A Poll to Humor Your Statistically Inclined Hostess ...

[dawn_felagund]

I am working on a post for The Heretic Loremaster and am really curious about how people see the attack on Sirion and its aftermath as it relates to Maedhros and Maglor, and Elrond and Elros. I would appreciate the input of anyone who wishes to take the following poll

Comments

ooh, I love this time period!

[mithluin]

I think that 'canon' here is more than a bit vague. So, yes, there's the published Silm version with Maglor raising them, and the older version of the story in which it was Maedhros who raised them (or really just Elrond at that point?). Since that older version also implied different roles for Maedhros and Maglor when it came to sneaking into Eonwe's camp and final fates, it's not really a toss up as to which version you go with. Picking the older version changes a lot! And then there is the explanation of the names Elros and Elrond where Maglor finds the twins playing by a waterfall. So, I have a hard time saying that 'Maedhros raised them' is canon, but Tolkien did write that, and certainly Maedhros could have been around and helping while Maglor raised them

Re: ooh, I love this time period!

[dawn_felagund]

This is a totally awesome comment. :)

Actually, do you mind if I quote you in the post I'm writing? If you want to read the post first before giving permission, that is understandable, of course.

The canon here is really nebulous, I agree. It's actually kind of fascinating how the story evolved with so much going on between the first introduction of Elwing's Silmaril (and the sons of Feanor!) in BoLT and the rapid changes in the earliest Silmarillions and then ... *crickets* JRRT just stopped working on this part of the story. It makes me wonder how he really came to see the events at the end of the First Age and, maybe, if he just didn't get time to write down his thoughts. (Which is sad--and scary!--as a writer too who hasn't written down 99% of what's swirling around in her brain.)

For the "questions" on the poll, I think that most of them have no right answer; it depends on which source you want to use and how you interpret various canon details. I will confess that, for what I'm writing for the Heretic Loremaster, I really

Re: ooh, I love this time period!

[mithluin]

Sure, you're welcome to quote me if you like.

For research purposes, I would recommend Deborah's As Little Might Be Thought. And in general, I recommend French Pony's final chapter of Four Hands Around. Don't worry; 'A Bitter Truth' will find its way to SWG eventually, in some form or another

Re: ooh, I love this time period!

[mithluin]

Oh, and one detail I forgot to mention (but which is important to the 'hostage' question). Elrond becomes the Herald of Gil-galad, a position of some authority. That may have happened after Maglor had his run in with the Silmaril and forsook society, but at *some* point, Elrond seems to have moved from the Feanorean camp to Ereinion's camp. And that could be accomplished by transfering a hostage.

It can be accomplished in other ways, too, obviously. But I was negligent not to bring that up.

Re: ooh, I love this time period!

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you for the story recs! And I'm glad to hear that your story will make its way onto the archive eventually as well. :)

If he wrote that part of the story again, he'd be 'done' and so he never got to it.

That's a good point. I have endings to both my Silmfic epic and my o-fic epic "written in my head," but I dread the day when I will be forced to commit them to paper. I like tinkering with the story and having it an endless WiP. (I know a lot of people just sighed with shattered hopes of seeing the AMC cycle finished anytime soon ... ;)

But I do think it practically a miracle that he finished LotR.

These days, the thought of finishing a drabble seems pretty bloody miraculous to me. And novels ... *won't go there* So, yes, I agree. ;)