Tales of the Falathrim by Cirdan

Now you may know the story of Beleg Cuthalion, but do you know the story of his arrow? Well, it does not surprise me. Narn I Hin Hurin, the Tale of the Children of Hurin, was composed by Dirhavel, a Man, and that tale is so long that in its retelling, Dirhavel often forgot to mention Beleg's favorite arrow, Dailir. And those minstrels that learned that tale from Dirhavel in turn also did not know of that dart beloved. But our Lord Cirdan is also a minstrel. Oh yes, for he was of the Lindar, the Elves of Song, and before he was a shipwright-before he became the Shipwright-he was a minstrel. You have not heard his songs? Nor you? Well, but you are all still very young, and Lord Cirdan has many duties. I'm sure that you will hear him in time. It is from him that I heard this tale, and so I pass it on now.

Well, little is ever told in tales before the return of Morgoth, but Beleg was born in those sunless days. One cannot say where he was born or where he lived in his youth, for like many in those days, his family traveled all through Harfalas, as did many families. You see, in those days, Beleriand was free from the evil creatures of Morgoth. Many Elves lived in peace in small groups in the wild. Beleg's family would visit Eglarest from time to time, mostly to trade or to enjoy the beauty of the starlight upon the dark waters of the Sea or even to see the development of the city, but they preferred for the most part to explore and enjoy the beauty of West Beleriand. Thus, Beleg lived in Tar-en-Faroth, in Nan- Tathren, in Nimbrethil, and sometimes, in Eglarest as well. During those times that he was in Eglarest, he would listen to the stories woven by Lord Cirdan, sometimes of the Sea and sometimes of the Great Journey. Our Lord took quite a liking to the boy, and when Beleg was older, the two would sometimes practice archery together. Of course, you know that Lord Cirdan is an excellent archer, and Beleg practiced hard to impress the Lord of the Falas. To his parents' surprise and delight, Beleg became broad-shouldered and sure of mark. When he came of age, Beleg chose to remain in Eglarest, and though the love of the Sea never awakened in him as it did in many of the Falathrim, Beleg dwelt by the shore and studied archery with Lord Cirdan.

Much time passed, and Beleg of the Broad Shoulders became renowned for his skill with the bow. He was able to draw a 100-pound bow, or was it 200? Well, none know exactly how great his bow was, but we know that he carved it himself, for he had learned from Lord Cirdan the skill of carving wood, and Beleg turned that skill to the making of bows and arrows rather than the making of the bows of ships. In any case, when Morgoth returned to Angband, the Orcs came forth from the North and assailed all of Beleriand. As I've already said, many Elves wandered free in the wild or dwelt at peace in small kindreds far sundered, but once word was about that such evil and fell creatures were about, many retreated to Menegroth or to the Falas, for only at these two places were there numerous peoples. Our people were yet unfamiliar with dealing with such monsters, and King Thingol was cut off from Lord Cirdan at Eglarest. At this time, though Beleg loved Lord Cirdan greatly, Beleg begged leave to go to Menegroth to help defend the King. This Lord Cirdan gladly granted to him, for though he had use of such a great bowman, he also felt that the protection of the King was of utmost importance. Beleg led a small host of the best archers of the Falathrim, and they won their way eastward to Eglador.

Now, before Beleg left for Eglador, Lord Cirdan said to him, "You have made for yourself Cuthalion," which means Strongbow and was the name of his bow, though you know it to be his chosen name now. "However, though you have many arrows, you have none that are truly equal to Cuthalion. Let me then gift to you this dart, Dailir," and it was an arrow of sound feathers and goodly barbs. Lord Cirdan said that this arrow once belonged to Orome Tauron, the Forester, and was used by Orome when the Rider first came forth and protected the Elves about Cuivienen. This very same dart, strong and sure, did Lord Cirdan give to Beleg Strongbow and he bade him to use it well in his service to King Thingol. "Olwe, King of the Arrow- elves, gave this to me ere I left in search of his brother and my kinsman, Elu Thingol, and now I give it to you for the safeguarding of Thingol. But this doom shall I add ere you go," said Lord Cirdan, who sees farther than any other of the Wise. "Sought or unsought, you will find Dailir unbroken and unmarred, for this feather-pinioned snaketongued shaft is of wood from the Blessed Realm. But if this dart should break, then it is a warning to be heeded, for your end will be near yet can be averted should you follow the wisdom of the wood of Dailir."

