#Even if feanor had also still lost something

[shrikeseams]

Once again considering the au where Miriel darts out of Mandos the instant Finwe bites it, and appears unheralded in Tirion like Eru swung a metaphorical two-by-four at the back of Feanor's head right before he's about to proclaim the Oath.

[thesummerestsolstice]

Headcanon Crafts for the House of Finarfin

Earwen: a sailor. Yes, I know, the Teleri are the sea elves, but while most of them can manage in a rowboat, only a few are true sailors; able to navigate the Teleri's finest ships, even in rocky bays or stormy waves. And Earwen was the best of the best. She was particularly fond of venturing out where no one had before, seeing everything there was to see on the ocean, though she always turned back to Valinor eventually.

Finrod: a bard. While Maglor's focus was always on the oral history of the Quendi, Finrod preferred to learn folktales and lays, which were often preformed more casually and retold with somewhat improvised lyrics on the fly. By the time of his death, he knew more myths and legends (elvish, mannish, and dwarfish) than anyone else, though most of it remained unwritten and died with him.

Angrod: a spinner. Well, he didn't just spin wool into thread– though he did keep a few sheep, and was very fond of them. He spun thread and yarn from various materials, and then hand made dye to turn it various colors. He valued his work for its rich hues and remarkable resistance to fraying. He was basically the only person whose thread was high quality enough for Caranthir; the two of them really bonded over fiber work.

Aegnor: a dancer; more in-line with traditional Vanyar work than most Noldor crafts. He had the strength and precision for the most complex dances, though he was sometimes a bit awkward when it came to dancing with a partner. Some speculated that he would swear his service to Nessa, as one of the few dancers skilled enough for a place in her halls, but he never did. He always felt there was more for him in life than endless routine.

Orodreth: a gardener. Look, a garden is an amazing work because it's always growing and changing, and it's made in collaboration with nature. Orodreth loved that sense connection with the world around him, and tried to make garden that looked more natural and weren't bound to beds or boxes. His favorite flowers were always tulips. Though it was underground, Nargothrond still had beautiful gardens thanks to some creativity on his part.

Galadriel: a baker, like Finarfin. As a child, she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps and make something that everyone would be able to enjoy; she learned a lot of her craft directly from him. Aredhel would often bring her fresh ingredients from the Valinorian woods. After going to Middle-Earth, she set her craft aside because she had no use for fancy craft work when she had to deal with fighting hordes of orcs and trying to deal with Sindar-Noldor political relationships. Also Finarfin and Aredhel weren't around anyone. She came back to it in the Second Age, and was able to find peace and happiness in her craft once again, although she never lost any of her warrior's skill.

Bonus! Although he wasn't aware of it, Finrod actually managed to make his way into legends and folktales throughout the peoples of Middle-Earth. Though his story was changed over time, he's always remembered as a faithful friend and a ray of light in dark times– and as having a rather impressive amount of fancy jewelry. He learns this all in Valinor, from his conversations with another famous keeper of tales: Bilbo Baggins.

Headcanon Crafts for Finwe and his Children, the House of Feanor, the House of Fingolfin, and the rest of the House of Finwe.

[chaos-of-the-abyss]

you know, i was gonna go all sanctimonious on you and say elwing should at least forgive the feanorians (but never forget what they did to her kin) and finally release all that hatred because she can't hold on to that for so long, and its not like the feanorians are gonna be forever ashamed but midway i started remembering all the shit i had to read about elwing, all the stupid ass takes, all the hc portraying her in a bad light, all the misogynistic attitude towards her character, even going as far as having her own sons (who canonically love her) call her cunt and then i was like, you know what, fuck em bitches, elwing deserves to scream at them, let her be angry and spiteful without being shamed and punished for it, twice she lost her home and had to make a big sacrifice, and still the sympathy is given towards her aggressors and god remembering that made my blood pressure high, so yeah, elwing should drop kick them, or slap them. she can live in aman and still hate on them. also because Kendrick made me realize i can never be the biggest hater lmao

i used to have the same mindset re: elwing forgiving the feanorians, and i'm not necessarily against content where she lets go of that burning hatred for them for her own sake so long as they are rightfully emphasized as the aggressors and she the victim of their actions, and as long as it's made clear that they do not and will never deserve her forgiveness and that she would be just as valid and right to not forgive them -- but ykw anon? you're so right lol. i don't like the notion that she has to forgive them, even for her peace of mind; i think it's completely untrue. you can absolutely hate someone and not forgive them while still living a good life and being happy with what you have. like, is anyone going to argue that feanor has to forgive morgoth if he wants to be a truly happy and content person? and the feanorians did far worse to elwing than morgoth ever did to feanor. i'm ok with them fading into obscurity in her mind as the years go by and she heals from all the trauma they inflicted on her, but the idea that she must, at any point, make the choice to soften up towards them? nope lol. let her disdain them, let her be disgusted at them, and let them keep being ashamed for all that they did to her. it's what she -- and they -- deserve.

oh and also lmao at people having her own sons call her something like that. the delusion and wishful thinking are strong bc both elrond and elros canonically honor their mother and their heritage from her, and no amount of misogyny and victim-blaming those people cough up is going to change that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[saurongorthaur9]

I love ur posts about sauron💖💖

Do you think if sauron had to fight all 7 sons of feanor, would he win? He's most powerful creature in middle earth after morgoth right?

And whatever skills they have (politics, singing, administration, hunting...) sauron has every single one of them.

Aw, I'm glad you enjoy my hyperfixated ramblings on my favorite Dark Lord <3

As for the hypothetical scenario, I think your question hinges on a couple things: 1) what "fighting" means, and 2) at what point in time it's happening.

One, we know that Sauron isn't the best at physical combat. The few times we see him participating in some type of physical combat, he doesn't come out on top. I think if all seven Feanorians ganged up on him at once in physical combat, the Feanorians would probably win.

On the other hand, if it was more of a political battle, or something other than a physical combat, I think Sauron would have the edge. We know that's the battlefield where Sauron truly excels. We know he can be outwitted there - we see it happen in LOTR - but that takes most of Middle-earth absolutely greatest and wisest minds to do. But I think Sauron would have the edge over the Feanorians for several reasons.

I think Sauron would find the Feanorians fairly easy to manipulate. First, they've got the constraints of their Oath, which Sauron would absolutely use against them. And second, from what we know of the individual Feanorian's weaknesses, I think Sauron would be able to exploit those. Maedhros tends to be too trusting; it's how Morgoth captured him in the first place, and he also trusted Ulfang, which was a large reason why the Feanorians lost the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. Then you've got the three Cs, who all tend to be rash, impetuous, easily angered, and not great about thinking through their plans. Sauron, who is known for his patience and using the rashness of others against them, would absolutely eat those three for breakfast. Maglor's flaw seems to be that he's too passive; I think he'd be harder for Sauron to manipulate, but he tends to just follow his other brothers even when he doesn't agree with what they're doing. And we really don't know too much about the Ambarussa, but they seem similar to Maglor in that they tend to be more passive and just follow their more impetuous brothers.

All of this to say: I think Sauron would have an absolute heyday playing mind games with them, manipulating them, turning them against one another, and generally playing with them like a cat with a mouse.

A second, more minor, point is what time in history this hypothetical fight is taking place. If it is right after the Feanorians arrive in Beleriand, I think Sauron would have an easier time with them than later in the First Age when they've established themselves and are acting a little less impetuously after they've lost a few battles. I still think Sauron would win if it was a fight other than physical, but I think he might have a bit of a trickier time with it.

TLDR: Sauron would lose in a physical fight against all seven sons of Feanor at once, but if it was some form of mental or political fight, the Feanorians would be toast.

Thanks for the ask!

[eri-pl]

Silm reread 12: Geography :(

Aaaand now it's the time for a geography lesson, says the narrative.

Nevrast (Turgon's pre-Gondolin kingdom) is a Noldorin-Sindarin mixed culture. Nice. I assume Gondolin will be like this, too? And still, Eol took an issue with it being too Noldorin.

Finrod is above his brothers, and has the most land and is allied with Cirdan. He deserves it all, he is awesome. <3 Except the part where he doesn't tell Thingol about the shady stuff.

Morgoth's servants all hate water and do not go near the sea unless they really need to. I wasn't sure that was canon.

Ungoliant is mentioned again. She poisons water and it makes people insane. Wait, is this the place where Nienor will later get lost?

Nargothrond's location and surroundings described in detail.

Maglor's gap has horses, oh, so that is why "Maglor the horse girl" is a thing?

Finrod travels a lot, visits Ambarussar and Green elves and what not. Who rules Nargothrond when he's away?

No Noldor go through Ered Lindon in the First Age. I'm not sure if I need this information for something, but maybe.

Chapter XV: more Noldorin drama

Tumladen the Hidden Valley. Mhm. I feel like I've seen this morpheme somewhere more popular. :)

Turgon's Ulmo-induced anxiety is also a thing that sleeps and wakes, because Tolkien's poetic language. (I like Eldritch Oath, but it is a hc with no stronger textual support than the alternative, I think)

Turgon works in secret. And it is not very bad. (He still ends up loving it too much and dies, but he's a very mild case of this problem anyway). also, it takes 52 years (4*13, like deck of cards; or 2*26 and 26 is on of the numbers of perfection in the Bible, iirc. Maybe it's just random logistics.)

Ulmo appears to Turgon (in physical form not in a dream, as he later "returned to the sea") and infodumps him. Gives him a manual on what to do + a prophecy + you will mess up anyway + but it's ok I will send you a reminder + so leave here an armor in this exact size and style. (Really, Ulmo does give Turgon the exact size for the armor, helmet and sword.)

I have a feeling that (at least in Ulmo's opinion) Turgon isn't the brightest fish in the sea.

Meanwhile, Melian asks Galadriel what the problem is and Galadriel doesn't want to speak about it. Also, if seems like the Hiding of Valinor hid it also from Melian's mental information-gathering abilities? She sounds like normally she should be able to see what happenned but now she's not. Huh.

Important points Melian says:

the Noldorin princes never mention the Valar

the sons of Feanor are arrogant and cruel (this is pre-Kinslaying!)

[later] fate of Arda is bound to the Silmarils

[later] the Eldar cannot recover them on their own

Galadriel tells her about the unrest and what Morgoth did, but not the murders, oath or ship-burning. And refuses to say more.

Melian goes to thingol, Thingol also knew something was off and had been thinking about it. Melian warns him against the sons of Feanor, Thingol says that Feanor was a great Elf (according to what he heard) and his sons are sus, but useful as allies.

So, we have a (sort of) answer why Thingol didn't want to talk with the sons of Feanor: they were behaving so badly that (based on gossip, but it migcht have been well-founded gossip) he did not want to deal with them. Huh. for 400-ish years? Not even talk to them to see on his own? Weird but ok.

