#The Fall of Gil-galad

[lairesta]

Gil-galad was an elven-king.

Of him the harpers sadly sing;

the last whose realm was fair and free

between the Mountains and the Sea.

His sword was long, his lance was keen.

His shining helm afar was seen;

the countless stars of heaven's field

were mirrored in his silver shield.

But long ago he rode away,

and where he dwelleth none can say;

for into darkness fell his star

in Mordor where the shadows are.

-- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Ring, The Fellowship of the Ring --

.

#poem #lotr #lord of the rings #the fellowship of the ring #noldor #gil galad #the fall of gil-galad #tolkien elves #elf king #lament #jrr tolkien #Gil-galad

[thrillofhope]

The Fall of Gil-galad

Rewatching the LOTR (as one does) and had a thought: A lament echoes through the halls of Imladris, haunting and heartrending, for their grief is still so near. Elrond is arrested in his chronicling of the diaspora of the elves in the days since the Last Alliance, struck by memory now bittersweet. Hope is never meager, even when it is mere. 

And it had been mere, the might of Sauron so great, the Ring of Power on his wretched finger. It had taken all of the High King’s strength, alongside Elendil of the Dùnedain—man and elf fighting together until the bitter end. They had rained blows upon the Dark Lord, a veritable storm, but it had not been enough. They fell to him. All would have fallen to him if not for the stroke of a broken sword, in the moment hope had all but faded.

Elrond looks to the ring on his finger. Vilya. Gil-galad had placed it in his hand before their final offensive, a far-off look in his eye. Perhaps he had known then, what victory would cost. The King had closed his hand around Elrond’s, hiding the brilliant sapphire in his herald’s fist. I know you will see what is right.

He had so loved Middle-earth, giving his last so that darkness would not overtake it. Elrond is writing again before he knows it, committing his friend, his king to memory undying. 

Gil-galad was an Elven-king. Of him the harpers sadly sing; the last whose realm was fair and free between the Mountains and the Sea.

His sword was long, his lance was keen. His shining helm afar was seen; the countless stars of heaven's field were mirrored in his silver shield.

But long ago he rode away, and where he dwelleth none can say; for into darkness fell his star in Mordor where the shadows are.

#rings of power #elrond #gil-galad #the fall of gil-galad #lotr #new headcanon

[maellor]

This is why Gil-galad may NOT be Orodreth's son

If Gil-galad is Orodreth's son, then why does he follow the Nolofinwean color scheme?

Gil's armorial device is the same blue as Fingolfin's and Earendil's, or very near it. Gil's device consists of 12 silver stars, four of them resembling the star at the center of Earendil's device and four resembling the little stars on Fingolfin's device. The remaining four seem to be original.

In the lay of Leithian, a stanza describes Fingolfin before the gates of Angband:

"In that vast shadow once of yore

Fingolfin stood: his shield he bore

with field of heaven's blue and star

of crystal shining pale afar"

- Lay of Leithian, Canto XII

The above verse implies that Fingolfin's shield actually looks more like Gil's or Earendil's device rather than his own: a blue backround with a star of pale crystal, which could be color coded as silver.

"Shining pale afar" even as Gil's helm does:

"His sword was long, his lance was keen.

His shining helm afar was seen;

the countless stars of heaven's field

were mirrored in his silver shield."

- The Fall of Gil-galad

To conclude with, Gil-galad seems to be using the blues and silvers of the Nolofinwean side of the family, instead of the whites and golds of the Arafinweans. Why would he do this, if he was Orodreth's child? I do realise that Tolkien's last word was that he was the son of Orodreth, son of Angrod, but... nothing else indicates this, from what i have read.

