News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
| About Us News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
|
| That Which We Are by Avon | 33 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Elena Tiriel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/1/2004 |
| Hi Avon, Haven't started your story yet, but I have an answer to Daw's canon question. I think there is no doubt that Kings of the Mark and their heirs would read and write, just to be able to fulfill their duties (sending and receiving dispatches from the Marshals in the field, for example -- though it's possible they had secretaries to do that). But even if the *early* kings might not have been literate in Westron, I'm sure the ones after Thengel (Theoden's father) did. Thengel spent all of his early adulthood in Gondor, until taking up the kingship. He brought Gondorian ways to his household, including speaking Sindarin as well as Westron (which was already known to the high-born in Rohan). I am sure that his son and grandson (and Eomer & maybe Eowyn, since they were adopted young by Theoden) received a "proper" education by Gondorian standards, meaning that they could read and write in Westron. Hope this helps! - Barbara | |
| eokat | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/1/2004 |
| Good story, nice to see the reaction of a young Eomer to visiting Minas Tirith for the first time. Look forward to reading more. Author Reply: Thanks, Eokat. It will be updated fairly soon - honest! I foolishly started this the week school started back! Baaaaaad move! It's been a particularly frantic term so far but I'm slowly getting there. Cheers, Avon | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/1/2004 |
| This was lovely. Eomer's perspective is so well done, it's hard to believe you think of yourself as confused about POV! I sympathize completely with his dislike of an environment so foreign to the one he's used to. And his admiration of Theodred and Boromir come through nicely. I wonder what he will make of Faramir eventually? And now a timid canon question. I don't want to sound like a "Gondorian dandy," but could the Rohirrim read? Somehow I thought they couldn't. I suppose the son of the king would be an exception. Author Reply: Sorry this is so late - I should have more sense than to start a story the day before I go back to work! Thank you for the feedback. Oh yes, I'm definitely still struggling to stay in people's POVs - still can't figure out if I've always done it wrong and only just noticed it or if it is only because I'm panicking about it that I think I can't do it ;-) Daft, me! I wonder what he will make of Faramir eventually? A nice rug? ;-) Nah,I'm sure such a lovely person will eventually get through to him (even if he's not in a lovely mood at the moment.) could the Rohirrim read? Somehow I thought they couldn't. I suppose the son of the king would be an exception. I think Barbara has actually answered this better than I can up this thread but I'll try. My feeling is that (a) Theoden's father spent a large chunk of his life in Gondor - and seems to have brought many of their ways back so I feel from then on probably the royal family at least would have been able to read (and I bet some of the other higher up families would have scurried to do so.) (b) Early education is usually a mother's field - and Morwen was herself Gondorian and in this fic stepped in to help bring up Theodred after his mum's death (c) ditto previous comments about early education - Eomer's mother was the daughter of Morwen. Mind you, I don't think the education that even Eomer has received is anything like as indepth or as classcial as what I'm assuming Boromir and Faramir would have received. In this particular version of M-e I'm assuming that B&F were still being educated several years after Eomer's emancipation from the schoolroom. I also see Theodred as being very unusually educated for a Rohirim - because he is a natural scholar. There's no way IMO that Eomer would be reading poetry in Sindarin. Cheers, Avon | |