#I HAVE BEEN ON A JOURNEY WITH CELEBORN

[liminal-zone]

here to talk about celeborn

hiiiiii hello ::taps mic::

My Celeborn hot take: some ship Celedriel purely to be Haladriel antis, some ship it bcs of a bizarre male fantasy that is not supported by any text. Some ignore him. Some are ambivalent. Some find him interesting. Some are obsessed. It is a distinct spread!!

When he’s used as a cudgel, babes, I’m not a fan.

(Now, when I get to play with him and Sauron, feat. Galadriel, I’m the happiest! See lizzenfic: somewhere in the haze (LOTR | Celeborn/Sauron | Stockholm Syndrome | Rated M) 

I’ve been on such a journey with the character since 2001 (yall. I love Marton Csokas. I was raised by Xena????) and I’d consider myself between interested and obsessed with Celeborn now (displaced and lost prince?? Doriath sounds like MADNESS), and in certain arguments, I am a ride or die. But I am very sus when people use him for an agenda. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Here’s another Celeborn hot take: because of how much I enjoyed Elrond/Galadriel and especially Adar/Galadriel in season two, I am certain that whenever Celeborn shows up, I’ll be like LATE, AS USUAL, PRINCELING. THERE’S ROMANCE-WORK THAT NEEDS DOING. (Sauron, quietly pointing to himself and mouthing “me?”)

[cottoncandiescupcakes]

Things I manifest for TROP season 3

Numenor gets flooded as Queen Miriel predicted but what I REALLY want is for the worm, who has been used and mistreated for probably ages, she has spears in her tail, to swim INTO THE FLOODED CITY AND EAT PEOPLE. This is my dream. I need this. It can eat Kemen or Pharazon LOL do it. If it swam up and ate Kemen and that is what his mother predictted?

Celeborn is alive but held in an orc dungeon and needs to be rescued by Galadriel. Do it. Just do it. And no he won't compete with anything she may have with Sauron, Elrond or anyone else, he's just by her side no matter what and probably stays in Lindon to recover from his injuries and is someone she can find comfort in. That's it. I want him to still be boring and played by a blandly handsome slow speaking individual. Don't change perfection.

A flashback with Jack Lowden's baby Sauron/Mairon and Melkor or Morgoth played by someone talented, tall dark and pale. Would love this. Just more of this era in general. I loved that other scene so much. I NEED more of this whole gothic old medieval vibe that scene had, perhaps even earlier so we see Mairon change and embrace darkness.

More Numenor but I want the stuff from the books with Sauron manipulating Pharazon and I want Sauron or this version of Annatar done up in beautiful Numenorian garnments and gold jewerly and slightly bronzed skin because here, he is seducing Pharazon.

Galadriel, Elrond, Arondir and Gil-Galad try to rescue Numenor from Sauron, this is probably a big part of the season. I'd love to see Sauron take over and perhaps, you will see things to do with the ring wraiths, the Witch King, the mouth of Sauron, all men he twisted. Also this is where Gil-Galad and Elendil, who will one day try to take on Sauron together, possibly meet

I'd like cameos by King Oropher and young Thranduil like maybe Arondir connecting more with his wood elf side he could go on that kind of journey to go visit the Woodland Realm and maybe warn his people of Sauron that way

Elrond.. keep doing your thing. You are amazing.

[anneangel]

Tolkien said that one of the things he didn't like about LotR was that the book was too short.

In a way I agree with him, because I found the ending so rushed [others always say "that evil" is destroyed in the middle of the book and everything after is just an long epilogue] and yet I found it rushed. And I wanted a lot of the appendices to be narrated chapters, it was interesting to see what the lives of each member of the Fellowship were like in the appendices, but I wanted chapters about.

And I would also like to have seen, narrated chapters, of the Battle of Dale, with Brand (Son of Bain, son of Bard) and Dáin fighting three days against enemy armies and dying. I wish had read a narrative of Thranduill and Celeborn uniting in Mirkwood and destroying Dul Guldur once and for all, and then dividing the region between them. When LotR informs that the others would not come to battle because they already had war at their gates, I wanted the plot to split to show this in other parts.

A better development of the romance between some characters would also be interesting, the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen already makes me cry every time I read it, but I feel like it would be more interesting as a narrative than an appendix. If their marriage went on for another 100 pages I wouldn't mind. And I would like Arwen and Elrond's conversations not to be just subtext.

Faramir and Éowyn, I really love them as a couple, but I think more pages dedicated to their romance would also be interesting. Sam and Rose? I would have liked it more if we had more mentions of the girl throughout the journey, if Sam mentioned her more often throughout the plot, so maybe the end wouldn't seem so sudden. When I say that don't like the development of the "love pairings" in LotR, it's not that I don't like the characters or the ships, but that the narrative wasn't enough for me. Don't get me wrong, I love LotR. But I wanted there to be more to be "narrated" than "told" or "implied" or "pointed out in the appendices."

Yes, I also thought the book was too short. There is a lot between the lines that could come to light more. It could have been another thousand pages. And perhaps it still wasn't enough. How could anyone think that LotR is a very long book?

Maybe that's the problem with Tolkien creating such a complex Universe with such interesting characters: no matter how long the book was, it would never be enough. Because as a fan, I would always want more and more of it. More immersion at all points. Is it always like this with authors who create universes that seem so incredible to read? And when it's gone, it's not enough to fill the void.

And all the posthumous books, like The Silmarillion, or Unfinished Tales (and others), with the tone of "organized drafts" and "told" instead of narrated most of the time, weren't enough for me. I still wanted so much more. And I never will have it. Don't get me wrong, I liked the posthumous books, I think Christopher Tolkien did a good work. But still, when reading, I always asked myself "if this had been published by Tolkien during his lifetime, would it have been like this? What would he have changed yet? What would he have more refined?".

Because, as much as other fans like to see posthumous books as a "canonical" part of the work, like complements. I can only see as unfinished drafts, which it truly are. No matter how well organized are, even The Silmarillion is just a draft organized in the best way, Christopher T says this.

The letters don't count for me either, because Tolkien changed his mind about several things, just like in the drafts.

So I feel that, although the Tolkien Universe is vast, there are a lot of drafts and letters, and little work is actually completed. I liked the posthumous books and the fact that they expanded the universe even further and provided more information. But it becomes a “vicious cycle”, as the information contained there also brings more desire for it be narrated by Tolkien himself in an book he finished (but will never be! Unfortunately).

And that saddens me. Because I wanted so much more. And Tolkien didn't live long enough to give it. In the end, it's a mix of happiness for what Tolkien gave, and sadness for what he still could have given.

