#i feel like I'm just rambling about stuff that is already semi self-evident sorry... I just really love talking about númenor

[child-of-hurin]

About the white tree (lol why): I tried to match the scene in Akallabêth and the scene in Mariner’s Wife and felt like they fit, so I’m quite convinced it’s Nimloth indeed. That adds a new layer: it’s also called Ancalimë (by Aldarion), which matches with your name idea Míriel? I like it as a symbol of the beginning and ending of queenship plus the spiritual mother of Númenor?Maybe I’ll post that white tree standing alone scene later that feels quite profound but also 👀 Tolkien what…?

The white Elven-tree alone he spared; and when the woodcutters were gone he looked at it, standing amid the desolation, and he saw for the first time that it was in itself beautiful. In its slow Elven growth it was yet but twelve feet high, straight, slender, youthful, now budded with its winter flowers upon upheld branches pointing to the sky. It recalled to him his daughter, and he said: ‘I will call you also Ancalimë. May you and she stand so in long life, unbent by wind or will, and unclipped!’

My brain had absolutely, completely, a hundred percent erased this fact from my memory??? Oh my god?!?! 😭😭😭😭 I'm a fake Nimloth stan... And I thought Aldarion thinking the Tree reminded him of Ancalimë was a headcanon I had come up with... URGENT reread needed...Now I'm wondering if Aldarion ever told Ancalimë about that, and if she also had a special relationship with the tree! Despite everything she doesn't strike me as a gardener-type, you know? But now I'm wondering! Thanks for reminding me of this I'm 🥺🥺🥺🥺 omg...

And now I'm wondering WHEN she started being called Nimloth - we don't know if she had a name when she was given to Aldarion? (And yes you're right, even more basis for my HC that either Isildur or Elendil or both would call their sapling "Míriel" 🥺🥺🥺🥺 Thank u for thinking about it... I know it's so silly but. Absolutely attached to that idea...)

It had literally never occured to me to think of the connection between the tree's life span and queenship but wow, it really adds up, huh! One more point for Nimloth the Fair as the symbolic female to Earendil's symbolic male <- I typed this in a jokey tone, but um, thinking about the divide between expansionist kings and insularist queens... well! Huh.*

@echoofthemusic One more thing (sorry): Aldarion compared to Eärendil is interesting but I read about that in the past under [a context I dislike] so I’m conflicted… I’m into more nuanced takes on Eärendil! But I feel like some takes gave him…I dunno…a kind of ego that I don’t see? But the sea-longing is actually quite similar? I think there is also a theme of various Númenórean projections on Eärendil: Elros-affinity to Men, Atanamir-immortality, Pharazôn-power, Amandi-plea for mercy?

(do NOT apologize for sending me cool messages) Earendil and ego, really? I believe you have seen this because I believe Tolkien fans are capable of producing any take on Earth, no matter how divorced from the source material, or bad-faith, or boring. Earendil's motivations in sailing range from curious to heroic, but where does ego even factor in it? It is not even framed as selfish or childish. He's not doing it to prove himself to anyone... Unless there is some HoMe thing I don't know and probably don't care about.

I agree SO MUCH with Númenoreans fighting over what Eärendil means as a symbol! Everyone loves him and everyone wants to identify with him. I absolutely agree Aldarion and other expansionists after him would focus a lot on Eärendil as a mariner, his passion for sailing; King's Men on his sailing West, Faithful on his respect for the Valar... Honestly, this is my personal taste, but generally speaking I think the First Age is at its most interesting when we're looking at it through the eyes of the Second Age Númenorians. I love the historical dispute over heritage and symbols and history and what... specially on what concerns the Edain and their heroes. I think of King's Men presenting themselves as the ones who are true to their legacy, who want to claim their birthright to choosing immortality as descendents of Eärendil and Elros while the Faithful are mere "elf-lovers"; meanwhile the Faithful can say they are the ones honoring their biology, not wanting to change into something they're not. Elros chose mortality; tradition says so would his father have, if not for Elwing.

And like, are any of these assessments completely wrong, really?

Amandil-plea for mercy is definitely the one that haunts me the most because it is the most on-the-spot one, after all! This is the true legacy.

Then Amandil said farewell to all his household, as one that is about to die. ‘For,’ said he, ‘it may well prove that you will see me never again; and that I shall show you no such sign as Eärendil showed long ago. But hold you ever in readiness, for the end of the world that we have known is now at hand.’

He even takes three shipmates with!! But he has no Elwing to come flying in wings of pale flame to him, with a light to guide him west,

Men could not a second time be saved by any such embassy, and for the treason of Númenor there was no easy absolving.

You bet I think early Gondor and Arnor they bore this in mind a lot :(((