#nornorë imagine

[a-world-of-whimsy-5]

Day 4 | Prompt: Woods of the Great Lands

Pairing: Nornorë x Tinwë Linto (Thingol)

Themes: Angst-ish | Soft

Warnings: Brief mention of war and death

Word count: 400+ words

Summary: Nornorë and Tinwë reminisce while they walk in search of Melian. 

Also available on AO3

Minors DNI 

"Hail and well met, my Lord Nornorë." Tinwë stood before the herald of the Elder King and offered a low bow out of respect. "We meet once more."

"Hail and well met, Lord Tinwë," Nornorë acknowledged him with a graceful tilt of the head. "Or should I say, King Thingol?"

Tinwë flushed. Whether it was from pride or shame, Nornorë could not say. 

"Thingol. It is a name I have not heard since... since my lady wife took me into her arms for the last time." Tinwë paused, then hesitated. "Is she here, my lord?” He peered down winding pathways and into every thick and shaded copse he could see, all in the hopes of finding his wife. “My lady, I mean."

"She waits for you in the gardens down yonder." Nornorë turned down a path lined with Larinquë trees full of golden blossoms and urged Tinwë to join him. "Come. Let me take you to her."

They walked in companionable silence before Tinwë finally said, "The attendants of Lord Mandos said the world had changed since I walked it last. They said the mighty woods of the Great Lands are now a shadow of what they used to be."

"Indeed." Nornore welled up with sorrow. His eyes slowly burned with many an unshed tear. "The War of Wrath brought with it the ruin of a great many things. Even entire families were destroyed, root and stem. Do you remember our first meeting?"

"I do," Tinwë replied, and looked around. "It was by a lake, beneath a starry sky. We were frightened, all of us. We thought you served him, and we tried to hide ourselves."

"Do not fear to utter his name, Lord Tinwë," Nornorë counseled. "He cannot set foot in the Blessed Realm, not anymore."

Tinwë nodded and continued. "Then you soothed our fears and revealed your purpose. We followed you. We saw with our own eyes the glory of this land and returned to speak of it to our kin. We urged them to see it for themselves."

"And then you lost your way." Nornorë smiled. 

Tinwë's smile was a reflection of his. "And then I lost my way. But I do not regret it, my lord, not for a moment."

 Tags: @cilil @asianbutnotjapanese

[ainurmoodboards]

The Valarindi (The Children of the Valar)

In the earlier stages of Tolkien's writings, the Valar were less angelic and more like pagan (especially Greco-Roman) deities. One of the most notable features at this point was that some of the married couples among the Valar had children. The term for these beings was Valarindi, and it was used to refer to any child (or in a couple of cases, grandchild) of one of the Valar. This group of beings included:

Nessa, the Dancer, The Swift

Nessa was the daughter of Aulë and Yavanna, the sister of Oromë, and was associated with dancing, deer, and speed. Her wedding to the Vala Tulkas was the first and only marriage between two Valar to take place within Arda itself. The fact that she is strongly associated with deer and nature and that her brother is connected to hunting makes her vaguely reminiscent of the Greek goddess Artemis. Meanwhile, her connections to love, dancing, and beauty and her marriage to the warrior Vala Tulkas are comparable to Greek Aphrodite and Roman Venus. Nessa and Tulkas had a son named Telimektar in the earliest stages.

Oromë, The Huntsman of the Valar

Oromë was the son of Aulë and Yavanna, the brother of Nessa, and the Lord of the Forests and the Huntsman of the Valar. After the Valar retreated to the continent of Aman, Oromë would still occassionally return to Middle-earth to hunt the creatures of Melkor, and it was during one of these trips that he came upon the first elves. He was also strongly associated with horses and was especially loved by the people of Rohan, who believed that their horses were descended from ones he brought from the West. Oromë is like a mix of the Greek god Apollo with the many horse and forest gods of the different Celtic tribes, who the Romans often adopted as aspects of Apollo. Oromë was married to Vána, who was technically his aunt, and they had a daughter named Nieliqui; this relationship is very reminiscent of those of many Greek gods and goddesses.

Fionwë-Urion,

Fionwë-Urion was the son of Manwë and Varda, the brother of Erinti, and a warrior associated with light and fire. His connection to fire can be seen in his love for Arien, who at this point was called Urwen/Urwendi, with the names Urwen and Urion both coming from a rootword meaning fire or flame. At one point Tolkien developed a story where Melkor tried to claim Arien/Urwen as a wife, attacking her while she was guiding the Sun through the sky. She released herself from her body in an explosion of fire and "died", permanently scarring Melkor and causing the Sun to go out of control and burn parts of Arda, creating the deserts. It was said that Fionwë-Urion would kill Melkor/Morgoth in the last battle at the end of days due to his love for Arien/Urwen. This story was eventually dropped before The Silmarilion was published; Melkor fears Arien too much to attack her, while the Ainu who is in love with Arien is Tilion, the guide of the Moon. Fionwë-Urion eventually evolved into the Maia Eonwë, in the process also absorbing the character Nornorë, the Herald of the Valar, who became one of the "Lost Valar".

