#occupation of Hithlum

[outofangband]

I’ve made many rambling posts about the confrontation of sorts between Túrin and Aerin (namely here and here) but I think it sort of comes down to me wanting to shake Túrin and say “how dare you assume that she’s not just as acquainted with violence than you are, if not more so”

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Doing Silmarillion Daily has made me notice more about the Edain, and wow, some of the lesser-noticed characters had incredibly hard lives once you put the pieces together.

Take Galdor and Hareth, the father and mother of Húrin and Huor. They get married in Brethil (Hareth’s home), in a big double wedding (Galdor’s older sister and Hareth’s older brother also marry each other), at an incredibly young age - they’re nineteen and sixteen respectively, though they don’t have kids until they’re in their twenties. Hareth has to move to Hithlum, away from all of her family, while she’s still a teenager. When her kids are still fairly young, she has to send them off to Brethil to be fostered by their uncle according to Haladin custom, so she’s separated from her kids as well as parents and other relatives.

Then, while the boys are in Brethil, the Battle of Sudden Flame happens. The times of relative safety are over. Galdor’s father and his younger brother are both killed. Only a couple years later, they learn that their sons (teenagers, 16 and 13) fought in a battle against orcs and are missing, presumed dead.

A year later their sons return under mysterious circumstances and will say nothing about where they’ve been.

And only three years after that, Galdor is killed in defence of Eithel Sirion, the same place his father and brother died defending, and his son Húrin - only 21 years old - leads the counterattack.

Hareth has now lost her husband, father-in-law, brother-in-law, and spent a year thinking her kids were dead or worse, in addition to having been separated from all the rest of her family since her mid-teens - and her son, barely out of his teens, is now fighting in the same war that took everyone else from her and is called the head of the House of Hador.

And then, nine years later when she’s 51 years old, her father Halmir dies in Brethil, and a year after that comes the Nirnaeth Arnoediad and the occupation of Hithlum, and one of her sons is missing-presumed-dead for the second time in her life and her other son is dead. And after that all the tragedies of Húrin’s family.

Just…ouch that is a lot!

[ao3feed-tolkien]

with slander for a blade

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/1l2Mgpi

by Outofangband

Brodda knows where Aerin disappears to and she knows that he does. this will be cross posted on Tumblr where I've been doing a lot of Hithlum world building! I'm on Tumblr at outofangband too

Words: 1760, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 3 of Aerin fics

Fandoms: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien, TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: Other, F/F

Characters: Aerin (Tolkien), Morwen Eledhwen, Brodda (Tolkien)

Relationships: Aerin/Morwen Eledhwen, Background

Additional Tags: occupation of hithlum, mentions of abuse, mentions of sexual assault (very vaguely implied and not of main characters), see if you can catch my brief mention of disturbing war crimes!

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/1l2Mgpi

[blueyedthiefling]

about Quenya ban. it's said that

"Thingol would hold no parley with any that spake in the tongue of the slayers at Alqualonde, and he forbade his folk to do so."

and on meta level I can kinda understand how Tolkien wanted a single solution for why Sindarin became a more popular language while Quenya turned into Elven-latin. but I just can't believe Noldor and especially Fëanorians would simply go with it. unless Thingol employed methods of denationalization rivalring those under war occupation (really problematic, but also difficult, because Noldor princes are ruling their own kingdoms, so who and how would enforce those rules?) the whole ban, with exception for political visits, was based only on individual Sindar giving any Quenya users silent treatment.

but leaving the impracticality and the fucked up connotations of the ban behind, let's talk about Fëanorians reacting to it. because switching to Sindarin as official language when majority of your subjects are Sindar is somehow understandable. but are you trying to tell me that people who manifest their political affiliation by sticking to archaic pronunciation of a single letter would willingly give up their whole language? not to mention, the easiest way to get someone to do something is to forbade them from doing it.

ergo my point. Quenya had to be the official language on Fëanorian territories. the more regarded as a sign of their house the more they got ostracized. Quenya in everyday use and in correspondence with other Noldor had to be even more prominent in spite of Thingol's ban. of course Fëanorians spoke Sindarin with any newcomers and Doriath legations. but anyone deciding to live on Fëanorian lands had to learn, or at least try to somehow speak Quenya. otherwise, accordingly with Sindar in Gondolin, Nargothrond and Hithlum, Fëanorians would develop a case of selective deafness around them.

