Well, Venus isn't a choice. It is the actual planet which is called in Middle-earth Eärendil's Star. That is Tolkien, not me. Assumingly, the Light in Frodo's Phial was indeed the light of the Silmaril caught in the waters of Galadriel's Mirror. As for the Rebellion.... throughout "Elf, Interrupted" I have people like Finrod and Glorfindel point out that the only cursing was done by Fëanor and that whatever followed was a logical consequence of all their actions. You didn't need to be Námo to know where it would all lead; anyone with half a brain could have figured it out. So, no, the Valar did not curse the Noldor, but they did make sure they understood fully their own folly. As for Ulmo... it does say that he ever harkened to the cries of the Children, even the Noldor after they left Aman, and Manwë also did not close his heart to their pleas, but that does not necessarily mean that the rest of the Valar washed their hands of them. Certainly, I cannot see Námo (as I've portrayed him in my stories) feeling nothing but compassion for the Children, epecially those who ended up in his Halls after their struggles against Morgoth. And no, Manwë doesn't quite answer Eärendil's question, but he doesn't quite ignore it either, concentrating on more important aspects of Eärendil's raison d'etre. I hope your weekend is equally wonderful, Sitara. Thankd for your review. I greatly appreciate it.

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