Erinti,

Erinti was the daughter of Manwë and Varda and the sister of Fionwë-Urion. At one point, she was written as the sister of Salmar/Noldorin and Ómar/Amillo instead of being the sister of Fionwë-Urion, though their parents aren't specified. At that stage, the three siblings were the only Ainur who left Aman to live with the elves of Tol Eressea. Erinti is associated with love, beauty, and music, which is fitting since Ómar and Salmar are both associated with music as well. She was eventually rewritten as Manwë and Varda's daughter, but despite this important parentage not much was said about her. Though the concept of the Valarindi was eventually dropped and the Valar became more like angels, Erinti survived as Ilmarë, the handmaiden of Varda. Together with Eonwë, who was once her brother Fionwë-Urion, she was a chief of the Maiar.

Nieliqui, The Little Maiden of the Valar

Nieliqui was the daughter of Oromë and Vána, and references to her as "the little maiden" suggest she may have been the youngest and most childlike of the Valar. Not much is said about Nieliqui besides the fact that she was a small maiden who liked to dance in her father’s woods. This often took place while Ómar-Amillo (a Lost Vala), who was the Vala of song and music, would sing in the woods. Both of Nieliqui’s parents had strong connections to nature, especially trees, and some fans have imagined her as a dryad-like character. Her love of dancing suggests that, she also takes after her aunt Nessa, the Vala of dancing. Nieliqui disappeared from Tolkien's writings once he abandoned the concept of the Valarindi and created the Maiar, and she doesn't appear in The Silmarilion.

Telimektar, The Warrior of the Sky

Telimektar was the son of Tulkas and Nessa, and a mighty warrior who fought hard in the struggles against Melkor/Morgoth. He is described as having a long sword kept at his waist by a silver girdle. His face and weapons are also described as heaving a silver gleam. In early writings, the constellation Orion (which contains many stars classified as blue giants) is Telimektar, with the star Nielluin/Helluin (Sirius) being described as his toe. He is in the sky as a guard against Morgoth, and he was given stars by Varda to mark his shape so the Valar would know he was there. He is also said to have diamonds on his sword’s sheath that will glow red when the last battle occurs at the end of the world. Telimektar was eventually dropped, but one of the many variations of his name, Telumehtar, appears as a name for the constellation Orion in the appendices of Lord of the Rings, and as the name of the 28th King of Gondor.

Once Tolkien dropped the concept of the Valarindi and created the angelic Maiar instead, the fates of these characters changed. Oromë and Nessa became Valar in their own right, Fionwë-Urion and Erinti morphed into Maiar, and Nieliqui and Telimektar were dropped. Even Melkor once was envisioned to have a son named Kalimbo/Kosomot with an ogress named Fluithuin or Ulbandi, but this character changed into Gothmog, Lord of the Balrogs.

[vardasvapors]

🔥 the two trees?

Because I promised I would re-answer this duplicate question with the caveat:

gurguliare replied to your post:                   🔥 - the Trees                

   no um you should answer mine but give us specifically your unpopular opinion on the politics of yavanna’s tree-creation as a concentration of ‘light capital’    

So as I promised, I will now a) list some of the tree-related things from the BOLT that should have been in the Silmarillion/are just kinda super cool, and b) do the thing.

Soft-copy source, btw

A)

“But in the other pit they cast three huge pearls that Osse found in the Great Sea, and a small star Varda cast after them, and they covered it with foams and white mists and thereafter sprinkled lightly earth upon it, but Lorien who loveth twilights and flittering shadows, and sweet scents borne upon evening winds, who is the lord of dreams and imaginings, sat nigh and whispered swift noiseless words, while his sprites played half-heard tunes beside him like music stealing out into the dark from distant dwellings; and the Gods poured upon that place rivers of the white radiance and silver light which Silindrin held even to the brim…”

“…then did fair boughs thrust overhead to all directions in all directions, and golden buds swelled from all the twigs and lesser branches, and from these burst leaves of a rich green whose edges shone. Already was the light that that tree gave wide and fair, but as the Valar gazed it put forth blossom in exceeding great profusion, so that all its boughs were hidden by long swaying clusters of gold flowers like a myriad hanging lamps of flame, and light spilled from the tips of these and splashed upon the ground with a sweet noise.”

“…but Palurien said: “Not yet has this tree ceased its growing”, and behold as she spake it blossomed, and its blossoms did not hang in clusters but were like separate flowers growing each on fine stems that swung together, and were as silver and pearls and glittering stars and burnt with a white light; and it seemed as if the tree’s heart throbbed, and its radiance wavered thereto waxing and waning. Light like liquid silver distilled from its bole and dripped to earth, and it shed a very great illumination about the plain, yet was that not as wide as the light of the tree of gold, and by reason also of its great leaves and of the throb of its inward life it cast a continual flutter of shadows among the pools of its brightness, very clear and black; whereat Lorien could not contain his joy, and even Mandos smiled.”