[ofmythsandfables-a]

Vlad

GENERAL INFO

FULL NAME: Vladislaus Draculea

SPECIES: Human / Vampire

AGE: Verse Dependent

PLACE OF BIRTH: Romania

GENDER AND ORIENTATION: Male / Bisexual

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES

HEIGHT: 6′2

HAIR COLOUR: Brown/Black

EYE COLOUR: Green

DISTINGUISHING MARKS: Scar in the middle of his chest from a stake

BACKGROUND INFO

LANGUAGES: Too many to count lol he’s old so he had time to study many languages

OCCUPATION: Verse Dependent

VERSES

SYNOPSIS

{ My variation of Vlad comes from both historical and film (Dracula Untold) influences. Some historical sites vary a bit with information but generally they are all the same in context. }

Vladislaus Draculea was one of three sons of Vlad Dracul II, who ruled the principality Wallachia from 1436-1447. Vlad Dracul II sold his 11 year old son Vlad to the Ottoman Sultan to show his loyalty. As a result, Vlad was forced to fight among other boys his age and older in the armies, trained only to kill and feel no remorse. Though that was the only downside to staying with the Sultan. He was taught various subjects and cared for as if one of their own.

 Brainwashed by the Ottomans, Vlad unfortunately became nothing but a cold blooded killer and the most skilled and valued soldier in the Sultan’s armies. Once he was 18 though, he broke away from the Ottomans and returned to his home in Wallachia where he fought for the throne and won, becoming the new Voivode, or Prince, of Wallachia.Vlad ruled in peace for fourteen straight years, ruling with an iron fist and yet was fair. Then Mehmed II, the new Sultan and former comrade of Vlad’s when he was in the Ottomans armies, proposed a deal with Vlad that he give him 1,000 of Wallachia’s boys including his own son, or there would be war. Vlad desperately tried to negotiate, even offering himself in the place of the boys, but Mehmed wouldn’t budge. And so, war was declared.

Knowing he couldn’t win the war on his own and with little men in his army, Vlad sought out a monster of darkness, Caligula, in a cave high in the mountains. For a price, Vlad was turned into the very monster he sought out. The war came to a head on the third day as Vlad swooped in with an army of freshly turned vampires. Thousands of men perished on the fields and Vlad was able to defeat Mehmed and his men. But the price he paid for the victory was great; he lost his loving wife Mirena due to falling off a tower and sacrificing her own blood to Vlad so he could remain a vampire and save their son from the clutches of the evil Sultan. And Ingeras, Vlad’s ten year old boy who witnessed too much for his age, was taken by a fellow friar from Vlad’s old monastery to be kept safe, and would eventually rule Wallachia in his father’s place.

Once Mehmed and his men were defeated, Vlad burned his own army of vampires in the sun’s light, including himself, so that future generations would be kept safe from their harm. But a follower of Vlad’s found him and revived him by giving him his blood, and thought he’d walk eternity with his newfound master. Though, when Vlad was alive once again, his thirst for blood took over and he drained the man completely. It was then that Vlad fled, and for days sought out refuge in the Carpathian Mountains. There, tucked away from the world, was an old abandoned castle where he then made his permanent residence and hid in the shadows for years to come…

VLAD MUSAT (Main/Modern Verse, Aged 32 ; FC: Luke Evans)

Vlad is currently just under 600 years old, and a CEO of his own restoration company, ReVamp Restorations, INC. The company restores old landmarks, buildings and homes, and is expanded globally. He lives in London, England, and has a house in his homeland of Romania which he visits on holiday. Vlad changed his last name to his mother’s maiden name so he would not be recognized. He isn’t usually around others outside of his job, and his quiet time consists of more work due to his need to constantly be occupied.

FROM PRINCE TO BEAST (After the war with Mehmed II)

No longer the voivode for Wallachia, Vlad has hidden away high in the Carpathian Mountains, dwelling in an abandoned and long forgotten castle. Weary travelers or people who have gotten lost on their journeys sought shelter in the castle and Vlad happily took them in, but for a price: that they would serve him forever. They’ve agreed, and happily serve him regardless of knowing what he is and who he once was. His servants are his only real company and Vlad has looked to them as an almost family to him.

HE WHO STILL REIGNS (After the war with Mehmed II, Alternate Ending)

Vlad has returned after fighting and defeating Mehmed, taking his place on the throne once more. Only this time, he is a vampire. He now rules over the lands Mehmed once did, except he is not known as Sultan, he remains Prince. His dwellings are still within Wallachia which is newly rebuilt, his army becomes vast and stronger than any other army around, and though weary of others, he still rules as he once did. His heart is heavy with the loss of his wife, and the duty of raising their son on his own. But he does everything and anything for Ingeras so he doesn’t have to suffer anymore than he already has.

THE COUNT (1880 - early 1900s ; very loosely based on Bram Stoker’s version)

London’s new resident is a centuries old vampire, having just bought into real estate. Vlad Dracula leads a quiet life, not bothering anyone as he tries to make his life somewhat normal. He prays upon people, though not savagely, and drinks only enough for him to be satisfied. Afterwards, he heals them with his own blood and wipes away their memory of anything that had transpired between them.

