#Questioning Gil-galad's parentage

[maellor]

This is why Gil-galad may NOT be Orodreth's son

If Gil-galad is Orodreth's son, then why does he follow the Nolofinwean color scheme?

Gil's armorial device is the same blue as Fingolfin's and Earendil's, or very near it. Gil's device consists of 12 silver stars, four of them resembling the star at the center of Earendil's device and four resembling the little stars on Fingolfin's device. The remaining four seem to be original.

In the lay of Leithian, a stanza describes Fingolfin before the gates of Angband:

"In that vast shadow once of yore

Fingolfin stood: his shield he bore

with field of heaven's blue and star

of crystal shining pale afar"

- Lay of Leithian, Canto XII

The above verse implies that Fingolfin's shield actually looks more like Gil's or Earendil's device rather than his own: a blue backround with a star of pale crystal, which could be color coded as silver.

"Shining pale afar" even as Gil's helm does:

"His sword was long, his lance was keen.

His shining helm afar was seen;

the countless stars of heaven's field

were mirrored in his silver shield."

- The Fall of Gil-galad

To conclude with, Gil-galad seems to be using the blues and silvers of the Nolofinwean side of the family, instead of the whites and golds of the Arafinweans. Why would he do this, if he was Orodreth's child? I do realise that Tolkien's last word was that he was the son of Orodreth, son of Angrod, but... nothing else indicates this, from what i have read.

[arafinweanappreciation]

i know gil-galad son of andreth and aegnor is A Thing but what about gildor inglorion son of andreth and aegnor. passed to finrod when he was yet very young, and andreth was beginning to struggle keep his lineage a secret. few questions are asked at nargothrond; finrod has a habit of fostering beorian children of whose parents he is fond, for weeks or months or years. it is no great thing to them, and their lord's private business, besides. so when the poor thing's parents perished in that terrible accident (mortals are so fragile, you see) of course he would take the child in and install him as a permanent part of his household. they don't recall his parent's names, and a profound grief flashes over the king's face whenever the subject is brought up, so they simply call him the son of the golden-haired one. at least one of his parents must have shared his hair color, after all, and even if they didn't, finrod is his adoptive father, in a sense. after enough time and tragedy they forget that he is meant to be mortal. no one questions that he does not age or die as the centuries pass. how much he knows of his own parentage is questionable.

he does know that he is the last of finrod's house in middle-earth.

[shelleysmary]

entertainment journalists and i are built different. stick me in front of the trop cast with a microphone and i won't let benjamin walker get away with making an offhand remark about gil-galad's parentage without interrogating him in full. rob aramayo will have to drop all his lore knowledge. charlie vickers won't get to be a stealth nerd. miv will goldberry-fangirl as the good lord intended. y'all are letting down the side!!!! ask the questions we really want answered!!!!

[thelordofgifs]

A Completely Objective Rating of Gil-galad Origin Theories

So! My Research(tm) has informed me that Tolkien conceived of at least four potential parentages for Gil-galad, last High King of the Noldor, at various points. This plothole/controversy/mystery is deeply, deeply funny to me, so I decided to make a post arbitrarily rating various Gil-galad theories and providing examples of fics where they appear.

Some disclaimers:

I am very very new to the silm fandom and also tumblr and don't actually know anything! so there is a very high chance something will go wrong here

in compiling this I was very much indebted to this post by @sweetteaanddragons and this one by @tanoraqui

your headcanons, of course, are extremely valid! no shade at all to anyone who likes one of the theories I’ve rated a bit lower, and thank you for doing your bit to deepen the controversy. the more Gil-galad theories the better

Unsurprisingly, this turned out LONG. I split the parentages into four sections: Part 1 covers supposedly canon/canon-adjacent Gil-galad theories; Part 2, popular fanon theories that I've seen in a variety of places; Part 3 will cover rare fanon theories that I've only seen basically once, and ideas I literally just made up myself.

Baseline assumptions I'm using:

The "historical record", in-universe, is primarily the Quenta Silmarillion which states that Ereinion Gil-galad was the son of Fingon; and other documents variously suggesting that he was the son of Orodreth or Finrod, or a descendant of Fëanor. Sources give him the additional names Finellach and Artanáro/Rodnor.

