August 2009 Newsletter: Part 2
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silwritersguildNewsletter: August 2009
The newsletter had to be posted this month in two parts since we exceeded LJ's posting limits. Find the first half here.
Table of Contents
- Linguistic Foolery: Elvish Fanons and Canon Contradictions, by Darth Fingon. Can Elves get sick? Can they die of hunger? This month's "Linguistic Foolery" debunks some common fanon "truths" about Elves.
- A Sense of History: Plato in Númenor, by Angelica. The Akallabêth is often identified as an "Atlantis story." This month, Angelica looks at the connections between Tolkien's Second Age history and the Ancient Greek legend of Atlantis.
- Current Challenges. This month, we continue with the new Fanon Inverted challenge, revisit a past challenge, and offer a new quote for the month.
- Around the World and Web. Announcements and events from Tolkien groups beyond the SWG.
(Please note that the Table of Contents links only work "inside the LJ cut.")
Linguistic Foolery
Elvish Fanons and Canon Contradictions
(Or, how to get those canatics off your case for stuff you were right about in the first place)
Darth Fingon
Every writer of Tolkien fanfiction has probably been in this scenario at least once. You put a lot of work into a story, glow with pride at your accomplishment, post it to an archive, and eagerly hope for a few good reviews. And then, inevitably, someone comes along to comment with the dreaded 'Elves would never [insert un-Elvish action here].'
So, who's right, you or the unimpressed reviewer? Here's a look at a few things that Elves would supposedly never do.
1) Elves never refer to their own kind as men, women, or children.
There are some people out there (notably on fanfiction.net) who insist that Elves should always be referred to by Elvish terms (ellon, elleth, ner, nis) or fanon constructs (the word elfling is not used by Tolkien). These people are wrong. You can use these popular terms if you want, but they are not mandatory. Anyone who tells you otherwise should be directed with all haste to The Fall of Gondolin from The Book of Lost Tales 2 (p 191-192):
Now the pass of Cristhorn, that is the Eagles' Cleft, is one of dangerous going, and that host had not ventured it by dark, lanternless and without torches, and very weary and cumbered with women and children and sick and stricken men, had it not been for their great fear of Melko's scouts, for it was a great company and might not fare very secretly. Darkness gathered rapidly as they approached that high place, and they must string out into a long and straggling line. Galdor and a band of men spear-armed went ahead, and Legolas was with them, whose eyes were like cats' for the dark, yet could they see further. Thereafter followed the least weary of the women supporting the sick and the wounded that could go on foot. Idril was with these, and Earendel who bore up well, but Tuor was in the midmost behind them with all his men of the Wing, and they bare some who were grievously hurt, and Egalmoth was with him, but he had got a hurt in that sally from the square. Behind again came many women with babes, and girls, and lamed men, yet was the going slow enough for them. At the rearmost went the largest band of men battlewhole, and there was Glorfindel of the golden hair.
The bold emphasis is mine, but you can clearly see the men, women, and children in that passage. All of them (save Tuor and, to an extent, Eärendil) Elves. In the same story, Tolkien uses capitalised Men to refer specifically to the mortals of Tuor's ilk, thus illustrating the difference between Men and men. In other writings, terms like Elf-man and Elf-woman appear. The Elvish words are not used.
2) Elves can never become sick.
Apart from all the men and women, another curious aspect of the passage quoted above is its two references to sickness. Though the Prophecy of Mandos contained in The Silmarillion explicitly states that Elves cannot suffer from sickness, different versions say otherwise. A comment made in BoLT1 has wording that indicates that Elves, at least in Middle-earth, WILL suffer from sickness (in direct opposition to their illness-free life in Valinor). Compare 'no sickness may assail you' (Silmarillion, p 88) with 'never would they have made the dreadful passage of the Qerkaringa had they or yet been subject to weariness, sickness, and the many weaknesses that after became their lot dwelling far from Valinor.' (Book of Lost Tales 1, p 166).
In another example, HoME4 shows a shift in phrasing to show that while 'Elves were immortal, and free from all sickness,' in one draft, Tolkien changed this to 'Elves were immortal, and free from death by sickness' (Shaping of Middle-earth, p 21). So while Elves could indeed become sick, they could not die from their ailments. Death still may only occur through injury or fading.
