#Elrond and Elros

[youmisguidedmartyr]

What if you were born during a WAR and your dad became a STAR and your mum became a BIRD and your people were KILLED and then you and your twin were KIDNAPPED and then your kidnappers either DIED or fucked off to the BEACH and then your twin chose a MORTAL LIFE and then you became a HERALD and then your King got given a really cool RING but there was ANOTHER WAR because SAURON WAS ACTUALLY the RING GUY and then your King DIES and then your cousin/wife gets ATTACKED and then she SAILS and then your Foster son falls in LOVE with your DAUGHTER and then there's ANOTHER FUCKING WAR because SAURON IS BACK and then your daughter also chooses a MORTAL fucking LIFE and then you just FUCK OFF TOO but your twin sons didn't make up their MINDS

[sad--beep]

Don't be afraid

[aotearoa20]

Lotta fics with little elrond and elros tend to have Elros being more drawn to fighting and Elrond to healing, which is all well and good

But I propose to you an Elros who was the first to lean towards healing and medcines. 'The hands of the king are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known' is Aragorns sign, and he is from Elros' line.

For sure both of them have that association and Elrond choosing Immortality means he likely surpassed Elros in terms of skill just for fact of living longer but Elrond was Gilgalad's Herald and Bannerman, in my mind he began as the fighter and Elros began as the healer

[sempermoi]

Here’s my art for my TRSB collab with @oatmealcraisin

The fic tied to Elrond’s portrait gallery will be revealed in a few days and I can’t wait to reblog the link then so you can all enjoy their work!

Here’s the individual portraits in a close-up:

[elven-sisters]

Elwing with her boys!

Aren't they cute little smols?

[tolkien-povs]

Just something about how Elrond is described as "kind as summer." You can't go wrong with that. Elrond is amazing.

But the history of Elrond is so fucking tragic — if anything, Elrond should be turned evil, like Fëanáro or Maedhros.

But he didn't.

He lost his parents, his brother, his foster parents, his wife, his daughter, etc... and yet he's an amazing person.

Elrond being one of the bad guys would have been understandable. But he chose to be a good person who helped maintain the stability of Middle-Earth.

Despite all his pain, grief, losses, etc — Elrond chose to stay patient and prevent more people from experiencing the same losses he did.

This just shows one of the many different outcomes of pain that Tolkien presents; rather than going mad, like Fëanáro, or becoming an anti-hero, like Maedhros, or even disappearing, like Maglor, Elrond chose to stay sane and be a hero for Middle-Earth.

[mahtariel-of-himring]

Long ago, when Elros was still building his Kingdom, and Númenor was young, he had his twin brother officially crown him, as a symbol of their bond.

After the first King died his son reached out to his uncle, and asked him if he would crown him as well.

From there on a tradition was begun.

Every time a King died a letter was send to Elrond, and in addition an invitation to the coronation of the next ruler, and the question to be the one to crown them.

Over centuries every King and Queen of Númenor was crown by Tar-Miniatur‘s brother, as a symbol of the bond between them and their half elven kinsman, who loved and cared for them dearly.

But as the centuries passed something changed. When in S.A. 2029 Tar-Atanamir first spoke out against the Valar relations slowly began to tense, though there was no one who greatly worried back then, except for Elrond.

In S.A. 2737 Elrond began to fear for his brother‘s people, as he noticed more and more how they drifted from the old ways with the coronation of the 18th King of Númenor, Ar-Belzagar, and the change in name.

In the year of S.A. 2899 the 20th King of Númenor was crowned, and for the first time in all its history, no letter to Elrond was send, and Ar-Adûnakhôr was crowned by another.

With the reign of Tar-Palantir Elrond felt a flicker of hope for the first time in decades, but it was quickly overshadowed as he realized his brother’s folk had already gone too far.

After the fall of Númenor the surviving faithful came to Middle Earth, and there, Lord Elrond welcomed them with open arm‘s. Their leader, Elendil, happily welcomed their estranged kinsman and was more than relieved that he was still receiving to them. And as he was crowned in S.A. 3320 Elrond was once again the one to set the crown atop a Númenorian‘s head, and the tradition was reawakened and continued ever on.

