Celeritas
· 21 May 2009
· Chapter 3: The Tookish Inquisition
Nobody expects--
Please don't tell me that the Tooks' curiosity came from her as well! (Well, maybe she only enhanced it...)
This was delightful, and the bit at the end where she left most discourteously (I'm imagining some sort of a camera freeze on Frodo and Bilbo's faces at the end kind of like in a cheesy sitcom) made me smile. I'm only less perturbed than they are because I know that I'll find out eventually!
Author's reply
No. Well, no more from her than from her husband, anyway. Perhaps both of them were somewhat curious and so their descendants got a double dose, LOL! No, in this particular case, this was no more than the normal curiosity of a "grandmother" who wanted to know how all her grandchildren were getting on, LOL! I'm sure that if photography had been invented back then, she would have wanted pictures of them all!
Yep, that's just the sort of thing I imagined as well.
Andrea
· 20 May 2009
· Chapter 3: The Tookish Inquisition
Well, it looks like Bilbo and Frodo were beaten at their own game ;-)
On the other hand, it sounds logical that an ancestress is interested in family trees!
However, I wish for the hobbits to get answers to their own questions as soon as possible.
Sometimes she would turn her gaze upon Gandalf, and ask "Why did you not tell me of that?"
LOL!!! Maybe, old Gandalf could not remember all the details?
Author's reply
Well, of course she wants to know how all her "grandchildren" turned out!
She will have to give some answers! But not yet!
Maybe. I'm sure he tried his best.
shirebound
· 20 May 2009
· Chapter 3: The Tookish Inquisition
Bilbo however was made of sterner stuff
LOL! This is delightful.
Author's reply
*grin* Thanks! I figured Bilbo would be very well versed in the Family Trees! And he'd had many more years in the Shire to perfect his knowledge.
Virtuella
· 19 May 2009
· Chapter 3: The Tookish Inquisition
Ah, one needs to have a special connection with Hobbits in order to be interested in their genealogy! If there was any more proof needed, this is it. Lucky for Frodo that he had Bilbo with him. The title of this chapter is delightful. ;-)
Author's reply
Well, these are her great-to the umpteenth degree-grandchildren here!
*grin* I'm glad you liked the chapter name. I'm usually kind of lame with titles, but this one just jumped out at me.
Larner
· 19 May 2009
· Chapter 3: The Tookish Inquisition
Oh, how frustrating--they want to learn so much, and after she's bled their memories dry she just leaves? And love the recurrence of Diamonds among those who have loved the Thains of the Shire!
Author's reply
Yes, she rather left them in the lurch. Of course she did indicate that she'd be back. But they will have to wait a while!
I was studying the Family Trees one day, and noticed that the first *named* female on the Took tree was Adamanta, Gerontius' wife, and that teh last one was Diamond of Long Cleeve, Pippin's wife. It seemed to me there must be some significance to that!
Virtuella
· 1 April 2009
· Chapter 2: Tea with Grandmother
Yes! Those last two lines of dialogue are spot on. Size would, of course, be immaterial to a Maya, and who's to say you have to be an elven king to be lovable?
Also liked the bit about blowing the lock of hair away from her face.
Author's reply
Well, I thought so. It's one reason I always thought a Maia was a more reasonable explanation of the "fairy wife" than an Elf.
*grin* You seem to be the only one who noticed-- but that little gesture seemed to suddenly come to me as one that might be a family trait. Thank you!
Andrea
· 31 March 2009
· Chapter 2: Tea with Grandmother
How wonderful!
Mirime reminds Frodo of all the hobbitesses that were important to him in the Shire!
“And I loved a hobbit, my Tûk, beautiful and mortal,” she said proudly.
And she has the right of being proud! For she knew that her time together with Tuk would be very short at the time she fell in love with him, but she did it anyway!
GamgeeFest
· 31 March 2009
· Chapter 2: Tea with Grandmother
Oh, I love Mirime's answer! Elves are no better for their immortality, and in fact, hobbits may be the more precious for their mortality. You tend to appreciate things more when you know they won't always be there. Very brave of Mirime, to give her heart so, much as Luthien and Arwen.
I love Frodo's determination and straight-forwardness, and how easily Bilbo accepts it all.
Author's reply
Elves are no better for their immortality, and in fact, hobbits may be the more precious for their mortality.
Yes, very much like Luthien and Arwen. But love bestows itself where it will.
And I'm glad you notice the differences in how they are handling it. Bilbo is far more accepting of wonders, but Frodo wants to know.
ArianneG
· 31 March 2009
· Chapter 2: Tea with Grandmother
“But Melian loved Thingol, a King of Elves, beautiful and immortal!” Frodo exclaimed.
