#melian the maia

[chaos-of-the-abyss]

thingol as melian's own one ring, into whom she poured her spirit and power and divinity, is such a heartrendingly romantic concept

[serene-faerie]

I wasn’t going to say anything originally, but I’m still really annoyed with that one reblog on my bingo card post.

So let me make this very clear:

MELIAN IS NOT A SELFISH NARCISSIST FOR ABANDONING DORIATH

I can’t believe this needs to be said, but apparently it must. Not only is it such a bad faith argument, but it’s completely wrong.

Melian was going through a tremendous amount of grief that was completely alien to her as a Maia. First, Lúthien became mortal and left Doriath to live a mortal life, and Melian has to deal with the fact that one day, she’s going to outlive her own daughter. Then she gets a chance to be a mother again when she and Thingol adopt Túrin, but despite her best attempt to raise him well, he runs away and ends up dying by his own sword. Which means she’s lost another child of her own.

She’s going through the kind of grief that no parent deserves to endure. Túrin may not be her biological son, but his death would’ve really hurt her, without a doubt.

Then, Thingol is suddenly murdered by the dwarves after a fight over the Nauglamir. Her beloved husband, the one she gave up Aman for, is dead, and by this point, Lúthien and Beren are both getting old and they’re also going to die in a couple of years. Melian is realizing that she’s going to basically outlive her entire family.

Can you imagine how that must feel for a Maia like Melian? She must’ve been going through so much pain and grief and heartache. I bet that this is when her Girdle around Doriath begins to fail— the Girdle doesn’t fall yet, but the sheer depth of Melian’s grief is enough to start weakening it.

Being in Beleriand would’ve been completely unbearable for her now. It actively starts to hurt her very spirit, and her powers weaken. I think she realized that if she stayed any longer, her powers would fail her, and she would probably fade away.

Melian didn’t abandon Beleriand because she was selfish. She left Beleriand because she realized that she could no longer live there without the one thing that made her powers flourish— her family.

I’m begging you, have some compassion for female characters and read through the book again PLEASE!

[yashmel]

I tried to draw eldritch Luthien for a Luthien week, but ended with just Melian at her normal.

I guess I have to invent something else for the event now

[stardustmuguet]

Melian & Thingol, Inktober 2024 day 2 - Discover

[imbadwithprofilenames]

I would love a fic of Elrond with some secret Maia powers. But like kind of realistically since he's only 1/16 Maia. Or just something to do with his Maia heritage. pretty please

[spruceneedles]

But Melian looked in her eyes and read the doom that was written there, and turned away; for she knew that a parting beyond the end of the world had come between them, and no grief of loss has been heavier than the grief of Melian the Maia in that hour. -Silmarillion Ch. 20

[flamingcentaur]

Paint marker experiments 🧊🔮🖊️✨

A take on Melian: I think she’d look sort of unsettling.

[marybeatriceofmodena]

Kind of insane that half the bad shit that happens in the Silmarillion boils down to "Melian gives very sensible advice. Person then proceeds to shrug and do the exact opposite of said very sensible advice."

[lledron]

Sauron Mairon Halbrand y Alicent

I always make the joke that Sauron is Aule's daddy's boy and keep it canon. So I have an idea:

AU Where Sauron in human form ends up in Westeros and sees Yvanna. She is Yvanna, she is the wife of dad / Aule. She is mom. And mom is crying. And yes, I'm adding to the theory that Melkor's giant spider is from Lovecrath's universe, so crossovers are possible!

Sauron can't help. Here he is nobody and he has not recovered his powers. He is sickened by the mess, by the Targaryen traditions of marrying each other. Sauron notices that Mama is biting her nails. Mom should be happy and have trees. And mom should pay attention to it and be happy with those creepy trees with faces.

Alicent does not understand who gives her personalized jewelry with the theme of Mother and Maiden. She knows Sauron. "Hello my lady"

Sauron disguises himself as a cat to attend Alicent and Viserys' meetings. He is against Otto's plan, mom is fifteen years old. Fifteen fucking human years.

This can go two ways:

Sauron kills all the dragons because Alicent made a comment that while Syrax is beautiful she would never ride a dragon. Mom is afraid, now I have to protect her, be the man of the house because mom can't be married to another man who isn't dad.

Daemon boasts that he took Alicent's virginity and is killed by Sauron. Mom is from dad.

Sauron manages to find the equivalent of Aule in this world and cheats on the parents.

Alicent is very sure she is ready to have children after stopping Sauron from conquering Middle-earth.

Sauron takes the form of a child. More shenanigans to come, now he has everything he wants, for now.

Alicent and any poor man who is Aule in this universe, congratulations. Their son is a narcissistic sociopath who loves them with all his heart.

In another line, Alicent marries Viserys, but Mairon has not regained his power, so he cannot prevent his mother from being raped.

Sauron discovers that his siblings are nuisances, but they will give Mom more power. Mom is a goddess, a Valar, but also a 15-year-old girl.