PRINCE OF WALLACHIA (Pre war with Mehmed II)

Vlad is Voivode to Wallachia, and is reigning peacefully. His rulings are fair and his people adore him. He is not married, and not with any children. Vlad’s adviser pushes him to marry someone already to give him an heir, but it is not something Vlad is in a rush for even though he wishes to have a family of his own someday. Vlad is always holding Council with his noblemen or working on kingly duties, but one can find him constantly with his nose in a book, learning something new and enticing.

*Alternate Version*

Vlad is Prince, and ruling with Mirena. This takes place a year before the war with Mehmed.

CHIEF INSPECTOR IONESCU (1850s ; Aged 30)

Of Romanian descent, Vlad’s family had moved to England in the early 1800s for a better life. His father became wealthy in the railroad business, and Vlad went to Oxford where he graduated top of his class in both criminal justice and anatomy. He soon began to work for London’s Scotland Yard. Vlad was quick to move up the ranks due to his vast knowledge in the field, and became London’s youngest Chief Inspector at the age of 30. His work always consumes him, never allowing him to keep a steady relationship and miss out on important events his family hosted almost monthly. And though it bothered him, his job to keep the streets of London safe were more important.

HUMAN (Modern day, Aged 33)

Vlad Dragan was raised in Romania along with his three brothers on a vast farm. Having ambitions far bigger than the life he was meant to have, Vlad made sure he excelled in school before getting a scholarship for Oxford in London. There, he studied History and Archaeology, and became an archaeologist. His job has taken him all over the world, but his home base remains London, and he works as both an Archaeology professor in Oxford as well as studying artifacts in England’s Natural History Museum.

WIZARDING WORLD (Taking place throughout the HP series, Timeline varies)

A vampire as a professor? Vlad is! Vlad works at Hogwarts as a History of Magic professor. He doesn’t socialize too much with others outside of when classes are in session, but he does attend every school event and never misses a meeting. He is also a Hufflepuff (I personally think he’s a hybrid of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor…so Gryffinpuff. But to be technical, Hufflepuff).

VAMPIRE KING (Tolkien semi-loosely based, takes place during ‘The Hobbit’ and on; also, using Welsh as the language for Men in my verse since there are hardly any translations in Adunaic, and Welsh is a pretty awesome language so try not to correct me on this for all you super Tolkien canon fanatics)

Vlad Alastor is Edain, from the House of Marach during the First Age. He lived in Dor-lomin, part of Hithlum, and ruled as King for many prosperous yet tough years. But Morgoth struck war upon the lands, and Vlad knew his army wouldn’t be enough to win the war. He sought help from a dark, magical being living in the mountains that turned him into a fampyr (my own derivation from the Welsh spelling for vampire) for a hefty price of his soul once the time came. As Nírnaeth Arnoediad occurred, most of Vlad’s army was defeated but he himself was able to defeat the enemy, driving away the evil forces. But due to Dor-lomin crumbling away from the war, and more evil forces eventually ascending upon the country, Vlad was overthrown as king and banished from the lands he grew up on and ruled. Having an idea, he faked his death, and Vlad ran as far away as he could. Many, many years had passed, and by the time of the Third Age, Vlad is king in Rhun, his residence lay beyond the Sea of Rhun.

ABILITIES AND WEAKNESSES

|+|IMPORTANT|+|

Vlad is part of a bloodline he solely shares with his superior, Caligula: the vampire who turned him, due to having no choice but to dwell in a cave for eons until he was able to pass on his powers to Vlad and set himself free. Therefore, his abilities and weaknesses are different from any other bloodline. His transformation is different, as well as the way he turns others, which never happens unless it happens in a thread.

|+| ABILITIES |+|

~Shapeshifts into bats~Manipulates bats at his will~Super strength and speed~Heightened sight, smell and hearing~Weather manipulation (to an extent)~Mind manipulation (to an extent)~Healing. Very small increments of his blood, when taken via mouth, can heal a person. There is no guarentee that it can revive a person if they are dying.

|+| WEAKNESSES |+|

~ Silver~ Wooden and silver stakes (both fatal if directly piercing his heart)~ Direct sunlight

|+| OTHER INFORMATION |+|

~ Vlad sleeps, but only for a few hours. He needs to be in a completely dark room in order to sleep soundly, or else he’ll be quite irritable.~ Vlad is able to walk during the day while using his weather manipulation powers to cover up the sun’s harmful rays with clouds.~ Holy objects do not harm Vlad. It isn’t specified why in the film, but for RP purposes, it’s due to him being so in-tuned with his religion even when he was turned that his God saw the good in him regardless of the fact he was a now a monster (his religion during the time was and remains to be Orthodox).~ Vlad can eat food but chooses not to usually. The taste of food has not faded for him even though he is a vampire. He does not crave food, nor does he need to live off it, therefore he doesn’t really eat anything unless it's to keep up appearences. Vlad lives off of animal blood mainly, but knows a guy that slips him blood bags from a blood bank to keep in the house.

