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cogentranting · 2 years

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Rating Non-Disney Animated Horse Designs

I’m back by popular demand/well not really but my optimism’s grand

A sequel to my Disney horse Rating post for all the other random non-Disney horses. Dreamworks, Bluesky, random cartoons, anything I could find. Featuring: Altivo, Spirit, some Barbie horses, and a few abominations.

Horse (Sing)

6/10 I don’t hate it and I feel like I should because it’s really hard to anthropomorphize horses that much without making them into the stuff of nightmares.

Shadowfax (The Lord of the Rings)

5/10 There’s nothing WRONG with him per se, but it’s SHADOWFAX. Lord of all horses. He should wow me, and he doesn’t. Check out Gandalf’s weird sock-boots though.

Hervé (Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper)

-6/10 Horses' mouths don’t look like that. Horses’ mouths should not look like that. This thing wants to eat human flesh but can’t because it has two solid curved huge teeth with no physical relationship with its jaw. Also this horse has the beginnings of male-pattern baldness.

Princess Brietta (Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus)

1/10 Her eyes are flat like they’ve been painted onto her socketless skull. And there’s something very off-putting about this shade of pink.

Beauty, Merry Legs, Ginger (Black Beauty)

4/10 Ginger isn’t ginger. That is not a sorrel horse. There’s ONE requirement. Beauty’s the best of the three which is I guess what counts.

Hans, Klaus and Greta (Ferdinand)

2/10 I hate them so much. The core design isn’t that bad but the way they move and pose is. No horse should make that face. The one on the left is stretched putty.

The Grand Chawhee (All Dogs Go to Heaven)

I know what you’re thinking-- “isn’t that a mule or a donkey of some sort?” No. He’s a racehorse. Maybe a thoroughbred. And it’s his birthday so the other horses let him win.

9/10

Stella (All Dogs Go to Heaven)

1/10 She gets one point for being nice to Chawhee. But she’s clearly some sort of alien giraffe hybrid.

Odette’s horse (Swan Princess)

7/10 Just a nice little palomino design.

That little shaggy pony (The Quest for Camelot)

12/10 Amazing. Look at the determination.

Buck (Barnyard)

2/10 See this is what that horse from Sing COULD have looked like.

The Horse in the Back, Not Klaus But I Couldn’t FInd a Better Picture (Klaus)

9/10 He matches his owner and I respect that

Leah (The Star)

4/10 This is horse is voiced by Kelly Clarkson. That has nothing to do with her rating, I just thought you should know.

(Starchaser: The Legend of Orin)

8/10 for both. I have questions but I do not want answers. It’s better this way.

Fred (Over the Garden Wall)

7/10 don’t love that his head is a different color than his body in a weird way but he looks neurotic and fun.

The Chariot Horses (Prince of Egypt)

8/10 I’ve just always liked these guys with their square faces and fun hats.

Altivo (The Road to El Dorado)

7/10 Look at the little curl in his mane. Good personality. A little too much “Dreamworks Face”

Donkey in Horse Form (Shrek 2? one of the Shreks)

3/10 Look at his face. I DREAD what he might have to say.

Esmeralda, Esperanza, Ernestina (Madgascar 3)

2/10 They’re coming for you. Coming to drag you into the Abyss.

Police Horse (Madagascar)

7/10 I like his face shape. Compare him to the Madgascar 3 horses-- look how much more identifiable as a horse he is.

Melvin (The Lorax)

10/10 He’s not a horse, but he’s so fluffy I love him.

Babieca (Puss in Boots)

4/10 This horse has dead eyes.

Onyx (Rise of the Guardians)

13/10 She’s the leader of the nightmares and I would fully support her terrorizing the dreams of children. I’m pretty sure she and her mares ate the boogie man. A true Girlboss.

Yi Min (Kung Fu Panda but I think just an online game)

-20/10 Just from a design perspective there’s far too much going on so it’s hard to even make it all out. Also I would have zero idea that this was a horse if the wiki page didn’t tell me it was. It has split hooves?

Spirit Jr. (Spirit: Riding Free)

8/10 Objectively I know the design is good but my heart rebels against this show’s existence.

Boomerang Thomas Stone (Spirit: Riding Free)

8/10 I’m not doing all the horses from this show but I had to throw him in because he’s cute and he has a middle and last name for some reason.

Horse (Centaurworld)

Why are there two distinctly different designs for her? This one gets a 9/10. The round one is like... a 5. All the other creatures in this show are eldritch abominations that will haunt me in my sleep now.

Esperanza and all the other horses from this movie (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron)

10/10 No notes. Perfect horses.

Rain (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron)

15/10 I don’t have a joke here I just really like the way they differentiated her and made her pretty without too much anthropomorphizing. I like that she has a roman nose. I like her feather.

Spirit (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron)

100/10 He’s everything. He shaped me as a person. No other animated horse can compare.

#horses #long post #spirit stallion of the cimarron #dreamworks #animation #sing #madagascar #all dogs go to heaven #centaurworld #over the garden wall #rise of the guardians #the lorax #the road to el dorado #altivo #that's not ALL of the non-Disney horses clearly but it's a pretty good sampling

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spinningalbinoturtle · 8 months

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Fellowship hobbies/relaxation activities

When the day of adventuring is done what they do at home.