So Sauron takes over Aegon, comforts Mum, tells Aegon he's a little shit worse than Curumo and Aegon's first word is shit.

Helena is born. And here she is different. Sauron hated Curumo for stealing Daddy's attention, but he respected Melian. He now has another sister, who is also a woman in a world of shit. But Heleana has magical potential, so he will teach her well. He will teach her to lie, to deceive, to put on makeup.

All of this happens while Sauron takes the form of a little boy so he can stay with the queen alone. Alicent hugs him and hugs from mom feel good. On one hand, Alicent recognizes that Mairon/Sauron has a connection. She loves him, she is his mother in all the universes. But her son is evil and she knows it. But he hasn't proven to be more evil than the other men.

Aemond is born and Sauron throws a tantrum. He doesn't want another brother and hates him as much as he hates Aegon for hogging Mom's attention. Then Daeron is born and Sauron screams because there is so much evil in the world! Criston Cole is horrible, but he makes mom happy. As long as he isn't platonic, Sauron will keep it. Suddenly, Sauron can shapeshift into a dragon. Since he hates Rhaenyra's bastards he plans to play a little prank at Laena's funeral. Nothing to go wrong. He just needs Aemond's help. Aemond claims a dragon and that dragon leads everyone to see Rhaenyra doing it with his uncle.

And shit breaks loose. Aemond is happy to have a dragon, the Velarions are angry, and Laenor calls for a duel against Daemon for his sister's honor.

Laenor wins and kills Daemon. Rhaenyra will go on trial for being an adulteress and Harwin will be her champion. Then Criston Cole kicks Harwin's ass. Heleana uses her magic to make Rhaenyra admit the truth about her bastards. Alicent rebukes Sauron because now there is a political mess and because his brother thought he had a dragon. "It was just a joke, mom, I didn't know it would go this far," she says with puppy dog eyes.

[aotearoa20]

May Fic Recs

All That's Best of Dark and Bright

Author: clothonono Characters: Thingol/Melian Rating: Gen Word Count: 1844

Tell me more about married. "I do not know very much," Thingol said. "I have never been married before.” The night laughed. The woodland breeze caressed his hair. A nightingale settled on his shoulder. We are the same. He thought they must be the two most different people in all of Arda. He tried to think of more to tell her. "Among my people, marriage is a bond in the spirit and the flesh." Flesh! So much of you is flesh. What is it like to be matter? "I am matter?" You are enormous! she said. And you are very full of water. "No lady has ever given me such a compliment," he said. He could tell that it was a compliment, a strong one.

In which Thingol and Melian finally take stock after the dissipation of the enchantments of Nan. I think this is one of my favourite fics of this pairing that I read so far. They are both so delightfully weird and low key creepy but in a way that shows how perfect they are for each other. I love it so much!

Read here. Author’s Tumblr: @clothonono

Note: This fic is archive locked

[chaos-of-the-abyss]

can't believe it's canon that luthien says shit like "unless thou desirest to see thy daughter tinuviel weep" to thingol. she deadass pulls the "you don't want to see me cry do you dad?" on him. i know melian had to study up on ways to be effectively strict with one's children because thingol was the embodiment of go on girl give us nothing for that

[serene-faerie]

When Melian returns to Aman, she returns as a stranger in a strange land.

Her time in Beleriand has changed the very essence of her spirit, and she quickly finds that Aman is no longer the same as when she'd first left.

Melian can no longer find beauty in the unchanging perfection of the Blessed Realm. Though the landscapes are lovely, there is always something missing.

She misses the rugged but natural, cavernous beauty of Menegroth. The sparkling, open cities of Tirion and Alqualondë are strange to her, with their many buildings that glitter in the sun. Both cities are lovely, but they're too perfect, too clean.

She misses the cool air of the forests of Doriath. Though the forests of Aman are lovely, they are too pristine, too perfect. They don't grow tall and wild like Nan Elmoth, and there's no sound of rushing water like there had been in Neldoreth.

She misses the nights of Beleriand. In Doriath, the forests always came to life, with fireflies drifting through the trees and crickets chirping alongside the songs of nightingales. Nights in Aman are too peaceful, too quiet, unless you were in Tirion or Alqualondë.

Melian struggles to fit in with the rest of the Maiar. Many of them cannot understand the emptiness she feels. Her time among the Children of Ilúvatar has changed her so much, she cannot go back to how she used to be.

She misses Elu Thingol, her beloved husband and life partner. She misses the Iathrim, the people she loved. She misses Lúthien, her only daughter, and Beren, her brave mortal son-in-law. She misses Dior, her willful and spirited grandson. And above all, she misses Doriath so much.

However, she doesn't regret her life in Middle-earth. She was able to be a wife, a mother, and a queen. She was surrounded by people who loved her, and she loved them all with every fiber of her being. She had a beautiful family of her own, and they were her greatest treasure.

And even after all of the sorrows and heartache, Melian knew that she would gladly live that same life again if she could.

