zhie | Jalynne posed some nifty questions this morning...

...so i answered them, and then posted them back here...

And now... answers from the Zhie... who has and does think of such ponderances, and indeed, fits things into fics as she can...

If Elrond would have kept shards of Narsil and keep an entire storage of historical artifacts, haven't anyone try to find the old site of Gondolin?

Gondolin is, unfortunately, underwater with the vast majority of Beleriand. Scuba elves are hard to come by. Luckily, it's one of those things I just left alone and don't worry about too much.

How would they have preserved their memory, immortal though they are?

How would fashion change over the centuries?

Well, let's see... my version of the elves starts them all nekkid at Cuivienen, then when they get to Valinor, their clothing is very simple. On the Elfling Chronicle stories set in Valinor, you can even see, it's very, very plain (I'm so glad those illustrating for my humor me, lol). One of the early, early Erestor ones has him in just a long tunic, no leggings. It seems to make sense to me that they wouldn't have developed much in the way of fashion - and at that point, what need was there? As the first age approaches, things get a bit fancier.

Once we hit the first age, all kinds of neat new stuff starts being incorporated. Things are very rich, even if you aren't. Big time to explore all sorts of fabrics they learn to make and techniques - think Reinesance (sp!).

During the second age, I see things tapering off a bit. Goods weren't as easy to come by, there were more important things to be done. Back to more simple type things. The third age, I see some of the styles of the first age coming back, but with a bit more refinement.. something a little more Victorian

Fourth age Valinor... meh. The elves I play with got mixed up with hobbits by then, so some of them are even wearing sweaters. *shrugs* Hey, it could happen...

Surely there are some insane elves who would attempt in recovering the two Silmarils?

I imagine that there is only really one that is at all possible to obtain at this point - that being, one was burned and the other set beyond reach in the heavens. The third, the one in the sea, I actually have Glorfindel find - and completely on accident, as he never would have seen one. He happens to be walking along the shore in Mithlond, sees something shiny, and decides to give it to Erestor as a wedding present after having it set as a pendant on a chain. By now, it isn't the multi-faceted jewel it was, but a smoothed stone, and though dull, their is still light within it. Erestor, knowing what it really is, decides perhaps it best he does have it, doesn't tell Glorfindel what it is, and keeps it in his posession for fear if it were to get out anywhere there just might be another kinslaying. (Fic: By Your Side)

Are Glorfindel's bones, if he is in fact canonically returned to Imladris, still lying underneathe a pile of stones?

How much of Glorfindel was left after he fought the balrog? In my mind, it was not a pretty sight. I tend to think there was little left, and what was would have decomposed quite quickly when you consider the stress his body would have been under, falling off of cliff to the bottom and fighting a fire demon. So by the time he makes it back, I would say, likely not. (and if there was anything left, it would be under the sea anyhow...)

However, in my AU stuff... eh, *spoiler* I have it that Glorfindel isn't reborn like all the rest of the dead elves; he just suddenly wakes up in Valinor on the beach. Still, he is reborn.. but not to his (idiot) parents; instead, to two of the vala... and that just gets into a whole other level of fana and fea and hroa...

In fact what happens to elven bodies? Are they spiritually or physically immortal?

The body is just the vessel in which they live.. if they die, the spirit is the immortal part. If they are reborn, it's new matter that makes up a new vessel that looks and feels exactly like the old one. Which is why, in 'Recovery' I have Erestor say to Haldir that Glorfindel of Gondolin is not Glorfindel of Imladris, not entirely.

I love these kinds of question...