Aragorn

Camping-duh

Long horse ride-also duh

Attending elvish concerts

Spending time with Arwen alone-they’re so often surrounded by courtiers and lords so Aragorn likes it when just the two of them can spend time together

Boromir

Once saw a headcanon about Boromir having a pet falcon and I love the idea that he would be into falconry

He likes to help train the young guards-like he did with Merry and Pippin

Go out for drinks with Faramir

Go for a ride around Pelenor

Legolas

Party boi like all of the Mirkwood elves

Likes to wax poetic walking around the woods

Sings to himself also

Archery practice

Works on braiding his or Gimli’s hair

Drinks a lot but not in a dysfunctional way just likes to party-so does Gimli so this works out

Wildlife watching-this includes following Aragorn around and commenting on him like he’s Steve Irwin

Gimli

Jewelry making-makes lots of stuff for Legolas

Kinda into sculpting but isn’t that great at it

Sorting his armor and weapons

Going for a walk through the glittering caves

Is really into crystals and likes to sit and talk to them-Legolas thinks this is weird

Get drunk with Legolas

Merry

Smoke that zah

Like his main hobby is smoking weed

Also likes to chill at the pub with Pippin and get involved in other people’s affairs

Chill with Pippin and cause minor trouble

They tried to make fireworks one time-this did not end well

Pippin

Pippin has a hard time just sitting and doing one thing

But he decompresses by hanging out with friends

Drinks and smoke with Merry, Frodo, and Sam

Loves to dance

Going with the movie he plays the banjo in a hobbit band-his dad thinks this is kinda unbecoming of the future thain but doesn’t get involved because it keeps Pippin occupied

Sam

Gardening is his job but he also loves it and continues to do so after he is no longer officially the Baggins gardener because he likes to

Cooking-especially with Frodo

Wood carving-he likes to make pipes for his friends

Going for walks in the woods with Frodo

Writing poetry but he is very shy about who he shares it with

Likes to sketch, mostly sketches the garden or Frodo sleeping

Listening to Frodo read Elvish poetry

Also is an avid reader

Frodo

Like Sam loves to read, they both always have a book they’re in the middle of

Knitting, crochet, embroidery, sewing any kind of fiber art really he likes to have something to do with his hands

Plays the harp, used to play the accordion but it was a lot harder with only nine fingers so he switched to the harp-he learned it in Rivendell as music therapy

Loved to go for walks with Bilbo and then Sam when he was younger. After the quest this is a bit harder for him but he does have a pretty durable wheelchair made by Gimli which he wills go on strolls with Sam in

Gandalf

Smoking

Bitching with Bilbo or Elrond

Hanging out with Radagast and his animals

Rides on Shadowfax

#lotr #frodo baggins #sam gamgee #aragorn #merry brandybuck #boromir #legolas #legolas x gimli #gimli #pippin took #samfro #gandalf

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swaps55 · 2 months

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Okay, but if I ask *nicely* will you yell about how Shadowfax can't do lead changes? :D

MY TIME HAS COME.

Ok. So. When horses are moving at a canter or a gallop, they have ‘leads.’ As in, one front foot and one hind foot is always ‘leading’ the opposite foot. Generally, when they are tracking to the right, they will lead with their right foot, and when tracking left, they’ll lead with their left foot. Turning is smoother when the lead foot matches the direction you’re turning.

Horses can change leads while moving at speed. It works a lot like a skip, only they have to skip the front and the hind end. Changing leads is something horses do naturally, but they can also learn to do it on cue. The trick is getting them to change both the front and the hind in the same stride. If they don’t – and what usually happens is they change the front end but take another step or two to change the hind – their movement gets really choppy because their front and hind ends are on different leads. This can cause you problems when jumping a course, for instance, when you sometimes have to change directions quickly.

Here's a video that demonstrates it:

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SO. Imagine my horse-obsessed ass sitting the theater at the midnight showing of The Two Towers, eyes peeled for Shadowfax, because the Lord of Horses was going to be in front of my eyeballs AT LAST, and if Asfaloth in Fellowship of the Ring was not the Lord of Horses, then holy fuck I can’t wait to see who IS.

...

Before I continue, let’s talk about the Flight to the Ford.

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This is one of my favorite sequences in film, and it’s largely because Asfaloth is such a badass. Watch this horse’s feet throughout this sequence. This horse is carrying two fully costumed riders (I can’t remember if they had Kiran – Elijah Wood’s stunt double – actually in the saddle for those scenes, but even if they didn’t, they had something bumping along up there) while moving at high speeds, turning, and jumping.

WATCH THIS HORSE’S FEET.

The way this horse moves, the way he changes leads is incredible to watch.

(Side note: the horse’s name is Florian, and his stunt rider, Jane Abbot, adored him and was devastated that she couldn’t afford to buy him when filming ended. Viggo Mortenson bought him for her, and when I looked, she still had him at age 29.)

[gently takes your face in my hands] WATCH THAT VIDEO AGAIN.

I believe without question that Florian was indeed Asfaloth, Glorfindel/Arwen’s steed.

Hang on, I’m gonna go watch it again.

…

Ok. I’m better now. I’m fine. I’m not totally overwhelmed by how much I love Asfaloth and how quickly I would sell my soul to sit on that horse’s back.

Now let’s talk about Shadowfax.

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One of the Mearas. Lord of Horses. Who should definitely be able to do a really elegant lead change, because of the whole Lord of Horses thing.

As Shadowfax is running down the hill towards Gandalf, he’s on his left lead. Since he’s about to bend right towards Gandalf, he switches to his right.

In the front.

It takes him another step and a half or so to get the hind end to follow suit.

Is that totally normal for a horse, especially one with no rider? Sure.

BUT THIS IS SHADOWFAX, LORD OF FUCKING HORSES.

ASFALOTH IS OUT THERE DODGING RINGWRAITHS WITH TWO PEOPLE ON HIS BACK AND SWITCHING LEADS ON THE FLY LIKE IT AIN’T NO THANG AND THIS ‘LORD OF HORSES’ CAN’T EVEN HANDLE A HILL.

This was your BIG INTRO, man. There was inspirational music. The rapt attention of Aragorn, Legolas, and fucking Gandalf, and he flubbed the lead change.

SHADOWFAX: LORD OF LAZY LEAD CHANGES.

It’s been over 20 years and I am still not over it. Asfaloth was better, fight me.