[malkuvoitenoldoran]

𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑪𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑬𝑻

repost,  don’t reblog !

𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

FULL NAME.      Nolofinwe (Q) / Aracano (Q) / Fingolfin (S) PRONUNCIATION.      Nol-oh-fin-way / Ar-ah-can-oh   / Fin-goal-fin NICKNAME.     Nolvo / Nolo GENDER.         Male HEIGHT.   AGE. 8,336 Sun Years (Including time in Mandos) at the end of the Third Age SPOKEN LANGUAGES.   Quenya  (Noldorin and Vanyarin dialects), Sindarin, Telerin, Avarin, Khuzdul (some), The Language of the House Haldor

𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

HAIR COLOUR.       Black EYE COLOUR.        Silver-Blue SKIN TONE.         Fair BODY TYPE.        Slim but muscular ACCENT.         Noldorian VOICE.         Low and calm most of the time DOMINANT HAND.        Left POSTURE.       Carries himself very straight SCARS.      several micro-scars running all along his arms and hands, and one scar across his stomach TATTOOS.         None. BIRTHMARKS.       None. MOST NOTICEABLE FEATURE(S).    His eyes shift between blue and silver based on his emotions.

𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 !

PLACE OF BIRTH.  Tirion on Túna HOMETOWN.   Tirion SIBLINGS.     Feanaro, Findis, Lalwende, Arafinwe PARENTS.     Finwe and Indis PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT.    He loves his parents, but they really did a poor job parenting him. His mother was generally distant and his father was busy most of the time.

𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 !

OCCUPATION.   Prince, High King, Regent King (during Feanor’s initial exile), CURRENT RESIDENCE.   Dependent on timeline typically Tirion or Hithlum CLOSE FRIENDS. Elemmire, Mahtan (not one he frequently names so) RELATIONSHIP STATUS.    Dependent on timeline, typically either Married or Separated FINANCIAL STATUS.     Wealthy. CRIMINAL RECORD.     None (Unless you include the whole ‘Exile from Aman’ as a criminal act...)

𝐬𝐞𝐱 & 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 !

SEXUAL ORIENTATION.    Pansexual with a male preference ROMANTIC ORIENTATION.     Aromantic LIBIDO.         Moderate, he enjoys it but he doesn’t indulge with great frequency. LOVE LANGUAGE.  Attentiveness, and gift giving. RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES.   Depending on what he is doing he will potentially just set it aside and give his complete attention to his partner.

𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 !

HOBBIES TO PASS TIME.    reading, riding, training, camping, hiking, hunting, writing LEFT OR RIGHT BRAINED.         Both PHOBIAS.     Being in water under a sheet of ice, and it’s not a phobia but he immensely dislikes spiders SELF CONFIDENCE LEVEL.    It needs some work.

STRENGTHS.   Wisdom, Courage, Honor, Patience, Observant

WEAKNESS. Overly Self-Critical, Stubborn, Patience (too patient at times)

Tagged by: No one, just saw it and wanted to do it.

(Not tagging but anyone can feel free to pick this up!)

[gurguliare]

CONGRATS @vardasvapors​​ YOU’VE UNLOCKED UNASKED-FOR FOURTH OPTION ‘liveblog the entire Wanderings of Húrin, because I haven’t read it in nearly two years’

Twenty-eight years Hurin was captive in Angband, and at his release was in his sixtieth year, but great strength was in him still, in spite of the weight of his grief, for it suited the purpose of Morgoth that this should be so. He was sent under guard as far as the east-marches of Hithlum, and there he was let go free.

None that had known him [in] youth could mistake him still, though he had grown grim to look on: his hair and beard were white and long, but there was a fell light in his eyes. He walked unbowed, and yet carried a great black staff; but he was girt with his sword. Great wonder and dread fell on the land when it was noised in Hithlum that the Lord Hurin had returned. The Easterlings were dismayed, fearing that their Master would prove faithless again and give back the land to the Westrons, and that they would be enslaved in their turn. For watchmen had reported that Hurin came out of Angband.

'There was a great riding,' they said, 'of the black soldiers of Thangorodrim over the Anfauglith, and with them came this man, as one that was held in honour.'

Hey do you think the flamelike spirit that burns in Maedhros and makes him heal rapidly is ALSO a Morgoth bequest. Like does he heal super fast because his strength was of the ancient world or because Morgoth just unlocked that key in his genome before hanging him up on the wall and never got a chance to turn it off

...anyway how great is hot indelibly recognizable 60yo Húrin, forever. He has exactly his dashing younger self’s button nose.

Also I can’t believe he left Angband with an escort of hundreds of orc riders. After going into Angband still plastered in the orc hands he lopped off. Hey? Remember that? What’s up, Húrin? Do you think when they left him outside Dor-lomin one turned around and waved

Thus freedom only increased the bitterness of Hurin's heart; for even had he so wished, he could not have roused any rebellion against the new lords of the land. All the following that he gathered was a small company of the homeless men and outlaws chat lurked in the hills; but they had done no great deed against the Incomers since the passing of Turin, some five years before.

