#making of sauron in the primary world

[markantonys]

i've got to put out an attempt to spread the good word of wheel of time to some of my new rings of power followers!

are you hankering for a new fantasy show to fill the void of ROP? look no further than wheel of time! it's also on amazon prime and is something of a sister-show to ROP. there are 2 seasons out currently, and season 3 is in post-production and slated to release sometime in 2025.

here's what WOT is about:

in a world that has reincarnation, rosamund pike's character who has been described as lesbian gandalf learns that an apocalyptic figure called "the dragon" who broke the world 3000 years ago has been reborn as a new person. accompanied by her platonic work-husband to whom she's psychically bonded, she narrows her search down to 5 potential candidates, a group of 20-somethings from the same little village. the group embarks on a quest to figure out which one of them is the dragon reborn, but even the ones who are not the dragon have nevertheless been chosen out by fate to have their own remarkable powers and key roles in deciding the fate of the world.

here's what makes WOT similar to ROP:

multiple-storyline ensemble show with a variety of personalities among the main characters, so you'll be sure to find Your Blorbo in somebody (and there's a pretty big variety among the fandom of who everyone's faves are, which goes to show how good ALL the characters are!)

epic fantasy that earnestly and wholeheartedly embraces its genre and the inherent whimsy and fantasticalness therein, without acting like it's embarrassed about having fantasy elements or like it considers itself too good and too prestige for the genre

it has some truly dark and harrowing stuff, but it never feels like it's gratuitous/just for shock value and never descends into cynical grimdark territory. it centers on the importance of hope and togetherness to fight against evil (tolkien was a primary inspiration for the WOT books' author robert jordan, so some of the vibes and themes are similar)

incredibly in-depth worldbuilding and world history

gorgeous costumes, sets, scenery, soundtrack, and production value. i could wax poetic about the soundtrack all day but will restrain myself and just say that it's a similar approach as ROP of specific character themes rearranged ad infinitum to suit the tone of different scenes and that it has a very unique soundscape that stands out from traditional orchestral fantasy. the costumes, especially in the second season, are some of the most unique and distinctive i've ever seen in a fantasy show, using lots of sharp/modern silhouettes to evoke a different feel from your standard medieval-inspired fantasy costumes. and vibrant colors!!!

absolutely Perfect casting across the board, with every actor from the most seasoned veterans to the newest-comers delivering wonderful performances, embodying their characters perfectly, and clearly having the time of their life making this show.

major character recast between s1 and s2 haha but like with adar, both mat actors are wonderful and it's impossible to wish one was the other while watching their respective performances.

Wholesome Boy Besties, and overall a lack of toxic masculinity and a total comfort with letting men be tender and kind and emotional (in fact, i'd say WOT does even better at this than ROP)

mesmerizing villains who run the gamut from tragic to Sexy Fun Evil to straight-up bonechilling (oftentimes multiple categories all rolled into the same villain). what if sauron was a sexy sexy lady whose top hobbies were serving cunt and gaslighting her boytoy? watch wheel of time to find out.

on that note, what would you get if you took the toxic hero/villain/villain polyeroticism of galadriel/sauron/adar, dialed it up to 11, and made it borderline canon that they used to be in a throuple that ended badly? one of the major dynamics of WOT s2, that's what.

a slower, establishing first season followed by a bombastic second season that raises the stakes, lets the villains out to play big time, and generally knocks it out of the park. so if you're on the fence while watching s1, keep going to get to the glowup!

and here's what makes WOT better than ROP:

while they both improve in their second season, imo the first season of WOT is quite a bit better than the first season of ROP (anecdotal evidence: i started both shows as a complete show-only with no prior familiarity with the source material (bar having watched the LOTR movies), and WOT had me hooked by the end of 1x01 whereas ROP i watched 2 episodes and abandoned it for 2 years before coming back for another try and successfully getting hooked)

i'd say the main reason for this is that the story of WOT s1 is fairly simple and small scale and laser-focused on just our 7 main characters who all share a single storyline together (breaking up into 3 sub-storylines for the middle portion of the season, then coming back together again), and it holds off on expanding the scale of the world & story until s2. this was much more effective at getting a newcomer like me assimilated in the world, hooked on the story, and invested in the characters than ROP starting out with a massive sprawling cast and story right off the bat and kind of overwhelming me with too much going on. WOT s1 was also very clear in establishing Here Are The Stakes And Here's Why You Should Care immediately in the pilot episode, whereas i struggled for a while with seeing what the Point of ROP was or why i should care about these characters (because there are too many of them and not enough time spent on any).

WOT is better at character depth and development, in large part because its main cast is about half the size of ROP's so there's just a lot more breathing room. like with ROP, some characters/storylines are naturally more important than others in a given season and thus everyone's prominence ebbs and flows, but unlike ROP, the characters who are in their "off-season" still get proper season-long arcs and never feel like they're getting neglected. no primary WOT character has ever been wholly absent for more than 1 episode per season (except for mat absent from 2 eps in s1 for recasting-related reasons).

following off of that, i'd say WOT is better at handling multiple storylines, because of the above point of fewer characters and also the earlier point that all the characters start together, then separate. this ensures that all the different storylines feel connected to each other, unlike ROP where there are some groups of characters that have never even met anyone else. the Found Family and Power Of Friendship themes are extremely strong in WOT, and the bonds between the core characters are unbreakable! and this makes all the storylines feel connected and cohesive even when they're taking place across the continent.

another similar point: WOT strikes a better balance between epic scale and narrative intimacy. i can't describe this any better or think of specific examples, it's just a Vibe i feel that ROP sometimes gets lost in its own scale whereas WOT always keeps us very firmly anchored in the characters and the personal stakes no matter how vast the world or conflict becomes. i might exemplify this by saying that if you enjoyed the sauron-celebrimbor scenes in s2, you'll love WOT because it is a huge proponent of "2 characters in a room talking to each other" scenes that further the larger plot while also keeping things intimate and personal and fleshing out the characters.

oh also, focal episodes! every season, WOT does 1 or 2 episodes that focus in deeply on one particular main character (different one every time) at a key point in their journey and deliver some amazing in-depth characterwork (while still furthering the story and allotting time to the other characters & storylines too). characters truly are one of the strongest aspects of WOT, both books and show, and i love that the show takes the time to give us episodes like this. it is so so good at balancing character & plot, and understanding that we won't care about the plot unless we care about the characters.

there is a HUGE cast of female characters, and a very varied cast too. the main cast is 50/50 men and women, and the supporting cast is at least 50/50 too if not majority women. in both the source material and the adaptation, women are integral to the story and so many of them are huge players that drive the narrative, rather than feeling like afterthoughts the 2020s adaptation is fruitlessly trying to cram into source material that was not designed for them as is often the case with ROP imo.

branching off of that: one of the major institutions in WOTworld is an all-woman wizard faction, complete with a lady wizard pope. this gives us things like battle scenes and political scheming that's mostly or exclusively between women. it's awesome!

edited to add: might be obvious from the point about there being a lot of women, but WOT also has lots of female friendships! and female mentorships and rivalries and romances too. just so many relationships between women, quite a contrast to nori and poppy struggling to singlehandedly make ROP pass the bechdel test.

canon queer characters and relationships. and queerness is not only present in WOTworld, it's normalized!

and finally, you'll have to wait til s2 to get her, but WOT is better because it has elayne trakand and thus is better than every show that does not have elayne trakand (can you tell who my blorbo is)

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

Hi there! Do you think the people of Rohan would be familiar with the Elvish history? Like, would they know about the silmarils? How about Valinor and the trees? Balrog and Glorfindel? Thank you so much!

Hi! I think the answer here is an unequivocal…kind of! 🙂

They absolutely know some of that Silmarillion-style history because every once in a while they refer to it in their own lore. For example, in Appendix A Tolkien says the Rohirrim thought this about their great horses, the mearas: “that Béma (whom the Eldar call Oromë) brought their sire from West over Sea.” In that one phrase, we get confirmation that they knew 1) the identity of the Vala Oromë, 2) that he had an association with horses, and 3) that the Valar lived in the far west beyond the sea. So they’ve got clear familiarity with at least parts of that story, and I think that’s only natural.

For starters, their ancestors (the Rohirrim are kin to the House of Hador but settled further east and didn’t go all the way to Beleriand) lived through a lot of those early historical events. So when the elves were up to big deeds, the proto-Rohirrim would have either directly witnessed some of those deeds (for ex.: their immediate ancestors, the Northmen, were liberated from Sauron by Gil-galad at the end of the Second Age!) or heard about them as news made its way around Middle Earth. Those stories would have become part of their general histories and been passed on through the years, making their way eventually to Third Age Rohan (though sometimes incomplete or having been altered through repeated transmission).

In addition, although the Rohirrim as we know them didn’t really interact with elves and seemed to have lost some knowledge and understanding of them (see Éomer’s misconceptions about Galadriel and whether she is well intentioned), they weren’t total isolationists. They were best buddies with the Gondorians, who were the intellectual heirs of Númenor and, thus, knew all that Silmarillion stuff. And they had established relationships with both Gandalf and Saruman. So they had plenty of sources available to them for information about the elves’ ideas about the gods, the world, and the history of Middle Earth.

Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s a lot of textual evidence to clarify exactly *which* pieces of those elven stories the Rohirrim knew and believed. I’ve previously highlighted a few Silmarillion references, like Haleth and Aerin, to pop up in Rohan, but they tend to be references to the humans of the First Age rather than the elves or the Valar.

Of the examples you asked about, we can give a definite yes to Valinor (see above), but as for the Silmarils, the trees, or Glorfindel and the balrog in Gondolin, we could only speculate. The Rohirrim’s relatives, the Hadorians, were deeply tied up in the doings of the elves during the War of the Jewels – including the fall of Gondolin, since Tuor was a Hadorian – so I think it’s reasonable to assume that at least some of that made its way to them back then even without a Gondorian or Saruman or whoever telling them about it later. But I can’t produce any specific evidence for that!

If pressed, though, I’d say that the most highly educated of the Rohirrim have probably heard about most of those big ticket events, ideas and people, if only in an abbreviated or adulterated form (and they may not believe all of it to be true even if they’ve heard it). But they aren’t super focused on it anyway, because their primary interest would be the history and lore that’s most directly related to their own forebears, and that didn’t tend to intersect often with what the elves were up to.

Hope that was helpful, and thanks for asking! ♥️♥️♥️

[sotwk]

SotWK OC Spotlight: Prince Turhir Thranduilion

Born in Third Age 37, the second son and child of Elvenking Thranduil and Elvenqueen Maereth. 

His name means “Victorious Master” in Sindarin. 

Towering at 7 feet, 6 inches, he is not only the tallest member of Thranduil’s family, but he is the tallest of all elves born in the Woodland Realm, in all of its history. (For reference, Thranduil is 7 feet, 3 inches, and the other Thranduilions are all less than 7 feet.)

As a child, Turhir had difficulty making friends with elflings close to his age. Since he was always much bigger and physically stronger, even from infancy, it was hard for him to play normally with them. His size and his more somber nature also made his childhood peers uncomfortable around him--and it was difficult enough to relate to a prince!

As a result, Turhir was rather lonely in childhood and spent most of his time with his mother, his older brother Mirion, and his tutors.

Otherwise, he spent his alone time reading and thus grew up into an avid reader. He especially enjoys narrative poems, and became an eloquent writer and poet himself. 

He is a skilled carpenter and builder who helps construct community buildings in his spare time.

He is a member of the very exclusive guild of Greenwood woodcutters--laborers who fell trees, which is a highly restricted and regulated practice.

Turhir is a horsemaster and was the primary trainer of the arroch breed that existed only in Greenwood (discussed in this post). He had a close relationship with the ancient ancestors of the Rohirrim who once dwelt near Greenwood.

Moodboard credit: @alicent-targaryen (Thank you again!). Fancast for Turhir: Sam Heughan

But the talent Turhir is most famous for, by far, is his battle prowess, which is discussed in this post. Thranduil noticed his son’s martial abilities very early on and persuaded the reluctant Elvenqueen to let their son begin training with Master Trainer Ivenil before he had properly come of age.

Turhir carries the official title of the King’s Champion, and would be called on to fight for the crown and kingdom if single combat is required. 

Although Turhir loves tournaments, especially jousting, his size and skill give him too large an advantage over his opponents. It has been deemed hazardous for him to participate in these types of competitions, so he is usually left only to spectate.

Occasionally, he is able to publicly demonstrate his skills by competing against his own father and brothers in special events limited within the royal family. 

His Royal Highness Turhir’s regency in north-western Greenwood (the province he governs) is seated in Thangail (“shield-fence” in Sindarin), one of the realm’s most recently established cities, built to house the largest military base in the kingdom. 

Turhir is the closest in personality with his father, but Thranduil tends to be hardest on him compared to his other sons. Turhir is thus closer to his mother and is the most protective of her. 

Turhir considers Mirion and Arvellas his closest friends in the world, and witnessing both their deaths nearly drove him to insanity. 

Although he is very noble and good-hearted, Turhir is the most prone to being corrupted by Darkness in his family, and Sauron himself grew aware and took interest in this.  

Much thanks again to @cheryl-of-kangsu for making this request!

So far, Turhir has drawn the least amount of interest among the Thranduilion Princes, which is not necessarily surprising to me, since that's how it would probably be in "real Middle-earth life". You might not like him at first glance, but once you get beneath the layers, there's a lot to admire there. He's an excellent hero for the "enemies to lovers" trope, and is a terrific Mr. Darcy archetype.

Also, I don't write and don't plan to write smut for the Thranduilions, but if there was ever a great leading man for that sort of thing among Thranduil's sons, Turhir would be my endorsed candidate. Just a creator's opinion. ;)

Elves HC Tag List: @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @achromaticerebus @aduialel @asianbutnotjapanese @auttumnsayshi @blueberryrock @conversacomsmaug @elan-ho-detto-elan-15 @entishramblings @fizzyxcustard @freshalmondpandadonut @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @glassgulls @heilith @heranintomyknife23times @ladyweaslette @laneynoir @lathalea @lemonivall @LiliDurin @quickslvxrr @ratsys @scyllas-revenge @stormchaser819 @talkdifferently6 @tamryniel @tamurilofrivendell

For more Thranduil/Mirkwood headcanons: SotWK HC Masterlist

Other useful links:

Introduction to SotWK

Fanfiction Masterlist

Fanfiction Request Guidelines

[outofangband]

Clothing and Shoes in Angband: extended headcanons

Angband World Building and Aftermath of Captivity Masterlist 

Majorly procastinating on updating my long complex trauma posts so here is this! I’m working on putting some older asks into longer form posts! Next will be my post on children born in Angband I think:/

As always please feel free to ask any questions! I love Angband world building and world building in general

Originally published in April 2022

CW: captivity/slavery, mentions of enforced nudity, mentioned abuse, some violence and gore

I'll link my other primary Angband world building posts for convenience! They're not necessary to read but they can add some more context! x, x (I also go into the psychological aspects of this a bit in my complex trauma and privacy post)

Unless there are special circumstances*, if you are brought to Angband, your clothes will be taken from you as you're sorted into whatever area of the fortress you're meant to be at (I go into this process a bit in my Hierarchies post but please feel free to ask questions about it, I have lots of thoughts always

Upon  arrival, captives will be searched and any possessions they're carrying will be taken. Sometimes, the orcs or other soldiers who make the capture will take any items that they want, they're not technically supposed to do this but until the prisoners actually reach the fortress, there is very little record keeping. The stolen items including clothes are sorted and used in a variety of places and ways by the inhabitants.

Keeping inventory of items taken from captives or returning scouts or soldiers upon arrival is a job given to some of the older prisoners on the upper levels and is considered a privilege that comes with occasional gifts, often used to further one’s feeling of being complicit in the system they are forced into

There is a thriving black market both among the prisoners and the orcs with some crossover. Orcs in lower ranks of their own hierarchy will often take part in the trade of items among the prisoners rather than reporting it as they’re more likely to get goods that way than by appealing to their higher ups. Reporting and punishment in this case is done primarily out of pure spite.  

Actual clothes are relatively rare in the black market but access to supplies to mend or clean badly torn clothes are relatively common as is fabric scraps.

I have a separate post for fiber related work in the fortress!

As Angband isn't exactly able to trade with other regions, much of their accumulation of goods and necessities are stolen from a variety of sources including captured elves and occasionally humans. (As well as made by the slaves themselves, by orcs, and by the other servants of Sauron)

The mending of clothes and sewing for the fortress of is done largely by prisoners

Enforced nudity is common including as a punishment. Slaves in the mines, forges, and kitchens are usually allowed clothes because they’re useful and clothing does offer some prevention of injuries. The clothes are typically those that have been taken from other prisoners. No one is allowed to keep the clothes they came in with.

Prisoners who are being held for interrogation or in isolation for some wrongdoing are typically naked, as are prisoners who’s current or permanent  use is for entertainment for the orcs or higher ups. Some of the personal prisoners of the higher ups are occasionally dressed up as are prisoners who serve in the fortress itself and are more akin to trophies or decoration.

As I mentioned on the complex trauma, sleep, and hygiene post, prisoners who’s bodies or clothes are  “too” clean are often understood to be targeted for favoritism (and thus abuse) by an overseer or other figure and face stigma as a result. Especially in the mines where there is almost always over crowding and lack of resources including water for drinking, cleaning, and cleaning clothes, cleanliness stands out.

I do have a long standing headcanon that there are orcs who have settlements in the Ered Engrin beyond the gates of Angband who among others things, raise some animals including mountain sheep. These are orcs outside the military hierarchy who are loyal to Angband. I have an entire post about that little community upcoming but that is where some woolen cloth comes from. Wool is spun and turned to thread and fabric in the settlement before being taken to Angband

Most elven prisoners of Angband do not wear shoes, even in the mines, forges and other dangerous areas. The shoes of all captives are taken at or prior to their arrival. The reasons for this are simple; shoes allow greater mobility and taking them is a further way to depersonalize the captives and require them to rely on the denizens of the fortress for anything

The wearing of shoes among the prisoners is considered a large privilege and will immediately mark someone out as having received the attention or favor of one of the higher ups (whether or not the prisoner themselves had any say in this matter).