#swaps replies #scribblesandknots #lotr #lord of the rings #shadowfax #the two towers #flight to the ford #asfaloth #urrone has had to listen to me go off about this in person several times for over 20 years now #she was the first to hear me yell about this ahahaha

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thetempleofthemasaigoddess · 10 months

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THE LORD OF THE RINGS HEADCANON

While it is known that the Mearas only allow the Kings of Rohan to ride them, a less-known fact is that their heirs share the privilege, being the future sovereign.

At eighteen, Théodred attempted to climb on the back of Shadowfax, confident in his ability to ride him in his position as crown prince, but the horse, usually gentle with the young prince who had fed him apples from his hands ever since he was a child, bolted violently and threw him to the ground, grunting in a threatening tone. Théodred was not hurt, but the event affected him greatly, a vague, menancing feeling he was never able to shake off.

Éomer never dared telling him that he also, while completely drunk and on a dare, had attempted riding the Lord of all Horses, and Shadowfax had docilely let him.

#The Lord of the Rings #The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers #Théodred #Théodred son of Théoden #Théodred of Rohan #Éomer #Éomer Eadig #Éomer son of Éomund #Éomer of Rohan #Bellona's stuff #Bellona's headcanons #Bellona's The Lord of the Rings headcanons

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themirokai · 3 months

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You have a Shadowfax rant you say 👀

Hi friend! Rant unlocked!

Okay, a thing you have to know about me as a kid, is that I was a total horse girl. Like rode competitively from when I was 4 until about 16. I was a national finalist in a horse trivia competition. And I was also VERY into the LOTR books. So of course I had many many thoughts about Shadowfax.

He is the Chief of the Mearas, lord of horses, and not even Théoden, King of Rohan, has ever looked on a better. Does he not shine like silver and run as smoothly as a swift stream?

'Were the breath of the West Wind to take a body visible, even so would it appear,' said Éomer, as the great horse ran up, until he stood before the wizard.

I mean clearly from this and other description, Shadowfax has to be the most spectacular and amazing of all horses, right?

So the first movie comes out when I am 17 and it’s phenomenal. The details are perfect and amazing and I am in awe.

The next year, Two Towers is coming out and I am so stoked because this movie is going to have SHADOWFAX! I get to see Shadowfax on screen it’s gonna be so great! And I’m speculating about what kind of incredible horse they’re going to get to play The King of Horses AND….

It’s this.

Womp womp.

I’m not saying that he’s not pretty, but this is A Guy. He’s just … A Guy.

Now, I know the horse is an Andalusian, and sometimes you can get Andalusians to look like this

But A Guy definitely didn’t look like that. And in a series of movies that were so obsessed with getting the details perfect, you couldn’t get a horse to play Shadowfax that looked at least a little exceptional?

Give me an akhal-teke!

Or find a white Shire built like a fucking tank and use some effects to make him look fast!

Or just use A Guy and give him a couple glamor shots! Get him to arch his neck a little and look fancy! Make him a little shimmery or something!

Anyway, movie!Shadowfax is Just A Guy and it is one of very very few things I don’t like about the movies.

End rant.

#thanks for asking!#shadowfax #lotr #22 year old hot take #my dormant horse girl has been unleashed #horses #miro does asks

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ageless-aislynn · 4 months

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Back in the day, (around 2006 or so, I'd wager) I decided to try making a Bag End-inspired diorama display thing for my Lord of the Rings (and friends) figures out of plastic canvas and yarn. (No pattern, I was just winging it.) Here are some pics of how it turned out. 😉

The front with the famous round, green door. I also gave them some lattice-work windows and a couple of plant pots with greenery, just 'cause. 😉

Closer up on the door and one of the plants.

This is the wall that was beyond the window and plants, on the left side as looking in that orientation. I couldn't really do a hill without it looking weird so went with a tree motif on both sides.

The wall on the right of the door, this one with a "rope" swing, just for funsies!

Interior on the door.

Everybody needs a free standing closet to store your stuff in, right?

Yes, that's an Ian McKellen Magneto wearing Gandalf's hat and politely levitating his sword into the closet.😜

Behind the door standing open a bit is a coat closet.

I wanted a sort of marble inspired pattern. Plus, I really liked this variegated yarn so...

Everybody needs a table with a vase of roses on it! And yeah, that's a Nazgul wearing a tea ball strainer on his head. It was from a joke at the time. Also, we see our Hobbit guests putting their cloaks away in the closet.

Interior behind the big window. I thought of this as a combo kitchen/dining room area with a decorative rug.

Eomer CANNOT BELIEVE that we don't have his favorite brand of coffee! Storm thinks we should have a dance party. Boromir is heading over to lean on the fireplace mantel. 😉

Clearly Gandalf is HERE for a dance party! Oh and I do believe there might be a Boromir/Eowyn "leaning on the mantel" love connection going on back there? 👀👀👀😂

It's a little known fact that Darth Vader LOVES a nice tree swing! He even brought a droid friend, d'aww. That's my Xena poster on the wall in the background, btw. One of my most favorite Xena pics ever!

I also made Shadowfax, Gandalf's horse!

He can stand on his own. And yes, I made that fishbowl, including the Very Famous Fish Rear End on the side panel, lol! Nothing but UTTER ACCURACY around here, thank you very much. 😜

The chair was made from a kit. The cushion comes off and you can store things in the bottom box part. The mug of hot chocolate has marshmallows on top and also the rim raises up so you can store small things in it.

The flower vase was also from a kit. I famously got my hand stuck in it while doing the bottom stitch to finish attaching it to the base. I thought I might have to unstitch it a bit to get free but thankfully didn't have to. Absolutely no one who saw me with a plastic canvas vase stuck on my hand laughed. 😑🤣

(As well they should have. I laughed, too, once I got my hand out of there, lol!)

