The Kindler Explains Space to the Children by Elleth

| | |

Fanwork Notes

A triple drabble for International Fanworks Day, for the prompts End is the Beginning, Parting’s Sorrow and Wish Upon a Star. The title was adapted from the poem that helped inspire this story, God Explains Space to His Angels by Sid Gomez Hildawa. 

Fanwork Information

Summary:

The Starkindler reminisces on the Beyond - and hopes. 

Major Characters: Varda

Major Relationships:

Genre: Experimental, Fixed-Length Ficlet, General

Challenges: End Is the Beginning, Parting's Sorrow, Wish upon a Star

Rating: General

Warnings:

Chapters: 1 Word Count: 291
Posted on 15 February 2015 Updated on 15 February 2015

This fanwork is complete.

Chapter 1

Read Chapter 1

You Children could not comprehend the sorrow of the parting - or the joy of the descent. 

The words of my dearest poet renders it ecstatic, bold Elemmírë even dares to scatter the rumble and shiver of my native tongue into her hymns to perhaps capture a sliver of the Warmth, the Light, the All that is Beyond. 

It is too ambitious even for her. Spoken truly, even I barely remember. 

The expansion and turmoil as we whirled, torn from the singularity of our beginning, still witless as any babe newborn among the Children have settled like a mist onto my mind. Even I cannot pierce it, who has flame enough in her to pour light into the farthest reaches of Eä, and flame enough to burn this Little Realm into a cinder. This is what Melkor saw in me. This is why I rejected him, why he fears me. Yet neither of us can return. 

Some of you Eldar, Exiles as we are, though all by choice, may understand it, a little. When Galadriel sang her lament in her land of trees, of me who uplifted her hands like clouds and drowned her homeward path in mists, I thought she might know some of that longing. For although the time of her grief and mine do not match, the Eldar are frail and small and time passes slowly for them: I spent longer gathering myself together again out of the primordial elements of the expanding universe than the lifetime of her little planet. And yet, time has made supplicants of us both. 

But the universe at last must be finite, and until that time my dear ones, Ilmarë my beloved starlight, and Manwë my lord and ever my comfort, thin that veil for me a little, always.

Comments

The Silmarillion Writers' Guild is more than just an archive--we are a community! If you enjoy a fanwork or enjoy a creator's work, please consider letting them know in a comment.

I really like this, especially that first line! 

This is a really interesting look at Varda's perspective. I like how very aware she is of her power, but also of her limitations.

I went and looked up the poem you mentioned and it's fascinating, too. Especially in reference to the Valar, and how the world must look to them.

Anyway, this is really thought-provoking and I like it a lot! :) 

It was very interesting to try and get into her head. Though I also think that with the nearly unlimited power of the Valar, the boundaries of it would become more meaningful than the powers themselves... not even just in the "the grass is always greener on the other side" way, but rather that oxygen becomes mostly notable by its absence when you're trying to breathe (and to be quite honest I'm not even sure if that simile is apt, but it's the best I could come up with at this moment). 

I'm glad you found this fic thought-provoking and interesting. Thank you so much for such a lovely review! :)

I really like the supernality of the language, and the way she tries to draw a simile by using Galadriel as an example.  But I especially like the memory of what she came from; her flaming nature is a particularly representative example of "the Light, the Warmth," and that gives Melkor another reason to be afraid of her.