#land of the elves

[vanadottir]

Tags:

Freyja: lady of seidhr and shining gold

Freyr: lord of harvest and horses

Nerthus: queen of land and lakes

Njordr: king of waves and wind

Skadhi: lady of sled and snow

Heimdallr: he of bridges

Idunn: she of apples

Vanaheim: land of the gods

Alfheim: land of the elves

My fox bone runes & poem: runes

[bastart13]

How do you imagine hybrids work in love and legends? We've seen elf/humans.

So there are 6 different species and aside from the mermaids, they're all compatable to have children.

I headcanon life expectancy, colouration, and the shape of facial or body features to be gradient traits, so they pretty much randomly combine between the two parents like any other child

Magical traits are probably more binary. So a fairy hybrid child could inherit the eyes, wings, and/or sparkles, or none, with no middle ground. A demon hybrid will usually inherit a faded form of the markings, but they won't always be able to transform or earn horns. Dwarf hybrids might inherit the ability to echolocate vs just having larger ears.

If two species with strong magic have a child, they're more likely to inherit magical traits (e.g. elves and fairies with strong magic vs humans and dwarves with low magic)

Considering the domains are all friendly with each other, I imagine it's fairly common to have mixed ancestry and there's no real taboo aside from the grief of lifespan differences

[mittthrawnuruodo]

i like him

[silvantransthranduiltrash]

You know, I'm a huge fan of mirkwood elves being considered creepy and downright terrifying by almost everyone on Middle Earth, even by other elves. Your headcanons of them being nocturnal and eating the fuckin spawn of ungoliant of all things add on to this, sooo, can I have some incorrect quotes about some scary elves?

As asked for, some incorrect quotes:

Legolas: *starting to gut the spider carcasses after a skirmish*

The twins, who are visiting: what are you doing?!

Legolas: look, we can share if you want-

~~~~~

*in Imlardis*

The twins: *throw the curtains wide open* good morning!

Legolas: *hisses* wHAT DEVILISH CONTRAPTION-

~~~~~~~~~

Elrond: *talking about how food is scarce atm in Imlardis*

Thranduil: *pauses* you kill dozens of orcs on the regular, and you still don’t have enough food?

~~~~~~~~~

Faramir: I heard that those elves of Mirkwood will eat anyone and anything they deem an enemy.

Aragorn: oh, that’s an exaggeration-

Legolas:......

Aragorn: that’s an exaggeration, right legolas-

~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas: you two are like the sun

The twins: awww, thank you-

Legolas: a nuisance.

~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas: look if you’re stupid enough to challenge my people, you get eaten if you loose. That’s the rules of engagement.

~~~~~~~~~~

Thranduil: nighttime is Funtime

*silvans cackling in the distance as they slaughter all who cross their path*

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thranduil: of course I would never hurt a tree! They are Eru’s gift to the universe!

Thranduil: you, however-

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Galion: oh, the noldor are always like “oh no! The darkness! By god what will we do when there are no farms! The night is so scary”

Galion: bitch, what do you think life was like before ya’ll came?

~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas: Eru may judge me, but honestly, fuck him.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas: *dragging a spider corpse* life’s too short to care about other people’s opinions-

Aragorn: you’re immortal!

Legolas: fine, life’s too long to care about other people’s opinions. Happy?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Glorfindel: alright, looks like- wHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?

Arwen:*snacking on a spider leg* this is really good!

Legolas, vibrating with excitement: I know, right!?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*in valinor post lotr*

Gandalf: ok, Thranduil has finally sailed, which means I need to get out of here before he catches me because he will definitely eat me for endangering his son-

Thranduil: hello, Gandalf!

Gandalf: *incoherent screaming*

[sesamenom]

Ringlord High King of Everything Elrond, inspired here

(@the-writing-goblin)

I imagine in this situation elrond would have been partially tempted by boromir's declaration, but instead of trying to fight sauron with it (because even in the weirdest crack au i can think of elrond is still too genre-aware to try that) he tried to use it to supercharge his use of vilya and protect everyone.

basically Ringlord!Elrond turned the entirety of Eriador into a mega-gondolin situation: massive walls (courtesy of numenorean/eregion tech) around the regions bordering the north or Mordor, fortresses along the mountain range and several layers of gates along every road in or out. Everybody goes in; nobody goes out; everyone is safe.

and he ended up claiming the kingship to give him more authority in the process - he's High King of the Noldor and Sindar and King of the Edain (given that there are like three half-vanyar in middle-earth, he's more or less king of all children of iluvatar) and so he can have command over the entirety of the West.

and with the help of the Ring, this actually works! but the corruption starts to show eventually

he uses his kinship to Gondor to forcefully drag them into his neo-gondolin-empire-creation so he can ensure none of his great-nephews will ever have to face sauron. he extends the walls to encompass Mirkwood, because he's the high king of the sindar and has a duty to protect thranduil's realm, and unleashes the full might of his melian-lite powers to purge Sauron's Shadow and the spawn of Ungoliant from the now-Greenwood.

