“People think dreams aren't real just because they aren't made of matter,
of particles. Dreams are real. But they are made of viewpoints, of images,of memories and puns and lost hopes.”
~ Neil Gaiman
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
Thursday, 11 May 2017
Thursday, 27 April 2017
Awake in Purple Dreams - ***Cover Reveal*** - Book Two
A different kind of fairy tale for adults.
Awake in Purple Dreams is a story about love overcoming all obstacles. Elements of fantasy weave with reality in this epic romance derived from ancient folklore. An enchanted but a brutal tale of a soul trying to find its way back home.
Blurb ~
Having thought that she had finally escaped the past, Bea finds herself hunted down by an unknown enemy who violently rips her life apart. The harsh changes that follow catapult her on a journey which not only brings personal transformation but one that marks a new era for two worlds.
Secrets long hidden are finally revealed and a war like no other is on the horizon.
Karma never forgets and until the cycle of a soul is complete, the past will never fade away.
The final book cover was a collaboration with Rebecca covers HERE
Below, my early design using free commons images.
I couldn't get the title to stand out but loved the different colour tone in the font. In the end, I thought it best to stick as closely to book one as possible and so decided to keep the text white. I also needed help with placing stars in the background and with book formatting for print. Rebeca was wonderful and so here we are ~ a completed cover design.
Early Designs
Front and Back
Placing the early design next to Book One for comparison ~
Did they compliment each other enough to be visually recognised as the same in a series?
Yup! I think so. 😁
The silhouette of the couple sets the theme of romance and their souls. The purple flowers reminiscent of 'A Carpet of Purple Flowers', a place which echoes in both books. The stars and cosmos giving a subtle message of the story being Otherworldly.
Want to find out more about book two?
Click HERE
Will be available to Pre-order on Amazon in late summer 2017.
Love and light,
Trace
xoxo
Tuesday, 7 February 2017
The Paper Unicorn ~ New Novel Inspiration
Elian and Felicity
Elian Trevelyan ~ Felicity Campbell
💕
Work in progress
The Paper Unicorn ~ Fantasy Novel
Inspiration Journal
Quick scribbles of creative flow
Arty pages
Two characters come to life when Clara, a young woman from London, inherits an old manor house left to her by a stranger.
On moving in, her own life becomes entwined with that of a beautiful love story previously lost within the manor's stone walls.
Clara questions the intentions of the mysterious benefactor. Did the person know of the lovers? But more importantly, why was everything left to her? What is the connection between them?
The story presented itself when I was creating a visual reference journal for a dolls house. The magic happens like that. Visuals and songs play through my mind and the new characters come alive. This story is quite different to 'A Carpet of Purple Flowers' but spiritual connections are still there. ;o)
A romance that travels through time ~ the painting of characters
Music to tease the senses
Love and light,
Trace
xoxo
Monday, 31 October 2016
A Carpet of Purple Flowers ~ Book Reviews by Fellow Authors
Mark Mayes ~ Author (THE GIFT MAKER)
This is a most entrancing and captivating story. Bea, as the central character, weathers every emotional storm you can imagine, and as we get to know her, we feel for her plight, and one is torn on her behalf as she herself is torn, between two men, two identities, two realms of reality.
Bea is living a fairly ordinary life, running a small, somewhat esoteric, bookshop in London, left to her by her much-missed uncle. Into her somewhat muted existence burst beings from another realm, and why they are so interested in her gradually becomes apparent.
Tracey-anne McCartney introduces us to a richly-detailed and dramatic cosmology drawn from Irish folktales, mythology, and magic, and it is by virtue of this age-old relationship between the world of the Sidhe and that of humans that we find ourselves drawn in most strongly. It is the skilful, often humorous, blend of supernatural and spiritual elements with that of ordinary life; the hopes and disappointments of the ordinary person, as experienced by Bea, which makes this novel so charming, and makes us experience Bea’s emotional maelstrom as our own. We want the best for her, even if deciding what that may be seems near impossible.
The final scene in Coldfall Woods is magnificently achieved, and the writing overall has the right balance of lyricism and restraint and is peppered with moments of levity when appropriate. The narration allows one not only to viscerally experience the events described but also to be privy to the internal life of the principal characters, sensing their doubts, their confusion, their pain and joy – Bea's in particular.
