#nandor elves

[thelien-art]

For the fashion designers: Green-elves (the guys who lived in Ossiriand during the first age) years of the trees? (Pre-Noldor influence).

I don´t think the fashion of elvers changed as much as humans but I think especially the Nandor and Silvan´s (green elvers) kept their fashion stable - as you can see in my Legolas and Galion, who are both green elvers of the third age. - most noticeable difference with years of the tree and third age fashion for them is that less cleavage is shown less and there´s usually a decorate cape on third age fashion. - neither do I think they have a gendered fashion like some other groups, they pretty much wear what they want.

Their jewelry is usually made out of tree or hunting trophies but sometimes, if very fancy, bronze - mostly because it´s a soft metal and easier to work with than other kinds of metal.

For armor they use leather and reed vests - don't underestimate a well made reed vests they are warm and might just work better than plate armor at times - both because it´s what their resources permit but also because it´s good armor without slowing them down the way metal would.

Depicted: a wooden necklace tied with ribbons, a bronze earing, a charm with a clip to hold things (goes on the belt)

[foedhrass]

While the previous photos of my newest Tolkien cosplay (Ndani-tharo/Denethor of the Nandor) showcase the colors of the costume, this edit is closer to how it probably would have looked, since Ndanitharo lived and died before the Sun and the Moon first rose. I imagine the elves would have been able to see better than we do in a moonless night, so I didn’t edit everything just grey or excessively dark. ;)

Cosplay & edit: Foedhrass

Photo: little_solnyshka

[yukikochan]

Uh! I remember my middle earth birthday afternoon tea.

It's a great idea for my 40s birthday (in 2 years).

I'm turning *ahem* forty this fall, so I've decided that I want a party. 😌 And I have decided that I want to have an Elvish Autumn Feast (to celebrate my immortality, of course!) and I want it to be outdoors (weather permitting, of course) and I want to have venison and I want to be draped in silver grey velvet and have a wreath of autumn leaves in my hair. 😌

[march-of-the-noldor]

March of the Quendi Let us begin!

We have a long journey ahead of us, make sure not to strain yourselves, slow and steady will get us all to Aman!

Good luck everyone! Make sure to tag @march-of-the-noldor in your posts/reblogs! Remember that if it's been a day or two and I haven't reblogged your post, please tag me again in the comments or shoot me a dm with a link to the post, since I might have just missed it <3

This event is for the entire month of March so don't worry if you don't have anything now, there is still plenty of time!

There is no official schedule for March of the Quendi, so please feel free to post about whatever your heart desires, but for those who appreciate more direction on this vast journey, today begins:

part 1: 1st - 8th The Great Departure * what did leaving look like? * how did the Quendi choose to organize themselves? * the joys and pains of starting a new adventure in life.

art by @g-m-kaye

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Silmarillion Daily - Of the Great Journey (Years of the Trees 1115)

The Great Journey of the Elves to Valinor begins in the year 1105 of the Ages of the Trees, 20 years after Oromë first meets the Elves and 5 years after the Valar defeat Melkor.

It is told that when the hosts of the Eldalië departed from Cuiviénen Oromë rode at their head upon Nahar, his white horse shod with gold; and passing northward about the Sea of Helcar they turned toward the west. Before them great clouds hung still black in the North above the ruins of war, and the stars in that region were hidden. Then not a few grew afraid and repented, and turned back, and are forgotten.

They’re not in a hurry, and are inclined to stop whenever Oromë isn’t there to chivvy them along; despite choosing the journey based on the advocacy of Ingwë, Finwë and Elwë, they’re still not sure about it, and are not enthusiastic about the idea of leaving Middle-earth. The world is still new to them, and they find the new places they stay beautuful, and prefer to stay there.

Long and slow was the march of the Eldar into the west, for the leagues of Middle-earth were uncounted, and weary and pathless. Nor did the Eldar desire to hasten, for they were filled with wonder at all that they saw, and by many lands and rivers they wished to abide; and though all were yet willing to wander, many feared rather their journey’s end than hoped for it. Therefore whenever Oromë departed, having at time other matters to heed, they halted and went forward no more, until he returned to guide them.