Of Turin's deeds in Brodda's hall Hurin now learned from the outlaws the true tale, and he looked on Asgon {3} and his men, and he said: 'Men are changed here. In thraldom they have found thrall hearts.'

God I just. cannot. believe. Hurin picks up the refugees that Turin fucking ditched in the mountains, and that they’ve now been downgraded from the bravest survivors of the Dor-lomin occupation to, meh, outlaws. No great deeds since Turin went off. Gotta love that Hurin’s-eye-view: well, what use to me?

'Fear not!' he said. 'I should have needed no companions, if I had come to fight with you. I am come only to take leave of the lord of the land. I have no liking for it any more, since you have defiled it. Hold it while you may, until your Master recalls you to the slave-tasks that fit you better.'

Then Lorgan was not ill-pleased to think that he would so soon and easily be rid of the fear of Hurin, without crossing the will of Angband; and he came forward.

'As you will, friend,' he said. 'I have done you no ill, and have let you be, and of this I hope you will bring a true tale, if you come again to the Master.'

Hurin eyed him in wrath. 'Friend me not, thrall and churl!' he said.

FB FRIEND REQUEST DECLINED. Also I love Lorgan, um, instantly recognizing the cocktail of tsundere threats characteristic of normal Angband introductions. sigh.

‘Fare you ill!'

'Tol acharn!' said Hurin. 'Vengeance comes. I am not the last of the Edain, whether I fare ill or well.' And with that he departed, and left the land of Hithlum.

HAHAHAHA I LOVE HURIN GETTING IT RIGHT... KIND OF... but unfortunately “I am not the last of the Edain, whether I fare ill or well” goes both ways. vengeance will come whatever happens to him but. whatever happens to him will still be awful and unchanged regardless of the survival of his peopleeeeee

[Some have said that] maybe he knew not that Glaurung was dead, and hoped in his heart distraught to take vengeance on this evil thing - for Morgoth would conceal the death of Glaurung, if he could, both because the loss was a grief to him and a hurt to his pride, and because (from Hurin especially) he would conceal all that was most valiant or successful of Turin's deeds. Yet this can scarce be so, since the death of Glaurung was so bound up with the death of his children and revelation of their evil case; while the rumour of the assault of Glaurung upon Brethil went far and wide. Certainly Morgoth fenced men in Hithlum, as he was able, and little news came to them of events in other lands; but so soon as Hurin passed southward or met any wanderers in the wild he would hear tidings of the battle in the ravine of Taiglin.

ahahahahahaha of course part of Húrin hopes that Glaurung survives. I mean I agree it makes no sense but: Of Course He Does. He’s Húrin Thalion, greatest warrior of the Edain! Why else was he released?

His heart is hot against Thingol. He passes it [Doriath] by and goes on to Nargothrond. Why? To seek news, plunder, --- he had been an admirer of Felagund.

w h a t  t h e  f u c k

Sorry nothing to say here just. AN ADMIRER OF FELAGUND? EXCUSE ME? OH MY GOD... DO YOU THINK TURGON TOLD HIM (EXPURGATED) STORIES

When Hurin stood again in the high places he descried far away amid the clouds the peaks of the Crisaegrim, and he remembered Turgon; and his heart desired to come again to the Hidden Realm, if he could, for there at least he would be remembered with honour. He had heard naught of the things that had come to pass in Gondolin, and knew not that Turgon now hardened his heart against wisdom and pity, and allowed no one either to enter or to go forth for any cause whatsoever. Therefore, unaware that all ways were shut beyond hope, he resolved to turn his steps towards the Crisaegrim; but he said nothing of his purpose to his companions, for he was still bound by his oath to reveal to no one that he knew even in what region Turgon abode.

Nonetheless he had need of help; for he had never lived in the wild, whereas the outlaws were long inured to the hard life of hunters and gatherers, and they brought with them such food as they could, though the Fell Winter had much diminished their store. Therefore Hurin said to them: 'We must leave this land now; for Lorgan will leave me in peace no longer. Let us go down into the vales of Sirion, where Spring has come at last!'

I love: Húrin constantly half-consciously aping ‘human capable of hope’ speech patterns just so he can better lie to people. He’s good at lying now. He spent thirty years thinking Morgoth’s hand-me-downs, why wouldn’t he be. Also I love how explicitly negative earlier drafts are about Gondolin and “at least he would be remembered with honor,” another relatively normal human desire among the many parading ostentatiously in Húrin’s surface thoughts, and I love Húrin not able to cook OR farm. Amazing. Sucks to have social stratification, huh, honey.

