Writing Elven-songs for Dummies.

[zekrish]

Being a literature major and having a great love for the language of Tolkien I decided to write every single song my elven character composes to add more flavor to the already rich setting. Since some people seem to think that it’s hard and difficult to write rhyming eposes I’ve put together a simple guide! Hope you like it! BTW: since English is not my native language my poem might not be as good as one from a native speaker. Remember: always try to write in your own language.

Notes on verse and meter
Most of Tolkien’s songs are written in a style which is called ‘’ann-thennath’’ (roughly translated: Long and Short Together) which is identical to what the real world call Iambic Tetrameter with an aabb rhyme.. Translated in to normal speech this simply means that every line consist of 4 iambs(= 8 syllabels) whit every line rhyming ex:

There might and glory, wealth untold
Were wielded from his ivory throne
In many-pillared halls of stone.
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale
And metal wrought like fishes' mail

Please note that these rules are not set in stone. If one of your lines turns out to be 9 or 7 syllabels it dosent really matter aslong as most of the poem consist of ‘’correct’’ lines. It will of course take sound better if its made correctly but that is very difficult. But enough of the boring stuff; lets get cracking!

Step 1: Theme and introduction
Decide on a theme for your poem/song: Wandering, Heroism, Beauty, The fall of Gondolion, A brave hero etc. For my poem I decide on a story I made up called The Black Swordsman about a Mercenary who has a change of heart. The themes I will be exploring are those of honor, judgment and heroism.
The opening of a poem written in iambic tetrameter usually begins with and introduction of the main character/concept or an request to be heard/inspired by muses (like in the Iliad).
For my poem we will start with an introductuion of the main character: The black swordsman.

I will tell you a tale from the east
of a man whos bloodlust never ceased
who only knew the lust for gold
who in battle fought; strong and bold

He was a famous mercenary
his skill with sword legendary
All knew that where his black sword swung
song of victory would be sung

Step 2: the plot
The middle of the poem should continue the tale and lead to a satisfying ending. Keep your theme in mind and keep writing stanzas. Use a Rhyming dictionary if you need some inspiration:

One day he was hired by a village
fearing that brigands would pillage
The swordsman swore he would serve them well
As long as their wall never fell

The battle was fierce and long
the swordsman fighting in the throng
Laughing as he swung his sword
his armor bloody, his voice a roar

Then suddenly the wall fell
the villagers screamed and yelled
they wished that it would have held
now awaited death for those who dwelled

But there in breach stood the swordsman
who fought on and never ran
in the dust and smoke he fought
and through the brigands a vale wrought

When the battle ended the villager crept
and when they found their hero they wept
around him lay all his fallen foes
but the swordsman had taken many blows

They carried him to a quiet glade
and sung about his bravery and blade
about how he defended old and weak
and refused to falter and retreat

Step 3: the ending should be memorable and reinforce the theme:

The swordsman was so amazed
as he listen to the peasants praise
never in his life had he thought
that someone would remember how he fought

He had lived from blood and terror
he forgot that love was so much fairer
now when he finally went to sleep
he felt proud as he heard them weep

Last tip: Don’t get discourage if you find writing poems hard in the beginning. It does require some training and they usually get better if you work with them for a while; always returning with a fresh perspective. If anyone is interested I have a large backlog of Swedish song 

Hope this guide helps!

[TrollPope]

Great post! Thank you!

[Dunheved]

Hi.
Ditto Trollpipe's comments: this is a great piece of work with an excellent starter poem as an example.

Poems like this seem perfect for using in the Fellowship Phases; an automatic AP for Song and/or Craft, perhaps.
It's a great way to recognise increased Standing or to re-instill Hope too.

(Where's my Dictionary?)

Thanks zekrish for showing another way of making the RPG experience broader.

[poosticks7]

Great Post.

[Blubbo Baggins]

Thank you for sharing this! Very helpful information.
Now with the Rivendell rules it makes even more sense to write your own Tolkien-songs. I think if I were an LM, and a player wanted to have his PC compose a song, I'd strongly suggest the player write out an actual verse. It adds so much more depth that way!

I did so for a PbP campaign recently. I found inspiration from GK Chesterton's "The Ballad of the White Horse" (if you haven't read it, it is an awesome ballad/epic on heroism, based on the history/legend of King Alfred the Great).

Anyway, my advice is, read a lot of epic poetry, that will get you inspired and automatically help you get a sense of what works well. Here is my attempt! Let me know if you take the time to read it...

http://brennor.dyndns.org/rpg/Forums/vi ... =7580.html

(scroll down to "The Lay of the Northmen")

[zekrish]

Anyway, my advice is, read a lot of epic poetry, that will get you inspired and automatically help you get a sense of what works well. Here is my attempt! Let me know if you take the time to read it...

An excellent poem Blubbo! Beautiful and certainly true to the setting; I truly envy and admire your language. You also give excellent advice and I would add Orlando Furioso to the readinglist

[Blubbo Baggins]

Thanks zekrish, appreciate it!
I will definitely check out Mr. Furioso.

[2WheelsGood]

I'm afraid I irritate my group with poetry but I thought I would share some of mine from our campaign (run by the magnificent Gaz (Hi Gaz!)

This one from 2948 and the Orc attack on Rhosgobel:

Spear and blade rang loud in strife,
And blood dripped thick from axe and knife
And hope seemed gone,
An end to life.

The bloody night went on and on,
Flame and death! No hope of dawn,
When from the wood
Sounds Mogdred's horn.

To me! O Elves and Men, to me!
Hope dawns afresh!
The goblins flee!
And ties of kin bring victory

Laurefin (after the battle of Rhosgobel 2948)

[2WheelsGood]

And I'm really proud of this one commemorating the moment two characters lost it mid-battle during the epic defence of Celduin's Crossing :


The Defence of the Celduin Crossing - 2951 - Laurefin

Around them on the parapet the dying and the dead.
The foemen ringed the heroes in, the levy slain, or fled.
Blades flashed in the firelight,
Black arrows filled the air,
With weary arms they hacked and stabbed
Oh! the courage of despair.

And in the spray of guts and blood
From tower top, above the flood
The Celduin stained like wine with gore
Swept past amid the battle's roar.
The red-mist battle-madness
Descended on the two.
Berserk with pain and grief they fought.
They slew again and slew.

On and on and on they fought,
Of wounds and pain they noticed nought.
On severed limbs and blood they slide
And as the hope within them died
The slaying-lust consumed them both
And giving in to stark red wrath
And blind with blood they each forgot
And brother knew his brother not.

Alas the sight that daylight brings
To the threefold host and all three kings.
For when the lark begins to wake,
The madness lifts and hearts will break.
Among the heaps of corpses there
Lie friendship, honour, trust and care.
Slain by one I dare not name,
Oh where to hide my face in shame?

[Dedicemancometh]

Just a point of clarification. Tolkien's verse is not only Iambic Tetrameter, it is also also accentual-syllabic, with deliberate use of repeated alliteration and assonance. If you look at the example the OP gave, you will see the pattern.

More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Translating_Beowulf