[conundrumoftime]

Been thinking about this, and here's why I'm more focused on what TROP might be doing with Celeborn than what it's planning to do with Haladriel at the moment:

With Galadriel and Sauron, I already know how that's going to end. They're going to end up 3000 years in the future as each others' chief adversaries where she's still tempted by the power that TROP has framed with Sauron's offer to her, and he's still constantly trying to get into her mind. So there are not that many ways the show can mess this up for me because I know that's the end-point. What's on-screen might be more or less appealing to me but the overall direction is set.

With Celeborn, though, they could really mess this up.

I do not say this just because I like canon Celeborn or that ship. (Although I do! And I still get to continue writing it in Silm/LOTR canon if TROP messes it up.) I say this more because I really like TROP Galadriel, and so much genre TV I've loved before has had an abysmal record at putting a female main character in an established relationship. So many times, it's effectively the conclusion of her character arc. So many times, interesting moral ambiguities, flaws, imperfections, ambitions, everything that's driven her part in the plot forward, are parked for Aren't They Sweet. 'Married' and 'parent' are seen as personalities for female characters in a way that they are not for male characters.

I like TROP's Galadriel. I like that she is flawed and that her flaws carry her story forward. I like her confidence, her grief, her loyalty, her single-mindedness, her response to being disrespected in that Númenor throne room to be to inflame the situation to the point where even Sauron the Dark Lord went "woah there".

I do not want her to stay unchanged for the whole show. At this point she is still driven so much by grief and pain and regret and in season 1 by isolation above all. I do want to see that get better for her, but not in a way where it changes her whole personality (& I've talked before about how I don't think the Galadriel we meet in LOTR is an all-knowing all-gentle wise forest lady) or reduces her to a background figure.

Introducing Celeborn to TROP could go, broadly, 3 ways:

One: they leave him out until the end, and reintroduce him as part of her happy ending. I would not love this - as I said before, I like him, I like that ship, and I want to see her husband and their marriage as playing parts in her story, not a prize delivered to her for successfully completing it; I want her conflicted feelings about Sauron to continue with Celeborn in the picture, I don't want the show suggesting to me she's only got those conflicted feelings because he's not currently there. "Well done for not flirting with Sauron recently! Here's your husband back :) now you get to be happy and have a baby :)" - deeply boring for me. But at least I'd only be bored for the last episode or two.

Two: they introduce him earlier and do something interesting with him, probably tying him to one of the other plots, maybe introducing him before telling us who he is so we get to know him as a character rather than as Galadriel's Husband. This would let them use that relationship to explore more of Galadriel's character journey in a far more interesting way than just awarding him to her at the end.

He's been away for centuries; the way she described him when he left, he was quite sheltered, he wasn't used to war, his memory seems very tied up in her mind with her own younger, happier, more naive self. And now he's back. Has he changed as much as she has? Has the war broken him too? Has he maybe not wanted to come back? Does he have his own traumas, his own griefs, his own goals and motivations, that may clash with hers? What's he going to think when he meets this Galadriel? What's she going to think when she meets him? How do you rebuild a marriage when you're effectively strangers to each other? What's he going to think of Sauron's offer - does he know Galadriel well enough to understand why she was tempted? Would he have been tempted? Might he still be? This could be really interesting and is by far my favourite option.

Three: They bring him back in a way that sidelines Galadriel in the narrative, blunts all the interesting sharp edges of her character, gives her 'married' as a personality, and makes her temptation by Sauron not something that exists because of who she is and what drives her, but something that only existed because her husband was not around and now he's back they can walk off into the sunset holding hands. Insert Darth Vader "NOOOOOOOO" scream here.

I don't think the show would go that route. Durin and Disa show that they can write a married couple fine (as a parent myself I cannot tell you how inspirational it was to see Disa in s1 deftly lying to Elrond while doing bedtime for her small children, because damn that takes skill). The showrunners and writers are invested in Galadriel; they clearly like the opportunity that less-canonically-fleshed-out characters give them to really play around. But! Like I said, I have been burnt on this one so many times, and my fear is that it's just what they'll do because they think the story calls for it in the same way they do Big Epic End-Of-Season Battle Sequence because they think the story calls for that.

I really really really so much do not want this to happen to Galadriel or her story, and so will continue to worry to some degree or another until I get some sense of what on earth they're planning to do with Celeborn.

[melestasflight]

Arafinwëan Reading List

compiled by Melesta, in no particular order, for @arafinwean-week. Why not find someone new to read?

Wanderlust by @cuarthol The finrodest Finrod. Finrod the explorer, the one who seeks and finds beauty in all things. Fenomenal worldbuilding.

Finrod: 30-Day Character Study also by @cuarthol An in-depth exploration of Finrod’s character, canon analysis, headcanons, beautiful written and visual creations to inspire.

Many a Dreadful Path, part of the Atandil series by @eilinelsghost Beren comes to Nargothrond in hope and grief, and stirs Finrod’s oath to wakefulness. The entire Atandil series is a masterpiece, but this segment is fresh in my mind and had me gasping.

keepsake by @welcomingdisaster Another fantastic piece on Finrod and his Bëorians over the generations. A family archeology and a nice dose of heart-wrench. 

The Gift by @fadesintothewest An oldie but goodie, pairing my beloved Finrod with Russingon. Full of magic, songs, eroticism and all that good Finwëan rebelliousness.    

Little Lords of the Brine by @eilinelsghost One more by frankie that’s close to my heart: Finrod and Orodreth reborn, all feelings and a new beginning.

Let Not My Love Be Called Idolatry by @sallysavestheday In a Dark Wood Wandering by @elentarial Speaking of Orodreth, I have been thoroughly sold on the appeal of the Orodreth/Túrin ship, particularly by these two stories.

Across So Wide a Sea by @emyn-arnens Half-way through this Galadriel epistolary piece and loving it so much already. Digging into the little-explored “what after Beleriand.” 

Scion of— by @gwaedhannen A short thing that, nevertheless, bites. On Galadriel and the newest High King of the Noldor.

Tapestry of Years by @niennawept The Patience of the Oak by @imakemywings I have a weak spot for all things Galadriel/Melian and these two pieces tick every box about this ship.

Snakes and Ladders by @polutrope A Valinor smut burlesque featuring the Arafiinwëans and their respective Fëanorian lovers. Young Artanis under polu's pen is quite something, trust me.   

empty spaces by @queerofthedagger An angst fest of the highest quality, starting with papa Finarfin and going down the line. This one has me in a chokehold.

in the hills of dorthonion by @emyn-arnens More by Arveldis because they are my go-to Aegnor/Andreth writer. Stories full of feelings, of gorgeous nature, of all the bittersweetness that keeps this pairing so close to my heart.

Fire Dance by justonelastdance Aegnor/Fingon, tethering on that sweet border between friendship and romance, is a pairing that I have been stuck on for ages and justonelastdance finally made my dreams come through.