#more in tags #Even though i am a Russingon fan i can see Gil only as Fingon's son #Also because Gil was valiant and heroic like Fingon and Fingolfin #while Orodreth closed himself in Nargothrond #and could't even manage his Feanorian cousins #They imprisoned Luthien in Nargothrond and Orodreth didn't even realise?? #He was too scared to even join the Union of Maedhros and went to war only after Turin showed up #If a king is he who can hold his own like Nelyo said then surely Orodreth made for a very poor king #Gil on the other hand ruled the Eldar for longer than any other High King #Well except Finwe #So HOW could he possibly be Orodreth's kid? #I have not read all of HoME yet so i may have missed evidence #Yes i know that in NoME he is said to have blond hair #but that could have come from Indis in any case #Questioning Gil-galad's parentage #Finwean armorial devices #Tolkien's symbols analysis #The Fall of Gil-galad #Lay of Leithian #Gil-galad #Fingolfin

[an-eldritch-peredhel]

The thing that draws me most to this fandom, and the things that makes it unique, is that by the mere nature of the works we love, everyone's Arda is different. And not just in the usual headcanon-y ways that are typical of every story, but even down to important plot and characterization points.

Who is Gil-Galad? What is the Oath and what does it have power to do? What really is the Dagor Dagorath? How do the Laws Of The Universe work?

And beyond that- what parts of HoME do you pick and choose? LaCE? Does anyone try and work with Tolkien's horrendous math? Have you taken parts of your Arda from older or other worlds, with the Cottage of Lost Play and the exile of the Gnomes?

Have you given names to the wives and daughters? What do they mean- who are they? Mother-names or father-names for those who only had one?

I just really love how even when two interpretations of the same world seem utterly incompatible, they aren't. I'd love to see other additions/headcanons!

#gil estel speaks #i wanna see the things that everyone thinks makes their own arda unique! #like for me how daeron is luthien's brother #and nimloth was a marchwarden #and finwe and miriel and indis were desperately in love even when they couldnt do anything about it #and how anaire named her children after the valar #anaire and lalwen both served under tulkas and that's how she met fingolfin #findis' fathername is sartafinwe- steadfast #i've named all of finrod's faithful- invented two new elven peoples which some of them hail from #orodreth's wife is named eithrel- aeglos was her spear first #my gil-galad is... probably finduilas. they're still working things out #but aeglos was also the spear that stabbed her- her mother had given her aeglos before she died #but an orc disarmed her during nargothronds fall and it got lost #i don't know it just means a lot to me

[the-writing-warg]

Something I've noticed that I haven't seen others talk about very much is this

The armour elrond wears in the hobbit is the base for the armour he wears in the war of the last alliance.

And it's not cause its his only suit of armour because in the first hobbit film we see him wearing this suit

He really went and pulled out the fancy armour to go rescue gandalf.

#will probably end up doing a more in depth analysis of this design choice #because holy shit the possibilities and reasons why #and the headcanons #like can you imagine thranduil seeing elrond in the second age armour during the third age and just remembering #THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER #and what must elrond feel #wearing the armour that he wore while watching gil galad fall #why did he feel the need to change armour #is it special armour? #does it have properties similar to the other elven forged weapons and armour #or is it merely emotional sentiment? #i have so many thoughts #the hobbit #lotr #hobbit #tolkien #lord of the rings #tolkien legendarium #elrond #lord elrond #hugo weaving #battle of the five armies #war of the last alliance #fall of gil galad #gil galad #armor #costume choices #elrond peredhel #peredhel #noldor

[deer-with-a-stick]

The more time I spend explaining Tolkien lore to my brother the more I realize that Tolkien was just batshit insane

#yes the world is flat and a globe at the same time #and yes if you go off the edge you fall into the void with Satan 1.0 (assuming the Straight Road doesn't just railroad you) #he calls Valinor “The place under some trees where everyone smokes weed” and honestly I wish they would do that instead #bilbo and frodo bring weed to valinor quick #i tried to explain the miriel-finwe situation and he's so confused #“so they died and they were all sad even though they didn't have to stay dead?? but she couldn't come back because he remarried??” #“but then he dies and says 'yo ill stay dead instead' and she's find now??” #does the big God just keep making elf and human souls or do they just. appear #i told him about Gil-Galad Son of Plothole #he is quickly realizing that yes #the valar are a bit incompetent #its fine #elrond's dad is a star his mom is a bird and his great great grandma is an angel #my sister gave up two seconds in despite sparking this by asking me about elf lore #apparently she actually just wants to know about legolas but not legolas' father because of the hobbit movies #let me rant about feanorian politics it'll be interesting i promise #shut up about your elf backflips you wanna hear about nirnaeth arnoediad and the kinslayings #tolkien #lotr #lord of the rings #silmarillion #the silm #is this a shitpost? idk #he's batshit insane but the world is great i love it #we still don't know where hobbits come from #they appeared one day #like potatoes #i had one tidbit of legolas lore and that was #the guy showed up several years late in a homemade boat with a dwarf #incomprehensible screaming

