Aicasicil’s family mansion, Forlindon, centuries ago
The light of the Moon shone high in the sky, filtering through the window into the room. It hit a series of wall-mounted decorations of painted crystals, creating a fascinating play of light-streaks on the ceiling. Little Eärcalië watched, fascinated, the colorful display. Her mother, who was reading her a bedtime story, closed the book and smiled.
“Tell me, do you know why even though moonlight is so far away from us, we can keep it close to us thanks to those crystals?”
The little elleth shook her head. Sensing she was about to be told a new story, she stared at her mother expectantly.
“Long, long ago, when the Moon first arose from the West following the chariot of Arien, the Elves native to Middle-Earth, those who ha been living only by starlight, were taken by surprise by the blinding radiance of the Sun and did not venture outside of their forests until the light disappeared behind the tall mountains, the sky darkened again and the stars poked through the canopy”
“Yet, after their eyes witnessed the blinding Sun the small dots of the stars seemed more subdued and feeble to them, and this was cause of great sadness when… behold!”. Eärcalië gasped as her mother chuckled and pointed out the window, where the big white Moon slowly cruised above their heads.
“In that moment, Tilion’s Ship came into view carrying the Rose of Telperion, and the astonished elves saw it had in it the same light of their beloved stars, white and gentle; this new aster took all of their attention with the tiny little dots of the stars as background, not obfuscating them but complementing them, and they loved it dearly bestowing it the name Ithil, Moon”
“One of elves, a maiden, became so mesmerized with the Rose of Telperion that she wished to be able to hold its white light in her hands”
The elleth tilted her head. “But how, nobody could reach so high up to grab it but the Powers in the West!”
“Indeed. So she devised a way. For many nights she pondered, watching the passing of the Moon following the Sun until one clear summer night, she found the solution.
She draped on her shawl many little crystals like a necklace, walked out of the forest and climbed on the top of a hillock waiting for the sight of Ithil”
“When the Ship of the Rose finally appeared above the horizon, its white, gentle light hit the crystals on her dress, one then another and another, reflecting such light, bouncing from crystal to crystal with each of the maiden’s moves like many star fragments all around her. And she laughed, laughed, twirled and danced all through the night, her wish granted at last. Other elves saw her and gave her a nickname, Calithil the Moonlight maiden”
“Many, many yéni* passed since the Moon first came into being, the lands themselves changed and many of the old kinsmen vanished, yet some say that on clear summer nights, standing on elevated places is possible to hear the laughter in the wind and see flashes of Calithil twirling, dressed in crystals of light like those in your room”
“Oooooh” exclaimed Eärcalië. “Can we go up the hill near the bay tomorrow night then? Please ammë* please! I want to see Calithil too!”
“If you go to sleep right now, yes. Close your eyes, little one, we won’t go anywhere if you are still drowsy on the morrow”
Mehtarnis did not have to repeat herself twice as her daughter shut her eyes closed immediately with the promise of chasing after the Moon tomorrow…
yéni: elven long years
ammë: mother in quenya