Sundering by @zealouswerewolfcollector Fingon faces the Arafiinwëans in the aftermath of his participation in the kinslaying at Alqualondë. I’ve read this 3 times, at least.  

Song of Sirion by @welcomingdisaster I learned to love Finduilas with this fic. Featuring long journeys, battles, dogs and her emerging friendship with Edrahil. 

one whole with my other by @i-am-a-lonely-visitor Indis rules, endures, lives, until one by one, her beloved people return to her from the Halls. And yes, she is on this list, because without the matriarch there would be no Arafinwëan anything. 

The Forest House by @balrogballs Every Blessed Mark by @searchingforserendipity25 Two gorgeous Celrond pieces, my comfort pairing, featuring love, scars and the complexity of all things endurance over the ages.

Some of my own attempts to tackle the Arafiinwëans:

Voices That Were Once Ours Finrod and Maglor rebuild a friendship and compose the Noldolantë. 

crowned with the Sun Celeborn expects his first meeting with the golden Noldo princess to be a tense diplomatic ordeal. He’s quickly proven wrong.

as a naked flame and The Golden Poppies of Dorthonion Aegnor and Andreth, Edain lore and foresight.

Stay, Forever and filled with wonder and delight Celebrían and Elrond, falling in love, staying in love.

Scion of Kings  Finduilas and Orodreth at the doorstep of Nargothrond’s fall.

seducing the Edain Finrod, Aegnor and Fingon at Barad Eithel, co-written with @polutrope

This list is most definitely incomplete -- I pulled only what was in my recent-ish bookmarks. Always looking for more recs.

[redeclipsee]

This is just going to be a little rant about Galadriel, Haladriel, Celeborn and other thingies I've seen discourse about lately. And this is by no means discrediting people's opinions. I just wanted to talk about it lol

I've always been pro-ship. Ship whatever the hell you want. "Problematic" ships, morally wrong ships, just whatever. As long as you're not being an asshole to other people.

Which led me to Haladriel. Haladriel is easily the most popular ship of the show, and with the end of S2, I've seen people attacking the ship, but I've seen more people demanding for Haladriel to become "canon" and absolutely shitting on other characters, plots and fans who enjoy other parts of the show that don't revolve around the ship. And it's quite embarrassing.

In the show, Sauron and Galadriel are foil characters to each other. I don't think hoping for them to face each other each season is unrealistic or even bad. In fact, it's expected. Whenever Sauron chooses darkness, Galadriel will choose light. It's a dance with those characters. 

BUT demanding the romantic ship to become canon and being mean to everyone who says otherwise is bad. You don't need canon to ship them or read them as romantic (because let's be real, the show left it to interpretation, and it's fantastic). Sauron and Galadriel being canon makes absolutely no sense with the lore, the world and the characters. We already know what the characters end up like, so being childish because they won't kiss is embarrassing.

Which leads me to some people hating the character Celeborn. We haven't even seen him in the show and yet, top 5 hated characters. I've seen more people attacking people who want Celeborn and Celeborn and Galadriel giving the most absolute insane takes; "he's boring", "you want Galadriel to be a tradwife", "you just hate Haladriel shippers“, among others. Which all of them are insane. How can you say he’s boring when we haven’t even seen him on the show? Galadriel can be happy, have a loving husband and be badass, be for real. And well, people can ship whatever. If people like Celedriel more than Haladriel is their right? Just as people can dislike Celedriel and like Haladriel, just be kind to each other idk.

SAURON & GALADRIEL

For me, there was a little romance between Galadriel and Sauron on S1. I think Sauron fell in love with her light and her power. I think Galadriel fell in love with the understanding that Halbrand gave her that she couldn’t find in anyone else, her “darkside” was understood. But Sauron’s idea of love can’t be anything but twisted and Galadriel could never really love Sauron. So yes, for me, there was love, but it was twisted.

Sauron is obsessed with her light. He wanted her power just as he wanted Celebrimbor’s art. And he won’t ever renounce it, so he’ll chace it and tempt her at every occasion he can, because he wants her light. Sauron, who thinks he needs to control everyone on Middle Earth to “heal” it, naturally has an obsession with the Lady of Light.

But that’s all there is. Because Galadriel could never truly love Sauron even when he’s the only one that could understand her darkest desires the most. 

GALADRIEL'S JOURNEY

I’ve seen people saying that her speech of “all peoples of Middle Earth will always resist you” is bad because it makes Galadriel abandon her personal goal of hunting Sauron for the greater good, not allowing a woman to have her own agency and advocating for everyone else. And well, I would agree if we weren’t talking about a Tolkien adaptation.

S1 Galadriel is galloping alone. No one believes her, no one understands her, and she can’t stop her quest. She’s prideful and selfish to an extent, and it’s her choices alone, her own internal desire to bring Sauron down that, unaware, brings him back to Middle Earth. She fucks up monumentally. 

S2 Galadriel is about the consequences of her actions, but also, realizing she’s not alone. Her letting go of Finrod's dagger at the end of S1 was a beautiful way of letting go of her quest. Gil-Galad and Galadriel’s relationship in S2 shines because Gil-Galad is harsh on her as much as he believes in her, and he tells her that. S2 Galadriel has no company and has to deal with the tables turned around by being part of Elrond’s company. Elrond, who was also acting stubborn like a mule and refused to listen to anyone (just like her S1 self). S2 Galadriel is about her finding that she’s not alone and that Finrod’s quest is over, and it’s time to fight for Middle Earth, all of it.

Going forward is about her becoming the Lady of Light that we know in Lord of the Rings. And yes, she’ll always have a darkside, she’ll always be prideful and ambitious, and I’m so excited to see hints of that in the upcoming seasons, but I don't think saying her putting aside her personal and prideful quest is bad is fair to the story the show is trying to tell. This is Tolkien, and it makes complete sense for it to be like that.

So yeah, in resume… I love Haladriel, but I don’t want them to ever be canon. I can’t wait for Celeborn to show up, and I can’t wait to see how the show develops Galadriel’s journey in the upcoming seasons! Just remember to be kind to other people, even if they don’t like your ships.