[eleneressea]

…but what if Anastasia AU

#gil-galad russingonion getting hit on the head while fleeing the royal palace post nirnaeth (elrond helped get him out) #and then decades/centuries later elrond and elros find an amnesiac elf who looks kind of like the missing prince ereinion #meanwhile maedhros and fingon haven't given up hope a) that ereinion will come back #either because he's alive and lost or because he's in mandos recovering #b) that elrond and elros will stop blaming themselves for losing him in the chaos and come home to stay #in this e&e really do think that gil-galad is probably ereinion #elrond is less sure that he survived because he saw ereinion fall and hit his head and that looked Pretty Bad

[almostlookedhuman]

#universes beyond #mtg #lotr #fall of gil-galad #arda #sauron #gil-galad #elliott

[annoyinglandmagazine]

Elrond and Celebrimbor headcanons

I have so many feels about these two during the second age and I thought I’d inflict some of the pain onto you

Their shared family history is so fascinating. They’re completely opposite in some ways yet so similar in others. We have Celebrimbor only grandchild of Feanor, possibly the most infamous person in all of Arda. He’s the son of Curufin, the son of Feanor generally considered most similar to his father. He’s the second in line to the house of Feanor and very much considered part of it. He then spends large parts of his life trying to distance himself from all of it after recognising how morally awful his family legacy is.

And then there’s Elrond. He’s the heir to all that have the most reason to despise the Feanorians and all they stand for. His father is Nolofinwean on the Elvish side, his mother Sinda and Teleri and his own childhood home was sacked by Feanorians at age 6 before being essentially kidnapped. Yet despite all this he still claims Maglor and Maedhros as his parents. He still chooses this heritage as part of who he is even if most people would disagree with him about it.

Like that already sets them up for a super complicated relationship already. Just imagine Celebrimbor seeing Elrond for the first time during the War of Wrath wearing a star of Feanor. Imagine them forming a bond over the shared trauma of being raised by people everyone sees as soulless monsters. Maybe Elrond’s openness about his love for Maglor and Maedhros finally makes Tyelpe feel he can acknowledge his heritage again. Only in small ways, he hasn’t forgiven them yet, but he feels like he is allowed to have more complicated views on the subject than just hating them outright. He probably develops a very protective attitude over him pretty quickly as he just can’t believe such a genuinely good and kind ray of sunshine could want to be publicly associated with him and his insane relatives without even having a blood relation.

They understand and recognise characteristics in each other that no one else would. They know how exactly what the other needs when they’re going through something and don’t even need to speak to communicate that they’re having a difficulty. After Elros dies Tyelpe is the first person to hold Elrond while he grieves over it and neither ever forget it. They also have the darkest sense of humour that everyone else finds too much and their banter freaks out anyone who overhears. After a while they decide on the label of cousins. They never go into what kind of cousins or through who they just leave it ambiguous to avoid complications.

I think their relationship deteriorated during the Annatar incident. Elrond knows something is up with Annatar the first time he meets him in Lindon and he convinces Gil Galad to send him away immediately. Gil Galad doesn’t take much convincing he doesn’t strike him as trustworthy either and whenever Galadriel and Elrond seem to agree it’s generally a good idea to listen to them. And then he hears Annatar is in Eregion.

On his next visit he is hostile to Annatar the whole time and it sets Tyelpe on edge. He’s never imagined his sweet cousin could be so unpleasant towards one of his dearest *friends* while staying in his house. The look in his eyes reminds Tyelpe too much of the look his Maedhros would get sometimes. Elrond is freaking out the whole time because something is off! How can no one else see how messes up this guy’s aura is? It’s taking all his willpower not to go full Melian on the spot, all this guys energy is so absolutely wrong!