The finale does not give up all the secrets hinted at during the novel. Who exactly is Jonathan? What does Bea’s future hold? And other questions, which I will not pose here for fear of spoiling the many surprises and revelations this artfully-plotted novel offers us en route.
A Carpet of Purple Flowers is an original, entertaining, and sophisticated blend of romance, the paranormal, and the spiritual.
James Silvester ~ Author (Escape to Perdition)
This is the kind of book that makes you glad to have stepped out of your comfort zone for a moment. Although aspects of magical folklore and the like have always intrigued me, I've never been that keen on reading about them in fiction, perhaps because I think it is a genre that is often lazily presented, to its own detriment. Not so with this book, however, which I thoroughly enjoyed on very many levels. The folklore isn't just thrown in there, it is researched and well considered, as well as being presented in a believable manner. So too is the main character, suddenly thrown into this new, ethereal world. While saying that there is something for everyone in this book, I don't mean it at all flippantly - the elements of fantasy, love, magic, sex, humour and raw emotion are all expertly intertwined by a very talented writer who really sieze her opportunity to make this genre her own. I look forward to more.
Shirley Golden ~ Author (Skyjacked)
'A Carpet of Purple Flowers' is a wonderfully rich and sumptuous debut novel by Tracey-anne McCartney. It is an elaborate folklore fantasy, which pulled me in right from the start. The central story involves a complicated love triangle between Bea, Chance, Alithia and Karian (yep, there are four in this triangle). I cared about all of the characters and enjoyed the world McCartney created. There is an especially salient moment where an illusion is shattered, leaving a deliciously gothic image. The ending left me wanting more, and I hope there will be more to come. Recommended.
Christina Philippou ~ Author (Lost in Static)
Epic fantasy, coming-of-age, romantic drama and mythology: this book is a finely woven carpet of great fiction.
Bea, owner of a little bookshop, is drawn into the war between two paranormal factions. Kari, a royal on one side, thinks Bea's harbouring the soul of his long-lost love, Alithea, and sets out to re-win her heart. Chance, a warrior for the other, thinks he's protecting Bea, but endangers her through his own actions. As Bea gets pulled in different directions, and starts to uncover histories and recover memories, she realises she alone holds the key to this war...
From the blurb, I expected a kind of 'Twilight for adults'. What I got was intricately-imagined fantasy, suspenseful action, two beautifully interwoven love stories (not the kind of paranormal love triangle I was anticipating), and a lot of well-crafted drama. Brilliant - I want more!
*I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Cate Hogan ~ Author & Editor ~ http://catehogan.com
As a romance editor / addict / obsessive, I often feel that even the best new novels are re-hashes of books I've read before. Which is why I was so pleased to discover this little gem - a truly unique premise that merges the spiritual with the paranormal in a very interesting way. The characters are gorgeous, and the love triangle is full of twists and surprises. I highly recommend.
Teresa Ruiz ~ Author (Freefall Into Us)
Not normally my genre, but was sucked in from the get-go, the author gifted at pulling you in. Could have been the instant love of the character, Bea, a book shop owner in London and the heroine in this story. Which may I say was very well written, not overly wordy (can't stand to much description) but still a whopping 400 pages. Honestly, the story was so engaging and hard to put down, It didn't matter. All the characters I liked, even Brandon whom at times I felt sorry for. Well done Tracey-anne, on a beautiful journey and debut book!
Love and light,
Trace
xoxo
Thursday, 20 October 2016
Awake in Purple Dreams - Book Two (A Carpet of Purple Flowers) - Prologue excerpts from the first draft
Storybook Inspirational Visual designed using Polyvore Digital Collage
Prologue ~ Book two introductory section
(First Draft)
Karian stood allowing the bitter wind to bite into his skin. His eyes watered from the chilling harshness wailing against his body, now turned partially numb. The vacant space in which he stood, barren and cold, had remained uninhabitable since the ancients returned from Earth. It was known as Nede then, the garden of splendour, where their world's pole joined to Earth’s Eden via a portal known as the axis mundi, the navel of both realms. Within the ice-capped mountains the stone circle that he used to hear stories about when growing up still existed, but its power long gone. The Sindria elementals had closed the portal path of Nede to earth. Once a land of beauty until destroyed by violent storms, caused by the sudden Sindria withdrawal which had a devastating ripple effect on earth. Floods removed much of the evidence of the otherworldly beings ever having lived amongst humans. It was as if they never were and that same sentiment stirred within Karian’s soul. It’s what brought him here, a feeling of something that never was. Standing at the edge of time, a place between worlds, attached only by memory. Everything white, desolate, and hundreds of feet below, a snowy blanket stretched out for miles. One step and his torment would end. He felt a strange comfort in the thought, but he didn’t come here to die. He came to cold-burn her soul from his own and would continue to stand until the frost fully penetrated the warm flesh covering his heart. He waited, begging for the pain to bleed into ice where he could crack it open and remove the pieces of her that remained - a sting he welcomed to be rid of her once and for all.
