Saltation by pandemonium_213

LJ has been wonky of late.

Thanks so much for the review and the recommendation!  This concept, i.e., that the Firstborn really are not the first, is central to the Pandë!verse, and I have been dying to get it out there at some point.  For whatever reason, my Dark Muse decided now was the time.  And it's certainly a shorter bite to chew than my other recent and far longer debacle.

Thanks again! 

Hey, thanks muchly, Huin!  This notion has been roiling around in my head for quite some time now, and for whatever reason, it finally crystalized and made its way into the written word.

Thanks so much, Himring, for having a read!   

Yes, this is a very different take on Tolkien's concept of the Elves being more closely tied to Arda than Men, and you would be right that I have a different angle on the Gift to Men. One may look at the latter as a twist:  as the personification of water says to Ulmo, death is part of the natural order of the world.  She sees that natural order as the Gift in her eyes (not just to Men, but to all life), and immortality is the abomination, dooming humans to last as longer than stones ("tied to Arda"), which is not natural.  Bear in mind that a significant impetus of my writing fan fiction is critical examination of some of Tolkien's concepts (like the unspoken but pervasive tone that Men are inferior to Elves), and a look at his more theological notions through the lenses of secular humanism.  Rather than write faux-scholarly essays addressing this, I much prefer to go the fan fic route.  It's a lot more fun! :^D

Ulmo is hands-down my favorite Vala.

Thanks again!

Thanks a million, Aerlinn!  More and more, I am striving to interpret scientific and technological concepts in a more metaphorical form, so I was aiming for that here.  Very glad to hear it retains the mythical quality while referencing the "out of Africa" hypothesis of human evolution.   And Water!  Yes, Water with a capital W.  There would be no life on earth without it, and it is an extraordinary substance with unique properties that allow nucleic acids to form, proteins to form, and lipids to assemble.  I figured Water deserved to be a major player so the molecule we owe so much to became a She. :^D

Hey, thanks, GG!  I doubt that this idea sits well with the majority of Tolkien fans, but it's irresistable for a diehard evolutionist like me! :^D  

Re: diverse elves.  Throughout many cultures of our primary world, there are legends of human-like being with indefinite lifespans, enhanced powers, etc. so I figured this might offer a backdrop for that. :^)

I figured that because Tolkien repeatedly stated that the Valar were demiurges and that at least one (Aulë) was capable of creating humans (and yes, I do consider Dwarves to be human - Homo khazadensis :^D) that they have the ability to tinker with other folks.

Thanks so much, K!  

Y'know, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were my intro to Tolkien.  I read them at ages 12 and 14, respectively.  I was also keenly interested in science at those ages, too, and among the aspects of The Lord of the Rings that I loved was the incorporation of our primary world's natural history into Tolkien's story.  It made it feel real, i.e., familiar constelllations, stars, plants, animals, etc.  Those elements made it easier for me to suspend belief when functionally immortal humans and jewelry that made one invisible appeared. ;^)

So when I read The Silmarillion some 9ish years later, my head exploded at the concepts of the Sun and Moon being made from exotic tree fruit, buying into the idea that people could live for thousands of years without sunlight (or equivalent), and that a flat earth became round.   Even though I realized this was "myth,"  Tolkien's other incorporation of realistic elements in The Silm really made these jarring.  So I was ecstatic when I first read "Myths Transformed."  Now that was the Tolkien I knew, the man who deeply appreciated natural history.  I know others are relieved he was unable to rework The Silm to accomodate the round earth cosmogony, but I have no doubt he would have come up with a very satisfying reworking of the tale.

At any rate, all that blathering is to say Saltation is my feeble attempt to give a nod to the reality Darwinian evolution in our primary world, and work it into a mythological context.  And the only explanation for the Firstborn in that context is that they are "hopeful monsters.," but of demiurgic origin (hey, if Aulë could do it...) rather than naturally evolving to such (i cannot fathom what kind of evolutionary pressure would result in functional immortality).

Yep.  Elves of Color. Coming right up.  Actually, I have alluded to that in my Bharat fics (Middle-earth!Mythic!India), but I have something else coming along in that regard.

Heh.  The Valar.  An pretty vexing pantheon.  I actually get a bigger kick out of the Valar from Tolkien's earlier writings (Book of Lost Tales, etc).  They have much more panache as fitting for such fallible demi-gods/goddesses.

Thanks again!

And a very, VERY belated thank you, Russa!   Tolkien's many contradictions open the way for many interpretations of his legendarium by fan fic writers, so this one was irresitable for me. :^D

Ulmo's the sole Vala whom I think spoke some sense now and then, in particular, his counsel to leave the Elves in Middle-earth and NOT ferry them over to Aman.

I already peppered the fic with far too many obscure names.  No need for more.  In my 'verse, Darwinian evolution predominates, so Men (and probably Hobbits) are natural outcomes unless there's demiurgic interference, which results in "hopeful monsters" like Elves, orcs, trolls, Dwarves, et al.

Thanks for reading!