My Favorite Passage from Lord of the Rings

“The leaves were long, the grass was green,
The hemlock-umbels tall and fair,
And in the glade a light was seen
Of stars in shadow shimmering.
Tinuviel was dancing there
To music of a pipe unseen,
And light of stars was in her hair,
And in her raiment glimmering.

There Beren came from mountains cold,
And lost he wandered under leaves,
And where the Elven-river rolled.
He walked along and sorrowing.
He peered between the hemlock-leaves
And saw in wonder flowers of gold
Upon her mantle and her sleeves,
And her hair like shadow following.

Enchantment healed his weary feet
That over hills were doomed to roam;
And forth he hastened, strong and fleet,
And grasped at moonbeams glistening.
Through woven woods in Elvenhome
She lightly fled on dancing feet,
And left him lonely still to roam
In the silent forest listening.

He heard there oft the flying sound
Of feet as light as linden-leaves,
Or music welling underground,
In hidden hollows quavering.
Now withered lay the hemlock-sheaves,
And one by one with sighing sound
Whispering fell the beechen leaves
In the wintry woodland wavering.

He sought her ever, wandering far
Where leaves of years were thickly strewn,
By light of moon and ray of star
In frosty heavens shivering.
Her mantle glinted in the moon,
As on a hill-top high and far
She danced, and at her feet was strewn
A mist of silver quivering.

When winter passed, she came again,
And her song released the sudden spring,
Like rising lark, and falling rain,
And melting water bubbling.
He saw the elven-flowers spring
About her feet, and healed again
He longed by her to dance and sing
Upon the grass untroubling.

Again she fled, but swift he came.
Tinuviel! Tinuviel!
He called her by her elvish name;
And there she halted listening.
One moment stood she, and a spell
His voice laid on her: Beren came,
And doom fell on Tinuviel
That in his arms lay glistening.

As Beren looked into her eyes
Within the shadows of her hair,
The trembling starlight of the skies
He saw there mirrored shimmering.
Tinuviel the elven-fair,
Immortal maiden elven-wise,
About him cast her shadowy hair
And arms like silver glimmering.

Long was the way that fate them bore,
O'er stony mountains cold and grey,
Through halls of iron and darkling door,
And woods of nightshade morrowless.
The Sundering Seas between them lay,
And yet at last they met once more,
And long ago they passed away
In the forest singing sorrowless.” 

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

Fantasy Quote of the Day!

“But it is said: Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger. The choice is yours: to go or wait.'

'And it is also said,' answered Frodo: 'Go not to the Elves for counsel for they will answer both no and yes.'

'Is it indeed?' laughed Gildor. 'Elves seldom give unguarded advice, for advice is a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise, and all courses may run ill.”

 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Ring Sets Out

The World is a Mystical Place

“We do not want merely to see beauty... we want something else which can hardly be put into words- to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it. That is why we have peopled air and earth and water with gods and goddesses, and nymphs and elves.” 

― C.S. Lewis

This is one of my favorite quotes.  It is truly my belief that fantasy brings us closer to the very things that we separate ourselves from.  Life has become about the next gadget, the highest building, the commute and so much more that truly has no meaning.

When was the last time you watched the sun rise in the cool morning air?  When did you last sit upon a rock in the midst of a rushing brook and just see the world as it is outside man's influence?  The fantasy of mystical gods to explain our sorrow and our joy,  the grasping of life upon a pirate ship to add adventure in a mundane existance; these are but fleeting respites from the world we have chosen. These escapes take us too a simpler time that really does exist in our world.     Our world is a mystical place.  We have just forgotten how to see it for its true power, mystery and beauty.

Where do Elves Fit In?

I have been asked by those that have pre-read "Bloodstone" to explain where the elves fit in if I was a DM for so long.  I had originally planned like all fantasy to have the typical dwarves and elves within the very first book.  However, I quickly came to realize to write a truly timeless being such as an elf and not merely make them human was difficult.  There are still elves in the world of Vesta.

A truly great article on the challenges of writing elves can be found at a Lord of the Rings Fan Fiction site:  http://www.lotrgfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=2213 .  This well researched article shares the many flaws that even brought Tolkien, himself, to dismay.

The ‘Elves’ are ‘immortal’, at least as far as this world goes: and hence are concerned rather with the griefs and burdens of deathlessness in time and change, than with death. (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter and Christopher Tolkien, 131 To Milton Waldman)

I found, for myself, that creating my own races was much more exciting and allowed for twists and turns that truists would have taken exception too if I had used dwarves and elves.   Later, for those that find the World of Vesta an interesting realm for their own campaigns and roleplay, I will post their stats and racial abilities.  

Take a moment to read this article for those of you that write.  The researcher did a fine job of insuring the sources and makes some great points in writing the timeless Tolkien elf.