It's fairly widely agreed-upon that Gil-galad was an adult and the High King by the time of the Third Kinslaying, when he was based on Balar and came too late to Elwing's aid.

(This means I won't further consider some rather fun, cracky theories that are based on the argument that Gil-galad only became the High King after the War of Wrath. That seems like a slightly excessive amount of historical revisionism for my taste, when he's named as the High King well before the WoW.)

So, with those established, what makes for a good Gil-galad parentage theory?

It has to make the confusion in the historical record, in-universe, make some sort of sense. Would someone with this parentage have a claim to the crown? If not, do they have a solid motivation to lie about it? Providing a neat explanation for other aspects of Gil-galad's characterisation and the way he rules would also be a bonus.

A storytelling concept I call weird questions must have weird answers. Neat origin theories that "make sense" tend to score low on this metric. The Gil-galad controversy is funny and needs to be kept that way.

How narratively satisfying is the theory? Does it ruin anyone else's arc, or fanon I personally like? Then it's scoring low.

This is already so long-

Time for looking at the four canon-ish Gil-galad parentages!

Gil-galad son of Fingon and, presumably, some unnamed wife. This is rubbish. Makes no sense. Not a fan. No. Primarily, it is boring, the death knell to any Gil-galad theory. Also, Fingon is never actually mentioned to have a wife because he's married to Maedhros and, while textual ghosts are obviously common in the Silm, I find it slightly harder to believe that a High Queen of the Noldor managed to escape being named anywhere. You could, I suppose, argue that she died before Fingon became King, but I don't want to. The confusion in the historical record also seems unnecessary here, because Fingon's son would presumably have a pretty ironclad claim to the crown after his death and certainly after Turgon's. No fic recs here, I don't like this theory. 2/10.

Gil-galad son of Orodreth and brother of Finduilas. Even more boring, and also makes less sense. Was Gil-galad in Nargothrond during Leithian and up to its fall? In that case, why wasn't he mentioned at any point, and if he survived the fall of Nargothrond and escaped, why didn't he go after Finduilas? If he wasn't in Nargothrond by the time of Turin, we can at least forgive his failure to rescue his sister, but why was he sent away from Nargothrond when, prior to the building of the bridge, everyone believed it was safe - and why wasn't Finduilas sent away with him? Again, there's no particular reason for obfuscating this parentage, so it fails on that metric too. At least Artanáro/Rodnor is a good Finarfinion name. Fics which use this theory: What is Wrought Between Us by @nikosheba, which voids all these objections of mine quite nicely - Gil-galad son of Orodreth, adopted by Fingon and Maedhros! Also it's one of the most heart-breaking, beautiful, canon-compliant Russingon series around, go and read it. That excellent example aside, 3/10.

Gil-galad son of Finrod and (iirc) a wife called Meril. An earlier version of the legendarium discarded when Finrod was made childless. This is potentially my least favourite of the four canon-esque theories, because Finrod's childlessness is imo a fairly important part of his arc, and Meril was replaced by Amarië, to whom Finrod was very much not married at the time of his death. Pretty much the only positive is that, again, Artanáro/Rodnor suits well as a name for Finrod's son. I don't think many people like this theory - we need not consider it further here. No fic recs. 2/10.

Gil-galad descendant of Fëanor. By far the most intriguing and also most implausible canon-esque theory, and as I understand only from one early draft of the legendarium. But there is so much to play with here. If Gil-galad's father is one of the sons of Fëanor, he has a rock-solid reason to lie about his parentage. His claim to the throne is also dubious, because Maedhros abdicated on behalf of the entire house. This gives excellent con-artist Gil-galad flavours to play with. On the narrative/emotional arc metric, this one falls a little short, though. We don't need another descendant of Fëanor in the Second Age struggling with the dark and messy legacy of their family - we have Celebrimbor! And Celebrimbor's status as the last scion of his house, and how his eventual tragedy owes so much to his heritage, is very important to me. Besides, the house of Fëanor going from 7 sons in the first generation to literally just one grandchild is so haunting. On a more practical level, I also don't think Gil-galad reads as particularly close to Celebrimbor? They seem more "distant relations" than first cousins. On the other hand, if Gil-galad simply doesn't know who his parents are, a lot of these problems disappear. We can also double up a few textual ghosts by making his mother one of the unnamed wives - preferably Maglor's or Caranthir's, because Gil-galad son of Curufin feels. doubtful. Fics which use this theory: A Gift from Father to Son by @amethysttribble explores every single potential Fëanorian parentage which is very fun, for a value of "fun" involving "sobbing on the floor about how terrible all these people are". Check it out! Theory as a whole gets 5/10.