Injuries as a result of not wearing shoes are common. Many prisoners and former prisoners have scars from untreated cuts and even burns

Shoes in Angband are made primarily from leather. Horses, sheep and even cows are stolen by servants of Morgoth along with elves and people and some are even kept alive to breed. I do actually headcanon that there are animals, primarily sheep, albeit modified ones. These descend primarily from stolen animals. (I’ve talked about the reasons for this in previous posts!), raised in the Ered Engrin though outside of the fortress. Leather from these provides some materials for clothing and shoes for the higher ups of the fortress as well as the prisoners who are afforded this “privilege”

Sighs…leather is also obtained from considerably less savory sources. The deaths of prisoners and orcish denizens are not an ideal outcome for a fortress that relies so heavily on slave labor and menial labor. But for elves and orcs who are disposed of or who die of neglect, deprivation or injury, their bodies are not buried but are used in for a variety of unpleasant material collection.

Other materials are obtained primarily from cloth taken from prisoners and reused. Orcs who spend significant time outside the fortress might use bark as well.

*these might include prisoners who's capture was specifically ordered by Melkor and who's fate is specific or important enough that the order is to just stick them in a cell or room and not do anything, including removing clothes (weapons will of course be taken and any other belongings/accessories almost certainly will be)

As always please feel free to ask any questions! I love Angband world building and world building in general

[saurongorthaur9]

Oohh are other úmaiar going to appear in Gorthauro Estel (besides Thuringwethil)? (Maybe they could all make a "Melkor messed me up mentally and physically" support group XD)

I'm sorry that I've had this sitting in my inbox for too long. I've been distracted by an intense combination of Rings of Power Season 2 brainrot and finishing Gorthauro Estel Chapter 27.

There will be some other Umaiar who appear, but Thuringwethil will be the main one the story focuses on when they make an appearance. They won't be in it a ton, but they do have an important part to play towards the end, and it will be revealed what their reaction was to Sauron going to Valinor among other things.

It will probably be a long time still before I finish Gorthauro Estel and I know I shouldn't be thinking too far ahead, but I do actually have an idea for a sequel, if and when I reach that point. It would basically explore what would change in the history of Middle-earth through the rest of the Second Age if Sauron was not there to be the primary evil force in the world. In the sequel, I have ideas for going more in depth with the other Umaiar, including some Umaiar OCs, and I actually did have a sort of idea for Sauron basically leading an Umaiar support group, lol.

Thanks for the ask and your interest in my story! I always love getting asks about Gorthauro Estel :)

[morgulscribe]

Could the Witch-king Wear His Ring and Remain Visible? A Scholarly Essay About Naked Nazgul

The Black Wizards by Bastien Lecouffe Deharme

This is a follow-up of my post entitled "The Witch-king as Sauron's Emissary."

In early drafts from The History of Middle-earth, the Witch-king had a penchant for making dramatic getaways by flinging off his clothing Níniel style and fleeing naked and unseen from his enemies. He does this both at the Battle of Pelennor Fields when fleeing from Eowyn, and at the Black Gate, where he serves as the Emissary of Sauron who offers terms of surrender to the Host of the West. This habit, while peculiar, does not seem out of place within the writing of an author who was known to include random scenes of non-sexual nudity in his works. In fact, when taking the material from The History of Middle-earth into consideration, the Nazgul have more nude scenes in the legendarium than the hobbits and anyone associated with the Children of Hurin combined.

"With a clamour of dismay the hosts of Harad turned and fled, and over the ground a headless thing crawled away, snarling and sniveling, tearing at the cloak. Soon the black cloak too lay formless and still, and a long thin wail rent the air and vanished in the distance." --"The Battle of the Pelennor Fields," The War of the Ring, p. 366

"The ambassador laughs, and gives a dreadful cry. Flinging off his garments he vanishes; but at that cry the host prepared in ambush sally from the mountains on either side, and from the Teeth, and pour out of the Gate." --"The Story Foreseen From Forannest," The War of the Ring, 362

Just to clarify, the garments that the Witch-king casts aside refer to the clothing that he wears in the world of the living, not to the garments that he wears in the wraith world. I believe that a Nazgul's appearance in the wraith world is more representative of his soul/fëa, and has little correlation with what he wears upon his physical body/hröa. This explains why the Nazgul are described as wearing black garments when pursuing Frodo, but gray robes when he puts on the One Ring and sees them in the wraith world for the first time.

Now one might assume that the Witch-king in these early drafts did not possess his Ring. It has often been assumed that the Nine Rings work in the exact same fashion as the One Ring: the moment that the wearer puts one of the Nine Rings upon their finger, they become invisible to mortals, clothing and all. Using that logic, if the Witch-king had his Ring in these two scenes, he would have had no need to tear off his clothing to become invisible. He would simply take his Ring from a pocket in his cloak, or from a chain about his neck, and slip it onto his finger. Instant invisibility - with far more dignity.

However, this is the tricky part.

Tolkien might have intended for the Witch-king to be wearing his Ring in both of these scenes.

"The Nazgul came once more, slaves of the Nine Rings, and to each, since now they were utterly subject to his will, their Lord had given again that ring of power that he had used of old." --"The Siege of Gondor," The War of the Ring, 335

Now, there is very strong evidence in the published version of Lord of the Rings that Sauron had possession of the Nine Rings of the Nazgul in the latter part of the Third Age. Tolkien even stated in Letter 246 that Sauron held the Nine Rings and used them to have "primary control of their wills." So it is obvious that Tolkien abandoned the idea of having the Witch-king and other Nazgul wield their Rings at the Battle of Pelennor Fields. Over the years, I have read theories that perhaps Tolkien did not want to address the situation which might arise if someone found the Witch-king's Ring after he fell upon the battlefield, and that it would be better if the Nine Rings were destroyed during the fall of Barad-dur. Whether or not this was Tolkien's actual line of thinking when he made this decision, only Eru and the Professor know.

But back to the early drafts in which the Witch-king was wielding his Ring at the Battle of Pelennor and at the Black Gate.

If the Witch-king's clothing was visible when he was wearing his Ring, that means that the Nine Rings might work more like the Three Elven Rings as opposed to the One Ring. In other words, the clothing of the wielder stays visible, while the wielder can will the Ring itself to appear invisible. Remember how Frodo could see Nenya on Galadriel's hand, while Sam could not.

While we do not know the exact properties of the Nine Rings, we do know that they were originally created for elves. When Sauron's plan to control the elves through rings did not pan out, he reclaimed sixteen of them and gave nine to powerful men. Tolkien writes, "The chief power (of all the rings alike) was the prevention or slowing of decay […], the preservation of what is desired or loved, or its semblance […]. But they also enhanced the powers of a possessor […]. And finally they had other powers, more directly derived from Sauron […] such as rendering invisible the material body, and making things of the invisible world visible." (Letter 131)

These preservation effects have a unique effect upon Men: "A mortal, Frodo, who keeps one of the Great Rings, does not die, but he does not grow or obtain more life, he merely continues, until at last every minute is a weariness. And if he often uses the Ring to make himself invisible, he fades: he becomes in the end invisible permanently, and walks in the twilight under the eye of the dark power that rules the Rings." - "The Shadow of the Past," Fellowship of the Ring, p.56

Of the Nazgul, we know: "Those who used the Nine Rings became mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old. They obtained glory and great wealth, yet it turned to their undoing. They had, as it seemed, unending life, yet life became unendurable to them. They could walk, if they would, unseen by all eyes in this world beneath the sun, and they could see things in worlds invisible to mortal men; but too often they beheld only the phantoms and delusions of Sauron. And one by one, sooner or later, according to their native strength and to the good or evil of their wills in the beginning, they fell under the thralldom of the ring that they bore and of the domination of the One which was Sauron's. And they became forever invisible save to him that wore the Ruling Ring, and they entered into the realm of shadows." - "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age," The Silmarillion, p.289

I posed this question some time back on Reddit, and one person theorized that since the Nazgul were already wraiths, the property that Rings of Power have of drawing a mortal wearer into the spirit realm would no longer have any effect upon them. So, based upon this theory, the Nazgul would function more like elves or maiar when wearing their Rings. We know that Galadriel, Gandalf, and Elrond were visible at all times, although Nenya, Narya and Vilya remained hidden.

So could a Nazgul wear his own Ring without his clothing turning invisible?

By time of the War of the Rings, the Nazgul had been wraiths for almost 5,000 years. Surely by that time they would have figured out a way to will their clothing to be visible while wearing their Rings.

[minubell]

Can you tell us about what are the ships from the playlist you posted?