My mom loved lighthouses so I made her a day and night version. They're the same size but this was 2 separate pics edited together and the different angles made the night version look smaller.

Anyway, that's a few things I made back in the day. Nothing sophisticated but I just enjoyed playing around with it. The canvas got really hard to find for a while and then got very expensive once I located it again, so I stopped making things. 😢

Oh, almost forgot to add the pic that made me think to post these to begin with: Barbie with one of my ducks from my earthquake post.

I made a bunch of these little ducks for a project I never completed, then found them in a Ziploc bag the other day. Now there are little ducks all over the house, lol! 🦆💖

PS - I may have posted these pics before. I know I did on my Livejournal but couldn't find them on Tumblr. If this is the second time you're seeing them, though, apologies. Ais is old and the memory just ain't what she used to be. 😑😉

#lord of the rings #crafts #plastic canvas #plastic canvas crafts #bag end #ageless aislynn #ais used to be crafty

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milfjagger · 11 months

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lord of the rings actually has good horse casting and here’s why

there are four horses with significant screen time in the trilogy: bill, the hobbits’ pack pony; brego, ridden by aragorn; asfaloth, ridden by arwen; and of course shadowfax of the mearas. asfaloth and shadowfax are of course played by andalusians, the classic “movie star” horses, usually grey or white with a powerful but graceful build and beautiful flowing manes. however i can’t really be mad about it because asfaloth is an elven horse so who knows what magical rituals they are using to keep him shining white…and his colour is also important visually in the flight from the nazgul (all of whom ride black horses). shadowfax is also literally a magical horse and needs to stand out visually, plus he is described in the book as a pure white stallion. basically, having the two horses that are associated with magic be stunningly beautiful and well groomed just makes sense ok

bill and brego are casting choices that i think could have been improved but i understand why they did what they did. bill is actually not played by a pony at all but by a quarter horse, which are usually around 15hh and sturdily built. he doesn’t really look like a pony, but the reason they did it is actually pretty obvious: so that he would be proportionate to the actors playing the hobbits. letting his mane grow out long was a good choice for making him more rustic and pony-like. brego, like all the horses of rohan, is kind of problematic to me, because the vast majority of them are tall, sporty-looking warmbloods which is a horse type that has literally only been developed over the past century or so, as people have a) got taller and b) demanded their horses be more athletic (a tall, lightly-built horse is generally physically capable of jumping higher, for example). rohan is largely based on saxon civilisations, and there is no doubt that their horses were smaller, stockier and much hairier than any of the horses in the movie. HOWEVER, Viggo mortensen is 6’4”, and clearly needed a horse that he wouldn’t look too tall for. i can kind of excuse the horses of the rohirrim looking a bit fancier since they are essentially the king’s guard, but it still doesn’t excuse the complete lack of draft horses and farm horses in rohan.

some other details that i like: all the horses are solid colours. while i wouldn’t mind seeing some piebald/skewbald cobs, especially in the shire, piebald and skewbald horses in the battle scenes would be a complete deal-breaker for me. unless they were full-on vanners (which would be awesome btw) it would give the movie way too much of a western feel, especially i think to american audiences who associate that colouring with paint horses (= american breed, and there is no equivalent of the quote unquote “new world” in tolkein). i also like that legolas’ horse, arod, is a percheron cross!!! those kinds of shorter but extremely solidly built draft horses are perfect for the setting imo. finally, really minor detail but one that i like a lot: eomer’s horse, firefoot, is an iron grey. this is a colour that very rarely lasts throughout a horse’s life, as they tend to lighten very quickly with maturity. this means that firefoot appears to be a young horse, which i think really works for eomer’s character as this fiery young heir to the throne (and also as an excellent horseman)!!!

hope you enjoyed this pointless analysis peace and love on middle earth

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greypetrel · 11 months

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Someone on Instagram asked me if Aisling is a villainess, because in her portrait she has "The Sauron eye going on"...

And nothing, imagining Lord of the Rings with her as Sauron is honestly the funniest thing ever.

"War? Oh no, it wasn't because of me! You see, I sent some of my orcs to Osgiliath, I wanted to ask Gondor if we could commerce. We have horses and we can sell them, so I thought... But the men attacked on sight. Poor orcs, nobody loves them! :(

I'd like to say that all orcs are welcomed in Mordor! As everyone who'd like to come here and be paid, we're planting trees! :)"

Adar from Rings of Power absolutely loves her. (but she never listens to his plans of conquest).

Frodo an Sam cross to Mordor via Black Gate, easy as pie, they also get a welcome bag with a map, some typical snacks, an enamel pin with "I <3 Mordor", a brochure explaining that orcs are perfectly fine lads, and some basic cultural differences to take into account with them, and where to go if you want to try the local cuisine, best b&b to spend the night, all the nice panoramic views...

They are met with lots of Orcs planting trees and plants (elfroot. Lots of elfroot), everyone is super nice, they don't have to pay for one meal because "The Dark Lady wants us to be polite and on our best behaviour, and she's so kind, we don't want to sadden her!". Everyone stops to give them direction, they arrive at Mount Doom having gained 2kg, bags full of food and cakes and snacks, and honestly they are feeling very guilty right now.

At the battle of the Black Gate, she most definitely hopped down Barad Dur and asked Gandalf if she could please pet Shadowfax. "He's such a good horsey, isn't he? YES YOU ARE! <3"

*everyone stares at her, very confused*

#aisling lavellan #I'm wheezing and I want this AU #The ring is her Wedding Ring you see Solas cut off my arm and I've been trying to get at least the ring back ever since :(#Aisling the Dark Lady AU #writing petrel

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whatmathgodwrought · 1 year

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Lord of the Rings Horse Ranking Tier

S-Tier:

Fatty Lumpkin. Tom Bombadil’s horse. This speaks for itself, and I will hear no debate.