[camille-lachenille]

I was thinking about how, in fanfictions and in the fandom in general, Elrond is often depicted as a pure Noldorin lord, if not a die hard Fëanorian. And while I do enjoy Fëanorian!Elrond, the more I think about it the more I am convinced Elrond is not the fëanorian one of the twins. Elros is. Elros who adopted seven eight pointed stars as the heraldic device of his whole dynasty, a symbol still used 6000 years after his death. Elros who had Quenya be the official language of Númenor. Elros who decided to leave Arda for an unknown fate after his death; not Everlasting Darkness but not the rebirth in the bliss of Valinor either. He choose to go to a place Elves aren’t supposed to go, just like Fëanor and his sons went back to Beleriand. Elros, the mortal man, who decided to forge his own path in the world.

And I am not saying Elrond didn’t, because Eru knows how much strength, patience and stubbornness Elrond must have to become who he is in LotR. But when I first re-read LotR after reading the Silm, he did not strike me as Fëanorian at all (except for the no oath swearing rule that seems to apply in Rvendell). In fact, Elrond, and all three of his children, are defined by being half-Elven. Elrond is so much at the same time they had to creat a whole new category for him. He is described as kind as summer in The Hobbit, but also old and wise, and his friendly banter with Bilbo in FotR show he is also merry and full of humour. Elrond is both Elf and Man despite his immortality, and this is made quite clear in the text.

But. If I had to link him to an Elven clan, I’d say Elrond is more Sinda than Noldor, and even that is up to debate. Rivendell, this enchanting valley hidden from evil thanks to his power, is like a kinder version of Doriath. Yet, the name of Last Homely House and Elrond’s boundless hospitality make me think of Sirion: Rivendell is a place where lost souls can find s home, where multiple cultures live along each other in friendship and peace.

In FotR, Elrond introduces himself as the son of Eärendil and Elwing, claiming both his lineages instead of giving only his father’s name as is tradition amongst the Elves. It may be a political move, or it may be a genuine wish to claim his duality, his otherness, or even both at the same time. But from what is shown of Elrond in LotR, he seems to lean heavily in the symbols and heritage from the Sindar side of his family, rather than the Noldor one. I already gave the comparison with Doriath, but it seems history repeats itself as Arwen, said to be Lúthien reborn, chooses a mortal life. Yet Elrond doesn’t make the same mistake as Thingol by locking his daughter in a tower and sending her suitor to a deathly quest. Yes, he asks Aragorn to first reclaim the throne of Gondor before marrying Arwen, but this isn’t a whim on his part or an impossible challenge. Aragorn becoming king means that Middle-Earth is free from the shadow if Sauron and Arwen will live in peace and happiness. Which sounds like a reasonable wish for a parent to me.

Anyways, I went on a tangent, what strikes me with Elrond is his multiple identity. Elrond certainly has habits or traits coming from his upbringing amongst the Fëanorians, and he loved Maglor despite everything. The fact he is a skilled Minstrel shows he did learn and cultivate skills taught by a Fëanorion, that he is not rejecting them. There is a passage at the end of RotK, in the Grey Havens chapter, where Elrond is described carrying a silver harp. Is this a last relic from Maglor? Possible.

But while Elros choose the path of mortality and showed clear Noldorin influences in the kingdom he built, Elrond is happy in his undefined zone he lives in. He is an Elf, he is a Man, he is Sinda and Noldo and heir to half a dozen lost cultures and two crowns. He is the warrior and the healer, the only one of his kind in Middle-Earth. And that is why I will never tire of this character and I love so much fanworks depicting him as nuanced and multiple yet always recognisable as Elrond.

[dragon-ashes1485]

Maglor: Elrond where is Elros?

Elrond: theoretically, if he was hungry and I gave him some berries to eat and that theoretically made him sick, would you theoretically tell me off?

Maedhros, shouting in the distance: MAGLOR SOMEONE BROKE THE ANGRY ONE.

Elros, between coughs: I thought you knew your plants Elrond?!

Maglor, pinching the bridge of his nose: Valar save me.

[inthehouseoffinwe]

Y’know when you’re tired and come across the wrong post at the wrong time and just. Pure rage. For no reason whatsoever.

I’m feeling rather bitter at Elwing rn (it was a very well written ficlet and I admire the writer, I’m just tired and unwell 😂) so you get a little fic of me getting that out. Content warning done.

Here we go!

Elrond and Elros can’t stand most depictions of their mother.

White feathered wings, plain white gown billowing in the sea breeze around her slight figure, two dark shapes reaching taloned hands for the brilliant gem around her neck. Desperate expression on a too round face with wide eyes looking towards her sons. It makes them sick.

Because Elwing wasn’t soft and innocent. Elwing wasn’t like that at all.

Sharp, angular features. Grey slivers for eyes more often clouded than not. White? Yes she wore white. But it was the white of a desert sun, the white of cold starlight, merciless and unfeeling as elves were dragged to the darkness.