From the viewpoint of linguistic analysis, the Qenya Lexicon lists several words relating to sickness, including cough, cold, sneeze, nausea, disease, and invalid.
3) Elves can never die from hunger or thirst.
This one is pretty silly from a logical standpoint. Recall what Frodo told Sam as they were crossing Mordor: Orcs are living things, therefore they need to eat and drink. The same applies to Elves. If Elves did not need to eat to live, they would not have made lembas. They also would not have made words for hunger, thirst, and starve, all of which exist.
4) Elves are not right- or left-handed: they are all ambidextrous.
Tolkien does state that Elves are ambidextrous, but also contradicts himself in this. The evidence goes both ways. So it's perfectly fine to write ambidextrous Elves, and also perfectly fine to write them as right- or left-handed.
In The Silmarillion, it is implied that Maedhros was (primarily?) right-handed before his Thangorodrim ordeal, but later 'he lived to wield his sword with left hand more deadly than his right had been.'
The early wordlists are even more obvious: the Gnomish word for left hand also means clumsy, while right hand also means clever. The Qenya word for left hand also means slow, dull, and stiff. These words are likely made obsolete by revision (later Quenya and Sindarin connect the right hand with north and the left with south), but Elvish terms for right-handed and left-handed still exist.
Have a question or item you'd like to see discussed in a future instalment of Linguistic Foolery? Send an email to loremaster@silmarillionwritersguild.org and share your ideas.
View past Linguistic Foolery columns.
A Sense of History
Plato in Númenor
Angelica
An island in the middle of the ocean whose royal line descends partly from gods partly from mortals, that rises to power and creates an all-powerful maritime empire, becomes excessively ambitious and proud and while its armies are engaged in an expedition overseas is overcome by a huge wave and disappears under the ocean forever. The armies, incidentally, are swallowed by the earth. Familiar, isn't it? Tolkien maybe? No, Plato. And no, he is not talking about Númenor. The name of this island is, of course, Atlantis.
Plato introduces the myth of Atlantis in his Dialogs Critias and Timaeus (360BC) where he recounts what a mythical Greek traveler had been told in Egypt. According to him, the gods had divided the world at the beginning of time and Poseidon, the god of the sea, had received an island in the middle of the ocean. He went to live there after marrying a mortal woman who gave him ten children (five sets of twin boys) who would be the rulers of Atlantis. The first kings lived and ruled by the laws that Poseidon had laid down and their kingdom was prosperous and peaceful and the people were happy. Their needs were supplied by the wealth of the island's fields and forests and later on they started trading with other islands and even the continent "…for the ocean there was at that time navigable […] and it was possible for the travelers of that time to cross from it to the other islands, and from the islands to the whole of the continent …" (1). But as time went by, later kings forgot their origins, abandoned the laws that the gods had given them and became excessively ambitious. They entered into coalitions with evil men and tried to attack and conquer Europe. At first they succeeded occupying territories whose population they turned into slaves but eventually were defeated by a coalition led by Athens. And that was not the end of their misfortunes. Some time later, as Plato says "…there occurred portentous earthquakes and floods, and one grievous day and night befell them, when the whole body of […] warriors was swallowed up by the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner was swallowed up by the sea and vanished; wherefore also the ocean at that spot has now become impassable and unsearchable..." (2).
If this was not enough and in case readers should have any doubt, Tolkien closes the Akallabêth giving the many names of his island:
"(...) Even the name of that land perished, and Men spoke thereafter not of Elenna, nor of Andor the Gift that was taken away, nor of Númenórë on the confines of the world; but the exiles on the shores of the sea, if they turned towards the West in the desire of their hearts, spoke of Mar-nu-Falmar that was whelmed in the waves, Akallabêth the Downfallen, Atalantë in the Eldarin tongue." (3)
Of course, Tolkien the linguist has a clear explanation for this "coincidence" which he gives in one of his letters:
"It is a curious chance that the stem talat used in Q[uenya] for 'slipping, sliding, falling down', of which atalantie is a normal (in Q) noun-formation, should so much resemble Atlantis" (4).
