#finrod/edrahil

[solmarillion]

what was lost on the ice [part I]

Summary: If I sing now, will you answer me? Once childhood friends, now king and captain, Finrod and Edrahil mourn for what they lost in each other on the Helcaraxë. Thank you to eilinelsghost for the beta! Ao3 link

Edrahil.

Those peaceful days in Valinor, when you understood me, and I understood you. A long time ago, when we were still so young, and I knew nothing of kings or princes, lords or vassals, we played on the shores of Alqualondë. I sang to you, and you answered. You braided my golden hair. I crowned you with a necklace, a pendant I carved by hand, and you promised to never leave my side. Even as we grew older, and I learned of responsibility, things beyond the bliss of youth, beyond simple friendship and love— you were still there, always with a kind word, a gentle smile. Even during the Darkening, the Trees reduced to memory, you held my hand, and we repeated our vows once more.

Then came the Helcaraxë. Aman had nothing for us anymore; you had hope in your eyes too, when we looked east. It was only natural, when I set out, that I would take my greatest treasures with me, my dearest friend included. For nothing could break our promise. Not even the ice, as it cracked below your feet and gave way, threatened to pull you under, with nothing to hold onto.

Nothing but my hand.

Don’t let go, I pleaded. And even when it was hardest, you still held on. I dove into the water after you, carried you over my shoulders, bringing you back to land even when so many others begged for me to move on, to save myself. But your happiness, your life mattered most, for I am not complete without you.

That day, I knew I was meant to live on, to sacrifice for those I love. And that is why, I can never bring myself to regret having made the perilous journey here. But once we arrived in Middle-earth, something changed.

You swore fealty to me, in exchange for me saving your life. Now I was “lord,” and you were my “knight.”

And ever since then, there has been a fog between us. Your heart has closed to me. I reach out my hand to touch your cheek and you kiss it in reverence. I ask you to tea and I hear little but carefully-crafted phrases. We go for a walk, and we can only bask in silence.

I call you meldanya, and you turn away.

Those days in Valinor... do you ever wish you could have them back, Edrahil? If I sing now, will you answer me? Will that day ever come again, when I can be your Findaráto?

When I can finally tell you... how much I love you?

[melestasflight]

Two Half-Kings and a Full Lake Between

In the aftermath of their tumultuous arrival in Beleriand, Maglor has scarcely managed to hold together the bruised and splintering House of Fëanor and their Sindarin allies. Then, the Sun's first rising brings with it Fingolfin’s host of Ice-hardened Noldor, hungry for retribution. With battered hearts and fraying minds, the two half-kings must navigate fragile relations even as they face the impossible task of reuniting the Noldor under a single leader.

Join @polutrope and me for this Mithrim drama fest for @silmarillionepistolary. All chapters are now up!

Cover art by the brilliant @myceliumelium Read on AO3

[azaisya]

@solmarillion requested Edrahil and I also got a few requests for Finrod (@wizardysseus and anon asks) as well, so here's a moment between them! Edrahil, steadfast and caring, while Finrod is reeling after the events of the Dagor Bragollach.

Hope you guys enjoy!! Thank you for the requests and the kind words <3

(+ here's some sketches I did when figuring out how I wanted to draw Edrahil:

)

[aotearoa20]

Edrahil: (pulling lil’ Finardato’s hair out from out oh his hat)

Edrahil: Aww, little highness, you don’t hide things from the people who love you

~ several centuries later ~

Edrahil: (shoving Finrod’s too shiny hair back inside an old orc helmet as Sauron starts looking their way)

Edrahil: Hide. Your. Hair. Highness. You gotta hide your hair!

