#the two trees

[soothingmoonlight]

The Fëanorian shawl that I ordered just arrived and I absolutely love it!

#silmarillion #tolkien #feanor #curufinwe #curufinwe feanaro #spirit of fire #house of feanor #feanorians #house of feanor sigil #silmarils #the silmarils #the two trees #the two trees of valinor #silk and cotton shawl #silk shawl #cotton shawl #shawls #my posts

[aragornsrockcollection]

I can’t remember if I ever posted this before but I absolutely think about it all the time:

So the history of Tolkien’s world is absolutely riddled with threes, especially in regards to elves and the light of the trees (which is thematically tied to the time of the elves the way the sun and moon are tied to the time of men). There are some earlier threes, like the three Valar who contributed most to the creation of the physical world, (Manwe, Ulmo and Aule), and he corresponding three elements they represent (Air, Water, and Earth/fire). (One day I’m going to edit and release my rambling thoughts on the elemental symbolism in the Silmarillion and then they’ll all be sorry).

There are also three main races in Middle Earth, the Elves (who first had three awaken), then the Dwarves (who had seven, a number unrelated to three, but that makes sense since they are the adopted children so being ever so slightly out of tune with the rest makes sense) and then finally the Men, (who had nine originally awaken, aka three times three).

Then there are the groups of powerful artifacts that reflect those elements, first the Silmarils, which are fated to be lost to the sky, the fires of the earth, and the ocean. These obviously contain the light of the two trees, which is the light of creation. And then of course the three Elven Rings which parallel the Silmarils, not containing the light of the trees, but based in those same three elements and crafted by Feanor’s grandson: Vilya the ring of air, Nenya the ring of water, and Narya the ring of fire.

But here’s the thing parallel story beats also tend to happen in threes. A great example being “significant character held captive by the enemy in tower/tall place is rescued by a loved one who finds them by singing a song and having them answer” which happens first with Maedhros and Fingon, then Beren and Luthien, then Frodo and Sam.

So… where’s the third instance of three powerful artifacts based in the elements of creation in the story? It feels super weird that there isn’t a third instance of this.

My completely out there answer to this problem I just created is there is about to be.

Because one character just received three of something with the light of the trees in it, and has stated that he is going to make objects that sound extremely similar to the Silmarils with them;

Gimli is about to make the Silmarils 3.0 with Galadriel’s hair.

So let’s go back to the years of the trees real quick. Feanor asks for Galadriel’s hair, which she refuses to give him. He asks three times. Why does he want it? Well, we can assume it’s because the light of the Two Trees is said to be captured in Galadriel’s hair, and Feanor is obviously interested in figuring out how to capture the light of the Trees in physical objects, because he’s about to undertake the forging of the Silmarils, which are literally just physical objects with the light of the Two Trees in them. In at least one version Tolkien wrote that Feanor was inspired to make the Silmarils by Galadriel’s hair.

It isn’t a leap to think Feanor believes studying her hair can help him figure out how to make the Silmarils, or even that he originally intended to USE her hair to make the Silmarils. He obviously figures it out without whatever knowledge he would have gained from it, and he captures the light and puts it into imperishable crystal that according to the translation of elven history we are technically reading, no one else knows how to make.

But the elves don’t know the secrets of the dwarves. Who the hell knows if they have created a similar material. We do know that when Gimli is asked by Galadriel what he will do with her hair if she gifts it to him, he says he will encase it in imperishable crystal.

Which… to me… sounds like he’s about to make some imperishable crystal with the light of the trees in it. And that is basically a goddamn Silmaril. That is what a Silmaril is. HE JUST DESCRIBED A SILMARIL. Gimli is planning on making Friendship Silmarils.

And it makes sense that the last iteration of three powerful objects in the vein of the Silmarils would happen in the dawning of the age of men, because the significant number for Men is three times three. This would be the third instance of three powerful artifacts being made- three times three.

Also just going to point out that breaking into Valinor without permission is explicitly shown to be made possible with a Silmaril. And Gimli is the first dwarf to go to Valinor. Hmmm. That’s interesting.

