#Vorondil

[bretwalda-lamnguin]

It's interesting how Malbeth the Seer's role for the later kings of Arthedain parallels the Steward's role for the later Gondorian kings. Both serve as chief advisors, with something of a spiritual, quasi-religious role. Malbeth gives prophectic guidance to the kings, the Stewards keep the tradition of Isildur.

Both seem clearly associated with spiritual power, Malbeth with foresight, the Stewards with the ability to read the hearts and minds of others (going by Denethor and Faramir at least).

But the key difference it seems is that for all their spiritual power, the Húrinionath are pragmatists at heart, and seem to have a flair for the political. Malbeth on the other hand doesn't seem to know or care (telling the king to name his son last king is not a good way to inspire confidence in your dynasty!)

I also find it interesting that the decision for the Dúnedain that Malbeth talks about, is arguably the one taken by Pelendur. Putting Eärnil II on the throne of Gondor. The more hopeful, pragmatic choice, the one a Steward would always take regardless of signs and omens.

I wonder if any of the Húrinionath, probably Vorondil or Mardil met Malbeth after the fall of Arthedain, I can't imagine they got on well...

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Had to look up the information on the Horn of Gondor.

From The Return of the King, “Minas Tirith”:

“I have recieved this,” said Denethor, and laying down his rod he lifted from his lap the thing that he had been gazing at. In each hand he held up one half of a great horn cloven through the middle: a wild-ox horn bound with silver.

“That is the horn that Boromir always wore!” cried Pippin.

“Verily,” said Denethor. “And in my turn I bore it, and so did each eldest son of our house, far back into the vanished years before thr failing of the kings, since Vorondil father of Mardil hunted the wild kine of Araw in the far fields of Rhûn.”

And then in Appendix A.I.ii, in a footnote on the steward “Vorondil the Hunter” (father of Mardil; Mardil was the first ruling Steward of Gondor):

The wild white kine that were still to be found near the Sea of Rhûn were said in legend to be descended from the Kine of Araw, the huntsman of the Valar, who alone of the Valar came often to Middle-earth in the Elder Days. Oromë is the High-elven form of his name.

[wind-in-the-sky]

Whumptober day one

Just a sneakpeak for day one's prompt which should be out tomorrow afternoon!

(It's late, so not off to a great start, lol)

Just as he manages to fell the last of the orcs that had gathered at the top of the hill near the bleak remains of the seat of seeing, Aragorn heard a great ringing cry come from further down – HasteUrgencyAidByTheValarHelpHelpHelp – the horn of Vorondil had sounded, just as it had been at the beginning of this quest, and with its urgent song it compelled all those who could to aid the fair son of Gondor.

Springing into action, Aragorn belts down the hill to where that desperate sound had come from, followed closely by Legolas and Gimli both – the tree branches grasping and snagging at their legs, hindering them in their race against time. Soon enough, they break into an area of flatter ground to the sound of pitched fighting and the unmistakable whistle-thud of arrows meeting flesh – No, it couldn’t be! – but there is scant time to pause, as the fresh set of orcs set upon them. Aragorn is a near blur in his action; his sword biting deep into orcish flesh and his dagger backing it up. He dimly registers a low whistle from Gimli about the numbers of dead already lying around them; Boromir was a man who took after the warrior legends of old, and his skill with a blade was formidable.

A sudden icy dread seized his spine as he broke through the enemy ranks and races ever closer – Merry and Pippin were with him, and if that were the case then Boromir would willingly sacrifice his body to see his “little ones” safe. Aragorn finally burst into the clearing, and laid eyes on that which he had dreaded most – Boromir is slumped over his knees, several black arrows piercing his chest, blood leaking from the wounds crimson-bright as it dripped onto the forest floor. A great, hulking orc looms over him, drawing a twisted black bow to deliver the final shot. 

NO!

[ao3feed-tolkien]

Idis takes the Public Service Test

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/MamjNcO

by what_katy_did_1234

Lady Idis is one of the few women to take the Public Service Test. When she discovers that only one man got a better result than her, she decides to find out who this mysterious man is. To her dismay, the more she discovers about him, the more she likes him. If only she could get over her shyness!