Now Morgoth starts spreading gossip among the Sindar. how? I would assume Sauron and thralls. I wonder why didn't he earlier tell the Sindar about Alqualonde. Did he not know? So how does he know now? I can't figure out his strategy here.

So Thingol accuses Finrod of being a kinslayer. Finrod is very nice to his cousins and diplomatic. He prefers to be blamed for something he didn't do than to tell on his cousins. But Angrod is still angry at Caranthir (after a couple hundered years, I think. huh.) and tells on them.

Is this why his name is Angrod? Because he gets angry so easily? (+after-the-fact Elvish etymology)

Anyway, Angrod explains he before didn't mention it because of loyalty. Huh. the earlier chapter said something slightly different, but ok. And he talls on them… except the Oath? Kinslaying and ship-burning is mentioned, but no clear indication that anyone told Thingol about the Oath. Which is interesting. Gives a lot of space to my favorite type of conflict (where each side has some good points, but they do not fully know other side's situation).

Thingol kicks them out for a time, and does the Quenya ban, which is directed at the Sindar only. Nothing in the book suggests that Thingol tried to ban the Noldor from speaking their language. Just the Sindar. And they listened. And avoided those who spoke it (which confirms that the Noldor did speak it with no ill consewuences greater than social ostracism). Everyone started speaking Sindarin, only the Noldorin princes spoke to each other in Quenya and the loremasters used it.

And we end on Finrod's sad foresight.

[dovesandmagpies]

Thoughts rereading the Lord of the Rings for the first time in 10 years, (in no particular order and with no claim to literary expertise beyond reading a lot of books)

When I was younger I would always skip the old forest, Tom Bombadil and the barrow wites, because I didn't think they were necessary to the story, it still makes sense if they're not there and the barrow wites (is that how you spell it?) creeped me out.

Listening to it now, yes they're not essential, but they make the world feel more real. There are evil things that don't have anything to do with Sauron, old man willow is never explained, he's just there, hating people, with no giant evil plan for world domination or anything.

Tom Bombadil makes much sense when you think that the world of middle earth was sung into being, a guy who sings all the time is (a little) less strange in that context.

And the barrow wites are still the creepyist things in the whole story but I appreciate the creepyness more as an adult.

Merry is still my favourite character, I always feel sad when I remember how reduced his character was in the movies

I find the songs more interesting, I only read the Silmarilion once, and that was over 10 years ago (I am currently rereading it, I am not even half way through though) But the fact that it exists, that the history that is referenced or hinted at in the Lord of the rings is actually there all written down some where so you can read it if you want to know more, it is what makes the Lord of the rings one of my favourite books.

It also makes it a very sad story, yes they win, the villain is destroyed, but the time of the elves is finished, all that history that happens in the Silmarillion has come to an end. There is a deep feeling that something important has been lost and no matter what happens it can't be the same as it was.

The kingdoms of Gondor and Anor remind me very much of the Roman empire in the middle ages, (I feel like I may be pointing out the obvious here, but I never noticed this before) All the lands used to be part of one great kingdom/empire, the kingdom broke in to two halves one of the which fell and the other survived but was not as great as it had been. There are ruins and old buildings all over the place that no one at the time of the story could build. Even though Arnor has been gone for hundreds of years people still refer to it as something to be admired. Most people speak the same or similar languages because of it. Numenor conccered most of middle earth and made it this huge kingdom, which then collapsed and split apart in smaller kingdoms none quite as great as the original. There are probably parallels to other things but this is what stood out to me.

I understand why they didn't put the scouring of the Shire in the movie, but I think it is an important part of story. It shows how evil isn't all huge and far away, sometimes it's small, pathetic, sneaky and done or helped by people you know, and that is much scarier.

I forgot about how many side characters they didn't include in the movie, particularly in the Return of the King.

When Gandalf and Pippin get to Gondor is the point I really remembered that Tolkien lived through WWI and 2, there are little things before that (the dead marshes for instance), but in Gondor they're sending all the women and children to the countryside so they won't be caught in the fighting. There's rationing of the food, all the lights must be dimmed or put out so the flying creatures can't see anything. It's something only someone who lived after WWI would write because before that it just wouldn't enter your head that war could be like that.

Going back to the Silmarillion for a moment, theoretically, if the sons of Feanor had broken their oath, would they have turned into ghosts like the ones in the Paths of the Dead? Or are they ghosts because Isildur cursed them?

I occasionally see people criticising Tolkien for making Eowen marry Faramir and give up war, this is generally portrayed as Tolkien being sexist for letting a female character fight and then immediately taking it away and marrying her off to some random guy.

I disagree with this perspective and I don't understand how you could think that after reading Eowen's part of the story.

By the time Eowen faced the Witch King she had no hope, she thought the only thing she had to live for was the hope of a glorious death in battle, she wanted to die. When she survived what she needed was hope that there was more to life than death in battle, that's why her marrying Faramir is a happy ending for her. He is able to help Eowen see that there is more to live for than she believed and she is able to hope for the future instead of wishing to die from despair.

Is it canon that Feanor made the Palatri or was that just an educated guess on Gandalf's part?

Is that giant "as big as an elm tree and walking" the hobbits talk about in the pub in one of the first chapters an entwife? I always assumed it was but I've never seen anyone else mention it.

Is Goldberry a maia? If not what is she?

Gollum is a lot funnier than I remember, he's just such a drama queen. He can't eat lembas? "oh poor Smegol, he must starve! "

The orcs come across as a lot smarter and more like real people than I remember, yes they're evil but they're just doing their jobs, trying to get promoted and not lose their heads. Also they have wages. I don't know why but this was one of the biggest surprises in the whole book, how "civilised" the orcs were. They, and Mordor in general, are really an industrial power fighting a medieval one. Which shouldn't be a surprise considering what Tolkien clearly thought about industry, but I was caught off guard by it.

That's all the thoughts I have, for now at any rate, hopefully it wasn't too confusing.

[legitimatesatanspawn]

Could you please tell me where Morgoth is during The Lord Of The Rings? (Is he alive?)

I'm gonna answer this one first because it's the easiest:

Morgoth is alive and not on the world although his evil power still is infused in the world and his malicious lies still plague countless minds.

The First Age ended when he was tossed into space and cast out, far from the world he coveted and the Flame of Creation he sought. Beyond Time as well. He's unable to return as long as the Valar and the Sun and Moon and the Evening Star continue to sail around the world. What Morgoth is up to we don't know - or at least it is not written by any being living in the world. The Valar believe existence beyond Ea - the universe beyond the world Arda - is empty and lifeless but it is suggested that the original Song of Creation echoed out and created more than just the world. And Eru- who is God - saw that it was good even as twisted as the Song was by Morgoth - then Melkor - in his attempts to change the Song into something he thought was better.

(There's always That One Person in band practice who thinks they're funny, I swear.)

The world being made with song but still needing to be shaped by hand is an incredibly fascinating image. Because the Song wasn't just Making the world but the instructions of the world itself. In a way it was a prophecy that every angel that existed then took part in shaping.

The changes, the imperfections, the clashes... it made the Song better even if it wasn't perfect anymore. But because he kept trying to claim the world and make it his, Morgoth was The Enemy and all his works were cruelty and corruptions of good things.

There's a prophecy of what is functionally Ragnarok where the Final Battle will be fought, the ships of the Sun and Moon crash to the planet, and the Silmarils will break open and whatever Feanor made of them will become known. (Personally it always sounded like they're talking about nuclear detonation as part of the Doomsday Apocalypse.)

But part of that prophecy is that Morgoth will return.

Sauron's dead. Saruman is either sort-of dead or cursed to wander the world as a spirit forever. The orcs all retreated into dark unseen places, likely deep within the mountains - which funny enough is also where the Dwarves are implied to be hiding out at. If there's any Elves still alive in the world they don't make themselves known and same with the Hobbits but they are implied to be still around… just hard to see. Maybe Hobbits have become folklore takes of Brownies or Leprechauns or other fae things, much in the same way that the meta lore suggest that stories of Elves gradually became tales of the Fairies Courts.

Our world, by the lore of the Red Book of Westmarch from which the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings were "translated" from, is the modern version of Middle Earth. We live in what is likely still the Fourth Age. Sauron's defeat heralded the end of the Third Age two/three years later. The World began an untold length of time before the First Age, which lasted about 590 years (by their calendar). The Second lasted 3441 years, and the Third ended after 3021 when Bilbo and Frodo sailed to Valinor.

Whether they survived the sailing (remember: Bilbo was Old AF when they set sail with the Elves and Gandalf) and lived there in some place on Aman or on the small island of Tol Eressea isn't clear. While people who were neither Ainur (Valar/Maiar) or Elves were no longer allowed there after Numenor's Biggest Screwup, exceptions can be made and Bilbo had no idea he bore the One Ring and it was through him and Frodo (and Sam but he stayed in the Shire) who were able to keep the Ring from Sauron's hands.

But some day in our future, Morgoth will return. In what form we don't know nor when or how. He will be fought and finally be completely defeated, although there's some variations where it is said that if humans choose to side with him then all will be lost. But if defeated then the lost lands will rise back above the sea (Beleriand but maybe also Numenor). Humans and the angelic beings alike (the Maiar and the Valar as a whole) will sing a new Song of Creation before God Himself and remake the world anew.

If it's not super obvious, the series is a blending of various myths and cultural ideas as well as Catholic teachings. So there's a lot of heavy handed stuff regarding God and morality. And a lot of questions raised and worried over by not only the fans but Tolkien himself.

[sweetteaanddragons]

Hi

Huge fan of your writing here. I was wondering if you had any ideas for a sequel to your ‘A Question of Precedence’ AU. No need to answer if you dont feel like just my imagination running wild lol but i was curious about how Feanor meeting Fingolfin, Finarfin, Lalwen and their wives and kids would go down. I imagine it would be strange to meet you brother who died as an infant (something which caused your father a lot of trauma and grief) as an adult with a wife and kid. What was their opinion on Feanor before Finwe was slain and Feanor reborn. Did they ever feel like their father loved them less?Would Feanor + siblings get along better in this AU or just about the same ? What was it like for Finwe to die and meet his son and ex wife only for them to leave to live with Vaire ? What was it like for Findis to raise her famously chaotic brother? Are they close? What’s it like for Indis to lose her husband and have his dead child brought back in his stead and then have said child raised to be king a title which previously belonged to her children. What would the relationship be between the sons of Feanor and their cousins ? how is Feanor viewed by those that stayed in Valinor and those that left especially after he chose to aid his kin in Beleriand.