I personally believe he’s the first dwarf to ever want to go to Valinor, and similar to Tuor, the Valar just straight up hadn’t set up a rule against it yet and that’s how he gets in. But crafting three Silmaril-esc items and bringing them to the Valar has so many juicy possibilities for what it would do for the world, especially the elves of Valinor, who at their strongest relied on the light of the trees that would be reflected in these objects.

Needless to say, whatever Gimli makes will be super powerful, but in the theme of Tolkien’s work, not as powerful as the objects they are reflections of. Power trickling down through the ages and being increasingly watered down is a constant in this world.

Also this is obviously a stretch. But I do think about it.

All.

The.

Goddamn.

Time.

#tolkien #the silmarillion #jirt #lotr #silmarillion #jrr tolkien #silm #feanor #gimli is my favorite #Gimli #Gimli son of Gloin #the two trees #the Silmarils #Galadriel #the song is cyclical #Valinor #the elven rings #rule of three #I have so many ideas about this

[tathrin]

I was reading this (beautifully chilling) fic, and was struck by the idea of Sauron deliberately crafting his Annatar appearance to echo (mock) the lights of the Two Trees; to catch the eyes of the Exiles with the wistful memory of that lost beauty.

(But probably not exactly the same; both because he probably can't, because He's Evil And They're Holy etc etc and because he wouldn't, because Sauron is the type of person who thinks he can make anything better. So like the light of the Two Trees, but with more fire in the gold; with more ice in the silver. Enough alike to catch the eye, to snare the heart; but just enough different to look slightly off, on a level no one can quite articulate.)

Anyway, point is: Galadriel is known and admired for having hair that is said to have caught the light of the Two Trees; the last true echo of that light left in the world outside the now-lost Silmarils. And Galadriel does not. like. Annatar.

So what if Annatar puts about a sly little rumor that it's jealousy? That she dislikes him because she's vain about those storied locks of hers, and is put-out that anyone else should have the same beauty that she does. It's a believable rumor, isn't it? The Noldor do have a tendency towards pride, towards vanity. It would be easy to believe, if you liked Annatar and were disquieted by the fact that Galadriel doesn't trust him and you were looking for an excuse to ignore her opinion. Believable enough to undermine her just enough...

Especially when Galadriel leaves Ost-in-Edhil, not wishing to bandy words with him; not wishing to stoop low enough to answer such baseless rumors. But then she's gone, and there is no one left to oppose his efforts to seduce the Gwaith-i-Mírdain, to corrupt Celebrimbor; no one left to argue against the sly whispers he so carefully spreads about why she left.

Arrogant. Jealous. Vain. Yes, she is wise; but in this area, her pride has overcome her wisdom. In this one case, you do not need to listen to Galadriel; in this one case, in the case of Annatar alone, you do not need to give credence to her wisdom, because in this one case she has allowed herself to be a fool at the mercy of her pride. Do not listen to the warnings of Galadriel; they are empty.

And see, Annatar's hands are not; Annatar has brought gifts...

#sauron #annatar #gwaith i mirdain #lotr #lotr meta #galadriel #the two trees #eregion #ost-in-edhil #celebrimbor #silvergifting #lotr headcanons

[atimefordragons]

It is told that even as Fëanor and Fingolfin stood before Manwë there came the mingling of the lights, when both Trees were shining, and the silent city of Valmar was filled with a radiance of silver and gold. And in that very hour Melkor and Ungoliant came hastening over the fields of Valinor, as the shadow of a black cloud upon the wind fleets over the sunlit earth; and they came before the green mound Ezellohar. Then the Unlight of Ungoliant rose up even to the roots of the Trees, and Melkor sprang upon the mound; and with his black spear he smote each Tree to its core, wounded them deep, and their sap poured forth as it were their blood, and was spilled upon the ground. But Ungoliant sucked it up, and going then from Tree to Tree she set her black beak to their wounds, till they were drained; and the poison of Death that was in her went into their tissues and withered them, root, branch, and leaf; and they died. And still she thirsted, and going to the Wells of Varda she drank them dry; but Ungoliant belched forth black vapours as she drank, and swelled to a shape so vast and hideous that Melkor was afraid.