[Gorthon and Vorondil are based on former housemates of my husband when he was a student. Sorry-not-sorry. I haven’t even put in some of the wackier things the housemates did…]

Words: 10947, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 28 of LOTR fan fiction

Fandoms: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Idis of Emyn Arnen (OC), Lieutenant Barthon (OC), Captain Rador (OC), Amarchon (OC), Thorongil of Galaridh (OC), Duinion (OC), Head Archivist (OC), Halbor (OC), Gorthon (OC), Vorondil (OC), Elboron (Tolkien), Galadhel (OC), Barahir (Fourth Age)

Relationships: Idis/Thorongil

Additional Tags: Spies & Secret Agents, Assassins & Hitmen, Libraries, Inspired by The Lord of the Rings, Stalking, Competition, Exams

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/MamjNcO

[maryellencarter]

OH IT GETS BETTER. In this setting, Arawn is to be identified with Oromë, the Vala of hunting and forests. (Tolkien did love his vowel shifts.) The page I linked only attests "Araw" as one of his alternate names, not "Arawn", but the n/m shift is baked into tengwar orthography... *coughs* Sorry, I imprinted on the Appendices at age ten.

Anyway, Theoden in battle will later be compared to Oromë as a way of emphasizing "really really scary". I don't think we ever actually find out if Oromë had an opinion on Boromir's ancestor Vorondil hunting his kine, but yeah -- Vorondil was a legit badass.

(Really, all of the Stewards were pretty badass. The movie version does Denethor such a disservice making him a dotard instead of a legitimately wise and strong ruler overcome by despair, but that's a whoooole other essay and I'm not typing it on my phone.)

Am I F1 posting am I LOTR posting I can multitask. Look I’m barely into Two Towers but I’m on another themed field trip and we’re going to look at 11th century “oliphant” hunting horns now. Was Boromir’s horn material and design ever specified? I don’t recall! probably it was a large boar tusk! Maybe it was a really really big bull! This is all more likely than elephant ivory, tho as seen here elephant (and rhinoceros) ivory WAS absolutely in use, especially in early medieval Muslim Europe (Spain, Sicily, and parts of Southern Italy) and was definitely known much further north (too far north tho and you start getting walrus ivory instead). But you’ve gotta see some of the coolest early medieval hunting horns anyway.

From the museum placard:

“The term oliphant refers to an ivory horn such as the one used by the legendary hero Roland, one of Charlemagne’s paladins, to sound the call for battle. Many such horns have been preserved. Usually decorated with hunting and animal motifs, they were made in Islamic-Arab countries as well as Norman Sicily and in Lower Italy. Many of them served as containers for relics in the church treasuries of the West.”

These two are (and I’m just getting this info off more museum placards) from Italy (Salerno or Amalfi, maybe) and from Arab Sicily. The latter, with the very Muslim-style animals in a web of vines, is my absolute fav. Sicily was conquered by the Byzantines, Fatimids, and ex-Viking Normans in succession and the style got neat as hell. Did Tolkien care about this mate I have no idea, I just think it’s the coolest thing. Also these are huge.

*and of course, ivory today is real fucking sad and part of an ecological catastrophe. But it’s worth saying that the 11th century was Not the century that fucked that one up.

[ecchima]

Hello everyone: Today I’m sharing a coloured sketch of my boy Vorondil! I played him during a DnD oneshot about the Fall of Gondolin and I had so much fun that I decided to draw him a few years after the events.

He’s doing alright, still an amazing cook doing his best to make people smile and find new recipes to share with everyone!

[the-writing-warg]

The Wild Kine of Araw

Genus : bovine

Name meaning : wild ox of Oromë

History : Legends claimed they were descendants from Oromë's personal herd of cattle, so they were named Kine of Araw (Araw being the sindarin form of Oromë). They were the quarry of Vorondil the hunter, an ancestor of the ruling stewards of Gondor, and it was he who cut the horn from a kine and made the Great horn out of it, that would later be used by Boromir before his death.

