In Memoriam by Narya

[narya_flame]

B2MeM Prompt and Category: March 5, "The Lost" by Rosemary Dobson
Format: Photography/essay
Genre: N/A
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Characters: None
Pairings: N/A
Summary: A picture and some thoughts to go with it.



I am possibly pushing things to call this a fanwork.  I certainly don't pretend to be a brilliant photographer.

A little background: I live in Clitheroe, Lancashire.  The town is built around a tiny old Norman keep on top of a motte, and the castle grounds have been converted into a park for the town residents, with the war memorial at the centre.  From the top of the motte there are excellent views of the surrounding countryside, including Pendle Hill, which you can see in the background covered in snow-melt.  It's an isolated hill, stuck on its own between the Pennines and the Bowland Fells, and was associated with the supernatural long before the 17th century witch trials made it famous.

Normally I'd be at work on a Monday, but for whatever reason today I decided to work at home - just as well, as my Mum called me this morning to let me know my great-uncle had passed away.  I shuffled a few things around so I could have some breathing space, and my husband and I went for a walk.  There were a few things swirling around in my head.  The usual post-bad-news questions about death and mortality were there, as well as a mental numbness from the dull grey weather, relief that the worst of the snow has gone, and some stray Tolkien fic ideas tied up with the B2MeM prompts.

Tolkien actually spent a fair bit of time in this part of the world.  Chunks of The Lord of the Rings were allegedly written in a classroom at Stonyhurst College, a nearby boarding school; his son Michael later taught there in the 1960s.  There is a 9km circular walk starting in the village of Hurst Green known as The Tolkien Trail, and some of the place names and landmarks on the route do echo the text - Shire Lane and Barley Mow, for example, and Jumbles Farm on the banks of the Ribble could easily belong to old Farmer Maggot.  There's even a plausible Brandywine Bridge.

How much of it was a direct lift on Tolkien's part is debatable.  I think it's more likely that the Ribble Valley is a beautiful, well-preserved example of the traditional England that Tolkien loved so much and was looking to evoke.  I'd be reluctant to claim that it provided specific, direct inspiration in and of itself.  I also don't buy the favourite local boast, which is that Pendle Hill inspired the Lonely Mountain, given that The Hobbit predates Tolkien's association with the area, and that Pendle is a flat-topped rolling hill, not a mountain - but anything is possible.  With his interest in fairytale and folklore, he may have spent more time studying Pendle than I know.

Still, standing behind the statue with my Tolkien-inspired thoughts suddenly and sharply reminded me of something that I've believed since I started studying the texts properly in my late teens - namely, that Tolkien was a war poet just as much as Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon and the rest of them.  His work just took a different form.  That's a whole essay by itself and I won't start going into it here, but the cold and the memorial and the melting snow and my own sad news rushed together with my Tolkien musings, and suddenly the photograph seemed like the perfect response to today's prompt.  I hope it counts. 

Comments

[narya_flame]

Eek - mods, something has happened to my line breaks? I tried going back and adding them manually but it doesn't seem to have done anything. What did I do wrong?

[zdenka]

Thank you for sharing that beautiful and moving essay. I'm sorry for your loss.

Concerning the line breaks, I'm not sure, but sometimes Dreamwidth can get confused if you switch between HTML and Rich Text mode, even if you didn't do anything wrong. If you're in HTML mode, you can try adding <br /> at the end of a line where you want a break. Let me know if it works!

[narya_flame]

It did work - thank you for your help, and for your kind thoughts.

[kayleearafinwiel]

*offers hugs, kind thoughts, prayers and whatever Narya would most appreciate* I'm sorry for your loss.

Your writing, and the picture, are beautiful.

[narya_flame]

Thank you, Kaylee, that's really kind of you. I'm glad you liked the picture.

[kayleearafinwiel]

I liked it very much, as did Donut *cuddles my seagull muse close* and Donut offers fish to comfort you, if you would like that. (He understands not everyone likes fish, although why not everyone does still eludes him)

[narya_flame]

Your muse is a seagull? That's amazing! And perfect for this year's B2MeM theme, too. Tell him thanks for the fish :)

[kayleearafinwiel]

Yep - I'd include a picture if I knew how, but he's a plush Finding Nemo seagull :)

He says you're welcome! Well, actually, he says "MINE!" but that's what he meant.

[shirebound]

Thank you for sharing this with us. It's a beautiful post. I'm very sorry to hear about your great-uncle.

[narya_flame]

Thanks, Shirebound. It's been a weird sort of day, but writing is getting me through it.

[elleth]

My condolences on your loss, but the essay and photograph make a beautiful tribute.

[narya_flame]

Thank you Elleth, I really appreciate it.

[spiced_wine]

I think that’s beautiful Narya, and I am so sorry for your loss. Treat yourself kindly {{{Hugs}}}

[narya_flame]

Thank you, Spiced *hugs back* it's been a strange day.

[hhimring]

I'm sorry for your loss!
It was Edward Thomas's anniversary, recently, born 3 March 1878, died 9 April 1917. I happened to hear a poem of his on the radio that day and was also reminded of the connection with the War and with Tolkien.

Thaw, by Edward Thomas

Over the land freckled with snow half-thawed
The speculating rooks at their nests cawed
And saw from elm-tops, delicate as flowers of grass,
What we below could not see, Winter pass.

[narya_flame]

Thank you, Himring - and thank you for sharing that poem, it's beautiful. I don't know Edward Thomas's work well, I shall have to see if my local bookshop has a copy.

[ex_mithrial116]

So sorry to hear of your loss. And the cold weather must have brought on a deep feeling about life death and mortality in general. (hugs)

You do live in a beautiful part of England. I have been to Pendle Hill a few times, passing through Clithero and the Bowland Fells, as my daughter and son-in-law live in Lancaster. Much magic and mystical lore to be read, and so much stunning wild nature.

A wonderful setting for the war memorial - looking out over the town to the fells beyond. Thank you so much for sharing.

[narya_flame]

Thanks, Mithrial. Yes, it was one of "those" days!

It is a beautiful part of the world; we love living here. And it tends to get overlooked - with the Yorkshire Dales on one side and the Lakes to the north, Lancashire seems to get forgotten about.

[ex_mithrial116]

Yes it does. But then that keeps it from being crowded.
I was born a Lancashire girl in Formby, so quite pleased Lucie is living in Lancaster. Gives me the excuse to visit more.

[narya_flame]

That's true, we avoid the worst of the crowds :) and family nearby is a great excuse to visit!

[lynndyre]

Condolences, and I know that kind of walk, that kind of mood. And the view is beautiful.

[narya_flame]

Thank you, Lynndyre.

[keiliss]

This was such an evocative post, I really loved reading it. A beautiful part of the world, and you're right, Tolkien in his way was one of the war poets. I do like that perspective.

Also, my condolences on your loss.

[narya_flame]

Thanks, Keiliss. I'm glad you enjoyed reading it.

[independence1776]

My condolences. The essay and photo make a lot of sense to me as a response to the prompt and your loss. *hugs*

[narya_flame]

Thank you *hugs back*