#goldberry

[my-deer-legolas]

[sindar-princeling]

something absolutely lovely about especially the first half of fellowship is that the hobbits keep meeting random kind helpful strangers - the elves, bombadil, butterbur, aragorn (also farmer maggot and his wife, though they're not strangers) - until the book solidifies in you the feeling that these are not really instances of random luck, but rather the inherent nature of the world. kind people are everywhere, and no matter where you are, there is surely someone closer than you think that would offer help if you needed it. it's such a beautiful theme across all of LOTR, and it's very sweet to me that it starts from the very beginning of the journey, on such a 'small' (comparatively), everyday scale

[afanofmanyhats]

One of my favorite things about Tolkien's writing is that he has a very specific, recurring trope. For lack of a better term, I'm dubbing this the Tolkien Wife-Guy.

This is mainly obvious in the Silmarillion, but Tolkien loves to write couples where the man is a notable individual- nobility, commits a great deed, or both- but the wife is at least equally notable, if not more beloved or powerful. Manwe is the king of the Valar and Eru's main representative in Arda? Everyone loves Varda more, and Melkor fears her more than his own brother. Elu Thingol is the king of the Silvan Elves? His wife is Melian, whose Girdle is the magic that keeps Morgoth's forces at bay. Beren is a chief among the Edain, who befriends animals and survives one of the most nightmarish places in Beleriand? His wife is Luthien.

Even in Lord of the Rings we see this occur, though the couples are on more even footing. Tom Bombadil is... Tom Bombadil, but Goldberry is the River-daughter, and Tom adores her above everything else, and the hobbits are completely taken in with her when she's their host. Similarly, while Celeborn is a mighty lord among Elves, Galadriel is one of the only Noldor in Middle-earth who saw the Two Trees, and her hair inspired Feanor to make the Silmarils, not to mention her own accomplishments in the war against Morgoth. Aragorn is the king of Gondor and Arnor, but Arwen is the Evenstar of the Elves, the descendant of three(?) different royal Elven lines. And Faramir becomes the Steward of Gondor and is one of the noblest men alive, but Eowyn killed the Witch-king, so you know. She got the grander moment for the saga.

But with (most) of these couples, we never get the impression that the man views his wife as Less-Than, or as a junior partner. Thingol is the main exception to this in how he dismisses Melian's counsel, and that's made out to be his foolishness within the text. Otherwise, Manwe treats Varda as his co-ruler, Beren never tries to downplay Luthien's achievements, and I'm pretty sure most of Tom Bombadil's dialogue is about how gorgeous Goldberry is. It's really sweet.

All of these examples really testify to how much Tolkien loved his wife. People rightly point to Beren and Luthien as the prime example of that, but I think you can find it in these other couples too. Even though Edith is mainly known to history as Mrs. Tolkien, it's evident to me that Jirt saw her as a whole person worthy of admiration outside of being his wife.

[chechula]

I was very nervous(sitting at a work meeting) and I had to doodle comfortable things, to keep myself together. So I made a sketch for this one. Tom and Goldberry, my favorite couple...in the end they are maybe too sweet, I am almost ashamed to post it here x_x

[s-u-w-i]

Another seven 🌼 The handsome guys never quite turn out the way I want, it's so much easier to draw orcs and creatures...

Also, I’ve decided I'll be selling the originals after I finish all the drawings (that means after Easter). But if there is any character you'd like to have in particular you can start reserving them now. By messaging me here or on s.u.w.i@email.cz :^)

Goldberry isn't taken yet!

The prices are from 50 to 80USD (shipping included). And same as last year with the dog drawings this year also all the earnings will be sent to charities.

More characters here and here!