It takes the Elves 10 years to reach the lands that we’re familar with from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: Greenwood the Great, the River Anduin, and the Misty Mountains.

And it came to pass after many years of journeying in this manner that the Eldar took their course through a forest, and they came to a great river, wider than any they had yet seen; and beyond it were mountains whose sharp horns seemed to pierce the realm of the stars. This river, it is said, was even the river which was after called Anduin the Great, and was ever the frontier of the west-lands of Middle-earth. But the mountains were the Hithaeglir, the Towers of Mist upon the borders of Eriador; yet they were taller and more terrible in those days, and were reared by Melkor to hinder the riding of Oromë.

Some of the Teleri decide they like this area, and between that and being intimidated by the Misty Mountains, they decide they would prefer to live here than continue on to Valinor. These are presumably the ancestors of the Wood-elves of Greenwood (later Mirkwood) and of the original elves of Lothlórien, and are distant (or not-so-distant, given the long lives of Elves) relations of Thranduil, Celeborn, Galadriel, and the Sindar who later join them there.

Now the Teleri abode long on the east bank of the river and wished to remain there, but the Vanyar and the Noldor passed over it, and Oromë led them into the passes of the mountains. And when Oromë was gone forward the Teleri looked upon the shadowy heights and were afraid.

Then one arose in the host of Olwë, which was ever the hindmost on the road; Lenwë he was called. He forsook the westward march, and led away a numerous people, southwards down the great river, and they passed out of the knowledge of their kin until long years were past. Those were the Nandor; and they became a people apart, unlike their kin, save that they loved water, and dwelt most beside falls and running streams. Greater knowledge had they of living things, tree and herb, bird and beast, than all other Elves.

This reminds me of a lot of good stuff in The Nature of Middle-earth about the Great Journey, and the Teleri in particular. The Teleri have a less centralized ethos than the Vanyar or Noldor, and it’s Elwë (later Thingol) who stands up for the rights of all elves to choose what they prefer in terms of the journey, and not feel compelled to all act as a single unit. It’s also him who expresses the idea of the Great Journey as a way to see other parts of Middle-earth and decide where they want to live, not necessarily continuing on to Valinor. This lines up with the later patterns of different groups of Telerin elves (Nandor, Sindar, Falathrim, the Teleri who continue to Valinor, and later the Green-elves of Ossiriand) branching off in a variety of directions.

Elwë says, “I will go with my friend [Finwë], but I do not choose for anyone but myself. Let all my Folk do likewise. I do not see what harm dividing the Kindred will do - and it cannot be avoided, unless some are to be forced to do what they do not wish to do (to remain or to go). No doubt (indeed this is guaranteed) we, or any who wish, will be free to return to our homes when the War is over.” Also he says, “We are a great company - the most give n to wandering afar. Let many of us at least go with the safe conduct of the Lord Oromë and see what Endor is like, and the Sea! We need not pass the shores!”

One thing that strikes me from this is the surprising commonalities between Elwë and Fëanor. In the first place, in the attachment to Middle-earth and the desire to explore its ‘wide lands’ - Thingol in NoME, in contrast to the Silm, prefers the starlight of Middle-earth to the Trees of Valinor, and his choice of Valinor at this moment is based on his friendship with Finwë rather than on the appeal of Valinor itself. In the second place, in the emphasis that if the Elves do go to Valinor, they need to be able to return to their homes if they later choose that. The contrast, though, is that Elwë is all about everyone making a free choice of what they want to do, whereas Fëanor (at least by the time he’s wanting to return to Middle-earth) becomes hostile, angry, and insulting to anyone who does not adhere to all his ideas.

[grey-gazania-fic]

The Lucky One

A young Nandorin woman is saved from death by Amras and taken in by his people. As the events of the First Age unfold, she must come to terms with the consequences of swearing her loyalty to the Sons of Fëanor. Find the whole Chosen Exile series here. This installment rated T.

