#wingelot

[lailah]

🎧 !

Fear and Loathing by Marina and the Diamonds

I wanna be completely weightless I wanna touch the edge of greatness Don't wanna be completely faithless

#inquisition ; #wingelote #tysm !! <3

[moni-the-honey]

The Shores Of Faery, J.R.R Tolkien (1915)

J.R.R. Tolkien - Artist & Illustrator, Wayne G. Hammond, Christina Scull (1995)

East of the Moon, west of the Sun

There stands a lonely hill;

Its feet are in the pale green sea,

Its towers are white and still,

Beyond Taniquetil

In Valinor.

Comes never there but one lone star

That fled before the moon;

And there the Two Trees naked are

That bore Night’s silver bloom,

That bore the globéd fruit of Noon

In Valinor.

There are the shores of Faëry

With their moonlit pebbled strand

Whose foam is silver music

On the opalescent floor

Beyond the great sea-shadows

On the marches of the sand

That stretches on for ever

To the dragonheaded door,

The gateway of the Moon,

Beyond Taniquetil

In Valinor.

West of the Sun, east of the Moon

Lies the haven of the star,

The white town of the Wanderer

And the rocks of Eglamar.

There Wingelot is harboured,

While Eärendel looks afar

O’er the darkness of the waters

Between here and Eglamar —

Out, out, beyond Taniquetil

In Valinor afar.

J.R.R. Tolkien, Shores of Faery (1915)

#earendil my beloved #tolkien #tolkien art #earendil #silmarillion

[tolkiens-middleearth]

The end of Ungoliant

The fate of Ungoliant as described in The Silmarillion is very vague.

After her quarrel with Morgoth over the Silmaril Ungoliant first wandered into Beleriand, but later on she went south and what happend there is unknown.

But there is a theory:

“But whither she went after no tale tells. It is said that she ended long ago, when in her uttermost famine she devoured herself at last.”¹

I believe that was the last thing Tolkien wrote regarding the fate of Ungoliant, with the Later Quenta dating around the late 50s. It is also the version that can be found in The Silmarillion and probably the closest to canon that you can get, so there is probably no need to write about it any further.

However, another idea can be found in Tolkien’s earlier writings, and I think that’s a very interesting version.

Ungoliant by Paul Raymond Gregory

In The Book of Lost Tales Ungoliant also goes south “to her home” after her confrontation with Melkor. In a paragraph about the journey of the sun the reason for it going from East to West is that Morgoth is in the North, and Ungoliant in the South:

“Now Manwë designed the course of the ship of light to be between the East and West, for Melko held the North and Ungweliant the South, whereas in the West was Valinor and the blessed realms, and in the East great regions of dark lands that craved for light.”²

This sets her in direct opposition to Morgoth and gives an image of two great dark beings troubling Middle-earth, independently from each other.

Later, Ungoliant is mentioned in relation to Eärendil, implying that he met her on his journeys. In The Book of Lost Tales this isn’t described any further, but in the Sketch of Mythology we can find the following:

“Here follow the marvellous adventures of Wingelot in the seas and isles, and of how Earendel slew Ungoliant in the South.”³

And in the Quenta Nolderinwa this idea reappears as well:

“In the Lay of Eärendel is many a thing sung of his adventures in the deep and in lands untrod, and in many seas and many isles; and most of how he fought and slew Ungoliant in the South and her darkness perished, and light came to many places which had yet long been hid.”⁴

Or in the revised version:

“In the Lay of Eärendel is many a thing sung of his adventures in the deep and in lands untrodden, and in many seas and many isles. Ungoliant in the South he slew, and her darkness was destroyed, and light came to many regions which had yet long been hid.”⁵

In the Later Annals of Beleriand this was also mentioned in an addition to the text.

But that is the last time this version appears. In the Annals of Aman she returned into the South of the world, “where she abides yet for all that the Eldar have heard”⁶ and afterwards in the Later Quenta the version of Ungoliant devouring herself is added to the paragraph of her going south (see first quote).

Tolkien never wrote about Eärendil’s journeys and adventures, he only wrote brief outlines. I think this is very regrettable – I believe it would have been a fascinating Middle-earth version of the Odyssey. It might be that even if he had written about it in his later years he would not have included Eärendil slaying Ungoliant – it was probably difficult to explain how someone like Eärendil would be able to kill Ungoliant if even Morgoth had such difficulties in dealing with her. But I don’t think it would be impossible - for all we know she could have been half-starved when Eärendil finally reached her. Eärendil killing her on his journeys before he reached Valinor would also mean that she was already dead at the time of Morgoth's downfall.

The version in the Annals of Aman and the Later Quenta are short and vague enough that there is enough room to imagine that Ungoliant was indeed killed by Eärendil on his great voyage. Ungoliant devouring herself is a fitting end for her and definitively works well within the story, but I think the earlier version of her end would make a better tale. I prefer it, especially because we barely get any information about anything else that Eärendil experienced on his voyage.

