The Doggerland Skull, by Huinárë

[huinare.livejournal.com]

B2MeM Challenge: ‘There is a modern-day archaeological discovery that ties in with Elves and proves they did exist (in the manner of finding King Tut or Richard III). Of course, there still a few elves still living... somewhere. They're just super-talented at not being noticed.’ - Samtyr

Format: Ficlet, drawing

Genre: Gen, epistolary, experimental

Rating: G

Warnings: Osteological geekery? Also, large embedded image.

Characters: OFC, mystery character

Pairings: n/a

Creators' Notes (optional): I am not sure that this fulfills all aspects of Samtyr’s very inspired prompt. My initial reading of the prompt focused on the evidence itself and not quite so much the possible ramifications for any of the Eldar who still linger among us.

Dear taggers - no, I do not want that character tagged. =)
Dear readers - if the image is too large to see properly on the community page, clicking on the image should take you to the full version.

Summary: Two academics discuss a recently-excavated prehistoric skeleton.

Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2015 05:28:04
From: lagank@hinteru.edu
Subject: Doggerland Skull
To: maclaa@hinteru.edu

Actually, I tried the tea and I still couldn’t sleep. Instead I continued to pore over the data, drew up some new diagrams for the layperson, and also tripped over the cat [he’s still mad at me] and am the more convinced of my rightness.

I think I should hand my diagrams out at the next faculty meeting!

Y/N?

Kassandra Laganà, PhD
Professor of Osteology and Archaeology
Department of Anthropology
Hinterlands State University

_____________________________________________________________


Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2015 10:19:32
From: maclaa@hinteru.edu
Subject: RE: Doggerland Skull
To: lagank@hinteru.edu

I’d reconsider that after sleeping on it (I trust you are currently sleeping now, and not lurking about in some café on your third mocha with a manic grin on your face).

Your data is intriguing, but you have very little support.


Sent from my iPhone

_____________________________________________________________


Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2015 10:46:53
From: lagank@hinteru.edu
Subject: Re: RE: Doggerland Skull
To: maclaa@hinteru.edu

It’s only my second mocha. Give me some credit Mac.

Maybe you’re right. But you didn’t see this thing! the conclusions are very obvious, at least to an osteologist. All right so maybe what I need to do is present the data (that’s data ARE intriguing btw) at the conference, plenty of exposure so someone is bound to see the light.

Kassandra Laganà, PhD
Professor of Osteology and Archaeology
Department of Anthropology
Hinterlands State University

_____________________________________________________________


Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2015 11:04:08
From: maclaa@hinteru.edu
Subject: RE: Re: RE: Doggerland Skull
To: lagank@hinteru.edu

Peer review. I thought you physical anthropologists were all about cruel scathing soul-rending peer review before presenting stuff.


Sent from my iPhone

_____________________________________________________________


Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2015 11:08:22
From: lagank@hinteru.edu
Subject: Re: RE: Re: RE: Doggerland Skull
To: maclaa@hinteru.edu

Yes and let’s just say it won’t pass muster because my staid and honorable peers mistake my assertions for some kind of whimsical supernaturalistic mumbo-jumbo. One anonymous reviewer said and I quote: “Laganà has been reading too many fantasy novels.”

I should just leaflet at the conference tomorrow!

Kassandra Laganà, PhD
Professor of Osteology and Archaeology
Department of Anthropology
Hinterlands State University

_____________________________________________________________


Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2015 11:12:00
From: maclaa@hinteru.edu
Subject: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Doggerland Skull
To: lagank@hinteru.edu

NO.


Sent from my iPhone

_____________________________________________________________


Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2015 11:12:47
From: lagank@hinteru.edu
Subject: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Doggerland Skull
To: maclaa@hinteru.edu

Why not

Kassandra Laganà, PhD
Professor of Osteology and Archaeology
Department of Anthropology
Hinterlands State University

_____________________________________________________________


Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2015 11:17:31
From: maclaa@hinteru.edu
Subject: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Doggerland Skull
To: lagank@hinteru.edu

Because that will make you look precisely like the sort of crackpot you don’t wish to be construed as? Then perhaps the Museum won’t let you back to see the bones again?

For pity’s sake do get some sleep before making any decisions on this.


Sent from my iPhone

_____________________________________________________________


Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2015 11:29:06
From: lagank@hinteru.edu
Subject: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Doggerland Skull
To: maclaa@hinteru.edu

You know, you’re probably right. Not sure why you took such a keen interest in this research if you’re so eager to shut me down, but I guess someone has to do it.

Kassandra Laganà, PhD
Professor of Osteology and Archaeology
Department of Anthropology
Hinterlands State University

_____________________________________________________________


Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2015 12:37:26
From: maclaa@hinteru.edu
Subject: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Doggerland Skull
To: lagank@hinteru.edu

I want to “shut you down” precisely because it’s interesting. Don’t try and do anything with it until it can be credible to others.


Sent from my iPhone

_____________________________________________________________


Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2015 13:09:48
From: lagank@hinteru.edu
Subject: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Doggerland Skull
To: maclaa@hinteru.edu
Attachment: DOGGERLAND SKULL SUTURE CLOSURE FOR DUMMIES.PNG

Thanks, Mac, I probably wouldn’t have lasted this long if my colleagues didn’t sometimes reel me back in.

But just have a look at the simplified thing I made last night. The ramifications! I’m not rabid about this for nothing!

Kassandra Laganà, PhD
Professor of Osteology and Archaeology
Department of Anthropology
Hinterlands State University



_____________________________________________________________


Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2015 19:44:13
From: maclaa@hinteru.edu
Subject: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Doggerland Skull
To: lagank@hinteru.edu

That’s really fascinating, Kass!