FA 35

Linn was hunting with her brothers on the day she died. It was early autumn, and the sun kissed tops of the trees with gold as she walked on silent feet beneath the cool canopy of leaves. Overhead, squirrels busily gathered seeds, their chittering joined by the occasional cheep of a finch.

There were pheasants in abundance in this part of the forest, and Linn had three already in the rough sack slung over her back. Smoked and seasoned, the meat would help see them through the coming winter, and tonight they would share their bounty with their neighbors.

Perhaps the handsome Orn from across the river would join them. Perhaps he would ask Linn to sing.

She smiled to herself at the thought before turning her attention back to the forest. It was best not to lose focus. Dangerous things dwelt under the trees -- bears and wolves, and wild boars like the one that had killed her mother when Linn was just a child.

Bel, Aras, and Tor were spread out in a crescent ahead of her, but it was her sharp ears that picked out the sound of something following them. She whistled a three-note bird call, and her brothers froze in their tracks, each readying his bow.

“What is it?” Aras breathed in her ear once she had joined them.

“We’re being followed,” she murmured, her spine prickling uncomfortably.

Bel jerked his head toward the nearest tree and made the sign for climb, and Linn nodded. Dropping her sack beside the mossy trunk, she grabbed hold of the lowest branch and pulled herself upwards, careful not to snag her bow or quiver as she went. When she judged herself to be high enough, she stopped and peered out from between the leaves.

Her breath froze in her lungs. There was a pack of monsters behind them, moving low and quiet through the underbrush. Linn was young; she had never seen an orc. But she had heard the stories, and she knew what she was looking at. She whistled a warning, a shrike’s shrill shriek, and dropped to the ground to join her brothers as they ran. It was their only choice. They were outnumbered, armed only with light bows, but they knew the forest better than the orcs did. Hopefully they could lose them in the trees.

Linn had heard the stories. Orcs were vicious. Orcs were wicked. Orcs reveled in bloodshed and death. If orcs found you and you could neither kill them nor escape, you should pray that they killed you, because if they carried you north to the Iron Mountains you would become an orc yourself.

The stories didn’t mention that orcs were fast. The four elves ran and ran and ran, but the orcs were gaining on them. With each foot Linn and her brothers lost, escape slipped further and further away. As Bel and Aras ran ahead, Tor grabbed Linn by the arm, pulled her around behind the thick trunk of a tree, and boosted her up into the branches.

“Hide,” he hissed.

Linn climbed, her heart pounding in her chest as she watched Tor dash after their brothers. He’d almost reached them when he stumbled and fell to the ground with a pained cry. An arrow had struck him in the calf, and blood bloomed across his breeches, dark and wet.

Bel whirled around, an arrow of his own already nocked, and fired back at the orcs, striking their leader in the eye. It fell with a cry of its own, but its death only seemed to enrage the others. Even as Aras joined Bel in his attack, the orcs swarmed forward, trading their bows for heavy blades of iron.

Wounded, already grounded and vulnerable, Tor fell first, nearly hewn in two. Linn swallowed a scream and reached for her own bow, only to find that the string had snapped during her climb. She was unarmed. Her brothers were being slaughtered before her eyes, and she was unarmed and helpless to intervene.

Aras continued to fire, but his quiver was soon empty. He tossed his bow aside and threw himself at the orcs, only to be slain by the same blade that had killed Tor, his blood mingling with his brother's on the dull iron.

As she watched Bel struggle with the creatures, Linn made a decision. She would not let her brother stand alone. She leapt from the branches, landing squarely on one of the orcs. With a desperate grab, she wrested its dagger from the sheath at its waist and plunged the knife into its back.

It stumbled and dropped its sword, but quickly regained its footing and turned on her with a growl, knocking the knife from her hand and forcing her to the ground. She screamed and clawed at its face, but it only laughed. Then it grabbed her by the wrists, pinned her arms, and sank its teeth into her throat.

