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dialux · 2 years

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Elenwë Hilcatári - Star-woman, ice-queen

Women of the Elves, 7/?

[Written for @finweanladiesweek, Day 5 (Ladies who married in)]

...

Elenwë Hilcatári was the second of three daughters to Princess Ingalissë of the Vanyar, and so was a distant cousin to Queen Indis of the Noldor. Where her mother loved gardening, Elenwë had a passion for dance; she was offered many apprenticeships among Nessa’s maiar and other Vanya masters, but spurned their offers to instead go to Tirion and learn from Indis in the more physically demanding style of the Noldor.

While in Tirion, Elenwë met Turgon and charmed him with her smile, quick mind, and innovative ideas on using dance to strengthen the Music of Arda. Inspired, Elenwë and Turgon worked together for many years to combine their masteries—Elenwë’s in dance, and Turgon’s in architecture—to create a blended style. In the process they fell in love and wedded. Their marriage was so swift and unremarkable that none knew they had even wedded until Turgon’s sister, Aredhel, looked him in the eye and shrieked loud enough to alert half the street; they revealed their marriage to the entirety of Tirion at the debut of an art-piece they spent more than two centuries crafting: a building that flowed with Elenwë’s dance moves like a shifting sand sculpture, remade every day by the pulsing wind and Elenwë’s own craft.

As Elenwë collaborated on this project with Turgon, she continued to perform in Tirion’s finest concerts, where she first met Menielwa, Curufin’s wife and widely considered the best elven dancer in all of Aman. Elenwë and Menielwa disliked each other almost immediately; Elenwë had little patience for those that refused to mix different disciplines, while Menielwa thought it sacrilegious to combine what she considered two pure arts. They built a rivalry over the following decades, echoing the similar rivalry of their respective husbands. This rivalry worsened when Curufin stridently followed his father’s lead in enumerating a list of grievances the Fingolfinians had committed upon the Fëanorians, one of the most divisive and controversial events in Tirion before Fëanor drew a sword upon his own half-brother before the full court. When the guildmasters of Tirion chose not to punish Curufin—for many of them were supporters of Fëanor themselves—Elenwë withdrew her name from all future dance performances in the city in protest. She would not return before the Darkening.

Instead, she and Turgon had a daughter they named Itarillë Talvenyë, for her buoyant personality and love of dancing on grass that stained her feet green. Elenwë and her daughter were particularly close, because Turgon spent much of his time assisting his father in administrative duties in the city; Elenwë passed on her love of dancing and her affection for sweets to her daughter, who would go on to be named Celebrindal by her people for the sparking light that fell around her in a shower when she danced in Gondolin’s halls.

By the time of the Darkening, enough time had passed for Elenwë to wish for a reconciliation between the Fëanorians and Fingolfinians, but this was not to last. Elenwë and Turgon’s host arrived too late to join in the Kinslaying at Alqualondë—Fëanor and his followers had already left with the boats, abandoning Turgon’s brother, Fingon, and the Noldor that could not get on the swan-ships quick enough. There was much talk, then, of retreating to Tirion and suing for peace from the Teleri, but Elenwë stood tall before them and announced that she, at least, would try her luck upon the Helcaraxë if that was what it took; she would avenge the wrong the Fëanorians had committed or die trying.

Her furious cry to arms heartened the wavering Noldor onwards to the Helcaraxë, at least until Námo pronounced his Doom. Finarfin turned back, then, with any that wished to sue for peace. But his children remained at Elenwë’s side, and for a short time then those who wished not for reconciliation nor any lands of plenty and freedom followed Elenwë, who took on the name of Hilcatári (Ice-Queen) for her strength of will and leadership. This lasted until Elenwë fell into a deep ice crevasse in an attempt to save her daughter. Little Idril, as she would come to be known, survived, as did Turgon; but Elenwë did not.

Hers was among the first and most shocking deaths experienced by Fingolfin’s host on the Grinding Ice, and Turgon never recovered from the loss. Elenwë herself found some measure of solace only after Argon, the youngest of her husband’s siblings, came to the Halls and informed her of Idril’s safety. She chose to wait in the Halls until Turgon, too, arrived, and healed. They were re-embodied together, and only rarely did they separate after that, even for short periods of time, though they both took up their individual masteries once more, and spent many contented years dancing and constructing architectural marvels in Aman.

#elenwe #turgon #silmarillion #tolkien ladies #women of the elves #my edits #my writing #there really SHOULD be a group of ppl that go on the helcaraxe w the desperate urge to avenge the teleri #the political reality shifts rapidly upon arriving in beleriand yes but before that.#aegnor the assassin anyone

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the-elusive-soleil · 5 months

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Silm AU with the Feanorian death order reversed

I apologize in advance, but:

Maglor regrets the Oath and kinslaying on the voyage over. He stays aboard the ships, meaning to stow away back, but falls asleep (it's been a long day) and wakes up on fire. His brothers and father become aware of the situation when they hear the screams. Maglor's cries become a permanent echo in that area, much like Morgoth's at Lammoth.

Maedhros does not have the clearest head in the ensuing battle. He gets separated from the others and is beaten into the dust by balrogs. His family isn't even able to retrieve a body.

Feanor is very shaken and very mad. He doesn't parlay with Morgoth, not even for the Silmarils. He and his remaining people spread out across Beleriand and establish fortresses.

Things are chilly at best when the Helcaraxe group arrives thirty years later. Feanor does not yield the crown. The two groups don't fight, because Morgoth's a bigger problem, but they're not working together. Partially because Fingon refuses to speak to the Feanorians after he hears what happened to Maedhros, and Finrod won't even be near them after what they did to Maglor.

Feanor is very careful with his remaining sons.

Time goes on, the Bragollach occurs on schedule, and so does the Silmaril quest, except that C&C aren't in Nargothrond because of the Finrod-hating-them thing, so Celegorm never meets Luthien. She doesn't get Huan, but still manages just fine.

