#tolkien and race

[solmarillion]

9, 16 and 19 for the violent asks? :3

choose violence ask game

worst part of canon everyone knows about the sexism, but the racism is definitely the worst. even beyond tolkien himself calling orcs "the least lovely mongol-types" and designating them as acceptable for the heroes to kill, you have entire groups of humans and elves who are othered and marginalized in similar ways, even worse when they're associated with "darkness" and described as "swarthy" in skin tone.

you have the dunlendings, the easterlings, the southrons, and the haradrim for men, all aligned with the enemy and given african and/or asian characteristics. the peter jackson films only make this worse by making the haradrim soldiers caricatures of asian people, and i worry that war of the rohirrim is going to do the same thing. the numenóreans on the other hand are given divine blessing, and their royal line descends from a union between a man and an elf, enriching the lineage. even though some of the numenóreans are evil, that doesn't erase that emphasis on bloodline that becomes so important to aragorn's story later, as the same royal lines are reunited once more when aragorn marries arwen.

for the elves, it's a bit different, but the hierarchy is still present. the avari are mentioned very little, and one can assume the elves caught by melkor to become the first orcs (if you go with this particular origin story) were avarin. you also have the silvan elves, and tolkien straight up says their culture was erased by the sindar who colonized their lands. the nandor barely get any mention, except when denethor and many of his people die in the first battle of beleriand, and saeros, who is a villain in túrin's story and dies a humiliating death. the "high elves" are those who have seen the light of the trees, and they are ranked above all the others. they control the narrative, and as a result we know very little about these other groups of elves, who are props in the story to be ruled over.

all of this definitely stems from tolkien having benefitted from colonialism, as his viewpoints were shaped by that experience. colonizers like galadriel and finrod get their actions handwaved away because they act "for the greater good"- but it's certainly NOT good that the petty-dwarves lose their home and die out completely. you can't just ignore all of the racism in the text, because it informs every derivative work. while i am white, and i can't speak authoritatively on these issues, we need to make it the norm to discuss them openly without being accused of "attacking tolkien", so we can make this fandom safer for people of color.

you can’t understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc) i don't get why so many people try to make maedhros so reserved, overly sensitive and whiny. i get he's a tortured redhead and it's fun to ship him with his pretty half-cousin but he has a canon personality, you know.

you’re mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like… thingol as a character. the lay of leithian rock opera did it to me, it's not my fault

[maedictus]

A couple of Thorin drawings

[i-am-trans-gwender]

Give your fantasy dwarf women beards like Tolkein intended you mother fucking cowards!

[spookyjarchivist]

while i do have a soft spot for “hobbits age slower than humans so 33 for them is our physical 18” i rlly dont think that’s how it is bc they get to about the same age as humans before death by old age, i also really dont think we appreciate enough a few things about what this means narratively and thematically

tolkien really said no child soldiers, no 20-something year old soldiers, they’re not really adults yet, they barely know anything of the world we’re sending them to die for it and that’s not okay, not when there are other options

he also addresses this with the hobbits specifically, frodo and bilbo are 50 when they go on their journeys, FIFTY, and we can see that they handle them differently than the others. while bilbo changes afterwards, it’s not in a coming of age like we would see if 50 really was the equivalent of ~27, he just accepts a part of himself he’s been suppressing for years, for him it’s accepting that getting older and being an adult doesn’t restrict you from the excitement and opportunities of youth. similarly frodo doesn’t change much either outside of his ptsd, all of his change is trauma, not maturity

now sam and merry are both past the age of majority, but they still grow into themselves in a way bilbo and frodo do not, they mature

but pippin, sweet beautiful pippin grows the most out of all of them. he’s the most childish, always running after his cousins and you can tell he’s not even 30, this is HIS coming of age story, before this journey he’s known nothing of true responsibilities, but by the end he’s ready for when he eventually has to take over as thain of the shire

and i think that this is a really beautiful way of saying something that has started to get really popular in the last few years

instead of being terrified of that big 30, we should be excited for it, we should embrace it wholeheartedly, because it’s the time when we’ve finally started ironing out the last of the kinks in being an adult, we’re growing into our responsibilities and and we can start learning how to cultivate that balance of responsibility and excitement and FUN that makes life living instead of surviving