[nolofinweanweek]

Nolofinwëan week is starting in 2 weeks!

Below are some inspirational, nonmandatory prompts for your creations. These suggestions are formatted as questions because they are meant simply to inspire you. Featured timeframes and characters can be mixed and matched in whatever way or disrespected completely.

Day 1: Noontide of Valinor - Darkening | Fingolfin | Anairë

Canon offers only hints about the Noontide of Valinor, a pre-canonical era that established many relationships and events we see unfolding in the Silmarillion. How did Fingolfin and Anairë meet? What kind of childhood experiences did Fingon, Turgon, Aredhel and Argon have? What was their relationship with the families of Fëanor and Finarfin? Were Fingolfin and Fëanor always at odds? How did the interference of Melkor disrupt these relationships? What events developed after Fëanor's banishment to Formenos and Fingolfin's rule in Tirion? How do you envision the Darkening of Valinor?

Day 2: Exile - Arrival to Beleriand | Fingon | Argon | Elenwë

The Flight of the Noldor is a breaking moment, a crisis that brings about some of the most challenging moments for Fingolfin and his family. Can you illustrate the argument that brought about the decision to leave Valinor? What effect did Fingon's participation at Alqualondë have? What were the relationships between the hosts of Fingolfin and Finrod on the Helcaraxë? What was Argon's or Elenwë's story before their passing? How do you interpret the rising of the Moon and the Sun with the host's arrival to Middle-earth? What about that glorious moment when the host challenges Morgoth at his gates?

Day 3: Mithrim - The Long Peace | Turgon | Aredhel | Eöl

The early days of Mithrim solidified the House of Fingolfin as the next line of Noldorin Kings, followed by a 200-year-long siege of Angband. What were the early political relationships between the hosts of Fingolfin and the Fëanorian followers? What prompted Turgon to build Vinyamar and then Gondolin? What was Aredhel's life like in Gondolin before leaving? What kind of new friendships were developed during the Long Peace? Did any reconciliations take place? What were the Nolofinwëan fortresses like during peaceful times? What was the Nolofinwëan relationship like with the local Sindar Elves?

Day 4: Dagor Bragollach - War of Wrath | Idril | Maeglin | Tuor | Eärendil | Elwing

The Battle of Sudden Flame brings another turmoil with the death of Fingolfin and the rising of Fingon as the new High King. This is the beginning of a turbulent period that will culminate with the sinking of Beleriand. How do you imagine these battles? What is your reading of Fingon's Kingship? How do you envision the relationships between the House of Fingolfin and their mortal allies, the House of Hador? What kind of culture did Gondolin develop in its isolation? What brought about the strained relationship between Idril and Maeglin, and how did it affect loyalties in Gondolin? What happened to Gondolin's refugees? What was Idril and Tuor's final fate? How do you imagine Sirion and its multicultural population?

Day 5: Lindon - War of the Ring | Elrond | Elros | Gil-galad | Celebrían

The War of Wrath destroys Beleriand, but the line of Fingolfin goes on through his descendants. How do you imagine the begging of a new life in Lindon? What is your reading of the parentage of Gil-galad? What was his kingship like? What was the relationship between the Peredhil twins? What led to their decision to choose different fates? What kind of culture developed in Lindon, Númenór, Rivendell or other settlements ruled by Nolofinwëan descendants? How did the events from the first age affect relationships in the second and third?

Day 6: Fourth Age Middle-earth - Return to Valinor | Númenórean descendants | Peredhil descendants

The Fourth Age signified the end of the Elven era in Middle-earth and the end of Tolkien's canon. What about your own ideas for this time frame? How does Gondor change under Aragorn and Arwen's rule? Who are their children? What kind of culture develops as the Elves leave Middle-earth? What about the Elves who return or are reborn in Valinor? Can they integrate easily into the place they once called home? Is Valinor even a physical place?