She struggled, but the creature was holding her tight enough to bruise, too tightly for her to escape. Again and again and again it tore at her flesh, ripping her neck to shreds. She soon went limp beneath it, choking on her own blood as she gasped for breath.

The leaves above her wavered and blurred. She could feel the earth shake beneath her, thump thuh-thump thuh-thump, but she didn't recognize the hoofbeats for what they were until a man charged past her on a horse, firing at the orc as he went.

The monster abandoned its attack on her and plucked the arrow from its arm, but before it could finish rising to its feet, a second man appeared, russet-haired, with eyes that shone like stars. He swung his sword and removed the creature's head with one blow.

Dropping to the ground beside Linn, he pressed his hands over her bloody throat. His lips moved, but she couldn't hear what he said. She couldn't hear anything at all. The world grew dim around her, until all she could see was the stranger's shining eyes.

Soon, the darkness swallowed even that.

continue reading on AO3

[ilaneya]

JayVik X Silmarillion au

Okay, so i have no idea how many people will follow my train of thought on this one but here we go!!

(it’s silmarillion canon-compliant if you squint really hard, also, Viktor said in all timelines, in all possibilities, so this one is on him too ig)

- Jayce was born in F.A. 438 in Hithlum

- His mother came from the Haladin, while his father followed the descendants of Marach and lived in Dor-lómin under the House of Hador

- Jayce’s father was a skilled craftsman, this granted him respect and favour from both the Noldor who lived in Hithlum and the Men of the House of Hador alike

- Like his father, Jayce excelled in various crafts, the most prominent one being blacksmithing

- Although Viktor’s parents were Nandor from Ossiriand, at some point they wandered and settled in Nan-tathren

- Growing up in the desolate meadows of Nan-tathren led to Viktor developing a strong connection with and great knowledge of living things, herbs and trees, and animals, even enchantments. While living near the waters of Sirion, he sometimes heard the voice of Ulmo, which often helped and guided him

- Viktor is a talented healer who uses both his knowledge of nature and Songs of power

- Through one of his dreams, Ulmo told Viktor to head north, as his aid as a healer would be needed to save the new hope that shall come from the House of Hador

- Jayce and Viktor first met in F.A. 458, ans despite the odds, immediately took a liking to each other

- Jayce was the craftsman who created Viktor’s brace, which he had to wear after a severe leg injury, that couldn’t be fully healed, even with Viktor’s and other physician’s skills and knowledge

- Sorry to tell you that, but Nirnaeth Arnoediad still takes place in this au, so Jayce is wounded in the battle and takes his final breath in Viktor’s arms while the latter tries his best to keep him alive but fails

- The new hope, the person Viktor’s supposed to save, is still Tuor. Viktor is the one elves who help Rían after the battle, but when the child is born, Viktor decides to follow Jayce

[polutrope]

To be clear. This blog is pro-Elves. All Elves. Fëanorians, yes, but Nolofinwëans, Arafinweans, even Un-finweans. Teleri, Sindar (but how can you be pro-Feanorian and-- *bites you*), Nandor, Avari. Half-elves and Elf-man, too. All Elves are great, and all Elves did *something* wrong.

Love them for that.

[ceescedasticity]

Ways kings of elves have stopped being king (some of this is arguable, but in my opinion/analysis):

Finwë: Decided that something else was more important than acting as king (when he left Tirion), and then threw his life away fighting Melkor instead of fleeing.

Fëanor: Fëanor I don't think stopped being king before he died? He was just really bad at it the entire time. —He did stop being king of the portion of his people he abandoned in a bad situation out of spite/paranoia/whatever. And if we're going to look at it that way—

Thingol (of all the Sindar outside Doriath): I would argue he stopped being their king when he retreated behind the Girdle. Unlike Fëanor I don't think it was feasible for him to do otherwise and he did at least allow them to also retreat behind the Girdle, so I don't blame him the way I do Fëanor, but as a king it was an abandonment of responsibility.

Denethor of the Nandor: Died fighting defense in a battle he could not have avoided. No idea how effective he was as a king, but he stuck to his post to the end.