Also the fact that he has this company of people following him and then he just ditches them to go find Gondolin adds SO MUCH RICHNESS to his plea outside Gondolin? Like whoa oh oh I’m so alone in the world all have spurned me and btw I basically catfished six guys until THEY would teach me how to fish

'The old man's wits are wild. He speaks with strange voices to shadows in his sleep.'

'Little wonder if it were so,' said Asgon. 'But who else could stand as straight as he, after such woe? Nay, he is our right lord, do as he may, and I have sworn to follow him.'

'Even east over the ford?' said the others.

'Nay, there is small hope in that way,' said Asgon, 'and I do not think that Hurin will go far upon it. All we know of his purpose was to go soon to Brethil, and that he has an errand there. We are on the very border. Let us seek him there.'

'By whose leave?' said Ragnir. 'Men there do not love strangers.'

'Good men dwell there,' said Asgon, 'and the [Master >] Lord of Brethil is kin to our old lords.' Nonetheless the others were doubtful, for no tidings had come out of Brethil for some years. 'It may be ruled by Orcs for all we know,' they said.

'We shall soon find what way things go,' said Asgon. 'Orcs are little worse than Eastrons, I guess. If outlaws we must remain, I would rather lurk in the fair woods than in the cold hills.'

The Rohan/Lothlorien/Fangorn mix with Brethil is real intense, though I mostly feel the Rohan parallels. But I also like the reminder that the Hadorians and the people in Dor-lomin really have the most human-centric existence of any society in Beleriand. The Haladin don’t necessary have close ties to particular elves but they’re tangled up in Orcs and a front line of defense against Orcs from the moment of their introduction, and they therefore feel more meshed into the fantastic wild of Beleriand as a whole, whereas the Hadorians really, almost, sorta had a self-contained fortified society from which to look out at the uncanny world, for a while there. Anyway, then with “Orcs are little worse than Eastrons” you got that simultaneous tasty racism and hard-to-resist humanization of Orcs from back at the beginning of time before Species Divisions were formalized beyond hope of unlearning, so, \o_o/ I guess

'To those of proved faith,' said Hardang. 'To be Edain is not enough alone.'

[...]

'This is my judgement. Here Turin son of Hurin dwelt for a time, and he delivered the land from the Serpent of Angband. For this I give you your lives. But he scorned Brandir, right Chieftain of Brethil, and he slew him without justice or pity. Therefore I will not harbour you here.'

LOL REVERSE OF Húrin’s propaganda machine “I am not the last of the Edain, whether I fare ill or well.” idk that I have much to say about the completely unstable shifting identities here but <3

Asgon, therefore, turned and went back towards Brethil; and the others followed him, for he had a stout heart and men said that he was born with good luck.

[...]

'Well, thy luck has held,' said Ragnir, 'for at least we are not slain, though we came nigh it. Now what shall we do?’

Rasgir/Asgon is a good ship I hope they had a nice time being lost in the woods forever

Thus Turin was the second cousin of Brandir on the 'Hadorian' side, and he was also his second cousin on the Haladin side; while in the 'Beorian' line he was Brandir's second cousin once removed - a genealogical situation to delight the heart of Hamfast Gamgee. Pointing out these relationships in an isolated note of this time, my father observed that 'Turin would be more readily accepted by the Haladin when his true name and lineage were known or guessed', since he was akin to their lords in these ways.

I’m very ... Emotion ... about Brandir being this barely-tolerated lord, son of a Beorian mother with a great big polarizing Hadorian strain as well, alternately prized by the other anxious part-Hadorians and viewed as an outsider by scared, bitter Haladin rival branches. Do I headcanon that Beldis put him on the Wise track at all?? I don’t know! I think I do! I don’t think she was a Wise-woman though she probably just gave him like, five poison berries once and a pat on the head

The only obscure point concerns the failure of Asgon's party to encounter Hurin on his return. My father was in two minds about this. The rejected fourth paragraph in C (p. 267) shows him (having decided that Asgorn and his men were not imprisoned) taking the view that they were ejected from Brethil near the Crossings: it is 'the captain of the Taiglin-guard' who restores their weapons; and they remain lurking in that neighbourhood. Thus they missed Hurin, 'who entered out of Dimbar' (i.e. came into Brethil from the north after crossing the Brithiach, as Asgorn had done). Hurin, he wrote, must not enter Brethil at the Crossings and be found lying beside the Haud-en-Elleth (as the story was already in the draft manuscript).

But he at once, and understandably, thought better of this, and (in the fifth paragraph) retained the existing story that Hurin was found by the guards near the Crossings; he said now that Asgorn and his men were put out of Brethil in the same region as they entered, and that they lurked 'near the eaves in that region' - hence their failure to meet with Hurin. But in the replacement passage B 2 (p. 265) he has them decide not to stay near the north eaves of the forest, and they go down towards the Crossings.