Description : They're barely described at all, save for a brief mention of 'wild white kine' in the appendices of the Lord of the rings, which seems to hint that eventually the Kine of Araw in middle Earth became a sub-species found only "near the Sea of Rhûn" as opposed to being pure Kine of Araw. Which is also supported by the consistent use of the phrase 'wild kine/ox' when describing the history of Boromir's horn. They're also said to be hardier and wilder than any other species of ox in middle Earth.

Influences : In an unpublished manuscript in the Bodleian library, tolkien likens the wild kine to aurochs, an extinct wild ox species that domestic cattle stem from.

Similar species to use as a reference :

Aurochs

"These are a little below the elephant in size, and of the appearance, color, and shape of a bull. Their strength and speed are extraordinary; they spare neither man nor wild beast which they have espied. These the Germans take with much pains in pits and kill them. The young men harden themselves with this exercise and practice themselves in this sort of hunting, and those who have slain the greatest number of them, having produced the horns in public, to serve as evidence, receive great praise." - Julius Caesar describing aurochs in his History of the Gallic War.

Since aurochs had been extinct at the time tolkien lived and so little is mentioned about the wild Kine of Araw, its impossible to know how closely tolkien imagined the two species to look, however there are a number of breeds that still exist today that have similar colouring, confirmation and behaviour to both aurochs and wild kine of Araw.

Pajuna cattle

The closest living relative to aurochs in the world, certain lineages are thought to share similar colours and markings with the aurochs and they share the same forward facing horns. They're extremely hardy cattle that have adapted to harsh living conditions.

Heck cattle

Bred by Heinz and Lutz Heck to be a modern auroch in the 1920s - 1930s, they naturally share alot of traits with the aurochs, they are one of the largest breeds in the world and are extremely aggressive, but they are still smaller than an actual auroch

Indian Gaur

One of the largest and most aggressive breeds of wild cattle, if left undisturbed they are more wary of humans but when in regular / semi-regular contact with humans they become aggressive. They've been known to charge without provocation, kill domestic cattle in fights and there's even been reports of them killing tigers.

Chianina

The largest breed of cow in the world, and is also white which technically makes them closer to the canonical description of the wild kine of Araw than others mentioned. They are more docile than the others on this list, due to working closely with humans and being bred for farm work (pulling carts, ploughing etc)

This post (and maybe more like this in the future) was inspired by @outofangband 's amazing posts on the flora , fauna and general environments of Arda, please go check out their posts if you like this sort of thing.

[arofili]