Day 7: AUs, Canon divergences, Freeform | Nolofinwëan OCs | Canon ghosts | Earlier canonical characters

This is a day to let the muses run wild with canon. Do you want to go down deep rabbit holes on obscure canonical details discarded in the published Silmarillion? Have a Nolofinwëan original character that needs a space to shine? What if Fingolfin won the battle against Morgoth? Who was Erien, daughter of Fingon? What if Idril returned Maeglin's love? Who was Elros' wife? What if Elrond decided to choose a mortal fate? Who would the Nolofinwëans be in modern times?

The event directory is accessible here.

[nothinghereisworking]

Finarfin Appreciation

I tried to keep this to fics that feature Finarfin as a main character.  I have not read them all yet, but hey, now I have a list! Rated G

Thy Brothers' Keeper by @sallysavestheday The wine in Alqualondë is too light, Arafinwë thinks, for the kind of drunkenness he would like to seek tonight.  Arafinwë considers his place in the House of Finwë.

The Courage to Turn Back by @chrissystriped Finarfin makes a momentous decision.

in every stitch and seam by xhangemhighx Finarfin comforts Celebrimbor after the War of Wrath and realizes a few things.

someday they may call me king by earthbound_misfit Finarfin reflects on why they left and why he stayed.

these gentle words by Anonymous Arfin goes every year to the foot of the new Trees and honors the memory of his elder brother. Sometimes he thinks that Fëanor can still hear him.

Golden Fire by @starspray Finarfin just thought the dragon egg looked neat, so he brought it home.

Then it hatched.

Without Shame or Secrecy by @ladybrooke Soon after Celebrían arrived in Valinor, she had a discussion with her grandfather over teacakes about memories and family.

His heart was whole again by Elanor_Hermione The journey to Middle-Earth was doomed, it had been a mistake since the beginning, and Finarfin knew he couldn't keep going. But this meant he had to part ways with Artanis.

you're the face of the future (the blood in my veins) by @irisseireth Finarfin meets Ereinion Gil-Galad during the War of Wrath, and learns the truth about his parentage.

Sea Legs by onthesandsofdreams As he held onto the handrail of Elulindo’s ship, Aranfinwë cursed his father-inherited stubbornness.

Water and Blood by keiliss Finarfin and Ingwion discuss family, the weather, and their status as figurehead war leaders over a cup of wine, then start a little rebellion of their own.

Rated T

When I look at you... by @i-did-not-mean-to Prompt: Idiots in love

Questions by @ladybrooke Aegnor could not make the choice of Lúthien, but there were other choices he could make. Finarfin and Finrod deal with the aftermath of his choice.

Rated M

We Weep For What We Have Lost by @cuarthol Indis learns of Anairë's pregnancy by Arafin, and both Arafin and Anairë worry what her visit will mean for them.

Rated E

Manwë's Bird by elennalore Manwë takes Finarfin as his bird. Or: How to learn to be a bird of paradise when your world is shaken up.

Separation by @arofili Arafinwë aches for his wife, but she is lost to him. To earn his place in her heart once more, he will allow her new lover anything.

Unrated

Hey Cyclops! by bowl_of_borshch Finarfin is many things. Right now, Finarfin is a general, and his troops are starting to starve - and Beleriand is harsh and unforgiving. So when he gets a chance to replenish his supplies, he takes it - even though his mind screams at the recklessness of his decision.

A Terrible Choice by jpenn93 The leaders of the War of Wrath are in for a surprise when three young ones walk into the Command Tent. None more so than Finarfin.

And a terrible choice is presented...Finarfin tries to hold his tongue and is only successful due to long, long years of practicing impassivity.

[chrissystriped]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (except me because obvs I have done it). Spread the self-love ❤

Thank you for the ask! Here are some of my favourites. Not ranked, just a list:

Pumuckl and the Staff

A last minute entry for th SWG Crossroads challenge. It's a Tolkien/Pumuckl crossover. Pumuckl is Saruman and Aule comes to take him home. I had so much fun writing it and would love people to read it. You don't have to be familiar with Pumuckl (a german children tv series) to understand it.

Finding lost Family

Slow burn Ecthelion/orcOC. This is one of the fics closest to my heart. I wanted to put focus on my 'good' orcs and how they find a home on Tol Eressea (it's an AU, obiously) and navigate their changed lives. I adore the relationship Ecthelion and Sharû build.

