Season 2 Episode 6: Elvenhome

Thank you, Richol, for your notes! I wanted to put this into outline format before tomorrow's session.
Protagonist: Míriel or Finwë?

Teaser: The grounding of Tol Eressëa; Ossë convinces the Teleri to request a stop for the island. It will be referred to later as the "Lonely Isle" in conversation. Reminder that the elves are still looking for Elwë

Act I
1) Míriel is pregnant; she has a mystical awareness that tells her she is with child. We see a scene (from a distance) of her sharing this news with her husband Finwë. He is happy and excited.

2) Míriel visits with her friend Indis, shares the news of her pregnancy, and expresses sadness that Indis no long lives in Tirion.

3) Míriel has a vision of her child (happy!), and then Míriel wakes up from a faint. She explains to a worried Finwë that she saw their son in a vision; she reassures him that she's fine, really.

Act II
4) The Teleri want to reach Valinor and learn how to build ships with Ossë's assistance. Ossë is sad to see them go (Lonely Isle).

5) Complications of Míriel's pregnancy. She is having fainting spells, wasting away. Midwives are concerned. Estë and/or Lorien get involved - she is putting too much of herself into the child.

6) Conversation between Finwë and Míriel. We see that Míriel has longed to have a child for a long time. This has been a dream deferred for her. Finwë expresses his desire for a house full of children, but his current worries are eclipsing that. She speaks more about her visions, about how wonderful their son will be. And if she can just make it to the birth....

7) Fëanor's birth (interspersed with more disturbing visions). Estë is the attending physician. Someone remarks the amount of pain she’s in is unusual. It is a lengthy drawn out labour and people are worried for Míriel's survival. Healthy baby is born! Mom is okay.

Act III
8) Confrontation in Nan Elmoth. Wolves show up and attack search party, disperse when Melian and Elwë emerge, Melian helps one of the injured. Thingol and Melian become king and queen of the Sindar.

9) Indis comes to visit her friend Míriel and young toddler Fëanor. Míriel is still exhausted and laying down too weak to move very much. The visit starts out fairly positive, with Indis telling Míriel about the lives of the Vanyar in Valmar (including her mother Iminyë who returned from the dead last episode) and talking about what a cute and clever kid Fëanor is. Míriel shares some of her concerns about Fëanor's future with Indis (vague stuff about his fire burning too brightly). But Míriel is weakening, says she's tired and would like to go to Lórien, Finwë readily complies.

10) Final Angband scene (Draugluin walks in to report, Sauron in the middle of creating an orc, etc)

11) Finwë and Míriel say goodbye in Lorien. Young Fëanor is there. Death scene ("Do not hold me accountable", etc)

Act IV

12) The Teleri finally arrive in Valinor and build Alqualondë. Finwë learns that Elwë isn't coming.

13) Finwë and young Fëanor visit Lorien and find Míriel dead. Fëanor tries to wake her up. Finwë's grief - how could this happen? Railing against the Valar.

14) Finwë tries to handle the grief and grasp for hope that Míriel will return soon. BUT, word comes from Mandos that Míriel doesn't want to be re-embodied.

15) Final visit of Finwë and young Fëanor to the 'graveside' of Míriel in Lorien.



Please feel free to add details or let me know if anything is out of order or wrong.
 
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I really like it, but one thing bothers me: wouldn't the so-soon reincarnation of Iminye take a bit the tragedy of Miriels passing away?
 
Míriel will never be re-embodied, and sends word to that effect from Mandos at the end of this episode.
 
You've kinda hit the nail on the head of what we're doing there, Haerangil.

We're deliberately giving an example of elvish re-embodiment so that we can show that things are different with Miriel.
 
I was a bit slow to really understand that issue. It's still troubling me because Tolkien Gateway cites Morgoth#s Ring with
After the death of Finwë, Míriel was granted permission to return to life, where she entered the service of Vairë, her task to record all the deeds of the House of Finwë.[4]

Of course an adaption could change that. But it's still quite a major change from the Sources.
 
No, it's not a change, it's the same story.

In 'Morgoth's Ring', we get the Statute of Finwë and Míriel, in which Míriel promises never to be re-embodied. This is the condition that is necessary for the Valar to grant permission to Finwë and Indis to marry. As long as Míriel promises to stay in Mandos, Finwë won't have 2 living wives, so everything is kosher.

Then, Finwë is killed. He is reunited with Míriel in the Halls of Mandos, and learns that despite her initial feeling that she'd never want to return to life again, she is beginning to miss her body. Then, he petitions the Valar, saying that *he'll* promise to stay disembodied in the Halls of Mandos forever, so that she can be re-embodied. (It's okay to have Míriel and Indis both alive if they're widows.) In that scenario, she becomes the handmaiden of Vairë (so does not leave Mandos).

Obviously, all of that happens after the Darkening of Valinor. In Season 2, the dead spirit of Míriel is (canonically) insisting that she never wants to be re-embodied, and promising that so that Finwë will have a chance to remarry. That is what we have done.
 
It also occurs to me that some of the 'baby preparation' Míriel goes through has to include her awesome embroidery. So whether she's making a wardrobe for her baby or tapestries to decorate the nursery, she has to do some needlework.

(Her name is Míriel Serindë, and that second name means 'broidress')
 
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