Tbh this. impossible continuity fuckup is my FAVORITE and instantly enshrined as Fairy-tale Meaningful in my mind, for no particular reason. Hurin went to the Crossings! Asgorn and his men headed down to the Crossings! HURIN IS TAKEN CAPTIVE AND THEY NEVER MEET AGAIN. Thanks, Connie Willis.

...he halted and looked about him in little hope. He stood now at the foot of a great fall of stones beneath a sheer rock-wall, and he did not know that this was all that was now left to see of the old Way of Escape: the Dry River was blocked and the arched gate was buried.(28)

Then Hurin looked up to the grey sky, thinking that by fortune he might once more descry the Eagles, as he had done long ago in his youth.(29) But he saw only the shadows blown from the East, and clouds swirling about the inaccessible peaks; and wind hissed over the stones. But the watch of the Great Eagles was now redoubled, and they marked Hurin well, far below, forlorn in the failing light. And straightaway Sorontar himself, since the tidings seemed great, brought word to Turgon.

But Turgon said: 'Nay! This is past belief! Unless Morgoth sleeps. Ye were mistaken.'

Obviously this is all in the Silm-silm but man the... stereoscopic movement from Húrin staring up at the mountains from way down below the cloud layer TO THE EAGLES, watching from ABOVE the clouds, seeing everything illuminated. What the fuck. Also I love the repeated “Unless Morgoth sleeps” phrase, ha ha ha ha, like Morgoth is a dragon and Húrin is his FAVORITE goblet (tru)

As darkness fell Hurin stumbled from the stone, and fell, as one aswoon, into a deep sleep of grief. But in his sleep he heard the voice of Morwen lamenting, and often she spoke his name; and it seemed to him that her voice came out of Brethil.

//

The waters of Cabed Naeramarth roared on, but he heard no sound and saw nothing, and he felt nothing, for his heart was stone within him, and he thought that he would sit there until he too died.

But there came a chill wind that drove sharp rain into his face; and he was roused, and anger rose in him like smoke, mastering reason, so that all his desire was to seek vengeance for his wrongs and for the wrongs of his kin, accusing in his anguish all those who ever had dealings with them.

He arose and lifted Morwen up; and suddenly he knew that it was beyond his strength to bear her. He was hungry and old, and weary as winter. Slowly he laid her down again beside the standing stone. 'Lie there a little longer, Edelwen,' he said, 'until I return. Not even a wolf would do you more hurt. But the folk of this hard land shall rue the day that you died here!'

So of course the “anger rose in him like smoke, mastering reason” passage is the only rival for Fingolfin’s last ride in my affections, I should have listed it as an alternative because they really are just, The Two Favs, but anyway: other things I’m into here include the... kind of... the relatively innocent-seeming childlike oblivion of grief, interrupted by a perhaps braver (?) and more adult/heroic (??) impulse to answer Morwen’s call---his love! that takes priority!---and then the same process happening again after she dies, except now all that’s summoning him is his grief, and it’s soured completely in his absence. But like, the repeated habit of ‘shaking himself awake,’ the shape is the same, the feelings that fill it are the reverse

Also I can’t. can’t. BELIEVE the ... seamless transition from the factual, wrenching, sweet gallows humor of “Not even a wolf would do you more hurt” --- he’s looking at her, he’s flirting a little, he sees her clearly, she’s a corpse! --- STRAIGHT into “But the folk of this hard land shall rue the day that you died here.” He was calm for as long as he’s talking directly to his dead wife, it occurs to him he can hurt someone, it’s time to hurt someone. No one can hurt her now. What does that have to do with it? He wants to hurt someone!

'Shame upon you!' cried Manthor the captain, who coming behind had heard what they said. 'And upon you most, Avranc, young though you are! At least you have heard of the deeds of Hurin of Hithlum, or did you hold them only fireside fables? What is to be done, indeed! So, slay him in his sleep is your counsel. Out of hell comes the thought! '

'And so does he,' answered Avranc. 'If indeed he is Hurin. Who knows? '

'It can soon be known,' said Manthor; and coming to Hurin as he lay he knelt and raised his hand and kissed it. 'Awake!' he cried. 'Help is near. And if you are Hurin, there is no help that I would think enough.'

'And no help that he will not repay with evil,' said Avranc. 'He comes from Angband, I say.'

'What he may do is unknown,' said Manthor. 'What he has done we know, and our debt is unpaid.'

God Manthor you male feminist. I mean, uh, I, ‘out of hell comes the thought’ / ‘ and so does he’ put this on my .... portfolio website, also... the hand kiss.... the unintentional brain-cleaving accuracy of ‘and if you are Hurin, there is no help that I would think enough’ ... I do legit love What he may do is unknown. What he has done we know, and our debt is unpaid. Manthor is a good, rationalizing, sleazy kid who has already had TWO prophetic dreams :(

Then Manthor gave him a little bread and meat and water; but they seemed to choke him, and he spat them forth. 'How far is it to the house of your lord?' he asked. 'Until I have seen him the food that you denied to my beloved will not go down my throat.'