The Foundling Prince

My take on the question of Gil-galad's parentage. Featuring more orc as well as Fingon and Maedhros. I wanted to do my own thing here while still technically staying within published-Silmarillion canon.

Back to the Surface

Another fic that came to be through a SWG monthly challenge. The Nauglamír is fished from the sea by dwarves at the end of the Third Age and now they have to decide what to do with the thing. I love playing with canon and the many different versions we have thanks to Christopher Tolkien publishing his father's drafts.

Pillars of Creation

In the aftermath of Good Omen Season 2 I wrote a few fics in that fandom to ease my heartache. I like all of them, but this one maybe the most.

[superloves4]

Okay, I wasn’t planning on developing the idea of the E&E demigods au further and I’m still not sure I’m writing more than this but @whovianofmidgard said both to my question of who would be the godly parent between Ëarendill or Maglor and since then I’ve had this idea pinballing in my head, enjoy:

(btw: this has Ëarendil/Elwing/Maglor and doesn’t follow any pjo rules because it’s been a while since I’ve read the books)

So, Elrond and Elros are the 12 yrs old sons of Elwing and Ëarendil, they’ve always known but because their mother doesn’t talk about their father they just figured he died at some point when they were young

But the truth is that Elwing and Ëarendil were fellow campers in camp half-blood, she being a daughter of Hecate(Melian) and him being a son of Poseidon until events i haven’t decided yet happen that lead to Ëarendil accepting godhood so he could carry the star of hope so he could save everyone, thus leaving Elwing

In the middle of her heartbreak she meets the god Maglor (very Dionysios of him but I haven’t decided which god he is, I’m seriously considering Ishtar… and you might ask why since she isn’t a greek godess, but she is the origin of one Aphrodite, just imagine it, Maglor as the war version of Aphrodite!!!)

This leads to a brief tryst until Maglor is too consumed with trying to find a way to break his brother’s, Maedhros, curse. Thus he ends up leaving her with double the heartbreak to deal with

Now it’s been thirteen yrs and the twins start seeing what they think is a man with long red or black hair but when they tell Elwing about it she gets allarmed and tells them the partial truth of them being half-bloods and that she’ll take them to chb so they can be safe while she leaves to do something

Things are normal in chb at first, they get claimed by Ëarendil and become friends with forever unclaimed Gil-galad, because Ëarendil is a minor god and they are his first children no one thinks too much about them until events start happening again and Maglor shows up

Maglor kidnaps the twin without knowing who they are, only knows that they are the key to freeing Maedhros from the curse

Kidnap fam ensues and they discover the the parentage of the twins might not be as clear cut as they thought

[funwithfanon]

PROMPT ANNOUNCEMENTS!

Chosen in part from your submissions, here are the first four prompts for our inaugural event!

1. Maglor = Lindir

Maglor wandered alone forever...or did he? Perhaps Elrond took him in, and he took a new name, Lindir... OR NOT! Is Lindir an entirely seperate person? Did he ever meet Maglor? Or did Elrond never find Maglor at all?

2. Arkenstone = Silmaril

The third Silmaril was cast into the fiery pits of the earth, never to be seen again...or was it? Perhaps it traveled through the earth’s core and re-emerged in Erebor in the Third Age, and became the Arkenstone... OR NOT! Did anyone mistake the Arkenstone for a Silmaril? Did the Silmaril melt down in the fires of the earth? And where did the Arkenstone come from, anyway?

3. Fin-galad

Finduilas died, pinned to a tree by a spear...or did she? Perhaps she survived, and reinvented herself as Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor... OR NOT! Did anyone question Gil-galad’s gender and/or parentage? Did Finduilas hear of this rumor in Mandos? Or did she survive, but do something else with her life?

4. Scarred Maedhros

Maedhros returned from Angband with the shadow of pain in his heart, but physically only his hand was marred...or was it? Perhaps he was scarred all over his body, bearing marks of torment obvious for everyone to see... OR NOT! Did he have some scars, but an untarnished face? Did he have a disconnect between the scars of his soul and his unblemished body? And why would the Enemy leave him unscarred, anyway?