This got a bit longer than intended so again no need at all to answer i just love your writing ❤️💕

Thank you so much! It took me a minute to remember that AU - it's been a while!

(For those who also don't remember, this was my AU in which Feanor died as an infant when Miriel did. All of his half-siblings except Findis still end up going to fight in Beleriand; Findis stays and ends up raising him when Feanor is released from the Halls. Feanor, for his part, ends up leading the reinforcements to Middle Earth.)

I think meeting Feanor is definitely strange for the siblings that went to Middle Earth, especially because of the circumstances. They are used to thinking of him as a Tragedy™, not a full grown force of nature riding to the rescue.

I do think they'd get along better in this AU; a Feanor raised reasonably well by Findis is not going to be raised to resent his siblings, and the attachment to his father that he was so afraid of the others usurping is going to look very different here. He also isn't worried about competing with the others for the crown; Findis raises him to know that it's his as soon as he's old enough, and the others aren't there to fight for it.

His relationship to Indis is still complicated, I think; she knows Finwe chose to remain dead in order to give him a chance to return, and part of her does resent that, but on the other hand, she's ashamed of resenting a baby for anything, especially that. The issues between her and Findis regarding Indis's perceived abandonment might actually cause as many issues between Feanor and her as the remarriage does.

For a long time, Feanor's sons have no relationship with their cousins, for obvious reasons. This changes with Fingon's resurrection; they are very, very eager to get to know him, and he is very, very eager to encourage them to go fight in Beleriand . . . though he feels a bit guilty about that. Whatever their actual ages, he can't help thinking they're too young to be dragged into this.

Once they get to Beleriand, their surviving cousins have an interesting mix of "Reinforcements! I love you!" and . . . possibly some resentment? Because they've been fighting this war all this time, and here their younger cousins come sweeping in, all shining and golden from Valinor to win the day without the centuries of hopeless warfare. Once they get to know them, some of those relationships improve.

(Some get worse.)

In general, the Noldor in Beleriand see Feanor as a hero and a particularly shining symbol of hope - if even Finwe's long lost son has returned, surely all darkness can be overcome! The ones in Valinor see him as less of a symbol, but he is still their respected king (though there might have been some dissent about showing up as reinforcements.)

[z-h-i-e]

FIC: Prototype

Silmarillion Characters: Finrod, Finarfin, Earwen Summary: Newly reimbodied and the first deceased Elf to make it out of the Halls of Waiting, Finrod copes with being reborn. Notes: I don't know if this is all of it or not, so here, have a possible finished possibly not fanfic I'm too tired to fully tag but wanted to have today as its birfday.

“Can I get you anything else? Another piece of cake?”

“Goodness, no, mother, I am more than stuffed. Anyhow, I would hate to get crumbs in the bed.” Finrod lifted his arms and received another tight embrace.  Number twenty-seven that evening. 

“Glass of water?  I could sing you a song.”

Finrod clung to Earwen and memorized everything about her with his eyes closed.  There was the scented oil in her hair that misted over him, the feel of her arms, strong from hundreds of years of sailing, holding him firmly, so well that had he gone limp she would still have kept him elevated just slightly from the bed.  The links of the metal hoops that dangled from her ears created bell-like noises, reminiscent of the tall cathedral in Valmar. He felt himself match the pace of her breathing, hearts beating close.  As the muscles in his back began to complain, Finrod pulled back and settled down again. 

The pillow was at an odd angle, but it had been four times since being brought to bed that he had tried to arrange them in a less troubling manner, and he did not want his mother to think that she had to tend to him further, so he left them alone and tried to concentration on something else. 

Something else was his arm, and he started to pick at the raised skin. 

“Do they itch?  Or hurt?  I have a cream for either,” spoke up Earwen. 

Finrod curled his fingers away from the scar and tried to smile.  “No.  I just get nervous.  I feel like I need to be doing something.”  He brought his hands back under the covers and fisted them in the sheets, unseen by his mother.  

“You just rest.  Oh, here is your father.”  Earwen leaned in to kiss Finrod’s cheek; he reciprocated.  Then she stood up from where she had been sitting on the edge of the bed and Finarfin took her place. 

“I finally managed to extract myself from council at a reasonable hour,” announced Finarfin.  He stood at the bedside for a moment, taking in a son once lost, and then sat where his wife had been. 

“I will see you in the bed chamber,” said Earwen to Finarfin, blowing a kiss to Finrod before she left the room. 

Finarfin gave a nod towards her even as her back was turned, and then attended to Finrod, adjusting a side of the blanket that had migrated off his feet and checking that the water glass was within reach.  “How was supper?”

“Good. Really good.”  Finrod wanted to say that there was no need for eight courses and a bounty of desserts every night, but Finrod was also not sure yet if it was due to his recent return or just the way Valinor was for the king and his family, and so he said nothing of this.  “How was council?”

“Boring, per usual,” was all Finarfin offered.  “Did you enjoy the garden?” 

“I did.  It was a very nice gesture for you to build them,” said Finrod. 

“Feanor was my brother, too.  We actually got along quite well, compared to how he and Fingolfin were.  It was a shock when Miriel presented us with the tapestry of Feanor’s last battle.  I hope his spirit has been able to find some peace where he is now.”

Finrod only nodded.  He knew the truth of the Hall of Waiting, and how impatience was not a trait of those who were successful there. His thoughts flashed back to his own brief stay there–unlike those who were angered or sad or hurting, Finrod had accepted his fate.  He benefited from the lack of physical barriers which once prevented visits to relatives and friends living far away.  He learned how to sing without voice, how to move without muscle, how to transport himself with mere thought.  

He enjoyed the freedom of the Halls of Waiting. 

He was now in a prison, in a land where he did not know many people, for all his friends and most of his family had gone to Middle-earth before or when he had.  He was not yet strong enough or coordinated enough to seek out Amarie (though it was not lost on him that she had yet to visit him, and the announcement of his return, of the rebirth of the son of the king, had been announced far and wide, so it was not for lack of knowledge). 

To get up the stairs, he had to be carried.  His mother had done this earlier.  To move around the gardens, he was set in a cart with cushions to prop him up which was either pushed or pulled by two or three of the palace guards.  All independence he had in the Halls was lost. 

His jubilation in the Halls of Waiting had been mistaken for a healed soul.  In reality, he hurt–but he found he immensely enjoyed being disembodied. He enjoyed the encounters with Men and Elves alike whom he had known when they both walked in Middle-earth, to speak with them in thoughts in an instant of that which might have taken days to speak with voice. 

Little warning was given; he was told he was to be an important part of the song.  How could anyone say no to that, and certainly not to Namo himself. 

And then–

–he was awake.  Alive.  Gasping for air, half in the water, half out, on the shores of what was once Alqualonde’s thriving seaport.  Reimbodied in the midst of a forgotten and abandoned impromptu graveyard.  Naked and afraid once again. 

He tried to stand and immediately fell.for  He tried again with the same result.  

The tide approached, and he crawled, trembling and sobbing, until he reached the dry sand.  The sensation of thousands of tiny particles all touching him at once had him paralyzed, and he curled in on himself and wept, eyes shut tight, gnats landing on him and biting, and he too shocked and devoid of energy to swat them away.  

If it was hours or moments or even days he would never know, for at some point, he was lifted and carried and flown elsewhere.  Only later would he learn it was Eonwe who had encountered him, and taken him to his parents for a reunion. 

“Is there anything else I can get you?”

Finrod was suddenly aware that he had missed at least two minutes of conversation with his father, that he had likely been told about the council meeting or perhaps the procurement of the site which now housed the Prince Feanor Memorial Garden. Finrod took a deep breath and shook his head.  Finarfin smiled, leaned in, and kissed Finrod on the brow.  Then, as he began to stand, he reached out for the knob on the lamp.  Just as his fingers were about to connect, Finrod shouted out, “No!”  Finarfin withdrew, and Finrod took another steadying breath.  “Please.  Leave the light on for me.  Mother has done it for–since–when I came back.  I just–I need it.  I need the light.”

Finarfin was already stroking his trembling son’s forehead while nodding, yet allowed Finrod to finish.  “Of course,” he said.  He kissed Finrod’s brow again.  “Sleep well, son.”

Finrod looked to the light of the oil lamp once he was alone in the room.  Though it stung his weary eyes to look upon it, even worse was the resulting darkness without.  No one who had lived but once could understand, he reasoned, how it should be that it was so important to have the light. 

[novemberthecatadmirer]

Personal Headcanon About Vanyar

My headcanon for Vanyar is they were the smallest group in Cuivienen not just because of their initial number being small but also because Morgoth was specifically targeting them

We know in canon Morgoth

Liked to steal shiny things

Had bad feelings around Turgon

Guess who was the only elf group that eventually fucked Morgoth up in Canon?

So Morgoth just had this BAD feeling seeing elves with blonde hair

And decided “okay I am going to kill them and make their babies into orcs”

—————

The blonde elves in Cuivienen kept going missing

Other elves went missing as well but not at the same rate; a lot of them were stay in company with elves with blonde hair

So quickly everyone just realized for some reason, those blonde ones have DANGER following their steps

Everyone started to avoid the blonde ones

They did made some natural hair dye and tried to cover their hair… It helped but never enough. (It’s not like Morgoth’s servants solely relied on visual sensation.)

Then people started to get attacked by these strange things in the forest, that looked like elves but OFF

And they had blonde hair

Okay that definitely made those blonde ones look extra suspicious. They’re already avoided by everyone else and who knew what they were doing out there in secret

(Morgoth was GOOD at causing distrust and splitting up people)

(Meanwhile many blonde elves were panicking “that thing eating elves in the forest looked like my lost brother/sister”)

—————

Minyar formed their community because their hair color made them a target and everyone was avoiding them due to safety concerns. They had to stick together to have a better chance at survival

It was extra-awful to live in Cuivienen as a Minyar

They had more developed social support system and often did everything in groups

Raised their children as a community, figured out adoption very early (too many children lost their parents & too many parents lost their children)

Had little social stigma against divorce & remarriage (you didn’t know when you’ll be taken by the things in the woods, life was short) (sometimes a spouse just disappeared and never return)

Vanyar elves in Valinor still had songs and tales about kin lost to the darkness in the wood

They had some heavy collective trauma about Cuivienen, and loved the place a lot less

(Also the reason that none of them got moved by Feanor’s speech about glory & wonder in the old land. Hard to be stirred up by those words when you grew up with parents still mourning their lost family.)

—————

Minyar were very suspicious of Orome. I suspect Morgoth fashioned his riders after Orome and his Maiar as a mockery. To elves, Orome just looked too much like those horrible things that took their children.

Ingwe was made king after his travel to Aman partially because of his brave act to risk himself to trust this thing specking of a blessed land.

