Círdan's Guide to sailing the Straight Road by daughterofshadows

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Five Places to visit on the way to Valinor

The final chapter, and we finish off with a whirlwind tour across Belegaer. From ancient fortresses to haunted islands, from Ents to long-lost ruins, this chapter has it all.

Plain text: Aerchen
Italics: Círdan

Five places you must visit on the way to the Blessed Realm

I promised you a list of places to visit before you sail, and here it is.

I do not know who you are, reading this book or why you chose to sail, but I know that the lands you leave behind have shaped you in a myriad of ways.

Perhaps you are an exile, returning at last to the place of your youth.

Perhaps you were one of us, who stayed behind on the Great March, bound by love or duty to this land.

Or perhaps you were born after the Sun rose, a child of war and strife.

Whoever you are, whatever your reason, you are leaving behind familiar lands, never to return ere the world ends.

So do this for me, before you set sail. Do it at home or do it on any of the islands I mention below. It does not matter, so long as you do it somewhere.

Stand barefoot in the grass and let your consciousness sink into the ground. Feel the pulse of the earth, the trees, the waves and commit it to memory. Treasure it. Let the memory nourish you on the long sail west when there is nothing but water for days and days on end.

I wish you safe and enjoyable travels and do come and find me to tell me of your adventures when you reach the Blessed Realm.

Aerchen of Mithlond

 

Did they truly think I would not notice this addition to my book? It is a good idea, and I would have been happy to add it to the text properly, rather than this collection of loose sheafs of paper, but alas, it is too late for that now.

Círdan, Lord of Mithlond. Shipwright.

 

 

Tol Himling

Once a mighty mountain with an equally mighty fortress on top, Himring lost most of its grandeur when it was buried beneath the waves. Most, but not all, and that is why it is certainly worth a visit.

Follow the coastline north once you have left the gulf of Lhun. Tol Himling sits about twenty-five miles west of the shore, its stony walls still rising above the rocky cliffs below.

If you come there by night, you will first see the lamps in the windows, still shining even millennia after their makers have died, and their homes abandoned.

Say what you will about the host of Fëanor, but their craftsmanship knew no peers. And so their lamps still burn, a beacon in even the darkest nights.

When the weather is clear you can easily see them from the shore, but as this is a seafaring journey you will go on, the view from the land likely matters little to you.

Long abandoned by any living creatures, be they elves or of a fouler type, Tol Himling offers a safe place to rest for the night should you need it, and an insight into an age long lost. Its walls are full of history, and if you listen carefully, you may hear some of their tales.

 

I remember the day the Fëanorian host first arrived on these shores, a bright flame against the darkness, lighting the candle of hope. Hope that our struggle against Morgoth would soon come to an end. Hope that the Valar had not abandoned us, after all.

Oh what fools we were.

Learning of our siblings’ slaughter, of the countless lives lost to madness, it felt like Morgoth had stepped right into our homes, ruining what little sense of safety we had.

But wounds scar over with time, and elven souls rarely truly die. The candle of hope continued to burn, and we triumphed. Over Morgoth, and over Sauron, and now at last we sail to reunite with our siblings.

And Tol Himling endures, a reminder that darkness and light are always interwoven, and though tragedy strikes, happiness will return one day.

 

 

Tol Fuin

Only a few miles further west from Tol Himling, you will find Tol Fuin, the largest chunk of land that remains from what was once called Beleriand.

Dorthonion, it once was called, then Taur-nu-Fuin, when evil took hold in its woods.

I never saw it in its glory days, when the sons of Finarfin ruled there, but I have ventured there many times since the end of the First Age, for the wood there is excellent for ships, and we hoped to perhaps plant some saplings near Mithlond.

These are the things I learnt from my visits.

Some evil sinks deep into the roots, a festering infection that is difficult to drive out.

And: In every dark place, there are those defending the world against the dangers lurking in the shadows.

The Onodrim have persevered even in the face of dark lords and floods. They guarded these trees when the land was not yet named, and they will continue to guard them until the last of them rots away.

Still, I would urge you to stick to the shorelines. Even with the Onodrim guarding the forest, it is hardly a safe place for travellers. And be careful to only collect dead wood for your campfire. After all, you do not wish to draw the onodrims’ wrath!

 

Ah, I had almost forgotten those first attempts to replant the trees of Dorthonion around the gulf. Three times we tried, and on the third, we finally succeeded.

It was only with Lord Celeborn and Lady Celebrían’s help that the trees we had brought over finally took root, growing tall and strong.

We have carefully cultivated them, replanting what we cut down, and so the forest still thrives. Indeed, the ships my people will sail on are made from the wood of Dorthonion trees.

It is good, sturdy wood, just what you need for seafaring vessels. Remember that for your own boat.