These prompts are optional, and you may explore any sort of fanon during our event. These are just to get your brain working!

Remember, we welcome both depictions of common fanon and fandom tropes, or offered alternative and inversions of the same. You can explore these concepts as if they are true, or you can consider a contradictory concept!

~

About || FAQ

[softlysilverfountainsfall]

Pet theory that the confusion of Gil-galad's parentage is in no small part due to later historians trying to cover up the Noldor accidentally having two High Kings at the same time.

Think about it: Turgon leaves and goes incommunicado long before Gil-galad is born to his father Fingon. The Nirnaeth Arnoediad is a mess, Fingon doesn't think/get the chance to tell Turgon about his son. (This all also begs the question of whether Fingon ever knew that Aredhel died.)

Turgon knows that Fingon died and assumes the High Kingship himself--in Gondolin, which naturally means that no one outside Gondolin knows this, though they might know that Turgon escaped the battle.

Meanwhile, young Gil-galad has been declared High King of the Noldor by...well, whoever's left in the Falas and later on the Isle of Balar.

Years later, there's an awkward conversation with Idril, and eventually, historians get to work erasing the embarrassment of accidentally having two High Kings/Turgon accidentally kinda-sorta usurping his nephew by bumping Gil-galad down the line of succession by changing Gil-galad's parentage to Finarfin's line, which is what causes (most of) the confusion.

[polutrope]

🗡️🔮⚓️ for the silm asks!

🗡️ Defend your favorite war criminal (or make them worse - I'm not your mom). I don't have all day and (probably) neither do you, so I'm going to pick one aspect of my favourite.

I've been thinking a lot about Maglor's fostering of Elrond and Elros. I'm not done thinking about it and I am probably not going to articulate myself well, but let's try.

I think there's a tendency to go too far in one or the other direction when talking about them. On the one hand (making it worse), it's not fluffy, it's not cute. It's deeply messed up that a person responsible for destroying their home ends up raising the twins. (It's very distressing that two six-year-olds were taken away from their home and lost everyone who loved them, regardless of who raised them.) So, for me, whatever love was between them, simply because of the context, there also had to have been resentment and anger and guilt and trauma and fear and unhealthy ways of coping with all of that.

On the other hand (defending), it's not evil, and I don't think it was self-serving or delusional on Maglor's part. He took pity on them, he cherished them, love grew between them. The text goes out of its way to make it quite clear that this wasn't the horrible situation you might expect -- "as little might be thought". This act and others closely linked to it (the response to Gil-Estel's rising, the argument for breaking the oath, releasing the Silmaril to the sea and the singing in pain and regret) invite us to consider redemption for Maglor. It's up to individuals whether they personally want to grant that redemption, and on what terms. But I think it's easy to get so swept up in fandom discourse that we forget the invitation is even there, challenging us with its pathos to hold "captive" in one hand and "cherished" in the other. It's not easy to do. But it's why I've loved this asshole for 20 years.

🔮You can reach into the Beyond and ask the Professor to settle one (1) debate for you. He won't even waffle on the answer, honest. What do you ask him? Well this is definitely a waste of the question but since this isn't real and I'm on the subject...

I'd actually like to sit both JRRT and Christopher down for this one, because it was Christopher's editorial decision to put Gil-galad and Cirdan on Balar (the way Tolkien wrote it, they were unaccounted for at the time of the third kinslaying), and ask them how they'd explain why, if he loved them so much, Maglor doesn't let Gil-galad or Cirdan raise the twins. Maybe Gil-galad's parentage would even come up -- bonus.

⚓ Pick a Silm ship to go down with. What is compelling about their dynamic? I already answered for Daemags so I'll add Earendil/Elwing who have been occupying a large place in my heart lately. They are the only two people like them in the world, and they've both been through so much trauma, and they find each other, and they self-sacrificially save the world together, against all odds.🥹😭

[ringsofpowerfans]

Adar being Gil-Galads father is an interesting theory, mind telling us more??

Thanks for the question! My reasons are thus:

1. The first time I thought of it was when all the promo material was coming out. Someone pointed out that he and Gil-galad are wearing similar armor.

2. “Adar” is an elvish word for father.

3. There was interview where Benjamin Walker was asked how the series handled Gil-Galad’s parentage (since there’s at least two versions of his backstory). He answered something like, “You don’t even want to know.”

