Pariahs by LadyBrooke

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Fanwork Notes

Inspired by the general idea of taboo, but specifically etiquette, religious taboo, consquences, stigma, ostracization, ethnocentrism & prejudice, and culture shock. Yes, that's a long list, but I think they all fit together in the sense of two entire cultures colliding in a small space where one side really didn't even get a choice to come.

Fanwork Information

Summary:

The Sindar will not conform, in names, trust, or Kings.

Elu, Nimloth, and Oropher are reborn rulers in a society that sees them as primatives. 

Major Characters: Elu Thingol, Nimloth, Oropher

Major Relationships:

Artwork Type: No artwork type listed

Genre: General

Challenges: Taboo

Rating: General

Warnings:

Chapters: 1 Word Count: 384
Posted on 9 February 2017 Updated on 9 February 2017

This fanwork is complete.

Chapter 1

Read Chapter 1

The Sindar reborn in Valinor know they are considered on par with Fëanor and his lot to most of the Vanyar and Noldor.

Olwë hold his tongue and does not speak for or against his brother and his people publicly, and the Noldor consider it a sign that he understands that the bonds of family must be forsaken sometimes. The Vanyar see it and mourn for what they see as another sign of how ill-tempered, disobedient rulers can lead their people to dangerous paths.

Elu receives the letter from his brother that begins with Elu Thingol, and he forgives his brother for taking the name Olwë to belong here.

Nimloth refuses to bow and take a seat lower than the rest of Elu’s advisors. She may be a woman, but unlike the Noldor, the line of Kings of the Sindar passed through Elu’s daughter and it was not merely because she was the only one. Nimloth may have married into the direct line, but she is born of the line of Elmo and she will not be consigned lower than her male relatives just because of that.

Nor will she smile and thank the Valar when they say that it is right and good that she is separated from her sons and her husband, because this is how it was intended to be. Something can be fate and not be good, in her view, and she has seen fallen Maia and Vala. Manwé is no closer to perfection than Morgoth was and his words will not be unquestioned among the Sindar.

Oropher is reborn later. He acknowledges Elu first as King, bypassing the others sitting in higher seats on the dais. Elu is his King, above Ingwë, above Finarfin, above Olwë. He will not bow to a King that expects him to conform to their standards of behavior.

Nor will he bow to one that lectures him on how his death was his fault. He may not have trusted Gil-galad (and he still doesn’t), but it was the Noldor themselves that broke trust first. The betrayal of one group of Noldor in not telling of the kinslaying is no less than the one in the kinslaying itself.

The Sindar are pariahs now.

The pain of that is less than the pain of betraying themselves.

Comments

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This is very entertaining. I can imagine all of these attitudes and it fits within the world very well. Thanks for sharing. Poking to see if there are any further plot bunnies hiding in that bunny hutch. Seems there could be world of stories within this view of the world. I kind of love the idea myself that the Valar are not seen to be as infallible by the Sinar of M-e as they are by the Vanyar of Aman and the better-behaved of the reformed or non-leavers among the Noldor.

Oropher is a special case and I get a kick here out of his reclacitrance even when faced the outcome of his choices!

Nice work!

Thank you! :D

There are definitely more plot bunnies for me about the Sindar and how they (don't) fit in with the prevailing Noldor culture, whether exile or in Valinor. I think I already have a good dozen stories based on that idea, actually...I should probably post them over here at some point. I just always feel awkward shoving the Sindarin politics of not belonging into a list of stories that's primarily based on the Noldor.

The idea of the Valar not being seen as as infallible among the Sindar as the Noldor has always been a put theory of mine - I mean, the Sindar had their king marry a Maia, and I'm assuming she didn't sit in a lofty throne at the top of a tree removed from all the people for that many years. And as far as I can tell, Thingol had the final say, not Melian. So they wouldn't have been used to the final say being with the Valar or Maia, whereas in Valinor, Manwë seems to have had the power to come in and go "Hey, Finwë, we're exiling your son for years, this is out of your hands". My Sindar are very much "Hey, you abandoned us. To Morgoth. My grandfather got turned into a orc by him, while you say here and chatted with Ingwë. **** off, you're not as infalliable as you think you are."

Oropher would tell Elu off if he thought he was being an idiot, he's not going to let any Noldo tell him what to do. :P He's very reclacitrant around anybody who he didn't basically grow up being disciplined by (""**** OFF FINARFIN, you didn't change my diapers and you're not telling me what to do. Only Elu gets to do that, and my parents"). I'm glad you got a kick out of him.

That's very true, Brooke, one can't really see the Sindar being very comfortable with established  Amanyarin society--or at least some of them, and Oropher in particular.

Maybe, if those are right who think that Aman is a lot bigger than it looks, they wouldn't actually have to live close to Tirion, though.

Of course, the Valar are another matter--no getting away from them in Aman, obviously!

I think the majority of the Sindar would not be happy with the established society - Oropher is definitely one of the most vocal about it (but he's one of the most vocal about everything :P). I actually think Nimloth might struggle more than him, at least in this universe. She's lost her husband, her sons, and everybody is expecting her to act like her daughter does. And that's not my Nimloth, who will never, ever accept that there is any good that came of her sons' deaths or that it's how things should be.

They don't have to live that close, in my mind, but the Noldor and Vanyar won't leave them alone - constantly wanting to come and convince them of things.

The Valar have exactly zero respect for boundaries. At this rate, Oropher will end up teaming with Fingon to launch a "Free Fëanor to slam a door in Manwë's face like he did Morgoth's" campaign.

 

Sorry for the very late reply! I must have dreamed that I responded to this...anyways, I'm glad that you adored it! I think they'd not be as big of pariahs in Alqualonde, but that for the sake of the Teleri's standing, it'd be an almost underground thing - because both sides would, I think, resent the Noldor and Vanyar to a degree and be willing to sneak things to have something over them, if that makes sense.