#garthaglir

[thesummerestsolstice]

People seemed interested in Library Orc Blorbo so I decided to write down my headcanons about him:

His name is Garthaglir (it’s Sindarin for “poem keeper”)

He renamed himself after discovering a love for library sciences, shortly after he moved to the valley

Rivendell’s head librarian

Used to be an extremely dangerous warrior, now considers himself retired

Extremely tall and buff, blue skin, salt-and-pepper hair and a well-trimmed beard

Very distinguished, very polite

Has a tiny pair of spectacles he uses to read because he's farsighted

He doesn’t look like an old man but he is one deep in his heart

He was one of the first reformed orcs to end up in Rivendell, so he helps other orcs adjust to living there

Basically invented Middle Earth’s version of the Dewey Decimal system

Look, Rivendell’s library is like, unfathomably huge, there’s 6000+ years of books in there, someone had to organize it

He, Elrond, and Erestor are the only people who have keys to the part of the library where they keep the cursed books

The three of them also have a monthly book club

He holds a weekly story time for the kids

(Yes, he does do funny voices, no, you are not allowed to comment on it)

Has tracked people down at 3 AM before because “M’am? M’am you have an overdue book, here, I brought my library stamp would you mind just checking this out again? You can keep it out for another month that way. Just a moment, ah, yes thank you, I’ll be on my way now. Excellent choice in reading material.”

He has a fancy sunhat he wears outside during the day so the sun doesn’t burn him, it was a gift from small Arwen and he cherishes it

He has a library cat, her name is Mittens and he would die for her

Uses his free time to teach himself different languages; there are hundreds in Rivendell’s books

Enjoys recommending books to visitors, he’s gotten really good at getting a read on what people will like

Personally, when he’s in the mood for fiction, he prefers a good mystery

#silmarillion #elrond #elrond peredhel #erestor #arwen #rivendell #imladris #library orc #garthaglir

[sesamenom]

Various inhabitants of rivendell

(inspired by @thesummerestsolstice here and here)

#silm #silmarillion #lotr #rivendell #maglor #erestor #i hope you do not mind me borrowing garthaglir like a particularly cool rock on the playground #i imagine glorfindels arrival at rivendell like #he walks into the library and runs into garthaglir #both of them scream #but then later glorfindel sat him down and taught him to do fancy braids #now they are friends #later he was part of the redhorn pass search and rescue team out of loyalty to the people who took him in #(bonus points if he was originally a caradhras orc...) #he has joined glorfindel in Team Hair Down During Battle and elrond is so tired #although later he teaches elrond the local dialect of black speech #they spend weeks in the library transcribing texts and poring over the etymology of particularly quenya-derived words #orcs are kind of undead (see: aure entuluva battle) and elrond is weird and somewhat maiarin #somebody eventually forces them to go take a break after three weeks of nonstop linguistics-bonding #feanors ghost is Proud #(he also is glad that erestor eventually befriended lindir because hey! thats one grandkid who didnt disown everyone) #the one old feanorion and thingols guard both refuse to modernize their armor #elrohir is like 'you know mail is a thing now right?? leg armor has existed for two ages and youre still wearing your fancy battle robes' #to which both of them will yell something only vaguely understandable about modern armor being poorly made #and then proceed to fight about whose armor was actually more effective at the dagor nuin giliath #(theyre that old)

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[myceliumelium]

Hey, if you're up for doing another OC sketch, I've got an orcish Silm/LoTR OC named Garthaglir. There's a description of him in a post I made here. I'd be interested to see your take on him, if you feel like sketching him.

The moment I read the description i felt the all consuming urge to put him in a lil bow tie. I would trust him with my life, and my local public library.

#art #tolkien #ask #other people's ocs

[thesummerestsolstice]

I would love to see more about the orc librarian of Rivendell. How did he come to choose that life? How and why did Elrond let him in? Perhaps you could put it on AO3.

Thanks for the ask!

I do want to write a proper fic with Garthaglir eventually but I've got a few WIPs going already so it'll probably be a while. For now, I'll try to answer some of your questions here:

(Content warning: this post discusses the creation of orcs, and their indoctrination and subjugation under Sauron, as well as non-graphic violence)

My headcanon is that while the first orcs were elves kidnapped by Morgoth, the later generations of orcs basically became their own species (subspecies? arguably they're still kind of elves). They're born in Angband/Mordor, undergo pretty brutal training and indoctrination from an early age, and generally don't interact with the outside world unless they're on a raid.

The only interaction orcs have with men, elves, etc are violent. They only ever see peope when they're at war, so they aren't really exposed to life outside of the constant struggle of war. They have a very warped view of the world. And because there's a language barrier, there's no way for them to speak with anyone else. Even the language they use is designed to isolate them; Black Speech was created by Sauron, not the orcs, and doesn't really allow for free expression– it's not built for that. There are a few stories and some carried over words from the original elvish orcs, but it's more myth than reality for most of them.

