Them Dwarves, Them Dwarves, Part II: Re: A bit of this, a bit of that and getting nowhere

» erunyauve - Re: A bit of this, a bit of that and getting nowhere

In response to message posted by isengar:

The Lambengolmor appear in The War of the Jewels, Quendi and Eldar (p 396-7 pub. Houghton-Mifflin). Here are also the details of Pengolod (spelt Pengolodh in this text) - his half-Sindarin origin and association with Khazad-dum.

The Second House of the Edain is that of the Haladin, from whence came the mother of Huor and Hurin. The Easterlings were not by nature evil - they came later than the first houses into Beleriand, and many were corrupted by Morgoth and his lieutenant (Sauron) before they made it to the west. They also were not befriended by the Avari east of Hithaeglir, as were many of the Edain. As for Bor's people, they were presumably killed in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. All of this is in The Silmarillion.

The Dwarves had good reason not to worship Iluvatar - they were not his Children, as were men and elves. They were the Children of Aule. The Dwarves saved what remained of the Noldor in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, and did the same when Sauron destroyed Eregion. With men, they were allies, for the most part - they traded weapons for food. Orcs were a problem for both, and their combined strength kept Orcs from overrunning the Vale of Anduin (a similar give and take alliance existed with the Men of Dale in the late 3rd Age). Their troubles with elves - mostly Sindar from Doriath such as Celeborn and Oropher - stemmed from the murder of Thingol and sack of Doriath by Dwarves of Nogrod. These Dwarves were wiped out by Beren and the breaking of the Ered Luin, but some elves remained mistrustful of Dwarves. (ref: various sources - the Silm.; Unfinished Tales, 'The History of Galadriel and Celeborn'; The Peoples of Middle-Earth, 'Of Dwarves and Men').

Amroth's story is told in Unfinished Tales, 'The History of Galadriel and Celeborn', not to mention the Lay of Nimrodel sung by Legolas in LOTR.

Finally, in response to your post-script, which I quote here: "By the way, the fact that any Tolkien fan who isn’t an established and respected artist feels s/he has the jurisdiction to write or re-write any aspect of his mythology is frightening and not just a little revolting".

I agree entirely that no one - established or amateur - should attempt to re-write Tolkien's myths. However, Tolkien left much room within his mythology for our imagination to fill. This, I think, is difficult to see if you have not read The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. Tolkien himself hoped other writers would continue his mythology. As he wrote in Letter #131, "...I had in mind to make a body of more or less connected legend... . ...I would draw some of the great tales in fullness, and leave many only placed in the scheme, and sketched. The cycles should be linked to a majestic whole, and yet leave scope for other minds and hands, wielding paint and music and drama." (I should note that this is extremely encapsulated, due to length, but I hope I give the sense correctly. This letter appears in the Silm., for those who do not have The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. The paragraph ends with the one-word sentence, "Absurd." In the context of the full paragraph, however, he is referring to the grand scale of his intentions, not to the idea that others might continue his work.)

Though much fan fiction is terrible, some writers research their work quite thoroughly, and better examples of such fiction often throw new light on Tolkien's world. Connections are made between the various texts, sometimes turning up a link not before seen. I have learned a great deal from my obsessive desire to document my fiction, as well as from reading others' fiction. Much of Tolkien's work is very much a sketch, yet it is a sketch that fits together beautifully. It is not my intent to change any part of that sketch (though at times one must choose between contradictory texts) - but rather to illustrate parts that are faint.

"Unless it’s for his/her own private enjoyment, of course. But if s/he’s getting money or any sort of favorable attention for it, that’s as despicable as a gold-hungry dwarf."

I do not make money from this (indeed, were it not for my interest in fan fiction, I would probably not have invested several hundred dollars in acquiring the History of Middle Earth). Nor do I hope for favorable attention in the sense of 'fame' - I do want people to enjoy my writing and submit it to web archives to hear feedback - both negative and positive. However, to me, the process of writing and researching is far more rewarding than 'recognition'.

erunyauve

-- posted by erunyauve