Fairy Tales of Middle-Earth by DrummerWench
Larner · 23 August 2006 · Chapter 1: The Sorceress
Yes, the halls of Lorien are timeless in seeming; but much time can be lost while in them, as was true in the hollow hills of the Fair Folk of Celtic lore.
Author's reply
When Frodo & Sam lost a month without noticing, I realized one could easily lose much, much more! DW
Galimeril · 23 August 2006 · Chapter 8: The Swans
Such talent! You certainly are a master weaver of tales! This story reminds me of a book I just finished. I's called Daughter of the Forest, it's the first book in the Sevenwater's trilogy. I thnk you'd like it, It takes place in Ireland and has a lot of Irish stories mixed in with an intriguing storyline. Parts of it just break your heart, but it is a good read. I hope you read it! Once more, a fantastic pice of art. This joins ranks with my favorite 'Spiderwebs!'
Author's reply
Thanks, Galimeril, for reading and commenting. I really appreciate your enthusiasm! Thank you, also, for the reading recommendation - I'll look for it, and put it on my list. I'm glad you liked "Spiderwebs", too. DrummerWench
SurgicalSteel · 23 August 2006 · Chapter 8: The Swans
This was an absolutely lovely re-telling. Wonderful way to explain the emblem of Dol Amroth!
Author's reply
Hi, SurgicalSteel - Yes, I figured "Swan Lake" would be pretty recognizable. It started out being more "The Seven Swans", but veered off pretty quickly. I'm glad you liked it! DW
Larner · 23 August 2006 · Chapter 4: Birds and Feathers
A sweet gift to give him freedom after capture and pain and fear. Very well thought out. Radagast must have been proud of him.
Author's reply
Thanks, Larner! Yes, I imagine he told the whole tale to Radagast when next they met. DW
Larner · 23 August 2006 · Chapter 5: The Bear
Aha, a most satisfying story. I find I truly love this tale of how Beorn came to be, and came to be a skinchanger at that.
Author's reply
Thanks! This was actually the first, no, second fairy tale I wrote (maybe I'll post the first one here somewhere one day...). It's one of those that popped into my head fully formed, instead of struggling with plot, character, setting for ages. DW
Larner · 23 August 2006 · Chapter 6: The Lady in the Water
Ah, a dream sent to Tom caught poor Kalimac, who was an ancestor, apparently, to Frodo, Pippin, and Merry, and probably Sam in a way as well. Nice to see Goldberry has a good feeling toward whom she is called, and sends Kali back with Gladden to his proper happiness as a Hobbit.
Author's reply
Yes, I think Kali is a Bucklandish ancestor. I doubt Gladden married him, after all... She is, I believe, an ancestor of Mr. and Mrs. Maggot, however - this explains why Tom is so chummy with them. Goldberry placed any blame squarely on the River, her Father. DW
Larner · 23 August 2006 · Chapter 7: Shadow and Fire
And so we see it was indeed greed and smallness of spirit that released the Balrog on Khazad-dum! Alas for the poor, miserly Dwarf!
Author's reply
Yes, I felt quite sorry for him! That sort of mean spirit is hard to help, though. DW
Larner · 23 August 2006 · Chapter 8: The Swans
Ah, how wonderful and appropriate a tale for the beginning of the house of Dol Amroth. And a wonderful thought on how it was Nimrodel and Amroth were first separated and then brought back together once more.
Author's reply
Thank you so much, Larner, for all your kind comments on my little stories! I really appreciate it, and am so glad you've enjoyed them. DrummerWench
NanaHalfelven · 5 August 2006 · Chapter 5: The Bear
What wonderful stories! I hope you write many more...
Author's reply
Well, I have a few more, at least... Thanks for reading! DW
Dreamflower · 5 August 2006 · Chapter 5: The Bear
A very interesting and unusual origin for the Beornings! This was a good use of Treebeard's statement about how the Elves woke things up and taught them to talk--in this case, animals rather than trees!
