I am back after a long continuous voyage through the Histories of Middle Earth and a couple of writing courses.  I've had some insights I would love to share with all of you over the next few months including a very lengthy analysis of Feanor (let's pretend the accent's there) and a short essay on whether Elves are funny. But before we begin, here's some words of wisdom I copied up a couple of months back from the Tale of the Fall of Gondolin (let's also pretend the spoiler in the title doesn't exist here).    “Love not too well the work of thy hands and the devices of thy heart."          This quote comes from Ulmo the Ainu (god) of all water. Don't worry, you're not the only one thinking of Poseidon: more on that in a post to come. He is warning of impending doom—the fall of Gondolin—that is inevitable if the city isn't abandoned.      ...

      I had never seen a sunrise. I just didn’t see the point. Watching a sunrise would be just as exciting as watching a sunset, which, though pretty, wasn’t exactly a novel sight. Then there was the problem of getting up early enough to catch even the last rays of color before the sky turned into a dull blue backdrop. But when I finally caught sight of my first sunrise, it was magical. That’s because it was set above a mirror of clear, crystal waves advancing one by one along the shoreline. My first sight of the sea.        What met my eyes was a crystal cloud displayed like glass, accented with rays of light trying to escape from its overbearing presence. I saw the tide leaving the shore, the retreating waves crashing inwards in some feeble show of resistance. I saw the deep blue waves, not only blue, but many colors both reflecting and drawing out the sunrise above. To say it made an impression would be an understa...