the line of elros ❖ stewards of gondor ❖ headcanon disclaimer

          Pelendur was a lord of the House of Húrin and served as the Steward to the kings Ondoher and Eärnil II. He was a friend of Eärnil and sympathetic to his ambitions to achieve royalty for his descendants, though during Ondoher’s rules it was assumed that this would be possible only through marriage, perhaps of Eärnil’s son Eärnur to Ondoher’s daughter Fíriel.           Before any such arrangement could be made, Fíriel was wed to Prince Arvedui of Arthedain, the last remnant of the once-noble realm of Arnor. Eärnur was relieved, for his interests lay in men, but Eärnil’s frustration only grew.           When Gondor faced the double threat of attack by the Wainriders and Haradrim, Ondoher appointed Eärnil general of the southern army, for despite their political conflicts there was respect between them, and Eärnil was a great warrior. Ondoher ordered his younger son Faramir to remain in Minas Anor as regent, aided by Steward Pelendur, in case he and his other heirs should fall in battle.           While Eärnil routed the Haradrim, Ondoher’s army faced a greater threat than they had anticipated, and the King, his elder son Artamir, and his nephew Minohtar were all slain. Worst of all was the discovery of Faramir’s demise, for he had refused to stay behind and rode to war with the Éothéod in disguise. Though Eärnil avenged their deaths and routed the Wainriders from Gondor, there was now no clear heir to the throne.           Pelendur, deeply grieved by the loss of the King and his heirs, assumed his Stewardly responsibility as ruler of Gondor until a new King could be crowned. He had never expected this burden, and it wore on him; it was only through the support of his wife Meleth that he was able to endure while the Council of Gondor deliberated who would be their next leader.           Eärnil, a descendant of King Telumehtar Umbardacil through his younger son Arcíryas, presented his claim with the confidence that he would swiftly be declared King, but he was met with an unexpected challenge in the form of Ondoher’s son-in-law, Prince Arvedui. As the husband of the last King’s daughter Fíriel, who under the old laws of Númenor would have inherited as Ruling Queen, Arvedui argued that she was the rightful ruler of Gondor. Since it had been many long centuries since the Dúnedain had been led by a woman, he claimed that he should become King of Gondor in her stead. Additionally, Arvedui emphasized his position as the Heir of Isildur, once a King of Gondor himself, and thus also the Heir of High King Elendil; his children would be heirs of Arnor and Gondor, reuniting the Two Kingdoms and fulfilling the prophecy of the seer Malbeth.           But to the men of Gondor, Arthedain was a small kingdom and only a remnant of Arnor, never as glorious as their own realm. Furthermore, Pelendur had ever been a friend of Eärnil and spoke for him among the Council of Gondor. After a year of debate, they denied Arvedui’s claim and crowned Eärnil II King instead.           Pelendur served as Eärnil’s Steward for the rest of his life, and upon his death, Eärnil chose his son Vorondil as the next Steward, making the position hereditary in honor of his friend’s loyalty. Vorondil was renowned as a hunter for his pursuit of the Kine of Araw near the far-off shores of the Sea of Rhûn where he had traveled in his youth.           From one of these great, wild white oxen, he fashioned a great horn bound with silver and engraved with ancient characters. This horn passed from Vorondil to his heir, Mardil, and from him to his, and so forth from eldest son to eldest son through many generations, until it met its end with Boromir son of Denethor II. The horn was part of a matched pair, the other of which was given to his wife Anwariel as a courting gift, though this was lost long before Boromir’s time.

[emerwenaranel]

Friendly reminder

It is funny that so many people remember Vorondil as a great hunter but they forget that, during his stewardship, the Nazgul besieged Minas Ithil until the city fell, and they turned it into Minas Morgul.

[vorondil]

just watched BNHA recently and fell in love with bakugou

[bretwalda-lamnguin]

Faramir is a quenya royal name, the only other Faramir was the son of King Ondoher. For Denethor and Finduilas to name their son Faramir was against custom, but their family had used Quenya names before (e.g. Pelendur, Mardil and Vorondil) and clearly had that right. Pippin doesn't really have that excuse. Was Aragorn angry with him? I genuinely want to know how Faramir and Aragorn found out about this.

[anghraine]

I still come across the “Boromir means steadfast jewel while Faramir just means sufficient lmao” thing, and I still hate it! 99.9% of the time it’s just a way to bash Denethor while sidelining Finduilas. And it’s likely wrong etymologically (Fara is closer to fára, shore), but beyond that, it overshadows something that’s really interesting.

The thing is, it’s well-attested that Gondorians are usually named after previous major figures rather than for strict etymological meaning. Denethor, for instance, is very probably named for the previous Steward Denethor and not for meaning. Denethor I, it happens, had a son named Boromir, who became Ruling Steward in turn. It seems extremely probable that our Boromir was named for his asskicking ancestor Steward Boromir.

And Faramir? The last Faramir we know of wasn’t part of the House of the Stewards at all. He was the son of King Ondoher of the House of Anárion. Denethor and Finduilas gave their son the name of a royal prince of the line of Elendil. This in no way a slight to baby Faramir. In fact, it’s even more extraordinary than it seems!