And she’d loved her sons, yes, but it was the love of an ideal. Elwing was young and far from ready for the burdens of motherhood alongside ruling a city in her husband’s ever growing absences. And the gem-

Well. The less said about the silmaril, the better.

The Sindar more than others remain desperate for a symbol of innocence, a sign of their claim to the stolen jewel over the sons of it’s creator. So they present their winged princess bathed in holy light whilst the sons of Fëanor cower from it’s brilliant glow.

But Elrond and Elros remember how the stone sang when Maedhros and Maglor arrived, just as they remember their mother’s fury at its song.

You see, Elwing loved her sons. But she didn’t jump to save them.

Elrond and Elros saw the beginnings of regret, but they also remember her steadfast determination to keep what was never hers, cold starlight and unyielding sun meshing to cruel pride as she fell. It wasn’t holy light but white hot fire that clashed with the silmaril to send her screaming as the stone rejected her grasp, burning brighter than ever as she flew to her husband.

Elrond’s arrival to Valinor and the white scars radiating from Elwing’s hand to her chest confirm what he knew all along.

It wasn’t innocence that crowned her the day Sirion fell.

Because years before Maedhros and Maglor had fallen victim to the Silmaril’s hallowing, Elwing the White had paid the price for her false claim. And no matter how they tried to hide it, the consequences of that pride marked her to this day.

[storkofyore]

Trigger warning: blood

“This love it is a burning sun // Shining light on the things that we’ve done.”

I’ve been working on these pieces for a few days, and I tried to include as much slight symbolism as I could.

I’m rather pleased with the end result of these drawings, frankly.

[braxix]

Elrond: I swear on my brother's life-

Elros: If I knew I was going to die today I would have bullied you more.

[iminye]

→ elros & elrond — the first king of númenor and the lord of the last homely house

[serene-faerie]

Elrond and Elros have different ways of expressing their anger towards the Fëanorians as teenagers.

Elros is blunt in his anger. Whenever Maglor tries to apologize to him, tries to weakly justify the Third Kinslaying, Elros tells him where to shove it. He openly curses Maglor and Maedhros to their faces, uncaring of angering them. If Maglor even tries to give him a hug, Elros will push him away or slap his hands with a growl. "I hope your Oath destroys you the way you destroyed our home," Elros snarls at him and Maedhros more than once. "I hope you never get those accursed Silmarils ever again!"

Elrond isn't as blunt, but his anger is cold, scathing. Whenever Maglor tries to sing to him, like how he used to when he was younger, Elrond just gets up and walks away. If Maglor tries to talk to him, Elrond remains silent and glares at Maglor until he gives up. He never shouts or curses at Maglor like Elros does, but he expresses his anger quietly. His words are harsh, cutting deeper than even a blade ever could. "You drove our mother into the sea after slaughtering her kindred twice," Elrond tells him and Maedhros coldly. "And you truly thought that I would forget about it?"

Their feelings towards Maedhros and Maglor were no doubt complicated. As children, they were able to develop a tentative love for Maglor, who was kind enough to raise them.

But now, as teenagers, Elrond and Elros are able to make sense of their nightmares. They understand what Maedhros and Maglor did to their mother, how they drove her to throw herself into the sea. Their teenage years are tense and difficult. They both long to escape the Fëanorians, but to where? Morgoth controls virtually all of Beleriand. The Havens of Sirion are destroyed. There's no place of safety in Middle-earth anymore.

But then, the War of Wrath begins. The host of the Valar has arrived in Middle-earth, ready to wage war upon Morgoth. This was their chance.

And so, in the middle of the night, the twins escape to fight alongside the Valar.

And not once do they look back at the Fëanorian camp.

[erdarieldraws]

Children of Sirion (After Albert Edelfelt's Leikkiviä poikia rannalla/Boys playing on the shore)

I've had this idea for over a year now, and took @fall-for-tolkien's Scribbles & Drabbles event as an excuse to go for it. And just oh my god it took me so incredibly long, I was close to giving up several times while working on it. Still not entirely happy with it, but that's how it is with art, I guess. It's cute enough

My parodying-classic-Finnish-art pieces tend to always be my most complicated works, but even next to the rest of those that i've done, this is certainly the most elaborate and the one that took me most time and effort

[elven-sisters]

I've always wandered how it happened that Maedhros and Maglor adopted twins, so why not like this?

If it comes to their tails... maybe just don't ask (or ask if you want, but it's kinda silly story) ✨