Comments on Nest-Building

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Lots to like about this story. Like you, I am obsessed with Elven hair, particularly that of Maedhros and Celegorm. You mentioned other interpretations of Maedhros with his hair cropped, besides mine and your own. Here is one by artist Jenny Dolfen: http://www.epilogue.net/cgi/database/art/view.pl?id=54908&genre=2 

I like the jay and I like Celegorm talking to it and I love the shiny Feanorian hair in the nest.



I am very glad you like the story!

Jenny Dolfen, it seems, originally drew Maedhros with short hair throughout. It was only on second thoughts that she decided that Maedhros had his hair cut off by the minions of Morgoth to humiliate him and then kept it short as a sign of defiance--at least that is what she says in her notes on "Humiliation" (at Deviant Art, as *Gold-Seven).

Lyra also mentions a hair-cut by Fingon rather briefly in "The Tempered Steel" in Part II, Chapter I.

I have a feeling there might be even more references out there...

I really appreciate your taking the trouble to leave a review when you haven't been feeling well! I hope it means that, in fact, you're feeling a little better?

Thank you very much! I was all ready to write an embarrassingly long response, but then I thought perhaps you'd prefer an epilogue instead:

Maedhros lay flat on his back, dizzy with an exhaustion that was not physical. Maglor had been right; he had not really been fit enough for this trip yet, on his own with Celegorm. But he had been wrong, too.

'It was a good move, you will see, Makalaure,' he thought. 'Already he is falling in love with this land. Already he is beginning to unbend.'

As on the preceding evenings, he lulled himself to sleep by thinking of his plans for the hill of Himring: high walls, thick walls, the strongest walls ever seen, strong enough to protect everyone under his care against Morgoth... Tonight, for the first time, he imagined birds' nests among the eaves of Himring and fell asleep smiling.

For all that Celegorm can understand animals, and is probably kind enough to them, I don't see him being very understanding of his brother's weakness after his torture.  I imagine it shames him to see his brother like that...and shames him to feel like that about his brother himself.  And a shamed Feanorian is an angry one!  Nicely done with the understatement of all of that here. 



Thank you very much! That is a very perceptive comment!

In my version of things, this kind of Feanorian reaction is something that characterizes Celegorm in particular and, for him,  it goes deeper than family pride and farther back than Angband. I have written a story from his POV set in Tirion, Racing Down the Mindon, which tries to show this.