Maedhros (as king in name): Despite his having explicitly abdicated I would not call this giving up on being king. It was the best thing he could do, and he didn't give up responsibility for any of the people he was responsible for.

Fingolfin: I would argue he set aside his kingship when he rode out alone. Unlike Finwë I would not say he chose to set it aside for other priorities; I think he thought (insofar as he was thinking at all) this was the most appropriate thing he could do as king. I also think he was wrong and I expect most of his surviving subjects would agree with me.

Finrod: Decided something else was more important than being king. The narrative would agree that it was more important but as a king that's not good. Whether he threw his life away as much as Finwë did is debatable — he didn't set out to duel Sauron, they tried to sneak past and got unlucky, but the whole quest was insanely risky for questionable payoff.

Fingon: Died at his post. Whether the battle was a good idea to begin with is debatable, but its goal was a good one and he died acting as king.

Turgon (as High King of the Noldor): I don't know if anyone outside Gondolin ever thought of Turgon as High King, or if Turgon thought so himself, but if anyone did, he abandoned everyone outside Gondolin. Like Thingol I don't know that he realistically could have done anything else; unlike Thingol he did not admit any refugees, so he comes off worse there.

Orodreth: Died at his post. After several catastrophic mistakes that got his people largely killed when they might have lived at least a while longer, but he died acting as king.

Thingol: This is a funny one because Thingol never abandoned being king but I'm not sure I'd say he died at his post either considering he was murdered because of a sketchy jewelry commission. He died off-duty?

Dior: Died at his post, as did Nimloth. How culpable they were in setting up the situation that killed them is debatable, but died at their posts.

Turgon: I would argue set aside his kingship when he stayed and died rather than try to evacuate. Like Fingolfin I think he thought this was the most appropriate thing to do; as with Fingolfin I disagree; unlike Fingolfin he didn't make any grand inspirational gestures as he died so it looks even worse.

Idril (never called herself queen, but she effectively was for a while there): Decided something else was more important than staying and leading and left on a trip people didn't come back from.

Eärendil (never called himself king): Decided something else was more important than staying and leading, and ultimately this is vindicated, but he did not do any king-ing to begin with.

Elwing (did she call herself queen? I forget): This one is kind of tricky, but on balance I'd say she followed in the footsteps of Fingolfin: All is lost, time to die dramatically.

Maedhros (as king in all but name of the Fëanorian faction): In my analysis, Maedhros set aside his duties as king-in-all-but-name at some point no earlier than the end of the Nirnaeth and no later than convincing Maglor to steal the Silmarils. This is quite a long window and it's possible he went back and forth a bit. I don't know whether he consciously decided to prioritize the Oath and his family over his people or if he thought self-destructing in this way was the most fitting thing he could do, but either way: he's abandoned the responsibility he took. Unlike the rest of the setting-aside-kingship people on this list, though, who went off alone or nearly so, everyone kept following him.

Outside the First Age (and including even more never-got-called-kings), I'm not sure how strategic Celebrimbor's confrontation of Sauron was; Amdír and Oropher died at their posts after making terrible decisions which screwed their people over; Gil-galad died at his post while ensuring a victory, imagine that; Amroth decided something else was more important; not sure how to classify Elrond and Galadriel, who both put saving the world over leading their people specifically; we don't know about Thranduil, Celeborn, and Círdan.

Edit: On further reflection, Fëanor is like Thingol in that he never quit being king, but the way he got himself killed wasn't really in the line of duty either.

[foedhrass]

Denethor never saw the light of the sun but I think he would have enjoyed walking in a golden wood.

Ndani-tháro (Denethor) cosplay & edit: Foedhrass

Photo: Little_solnyshka

[outofangband]

Elf sleep and dream thoughts

Follow up to my post last week on elven states of consciousness, here are some thoughts on elves and sleep, dreams and nightmares

Note: some of this is taken from my older post on sleep and dreams in elven and human cultures but much is new! I’ll be making another separate post for the humans

Also thank you all so so much for your kind words on my last post on this!