Nede
*** Below, Spoiler Alert - Book One***
As he walked through the wide corridors of the Seelie Court to the Queens Hall, heads politely turned in a desperate attempt to avoid any further intake of a place they hated. Humans wouldn’t notice the odour, but the Sidhe only knew the sweet smell of home and earth carried the pungent aroma of their shameful past. Chance did not miss the hierarchy snobbery of Court life and didn’t want to stay longer than needed. Beithir normally took care of such matters, but due to his own communications with the queen while on earth, she requested an update on his mission’s outcome, personally. Their conversations on earth had been easy, brief, with no eye contact involved. The energy links were made mentally, and with only a few spots on earth that had enough energy to tap into for such conversations, he was thankful. It had been an excuse he often used to avoid further talk of Bea and the queen’s Alithia, but today there was no such escape. He wondered whether she would see failing in his eyes. Pushing the thought from his mind, Chance nodded at the two guards outside the throne room and waited for his arrival to be announced.
“Will you inform the queen of all your endeavours?” Saras's quipped. “Including your own conduct at the glade?” Chance didn't mean to snap, losing his reserved calm, but he wasn’t in the mood for snide threats and had not forgotten the Heaven Stone warriors that fell under Saras’s blade at Coldfall Woods.
“We’re at war. " Saras shrugged, manoeuvring past a guard, now closer to Chance. "Lord Karian is an enemy of our Court, of our race, and if rumours are true…” He trailed off with a smug glint in his eyes. Chance’s stomach knotted, he had heard the slander but refused to give Saras the pleasure of knowing it had crushed him. He remembered everything, especially Karian’s hands on Bea in the glade, but refused to believe it was anything more than a display of misplaced love. The Court chatter of a human, Bea, carrying Karian’s child made him feel physically sick. He was about to retaliate when the doors flew open. He had seconds to re-compose, no doubt Saras’s intention.
Seelie Court Grounds
Note: The axis mundi (also cosmic axis, world axis, world pillar, centre of the world, world tree), in certain beliefs and philosophies, is the world centre, or the connection between Heaven and Earth. More HERE.
You are my heaven... (in Calageata)
Love and light,
Trace
xoxo
Sunday, 16 October 2016
Enna
The Butterfly Bridge
Reminds me of a book character, Enna. Art Source link HERE
Read more HERE
Polyvore/Picmonkey Art by Jasmoon Butterfly
This was actually the first story that ran around inside my mind for nearly two years before, 'A Carpet of Purple Flowers'.Since then, a trilogy has spiralled from the original book idea. 'The butterfly bridge' is to be the fourth book in the series. A standalone edition - pre-history.
Polyvore/Picmonkey Art by Jasmoon Butterfly
Love and light,
Trace
xoxo
Red Book of Westmarch
Red Book of Westmarch Prop Replica HQ (by Indy Magnoli)
The Red Book of Westmarch (sometimes Red Book of the Periannath, and The Downfall of the Lord of the Rings, also known as the Thain's Book after its principal version) is a fictional manuscript written by hobbits, a conceit of author J. R. R. Tolkien to explain the source of his fantasy writings.
The name of the book comes from its red leather binding and casing, and also it having been housed in the Westmarch.
The mix of words and art all contained beautifully within the pages of a journal.
There and Back Again
In The Hobbit, Tolkien writes of the protagonist and title character Bilbo Baggins composing his memoirs. Bilbo thinks of calling his work There and Back Again, A Hobbit's Holiday. In fact, the author's preferred title for The Hobbit was The Hobbit or There and Back Again.In The Lord of the Rings, this record is said to be written in his red leather-bound diary. Bilbo says to Gandalf that his intended ending would be him living "happily ever after to the end of his days." This is in fact, a rephrased line from the final chapter of The Hobbit, originally conveyed through third-person narrative voice.