4. If you go with Adar being Orodreth (Galadriel’s brother or nephew), it’s reasonable that he didn’t actually die. The dragon that destroyed his kingdom might even have persuaded him to serve Morgoth or Sauron (since apparently he could enchant people).

5. He talked about living along a river in the First Age, which could be the Narog, which was close to where his kingdom was.

6. It would be wicked cool.

It’s not likely, and Galadriel meeting Adar kind of kills that theory, but…

[ass-deep-in-demons]

🗡️ and🔮for the silm ask game?

Thank you for asking, sweet anon 💋

🗡️ Defend your favorite war criminal (or make them worse - I'm not your mom).

My favourite disaster man is of course Turin, but I'm not sure he is a war criminal, just (occasionally) a criminall... Anyway I think Turin is beyond help. My favourite actual war criminal from Silm is Maedhros, for reasons similar to those that have drawn me to Boromir: the dreaded Eldest Daughter Syndrome. The pain of having to do the stuff your family asks of you, even though you know they are insane. And also feeling that because of all that's happened in your family home, all the things that have gotten so wrong already, all the times you've gone too far, that to stop now and look back at all that would be... unthinkable. So you do not stop, you go on. I do know it's never too late to break free, and that we are all responsible for our own individual choices, but it's just so damn hard to lose the burden that your parents have put on you, ya feel me? Incidentally all this is also true of Turin, in his case it is even made more explicit in the form of an actual curse.

🔮You can reach into the Beyond and ask the Professor to settle one (1) debate for you. He won't even waffle on the answer, honest. What do you ask him?

I've already answered this once and I chose to ask what really happened to Ungoliant. But given a chance to ask a secon question, I think I'd want to know the particulars of Gil-galad's genealogy, because his parentage is different in different texts.

[shirebarbie]

hey!! how are you? question dump time 😌🫶

what's your comfort food? who was your favourite character when you first watched or read lotr vs now? second least favourite colour? when did you decide to study linguistics? how would you describe your blog in three words? which rings of power character are you most excited to watch develop over the course of the show? do you have any personal theories or preferences on gil galad's parentage (depending on where in the silm you are, i think you said you're still reading it<3)

question dumps my beloved!!! 🫶

my comfort food is mac & cheese, but not the fake american version - the one with REAL cheese and mozzarella and parmesan and then oven baked sklhsskhsh 😋

i first watched it when i was relatively small and I was absolutely in LOVE with legolas 💚 he was also my fave when i first read it. now some of my favorites are faramir and pippin, and legolas will always be up there 💚💚💚

hmm i love basically all colors. but let's say i don't really vibe with highly saturated dark blue and highly saturated dark purple 😐

at my uni, first 3 years are "general" language studies, and then you get a bachelor's degree. then you choose a field to focus on for your masters (2 years), and i knew sometime during the 3rd year that i found linguistics so fun and interesting 🤓

this blog is chaotic, friendly, unorganized... it's my bedroom wall and i'm putting something up on it all the time 😂

i can't wait to see what they do with "the stranger" (gandalf?) because i LOVE tolkien's wizards and always want more wizard lore 💖💖💖💖

i'm not at that part of the silm yet! but i'll try to finish it by the end of the week 😊

[tolkien-feels]

The first and last noldor kings in Beleriad have the same fiery death at the hands of the enemy. Go wild with this tie.

Well, more like in ME or outside if Valinor but you get the point.

This is so interesting, because I’ve had similar thoughts but never this one! I’ve thought of Finwe in Formenos and Celebrimbor in Eregion, and I’ve thought of Feanor and his oldest and youngest sons dying by fire (I’m a crispy Amrod truther), and I’ve even thought of the fun to be had with Gil-galad son of Fingon* combining the death of Fingon and Fingolfin in his own death - but I had never thought of this particular parallel! I’ll have to think about it, because I’m sure it’s possible to come up with some interesting thematic exploration, I just can’t think of what that exploration would look like!

* Disclaimer I am not at all invested in the parentage question and go with whatever works best for a given headcanon

[nolofinweanweek]

Inspirational Prompts

Below are some inspirational, nonmandatory prompts to guide Nolofinwëan week. These suggestions are formatted as questions because they are meant simply to inspire you. Featured timeframes and characters can be mixed and matched in whatever way or disrespected completely.