We do still eventually get to the point of "Silmaril at Doriath" + "no Girdle" + "stubborn Dior" = Second Kinslaying. But this time Celegorm's not grudge-fueled and Curufin's not having to cover for Huan and watch his back, and... Amrod and Amras die instead.

Elwing escapes to the Havens. Elured and Elurin aren't left to die, but Feanor has no interest in keeping around Sindar reminders of his dead sons. He has them sent away. (They don't know where Elwing and the Silmaril are, so ransom isn't an option.)

Then they do learn where the Silmaril is, at Sirion. They attack. Caranthir dies.

Curufin has been doing increasingly badly since Celebrimbor forswore him right before Doriath. Celegorm decides the solution is to pick up Elwing's twin sons and get Curufin to help parent them.

Feanor isn't thrilled, but he can't say no when he sees how Curufin latches on.

Love grows after between them, as little might be thought.

War of Wrath happens. Feanor keeps his tattered family out of it, but contributes weapon designs via courier. The Host uses said designs, because even if he's problematic they need this stuff.

Afterward, the claiming and theft of the Silmarils proceeds. Curufin sends the twins to Celebrimbor to preempt another rejection.

He's hollow, disillusioned, attacking the camp. The guards don't have to work very hard to kill him.

Feanor and Celegorm escape. The Silmarils burn them. Celegorm starts laughing and laughing and can't stop, and backs away...right into a chasm of fire.

Feanor flings the Silmarils after him, hating the things he chased so long at the cost of his sons, and staggers to the shore as the sea encroaches.

No one knows what happens to him.

#silmarillion #feanor #sons of feanor #alternate universe #tw: character death #i'm sorry #i feel like this might have *worse* Greek tragedy vibes somehow?

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echo-bleu · 5 months

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Noldor Hair Headcanons (3/4)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | On AO3

Some lighter Kidnap Fam content, after the downhill freefall that was the last chapter. With a dash of Finrod in Valinor.

Elrond and Elros have never had their hair braided when they end up with Maedhros and Maglor.

They don’t realize what they’re asking when Elros grabs a hairbrush and puts it in Maglor’s hand.

Maglor understands that, but decides that the twins need parental care, even though he has no right. He brushes their hair and leaves it loose at first.

But the twins have watched Maglor braid Maedhros’s hair and they soon start asking for more interesting hairstyles.

Eventually Maglor explains to them that it can only be done by family.

The twins have a whole silent conversation.

“What does it take to be family?” Elros asks eventually.

Well, braiding an unrelated child’s hair is pretty close to informal adoption.

Elros forces the brush into Maglor’s hand again.

Maglor stares.

Elrond shakes his head and runs out.

Of course, Elrond must hate them. He has every right. Sure, Elros has started to warm up to them, but that’s just because he’s affection-starved, probably. They’re still kidnappers.

Maglor is about to put down the brush and try to refuse when Elrond comes back.

He’s holding a second hairbrush.

He hands it to Maedhros expectantly.

Maedhros cries.

Maglor cries.

The twins’ hair really doesn’t hold braids very well, and they’re still kids who run around and play, but damn them if Maglor and Maedhros aren’t going to do their best.

Now all of their people can see that the twins are well-loved.

Maedhros and Maglor also proudly sport a few clumsy, wonky braids each.

They’re less wonky with time, and eventually the twins are doing their fathers’ (kidnappers’) hair as often as not.

Finrod is reembodied shortly before Eärendil and Elwing gets to Valinor. It’s too early and he’s Not Doing Well. While in Middle Earth, he was the one who let basically every one of his friends braid his hair, now he can’t stand the thought of someone touching him that way.

But Beleriandic battle braids feel wrong in Tirion. And he’s desperately trying to reckon with his trauma, with Sauron defeating him by singing about the kinslaying, so he can’t leave his hair loose like the Teleri.

And he can’t quite get the sight of Edrahil’s bloody braids spat out by a werewolf out of his head.

He wears nothing but the very strange-looking (to Amanyar) Mourning Braids he designed after Dagor Bragollach for a couple of years.

Then after an episode of really bad depression and nearly fading, he cuts his hair short.

No-braiding-possible kind of short.

While not unheard of in Beleriand (sometimes former thralls keep their hair very short, like Rog), it’s unthinkable in Valinor, especially for the Crown Prince of the Noldor.

He is stared at a lot, his reputation goes down the drain, but to Finrod it’s liberating.

He does let his hair grow out again eventually, but only when other Exiles start coming back and choose to keep the Beleriandic braid styles, and it becomes a fashion statement rather than a mark of shame.

Finarfin is Very Shocked arriving in Beleriand when he finds his (single remaining) child with her hair loose and everyone else with weird self-braided battle hairstyles.

After a battle or three where he ends up with his hair matted with blood and mud, he caves and gets Galadriel to give him battle braids.

By the end of the war he’s even learned to do them himself! Let it not be said that King Arafinwë Ñoldóran didn’t rise to his calling.

The night before sending the Elrond and Elros to Gil-galad, Maedhros and Maglor undo all of their braids. Everyone cries.

Maedhros and Maglor meant this to minimize the ‘taint’ their names would put on the twins, by making it look like they were still hostages to the end, but the twins stop on the way to do each other’s hair because one does not meet a king with their hair loose, they have manners (which the Fëanorians taught them, so they’re Very Specific Manners), so the effect is lost. Gil-galad has Questions. The twins refuse to lie.

Then, before going to steal the Silmarils, Maedhros and Maglor do each other’s hair, in a style of their father’s that they haven’t worn since the Oath.

Maglor braids a single golden ribbon into Maedhros’s hair.

They have very few pieces of hair jewellery left of their brothers’, but they use all of them.

They both know it’s the last time.

