#arda is earth

[theneverfadinglands]

The Veils of World, Void, plate tectonics, demons (and maiar) and their forms

This headcanon contain the lore pf both Shadowhunter world and Tolkien universe. Below you'll find my headcanon regarding the barriers of the World, which prevent demons from entering. There is in-world explanation provided for the demonic forms and the spaces demons commonly occupy. The headcanon will me most likely expanded upon, minor changes are also possible. Maybe even the development of more than one theory. Note that I plan to expand upon the topic of quantum mechanics and how it may influence demonic forms and spawning. However I am not quantum physicist and as such I am not really qualified for that. I'll try my best in the future.

First of all, I did not intent to write this post as worldbuilding of Arda, as it has not much in common with the plot of Tolkien's works. Yet it is indeed Arda, since in my crossover the Earth and Arda are one and Tolkien's works are long forgotten history of the world. Therefore I'll clutter your dash with my talk of demons, my Tolkienian kindred.

I. Eä, Void, Dark Matter and the Nameless Things

I had been thinking about Eä and the Void recently and how it may tie into our current knowledge of the universe. For example, what is dark matter in Eä? I think there are some possible explanations:

I. Dark Matter is the Void itself. As we know the particles does not interact with normal matter much, they do not clump, which means they do not interact with each other much either. It is therefore possible that Dark matter is the substance in which the Eä is suspended, aka the Void. Otherwise it would mean Eä as a known universe exists in some other space.

II. Dark Matter is a substance that exists not quite in Eä nor in Void, it is a sort of a barrier, a veil if you want. As it was said in Silmarillion, the Valar are bound to Eä and it is completelly separated from the Void. We know that the dark matter interact with normal matter via gravitational force. Gravity is also understoon to be the main driving force of plate tectonics movement.

But this is a fantasy world, where Earth used to be flat! Anything is possible really... so please suspend your disbelief. The truth is dark matter in real world probably influence the orbit of planets in Solar system, but it's influence is small, it is overshadowed by the influence of the other planet's gravity and Sun itself.

Now I have to fit Ainulindalë into this headcanon. I think the entire Music of the Ainur might be a metaphor. For the minds of the Children may not be able to perceive it as anything else and as such it may be called the Music, it is a concept that can be understood. Personally I like the idea that Dark matter itself is the purest substance of the Music.

"Far, far below the deepest delving of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he. Now I have walked there, but I will bring no report to darken the light of day."

Here is a quote in which Gandalf speaks about the Nameless things he encountered, the Nameless things that are even older than Sauron himself. What are these things? Sauron is a maia, he was born of the mind of Ilúvatar, what is older than a maia?

Obviously, Tolkien had been inspired by the Norwegian mythology. The dragon Nidhogg gnawl at the roots of the Yggdrasil. There he gnawl at the corpses of murderers, adulters and oath-breakers (interesting right?). It is believed that the roots of Yggdrasil may be trapping creatures outside the world. One of the theories therefore might be, that Arda truly has a "root" in some way. I like to think that this root may be a place neither in Eä nor Void.

II. The Nature of Maiar and Demons

Tolkien being a Catholic was very much influenced by this religious views, when he constructed his world. The creation of Eä, fall of Melkor are quite straightforwardly influenced by Christianity. It is then not hard to see similarities between demons and fallen maiar. Melkor as Lucifer (with whom he even share a name in meaning), balrogs as fallen angels along with Sauron. There is of course the age of question, what is Ungoliant? To which I do not have an answer.

Silmarillion; "Thus it came to pass that of the Ainur some abode still with Iluvatar beyond the confines of the World; but others, and among them many of the greatest and most fair, took the leave of Iluvatar and descended into it. But this condition Iluvatar made, or it is the necessity of their love, that their power should thenceforward be contained and bounded in the World, to be within it for ever, until it is complete, so that they are its life and it is theirs. And therefore they are named the Valar, the Powers of the World."

The power of Valar (and Maiar who followed them I assume) is contained within the Eä itself. I think that is why the are able to do their will as they please, they are part of the world, they are very fabric of it. But what about the Nameless things? These older than Sauron? Different ones? Who never chosen to enter Eä until much later and without a permission nor invitation forced themselves upon Earth?

I think the ability to enter Eä and bypass the Veils lay largely on the power of the being. In Tolkien universe spirits possesing dead bodies are normal occurance. I think the lowest of demons are evil spirits which posses dead bodies of animals. The mightier of demons are able to sustain themselves unbodied for a time and maybe even long time, haunting certain places. Then there is a category of demons which are powerful enough to create a bodily form for themselves. These maiar may partialy recall a form from memory and partially use the dead flesh of creatures to shape as they will. Then the higher ranking demons shape their forms out of memory or they may be shaped by the Veils in some way upon entering the world. I think there is entire research field regarding the forms of demons and why they take these forms in Eä. There is also the question, how these demons look like in their homeland.