The Downfall of the Lord of the Rings
Bilbo later expands his memoirs into a record of the events of The Lord of the Rings, including the exploits of his kinsman Frodo Baggins and others. He later leaves the material for Frodo to complete and organize. Frodo writes down the bulk of the final work, using Bilbo's diary and "many pages of loose notes". At the close of Tolkien's main narrative the work is almost complete, and Frodo leaves the task to his gardener Samwise Gamgee.
Translations from the Elvish
Bilbo had translated material from Elvish lore from the Elder Days. This work, Translations from the Elvish, by B.B., comprised three volumes, also bound in red leather. After the defeat of Sauron (the Lord of the Rings) Bilbo gives these volumes to Frodo. These four volumes were "probably" (according to Tolkien) kept in a single red case.The volumes then pass into the keeping of Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's servant and later mayor of the Shire. In time, the volumes are left in the care of Sam's eldest daughter, Elanor Fairbairn, and her descendants (the Fairbairns of the Towers or Wardens of Westmarch). A fifth volume containing Hobbit genealogical tables and commentaries is composed and added at an unknown date by unknown hands in Westmarch. This collection of writings is collectively called the Red Book of Westmarch.
Thain's Book
Tolkien says the original Red Book of Westmarch was not preserved. Several copies, with various notes and later additions, were made. The first copy was made by request of King Elessar of Arnor and Gondor, and was brought to Gondor by Thain Peregrin I, who had been one of Frodo's companions. This copy was known as the Thain's Book and "contained much that was later omitted or lost". In Gondor it underwent much annotation and correction, particularly regarding Elvish languages. Also added was an abbreviated version of The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen by Faramir's grandson Barahir.A copy of a revised and expanded Thain's Book was made probably by request of Peregrin's great-grandson and delivered to the Shire. It was written by the scribe Findegil and stored at the Took residence in Great Smials. Tolkien says this copy was important because it alone contained the whole of Bilbo's Translations from the Elvish.
This version survives until Tolkien's time, and he translates the Red Book from the original languages into English and other representative languages or lects (e.g. Old English for Rohirric).
After the events of the War of the Ring at the start of the Fourth Age, King Elessar granted the hobbits of the Shire effective self-rule inside his reunited kingdom, banning any Men from entering the land without the permission of the hobbits.
He also granted the Shire a stretch of new land: this reached from the ancient western borders of the Shire, the Far Downs, to the Tower Hills. The area between the downs and the hills became known as the Westmarch. Like Buckland, it was not part of any of the four Farthings.
The eldest daughter of mayor Samwise Gamgee, Elanor the Fair, married Fastred of Greenholm, and they moved to the Westmarch, settling in Undertowers. After the passing of master Samwise into the Grey Havens, they and their children became known as the Fairbairns of the Towers or Wardens of Westmarch. The Red Book of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins passed into their keeping, becoming known as the Red Book of Westmarch.
Tolkien
DIY Red Book of Westmarch | Sea Lemon
Love and light,
Trace
xoxo
Tuesday, 16 August 2016
Star of the Sea ~ The Ocean Star
With shining hand by her were sown,
In Windy fields now bright and clear
We see your silver blossom blown!"
Source: HERE and HERE
Manwë was the King of the Valar, husband of Varda Elentári, was conceived in the thought of Iluvatar as a brother of Melkor, and King of Arda. He lived atop Mount Taniquetil, the highest mountain of the world, in the halls of Ilmarin, in the realm of Valinor. The winds, airs and birds were his servants, and he was lord of air, the wind, and clouds in Arda. He was the noblest and greatest in the authority of the Valar, and only less powerful than Melkor.