Refernces to specific dreams are relatively few in the first age and most involve humans; there is Idril’s nightmare of Eärendil’s death, Túrin’s fever dreams, and Niënor’s post amnesia sleep disruption, Morwen’s imaginings of hearing Arroch while half asleep, Húrin’s uneasy nightmare filled sleep in, The Wanderings, and a few other instances of uneasy sleep or nightmarish visions, including some prophetic ones

-I talked about this on my complex trauma and sleep post but generally I do believe elves need sleep though not as much as humans.

-Some elven cultures do not evenly divide days into sleep and wakefulness but rather sleep in intermittent cycles of a couple hours every ten hours or so.

-Their sleep is not effected by light in the same way human sleep is as elves of course predate the sun and moon in Tolkien’s canon

-Within the first days of the elves, dreams of any kind were rare. Their variety and complexity developed alongside their language and society.

-however, as time went on, Nightmares of trauma began to plague the first generations of elves, both who went to Aman and those who stayed. Some believed them to be an aspect of Morgoth’s dark powers rather than an effect of the lasting fear of them

-Just like in the mythology of today’s world, elven lore contains a host of monsters specifically related to sleep. Many of these can be traced back to early tales among the first elves. (I also want to make a specific post for this!)

-Sleep without dreams is more common for elves than for humans. Their sleep cycles also differ, with elves going through the equivalent of a human sleep cycle in minutes

-Some of the Avari have specific words for dreams without any speech or elven figures in them. Some of the green elves have words for dreams remembered only through the emotion they invoke

-interpretation of dreams vary from cultures just like here. For many in Doriath, dreams in open spaces without trees are considered an ill omen. For some Avarin people, the sight of certain birds in dreams portends to loss, future or past.

-Lucid dreaming is more common in the elves and practices involving it are done by many cultural groups including the Vanyar, Sindar of Doriath. some Avari groups, and some of the Nandor.

-The painting and visual representation of dreams is an art form in itself for the Noldor and Vanyar of Valinor especially among devotees of Irmo

-Elves seem to be able to go into a sort of half sleep where they can continue to move and function while part of their mind are shut down. I will be distinguishing between this and traditional sleepwalking which is not a conscious choice.

-On that note traditional sleepwalking is fairly uncommon among the elves and is viewed differently by different cultural groups, some viewing it as a sign or warning, others as something inherently disordered. 

-Sleep is an area where there is a lot of stigma and mistrust regarding former captives of Angband Those who return under the will of Morgoth often are described as being sleepwalkers (a translation for a term I made up that is neither the half sleep of elves or traditional sleepwalking but something in between)

-Former prisoners of Angband obviously suffer nightmares. Their sleep tends to be disordered and sleepwalking and talking are much more common. Many come to fear their sleeping hours and take precautions during them to avoid encounters with others (I’ve spoken for example about Maedhros and Gwindor despising sleeping near others especially ones they don’t know because of what he might say in his sleep or act in the twilight between sleep and wake) Others have the opposite and hate sleeping alone, becoming acutely aware of the shadows and darkness around them, suffering paranoia and insomnia. 

-Many, especially those who had been slaves in the mines, experience panic upon waking over the fear that they should not have slept or have slept in the wrong place, the punishment for either within Angband being an awful one

Note: I have a post on complex trauma and sleep here (mostly through the lens of Angband but some other stuff too!) that goes much more into this!

-Most nightmares suffered by elves relate to the strong mind, body, soul connection. Unpleasant experiences are relived during sleep when the mind is unable to actively process and respond to other stimuli or to defend against these as is more possible during waking. Most nightmares are thus sensations and emotions rather than narratives. It is not uncommon for them to have no visual component though this is not always the case. It is also possible for physical sensations or other reminders of unpleasant events to be relived in seemingly unrelated dreams. For example a Helcaraxë survivor having a dream of walking through a forest interrupted by a sudden bone deep cold, burning of the extremities from frostbite

-Each elven language has a word for frightening or upsetting dreams. Most have more than one and many distinguish between frightening dreams that could potentially warn of a future incident and ones that are unpleasant reminders of the past though obviously these are not mutually exclusive

-The Noldor have words for anxiety dreams around crafts and projects as well as for restlessness that comes from having to sleep when work is unfinished 

-Common translations are sleep fear or sleep monster.

