#Valinor

[thesilmarilliondrawn]

To Elvenhome the green and fair

where keen the air, where pale as glass

beneath the hill of Ilmarin

a-glimmer in a valley sheer

the lamplit towers of Tirion

are mirrored on the Shadowmere.

"Song of Earendil"

“And by the strand of Ilmarin there grew a golden Tree….In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion."

-Galadriel's Song

[hobbitinnumenor]

d'aww he's such a wife guy

Okay this isn't mairon or adar themed idea, but please. Please 🙏🏽

would you be able to at least make a sketch of Celeborn and Galathil? The two are brothers in the Silmarilion and there is only a handful of art that have both brothers.

Here you go, anon! Celeborn yapping to Galathil about his new girlfriend for hours.

[simpleart]

It's been a while since I drew anything from Tolkien. So, here's Finrod in Valinor

[readinginithilien]

Rereading the Quenta Silmarillion part about Miriels death made me realise that I am getting a completely different perspective from what I remembered. I'm sure if I read whatever else Tolkien wrote about that matter would change that, but here is what I get from just The Silmarillion:

Miriel and Finwë had their whole love story entirely in Aman

After Miriel gave birth to Fëanor, she said that that was very exhausting and she doesn't want any more children

Finwë was devastated. He argued that Aman should heal all exhaustion and went to Manwë to ask for help. There is no mention on Miriel being in any way involved in that decision.

Manwë advised to send her to Lorien for healing. She goes there, regretting that she can't even see Fëanor's childhood days - it must be pretty much directly after the birth

She lies down and pretty much departs immediately

Now, granted, this is one paragraph and we don't know what Finwë and Miriel actually discussed. But to me it sounds at this point as if Miriel said "My body, my choice, I don't want any more children" and Finwë wasn't willing to accept that. There's no mention that Miriel was too exhausted to live then, she didn't ask for healing. She was presumably fine with living like that. She just said she doesn't want any more children.

It is Finwë who thinks that he is entitled to more children, Finwë who thinks she needs healing in order to have more children, to get over the idea that one child is enough. And that at a point when Fëanor is not even a child yet, but still a baby. Why not wait a little bit longer at least?

And then she goes to Lorien and departs immediately. Leaves this situation behind. But as soon as Finwë is gone and there's no risk she has to give birth again, she's back.

Now, this is a pretty biased interpretation of a single paragraph. But it fits very well.

[quinthejester]

Silvergifting Week - Post Canon

I am so sorry.

@silvergiftingweek

(Original image under the keep reading thing)

[wife-of-legolas]

For all that is talked about, Legolas does not get nearly enough praise for how kind he is.

Joins the fellowship on a mission almost guaranteed to take all their lives in sacrifice without blinking. Never uses his title of prince and, in fact, doesn’t mention it at all. Takes part in the battle despite it having little effect on him, with his people sailing west and leaving the war-torn shores.

He rebuilds the rubbles of cities destroyed, makes the world better and filled with life, both flora and fauna. He stays beyond the calling of the sea, resisting the desperate urge engraved in his bones calling him to sail. He, with a gentle hand and a brave heart, handbuilds a ship and takes the risk of bringing Gimli along with him.

He doesn’t have to, but he did.

[charri-fish]

Reminiscing, for c&c week

@cnc-week I think I figured out why my post wasn't showing up before, but I'm tagging you just in case.

(It was my intention to do all four prompts, but it kind of got away from me the past few days. I might go back and do 2 and 3 late, but no promises ;p)

[elena-kukanova]

Праздник сбора плодов

Fruit harvest festival

Nerdanel & Feanaro

[mandhos]

[thesummerestsolstice]

The voyage west at the end of Return of the King is extremely funny to me, because just look at who's on board. You've got:

Frodo Baggins, hero of the Shire, in need of healing but also excited to see Valinor and meet the legendary elves who live there, a gentle soul

Elrond Halfelven, as kind as a summer, looking forward to peace west of the sea, probably wants to go chill out in a cottage with his wife for the next thousand years

Which seems fine. And then we get to everyone else.