More HERE
A Elbereth Gilthoniel is an Elvish hymn to Varda (Elbereth) in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
There are three versions of this iambic tetrameter hymn, the first of which being the largest portion of Sindarin found in the novel:
| A Elbereth Gilthoniel | O Elbereth Starkindler, |
| silivren penna míriel | white-glittering, slanting down sparkling like a jewel, |
| o menel aglar elenath! | the glory of the starry host! |
| Na-chaered palan-díriel | Having gazed far away |
| o galadhremmin ennorath, | from the tree-woven lands of Middle-earth, |
| Fanuilos, le linnathon | to thee, Everwhite, I will sing, |
| nef aear, sí nef aearon! | on this side of the Sea, here on this side of the Ocean![1] |
| A Elbereth Gilthoniel | O Elbereth Starkindler, |
| o menel palan-diriel, | from heaven gazing afar, |
| le nallon sí di'nguruthos! | to thee I cry now beneath the shadow of death! |
| A tiro nin, Fanuilos! | O look towards me, Everwhite! |
In Peter Jackson's films The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first few lines of the poem can be heard in the movie soundtrack when Frodo Baggins, or Bilbo Baggins', respectively, enter Rivendell.
In Tolkien's legendarium, Varda, also known as Elbereth, is one of the Valar and the highest of the "guardians". Peter Kreeft sees her as one of the clearest reflections of Roman Catholic Marian devotion in Tolkien's work. In A Elbereth Gilthoniel, Marjorie Burns sees an echo of the Marian hymn, Hail Queen of Heaven, the Ocean Star.
Ave Maris Stella (Latin, "Hail Star of the Sea") is a plainsong Vespers hymn to Mary from about the eighth century. The melody is found in the Irish plainsong "Gabhaim Molta Bríde", a piece in praise of St. Bridget. The popular modern hymn Hail Queen of Heaven, the Ocean Star, is loosely based on this plainsong original.
The Latin text of the hymn as authorised for use in the Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Rite (ordinary form) is the following:
| Ave, maris stella,
Dei mater alma,
atque semper virgo, felix cœli porta. | Hail, star of the sea,
Nurturing Mother of God,
And ever Virgin Happy gate of Heaven. |
| Sumens illud «Ave»
Gabrielis ore,
funda nos in pace, mutans Evæ nomen. | Receiving that "Ave" (hail) |
| Solve vincla reis,
profer lumen cæcis,
mala nostra pelle, bona cuncta posce. | Loosen the chains of the guilty,
Send forth light to the blind,
Our evil do thou dispel, Entreat (for us) all good things. |
| Monstra te esse matrem,
sumat per te precem
qui pro nobis natus tulit esse tuus. | Show thyself to be a Mother:
Through thee may he receive prayer
Who, being born for us, Undertook to be thine own. |
| Virgo singularis,
inter omnes mitis,
nos culpis solutos mites fac et castos. | O unique Virgin,
Meek above all others,
Make us, set free from (our) sins, Meek and chaste. |
| Vitam præsta puram,
iter para tutum,
ut videntes Jesum semper collætemur. | Bestow a pure life,
Prepare a safe way:
That seeing Jesus, We may ever rejoice. |
| Sit laus Deo Patri,
summo Christo decus,
Spiritui Sancto tribus honor unus. Amen. | Praise be to God the Father,
To the Most High Christ (be) glory,
To the Holy Spirit (Be) honour, to the Three equally. Amen |
The words Star of the Sea are a translation of the Latin title Stella Maris. Our Lady, Star of the Sea is an ancient title for the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. The title was used to emphasize Mary's role as a sign of hope and as a guiding star
Stella Maris "sea-star" is a name of α Ursae Minoris or Polaris, the "guiding star" (also "lodestar", "ship star", "steering star", etc.) because it has been used for celestial navigation at sea since antiquity.
Sailing the Universe by Christian Schloe
In English-speaking nations, a professional space traveller is called an astronaut. The term derives from the Greek words ástron (ἄστρον), meaning "star", and nautes (ναύτης), meaning "sailor".
The first known use of the term "astronaut" in the modern sense was by Neil R. Jones in his short story "The Death's Head Meteor" in 1930. The word itself had been known earlier.
Art by Anjo for Chris Bluetit Stylist
Cosmic Ocean/Sea
For reaching this meaning the Hebrew name Miryam had to go through a series of transformations: in Judeo-Aramaic it became Maryām, and this form was rendered in Greek as Mariam (Μαριάμ) or Maria. Mariam, in Hebrew, can have the meaning of "drop of the sea" if understood as "mar-yam": מר mar is a rare biblical word for "drop" (Isaiah 40:15 is the only instance in the Hebrew Bible where it takes this meaning), and yam means "sea". St Jerome adopted this interpretation and translated the name into Latin as Stilla Maris, "drop of the sea", but at some later stage a copyist transcribed this into Stella Maris, "star of the sea", and this transcription error became widespread. Another opinion states that Jerome himself interpreted the name as meaning "star of the sea" or Stella Maris, by relating it to a Hebrew word for star, מאור (ma'or), from the verb אור ('or), to be light or shine.
