Return To Middle Earth

Legends Told Once More

Elrond stood to begin the story part of the evening.
"Hello, friends. This year, we have decided to tell the tales of the Vanyar elves and their acts of valor. Many of these stories have only been told in the confines of the scrolls on which they were written. Fewer still are those who can tell them outside of the Vanyar. Legends of the warriors of the Vanyar are known to all the elves. From the deepest myths of the wood elves to the whispers of the darkness, the Vanyar remain in the memories of every living thing on Arda. A group of sixteen (16) elves that obeyed the will of the Valar to the point of death. They sailed when their task was completed. Throughout the ages, they have returned to aide those they know not and die for a cause they did not believe in." Elrond paused as he surveyed the room. Many of the assembled elves where on the edge of their seat, excited to hear tales they never have before experienced.
"Our first Tale will be of the awakening of the Vanyar and the Banishment of the King of Shadows. This tale was brought across the frozen plains by Lord Glorfindel. It was a gift from his friends and his Lord to help him remember the story of how he came to be at Gondolin." Elrond took his seat next to Erestor and an unconscious Glorfindel. Lindir stood in the center of the Hall with the other minstrels.
"In the awakening, the Vanyar were spread out. Four awoke by river and sea, five awoke by tree and valley, and six awoke by stone and fire. The last one, known as the warrior, awoke on a mountain. From the first time he knew, he was surrounded by the breeze and Manwë led him to the group. The warrior was a close friend of both Manwë and Mandos. The fifteen others had gathered, sensing that something was to happen. They had made a camp at the edge of a river close to the Sindar elves woods. The first winter was approaching. Food was scarce. Then another elf entered their camp, carrying a deer and many hare. He taught them to hunt as they followed a shadow." Lindir paused as actors did their part.
"The shadows did not take the shape of the object to which they were unattached to at that time. They fed upon fear. The Vanyar found the Sindar, teaching them to hunt and cook. The shadows became nothing to the Sindar and the Silvian elves, who no longer feared the winter but found joy in it's cold. The weakness of the shadows appeared after this blow to it's great power. The Vanyar left the woods just as spring kissed awake Arda. The warrior, hair of gold and heart just as pure, lead his people where the shadows grew. Every stop they made, they helped the peoples of Arda to break free of the fear of the Shadows, the creatures formed from the presence of Melkör. These shadows were wreaths, leeches of the very darkness which they had been accidentally created from. The form the shadows took was elven, features so cast in darkness that the teeth glistened and the swirls and cries of the fear within all hearts that had glanced upon them would surely lead to death. It has been observed that if Melkör had known of this creation of his, the orcs would never have come to be and all of Arda would be doomed to eternal darkness. Lorien saw this future in a vision and visited one of the Vanyar of the woods and gave to them the gift of foresight. The warning was as clear as the sky on a cloudless sky. Lorien had also revealed that there was a way to banish the darkness. Weapons of light, forged from blood and tears, filled with hope and a dream. The very life force would be shared with the sword, every memory poured into the blade of the brightest one, outshining the stars themselves. The Warrior heard what his friend spoke of and searched for many years for the metals they would need. The shadows realized that the Vanyar were growing in wisdom and strength, hearts pure in the trust of the Valar. Fear did not dwell in the hearts of the Vanyar, having been replaced with a hope strong enough to obliterate fear. They traveled across all of Varda, bringing hope wherever they passed. Love grew within the Vanyar. At the time, bonding for all eternity did not exist. Death was not a word they knew. Even as they were hunted, pursued across plains and mountains, they sought to create the bond that would last all of eternity. The Warrior saw the desperation in the eyes of the others and went for a walk. He found himself walking alongside Manwë and Mandos, telling them of his desire to make his friends happy. No, not friends. They were family. His family. He told Manwë that he would do anything to spare them a short life of pain." Lindir' voice was strong and enticing. The actors were in perfect unison, bringing the ancient scripts of this story to life in a way it had never been brought to life before. From the promise and the sacrifice of the warrior's happiness and his loneliness with no bonding until Manwë granted it to him to the forging of Hopebringer and the constant pursuit of the shadows, the story became a legend etched in the memories of all gathered there. Throughout the talented retelling, Glorfindel's eyes had opened and he had watched them perform the oldest tale on all of Arda. He allowed himself to fall asleep in the safety of Rivendell with the words drifting to him, lulling him into a lighter sleek than before.