[march-of-the-noldor]

March of the Quendi

Ahh We have made it to Aman!

The journey was long and hard, but for now rest and bask in safely and light of our new home! Thank you all so much for participating in Match of the Quendi! The Great Journey is such an interesting timeframe to me and it was so lovely to experience it with everyone! Thank you so much for the origenal works, the fic recs, the reblogs and the likes <3 you can look through all the posts for this event with the tag #march of the quendi.

Expect a post about this event's forward direction in the coming months. Until then, thank you all again and safe travels!!

art by @g-m-kaye

[yunamedkostobot]

Jedi stans do not know Tolkien lore

It's so funny, cause... it's literally what Tolkien actually wrote in his opus magnum Silmarillion! It happened when Valar, despite having almost angelic powers, practically abandoned Middlearth and Beleriand and allowed Morgoth and his cronies to kill and enslave Elves and Dwarves and lead part of Humans away from them(enslaving others too). They allowed everything built and created by Elves to be destroyed, for a huge part of Noldor elves to die in horrible ways, for Eru's children to suffer. No matter how narrative attempts to frame this, Valar are accompliced by their inaction. Even before the First Kinslaying, they had practically forgotten about Sindar and Nandor Elves living under Morgoth's feet, about Dwarves and yet-to-be-awakened-Humans.

Their inaction was not deemed as something inherently good in any piece of Tolkien's works except the Myths Transformed. In The Book of Lost Tales(which i consider really good for analysis and explaining some plotholes of published Silmarillion and presenting Valar in more or less sympathetic light) the majority of both Maiar and Ainur are so afraid of Morgoth that they practically force Manwe(who is their king) to hide Valinor from the world! It happens despite both Manwe and Ulmo pleas for Noldor's sake and Manwe telling all secrets about Elves and Humans Eru entrusted him! Myths Transformed, on the contrary, present Valar as ultimately morally right no matter what happened - and it is the reason why they seem so unlikable and problematic for many(and may be the reason Christopher never used this concept). Even in the published Silmarillion Valar are presented as misguided and not totally right in the end.

Also, let's adress Tolkien himself. He never considred Lord of the Rings the major book he had written in his life and the book what tells about his views most is actually Silmarillion! And this book actually has more complex take on "good and evil", explaining, why Tolkien viewed his charactres as they are.

What in Tolkien's mind separates morally grey character(like Feanor, his sons, Turin) from the villain(like Morgoth, Sauron, Eol, Saruman)? As it can be seen through the text, it is an ability to love and care about someone while seeing them as persons and loyalty to another person or their people or devotion to a large-scale goal character has. The reasons that his characters are "good" are not because of their service to some institutions or fighting evil, but because they are productive, creative and their major goal is making the world a better place. They are something except the fighters and destroyers and it what made them good. It's evil who reacts on "good characters" doing something, like it was with Sauron's deeds during the Second Age(founding Mordor in response to Numenor's victorious wars against him, falsely giving up to Ar-Pharazon in response to latter nearly destroying his kingdom, attacking Gondor and causing War of the Last Alliance of fear it will take root) and Morgoth's before the First Age(creating Dissonance in responce to the Eru calling him out, manipulating Noldor princes out of envy for their artificial gems, especially the Simarils).

Meanwhile, Jedi are purely the reactive force at the time of Prequels. They do nothing, they create nothing, they only serve a corrupt goverment doing whatever it asks and ignoring it sliding more and more into the autoritarism. They ignore literal and corporal slavery in Canon, and crime syndicats(like Findian syndicat), long-time civil wars, dark cults(like Bando Gora), planets getting attacked and suffering from epidemics and starvation in Legends. They do even less than IRL Templars and Hospitallers did(guarding the piligrims and giving them shelter, which was the primary goal of such institutions except fighting Muslims). We have never seen the Jedi travelling from one planet to another to build or create something(or heal somebody), they does not harbor any global project involving something potentially useful for all of Republic citizens.