Stars in the Cosmic Ocean/Sea
New Space Theory: Universe is 'Liquid', Claim Scientists ~
The universe should be regarded as a liquid 'superfluid', claim scientists seeking to discover the fundamental nature of space. "If spacetime is a fluid, then according to our calculations it must necessarily be a superfluid. This means that its viscosity value is extremely low, close to zero." More HERE and HERE Dark Fluid HERE Liquid Universe - Space Documentary Video HERE
'Superfluid' Sea
Eärendil the Mariner (pronounced [ɛaˈrɛndil]) is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is depicted in The Silmarillion, as a child of Men and Elves and a great seafarer who, on his brow, carried the morning star across the sky.
Eärendil means 'Lover of the Sea' in Tolkien's invented language of Quenya. However, Tolkien borrowed the name from Old English literature.
Evening Star ~ The planet Venus when it appears in the west (evening sky), after sunset. The ancient Greeks gave it the name Hesperus. Less commonly, the planet Mercury when it appears in the west (evening sky) after sunset. Venus is the only planet in the Solar System that is named after a female figure. Cytherean is an adjective meaning pertaining to Cythera (Greek Κύθηρα, also transliterated Kythera or Kithira). It is also an adjective meaning pertaining to the planet Venus.
Morning Star ~ Mythology/theology
Phosphorus (morning star), the Morning Star in Greek mythology
Morning Star, one of the Zorya (gods in Slavic mythology)
The Latin name of the Morning Star ("Lucifer") has been given to Satan in some Christian theology. Lucifer is referred to as Son of the Morning in the bible (Isaiah 14:12).
Jesus is described as "the bright morning star" in in the bible (Revelation 22:16)
John the Baptist, called a "bright morning star" in Eastern Orthodox Church hymnnology
Mary the mother of Jesus, called "morning star" in the Litany of Loreto
In Greek mythology, Hesperus (Ancient Greek: Ἓσπερος Hesperos) is the Evening Star, the planet Venus in the evening. He is the son of the dawn goddess Eos (Roman Aurora) and is the half-brother of her other son, Phosphorus (also called Eosphorus; the "Morning Star"). Hesperus' Roman equivalent is Vesper (cf. "evening", "supper", "evening star", "west"). Hesperus' father was Cephalus, a mortal, while Phosphorus' was the star god Astraios.
Morning star, a name for the star Sirius, which appears in the sky just before sunrise during the Dog Days. The expression "dog days" refers to the hot, sultry days of summer, originally in areas around the Mediterranean Sea, and as the expression fit, to other areas, especially in the Northern Hemisphere.
Hesperus as Personification of the Evening Star by Anton Raphael Mengs (1765).
His name is sometimes conflated with the names for his brother, the personification of the planet as the "morning star" Eosphorus (GreekἘωσφόρος, "bearer of dawn") or Phosphorus (Ancient Greek: "bearer of light", often translated as "Lucifer" in Latin), since they are all personifications of the same planet Venus. "Heosphoros" in the Greek Septuagint and "Lucifer" in Jerome's Latin Vulgate were used to translate the Hebrew "Helel" (Venus as the brilliant, bright or shining one), "son of Shahar (god) (Dawn)" in the Hebrew version of Isaiah 14:12.
Middle-earth star map
When named thus by the ancient Greeks, it was thought that Eosphorus (Venus in the morning) and Hesperos (Venus in the evening) were two different celestial objects.The Greeks later accepted the Babylonian view that the two were the same, and the Babylonian identification of the planets with the great gods, and dedicated the "wandering star" (planet) to Aphrodite (Roman Venus), as the equivalent of Ishtar.
"The Voyage of Eärendel"
There is a poem by Tolkien dated to 1914 entitled "The Voyage of Eärendel the Evening Star" (published in The Book of Lost Tales 2 267–269). (Old Norse Aurvandill, Lombardic Auriwandalo).