To be continued

I did some sketches for visual reference of a few of the hairstyles mentioned here, if you want to see what I'm imagining!

#noldor hair headcanons #if i am to braid my mystic crown #noldor #maedhros #maglor #elrond #elros #finrod #kidnap fam #silmarillion #silm fic #tolkien #tolkien fanfiction #echo's fanfiction

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thesummerestsolstice · 14 days

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Silm AU Concept that Won't Leave me Alone:

Earendil falls ill, not long after his marriage. None of the healers in Sirion– human or elven– can explain why. Maybe it's because Idril and Tuor left for Valinor recently, and no one really thinks they'll make it there alive. Maybe it's the plague that's been sweeping through war-torn Beleriand. Maybe his body is just giving up on him– it's not unheard of for half-elves to die that way.

And it's becoming clear that Earendil is dying. Nothing they do helps. Some of Elwing's advisors try to keep her away from his bedside– half out of fear his illness is contagious and half because she spends all her time there, refusing to eat or rest. They're trying to protect her from the horrible truth. It isn't working.

Elwing knows of two great sources of magic. One is her own– inherited from Melian, running far stronger in her blood than any had expected, far stronger than it had in her father. Strong enough that she's spent most of her life learning to hide it. Flowers bloom under her feet, birds flock to her side. Elwing is powerful, but she's young; untrained. She tries to help Earendil. She fails.

And then there is the Silmaril. The Silmaril's power is not like hers. It does not make things grow, or bring the birds and gentle beasts of the world to their doorstep. But it drives away the orcs, keeps the wolves at bay, cuts through the darkness, burns away evil. It is a much more violent kind of purification.

And Elwing thinks, is it not evil coursing through my husband's veins, choking his lungs, threatening to tear him away from me?

She takes the Silmaril and pries it open with a dagger, pouring it's divine light into the abalone-shell cup that Idril had given her before she sailed away. She gives it to Earendil, comforts him, climbs into bed beside him. They hold each other, whisper their marriage vows again in the darkness. When Elwing drifts into sleep, she doesn't know if he'll still be there when she wakes up.

And then Earendil wakes up with clear, bright eyes. It works. It works very well. It works so well that Elwing has to teach Earendil how to hide the new light in his eyes and the shimmer under his skin.

Elwing keeps the Silmaril hidden away after that. Some whisper that she's become obsessed with it, just as her father had. In truth, she's just trying to hide the fact that the gem has no light left. Somehow, she doubts her advisors would approve of her decision.

But she doesn't care, and neither does Earendil. They are happy, and in love. Not long after Earendil's recovery– a recovery most think was a miracle sent by the Valar– they have children. Two very strange children with sharp teeth and bright eyes who they love very much.

It looks like everything will work out for Elwing's little family, right until the day the first letter from Maedhros Feanorian arrives.

#silmarillion #silm au #silm headcanons #elwing #earendil #elrond #elrond peredhel #elros #maedhros #eldritch peredhel #sirion #crack treated seriously #what if someone drank a Silmaril?#I kind of want to write more of this is has *implications*#let the Peredhel fam be weird together!!#Elwing and Earendil are the couple of all time

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sallysavestheday · 1 month

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Fëanorian Week: Curufin

For @feanorianweek, have a little Curufin, lost. (Also on AO3: Borne Away Like Smoke).

The dust clings in their hair; it cakes in their damp nostrils and where their eyelashes are wet from weeping. It leaves grey circles under their eyes and traces their misery over their wind-chapped cheeks. It finds its way into every fold and funnel of skin on their faces and throats. It curls under their fingernails and into the piercings of their ears, gritty under the metal, under the anachronistic finery of their former lives, all burnt away by Beleriand. It stings their tongues with the taste of rage, of despair. Curufin refuses to bathe. He cannot understand his brothers’ haste to the washtubs, their frantic scrubbing behind their ears and around their wrists. Maedhros rinses his mouth over and over, spitting and spitting his fury and horror, scraping his teeth and tongue until he gags himself and vomits, then turns to wash his mouth again. Celegorm disappears from the camp as soon as they arrive, chasing his anguish into the lake, submerging until his breath gives out and the fine dust disperses in the freezing waves. Maglor and Caranthir wash grimly, thoroughly, with multiple rinses, then join forces to bathe Amras, whose crying and shivering have not ceased. Curufin leaves them to it with a curl of his lip. For him to cleanse himself would be a betrayal, an abandonment. A step toward a forgetting that he must not permit. He cannot bear to brush away the cherished fragments of his mirror self, the last, soft kisses of that fire. He does not know how to live without the burning echo of his heart, the greater pulse to which his own hot blood has always surged. He rubs the fine ash into his skin; he swallows it down. He does not know how much time passes. The routines of watchfulness consume him utterly, his mind shuttered even as his skin itches and his angry lungs burn. It is only when the sky opens and floods the camp with a bitter rain that he can finally stand under it, weeping, and let the last of his father be washed away.

#curufin #feanor #my fics #feanorianweek

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welcomingdisaster · 13 days

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A Refutation of Claims Made by Professor Basil Dyer in the Minas Tirith Review

for @silmarillionepistolary | M | ao3

It has come to my attention that The Minas Tirith Review has recently published an essay by one Professor Basil Dyer detailing and reinterpreting letters exchanged between Fingon, son of Fingolfin, and Maedhros, son of Fëanor, in light of recent translations and publications of long-censored exchanges. In his composition, Dyer claims the letters show evidence of long-established homoaffective relationship between the two, beginning shortly after Fingon’s arrival and in Beleriand, and continuing until his death.

This turn in the discourse is troubling, both because of the undue and perverse attention which it may attract to this noble publication and for the aspersions which it may cast upon the already well-sullied reputation of the historiographer. Perhaps if there was any academic merit behind them such faults may be forgiven, but they consist of nothing besides applying an all-too-modern understandings of customs (and the ever-loosening morality of the age of Man!) onto the long-gone age of the Eldar.

