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| A Long and Weary Way by Canafinwe | 5 Review(s) |
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| obsidianj | Reviewed Chapter: 47 on 3/28/2014 |
| Safe, at last. But it was a near thing. I can imagine how painful thawing out is. I remember thawing my hands after hikes in freezing conditions in water. The water was cold and it still hurt... a lot. I don't want to know what Aragorn is going through frozen stiff as he is. Love the description of the Beornings. | |
| HH | Reviewed Chapter: 47 on 12/18/2013 |
| Just a few points here just in case anyone is stuck in a similar situation ... when Aragorn looks and see's only "oak and birch" -- (1) birch bark is the best of all edible barks...a man will never starve in a forest of pines but he will feast in a forest of birch. (2) pine bark are also ok but sometimes little bitter -- and there is some concerns that some pine bark can damage humans if eaten for long periods of time (kidneys) -- it is not recommended that you eat pine bark if you are pregnant. (3) you never cut into the trunk -- it will kill the tree - you break off a branch (4) and by bark, we don't mean the outside brown hard stuff but rather the lighter material that is closest to the wood core .. so break off a branch, scrap off the outer bark and then rake the inner bark off. Beorn and his people are areas of the the Tolkien world just looking for expansion in the fan fiction world. I have always been interested in the skin changing part -- are they men or something else -- for one to be able to change shape they would have power greater than the Istari..Sauron can change shape -- or at least could change shape. Radagast is a master of "shapes and hue" but we never really know what that means... Author Reply: Thanks! I got my info from a toxicology text, and I didn't know that about birch. I'll fix that. As for taking from the trunk, my research indicated that a strip less than one-tenth the circumference isn't harmful to the tree, and as the inner bark is usually thicker on the trunk it seemed the better choice. That's an interesting question about the nature of Beorn's powers! He is certainly referred to many times as a man - as is Grimbeorn - but clearly it is an exceptional power. I always interpreted it as one of the ancient earthy magics of Middle-earth, akin to Goldberry and the Withywindel. Thought-provoking indeed: thank you! | |
| Elentarri | Reviewed Chapter: 47 on 12/18/2013 |
| Beautifully written chapter. I'm surprised Gollum hasn't turned into a frost-hobbit yet though. ;) Author Reply: Frost-hobbit! What a great image! Honestly, though, having your fate entangled with that of the Ring has its advantages. | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 47 on 12/18/2013 |
| He reached help at last, yay! *falls over with relief* Author Reply: At last. You've been so very patient! | |
| UTfrog | Reviewed Chapter: 47 on 12/18/2013 |
| Again, I am shivering in sympathy for poor Aragorn, yet I am drinking hot coffee and sitting in a comfortable chair. Your excellent descriptions really make me feel the cold. Poor man really is in agony as he thaws. Bless the Beorn family for remembering and being so willing to help. Sure hope they can assist for the final leagues to Mirkwood. Thanks Author Reply: At least by the end Aragorn got himself a comfy chair and a hot drink too... I'm so pleased to know the descriptions of the cold are so evocative. Thawing after that kind of exposure is nothing short of torture, really. But he's in good hands, and as you say he can certainly use some assistance as he embarks on the last stretch of this arduous journey! | |