Oh absolutely! Here's the ships and their breakdowns for why the songs represent them:

Take Me to Church: Both Angmar/Sauron and Angmar/Khamul. Angmar loves very religiously. Songs associated with him not mentioned on that list usually have an element of devotion to them. In particular, Roar of the Jungle Dragon really embodies his loyalty, though I don't tend to use it for shipping purposes because it's more one-sided. I do not think Angmar is capable of behaving like a normal person when it comes to love, and in this particular instance both the Lover and the Church mentioned in the song are the same person, because Angmar loves self-destructively.

The Riddle (Scarlet Pimpernel): Khamul/Angmar. Man, the Scarlet Pimpernel has some great songs for Tides of War. So does the Frankenstein musical and the Count of Monte Cristo. Anyway, the thing about Khamul and love is that he doesn't. Not really. Khamul wears so many masks that he doesn't even know what he looks like underneath all of them, and meeting someone who is genuine and straight forward is sort of baffling to him. Even if he did love someone, he expects treachery. He expects deceit. He expects betrayal. The Riddle is a great song for Khamul because it is how he views love, but not necessarily how it is reciprocated back unto him.

Never Enough (Greatest Showman): Sauron/Celebrimbor. I've actually thought about this song so so so much and could tell you line by line how the animatic I would make would go for it. I use this both for Sauron's time as Annatar, and when he returns and eventually kills Celebrimbor. I believe it's a great song for Sauron in general because wanting more really is his primary goal for literally everything in Tides of War. Celebrimbor was the ONLY person who ever managed to make him deviate from that goal, and his death left Sauron rattled. For Annatar, this song is about cherishing the moments with Celebrimbor. How everything he did in the First Age wasn't enough for him, but he's happier now with Celebrimbor. For Sauron, it's about how Celebrimbor is now also not enough, and he now desires both Celebrimbor, and the world. Unfortunately, this selfishness would lead to him getting neither.

[doodlepede]

thinking about how many a time I told my mother i wanted to kill myself. when I first confessed a need for professional help, and more and more often when we argued. Of course, my parents, and particularly my mother, being as manipulative as they are (primary causers of my suffering which i need them to alleviate, dont you fucking love irony), could never understand this most simple cry for help, that you are making me suffer so greatly that i only see one way out: death.

its one response to my pleading that i find. so fucking twisted. the manipulation is so clear to me now.

She quoted Théoden, "A parent should never have to bury their child". Théoden lost his son to war, to the villainy of Sauron. Insert essay about Tolkien's experience with the world wars, particularly the fact that his own son would serve in the second after he himself served in the first.

What a gross misappropriation of such a touching, heart-wrenching moment. A parent should never have to bury their child, she says, after being a primary reason that child killed himself.

and the fact that she quoted it TO me. more than once! her modus operandi is ALWAYS to ensure that she is the biggest victim in the room oh woe is her, she shouldnt have to bury the child she helped fucking kill

no yknow what it is, it's like if Denethor had said the line about Faramir. like

[loopy777]

In the fall of gondolin, the last Canon Tolkien work released before christopher died, it was canonized that Melkor/Mogroth did indeed invent and use primitive tanks and war carriers for his assault upon Gondolin(something Tolkien went back and forth on while he lived). While this does make the first age much more unique, it does raise the question of why Sauron never managed to replicate this tech level(with real plate armor not even being a thing when he fell). Do you think Morgoth refused to share the secret of these machines with Sauron(mayhaps fearing him turning on him), were they reliant on morgoths magic for their construction/upkeep, or something else?

Well, I'd hesitate to say it was 'canonized,' though, since Christopher Tolkien was always explicitly presenting/refining his dad's unfinished or early works, and as you note, J.R.R. went back and forth on a lot of things and the only 'settled' stuff is what was published in LotR. But it's pretty cool that he was considering such a thing enough to put it in some of his writing.

It just so happens that I was reading recently about World War 1, especially the use of tanks and planes. For those not up on their Tolkien history, J.R.R. fought in WW1, and those experiences fueled a lot of his writing for LotR. However, I learned that tanks barely achieved viability by the end of WW1, being too new, and didn't see extensive use. So I doubt Tolkien had any direct contact with them.

More likely, it was the overall mechanization of the world that was his primary inspiration for writing of orcs in The Hobbit that, "It is not unlikely that they invented some of the machines that have since troubled the world, especially the ingenious devices for killing large numbers of people at once, for wheels and engines and explosions always delighted them." Perhaps he was also thinking of the artillery that saw use in WW1 which was essentially responsible for the No Man's Land stalemate that mostly characterizes the war in popular conscious.

But, on the other hand, The Hobbit was published in 1937, when tanks started getting lots of investment and development. So perhaps Tolkien was making commentary on the direction of war technology.

It's harder to pinpoint when his elvish histories were written and revised. I have not read The Fall of Gondolin, so I don't know if there are any notes there that show if it fully predates LotR or if the parts with tanks were written during or after. That would answer things from an out-of-universe perspective, but if we want to take FoG as the canon history, we are left with the question of where the tanks went from an in-universe perspective.

Based on the line in The Hobbit, I'm inclined not to say that Morgoth's tanks required any special type of magic. One of the major themes of Tolkien's works is the evils of industrialization and mechanization, down to criticizing flour mills that belched smoke and didn't grind any more flour than the older, more naturally-powered mills. So if Morgoth has tanks, I think they're supposed to run on gasoline and be loud and smelly, just like Tolkien hated, not 'clean' energy like magic. So why wasn't Sauron able to do the same thing?

I wonder if Sauron didn't much like tanks, either. Perhaps they were the old WW1 style that had trouble with tricky terrain and broke down when you looked at them funny. Maybe Morgoth got one good use out of them but otherwise struggled to find their niche? It's possible that they didn't end up providing much of an advantage, especially against elvish magics and what the wizards of the time were doing. They certainly wouldn't have done much against Numenor, it being an island.

And from the various accounts we got in LotR, Sauron was already well on his way to conquering the world. Tanks are good for keeping the soldiers within alive and blowing things up really good, but Sauron seemed to have mastered the art of breeding so many soldiers that losses didn't matter and dominating them so that only the most extraordinary losses would get them to break ranks and flee. Perhaps Morgoth was more of a futurist than Sauron, who saw tanks and more sophisticated armor as unnecessary compared to the elegance of just throwing goblins at a problem until it went away. Certainly, Minas Tirith nearly fell without mechanized warfare, and that is supposed to be the toughest nut to crack among Sauron's enemies.

Even the Ringwraiths were rarely used as actual combatants. They were mainly about inflicting fear and bad states of mind on their enemies. Perhaps Sauron saw the actual combat of war as something beneath him, being more concerned about the political and social aspect of winning. In which case, he might have seen tanks as a poor investment.

Plus, if there's anything we know from scifi and fantasy, it's that when you show humans a new gimmick, it's only a matter of time until they steal the technology and field their own version. Sauron didn't have a problem that tanks were needed to solve, so why escalate the art of war with them and give Gondor the idea of white tanks painted with the sigil of the tree?

[phoenixrisesoncemore]

Whom Morgoth Made

Speculations on my favorite baddie: part 1

“Some say also that Morgoth at whiles secretly as a cloud that cannot be seen or felt, and yet is, and the poison is, creeps back surmounting the Walls and visiteth the world; but others say that this is the black shadow of Thû [Sauron], whom Morgoth made, and who escaped from the Battle Terrible, and dwells in dark places and perverts Men to his dreadful allegiance and his foul worship.” --History of Middle-earth vol. 4: The Shaping of Middle-earth, The Quenta, Section 19

This language from the Quenta paralells a similar description of Morgoth’s continuing influence on the world via Sauron that Tolkien writes in the earliest drafts of The Fall of Numenor (as published in HoMe 5: The Lost Road). Christopher places the writing of the Quenta in 1930 (and its earlier drafts as early as 1926) and the early Fall of Numenor outlines in 1936, both after Thû has been “created” and established as “Morgoth’s mightiest thane/lord/chief” as well as Lord of Wolves and a dread necromancer/sorcerer in The Lays sometime around or after 1925. But most interesting to me in this passage (and unique to it, from what I can tell) is Tolkien’s use of the phrase “whom Morgoth made” to describe Thû.

It seems doubtful he meant this literally—Thû (who is for all intents and purposes Sauron by an earlier name) is an independent, extremely powerful, thinking entity—clearly a rational being. If he can be said to descend (in the Primary World) partly from both or either of the abandoned characters Tû/Tuvo and/or Fankil/Fangli, then he likely remains a “fay,” the same as Melian, a type of being that was a precursor to the maiar—hence, not a creature Morgoth could literally “make” by demiurgic means, even at this early stage in the writing of the Legendarium.

Another possibility is that Tolkien had not yet entirely abandoned the notion of Morgoth having children. In the Book of Lost Tales, Fankil/Fangli is once referred to as Morgoth’s “child,” and the earliest reference to Thû in The Fall of Numenor refers to his “ghastly temples” as being temples to Thû-Morgoth where Thû is represented as almost speaking for or as the exiled spirit of Morgoth. Perhaps some of this could imply literal heredity rather than figurative. However, I am not familiar with any other mentions of Melkor begetting children in the Quenta (the “son of Melko” origin for Gothmog/Kosomot appears to have been abandoned by this stage) and so I suspect “made” does not mean “beget” here. Plus, in what may be the very first use of the name Thû, he is referred to as a great thane under Morgoth, a title that, in the Primary World, implies the granting of lands and titles without hereditary right.