“Then Palurien arose and said to the Gods: “Gather ye now all the light that drips in liquid shape from this fair tree and store it in Silindrin, and let it fare thence but very sparingly. Behold, this tree, when the twelve hours of its fullest light are past, will wane again, and thereat will Laurelin blaze forth once more; but that it may not be exhausted water it ever gently from the cauldron of Kulullin at the hour when Silpion grows dim, but to Silpion do ye in the same manner, pouring back the gathered light from deep Silindrin at every waning of the tree of gold. Light is the sap of these trees and their sap is light!“”

“Behold now brought by Nornorë the three elves stood before the Gods, and it was at that time the changing of the lights, and Silpion was waning but Laurelin was awakening to his greatest glory, even as Silmo emptied the urn of silver about the roots of the other Tree. Then those elves were utterly dazed and astonied by the splendour of the light, whose eyes knew only the dusk and had yet seen no brighter things than Varda’s stars…”

B)

As you can see from the bold section, Yavanna is the hippy-dippy renewable energy environmentalist aaaaalways and simply uses all the light from the trees to re-water them, while also letting the elves (when they turn up) dip all their stuff in the dew in order to make it more shiny whenever they want at no charge. And furthermore, the Valar fangirl over the Trees so hard that the trees are an end to themselves.

[a-world-of-whimsy-5]

Day 20 | Prompt: Fires without restraint

Pairing: Nornorë x Mairon

Themes: NSFW | Angst | AU

Warnings: Kissing | Mentions of imprisonment and torture | Blood | Major character death

Word count: 700+ words

Summary: Towards the end of the Great War and Morgoth’s doom, Nornorë finds a former love pleading for pardon.

Also available on AO3 

Minors DNI | 🔞 | You are responsible for the media you consume. 

A/n: This was partly inspired by Eönwë’s interaction with Sauron after the War of Wrath.

“Your lord has been cast down.” Nornorë advanced on him, his sword stained crimson with the blood of fell beasts and golden with the blood of fallen Ainur. “Even now his feet are being hewn from under him, and his once glorious crown is being beaten into a collar for his neck. Surrender, Mairon. The war is over.”

“I know.” Mairon dropped his own weapon, a great warhammer, and rose to his feet. “This is why I wish to yield and place myself at the mercy of those greater than me.”

“And why would you wish to do that?”

“To make penance for my sins, and find my way back to the light once more.”

Nornorë refused to be fooled. He saw with his own eyes the darkness that clung to Mairon like a burr. There would be no penance, no finding one’s way back to the light. Mairon was lying; he was certain of it. Melko’s most trusted commander was hoping to buy himself, and his master, more time. Nornorë could not afford to let that happen.

"Honeyed words have been known to hold a poison all of their own,” he scoffed sharply. “Do not hope to sway me with your pleas, servant of Melko. I will not fall prey to them.”

Mairon removed his helm and placed it beside his weapon as a gesture of peace. Nornorë was wary. He backed away.

“You do not believe me, I see,” he remarked, and he came closer, taking one measured step after another. His fired gold hair lifted freely with the wind. Nornorë’s eyes prickled with tears. How many times he had been enraptured and undone by the sight of that hair spilling around Mairon’s shoulders like upturned flames, he could not say. “Tell me then, my love, what I must do to make you believe me and take me at my word.”

The herald faltered and lowered his sword. My love, Mairon said. It was an endearment that was once whispered in hushed tones after passions had unleashed fires without restraint. Nornorë lifted his hand to his lips. Even now, he could feel the fiery heat of Mairon’s own opening over his.

“You have not forgotten, then.” Mairon was right before him now, his arms reaching out to welcome him into his embrace. “Come, my love. Let us leave this accursed place together and start anew in another land.”

Before Nornorë could say another word, before he could think or even breathe, Mairon’s arms slid around him and drew him near. His kiss, which seared Nornorë to the core of his very being, brought forth cravings that had long since been buried beneath a thick layer of ice. Nornorë felt the hunger in his belly, the yearning. He ached to yield and sample every delight Mairon had to offer.

Perhaps he has changed, thought Nornorë. Perhaps there is a chance to save him after all. Perhaps I was wrong, after all.

Then he opened his eyes.

Mairon’s own were open as well. Then again, they had always been open. A light flashed deep within their depths, one that was dark and full of cunning. Lips that tasted like nectar now tasted like ash against his tongue. Nornorë shook with grief. He was being deceived. The plea, the kiss—everything was merely a ploy to deceive him. 

I am such a fool. Mairon will never change. His devotion belongs to another now.

Bitter and enraged, and despairing for the lover he once knew, Nornorë pushed him away and tightened his hold on his sword. Mairon fell back onto the dark, stony earth, his eyes flaring wide in astonishment.

“Clever,” Nornorë declared even as a deep, throbbing ache pushed against his heart. Mairon was beyond saving, and he fought to make peace with it, raising his sword for the final blow while he did so. “Well, you nearly had me fooled, my love. I will not fall for your pitiful lies again.”

Mairon raised his arms and pleaded for mercy, for another reprieve. Nornorë chose not to hear and hardened his heart. His sword caught the light of the setting sun and gleamed all crimson and gold while it came down in a perfect arc.  

When the smoke finally cleared and the others came for him, he was still clutching Mairon’s lifeless form in his arms.  

Tags: @asianbutnotjapanese @cilil