[johannesgutenberg]

Now let the song begin! Let us sing together!//Of sun, stars, moon and mist, rain and cloudy weather,//Light on the budding leaf, dew on the feather,//Wind on the open hill, bells on the heather,//Reeds by the shady pool, lilies on the water:

Old Tom Bombadil and the River-daughter!

reblogs are appreciated ❤️

[merilles]

Ladies of the Ring 💍✨

[jennydolfen]

Goldberry's washing-day

Goldberry, suggested by my lovely Patron Míriel for this month! Lest anyone forget I'm that Tolkien artist on occasion, too. =)

[earthshine-moon]

No show results option. I want to know that you all think

Please consider reblogging to increase sample size 💚

[frodo-with-glasses]

Where did THAT come from?

[korppipoika]

Goldberry! I have always liked her, and Tom too of course, a lot 💛

You do not have permission to use, copy or repost my work, which includes any and all AI related thievery too!

[thelien-art]

Could I maybe get pansexual goldberry? (i love your art btw!)

Thank you<3<3

As she´s described when the hobbits see her as a fair elven queen I like to think that none of them actually knows how an elven queen look but it´s how they think an elven queen should look which is why I give her some standard hobbit beauty mixed with the elven ones (her round face most notable) :)

🏳️‍🌈CELEBRATE PRIDE WITH ME🏳️‍🌈 - send in a character or a ship with a pride flag and I´ll draw it

[nientedal]

First pic still fresh, second one fully healed! I have been trying to think of a Lord of the Rings tattoo for years, with no success until I saw this piece and said "Oh!!!" out loud. I am delighted with how it turned out!! @chechula, thank you so much for letting me do this 💙 your art is so lovely!

Sarah Zeller at Leaf and Arrow Tattoo in York, PA USA did the whole thing in only four hours. She made a few small changes to "translate" it from paper to skin, but I think it works just as well this way :D An excellent experience and I hope to see her again in the future!

[fickes]

the kings and queens of the lord of the rings ♛♚

[sindar-princeling]

I truly and deeply love Eowyn because she's angry, bitter and can be genuinely cold when we meet her - and she's only 24! already she's changed by this war, by the loss of her parents, by the long period of her life where she had no parental figure because Theoden was battling his own depression, and by Grima being a creep. Tolkien's young characters go to war and are changed by it, like Pippin, like Sam, who is still quite a young hobbit (he's 39, and they come of age at 33), but not her - she is already deep in grim thoughts about dying for honour, cheerless, cold.

I don't like comparing all Tolkien women to one another because they are quite different from each other and comparing them just because they're women often feels reductive because they serve vastly different roles in the story, but when you're considering how he presents femininity, it's necessary to do so. so far we've met Lobelia, Mrs. Maggot, Goldberry, Arwen, Galadriel and Eowyn (Rosie was only mentioned as far as i remember?). hobbit women we meet while we are still at home, and they fit right into the homey atmosphere of the shire, in which characters are often presented playfully, or have one defining trait (think about the characters we only know from notes attached to bilbo's "gifts"). further from home, we meet goldberry, arwen and galadriel, who are old, fair, good, beautiful. each of them is different (and galadriel especially has a dark, flawed part of her we can see), but with the women meet on the journey, further from home, a pattern starts to emerge - they come from a different time, from a different world, and even with all their fairness and kindness they can at times feel distant, out of reach.

and then!! eowyn comes into the picture, and- she could be you. she could be me. she's not only complex, but also within reach. she's not a gentle or joyful presence, she's not a powerful ancient force, she doesn't come bearing gifts for everyone - she's so full of negative emotions and pain which she needs to heal from, she's so young and already feels like an old, weary soul.

and it's not to say one kind of character is better than the other, or more complex or anything, because that's exactly the reductive way of looking at those women that I don't like seeing in discussions. ultimately, they are all just different people. but the introduction of eowyn broadens the spectrum of femininity shown in LOTR, and while it's still not exactly wide, it's a bit wider than it was before.

[sunderedseas]

does anyone remember that textpost that was like. frodo’s admiration of goldberry isn’t sexual attraction it’s like a gay man’s love of lady gaga or something like that…. i can’t find it… but i remember it…