[dalliansss]

From behind them stepped out three elves, all of them looking worse for wear than her Beren, but their individual beauty remained undimmed despite their matted, tangled and bloodied hair. There is her kinsman Finrod, who beamed in recognition upon seeing her. A brown-haired and green-eyed Noldo behind Finrod looked at her in awe, but then offered a bow. Then, behind the two of them stood a very tall Noldo with fiery red hair the likes of which Luthien had never seen before. He was bloodied all over: his face, his chest, his hands and arms. But Luthien knew the blood was not his own, but that of a werewolf, or perhaps a vampire. This Noldo was scarred everywhere: shoulders, on his middle, by the sides of his hips. Luthien knew then that this must be Maedhros, eldest son of Feanor, whose fury against the Enemy and the enemy’s forces were sung by minstrels, even Daeron. All the elves were as naked as Beren, but they were unbothered by it.

“My lords,” Luthien briefly touched her right hand over her chest, then held it out to them in a gesture of greeting and friendship. “My heart sings that Huan and I reached this place before it was too late, and though I mourn those whom we can no longer help, I sing for them also, for they will suffer no more. I am glad you are alive with Beren, and that you have aided him. I am Luthien of Doriath.”

“Princess Luthien,” Finrod returned her greeting. “I would be embarrassed meeting you like this, but we make do.” He laughs. “This is Edrahil mine captain—” here he gestures toward the brown-haired and green-eyed Noldo. “And this is mine cousin, the former Lord of Himring, Lord Maedhros Feanorion.” Maedhros simply bowed at her, avoiding looking her in the eye.

-- There and Back Again || available on [AO3] Or, an AU take on the Quest for Silmaril, where Maedhros joins Finrod and Beren -- and against all odds (with the help of mutant sorcery that confounds even Gorthaur the Cruel), they manage to rescue one of the gems, and Finrod survives all the way until the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. High King Fingon, in turn, reigns well until the War of Wrath and possibly well into the Second Age.

--

Super gorgeous artwork I commissioned from the lovely @sauroff. I adore their design! Look how beautiful Luthien is!  They have commissions OPEN, so do check them out! ✨❤️

[who-needs-words]

Thinking about the ten elves who stayed loyal to Finrod and joined him on Beren’s quest for a Silmaril. Thinking about Edrahil. They were probably close to him but not high ranked. Them. If they weren’t friends before they left they sure where by the time they were captured. Did they come to love Beren too? They listened to each other die. Love them.

[sakasakiii]

omggggGGGG HI YOU'RE BACK i love your art!! your designs for the characters are so inspiring and unique!! and your art style is just so well-suited to the silmarillion <3 my question is, do you have any headcanons about edrahil? he's my favorite underrated blorbo!

HIIIII long time no see indeed!!! thank you so much for your kind words 😭 it means a lot to hear that you like my designs and my art style! im always brawling with how much im trying to tone out the anime influences and adopt a more... 'realistic'(?) style that it ends up being a giant game of mental gymnastics on most days haha 😂 im still figuring it out, but your words are a great reassurance so i am very grateful for them!!!! 🙇‍♀️

onto your question-- edrahil!! he's definitely one of the blorbos that doesn't get enough attention 😤 i would be lying if i said that im not guilty of this too, since i think ive only ever read... one? fic with him in it waa.... but as always with the professor's work, great fun comes from the freedom with which one can interpret the minor characters! here's one of the first doodles i did of him when i got your ask:

the bread and butter of my male characters always ends up being slender bishonen-types, but one of my goals going forth is to try and adapt myself to not falling to same face syndrome in the future, so i thought itd be fun to start by making edrahil swoler than usual on a whim 🙈 based on his one (1) line the book, he strikes me as a steadfast i will follow my liege to my death type of fellow.... and then it snowballed from there.... and that's how my take on edrahil eventually evolved from stoic-man-who-is-also-a-peerless-warrior into a no-thoughts-head-empty-his-majesty-only bodyguard

i like to think he's much nicer than he lets on and nowhere near as serious as his RBF may suggest! much like the rest of finrod's personal guard (aka his fanclub), their lord's wellbeing and public image come first above anything else. perhaps their strong loyalty should be concerning, but it's finrod i-befriend-Men-and-swear-eternal-oaths-of-friendship felagund we're talking about.... so maybe theyve got their own reasons too lmao

this is getting a bit rambly (IM SORRY) but one extra comic and final thoughts under the cut!

thank you again for your kind ask AND this fabulous prompt!! im guilty of devoting too much of my obsession onto the feanorians, so i always appreciate side character prompts to get the lil squirrel wheel in my brain spinning 💖 i hope this is a satisfactory answer, and that you have a great rest of your week!!

