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2.03.18

The eagles of Manwë may be told here to be the embodied natural habit of many of Finwë’s House Restored to glory following their devious entanglement to Melkor’s dominion, upon Endar and elsewhere, yet also redeemed subsequent, by the labor grandmost far sighted, ordinary for Eru; And as eagles they concealed one brother from another, who fearing Manwë in their exile from Valinor, would hasten away all servants and messengers forthwith, even close kindred; this shooing they proceeded to generalize for any resistant to their wandering exile, culminating in the forgiven deeds abandoning Fingolfin and many of their own houses, upon the shores, telling some to themselves, in that passage away, those kin Noldo had good cause to wander back to “cages of Vala-keeping,” in a manner hoping to direct these not by oath bound to that better condition;

Not all were of this generous mind, and its acquiescence concluded in the burning at Losgar, where was also consumed, Amrod; after who — in honor to his brothers forsaken by father Feanor in his house’s (hroa’s) destruction (by his own fiery spirit, it seemed) — did Angrod of Finarphin’s house call himself [i.e., “Amrod”], and as a brother became he, even to willfully, in boasty vain to build up and show forth his growth in lore and wealth of weapon-take, declaring to his “twin” Amras not only brothership, but sonship in that oath’s burden;

And thus was Finarphin’s line ensnared, and yet remains bereft of his presence; to none else was the demise of Amrod made known, for all who knew took it as an omen, ill, forboding, first of all sacrifices, many left to offer in penance, some say to that darkness called down in oath; as to propitiate her demon’s lust; others, that in his son’s burning, was pity again granted, and thereby was Feanor’s own spirit more inclined to Mandos’ keeping, to catch there sweet Amrod, in passing, and to hold him; And in his passing, Nerdanel also passed into Mandos’ Halls, though with less fortitude than Feanor, to meet him, and to partake one of another, their dispatches of each one’s living, after a bruising departure, long in the healing thereafter;

So as eagles did Finwe’s living sons and daughters proceed from before Manwe, to look upon and direct where they may, the courses of that House, Broken; not always wisely, nor without rebel-intent, yet never in malice did these eagles-ones come, and swoop upon their kin, or bear them hence and thither; though, for sport, it was known, these eagles sometimes did scatter Finwe’s House; So the Badge of this House in Valmar’s writings- kept was the soaring eagle, and these too came into Man’s Realm, under the Cherubim, in After Days; for even til the days of Eru, and seldom so after, did these children come, dressed, winged, folding and unfolding lore, wise counsel, warning, and bestowing the blessing of Varda, or another addition to the Dooms of Mandos, revised; Seraphs, it may be said here as an aside, were indeed come to Numenor (in her early days) and these were Teleri in lineage of Olwë and his maiden daughters 100, the Danaids in later tales (though much confused and made grotesque, murderers, and so forth).

And even Illuvatar manifested his glory as eagle-housed, on a time of springing forth, when in the houses of mourning and of sorrow capitulated were these hearts leant to healing woes of others, to the overmastering proof that no power could singly or altogether, restore Arda anew; as a botulin toxin planted there, healers arts became neglected, there in those Houses of Healing, an outer porch, as it were, of Mandos’ Realm;

And this wealth of woe rushed upon these nurses, when in the Aftermath of Nirnaeth Arnoediad, came to Mandos seeking purgatorial rest, entire houses of lords of great renown, beaten, as in ease, against the rocks and hammers’ anvils of his men, a sea-tide of fealty to his dominion, overwashing all league of elf-kin and man-friendship; so overwhelmed in woe and disastrous outcome, these Houses themselves could not receive sorrow and give back succor, nor for those housed abiding as healers, themselves find hope in their patients’ restoration;

Half-measures, all seemed, deeds wasteful and abashed, in the shadow cast by that mountain Thangorodrim, highest save Taniquetil. Yet whose shadow reaches ever for those white peaks’ residents; to spoil, and ruin, all it seemed had come, and no recompense ever find, any who ventured to Arda; nor no return to Eru-place, may any; for in shutting out such evil darkness outside his realm ever gnawing, without satisfaction however, did also the gate close shut to Eru-place, and now forsaken all appeared, whether those Silmarils be recovered three, or singly; to war would come any possessors, those sons, and in time, their own sons, forever, until relinquished was the holden gem; and to what purpose? To what end come, in the taking or receiving those “pips”? To a planting in Arda’s mutilated, blood-be-drained drenched soil? Or to give and expire air rotten in stench, not of flowering, but decay, corruption of bodies stinking? To drink down such water as ran down stairways slick in slimy entrails, sprung from kin by kin, in brother-malice? To stain any planting, would surely come, even if those sons replanted, and shared by a-planting, their harvest of a father’s long labor;