The thing is, royalty in Gondor always used Quenya names. Every single member of the House of Anárion was named in Quenya—the language of royalty in Númenor’s earlier days. Some (but not all) of their Stewards also had Quenya names (Mardil, Vorondil, Pelendur). But after the line of kings failed, the Stewards switched to using non-Quenya (mainly Sindarin) names to indicate that they weren’t making any royal claims.

Until Faramir.

As far as Denethor and Finduilas are concerned, there are more or less charitable ways to read that. Maybe Finduilas had some inkling of foresight that the state of affairs in Gondor would change, idk. But regardless, Faramir’s name is one of enormous weight and prestige. And that’s completely lost in the fandom take on it.

[wind-in-the-sky]

Whole fic for 'We do not love the sword for its sharpness

Warning: major character death because it's my take on Amon Hen and Boromirs death

(Not hugely original, I know, but eh, it fit the race against the clock prompt for day 1 of whumptober)

Just as he manages to fell the last of the orcs that had gathered at the top of the hill near the bleak remains of the seat of seeing, Aragorn heard a great ringing cry come from further down – HasteUrgencyAidByTheValarHelpHelpHelp – the horn of Vorondil had sounded, just as it had been at the beginning of this quest, and with its urgent song it compelled all those who could to aid the fair son of Gondor.

The horn sounds again, another desperate call, the orcs faltering against the brightness of the sound, and Aragorn moves; springing into action, he belts down the hill to where that desperate sound had come from, followed closely by Legolas and Gimli both – the tree branches grasping and snagging at their legs, hindering them in their race against time. Soon enough, they break into an area of flatter ground to the sound of pitched fighting and the unmistakable whistle-thud of arrows meeting flesh – No, it couldn’t be! – but there is scant time to pause, as the fresh set of orcs set upon them. Aragorn is a near blur in his action; his sword biting deep into orcish flesh and his dagger backing it up. He dimly registers a low whistle from Gimli about the numbers of dead already lying around them; Boromir was a man who took after the warrior legends of old, and his skill with a blade was formidable.

A sudden icy dread seized his spine as he broke through the enemy ranks and races ever closer – Merry and Pippin were with him, and if that were the case then Boromir would willingly sacrifice his body to see his “little ones” safe. Aragorn finally burst into the clearing, and laid eyes on that which he had dreaded most – Boromir is slumped over his knees, several black arrows piercing his chest, blood leaking from the wounds crimson-bright as it dripped onto the forest floor. A great, hulking orc looms over him, drawing a twisted black bow to deliver the final shot. 

 

NO!

 

With a great cry Aragorn brings his sword arcing down on the misshapen bow, breaking it clean in twain. A grunt, and the uruk hai he'd just tackled pushes him back - the both of them thudding into a tree - and the uruk's curved shield comes arcing up and the points of it thud into the bark either side of his neck, trapping him there until he ducks out from underneath, just in time to avoid the swing of an equally wicked sword. From then on, the duel is a blur of fierce motion, of swords dropped and near misses up to the point Aragorn manages to skewer it on the point of his sword, then swiftly behead it.

He sprints over to Boromir and skids to his knees by his side.

"They took the little ones!" Boromir manages to grit out.

"Stay still." Aragorn replies, almost a command, as his hands clamp desperately around one of the arrow wounds, trying to stem the slow bubble of blood.

"Frodo. Where is Frodo?" it is nearer a whisper now, and Aragorn can hear the hitch in his breathing as Boromir struggles against the pain.

"I let Frodo go," he whispers back.

"Then you did what I could not, I tried to take the ring from him." his breathing stutters again, turning into near frantic gasping for air.

"The ring is beyond our reach now," is Aragorn's reply, a reassurance

"Forgive me, I did not see ... I have failed you all."

"No, Boromir. You fought bravely. You have kept your honor."

Aragorn reaches for one of the arrows - to stem the flow further, or to remove it, he doesn't know - but Boromir weakly bats his hand away.

"Leave it! It is over ... the world of Men will fall, and all will come to darkness and my city to ruin ... Aragorn." Desperation laces his tone as blood spills from his lips, his hand shooting upwards to clasp Aragorn's shoulder.

