Disclaimer: Both Aman and Endor were made by Professor J. R. R. Tolkien.
The Chinese have a saying: "throw out a brick, in order to bring back a jade." I throw out this pair of tiny bricks in the hope that better writers than I will be provoked into writing about Thingol and Melian.
The Proof of Love
Flesh
Behold this Being, holy and divine, who was before the World, born of the thought of Eru alone. Her eyes have seen the glory of the face of the One; she has sung her part in the great Music, and her spirit has taken joy in the themes of the Music.
She lies on her back, legs spread wide apart, her hair sticky with sweat, her face contorted with pain. She is afraid, and clutches her husband's arm, squeezing it hard; her fingers dig into his flesh. Push! A midwife--many ages younger than she--calls out in peremptory command. In her effort, she fights for each breath, gasping for air; blood and the water of her womb flow from her body, staining the bed. Neither wisdom nor power avails her in her ordeal.
The baby girl cries, her first cry in the world, the sound loud and strong, and the mother sinks back, faint with exhaustion and a deep, fierce joy.
Blood
They bring him to her upon a bier, and the Queen of Doriath kneels beside the body, weak with grief. Her tears fall fast and unrestrained upon his corpse, and she touches his wounds, kisses the pale lips. His blood stains her hands and dress red.
Her thought crosses the wide distance of years, and returns to Nan Elmoth, where out of the forest's shadows, this son of Middle-earth came walking toward her, under the starlit sky. The air about them were filled with the songs of nightingales, and he was young and ardent. And such a love sprang up in her heart, binding her to the flesh of Arda; from this strong bond of love came great power.
Bitter is the widow's bereavement, for she has lost her lover to a Thing of Light, and her child to a Man. No power, no wisdom lessens her pain, for this, too, is part and parcel of her love.
Postscript (7/18/02): Only after I posted this story did I find out that a better writer did write something about Thingol and Melian...Please, go and read the wise and poetic "Rejoin the Dance" by Joan Milligan right now, if you haven't done so yet.
Still, one story and two tiny vignettes on all of ff.net is not nearly enough for this couple!