[neyafromfrance95]

i don't see how celeborn and celebrian would suddenly end galadriel's feelings for sauron (whether it's hate or love) anyways?

the lorebors demanding celeborn+celebrian to be introduced so that galadriel's role can be reduced to just that of a wife and a mother so she stops having her solo journeys, stops fighting and stops being obsessed with sauron are so delusional.

celebrian is not born yet in trop! several timelines have been changed for convenience!

but in lotr, celeborn/celebrian already existed in galadriel's life when galadriel was tempted for something else, something more. with trop context, that "something else" is not only power but sauron as well!

i think people are forgetting that galadriel fought sauron till the end, and sauron groped for her till the end. her having a family and a kingdom didn't end their whole push & pull.

i don't want galadriel to be this perfect tradwife mother mary, she ain't MY wife or mother! i aint the one projecting my fantasies of divine feminine on her!

i want her to be a complicated character that she has always been in the lore but with an added trop canon! to have it all, the kingdom(s)/husband/daughter/grandchildren but still be tempted to turn her back on it all and long for something different! to feel alone even with all the friends and family she has, bc they are not sauron!

i want a gray female character who represents the light yet thirsts for power and rulership, thus for the one who is intrinsically connected to these temptations, the one who promised to bind her to power and to make her a queen!

and interestingly, even after she passes the test, galadriel takes nenya to valinor!

do you understand that trop entirely recontextualizes this detail? it implies that she NEVER gets over sauron...

bc nenya is the reminder of her ambitions, of her fight AND of sauron!

the way nenya makes galadriel extremely long for sea, and the way in trop, sea = her connection with sauron??? insane. tragic. beautiful.

[d3sertdream3r]

I've been loving trop this season!! I am wondering how the whole SauronxGaladriel thing is going to play out though I'm nervous it won't be very satisfying with everything they've built up and all the marketing hype it's gotten. I'm worried they're baiting shippers to get more people to watch. Thoughts?

Oh boy, I have MANY thoughts!

I am absolutely DEVOURING this season, anon! The first episode in particular really blew me away. As a Saurondriel/Haladriel shipper, I thought all the direct parallels shown in Sauron and Galadriel’s journeys were PERFECT! 

I was worried they were going to retcon Sauron’s genuine feelings of despair and questioning if he should “repent” or not due to the amount of hate and toxicity from the usual suspects on the internet. Instead they really leaned into it, and I loved seeing The Dark Lord having nightmares. It’s a side of him we’ve never seen explored before! And that Annatar reveal… holy moly! Celebrimbor and I were both like: 

Galadriel has been breaking my heart in each episode. Elrond and Gil-Galad need to give my girl a break! Morfydd Clark’s acting is stellar. She is so heartbroken over not recognizing Sauron for who he truly was and even worse… catching feelings for him! She’s really going through it and it hurts, but it’s also brilliant on the writers’ part. 

Everyone else’s acting and stories are great too. Arondir was a favorite of mine last season and continues to be this season. Disa is FANTASTIC and I love her and Durin so much there aren’t any words to describe it. Isildur and Estrid are cute and I’m interested to see how their story plays out. I hardcore ship Elendil and Miriel, and his daughter needs to take a seat before she helps Pharazon destroy their home! I know the story, but MAN was it killing me to see how Eärien is contributing to its downfall in this show (in a good way… I think having her be involved with the opposite side of her father makes for great drama). 

As to the second part of your ask… I have been involved in many online fandoms for about 13 years now, and I gotta say that 98% of the time fans come up with way more interesting storylines than the creators of any show. A lot of the time they just don't deliver. I’ve been burned over and over again, so my bar is pretty low at this point. 

They’ve done a fabulous job with the Saurondriel dynamic so far, and I’ve seen some really interesting fan theories about Galadriel briefly joining Sauron or being taken prisoner by him. As truly fascinating as that would be, I’m not holding my breath. I think it’ll be a rehash of season one’s ending with more violence since they have swords this time around. After that, I’m guessing they’ll focus on Sauron gaslighting, gatekeeping, and girlbossing his way to the throne of hell while Galadriel and company work together to stop him. They’ve hinted at Celeborn a bit, I’m sure we’ll see them reunited at some point. 

I’m sorry if this isn’t very reassuring! I wish I could be more optimistic about Saurondriel in season 3, but I honestly don’t think Tolkien’s estate would go for Galadriel falling to the dark side in any capacity. Sauron taking her prisoner could happen, but I highly doubt it simply because as I said before, fans tend to have better ideas than a lot of creators in my opinion.

I could be completely wrong! I have just learned not to trust creators to handle things the BEST way, but that doesn't mean it won't be handled in a GOOD way. Hopefully that makes sense, lol. I think some people will be satisfied and some people won't, just like every other story. The shippy photoshoots and marketing have been delightful! I can't tell if they're baiting until I see the last episode. I think they were just having fun, but some comments from cast and creators would definitely seem a bit baity if the payoff is underwhelming. We'll see!

I really hope the season goes out with a bang and we all have something to love about it; especially Saurondriel shippers!

[polutrope]

Optional prompt for Ñolofinwëan Week-

Elrond going to Aman and meeting Elwing outside her tower.

Thank you! A day late for @nolofinweanweek but I liked this thought and decided to give it a go. Turned out to be more introspection than actual meeting, partly because I got carried away thinking about this beautiful art by @melestasflight. 400 words, G rating. On AO3.

There was a stained-glass window three times Elrond’s height on the west wall of Rivendell's library, depicting Elwing’s mythical leap into the sea: her naked body arcing to the sky as if in supplication, feathered arms outstretched behind her. At sundown, the clear crystal set where the Silmaril would have rested cast spears of coloured light in all directions. 

It had not been like that. Elrond would have remembered that. 

All he remembers – truly remembers – is a hollowness. 

There are scraps, of course, with which he has filled that hollowness over the years. On Amon Ereb, he and Elros sewed their blurry memories together to create a quilt in which they might swaddle themselves when the vastness of their loneliness became too much to bear. On Balar, others enriched those memories with their own. Círdan told them how her laughter rang like bells, and a memory that seemed his own (he could never be sure) threaded itself through Elrond’s mind. Later, he could not help but collect pieces of Lúthien passed down by Celeborn and Galadriel and, like precious gemstones, set them unartfully in the rough-hewn relief of his mother.

(It was Celeborn, not Elrond, who commissioned the stained glass in the library. He had never known Elwing, and yet his love for her seemed greater than her own son’s.)

By the time Elrond steps aboard the ship that will take him West, Elwing is more an eclectic assortment of baubles and trinkets, most of them broken and without use, than the beautiful woman whose crystallised image Elrond left behind along with all the rest of his former life. 

She is not there to greet him at the docks, nor did he expect she would be. Celebrían waits for a quiet moment alone to tell him she is waiting to see him, when he is ready. His beloved's presence lends him the strength he needs to make the journey to that far northern tower. 

When a small woman with cropped black hair steps out onto the threshold, smoothing her plain skirts, Elrond’s breath leaps from his lungs. 

“Celebrían said you like lemon cake,” she says. “I am afraid I am not much of a baker, but I grew the lemons myself in the solarium. If you’d like to come in, that is.”

“Mother.” Elrond barely stumbles through the word before fat tears fill his eyes. “Of course, I would love to come in.” 

