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Daeredair by Redheredh	4 Review(s)
Kitt Otter	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/26/2008
To write about the first Elves is a nigh unmarked and scary territory, but you do it so well! The setting was snug, full of family, business, and chores. You gave Elwë, Olwë, and Elmo such bright personalities. Elwë is so great as an older brother (“piglet” I liked), and Olwë more serious and, well, almost looked-over. Loved sleepy little Elmo… Oh, that and he does become a shadowy figure! ; ) Ooh, yes, I am very happy to see Nowe; I like your explanation, that his would-have-been spouse is likely dead. I always wondered about that. Poor fellow! The closest he has to a spouse is his work, I guess. Yes, surely Orome would have given them horses; unless they all piled onto Nahar or something. I almost gave the same interjection as Celebrian… and after witnessing their family moment, it is rather sad to think Gilwe will be gone. At least Hrassa is able to deal with Celebrian. Her worry for Araldawën was sweet. And sorry to the bowman, but I enjoyed the picture of Hrassa drinking with a little tea cup. : ) -Kitt Author Reply: There are some stories out there situated around their waking, but really who cares about neolithic elves? Bejeweled swords and armor are so much more glittery! Tribal society tends to be cozy, I think. I am glad that the brother's personalities came through. I tried to do more show than tell with this, but that is a hard thing to accomplish sometimes. With Olwe, I just could not see him as frivolous. He carried on with the mission when Elwe disappeared. It was the younger brother, the spare, that stayed behind with the Eluwaith. I wanted to have a really good excuse for Nowe to be unmarried when it was expected. And at the same time, not fall into the cliche about a wife being killed. Nowe does not have any children mentioned either and rather does have the air of a prophet/priest king. I suppose the ambassadors could have just be whisked away. But, Orome was riding so why not them too. G Celebrian's reaction would have been mine if I had read a fic that tried such a stunt without claiming to be AU! So, I put it in. And purposely build sympathy for the parents. Remember, Hrassa got dragged into this tea party, and it won't be his last. ];} Thank you for reading and reviewing!

perelleth	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 8/25/2005
Gee, I have no life as of late, and I wrote the most thoughtless review, sorry! Of course that they were paired when they awoke! Grrr, blame the fact that it's been some time since I last read that part of HoME and that my head is fully concentrated in many other things, so neuronal cells are slowly coming apart...and smart comments are becoming a rare occurrence...:-) I very much liked both bodkin's review and your answer. I must confess that I've given little thought to the lives of the elves before and short after Oromë's coming, and that's why I'm so interested in your stories, for you have a detailed, consistent world weaved around them, and I love your descriptions. Gee, I wished I could think of those things. It is not a question of words but of the images and feelings, and the thoughts behind them! The first paragraphs are simply brilliant, conveying the coziness of the environment, their well being , the after effects of a good meal between friends adn their easiness and perfect melting with the surroundings, that becomes even clearer when later Cirdan reflects on the two other kin and their less than proficient adaptation... NOt that I wholly agree with that appreciation, but the tale is perfectly woven and beautifully written Are you feeling better? Author Reply: Goodness, what on earth are you talking about? Short, fast, long, or deliberate your comments are always intelligent and - I am happy to say - challenging. I am sorry to hear how hectic things are for you right now. Just remember that this thing is a hobby. There are good and needful people depending on you to help them. It is right for you use up your smarts on them first. You are too kind and I mean that. Some of your story ideas startle me in the same way. Your conclusion about the temptations for the Istari on the lj quote discussion is a prime example. Thank you so much! And it's a wonderful thing that we don't wholly agree. You keep me honest about my bias. ;) Yes, much better. Thank you for asking.