Beleg accepted this arrow gravely, and he took to heart the words of our Lord. He set out at that time for Eglador, and sure enough, after each encounter, he found Dailir. Beleg and his small band of warriors joined with the people of Thingol, and after the First Battle, Beleg remained in Doriath and became chief of its marchwardens. Many great deeds did he do then and thereafter, as you well know. In the Fifth Battle, he and Mablung alone of the Doriathrim were given leave to join the Union of Maedhros, and they fought with the hosts of Fingon, then King of the Noldor. By great fortune, they survived the Dagor Nirnaeth and returned to Doriath, and sure enough, after each encounter with the enemy, Dailir refused to be left behind and made itself found by Beleg. Indeed, many a times, especially at that retreat, it was Dailir, flying swift and sure, that saved Beleg from his foes.

But against the Curse of Morgoth upon the children of Hurin, Dailir was helpless. As you well know, Beleg went forth in search of Turin, son of Hurin, after his departure from Doriath. And he went forth in search of Turin yet again when Bar-en-Danwedh was betrayed. Sorely wounded was he at that time, but his healing skill was great, and his heart was valiant and he refused to abandon Turin. Yes, all this you know, so I will return to the tale of Dailir, Beleg's favorite arrow.

With naked arm, Beleg drew his great bow to his ear and let fly Dailir. The air whistled, and the bowstring twanged behind it, and soundlessly a wolf sentinel fell before the great arrow. Beleg took this as an auspicious sign, and he shot swiftly and surely his other arrows until seven wolves were silently slain. He went forth to rescue Turin, but the bonds which bound Turin's ankles would not be severed by any normal weapon, though that about his wrists were cut-ah, if only they had not been. Beleg bore the son of Hurin away from that Orc camp upon his broad shoulders, but before he left that camp, Beleg stumbled upon the unsure earth. His hand was hurt deeply as he groped on the ground by the gleaming point of his own dearly prized dart, Dailir, broken at last by Beleg's falling body. Its shaft was fragmented in twain, and its barbs were bent. It boded ill.

Beleg heeded this sign not, for his concern of Turin blinded him from thoughts of his own well-being. Aye, great was Beleg's love for Turin, for Turin was for a time the foster son of King Thingol. If Beleg had remembered at that very moment the words of Lord Cirdan, if he had listened to the warning put forth by Dailir the Dart, perhaps that great man would still be with us. But instead, Beleg drew his sword Anglachel and with it cut the fetters that bound Turin. The black blade slipped as he cut the shackles, and Turin's foot was pricked, and as you know, Turin grappled that wicked blade from Beleg's hands and slew his savior. Thus ends abruptly and horribly this tale of Beleg and Beleg's arrow. Alas for Beleg Cuthalion!

Chapter End Notes

Notes: The tale of Dailir is adapted from lines 1080-1192 of "The Lay of the Children of Hurin" (HoME III).

Before the rising of the sun and moon, the Sea was yet dark and terrifying, and few ventured forth. There were creatures in the Sea that were said to be dangerous, and one such creature was often sighted: a great rock-like monster that was larger than even the coastal sharks. But our Lord Cirdan was as fearless as the three who first went for to Valinor, and he ventured on ships of his own making into the dark waters without aid.

From his voyages along the shores, he traveled farther and faster than possible on even the fastest horse. And on his ship, he was able to trade with other Elves along the shore, giving them pearls for food that you now consider normal: wild rice, persimmons, green apples rather than red, watermelons, honeydew melons, cantaloupes, sugar cane, pineapples, mangoes-oh, I could go on forever. I am not saying that the lands about Eglarest are barren, far from it. But the bounty in the south is unimaginable, for the weather is warm and fair there, and rainfall is plentiful.

But Lord Cirdan did not restrict his travels to the wealth of the south. He also sailed northwards, towards the colder lands. It is said that he did this because he wished to see the snow. It was by the evil designs of the Dark Lord that such bitter cold exists, yet from his evil, water was frozen and fell to the world as snowflakes. The One showed this to Ulmo as proof that beauty not before conceived would come of the malice of the Dark Lord. Lord Cirdan stayed in the north long enough to see the snowfall, but there were other wonders there, for in the north, there are trees of Yavanna that were made to withstand such chill, and they grew to immense heights. Aye, from those journeys, Lord Cirdan brought back such timber as redwood, sequoia, white spruce, black spruce, poplar, birch, and willow. He told us tales of sledding on the snow, a practice of the children of the north that he himself tried. As I understand it, one sits upon something like a bench and slides down a hill of snow. I must confess, I myself have never seen snow, but the tales that Lord Cirdan told sounded most fascinating and evoked the most delightful images.

