Christmas Notes 1: Yuletide in Middle Earth

This is a guest post from a friend, Franklin "Glenn" de Guzman, a certified JRR Tolkien fanatic and his Lord of the Rings (LOTR) series and other novels. Glenn is a friend way back in UP in the 80s. He is an economist in academic and professional training, but deep inside, is a literary and poetic artist. I must admit that in many of his short novels and long poems, my comprehension of his work would be as low as 50 to 60 percent even if I re-read his works 2x or 3x. There is something about the use of very uncommon words and terms but are still found in dictionaries and possibly in wikipedia.

Glenn posted this in his facebook Notes yesterday, he tagged me. This piece is better appreciated by people who have read the LOTR, yes the 3 (thick) books series, which unfortunately disqualifies me as I have not read any of those books, but I saw the 3-parts movie.

Enjoy this folks. It's about Jesus, the evil, and the Middle Earth all rolled in a 3-in-1 masterpiece. I have a feeling though, that this is only the initial paper from Glenn. This guy is capable of producing long artistic works, so there may be a Part 2, even a Part 3, in the coming days or weeks...

Thanks Glenn, for agreeing to post this in my blog.

Cheers.
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A Christmas Retelling

Glenn de Guzman

Ere the beginning of the Fourth Age of the Shire-reckoning, following the departure of the Ring-bearers to the West, in the day that could not be forgotten, an event occurred that was greeted with awe and wonder, even beyond the realms of Arda. It began with the fashioning of a new star by Varda, one of the mightiest of the Valar (angels). The star’s appearance coincided with an event unheard of since the awakening of the elves during the time when Orome, another Valar, first found the elves wandering under the starlight in the eastern part of the Middle Earth.

And this newly-formed star started to seek its course in the heavens until it overshadowed all the stars, as though it was a huge globe of the Arkenstone with a thousand faces, sparkling like silver in the firelight during a black-smudged night. Below of which, the last batch of the elves at Grey Havens, the harbor nestled at the mouth of the Gulf of Lhûn, was about to board the ship that would take them out of the Middle Earth forever.

Suddenly, a Valar appeared to the elves, and the glory of Iluvatar (God) shone around them, and they were terrified.

Aiya! Ilyanna, (Hail! To all,) Ar nai Eruanna nauva aselye! (May the grace of God be with you!)

Cirdan the Shipwright, keeper of the Grey Havens, who was leading the elves upon the quay, recognized the face of the angel. He replied:

Aiya Manwe Elenior Au calima! (Hail Manwe, brightest of angels!) Elen sila lủmenń omentielvo. (A star shines on the hour of our meeting.)

Manwe said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the creatures of Middle Earth. Hear now things that have not been heard among elves, men, and dwarfs, and the High Elves speak seldom of these things; yet did Iluvatar, Lord of lords and King of kings whispered these to the Valars before in the deeps of time. Today in the Shire, a Savior will be born. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. The Valar -Aulë also summoned the dwarves of Erebor to the Shire. And at this moment, a host of men has issued forth from Minas Tirith led by the High King Eldarion, heir of Isildur and of Aragorn Ellesar, to pay homage to the child.”

The elves became exceedingly glad; for they realized that they would be accepted back in Valinor. They left the Light but now they are not shut out from it. The curse of the elves, at last, that started with the kinslaying during the sacking of the haven of Alqualondë by the followers of Fëanor, would be blotted out and remember no more.

And so it came to pass by that at the upper Vales of Anduin, a woman was riding a donkey being held out by a man, she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. Suddenly, there appeared another wonder above; and behold Ancalagon the Black, mightiest of the winged dragons, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the Void: and the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered, to devour her child as soon as it was born.