Galadriel and Glorfindel very much see where this is going and are very very worried. galadriel won't let him build walls around lothlorien (because she lives next door to a balrog and knows exactly what happened to gondolin) but celeborn thinks it's a good idea, since after all Doriath wouldn't have fallen if Melian's girdle had still been up. glorfindel tries to talk him out of it but the ring has taken hold

the Ring's power also enhances all his natural weirdness and powers - he has his wings and maia markings permanently activated now, with or without finwean anger. he can fully shapeshift, and he goes from raising waves in the bruinen to raising tsunamis in the great sea.

except the finwean anger seems to be permanently activated now, too, and anyone who harms someone he's deemed under his protection finds themselves the target of a rather ironic vengeance quest. the shapeshifting is looking weird now - his teeth are always sharp now, and his eyes have gone fully inhuman. sometimes he has claws and his wings look more like bats than eagles. and his water powers are more like osse's- he can't calm the waters now (goldberry is the first to notice something's up) and can only stir them into massive ship-sinking storms and tsunamis.

this progresses until he's basically Evil Luthien ruling over a continent-wide Mega-Gondolin, slaughtering orc-hordes before they even reach the white walls and sinking any naval fleet Sauron tries to send around the coast. Everybody is brought in; nobody leaves; everyone is safe...?

he figures out that the dwarven legend of "Durin's Bane" has to be one of the few first age balrogs thats still unaccounted for. and well, it's living right on his border, and he can't risk another fall of gondolin, right? so he leads a small force in there to clear moria, and they shove the balrog off the edge, but it takes one of his captains (except glorfindel) with it (maybe erestor?) and he uses the ring and saves erestor, (and maybe floods the balrog for good measure), and glorfindel is sure he saw elrond's eyes go yellow for a moment.

and even fully corrupted, he knows he can't take the ring directly into mordor. but he can wipe out sauron's armies outside the walls, to protect his kingdom - because turgon's mistake was thinking he was safe even when there were balrogs and dragons and orcs outside, right?

somewhere along the way, arwen realizes what's happening and goes to live with galadriel. one of the twins goes with her; the other stays out of loyalty but eventually follows.

elrond's kingdom has become a cross between doriath and gondolin now, with all the surrounding lands warped by ring-magic to hide it, and layers of stone walls and iron gates preventing anyone from leaving. because everyone is here; nobody leaves; everyone is... safe?

[senseearly]

Thinking about how Kabumisu interactions post-canon is loud hush-talk among the Elven Nobles in the west and figureheads in the Golden Kingdom. Like the Elven Ambassador??? Speaking with one of the King's most trusted advisors??? Is this a coup plot? A conspirancy? Prelude to invasion?

Meanwhile, Kabru and Mithrun is engaged in the slowest but also sweetest courtship. This is Kabru's first serious-serious relationship (like the leading to an engagement-type of relationship) and he doesnt want to fuck it up; Mithrun meanwhile likes Kabru and wants to be with him but is figuring out the things he wants in this relationship.

(Like I just find both sides panicking -- Elves trying to spy on Mithrun's and his House's affairs at the Golden Kingdom; people of Melini trying to figure out if the elves through Mithrun is somewhat plotting to take over their Kingdom. Meanwhile, Laois cannot be bothered by it; by this time he knows Kabru and by some extension Mithrun, the many times he got scolded by intruding to their dates aosjdodjskjs either way, the King downplays it, the Elven Queen is more amused than wary. Either way, Mithrun eventually quits and moves to the Golden Kingdom permanently -- honestly to just hunt monsters and cook noodles -- Kabru continues his work as political advisor and wards off the court's political enemies. Somewhere along the line, Kabru and Mithrun get married. And Laios uses that as an excuse to have a national monster meat feast lol)

[yellowraincoat]

There’s this one tumblr post I can’t find for the life of me that’s like “there had to be one fast and loose Vulcan who agreed to basically make out with a human when they made first contact bc handshakes are intimate in Vulcan culture, I want the story of that fast and loose Vulcan.”

Anyway, Elliot Schafer core. It’s his only diplomatic strategy

[whoishotteranimepolls]

[winds-of-zephyr416]

With how long elves live, and how mountains tend to erode and get shorter over time, do you think any of the really ancient First-Awakening-age elves ever noticed it? Would they have known enough about erosion to know why Ered Gorgoroth is less spiky than it used to be, or would they blame a Vala? Would they blame Morgoth? Or would they get curious enough to try and figure it out, only to learn that yes, mountains DO just shrink like that, and yes, it IS partially because they're so heavy that the (middle) earth's crust kinda just can't take it anymore and they literally sink back into the ground? (Real thing that happens IRL btw, please look it up geology is so cool)

I love the idea of elven geologists getting into really heated debates about plate tectonics and erosion, (yk Fëanorians would be all over that shit), but the idea of "DAMMIT MORGOTH, QUIT SHRINKING THE DAMN MOUNTAIN" being a valid explanation is also really funny.