It culminates and they get into an Arguement. Tyelpe is convinced Elrond’s trauma and problematic role models are finally getting to him and he’s started seeing the enemies where there are none, just like his uncles did. Celebrimbor knows what paranoia looks like and he swore to himself never too become like that. Elrond just knows something is about to go terribly wrong and he needs to stop it but Celebrimbor won’t listen to him. Tyelpe had alway trusted his counsel up to now and he takes this new unwillingness to hear him out as further signs of manipulation. This gets very intense with Celebrimbor saying that Elrond was corrupted by his upbringing but it is past the point of no return when Elrond compares his blindness to that of Feanor. When Elrond draws his sword at Annatar after he sees him the next day Tyelpe tells him to leave. That’s the last time they see each other.

Several decades later Gil Galad receives a letter with Vilya enclosed in it. They know something must be very wrong for him to open the channels of communication after so many years of silence and Elrond convinces Gil Galad to let him head to Eregion at once. Eventually he relents despite his worry for Elrond’s well being and desire to accompany him himself, on the condition that Elrond brings Glorfindel with him. When Elrond arrives he is greeted be the sight of Tyelpe’s body being used as a banner.

He fights like a force more than a person, scarcely recognisable and slaying without effort or thought simply on pure instinct and raw power, all the drills he’d ever completed flowing entirely naturally. Eventually he recovers the corpse or what is left of it. He manages to lead his soldiers to retreat in what would become Imladris. When Glorfindel finds him he sees him cradling the body and knows not to speak. He helps him dig a grave and watches as he cleanses the blood from Celebrimbor’s wounds before laying him gently down. He never tells any save Galadriel and Gil Galad where he is buried for fear of vandals. He tells his children of Tyelpe’s kindness, his perseverance and desire to do good and help others no matter what.

#Celebrimbor and Elrond #silmarillion #elrond peredhel #celebrimbor #gil galad #fall of Eregion #second age #tolkien

[tanoraqui]

I was thinking jokingly about how if Idril is alive in post-War of Wrath Valinor and Finrod is alive in post-War of Wrath Valinor and Turgon is not, Turgon is taking at least a millennia to heal before coming out of Mandos, then Finrod is 100% like, "Free daughter!”

...and then I realized that Finrod very likely promised Turgon just that at some point between Elenwë’s death and the retreat to Gondolin. And now I’m sad.

#the silmarillion #finrod #idril #turgon #fall of gondolin #aman ever after #idril is grown now - she has a husband and son; she has led a people in desperate but organized retreat #she was something like co-queen regent of hte noldor for a few decades with lalwen on balar while gil-galad wasn't quite grown #she missed so much of what in retrospect she wishes she'd seen but she was there toward the end after finrod wasn't #and then they both missed the last war itself; idril asleep and finrod restricted to aman #during hte march across the ice finrod used to use spare energy to Sing starlight into gems for her to hold until they faded #they end up crying on each other in a pleasant little house in tol eressea until tuor gently asks if they'd like to have dinner

[lowcountry-gothic]

Gil-galad crosses the Misty Mountains, by Alan Lee. From The Fall of Númenor: And Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-Earth, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

#art #alan lee #tolkien #the fall of numenor #gil-galad #elves #the misty mountains

[valacirya]

Random headcanon: Earendil, Gil-galad and Thranduil were bffs in Sirion. They were affectionately known as the chaos trio and Elwing's Boys.

#earendil #thranduil #gil galad #for me he's orodreth's son and around 50 years old when nargothrond falls #thranduil is in his late 30s when the second kinslaying happens

[aeonianarchives]

Warm Beverages

Fotfictober Prompts: 3 - Warm Beverages

Summery: Elrond brings Maglor back to Imladris for the fall and gives him a warm drink to warm him up

Characters: Elrond& Maglor (Ft. Gil-Galad, Elladan, Elrohir)

Pairing(s): Implied Elrond x Gil-Galad

Warnings: Angst not a lot but it is there after it there is a lot of fluff

Elrond sighed he knew there would be little chance to find his adoptive father Maglor, it was a slim one but it was still, there, Elrond had been searching for days without rest the shore of middle earth.