Yes, yes, my apologies for going astray. I was telling you of the Sea, not of the snow in the north. Well, then, each time that Lord Cirdan went abroad, all his people would become anxious. He laughed at this, for he was young-oh, yes, even Lord Cirdan was young once-and fearless. Many Elves along the shore who met him named him their lord, for this was in the days when Elu Thingol was still lost to us. The travels were not without trouble, and often, Lord Cirdan's ships would be capsized by the waves of the Sea in the storm. At such times, Lord Cirdan would swim with all his might to the shore and seek refuge among Elves of the shores. Often, they would lend him a horse or he would simply return by foot to Eglarest once he had recovered from his strenuous swim. How can a man fight against a storm when a ship cannot? You must understand that, in those days, Lord Cirdan did not sail far from the coast, and once a ship is tipped, it often cannot recover. From this, Lord Cirdan learned to build stronger boats, but also, he learned that things designed and built by hand are still second to the design of the One. After all, if a stone tears a hole in a ship, we must fix it, but if you were to cut yourself against a stone, you need do nothing and your body will heal the wound.

Be not impatient. Let me continue. There were some few who would sometimes venture on the rivers, if not on the Sea, but these mariners did little when Lord Cirdan was about on his greater voyages. Moreover, it seemed that the very Sea became more fearful when our Lord was not about. Dark shapes were seen leaping in the waters. Yes, we know these to be dolphins now, but before, we thought them to be sharks. And, of course, there was the large round rock that moved and threatened any who even looked out at the waters.

One time, still before there was light in these lands, Lord Cirdan was returning when high winds picked up from the west and threatened his ship. Many came forth from Eglarest to witness the tossing of the small ship. Some considered journeying out on their own boats to try to rescue our Lord, but these were suggestions borne of desperation, for we knew that, if Lord Cirdan could not withstand the winds and waves, then no other would be able to either, for our Lord was, by far, the best mariner. After many terrifying moments, at last, the small ship capsized!

We saw our Lord surface, his silver hair shining in the starlight. He struggled to swim to shore, but the waves pushed him farther and farther from us. An undercurrent caught him, and suddenly, Lord Cirdan was miles from the coast. The men and women wailed in fear. But then the Lord Cirdan began to rise from the waters, and we saw that he was atop a giant round rock. After a moment, we realized it to be the horrible sea monster that we'd seen before. We knew not which was worse: that our Lord be drowned in the Sea or that he be devoured by the fell creature. And yet, rather than devour his prey, the sea monster instead approached the shore at a steady rate, fighting the great waves. Many fled back to the town, but some of us stayed, though we did, indeed, retreat farther from the coast. The sea monster at last came to the beach. It was horrible to behold. Its back was large and round, just like a smooth rock, as I've before told you. Its head was like that of a snake's. Its four legs were like the flippers of sharks. We thought it intended to make a meal of our Lord before our very eyes! But instead, it stayed on the sandy beach and waited until Lord Cirdan slid down the shell on its back.

Rather than flee from the sea monster, Lord Cirdan stopped and thanked the creature for its aid. He put a hand on the side of the snake- like head and caressed its wrinkly skin. Then the sea monster turned back to the waters and pulled itself back into the oceans with its paddle feet.

Indeed, no, that was not the last we saw of the sea creature. That's right, it was a great sea turtle, Cirdan's sea turtle, though our Lord does not claim ownership of the creature and instead calls it his friend. And it is the reason that "turtle" also means "to capsize" in nautical terms. From time to time, you will see our Lord out on the beach, and the great turtle will come forth onto the shore to meet him. They will converse, and sometimes Lord Cirdan will even feed him treats. The Falathrim call Lord Cirdan's sea turtle the Lodanen monster, which means "floating on water monster," for it was with this turtle's aid that our Lord was able to float to land. We now know it is not a monster, but still, the name remains and is said among the Falathrim with much affection.

Do you children never sleep? Well, you may wish to hear more tales, but I have other duties to attend to. No amount of pleading will move me this time. Even short tales take time to tell.

There is one.

Very well, I will tell you a tale of the Noldor, and this too has become a tale of the Falathrim in time. When the Noldor first arrived at Middle-earth, the people of Lord Cirdan were the most friendly to them. It is odd coincidence, for the Eglain, the Forsaken People, are the closest to the Teleri that were unjustly slain at Alqualonde. In fact, our people still retain that old name Teleri, though it is now said as Telir or Telerrim. It is for the friendship between the exiled Noldor and the Telerrim, then, that Maglor first coined the phrase: "love grew after between them, as little might be thought." In aftertimes, it was adapted from Maglor's song of the friendship between our peoples to the tale of Maedhros and Maglor and their sons Elros and Elrond. Though the sons of Feanor held East Beleriand, Maglor was often sent forth from his realm by Maedhros in order to foster good relations between the Elves of Beleriand and the exiled Noldor. Maglor was particularly suited to this task because he had great mastery of languages and was very fair of voice so could sing with the Grey Elves. His ambassadorial journeys also brought him to the Falas. In one such visit, he told this tale to Lord Cirdan.