That said, I shall begin by laying out the terms of the engagement. Let us assume, for the sake of simplicity and brevity both, that there is no doubt on the matter of authenticity of the letters exchanged between our two principal figures during the Long Peace. Even the most recently recovered—and most hotly contested—of these letters, dated F.A. 345, referred to in the previous publication by the first lines (“Concerning the matter of honey…”) and sometimes abbreviated as the “honey missive” (alternately, in particularly tasteless publications, the “honey-thigh letter”) in such discourses, shall be accepted into our metaphorical evidence box (though indeed any reader familiar with my previous publications might be predisposed to hold its veracity in some doubt). I shall also reference the K. M. Singer translation of all available letters as the most widely-accepted and aspire to make no reference to the probable inaccuracies in Singer’s understanding of Quenya terms of endearment and vocabulary regarding parts of the body.

It may be wise to note before we begin that ladies of a delicate composition and children may find frank discussions of homosexual activity unnerving and inflaming. I would urge readers to exercise caution.

And so, our terms of engagement well-laid, I shall begin by establishing the reasons any romantic or sexual entanglement between Fingon of the House of Fingolfin and Maedhros of the House of Feanor is entirely impossible, then move on to a sensible and scholarly interpretation of the letters.

First, I draw the attention of noble reader first to the matter of cousin-marriage among the Eldar. While laws prohibiting cousin-marriage may appear novel and controversial to the modern Gondorian—indeed even a generation ago such unions were common among Men—the Eldar have once again proved perceptive beyond the ancient days during which they lived, and our betters in matters of morality and purity.

I will not bore the reader with a recounting of the Fall of Gondolin, but work only to draw the reader’s attention to the doomed romantic entanglement at its center. Maeglin, the nephew of the King, coming out of savage darkness, saw Idril, the king’s daughter, and loved her. Given the depth of infatuation he purportedly developed it seems likely to the modern sociologist that for some time she encouraged this attention. Of course, as a highborn Noldo raised among a peoples of impeccable moral discretion, she had known for the beginning that such an affair could not bear any fruit. Such knowledge could not be expected from Maeglin, and many attribute his eventual decline and betrayal of the city to a broken and aching heart.

That such an understanding was so plain to her and yet not to him may seem strange. Were they not both elves, living in the first of age of Arda, and nearly of the same blood? The answer to such a query might come from the relative moral tightness of Noldor society. Recall that Maeglin was no native Gondolian, but a son of the house of Eöl, and so of mixed Sindar and Avar heritage. All recording of first-cousin marriages among Elven Kin, as few as they are, come from lowborn elves among these two tribes. Recall that neither grey-elven nor dark-elven tribes, as their names suggest, had ever journeyed to the sacred light of the Blessed Isles, nor received council from the Valar. Their traditions and customs, then, may seen as more akin to those of Men than elves, lacking the moral rigor of their light-elf counterparts.

Though I do not claim to liken homosexual acts to the sacred institution of marriage, one must admit that the act of bodily union is shared among the two, and so may be held in common as forbidden under the laws of the Noldor.

With those facts in mind we must return to the matter of Fingon of Hithlum and Maedhros of Himring, famously first-cousins through the lines of their fathers. There is no question that that both were elves full-grown upon their departure to Middle-Earth, that according to all sources Fingon was a particularly devout follower of Aran Einior, the lord of air and great judge. Though the latter acts of Maedhros indicate a rather tenuous connection to the sacred laws of his people, Fingon’s devotion did not waver in his lifetime. Raised in such a morally upright culture, neither of them likely would have been able to conceive of engaging in any unholy union. Indeed, such a thought must have been so far from their minds as to allow a certain looseness of the tongue and purity of platonic intimacy, as evidenced by some of the exchanges I address.

Next we must discuss homosexuality among the Eldar. For years the historical establishment has maintained that no homosexual activity had ever existed among elven-folk; indeed, it is an affliction that appears to trouble only the modern Man. That school of thought has been challenged recently, with very little justice. Basil Dyer and Feya Patrice, two of the most infamous names subscribing to this school of thought, point to articles of elven art which they claim contain themes of same-sex entanglements. Most notable among these are Fragment #221 by Daeron the Bard, which appears addressed to a male lover, surviving recreations of Lalwendë and a Friend in Bed by an unknown artist, and a series of oil lamps recovered from Eregion which seem to depict various sexual acts between elves. This evidence is scant, and spurious at best. More detailed refutations of the first two—clearly expressions of deep platonic affection or affectation of a different character—may be found in my earlier bodies of work, while the last is plain done in the spirit of parody.

Indeed writings by earlier historians indicate that no desire could occur between elves without procreative desire, plainly rendering same-sex unions impossible. Relationships which modern historians sometimes interpret as homosexual are indeed better described with the elven understanding of melotorni and meletheldi, translated as chosen love-brothers and love-sisters respectively. That some form of platonic physical intimacy might have existed within these bonds is inarguable, but plainly it did not rise to the unholy stirrings of the flesh.

All of the surviving letters available to us are those addressed from Maedhros to Fingon. Though these do not use the term meletorni directly, it is plain to see that many terms of brotherly affection to enter their forms of address. The opening of letter #5, addressed F. A. 302, has been much maligned, for to a modern reader it appears rather excessive in its affection. “Most beloved of cousins,” Maedhros writes, “how I miss thy kisses, and the weight of thy body atop mine, and the sweet softness of thy ear-tips beneath my mouth” —and on, in such a fashion, for a time. A modern reader may see conventions of a love-letter within these words. A historian intimately familiar with the details of the correspondence of the eldest son of Feanor would argue otherwise. Indeed, Maedhros appears often expressive of his affection.

