Berion's Song by Himring
Fanwork Notes
For the Kings & Queens challenge: the king in question is Fingon.
This is an adaptation of the poem Romance by Andrew Lang, better known as the lyrics of Elgar's part song My love dwelt in a northern land. That is why it is also tagged as a crossover.
Warnings for canonical character death (the setting is the First Age in the time after the Battle of Unnumbered Tears) and for themes of grief and mourning.
Fanwork Information
Summary: Berion, captain of Barad Eithel under King Fingon, laments Fingon's death and the loss of his home. Major Characters: Original Male Character(s), Fingon Major Relationships: Challenges: Kings & Queens Rating: Teens Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings |
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Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 149 |
Posted on 29 August 2024 | Updated on 29 August 2024 |
This fanwork is complete. |
Berion's Song
Berion is a recurring original character of mine and features as protagonist in Above the Clouds as well as as minor or background character in a number of other stories, especially in some stories in my series Gloom, Doom and Maedhros.
Read Berion's Song
My king dwelt in a northern land.
A tower among mountains green
was his, and on the eastern hand
long leagues of grassy plain were seen,
westwards a shore of silver sand,
the mist-wreathed forest-boughs between.
As through the northern summer night
the sunlight softly slipped away,
the orc and the uncanny wight
stole forth beneath the branches grey;
but when the king came and the light,
they fled away at break of day!
How oft I watched beneath the moon
my king gaze out over wood and lawn
or ride singing a merry tune,
until, his brand for battle drawn,
he fell, come a midsummer dawn.
Who sees now if the mountains green
still cradle castle-ruins grey?
Who sees now if the boughs between
the lake-shore gleams each desolate day?
Above the slain, the grass is green.
They trod his banner in the clay!
Chapter End Notes
I also submitted this piece for tolkienocweek on Tumblr in a post including some further background details on Berion.
Andrew Lang originally published his poem with four stanzas, but in later publications dropped the third stanza so that the poem has only three stanzas. Elgar's lyrics are based on the original version and include all four stanzas. (Apparently Andrew Lang at first planned wanted to withhold consent to Elgar's use of the lyrics entirely and only agreed later on.)
sweet and lyrical and sad. …
sweet and lyrical and sad. it's such a neat little conception, too, i love OC-generated materials
Thank you very much! By now,…
Thank you very much! By now, I have a number of OCs that just turned up in a story one day and never really left. Some of them have quite complex biographies by now. (I like what you do with your OCs!)
Oh... beautiful but oh noooo…
Oh... beautiful but oh noooo... 😢💖
Yes, I'm afraid this is…
Yes, I'm afraid this is another sad one!
But when Berion gets too sad about it all, Idril takes care to give him something to do and that usually helps.
I am glad you liked the song, thank you!
Terrific adaptation. So…
Terrific adaptation. So beautiful and sad. Fingon! Argh!
Thank you very much! Fingon…
Thank you very much!
Fingon! Argh! Yes, indeed.
Terrific adaptation. So…
Terrific adaptation. So beautiful and sad. Fingon! Argh!
How oft I watched beneath…
How oft I watched beneath the moon
my king gaze out over wood and lawn
or ride singing a merry tune,
until, his brand for battle drawn,
he fell, come a midsummer dawn.
AND
Who sees now if the mountains green
still cradle castle-ruins grey?
Who sees now if the boughs between
the lake-shore gleams each desolate day?
Above the slain, the grass is green.
They trod his banner in the clay!
How beautifully sorrowful this reads. And Fingon, one of the most heartbreaking ends...
Thank you very much! I'm so…
Thank you very much!
I'm so glad you liked those two stanzas particularly.
Beautiful and tragic. He…
Beautiful and tragic. He really misses his king. Well done!
Thank you very much,…
Thank you very much, elennalore!
He misses his king a great deal!