Ingwe in Aman: OMG everything is so beautiful so peaceful I don't even want to go back I must bring everyone here

Also learning that the Valar beat up Morgoth and freed their captured kin helped a lot (He lost family members and had children he took care of missing)

(I always read Ingwe's "never returned or set eyes upon Middle-earth again" as a result of some extreme trauma. Like, something so bad happened that he did not even want to think about this place he used to live.)

—————

Minyar were the most eager to go to Aman because they never formed enough attachment to Cuivienen. It was not a homeland; it was just a place they dwelled, where they kept getting snatched up and lost in darkness one by one.

They were also, being the group that was targeted specifically by Morgoth, a lot more grateful to Ainur. These were the ones who warred against the horrible things for them. Then these strange beings further invited them to their home and shared the bless with them. They did not have to do either of those acts and they did it out of kindness anyway.

There was just more trust and good wills between Ainur and Vanyar.

After Morgoth's release they just really did not trust them because they remembered everything he did. And not all of their lost kin had yet been found. They had all the reason to not trust Morgoth and they held grudge.

Then the Trees happened

—————

I think the Darkening of Valinor was extra traumatic to Vanyar elves.

They knew all the horrible things happened to their kin in darkness. Some of them even experienced those stuff. They went to blessed land and thought they were safe, and started to slowly heal. Then suddenly the Light was gone.

And their first reaction was to gather all their children, find Ainur and stay with them, hoping to get some protection.

—————

We don't know what was happening back in Aman in first age.

My headcanon is after the Darkening of Valinor the Vanyar just started all these military training because they realized they could not always rely on the Ainur for protection. It was not in the "distrusting Valar" way, just in the "they are not all powerful and we should help them too" way.

And they were not the Noldor type that challenge Devil to suicidal one-on-one combat. They collaborated with each other and worked as a group. They were a lot more organized and they focused on surviving.

But it was not like they were not ANGRY! War of Wrath got its name for a reason.

—————

Anyway I just want "Morgoth having funny feelings around blonde elves, and decided to destroy them, but his action actually unionized them and gave them all the motivations to fuck him up in the end"

[imfromthemiddlekingdom]

Just had a thought. It makes no sense but I’m running with it. Miriel is Thingols daughter from before he met Melian. She married on the shores of the lake to Finwë with his blessing and they all journey to Valinor. Thingol does his hundred years long stare with Melian as his first wife leaves with their daughter and son in law. They get to Valinor and Miriel falls pregnant. She dies as she did in canon but this time her mother who is technically the de facto leader of the Teleri stays to raise Feanor until Olwë’s group arrives. Feanor in this is Olwë’s great nephew so make of the first kinslaying what you will (not sure if I want to go that route tho since I do want the first age to be less tragic but also more tragic at the same time). Finwë petitions to be allowed remarriage and his mother in law is furious. Cue obligated “you’re betraying my daughter! She could still come back and you will doom her to Mandos forever! What will Elwë think with you giving up on his baby girl!!!” He doesn’t listen and goes on to marry Indis. Feanor thus is primarily raised by his grandmother who goes on to tell him all about his mother and grandfather. He’s probably close to Olwë and co. Haven’t really decided yet.

Idk where I’m going to go with this. But I feel like whether or not I wrote the first kinslaying as something that happens in this AU it will still be a tragedy since 1) Miriel isn’t coming back till Finwë dies 2) in Feanors mind another one of his family members betrayed him (his cousin in this au marrying his half brother who’s birth means that his mother could never be alive again) 3) Thingol marrying a Maia when he’s already married and he doesn’t even know his eldest has a kid or is dead 4) the reaction of everyone, especially Thingol, when they find out that Miriel is dead and can’t come back.

The first age would be so much more angsty since Thingol would be choosing between his brothers grandchildren and his grandchildren and grappling with the fact that he lost all chance with his daughter. Maybe throwing a bit of grappling with how consensual the marriage between him an an Ainui is. Idk. I just don’t like the Vala and their kin so I tend to paint them in the worst light possible. Probably gonna write an outline for this late and a fic. Idk yet.

[starsofarda]

So I am now going off with the meta I promised to @tolkien-feels aka:

Has anyone ever written meta comparing Rivendell, Lothlorien and Mirkwood to Gondolin, Nargothrond and Doriath respectively? Because if nobody has, somebody definitely should

And yeah, I usually suck at essays, so please don't ask me to put this in essay form. I will do my very best to expose everything as best as my undiagnosed ADHD mind allows me :)

I would like to start by saying that being able to write meta about what I love and actually being read is something that does not happen to me usually and I am so happy, but I am already digressing.

Everything will be under cut, I apologise in advance if this has too many words, no one usually listens to me blabbering about my special interests.

I am now going to mention this other post, because of the very good points and keys in my analysis, thanks again to @tolkien-feels for the insight and the big galaxy brain <3

To be able to digest the whole thing I am going to pick up the elements for comparison two by two starting with Gondolin and Rivendell, then Lothlorien and Nargothrond and finally Mirkwood and Doriath.

GONDOLIN AND RIVENDELL

Elrond, heir of Turgon: I am going to go to this hidden valley and build a place of safety and lore, the last refuge if all else falls to ruin - @tolkien-feels

To be able to compare the two I think it is important to define what these places are, who lives/lived there and what they represent.

Gondolin was built during the First Age of the Middle Earth by Turgon, and whilst I am not going to dwell for long on its history, whose summary you can find here and in more detail in The Silmarillion, I am going to take into account that Turgon was an exiled elf. He saw the Light of the Trees and although originally he had been against, he followed Feanor and ultimately stayed behind due to "Fingon and Turgon were bold and fiery of heart, and loath to abandon any task to which they had put their hands until the bitter end, if bitter it must be".

Basically he had a whole lot of pride, which really does not surprise me all things considering.

But the thing is, even though you are fare from home and cannot/decide not to go back, you do get homesick - I know the feeling, I have constantly this feeling due to me having had to abandon my country to be able to live.

You still want to find something you can call home even in a foreign land and I think that Gondolin was exactly that for Turgon. A place of solace, where he could find familiarity in what he saw. Because at the very beginning he did not want to leave Valinor and stayed in Middle Earth out of pride.

Gondolin itself was not ever heavily armed, the defenses were relying mostly on the fact that it was hidden in a valley and that barely anyone knew about it outside the valley. So we can more or less safely say that Gondolin definitely was not mainly a place built by warriors, so when it fell it was indeed a tragedy.

And here we can talk about Elrond, Turgon's great-grandson. He is an Elf who has lost a lot of things and people in his life.

He lost his friends, he lost his home, he lost his family - Elros, his twin, decided to take the mortal path, as they are both only half-elves due to his father being the child of an Elf and a mortal (an Edain).

His father became the Polar Star - and I deeply suggest you listen to the Song of Earendil by Clamavi de Profundis because it is an Experience(C). Anyway, I am digressing, but I am also sure that when Bilbo made Elrond listen to the song he cried a lot. His wife Celebrian, daughter of Celeborn and Galadriel, was kidnapped and tortured by orcs and then left for the Immortal Lands and ultimately Arwen became a mortal.

Now I am sad for Elrond.

There is more, like Isildur betraying him and being very much nearly one of the Elves decimated in Eregion, Gil-Galad dying (?)*, but this is to make the point of "Elrond lost so much that he does not want anyone else to experience what he has passed through and therefore Rivendell is born as a Homely House, where you can find solace, knowledge and ultimately a place he can call home.

Huh. Not so different from Turgon - and Elrond surely knows about Turgon. Tolkien is always pointing out parentages and genealogic trees, I am 100% sure none of his characters is immune to the Genealogic Tree Explanation.

So, to be concise: a place to call home, full of knowledge, solace and house for all exiled and lost ones, full of memories, full of nostalgia and magnificent, a remembrance of past times. Tolkien loves doing parallelisms and I apologise because were it not for the post mentioned I would have overlooked it.

And due to these similar motives both Gondolin and Rivendell were born. If we are looking also at the geography even Rivendell appears to be sitting in a valley, although it seems a little better defended considering how much waste Elrond lays of the orcs following Thorin & co. in The Hobbit, so I consider this a lesson learned.

After all, aren't the new generations always a bit more savvy

And I am so sorry, but this analysis hit a bit too close to home for me and I have to go and scream for 15 years. And possibly call my dad.

Anyway, I am now back.

I am going to keep going on my analysis in a different post, once I have gathered again all the knowledge I have on the topic.

[hirazuki]

I said I wasn’t going to do the thing, but, eventually, inevitably, (and I’m sure you’re all shocked) I did the thing. My curiosity is insatiable and will be the death of me.

Thoughts under the cut!

Okay, we’re going to bullet list this shit, because otherwise it’s just going to be a stream of consciousness nightmare.

Rights

So, first off. The decision to deal with content that they can’t talk about or show continues to baffle me. In what world can you successfully tell a story which is one hundred percent reliant on the setup (i.e., events and characters that preceded it)... that you can’t touch because of copyright??? Name dropping silmarils and Feanor and Gondolin or whatever the fuck, randomly, isn’t going to magically glue things together and make it work; it’s just going to irritate the people who are watching who have knowledge of the Legendarium, and simply utterly confuse everyone else. I still maintain that, had they wanted to play around in Middle-Earth, they should have just created a completely original story, populated with completely original characters, with a canon character popping in for a cameo here and there as Easter eggs for funsies. 

Adaptation

No adaptation is going to be exactly like the source material except some incredibly rare gems of anime, almost always produced by Studio Bones, so I don’t think most of us going in really expected to experience The-Silmarillion-On-Screen. But I feel like the audience expecting a good story -- even if the story breaks from canon -- is like. not irrational. The bar is so low. I would have been sufficiently placated with a good story. Not even an exceptional one; just something with solid characters, a sensible plot, and a sense of adventure a la Tolkien. Something, even, in just the spirit of Tolkien. That’s it. Apparently, that’s too much to ask for lmao.

Story

I have... So. Many. Questions. Primarily about the reasoning behind a lot of this junk. Buckle in.

That was the most bizarre and cursory retelling of the events of the Years of the Trees and the First Age. Imagine Feanor getting left out just like that XDD

Why are we sailing into Valinor????? Galadriel herself, specifically, rejected the pardon of the Valar twice; she was like, nope, I’m good, not going back. Why would Gil-galad force her to go? Why does Gil-galad have any kind of power, political or otherwise, over her, she has her own realm to rule?? Why isn’t she in that realm, with her husband and daughter? I don’t get the motivations behind anything here.

Jumping off of a ship that close to Aman... thinking she’s going to swim back to Endor? That’s so dumb I can’t even.

Why are the elves fading in the Second Age??????? 