[raointean]

Day 3 - LGBTQIA+

[Context for non-Silm fans: Melian is a Maia (the same species as Gandalf, Sauron, the Balrog, etc. Basically an angel or minor god). She is the only Maia known to have had children and she is the great-great grandmother of Elrond and Elros. Elros is the ancestor of all Numenorean nobility (such as Elendil, Isildur, Tar-Miriel, and Pharazon) which means that they have her blood as well. (I promise it’s relevant!)]

"I'm going west." Elendil looked up from where he was arranging the next month's deployments. 

Anárion was standing in the doorway of his study, a bag slung over his shoulder. Elendil only raised an eyebrow. They'd had this discussion several times before, if much more frequently since Anárion had turned eighteen; he knew what his father’s answer would be. 

"No." He went back to his papers. 

Anárion scoffed. "I am not asking, Father. I am going to the western side of Númenor to seek out The Faithful and the shrines of Melian whether you allow it or no."

Elendil sighed and set down his quill. It seemed they were going to have this argument again. “I have told you half a million times; there is nothing for us on our western shores. The old ways are dead, let them lie.”

“They are not dead,” Anárion hissed. “I have heard Her voice in my dreams since I was a child! I hear it in the waking world every time I go near those shores. She is calling to me, Father, and I cannot continue to ignore her!”

“There are no voices there, only ghosts,” Elendil snapped. Anárion had strayed too near the truth. In his own childhood, Melian’s voice had been an ever-present guardian on the wind but, since moving to Armenelos, he had learned that it was unwise to mention any Maia, even his own ancestor. Every child that heard rumor of disembodied voices in the West was brushed aside with tales of ghosts. Elendil had told his own children the truth, but he regretted it now.

“I do not hear ghosts,” Anárion shot back, his voice laced with vitriol. “That may be what everyone else in this city believes, but you yourself told me the truth! That Melian can still speak to the descendants of the Tar-Minyatur through her shrines and She calls them in dreams. You told me that you have heard Her too!”

Elendil stood up with a start. He stalked over to his son and said in a low voice, “No. As far as you or I or anyone else is concerned, Melian does not exist. The Faithful are either overly religious simpletons or terrorists. We are loyal kingsmen untroubled by the phantom voices of the west. You must hide, just as the rest of us do, to keep yourself safe.”

“But-”

“No,” Elendil interrupted. Anárion clearly did not understand the peril he put himself under by being so blatant about his political beliefs. “If you even so much as speak kindly about The Faithful, you will be outcast from society.” His eyes softened. “I just want the best life possible for you, son.”

Anárion growled in frustration. “I don’t care! I don’t care about being safe, I don’t care about society, and I don’t care about an easy life! I care about what is right! The Faithful are right, so I must join them!”

With that, Anárion turned and stormed out of the study. A moment later, after his shock had worn off, Elendil followed. He reached Anárion in the front hall and pulled him back with a heavy hand upon his shoulder.

Anárion stopped but did not turn to face his father. That was alright, so long as he was listening. “What kind of example do you think you’re setting for your sister?”

It was a desperate last attempt and both of them knew it. Without turning, Anárion answered, “A good one I hope.”

He shrugged off his father’s hand and strode to the door. He placed his hand on the handle, but stopped and looked back without opening the door. “Please, do not think less of me, Father. I am only doing what I judge to be right. I know that, deep in your heart, you know it to be right also. I just pray that you’ll have the courage to admit it someday.”

And with that, Anárion turned and walked out into the darkening evening, leaving his family and his old life behind.

A/N: I kinda struggled with this prompt because I don’t really hc any of the characters as queer, so I went with something more allegorical instead. A lot of Elendil’s lines are straight from my mother’s mouth lol

@ringsofpowervalentinesweek

[ramoth13]

I completely agree! No question.

.... but also, I do really love Thingol, and mostly forgive him but also imagine the constant eye-rolling from Melian lol.

***

Thingol: "How dare you, human, ask for my daughter's hand in marriage, she's an elf, do you know how much better she is than you? You could never measure up."

Melian: *side-eyeing the camera*

Things the Silm fandom seems to have collectively agreed on:

Finwe messed up.

Fingolfin is badass.

Feanor did nothing wrong.

Huan best boi.

Eol should never get reembodied

Aredhel has bad taste in men. Also, she deserved better.

Not everyone is strait.

Divorce should be an option.

Maglor will reunite with Elrond… eventually.

Aegnor should have forsaken his holiness and have had cute half-elven kids with Andreth.

Amrod and Amras have to be mischievous lil buttheads because they’re redheads and babies and they remind us of the Weaslys with a dark twist.

Celegorm looked like Miriel, or at the very least inherited her silver hair.

Caranthir and Haleth had something going on.

Elu Thingol is a prick no one wants to forgive even though he isn’t a kinslayer unlike some other elves.

[mfelewzi]

The family tree of Eldarion, son of Elessar/Aragorn and Arwen, Heir of all the Houses of Edain and Eldars, with Maia's Blood too!