"Meleth he is not here, it is possible he may of passed on to the halls of Mandos" Gil-Galad said to his disheartened as he rubbed Elrond's back.

"I know, I just wish I could see him one more time, to tell him I never blamed him, I never hated him, I just want him to know I loved him and thought of him as my Ada" Elrond said

"I am sure you can tell him when you sail, you have a Kingdom which needs you" Gil-Galad

"Ada" Elladan called Elrond turned to his son Elrohir was also approching leading there horses

"What are you both doing here" Gil quetioned

"We heard Ada was looking for Grandpa we came to help, Imladris is fine in Erestor's hands right" Elladan said

"What Elladan means to say is we wish to help, as Ada has been disheartened on his quest so we came as an extra pair of eyes plus we brought horses to make this faster" Elrohir said, with the twins help Elrond managed to find Maglor.

Maglor had certainly looked better his robes where torened and weather stained and he was soaked, seaweed was stuck in the stitching, and the burn on his hand certainly looked bad, Gil held the Twins back as Elrond slowly approached Maglor.

"Ada?" Elrond questioned, Maglor's head turned to face the half elf

"What did you say, what did you call me" Maglor's voice was bearly above a whisper and it was breaking, his voice was horse from staying silence for to long, he had stopped singing to the wildlife after they left him.

"Ada" Elrond repeated to the Fëanorian

"Why, you think I am worthy to be your Ada" Maglor questioned, Elrond crouched besides the driftwood Maglor sat on.

"You raised me, and although your means of adoption were questionable you did become mine and Elros' Ada we may of not liked it at the time but we both knew the truth, lets get you home, so we can deal with that wound and warm you up" Elrond said if Maglor could remember Elrond he took no shits and he did whatever he needed to get what he wanted, the elf lord may of changed from that ideology when he became Gil-Galad's Herald but some of it stayed with him, Maglor doubted he could talk himself out of going to Imladris.

"Fine" Maglor said, the elder elf stayed quite on the ride back even with Elladan trying to strike conversation with him.

"Just give up, this is rather pitiful to watch now, if he doesn't want to talk you can't make him" Elrohir said

"Who are they and why do they seem so attached to you" Maglor whispered to Elrond as the two bickered with Gil trying to mediate them

"They are my sons, I have a daughter back in Imladris which is a kingdom i made after the battle of the last alliance" Elrond said

"You have children" Maglor asked suprised

"A lot happened after you and Maedhros left us" Elrond said as they got to the last homely house, Elrond managed to get Maglor to the healing wards without turning to many heads or people asking questions, he but antiseptic herbs on the wound before covering it and tying it up, Maglor watched Elrond intently as he worked.

"Lindir" Elrond called his assistent over who jumped at the fëanorian's presents

"Fetch some dry clothes and some warm drinks" Elrond said Lindir nodded and quick walked away

"He seemed scared of me" Maglor said, Elrond hmmed

"His parents are highly against him working as my assistance, they where survivors of the third kinslaying, it's only natural they told him bad tales of you and painted you in a bad light" Elrond said.

After changing the two sat in Elrond's study talking idly of what happened in middle earth while Maglor was being a hermit, Maglor turned to see what the sudden weight on his shoulder was only to see Elrond had curled up into his side like he used to do as an elfling, Maglor took a sip of the warm drink he had and stroked Elrond's hair out of his face.

"What is this, I do not think I have tried it before" Maglor said

"It's Hot Chocolate, it comes from the race of men, Lindir enjoys it when he is feeling down I thought it would help you warm up" Elrond said taking a sip of his tea.