As you know, my understanding of the subject matter is pretty limited so it’s difficult for me to offer comments. However…and I’m not saying there could not have existed a long-lived species such as this! In fact, you make a compelling argument for it…however, if I understand the suture closure thing correctly, I would doubt that any of these proposed long-lived human beings would still be alive today. I mean, would the bone keep growing after the sutures were fully closed? Wouldn’t their skulls get too thick and heavy or possibly the bone would intrude on their brain? Maybe there is a reason this proposed being is evidently extinct.

In any case, I am as ever impressed by your extensive knowledge and innovative hypotheses. Please keep me updated.

Aiken Maclaren, PhD
Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology
Department of Anthropology
Hinterlands State University

_____________________________________________________________

Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2015 04:43:27
From: lagank@hinteru.edu
Subject: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Doggerland Skull
To: maclaa@hinteru.edu

Thanks for having a look. An animal whose skull kept ossifying to the point of endangering its brain would be selected against obviously. So yes, either it would have died out, OR: ossification does not continue after complete suture closure. I don’t see why it would [continue]! That’s not the way it works in healthy individuals of any species that I know of.

Would you believe I slept 12 hrs? Off to class soon, I’m showing Intro that video today that at least one person inevitably gets righteously offended by. Have fun at the orchestra flash mob thingy.

Kassandra Laganà, PhD
Professor of Osteology and Archaeology
Department of Anthropology
Hinterlands State University

Comments

[mybluerose1990.livejournal.com]

This is a great idea! Although I wonder since Elves mature more quickly than humans at a young age if some of the sutures would fuse early. Maybe sagittal fusion begins earlier? (*asks the physical anthropology student*) Anyway awesome story and love how it’s formatted as a bunch of email exchanges.

[huinare.livejournal.com]

Thanks for reading and commenting, glad you liked the story! =D

Ooh, could you elaborate on your comment? The Elves are the thing about Tolkien I'm least familiar with (yes, unusual); when you say Elves mature more quickly than mortals, do you mean literally more quickly than mortals, or quickly relative to the length of their own Elven childhoods?

I'd not thought about this, but my take on it would be that Elf juveniles would need at least as long as mortals for brain growth and development. A creature with heightened senses and some telepathic or other unusual abilities would probably need more time for such a very complex brain to mature, IMO.

[mybluerose1990.livejournal.com]

Sure! Tokien said that Elves mature more quickly in that a year old elf can sing and dance already which a human can’t really do until about age three. Since sagittal fusion starts at about 6 months in humans I wondered if Elves started earlier since they appear to have almost three years worth of development (for a human) in their first year of life. Epiphyseal fusion would definitely have to occur later than in a human. Most human bones are completely ossified by age twenty five, and a twenty five year old elf would only be about ten human years old. You need growth plates in order to grow!

This would only be relevant in immature individuals, as in your story, you would expect to see no sutures in someone as old as your average Elf. Although, speaking as an archaeologist who works with human remains, if I saw a skull like the one you described I would assume the individual had some disease. I've seen crania completely remodeled by disease processes that eliminate the sutures and thicken the cortical bone until it actually kills the person

[huinare.livejournal.com]

Sing and dance at a year old? Good lord, where did he say that? Oh, Tolkien. I find that hard to wrap my brain around (no pun intended). I'd expect much slower development, but there's me taking all the magic out of Tolkien with my desire for stuff to make rational sense. :D

Although, speaking as an archaeologist who works with human remains, if I saw a skull like the one you described I would assume the individual had some disease. I've seen crania completely remodeled by disease processes that eliminate the sutures and thicken the cortical bone until it actually kills the person

1. Eee! Human remains. \o/
2. Oh good, I figured that would be the assumption of most archaeologists and physical anthropologists, hence "Dr. Maclaren" pointing out to his colleague that she is treading on thin ice if she goes around aggressively promoting her conclusions about the skull.
3. However, I wasn't certain if there were real life examples of pathologies that would eliminate cranial sutures. I tried to google it, but I wasn't having luck that day and must've been using the wrong sort of search terms. I'd be curious to hear more about that. Aside from the lack of sutures, is the cortical thickening visibly evident, i.e. do the crania assume an abnormal shape?

[mybluerose1990.livejournal.com]

Tolkien writes in Morgoth's Ring:
“They grow slower than mortals though their minds are faster, learning speech before the first year. Their wills master their bodies quickly so they learn to walk, dance, etc by their first year. Elf Children at play would resemble fair happy children of men with little need for governing. Their words, and mastery of their bodies would make them seem older than they appeared in body. Might appear to be seven when actually in their 20’s, having adult size 50 and full maturity at 100.” ~ The Laws and Customs Among the Eldar

My response was similar to yours when I first read this. I also suffer from the desire for stuff to make rational sense in Tolkien’s clearly magical world lol. The skulls I saw were from people who died from paget's disease. The cortical thickening was visibly evident although the crania wasn’t misshapen per se, it was just really heavy and the plates were over a half an inch thick!

[huinare.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I think I'm the only Silm fan I know who's not read Laws and Customs (I read all the parts about Melkor and Sauron and then returned that volume to the library *niche interests*).

I'm not sure if I suffer from said desire so much as enjoy it!

Eep. Found some interesting images pertaining to Paget's.

Well, I guess my protagonist can continue to deny allegations that she's out of her gourd by pointing out that the skull in question is a normal weight.