[lya-dustin]

Balcmeg

the Gil-galad adopts an orc baby he found post Eregion inspired by artwork by @camilleflyingrotten

gif by @fukutomichi

Erinti is my OC from my fic I sang of Leaves of Gold

When they descended on the orc army, he did not expect to find a babe amongst the dead and dying in their enemy’s camps.

Gil-galad wished he could be sure this was the work of Sauron and not of the dwarf or elvish armies, but even the best of them cannot overcome their biggest fault.

A camp follower had brought her child and now begged for him to spare the baby in her arms with the last of her feä.

“You have my word. No harm will come to this child for as long as I live.” The Elf King promises to the dying orc woman who gives him her babe. “He will be raised alongside my own son; he will want for nothing. What is his name?”

“Balcmeg.”

Heart of Evil, a good strong name in orcish culture. After an orc who assailed Gondolin and was hewn to death by Tuor, Elrond’s grandfather.

Perhaps when he is old enough to choose his own name, one more suitable for him. Balcmeg would not grow to be a servant of Evil like his father and mother had been, he would be allowed to find his own place in the All-father’s Music away from Sauron.

Gil-galad had been named by his father Noble Fire only for time and age to prove he was more his mother’s son than anything and chose Gil-galad as a tribute to his mother, Gilher of the Falathrim.

“Well met, Balcmeg.” He holds the babe as if it were his own son, his little fire haired prince back in Lindon. He and his wife had struggled to have one child and now Eru had given them a second one to join his brother in the nursery.

His wife has become aware of this adoption through their unbreakable bond and the fear he had of her rejecting the child is quashed knowing his Lothíriel’s capacity to love was unending.

“Balcmeg Gil-galadion.” His mother smiles weekly as she passes from this world into the next. If what is said is true, then one day in Valinor Balcmeg’s mother will be reembodied into the elf Eru had intended for her to be and will be reunited with her child.

The king returns to his camp with a child most assume is a hostage.

“You cannot expect any elf woman to nurse him willingly.” Galadriel, his aunt, had been surprised by the new development. “You may be the High King, but even you cannot change hearts.”

She was the only one willing to care for the babe as he readied for his departure. His great-aunt was still weakened from her ordeal and could not travel for long, but the memories of her own child had been reawakened by this war orphan. The moment she can be excused from battle, she intends to seek out the Greenwood and see whether Oropher has had any new leads on Celeborn and Celebrian’s disappearance more than a century ago.

“I am aware, which is why I will depart for Lindon and entrust him to the one woman who will be more than willing to raise him as her own.” The battle had been lost; the survivors gathered in a place of safety until they can provide a good strategy for the next one.

Gil-galad would have preferred his wife to come to him, but he feared what the elves and dwarves here could do to the babe. It had taken many centuries for the king to let go of his hatred for the orcs, after how they defiled and tortured Finduilas he had not known he’d be capable of mercy for them until this day.

“Then give Erinti my most sincere congratulations on her new son, after a millennium without a child, the Valar have blessed her with two.”  His aunt placed the babe in his makeshift basket and readied him as she did for his first battle as King of the Noldor.

The only difference now was that she was helping him wrap a sling to keep the babe safely swaddled on his chest. Erinti would meet him halfway to keep the journey from being too taxing on their new son, she intended to nurse him from her own breast as she does with Finnellach, raise them as brothers and equals in their hearts.

Even if Finnellach is his heir and Balcmeg, a foundling.

Balcmeg would be the hope for his kind. The hope that they can rise against Sauron and come back to the Valar’s light.

Balcmeg Amdirorch, Prince of the Noldor, the Orc Hope.

[meadowlarkx]

Some March fic recs!

For Tolkien Fanfic Reading Month! Limiting myself to stories I read in March (but posted anytime). (header by Anna Zakharova on Unsplash)

picnic by @swanmaids - A bored and reckless Aredhel goes to Vána's orchards seeking adventure and has an experience. This lush and sexy fic feels like a warm summer afternoon. I love how seductive and eerie Vána is here!

Kiss and Marry by @thecoolblackwaves - Have you ever looked at Celegorm and Curufin and thought, "They should be the stars of a romcom"? No? This fic is here to reveal that wonder to you.

弄假成真 by Divano_Messiah - Maglor has been telling people at school that he has a boyfriend. Maedhros is jealous until he learns who it is. (I admit I read this via google translate, you can too...)

Envy by @polutrope - In Tirion, Maglor and Elemmírë struggle to handle each other's reputations with equanimity. The people around them try to respond. This fic is so funny and sweet--I love this take on Elemmírë and Fëanor's guest appearance is hilariously him.

Youthful Regrets by kitkatkaylie - Turgon and Maglor fall in love in Valinor before Turgon's engagement to Elenwë. I really like the personality contrasts of this ship, with Turgon opening up to Maglor, and how this story sketches out their relationship through the whole arc of Silm to its bitter separation.

I risk my life to make my name by @maironsbigboobs - The brave knight Galadriel goes on a journey to meet the Green Woman Melian and her fate, ft. adventures along the way. I love how Tolkien is blended with Arthurian conventions here--it works so well and brings out the myth vibes of Silm that I love so much!

Strange Currencies chapter 12 by @jouissants - This is such a beautifully-crafted tale in every regard, but I want to especially mention this flashback chapter I read in March, covering Maedhros' and Maglor's voyage on the swan ships up to just before Fëanor's death. The horror of the Fëanorian Noldor arriving in the dark with their distrust, inflated ego, and total lack of knowledge of Middle-earth comes through here so, so vividly--this part can be read by itself, go check it out!!

Oubliette by Stramonium - Horrifying and so vividly written scene of Maedhros in Angband, isolation, and monstrosity. Poetic and awful, I can't do it justice in summarizing it.

arrangement for flute and harp by @jouissants - Maedhros is determined to work late, so Maglor and Fingon decide to entertain each other. The Himring atmosphere and incredible character dynamics make this also really sexy smut such a wonderful story.

whatever you would crave by @eight-pointed-star - Sooo sexy ficlet in which Fingon and Maedhros attend to Maglor's Needs. Short but immensely powerful.

scherzo for ink and parchment by @dovewifes - Charming and comedic missives exchanged between Maedhros and Maglor during the Long Peace, ft. romantic endearments and the invention of emojis. Maedhros' so-apparent love for Maglor is something I especially cherish about this fun fic.

Star-kissed by @aipilosse - Celeborn of Doriath rescues recently-of-Gondolin (and silver-haired!) Celebrimbor from a predicament in Nan Dungortheb. Incredibly clever, funny, and hot!

Purification by @zealouswerewolfcollector - Thingol is curious about Maedhros: throne sex ensues. A favorite ship of mine in a flavor I'd never considered. Incredibly intense and super well-written.