A-Tier:

Wise-Nose. One of Merry’s five ponies. Descriptive name and probably good at sniffing out food. I know what I’m getting with this horse.

Asfoloth: Because the line “Noro lim Asfaloth” always gives me the shivers. (“Ride fast" in Elvish.) Also kind of sounds like ass-fall-off, so my bad Elvish translation is “ride until your ass falls off.”

Nahar. Blinding white horse of a literal god (Oromë the Vala). Apparently this horse was the first one to notice that the elves had woken up and tipped off Oromë. Not a bad biography for a horse.

Rochallor. Heroic horse of Elven-king Fingolfin. Actually stayed while Fingolfin challenged Morgoth to a duel, and stayed until Fingolfin died of his wounds. Attacked by wolves but ran swiftly home, where his heart gave out. You wish you were as metal at this horse.

Sharp-Ears. One of Merry’s five ponies. The safety warning about handling the ears is appreciated.

Shadowfax. Lord of the Mearas, it was said that no man could tame him, and he wouldn’t take a bridle or saddle, so minus some points for general utility. Luckily he was a bro to Gandalf, could understand speech and ran faster than all horses in Middle Earth. Gandalf took him to Valinor.

B-Tier:

Bill the Pony. Loses points for name originality (come on Samwise!), but gains some points back for being a memorable horse that somehow survives finding its way home from Moria despite being released and not getting eaten by the Watcher in the Water and crossing lands teeming with orcs.

Brego. A horse in the movies, but not in the books. Saves Aragorn by waking him up with horse kisses and carting him back to safety. Viggo Mortensen bought the horse after the movies.

C-Tier:

Roheryn. Aragorn’s personal horse, a gift from Arwen. That’s sweet, but it sounds too much like Rohirrim, and they might have to sue the horse for copyright infringement.

Bumpkin. One of Merry’s five ponies. You know, you’re just trying to copy Fatty Lumpkin, without the fat. We can see right through that. Bonus points for being one of Merry’s ponies.

Snowmane. Theoden King’s horse. Unfortunately got shot, fell, and crushed Theoden, so minus some points for involvement in regicide. Also sounds like a cat’s name TBH.

D-Tier:

Firefoot. Eomer’s horse. Sounds kind of metal, but also sounds like some kind of disease that horses in Middle Earth get.

Felaróf. First of the Mearas. Reportedly as intelligent as any human and could understand the speech of Men. Yet somehow this is what he decides to choose for a name, so how smart is he really?

Arod: A horse gifted to Legolas from the Riders of Rohan (so you know he did not look in its mouth, but maybe kind of wanted to…)

E-Tier

Hasufel. Aragorn’s horse gifted from the Riders of Rohan, but is only a placeholder horse until Aragorn gets his original horse back. Tough luck horsey.

F-Tier:

Stybba. Loaned to Merry from Theoden King, after the Battle of the Hornburg, this pony was better suited to rough terrain, and was too slow to keep up with the Rohirrim, so a bit of a raw deal for ole’ Stybba.

Windfola. Éowyn’s horse at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, which ran away when the Witch King of Angmar showed up. Come on buddy, I know you are kind of helping to fulfill prophesy and all, but be a bit more brave like Rochallor.

Obligatory shout out to:

https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Horses

#lord of the rings #horses #fan thoughts

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brookbee · 2 years

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One of my favourite things about lord of the rings is that there’s just stuff like “and there was a really cool awesome horse better than all other horses that no one could tame, but Gandalf tamed him because Gandalf is also cool and better than all other wizards. Oh and the horses name was really cool too it’s Shadowfax”

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suicunesrider · 3 years

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Man I have no idea what to expect about the new Middle Earth series, but I would ask "don't shy away from what the LOTR trilogy shied away from-- have the eagles and wargs and other intelligent animals TALK like they did in the books"

The Hobbit moved closer to that by having a talking dragon and talking spiders and. what seemed to be a sentient hedgehog

I don't care if Tolkien was gradually changing his world to being "more realistic" with the animals, nah man move that shit back. Lets see Middle Earth from a different angle this time. 100% take advantage of this being fantasy. cringe is dead

#lord of the rings #lotr series #lotr #the hobbit #middle earth #also Shadowfax is 'lord of the horses'#Bard could talk to a fuckin thrush #put that shit Back

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is-it-mungojerry-or-rumpelteazer · 3 years

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So I was reading the Lord of the Rings for the n-th time and I’ve noticed something...

“I am Gandalf. I have returned. And behold! I too bring back a horse. Here is Shadowfax the Great, whom no other hand can tame. And here beside me is Aragorn son of Arathorn, the heir of Kings, and it is to Mundburg that he goes. Here also are Legolas the Elf and Gimli the Dwarf, our comrades.” [Book 3, “The King of the Golden Hall”]

Introducing Gimli as just “the Dwarf” might make sense, but Legolas is Thranfuil’s son, he’s the son of the King of Mirkwood. As much as I imagine heritage lines aren’t as important for a race that doesn’t die of natural death, he’s still a prince. Why doesn’t Gandalf use his title? I know in terms of story they are “the Elf” and “the Dwarf”, but it doesn’t strike me as something Tolkien would do if he didn’t have a worldbuilding reason for it...

Tolkien fandom, any ideas? It’s been driving me crazy!

#lord of the rings #text posts #gandalf the grey #aragorn #legolas #gimli #Tolkien canon #my questions

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warrioreowynofrohan · 3 years

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Today in Tolkien - March 15th

Today is the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and it’s hard to know what to say about it because all the events are already so well-known to readers of The Lord of the Rings. But I’m going to try to situate things more clearly in time, because one of the things I noticed on this read is how fast everything happens - when Aragorn arrives it is still only mid-morning.

It should also be noted that the Battle of the Pelennor Fields is not the only battle of the day: Thranduil and the elves of Mirkwood defeat the forces of Dol Guldur in the Battle under the Trees, and Lothlórien repels the second assault by enemy forces.

