"To Forgive," for rinnor

These small stories are for rinnor, who said, "I'd like to see a story about forgiveness among the Noldor in Aman. Since they're an immortal people, and tribal, I imagine that social pressure would push both parties to resolve their differences, but that's my interpretation ... Whereas mortals can take a grudge to the grave, how does an immortal come to terms with a grievance against another, when s/he is likely to see the other party, well, forever."

This was a wonderfully thought-provoking challenge, one that I thought I could tackle two ways: in a novella (or longer) or as a series of shorter pieces. Needless to say, for now, I had to choose the latter. :)

Therefore, what follows are three fixed-length ficlets, each about a different kind of forgiveness among the Noldor. (Though only two take place in Aman ... I hope you can forgive me!) This series is a nice safe General rating on SWG, and I have no particular warnings to offer for any of these.

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Young Fëanáro is confronted by his father about his biggest flaw: his inability to find forgiveness for his new half-brother. A quibble (500 words).

( Unforgiving )

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Maitimo learns from his baby brother about loss, pride, and forgiveness. A quadrabble (400 words).

( Broken )

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Nolofinwë on why even the most grievous deeds must be forgiven. 700 words.

( The Spiderweb )

"The Ghost in the Garden," for telperion1

Marta asked for a story about the "spiritual themes of Tolkien's world. I don't mean like Christian symbolism, but rather what form spirituality and organized religion would take in the various cultures of Valinor/Middle-earth. So I would like to request an interaction between Celeborn and Galadriel on a spiritual theme."

This request was at once the opportunity to explore something new and to also discuss an area of Tolkien's mythology that is one of my favorites as a researcher. This is the first full-length story I've written about Celeborn and Galadriel, so the chance to develop characters for people who still feel rather awe-inspiring to me (on account of LotR) was a lot of fun, as well as a challenge. The opportunity to write a story about a spiritual theme was familiar and welcome: I have several unfinished research projects dealing with eschatology. "The Ghost in the Garden" considers one oft-ignored aspect of Elven afterlife as Tolkien saw it: the possibility of spirits lingering to "haunt" a particular place that they loved in life (HoMe 10, "Laws and Customs among the Eldar").

In this tale, Galadriel is frightened by something she discovers in Doriath. In an attempt to understand her experience, she is led to consider the irreconcilable differences between the Sindar and the Noldor.

This story is rated for Teens on SWG on account of containing adult themes (i.e., discussions of death, afterlife, and ghosts) and for some heterosexual content.

( The Ghost in the Garden )