In comparison, many Tolkien's favourite characters and nations are something except the warriors and fighters. If we will take hobbits, they are wonderful farmers. Teleri Elves are the shipbuilders and saliors. Noldor Elves and Dwarves are blacksmiths, inventors, artificial gem and jewelry makers. Sindar Elves are singers. Numenorians and Gondor people are scholars, explorers of the world, alchemists and inventors too. Even Rohan people are not only the fighters, they are wonderful horse breeders. I won't even start with master inventor Feanor with his belief that Eru's children's mind can overcome Ainur and Celebrimbor with desire to heal Middlearth from wasting away. Do Jedi present something of themselves except the enforcing and partly dimplomatic organisation?

None. And there is the reason Jedi could not and should not be compared to Tolkien characters. They grew complacent and distant from the people. They only react - while Tolkien heroes act. We never see Jedi "bravely going where no people had gone before" or moving to some planet in order to create a medicine for some illiness, even if they are stated have their own special Service Corps divisions for this. Ironically, that is actually makes them having a lot in commin with Ainur, whom Jedi Stans tend to compare their faves with. Complacency, which in the end lead to the tragedy.

They compare Ainur to the angels, ignoring the textual evidence that their complacency lead to the practical genocide of Elves. And ironically, an actual Tolkien fandom - and the Professor himself - tends to see these "Angels" in more or less critical light.

[ravnarieldurin]

Edited: Welp, it seems I am wrong!

The Silmarillion, "Index of Names.": It is said about the Eldar: "According to Elvish legend the name Eldar 'People of the Stars' was given to all the Elves by the Vala Oromë. It came however to be used to refer only to the Elves of the Three Kindreds (Vanyar, Noldor, and Teleri) who set out on the great westward march from Cuiviénen (whether or not they remained in Middle-earth), and to exclude the Avari."

So both the Sindarin and Silvan Elves are indeed considered part of the Eldar.

And here I was thinking I was really smart...nope, just overconfident. But it's all good. I needed a slice of humble pie.

-

I was researching Tolkien's elves and something popped out at me that I hadn't noticed before.

In the Hobbit, when Tauriel and Kili are swapping stories about stars, I never caught this lore inaccuracy until now. (Ignoring the fact that Tauriel said it. We aren't here to talk about her [non] existence specifically.)

Tauriel says in her little star speech that "all light is sacred to the Eldar, but Wood-Elves love best the light of the stars".

It is true that at their birth in Arda, the Elves found by the Maia Oromë were named "Eldar" as a whole, but that name became reserved for only the elves who completed the journey westward across the sea to Aman, the Blessed Realm. Eldar became synonymous with High-Elves, those who lived under the light of the Two Trees. This name now only applies to the Vanyar, Noldor, and Falmari (Teleri who crossed the sea).

So why is Tauriel, a Silvan Elf (a Wood-Elf branch of the Nandor), calling herself - and her kin by extension - of the Eldar? The Nandor Elves stopped their journey on the eastern side of the Misty Mountain, refusing to cross over because they were afraid of the looming shadow the mountain range cast over the land. Mind you, the only light they had in Middle-earth at the time was starlight because the Sun had not risen in the sky yet.

And to that point, technically not even Elvenking Thranduil can call himself an Elda because he was of the Sindar, born under the rule of Elu Thingol in Doriath. He and his father Oropher never travelled West across the Great Sea. Thranduil never saw the light of the Two Trees, which is the requirement for being an Eldar.

Lore inaccuracy! Gotta love it!

But to her credit, Tauriel was right that the Silvan Elves (Wood-Elves) much prefer the light of the stars because when the Sun rose for the first time, it was like a terrifying ball of fire in the sky with absolutely no warning. The Dark Elves of Middle-earth were forced to become Light Elves after centuries of only starlight. Talk about a rude awakening! ☀️