So the great darkness fell upon Valinor. Of the deeds of that day much is told in the Aldudénië, that Elemmírë of the Vanyar made and is known to all the Eldar. Yet no song or tale could contain all the grief and terror that then befell. The Light failed; but the Darkness that followed was more than loss of light. In that hour was made a Darkness that seemed not lack but a thing with being of its own: for it was indeed made by malice out of Light, and it had power to pierce the eye, and to enter heart and mind, and strangle the very will.

— OF THE DARKENING OF VALINOR

#the rings of power #ropedit #tropedit #tolkienedit #telperion #laurelin #the two trees #the silmarillion #legendariumedit #lotredit #mine #my edits #my gifs #gif set #clara's edits #tolkien #dailytvedit #dailyfilmtvgifs #dailytvgifs #valinor #tolkiensource #lord of the rings: the rings of power

[jessyherc]

My latest pendant, made with a really beautiful blue labradorite gemstone. Available to order at my Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/jessyherc

#handmade #two trees #the two trees #elven #elves #fantasy #fantasy art #fantasy jewelry #pendant #necklace #crystal #etsy

[curiouselleth]

Unable to See the Starlight (ao3)

Gone. Gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone gone GONE. It was GONE and there was no saving it - no return from this darkness, such a lack of light it was seemingly to be a physical force in itself, silencing voices, cries echoing in the dark and shadows in every corner and hall. The trees bearing no fruit or flower but only bringing forth cries and cries and such sorrow it bent oneself over and inward inward inward until one became a husk, as the dead inside as the twisted trunks and dried leaves that once poured forth light.

Every attempt, in that all too brief time of the last mingling and waning failed. crushed flowers, smashed fruits, infertile seeds, and nothing. No weak shining, not a glimmer of light, nor hope.

So many had tried in that hour, gathering flowers and fruits in skirts, cloaks, and robes, followers of Nesa and Vána, Irmo and Manwë and Varda, climbing up into the weakening branches, heedless of the danger and desperate to do something - anything - to try to save them, to save the light. Aulë and Vairë, all their followers, all kinds of smiths, sculptors, weavers, artists, masons and glassblowers, all tried in vain to preserve the little we had left. All not trying to help Yavanna, Varda, and Estë sought some way, if not trying to preserve the light, struggling to find some way, any way, to help. Gathering water and leftover food left forgotten in the banquet hall, bringing blankets and tea to the ones in shock, trying to bring some meager comfort to those in the throes of grief, or trying to claw back some semblance of governance amongst the panic.

The weavers working in threads, silks, and satins, or tapestry and dyes. All crumbled or dulled.

Glassblowers and stonecutters and jewelers trying to create works as captivating as the stolen gems of Feanor, grim, as it had never been when some fancied themselves a match for Feanor and tried to create their own radiant stones.

The smiths working in metal, reflective and harsh, first promising but ultimately cold and dark.

Sculptors perhaps the closest to a vessel to preserve them - fine, delicate forms built of all things, wood, clay, glass and crystal.

All failed, all the valar. Those who tried to heal the trees and those who tried to plant the flowers and fruits.

Only one true flower, and one true fruit remained. It was decided that Aulë was to try to make a work, not to preserve the flower and fruit to plant new trees, but vessels to sustain them in light and memory. A great work, a long, hard work.

After the last two were taken by the valar, a child found a way to preserve them. The light faded, but a child of one who tried to save a flower had placed the flower on the table, and a book carelessly on top. Hours, perhaps days, perhaps minutes later - without it it was simply too hard to tell, and too painful to mark the hours - it was found. Pressed flat and dry, dead but not decaying. She showed her friends who gathered more, and slowly, slowly, these pressed flowers, and later dried seeds, they remained. With the rest of us. Not to last forever, not anymore. We know better now. But to last a bit longer, to bear us to the new ages of the world where all is changed.

#writing #my writing #ficlet #my fic #fanfic #fanfiction #silm #the silm #silmarillion #the silmarillion #tolkien #jrr tolkien #valinor #the two trees #the two trees of valinor #two trees #two trees of valinor #valar #manwe #varda #elves #aule #yavanna #vana #este #vaire #nessa #irmo #nienna

[tanbinokami]

Telperion & Laurelin

#Tolkien #lotr #silmarillion #Laurelin #telperion #the two trees #valinoor #the silmarillion #jrr tolkien #hand painted #I hope I got the tengwar right 😬

[fistfuloflightning]

Is that the Two Trees on the tapestry? I love all these little hints of the Silm the set dressers put in

#lotr #rivendell #imladris #telperion #laurelin #the two trees #the silmarillion

[tenth-sentence]

But neither the Sun nor the Moon can recall the light that was of old, that came from the Trees before they were touched by the poison of Ungoliant.