[notthesomefather]

Meditation and ritual for the vættir. If you’re interested, I jotted some notes down regarding what energies I felt.

As I meditated on vættir of earth, I was filled with a sense of oneness and interconnectedness. The thought occurred to me that bees could be vættir, and trees, etc. It made me think of the food we eat (plant or animal) and the entwining of everything.

As I meditated on vættir of air, it felt peaceful and calm. I felt a sense of generosity and forgiveness. A very nurturing and giving presence.

As I meditated on fire, I was immediately overwhelmed with grief and burst into tears. It felt painful, sorrowful, and like I was missing something/someone terribly.

As I meditated on water, I felt a noble and honorable but deeply wounded presence. I felt emotions like hurt and distrust, but not malice or vengeance. It felt somber and very powerful/mighty.

[ciderjacks]

everyday my “half-foots are indigenous coded” theory becomes more and more real in my mind palace

[marsreds]

and another thing!!!

frieren is a series where to love is to remember!! we see frieren and co. taking care of the statues because it's an act of love!!! constantly, continuously, affection is carrying someone's memory forward!! himmel wants a thousand statues so frieren isn't lonely!! so that they don't fade into fairy tales!!

and then!!! and then!! you give us macht??? the gold he makes is worthless!! because it cannot be changed, it cannot be broken, it cannot be melted!! because the point isn't that it's "gold" the point is that it freezes a moment, it makes a monument that will never fade nor tarnish!! what is that if not an act of love??

[atlasrainerot]

..realized too late that it was her birthday yesterday lol woops- here’s Rayla~ 🌙 🍰

[budugaapologist]

still dont see how so many people say that dawntrail is poorly written in comparison to other expansions like. what, did you realize you had to learn about a new culture and immediately not care anymore lmao? you've done it before, was this one not white enough for you?

genuinely i think more people should do side quests during msq so idk you can form a heart about the characters you're interacting with if you struggle with that and understand the land better so when impactful shit happens your illiterate ass can actually read and have empathy. theres no excuse for this.

if you can't handle storybuilding and character introductions from the expansion that feels like stormblood and shadowbringers had passionate gay sex that got one of them pregnant and birthed a beautiful daughter they both love and care about then idk what to tell you, maybe youre just lame and can't read. best of luck with that.

[mythical-art]

An elf and birds by Richard Doyle (lithograph)

[broomsick]

A gratitude ritual to the elves

(For the autumn season!)

This is a ritual that I’ve created some two years ago, as a gesture of thanks and acknowledgement to the álfar as land spirits. It acts as the “closing ceremony” for the harvest season, so it could be fun for you to perform it on Samhain if you celebrate, or on your preferred date to perform the Álfablót. It’s made up of three major steps; the offering of drink, the offering of food and the burning of autumn symbols, all of which are separated by invocation and prayer. Without further ado, I will detail the ritual.

The first step? To bake/cook/prepare your offerings of food and drink. I think it’s important to incorporate local seasonal ingredients, as they come directly from the land you live on and therefore, can be considered gifts from the harvest Gods and spirits. Examples of seasonal drinks might be cider (apple juice also does the trick if you’re alcohol-free!), mead, mulled wine, spiced drinks and the like. Seasonal foods might be include apple, pumpkin, corn, squash, etc…

The final offering requires you to go and pick a few good, local symbols of autumn. These can be fallen leaves, helicopter seeds, fallen flowers… Basically anything that you know will burn well and which you won’t have to pluck directly from the tree or plant it comes from. If you grow herbs, fruits and/or veggies, it’s also possible to offer them up as well. I also write down on a piece of paper a few things I’m grateful to the álfar for.

Prepare a ritual bowl or cup in which to pour the offering of drink, a plate in which to place the food offerings, and a fireproof space in which to safely burn the autumn symbols (I use my cauldron).

Optional but fun: I line each plate up in the order drink-food-fire in an outside space and kneel before them to perform the ritual. I then light incense and anoint each plate with ritual rosemary oil, for purification and protection.

Invocation: “I call upon the spirits and guardians of my land. I call to me the people of Yngvi-Frej who dwell in Álfheimr. Come to me Hidden Ones, come and receive that which I humbly choose to give back, in thanks and as to show my gratitude.”

As you pour the offering of drink: “May you accept this libation, symbol of the water which flows under the earth and nourishes the soil. May you look with fondness upon me and those who dwell on your lands.”

As you offer the food: “May you accept this shared meal, symbol of the many gifts of the earth. May you bring forth favorable and plentiful seasons henceforth.”

As you burn the symbols of autumn: “Another harvest has passed, with your blessing and your protection. Noble elves who answer to the Vanir Son, I am grateful for the land that you share so generously with me and my loved ones. Please bless the soils to be bounteous for the coming year.”

I hope you all have a happy autumn season (or spring, if you live in the southern hemisphere!).