Stories of Arda Home Page
About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

In Darkness Bound  by Fiondil 8 Review(s)
TariReviewed Chapter: 38 on 1/21/2011
This was a very impressive first day for Ingwion. I think he will be an excellent Ambassador. There will be some real challenges for him in the days ahead, but I am sure he will be able to handle them.

Author Reply: Hi Tari. I think Ingwion will make an excellent Ambassador as well and we see in "Elf, Interrupted" that the Valar believe the same since they make him their ambassador to Tol Eressëa. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it very much.

bladweddReviewed Chapter: 38 on 1/12/2011
"Only when one reads this story in "Unfinished Tales" does the significance of Galadriel giving Gimli three strands of her hair (for the three times Fëanáro accosted her asking for her tresses) when he had asked for only a single strand becomes apparent."

Larner

"That she gave a Dwarf a gift she'd denied to her gifted cousin I always saw as significant, for she saw no guile in Gimli as she appears to have discerned in her uncle. Glad they recognize her gift in the sifting of hearts--a most useful talent indeed."

She has at last overcome the darkness in her own soul.... after 10 000 years *grin*
Feanor was dead. *grin*


Author Reply: Exactly.

bladweddReviewed Chapter: 38 on 1/12/2011
Sitara

"Well, is not like I'm able to help myself, even when I'm doubling over with pain. "grimace" But because we've been introduced to a certain "Lady of the Light"...All is well and nice about her "gift" to see inside the hearts of others, except when it comes about her utter inability to see inside her own heart. I cannot remember the quote but I'm sure it'd be easily enough to find in the same paragraph from "Unfinished tales". So, how I'm going to trust her to see the speck in others' eye when she couldn't see the log in her own? Furthermore, it seems that she could see only Fëanáro's darkness and not any other's, since she was withdrawing her "kindness" only from him and showered everyone else with said "kindness"."

From her earliest years she had a marvellous gift of insight into the minds of others, but judged them with mercy and understanding, and she withheld her goodwill from none save only Fëanor. In him she perceived a darkness that she hated and feared, though she did not perceive that the shadow of the same evil had fallen upon the minds of all the Noldor, and upon her own.



Author Reply: And this is what needs to be remembered. Projecting 7000 years into the future to who she becomes does a disservice to the character as she is at this particular moment. And not only the Noldor, but some of the Vanyar, as we will see as this story progresses.

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 38 on 1/11/2011
That she gave a Dwarf a gift she'd denied to her gifted cousin I always saw as significant, for she saw no guile in Gimli as she appears to have discerned in her uncle. Glad they recognize her gift in the sifting of hearts--a most useful talent indeed.

Author Reply: I think you are correct, Larner. Thanks for point this out. And being able to sift hearts is a very useful talent indeed. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it.

SitaraReviewed Chapter: 38 on 1/11/2011
Well, is not like I'm able to help myself, even when I'm doubling over with pain. "grimace" But because we've been introduced to a certain "Lady of the Light"...All is well and nice about her "gift" to see inside the hearts of others, except when it comes about her utter inability to see inside her own heart. I cannot remember the quote but I'm sure it'd be easily enough to find in the same paragraph from "Unfinished tales". So, how I'm going to trust her to see the speck in others' eye when she couldn't see the log in her own? Furthermore, it seems that she could see only Fëanáro's darkness and not any other's, since she was withdrawing her "kindness" only from him and showered everyone else with said "kindness".

As for I can see when Nerwen Artanis Galadriel is concerned...quite simple, actually. Envy. And hunger for power. "counting on her fingers" Melian's lore. Her cozy spot in Doriath. Lothlorien. Celebrimbor's Nenya. "chuckle" Sauron's Ring. It starts to become a pattern, by now. Not to mention the funniest thing of all: The lady of the Light, who neved coveted those accursed Silmarils, which encased the last remnant of the Light of the Trees, was dying to get her hands of an object of pure Darkness: the Ring of Sauron. And, before talking about her heroic deed of overcoming the temptation, I'd like her to answer me a simple question: Whatever would make her believe that she, an Elda could master and use a Ring that was infamous for recognizing only one master, namely Sauron? Meaning, that her power as an Elda would be greater than a Maia's one and she wouldn't have ended up as another Ringwraith? Well, her "sacrifice" (She sacrificed what she didn't possess in the first place) did contain a healthy dose of self-preservation.

And all this, because of what? Because of one thing, in my opinion. The mightiest of the Eruhini, does that ring any bells, sweet maiden? "grin"

As for her hair...if I recall correctly, she did tell Gimli in FotR that nobody ever asked such a favor of her. Even for the likes of her, Fëanáro would hardly count as "nobody". Mightiest of the Eruhini, remember? "grin" So I would take that paragraph from HoME with at least an ounce of salt.

And, really, it's one thing to leave Aman out of grief and an entirely different thing to do it out of greed, isn't it, Nerwen Artanis?

Author Reply: Hi, Sitara. I think you are missing the entire point. It really does not matter what Galadrield will or will not do some 7,000 years from now or even a few years from now (in relation to this story). What matters in this chapter is what she is doing at this particular point in time, and why she is doing it and why she feels the way she does, remembering that at this moment she is a young (by elven standards) Elf-maiden living in the bliss of Valinor under the Light of the Two Trees and her uncle's relationship with her disturbs her on some level. All the sorrow and pain that will come soon enough does not even enter into her imagination.

Perhaps you should try to simply take the story at face value and enjoy it for its own sake instead of projecting onto it your own prejudices. And if you feel so strongly about this, you might consider writing your own version of these events to share with others.

Thanks for reading and reviewing.

bladweddReviewed Chapter: 38 on 1/10/2011
10000 years.

Author Reply: Which is nothing to one who will live for far longer than that until the end of Arda. *grin*

6336Reviewed Chapter: 38 on 1/10/2011
Getting setteled in and touring Tirion, all the sorts of things an ambassador should do. I think they are wise to not allow anybody to wander about without an escort, Ingwion especially.
So, both Feanaro and Gimli had a thing for Galadrials hair, Gimli because he thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, Feanaro I am not so sure of, he just wanted her hair, maybe for another Silmarill, or was his interest in her other than cousinly?
Huggs,
Lynda


Author Reply: Hi Lynda. Apparently Fëanáro's desire for Galadriel's tresses was induced by the fact that her hair is described as being both silver and gold, as if the light of the Two Trees had been caught in them. He wanted to capture that light and tried to get Galadriel to give him her tresses. She refuses, saying she would not give him even one strand of her hair. Only when one reads this story in "Unfinished Tales" does the significance of Galadriel giving Gimli three strands of her hair (for the three times Fëanáro accosted her asking for her tresses) when he had asked for only a single strand becomes apparent.

Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it.

bladweddReviewed Chapter: 38 on 1/10/2011
"I never liked mine uncle. There is something about him that makes me wary. I have the gift of reading other people’s hearts and his... his is less than pure."

Artanis... Darkness in her own soul.
Reader...
” ...She has at last overcome the darkness in her own soul." From Unfinished Tales, pp 230-231

Author Reply: Thanks for the reference from Unfinished Tales, Bladwedd. Whether her darkness came from within herself or from without, we know that she overcame it in the end and that is all that matters.

Return to Chapter List