Pre-Dawn

In the night, Frodo and Sam gather gear and food and make their escape from the Tower of Cirith Ungol. Their escape from the main gate produces a cry from the Watchers, and a Nazgûl dives down in response, but they are not spotted by it and escape down the road, then jump off a bridge of stone into thorn-bushes. They rest a while and then move northwards alone a ravine; they are in the Morgai, the foothills of the mountains of Mordor.

Aragorn with the ships of the Corsairs comes near the city:

“At midnight hope was indeed born anew. Sea-crafty men of the Ethir gazing southward spoke of a change coming with a fresh wind from the Sea. Long ere day the masted ships hoisted sail, and our speed grew, until dawn whitened the foam at our prows.”

The assault on the main gate of Minas Tirith begins:

Far behind the battle the River had been swiftly bridged, and all day more force and gear of war had poured across. Now at last in the middle night the assault was loosed. The vanguard passed theough the trenches of fire by many devious paths that had been left between them. On they came, reckless of their loss as they approached, still bunched and herded, within the range of bowmen on the wall. But indeed there were too few now left there to do them great damage, though the lught of the fires showed up many a mark for archers of such skill as Gondor pnce had boasted. Then perceiving that the valour of the City was already beaten down, the hidden Captain put forth his strength. Slowly the great siege-towers built in Osgiliath rolled forward through the dark.

At the same time, the news that the first circle of the city is burning and men have abandoned the walls is the final straw that drives Denethor fully to despair, and produces his choice to burn both himself and Faramir to death. Pippin follows him to the tombs of the stewrads and kings, and when Denethor gives the orders for the pyre Pippin at last understands what he intends. He first tells one of the servants on guard to move slowly and not bring fire, then tells Beregond what is going on, and then runs to find Gandalf. He has to run a long ways, since the Silent Street is in the sixth circle and Gandalf is at the Great Gate in the first circle. And as he arrives the gates of the city are broken.

In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl. A great black shape against the fires beyond he loomed up, griwn to a vast menace of despair. In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl, under the archway that no enemy ever yet had passed, and all fled before his face.

All save one. There waiting, silent and still in the space before the Gate, sat Gandalf upon Shadowfax: Shadowfax who alone among the free horses of the earth endured the terror, unmoving, steadfast as a graven image in Rath Dînen.

“You cannot enter here,” said Gandalf, and the huge shadow halted. “Go back to the abyss prepared for you! Go back! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your Master. Go!”

The Black Rider flung back his hood, and behold! he had a kingly crown; and yet upon no head visible was it set. The red fires shone between it and the mantled shoulders vast and dark. From a mouth unseen there came a deadly laughter.

“Old fool!” he said. “Old fool! This is my hour. Do you not know Death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain!” And with that he lifted high his sword and flames ran down the blade.

Gandalf did not move. And in that very moment, away behind in some courtyard of the City, a cock crowed. Shrill and clear he crowed, recking nothing of wizardry or war, welcoming only the morning that in the sky far above the shadows of war was coming with the dawn.

And as if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns. In dark Mindolluin’s sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the North wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.

This whole passage is exceptional, but I have to draw attention to that third-last line, heralding the coming of the Rohirrim with the same alliteration (“In dark Mindolluin’s sides they dimly echoed.”) that is characteristic of their poetry. This is Tolkien at the height of his craft.

Dawn

The Rohirrim ride from the forest to the city during the night. The arrangement of the battlefield is as follows: first the out-wall of the Pelennor, the Rammas Echor, with breaches in it from the army of Mordor’s attack; then enemy armies; trenches of fire around the city, with gaps in them for siege engines; more enemy armies; and then the city wall. The Rammas Echor is largely unguarded, its forces having been drawn off for the attack on the city. (The Rammas Echor here is still about 3 leagues, or 9 miles, from the city.)

The Rohirrim, split into three groups for easier mobility, pass the Rammas Echor, and hear the ram break the gates of the city, and at that moment they blow their horns and charge.

Morning came, morning and a wind from the sea; and darkness was removed, and the hosts of Mordor wailed, and terror took them, and they fled, and died, and hooves of wrath rode over them. And then all the host of Rohan burst into song, and they sang as they slew, for the joy of battle was on them, and the sound of their singing that was fair and terrible came even to the City.

Frodo and Sam also see the darkness break:

Away to their left, southward, against a sky that was turning grey, the peaks and high ridges of the great range began to appear dark and black, visible shapes. Light was growing behind them. Slowly it crept toward the North. There was battle far above in the high spaces of the air. The billowing clouds of Mordor were being driven back, their edges tattering as a wind out of the living world came and swept the fumes and smokes towards the dark land of their home. Under the lifting skirts of the dreary canopy dim light leaked into Mordor like pale morning through thr grimed windows of a prison.

“Look at it, Mr Frodo!” said Sam. “Look at it! The wind’s changed. Something’s happening. He’s not having it all his own way. His darkness is breaking up out in the world there. I wish I could see what is going on!”

Morning

It would be far too long to describe in detail all the events of the morning - Théoden’s victories and death, Eowyn slaying the Witch-king, the battles against the mûmakil, and the arrival (still at mid-morning - about 9am, “the third hour of the morning” as Gimli later tells it) of Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, the Dúnedain, and the men of South Gondor in the ships of the Corsairs, suddenly displaying the standard of the King of Gondor to the dismay of their foes.

Pippin brings Gandalf to the tombs of the kings, and Denethor burns, and Faramir is saved. All this happens rapidly too; it is all over by the time they hear the death-cry of the Lord of the Nazgûl. Pippin find Merry and brings him to the Houses of Healing, and Eowyn too is brought there, and Faramir is there already.