The Old Norse together with the Anglo-Saxon evidence point to an astronomical myth, the name referring to a star, or a group of stars, and the Anglo-Saxon in particular points to the morning star as the herald of the rising Sun (in Crist Christianized to refer to John the Baptist).
Flammifer. 2016
Tolkien was particularly inspired by the lines in the Crist written by Cynewulf:
éala éarendel engla beorhtast / ofer middangeard monnum sended
"Hail Earendel, brightest of angels, over Middle-earth to men sent"
which can be taken as the inspiration not only for the role of Eärendil in Tolkien's work but also for the term Middle-earth (translating Middangeard) for the inhabitable lands (c.f. Midgard).
The first line is paralleled by Frodo Baggins' exclamation in The Two Towers, Aiya Eärendil Elenion Ancalima, which in Tolkien's invented language of Quenya means, "Hail Eärendil, brightest of stars." Frodo's exclamation was in reference to the 'Star-glass' (the light of a star trapped within the Star-glass) he carried, which contained the light of Eärendil's star, the Silmaril.
Eärendil story HERE
Peredhil of Middle Earth- of Earendil and Elwing
Sindria
The Sindria shine as brightly as stars, very much like the imagery of Galadriel from the LOTR films. Their hair is silver-white, with soft lilac eyes reflecting the cosmos, all knowing, endless. They are elementals that can take form but still remain slightly transparent, not flesh, as such. It's as if flesh is unable to contain such brightness.
The Sindria were inspired from many different sources: Angels, Goddesses, Mythology, Spirits. I created them as the earliest beings and the guardians of universal life thereafter. Souls in their purest form, light, from which we all derive.
In my first manuscript, there was a much longer scene with characters Bethany and Jonathan. He talks from a scientific viewpoint, which I was advised to leave out, too complicated. I've included a couple of excerpts removed from the early draft below.
‘Where does their belief system stem from?’
‘From truth, the cycle of life – your form dies and recycles back into matter. The soul however never dies. It is the true self, enabling the cycle of rebirth. There is no past, present or future. Every form contains energy – for everything that is alive is energy and exists without time. Do you understand Bea?’
‘I think so.’
‘The Sindria realm is one of energy?’
‘Yes. Have you heard of near death experiences?’
‘People say they see a white light.’
‘Yes, a tunnel of pure light, the opposite of matter, the energy leaving the body. The soul is merely returning home. It is the point of division in which the true self departs from its vessel before the resting period prior to rebirth. This is the basis of belief for the Heaven Stone Order, ensuring the soul’s journey is as it should be in keeping of the universal balance. Human physics states that our Universe appears to be full of matter rather than antimatter, yet at the time of creation, they were equal in part. Where did the anti-matter go they ask? This is referred to as the baryon asymmetry problem in physics, Baryogenesis. However, they must remember Bethany that the cycle of life does in fact still contain equal amounts of both, of everything although not in the way they think. The black hole, dark energy, dark matter, the big bang, creation of life is not just a scientific route, it is a spiritual one. One without the other cannot exist. The unseen universal language is written everywhere around us, within us… we are but children learning to read.’
‘I saw something about anti-matter and matter unable be forced together. It destroys itself...’
‘Yes, if forced. But I speak of a marrying at the time of creation, the rebirth of energy, a time when both existed as one. In death, the two separate until a new marry made. The two halves of each create a whole that in turn creates life, new energy. It is a unique blending of biological and spiritual uniting.’
‘It’s quite a lot to take in.’
He laughed. ‘I don’t mean to over complicate, but it is quite difficult to separate the complexities of the Heaven Stone teachings into one simple explanation.’
The"Evening Star", visible after sunset
The "Morning Star", visible before sunrise.
The more I read of Tolkien's earlier world, the more I appreciate his connection to deeper thinking. I wonder how often he pondered on the meaning of life while gazing up at the stars.
'Who was Ilúvatar?' asked Eriol. 'Was he of the Gods?'
'Nay,' said Rúmil, 'that he was not, for he made them. Ilúvatar is the Lord for Always who dwells beyond the world; who made it and is not of it nor in it, but loves it.' "
Eru Ilúvatar or The One is the single omniscient and omnipotent creator. He has been existing eternally in the Timeless Halls and possesses the Flame Imperishable in his spirit which kindles existence from nothingness.
Love and light,
Trace
xoxo
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