One Ring to Bind Them: Series Notes
By Tyellas
Summary: Series notes for the adult Tolkien fanfic series, One Ring to Bind Them.
"Elves are not wholly good or in the right. Not so much because they flirted with Sauron…" J.R.R. Tolkien, letter # 154
About Eregion and Elvish Flaws
Where and when did Eregion exist in Middle-Earth? Eregion, or Hollin, was a realm of the High Elves or Noldor. In Tolkien's universe, Eregion existed between 750 and 1697 of the Second Age of Middle-Earth. It was southwest of Rivendell, on the edge of the Misty Mountains beside the entrance to Moria.
What did Tolkien write about Eregion? Did it appear in the LOTR movie? Most LOTR book readers will recognize Eregion/Hollin as a country the Fellowship journeys through in The Fellowship of the Ring. In the LOTR movie sequence when they are journeying across wild lands after leaving Rivendell, the Fellowship walks past a ruined building with curved lines to it, set in stony highlands. You can interpret this as a glimpse of the ruin of Eregion.
The history of the Second Age of Middle-Earth and of Eregion was never finalized by Tolkien. One of the seeds of this fanfic story was Tolkien's vague yet intriguing description of Eregion in the Second Age in "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn" in Unfinished Tales. They ran the place for a while, despite some complex dynamics with Celebrimbor. Then Sauron showed up, got in with the jewel-smiths, and all sorts of changes ensued. The climax of their association was that the Rings of Power were made.
Then there is the timeline of the Second Age in Return of the King, with its contrasting statement that Celebrimbor was in charge the whole time, and its very vague dates. The situation is also described, albeit briefly, in The Silmarillion, assembled by Christoper Tolkien from his father's notes. I have chosen the most interesting parts from what I have read and used the dateline in ROTK.
In The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, he referred several times to Eregion and how the elves who lived there exemplified certain elvish flaws. "But at Eregion great work began - and the Elves came their nearest to falling to "magic" and machinery," (letter 131). He speaks about the Elves enjoying being a superior caste in Middle-Earth (letter 154), rejecting change in favor of what they knew and nostalgia. "The Elvish weakness is…to become unwilling to face change; as if a man were to hate a very long book still going on, and wished to settle down in a favourite chapter. Hence they fell in a measure to Sauron's deceits; they desired some "power" over things as they are...to arrest change, and keep things always fresh and fair," (letter 181). This was the urge behind the creation of the Rings of Power. And Middle-Earth's troubles began anew.
About Craft and Science
All the craft, science, geology, gemology, smithwork, and jewelry-making depicted in this series is as accurate as I can make it. I have a geology degree, worked for a gemologically astute jeweler at one point, and have visited active volcanic sites and interviewed a blacksmith at his forge. All these things come together in this series.
About the Sex and BDSM Activity
All the sex and consensual BDSM activity has been (ahem) researched and, while sometimes extreme, is based on reality. Sauron's endurance is intended to parallel that of a particularly durable individual of the author's acquaintance. Still, this story is a fantasy. If you do BDSM, play safely and consensually. If you have sex, safe sex is recommended. May I recommend Patrick Califia's book "Sensuous Magic" for further reading? Activities mentioned in this series, but not recommended without specific tutelage include: Part Zero: Cutting. Part 1: Use of a single-tailed whip. Part 2: Use of a dressage whip and fisting.
