Headcanon explained/character study- Elu Thingol, part 1
Alright, MY elf at last (this is going to be long. Very long). First things first though, I know that he’s considered a controversial character, and many don’t like him, which is fine, I’m not trying to convince anyone to change their mind. I always read him the way I’ll describe/base my headcanon/fics on, knowing that many disagree. I neither can nor want to judge who’s right. I’m just saying that I do not agree with fanon here, I don’t see him as a racist, prideful idiot who mistakes possessiveness for love and who’s ultimate downfall is his greed and his not listening to his wife. (Just no. So if that’s your opinion of him, this post is not for you. It’ll just annoy you and I do NOT want to annoy anyone.)
Oh, and maybe second things second, I’ll probably answer the question of why Elu is my elf, why I identify more with him than with any other fictional (or real) character (in any book I’ve ever read, or movie I’ve ever watched): I just know that feeling so well of trying to do it right, and still failing in the worst possible way. I can relate to one’s mistakes somehow always weighing more heavily than others’. I can also relate to not belonging anywhere, and -frankly- to change being one’s arch-enemy. He is my brother at heart, the to whom I flee in my imagination when reality is just too freaking much. Am I mad? Hm, yeah, perhaps. That doesn’t bother me one bit, though. But enough waffling, on to the headcanon.
Elwë was born by the waters of Cuiviénen as the last prince of the Nelyar that was descended in the firstborn-son-to-firstborn-son-line from Enel and Enelyë (though nobody knew it then, obviously. Tata’s line was broken with Maedhros dying childless, Imin’s probably still continues, but certainly did until Ingwion). He was a quiet, shy child, but once he warmed up a bit, he would eagerly join the games of the other children, would sing and dance just like everyone else, so his being rather withdrawn bothered nobody, and once Olwë was born and he the big brother, that shyness vanished entirely.
From birth on, his cousin Nowë (I headcanon Círdan’s father to be the brother of Elwë’s mother, though canon of course does not specify ‘close kin’) was his friend and his protector -Nowë took great pleasure in being the older and wiser one and have his little cousin toddle after him and look up at him in utter admiration. Their friendship would persist throughout times, as would their roles in it. To Elwë, Círdan would always be the advisor, and to Círdan, Elwë would ever somehow remain the little elfling that sat beside him by the water’s edge, trying to catch the stars that were reflected in the smooth surface of the lake instead of the boats crafted from bark and leaves that Nowë had made for his amusement. Nowë was mildly annoyed by that back then, but he did get his eager disciple when Olwë was born, while Elwë had by then befriended Finwë as well. Those two soon became inseparable and -frankly- unstoppable. Finwë’s and Elwë’s relationship might be worth a post of its own, so I won’t go too deeply into this now, but they were each other’s perfect counterparts. Where Finwë was reckless and too quick to judge, Elwë was the more considerate, the one to reserve judgement until he could truly assess the situation. And where Elwë was unwilling to move even a quarter of an inch out of his comfort-zone and would keep to himself rather than face his insecurities and engage with others, Finwë encouraged him and kindled his curiosity. They often lay, hands firmly entwined, and swore that they would never abandon the other, that they would always stay together. Where you go, I go. They were both perfectionists to a fault, Finwë in his crafting, Elwë in living up to responsibilities, but soon, and for reasons truly known to nobody, those two had built themselves up a following consisting of all the children of the Tatyar and the Nelyar, or at least those that didn’t prefer to join Nowë and Olwë in their exploring of boat-crafting. They would get themselves into all sorts of adventures, and be loved and admired by the younger children.
There was only one incident during the year of his childhood that Elwë did not particularly like to be reminded of (and still ironically was constantly reminded of, at least for the rest of his life in Middle-Earth), and that was his infamous fall into the lake, that had resulted in his uncle -Nowë’s father- to fish him out and, chuckling, wrap him up in his cloak. Tall and lanky as Elwë had always been, he still was very much a child then, and the mantle covered him head to toe (which he was quite glad about then, because the hood hid the tears of humiliation that ran down his face), which lead to Nowë calling him teasingly ‘Greycloak’- a name that stuck with him, and that, in the course of the following millennia, he came to love and hate in equal measure.
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uh-oh looks like you got hit by THE ELF WIZARD!!!!!!!1!!!
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THEY DIDNT HAVE TO DO THAT TO HER
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ok these are two different tops that i ended up with after a string of misunderstandings and me being a little trigger happy making offers on tops that match my discontinued bathing suit bottom and 😳😳😳
y'all see what im sayin.
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