Author's reply
Heh! If I have the opportunity to quote a line, I will! I wondered if anyone would catch it. I'm not sure how canon this tale is, as when I wrote it, most of my books were in boxes, including, for some reason, all three copies of the Hobbit. But not LOTR... DW
vampfan30 · 5 August 2006 · Chapter 7: Shadow and Fire
As usual, another batch of incredible stories! I certainly liked the Hobbit story, & the Dwarvish one made perfect sense. As Alassiel said, it was appropriate for the Balrog to be awakened by greed.......
Author's reply
Thank you, vampfan30! Yes, it does make sense, doesn't it? I'm glad you liked them. DW
Dreamflower · 5 August 2006 · Chapter 4: Birds and Feathers
I'm going backwards to catch a couple I missed somehow. This is very nicely done, playing upon the "helpful animals" motif. It seems to rather suit JRRT's view of magic in M-e as something intrinsic rather than learned. I like the way the young Elf knew he had to return to his life as one of the Eldar, and the quiet rather wistful ending.
Author's reply
Yes, I try to keep the "magic" to what we know of M-E, it's mostly non-flashy and, as you say, intrinsic. I'm glad you liked it! DW
Dreamflower · 5 August 2006 · Chapter 7: Shadow and Fire
Oh, that's very, very chilling indeed. And yes, I can see that it would take one small of soul and greedy for more, who would find his way to digging that creature of flame out of its prison.
Author's reply
This is the shortest and darkest of my tales, so far. (And likely to remain so, as I don't seem to come up with many dark stories.) It was chilling to write, as well. DW
Dreamflower · 5 August 2006 · Chapter 6: The Lady in the Water
Beautiful! So, they rescued Goldberry! What a neat story! You managed to used the fairy-tale convention of the helpful animals in a fresh and neat way. I loved all the hobbity touches, and most *especially* the end!
Author's reply
Some stories just naturally seem to fit with (Western) fairy-tale conventions. I'm glad it worked! The end seemed pretty natural, too - where's the food? DW
Alassiel · 5 August 2006 · Chapter 7: Shadow and Fire
Hello Drummer Wench, These tales are wonderful. It is like finding an ancient book filled with the thoughts and musings of all the free peoples of Middle-earth. Some are poignant, while others are simply beautiful. This one feels exactly right. The Balrog was awakened—by greed and envy. Thank you. Alassiel
Author's reply
Hi, Alassiel, Thank you so much for the "ancient book" comment. That's exactly what I'm trying to achieve - it's nice to know that I'm succeeding. I have a little prologue (which needs to be rewritten) that posits the tales as being from a book collected by Sam, who reads them to his children. One day, I'll get around to revising & posting it here. DW
eiluj · 4 August 2006 · Chapter 7: Shadow and Fire
I didn't realize where this was going until the Balrog showed up. So suitable that it was such a miserable dwarf who freed him.
Author's reply
Thanks for your comments, eiluj. I'm glad the end wasn't telegraphed - it's hard for me to tell while writing, as I saw it as a whole. DW
eiluj · 4 August 2006 · Chapter 6: The Lady in the Water
From the beginning, this made me think of "The Snow Queen," even though of course Goldberry is victim rather than sorceress. Since your characters' names begin with the same letters (Gerda/Gladden, Kay/Kalimac), I'm assuming that was in your mind also? Kali's awakening is pure hobbit.
Author's reply
Mwahaha! Very Good, eiluj! I wondered, y'know, if anyone would pick up on that, or if I was amusing myself in solitude. Yes, I kept "The Snow Queen" & G/K in mind while writing this one. Just to be even more geeky, "gladden" in OE is a yellow, iris-like flower and in Modern English means "to make happy", while "Kali[] meant in the Westron 'jolly, gay', though it was actually an abbreviation of the now unmeaning Buckland name Kalimac." (Appendix F, ROTK) Thanks for commenting. DW
eiluj · 4 August 2006 · Chapter 5: The Bear
A wonderful origin for the Beornings.