Of his surviving letters only remains which is addressed to Maglor the Bard, the eldest of his brothers and his second in command, mailed in F. A. 456, pleads with him to “take heart, and hold close my kisses.” Similarly, journals kept by contemporaries note nothing unusual in exchanges of kisses between friends, brothers, cousins, and so forth. A later elven play following the events of the Fall of Nargothrond features a kiss between Finrod and Orodreth in parting; similarly, artistic depictions of Finwë’s death often show his son kissing his face and his lips. What may seem unthinkable to the modern Gondorian was indeed quite commonplace among the Noldor.

Which brings us to another turn of phrase in letter #5, which has gained some level of infamy among those determined to read perversion into the intimacy of their friendship. Lines 304-314 read as follows: “I have received thy handkerchief, with the sweet scent of thy sweat and thy perfume, and the imprints of thy lip-paint kisses. Know that I have sewn it now against the heart of my sleep-robes, so each night I might feel thee upon my breast, and that a hundred times now I have kissed the same cloth as thou hast.”

I would not blame the modern man whose mind conjures a young woman pressing lipstick-kissed onto a postcard for her beloved, but in cultural context the meaning of these words changes. While it may appear rather odd in our time, lip-paint was common for men and women both among the Noldor. Being, for all their nobility, at times a vain people, the Noldor historically likened physical beauty to battle-prowess. The sending of lipstick-prints can be read as a show of force and physical ability between two young men, somewhat akin to bragging. The answering kisses, then, signal not a desire for intimacy but answering show of strength and of power.

I may go on for some time to discuss each mention on kisses in the surviving letters, I would assume any discerning reader would be able to understand them by now as brotherly affection. And so, without further delay, I will move on to address the honey missive.

First, let us examine lines 2-13 of the honey missive, the most hotly debated in meaning:

“Concerning the matter of honey; while I should be glad to sample any taste of the spring of Hithlum thou shouldst be willing to share with me, we have no great need of in trade. The wiry clover and harebell of Himring make for surprisingly subtle yet fragrant honey, thick and amber-gold. But indeed so taken with thee I am that even thoughts of trade I return to thee, and of honey; how I sit and think of thee bare before me—of how I might take such sweetness and spread it upon thy handsome thighs, to work clean with my mouth. I would be much obliged if thou wert to write to me of how thou wouldst stir beneath me, and call my name—indeed nothing now could make me happier.”

In interpreting this passage, we must remember the positions of the Noldor as craftsmen and admirers of art. Despite being remembered now primarily as a warlord, Maedhros was born the son of a gem-smith and a sculptor, and was raised in a society which placed much appreciation on both masculine and feminine beauty. That in his time Fingon was considered beautiful is undoubtedly true. The rest, while resembling a sexual act to some readers, is plainly ridiculous, meant in all likelihood as a joking exaggeration. It is common among young men even in our time to joke crudely with each other; if we had Fingon’s letter of response I am certain we would see a laughing refusal.

Having examined the scope of the evidence before us, I believe any reasonable reader would be forced to yield to the rightness of my position, and to admit there is nothing at all to the claims of those like Dyer, who seek to introduce perversion into the annals of history. We must then examine the motivations behind these claims, and wonder if Dyer and his ilk might not mean to work backwards, seeking justify their modern-day inclinations by creating precedent where is none. It is said, after all, that Basil Dyer has not cohabitated with his wife since the first two weeks of their thirty-year marriage.

#my fic #russingon

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sesamenom · 23 days

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@general-illyrin @tar-thelien @who-needs-words I think you all mentioned being interested in the reverse gondolin au - is anyone interested in helping with wrangling the timelines, especially the second age stuff? Here's the current outline:

(Edit: anyone feel free to help out if you're interested!)

YT 14365 - Birth of Lomion

YT 14373/FA 1 - Death of Argon

2 - Aredhel adopts Lomion

300 - Birth of Idril

316 - Turgon & Idril kidnapped by Eol

400 - Turgon & Idril rescued. Death of Eol

465 - Finrod more-peacefully passes throne to orodreth while on Quest. Everyone except beren still dies

472 - Nirnaeth. Turgon named High King of the Noldor.

476 - Turgon abdicates official title. Aredhel named High King of the Noldor.

496 - Tuor comes to Gondolin

502 - Wedding of Idril and Tuor

503 - Births of Earendil and Elwing. Idril begins to have foresight dreams about the Fall.

506 - Second Kinslaying. C^3 dead, celebrimbor stays in gondolin. Aredhel denounces the oath/kinslaying and disowns C^3

Elwing survives & is found by Oropher & Thranduil // Galadriel & Celeborn. oropher, thranduil, oropher's wife, and thranduil's then-gf // galadriel & celeborn take Elwing to Gondolin as refugees. The Silmaril is left hidden in the woods of melian's domain.

507 - Elwing comes to Gondolin.

509 - Idril captured by Morgoth. Idril reveals the location of Gondolin in exchange for an Oath to not harm her family (Turgon, Tuor, and Earendil). Idril rescued.

510 - Gondolin prepares for war with Morgoth.

513-522 - Siege of Gondolin. Deaths of Duilin and Rog. Gothmog slain by Aredhel the Huntress. First use of the Three Rings by Lomion and Celebrimbor in defense of Gondolin. House of the Hammer of Wrath destroyed.

523 - Maedhros believes a Silmaril is with Elwing at Gondolin.

525 - Earendil weds Elwing. Lomion weds ???. Adoption of Gil-Galad

532 - Births of Elrond and Elros.

538 - Third Kinslaying at Gondolin. Death of Amras. Elrond and Elros kidnapped by Maglor. Deaths of Elwing and Turgon. Second use of the Three Rings by Lomion and Celebrimbor. Deaths of Maedhros and Aredhel. Lomion named King of Gondolin and High King of the Noldor. Deaths of Salgant, Penlod, and Tuor. Earendil named Lord of the House of the Wing.

