This is the spawn of a recent conversation with some forum friends that made me seriously ponder what happened to the spiders in Mirkwood after the Ring was destroyed. Did they just run away? Did they suddenly explode all over Thranduil? (Thanks, Pip, for that.) I would love to discuss theories with people, but in the meantime...
Sung to the tune of O Little Town of Bethlehem.
O, little forest of Mirkwood,
Where creeping spiders lie,
After your dim remodeling,
The world has passed you by!
But, hark, what is this, gleaming,
Ascending yonder hill?
The spider's bane -
Glorfindel's mane -
No more they'll drink their fill!
.
How lusciously, how lusciously
The golden locks do flow,
And blinded spiders stumble to
Good Thranduil's force below.
No Sauron to protect them
Beneath his darkened lee,
So they shall die,
And Greenwood lie
In peace and liberty!
.
The Elf-King turns to Elven lord,
And thanks his tresses gold.
Glorfindel laughs and slyly asks,
"How was it to behold?"
As they gaze on the ashes,
Thranduil, with solemn air,
An eyebrow arcs,
And then remarks,
"That fight was very fair."
Merry Christmas. ;)