--Vevala Sparrendown--
Born in the year TA 2980, Vevala was about 38 years old at the time of the War of the Ring.
Race~ Hobbit
Her name~
Because of the fascination Vevala's father had for the tales of Elves, he named his youngest daughter after Vevala, the sprite of the air, one of the four Maiar whom the Valar sent forth from the West in aid against the new arisen Nine when Sauron's threat grew, or so it is said in the following tale. For in Everard's eyes, his daughter had been his angel, and an uplifting gift.
'One amongst the four riders from Valinor sent by the Valar to answer to the threat of the new risen Nazgûl, Vevala was in nature a sprite of the Air. Upon stepping foot on Arda, her guise became that of a woman in a free streaming gown that spun in the air, much like the flowing of the open breeze. Her hair, a radiant river of jet black, flies untamed and free. Her grace resembled that of her element, gentle as the breeze that sweeps the steady branches, and when need calls, as swift as the rending power of a fierce gale.
To mortal eyes, she seemed to possess an inner power that radiates from her magnificent demeanor, and is beheld in awe as a being that shifts subconciously from a mere maiden to the likeness of a queen from a higher power. Strangers often are illusioned as to what they see, for her semblance is everchanging and never ceasing, like the movement of the air itself.
Vevala, known by her spiritual kin as Veaini, was in nature a gentle and caring being. She forgave easily the faults of others, and believed in the inner goodness that every living being, even those overpowered by evil, possessed. Her wisdom was pure, and her knowledge spaned all nature that exists above the ground, from the tips of evergreen growths to the clouds and the unending firmanents that stretch far into mazes of mystery. In her wisdom, she believed in the messages written in the stars, and at times spoke with a prophetic air. It was she who predicted the renewed arising of the nine riders from the Black Land far in the East, that first prompted the Lords of the West to give their last aid to the free people that still dwelt East of the sea.
In the tragedy of that war, after many victories large and small, the four strove, with the aid of the Istari, against the Nazgûl, Vevala fought against the relentless Witch King. It was in that battle that she met her fate, and her spirit returned to the far land of Valinor, where her home lay.'*
It was a tale often told in her family, until the tragic decease of Vevala's father, after which it became the tale she remembered him by. Every night by the fireside when she was a child, he had told it to her, and she had always held it dear. And thus, Vevala, like many other young hobbits of her time longed one day to see the Elves and the gods and goddesses of whom she had heard in tales.
Family~
One of the many distant relations of the acclaimed Bilbo Baggins, whom she likes to call her uncle through her admiration for the old hobbit, she is by far one of the youngest and most inquisitive, aside from her adopted cousin, Frodo. Vevala lives with her mother, Othelia, in a cottage by the Brandywine in on the edge of the Eastfarthing. Her elder sister, Viola** is 11 years older and newly married to Asphodel Greenhands of Buckland. They frequently visit Vevala and Othelia on occasions such as birthdays and other personal family celebrations and get- togethers. Vevala's father, Everard, died when she was a young girl.
The Past and the Present~
Her father died in the year 3000 when Vevala was still a child. He had been collecting firewood near the borders of Buckland when he was attacked by wolves out of the East.
Vevala often liked to go tramping over the Shire with her rascal friend, Bandall, catching Gandalf's cart when he came to the Shire from businesses elsewhere, and finding delight in his tales and so called 'magic tricks'. She loves mischief of any kind, though her victims are often unsuspecting, bossy relations and fusspot neighbours whom Vevala refer to as 'people who should shake themselves out a little and embrace the world, instead of fussing over broken teapots' and the like.
On one of Vevala's so-called adventures with Bandall, they strayed across a little brick house away from the Shire's borders, and thus strayed across the path of a merry chap named Tom Bombadil, and Lady Goldberry. The curious girl has ever since wished to see them again, for their meeting awakened her to the many sights and places she still wanted to see.
On other occasions, she loves to go boating along the banks of the river. Never has she understood the fear of many other hobbits for the water, because her love for it has meant she has never strayed too far from riversides, especially in Summer months.
Vevala loves to dance and sing, so often likes to strike up a note or two at the local Inn, the Golden Pigeon. She delights in strangers, and asks questions first before she ever thinks of the dangers they may impose. Because of this, she was kidnapped at one time by black dwarves from lands far away. However, her mischievous ways lended her aid, and her wit made her decide to set fire to their meagre little straw huts, burning them, and the criminals inside, to ashes. Though in some ways, she regretted doing so, her experiences did not give her many lessons-- She always inclined to act upon impulse, even she is scolded much for her ways...
Appearance~ A shock of strawberry coloured hair, with colourful ribbons immersed. Vevala has light, rosy cheeks, a merry smile, is small and lightfooted.
Personality~ Vevala has a store of unquenchable energy that does not wear away. One of her favourite past times is, indeed, her unquenchable eagerness for tales outside the Shire. A little mischievous and a trickster, she often finds fun in pulling off jokes, usually with those who have a knack of getting on her nerves. At other times, though, her other side resembles a sweet, optimistic and delightful companion. She loves her mother and her family very much, as she does the Shire and all else she has grown to know and love.
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* This was not from Tolkien's mythos... Vev was named after Vevala the Maiar who was, originally, one of my characters who was never really used.
** Pronounced Vye-lah, not Vee-ole-lah like the stringed instrument ;)