Symmetry by Tehta

Symmetry

“Reproduction?” Yavanna looked up from the pink flower she was designing. “You want to know about reproduction?”

The twinkle in her eye made Aulë uneasy. He glanced away. “Is that not what you are working on today? A way for your creations to reproduce themselves?”

“Among other things. Come, let me show you.”

Aulë edged towards her.

“Look here,” she said, “between the petals. See this tall column? I call it a pistil.”

“Huh. A proud, upstanding shape. Is it—”

“It is the most important element: the female part, where future life will grow. And see these slender stalks, which seem to dance attendance on the pistil?”

“Yes. I can see… three, four... six.”

“Those are the stamens. The male parts. They carry additional information.”

Aulë considered the stalks. A light breeze stirred them, so that they appeared to nod at the wisdom of Yavanna’s words.

“You seem rather dismissive of these stamens,” he said. “So why did you make six, to the one pistil?”

“Oh, you know.” Yavanna shrugged. “Symmetry. Redundancy. Just good design, really.”

“I see. Sound principles, indeed.” He cleared his throat. “So… could I borrow your blueprints sometime?”

“Of course. Look in that file, under ‘Lily’.”

---

“The Six Fathers and One Mother of the Dwarves? Really?”

Pengolodh met Rúmil’s appalled gaze squarely. “That is what the Dwarves told us.”

“And it may have sounded fine to Dwarven ears, but to our more delicate sensibilities—”

“I know.” Pengolodh felt himself blushing. “It does suggest some rather… complex social scenarios.”

“Orgies, no doubt.” Rúmil bent over the manuscript, pen in hand. “How about simply ‘Seven Fathers’?”

“But that is inaccurate! And while I do not wish to encourage immorality—”

“Never mind immorality! The Dwarf-given phrase just will not scan. In Quenya, or Sindarin.”

“Ah. Good point,” said Pengolodh.

Chapter End Notes

0. Yes, I know that the story of the first Dwarves has several versions (e.g. Tolkien's letter 212 adds six female Dwarves) but this is all we get in the Aulë and Yavanna chapter of the Silmarillion. And since this ficlet was written for the Silm Readalong on tumblr, that is all I have decided to play with, here.
1. Also, I find all the versions annoyingly dismissive of women. I have tried to correct this here.
2. Rúmil is a famed Elven loremaster who stayed in Valinor, where he would have had little access to Dwarves. Pengolodh was a famed Elven loremaster in Middle-earth. I decided to have them collaborate a little. Those wacky loremasters!
3. Lilies do have six stamens.