Comfort from a Heavy Hand by @undercat-overdog - After the Bragollach, Mablung tends to an injured Beleg, and they seek comfort together. The wreckage and destruction of the battle feels so vivid in this one, and the dynamic of Beleg/Mablung as past teacher and student (and current battle companions) is wonderful.

Thou knowest to-night, and wilt know to-morrow by @welcomingdisaster - A brilliant installment in an ongoing Children of Húrin AU series that has the most beautiful, unsettling, and dreamlike atmosphere. In this fic Maedhros teaches "Cáno" about pleasure in preparation for their marriage bed. Catnip to me personally!!

Proxy by @aipilosse - Celebrimbor comes to reproach Celegorm in Nargothrond after Finrod's departure. They fuck. Gender, tension, messy and complicated emotional dynamics all around. The dirty talk is so so good.

Star of the Nevrast Shore by joanofarcstan - Silmarillion filk of one of my favorite folk songs! What more is there to say!! A sweet tale of Gondolin told from Voronwë's point of view, recounting the love between him, Tuor (the star of the Nevrast shore), Idril, and Maeglin.

A Light Burns in the Forest by fictional_hr_department - Thranduil and Oropher escape Menegroth with child Elwing. The title and art by @lycheesodas give me chills and the atmosphere of the fic as they make their disorienting journey to Sirion really brings to life the terrible aftermath of the second kinslaying.

By Your Side by HiyoriTomioka - fem!Eärendil and Elwing support each other in this ficlet... such a good vision of this ship, and the way Eärendil thinks about Tuor and Idril here with longing uncertainty makes me think of a trans!Eärendil even though that is not explicit.

Something Sleepless in Mirkwood by @imakemywings - Thranduil sickens as the Greenwood does. Elrond tries to heal him, but can't understand at first what's happening. Brilliant and canon-compliant (To Me) wry, proud, and eerie woodland king Thranduil--go give this a read!

A boat, my boat, out upon the River by Tethys_resort - Sméagol is trying to craft his own boat to take fishing. His family keeps getting in the way. This sweet fic paints such an idyllic picture of proto-Hobbit life and made me really feel the tragedy of Gollum.

The Fortress by TheLegendCreator - Brief and haunting fic in which a Dwarf visits the ruins of Himring and they have a conversation. I love the view this offers of Maedhros and the fierce loyalty Himring and its folk had for him.

one whole with my other by @i-am-a-lonely-visitor - Indis' marriage to Finwë is transferred to bind her instead to reembodied Míriel. This turns out to be a good thing. An incredibly touching, beautifully wrought and worldbuilt story. I just love it so much.

The Number One Exercise for Relieving Work-Related Stress (Click to Find Out!) by @imakemywings - Date night in Mirkwood. Maglor (Noldorin princess, ex-kinslayer) adorns herself for the benefit of Thranduil (the Elvenqueen)--or that's her plan, anyway. This story is so sexy, so funny, and honestly so touching. I just adore this ship as a happy ending for Maglor and their relationship is gorgeously fleshed out here.

Cousin, Sister, Lover, Queen by broken_pencils - Lesbian Éowyn discovers desire... through Éomer's betrothed Lothíriel. Lothíriel is a stealth fav for me from the Éomer fics I used to read as a kid and I really enjoyed her here, and the lush atmosphere of this story.

His Return by @danmeiljie - Beautiful, tender scene of Maedhros and Maglor reuniting as per @tari-cua's art. Such lovely descriptions in this one and so cozy.

[red-raven-reading]

So, I've been thinking about Rings of Power.

It's shit - don't get me wrong - but I can't get over an idea of how it conceptually could have been better: replace Galadriel with Celebrian as the main character.

That way, Celebrian's journey could have been about exploring the realms outside of her parents' watch. Galadriel, being the terrifying queen she is, who has seen literally every single member of her family except her parents brutally murdered, is immediately all for imprisoning her in the highest tree Thingol style. Only Celeborn, her less powerful but much loved and respected husband, reminds her that that didn't work for Lúthien and Celebrian would lose all respect for them.

So, Galadriel arranges for Celebrian to visit her cousin Celebrimbor because it's closest, and she's always gotten on with him.

In Eregion, Celebrian meets her cousin and his 'friend' Annatar but is just excited to explore away from her mother. She's eager, excitable, and determined to show that she's more than her mother's daughter. This is why she is so supportive of Celebrimbor making the rings as she can't imagine negative consequences and only sees the magic and artistry involved.

Because of her sheltered upbringing, Celebrian also doesn't see that Celebrimbor/Annatar are really toxic and that Celebrimbor is clearly being abused. Emotionally/mentally/physically. Do you think Galadriel would let that shit stand in her kingdom? Absolutely not! So, Celebrian just can't comprehend such a thing.

Elrond arrives as well - maybe about mithril? - and the two have a sweet romance, but Elrond is more aware of the darkness in the world. It's him who smells something fishy about Annatar, but Celebrian refuses to see it at first because she trusts her friends. Maybe they argue, and he returns to Lindon and Gil-galad with it still between them?

Her trust is broken when Sauron reveals himself, and Celebrian inspires Celebrimbor to make the three rings to show the strength of the elves is not gone yet.

Celebrian has to mature from sheltered Disney Princess to deal with the situation she helped create. Galadriel was an established leader, queen, advisor, and badass by the second age, so it makes it hard to see greenlighting the rings without thinking about consequences or trusting Annatar blindly. Celebrian, on the other hand, would be naïve and powerful enough for her to make such costly mistakes. Also, processing abusive relationships, reunion with Elrond after finding out the truth, the guilt of your actions being warped into something evil, and all that fun stuff!

... Idk, just an idea that I keep coming back to.

[crownedwithstars]

It's thinking about Galadriel hours again and the thing stuck in my head lately is that whether she identified more with her Teleri kin than with her Noldor relatives and I think there are strong arguments to be made for this, and specifically after the Kinslaying at Alqualondë.

The process maybe starts before that, I think. Finarfin maybe always felt more at ease at Alqualondë, and probably took his children often to the city of their maternal grandfather. Meanwhile there's the whole political drama in the royal court of Tirion and her uncles being absolute nightmares, and she might have observed how much more peaceful it was at Alqualondë. She is sure to be taking notes at this point, however, because where would Galadriel learn her subtlety, her skill at diplomacy and savvy for politics than in the hot mess that is royal court of Tirion? It's like watching a trainwreck. She is still ambitious, though, and the unrest of Noldor inflames her as well as the most of her kin.

But the march into freedom doesn't turn out like she imagined. Suddenly, her Noldorin uncles and cousins are slaughtering her Teleri kin. According to some drafts, Galadriel participates in the Kinslaying, and fights to protect her mother's people.