It's a long story, but Garthaglir ended up getting separated from his party sometime in the early Third Age, and hiding out in some elvish ruins to avoid sunlight (and the human warriors they were running from). He ended up spending weeks there, every night he'd go exploring; finding old paintings, books, toys. The remnants of a people who weren't forced into a life of war. Eventually, he realized that there was more to Middle-Earth than fighting, and that he didn't want to go back to fighting for Sauron. He ended up wandering, unsure of what else he could do with his life. And, well, doorways to Rivendell have a habit of showing up when they're needed.

As for Elrond– that's a long story. He was taught Black Speech as a survival tactic at a young age, but has also used it to communicate with orcs. There was also a kidnapping incident with some surprisingly nice orcs. You know. Normal means of cultural exchange given Elrond's life. So he was much more open to letting orcs who wanted to to escape Sauron and live a better life into Rivendell. Since Garthaglir wasn't the first orc to live there, many of the other residents were also pretty used to the idea by that point.

Bonus: Garthaglir found Mittens when she was a small kitten. She showed up outside the library one day when it was pouring rain, trying to get out of the storm. Garthaglir let her in and dried her off. They've been inseparable ever since.

#silmarillion #library orc #garthaglir #elrond #elrond peredhel #rivendell #imladris #orc meta #mind the cw

[thesummerestsolstice]

Garthaglir, beloved😭😭😭. I love how he's living a peaceful life (but don't test him) and I adore headcanons about orcs who aren't dehumanized (good job!). Does he have any family? Siblings, parents, lovers, friends? I want him to be happy 😭😭😭.

Thanks for the ask, I'm so glad that people like Garthaglir! He has parents, and a twin brother– though unfortunately, he hasn't seen them since coming to Rivendell. He does hope that eventually they'll be together again though, even if it takes until Sauron falls.

He does have plenty of friends in Rivendell. As I said before, he's close to Elrond and Erestor, who also spend a lot of time in Rivendell's library and archives; they have a monthly book club and play some very intense games of Quenya scrabble.

He's also close with a lot of the other orcs living in Rivendell. This includes Glamour (an orcish guard who's lived in Rivendell since its founding) and Kemendil (former drill sergeant and current head cook).

He also has Mittens, of course.

He is very happy in Rivendell, rest assured. He works in the library and has plenty of time to relax, or work on his own projects. One of those projects is an appeal he plans to present to the Valar about why orcs should be allowed in Valinor.

But that's probably also a subject for another post.

#silmarillion #silm oc #silm headcanons #LIBRARY ORC #garthaglir #rivendell #elrond #erestor #orcs

[thesummerestsolstice]

WIP Wednesday

Got tagged by @jaz-the-bard

Here's a snippet from an ongoing one-shot collection I'm doing about pets in the Legendarium, featuring Garthaglir the Library Orc and Mittens the cat.

He took a sip of his tea, adjusted the blanket so that it better covered his shoulders– it was always cold during these early spring storms, and shut his eyes for a moment. It was mid-afternoon. Normally the library would have a few elves, orcs, and various others milling around, but today it was just him. Really, he needn’t have come to the library at all; he had no urgent work and most of the valley’s residents chose to stay in on rainy days, but it was so peaceful in the library that he couldn’t resist. He could hear the rain pour through the leaves outside, gentle and–

He opened his eyes, frowning. He could hear something else, too. Something small and afraid. The sound was vaguely familiar– some sort of animal–but he wasn’t sure quite what it was. He stood, walking towards the window, blanket still draped around him. The noise came again, quieter this time. His breath caught, slightly. It was never a good thing when an animal sounded that weak. He peered out the window, into the gray swirl outside. From the library, the valley looked quiet and peaceful, but for anything trapped outside–

He spotted a small, dark smudge curled on a branch, one that periodically tapped against the window. He adjusted his glasses, but still couldn’t make out quite what it was.

#silmarillion #my writing #rivendell #garthaglir #tag games

[thesummerestsolstice]

Unwritten Fics game

I was tagged by @runawaymun to talk about all my as-of-yet unwritten fic ideas! I have many, many of them. Here are a few. Feel free to send me asks about any of them, or to tell me which ones you'd most like to read in the tags!

Earendil-drinks-the-Silmail-AU: see Tumblr post here. Elwing gives Earendil the Silmaril's light to try and heal him from an illness, and both he (and later E&E) now have the light of the Silmaril within them. This causes problems for the Oath of Feanor. Can't decide whether to make it serious and heartbreaking or extremely silly.

Immortal Elros AU: definitely need to post about this one. In which Elros sees the mortals who will become the people of Numenor, loves them, and decides the best way to help them is to be immortal, to protect their descendants and maintain their legacy long after they're gone. He becomes Numenor's beloved guardian, caring for it's people for centuries. This all goes pretty well until Tar-Mairon shows up on the island.

