A Song of Wizardry

[clodia_metelli]

Comments

[ellynn_ithilwen]

Beautiful poem, and beautiful picture.

[clodia_metelli]

Thanks! I do like this bit of the Lay.

[engarian]

I've always love the story of Finrod's duel against Sauron. It's one of the great passages of language that Tolkien sometimes was able to pull out, and one of the great stories in the early history of Middle Earth. Lovely imagery and great choice of text.

- Erulisse (one L)

[clodia_metelli]

It's a great bit of the Lay, isn't it? I was struck when I reread it to see Finrod getting laid low by Alqualonde - so the Kinslaying came back to haunt him. A neat echo there.

[clodia_metelli]

He is certainly one of the few Noldor I have much time for. ;)

[anna_wing]

Very nice! The dull red of drying blood and the darkening sea. I found it interesting that Finrod was undone by the reminder of Alqualonde even though he and his followers were themselves completely not guilty.

[clodia_metelli]

Thank you! That's what I wanted to get with the colours here. :) And that is an interesting point, though I don't think their innocence is so clearcut in the Silm proper (I know this varies depending on source, naturally, but this is the Silm version of the Lay) - still, if Finrod et al are read as innocent, his downfall here might be attributed to guilt acquired via the Prophecy of the North - or perhaps on a closer textual level, Fingon bases his final defence on singing up the pearly beaches of the Blessed Realm, which won't get him far when the pearliness of said beaches has already been marred by a Kinslaying. (I don't know. But it's certainly interesting, however you look at it.)