"So many questions, pen vuin," she says fondly. "A mother is a woman, but there are also the words 'father' for a man, and 'parent' for others. Iladar is the One who created the Belain, who sang the song that brought Arda into being. It is from his thoughts that Elves and Humans sprang.
"As for the feelings in the word 'mother'...." She looks out into the room, thinking. "A mother may raise a child and be done. Yet to be truly worthy of the name, she is one who loves her child with all her heart, one who keeps them safe and well, who teaches them what it means to live in the world and with its people, who gives them the skills to live on their own so that one day, they may stand strong on their own."
Screw sticking to words pre-1400. I found "parent" in a Middle English dictionary, so nyah.
"So many questions, pen vuin," she says fondly. "A mother is a woman, but there are also the words 'father' for a man, and 'parent' for others. Iladar is the One who created the Belain, who sang the song that brought Arda into being. It is from his thoughts that Elves and Humans sprang.
"As for the feelings in the word 'mother'...." She looks out into the room, thinking. "A mother may raise a child and be done. Yet to be truly worthy of the name, she is one who loves her child with all her heart, one who keeps them safe and well, who teaches them what it means to live in the world and with its people, who gives them the skills to live on their own so that one day, they may stand strong on their own."