#I started comparing Gimli's anger smoldering like a volcano and then this happened

[realtacuardach]

While trying to be descriptive when writing about Gimli, I got the idea of his anger being like lava smoldering deep beneath the earth's crust, and it's been stuck in my mind ever since.

For example, when Eómer threatens him when they first meet and slanders the Lady Galadriel, Gimli doesn't explode on him but he makes it clear that those thoughts are idiotic and Eómer is idiotic for thinking them. And he doesn't do anything more about it.

But one book later, the debate between Eómer and Gimli regarding Arwen and Galadriel comes back (and dissipates pretty quick, but still), and it seems that Gimli has just been sitting and smoldering on what Eómer had said, and only after time is he going to manifest that into argument.

So I got to likening Gimli to a smoldering fire, which could be compared to forging in the mines and I enjoy thematic consistency.

And then, I got to thinking about Legolas (because of course one leads to the other). Compared to Gimli-as-fire, Legolas is more like the wind. Goes with the flow, alights on all sorts of things all at once, seeking and searching through evening.

But get him mad and that wind is a hurricane and he is absolutely pulling an arrow on somewhat he just met in a diplomatically tenuous situation because that guy insulted Gimli-

And so Legolas is wind, or the air.

Amd a strong gust of wind can absolutely blow out a fire. And overpowering fire can burn away all the oxygen and leave no air.

BUT, when properly applied, they can build each other up. Bellows or a puff of breath can give a fire strength. Heat from fire can expand the air and send whatever is in it soaring.

And this is just a lot of rambling to say that I appreciate that, despite how different they seemed from each other, how they started out almost opposing each other because of these differences... they chose to build each other up.