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Divers Drabbles II  by Raksha The Demon 6 Review(s)
Little DwarfReviewed Chapter: 9 on 6/26/2008
Wow. Just... wow. Powerful piece. And so, so, very painful! *sniff* Poor Nerdanel, what it must have been to her to suffer her husband's and her sons' terrible fates... :(

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 9 on 3/12/2007
Poor Nerdanel. I feel that she - and many of those left behind - are real and unnoted victims of the Kinslayers' actions. She spent such a long time alone.

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 9 on 3/10/2007
Such grief she must have known--and then the final rending of that chain and its jewels.

I agree--opals are indeed good ones for that chain.

Author Reply: Nerdanel's fate was almost more tragic than that of her husband and children; it's obvious she loved them, and they left her with nothing but memories. Hopefully her work would have given her some solace, or at least occupation.

Thanx for the comments!


Linda HoylandReviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/14/2007
This is so sad and moving.I like the way you bring Nerdanel and her grief to life.casting the stones into the sea is a brilliant touch.What pain to endure that will have no ending !

Author Reply: I think the pain will eventually dull, after three or four millenia. The question is whether Nerdanel will let herself feel anything in the meantime. But Nerdanel is an incredibly tragic figure; Feanor has a lot to answer for, even more than his sons.

BranwynReviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/14/2007
Though Tolkien's ideas about women are decidedly old-fashioned, Nerdanel is a surprisingly independent character-- she is an artist in her own right and capable of following her own path. I liked the idea of Feanor making a gift for her that symbolized their children. Would she have been any less unhappy if she had followed them into exile? At least she wouldn't have had to live with uncertainty for all those years.
A lovely but sorrowful piece.




Author Reply: Nerdanel is unusual for a Tolkien female; her vocation necessitates physical strength as well as artistry. I imagine that Feanor found her very appealing. Hopefully Nerdanel found some solace in her work, or at least occupation, during and after the First Age.

I wondered why she didn't go at least to the War of Wrath with the host of the Valar; and decided that the Valar only allowed warriors to journey to M-e; and there's no mention of Nerdanel being a warrior.

Thanx for reading and reviewing, Branwyn!

MithLuinReviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/14/2007
How heart-wrenching! Not only to lose her sons to her husband, but to lose them to death, one by one....and yet to keep hope of their return for over 500 years.... poor, poor woman. The news of the end of the War of Wrath must have been devastating to her.

Author Reply: I always felt terribly sorry for Nerdanel - she was innocent of the grasping pride and blind obedience that destroyed her husband and children, and escaped Exile and Doom; but it must have been horrible for her, to wait and wait while they died in Middle-earth, then know that the last of her sons were also lost. I like to think that the Valar eventually relented and brought Maglor home, but it probably took at least an Age or two.

Thanx for reviewing, Mithluin!

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