Works Cited
- Plato, Timaeus 24e–25a, R. G. Bury translation (Loeb Classical Library).
- Ibid., 25c–d.
- Tolkien J.R.R., The Silmarillion, "Akallabêth", p.338.
- Tolkien J.R.R, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, #257 to Christopher Bretherton, 16 July 1964.
Current Challenge
Fanon Inverted
"Fanon" is a detail or idea invented by fans of a work that is expressed so prevalently in the community that many consider it to be factual or even think it came from the texts themselves. Fanon is celebrated by some, scorned by others, proudly flaunted, sheepishly followed, and denied outright, yet as members of the Tolkien fan-writing or -art communities, fanon touches us all and, whether we like it or not (or even know that we're doing it!), shapes our works as well.
For this challenge, we will take a fanon about which we feel passionately--whether "passion" be best defined as love or loathing--and turn that fanon on its head, writing something that goes against the fanon norm in fandom.
Challenges Revisited: Akallabêth in August
Every August, we reopen 2006's Akallabêth in August challenge. Whether your fannish home is in view of Meneltarma or you're newly arrived to the Second Age, we invite you to try your hand at a Second-Age story this month, reread the Akallabêth, and of course, join us for our creative "retelling" of this book as part of the Akallabêth in August 2009 event!
This month, we focus on one of the most tumultuous times in Arda's history: the Second Age and the rise and fall of Númenor. But even as Númenor was the central player during these times, the whole of Arda was affected by the events that affected the prideful and unfortunates alike of this doomed island.
Any story that is or might conceivably be part of the Akallabêth is acceptable for this challenge. If it's been a while since you've read the tales of the Second Age of Arda, why not crack open this oft-neglected chapter and see if inspiration finds you? Here are a few plotbunnies that might find a home in this challenge:
- Elrond and especially Elros are important players in the Second Age, and they set the stage for Tolkien's later mythology as well. But behind these mythical figures are two brothers who made the choice to be parted in life and in fate. How did the brothers make their decision and deal with being parted? Did they see each other after Elros was established as the king of Númenor? What was this visit like?
- The Elves of Avallónë lost not only allies but also friends when the Númenoreans turned against the people of the west. Follow an Elf of Tol Eressëa as he or she strikes up friendship with the new neighbors, grows accustomed to losing friends to mortality, and then loses them for good when the kings of the House of Elros rebel against the west.
- Dare to step into uncomfortable shoes and ponder why the kings of Númenor chose the road that they did and followed Sauron. Ar-Pharazôn felt doubts as he moored off the coast of Aman, so it is likely that those who came before him also felt uncertainty along their treacherous road. Did they question the justice of what they were doing? Did they ever fear the retribution that they knew would come? What were the private thoughts and counsels of Arda's most wicked kings?
- What was Amandil's fate? The Silmarillion doesn't tell us what became of him or even if he was successful in his quest. Consider what might have happened: Did he make it to Aman? Speak to the Valar? Or was he lost along the way? Take your readers on a daring journey as one man dares to defy the gods to save his people.
Quote of the Month
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.
-Seneca
Want more challenges? Check out our complete challenge listing for more than three years' worth of challenges to inspire your writing!
Have an idea for a challenge? Some of our most popular challenges have been created by you, the members of SWG! If you have a plotbunny gnawing at your ankle, a favorite quote, or a favorite character that you think might inspire others as well, please send an email to moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org and we'll try to include your challenge in our next newsletter!
Around the World and Web
Introducing a New Tolkien Archive: Many Paths to Tread!
The LotR Genfic Community is pleased to announce the debut of its new archive Many Paths to Tread! Many Paths to Tread is a general Tolkien archive that accepts stories based on all of Tolkien's books and the movies based off of his books. Currently, posting privileges are restricted to members of the LotR Genfic LiveJournal Community and LotR Genfic Yahoo! Group (membership is open at both sites), but the moderators expect to open the archive to the public for posting in early 2010.
In the meantime, stop by and check out one of more than one hundred stories that have been added to the archive. (Right this way to the Silmarillion section ...)