540-549 - War declared between Gondolin and the Feanorians of Himring over the Third Kinslaying and kidnapping of Princes Elrond and Elros.

549 - Elrond and Elros recovered. Feanorians and Gondolin severely weakened. Celebrimbor // Gil-Galad declared heir to the High Kingship.

552-554 - Second Siege & Fall of Gondolin. Third use of the Three Rings by Lomion and Celebrimbor. Deaths of Ecthelion, Glorfindel, Egalmoth, and Turgon. Idril and Celebrimbor lead survivors through the Secret Way.

555 - Gondolithlim refugees arrive at Sirion.

556 - Idril departs for Valinor.

558 - Earendil searches for Valinor.

560 - Havens of Sirion destroyed by Morgoth. Gondolithlim/Doriathrim survivors scattered. Elrond and Elros rescued (as adults) by Maglor.

572 - Morgoth controls Beleriand. Earendil and reembodied Elwing come to Valinor and rally the Host.

575-617 - War of Wrath

618 - Maglor claims the Silmaril from Eonwe's camp and casts himself into the Sea. Death of Maglor.

620 - End of the First Age.

1 - Founding of the Grey Havens and Lindon under High King Lomion

2 - Elros becomes the first King of Numenor

c. 500 - Sauron returns to Middle-Earth in the East.

650 - Eregion is founded

1000 - Galadriel is given Vilya; Lomion wields Nenya

1170 - Annatar comes to Lindon and Lomion turns him away. Lomion warns Celebrimbor of Eregion of his suspicions.

1200 - Annatar comes to Eregion. Celebrimbor takes him in to monitor.

1250 - Celebrimbor creates the Seven; Lomion creates the Nine.

1410 - Annatar is kicked out of Eregion.

1600 - The One Ring is forged. Sauron remains in hiding.

1610 - Sauron begins to gather and prepare armies in the East.

1673 - War of the Elves and Sauron begins.

1675 - Sauron invades Eriador.

1677 - Fall of Ost-in-Edhil. Celebrimbor and Lomion remain at the House of the Mirdain. Death of Celebrimbor in battle // Fourth use of the Three in battle. Sauron does not learn of the Seven. Founding of Imladris.

1678 - Sauron defeated by the Numenoreans and the Elves of Lindon.

1679 - Sauron flees to Mordor. First White Council held.

3147 - Civil war in Numenor.

3225 - Ar-Pharazon seizes the Sceptre.

3228 - Elrond claims the Sceptre. Ar-Pharazon disowned. Tar-Miriel named Ruling Queen.

3232 - Sauron taken to Numenor as a prisoner.

3274 - Elrond kicks Sauron out of Numenor and outlaws the morgoth cult.

3310 - Morgoth cult publicly reappears.

3319 - Downfall of Numenor. Tar-Miriel leads a greater force of the Faithful away.

(green // blue means two main options, red means i need to think about it more)

The main details I'm figuring out right now are

does Celebrimbor still die at Eregion - I don't think he's getting captured/tortured, but he could still die in the battle. On the other hand, he could probably survive by using Narya & Lomion using Nenya, but that would definitely have repercussions further down the line

how does Idril's deal work - I'm currently thinking of Idril exchanging the location of Gondolin for her family's guaranteed safety, because it seems in character for Reverse Idril? But on the other hand, even if I limit it to immediate family at the time of the oath (tuor, turgon, earendil) then idk where turgon dies? Maybe Maglor can kill him but that seems kind of random

where and how does Turgon die

how does Prince Elrond's character even work

how does Numenor still fall when factoring in Prince Elrond - I'm thinking that the morgoth death cult gained enough traction during the time sauron was there that even after Elrond kicks him out, the cult still sticks around and reemerges later? The Fall still happens, but they never go to attack valinor and there's a good deal more Faithful (maybe 40-60%?)

#silm #silmarillion #not art #reverse gondolin au #basically elrond is giving me a Lot of trouble here #i tacked an extra 30 years onto the FA (so the SA dates are mostly shifted up by 30 years to balance it out; hence elros being king in SA 2 #this means e&e were adults during the Fall of Gondolin and the war of wrath and all #so instead of 'kind as summer' elrond of the last homely house in rivendell #we have gondolithrim veteran/dragonslayer Prince Elrond of Imladris Stronghold #and later the Bastion of the Faithful of Numenor #ironically enough he turned out way more feanorian when not raised by feanorians #instead of sirion e&e's defining Childhood Trauma was the gondolin kinslaying #in which mae and aredhel duel to the death while screaming at each other about fingon's fate and the Oath #and argon and elenwes deaths on the helcaraxe #also elwing fully died trying to protect them in this one #and then e&e were like 20something and sons/grandsons of two Lords durign the FoG so obviously they ended up fighting there too #and then again at the war of wrath #and by the mid SA elrond has already lived through so many wars he's running rather low on hope #so Prince Elrond still tries to be kind but is also substantially more willing to threaten people if need be #after eregion he founds imladris as a haven but also an impenetrable fortress #he saw the fall of gondolin and he knows that rivendell couldn't last forever #but he believes he can make it last long enough to defeat sauron first #or at least push him back so that the refugees of eregion can rebuild and survive #meanwhile celebrimbor takes up the last homely house role #but yeah Prince Elrond is pretty interesting #he intervenes more with numenor bc hes watching them self destruct and knows (bc foresight) exactly what would happen #so he tries (eventually in vain) to prevent it by disowning and exiling ar pharazon #and later exiling sauron around the time of the burning of nimloth #but it's too late and the morgoth cult already gained enough traction #on the other hand there's a lot more Faithful led by tar-miriel

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fistfuloflightning · 6 months

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Arakáno | the high chieftain

Day 2: Exile - Arrival to Beleriand | Fingon | Argon | Elenwë for @nolofinweanweek

#nolofinweanweek #nolofinweanweek2023 #the silmarillion #argon #arakano #my art #tolkien art #he’s a fascinating character all the more for how little tolkien actually wrote about him #since he seems to exist just to die #but he was noted as the tallest of the siblings and a fierce warrior and then died practically the moment he stepped foot in beleriand #there’s an au in my brain that he leaves mandos and with all of his family gone he ends up bonding with his cousin’s ex #and slowly falling for her #and perhaps amarie feels the same #finrod willingly left her behind and she knows she’s not going to get him back until he dies #perhaps it’s time for her to move on as well

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melestasflight · 8 months

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Little Idril gives Turgon the first chamomile flowers in @that-angry-noldo's Flowers sprang beneath his marching feet for @tolkienrsb

This heart-wrenching fic of the arrival of Fingolfin's host to Beleriand and the main art will be revealed tomorrow, September 8, 2023!