“And I loved a hobbit, my Tûk, beautiful and mortal,” she said proudly.
Well good for Mirime, I say! In a way she's braver than Melian--Melian went into her relationship with the expectation that one way or the other she would never be parted from Thingol; Mirime knew that her love was mortal, would grow old and depart Arda for a fate unknown; and still she chose to love him, and use well what time they had together. And how many immortals in Valinor can really appreciate the beauty of a finite lifespan? A rare gem, your Maia lady. :D
Oh, and I think it awesome that the Tooks (and by extension) the Bagginses have some measure of Maiar blood in them. :D Looks like Frodo and Bilbo are sort of related to Elrond and his kin, in a very roundabout fashion.
Author's reply
Yes, it took a lot of courage. But love is love--and she chose to be with her love as much as she could.
Hmm...related to Elrond? Now, that I had not thought of!
Kitty
· 31 March 2009
· Chapter 2: Tea with Grandmother
Well, it's not so surprising that Frodo finds traces of his closest relatives in this visitor who is their ancestor! After Bilbo and Frodo have recovered from their shock, it must be quite exciting for them to learn that they have a few drops of Maiar blood themselves :)
Author's reply
I think they will be pleased once they have had time to process it all.
Antane
· 30 March 2009
· Chapter 2: Tea with Grandmother
I found myself enspelled by one of the Children of Ilúvatar.”
“But Melian loved Thingol, a King of Elves, beautiful and immortal!” Frodo exclaimed.
“And I loved a hobbit, my Tûk, beautiful and mortal,” she said proudly.
Love it! And I can think of other hobbits, beautiful and mortal too, that we have been enspelled by too! :) :) *hugs them*
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
I'm so glad you are enjoying it!
I think that Mirime is quite proud of her true love, and to her it doesn't matter at all that he is "only" a hobbit and a mortal.
And so can I.
Larner
· 30 March 2009
· Chapter 2: Tea with Grandmother
Oh, so beautiful, the descriptions. He sees reflected in her all the women he has truly loved--mother, foster mother/cousin, aunts, younger cousins--all of whom are descended from her and in whom her legacy lived!
Oh, yes! I cannot wait for more!
Author's reply
Yes, her legacy lives on, in the appearance and mannerisms of, as you say, all the women he has loved, and in the eyes of green, blue and grey found among those with the most Fallohide blood.
I think I know what's next--it's distilling it into a tribble that will take time.
Celeritas
· 30 March 2009
· Chapter 2: Tea with Grandmother
Somehow Frodo's questioning reminds me of the similar time he tries to get to the bottom of the whole "Yes, but who are you really, Tom?" in FotR.
I like how Mirimë doesn't take any truck with the notion that elves are somehow prettier and superior to good old down-to-earth hobbits. And Bilbo taking this more or less in stride is delightful!
Author's reply
That's exactly what I had in mind when I had him ask the question. He wants to know the whys and wherefores.
I know. As soon as I knew what Frodo was going to say to her (for I fear that perhaps unconsciously he himself may hold a bit of truck with that idea, in spite of evidence all around him to the contrary, if only in the sense that somehow immortality is superior to growing old and dying.) I knew what her answer to him would be.
Bilbo is far more accepting of wonders, I think.
whitewave
· 27 March 2009
· Chapter 1: A Meeting on Tol Eressëa
Wow, what a great explanation for the "fairy wife"! I'm glad I found this.
Author's reply
Thank you! *grin* I'm glad you found it too!
GamgeeFest
· 1 March 2009
· Chapter 0: Prologue: Behind the Rumour
She can give them no protection from those who are already under the sway of Darkness, but to them she grants something a little extra: a bit of charisma, so that they will be easily beloved when they are encountered by Free Folk.
So, hobbits are like the anti-Ring. Oh, the Ring had no idea what it was dealing with.
This is wonderful, DF! You capture the earlier tone of the Silm but mix it with hobbity goodness. I love your Maia Mirime, and the truth behind the fairy-wife of the Tooks.
Author's reply
So, hobbits are like the anti-Ring.
I suppose you could say that! Compassion and mercy is the anti-Ring, and hobbits are made to embody that.
I am glad you like the tone of it--I was trying to keep some of the Silm-ish feeling about Mirime.
GamgeeFest
· 1 March 2009
· Chapter 1: A Meeting on Tol Eressëa
How many "great"s go before that "Grandmother"! Wow! What a moment for Frodo and Bilbo! They might be well standing their speechless for years, mortal or not. ;) This is intriguing, and I'm very eager to see what happens next.
Author's reply
Probably more "greats" than even a hobbit like Bilbo could count!
