Live Journal FeedFeanor's well-known wife is most often called Nerdanel in fan fiction: this is not so here. The English translation of Nerdanel is not entirely clear. Some claim it to mean "Man Maker" in reference to her 7 sons, others are intrigued by the more lyric translation "Sculptress" after her talent with carving statuary, though whether this is actually her father name or something else entirely is not in any research I've seen. In canon, a Mother name is given for Nerdanel, "Istarnie", which translates as something along the lines of "wise one" or "wise woman". It was after reading this in a wonderful essay* by Dawn Felagund, and being reminded of the 3 names of Artanis/Nerwen/Galadriel, that I fell upon a compromise.
For my purposes here, Nerdanel, too, has three names: Istarnie, which was given by her mother at birth, according to tradition; Ataralasse (Abigail in our tongue), a conceit of this story which was given by her father shortly after her birth and culled from the pages of the Quenya Lapseparma** meaning "Father's Joy", and Nerdanel or "Sculptress", given to her by Feanor after her skill with stone and metal and wood. Both Istarnie and Ataralasse are used here, and though 'Nerdanel' does not appear, already Feanor calls her "sculptress" as a sort of private nickname. This may change later in the tale.
In regards to certain choices of words: The only Quenya used here is for the naming of characters. But, as we're engrossed in the Time of the Trees and there are no humans in this part of creation, I see no need to differentiate between men and elves, or insist on calling every elf an elf every time a descriptor is needed. There are no men present, and the clarification is therefore unnecessary. So, when such adjectives as "man" and "girl" are used, they are used because it is the English equivalent of the elvish word describing an adult male or a juvenile female. This use of "man" to describe an adult male of the elvin kind is a discussion I've seen on other forums before, and while some feel it's a misnomer, in this case I don't see it as such. Were we, too, elves, Mahtan would be, to us a "man" as well as a father and a smith and all of those other descriptors we accumulate through the years. "Elf" is neither gender specific nor necessary for differentiation purposes here, as it would be in a scene involving both Turin and Beleg.
Other helpful tidbits:
Melde- Beloved (Amy in our tongue), again according to the Quenya Lapseparma. She is 10 or so of our years older than Istarnie and while physically lovely and talented at "women's things", is also rather vain.
Turotulco- Strong or Hard Ruler (Richard to us), via the Lapseparma (and a shameless nod to my favorite uncle.) A cousin to Earwen, making him therefore a cousin by marriage of Feanor's younger brothers, he is light of hair and eye, and skilled with the shaping and carving of wood. In this first chapter, Melde and Turotulco marry, the planning for which causes Istarnie quite a few headaches.
Beta: Viv
Title suggested by: Robinka.
How I broke type: Researching and Planning before hand, and writing about both an elf and a pre-first age one at that. It seems I couldn't get away from writing at least a little bit of sexual tension into things, though, if you'll read closely, all they actually share is a passionate kiss. No clothes come off (that weren't already off at least). This is because I think, based on my limited readings of LaCE, the elves didn't necessarily have to have intercourse to be intimate. I think humans have this capacity too, but we're a little 'hasty' in regards to such things, and it seems that falling into bed is a good enough substitute for falling in love to some people. Istarnie/Ataralasse/Nerdanel deserves better than that from her Feanaro, and it seems that in most cases, this more reserved behavior is what Tolkien expected (or at least hoped to see) among his elves. I have a feeling, though, Feanaro being the hasty sort he is, that it won't last through too many more chapters.
* "A Woman in Few Words: The Character of Nerdanel and Her Treatment in Canon and Fandom", essay by: Dawn Felagund, archived at: http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/reference/references/nerdanel.php
** Quenya Lapseparma, "Old Elvish Name Book", available at: http://www.elvish.org/elm/names.html
