#gil-estel

[eri-pl]

I realized something about the Silmarils again and now I am sad again.

So, Gil-Estel, Star of (high) Hope. The one that wasn't reclaimed/stolen* and lost by the Feanorians.

And there are three of them. You know what else comes in a set of three and contains Hope? Faith, Hope, and Love, the... Whatever it's called in English. Anyway we could have three stars, for three beautiful things.

Even more sad: the one that got away was Elwing's. She originally had two brothers. We could have a star per each of them. Somehow. (Yes, someone would have to steal them, but let's ignore this so I can blame everything on Celegorm, because I don't like the guy)

*your opinion may vary

Ok, this post seems not very interesting so let's add a poll

[novemberthecatadmirer]

Me spreading rumor:

I think Angband produced air pollution and you cannot see blue sky in day or stars at night in areas around Angband

Imagine over the years the air quality in Beleriand just got worse and worse

I mean, Morgoth hated Manwe and Varda did he

(I think he had separate specific ways to destroy/twist/mock each Valar’s artwork

How did the dark creatures who born and grew up in Angband react when they saw stars for the first time in their life, likely when they marched away from Angband to conquer and kill and spread terror

Did they fear the stars because the stars looked like those lights on the dark king’s crown

Or did they still got attracted by them, the light faraway that did not make them hurt? The sun burnt them but the stars, the stars were friendly and the stars were just there

If some of them wanted to run away and hide away and away from the terror of their master, did the friendly lights guide their ways?

When Gil-Estel appeared in the sky it was a star that you could even see in Angband through the thick smog and gray clouds

When thralls looked up they could see a star

A reminder

There was the star that was once stolen and trapped and enslaved by evil but the star broke loose and now was high above the sky

And that was not the only star out there over the clouds, maybe their sights got blocked by the dark and horror of Angband but over the clouds there were all the stars and they were bright and never touched by the self-claimed king

And the stars had always been there and would always be there, away from the land away from the hands of the Evil

The thralls knew the Evil could take them kill them use them or even twist them but the Evil could not have the stars

Was that a relief was that enough

Or that was not enough but it was good and the stars would always be there even after the land falling beneath the sea

[dougielombax]

Okay. Let’s get this over with.

Parallels

Or

Seeing Patterns in Things that Aren’t There

Part 29

Amidst The Innumerable Stars

1. “Look. Toa Lhikan’s Spirit Star. Each Toa has one. As long as it burns in the night sky, Toa Lhikan remains alive.” - Vakama. Bionicle: Legends of Metru Nui. (2004)

2. “Now fair and marvellous was that vessel made, and it was filled with a wavering flame, pure and bright; and Eärendil the Mariner sat at the helm, glistening with dust of elven-gems, and the Silmaril was bound upon his brow. Far he journeyed in that ship, even into the starless voids; but most often was he seen at morning or at evening, glimmering in sunrise or sunset, as he came back to Valinor from voyages beyond the confines of the world.

. . .

Now when first Vingilot was set to sail in the seas of heaven, it rose unlooked for, glittering and bright; and the people of Middle-earth beheld it from afar and wondered, and they took it for a sign, and called it Gil-Estel, the Star of High Hope.”

- The Silmarillion (1977). - Quenta Silmarillion. Of the Voyage of Earendil and the War of Wrath.

3. “What are you made of?” - Lauren Arnoldson.

“Good People.” - Manticore (Constellation).

- The Monument Mythos: Season Three. Finale. FREEDOMFOREVER (2023)

Kind of speaks for itself.

But this post covers numerous examples of people living on as or becoming stars in one way or another.

In the Bionicle universe, Toa were represented by Spirit Stars in the sky of the GSR. Perhaps more akin to beacons in hindsight.

Lhikan’s spirit star remains while he lives. Until he sacrifices himself to save Vakama. And the Toa Metru receive their own stars shortly afterwards.

Earendil and his Silmaril become a star in the sky after he and his wife Elwing work with the Valar and their host to save the world from Morgoth in the War of Wrath.

