A long time ago I read a short story, where in some fairyland - amongst the various fairy races, only elves can work with iron and steel (specifically the women). The protagonist of the short story is an Elf girl who finally reaches an age where she is able to work the metal objects that drift in from our world to theirs. She is also of marriageable age and in the course of the story, she and her husband have many children.
However none are elves, each time she gives birth - the child is of another fairy breed. At the end of the short story, her mother reveals that the type of child an elf woman has is random, the only way for her to guarantee an Elf child is if she mates with a human male. And at the end of the story, the Elf woman goes through a portal into our world.
That was many, many years ago and a couple of months ago while going through the library, I saw a book that looked marginally interesting. Reading the back description of the book, it seems like the short story I mentioned above had been re-written into a full-length novel.
Unfortunately at the time, my library card had maxed out and so I didn't pick it up. I forgot about it for a while, but yeah I'd like to finally read it and find out how the story actually ends.
Here, IwillneverbeaJ...@hotmail.com <IwillneverbeaJ...@hotmail.com> wrote: > A long time ago I read a short story, where in some fairyland - > amongst the various fairy races, only > elves can work with iron and steel (specifically the women). The > protagonist of the short story is an Elf girl > who finally reaches an age where she is able to work the metal objects > that drift in from our world to theirs. > She is also of marriageable age and in the course of the story, she > and her husband have many children.
> However none are elves, each time she gives birth - the child is of > another fairy breed. At the end of the > short story, her mother reveals that the type of child an elf woman > has is random, the only way for her > to guarantee an Elf child is if she mates with a human male. And at > the end of the story, the Elf woman > goes through a portal into our world.
I think _Jerlayne_ by Lynn Abbey. Was there a test of shaping iron into a chain of N links, where N was a multiple of five or seven?
--Z
-- "And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the borogoves..." * If the Bush administration hasn't shipped you to Syria for interrogation, it's for one reason: they don't feel like it. Not because you're patriotic.
> Here, IwillneverbeaJ...@hotmail.com <IwillneverbeaJ...@hotmail.com> wrote: > > A long time ago I read a short story, where in some fairyland - > > amongst the various fairy races, only > > elves can work with iron and steel (specifically the women). The > > protagonist of the short story is an Elf girl > > who finally reaches an age where she is able to work the metal objects > > that drift in from our world to theirs. > > She is also of marriageable age and in the course of the story, she > > and her husband have many children.
> > However none are elves, each time she gives birth - the child is of > > another fairy breed. At the end of the > > short story, her mother reveals that the type of child an elf woman > > has is random, the only way for her > > to guarantee an Elf child is if she mates with a human male. And at > > the end of the story, the Elf woman > > goes through a portal into our world.
> I think _Jerlayne_ by Lynn Abbey. Was there a test of shaping iron > into a chain of N links, where N was a multiple of five or seven?
"Jerylayne" was appeared in the anthology Elf Fantastic in 1997 (it was expanded into a novel of the same name, published in 1999).
> In article <g94v9s$96...@reader1.panix.com>, > Andrew Plotkin <erkyr...@eblong.com> wrote:
> > Here, IwillneverbeaJ...@hotmail.com <IwillneverbeaJ...@hotmail.com> wrote: > > > A long time ago I read a short story, where in some fairyland - > > > amongst the various fairy races, only > > > elves can work with iron and steel (specifically the women). The > > > protagonist of the short story is an Elf girl > > > who finally reaches an age where she is able to work the metal objects > > > that drift in from our world to theirs. > > > She is also of marriageable age and in the course of the story, she > > > and her husband have many children.
> > > However none are elves, each time she gives birth - the child is of > > > another fairy breed. At the end of the > > > short story, her mother reveals that the type of child an elf woman > > > has is random, the only way for her > > > to guarantee an Elf child is if she mates with a human male. And at > > > the end of the story, the Elf woman > > > goes through a portal into our world.
> > I think _Jerlayne_ by Lynn Abbey. Was there a test of shaping iron > > into a chain of N links, where N was a multiple of five or seven?
> "Jerylayne" was appeared in the anthology Elf Fantastic in 1997 (it > was expanded into a novel of the same name, published in 1999).
Jerlayne, eh? It was years ago so I can't recall anything about a chain of iron links. Most of what I could remember was that the main character was often talking with her mother - asking for advice. It's been too many years. I found Jerlayne interesting because not too many "coming of age" stories, have a protagonist who already has a number of kids
Definitely thanks to the two of you, I'll look for Jerlayne in the library.