Fic snippet below the cut.

Turukáno looked away. Itarillë ran up to him, and her face was bright. She was holding a white flower in her hands, her eyes gleaming with warmth and happiness. Turukáno smiled and tucked a strand of her golden hair behind her ear. A camomile, he explained, mind to mind, and her features lit up. It grows in great numbers during the spring. Itarillë beamed and ran off, and Turukáno followed her with a soft, fond gaze. He looked back to Findaráto and noticed the same tenderness on his features. “Children,” Findaráto murmured. “In Aman we thought them a blessing; a gem to carve, a fruit to reap. Now, though, I look at your daughter and feel - hope. Your father,” he said, and looked at Turukáno again, “might feel like he lost that. What is the meaning of trying to go on if you have lost the one whose eyes gleamed with fire, who looked forth through the veil of the unending snow and said, “I see hope; I see life; I see, far away, the warmth and the peace that awaits us”? And now, that hope lies buried under the ground, and all we can do is - remember.”

From Flowers sprang beneath his marching feet

#idril #fingolfin #finrod #turgon #arrival to Beleriand #Helcaraxe #trsb #trsb2023 #that-angry-noldo fic #melesta art #the silmarillion #silm #tolkien #my art #teaser art

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aspenrockymountainhigh · 4 months

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Celeborn was one of the noblest of the Sindar— who wedded the Lady Galadriel of the House of Finarfin and with her, he remained in Middle-earth after the end of the First Age.

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Celeborn was a Sindarin prince of Doriath,being the grandson of Elmo the brother of Thingol; thus, he was the grand-nephew of the King of Doriath.

In the early First Age, Finrod and Galadriel came to Doriath as guests of Thingol. There, Celeborn and Galadriel met, fell in love, and were soon wedded. Galadriel remained in Doriath with Celeborn after Finrod went to the Caverns of Narog to establish the stronghold of Nargothrond.

For the rest of the First Age, Celeborn and Galadriel are not mentioned to have played any significant role in the general course of events of the Age, while their relatives, both Sindar and Noldor, did. By the Fall of Nargothrond in F.A. 495, Galadriel passed over the Blue Mountains so it seems likely that Celeborn followed her although this is not known for certain.

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After the fall of Beleriand, Celeborn and Galadriel lived in Lindon for some time. Celeborn ruled the fief of Harlindon, which was composed mostly of Sindar, under High King Gil-galad.

Galadriel and Celeborn crossed into Eriador with many Noldor, Sindar, and Green-elves in their following. For a while, they dwelt in the country about Lake Nenuial, ruling the Eldar in Eriador, including the wandering companies of the native Nandor. Probably around S.A. 300, a daughter was born to Galadriel and Celeborn, named Celebrían.They departed for Eregion and arrived there by S.A. 750.It was ruled by Celebrimbor, grandson of Fëanor and the distant half-cousin of Galadriel.

It was only sometime between S.A. 1350 and 1400 that Galadriel crossed the Hithaeglir through Khazad-dûm and relocated there with their daughter Celebrían, becoming great among the Wood-elves.Celeborn decided to stay in Eregion due to his enmity towards the Dwarves.It is said that Celeborn fought in the Sack of Eregion leading the remnants of Eregion out of the battle. He and Elrond narrowly escaped to a dell, where the latter founded Rivendell.

After the War of the Elves and Sauron, Galadriel passed again through Moria with Celebrían and came to Imladris, seeking Celeborn.[8] There she found him, and there they dwelt together for a long time.Some time later, Galadriel and Celeborn departed from Imladris and went to the little-inhabited lands between the mouth of the Gwathló and Ethir Anduin.There they dwelt in Belfalas, at the place that was afterwards called Dol Amroth; and their company was swelled by Silvan Elves from Lórinand.

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After long journeys in Rhovanion, from Gondor and the borders of Mordor to Thranduil in the north, Celeborn and Galadriel passed over the mountains to Imladris, and there dwelt for many years.It was there, in T.A. 109 that his daughter Celebrían wedded Elrond Half-elven of Rivendell.

When Amroth, the King of Lórien, perished in T.A. 1981, Celeborn and Galadriel took up the rule of Lindórinand jointly, and were called the Lord and Lady of Lothlórien, the new name for Lindórinand, and together, they built Caras Galadhon.

During the War of the Ring in T.A. 3019, Lothlórien received the Fellowship of the Ring, composed of various travellers on the quest to destroy the One Ring. Celeborn and Galadriel offered advice and boats for the Anduin, sending them on their way. After the Galadhrim repelled the forces of Dol Guldur three times, Celeborn led the forces of the Galadhrim across the Anduin and took the fortress. Galadriel threw down its walls and purified the forest.

On 6 April,that was the Elven day of New Year, Thranduil met with Celeborn in the midst of Mirkwood and renamed it Eryn Lasgalen, "The Wood of the Green Leaves". With the forest now cleansed, it was divided among the Elves and Men; Celeborn took all the forest south of the Narrows and established East Lórien.