Footnotes

¹ J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien. Morgoth's Ring, Part 3: The Later Quenta Silmarillion, II: The Second Phase, Of the Thieves' Quarrel, §20

² J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien. The Book of Lost Tales - Part 1, VIII The Tale of the Sund and Moon

³ J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien. The Shaping of Middle-earth, II: The Earliest 'Silmarilllion', §17

⁴ J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien. The Shaping of Middle-earth, III: The Quenta, §17

⁵ J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien. The Shaping of Middle-earth, III: The Quenta, §17 (Q II)

⁶ J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, Morgoth’s Ring, Part 2: The Annals of Aman, Section 5, §126

#The Silmarillion #Ungoliant #monsters #my posts #essay

[arofili]

tfog commentary #15

“Eärendel learning of these things from Bronweg [Voronwë], who dwelt in a hut, a solitary, at the mouth of Sirion, is overcome with sorrow. With Bronweg he sets sail in Wingelot once more in search of Elwing and of Valinor.”

(The Fall of Gondolin, p. 243; “The Conclusion of the Sketch of Mythology”)

IM VERY SAD ABOUT VORONWË NOW. I’m just!! Imagining him retiring to live by himself in a hut after Tuor leaves and!! Crying!! Because this boy is a mariner, he loves the sea, he wants to go to Valinor but he CAN”T and Tuor DOES even though he’s a MORTAL.... UGH IM EMO!!

Clearly this idea was abandoned in later drafts, but it’s so charming to me to have Earendil take Voronwë with him to search for Valinor and Elwing (and ostensibly Tuor, too) ... the son redeems the father!

Even in the published Silm, it’s totally possible that Voronwë did settle down and make himself a hut at mouth of Sirion, even without Eärendil coming and bringing him along on his adventures. I really hope Voronwe does make it to Valinor eventually, he deserves it, the poor boy :(

Also: I’ve been searching for a character who fits the song “Ulysses” by Adele McAllister and uhhh I think Voronwë might be it bitches!!!!!

#tfog #silmarillion #voronwe #earendil #adele mcallister #tefain nin #tfog commentary #save

[vardasvapors]

Eärendel the Wanderer who beat about the Oceans of the World in his white ship Wingelot sat long while in his old age upon the Isle of Seabirds in the Northern Waters ere he set forth upon a last voyage.   He passed Taniquetil and even Valinor, and drew his bark over the bar at the margin of the world, and launched it on the Oceans of the Firmament. Of his ventures there no man has told, save that hunted by the orbed Moon he fled back to Valinor, and mounting the towers of Kôr upon the rocks of Eglamar he gazed back upon the Oceans of the World...

From the notes [preface to The Shores of Faëry] of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Book of Lost Tales Part II, “The Tale of Eärendel”

#>_o #earendil #tilion #the tale of earendel #book of lost tales #the silmarillion #god i love all these early versions so much they feel like......in aggregate they have more truth in them than one real version....

[arofili]

tfog commentary #13

“He [Eärendil] builds Wingelot [Vingoliot] and wishes to sail in search of his father. Here follows the marvellous adventures of Wingelot in the seas and isles, and of how Eärendel slew Ungoliant in the South. He returned home and found the Waters of Sirion desolate.”

(The Fall of Gondolin, p. 242-3; “The Conclusion of the Sketch of Mythology”)

Does Eärendil kill Ungoliant in the published Silm? Either way, what a fucking badass!

Also, the image of Eärendil sailing home to the remnants of Sirion is so fucking chilling. In the published Silm he doesn’t even know what’s happened until he finds Elwing as a bird...

#silmarillion #tfog #earendil #tfog commentary #tefain nin

[vardasvapors]

Tûr groweth sea-hungry -- his song to Eärendel. One evening he calls to Eärendel and they go to the shore. There is a skiff. Tûr bids farewell to Eärendel and bids him thrust it off -- the skiff fares away into the West. Eärendel hears a great song swelling from the sea as Tûr's skiff dips over the world's rim. His passion of tears upon the shore. The lament of Idril.   The building of Earum. The coming of Elwing. Eärendel's reluctance. The whetting of Idril. The voyage and foundering of Earum in the North, and the vanishing of Idril. How the seamaids rescued Eärendel, and brought him to Tûr's bay. His coastwise journey.   The rape of Elwing. Eärendel discovers the ravaging of Sirion's mouth.   The building of Wingelot. He searches for Elwing and is blown far to the South. Wirilómë. He escapes eastward. He goes back westward; he descries the Bay of Faëry. The Tower of Pearl, the magic isles, the great shadows. He finds Kôr empty; he sails back, crusted with dust and his face afire. He learns of Elwing's foundering. He sitteth on the Isle of Seabirds. Elwing as a seamew comes to him. He sets sail over the margent of the world.

From the notes (Scheme E) of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Book of Lost Tales II, “The Tale of Eärendel”

#book of lost tales #earendil #tuor #ungoliant #idril celebrindal #elwing #rape cw #GOD.....I LOVE #the gaps in his like...brain...thing....notes unfit for consumption are the best #it makes such a good shape in the space left open. idk. it's so... #like it feels so familiar from kid-me reading lotr #hey at least i tag MY kinks #*cough* #fic inspiration #has ALREADY been fic inspiration..... #the tale of earendel