No, I have to imagine that Tolkien almost certainly means “made Thû what/how he is.” In fact, concurrently, Tolkien conceived of Thû/Sauron as following Melkor back during his escape with Ungoliant from Valinor. In Valinor he had been suborned and become Melkor’s servant—meaning Thû/Sauron would have had to learn a lot of dreadful magic from Melkor and rise in the ranks in a very short period of time, presumably all under Morgoth’s direct tutelage, in order to be his “mightiest lord” by the time of the events of Beren and Luthien’s quest. Can we take this to mean that this Sauron is a Sauron whose Fall happens much faster than his later characterization will suggest? Is whoever he was In the beginning nearly “overwritten” via Morgoth’s influence?

Eventually Tolkien emends the passage in question and removes the “made” language: “Sauron, who served Morgoth and became the greatest and most evil of his underlings.“ When this happened is not clear, but it is part of a long progression of changes to Sauron’s early history, which will, at some point after 1951, include pushing back Sauron’s “Fall” deeper into Arda’s prehistory (see Tolkien’s letter 131 to Milton Waldman in which he is still referring to First Age Sauron as a being of Valinor). Did Tolkien think this later Sauron began his own Fall before Melkor got to him? Did Tolkien see him now as a distinct enough character in his own right (after concieving an entire Second and Third Age for him to torment) that he felt it best to lay more responsibility for his own nature and choices as his own feet? Or did Tolkien simply want to avoid imprecise language that could be confused with, say, Melkor’s “making” of non-rational underlings such as dragons and orcs?

[itariilles]

The Elves From Episodes 1 & 2 Of The Rings of Power

On the 30th I was lucky enough to attend the world premiere of The Rings of Power. This means that I've had some time to sit down and process some of my thoughts regarding how certain thematic elements were addressed in the show, from the adaptation of textual themes, to the altering of themes to better fit the narrative the show is attempting to portray.

Specifically, how the elven characters were portrayed. The breakdown of my thoughts have been included below the text break with commentary and context from various texts. I've limited myself to the published Silmarillion, LOTR and The Hobbit, and Unfinished Tales as I don't have the capacity at the moment to delve into additional contexts from Histories of Middle-earth.

Disclaimer: this is my opinion, and my opinion only. While I am trying my best to be fair in my critique, one has to remember that this is a show produced and streamed on Amazon with a 1 billion dollar budget —  the highest of any TV production in history. I am also basing my critique on the first two episodes only, meaning that there is much more to come, but I still believe that there are themes worth talking about that were established in the first two episodes that will likely reoccur over the duration of Season 1 if not the whole show.

@silmarillionwritersguild makes an excellent statement on the ethics behind consuming Rings of Power, and the labour and human rights abuses by Amazon.

Galadriel's Motivations

"Finrod was with Turgon, his friend; but Galadriel, the only woman of the Noldor to stand that day tall and valiant among the contending princes, was eager to be gone. No oaths she swore, but the words of Fëanor concerning Middle-earth had kindled in her heart, for she yearned to see the wide unguarded lands and to rule there a realm at her own will." — Of The Flight of The Noldor, The Silmarillion

The prologue briefly depicts a two minute summary of the Darkening of Valinor, Flight of the Noldor, and War of Wrath. We are shown Galadriel presiding over Finrod's corpse which bears scratch marks and a brand of the eye of Sauron which can be assumed to be after his infamous duel with Sauron during their duel in Tol-in-Gaurhoth.

While it is extremely likely that Galadriel will bear personal animosity towards Sauron for the murder of her brother, it does feel odd to me that the choice was made to establish the avenging of her brother as her primary motive in remaining in Middle-earth.

Christopher Tolkien's note in Unfinished Tales on the passage above is interesting in that:

"Most notable however in the passage just cited is the explicit statement that Galadriel refused the pardon of the Valar at the end of the First Age." — History of Galadriel and Celeborn, Unfinished Tales

This seems to fall in line with her established motivations in text with her desire to rule over a realm herself, as up until this point she has only aligned herself with rulers of other realms (Thingol and Melian in Doriath, Círdan in the Falas, etc.)

In the context of Rings of Power, Galadriel is portrayed as being "rewarded" a return to Aman by Gil-Galad as an honour which she too refuses for the sake of continuing her altered show motivation of avenging Finrod and hunting Sauron.

"She did indeed wish to depart from Valinor and to go into the wide world of Middle-earth for the exercise of her talents... and she felt confined in the tutelage of Aman. This desire of Galadriel's was, it seems, known to Manwë, and he had not forbidden her; but nor had she been given formal leave to depart... Galadriel, despairing now of Valinor and horrified by the violence and cruelty of Fëanor, set sail into darkness without waiting for Manwë's leave, which would undoubtedly been withheld in that hour, however legitimate her desire in itself." — History of Galadriel and Celeborn, Unfinished Tales

The issue with this change of primary motivation is that it makes no sense with regards to her imperialist incentive in crossing over to Middle-earth which is something that is core to her character.

"Galadriel laughed with a sudden clear laugh. 'Wise the Lady Galadriel may be,' she said, 'yet here she has met her match in courtesy. Gently are you revenged for my testing of your heart at our first meeting. You begin to see with a keen eye. I do not deny that my heart has greatly desired to ask what you offer[.']... She stood before Frodo seeming now tall beyond measurement, and beautiful beyond enduring, terrible and worshipful. Then she let her hand fall, and the light faded, and suddenly she laughed again, and lo! she was shrunken: a slender elf-woman clad in simple white, whose gentle voice was soft and sad. 'I pass the test,' she said. 'I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel.'" — The Mirror of Galadriel, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The completion of her character arc is when she rejects the one ring when it is offered to her, and with it she relinquishes her desire to rule. It is only then she willingly makes the journey back to Aman as she rejects her ambition and rule, and when that happens Lothlórien begins to fade, and with it the last of Noldorin imperialism in Middle-earth.

I must reiterate that while I take no issue with the idea that pursuing Sauron as a means of avenging Finrod's death is a motivator for Galadriel, it should not be her primary motive as has been portrayed so far. It is unclear whether or not at this early stage in the show if she has come into contact with the elves of Lórien, but this is something to keep in mind when she interacts with Amdir and Amroth later on if they do appear in this adaptation.

It is also absolutely crucial to acknowledge the complexities and nuances of Galadriel's imperialist narrative, and the settler colonialism of it all. I could go on for literally an entire essay's worth of points, but I'm saving that for a paper later on.

"In the Second Age their king, Oropher... had withdrawn northward... he resented the intrusions of Celeborn and Galadriel into Lórien." — Appendix B: The Sindarin Princes of the Silvan Elves, History of Galadriel and Celeborn, Unfinished Tales

While the text does seem to portray her imperialist ambitions either positively or neutrally, there are also characters who are shown to be critical of Noldorin imperialism.

"'You are of the house of Eöl, Maeglin, my son.' he said, 'and not of the Golodhrim. All this land is the land of the Teleri, and I will not deal nor have my son deal with the slayers of my kin, the invaders and usurpers of our homes.[']"

"'I acknowledge not your law,' [Eöl] said. 'No right have you or any of your kin in this land to seize realms or to set bounds, either here or there. This is the land of the Teleri, to which you bring war and all unquiet, dealing ever proudly and unjustly... Your father commands you. Leave the house of his enemies and the slayers of his kin, or be accursed!'"

— Of Maeglin, The Silmarillion

@skyeventide has an excellent thread on Twitter analysing Tolkien's specific choice of Eöl as the narrator for his critical commentary on the Noldorin settlement of Beleriand and in-text bias favouring narratives of settler colonialism.

Additional links and sources:

Galadriel and Ayesha by William H. Stoddard

Fantasy Racism Against the Elves

The first time we are introduced to the fantasy racism element of the show is when a man from Tirharad launches a tirade against Arondir venting his frustrations over the elven presence in their lands, calling him "knife-ear" which is a slur taken straight out of Dragon Age. It feels cheap and delivers less commentary and insight into the power dynamics the show attempts to suggest with the elven garrison guarding Tirharad on orders from Gil-Galad.

When approaching racism as a concept, one must remember the dynamics of power and disenfranchisement, in which the group(s) that wield power exert and abuse their power over another group for gain and profit in one form or another.

Textually, there is an element of cultural hierarchy and supremacy judged by a Quendi group's proximity to the West with Calaquendi (most notably Noldorin in a Middle-earth context) hegemony on the top of that pyramid, closely followed by the Sindar. While this deserves its own essay, I think the fact that Arondir is a Silvan plays into the uncomfortable "lowly Silvan elf" narrative that was introduced in adaptation in Peter Jackson's Desolation of Smaug (2013). Any review that claims fantasy racism is a "new" element to Tolkien adaptation in Rings of Power is inaccurate in this regard.

