The History of Middle-earth (chibi version) - Part 118: To die, to sleep

Since I realise not everyone has read History of Middle-earth, here's the relevant text for this part:

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But when Míriel still languished, Finwë sought the counsel of Manwë, and Manwë delivered her to the care of Irmo in Lorien. At their parting (for a little while as he thought) Finwë was sad, for it seemed an unhappy chance that the mother should depart and miss the beginning at least of the childhood days of her son.

"Unhappy it is indeed", said Míriel, "And I would weep, if I were not so weary. But hold me blameless in this, and in all that may come after. Rest now I must. Farewell, dear lord!"

She spoke no clearer than this at that time, but in her heart she yearned not only for sleep and rest but release from the labour of living. She went then to Lorien and laid her down to sleep beneath a silver tree: but though she seemed to sleep, her spirit indeed departed from her body (...)

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In creating the cartoon, I kept the essential elements - Finwë asking Manwë's advice, Manwë sending Míriel to the gardens of Lórien under Irmo's care, and Míriel lying down to sleep but instead dying. I also kept the cosmetic detail of the silver tree (and a bed of flowers is also mentioned in a different draft) because I think it's a good idea to occasionally have scenery and not just people in the cartoons.

I normally modernise the dialogue instead of keeping Tolkien's original prose, as an element of my own style for these cartoons; but I decided to keep the line "I would weep, if I were not so weary" unchanged because it's not archaic and I think it's just so iconically written.

I also, as a general principle, try to play up the roles of the female characters in the story when I can do so without altering canon, since Tolkien often neglected that to the point of imbalance. Thus, the text doesn't actually say that Míriel was even present when Finwë discussed her health issues with Manwë, but it seemed kind of ridiculous for her not to be there. Likewise, Irmo and Estë are a married couple and Míriel is basically going to stay at their house, so it seemed natural for them both to be involved when she's welcomed there. Also, Estë is the Vala of Sleep & Healing while Irmo is the Vala of Dreams, so Míriel's care falls under Estë's specific area of responsibility.

The final exchange is purely my own invention (and my own attempt at humour). It is, however, intended to convey an overall idea which is present in canon, that the Valar were baffled by Míriel's death, and struggled to understand how it could have happened. Nobody had ever died in the Undying Lands before.

The title is meant to reflect on the parallel between Míriel sleeping and dying. It also means I can keep on quoting Hamlet for future cartoon titles until it stops being relevant. :)

"Oh no, her eyes have turned into X's... that's a really bad sign."

Poor Miriel.

(What do you do on a "bank holiday" anyway? Dress up as pound notes and exchange chocolate coins?)