The Angel Crown, Freedom (and Nina & Thomas Crawford by extension), and Everett Arnoldson merge to form the Perfect Union, sacrificing themselves to destroy the Martian Serpent and save the world.

In doing so they transcend and become stars, forming the Manticore constellation.

Make of this what you will.

[anoriel-niqetilde]

Okay, I guess I’m doing this! Part 2 of Melkor in the Void, aka I mess around in Procreate as long as I don’t have to try to draw people. Based on a post by @curufiin. Featuring Eärendil this time (by way of his silmaril). Original idea and part 1 here.

(I discovered the flare brush btw. That’s the only reason he looks this good)

I have no idea how far my art skills will take this idea, but whatever. It’s good practice!

[narkinafive]

@gil-estel replied to your post “@transslehoff-burrfoot replied to your post...”:

I played survivor for about 3.6 hours on PC last night and the first cutscenes were a little laggy but it seemed to resolve itself by the time gameplay started? (AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, GeForce RTX 3080). There's been a patch, and it sounds like some of the issues are specific to certain PC builds

​^^!! thank u for the info!

[reyturnofbensolo]

😍

them: the rebellion needs pilots

me: get that girl in an x-wing stat

[youmisguidedmartyr]

What if you were born during a WAR and your dad became a STAR and your mum became a BIRD and your people were KILLED and then you and your twin were KIDNAPPED and then your kidnappers either DIED or fucked off to the BEACH and then your twin chose a MORTAL LIFE and then you became a HERALD and then your King got given a really cool RING but there was ANOTHER WAR because SAURON WAS ACTUALLY the RING GUY and then your King DIES and then your cousin/wife gets ATTACKED and then she SAILS and then your Foster son falls in LOVE with your DAUGHTER and then there's ANOTHER FUCKING WAR because SAURON IS BACK and then your daughter also chooses a MORTAL fucking LIFE and then you just FUCK OFF TOO but your twin sons didn't make up their MINDS

[thesummerestsolstice]

Elrond hides from the stars, at first. Morgoth's hazy corruption hid the sky, at Amon Ereb, and the Feanorians didn't spend much time outside at night anyway– it was dangerous, even for hardened warriors.

Maedhros and Maglor taught them about the stars of course, they were determined to give E&E education befitting of elvish princes, and no such education could be complete without thorough studies of both astronomy and the elvish star lore from the days of Cuivienen. Still, while they could chart the course of any star across the sky, and tell the tale of any constellation, E&E rarely actually got to see the stars.

They could, on rare nights when the smog wasn't so bad, see Gil-Estel, brightest of them all, faintly shining through the haze. They knew what it was. They didn't know what to think about it. The Feanorians didn't like discussing it, so E&E didn't either.

But then, Elrond and Elros left the Feanorians. Maedhros and Maglor sent them away from just about everyone and everything they'd ever known. They came to Gil-Galad's camp as traumatized children who were treated as objects of curiosity, veneration, even suspicion. Eyes follow them everywhere, and their gaze is never neutral– always approving or disapproving, angry or joyful, awed or fearful.

Gil-Galad's camp, guarded by Maiarin soldiers, is nearly free of Morgoth's corruption. For the first time, E&E see the light of the sun and moon in their full glory. They also see Gil-Estel, burning brightly against the dark sky; no faint light.

Elrond doesn't like it. He feels like Gil-Estel is watching him. When he tries to explain this to Gil-Galad, he's met with sympathy– of course Earendil is watching over him. But Gil-Galad doesn't understand.

Elrond hasn't gotten used to being watched, being evaluated, at Gil-Galad's camp. He'd never felt that way at Amon Ereb– where there had been far fewer elves and his presence had quickly become normal. All those elves watching him now? Viscerally uncomfortable. And the thought of the father he barely remembers being another set of eyes judging him is unbearable. After all, what if Earendil doesn't like what he sees?

