#Eöl

[mandhos]

I made a version of Eol with black hair, but I can't.

[aamuusva]

[thelien-art]

Eöl, son of Thingol

I love Maia Eöl but Thingol and Melian´s son Eöl is growing on me...

COMMISSIONS OPEN - Support me on Ko-Fi - get early access drawings + WIPs

[asinoeiv]

1st is a warm up for today. Eöl and teeny tiny Maeglin before he grew a head taller than eöl.

2nd one is a reference i made like months ago. i actually made headshots like these for every Finwean and their spouse as a help for coloring and basic face structure

3rd because he's so cute

[moredhel]

"There he learned much of metalwork, and came to great skill therein; and he devised a metal as hard as the steel of the Dwarves, but so malleable that he could make it thin and supple; and yet it remained resistant to all blades and darts. He named it galvorn, for it was black and shining like jet, and he was clad in it whenever he went abroad"

[silmarillion-ways-to-die]

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

I love when the Tolkien fandom comes together to discuss the big questions of the legendarium. Like Sauron’s sex life.

And sometimes we do find pearls on Reddit:

While I overall agree with this, I have some observations to make:

Sex is not absent from the legendarium. It’s absent from the “core” books like the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “The Hobbit”. In “The Silmarillion”, we have to read among the lines. So, when someone says there’s no sex going in Tolkien, I can already tell they never read anything else outside of these books. Tolkien cared enough about sex to write essays on Elves, Orcs and Men reproduction.

Melian wasn’t the only Ainur who ended up bound to a physical form; Morgoth chose to bound himself to his physical form, and Sauron also ended up bound to his physical form because of the One ring. It’s more like a consequence, than an actual punishment, if you ask me. In “Morgoth’s Ring”, Tolkien talks about Balrogs and Orcs reproducing and how the Balrogs would become bound to a Orc physical form, so it’s not that out of pocket to assume this might have happened, and Morgoth had Balrogs and Orcs breeding (with the Balrog taking on a Orc physical form, obviously). Also, the Balrogs are “Úmaiar”, which means they were among the first Maiar to harmonize with Morgoth during the Music (Ainulindalë), unlike Sauron/Mairon who harmonized with Aulë at the beginning.

About “Mairon” not being Sauron’s original name; sure, it’s his Quenya name, but so is every Ainur name in the legendarium. We don’t know the Valarin name of the majority of these deities, it’s not exclusive to Mairon. And in “Parma Eldalamberon” we are told: “Sauron’s original name was Mairon, but this was altered after he was suborned by Melkor”. This indicates “Mairon” is the Quenya translation of his Valarin name. Nevertheless, in the same source we are told: “he continued to call himself Mairon the Admirable, or Tar-mairon ‘King Excellent’ until after the downfall of Númenor.”

Tolkien crossing out the Valarindi (Children of the Valar) is one of those things I wish he had kept in the legendarium. I live for the angst, and Mairon as the son of Aulë and Yavanna would make this entire story more tragic. In “The Silmarillion” we are also told it was Sauron who discovered the dwellings of the first Elves, before Oromë. In Tolkien early drafts, Oromë was supposed to be Aulë and Yavanna’s son, which meant he was probably Mairon’s brother.

“Sex without judgement is probably why Morgoth got so many Maiar to join his cause”?? New headcanon unlocked, and actually quite fitting because we can’t forget Morgoth is the “Diabolus” of the legendarium, and this is a “Satanic rebellion” (like Tolkien calls it in his letters, with Sauron being Morgoth’s “Satanic satellite”).

Also, Tolkien religious views: "The devil is endlessly ingenious, and sex is his favourite subject. He is as good every bit at catching you through generous romantic or tender motives, as through baser or more animal ones." (Letter 43).

More, why are so many ignoring how the Christian Devil is seen as the source of every sort of sexual depravity? And during this time period, it could be stuff like premarital sex, promiscuity, and adultery. Tolkien was a 20th century man, after all. His letter 43 also has some interesting views on women who sleep with men outside of marriage. To him, the only acceptable heterossexual sex was confine within marriage, and that’s why it’s not surprising to find sex talk among Morgoth and Sauron in “The Lay of Leithian”, really shady actions from Curufin and Celegorm regarding Lúthien, and even everything about Aredhel and Eöl.