Frodo and Sam follow an orc-path northward from the ravine, and almost-miraculously find water.

Afternoon

The afternoon is much more briefly told than the morning. The Battle of the Pelennor Fields continues until sunset, while Gandalf waits with the patients at the Houses of Healing. Frodo and Sam move east through the Morgai, and then rest and eat.

Evening

Gandalf bring Aragorn to the Houses of Healing, where Aragorn heals Faramir, Eowyn, and Merry. And then through the night he goes to the houses throughout Minas Tirith where there are wounded people, and heals them, as do Elladan and Elrohir.

Frodo sleeps, and Sam keeps watch for a time.

Far above the Ephel Dúath in the West the night-sky was still dim and pale. There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach. His song in the Tower had been defiance rather than hope; for then he was thinking of himself. Now, for a moment, his own fate, and even his master’s, ceased to trouble him. He crawled back into the brambles and laid himself by Frodo’s side , and putting away all fear he cast himself into a deep untroubled sleep.

#tolkien #the lord of the rings #today in tolkien #denethor #pippin took #gandalf #theoden #eowyn #meriadoc brandybuck #frodo baggins #sam gamgee #aragorn #faramir

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alectology-archive · 4 years

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SJ/M’s plagiarism from fiction/media

I’m hoping to make a comprehensive list of all the sources SJ/M has outright ripped off from in the past. Feel free to comment down below or send an ask if you can think of anything.

SJ/M has very clearly ripped off of GRRM and JRR Tolkien’s works. Same goes for a lot of Anne Bishop’s works, too, and a lot of her favourite authors - so if anyone’s read books SJ/M has stated that she likes please let me know.

Note that this post will keep getting updated as I discover more evidences of plagiarism. Also note that there is every possibility that some resemblances are purely accidental and/or unintentional. So take it with a grain of salt.

(?) indicates a questionable addition to the post.

T/HRONE OF GLASS

- “The Queen Who Was Promised” comes from GRRM’s “The Prince who was Promised” prophecy in ASOIAF, who also goes by Azor Ahai, who wields Lightbringer, and is also known as the Son of Fire.

- “Aelin” is probably derived from “Aelin-uial” in the Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien. Additionally, it may have been derived from Aerin Dragon-Killer/Aerin Firehair from Robin McKinley's The Hero and the Crown, as SJ/M stated it was one of her favourite novels.

- “Fireheart” is the name of Corlath’s horse in The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, an author SJ/M admires.

- Empire of Storms, 2016, contains the infamous line ‘velvet-wrapped steel.’ And… so does Fifty Shades of Grey, in 2011: ‘Steel encased in velvet.’

- “Valg” comes from Terry Brooke’s The Sword of Shannara, another author SJ/M admires.

- “Hope. You cannot steal it, and you cannot break it." is awfully similar to the line from The Princess Bride about love "you cannot track that, not with a thousand bloodhounds, and you cannot break it, not with a thousand swords". SJ/M has said that she loved the movie.

- The infamous “You could rattle the stars” is a ripoff of Treasure Planet’s “You’re gonna rattle the stars.”

- “To Whatever End” comes from The Two Towers where King Theoden says it just before the battle of Helm’s deep begins.

- “You bow to no one” is said by Aragorn at the end of the Return of the King after his coronation.

- Orynth has white walls and is surrounded by snow capped peaks. It has large white walls and bears an unusually striking resemblance to Minas Tirith in The Lord of the Rings.

- Aelin’s journey mirrors that of Aragorn. The lost heir to a powerful throne, spends years in the wilderness denying their claim, joins forces with the elf/faes to reclaim it and has an immortal elf/fae as consort.

- Nehemia names Aelin ‘Elentiya’, saying, “I give you this name to use with honour, to use when other names grow too heavy. I name you Elentiya, ‘Spirit That Could Not Be Broken’.” It sounds similar in tone and cadence to the way Galadriel describes the light of Earendil to Frodo. The name Elentiya even sounds Elvish, and sits discordant with the other naming conventions in Eyllwe.

- Manon gathers the witches to go to war by starting a series of beacons, lit all across Erilea, from snow-capped mountains to the woodlands - directly from the Return of the King when Pippin helps Gondor call for aid.

- The wall defences of Orynth are completely sound, except there’s one more way in, through a grate in the water canal - another striking resemblance to a place in Lord of the Rings known as Helm’s Deep. There is even a scene where someone asks if there’s a secret passage the women and children can escape through.

- In EoS and ToD, Chaol is referred to as “Hand of the King”. In GoT the “Hand of the King” is a title given to the King’s advisor.

- The speech that Haldir gave when he arrived in Helm’s Deep, uniting the elven and human forces, is paraphrased at least three times in this book. Most notably when Manon brings the Crochan witches to fight alongside the humans. She actually says “Long ago, Crochans and humans fought side by side…”

- Kingsflame blossoms bloom only when a kingdom is at peace and the rightful monarch is on the throne. Also a very similar plot point to the White Tree of Gondor in The Lord of the Rings.

- The dam breaking in Anielle and flooding is based on the Isengard dam breaking in The Two Towers.

- Chaol crosses the Narrow Sea to get to the southern continent. In GoT the Narrow Sea is the body of water between Westeros and Essos.

- The “Wyrdkeys” are the Silmarils. There are 3 Wyrdkeys and 3 Silmarils. They’re ancient and powerful stones forged by a being of great power (Feanor, who made the Silmarils, was the most powerful elf of all time). Everyone is fighting over them. And just like one Wyrdkey eventually ends up in the Terrasen Amulet, one of the Silmarils ends up in a necklace called the Nauglamir. They’re also all destroyed/lost at the end.

- Kingdom of Ash, page 543: “It was not arrows alone that had been fired, and now peppered the snow.But heads. Human heads, many still in their helmets.” In Return of the King, the orcs catapult severed heads (still in their helmets) over the walls of Minas Tirith.