[maironsmaid]

Watched Lotr with a casual Lotr fan and safe to say that they were kinda confused when I joked about Elrond's dad showing up

[aureentuluva70]

My brain is consumed by the way that Elrond is Elwing/Doriath's heir and Elros is Earendil/Gondolin's heir. How Elrond chose the fate of the Elves like Elwing before him, while Elros chose mortality, the path Earendil's heart actually favored. How Elrond's name means 'star-dome', named so in Elwing's dim memory of Doriath, and he builds what is essentially a refugee community like the Havens of Sirion. Elros's name, on the other hand, means 'star-foam' and his path ultimately led him to the Sea, as did his father's(and Earendil's father before him), following Gil-Estel to the place that would become Numenor.

[stellavesperis]

Anytime I can see the Eveningstar (Venus) again I’m so happy :D

Earendil spotted

[novemberthecatadmirer]

The way that astronomers nicknamed the earliest and most distant star Earendil

I have FEELINGS

(Like, in canon star of Earendil was supposed to be the youngest star and a bright star and a star created by the Children instead of God and a star of hope and a star that once guided mortal human to their promised land) 

(I always think that is a canon explanation for Venus)

(And scientist found this star so, so far away that human could not see without the help of this telescope that took decades of years to build and was a creation of the best technology and took the best minds and the best luck to be launched into its place)

(And they named this star Earendil)

(The implications)

(Star of hope is Ancient and Distant and impossible for human to see and maybe it no longer exists anymore because it’s so many light years away

(But its light has reached here and with all the technologies we have human are finally able to see its light even it may likely be the light from the past the light from a star that may very likely no longer exist at the moment its light reached our earth)

(The fairytale the romantic idealism the self-deprecating yet uplifting humor)

(Screaming into the Void)

[an-eldritch-peredhel]

The thing that draws me most to this fandom, and the things that makes it unique, is that by the mere nature of the works we love, everyone's Arda is different. And not just in the usual headcanon-y ways that are typical of every story, but even down to important plot and characterization points.

Who is Gil-Galad? What is the Oath and what does it have power to do? What really is the Dagor Dagorath? How do the Laws Of The Universe work?

And beyond that- what parts of HoME do you pick and choose? LaCE? Does anyone try and work with Tolkien's horrendous math? Have you taken parts of your Arda from older or other worlds, with the Cottage of Lost Play and the exile of the Gnomes?

Have you given names to the wives and daughters? What do they mean- who are they? Mother-names or father-names for those who only had one?

I just really love how even when two interpretations of the same world seem utterly incompatible, they aren't. I'd love to see other additions/headcanons!

[tanoraqui]

item: collection of Númenorean art titled (variations on) “The Ascension of Azrubêl” through the centuries, shifting over time from depicting Eärendil as receiving the Silmaril from Varda, to receiving it from Elwing, to crowning himself with it by his own hands.

[the-haiku-bot]

oh trust me no one

thought they were taking 8 hours

to complete THAT look

Beep boop! I look for accidental haiku posts. Sometimes I mess up.

GIRL, WE KNOW

[eleajay]

Elrond’s Stars Halo

A bit more on his halo. It stays for a while after being “summoned”, but doesn’t glow much as glowing actually consumes his strength, and if not in a dire situation it can just sit there on his head like an ornament. (Like how the light of Eärendil given to Frodo by Galadriel can just sit in his pocket and not glow when not needed) Usually it takes several hours, or sometimes just a nap to get rid of it. This is him letting someone (Gil-Galad, I’ll assume) examine it after a battle. Now, the stars on the halo actually represents the ones he had lost. Like Eärendil in the middle, Elwing and Elros right next to him, and the two octagram stars are obviously the two Fëanorions. So as he loses more in his life, the number of stars on the halo increases. They become a part of him and will stay on his halo, grant him strength when it is most needed.

(So Gil-Galad also became a part of it later lol.)(And Celebrían.)(And Arwen.)(And Aragorn.)

By the time of him sailing to Valinor it looks like this:

(The Aragorn one is the same as the Elros one, only smaller.)

(Just to clarify “lost” isn’t necessarily “dead”. The moment Arwen and Elros made the choice to be mortal they were “lost” to him. The moment Celecrían decided to sail west she was “lost” to him.)