This is also made all the more uncomfortable by the fact that Arondir is played by Ismael Cruz Córdova who is Black and Puerto Rican, and is so far the only elf to be portrayed by a non-white actor. This, coupled by the fact that he is also a Silvan OC highlights a bunch of in-universe, and productional issues with regards to the way in which racism and inclusion are handled.

“[Wood-elves] differed from the High Elves of the West, and they were more dangerous and less wise. For most of them… were descended from the ancient tribes that never went to Faerie in the West. There the Light-elves and the Deep-elves, and the Sea-elves went and lived for ages, and are fairer and wiser and more learned, and invented their magic and their cunning craft in the making and of beautiful and marvellous things, before some came back into the Wide World… Still elves they were and remain, and that is Good People.” 

— Flies and Spiders, The Hobbit

While there are definitely more nuanced ways to handle the element of inter-Quendi cultural dynamics, hierarchies, and conflicts, I don't think that establishing it using one-dimensional cheap commentary from a throwaway Tirharad man is the best way to go about it.

There are implications of Eldar holding power over men in the First Age, with men being portrayed as vassals in a feudalistic system under the Noldorin princes. In the Second Age there is less of this implication with the establishment of Númenor as the new mannish cultural centre, but it would have been better handled in the Tirharad context if there were points made about power dynamics with the Tirharad men treated as second-class citizens of their own lands or vassals of Eldar power and hegemony over their lands for the sake of their interests.

A line said by a Silvan soldier reasoning their station over the men of Tirharad as "descendants of those who served Morgoth" is uncomfortable as it plays into the established trope of South/Eastern men being inherently evil which links into Orientalist ideas of the East being percieved as fundamentally Other. This is an established trope in Tolkien which some of my links from my race in Tolkien masterpost linked below regarding the portrayal of Easterlings by Tolkien and in adaptation explain in more detail.

"The Silvan Elves had invented no forms of writing, and those who learned this art from the Sindar wrote in Sindarin as well as they could. By the end of the Third Age the Silvan tongues had probably ceased to be spoken in the two regions that had importance at the time of the War of the Ring: Lórien and the realm of Thranduil in northern Mirkwood."

— Appendix A: The Silvan Elves and Their Speech, History of Galadriel and Celeborn, Unfinished Tales

There is also a soft imperialism and cultural assimilation aspect to Sindarin settler colonialism in the Second Age, and while we have yet to meet the major Sindarin players of the Second Age (namely Oropher, Amdir, and Amroth), it may yet hold implications for Arondir down the line.

It feels rather strange that Gil-Galad is implied to hold dominion over Silvan elves, as it feels reductive of inter-Quendi dynamics from textual material. Unless Arondir and the other Silvans garrisoned at Tirharad are Silvan elves of Ered Luin or of the forests that fall within Lindon, there is no reason they should answer Gil-Galad's orders, much less recognise Gil-Galad's authority over them as a people group.

It is also strange that Gil-Galad appears to hold the more imperialistic narrative, rather than Galadriel who is explictly depicted as having imperialistic motives in Middle-earth. I question how this aspect of his character will be handled in the show, but I'm not holding my breath given how fantasy racism is often handled poorly and with little nuance in Tolkien fandom, adaptation, and fantasy as a genre.

The second instance in which we are shown the theme of fantasy racism is when Galadriel is rescued out of the water by human castaways. Halbrand reveals her ear, and the woman on board who had previously showed her kindness in offering water, turns on her and shrieks at the elf.

We do not know which people group(s) the castaways belong to, but Halbrand claims to be of the South.

The undertones of fantasy racism falls onto Galadriel's shoulder, who once again in adaptation is played by a white woman. I have written a thread on Twitter criticising fan responses to Morfyyd Clark's instagram posts, and how the Rings of Power fandom has ascribed to the actress the role of a white saviour in which it feels as if the conversation of racism is again being centred on whiteness.

Additional links and sources:

Please check out my Race in Tolkien masterpost for more links on the topic. I've last updated it 02/09/2022.

The Neoclassical Aesthetic Given to the Noldor and its Unfortunate Implications

Elves in their Roman mid-first century legionnaire-esque armour designs battle amongst the chaos against legions of orcs, and a mound of helmets as a symbol and testiment to the mighty dead. Galadriel adds a galea to the mound in sorrow and grief.

The scene shifts to Lindon in an unspecified time during the Second Age. A male elf crowned in golden laurels plays the lyre, and the female servants clad in their sleeveless Doric chitons linger in the background of shots.

As I mention above, the proscription of a neoclassical aesthetic to the Noldor exacerbates existing textual favourtism and cultural superiority, made all the more uncomfortable with recent discourses regarding the whiteness of the elves and the knowledge that real life facist and white supremacist groups have a habit of co-opting Classical Greek and Roman imagery. One need only look to Benito Mussolini and Identity Evropa as examples.

It feels less coincidental when considering the Classical Greek and Roman imagery and white actors the show has deliberately chosen for the Noldor.

This is a complicated and nuanced subject, with the popularisation of Ancient Greece and Rome as inherently white societies being a recent invention popularised in the 18th century by scholars such as Johann Joachim Winckelmann.

I brace myself and wince for the inevitable far-right white supremacist co-option of the neoclassical Noldor from the Rings of Power. It feels as if all my arguments against elves being inherently "white" are all for nothing, as in the past I have come face-to-face with white supremacists who have used the Peter Jackson film portrayals of Galadriel and Arwen as the pinnacle of white feminity to further their incentive to keep the elves in adaptation as white as possible.

Additional links and sources:

The whiteness of the Rings by Sean Redmond

Whitewashing Antiquity by Imara Ikhumen

Why the alt-right loves ancient Rome And Greece, too. by Sean Illing

[outofangband]

Do you have headcanons of Maiar in Angband's military hierarchy?

Angband World Building and Aftermath of Captivity Masterlist

Place of Glaurung, Gothmog and Sauron in the Hierarchy

I think I have more posts on this but these are the main ones!

First, a rather extensive note about the Maiar of Angband

The exact number of Maiar serving Melkor is unknown. In what is generally considered canon we have Sauron of course, Gothmog and other balrogs, Thuringwethil (though her origin and that of any of the other vampires if the others are indeed Maiar, is also unclear.*), and Ossë for a time. in the book of lost tales version there is another called Langon who is a herald to Melkor but who is destroyed by Tulkas and subsequently returned to Mandos his former Vala after the Darkening.

I personally enjoy his character and tend to have him appear even after the darkening especially as the circumstances of his destruction were also something that were discarded from the later versions.

Also from The Book of Lost Tales is Telvido. Telvido, the Prince of (monster) cats, appears in the Book of Lost Tales and Beren and Lúthien. In some versions, he is a forerunner to Sauron himself rather than a distinct figure. Little is known about him or his fellow cats but his personality is obviously influenced by a malicious reading of felines; he is sly, intelligent, cruel and at times playful, toying with his prey. I also enjoy Telvido as a figure of his own right and have my own thoughts about where he fits into the Hierarchy of Angband

Whether the dragons are also Maiar and the exact nature of werewolves remains a matter of debate.

I also do headcanon there were more Maiar than just those listed above.

ANYWAYS

The Maiar of Angband are at the top of pretty much any formal hierarchies with only Melkor above them. Not all Maiar or Maiar adjacent beings are equal however and there are still more internal hierarchies among them.

The simplest one with respect to military is Gothmog, High Captain of Angband and lord of balrogs. All other balrogs report to him as well as to Melkor. Gothmog is without a doubt the shrewdest and cruelest of them. His role in battle and in military operations is essential. He rallies and commands his own forces while acting as a source of terror and intimidation for the enemies. He is easily recognized and widely feared, taking part in the killing of Fëanor and Fingon and the capture of Maedhros and Húrin which I talk about here. He is a capable strategist though prefers hands on work to long planning and councils.

Gothmog and his balrogs are the primary Maiar who take place in battle personally. The other balrogs also hold higher ranking positions, usually generals though they defer always to Gothmog.

Sauron oversees a variety of operations in Angband as well as military ones but his role as Lieutenant of Angband certainly encompasses that as well. He is primarily a strategist, rarely taking part in larger battles during the first age though he does control several important operations including holding Tol Sirion for awhile which was vital in controlling northern Beleriand

There are other Maiar involved in the military aspects of Angband but they tend to be on the background rather than leading actual armies in person. More common are various monsters of dubious origin on the battlefield.

I hope this answers your question, anon! Please feel free to ask more!

*I definitely want to make a post at some point about werewolves and vampires in the books because especially the use of the term werewolf is fascinating. The word is an old English one that means man-wolf however the werewolves in Tolkien appear to be monstrous wolves with no aspects of transformation. Given his extensive knowledge of linguistics and of old English specifically the seams of strange oversight if indeed it is one

[saurongorthaur9]

Heheh, I might need to write an essay to properly answer this question, lol...

