Suit101: Life in an Elven fishing town, May 12... [Archive]

Michael Martinez

05-12-2001, 09:35 PM

Mithlond would have to be the only place in Middle-earth which would seem like a classic English village. "But what about the Shire?" people clamor, nodding their heads to each in knowing fashion. "We have him, this time!" Yes, the Shire's quaint little villages were clearly modelled on Warwickshire villages, but they lacked something which Mithlond possessed: the equivalent of a church.

Americans who grew up in small towns know immediately what the presence of a church in any town or village means: it is the heart of the community. Forget the town square, the village green, old Jeb's friendly bar, or the school. That church is the heart and soul of the community. People are baptized there, lectured there, gossiped about there (but not by the preacher if they are discreet), get married there, suffer through the shame of divorce there, grieve over their losses there, socialize there, and ultimately are bid farewell there.

Now, Mithlond was a pair of cities, not really a village. But in Lindon's heyday, during the years of Gil-galad's reign (the entire Second Age), the most important city of Lindon was probably Forlond. Mithlond was Cirdan's turf. The mariners of Brithombar and Eglarest were his people, and as many of them as he could fit onto the ships survived the fall of their ancient cities in western Beleriand. It is almost certain that most of the Falathrim settled in Mithlond in the Second Age.

Harlindon was probably settled by surviving Sindar from Doriath, Nargothrond, and Hithlum (and the Green-elves of Ossiriand). Hithlum was the first Elven realm to weave those enchanted grey cloaks which eventually were given by Elves of Lorien to the Fellowship of the Ring. Lorien was originally founded by Sindar who settled among the Silvan Elves in the Vales of Anduin. And the Sindar who migrated to the east in the Second Age seem to have come from Harlindon.

Read the full article here (http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/tolkien/68934)

Inoldonil

05-16-2001, 05:05 AM

[witty introduction and joke embellished with a lot of BS] Usually when I read a long text such as this, I bring up a good ol' AOHell Write Mail box and make comments as I go along. After which, I write a little introduction (sometimes rather witty, I think, but I don't believe the notion has caught on) and string things together in lazy-fashion. It may convince people, I don't know. Tonight I'm not going to pretend, and as this thread (post) is mournfully deprived of responses, and this forum in dire need of updates, two birds will die horrible deaths tonight.[/witty introduction and joke embellished with a lot of BS]

Right. I believe I have now read your first paragraph three times, and each time I have had a good laugh. However my son will note of this after my death that this fact may not be significant, as I am liable to forget what something said five minutes after I have read it. So it is open for debate. Only now can I appreciate such jokes inlaid in your essays. That's exactly what people were thinking, and they laughed at themselves when you exposed them. Actually most of them may have sneered, but I laughed. Er, I'm not insinuating anything here, uh, let's move on.

I know as much about England as David Day of Middle-earth, are Warwickshire villages a part of rural England at all? <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/ohwell.gif ALT=":\"> Somewhere in the Letters Tolkien said The Shire was based on rural England, but I don't know anything about Warwickshire villages. Although observing the name itself (just now), I'd grant a resemblance!

I am waiting in anticipation about the equivalent of the church.

One thing I like about your articles is that it is a very bumpy but enjoyable ride. Okay, Mithlond isn't a village, I knew that. Two havens, yeah. Hey, tiny rock in the rode there, Forlond is the most important city. Okay, where are we going? Interesting turn. Back to Mithlond, we've turned around of course, Falathrim, yes, got it. Whoa! :eek: I spilled my drink, there's Harlindon, and we're running over Sindar! The humanity! Different people were here, okay, before we killed them you mean, Hithlum folk, whoa! Who's driving this thing, grey cloaks and Lorien! Great now the women and children can't see us! What happened? Sindar among Tawarwaith, okay, hey there's the road back to Harlindon! Forlindon is just a little out of the way, won't take too much time I guess, ... It goes on like that in a fascinating way until you find out just where you're going. Why you get there in the way you did is a word to the Wise, and as for my unknowing ears, no tale tells.

Where do you get the bit about Cirdan's unnamed brother? An X or XI Volume HoME book?

Is there a genealogy that expresses the exact kinship of Cirdan to Elwe? He is closer akin to Olwe seemingly, but I haven't seen any help on the subject. I've seen the bit about the descent of Nimloth (from Elmo), but that must be on the other side of the tree. Maybe I just do not remember something, see second paragraph.

I had no idea coastal people were usually also farmers. Cirdan with a pitch fork?

Didn't the great axes the Sindar were known for originate in Doriath? Irrelevant anyway. Also, were not the Falathrim ensured (by themselves) safety during the Wars of Beleriand because of their walled havens?

:lol: You hit the nail right on the head, about the clashing images of Cirdan, I mean. This - to me at any rate - is a new depiction. I atleast won't think of Cirdan in the same way again, I would think that would go for other people too. You have a tendency to point things out that should have been under many a people's noses, 'well, I don't think the light is as bright as it should be folks, let's use a different one.'

Your comment about the sexes among the Eldar in relation to mariners and the agriculturalists (do you mean the original sense of Eldar, or the Great Journeyers?) remind of the Second Age Numenoreans, or more specifically of Aldarion and Erendis. Do you think there is a connexion?

But where, and what, one may ask, is the Elvish equivalent of a church?

Whohoo! Floor it, 'cause we're goin' to Di'nay Land! :D

Elostirion, I mean. :| Of course I did. Here we are. Smells nice, good air. I remembered this only as a name, this was the big tourist attraction for Palantiri enthusiasts. Frodo dreamt about this place in Bombadil's house. Tolkien mentions it in the Prologue. I guess I never associated it all with one another.

Holy cow! Some a-hole just parked their Jackson Earpoint agin - did I say agin? - on top :( of our bloody Martinez Biolosame! Now we've got a typo. Elenedil. You had better call your professional editor you told me about. ;)

Made pilgrimages here did they? Sang hymns? Wow. How did you learn about that?

Well, it looks like it is time to go. But we never go back, always forwards to some new place. A very good ride, if I may so, thank you for bringing me along. :cool: *

Actually I snuck in the back as there was noone else. But if there is a real lore-master driving around, you ought to ride with him, especially if that lore-master is Michael Martinez. :)

*Hi, I'm Inoldonil, the director of this post. Although a character, me, smoked in the course of this post, which was made by me, this post does not endorse smoking, nor should you smoke, or encourage anyone else to smoke. Maybe everyone in this post smokes, maybe there's pictures on the wall in Elostirion of ancestors of a poster - smoking, but I, the director of this post, to repeat, don't smoke. This post was first made many years ago, when people had a different take on things. So remember, if Frodo or Bilbo, er, I mean, if I smoked in the course of this post, it doesn't mean you should. Don't. Thanks, from Peter Jack-, er, Inoldonil.