Faustian Bargain AU: when both Gil-Galad and Celebrimbor are captured during Eregion's fall, Elrond makes a dangerous deal with Sauron to get them back. In exchange for their release, Elrond offers to become Sauron's captive, and to help him in his efforts to reach the Void and free Morgoth. Elrond, of course, has other plans. So do the now-free (and incredibly worried) Gil Galad and Celebrimbor.

Unexpected Problems: see Tumblr posts here and here. All about the issues Elrond runs into in Valinor– from people debating about whether or not he counts as an Ainur to Noldor being scandalized that he only wears a couple pounds of jewelry. Also his repeated attempts to stop Galadriel and Bilbo from completely destroying Valinorian society.

The Love of a Parent: Elrond's parents continue to look out for him, whether from beyond the circles of the world or from the stars above. Probably largely outsider POV. A chance for more eldritchry.

On Estel: In which Earendil goes into the void, searching for Maeglin's lost spirit. Slight AU in the sense that it's very Maeglin sympathetic, and has him having a good familial relationship with Turgon, Idril, and Earendil.

Ten Little Soldier Boys: my take on who Finrod's faithful ten were, why they were so loyal, and the moments they each decided they would give anything to keep Finrod safe. OC heavy but very dear to my heart.

Misfits, Outcasts, and other Characters of Ill-Repute: a series of oneshots about the various people who end up in Rivendell and how they got there. Includes canon characters (Glorfindel, Erestor, Lindir, etc.) and some OCs (including an old Feanorian diehard and one of Thingol's bodyguards, and, of course, Garthaglir the Library Orc)

No pressure, but I'm going to second Runawaymun's tagging of @jaz-the-bard (I don't think they've done the game yet but I might've missed it on their blog)

#silmarillion #silm fic #silm au #tag game #elrond #elrond peredhel #elros #elros tar minyatur #gil galad #celebrimbor #earendil #maedhros #maglor #elwing #galadriel #maeglin #finrod #bilbo baggins #rivendell #eldritch peredhel #kidnap fam

[thesummerestsolstice]

So I got an ask about how I write orcs (like Garthaglir) and I'm working on answering it, but I feel like first I need to make a post about why orcs in canon bother me so much. This post is going to be a lot less fun than a lot of my others, but I think it's really important to critically examine the Legendarium. That said, mind the content warning.

CW: discussions of racism (in real life), dehumanization

So I have three major issues with orcs in canon. I'll start with the least serious and work my way up.

Messy worldbuilding: Tolkien proposed about five different backstories for the orcs and doesn't seem to have been happy with any of them. The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings clearly shows us that the orcs are sentient; but he claimed at one point that they were essentially non-sentient puppets of Morgoth. That explanation was a way to get around the idea that Morgoth had created a race of sentient brings which he didn't like for Catholic reasons. The idea that orcs are corrupted elves is the most well-known of the orc backstories (and the one I like the best), but the actual text doesn't really address this? There's no indication that orcs could have once been elves or elf-like. They certainly aren't treated anything like elves or men, even corrupted ones. Which leads to problem two:

Narrative dehumanization: so fantasy and sci-fi have "faceless evil horde" as a recurring trope– and it's a trope that has some worldbuilding issues baked in. In the orcs' case, there's a whole sentient race that is universally, inherently evil. Either they all "chose" to be evil, which is basically impossible, or they've been so corrupted that they don't have a choice, which makes them victims more than villains. But the narrative doesn't treat them like victims; their lives have essentially no value. Sam in the books (Faramir has this line in the movies) thinks about a dead human soldier fighting for Sauron; wondering if he was evil, and how he came to be dragged off to war. In comparison, Legolas and Gimli count orc kills. Even heroic characters who are supposed to be compassionate have no regard for the orcs, because even if they're clearly sentient, the story doesn't treat them that way. And I hate that. I think the orcs should be treated like people, and not mindless monsters.

The racism: this is definitely the worst problem with Tolkien's orcs. So the orcs are the result of a lot of ideas; corrupted soldiers, biblical concepts of shadow and darkness, and yes, racial caricatures. In one of Tolkien's letters, he describes them as a "degraded" version of "Mongol-type" humans ("Mongol" here being an outdated and offensive term for Asian people as far as I know). Source for the quote here; the author of this article makes interesting points, but I disagree with some of his conclusions, including him backing down from saying the orcs are racist. So, yes, Tolkien's orcs are in-text racism– they're far from the only example either, Maeglin and Eol's story, as well as the LoTR representations of "Easterlings" and "Southrons" have similar problems. I hope I don't need to explain why I don't want to perpetuate these harmful ideas in the stories I tell. I've tried to tell an orcish story that isn't racist or dehumanizing. I hope others will try to do the same.

#jrr tolkien #tolkien #silmarillion #silm meta #orc meta #tolkien legendarium #mind the cw