Don’t even get me started on the mithril shit. What is this, a drug? Are you going to compound it into pills, take twice daily with food? Wtf?? Fine dwarven mithril, direct from Khazad-dum, my friends, was not some kind of new, unheard of, miracle substance; it existed prior to this Age, and was also found in Numenor and Aman. Yes, Khazad-dum had the monopoly on it in Middle-Earth, but it was common knowledge and the whole reason the Noldor settled in Ost-in-Edhil was because of that mithril, and wanting to trade with the dwarves for it to use it in their crafts. It was no secret.

... the lost silmaril, are you fucking kidding me. All three are accounted for! Is this a fourth silmaril? Why is it in a tree?? Why is this random apocryphal elf battling with a balrog like this, why is Glorfindel being cannibalized again?? This poor dude, can’t catch a break in any adaptation from people tearing his role in any Age apart and handing it out to other characters. Also, mithril is a precious metal that, yes, is extremely valuable and unique, but it’s just. a. metal. Not some spooky supernatural thing. Ugh.

Why oh why is Galadriel in Numenor lmao. Wtf even is this timeline. Why are Numenoreans anti-elf and why is their primary concern the job market??? Why are they trying to sail into the West pre-Zigur?? Why are the palantiri lost before the island sinks? What the fuuuuuuck. 

Why does Elendil have a third child???

[side note: I’ve seen multiple articles calling Mairon Melkor’s “son” and I just XD I feel like like both parties would have so much to say about that. Like. So much. ANYWAY]

I liked Arondir enough, up until the moment he called the tiny human settlement made of stone and wood in the wide open plain the most “defensible” spot. Bro. There... there is nothing defensible about this. The entire segment of the battle against the orcs, actually, was very painful to experience, in terms of strategy (or rather, the lack thereof). People’s actions and decisions made absolutely no sense. Except for Waldreg; yeah, me too, buddy.

(Incidentally, why did an entire fort come crumbling down as a result of some rope???? Perhaps I missed something; oh wait! I must have, it was too fucking dark to see anything properly in the first place!)

Also, why is Bronwyn wearing that blue when no one else is? Expensive blue dye? Spaghetti strap dress? It’s like a really cheap game of pick out the Important Character amongst this rabble. 

I’ll bet you anything that the inspiration for the Stranger was that one instance when Olorin came back as Gandalf the White, and it took him a moment and an interaction with Aragorn to ground himself and remember his previous life, and they were like, let’s take that and put it on steroids -- i.e., we’re gonna make him not remember how to use his limbs, how to use words, he’s gonna be mute and dumb until the final episode until SUDDENLY he can speak in elaborate sentences and riddles >.> If this is how the Valar send their Maiar to Middle-Earth, they are even bigger jackasses than I have always considered them to be lmao. He is a MAIA, why would he show up naked and then wear rags????? Like, this is a perfect example of what I mean when I say that they disrespect the characters; it’s so demeaning. Hobo!Olorin; for fuck’s sake.

I can’t with the balrog, y’all, it’s literally one rock wall separating them, they clearly were trying to making this suspenseful and dramatic but it falls so very flat because it’s not even that deep. 

Love that the Numenoreans just landed in the exact spot where one (1) tiny human village in all of the southern portion of Middle-Earth is under attack, and they were able to immediately go to their rescue. They didn’t even try; no runner, no messenger, no finding some hapless soul in a field to direct them where to go. It’s so bad.

Orodruin has an on/off switch, guys! Too bad Mairon forgot to turn it off when he moved back in, in the Third Age, would have saved himself a lot of trouble if there had been no active lava to throw the ring in XDDD Jesus X_X

Pyroclastic flow, you can survive it, believe it. My god. 

Celeborn name-dropping was so very random. Seven episodes in, suddenly she remembers she has a husband! Time spent looking for Sauron: 200+ years. Time spent looking for missing husband: ... zero? She was on her way into the West without ever looking for him and the reason she turned back around is because she felt her work here was still unfinished, not, “oh maybe I should look for my husband and daughter”? Also, we just have to rip off Luthien and Beren, huh. 

Mordor to Lindon in six days!!!!!!!! What are those horses on, I want some too XD (it’s like... 800-ish miles, in a direct line, not accounting for mountain ranges and ravines and the like, where you’d have to find a way around. Even considering that elven steeds are super-horses -- so let’s say they can do 40 miles/day -- and pretend they don’t need to use roads and can fly over insurmountable passes, that should still be a journey of no less than 20 days; it’s across the entire fucking continent).

Sure, yeah, he’s a Maia so obviously a “mortal wound” isn’t gonna kill him, so he made the journey just fine. But she didn’t know that, yet she pushed the journey until he was visibly falling off his horse; callous, much??? What a bitch :D

Galadriel, in favor of ringmaking?????? Celebrimbor being proud and fond of his Feanorian blood (in public, to a complete stranger, no less)? Who are these people HELP.

WHY ARE WE GIVING TYELPE’S STORYLINE TO HER HASN’T SHE GIRLBOSSED ENOUGH

Fuck the 9 and the 5, I guess? The whole point is that they were made before... not after... because otherwise the subjugation wouldn’t woooooork. Oof.

Wow. 400+ years of living together, working together, and all the entanglements that brings, reduced to... what was it? 3 weeks? 3 months? I want. to. cry.

I just. Who looks at the Silmarillion and goes, “you know what this could use? MORE DRAMA.” Like, everyone is more than dramatic enough without adding a whole bunch of new dynamics in established relationships lmao.

I think that’s my main complaint, actually. First/Second Age is already essentially a family soap opera, but RoP has injected so much melodrama into it that it makes it completely tasteless. They’re changing not only major plot points but character dynamics and relationships... for what? To what end?? What is the purpose??? It’s certainly not effective story-telling, that’s for sure.

OH I forgot the harfoot storyline. Well. That goes to show what I think about it lmao. I get the sentiment behind it but the execution is so poorly done, it just doesn’t do it for me at all. It was just so piece-meal and shoddy and random -- what was even the point of the three sorcerers?? 

Dialogue

It’s just so bad. There’s the purple prose that runs circles around itself trying to make itself sound deep and Tolkien-ish, but is ultimately empty and means nothing (”why does a rock sink but a ship doesn’t” are you fucking kidding me, with word-smithing like that no wonder Mairon sang you into the ground and you deserve it). There’s the forced call-backs to the text/movies (”follow your nose,” “a gift,” etc.) that are shoved in there for Nostalgia and Relevance and feel awfully out of place. And then, my favorites: the really dumb one-liners that completely break whatever meagre atmosphere the series managed to set (“knife-ears” -- what is this, Dragon Age?! “the elves will take your jobs” -- like, really bro? are you serious?? “I’m good” -- ouch, that was so unspeakably cringe). 

The single exception is Adar’s dialogue; idk if someone different was writing him and his storyline or what, but this is way more like Tolkien. And, sadly, seeing that they can write like this, makes the rest of the series even worse. 

Also the choices of when/where to use Quenya vs. Sindarin... I’m so confused.

Costuming

...... what. the. fuck. Like, all of it, really, but the armor is especially... unfortunate. It’s just so poor, in concept and execution. I was wondering why the layers of mail were moving so weirdly, but at first I didn’t believe it when someone said that the mail worn under the breastplate, bracers and pauldrons by the Numenoreans is actually just the armor design printed onto long-sleeved shirts. Looking at it more closely since then... I really think they’re right, which is just yikes. I’m usually extremely forgiving in this department if the plot and tone are right, especially if it is a low-budget production (have y’all seen the costumes from Voyage of the Unicorn?? One of my favorite tv series. No joke. 100% adore the costuming too, as it fits the vibe and everything is clearly done just for the joy of it). But knowing they spent $60 million per episode, and it still turned out like this? That’s just gross. (And apparently the person who did the costuming is the same person who did the costumes for Crimson Peak, which I haven’t watched but the costumes are incredible... what a waste of her talent).

Also, the hair loss. Yes. Absolutely. It 100% detracts from the image, sorry. And I’m not talking only about the elves. The dwarven women got the short end of the stick, too. 

It’s the presentation, primarily, what the costuming does for the presentation of the characters (or what it doesn’t do, in this case). Galadriel should not have to pull her hair back and expose her ears in order for people to identify her as an elf; she should be ethereal and faerie and otherworldly and immediately distinguishable from those around her, as all elves should. Everyone is just so. bogged down in the mortal muck. It’s so disappointing. If you look at cast photos from the LotR and Hobbit movies, the difference between the cast in costume and the cast wearing their day to day clothing is like a punch to the face; here, everyone looks like they stepped off of the street and onto the set :/

Again, the exception seems to be Adar. He’s by far the most Tolkien-looking of all the characters, and definitely gives off First Age survivor vibes even from just the way he looks, and I really don’t understand why they chose to not to let a similar aesthetic guide the appearance of the rest of the elven cast. It’s baffling.

Casting

XDDDD 

I mean. I don’t even know what to say. A good portion of why everyone looks so ugly is absolutely the costuming and makeup work and I do think that even just longer hair would improve them a great deal, but there are certain characters that have been so horribly mis-cast, namely Elrond, Gil-galad and Celebrimbor. They just don’t vibe as the characters. And, speaking as a complete non-shipper, if Tyelpe looked like that, I firmly believe that Mairon would have skipped Ost-in-Edhil altogether; he’d have taken one look and been like, yeah, no thanks, I’ll pass. Like, why does he look like he’s about to croak??? This is supposed to be the elves at the height of their power in Eregion! And he’s Feanor’s grandson, he’s not that old!!! He was only two-thousand something years old when he died!!! Galadriel has a couple of centuries on him at least. (My most heartfelt sympathies to the Silvergifting folks, btw; Tyelpe did not become a banner for this utter nonsense).

I really enjoyed the idea of Disa and Arondir. Truly. And the actors did give it their all, which is really the only thing saving their characters, in my opinion. But I do think that they were done a disservice as well, in being associated with the rest of this. I’m all for diverse casting (though, can’t help but note the lack of Asian representation in a series that is patting itself on the back for diversity), but aside from these two, everyone else was just... very token-ish. Caricature-ish, to the point of being insulting. What was with the accents from Rhun??? As someone from the part of the world that that was inspired by, I was cringing. I honestly don’t know if I’ll be able to watch season 2 if Rhun is going to be a big focus and they insist on presenting it like this. Idk, the casting choices definitely gave off the vibe of Representation™ for the sake of Brownie Points instead of actually being inclusive, and it left such a bad taste in my mouth. I know they’re gonna drag Khamul into this mess, I know it, but I’m fervently wishing him a very I-hope-you-don’t-get-included

Music

There are some good moments, a couple of bars that woke me up here and there, but ultimately forgettable. It’s not awful, but it is terribly mediocre, and from a composer whose other work I have enjoyed, that’s just really very sad (I guess this series brought out the worst in everyone???)

