Possible opening choices for new story

[wiseheart]

I wrote two different versions for the Éowyn AU plotbunny hicced on me by my good friend Borys. We have both taken a definite liking to one of them, but I'd be interested what others thin.

The winter in the year 2979 if the Third Age finally broke. Sol-monath, the mud-month(1) had passed. Thaw had begun and soon the ground could first be broken for the spring planting. Hredh-monath – or Rethe(2), as it was also called – had begun.

This was the time when the eves first began getting birth to their lambs and ewe milk was available again.

This was the time when the foals were born(3) and when the bonding rites between Riders and horses were performed.

This was the time when ploughs were decorated and taken from village to village, from farmstead to farmstead, as the beginning of a long chain of tilling rites.

This was the time of the high tide of Ewemeolc, when the girls turning sixteen were accepted as women, with all the rites and duties that came with that status, allowing them to marry and run their own household; or go after a trade of their own if that was their desire.

This was also the time when the King accepted the service of the shieldmaidens; young women with excellent warrior training who devoted their lives to the sword. They were rare and highly regarded; the only women allowed to ride into battle openly.

Unless they were of royal blood, of course. Daughters of Eorl’s House might receive full warrior training – indeed, it was expected that they would be able to fend for themselves if needs must be – might even be accepted as shieldmaidens. But they would never be allowed to actually go to war.

They were too valuable for that, their bloodline too important. They were needed to forge alliances by marriage when nothing else would do. Which probably explained why Éowyn Éomundsdaughter was the only girl of royal blood who ever achieved the feat of becoming a shieldmaiden.

She won the privilege through diligent learning and hard training. And today, on the fifteenth of Rethe, on the high tide of Ewemeolc, she would finally be accepted by her foster father, the King of the Mark.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
(1) February
(2) March
(3) I simply decided that in Rohan, foals would generally be born in March. Just because. *g*


and

Edoras, in the year 1979, Third Age

The first day of Thrimilce(1) came with flowering green meadows, horsed dancing on the bright glass and golden sunshine that sparkled brilliantly from the gilded roof of Meduseld, the great hall of the Kings, as it sat on its lonely foothill, which stood out of the White Mountains like a sentinel.

The bonfires blazing all night had burned out by now, the white flowers and powerful herbs had been gathered, and right upon sunrise, a procession was climbing the steps leading to the Golden Hall, to decorate the image of the World Tree standing before the gate of the hof(2) with wreaths and flowers.

Later, there would be mock fights with the maiden warriors who would confront the procession on behalf of Hredh – or Rheda, as she was also called – the valkyrie impersonating the winter. Of course, they would lose the battle and the procession would proceed. The dance around the World Tree would then take place with not a little bit of courtship in the air, as this tide, like Ewemeolc, was to encourage fertility, in the hope that their rites would produce similar results in the crops and the beasts, before all else the horses.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
(1) May; also called Thrimidge in the Shire and in Bree.
(2) A sacred place, separated for ritual purposes

************************
After this, it will go over to the bit from the first document about the royal girls not being allowed to ride to war.


So, opinions?

Comments

[sammydragoncat]

They are both great, but I think I like the first version better.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Both will be used in some form, eventually, although they are two possible openings. I'm tending towards v1 myself.

[saki101.livejournal.com]

I'm partial to the second version. It flows beautifully and the images are lovely. The first, however, imparts even more information.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Which is the important factor for the opening, I'm afraid. But I'll keep the second version for a later chapter.

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

March feels a bit early for foaling in my opinion, especially if they're lambing at the same time (March is a good month for lambing in England unless you want to get vet students to do the work, then you might want to base the timing on when the Easter holidays fall rather than over the same calandar weeks every year).

April/May works better for foaling because Mares are predictably coming into season by May/June whereas they might not be in April (for March foaling). I can check with my Icelandic Horse contacts if you want something based on more northerly parts of Europe.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

That would be very kind, thank you. Even though Middle-earth is an imaginary place, I like to keep my details as correct as possible.

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

I'll let you know when I get an answer.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

I like the second version best.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

It's prettier, isn't it? :)

[lhun-dweller.livejournal.com]

I like the first one better, but I'm an ethnographer, so of course I'm interested in the why's and wherefore's of the culture, so perhaps I'm a wee bit biased? [grin]