[that-angry-noldo]

Finrod: "An oath I too shall swear, and must be free to fulfill it, and go into darkness. Nor shall anything of my realm endure that a son should inherit."

Arafinweans:

Galadriel: wow, that was depressing. But, like, for real, you can't possibly not have someone who's head over the heels for you! I mean, you're probably the most wanted party in Beleriand!

Finrod:

Finrod: Artanis, I'm engaged.

Arafinweans:

Galadriel: YOU'RE WHAT

Finrod: i mean- yeah? amarie?? rings any bells??

Galadriel: AMARIE. YOU MEAN YOUR BEST FRIEND AMARIE. AMARIE OF THE VANYAR.

Aegnor: wait. so you're saying you and amarie were engaged the whole time????

Galadriel: FINDARATO INGOLDO ARTAFINDE FINROD FELAGUND ARE YOU SAYING YOU WERE ENGAGED WITH AMARIE OF THE VANYAR. THE WOMAN WHO BABYSAT ME FROM MY CRADLE. THE WOMAN WHO YOU ALWAYS INTRODUCED AS YOUR FRIEND

Finrod: we've been literally planning to get married?

Angrod: YOU WERE??!??!?????!

Finrod: OF COURSE WE WERE?? WHAT DO YOU THINK WE'VE BEEN DOING?!

Galadriel:

Galadriel: Finrod. My beloved, my dearest Finrod. for how many centuries have you been planning to get married exactly?

Angrod: DUDE WHAT THE HELL WE THOUGHT THAT WAS A RUNNING JOKE?? WITH YOU CALLING HER "MY BELOVED" AND ALL THAT????

Finrod: what do you MEAN you thought that was a running joke WE'VE BEEN LITERALLY KISSING HOLDING HANDS AND ALL THAT

Angrod: WHAT

Angrod: for fiVE CENTURIES----

Galadriel: YOU HAVE BEEN K I S S I N G ????????

Finrod: YES ARTANIS WE HAVE BEEN KISSING WHY DOES THIS SHOCK YOU SO MUCH

Angrod: FINROD YOU DO REALISE YOU'VE JUST RUINED MY CHILDHOOD RIGHT

Aegnor: i have so many questions and all of them start with why and how

Finrod: I SWEAR I HATE ALL OF YOU. GET OUT OF MY HOUSE I DON'T WANT TO KNOW Y'ALL

[eight-pointed-star]

here have some findrahil

[lkaluna]

Gil-Galad origin story of the day: he is the son of Finrod and Amarië. Or rather, he is the son of Finrod and Edrahil.

We are told that Amarië wanted to follow Finrod into exile, but was not permitted to. So she didn’t. In the general confusion that occurred, I imagine it would be easy for someone to disappear (Amarië is angry now, she is just ignoring everyone, give her a moment and she will come back, right?). Nobody hears about Amarië following Finrod, it’s Edrahil who follows him instead (by the time her family realizes what happened they are already on the ice). Is Amarië pretending to be a guy because it’s easier at the moment? Is Edrahil a trans guy who used that moment to come out? Who knows.

When Beren comes to Nargothrond, Edrahil decides to follow Finrod into the danger again. The moment he picks the crown and asks Finrod to choose the steward it be given to, he also asks him to choose the guardian for their underage son. 