She doesn't heed the warnings of the Valar and turn back with her father, though. She keeps going. Her ambition is still too strong, and maybe she feels guilty and ashamed about Alqualondë? Perhaps there is a sense of culpability: after all, she is one of the leaders of the rebellion. She actively lent credence to the whole thing and that may have contributed to why some of the Noldor decided to join the march. Whether or not she participated the fighting, maybe she feels she should have done more to protect her mother's kin, and can't bear to face her or her surviving relatives in Alqualondë after that. It's better to keep going.

Interestingly, Galadriel remains with Fingolfin's host only long enough to get to Middle-earth. Despite of her ambition, she doesn't go on to claim land for herself to rule over, she isn't fighting alongside with her brothers, and she doesn't spend time in their camps or realms (except perhaps for a time in Nargothrond). Instead, Galadriel goes to Doriath and stays there in the court of Thingol, and the kin of her mother who never completed the journey into the West. She studies under Melian's tutelage and this has such a powerful impact on Galadriel that Lothlórien under her rule is extremely similar to the model she adopted from Melian. She becomes engaged to and eventually marries a Sinda, Celeborn. It's as if Galadriel at this point has been disillusioned by whatever Noldor have going on, and wishes to have no part in it. I think it would make a lot of sense that this change is specifically informed by the First Kinslaying and not wanting to deal with her cousins who fought and killed her Teleri kin. Perhaps the warnings of Valar and the Doom of Noldor also make her second-guess the very reasons that brought her people to exile. Either way, Galadriel is going to do her own thing.

The most beautiful of her names, the one name she uses forevermore, is given to her by a Sinda.

It's telling that she never does fulfill that youthful ambition of setting up a realm of her own, although she does act in leadership roles. It seems almost like she takes this position in spite of herself, and because the Elves of Middle-earth offer it to her and want to follow her. Even then, she adopts their customs and lifestyle, and shows respect to other cultures too, although her background could have made her incredibly haughty against peoples of Middle-earth. And why would the Sindar and Silvan elves respect her, a Noldorin princess related to Kinslayers who took the lives of their families and friends, if they too didn't see her rather as the daughter of Eärwen than of Finarfin?

[cycas]

Elwing, Elros & Elrond ramblings

I imagine that Elwing and Elrond were interested to meet one another when Elrond finally sailed to Valinor. There would be some big emotions flying around there.

But I don't believe that Elwing has been longing for her son for six thousand years, or that their relationship would immediately be warm. That's not because of Elwing's choices, which seem legendary but unimpeachable. It's because of Elrond's choices.

My big question with Elrond is why is he still there in Middle-earth?

He could have left with his brother at the end of the War of Wrath, gone to Numenor, then perhaps sailed west to rejoin his mother when his brother died, or when his nephews or grand-nephews did.

That would be entirely in keeping with an Elrond who missed his parents, loved his brother, felt reasonably confident in the power of the Valar, and was obedient to their counsel that the Elves should sail to Valinor.

The threat in middle-earth was, so far as anyone knew, ended. His childhood and youth were spent in a place increasingly overwhelmed by war, and his original childhood home was lost.

But OK, maybe he wants to enjoy the peace, with Galadriel, Celeborn, Cirdan & Celebrimbor, who have their own reasons not to leave, plus Gil-galad and whatever Noldor and Sindar chose to linger in the Hither Lands. Maybe Elrond likes Men and Dwarves, and wants to stay with them too. (Maybe he's even spending time with Maglor, if the 1937 Silmarillion has that bit right.)

All reasonable feelings for Elrond. After all, people don't generally come back once they have sailed into the West.

(I think? It has just occurred to me that since there is a long period when elven ships regularly visited Numenor from Valinor, and Mannish ships visited Lindon, and Elrond has chosen to be an Elf, it is possible that he visited Valinor, or at least the Lonely Isle.

Perhaps Elrond's departure at the end of the Third Age was a journey to a home that he had visited regularly in the Second Age? I don't think I've seen that interpretation before but I can't see anything to entirely rule it out! However, this intriguing theory breaks the theory I was typing so let us ignore it.) So. Assuming that Elrond remains in Middle-earth throughout his life until his final journey after the War of the Ring, that does mean he prioritised life in Middle-earth over re-union with his mother and possibly father (if you assume Earendil gets breaks from being a star).

Elwing can't return, but Elrond could leave. Elros did, after all, and moved to an island as close as possible to Valinor, even if his ultimate decision to become a Man took him away from his parents in the end.

So, in the Second Age, Elrond makes his own choices, and they don't involve reunions with his parents, so far as we can tell.

Then Sauron falls, Gil-galad falls. Elrond could quite easily sail at that point. But there is Celebrian. Perhaps she doesn't want to leave her mother - though you wonder. If Celebrian and Elrond had married and then gone to Valinor, then very likely all their children would have chosen to be Elves. But Elrond, again, makes the reasonable adult choice to prioritise his wife, friends, perhaps family responsibilities, over safety and reunion with his parents across the Sea.

And he sticks it out in Middle-earth right to the bitter end. Even after Celebrian is wounded and has to sail to Valinor. Elrond is very definitely not someone in a rush to get to Valinor.

So, really, I very much hope that Elwing had friends and occupations and enjoyment that did not in any way centre around her children.

I can't really see why she should not. She spent seven years with her children, and seven thousand without them. Mothers are also people! I hope she had a period where she was able to come to grips with her grief, and then went on with her life.

[conundrumoftime]

Rhûnic

Leith McPherson, who's the dialect coach for Rings of Power, talked in an interview a while ago about Rhûnic language the show uses:

For Leith, the challenge was a welcome one. “This season, we journey to the land of Rhûn,” she says. Rhûn is largely a mystery in Tolkien’s published works, a vast expanse of Middle-earth left intentionally vague by the author. But for the series, Tolkien scholars working with the show have unearthed some of Tolkien’s unpublished notes and used them to build out the beginnings of a language for Rhûn. “Never heard before, never worked with before,” Leith says, her voice practically glowing with enthusiasm. “That was just a gift this season.”

Bear McCreary has since talked about it on his blog, and included the 'Rhûnic' lyrics he used and their English translation:

Rhûnic: Fú nimžil, nimžil-feg, aibesjar balan taugun. Dunšig Lún, ligrám lihiš bódi aišäd bil. Dyúl hez ní, feč Šigór. þabul nädo naþa-feg je. dyúl gileg anže þurfeg jai. Dyúl hez ní, feč Šigór. gorul arkädfeg go, þur če žilid-feg bil. I Raib-aišäd. English: Under moonlight, moonlight thine, Our sister carried far. Dark Magic, White wings beat in sacred shrine. Command her, thou Istar. Grant flesh to thy servant. Bring her forth with your might. Command her, thou Istar. Rise from thy throne, In thy power and splendor. The border shrine.