The only “sex scene” I’m aware of in the legendarium (someone correct me if I’m wrong) is Morgoth r*ping Arien in “Morgoth’s Ring”. There is still a nonsensical debate whenever this actually happened; folks, we are told in the same book the Dome of Varda was also used to keep the Sun’s “tainted” light at bay, since she was forever “stained” by Morgoth’s assault, because he wanted her as his wife. Also this makes sense with the “evil lust” he had for Lúthien: “then Morgoth looking upon her beauty [Lúthien] conceived in his thought an evil lust, and a design more dark than any that had yet come into his heart since he fled from Valinor.” You know, after he r*ped Arien? It’s not hard to put two and two together here.

Sexuality in the legendarium is mostly associated with the “bad guys”. So, indeed, why would Sauron be excluded? He isn’t. In “The Lay of Leithian” he’s associated with sex; not only he sexualizes Lúthien and talks about her body (while the Elves and Beren gush about her face and grace) and makes r*pe jokes, but his last words to Gorlim were “your wife is dead, no more sex for you”. “The Lay” follows the same logic as “The Silmarillion”; both writen by Elven loremasters, and a biased account of events. So, indeed, the Eldar associated Sauron with sex, or seemed to believe sex was a big concern of his.

However, I must say I disagree with the interpretation of Sauron going around r*ping characters like Morgoth. I don’t think this behavior fits his character, at all. Are you telling me the Maia who “disliked all confusion and wasteful friction” and was known as the great seducer was into r*pe? You know, like the Vala of chaos and destruction? He might be a control freak and into domination, but I don’t think actual r*pe was something he would do. This one liked them willingly, if anything to prove his power as the great seducer and deceiver. Besides we are told Sauron: “had still had relics of positive purposes, that descended from the good of the nature in which he began”. More, he might not be so devoted to Morgoth as many assume, because in “Morgoth’s Ring” we are told he knew and believed in Eru Ilúvatar and his feud was with the Valar themselves. Morgoth wanted to take Eru’s place for himself (that’s why it’s a “Satanic rebellion”), which is why Tolkien tells us Sauron could never be a “sincere atheist”.

About queerness; Tolkien himself had queer friends and was a fan of many queer writers (Oscar Wilde, Samuel Butler, A.E. Houseman, Arthur C. Clarke, Gertrude Stein, Iris Murdoch, etc.). This is mainly the reason I don’t see why would he immediately associate “queerness” with “evil”, just because he was a devoted Catholic. Also, the queer reading of Frodo and Sam’s relationship isn’t a surprise to anyone.

[chaos-of-the-abyss]

pretty interesting how curufin tells eol "those who steal the daughters of the noldor and wed them without gift or leave do not gain kinship with their kin," but then later, along with celegorm, does something similar and even more unambiguously nonconsensual to luthien. the phrasing -- specifically "daughters of the noldor," not just "daughters" or something similarly broad -- gives the impression that curufin's issue with eol isn't in the fact that he's a creep who "stole" a woman away, but rather in the fact that it was a noldorin woman, and curufin's own cousin and friend, who was "stolen" by eol. you can certainly make the argument, given that he doesn't mention aredhel by name and given the phrasing of the reprimand, that he's not angry for her sake but purely about the fact that, from his point of view, eol failed to show the noldor proper respect by going through all the formalities expected when marrying one of them -- but my preferred reading of this line is that it's both. yes, he's angry on the more impersonal behalf of the noldor, but he's also angry because aredhel is his cousin and friend and he cares about her. and it's kind of... disturbing, almost, to picture curufin so understandably offended and enraged on aredhel's (and his family's) behalf as he rebukes eol -- only to then, a few decades later, lie to, seize, and detain luthien against her will, the entire time seeing her as just a piece of meat to further his and celegorm's political goals. he doesn't care what a horrific violation of her autonomy he and his brother are committing; he doesn't even think about the fate he's sentencing her to in planning to force thingol to marry her to celegorm. her outrage, her fear, her distress -- all of it means nothing to him. it probably doesn't so much as occur to him that aredhel might have experienced the same thing he and celegorm are putting luthien through

[silmalope]

A short comic for the SWG Sept-Oct 2024 Idiomatic challenge. My idiom was “jumalan selän takana” (Finnish), meaning “behind god’s back,” figuratively a godforsaken place, the middle of nowhere. 

Originally posted on the SWG here.

[foedhrass]

“But Eöl, though stooped by his smithwork, was no Dwarf, but a tall Elf of a high kin of the Teleri, noble though grim of face; and his eyes could see deep into shadows and dark places.”