Galadriel

Where to fucking start

She’s really just a very painful example of people, yet again, thinking “Strong female character” means unlikable bitch who is in everyone’s face and listens to no one because she is StRonK.

Ugh. Commander who has no respect from her men? Who doesn’t even bother to work with her men?

Yes, obviously she’s younger in the Second Age than the Third Age, no. shit. She’s not who the Fellowship meets in Lothlorien, not yet, she’s still growing into that person. Obviously she has serious scars from the First Age and before. She participated in the First Kinslaying. She was called Nerwen, and regularly participated in athletic feats. She crossed the Helcaraxe. She refused the Valar’s pardon twice. She fought and she lost so much. But just because you want to portray her as younger, as angry or vengeful or whatever (which is fine! she was!) does not mean that she is a brat or that she is inelegant or that she is dumber than a brick. 

She picks a quarrel with everyone she speaks to. “You have not seen what I’ve seen” -- to Elrond. Elrond. His father became a star and his mother became a bird and he never saw either one again and he was taken in and raised by the very people who slaughtered his kin (multiple times, I might add; two separate instances), and then his only brother, his twin, chose the life of a Man instead of an elf and then died. Like. lady; please. She would never, ever be so crass.

They make her so naive, so stupid -- simply because otherwise the plot as they have written it would not be able to unfold, because the choices she makes to move the plot along are dumb as fuck -- and it is infuriating.

She says shit like “sometimes you have to trust in the design of the powers that be” -- is this the same person who left literal paradise because she wanted a realm of her own to rule and didn’t want to be subservient and beholden to greater powers, and wanted to determine her life for herself?

She is such a child. Elendil compares her to his teenage children. His mortal, teenage children. That’s... not a good look lmao.

Also, don’t get me started on her swordsmanship. All the combat choreography is dismal, but especially the sequence of her “teaching” in Numenor is very painful to me, as a swordsman. Oy.

Elrond & Celebrimbor

Why is Elrond a dwarf friend (: Why isn’t Celebrimbor the dwarf friend (: (: (: Where is Narvi (: (: (: (: The doors, what doors, oh the doors of Moria, the doors that were specifically crafted by an elf and a dwarf (those being Celebrimbor and Narvi) and stand testament to their friendship, those doors? Bleh.

WHY ARE WE HAVING ELROND SWEAR AN OATH

WHY ARE OATHS BEING PASSED OFF AS NOT A BIG DEAL I’m pretty sure there’s an entire story somewhere about how serious an oath can be...

Why are things (oaths, silmarils) that were resolved in the First Age and left behind in the First Age, being dredged up again here????? I want to scream.

Ah, yes, Galadriel, the one who took in a just-orphaned Elrond. Fuck Maglor, I guess???? He didn’t single-parent two orphans in the face of the Oath to be disrespected like this.

I just. I don’t understand how Celebrimbor can NOT be the focus of a show called RINGS OF POWER. His importance has been relegated to a footnote. It would be like Feanor being a side character in a show called SILMARILS. It’s absurd.

Elrond’s relationship with Galadriel is. so weird. It’s got such a weird vibe. They’re not comrades-in-arms. They’re not friends, not like buddy-buddy. They’re related in three separate ways if I recall correctly; they’re cousins through two different lines, and then -- more importantly -- she’s his mother-in-law. Why is he treating her like a sibling????

Gil-galad

Oh, Ereinion. Last High King of the Elves and Retainer of Long Locks ;_; The harpers will sing even more sadly of him now, I guess. Why does he look like a disgraced Roman governor out of Asterix who fell out of favor in the capital and is living out his days in discontent in the provinces? He somehow escaped the great shearing, but still looks awful  minor nitpick, given everything else going on, but why is his hair black? he’s one of the few characters whose hair-color we explicitly know  More pressingly, why does he act like it?? Fair and free realm my ass, they’re drowning in angst here and Annatar hasn’t even shown up yet lmao. Does someone on the team have a personal dislike for him? Tolkien was sparse on details, sure, and the First and Second Ages were absolutely rife with politics, but there is no reason to make him a smarmy, conniving politician and an idiot to boot.  

Mairon

My boy, my love, the very personification of perfectionism and obsessive-compulsive tendencies and creative license, embodiment of the themes of the artistic struggle, of creation and destruction as two sides of the same coin, independence and freedom and binding and subjugation wrapped up all in one complex fiery being... I’m gonna need a whole separate post for you. My grief knows no bounds, my tears are innumerable T____T

There’s a lot more I can say, and I know there’s a lot I left out, but my hands and brain are tired now lol. 

tl;dr Tbh I would have been content with a show about random OCs in Middle-Earth, rather than whatever they’re trying to do by twisting the plot like this. Like, keep the storyline with Arondir and Bronwyn (but just... make their actions and dialogue have common sense lmao), navigate elf/human relations in the Second Age through them. Keep Adar and the nuanced interpretation of Orcs and explore the original creation of Orcs, and how a mutilated elf from the First Age deals with survival like that. Hell, throw in Celebrian (who is mentioned by name in the Appendices; as is Glorfindel, incidentally) since we’re screwing with the timeline anyway -- you want a canon, strong, female protagonist? Here you go! We barely have any info on her, other than the bare bones -- create away! Incorporate her kidnapping by orcs, her torture, have her meet Adar, create moral conflict that way. Pepper in some Elrond and some Galadriel on the fringes, for a popularity boost, since we apparently need them for a Middle-Earth show to matter. Ta-da, boom, done. 

It could have been good, y’all. 

[wise-rainfalls]

Scattered thoughts on the interim and Last Version of the Fall of Gondolin

Interestingly enough, Ulmo's isolation among the Valar is made explicit here without its later reconciliation. The Valar also come off a lot worse in the sense of indolence and refusal to hear - though it is striking that the Eagles consistently aid Gondolin - not just in its fall but across its entire existence, guarding it from Morgoth's spies, in just about every version. The idea of Gondolin being guarded by Fingoldin's cairn, and not the other way around, is like a blunt knife edged in honey. The Eagles nest there! It's also a pretty consistent show of favour by Manwe to Fingolfin and his children - wow imagine if an Eagle descended from the sky and plucked Aredhel out of Nan Elmoth - ok that's probably stretching it, and Aredhel would probably have shot it.

The version of the Hiding of Valinor in the Book of Lost Tales appended here is really food for thought - it highlights something I'd somewhat forgotten about, which is the Telerin grievance and their likely opposition to pity shown to the Noldorin exiles. That's something explicitly brought up here, and honestly, it does make a lot of the Valar's actions make more sense than as a unitary decision made without consultation of any of the Elves. The Teleri were massacred, should they now be ignored?

Striking is the idea that Tuor's message isn't just EVACUATE but - you can still win if you gather together with men and the sons of Feanor! Like, that idea of Gondolin really being the last bastion of hope, which I feel like probably got abandoned later on (in the sense that the hope is able to be fulfilled, not just perceived as such, certainly even in the Last Version everyone is hoping for Turgon to make a comeback!), is so....I really want to read an AU of this - I feel like losing it!Turgon trying to convince has lost it!Maedhros of the like....possibility of victory he himself barely believes after the Nirnaeth and after Doriath (though timeline changes indicate that by the time Tuor got to Gondolin, Elu Thingol is likely still alive, so if they acted immediately it would have just been Nirnaeth to reckon with, where it's not so much blame than grief) would be...somewhere on the extremes of both comedy and tragedy. I really like the thought that hope exists still! And honestly if we're going by the first Tale's account of Gondolin's last stand, they killed 40+ Balrogs and a DRAGON like...maybe...they did have a chance idk...though where was all that Balrog-slaying when Fingon's banners were trampled into the mire of his blood...but I digress.

The Last Version is SO GOOD and WHY did Tolkien abandon it...like I am really empathising with Christopher Tolkien here, 'perhaps the most grievous of his many abandonments' indeed. Some scattered thoughts in no particular order under the cut:

Rian and Huor...the idea of women lying across mounds for the dead is repeated with Nienor, the cousin by Morwen that Rian never sees

This really alerted me to the fact that Tuor never knew his parents at all. I'm assuming he and Annael had conversations about them (especially Rian, since I doubt Annael knew Huor well), and I hope he and Turgon had some as well.

Annael, the only one to return from the Nirnaeth!! That speaks of some pretty heavy decimation, and means that that little contingent probably has very limited military and defensive capacity...and yet they had pity and took in Rian and then fostered her son...these little sparks of kindness

It's interesting that Annael knows of the Ammon-in-Gelydh, Gate of the Noldor 'in the days of Turgon', while when Tuor asks around later 'such few of the Elves as lingered in the mountains had not heard of it'. I wonder if he passed through Nevrast at times during the Long Peace before the founding of Gondolin?

Speaking of Turgon, 'At that name Tuor was stirred, though he knew not why' - leaving this here without comment.

Tuor being caught in thralldom...I wonder what happened to the other thralls with him when he escaped? And it's pretty sweet that the dogs they set on him basically just wag their tail and go back home.

I love that Annael and his people spoke of Tuor when they reached the Havens in the South. And Tuor says 'Annael my foster-father of the Grey-elves spoke of it to me.' In fact, that whole relationship moves me in a very understated way. I hope they managed to meet again the Havens of Sirion.

'Yet, though I know not why, ever his name stirs in my heart, and comes to my lips. And had I my will, I would go in search of him, rather than tread this dark way of dread.' Tuor about Turgon - again, leaving this here without comment.

I love how the echoing mountains of Lammoth go from a place where Morgoth's screams are echoes back at him to a place where Tuor's harp music 'went forth and rang in the night-clad hill, until all the empty land was filled with music beneath the stars.' And that sudden intrusion of a much older time: 'there once long ago Feanor had landed from the sea...ere the rising of the Moon.'

Speaking of, the Moon is only about 500 years old right now.

Sea-yearning is always....so good in Tolkien. I think it's also because I live in a coastal city, so when Tuor opens his arms...I feel it. Is there anything like looking at the sea.

'...the halls of Vinyamar, eldest of all the works of stone that the Noldor built in the lands of their exile.' - lots of things to unpack here! Turgon and Aredhel moved out REALLY early from Hithlum if Vinyamar went up before Barad Eithel. And Turgon probably took all the architecture nuts with him, himself, of course, being among them. I wonder why he worked so fast? And of course, it's by the sea.