Gandalf, cheeky bastard who's gotten so used to being a weird old wizard in Middle-Earth that's he's forgotten what Maia are supposed to act like, will immediately cause problems

Bilbo Baggins, noted storyteller, definitely planning to break into Aule's halls to see his dwarf friends, will ask all the elves weird questions and then sing about their lives and deaths in front of them, will immediately cause problems

Galadriel, who came to Aman half for Celebrian and Elrond's sake and half to taunt all her cousins about being the only one of them to survive the First Age, enjoys causing problems, will immediately cause many problems

(Also, to be clear, these are not three isolated problem-causers, they absolutely spent the entire trip to Valinor actively planning to give Amanyar society and the Valar an aneurysm.)

I just love the idea of Elrond, now reunited with Celebrian, and Frodo happily having tea with Elwing and Earendil, with nothing to interrupt them but the gentle sounds of the tides.

Meanwhile Galariel, Bilbo, and Gandalf are collectively bullying Mandos into releasing Maglor Feanorian from the halls because:

Bilbo wants to read him his translation of the Noldolante, which is written as a cheery Hobbit drinking song

Elrond always complained about how Gandalf and Maglor were both insufferably vague about advice and Gandalf needs to make sure he's more infuriating than Maglor as a matter of his wizardly pride

He still owes Galadriel money

[velvet4510]

I don’t think any of us should ever overlook Celeborn’s love for Galadriel, because it’s really something.

Usually in Tolkien’s texts, it’s the girl following the guy. Lúthien followed Beren to Tol-in-Gaurhoth and Angband and later into death itself, Níniel followed Turambar to Cabed-en-Aras, Elwing followed Eärendil to Valinor, Éowyn followed Faramir to Ithilien, Arwen followed Aragorn to Gondor and later into death itself, etc. Not that this is a bad thing, not at all. (It should never be deemed disempowering for a woman to follow a man she loves and who loves her and treats her right, if that is her choice.) But overall, considering the wide variety of couples in Middle-earth, it does get repetitive sometimes.

Yet with these two, it’s the opposite. Celeborn always followed Galadriel.

When Galadriel departed Doriath, Celeborn went with her. He left all his kin behind to be with her. We don’t know for sure how his kin reacted to his relationship with a Noldo, but it could very well be that they eloped. She was just that important to him.

Then for the next 2 ages, they endured all sorts of trials and tribulations together across Middle-earth and eventually settled down in Lothlórien. There, Celeborn never tried to make Galadriel subservient to him. She had as much say in how things were run as he himself did. They were true co-rulers, equals in every way.

Then finally, Celeborn temporarily let Galadriel go. He was alright with her leaving on the White Ship to see their daughter and her parents and brothers again, while he stayed behind to finish what needed to be finished. He didn’t force her to stay with him when he himself could not (yet) leave. He didn’t hold her back from reuniting with people she loved and had lost so long ago.

And ultimately, Celeborn followed Galadriel once again. Though he was a Sinda born and bred, and never before had any desire to cross the Sea, he left his own homeland behind forever to reunite with her in her homeland. She still was just that important to him.

This guy was down bad for this girl. He lived his whole life drunk on wifeguy juice. Respect Celeborn.

[noldolante14]

I have a hilarious year of the trees take: Maedhros and Fingon are together (romantically) and Celegorm and Aredhel are completely platonic, but everyone thinks it's the other way around (namely Feanor and Fingolfin)

Like Celegorm is getting CONSTANTLY lectured by his dad and all of society for his relationship with Aredhel, whereas Maedhros is off fucking Fingon by a waterfall somewhere and everyone's like "Oh theyre such good friends :)"

Celegorm would be PISSED. He just wants to go camping with his homegirl (and for her to join the hunters of Orome) but all the parents are trying to tear them apart cause they think they're fucking. Whereas Maedhros and Fingon are giggling together at court, writing each other the sappiest love poems, and dance together at every social gathering and no one suspects a THING.

Bonus points if all of the cousins are in on it, and none of the Feanor/Fingolfin/Finarfin generation ever figures it out.

[sakasakiii]

new year new m... aedhros 🥳 yahoo!! i think i hv to return to my roots and devote entire sketch pages to him again bc i was checking my archive and realised the last time i drew him properly was exactly one year ago holy moly..... anyways the sketches are divided into valinor -> angband/recovery -> himring and amon ereb eras so i could experiment w/ how i think he may differ in each :D

[malleusmaleficent]

This drawing (Legolas and Gimli Depart by Turner Mohan) made me cry the first time I saw it. Gimli looks so old and so frail, Legolas is having to hold his hand to get him on the ship to Valinor. Legolas is looking much older and much wiser, too.

