The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - In the Shadow of the Star: Discussion Thread (Part 1)

mark12_30 · 02-07-2003, 05:35 PM

Lindo was an only child born to two middle-aged hobbits who lived on the outskirts of Gondolin, in the hobbit villages governed by Maura Took. As he grew, he was unusually drawn to the elvish culture nearby. He spent more and more time in the city of elves, and made friends with the elf children, learning their songs and dances, and sharing their love of ponies. At the age of eighteen, he was hired by Idril Celebrindal as stablehand and pony trainer.

He lived in Idril's household, studying and dancing and training with the children, singing often. He had a pleasant voice, and the elf-children found him entertaining. He returned home to he hobbit village for holidays and celebrations, and took time then to court Niphredil, the girl he loved. But the vast amount of his time was spent with ponies and elf-children. When his duties permitted, and by Idril's orders, he participated in their studies and their physical training; thus he learned the rudiments of elvish poetry and lore, rudiments of dancing, agility, and basic martial arts, and also the rudiments of osanwe. He dressed in elf-children's clothing until Idril ordered adult elvish clothes tailored for him. He was careful to blend in as much as he could, and this included wearing his hair long and partially braided the way the elves of that city did.

All this concerned Maura, who cautioned Lindo that he had spent too much time among the elves, and had lost his hobbit-roots and essential hobbit-culture; but Lindo shrugged off Maura's concerns, and immersed himself further into Idril's household. The only hobbits he concerned himself deeply about were his parents, and Niphredil.

Thus he spent a full fifteen years immersed in the elvish culture of Gondolin. However, by the fall of Gondolin he was separated from the elven culture and returned to the hobbits. He lost Niphredil to an enemy arrow; and during the ensuing forced march and imprisonment of the hobbits, he lost both of his parents. What with the loss of the three hobbits most dear to him and the household and culture he lived in, his readjustment to hobbit life while in prison camp proved difficult.

He found himself assigned to children again: tiny hobbit-babes; and partway through the imprisonment found himself the leader of fourteen young teenage rascals who became known as the Snowhobbits of Ladros. When the imprisonment ended, he adopted three of them and accepted the responsibility of guiding the rest of the Snowhobbits into adulthood. He was regarded as a Loremaster early on, and wrote numerous lullabyes, laments, and some heroic poetry. The heroic poetry was of interest only to the young elven playmates and is now lost, but the hobbits passed the lullabyes and laments down through many generations.

[ February 07, 2003: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

02-07-2003, 05:35 PM	#46
mark12_30 Stormdancer of Doom Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Elvish singing is not a thing to miss, in June under the stars Posts: 4,349	Lindo was an only child born to two middle-aged hobbits who lived on the outskirts of Gondolin, in the hobbit villages governed by Maura Took. As he grew, he was unusually drawn to the elvish culture nearby. He spent more and more time in the city of elves, and made friends with the elf children, learning their songs and dances, and sharing their love of ponies. At the age of eighteen, he was hired by Idril Celebrindal as stablehand and pony trainer. He lived in Idril's household, studying and dancing and training with the children, singing often. He had a pleasant voice, and the elf-children found him entertaining. He returned home to he hobbit village for holidays and celebrations, and took time then to court Niphredil, the girl he loved. But the vast amount of his time was spent with ponies and elf-children. When his duties permitted, and by Idril's orders, he participated in their studies and their physical training; thus he learned the rudiments of elvish poetry and lore, rudiments of dancing, agility, and basic martial arts, and also the rudiments of osanwe. He dressed in elf-children's clothing until Idril ordered adult elvish clothes tailored for him. He was careful to blend in as much as he could, and this included wearing his hair long and partially braided the way the elves of that city did. All this concerned Maura, who cautioned Lindo that he had spent too much time among the elves, and had lost his hobbit-roots and essential hobbit-culture; but Lindo shrugged off Maura's concerns, and immersed himself further into Idril's household. The only hobbits he concerned himself deeply about were his parents, and Niphredil. Thus he spent a full fifteen years immersed in the elvish culture of Gondolin. However, by the fall of Gondolin he was separated from the elven culture and returned to the hobbits. He lost Niphredil to an enemy arrow; and during the ensuing forced march and imprisonment of the hobbits, he lost both of his parents. What with the loss of the three hobbits most dear to him and the household and culture he lived in, his readjustment to hobbit life while in prison camp proved difficult. He found himself assigned to children again: tiny hobbit-babes; and partway through the imprisonment found himself the leader of fourteen young teenage rascals who became known as the Snowhobbits of Ladros. When the imprisonment ended, he adopted three of them and accepted the responsibility of guiding the rest of the Snowhobbits into adulthood. He was regarded as a Loremaster early on, and wrote numerous lullabyes, laments, and some heroic poetry. The heroic poetry was of interest only to the young elven playmates and is now lost, but the hobbits passed the lullabyes and laments down through many generations. [ February 07, 2003: Message edited by: mark12_30 ] __________________ ...down to the water to see the elves dance and sing upon the midsummer's eve.