Celeborn attended the wedding of Aragorn II Elessar and his granddaughter Arwen, and on the journey to return, he bade a fond farewell to Treebeard as well. He and Galadriel escorted Gandalf and the Hobbits until the Mountains of Moria, and on 13 September they turned to return to Lothlórien.

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After Galadriel's departure, it is believed that Celeborn relocated to Rivendell to reside with Elladan, Elrohir, and some of the Noldor, having also grown weary of East Lórien.

At some unknown date, he sought the Grey Havens and sailed west aboard Last Ship with his mighty kinsman Cirdan the Shipwright, but when he did so, he took with him the last memory of the Elder Days in Middle-earth.

Art by zephyrAMerch

#celeborn #galadriel #lotr

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from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras · 1 month

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Been thinking more about the Rohirrim’s devotion to Oromë (in light of @cilil's HC about Oromë’s affection for them) and, you know, it really is perfect that he’s the Vala most associated with Rohan, and not just because they’re both great lovers of horses. Even more significant, to me, is the fact that Oromë is a stern guy. He’s “dreadful in anger” and known for the fearsomeness of his wrath. He’s contrasted specifically with Tulkas, the lighthearted himbo of Valinor who likes to laugh his way through life. Oromë isn’t laughing. He takes his duties seriously, and he goes about his task of hunting down Melkor and his evil creatures with such grim determination that even the elves are a little afraid of him–and he’s on their side!

Sternness. Grim determination. Going into battle invoking wrath. Who else does this sound like, y’all??? OF COURSE this is who the Rohirrim are going to vibe with. What, they’re gonna be off communing with nature and Yavanna? Delighting in their own creations with Aulë? Tripping on acid with Irmo? No, they’re into the guy who is there to get his business done, no matter how unpleasant. The guy who repeatedly comes back to Beleriand, long after most of the other Valar have stopped doing so, because when the elves need aid, Oromë will answer. The guy whose arrival to help save the day is always heralded by the sounding of a great horn. The guy whose wife leaves flowers in her wake, just as the bodies of the Rohirrim themselves will do.

The horse thing is just frosting on that soulmate cake.

#now for wrath now for ruin #is absolutely something oromë would have said #lotr #lord of the rings #silmarillion #tolkien #rohan #oromë #or béma if we’re gonna be Rohirric about it

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warrioreowynofrohan · 6 months

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Thought of a poll, just out of curiosity.

The caveat in the poll is mostly to say: I know the Nirnaeth Arnoediad was disastrous, but if everything else had happened the same except than Fingon had survived, how much different would things have been? If everything in the Leithian was the same except that Lúthien and Huan were in time to rescue Finrod from Tol-in-Gaurhoth, how much of a difference would that have made to later events? And so forth.

I’m focusing on the deaths after the Noldor arrive in Beleriand, so haven’t included Finwë.

#tolkien #the silmarillion #feanor #fingolfin #fingon #aredhel #finrod

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redbootsindoriath · 11 months

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Okay so I, like most Silmarillion fanartists, draw the Fëanorian twins as looking like...well...kids. The book says they were the youngest in the family, and we all went, “Okay then they’re children.” Which...yeah, that’s fair. They really just seem to be chilling most of the time, which makes them seem a bit more innocent than the others. But rather early on in my time doing Silm fanart, I thought about how funny if would be if they looked way older than their brothers. But I never did anything with the idea.

Well, after finishing the Fëanorian Week drawings this year I was thinking about how I don’t really draw many Ñoldor due to not having headcanons about many of them. And you guys know by this time that I love a bit of good angst, so I looked at the twins and said, “...ooh goody” and gave them a big old revamp. (The drawing is of Amras and Maedhros, by the way. For one thing, I’ve said before that I don’t like drawing identical twins. And for another…we’ll get into that in a second.)

Real quick, for those who aren’t super familiar with the different pieces of source material we have from Tolkien: in the Silmarillion both twins survive most of the story until they die together in the same battle near the end of the book. However, in one lone version of the story, Amrod dies when the ships are burned at Losgar. Okay so. That’s what’s been published, from here on out it’s just headcanon territory.

I think Amrod did die when the ships were burned. Elves are spiritually a bit...different...so I expect twins have a particularly strong bond. Amras wasn’t really able to handle the death of his brother, and went a little bit weird in the head. He believed that half of his own soul died at Losgar, and half of Amrod’s still lived inside of him. For the rest of his life, he answered to Amrod’s names, his own names, and Ambarussa, and signed his name and managed accounts as any of them as well. He refused to acknowledge Amrod’s death and became irrational when any of his brothers mentioned it, so eventually they played along. The story spreads that there were two of Fëanor’s sons that guard East Beleriand, but they are unsocial and rarely seen together. People will report having seen one or the other of them but no one can tell the difference (in reality, this is because there is only one that is still alive.)

It’s uncertain who all knows about Amrod’s death, even among the Ñoldor that came with Fingolfin. Most of the Sindar and Silvan elves don’t know. Probably no humans know. Anyone who does know doesn’t talk about it, and all everybody else knows is what they're told, and this is why in most versions of the story they both survive until Sirion. For a while you’d see one or the other of them out hunting or going to war, and you just assumed the other was doing something else. But then after Sirion no one ever saw either one. Therefore, they obviously both died in the same battle.

Anyway, that’s just the version I came up with. I don’t know if I’ll keep it, but it makes Amras a much more interesting character. And that let me come up with a more visually interesting design, much older than I used to draw them. Whether this was always the way they looked or a change that Amras went through after arriving in Middle Earth I haven’t decided yet.

#amras #amrod #(mentioned)#maedhros #the man the myth the legends #three shinies #my trash #sometimes i overthink stuff #/end classification tags #and that concludes the art dump of the day with a bonus ramble #hopefully i didn't make any typos #or leave out anything major #i wrote this in a bit of a rush

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