[chaos-of-the-abyss]

dior aranel ausir eluchíl the fair

[everything--under--the--stars]

dnd shit that wouldn't actually be that funny but to me it's hilarious

Teifling culture that's not inherently hot or sexy, but just kind of average human culture from wherever they're from with a few slight differences

weed existing

Every single fantasy interpretation of elves since Tolkien living in different places in the world. And no one mentions it, this is just how elves are

Gods aren't real, Clerics are just the equivalent of mormons who have accessed superpowers by accident and annoyingly claim it's the will of their gods

As with the above: half the people a Cleric approaches will start go "oh no thanks, not interested" like they're about to get converted

Kenku. They're just so great I love these guys

Any character whose backstory for joining their class is secretly that they wanted to find themselves and didn't know what else to do with their life the same way indecisive college students pick a major

A historically accurate amount of people contracting tuberculosis

[pistachiozombie]

I dont know if you have ever drawn this- but Race/and Or Genderswapped Leanne/Bofur would be intresting to see!

I have but I would love to share them again <3

[mrkida-art]

Human and dwarrow

[elbiotipo]

Tolkien wrote "half-elf" a couple times, and D&D was like "y'all mind if I bring back the sistema de castas"

[silvantransthranduiltrash]

Legolas, every time he’s in a battle amongst humans and the humans tell the women and girls to hide and have all the men and boys fight, regardless of experience: do ya’ll have any idea how terrifying a women is on the battlefield when they have something to loose?

Legolas: because i genuinely think you’re self sabotaging when you’re not letting grown ass adult women, who are plenty strong due to all the house labor, onto the battlefield with an axe.

Legolas: There’s a reason our god of war is female.

Legolas, pointing at Eowyn killing the witch-king: this is what i mean!

[tlaquetzqui]

Remember: fantasy races are not just humans with pointed ears or tusks or thirty inches less height. They are fucking aliens that happen to live on the same planet as a population of humans. Give them strange coloring, subtly different proportions and features, and above all, alien psychology.

When you live for hundreds of years, what changes about how you spend your time? When you are the size of an unusually muscular toddler when full-grown, what changes about how you behave in conflicts? If you heal any wound not inflicted by acid or fire, how do you experience pain?

The principle might be called “Wookiees not furries”. They are not just anthropomorphic cartoon animals that have human culture and expectations. Even though they look sorta like that, they are beings from an entirely different world with their own life-history and set of instincts.

[lamemaster]

Matters of Stamina (Glorfindel x Reader)

Pairing: Glofindel x Reader

Genre: fluff

AN: I have human pride, sue me idc :)

"We elves have always been known for our faithfulness. Consider the story of Luthien who defied fate for the sake of Beren," you mused, inwardly struggling to recall the name of the elf seated before you. You were quite certain he had some connection to Anaire, Nolofinwë's wife, but the name eluded your memory no matter how hard you tried.

If only you could remember the name, you would have reminded the elf that even among the elves, there were instances where individuals prioritized their own desires over the happiness of others. Thingol, for instance, had subjected Beren to a daunting quest driven by his own greed, endangering the happiness of his own daughter. However, you chose to exercise restraint, not wanting to offend another of your beloved's kin. By Eru, Glorfindel had shit ton of kin!

Marrying the renowned Balrog slayer, you had come to expect such bouts of elven pride. Elves did have a tendency to take boasting to another level when it came to their lineage. But your love for Glorfindel was unwavering, and you held him in the highest regard. Love came with respect and honor, and you did not require anyone to remind you of the magnificence of your beloved.

What puzzled you, though, was why showing respect for elvenkind seemed to necessitate belittling your own kind. Did men need to be diminished for elves to shine brightly? But what good would an argument during such joyous times yield? You wouldn't want Glorfindel to bear the weight of your choices.

Resigned to your fate, you nodded in agreement to the huffing Noldor before you. "Yes, indeed, it is a great honor," you replied, scanning the room for Glorfindel who had promised to bring you a drink. It had been a good thirty minutes, and since then, you had been stuck with the elf whose name continued to elude you which barred you from politely excusing yourself in hopes of escaping the awkward conversation.