I don't know if I can narrow it down to just one thing. He's like the perfect storm for a character I'm bound to be entranced by. Firstly, I've always had a predilection for the villains, even when I was little. I don't know what it is: I just find a well-written villain incredibly compelling, and I've always loved reading villains, writing villains, and acting villains (I do quite a bit of theatre as well as cosplay). I've heard the argument that it's fun (and healthy) to be able to tap into the dark part of your psyche through villains in a way that is safe and not going to harm anyone, and I can definitely see that.

And Sauron is just...the ultimate villain. He's insanely cunning, he's always planning several hundred years ahead of the heroes, he's powerful, he's dramatic, he's sexy, he's snarky, he's pragmatic, he's manipulative, and he's got a cruel streak that I've never seen matched by another villain (the whole Annatar and Celebrimbor arc is as delicious as it is horrifying). He's everything I'd ever want in a villain.

I think it goes back to being able to safely tap into a dark part of the human psyche, and I don't know exactly how to describe him, but reading about Sauron and watching his intricate schemes play out scratches some sort of itch for me. I don't know. It's this deep *glee* in watching how incredibly awful he is and the flair with which he pulls off his schemes. There's a pure drama to Sauron that I can't help but love and feel absolute glee in witnessing.

I also find him profoundly relatable (hear me out). His primary motive is wanting to order the world to his will and "fix" everything he sees as wrong with the world, and I just...can't help but relate to that. I think it's a very human urge, but Sauron just happens to have the power to actually make it (almost) happen. I mean, I have definitely looked at the state of the world and thought "man, if only I was in charge, I could fix everything that's wrong." And I would hazard the guess that most of us have had that thought and that if we had the level of power that Sauron has, that we might be tempted to try to do something about our desire to fix the world too.

I LOVE writing about him too. There's so much to explore with his character and his personality, so much to flesh out from the little glimpses of personality and motives that we see distant flashes of in the text. I'm fascinated by his fall and the great tragedy of such a beautiful, powerful, talented, admirable being falling to become the Abhorred One. My favorite thing to explore in fanfic with him however (both reading other peoples' and writing my own) is redemption arcs for him. From the very first time I read the Silmarillion twenty years ago, my favorite passage about him (and the one that drew me the most to him) was him repenting before Eonwe and Tolkien's words that this was not at first falsely done but that Sauron in truth repented. That fascinates me: that this incredibly evil being could have come so close to the brink of repentance speaks to an incredibly multi-faceted, complex character.

I think that covers most of it.

Why Do You Like - Þauron

Just a question to those who like Þauron. I don't get the appeal, so I want to know why. Reblog or comment your thoughts so I may understand. :)

[tolkien-feels]

I require a list of people Sauron has ever feared from most to least, please

I can't answer this ask without talking about amdir vs estel, so if you're not familiar with those, do skim over them.

Also I know you meant this jokingly but I find the serious answer very fascinating so I'll be serious. Sorry.

Okay here's the thing. Sauron's primary weapon seems to be fear (and despair, and betrayal, which are all related to fear), and he is himself described as afraid a few times. Of all the Valar, Morgoth alone feels fear, and from that, I tend to headcanon that Sauron feels a lot of fear. Because see, in Tolkien's world, fear is the opposite of estel, right? And estel, ultimately, is trust that Iluvatar's plan may not be thwarted. How can you possibly find the confidence of estel if your whole thing is that you oppose Iluvatar??

Sauron's hope at all times must be amdir. Which means he either must trust that he himself is powerful enough to face X person or Y event or he has nothing else to cling to. There's never going to be eagles coming or unexpected allies or Chance for him. And because he draws no comfort from "If I die, it'll be defending my home/friends/honor which I love" anything except victory is meaningless for him. So he has to win and it has to be by himself, because he only ever fights for himself. It's a horrible, horrible way to live and most of the reason why I genuinely pity Sauron, not because he's not evil (he is) but because being evil sucks. (At least in Tolkien's universe.)

So like, who does Sauron fear? Literally everybody who is a threat. And when you spend millennia exploiting people's willingness to betray each other and go from friend to threat... well, you would be stupid to trust even your must trusted servants, wouldn't you? So who is a threat to Sauron? Potentially everybody.

Now, because Sauron is arrogant, he wouldn't consider hobbits a threat. Yes he's relying on his own strength, but his strength is more than enough to handle hobbits. But this very arrogance makes it so that a given person either doesn't register in his mind or registers as a threat. Everything he pays attention to comes from a place of fear. At most he can probably conceptualize the idea of toys ie people he's paying attention to because it's fun to make them suffer, but they aren't very dangerous. But after the great Luthien fiasco I think he probably becomes a lot more pragmatic about that - he kills Celebrimbor fairly quickly, for instance. (And of course, there's the Frodo effect: certain threats fly under his radar because he's too arrogant.)

So who does Sauron fear? Basically everybody he's ever given any thought to, which is the entire reason he loses the War of the Ring.

[emarasmoak]

Rings Of Power Writer Gennifer Hutchison's Challenges, Temptations, And Favorite Scenes In The Season Finale

Very insightful interview. Highly recommended.

The first season of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is only the first part of a five-season story arc that amounted to nearly half a decade of work (including pandemic delays).

The first season spent a lot of time establishing the show's massive cast and sprawling setting. It provided background, set stories in motion, and ended with some major reveals.

Gennifer Hutchison, one of the primary creative talents behind the series, doubles as one of the show's executive producers and primary writers, spearheaded writing the script for both the second and eighth episodes and was able to share some fascinating insights into many of the creative decisions that went into the final moments of Season 1.

Read more for the biggest narrative challenges, her favorite scenes, the potential of visiting Rhûn and some insight into where the other Rings of Power are hiding.

Writing challenges and the potential of more Rhûn in season 2

Question: You have executive producer credits throughout the first season, but you wrote Episodes 2 and 8, correct?

Answer: Yes. I wrote Episode 2, and I co-wrote Episode 8 with Patrick and JD.

Q: As one of the primary writers on that episode, how much creative input did you have on the finale compared to the rest of the season?

A: Just as much. We all built the season together. The writer's room worked together to build the story for the entire season, and then writing the finale, myself, Patrick, and JD had a hand in every scene and every beat in that episode.

Q: What was the biggest challenge with trying to tie up so many storylines at once and then set the stage for Season 2 at the same time?

A: The biggest challenge is figuring out where to stop the scene. You want to answer a question, but you want to ask another one. It was figuring out the best way to build those climaxes of our two big reveals but still leave it so it's like, "Now what happens?" and making sure that was coming through, where you feel a satisfying character arc, but you also are intrigued to [wonder] what comes next.

Q: To zero in on one of those scenarios, in particular, we have a still-undefined Wizard who is heading east by the end of this episode. Assuming we can't get any identification specifics still, can you at least give us a little bit of the background on the decision to officially name-drop Rhûn and then include the eastern regions of Middle-earth in the show?

A: That's a world that exists in the Legendarium, and we know a little bit about. We don't really get to see as much in the primary text. When you're doing a show that you have that space, it's such a temptation to go into that world and get the opportunity to expand it since it's there. We love the idea of exploring it.

Where are the other Rings of Power?

Q: Shifting gears to Eregion — we all know the Ring Verse, which lists 19 Rings of Power and One Ring to rule them all. In the source material, the Three Elven Rings are made last and without Sauron present, like you had in the episode, but only after the Nine Rings for Mortal Men and the Seven Rings for the Dwarf-lords are completed. Where are those Rings in the show?

A: We have seen the rings that have been created, so there may be a little bit of a shift in the sequencing of the Rings, but yes, the Rings that you have seen [are] the Rings that have been made.

Q: Is this the way it's been from the beginning, as far as fitting the making of the Rings into the finale itself? Was it always planned to make the Three Rings at the end here and then other Rings later on?

A: Yes. This season was about tracking the Elves and their story of dealing with the fading and Galadriel's journey with Halbrand. Coming to that ending for this season was always, at least very early on, the plan because [we're] focusing on that story and making sure we're servicing that one for this season.

Q: A slightly nitty-gritty question: How much time in the story takes place once they get to Eregion, because Elrond requests three more months, and then it's hard to tell how quickly the Rings actually end up being made. Is that actually known or not?

A: We don't really say exactly what it is, but you can assume that it is within that timeframe that he asks for it. It's certainly not ... I don't think it's an immediate thing that's happening.

Q: That's important, right? They do have that spring deadline that has been established and so days versus months matter at this point, right?

A: Yes.

Addressing Annatar rights and potential Sauron/Galadriel romantic tension

Q: Do you know in Season 2 if there is going to be any kind of a time jump or is this going to pick right up where you left off?

A: I can't really speak to that, but I will say we've set some stories in motion that we definitely want to keep following, so whatever's going to best serve that is the direction we're going to go.

Q: In the source material, Sauron masquerades — a lot of people are aware of this — as the immortal being Annatar. That's the name everyone was looking for when he makes the Rings. Did you guys have permission to use that name and chose not to use it, or is it outside of the range of material that Patrick McKay and JD Payne have expressed you have full permission to use?

A: That's a Patrick and JD question. I don't know the specifics. It may be about the rights issue, but they are way better suited to answer specifically that question.

