Ilimbë
- Rating: T
- Characters: Fëanor, Nerdanel, Finwë
- Relationships: Fëanor/Nerdanel
- Words: 15k
“There was an Elf,” said Finwë, “of great beauty and cleverness; but he had no wife.”
Fëanor had frowned. Sometimes his father’s stories felt too much like parables; and he did not much like the way his mouth turned down on describing his hero’s marital status. Impossible sometimes not to feel that Finwë was not entirely satisfied with Fëanor, that he was not yearning for something more than what his son could give.
Setting this aside for now, he asked, “What was his name?”
Finwë smiled. “The story does not say,” he said. “Perhaps he had none.”
Fëanor was not much impressed. “All the Eldar have names,” he said.
“I stand corrected!” said Finwë, with a laugh. “He had a name, then, but it is lost to us now. May I continue with the story, please?”
“All right,” Fëanor had said graciously. He did like his father’s bedtime stories, after all.
“The Elf did have a great tusk of ivory,” said Finwë, “near as tall as he was, from one of the mammoths that roamed the lands to the north.” He caught Fëanor’s doubtful look. “They are beasts like the elephants we saw on the plains — but bigger by far, and woolly all over!”
“Why have I not seen any?” Fëanor demanded. “I thought all the beasts of Arda dwell in Aman.”
“They do,” Finwë said, “but mammoths cannot thrive in the warm climes of Tirion. If you journey to Araman one day, you will find them there.” And when Fëanor nodded, placated, he went on, “As I said, this Elf was clever with his hands indeed — perhaps even as clever as you, my Curufinwë! And so from his tusk of ivory he carved an elf-maid of surpassing loveliness; and her beauty was such that he fell in love with her.”