But the thought of Gimli and Legolas' platonic love being so great that it would lead to the ONLY dwarf ever arriving to Valinor, that's so moving to me. It's a testament to male friendship that you really don't see often in life. Look at how gently Legolas appears to be in guiding Gimli onto the boat. He's letting Gimli hold onto him as necessary; he's there if Gimli needs him. They'd been best friends for centuries but he knows that even in a situation like this, Gimli wouldn't want to have to rely on him ALL the time.

I dunno. The drawing really does a great job of how it's such a moving testament to their friendship. Romance is wonderful and beautiful and all, but the beauty of platonic love needs more appreciation and celebration.

[inthehouseoffinwe]

Thingol, Luthien, and Dior’s claim to the silmaril bugs the living daylights outta me and I’m gonna break down why. This goes a bit beyond ownership laws.

Starting with basics. What are the silmarils? Gems created by Fëanor that hold the light of the Two Trees. Who in Beleriand saw the light of the trees and no doubt misses it like a limb? Are here in part to avenge their destruction? The Noldor.

The Sindar never went to Valinor. They might find the gems beautiful but that’s it. There’s no cultural or emotional connection to them beyond ‘pretty stone, look how awesome our princess was.’ There’s no appreciation for what they hold. No understanding that this stone is one of the *last* things that holds the ancient light of the Trees.

The Noldor meanwhile not only saw the Light, they had entire festivals surrounding it. Grew their entire culture, their lives, under and around it. Now the trees are destroyed, their king killed defending these jewels. And this last beacon of hope, a piece of the home they can never return to, a piece of light that will never come back, is being kept by people who can’t even begin to understand the significance of what they keep.

Now imagine being the sons of the one who made this jewel from a culture of people who value craft above all else.

Not only is it light, it’s the result of years of toil and experimentation of your father, the one who managed to do what no one had ever even thought of. Fëanor’s sons would have been the first to see these jewels, probably saw him make prototypes, work equations whilst they worked on their own crafts. Provided what relief they could to his ever working mind and inadvertently gave him ideas that helped solve problems he encountered along the way. Suddenly it’s not only a key part of their culture, it’s something core to their family.

Then Fëanor is killed and in many ways it’s the most important thing they have left of their father. Now it’s a source of memory too, for someone doomed to the Halls for eternity. Who they’ll likely never see again unless they’re killed.

Now from what I’ve heard, Tolkien says the Fëanorions lost their right to the Silmarils when they killed for them. Which makes no sense considering the Silmarils were *created* by Fëanor. Yes the light was created by the Valar, but what, you’re gonna say ‘I created electricity so that lightbulb you made is actually mine.’ That’s not how it works. Fëanor made the casing for the stones and figured out how to hold the light, without aid from the Valar. It doesn’t matter what actions they take, the right to the Silmarils remain theirs and theirs alone. The jewels hold no power of their own, they’re literally objects. Healing objects at most. Morals do not dictate their ownership, hallowed or not.

Tolkien going on to say the right of Doriath’s Silmaril actually goes to Beren and Luthien for taking it from Morgoth gives me frankly coloniser vibes.

‘Oh this thing I stole was originally stolen from you? Too bad. I took it so it’s mine now. Don’t care how important it is to you, your entire culture, and your people.’

Get where I’m coming from?

All in all the whole situation gives me Bad Vibes and I really don’t like the attitude the Sindar have to the Silmaril. In terms of Elwing, I can partly forgive her purely based on trauma response. Fine. Doesn’t make it right, but I understand. But that never would’ve been a problem if her father, grandmother, or great grandfather had the sense to acknowledge the silmaril was never theirs to keep. Don’t like the Fëanorions, (too bad) at least give it back to the Noldor.

[wroniec]

Melkor teaching the Noldor in Valinor

Now in his heart Melkor most hated the Eldar(...). Therefore all the more did he feign love for them, and sought their friendship, and offered them the service of his lore and labour in any great deed that they would do. And many of the Noldor, because of their desire of all knowledge, hearkened to him and took delight in his teaching.

Morgoth's Ring