 

 

Tol Morwen

Now this next islet is not for the faint of heart.

About thirty miles west and forty miles south of the western edge of Tol Fuin lies Tol Morwen, the last resting place of Morwen Eledhwen of the house of Bëor and her children, Túrin Turambar and Nienor Níniel.

Of all the tragedies of the First Age, theirs is, maybe, the greatest, and so it is perhaps no surprise that some claim Tol Morwen is haunted by the ghosts of those remembered here, calling out for their husband and father.

Personally, I have never seen their ghosts, but I still light a candle at the foot of the memorial stone whenever I pass by the island. Maybe one day the lights will guide Húrin home to his family and they can finally be at rest.

Tol Morwen is not large enough to spend a night on its rocky shore, so I will leave it up to your own judgement whether you wish to step foot on it and pay your respects.

I should add though that this is the last opportunity you will have to get off the ship before you reach Tol Eressëa, because from here on out, there is nothing but ocean ahead of you.

You are now leaving behind the boundaries of Middle-Earth,, with all its terrors and wonders, its tears and its laughter, and all the frustrating, wonderful, painfully mortal friends you may have found in these lands.

Writing this, I am reminded that as always in Middle-Earth, joy and sorrow walk side by side, and even though the time draws near that we will reunite with old friends and family across the sea, we are also leaving behind people dear to our hearts.

 

Glirhuin spoke true when he said that the Stone of the Hapless would never sink below the waves of Belegaer, even as Beleriand was swallowed nearly whole.

Perhaps it is the final act of the curse laid upon Húrin’s line, perhaps it is a blessing in return for all their suffering that Morwen, Nienor, and Túrin’s memorial still stands, a reminder of great tragedy and perseverance both.

 

 

Númenor

Now, you might wonder why Númenor is on this list, after all, it sank long ago. Surely, you cannot visit a place that is underwater!

And you would be right. But I am not sending you there to step foot on the island.

For you see, when you sail across this watery graveyard, Númenor is still visible under your feet. The storm, as terrible as it was, did surprisingly little damage to the buildings, and so they sleep, frozen in time, beneath the waves.

A monument to hubris and ambition, all its glory preserved just out of reach.

And it is out of reach. I cannot stress this enough. Do not attempt to dive down to the ruins. It might look like they are close to the surface, like your ship could get caught on Meneltarma’s peak, but they are not. You will drown if you try to reach them.

Enough lives were lost to the water here. Do not become another of its victims.

Imagine the grandeur of the island, back when it throned above the waves.

Remember the people who lived here, who tried to take more than they should have and paid the ultimate price for their greed.

But just like their desires were out of their reach, their ruins are now out of ours.

 

When Elendil’s fleet landed north of Lindon, scattered and shaken, but determined to build a new home for themselves, I was reminded of the last exiles who had landed on these shores.

Once again, there came from the west a host that would help turn the tides of war.

And though the aftermath of victory might have made them seem weak, great strength is needed to leave what you knew behind and begin again. I should know, I have done it a few times myself.

And this strength still flows through the veins of Men, even today.

It gives me hope that we leave these lands in capable hands.

 

 

Tol Eressëa

Does it still count as being on the way to Valinor if it is on the other side of the Straight Road?

Regardless, I have decided to include it.

Congratulations! If you have reached Tol Eressëa, you have braved great danger, and survived. You have found the Straight Road, and sailed it, and at last you have reached your destination.

There is little I can tell you about Tol Eressëa, for I have never been there, but what would life be without a little adventure?

So instead, I will take this opportunity to present you with my best wishes and say goodbye.

If you have family waiting for you, I hope the reunion will be joyful. If you are struggling, I hope you will find contentment, and if you are hurt, I hope your pains will be soothed.

Never forget that there are always things left to learn, even in the Blessed Realm, so stay curious.

And perhaps we shall meet each other across the sea.

Faithfully yours,

Aerchen of Mithlond.

 

What more could I possibly add to this, except to wish you well?

You will need bravery and common sense for the journey, but if you have survived for so long, I believe you have plenty of both. Bring a friend along for the journey, because it’s easier to sail when you are not alone.

And if all goes well, we will see you in Valinor.

This has been Círdan’s (and Aerchen’s) Guide to sailing the Straight Road, have a safe and untroubled journey, and thank you for reading!

Chapter End Notes

Thank you for reading from me as well!

Thank you to the mods for another wonderful event, and to my best friend for suggesting that Numenor's ruins could be like those of Rungholt, just off the German North Sea Coast, only far, far deeper in the water.

And thank you most of all to Narya, for the amazing art! It was the first piece in the gallery this year, and I immediately went: That's the one I want.
I'm glad I got it, this was incredible fun to write! I hope you enjoyed reading just as much.

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