And in this article on Fellowship of Fans this month, someone's speculated that the language in question is 'Magol', a language Tolkien played around with in the 1930s:

I am not a specialist in Hungarian, nor indeed in any Uralic language. Nevertheless, after comparing the phonology of Hungarian with the phonology of Rhûnic (as used in The Rings of Power), I am virtually certain that Rhûnic may be identified as an extension of Mágol, Tolkien’s Hungarian-based language. However, I suspected this to be so even before I heard a word of Rhûnic, so it may be a case of confirmation bias. If not directly based on Mágol, Rhûnic may instead be an extrapolated mother, aunt, sister, or daughter language, created by applying regular sound changes. Of course, given that the material on Mágol is as yet unpublished, it is difficult to say how much of Rhûnic derives from Tolkien’s work, and how much had to be invented by linguists working for the show.

Tolkien's notes on Mágol remain unpublished, but Tolkien linguist Patrick Wynne has seen them and has previously talked about it a little:

"Tolkien's Hungarian-style language is actually called _Mágol_. In the earlier of the two texts on this language it is called _Mágo_ and more closely resembles Adunaic than Hungarian; this same text also says that 'Old Mágo' was the language of the children of Húrin. "In the later text, the language is called _Mágol_ and seems clearly modeled after Hungarian in phonology and grammatical structure, while retaining a strong Elvish influence as well -- it reminds me of something that might have been spoken by a lost tribe of Avari who had taken up residence outside Budapest for a few millennia.

A lost tribe of elves living in the east you say? Curious. Curious...

(I didn't even intend this to be yet another post about TROP Celeborn being part of the Rhûn storyline! I swear I started writing it before seeing that Patrick Wynne post!)

(also it is so very Rings of Power to do something very cool with depth and care about one of Tolkien's languages as a throwaway part of worldbuilding and then not mention it at all in favour of concentrating the publicity info on monster special effects or yet more detail about how they filmed the Big Epic Battle, despite the Big Epic Battle stuff being so much less interesting than this.)

[ebaeschnbliah]

`Sit now beside my chair, Frodo of the Shire!' ...

... said Celeborn. `When all have come we will speak together.' Each of the companions he greeted courteously by name as they entered. `Welcome Aragorn son of Arathorn! ' he said. `It is eight and thirty years of the world outside since you came to this land; and those years lie heavy on you. But the end is near, for good or ill. Here lay aside your burden for a while!'

'Welcome son of Thranduil! Too seldom do my kindred journey hither from the North.'

`Welcome Gimli son of Glóin! It is long indeed since we saw one of Durin's folk in Caras Galadhon. But today we have broken our long law. May it be a sign that though the world is now dark better days are at hand, and that friendship shall be renewed between our peoples.' Gimli bowed low.

When all the guests were seated before his chair the Lord looked at them again. 'Here there are eight,' he said. `Nine were to set out: so said the messages. But maybe there has been some change of counsel that we have not heard. Elrond is far away, and darkness gathers between us, and all this year the shadows have grown longer.'

`Nay, there was no change of counsel,' said the Lady Galadriel speaking for the first time. Her voice was clear and musical, but deeper than woman's wont. `Gandalf the Grey set out with the Company, but he did not pass the borders of this land. Now tell us where he is; for I much desired to speak with him again. But I cannot see him from afar, unless he comes within the fences of Lothlórien: a grey mist is about him, and the ways of his feet and of his mind are hidden from me.'

'Alas! ' said Aragorn. `Gandalf the Grey fell into shadow. He remained in Moria and did not escape.'

At these words all the Elves in the hall cried aloud in grief and amazement. `These are evil tidings,' said Celeborn, `the most evil that have been spoken here in long years full of grievous deeds.' He turned to Haldir. `Why has nothing of this been told to me before? ' he asked in the Elven-tongue.

'We have not spoken to Haldir of our deeds or our purpose,' said Legolas. `At first we were weary and danger was too close behind and afterwards we almost forgot our grief for a time, as we walked in gladness on the fair paths of Lórien.'

`Yet our grief is great and our loss cannot be mended,' said Frodo. 'Gandalf was our guide, and he led us through Moria; and when our escape seemed beyond hope he saved us, and he fell.'

'Tell us now the full tale! ' said Celeborn.

Then Aragorn recounted all that had happened upon the pass of Caradhras, and in the days that followed; and he spoke of Balin and his book, and the fight in the Chamber of Mazarbul, and the fire, and the narrow bridge, and the coming of the Terror. 'An evil of the Ancient World it seemed, such as I have never seen before,' said Aragorn. `It was both a shadow and a flame, strong and terrible.'

'It was a Balrog of Morgoth,' said Legolas; `of all elf-banes the most deadly, save the One who sits in the Dark Tower.'

`Indeed I saw upon the bridge that which haunts our darkest dreams l saw Durin's Bane,' said Gimli in a low voice, and dread was in his eyes.

'Alas! ' said Celeborn. `We long have feared that under Caradhras a terror slept. But had I known that the Dwarves had stirred up this evil in Moria again, l would have forbidden you to pass the northern borders, you and all that went with you. And if it were possible, one would say that at the last Gandalf fell from wisdom into folly, going needlessly into the net of Moria.'

`He would be rash indeed that said that thing,' said Galadriel gravely. `Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. Those that followed him knew not his mind and cannot report his full purpose. But however it may be with the guide, the followers are blameless. Do not repent of your welcome to the Dwarf. If our folk had been exiled long and far from Lothlórien, who of the Galadhrim, even Celeborn the Wise, would pass nigh and would not wish to look upon their ancient home, though it had become an abode of dragons?

'Dark is the water of Kheled-zâram, and cold are the springs of Kibil-nâla, and fair were the many-pillared halls of Khazad-dûm in Elder Days before the fall of mighty kings beneath the stone.' She looked upon Gimli, who sat glowering and sad, and she smiled. And the Dwarf, hearing the names given in his own ancient tongue, looked up and met her eyes; and it seemed to him that he looked suddenly into the heart of an enemy and saw there love and understanding. Wonder came into his face, and then he smiled in answer.

He rose clumsily and bowed in dwarf-fashion, saying: `Yet more fair is the living land of Lórien, and the Lady Galadriel is above all the jewels that lie beneath the earth! '

There was a silence. At length Celeborn spoke again. `I did not know that your plight was so evil,' he said. `Let Gimli forget my harsh words: I spoke in the trouble of my heart. I will do what I can to aid you, each according to his wish and need, but especially that one of the little folk who bears the burden.'

JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Mirror of Galadriel