So came down swooping in the midst of healers’ lamenting, and crying for strength to perjure these unsought for exclamations, of woe and hopeless desuetude, and landing there on a perch in a tree grown withy, and withered by many years of shading shades underneath, was Eru-eagle eyrie come, to chicks by other fowl neglected, chirping to bring worms regurgitant, if only; but better meat, desiring; and to them He gave better, food to bring whole fortitude, to others nurturing, until the end, and never again wavering; and what he said in word, while attending to them in body were these things:

Come, and feel these my feathers,
I your eagle sentry, overwatching
All the realm, and not only Valinor besides;

Ye my chicks, and these too, gathered,
I take under wing, and this eyrie I never
Conclude to give way, nor succumb to
Challenge without, dishonored in assault,
Thieves taking what eggs they neither sit upon,
Nor bother to hatch; but only as snakes
And crocodiles, to consume;

Rest here in my downy feathers, warmed
Near unto my breast, all ye weary
In others’ nurturance draw succor,
To aid thy own souls, and to bring into light
Those strayed, or seeking into the darkness of Melko;

And also bread-manna he provendered, in talons sharp, to any who would dare partake; and a grape-bunch also he laid before, to pair bread and wine, as custom wanted; and of this manna, was there sprouted such grain to be gathered, in droves and bunches untiring, furtherance of his blessing spoken, and healthy for convalescents there abed; and of the grapes came pouring, wine-red liquor, warming souls grown cold at heart, and evermore to hearing spoken, in all their midst, Eru’s blessing; and in this blessing them, healers evermore untiring, and joyous whether healed or consumed in despair be them administered to;

So later Eru-eagle-hame flapped his vast wings, pinioned underneath in golden rays, and arose, to hover, shedding his child’s down upon them, to keep for nesting all creatures there brought, in hunger or injured crutchy; and pillows stitched they, and downy coverlets, for fieldmice and hawks their hunters; and for spirits, to bed upon; and in rising over, Eru-Eagle turned East and not West, and gathered as lice and serpent coils, all those shadows by Melkor cast thereupon, and all the woes by spirits there carried, of his overmastering might, and utter dominance; into a claw he collected all that was not of his will, there set, cleaning those lands, so that illness would not fruit, nor if brought by ill souls, thrive in their midst; contagious otherwise was his golden ray’s spreading out of his arisen silhouette, eagle-appearing, and not only seeming; but Eru was, and is, there whatsoever he undertakes, even any shadows thrown out by golden beams, aroused as if living, and rested there came many lacking peace of place;

Thus Eru honored the eagles of Manwe, and Thorondor not least, who as kin became, eagle-brothers in Arda-Eyrie; and Finwe’s House recalled Eru’s words, in Before Days upon Arda, given them; of a promise that never forsaken by Him was any who remained there, opposed to Melkor, entire or but what little will remained against his apparent rulership without end; that estel would he become, enmeshed in their desires, and thoughts, bearing hope to trust all his words, and never doubting in the least, his designs;

—

So Estel-Eru was born, as a star new come to earth; finding here in his children’s realm, no place to shelter, having parted all his glory, whithersothem he deemed faithful to his purposes, extending unto all his children – Elf and Atani (Man, even all!) those gifts, though by time withheld in grant to all; and having thus parted his own power, in lore and craft, succor, and insight to recall all the music before him a-sung; Thus parting, he entered upon Arda’s Wars subsequent, no weapon taking, or compass holding, and without dress to oppose or join sides warring; Man versus Elf, both his children’s Houses, he came to unite, if one each to a wing’s cover, talons separating; and thus union he undertakes, to rid all here abiding, long or in brief, of unbelief in his word and its/his working out to all good, no matter who else would him feign/fain frustrate; and also, in this good resulting union, to restore his chosen’s house to power, as upon a throne of wisdom, merciful in justice’s pursuit; and by this means, redeeming all that House Broken, whose scattering now has run its course, even to confusion, light for dark, lost for found; and in His Chosen’s Telling, Thingol’s Lay announced … what cannot be here told, but will soon be revealed, and by him, again restored;

‡

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