I want to see what happens myself. As you see, another part is up. I have to make sure each part can be broken into 300 word chunks, LOL!
Kitty
· 24 February 2009
· Chapter 1: A Meeting on Tol Eressëa
Wow, that must have been quite a shock for Frodo and Bilbo! Who would have thought that they would get to meet this mysterious fairy that once married into the Tooks? I think that story idea is quite unique. And Tûk looked a lot like Frodo? Then I'm not surprised she fell in love with him ;)
Author's reply
Or, you could say Frodo looked a lot like Tûk? LOL!
My idea is that Frodo managed to luck out in the gene pool--that somehow all those Fallohide genes that had been spread around amongst the Bagginses, Brandybucks, Tooks, Bolgers and Proudfoots, etc. somehow all came together in Frodo, making him a "throwback" to almost pure Fallohide. (Kind of like Faramir is somehow a "pure" Numenorean, in spite of other things in his ancestry.)
And I would guess that it *was* a shock for them. I don't suppose most hobbits believed the "Fairy Wife" was real.
Kitty
· 24 February 2009
· Chapter 0: Prologue: Behind the Rumour
a bit of charisma, so that they will be easily beloved when they are encountered by Free Folk So Legolas was right in what he said in 'A New Reckoning', after all!
Ah, I remember the story the Hobbits of the embassy to Gondor got told in Rohan about Tûk and his wife. I really look forward to know more about that! :)
Author's reply
Yes, he was. I think that was the first time the notion occured to me.
*grin* That story was the first seed of this one, I guess. We will have more as soon as the Muse cooperates.
Virtuella
· 24 February 2009
· Chapter 1: A Meeting on Tol Eressëa
Very clever! I like the transformation.
Author's reply
Thanks! I could just imagine her morphing in front of them, from a shining Maia to a hobbit matron.
Virtuella
· 24 February 2009
· Chapter 0: Prologue: Behind the Rumour
This is a very detailled and convincing account of the origin of hobbits, explaining their characteristics very well. Interesting idea about Mirimë! What puzzles me a bit is that it starts out more like a story and ends up more like an essay. Was that your purpose?
Author's reply
I have recently begun an attempt to re-construct some material I wrote as "backstory" to my personal version of the Shire and hobbits. (It was some stuff I lost a few years ago, due to computer problems.) This part was originally not meant to be part of a story at all, but was for my own use as a personal reference.
On my LJ, however, I had shared it with some of the people on my friend's list, and some of their comments sparked the plot bunny for this first tribble. I made a few changes to the information, and then used it as the Prologue to this series, as I felt I could not explain things any more clearly than I already had.
PIppinfan1988
· 23 February 2009
· Chapter 1: A Meeting on Tol Eressëa
Oh, *that* is way too cool! How brilliant! It never would've occured to me that Adamanta could well be that special Elf maid who married a Took (Tuk). And that wonderful moment of Bilbo and Frodo meeting her eye to eye was quite beautiful with Gandalf being there to share in it. Brought everything from the prologue full circle to this moment. Very well done!
Author's reply
*grin* Thank you so much, dear!
I am going to try to continue this. It may take a while to do it all in 300 word chunks, though!
PIppinfan1988
· 23 February 2009
· Chapter 0: Prologue: Behind the Rumour
I almost want to squeeeeeee!!! LOL! I've been waiting a *long time* for your rendition of the faerie blood -- ever since you hinted at it in a short story two or three years ago. And I am so loving it. I really liked how you went into great detail to describe their beginnings, their inherent attributes and qualities as a Race.
Running to the next chapter... :-)
Author's reply
Oh, I'm so glad you like the idea!
Well, there's nothing I like better than an excuse to describe how wonderful hobbits are...
Baggins Babe
· 23 February 2009
· Chapter 1: A Meeting on Tol Eressëa
Another Diamond! How perfect. I love the idea of one of the Wise falling for the hobbits and marrying one, just like Melian with her Elf lord. Naturally - we all fall for those delightful hobbits.
Author's reply
Yes, just like Melian and her Elf. *grin*
Naturally - we all fall for those delightful hobbits.
Of course!
Baggins Babe
· 23 February 2009
· Chapter 0: Prologue: Behind the Rumour
A marvellous look at the early hobbits and the affection of Yavanna - and the famous 'fairy wife' - of course!
Now I can't wait to see the meeting with Frodo.
Author's reply
Yes! I had the prologue, actually, as part of my "backstory" material that I am trying to re-create.
Antane
· 23 February 2009
· Chapter 0: Prologue: Behind the Rumour
Very nice! I love that the Valar were there from the beginning, and that Yavanna was smitten like we all are. :)
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
Of course she was smitten! And then she made absolutely certain that everyone else would be, too!