2.11.18
A ghost skiff left in little glow upon a vast black sea, heaving, rise to fall, draws our words, as Ifariel escapes by float, to the river’s dispersal at sea. He here pushed that faint skiff of his imagining, a form to settle his own doubts upon—for spirits too may be contrived to fall, to follow false firelights, and in wisdom make themselves as-hroa, for transport fëa; so Thingol’s skiff, traversing all the waters later his inheritance, drew nigh to Tol Morwen, when years earlier his heir Dyacôm came forth of Izilba, tiring of exile, without home suited to her glory;
As he approached, a great howling and roar of grief went out, and surrounded all that rock isle, as a flock of many birds come from, yet no mortal voice, its progenitor; so he called to Nienor, who once housed her, with the isle’s namesake, and whose brother-lover was taken in love beyond duty, his foster- son;
In her name’s call, the spirit more fierce grew, ahowl and prowling her waters, where once she’d kept clean, a chamber hiding her beloved’s sword:
Thy cries frighten not at all, nor warn me
From that chamber, where long ago, in
Thy mortal age, I sent sword to rest, by wax encased;
No sword guard thee, for the Grey Lady has
With it departed, and taken from thee also
Thy hope to restoration; come, and see
In the waters, new hope, estel living come to thee,
Daughter-Hurin. It is I, Thingol Elwë
Singollo, thy brother’s care-fosterer, in Hurin’s absence,
Seated regal upon Mock Throne, by Mock-Lord Melko,
Who now is no longer about, and never more feared;
Come daughter-Hurin, and find in my paddling, assuage
Of ill done to thee and thy house, I will bear thee
Far off, to lands where thy parentage proceeded,
And where thou may likewise enter a flame-bath,
And among Vala-kind, take thy place;
Silent the shade Nienor arose upon the rocks at shore, and drifted stilling all the waves, to sit herself upon Thingol’s bark; and he rowed there, no speech between rower and passenger, each understanding all they would ever know, one of the other.
Yet rowed the skiff’s glowy captain, besmiled, and yet more golden grew, in joy of Eru; and Nienor slept, restful, while her seabird friends, flitted about, chirpy, and to whom Thingol made sounds, to comfort their disquiet; Though he would in mind row direct west, and there hope to find some passage for her, upward to Eressëa, however his skiff drifted ever slight, leeward (left?), and thus came to its shores, by all his house, forsaken; at sight of land’s end, he sighed, and peering through day-blue, discerned the stars aswing, and knew his course was far from its end, now, and not to Melian would he yet come;
And far he spied flying forth of the ocean waves, a mer- man, to whom he called, seeing in him, a lineage divine, and Machir turned about under the waters, and swam to the spirit- skiff, in awe, and wonder, at his meeting, Thingol-su, who a lifetime prior, had to his own lonely shanty on Tendril Isle, come in blessing, before the sky fell, dim though now the boy- spirit recollected;
It was, of course, many days in drifting along that coast, before Thingol spied Machir-fish tail, though we need not tell all that transpired, in those days, and years, ongoing;
And Machir told Thingol of his mother’s passing, and sudden arising, with Ki-Abroam Ax-man, rowing, to the shores further north, awaiting;
—I’ll swim ye there, and my fee is this alone: Name thy companion.
—Nienor, Niniel; honored most of ancient mortal-women, to whom thy own mother may be honored in comparison; Now swim, fish-boy, or I’ll take out my hook and pole, and reel thy cheek near enough, for her to examine – if to find in thy belly, no fish else, but respect where thy mouth seems to give youthy, interested inquiry.
And take this load, for I am weary of rowing, and would rest, while thou boy-fish pulls.
So to that other ocean-traversing skiff sailed they, yet finding it many days abandoned, and neither mother nor Ax-Lord, abiding.
Then from the rushes and spikes of tall reeds, a little ways inland, along that dispersing stream, rushed golden glowing, Joseph-shade, a new man-form taking, and into the sea dove he, to swim upon Machir, full in joy, father returned, and son all grown up – if a little sideways from Joseph’s expectation; and trailing his wake of tiny stars, all a glitter, happy in full also drifted, Asenath; having arisen from resting in her arms, Joseph beloved;
So again watching reunion, long awaited, was Varda-mother, and her spouse beloved, Manwë, and he upon his arms, his spouse lifted, and they two turning, mother queen on his back seated (as in piggy back!) went forth out the hidden place of their throne’s placing, and down to Thingol came they, long ago daughter, and son daring jested; and they spoke, one power to another condescended, of all that Eru purposed, now that half the world was from this world, wrested, and much else, rested.
Finally, after tears and laughter, weeping by all, joyous and not without recall of grief, deep and long in bearing, the Couple Divine reach each one an arm, and there flew Nienor, in swan- bird shape, white glowing, no longer sorrowful yellow;
And she stretching forth wide, wings flapping, carried that Divine Couple upward, raising every eye upon that land, to seek higher than this earth, its reddened soils, and muck of bodies, churning, inside and out-wrenching; And to Thingol came in time, that couple rejoined, saying one, then the other:
—Seek Ki-Abroam, thy brother, eastward he wanders.
And,
—Thy own lover’s restoration, awaiting;
for with him he carries writings sacred
—And, also to them shall be joined, thy lover’s writings,
by iron pen upon ore-sheets, engraved
—Melian lives, yes, long-father divine, ancient
—Though she is, by dwarf-maid,
and evil-turned supplicants, chased.
The End.
— Pengolodh I-Earnu
(with much assistance from several others)