"Although," the elf began, "I must say, it must be challenging for your kind to commit like us firstborn, for men do not bond in the same way as elves do." You stared directly at the elf in front of you, incredulous at his earlier statement. "It is understandable that your love is more fickle than ours. I just fear for Glorfindel..." The smug smile on his face made you contemplate throwing a punch, but you refrained from doing so. Mustering a pleasant smile on your face, the kind that your loved ones dreaded you acknowledged the duel of words the elf initiated.

"I agree there is indeed a lot Glrofindel and I must work on for our marriage to work," the Noldo beamed at your admission.

Leaning in close, your voice took on a sincere tone, and the elf mirrored your actions, eagerly anticipating the gossip you were about to deliver. Seizing the moment, you waited for him to take a sip of his drink, creating a perfect atmosphere of dramatic anticipation. And then, you dropped the bombshell, struggling to contain your laughter. "I wonder if your kind can keep up. We men… we have more stamina, and well, you know how elves are," you gestured vaguely, pretending to understand their limitations.

The Noldor's reaction was priceless, his drink spewing forth as he choked in surprise, caught off guard by your audacity. The hall fell into a stunned silence, the heightened elven senses ensuring that everyone had heard your revelation. Ignoring the disapproving gazes fixed upon you, you feigned a morose sigh, pretending to be engrossed in the embroidery of your gown. You were fairly certain one of those glares belonged to your seamstress somewhere in the crowd.

To your surprise, the Noldo remained rooted to his spot, rather than storming away in a fit of rage. "How much?" he managed to ask, his eyes widening with surprise and disbelief.

"Five to seven times a day," you whispered, using your fingers to motion the number, relishing the sight of the elf's eyes losing focus as his mind struggled to process the information.

"But it is all right, a small price to pay for love, isn't it?" you leaned back, breaking away from the trance you had cast upon the entire room. The elf sitting across from you nodded stupidly, and you restrained your laughter. Well, this was the price Glorfindel would pay for subjecting you to the painful conversation for the past half an hour.

The Noldor, still recovering from his momentary shock, stared at you with a mixture of disbelief and bewilderment. The smugness had vanished from his face, replaced by an expression of wide-eyed surprise. The room buzzed with stunned silence and hushed whispers as everyone struggled to process the audacious revelation you had just made.

Unable to contain your mischievous smile, you savored the victory in this playful battle of wits. Gradually regaining his composure, the Noldor managed to speak, his voice tinged with disbelief. "But… but that's… quite impressive," he stammered, his eyes still slightly glazed over.

You shrugged nonchalantly, maintaining an air of innocence. "Well, it's a matter of stamina, as I mentioned. We humans are renowned for our endurance, after all."

A few chuckles and snickers rippled through the room, with some onlookers struggling to contain their laughter. Glorfindel, finally returning with your drink, shot you an amused glance, clearly relishing the unexpected turn of events.

Rising from your seat, you took the drink from Glorfindel, intertwining your arm with his as you leaned your head on his shoulder. "Oh, my beloved, rest assured, I will always love you, no matter what," you said, evading the obvious question written on Glorfindel's face, and steered him away from the bewildered Noldor.

[i-am-trans-gwender]

It's annoying to me how because of copyright non Middle-earth stories can't say "hobbit" so instead they say "halfling". (Even though both hobbit and halfling were coined by JRR Tolkien.)

It doesn't make sense in universe because from the "halflings" perspective there not "half" there normal height. Should we start calling humans in fantasy stories "averagelings" and call giants "doublelings"?

May we please come up with a better non copyrighted name for hobbits?

[lassieposting]

Pays for the Netflix account: Melkor

Is The Password: Mairon

Guessed The Password: Witch King

Given The Password: Gothmog

Asked For The Password: Thuringwethil

On Thin Fucking Ice: Ungoliant

[morningnoodles]

watching the recent episode of dungeon meshi, a show featuring a human, an elf, a halfling and a dwarf, go fight a red dragon. mention an incredibly rare metal called mithril. and some guy who got cursed by claiming a golden ring... is a tad overwhelming (in the best way!) for a fairly recent tolkien fan