I think only the mightiest of demons are able to change their form when they enter the World, mostly because sustaining a form must be so hard. They do not belong in Eä, they are not bound to the core of the world, they sustain themselves by the sheer force of will.

Where demons get the energy to sustain themselves? I think this may be rather easy to answer. Human despair and pain. They may feed themselves by human emotions and suffering (mostly, but I think even strong positive emotion can feed a demon). Therefore preffering places with a large population. Countries with some socioeconomical problems, wars.

Thinking about it, the human fear probably directly affect the bodily forms of demons as they would like to appear as something to be feared. At least the lower ones. The demons may also need to feed their physical bodies by normal food as well of course. However, I think there is much variety in the bodies of demons even of the same kind. The number of eyes may be different, skin, thorns, etc., I also think these forms may have some unique valuable magical properties for those inclined to use some dark magical rituals...

III. The Veils of the World

We know that there are a Doors in Mandos that lead beyond the Circles of the World, throught which the dead spirits of men pass. The question is, what keeps Arda separated from Void? There mist be some substance that prevent the Nameless things from entering Arda? Here I am circling back to the first part discussing dark matter.

Since demons (as nameless things and maiar) do enter the Earth in shadowhunter universe from beyond the world. It is also important to note, that there Hell as a place outside the world exists and with its Pandemonium and many realms of Hell, where the princes rule. Many times I have thought about the Void and its realms.

What if the Veils became weakened, eaten away, permitting swarms of demonic creatures from beyond the world to enter Eä? One must wonder about the Dagor Dagorath. The return of Melkor upon Arda, who may be called by many names in many human mythologies.

I should get to the practical point of this. Firstly, I should ask; Do the demons spawn randomly? If so, what if a demon spawn in the middle of ocean? The body of water on the planet Earth is great, it would be so tiring to spawn in the middle of Pacific again and again. Are demons able to enter Eä and choose their location? Obviously they are made of some matter, flesh and bone that disintergate after they are slain. Their forms are ephemeral, held by the will of their spirits as I discussed above.

I think it would be total chaos if demons just appear randomly in someone's backyard in Utah out of blue. I think their ability to manifest in form is heavily influenced by the Veils. As I stated in first part of this headcanon, I imagine the Veils are in at least a part made of dark matter. Dark matter very much influence gravity and what is influnced by gravity? Tectonics.

Therefore, I imagine it may be easier for demons to spawn on the borders of tectonical plates and that the tectonical activity may influence their spawning, along with volcanic activity. It may be easier to enter the world in these places. The picture above is showing the tectonical plates and their borders. I think the type of border also plays a factor, but I am not sure how much. I am also not sure the nephilim themselves would know either.

As was discussed in the second part, the demons feed on human despair and prefer populous locations. The second map shows the population density in 2023. Now if we put the maps together, we get the answer for the question; where are most of the demons? Oceania, India, Eastern side of Africa, Middle East, Southern Europe (explain the rich bestiary of creatures in Greek mythology..).. I think demons would also like China and travel to China because there are so many people. Europe would also be quite popular travel destination if you are a demon on vacation.

This headcanon is in no shape or form complete and will be expaned upon as the ideas come by.. and if I manage to get my net in time to ctach them!

[matias-crtz-art]

Finrod.

"Thunder rumbles, the fires burn"

[ardgalen]

The Lands of Middle-Earth in the Second Age 1/∞

THE RINGS OF POWER // EP II.IV ELDEST

Lindon to Eregion through Eriador. South of Lake Nenuial, north of the Hills of Tyrn Gorthad, crossing the Baranduin (later Brandywine) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[distinguisheddwarffriend]

Yo I've got another for my by now mixed Tolkien survey series:

(yes, I over-simplified stuff, and had to exclude Tulkas, Melkor & Mandos for lack of answer-options, just comment if you'd have picked them)

[aesthetic--mood]

The lord of the rings Aesthetic

[supreme-leader-stoat]

"Yes, Aslan did decree that the Pevensies—first Peter and Susan, then Edmund and Lucy—should never again set foot in Narnia, or any of the lands of that world. For their time there had passed, and their purpose in that place had already been realized.

"He did not, it should be noted, say anything about Arda."