When Feanor was young, he often visited Aule the Smith, for Feanor's skills were very great, and he quickly learned all that he could from the smiths of Tirion. It was in the House of Aule that Feanor met Aulendil, who is better known as Mahtan. Feanor also met Mahtan's daughter, who was a skilled metalsmith like her father and much older than Feanor. Yes, Nerdanel, but you are jumping to the end of the story.

Nerdanel was then known as Istarnië. She had long worked in the forge of her father, and the wielding of the hammer and tempering of metals had made her strong so that her arms were more muscular than most men. And she was homely as few elves are, dark-skinned and angular-faced. Caranthir inherited her dark skin, but he was still handsome because he had the finely chiseled cheekbones and striking eyes of his father. Her red hair was bequeathed to three of her sons. It made Maedhros the most unique and attractive elf in Beleriand (named before even the silver-haired relatives of Elu Thingol or the golden children of Finarfin), and Amrod and Amras were considered the cutest and sweetest-faced Noldor because of the way their short red hair framed their youthful faces and enhanced their large grey eyes. However, Istarnië's own red hair was two shade too light and matched badly with her dark skin and only added to her unloveliness. Before Feanor came to Mahtan's forge, she had already lived for a long time and was comfortable with her appearance. She'd long ceased her search for a husband and had instead come to find love and satisfaction in works of her hands.

But then Istarnië met Feanor. He was made the mightiest in all parts of body and mind, in valor, in endurance, in beauty, in understanding, in skill, in strength and in subtlety alike. He was friend to all the smiths of Mahtan's forge, and he was kind and attentive to Istarnië in a way that awakened the dreams of her girlish childhood. She told herself that he sought friendship and was tender to her because she was the daughter of Mahtan, but still, wisdom cannot overcome love, and she developed feelings for him despite the fact that she knew their union to be an unlikely one. He was the King's masterful son, and she was a smith's unlovely daughter. Thus, Istarnië came to love Feanor freely and unpossessively, for she had already given him up in her heart to another, whoever that lucky, beautiful woman would be when the handsome youth at last reached full stature of body. Feanor and Istarnië spent many hours together, and these times Istarnië cherished as the closest she would ever come to a romantic relationship.

One day when they were together (Maglor never said what converse they had been holding), Feanor teased Istarnië by calling her "Nerdanel," which means "manly man-maiden." Though Feanor had given her the epesse Nerdanel in fondness, such a reminder of her lack of feminine beauty made Istarnië cry, for she wished then, as she had not for years since childhood, to be desirable and comely so that Feanor would love her. When, at last, Feanor perceived her mind and understood the source of her sudden outburst, he took her in his arms and told her that he loved her. He was still early in his youth, but he was very mature, and his oratory abilities were such that he could express his love skillfully and be believed. Indeed, though Istarnië had at that moment been lacking in self-confidence, he rekindled it in her by telling her that, in his eyes, she was very beautiful, for she was gentle-hearted and wise and skilled with her hands, which were much to his liking and strong as few other women's hands were.

Istarnië Nerdanel then leaned her head against Feanor's chest and confessed aloud her love for him. In that confession, with confidence borne of their restored closeness, she called him "Feanaro." It was then the first time that any had called him by his mother-name, for none wished to remind the youth of the loss of his mother Miriel. He smiled at that, and his eyes were piercingly bright and filled with joy. He asked that she call him Feanaro henceforth, for though he had long been the skilled Finwe as indicated by his father-name Curufinwe, it was not until he met her that the secret fire was kindled within him, and at last, he felt it right to take up his mother-name Feanaro, Spirit of Fire. I doubt that this was entirely true, for Feanor was masterful and skilled in words and with his hands even before their love, but such a declaration of love with flowery words is moving even for me as a mere minstrel retelling their tale, and I can only imagine how Istarnië must have felt. Istarnië said that she no longer minded the name Nerdanel, for Feanor had said it with fondness and not with maliciousness, and she has been known by that name ever since. As you know, Feanor and Nerdanel were later wedded, and from their great love, seven sons were born, and the histories record none that surpass them.

And that is the first tale of the union of Curufinwe and Istarnië, later known as Feanor and Nerdanel. But more tales of them you will not hear tonight.

Chapter End Notes

Nerdanel was originally named Istarnië, but that name was rejected (X. 273). I was very fortunate in coming across this fact because I'd been thinking up of lots of bad Quenya names for Nerdanel. The Eglain retaining the old name Teleri, in later Sindarin form Telir or Telerrim (XII. 385). Maglor's coined phrase refers to his fostering of Elros and Elrond and is from the Silmarillion, p. 306. Mahtan is an Aulendil or Aulendur, a servant of Aule (XII. 365), but I've also made Aulendil one of his names. Maedhros, Amrod and Amras had Nerdanel's reddish hair (XII. 353). And Feanor was renowned as the father of seven sons, and the histories record none that surpassed him (X. 210).