'the proud people, deathless but doomed, from far beyond the Sea.' ah....

the single beam of the setting sun through the high window 'smote the wall before him', i really like that verb here, the specific image of light almost as a force, especially considering that it 'glittered as it were upon burnished metal'. The forge metaphor does wonders for this almost magical girl transformation sequence where Tuor dons the armour Turgon left behind, in a sense transforming his identity into something else.

Though I did start laughing when he stuck seven swan feathers into his helmet

Ulmo coming out of the sea is ...shivers

'that which thy heart hath ever sought,' answered Ulmo: 'to find Turgon, and look upon the hidden city.' - no comments. at all.

Ulmo literally says 'Hi! You're LATE.'

The portrayal of the Doom of Mandos as an active force here that the Noldor are equally trapped from one side as they are by Morgoth on the other side is, really something. It's a pretty clear indication that Mandos' doom isn't just a foretelling or prophecy of causation effects, but a force at work in the world. 'And now the Curse of Mandos hastens to its fulfillment,' etc. I also think that Ulmo's positioning of himself among the Valar is illuminating - he gainsays, but not in rebellion. The advocate as it were, the counterpart to Mandos - pity against consequence. Importantly, I think they're both necessary - consequence must exist, but there must be space made for mercy to breathe through. I don't envy Manwe having to balance between them AT ALL though.

Then there was a noise of thunder, and lightning flared over the sea; and Tuor beheld Ulmo standing among the waves as a tower of silver flickering with darting flames; and he cried against the wind: ‘I go, Lord! Yet now my heart yearneth rather to the Sea.’ And thereupon Ulmo lifted up a mighty horn, and blew upon it a single great note, to which the roaring of the storm was but a wind-flaw upon a lake. And as he heard that note, and was encompassed by it, and filled with it, it seemed to Tuor that the coasts of Middle-earth vanished, and he surveyed all the waters of the world in a great vision: from the veins of the lands to the mouths of the rivers, and from the strands and estuaries out into the deep. The Great Sea he saw through its unquiet regions teeming with strange forms, even to its lightless depths, in which amid the everlasting darkness there echoed voices terrible to mortal ears. Its measureless plains he surveyed with the swift sight of the Valar, lying windless under the eye of Anar, or glittering under the horned Moon, or lifted in hills of wrath that broke upon the Shadowy Isles, until remote upon the edge of sight, and beyond the count of leagues, he glimpsed a mountain, rising beyond his mind’s reach into a shining cloud, and at its feet a long surf glimmering. And even as he strained to hear the sound of those far waves, and to see clearer that distant light, the note ended, and he stood beneath the thunder of the storm, and lightning many-branched rent asunder the heavens above him. And Ulmo was gone, and the sea was in tumult, as the wild waves of Ossë rode against the walls of Nevrast.

Leaving this here as a passage that literally stopped my breath with beauty. Taniquetil as a glimpse of Paradise, the White Mountain, is just...

"Yet being weary he slept at times, and his sleep was troubled with many dreams, of which naught remained in waking memory save one: a vision of an isle, and in the midst of it was a steep mountain, and behind it the sun went down, and shadows sprang into the sky; but above it there shone a single dazzling star." :'(( Earendil!

It's interesting that Tuor knows from the 'piercing glance of his sea-grey eyes' that Voronwe is one of the Noldor. But it can't be the Tree-light, since Voronwe is born in Beleriand. I wonder if it was the colour of the 'piercingness' that did it?

It's incredible that Voronwe is like I never want to go back, and literally the first person we meet is his old buddy Elemmakil, I bet this guy is the ghost of ghosts. Message read 12th July 1995.

Textual mention of cold resistance among the elves who passed the Helcaraxe!

It's interesting that all these years later the Noldor still don't have the ability to make ships that can cross the sea to Valinor! Not in the sense that their ships can't make it because of external interventions (Osse) but literally the quality of the ships is not up to scratch. They need Cirdan's help - and this does make the Kinslaying at Alqualonde both more understandable and abhorrent. It must have a mighty work, and not just like, your everyday canoe. Nothing else would have served.

Textual Sindar and Noldor intermarriage!

'There Ulmo is but a servant of Yavanna' - this sentence after we've seen the majesty of Ulmo creates an image of such flourishing growth and beauty in Nan-tathrin. Here, Tuor's never seen it. It's an extra layer of irony that the first time he will will be when they arrive there after fleeing from the fall of Gondolin. It's also really cute that Voronwe is like I hear Valinor has even PRETTIER willow-meads! I want to see!!! I hope he gets to eventually visit those places.

'The Great Sea is terrible...it works the Doom of the Valar.' Again, the Doom as an active force! This probably lends more credence to the Oath as an active force as well.

'Lo! There is Taras, the land of my birth!' Ah...that's heartbreaking. It's an extra twist of the knife that they're shipwrecked literally in sight of land, after SEVEN YEARS at sea.

'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world'.

That meeting with Turin...Nargothrond's already doomed huh. 'Ivrin, Faelivrin! Gwindow and Beleg!' Yeah...poor guy. And this is the only time they meet. GOD.

'Ill it is to be trapped between the Doom of the Valar and the Malice of the Enemy,' said Voronwe. - more biased, but again, textual evidence of either the doom of the Valar as an active force, or at least the belief of it as one. And widespread as well, if it's from the mouth of a Sindar-Noldor intermarriage child born in Beleriand!

'You must forgo the fire, or else forgo Turgon.' Voronwe to Tuor - PRESENTED WITHOUT COMMENT.

Rouse the Orcs, and I leave you. I really like this for some reason as like, a gesture as the seriousness of the leaguer, and also like, a stand of Voronwe's limits, I guess.

Tuor and Voronwe's journey remind me a lot of Sam and Frodo's. Especially where Tuor 'clasping Voronwe close he cast about them both the folds of the grey cloak of the Lord of Waters, and stepped forth.'

The Eagles! Again, long-term aid of Gondolin. I wondered in the Silmarillion where Turgon was getting his information from since he wasn't letting anyone out - I'm pretty sure it was the Eagles. Wow, I hope he and Manwe get to have a conversation after he's re-embodied.

'Yet it is the road to Turgon,' said Voronwe.

Not the road to Gondolin, the road to Turgon. WHAT HAS TUOR BEEN SAYING.

'And are there not the Eagles, as you have seen? They are the folk of Thorondor, who dwelt once even on Thangorodrim ere Morgoth grew so mighty, and dwell now in the Mountains of Turgon since the fall of Fingolfin. They alone save the Noldor know the Hidden Kingdom and guard the skies above it, though as yet no servant of the Enemy has dared to fly into the high airs; and they bring much news to the King of all that moves in the lands without.' - textual evidence for conjectures above.

Voronwe fearing 'some stroke in the dark' and saying 'if [that hope] fails more surely shall we die than by all the perils of wild and winter' makes it pretty clear that not only is the leaguer there it's also been enforced lethally aforetime.

'Suddenly an elven lantern was unhooded, and its bright ray was turned upon Voronwë before him, but nothing else could Tuor see save a dazzling star in the darkness; and he knew that while that beam was upon him he could not move, neither to flee nor to run forward.' - My mind jumps to Earendil and the Silmaril's light here, though I'm not too sure why. The cold, terrifying light....

'And Voronwë cast back his hood, and his face shone in the ray, hard and clear, as if graven in stone; and Tuor marvelled to see its beauty.' Presented with comment. The comment is: Tuor is bi.

"'This is strange in you, Voronwë,’ [Elemmakil] said. ‘We were long friends." Voronwe was about to ghost this guy forever.

How far that deep road ran Tuor could not guess, and as he stared onward a great weariness came upon him like a cloud. A chill wind hissed over the faces of the stones, and he drew his cloak about him. ‘Cold blows the wind from the Hidden Kingdom!’ he said.

‘Yea, indeed,’ said Voronwë; ‘to a stranger it might seem that pride has made the servants of Turgon pitiless. Long and hard seem the leagues of the Seven Gates to the hungry and wayworn.’

I love how Tuor makes an objective comment on the weather and Voronwe immediately turns it into a passive-agressive attack on Elemmakil's hospitality. This is an understated comedy. What is Tuor feeling, he speaks again later, he is so brave. I can see them throwing glares at each other over his head.

The Gate of Writhen Iron really struck me for the illusion of its light as being that of the Moon. I'm not sure, I think it's a device that's repeated a couple of times - it being daylight but the ravine so deep you can still see the stars, light on the snow coming as moonlight etc. I feel like it's hinting at something, the illusion...idk. It's hard to pin because it's not the usual 'something masquerading as the sun', it's the other way around where sunlight is filtering as something else, and the usual associations of sunlight as truth and revelation (in the sense of revealing) aren't quite matching up for me, though I do think there's something there...

'But Elemmakil went forward, and no gate opened to his touch; but he struck upon a bar, and the fence rang like a harp of many strings, giving forth clear notes in harmony that ran from tower to tower.' - about the Seventh Gate which Maeglin made - which, damn! he's GOOD. He made it into music!

'Then Tuor passed through, and coming to a high sward that looked out over the valley beyond, he beheld a vision of  Gondolin amid the white snow. And so entranced was he that for long he could look at nothing else; for he saw before him at last the vision of his desire out of dreams of longing.' This moment strikes at the heart. Especially when one thinks of Earendil, all those years later, walking through deserted Tirion with fear rising in his heart, worried that something's happened to it like in Gondolin...in a sense, Gondolin is Tuor's Valinor, except it doesn't last.

I would literally give an arm to see Turgon and Tuor meeting. WHY DID TOLKIEN ABANDON THIS. I am SO curious as to what that initial meeting of like Turgon, Idril and Maeglin meeting Tuor would be like...in my heart of hearts I'm both dreading and hoping that Tuor thinks something like 'But Tuor spoke not, for all his gaze was caught in Idril, called Celebrindal, whose head was crowned with gold. But her eyes were grey and piercing and bright as a fire, and marked her as one of the high folk of the Noldor, and Turgon's daughter.'

I've never been so invested in the relationship between Tuor and Turgon - WHAT IS GOING ON THERE

On a more serious note, I do think that it have been a very profound relationship, not fully friendship, not fully father-son, not romantic, but not completely platonic either - I think they must have loved each other for Turgon to first reject his message and second promote him into his counsels and favour, and for Tuor to be so torn when Turgon despairs.

And hearkening back to the Tuor of the first version of the Tale...wow uh I just had a really bad Arthur-Lancelot-Guinevere parallel come to me

The Prophecy of Amnon is incredibly interesting: 'The words of the Prophecy of Amnon, ‘Great is the fall of Gondolin’, uttered by Turgon in the midst of the battle for the city, are cited in two closely similar forms in isolated jottings under this title. Both begin with the words under the title ‘Great is the fall of Gondolin’, and then follow in the one case ‘Turgon shall not fade till the lily of the valley fadeth’ and in the other ‘When the lily of the valley withers then shall Turgon fade’.'