LotR Genfic Community: Some Like It Hot
The August Challenge will have the theme of "out on a limb". You may interpret the theme however you choose. Your element will be a particular tree.
Stories will be due the weekend of Friday, August 14, and will be revealed on Monday, August 17. To request your elements, please leave a comment the LotR Genfic LiveJournal Community.
Teitho
At Teitho, the challenge for August is Elven Realms: For many of us, Tolkien's world is so fascinating because of the detailed geography and because of the fantastic creatures. In August, Teitho will focus on elves and their realms and kingdoms. This, of course, includes Rivendell, Mirkwood or Lothlorien. However, you could just as well write about Valinor, about Gondolin or about an elven civilization that was unknown until you discovered it! The deadline for this challenge is August 25th. If you want to know more and/or participate, please visit the website.
A Long-Expected Contest (ALEC)
August's theme for ALEC is But You're a Girl! The Tolkien Feminine Twist. Pick one of these three options:
- write a tale of the Fellowship but make one of the existing members of the fellowship a female (not a 10th walker, but replace one of the actual fellowship members)
- write a tale of the Sons of Feanor with the twist that there are SIX sons and ONE daughter
- pick another important male canon character and make them a female instead of a male - Eomer, Bilbo, Gloin, Fingon, Fingolfin, Beleg, Smaug, etc etc.
Stories will be due by 31 August. For more information on how to participate, see the ALEC LiveJournal community.
Middle-earth Fanfiction Awards
Important dates for the 2009 MEFAs are as follows:
31 July. Categorization is finalized
31 August. Reviewers should set their reviewing goal by 11:59 PM GMT
31 December. Voting ends at 11:59 PM
Geocities Free Web-Hosting Is Closing on 26 October 2009
Geocities has long provided free webhosting and has been a popular choice for fandom websites. Geocities has announced that it will be closing its doors on 26 October 2009. That means that any content left on Geocities after that date will be lost.
If you host (or know someone who hosts) with Geocites, it is recommended that you save copies of your site and move your content to a new host. If you frequent a site that is hosted through Geocities, and the owner does not plan to move the content (or perhaps has deserted the site altogether), it is recommended that you take screencaps of any content you wish to access after 26 October.
The Organization for Transformative Works (OTW) has announced its Geocites Rescue Project to provide support and resources for fannish sites currently hosted with Geocities. Information is available for relocating both fiction archives and fandom resource pages.
If you host a Tolkien fandom-related page through Geocities and need a temporary home for your content while you seek out other hosting options, please contact me at DawnFelagund@gmail.com, and I might be able to help you find a place to temporarily host your site.
Around the World and Web is provided for our members to inform them of events in the larger Tolkien community. SWG is not affiliated with and does not endorse the groups that we feature in Around the World and Web, and we are not responsible for content on sites outside of our own. Please use discretion and caution when visiting unfamiliar sites on the Internet.
Would you like to see your group or event featured on Around the World and Web? See our Promotions Page for more details or email us at moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org.
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no subject
Date: 2009-08-02 01:42 pm (UTC)I've been intending to tell you for, for a few months now actually how much I enjoy your articles in the newsletter. (Which just goes to show how disorganized I am). This one is especially enjoyable--a confirmation that Tolkien dabbled in Plato fanfiction. ;-D Seriously though, it is a very interesting feature and looking forward to more in the coming months.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-02 01:47 pm (UTC)After I read the column, that was my first reply, too: Tolkien was writing fanfiction. :D Well, he certainly borrowed a lot to start in all of his stories, but the Numenor story is particularly blatant.
Just goes to prove my point that the modern separation of fiction into "fanfic" and "original fic" is really very arbitrary, but now I'm getting into a rantastic topic and so won't go any further! :D
no subject
Date: 2009-08-02 01:56 pm (UTC)Well it would be great to read you dissect the issue in your "Heretic_Lore" journal. Wink wink...
no subject
Date: 2009-08-02 02:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-02 02:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-02 11:16 pm (UTC)Unfortunately I haven't read it, but it's on my list of books I'd love to read (but as there's also the list of books-I-have-to-read, who knows when I will get to see if my library can order it...)
no subject
Date: 2009-08-03 01:44 am (UTC)