"The Silmarillion" - J.R.R. Tolkien

#book quote #the silmarillion #jrr tolkien #sun #moon #light #creation myth #trees #poison #the two trees #trees of valinor #ungoliant #spiders #giant spider

[the-dreaming-plastic-dinosaur]

Laurelin and Telperion

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

...I didn't think school would be that busy, but I'm alive!!!

#silmarillion #laurelin #telperion #trees #the two trees

[last-capy-hupping]

*chanting* Angst, angst, angst, angst.

Oh, and the Two Trees die at the end of the chapter, but that’s less angsty than Finno’s internal monologue.

#silmarillion #russingon #fingon #maedhros #fanfic #house of finwe #the two trees #silm typical angst

[fla-t-line]

Lonely God

#never recovering from this horrible finale it seems rip pls send flowers #hes a damn tree #sobbing #art #myart #fanart #loki #loki season two #loki season 2 #loki god of stories #mcu #marvel

[petitworld]

Two Bridges, England by Duncan George

#two bridges #england #nature #foggy woods #woods #green moss #moss #naturecore #nature aesthetic #gloomy weather #gloomy #gloomcore #greenery #tree #misty forest #mist #foggy forest #foggy #fog #petitworld favs #petitworld

[catmanbowser]

Caved into the meme

#cutty flam #franky #one piece #phoenix wright #ace attorney #catman's art #my two comfort characters <3<3 #i was gonna make it franky and dokja but i realize that man brings me nothing but dread and worry so phoenix is uo nexr #itbs so fuckign hot outside im being roasterd alive #Ok bye im gonna look for a new tree to nap under

[atimefordragons]

Since the root of the Dendro Archon's power lies within IRMINSUL, we can occasionally tap into her powers to peer into the depths of the earth ... Sages have said that Irminsul contains divine knowledge, and touching such knowledge without the proper preparations and abilities will only lead to one's mind caving in on itself. // IRMINSUL is a tree located deep beneath the surface. Although it isn't like any tree we know in a biological sense, you can basically think of it as a large tree that grows downwards rather than upwards. I'm sure you've heard of Ley Lines, right? They're like the roots of IRMINSUL, spreading and extending from a massive cavern deep underground all the way up to the surface.

Under her song the saplings grew and became fair and tail, and came to flower; and thus there awoke in the world the THE TWO TREES OF VALINOR . Of all things which Yavanna made they have most renown, and about their fate all the tales of the Elder Days are woven. The one had leaves of dark green that beneath were as shining silver, and from each of his countless flowers a dew of silver light was ever falling, and the earth beneath was dappled with the shadow of his fluttering leaves. The other bore leaves of a young green like the new-opened beech; their edges were of glittering gold. Flowers swung upon her branches in clusters of yellow flame, formed each to a glowing horn that spilled a golden rain upon the ground; and from the blossom of that tree there came forth warmth and a great light.TELPERION the one was called in Valinor, and Silpion, and Ninquelótë, and many other names; but LAURELIN the other was, and Malinalda, and Culúrien, and many names in song beside.

#genshin impact #tolkien #irminsul #the two trees #telperion #laurelin #tolkienedit #world tree #dailygenshin #lotredit #ropedit #tropedit #dailygaming #gamingedit #gamingnetwork #dailytvgifs #dailytvedit #dailyfilmtvgifs #the rings of power #mine #my edits #clara's edits #my gifs #gif set #tolkiensource #silmarillionedit #the silmarillion #genshincreations #genshinnet #genshinedit

[jessyherc]

This is one of my favorite things I've ever made :). The beads are labradorite gemstones. Available at my Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/jessyherc

#handmade #pendant #etsy #handcrafted #elven #elves #fantasy #two trees #the two trees #necklace