[eerieechos]

Updated Elladan and Elrohir designs ❤️

If you want to look at the previous designs (literally why???) here’s a link :)

[natsumka]

"Then arose Thorndor, King of Eagles, and he loved not Melko, for Melko had caught many of his kindred and chained them against sharp rocks to squeeze from them the magic words whereby he might learn to fly (for he dreamed of contending even against Manwe in the air); and when they would not tell he cut off their wings and sought to fashion therefrom a mighty pair for his use, but it availed not."

— The Book of Lost Tales 2, chapter 18, J.R.R. Tolkien.

"Тогда поднялся в воздух Торндор, Король Орлов — он не любил Мелько, ибо тот изловил многих его сородичей и приковал к острым скалам, надеясь вытянуть у них волшебное слово, чтобы научиться летать (ибо он мечтал соперничать в небе с самим Манвэ); орлы ничего не сказали ему, и тогда он отрезал им крылья и хотел сделать из них огромные крылья для себя, но у него ничего не вышло."

— Книга утраченных сказаний 2, III Падение Гондолина (стр. 193), Джон Р. Р. Толкин.

Pic by me

[mirra-kan]

@lotr20 Day 5 (15th Dec): loss | sacrifice | despair

"DARK TALES OF HORROR" The causes of the problems lie much deeper  than just the Lord of The Rings story. We see the result. We see only one side of a coin. Here's another one, which refers to the deeds of the Second Age but persists until the fall of Dark Lord Sauron, which we witness in LOTR books and movies. Here're some quotes I find relatable to the topic overall, in case you're interested ❤

"I dislike the use of 'political' in such a context; it seems to me false. It seems clear to me that Frodo's duty was 'humane' not political. He naturally thought first of the Shire, since his roots were there, but the quest had as its object not the preserving of this or that polity, such as the half republic half aristocracy of the Shire, but the liberation from an evil tyranny of all the 'humane'* – including those, such as 'easterlings' and Haradrim, that were still servants of the tyranny. Denethor was tainted with mere politics: hence his failure, and his mistrust of Faramir. It had become for him a prime motive to preserve the polity of Gondor, as it was, against another potentate, who had made himself stronger and was to be feared and opposed for that reason rather than because he was ruthless and wicked. Denethor despised lesser men, and one may be sure did not distinguish between orcs and the allies of Mordor. If he had survived as victor, even without use of the Ring, he would have taken a long stride towards becoming himself a tyrant, and the terms and treatment he accorded to the deluded peoples of east and south would have been cruel and vengeful. He had become a 'political' leader: sc. Gondor against the rest."  – letter 183 | Notes on W. H. Auden's review of The Return of the King Art quote:

"The Númenóreans carry their evil also to Middle-earth and there become cruel and wicked lords of necromancy, slaying and tormenting men; and the old legends are overlaid with dark tales of horror." Letter 131

[khorazir]

Arda – An Illustrated Journey in Middle-Earth and the Realms of Tolkien

Earlier this year, I created eleven new watercolours for a book about places in Middle-earth. The book has been released now as a bilingual edition (Spanish/English) by Legendaria Ediciones. Apart from the new paintings, the book contains several of my older Tolkien inspired works as well as illustrations and photographs by other artists. More info here:

Previously, Legendaria published other books containing my art:

[rptv-tolkien]

Destruction of the Great Lamps

by Linda Garland

[matias-crtz-art]

Aegnor & Andreth.

You are no Beren, nor I Lúthien— our fates are sundered by the fathomless Sea.

[velvet4510]

Christopher Tolkien On the Development of The Silmarillion

God bless Christopher Tolkien. More than half of his father’s legendarium would never have been known to us, if it weren’t for Christopher.

I deeply admire his skill and resilience in editing and publishing his father’s texts, as well as his eloquence in explaining how it all worked. All of these qualities are evident in this attached video, which I think will explain a lot to anyone who is new to The Silmarillion.

Even if you’re already a Silm expert, I think we all can agree that he’s always a joy to listen to. He understood his father in a way that very few others did.

[tathrin]

I deserve like seventeen cookies today, because my co-worked asked me "what the elvish homeland is called in Lord of the Rings" and I RESISTED GETTING INTO ALL OF THAT and from context clues figured out that the answer they were actually looking for was just "The Grey Havens" (which is one of the very few possible answers that isn't actually an answer to that question btw G.!) and I managed to only answer them with that information, and the supplemental details that the Grey Havens actually just lead to the place that could be called, among other things, Aman, the Blessed Realm, Valinor, and the Undying Lands instead of...you know...

Getting into all of that.

So yeah, clearly I'm a miracle worker and a saint and I'd like those cookies now please and thank you.

[aesthetic--mood]

Sauron Aesthetic