"You know that feeling when you take a sip of a drink and it warms you up, looks like the race of men got the nail on the head with this drink" Maglor said, Elrond hmmed as he set his drink down after finishing most of it and started falling asleep on Maglor, the elder set down his drink and started hmming while stroking Elrond's hair Maglor soon noticed he had sung Elrond to sleep like old times so contuied to enjoy his warm drink

Elvish Translations:

Ada - Father

Meleth - Love

#jrr tolkien #middle earth #the hobbit #lord of the rings #tolkien #lotr #elves #cozy fall #fotfictober #fotfics #october prompts #writing prompts #fotfics october event #silmarillion #gil galad #elrond #elladan #elrohir #maglor #gil galad x elrond #warm beverages

[maglorslostsilmaril]

The Fall of Gil-Galad: *exists*

Me:

#the sillymarilly #the silmarillion #tolkien #the fall of gil galad #lotr #the last alliance #gil galad #lotr memes #silmarillion memes

[persephone-queen-of-souls]

Random book quote of the day

“Suddenly a low voice murmured:

Gil-galad was an Elven-king.

Of him the harpers sadly sing:

the last whose realm was fair and free

between the Mountains and the Sea.

His sword was long, his lance was keen,

his shining helm afar was seen;

the countless stars of heaven‘s field

were mirrored in his silver shield.

But long ago he rode away,

and where he dwelleth none can say;

for into darkness fell his star

in Mordor where the shadows are.

The others turned in amazement, for the voice was Sam‘s.“

[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien - p.183]

#gil galad #the fall of gil galad #lotr #lord of the rings #the fellowship of the ring #lord of the rings books #lotr books #samwise the brave #tolkien #jrr tolkien

[thefandomstorage]

A part of me wants to write a fic with Gil-Galad somehow meeting up with an injured and still heavily traumatized Maeglin who now has white hair after the fall of Gondolin and just “Well I obviously can’t just leave you alone and injured in the wild, so I’ll take you with me.”

Gil-Galad then proceeds to lie his ass off to everyone about the strange elf he brought back and is obviously hiding. What elf? Oh that one! He’s just a friend. What’s his name? Uhm...What a coincidence, it seems to have slipped my mind! Gottagobye!

Gil-Galad keeps telling himself that he’ll exile Maeglin or hand him over to the Gondolin survivors, but he keeps putting it off, even when Maeglin is majority healed. Next thing they know, the armies of Valinor have arrived and the War of Wrath ramps up. With nothing left to do, Gil gives Maeglin a disguised name, armor and a sword, and together, they fight. They are quite surprised to discover that they work very well together. That’s probably when they start becoming friends. 

And then Elrond comes in. And Gil is trying so hard to keep his two friends separated. Which is hard when you’re friends with a very curious and nosey peredhel who is very suspicious about the mysterious white haired elf who is always with the king.

It’s even funnier if Elrond is hiding Maglor 

Elrond: Is that Maeglin?! Gil-Galad with an obvious Maeglin behind him: No no no, you’re seeing things. 

*Maglor passes by behind Elrond*

Gil-Galad: Is that Maglor Feanorian?!

Elrond: No, you’re seeing things.

#Once again #I come back to terrorize the Silmarillion fandom with the nonsense from my head #I just think a Maeglin and Gil-Galad friendship would be interesting and messy #the enemies to friends arc #the guilt for enjoying a traitor's friendship #the guilt for being friends with the one who held his friend's dad hostage as a kid #Gil-Galad having to fight between his duty as a king and his own happiness as his own person #and his own sense of justice vs. the sense of justice as a king who is the leader of the people that includes the people Maeglin wronged #and on Maeglin's end #Regret lots of regret #A good bit of fear #trying to resist being in self pity but falls in it #Waiting for Gil-Galad to give him to the Gondolin survivors and be put on trial or smth #Then realizing he enjoys Gil's friendship and feeling guilty for that because he believes Gil deserves better #"Why would a king be friends with a traitor?' #Him deciding to do reparations by serving Gil-galad #Which is actually an excuse to stay with Gil-galad because he has no idea what to do with himself and Gil is one of his last family members #Lots of juicy stuff and ideas #But I already have like 2 Slim fics being written sooooo #This idea will have to sit in my mind #Or someone else can write it if they want #silmarillion #silmarillion fandom #lotr #lotr fandom #ereinion gil galad #maeglin #elrond peredhel #fic idea