Laying one hand of his own over it, Aragorn reassures him "I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you I will not let the White City fall, nor our people fail." 

"Our people...our people..." 

He can see Boromir's hand grasping for his sword, laying on the leaf litter just out of his reach, so Aragorn places it in his hand and with the last of his strength Boromir brings it thudding to his chest in a pale imitation of a soldier's salute.

"I would have followed you, my brother, my captain, my King." Boromir grits out between bloodied lips, his face pale, throat working against the blood choking it.

Those words are final, and the life in his eyes fades out, and the agony slips from his face with it.

"Be at peace, son of Gondor." he says, and Aragorn bends down to place a kiss on his forehead - a benediction and a farewell in one to one of the greatest Men he had known in his long years of life.

[luna-writes-stuff]

April Tolkien Challenge; Day 19

Horn of Gondor

tap picture for better quality

——

Someone adviced me to watch the short film “Horn of Gondor” on YouTube for this, and I absolutely loved it! Check it out if you will.

The horn of Gondor, a longtime heirloom for the Stewards of Gondor. It was created by Vorondil, who gave it to his descendants, as many other Tolkien relics had been. It eventually landed in the hands of Boromir, son of Denethor, who would be the last person to wield it.

In the Lord of the Rings, there are three canon events where Boromir used the horn. It was known to be heard all the way to Minas Tirith, as to warn Gondorians of battle or other threats. The first time Boromir blew it, was when the fellowship of the ring left Rivendell in the year 3018 of the Third Age. He was known to often do it, as to announce his travels to other companions throughout the lands.

The second time he used it, was in Moria, when the fellowship lay under the attack of goblins, a Balrog and a cave troll. The sound made the enemy halt their movements for a little while, taken aback by the sound, but it did little else for Boromir.

The third, and unfortunately last time, the horn would be used, was at the riverbanks of Parth Galen. There, the fellowship was ambushed by the Uruk-Hai, which came from Isengard, where the wizard Saruman lived. He blew the horn to call for aid in the defending of the two hobbits Meriadoc ‘Merry’ Brandybuck and Peregrin ‘Pippin’ Took. While the horn was heard on time by Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. They were too late, and Boromir had fallen to save the lives of the two hobbits. Both Merry and Pippin got taken away by the Uruk-Hai, leaving the three hunters alone, and Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee on the River to return the ring to Mordor. It was said the last blow had been so hard, even Faramir and Denethor II heard it.

The horn was split in half by the Uruk-Hai, and laid on Boromir at his funeral. It was his brother, Faramir, who would later find the horn in the waters, and immediately recognize it as Boromir’s. The heirloom was given back to Denethor, who began to grieve the loss of his son. Pippin and Gandalf would later meet the steward on his throne, holding the split horn in his lap.

——

Sources:

-One Wiki To Rule Them All

-Tolkien Gateway

-Fellowship of the Ring, JRR Tolkien

[vorondilthehunter]

@the-heart-vigor @strengthandvigour

Vorondil wondered what was the matter. They both looked sad, as if something was wrong. Maybe war was coming again, and they both were tired of the problems of the world. But the Steward of Gondor knew that they had to fight against the Enemy's servants again.

It was their duty to fight. They were together that moment and this was the time he was happy to be with him and his son. Even though he was tired of the problems of the world as well, he needed to be with them all the time. He loved his friends too much.

Vorondil knew that they would be victorious again, and he tried to calm down. The Rohirrim would come to help him and his people. He needed to be away from the rest of the world that day but duty called him. He was tired but he had to stay awake and fight with them against the Enemy's servants.

[lesbiansforboromir]

recomposed skeletons in osgiliath??

YEAH LIKE!!! Scientific models of animal skeletons from far away! Osgiliath is massive, far larger than Minas Tirith, there must have been multiple museums and buildings dedicated to scientific and historical endeavours and preservation. Potentially they actually have the skeleton OF the Aurochs that Vorondil hunted way back when. Sans one horn of course. :D