Tapestries of Shimmering Thread by LadyBrooke

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Fanwork Notes

Posted as part of the Silmarillion40 event.

Fanwork Information

Summary:

Everyone sees something different in the tapestries of Vaire. (Ficlet)

Major Characters: Vairë

Major Relationships:

Artwork Type: No artwork type listed

Genre:

Challenges:

Rating: General

Warnings:

This fanwork belongs to the series

Subcreation: A Collection
Chapters: 1 Word Count: 209
Posted on 14 September 2017 Updated on 14 September 2017

This fanwork is complete.

Chapter 1

Read Chapter 1

Vairë’s tapestries are not Ents or Dwarves, with minds of their own and the ability to make their own decisions independent of her wishes. But neither are they static images which forever display only one view of the world, though they appear that way to everyone save Vairë.

To Men of Númenor passing through on their way to the Gift of Men, they show the intricate workings inspired by Elvish tapestries that lined the halls of their grand palaces. To the Noldor waiting in these halls, they show hallmarks of Queen Míriel’s talents or the style adopted by Indis’ handmaids, as each elf remembers the style of their homes.

The Sindar see threads glowing in the moonlight in the earliest tapestries, and the lush greens and bright colors in the later ones. And there are other styles, Avari of every tribe, Men who do not belong to any house, and Dwarves of the East and West, which show themselves to those of their group who pass through.

Vairë alone sees all the images in each tapestry, the stories of Men of Rhûn and Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, Sindar of Doriath and Noldor of the House of Fingolfin interwoven in shimmering threads that never really settle in one style.

Comments

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That is very interesting concept. A writer can more or less imagine what they want to in regard to her tapestries, since The Silmarillion only mentions that she depicts "all things that have ever been in Time" into her storied webs. However,if they can only see events which relate to them or their peoples, they are not going to learn very much. In any case, it is your tale to tell and it is lovely in its construction. One must imagine with your version that the tapestries are designed to be comforting and soothing, instead of informative and didactic. But here I am thinking of the Halls of Mandos as rather like a school or reformatory than a place of rest or healing. Yours might be a nicer place. It is a thought-provoking story line.

Thank you, Oshun! I should probably have been more clear in the story - anyone can see the tales of all that has been, it's merely that even if say the story is about the First Kinslaying, if a Sinda is viewing it, it would look like one of their own tapestries (unless, I suppose, they willfully tried to imagine it looking a different way). It's not that they can't see all things, it's that I didn't want to imagine tapestries where all the tales of the world are told in only style - and while it's problematic for people to only view it from their own style of tapestry, I judge it slightly less problematic than housing dead Sindar, Silvan, and Avari in Halls where they can only see work in the styles of people who have, from a certain point of view, doomed them to either live in those Halls forever or be reborn in a land that isn't theirs.

It's kind of like those art museums that only house European art - I like European art! It's just that I'd rather there be more than one style of art, and I'd rather people not have to look at only that art when they're people who have been oppressed/colonized by some European power. 

My Halls are sort of healing, sort of reformatory. They're really a place with mostly flawed people who don't quite know what they're doing, learning how to understand each other.

I suppose sometimes one thinks of Vaire's tapestries more unmediated like photos than of being art in a certain style, but of course even photos have their styles and these tapestries are supposed to be made with thread, even if it's supernatural thread...

Everyone would find the style they are used to easiest to read. 

Ideally. I think they would be able to learn to see and read a different style, if they wished to, although many might not wish to?

Thank you! And yes, even photos do have their own style - I mean, not everything can be in the photo, the focus differs depending on who is taking it, etc.

I definitely think everyone would be able to see a different style, if they wanted to, the question is how many would actually want to (I like to think this ability is discovered by somebody whose ancestors were from two very different groups and who sees the tapestries change before them as they think of different family members).