Fic: First Lessons

[dbalthasar]

Curufin and Celebrimbor, The Silmarillion (and others), approx. 1095 words. Father/son relationships.

Curufin sends his son to the forge to teach him patience.

Comments

[penknife]

Oh, dear. Curufin, not winning any father of the year awards ...

[dbalthasar]

No. Curufin's parenting leaves a great deal to be desired. Though I think that if Celebrimbor had asked for help at this point, Curufin would have agreed to teach him. but Celebrimbor already has an accurate idea of his own worth, and the older he gets, the less he likes his father. I think that if Maedhros hadn't been so shell-shocked, he might have been able to broker some sort of peace between them, and I think Maglor tries, but they are both really stubborn, particularly where smith-craft is concerned,

[amenirdis]

Curufin is a terrible parent, but he's the ideal narrator for this, because the reader can see how brightly Celebrimbor shines through it, and why he rejects his father later at the same time he embraces his craft. He's so much better, and not just as a craftsman but as a person, and he doesn't yet know it. I love this look at why!

[dbalthasar]

Curufin really is. And he and Celegorm bring out the worst in each other. And Celebrimbor... In my head-canon, he learns most of his craft in Nargothrond and Gondolin, not directly from Curufin, because he's not actually willing to back down and keep his mouth shut. Which is hardly an uncommon parent/child dynamic, and I think later in life Celebrimbor isn't particularly conflicted about it. He may wish Curufin had been a better father, better teacher, better person, but it's not something that consumes him.