Author's reply
Thank you, eiluj. I'm glad you liked it. Perhaps I can find an origins tale for the Ents... DW
vampfan30 · 24 July 2006 · Chapter 4: Birds and Feathers
This story strongly reminded me of a common one here in the South from the time of slavery.The story is roughly that the Africans were so distraught & tired of the slavery that, after a time, they were able to fly away from it & to freedom. It has been a long tome since I have read it ( the book that it's in is in a box under my bed.. long story.... ) but, this was a reminder of it, that, & Icarus & Daedulus (spelling?) in a roundabout way. Keep up the wonderful stories......
Author's reply
Thanks again for your comments, vampfan30! I had forgotten about that tale (the slave one). I actually had in mind the tale of Luthien and Beren when they changed shape to fly to confront Morgoth. The story of Icarus and Daedelus always seemed more proto-science fiction, to me. Sort of Jules Verne-ish, rather than fantasy. DrummerWench
SurgicalSteel · 26 June 2006 · Chapter 3: Cloak Ties
I enjoyed both of these very much!
Author's reply
I'm glad you're enjoying them! DW
Pryderi · 26 June 2006 · Chapter 3: Cloak Ties
Well more threes here! You know when I first read this (late at night after a few glasses of wine!) I got this strange feeling of deja vu (or deja lit?) but I put it down to your mastery of the idiom. Anyway you gave the game away. Of course I had read The Faithful Stone and I must go back to it again now that you have drawn my attention to it so engagingly. I have enjoyed all these tales and am looking forward to more.
Author's reply
Western-style Fairy Tales do have a surfeit of triplets! Snow White's "red as blood, white as snow, black as ebony", and the three attempts on her life by the stepmother; three assaults on the glass hill by the prince; the three dogs in "The Tinder Box" ... Not only that, but Western culture is stuffed to overflowing with triples: liberte', egalite', fraternite'; Win, Place, Show; red, white & blue; Father, Son & Holy Ghost; Maiden, Mother, Crone. Even in visual design, even numbers are eschewed. Of course, three is the lowest odd number above one, so you get trefoils & fleurs de lis ... Er, where'd that soapbox come from? *steps off soapbox (three steps)* Anyway some, but not all, of the upcoming tales have things in threes. Thanks, Pryderi, for your thoughtful comments! DW
Pryderi · 26 June 2006 · Chapter 2: Spiderwebs
Well I have now read this again and I have to congratulate you on capturing the tone of Fairy Tale so well. The two similar events to start and finish the story each consisting of three separate parts, you handled really well I thought. Also it must be really tempting to abandon the plain narrative style to develop the characters of your protagonists. Fairy Tale does not develop character in my experience and neither do you seem to try. It is worth noting that one of the criticisms of Tolkiens work is that his characters are "cardboard".I think these critics miss the point entirely! Anyway another super story which I really enjoyed.
Author's reply
Thanks for your kind words, Pryderi! Yes, the plain style of Fairy Tale can be a challenge to maintain, sometimes. Fortunately (for Fairy Tales, at least) my natural tendency is toward a less embellished story. Tolkien's critics, aside from missing the point, also seem to miss his subtle "show, don't tell" character development. DW
vampfan30 · 25 June 2006 · Chapter 3: Cloak Ties
i liked both of these stories, keep it up.....
Author's reply
Well, I do have more in the pipeline... ;) DW
Pryderi · 25 June 2006 · Chapter 3: Cloak Ties
I have managed to read both these tales just once and want to read them again and offer considered reviews. I really enjoyed them both. Unfortunately I have no time left today so I will try tomorrow!
BKB · 16 June 2006 · Chapter 1: The Sorceress
Very Good! Well grounded in the few bits of information that Tolkien gave.
Author's reply
Thanks, BKB! Glad you liked it! DW