The events of Tol-in-Gaurhoth are already one of the most dramatic moments in Silmarillion, let’s make them even more depressing by making it the moment Gil-Galad loses both of his parents

[caenith]

And Felagund seeing that he was forsaken took from his head the silvercrown of Nargothrond and cast it at his feet, saying: ‘Your oaths of faith to me you may break, but I must hold my bond. Yet if there be any on whom the shadow of our curse has not yet fallen, I should find at least a few to follow me, and should not go hence as a beggar that is thrust from the gates.’ There were ten that stood by him; and the chief of them, who was named Edrahil, stooping lifted the crown and asked that it be given to a steward until Felagund’s return. ‘For you remain my king, and theirs,’ he said, ‘whatever betide.’

Edrahil: Yeah, we all appreciate the drama of this move, but can you please leave someone in charge?

[solmarillion]

finrod would be that guy who fills his wardrobe with glittery outfits and everyone else complains that the glitter gets everywhere but finrod just ignores them

finrod: i assure you, my clothing choices are not a hazard- edrahil: you got glitter in the public baths milord. finrod: just as planned

[sallysavestheday]

Throwback Thursday!

From March 2023, have a little Findrahil in the sadly pining Whatever Betide (G: 650 words) and its more hopeful post-canon sequel, Now, I'm Found (T: 300 words). Here's a snippet:

Ever the faithful servant, Edrahil keeps his own devotion quiet. He tucks it away with Finrod’s shirts and hose and robes of state, unspools it as he patiently disentangles his Prince’s jewelry after parties and concerts and playful outings with his wild cousins or his insouciant friends. He wraps it around every goblet of wine and mug of morning-after remedy, folds it into picnic blankets and cloaks and parasols and sheets. He binds it into bouquets and nosegays, breathing words of tenderness softly over the blossoms when no one else can see.

Tagging @polutrope @zealouswerewolfcollector @eilinelsghost @cuarthol @melestasflight @welcomingdisaster @hhimring @cycas

What were you up to a year ago (or more)? Care to share from your back catalogue?

[eilinelsghost]

Song of Sirion

Fic by @welcomingdisaster; Art by @eilinelsghost For @tolkienrsb 2023

Fic Rating: T; Art Rating: G Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Finduilas & Edrahil, Finrod & Edrahil Characters: Edrahil, Finduilas, Finrod, Gwindor Word count: 15k

Minas Tirith burns. Finrod's company rides to the rescue. When an orc attack forces his servant Edrahil and his niece Finduilas to break away from the group, they learn much of each other, and of the land. But Edrahil can feel his doom approach, and Finduilas struggles with the loss of her city. Coming home will not be easy.

More sparrows landed on the rocks. Edrahil let them catch his gaze, and tried to remember the rhyme. “What is seven for?” he asked. Finduilas thought a moment. He could see her lips move as she recited it, the words coming to him in her half-whisper. Five birds for silver, six birds for gold, seven little birdies for— “Doom untold,” she said. Edrahil shut his eyes. “Lovely.”

At long last, it's the day! Go read this wonderful piece by @welcomingdisaster! I had pretty much zero vision for where a story could go with these two when I put this art together (I just really wanted to draw them?) and Lena has taken that and written such an amazing story. It was such a delight to see this come together and I'm so excited that you all get to read it now too!

[aotearoa20]

Finrod explaining his plan to get them past Tol-in-gaurhoth

Beren: (whispering) You definitely trust this elf?

Edrahil: I absolutely trust him

Beren: You’re sure he’s not some sort of lunatic

Edrahil: (having flashbacks to that time Finrod wrestled a polar bear on the Grinding Ice)

Edrahil: … I absolutely trust him

[anna-dreamer]

You guys, i'm gonna post Findrahil fanart i drew. This is a pivotal moment in Ring of Felagund as Edrahil laments his disloyalty, clutching the disregarded white cloak of his lord, and resolves to go after him.