perelleth	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 8/24/2005
HEy Redheredh! what a lovely tale! I love Now$B!&(Bs quiet contemplation. His pov after the meal is so peaceful! And weaving the tale of these three brothers is a very interesting and occurent thread, congratulations to you and to us! I always thought that Elwe and OlWe ( not to mention Nowe) where firstborns in the actual sense of the term! :-) But having them be orphaned and Elwe assuming his Adar's place is an interesting plot turn! Now I'm curious as to how and where and why the "elmoi" become so powerful and respected as Hrassa let us know in his conversations with Celeborn!. An interesting spin-off, I'm reading this very quickly now, while waiting for a plane but I'll re read later at home, to cacth up with the little details. But I was thrilled to see HRassa recounting this story! Does Celeborn know he's tutoring his daughter? ;-) Do you intend to update both at more or less the same time? Hope so....:-) Apologies for the typing, this time it is not my careless writing but this silly airport computer.... Author Reply: Perelleth, what lovely thing to say! ;) I am very glad you liked it and appreciated a mellow Cirdan. I guess like so much of what Tolkien offers, you have a choice about whether the leaders of the Great Journey were or were not among the first awakened. I go with the origin story of Imin, Tatie, and Enel where they are definitely not Ingwe, Finwe, and Elwe. In fact, all the first elves were paired off and that certainly eliminates Finwe and Elwe who marry later. I think one can anticipate Elmo becoming very important after Olwe has left Beleriand and Elwe is still missing. And theb there is his direct connections to Lenwe and Denethor and Cirdan. A big reason for writing CSING was to introduce Hrassa as a credible storyteller. Of course, he only knows the Lindar version of any story. ;) And Celeborn would just assume that his bowman will be telling some of those stories to his daughter. I have a few more stories like this for Hrassa to impart in the future, but they are in very rough form at the moment. CSING will go on for a while yet - like the roch glaer it is. :D Thank you so much for finding the time to review and Safe Flying! my friend. You might find some of my reply to Bodkin interesting.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 8/24/2005
I love the image of the longhouse and the earlier way of life. It is good to see Elmo, too, and come to understand more of his bond with Lenwe's folk. And I rather enjoyed the more structured and organised Olwe. He would go on, wouldn't he? He has a timetable to follow! And to see the brothers with parents is intriguing - although I could have done without all the soot in my house, thank you very much! Poor Elmo, the shadow-thing. I liked the relationship between Elmo, the piglet, and his big brother. The hurt in Olwe was interesting, too. Although his father seems to understand him very well. Gilwe and Ingwe and Finwe. That's ominous. The haughty little Celebrian is right. I was most impressed by Hrassa's ability to silence her. The suggestion of communication between Aman and Arda via Numenor is fascinating - and so likely. I can't imagine why it's never crossed my mind before. It introduces all sorts of possibilities. I love the 'vulpine glint in the cogndir's eyes' at the prospect of putting Celeborn on the spot. Somehow I feel that Hrassa and Celeborn's relationship was probably very good for both of them! And Celebrian's interest in Araldawën's fate intrigues me - even among the elves, stories are based on the adventures of the males. Females, even strong females, are adjuncts - born to be loved, produce children and die at appropriate moments. I'm not surprised that Celebrian would like to find there's more to life than being arm-candy. I'm glad to see Hrassa educating Celebrian in her Elmoi roots. I rather hope to see more of it, too. If that's all right with you. Author Reply: I am so glad you found this interesting. Neolithic elves probably do no sit well with some people. But, I think it is acceptable within their technological history. Elmo’s bond with the Nandor gets even closer later. He is an easy character to shape to one’s own liking since he is barely mentioned by Tolkien. Honestly, he is only there to create a real kinship between Thingol & Celeborn and provide royal spouses for some of main characters. But then Tolkien was Noldo-centric – he almost had to be in order to have an exciting saga. The Teleri and Lindar would never have gotten themselves into such abundant trouble. ;) I guess some legendary figures never seem to have parents. The individual is the origin point of his own epic history. On the other hand, no discussion of someone like Alexander the Great would be complete without mentioning his parents. Celebrian’s fate is strongly connected to her parent too. To me, Olwe is like Fingolfin, someone very capable of being a better king than his older brother – and he knows it. Thank goodness his brother is Elwe instead of Feanor. As I see it, Elmo, much like Finarfin, will chose a separate course than his other brother when gifted with a dilemma uncaringly provided by his oldest brother. But, Elmo is described as having a loving relationship with Elu Thingol and that is part of his motivation for remaining in Ennor. Who knows if good friend Finwe would have hesitated to embark if he had known Elwe was missing? And poor Olwe is a typical middle child. Not an easy role to be in sometimes for a born leader who is competing for his father’s approval and his mother’s attention. Gilwe and Ingwe and Finwe. Once again, my Lindar bias leads me to think that Elwe would not seem ranked after Finwe if he were actually that equal in status. Ingwe is always put first. So to me, Ingwe is an elder like Cirdan and Gilwe is an old-married with grown children. So, Finwe is younger because he is not even wed yet. When Gilwe is taken out of the picture, Finwe moves up a notch in high leader seniority. I see this level of leadership as still being rather new for the quendi of this time. There are no kings yet, only individuals that have proven themselves. The best leaders are given increasingly greater authority in a naturally aggregating society. When relinquished for whatever reason, any leadership role is expected to be taken up by a capable second-in-line. Biological imperative dictates giving to your own children first. So, Orome’s best picks would naturally already be leaders of their people and their choice of successors would be their own offspring - if they had one fit to serve. And under most circumstance, the eldest possible heir would also be the most qualified. A win-win rule. 'Haughty little Celebrian' has got that way living in a palace, I think. And Hrassa does have his talents. ;) Tolkien shows very limited interaction between the Numenoreans and the Eldar of Middle-earth up to Aldarion’s time. But, Eldalonde was always there. So, the irony was that the Eldar of Aman could not go beyond Numenor and the Eldar of Ennor did not sail that far west unless they were committed to reaching Eldamar. The Numenoreans had become estranged from the eastern elves, which I think was partially caused by their continue contact with the western Eldar. Over the Second Age, there would have been a greater/lesser degree of contact depending on Numenorean politics, not Lindon's. But, enormas potential profit would have kept their more enterprising merchants sailing east despite all risks or restrictions. Their own version of a Far East trade? Celeborn and Hrassa are real friends in my book. However, they have to deal with their difference in rank, just as do Frodo and Sam or any captain and his corporeal. Like Bejai, I do see Celebrian and Lindar ladies having more options and expectations although within their own culture. I see even the Noldor ladies of the Second Age as less restricted than in the First Age. But, you are right in general terms about most females in Arda, which make the exceptions so notable. g Setting up Hrassa so he could educate Celebrian by telling her stories was one of the big reasons I started CSING. I have a few more like this in very rough form. The next I think will be about Amdir since that is the most finished at this point. Thank you so much for reading and letting me know what you thought! Good grief... I should have emailed. ;P

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