Q: With the Sauron and Galadriel sequence that took place in her mind, I guess you'd say, is there a personal or romantic motivation behind Sauron's desire to have Galadriel as his queen or is it purely... We know he's a deceiver. Is it a power and control situation?

A: People can bring their own reads into that scene, especially with a character like Sauron. He's a little slippery. So much of what we were building to was less intentionally a romantic thing and more a meeting of the minds — this idea of this team together challenges each other to be their best in a lot of ways. She inspires him, and he helps push her. That was what we were thinking about [while] writing that scene — him selling this idea of "Together, nothing could stop us." That was the intention behind it. I love people being able to look into a scene and bring what they bring into it and get their own reads from it.

Q: Yeah, that's very Tolkienian, right? He liked to have other people interpret as well. It wasn't all allegorical or preset.

A: Yes.

Season 2 storylines and Hutchison's favorite part of the finale

Q: Moving forward, what storyline are you the most excited to work on in Season 2?

A: Oh my gosh, I love every world. Now that we've uncloaked Sauron ... What's he going to do? That's so exciting. Also, I'm so invested in Nori and the Stranger and seeing where they go, now that she's finally gotten what she wants. She wants an adventure. Now, she's on an adventure. What does that look like for her?

Q: Did you have a favorite part of this finale in particular that you really enjoyed writing?

A: I loved writing the Galadrial, Halbrand, and Sauron confrontation, and the Nori goodbye scene was also one that was so close to my heart when I was writing it.

[lesbiansforboromir]

I would not even say that Boromir cares more about the military than politics, I would say Boromir is keenly aware that making the military his priority is an incredibly political action on his part. Certainly Faramir percieves it that way, once again Boromir is placing his people's defense over what is essentially his expected 'faithfulness', it's the primary issue the narrative takes with him.

Faramir doesn't want to use the ring, for example, because it is a weapon of the enemy created specifically to challenge god (Eru) for the 'throne of the world'. Sauron wants to become a god-king and supplant Eru, who has the divine right. This is evil in a metaphysical sense, like evil as something tangible rather than just an action, so to use the ring would be to participate in that, something Faramir would never conscience since he is like... what amounts to an evangelical 'Elendili' (term the faithful use for themselves). Boromir, meanwhile, is essentially agnostic, he is willing to taint his soul by using the ring if it means Gondor could be saved (once he begins to believe that to be a valid possibility after Galadriel tempts him with it in Lothlorien).

I've gotten off track, the point is that Boromir is willing to make 'un-faithful' decisions in the name of Gondor's defense, whilst Faramir would sacrifice Gondor before doing something 'against god'. This is the second part of why the military is a heavily politicised aspect of Gondorian society, the military is associated with #1 lesser men and #2 the loss of religious faith in Gondorian society. This is probably where accusations of Boromir's 'recklessness' come from, though I am sure he also does make more risky choices than Faramir does.

And Gondor has no such thing as seperation of church and state, hell they dont even have a church, divinity in Middle-Earth is a real thing that Gondor has proof of existing so it's more of something one has to take into account in the same way that you'd account for people needing food or the resources for building. So Boromir is not agnostic in the sense that he doesn't believe divinity exists, more that he does not believe divinity should be taken into account when making decisions to defend his people. He could be called a rebel against god!

And his political acumen comes in here again because that should be a reputation-destroying stance to take in the theocracy of Gondor, but Boromir appears savvy enough to both carry these deeply unpopular opinions but act on them in public in ways that do not damage his ability to be a trusted, loved and essential figure in Gondorian life. Even the Ithilien rangers, who are demonstrably the most racist ethnic/social community in Gondor (being the only people who show colorism despite Gondor canonically having brown skinned citizens) lament his loss.

IN SHORT Boromir's engagement in the military cannot be seperated from his engagement in politics, he would in fact have lived a less political life if he hadn't taken up the mantel of Captain-General or placed so much of his effort into Gondor's defense. Like honest to god Boromir probably has to regularly defend himself on the parliment floor from his brother and other's constant accusations of 'defying Eru's will' or whatever. Poor Denethor.

No worries about capslock though I also love to scream uwu

Categorically the most galling part of this universal perception that Boromir is a 'poor out-of-his-depth himbo whose completely ignorant of politics' is how it is blindingly canonically apparent that he put massive effort into being a political entity, to the point that his political opinions follow him even into the Council of Elrond.

Without the Council of Elrond, one could interpret his narrative positioning as a more 'Middle Man' and less 'high' as something forced upon him, a (narratively framed) negative aspect of his character that Faramir is critisising and lamenting as just 'part of his nature'. He is being associated with the Rohirrim and other 'lesser' men because he is also a 'lesser' man inspite of his heritage, due to his 'flawed' and 'weak-willed' personality.

Although that is still a bit of a stilted and awkward interpretation in my opinion, Eomer explicitely differentiates Boromir's treatment and manner around the Rohirrim from other men of Gondor he has known. He is 'less grim' etc etc, Eomer felt more at ease in his company, which implies to me more that Boromir interacted with the Rohirrim as equals, unlike most of this kin. Which seems more likely to be an active effort on his part.

But interpretations based off of that are entirely unnecessary, because the Council of Elrond exists! Where Boromir, when confronted with Aragorn's mistrust of the Rohirrim and Gwaihir's accusation that they pay a tribute of horses to Sauron, immediately and comfortably comes to their staunch defense. 'It is a lie that comes from the Enemy' he declares, literally pointing out propeganda that all these elves and dunadain are primed to believe given their own investment in the racial divide between them and these 'middle men'. A primer that also belongs to Boromir, whose place amongst the 'high men' is a right bestowed on him from birth, yet one he is actively discarding here in favour of defending the Rohir perspective.

And not only that! He even goes so far as to place the rohirrim's ethnic and cultural heritage as a reason for their trustworthiness, inspite of the fact that they cannot claim any relation to any so called 'blessed' lineage. They come from 'the free days of old', a statement that is similar to one of Faramir's but that, tellingly, Faramir uses as a method of infantilising the rohirrim 'they remind us of the youth of Men'.

These are all inherently and radically political statements for the heir of the Stewardship, the man next in line to be chieftain of the southern dunadain, to declare, especially when acting as emissary as he is now.

So now, all those moments when Boromir is linked directly with middle men, when his right to his 'high' heritage is questioned, when he is critisised with the same racially charged language as the rohirrim are (too warlike, "we are become Middle Men, of the Twilight, but with memory of other things" [-] "So even was my brother, Boromir") - all of that is now on purpose, on Boromir's part. He is the one distancing himself from the title of 'high' and questioning it's validity in the process, something Faramir clearly disapproved of and was a part of the breakdown in his respect for him. (Understandable, considering Faramir's equal and opposite effort to reclaim the title of 'high' for himself and his people.) Boromir is, essentially, engaging in some kind of racial-hierarchy criticism/abolishionism and activism.

That is not to say that his political opinions all entirely pass muster, he does still engage in racist rhetoric at least once, calling Gondor's eastern enemies 'the wild folk of the east'. But within the context of his own country and it's ethnic diversity, his position is maverick in comparison to pretty much everyone else.

And before anyone says it, let me head off comments like 'Boromir was just being himself, he didn't even know it was political he was just that stupid but I love him for it' No. Boromir's reputation in Gondor was complex and multifacetted but a great many people loved and supported him, clearly we see that there was a divide in political opinion between the two brother's stances on war and society. What you are essentially saying here is that Faramir is such a dull-witted statesman that he was incapable of swaying opinion his way against someone who didn't even know he was a part of the discussion, who wasnt even involved in the debates, against a high society that based their cultural identity on being descended from racially superior Numenoreans. The historical perspective is heavily weighted in Faramir's favour.

The much more likely state of affairs is that Boromir and Faramir have both been working towards their own social change and against each other, causing an opinion divide within the country. And apparently Boromir has not been losing that fight, even if he hasn't been definitively winning it either. Some people call him reckless where Faramir is measured, others say Faramir is not bold enough, Denethor himself claims Faramir is placing his desire for nobility and 'high-ness' over the safety of himself and his people. Culturally Gondor is going in for more pursuits of war-sports (wrestling perhaps) and the adulation of the soldiers that defend them, above the men of lore if Faramir is to be believed.

Society is changing around this debate and Boromir is actively, purposefully and directly involved in that debate! Hells bells, he even describes a part of how he works in the political sphere to Frodo! 'Where there are so many, all speech becomes a debate without end. But two together may perhaps find wisdom.' Boromir is!!! A politician!! On purpose!!

The neutral political position of 'Heir to the Stewardship' given to him by his birth is so ludicrously weighted towards faithful that the effort it must have taken to push the needle and associate with the middle men as such a divisive yet loved figure is MASSIVE. Boromir believed the Rohirrim and middle men of Gondor were his social equals and counted them amongst his people and that was a stance he upheld in PARLIMENT! Stop!! Acting like he's just a blockheaded soldier who cares about nothing else- he cares!! He cares a lot!! Professionally in fact!!