Day 1: Noontide of Valinor - Darkening | Fingolfin | Anairë

Canon offers only hints about the Noontide of Valinor, a pre-canonical era that established many relationships and events we see unfolding in the Silmarillion. How did Fingolfin and Anairë meet? What kind of childhood experiences did Fingon, Turgon, Aredhel and Argon have? What was their relationship with the families of Fëanor and Finarfin? Were Fingolfin and Fëanor always at odds? How did the interference of Melkor disrupt these relationships? What events developed after Fëanor's banishment to Formenos and Fingolfin's rule in Tirion? How do you envision the Darkening of Valinor?

Day 2: Exile - Arrival to Beleriand | Fingon | Argon | Elenwë

The Flight of the Noldor is a breaking moment, a crisis that brings about some of the most challenging moments for Fingolfin and his family. Can you illustrate the argument that brought about the decision to leave Valinor? What effect did Fingon's participation at Alqualondë have? What were the relationships between the hosts of Fingolfin and Finrod on the Helcaraxë? What was Argon's or Elenwë's story before their passing? How do you interpret the rising of the Moon and the Sun with the host's arrival to Middle-earth? What about that glorious moment when the host challenges Morgoth at his gates?

Day 3: Mithrim - The Long Peace | Turgon | Aredhel | Eöl

The early days of Mithrim solidified the House of Fingolfin as the next line of Noldorin Kings, followed by a 200-year-long siege of Angband. What were the early political relationships between the hosts of Fingolfin and the Fëanorian followers? What prompted Turgon to build Vinyamar and then Gondolin? What was Aredhel's life like in Gondolin before leaving? What kind of new friendships were developed during the Long Peace? Did any reconciliations take place? What were the Nolofinwëan fortresses like during peaceful times? What was the Nolofinwëan relationship like with the local Sindar Elves?

Day 4: Dagor Bragollach - War of Wrath | Idril | Maeglin | Tuor | Eärendil | Elwing

The Battle of Sudden Flame brings another turmoil with the death of Fingolfin and the rising of Fingon as the new High King. This is the beginning of a turbulent period that will culminate with the sinking of Beleriand. How do you imagine these battles? What is your reading of Fingon's Kingship? How do you envision the relationships between the House of Fingolfin and their mortal allies, the House of Hador? What kind of culture did Gondolin develop in its isolation? What brought about the strained relationship between Idril and Maeglin, and how did it affect loyalties in Gondolin? What happened to Gondolin's refugees? What was Idril and Tuor's final fate? How do you imagine Sirion and its multicultural population?

Day 5: Lindon - War of the Ring | Elrond | Elros | Gil-galad | Celebrían

The War of Wrath destroys Beleriand, but the line of Fingolfin goes on through his descendants. How do you imagine the begging of a new life in Lindon? What is your reading of the parentage of Gil-galad? What was his kingship like? What was the relationship between the Peredhil twins? What led to their decision to choose different fates? What kind of culture developed in Lindon, Númenór, Rivendell or other settlements ruled by Nolofinwëan descendants? How did the events from the first age affect relationships in the second and third?

Day 6: Fourth Age Middle-earth - Return to Valinor | Númenórean descendants | Peredhil descendants

The Fourth Age signified the end of the Elven era in Middle-earth and the end of Tolkien's canon. What about your own ideas for this time frame? How does Gondor change under Aragorn and Arwen's rule? Who are their children? What kind of culture develops as the Elves leave Middle-earth? What about the Elves who return or are reborn in Valinor? Can they integrate easily into the place they once called home? Is Valinor even a physical place?

Day 7: AUs, Canon divergences, Freeform | Nolofinwëan OCs | Canon ghosts | Earlier canonical characters

This is a day to let the muses run wild with canon. Do you want to go down deep rabbit holes on obscure canonical details discarded in the published Silmarillion? Have a Nolofinwëan original character that needs a space to shine? What if Fingolfin won the battle against Morgoth? Who was Erien, daughter of Fingon? What if Idril returned Maeglin's love? Who was Elros' wife? What if Elrond decided to choose a mortal fate? Who would the Nolofinwëans be in modern times?

The event directory is accessible here.