To Stand Fast Against the Night by Fiondil

Fanwork Information

Summary:

Tar-Palantir makes a decision upon receiving the Sceptre of Númenor, a decision that does not meet with universal approval.

Major Characters: Amandil, Ar-Pharazôn, Elendil, Gimilkhâd, Inzilbêth, Original Character(s), Tar-Míriel, Tar-Palantir

Major Relationships:

Artwork Type: No artwork type listed

Genre: Drama

Challenges: Akallabêth in August

Rating: General

Warnings:

Chapters: 1 Word Count: 2, 934
Posted on 14 August 2009 Updated on 14 August 2009

This fanwork is complete.

Table of Contents

To Stand Fast Against the Night

A Note on Names: Tar-Palantir was known as Inziladûn before he ascended to the throne. For purposes of this story, his nephew, who would take the throne-name Ar-Pharazôn ‘The Golden’, is here given the birth-name Gimilkhôr ‘Flame Lord’ (cf. his grandfather’s name, Ar-Gimilzôr ‘Silver Flame’). Ar-Pharazôn’s father’s name, Gimilkhâd, is attested. I have given Tar-Palantír’s wife’s name as Belzimra ‘Jewels of Light’ (cf. Ar-Belzagar ‘Sword of Light’). Númendil, Lord of Andúnië at this time, his son, Amandil, and Amandil’s son, Elendil, are addressed by their Adûnaic names: Númendil (Adûnazîr), Amandil (Aphanuzîr), Elendil (Nimruzîr). Aphanuzîr and Nimruzîr are attested. Adûnazîr is constructed based on what is known of the language [See ‘The Notion Club Papers’, Sauron Defeated, HoME IX].

A Note on Language Use: Generally, everyone in the story is speaking Adûnaic, however, when alone with either his mother, wife or daughter, Tar-Palantir will speak Sindarin. This is also the case when speaking to his cousin Númendil and the other Faithful, so long as others are not present, and then they will switch to Adûnaic, since it is still forbidden for the Elvish languages to be spoken in public.

A Note on Ages: Inziladûn (Tar-Palantir) is 140 and his brother, Gimilkhâd, is 131. Amandil is 150. Míriel, Gimilkhôr (Ar-Pharazôn), and Elendil are within one year of each other, with Míriel being the oldest at age 58 and Elendil the youngest at age 56.

Comments

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I felt that this moment was the most important in Inziladun´s life because all else flows from his attempt to make amends towards the Valar, little realizing that it was too little, too late. To me, this is the most poignant moment in all the history of Numenor. I am glad you liked this, Fireworks. Thanks for letting me know and thanks for being such a faithful reviewer of these stories. AinA is my first introduction to SWG and I am glad it has been such a positive one. Your kind reviews have made it especially so. Hopefully I will be posting more stories here on SWG in the future.

Thanks, Raksha. I am glad you enjoyed this story and that I made excellent use of Adunaic. It is not an easy language to master, especially when we have so few words to work with. I spent hours, literally, working out these simple sentences and trying to make them make sense in English as well.

Copy of my MEFA review:

This is an interesting episode to pick. I am not well read in fiction about Numenor, but I believe when Tar-Palantir appears it is more often at the end of his life or even as a memory only, viewed from the perspective of the following reign. His relationship with his brother and father is certainly worth looking at, and it is interesting to get a glimpse of a few other members of the royal family such as his mother and his wife as well as his daughter, and of his relatives from Andunie. Tar-Palantir appears very determined and courageous in this story, if perhaps not entirely diplomatic - not that it is clear by any means whether diplomacy would have served him better under the circumstances he found himself in. His story is ultimately almost as sad as Amandil's. The use of Adunaic in this story and the way it is contrasted with Sindarin is in itself a well-thought-out feature, which clearly has taken a lot of work