Henneth Annûn Story Archive

Well, the holiday season fast approaches, and people in Northern climates start thinking about celebrations.

JRRT mentions Yule as a celebration observed in the Shire and in Bree. What other celebrations might have been held by the various peoples in the northern parts of Middle-earth to celebrate the longest night of the year, and the turn back towards Spring?

Are there people interested in writing vignettes (a few paragraphs to a few pages) on what celebrations might happen in Laketown, Erebor, Rivendell, among the Dúnedain, the Púkle-men, the Beornings, and so on. Would the Ents notice this turn of the seasons? The Elves? What of the Stoors who remain in the Vales of Anduin?

If you are interested in writing such a vignette by the end of January, post a reply.

Anglachel

 

Yes!! I had actually been thinking about such a challenge to celebrate that time of the year -especially for people in Middle Earth who had a very different way of celebrating those events, and mainly connected to changes in nature. It would also be a nice way for us to commemorate the passing of another year. Great idea!

 

OK, we've got one volunteer! Anybody else?

I have an entire story in the works that takes place over Yuletide in the Shire, but have a chapter that I might be able to excerpt.

Who can write about someone besides Hobbits?

Ang

 

Dern you to heck for another irresistible challenge, Ang. Now I have another story to add to my December writing schedule. At least this allows me to finally do a story in a setting I've imagined, the camp of Maedhros and Maglor at the end of the First Age.

 

Niener, niener, niener!

This sounds good - Looking forward to it. I myself *really* want to see someone take on the Púkle-men.

OK, let's see if we can get a few more volunteers and make this a *real* Challenge!

Question - do people want more than a vignette length?

Ang

 

I'd do a vignette, at least, although I couldn't promise anything longer.

I'm thinking I'd try to show the Rohirrim celebrating the Yule secretly during the year of Dulendish rule. Although there are many different possibilities. Practically everyone celebrates it...

Great, now I'm imagining Morgoth and Sauron ringing in the New Year with noisemakers and party hats.

~ Shauna

 

Hmmm... the first chapter of "Courting the Lady" is essentially this. I could see doing a vignette of the Steward's family and/or Gondor, celebrating at Yuletide (however named). But I'll play fair and do something new... maybe ooh, I know, we don't know what time of year Faramir was born, do we? I've always thought of him as a winter baby for some reason. Maybe he was born on mettarë night? >D

Oh, maybe have length open - vignettes okay but longer stories too? Give people scope for their muses...

 

OK, so we;ve got victims, erm, volunteers enough for a real Challenge! I'll go set it up.

Ang,
busily writing Yule celebration stuff....

 

PLOT BUNNY ALERT - When Bilbo and Gandalf traveled home from Erebor, they spent Yule time in the house of Beorn (last page of Ch. 18 - The Return Journey, The Hobbit). So, Yule among the Beornings, as observed by Bilbo and/or Gandalf .

Toodles - Ang

 

Damn you, Ang!

I keep getting little flashes of what might happen in Bree (Magda's started whistling Wassail songs at me), but it's something which needs time for research, as well as getting a hell of a lot of other crud^H^H^H^H stories out of the way. No fair prodding the Nuzgûl, okay? I've only got so much blood in the veins, and I'm fond of this sleep thingie...

(Anyway, Bree is more likely to have something like an old AngloSaxon Wassail-style festivity - there may be some touches of the typical "corn king" rituals celebrated, in a much-bowdlerised and time-mangled format, as well as rituals that were originally designed to propitate the earth spirits.)

Aaargh. All right, I'll write it, I'll write it. Eventually.

Meg (beating off nuzgûl frantically... I'm at *work* dammit!)
--

 

/me holds up a rather battered looking Nuzgûl.

Well, I got it. It got me too. The response is up there on the challenges list. Have a read.

This one actually worked out quite well - it gave me the ending to the third of the Magda stories (which is also up, in beta version). Some days, inspiration comes to me. In large lumps.

Meg
--

 

Actually, I've been thinking about a part of my next Heth story that would work for this. Always provided I get done with my first Heth story in time.

Isabeau
(working on the big 40)

 

OK, I'm probably going to be writing one of these too. Damn challenges!

 

[evil cackle]

I knew I could get you folks to bite! Thanks Meg!

Ang

 

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