The Mantle of Malin

[Unwillingly 18096]

 

| ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴᴛʟᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴍᴀʟɪɴ |

 

However vaunted his legacy, the will of Malin remains a mystery to many. It was He who first ushered Elvenkind into the venerable age of Malinor, an era whose radiance yet lingers in both the past memories and future dreams of many. However, for reasons that elude even the most wisened of our people, He would not linger to witness the slow fall of the kingdom He labored to build. From His absence, a period of cultural fragmentation did grip our people with such force that would leave them divided for millenia to come, from which only a scant few of us would ever recover.

 

Despite this, it is His legacy that has prevailed among Elvenkind against all odds. Illustrious and exalted is His word, yet true record of His teachings remain sparse, scattered, and oft diminished — it is perhaps the greatest academic shortcoming of We Elves, to permit this wisdom to vanish so readily. It is for this folly that those entrusted with the stewardship of our people are obligated not to surpass nor replace, but to see His dream for Elvenkind realized where neither presence nor literature can accomplish.

 

Critically forgotten of bygone monarchs is this obligation — summarily defined as the Mantle of Malin, the right to rule. It is this very bylaw that would seek to uphold the precedence of His vision and the authority from which elven kinghood descends. 

 

Be it for a desire to restore Elvenkind, or a wanton thirst for power, there were once those who have seized readily the right of kinghood. Such were the tales of Tristin Tresery and Kairn Calithil, fabled Elvenkings who employed unconventional means to achieve a conventional end, thereby leaving behind monumental marks in chapters of history. However disputed their reigns, what remains irrevocably true is the brilliance with which they would go on to influence later elven politics, thus lending question to Elvenkind’s predisposal to notions of kinghood. 

 

However, kinghood was never meant, nor should ever be prized as an object of pursuit in and of itself. Its place among Elvenkind was first defined by Malin, with later understandings to be measured against the standards He had originally set. Where that measure was kept in mind, the right to rule retained a sense of truth, and where it was neglected, became subject to the fickle definitions of the one who wore it.

 

Swiftly is the splendor of the Mantle of Malin diminished if not wielded by the hand who long to uplift Elvenkind, rather than weaponize it. It is the lesson first taught in the haughty lord who acts not in the interest of His people, then learned by the selfless lord who would.

 

Oft are such challenges to tradition met with vitriol and scorn, yet the cause is not difficult to discern. The lives of elves unfold at an achingly slow pace, granting ample time to perfect the environments they craft for themselves, from which they grow reluctant to deviate. Too, is comfort among the many vices that grip our kind, for which many would woefully trade tomorrow’s promise for today’s ease. No less, however, is it among the many virtues of our people, the capability to shepherd our sanctified heritage for millenia. 

 

Hardly does this treatise seek to undermine nor impress the likeness of the August King, yet it would profess to lay the foundation for those who might both revere and carry forth his will. May it be song of the elves is sang once more. 

 

Malin tali’Lye laurier div’eth

 

[KeiaTypeBeat 3277]

Spoiler

cool post 

 

[Tav 4336]

Prince Túrin pinned the writings alongside the many books, missives, and notes that swarmed his chipped escritoire. Intently did he study the message to elvendom, indenting charcoal lines onto his copy of the page in highlight.

A message he certainly planned to relay unto others, oftentimes clutched within his needless prattle.

[sam33497 7356]

"Unlike valah, we are not driven to strive for greatness during short lives. But, that does not mean we should simply be creatures of weakness. It is no coincidence we enjoy interpreting tales of Malin in a way that demands humility and nonaction. Our people were ruled by those who could not overcome their sloth and weakness for centuries. Yet, I have seen the strongest amongst us - Húrin, Vyllaenen, Galahad. They are those which have battled amidst the valah and come out unscathed. The rest of us would do good to follow that example, lest they think their longevity greater than a valah executioner's axe."

 

Silwyn Cerusil argued his extremism to his wife, too lazy to leave the house.