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion

[mandhos]

[somepinkthing]

AU where, in pain, maedhros initially rejects maglor when he first sees him post-rescue. Very publically too. In their grief and guilt, the other brothers then turn on maglor and cast him out, injuring him in the process. At first, when they can't find him again, they don't worry. He was ever the more level headed of them all, they figured. He knows he can't make it out there. He'll come crawling back and we'll accept him, we aren't the brother-abandoners after all. But as time drags on, it becomes more dire. Search party after search party is sent out but nothing turns up a trace. Eventually, they start edging closer to morgoth's lands. In a fit of irony, the remaining brothers soon decide they can't risk any more parties that far into enemy territory when three of them in a row are found ripped to pieces.

In the meantime, maedhros has also improved, mentally and physically, and has begun to ask about maglor. It seems... odd that he hasn't seen him. Maglor has never held a grudge against family this long, much less against his favorite brother. Maedhros himself hasn't let go of all his resentment entirely, but he regrets how it all went down all the same. Now recovered, he knows what maglor did was the best course of action and likely saved his remaining family from annihilation (no we can't all be named the valiant, findekano). He wants to reconcile. At the very least, he wants to see him.

None of the other brothers have the heart to tell him. Nor do they think it'd be a particularly good idea while he's still healing. They tell him maglor is busy, he's emotional, he's drowning in guilt, he's been hurt, he's still feeling hurt—anything to keep the truth under wraps.

Fingon, in a fit of indignation at his cousin's continued refusal to come see his ailing brother, comes personally to the feanorian camp to fetch him. When he finds out the truth, he first feels it's just. Then he just feels guilt ridden and cold. All of them agree it'd be for the best if maitimo were kept in the dark about it for now.

"Maybe he's just being stubborn," all of them tell themselves at some point, "he's always had a knack for the dramatic. He could still be coming back."

But when even maedhros makes it back to the feanorian camp before maglor does, they have to concede the point. They've lost their brother.

Maedhros is naturally distraught when the truth comes to light. Unable to personally go looking, he begins investigating what happened. It turns up nothing regarding maglor's whereabouts, but he finds out a very interesting rumor. A rumor that celegorm's hunters punished a traitor a few months back by hanging them in a tree.

They find no body in the end, just a cut rope. Relief and dread fill the brothers at the discovery. Maglor is alive! But it's likely someone else cut him down. Who? Why? After all, they now know there are fates worse than death.

Meanwhile, deep in the forests of nan elmoth, eöl curls around his mute lover. A pretty noldor he found left in the trees like some decoration by orcs, throat completely mangled from the ordeal. He's altogether rather mad and useless at any household chores, but he's pretty enough and his skill with a set of twin daggers grows every day. And, well, he certainly doesn't ask for much. Nor does he complain at all—even on days where eöl's mood is foul. And he plays the harp whenever asked, very well too. And it pleases eöl to have such a talented musician in his court. So the noldor stays. His fits of madness become easy enough to manage once eöl finds out solitude shuts him up like nothing else will. It's like he's never been alone before or something.

And that's the way it stays, even after eöl marries aredhel. Their trysts end but the little harpist has picked up enough skill by that point to be useful. Eöl notices at some point that his servant wears a mask and has a habit of avoiding his new wife, but he never lashes out at her in his jealousy so. It's well enough. He's fantastic with the boy too.

Eöl never regrets taking the noldor in.

That is, until it runs away with his wife and son. Right into the hands of the feanorians.

[violecov]

Eöl x Saeros. Please enjoy the cunningness of both of them.

[anghraine]

In addition to the I'm Guessing Tolkien Had Some Hang-Ups About Pregnancy post, I also ran over some interesting but even more unrelated factoids in The Nature of Middle-earth that even I couldn't justify including in the main ramble.

So I made a separate post about those, which includes my favorite:

Arwen would have been even more exhausting for Celebrían to bear than a pair of twins because: Arwen was a "special child" of great powers and beauty The beauty I got from LOTR, but—without being dismissive about the banner—I really wish we had a clearer sense of Arwen's unique stature in her own right in LOTR. She's presented so much in terms of Elrond and Lúthien and occasionally Galadriel and Celeborn, but Elladan and Elrohir are Elrond's children and Galadriel's grandchildren just as much as she is. Yet here she's clearly framed as special and powerful in a way they are not and which drew so much from Celebrían's (and possibly Elrond's) spiritual reserves that they couldn't have any more children. That seems like a big deal! Tell me more! Epilogue: he did not tell us more

[thelien-art]

I really love @chechula gorgeous design for Eöl so I tried drawing it myself - I hope that´s okay

I couldn't add all the details they did because I don´t have the patience :(