- “What say you, Queen of Witches?”…….“I shall answer Terrasen’s call.” is a blatant rip-off of the scene where Aragorn approaches Theoden after the beacons are lit in the Return of the King.

- Rowan is referred to as, “My friend through many dangers.” which is exactly what Gandalf says about Shadowfax, his horse, in Lord of the Rings.

- The Land before Time, 1988: ‘Some things you see with your eyes. Other things you see with your heart.’

Crown of Midnight, SJM, 2011: ‘Some things you hear with your eyes. Other things you hear with your heart.’

- ‘Spirit that could not be broken’ is seen in Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) and Throne of Glass (2011).

- It’s possible that SJ/M may have plagiarised Maria V Snyder’s Poison Study(?) (published 2005). Both books begin with the heroine being released from prison and being offered the choice to be freed by working for the very rulers who’d imprisoned them. Also, Valek - Yelena’s love interest - is the greatest and most feared assassin in the country and also acts as a mentor to Yelena much like Rowan does in Heir of Fire. However, I think this is a questionable addition despite similarities because SJ/M began writing Queen of Glass in 2003 and all the aforementioned aspects that are similar were already present in the version she published online.

- S/JM has saved a pin of Connor Kenway from the Assassin's Creed series (AC3) as Rowan and Lorcan on Pinterest. Towards the end of the series they started using hatchets as weapons, which is Connor's choice of weapon, outside of swords, and is used heavily in art which features him. Aelin's assassin suit from the earlier books also had a blade built into it, which was very similar to the hidden blade the assassins in Assassin's Creed use.

Further reading: Why not everyone liked Connor’s characteristic traits being ripped off: https://dragonidk.tumblr.com/post/614614548495859712/i-went-through-sjms-tog-pinterest-board-the-other

Further reading: An article comparing EoS’s ending to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: https://thebookfinch.wordpress.com/2016/09/08/review-empire-of-storms-by-sarah-j-maas-in-which-we-discuss-plagiarism/

A/COTAR

- “Prythian”, the A/COTAR world, is taken directly from Anne Bishop’s Daughter of the Blood.

- The Archeron sisters could be based off the painting “The Acheson Sisters” by John Singer Sargent which features three women.

- The Illyrians could have been based off of the Eyriens from Anne’s Bishop’s Black Jewels series. Both are warrior races with bat wings that use a war blade to fight with. They also both completely refuse their women any right to fight and consider losing their wings to be the absolute worst thing that could happen to them.

- Feyre tells Tamlin, “The sun was shining when I left you.” which is basically Paris saying, “The sun was shining when your wife left you.” in the movie Troy (2004)

- Rhys proclaims, “Light can be found even in the darkest of hells,” Which is really close to Dumbledore saying (in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

- Daenerys: “We’re going to leave the world better than we found it.”

ACOWAR: “Leave this world… a better place than how you found it.”

- “Pity those who don’t feel anything at all.” is a variation of “Pity the living and above all, those who live without love,” said by Dumbledore in the Deathly Hallows.

- A Dance of Dragons, George R.R. Martin, 2011: ‘He is fire made flesh, she thought, and so am I.’

ACOMAF, 2016: ‘Fire - he reminded her of fire made flesh.’

- SJ/M may have also plagiarised The Chronicles of Prydain for ACOTAR wherein Prythian is altered to Prydain and The Cauldron is derived from The Black Cauldron. This may be especially true considering the fact that SJ/M has expressed her love for the books and stated it on Twitter. She also went on to mention that she got the name for Prythian from those books. Similarities to the cauldron can also be seen in the fact that SJ/M’s Cauldron can transform humans into fae while Alexander's Black Cauldron is able to resurrect the dead.

!!!! Further Reading: Noticeable similarities between ACOTAR and The Chronicles of Prydain series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Prydain

- Possible plagiarism(?) of Titanic: Rose is Feyre, Cal is Tamlin, Jack is Rhys. The story is similar - the girl is involved with a guy who seems nice enough, but turns out to be abusive etc. There are similar incidents of the table being chucked across the room/and the study being destroyed. Then you also have the girl being told the other guy isn't nice and she should stay away from him, but then it ends up being the other way round. The guy bosses her about, making her decisions for her and ends up dying for her later on.

- Rhapsody by Laura Thalassa and A/COTAR have awfully similar tropes. Both involve faeries, in both the main female lead leaves her barbaric boyfriend to go with the dark, elegant Fae boyfriend who came to collect a debt.

Further reading: A conversation in comparing The Vampire Diaries(?) to ACOTAR: https://crescentcitysux.tumblr.com/post/618622356795064320/iolanthepeverells-pokeyfaes

Further reading: Similarities between Shatter Me and the ACOTAR trilogy: https://discountalien-pancake.tumblr.com/post/174823303683/dont-take-this-as-an-attack-im-just

C/RESCENT CITY

- Similarities between the plot of Darkfever by Karen Marie Morning (an author S/JM likes) and Crescent City’s plot: https://polysorscha.tumblr.com/post/183661492639/funny-thing-i-came-across-the-crescent-city

- The Princes of Hel might be from the Seven Princes of Hell demonology (some ancient writings trying to classify demons in christianity). [MINOR INFRACTION]

Sources:

- @sjm-exposed

- @soartfullydone

- @falstaffing for “My friend through many dangers.”

- https://readatmidnight.com/2018/10/27/book-rant-kingdom-of-ash/

- strangestoryteller.com

- https://camryndaytona.com/2019/08/sarah-j-maas-and-jrr-tolkien

- @rougeam for “fire made flesh”

- @sylphene for Aerin firehair

- @sylphene and @paperbacktrash for The Chronicles of Prydain.

- An anon for the Laura Thalassa comparison

- @hireath24 for the Crown of Midnight quote and “spirit that could not be broken.”