When the lily of the valley withers then shall Turgon fade is such a lovely sentence.

Though it would be really funny if Amnon is just...another name for Mandos. When he gave his Doom he was like P.S. [special doom for Huan], P.P.S [special doom for Turgon]. I wonder what Fingolfin thought.

I think it's also interesting to think that Turgon first named the city 'Ondolinde', and Gondolin was the eventual Sindarisation. I wonder if Turgon's heart sank when he first heard that?

[sorrowssinger]

The battle of Azanulbizar was dark and gruesome, it brought to mind every horror story that Frerin had ever heard about war and battle from everyone that dared speak of such. Still he fought, trying to protect his father in the press of bodies while still looking for his brother. There was a cry of horror that distracted him and he was knocked aside before he knew it and swept away with the harsh grasping hands pulling him down into the darkness of what should have been their home.

For a while he fought them, fighting to keep the spirits of those around him, those who had also been dragged down into the darkness, up and to give them hope. Gradually it faded and Frerin had to accept that those with him had given up hope. Still he looked for a way out of the darkness. He finally found it by chance when an elf of all things ended up down there with them. Giving the elf his best grin Frerin bowed to him.

"Frerin, son of Thrain, at yer service."

"Maglor, son of Feanor at yours... though I will say no one should be at my service."

"Say... that sword of yers, think it'd be of help getting out of here?"

"That depends, master dwarrow, are you going to be escaping?"

"I'd like to. My brother and sister both probably think I'm dead but with yer help I might get to see them again."

"Hmm, with such a cause I see no reason not to help. You may need to help me walk for part of our journey. I am afraid that our hosts were less than kind bringing me down here."

"Aye, I can do that. Now let's go before ye change yer mind."

The elf laughed and stood, most of his weight on one leg while he adjusted his sword. Frerin ducked under his arm and pointed in the right direction.

"We want to go that way, there are a few hidden doors that way and some of them even lead outside."

"I shall follow your directions, just warn me if we will need to fight."

Frerin was delighted because this elf seemed willing to acknowledge that he did not know or do something Frerin himself did. It was a wondrous change from what many other elves he had seen and heard did. Pleased by this change he took care to pick a relatively easy path that lead them around several groups of orcs and goblins while they traveled towards the surface and the doors that lead there.

It was too easy though and Frerin knew that. He could tell his companion knew that as well based on how the elf looked around warily. Just before they reached a room the elf stopped him and tried to walk to a half buried alcove. Frerin frowned at him but followed, Maglor had trusted him so far and he figured he ought to return the favor.

It was quite lucky he did because not more than a minute after he hid and settled voices and footsteps came around the corner. High shrieking voices of a goblin trying in vain to convince someone that he had been searching and Frerin was trying to focus on the words when something was draped over him. He shot the elf an annoyed look at seeing that some sort of fabric was draped over him but the elf just grinned and gestured later in Iglishmek. Frerin gave him a sharp look but calmed himself and waited for the goblin and whoever was with him to pass out of sight and hearing.

"Alright elf, what was that?"

"An elven cloak can grant, for a time, the ability to remain unnoticed among natural elements."

"Tha was not what I meant and ye know it. Now-"

"I learned it in the First Age. My brothers and I were, for a time, counted as friends by those of Belegost."

Frerin saw the sorrow in Maglor's eyes and let it go. He could hardly imagine losing one brother and from the sorrow he suspected that Maglor had lost many. Rolling to his feet he reached down to help Maglor up from the alcove then he resumed walking. They were nearly to the doors when Maglor stopped and turned, his sword leaving the sheath as he moved. Frerin cursed under his breath and looked around for something he could use to fight with. Spotting an axe he grinned and grabbed it.

"Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!" Frerin cried as he leapt towards the first of the enemies that came upon them.

Maglor was silent as he slew those who came upon him and after a while of fighting there was a lull. Taking advantage of it Frerin hurried over to the elf and ducked under his arm once more.

"Come on, let's get out of here while we may."

"Agreed. Let us also pray that it is day not night for they will not follow us then."

Frerin grunted as he continued, half carrying Maglor as he went. Maglor reached forward and pressed his hand against the wall, after a moment he said something in elvish which caused the door to swing open. Seeing Frerin's look he chuckled.

"My nephew helped to create these doors. Now let us go, it is nearly day so we can leave and shut these behind us. Then I will try to see you to your brother."

"No. Yer hurt and ye helped me. Let me see you to somewhere safe first then we can go from there."

"You-"

"I said no."

Maglor sighed then laughed a bit.

"Very well. Imladris is not far from here. I go by Rainor there, but it is a safe haven for all who seek one."

"Then that's were we will go. Now will ye at least tell me what it's called in Westron?"

"Rivendell."

Frerin couldn't help but laugh. Thorin would be so upset when he heard that Frerin got out alive and then went straight to an elvish settlement. Seeing the grin on the elf's face he decided that he was going to make himself a nuisance enough that the elf would at least visit occasionally. It would be grand to see Thorin's face when he realized he would need to welcome an elf and show gratitude for saving him.

[elamarth-calmagol]

Headcanon Advent Day 23

TW: suicide (kinda)

I finished Glorfindel, so I'll post it, but I have non-adventy things for the next two days, and I won't be doing the Peredhel Family because that would be so much work.

Glorfindel

Name(s): “Glorfindel” is an epessë meaning “golden haired” in the Mithrim dialect of Sindarin.  The Quenya version is Laurefindil, or Lauro as a family nickname.  He is very strongly attached to his epessë and rarely uses his other names anymore.

Appearance: 7’2’’, muscular, very light skin, honey blond hair, blue eyes

Age: about 7,500

Heritage: 3/4 Noldor, 1/4 Vanyar

There are many possible origins for Glorfindel, but I chose that he's the daughter of Findis and a Noldor prince.  He also had an older brother.  Both of them pledged themselves to Turgon once they were old enough.  Glorfindel had a girlfriend in Aman for maybe a century, which was probably a long time in those days, who refused to go with him when the Noldor rebelled.

In the First Kinslaying, Glorfindel didn't participate, and tried to shield civilians, who were mostly Teleri because more Noldor civilians were able to stay back.  (I always think of the helicopter pilot in the My Lai massacre.  Someone must have been that guy in the kinslaying.  Probably several people.  I mean, a lot of people were there.)  However, he and his brother still followed Turgon out of loyalty.  The journey across the ice was difficult, treacherous, and traumatizing, and ultimately his brother gave up.  He let himself die because it was the only feasible way back at that point, leaving only Glorfindel out of his family to go on.

Glorfindel’s first real battle was when Fingolfin’s host finally arrived in Middle Earth.  Later, he became very skilled in both fighting and leading troops in war.  The Noldor stayed a while by Lake Mithrim, with the northern Sindar, and Glorfindel became good friends with them, having some of them join his house.  My theory is that the reason Glorfindel’s name doesn’t quite fit with later versions of Sindarin (according to Tolkien) is that it’s in the Mithrim dialect.

I have surprisingly few headcanons about Glorfindel in Gondolin, but he definitely learned a lot about politics, leading a house, and leading an army.  He was close with Idril, since he was one of her closest relatives in Gondolin.  But I do have things to say about the fall of Gondolin.  He was pretty sensible in the battle: they were horribly outmatched, and he wouldn’t have survived by throwing himself at the enemy.  Also, because of his relationship to Idril, he may have known about her secret passage (or at least that she would have something in mind).  This is how he ended up getting out.

Glorfindel did tie his hair up, of course, when he put on his armor.  (By the way, I’m pretty sure elves wear chainmail, not plate mail.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen them drawn with that though.)  But not even elves can keep their hair in place throughout an hours-long battle.  Also, he canonically wore a helmet, since Lost Tales says that the balrog grabbed his hair “under his golden cap”.  My image of this battle is book-based: the balrog is twice his size, more or less human shaped, with a body made out of shadow and flame, and no wings or horns.  I like to think that he knew the balrog had his hair and threw it off the cliff anyway, because that was the only way he saw to defeat it.  His sacrifice wouldn’t be as meaningful if it was done on accident.

Glorfindel healed emotionally in Mandos and was reborn when he was ready.  He wouldn’t have been the first to be reborn (in fact, some people died and were reborn before Feanor’s birth), but he was definitely the first of the rebellious princes.  He went back to live with his parents.  In the Second Age, the Valar chose a few Noldor (and maybe Vanyar from the War of Wrath) to be allowed to go back to Middle Earth to help Gil-Galad, and he was the only one to actually agree to do it.  He sailed to Númenor with the Blue Wizards and was then ferried to Lindon, where he served Gil-Galad for a while before going with Elrond to rescue the survivors of Eregion and found Rivendell.  It’s quite possible that he actually stayed to guard Rivendell to defend it during the War of the Last Alliance, since they were still in danger of siege.

I wish I knew more about his part in the war against Angmar.  The Ringwraiths are afraid of him because he’s seen the light of the Trees, and because he’s as capable in the Unseen world as the Seen, and possibly also because he’s already died and come back, and they’re afraid of death (though it’s a different death).  After a few battles that lead to them fleeing, they never even let him come close enough to cross swords with them.

Glorfindel isn’t actually part of Elrond’s house, but doesn’t have his own house either, he’s just an allied lord.  He is one of Elrond’s best friends and most trusted advisors, and there aren’t many secrets between them.  He’s also friends with Gandalf, whom he knew in Valinor.  This mostly means they make fun of each other, though.  He definitely started the tra-la-la-lally song in the Hobbit, with the intention of annoying Gandalf.

Canonically (not in my fic though), Glorfindel either stayed in Rivendell to defend it from the siege he expected, or rode westward to draw Sauron’s attention.  Him leaving Rivendell would have attracted all kinds of attention, which is why he didn’t go with the Fellowship.  He probably wouldn’t have killed the balrog without dying a second time anyway, and then we wouldn’t have had Gandalf the White, so it’s better than way.  (When he finds out how Gandalf copied him with his death, he’s going to kill him a second time.)

Glorfindel is very open, sociable, and joyous, though there’s a lot of depth behind that, and he is as wise as Elrond (or more).  He has pretty strong foresight, but he doesn’t try to control or harness it: thoughts just come to him that he knows are true.  It’s a normal part of his thought processes, to him.  He’s skilled at fighting, and works at it, but he’s also interested in things like horse breeding, history, and linguistics.  He’s not just a dumb jock, even if he acts that way most of the time.

I'm not quite sure which Artbreeder portraits of him are my own work and which I saved from other people, and none of them are quite right anyway, so let's leave out Artbreeder. Here's the closest to the "correct" colors I have (of course it's only flat color but whatever).