The Morlindalë is a parody embracing J.R.R. Tolkien's Silmarillion and Lord of the Rings.
Parodies are usually assumed to be humorous, but the Morlindalë is anything but that: a dark, tormented tragedy reminiscent of the ancient Greek classics.
In Tolkien's original masterworks we see remarkably little of Melkor and Sauron, despite their ominous shadow over events. Here in these nine scrolls we finally meet them face-to-face, feel their emotions, hear their voices.
Do they become heroes and those of the original stories villains? By no means. Tolkien's history is unchanged, and his champions retain their character and virtue. But perhaps judgments about good and evil, life and death, love and hate are herein less simple and summary.
The Morlindalë is not a parody of sympathy, but rather one of empathy: a recognition of and respect for the mystery and dignity of all life despite its many different manifestations.
The famous comic parody Bored of the Rings added to Tolkien enthusiasts' enjoyment of the treasured Trilogy by humanizing its heroes [and villains]. The Morlindalë, if readers' responses since it first appeared in 2003 are any indication, serves to enrich appreciation of Professor Tolkien's immortal epic in a more sobering, but no less provocative perspective.
About the Author: ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The One Ring, Ardagarneya ("The Life of Earth, Blood, and Tears"), was awakened by Sauron the Maia in the Sammath Naur ("Chambers of Fire") within Orodruin ("Mountain of Red Flame") in Mordor in the year 1600 of the Second Age.
Long thought to be unmade in the same mountain in 3019 of the Third Age, it was reawakened in 2003 of the Common Era by TolkienTown, whereupon it compelled the Baron of Rachane, Scotland to replicate nine ancient scrolls (the Morlindalë), which he then translated from the original Elvish Tengwar into human English, and annotated.
The One, or in the Black Speech of Mordor Ash Nazg, has never been worn since.
ABOUT THE TRANSCRIBER
The 13th Baron of Rachane continues the title originally granted by King James IV to the Earl of Argyll in 1509. Though the first several Barons of Rachane, located on the remote Rosneath Peninsula, fell victim to violent deaths from the Scottish wars with the invading Saxons (today's Englishmen), the Barony today is an idyllic preserve of natural beauty and Scotland's romantic heritage. It is also haunted by the lore and legends so prevalent throughout this magical region, and so is an unsurprising wellspring for the Morlindalë.
The Baron's coat-of-arms, granted by Queen Elizabeth II's personal representative the Lord Lyon King of Arms in 2006, are highlighted by the Great Bear constellation and the motto In Septemtrione Cresco "I arise in the Seven Stars", an incantation of immortality from ancient Egypt.
The Baron holds the Ph.D. from the University of California in the Colonies, and saw service as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Colonial Army, wherein he was one of its first Space Intelligence Officers at Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado.
When at home in Rachane, he and the Baroness may usually be found haunting the Rosneath Peninsula's famous Knockderry House, an elegant modern neighbor of the historic Knockderry Castle. He is rumored to cast no reflection in a mirror.