[Húrin after having his mouth scalded by a bite of lembas] ‘Hmm, must be because THINGOL and MELIAN mistreated my WIFE’

the food that you denied to my beloved. holy shit. he’s an evil slam poet.

Then he turned towards Hurin, who sat meanwhile bent on the low stool; his eyes were closed, and he seemed to take no heed of what was said.

LOVE HÚRIN’S FUCKING... SHITTY-ASS COMBINATION THEODEN-DENETHOR-GANDALF VIBE... WHATS UP. IM A HARMLESS OLD MAN. BUT I HATE YOU. BUT IM CRAZY MAGIC SO

Then Hurin looked at him and the wrath left his eyes; and together they drank and ate in silence. And when all was finished, Hurin said: 'By your voice you have overcome me. Never since the Day of Dread have I heard any man's voice so fair. Alas! alas! it calls to my mind the voices in my father's house, long ago when the shadow seemed far away.'

'That may well be,' said Manthor. 'Hiril my foremother was sister of thy mother, Hareth.'

'Then thou art both kin and friend,' said Hurin.

'But not I alone,' said Manthor. 'We are few and have little wealth, but we too are Edain, and bound by many ties to your people. Your name has long been held in honour here; but no news of your deeds would have reached us, if Haldir and Hundar had not marched to the Nirnaeth. There they fell, but three of their company returned, for they were succoured by Mablung of Doriath and healed of their wounds.’

1) Seriously the amount of time Húrin spends on offhand, awful, overwhelming flattery 2) I REMEMBER BEING EXACTLY AS WOWED BY THE MABLUNG CAMEO LAST TIME. “Oh, shit, they got healed by Doctor Who!” Fuck I just realized Mablung visited again ~2 weeks ago and probably talked to none of those people. Amazing.

Soon all the Moot-ring was filled. This was shaped as a great crescent, with seven tiers of turf-banks rising up from a smooth floor delved back into the hillside. A high fence was set all about it, and the only entry was by a heavy gate in the stockade that closed the open end of the crescent. In the middle of the lowest tier of seats was set the Angbor or Doom-rock, a great flat stone upon which the Halad (40) would sit. Those who were brought to judgement stood before the stone and faced the assembly.

... Then he stood facing the assembly and hallowed the Moot according to custom. First he named Manwe and Mandos, after the manner which the Edain had learned from the Eldar, and then, speaking the old tongue of the Folk which was now out of daily use, he declared that the Moot was duly set, being the three hundred and first Moot of Brethil, called to give judgement in a grave matter.

I don’t have anything to say about this it’s just the best and I regret not including it in my Nienor fic. Take me to turf ampitheater. Btw Niniel definitely spoke on that doom-rock right, that’s where she convinced the folk of Brethil to go rubberneck with her, right

also NAMED MANWE AND MANDOS AFTER THE MANNER WHICH THE EDAIN LEARNED FROM THE ELDAR and then goes straight to the old largely-ceremonial human language I. just. I love it so much. I love Beleriand.

The horn sounded twice, but for some time no one entered, and the sound of angry voices could be heard outside the fence. At length the gate was thrust open, and six men came in bearing Hurin between them.

'I am brought by violence and misuse,' he cried. 'I will not walk slave-fettered to any Moot upon earth, not though Elven-kings should sit there. And while I am bound thus I deny all authority and justice to your dooms.' But the men set him on the ground before the Stone and held him there by force.

Sorry I included a lot of Húrin quotes that I don’t even have anything to say about I Just... the vision... Húrin’s slightly fake flailing and perfect enunciation/projection techniques....

But when Hardang stepped down and Avranc came to the Stone there was a loud murmuring like the rumour of a coming storm. Avranc was a young man, not long wedded, and his youth was taken ill by all the elder headmen that sat there. And he was not loved for himself; for though he was bold, he was scornful, as was Dorlas his father before him. And dark tales were whispered concerning Dorlas; for though naught was known for certain, he was found slain far from the battle with Glaurung, and the reddened sword that lay by him had been the sword of Brandir.

But Avranc took no heed of the murmur, and bore himself airily, as if it were a light matter soon to be dealt with.

My secret favorite WoH thing is not even the Hurin garbage, it’s just the indiscriminate revengelike murder mystery consequences of Brandir’s death on This Entire Small Community. Also, Avranc is cute. Cuter than Dorlas because I cannot imagine Dorlas behind the bench in an Ace Attorney game. Pats.

‘We gave him food and he spat on it. I have seen Orcs do so, if any were fools enough to show them mercy.’

[vs Manthor:] ‘Yet as for despising our food: he took it from my hands, and he did not spit upon it. He spat it forth, for it choked him. Have you never, my masters, seen a man half-starved who could not swallow food in haste though he needed it? And this man was in great grief also and full of anger.’

Anyway okay I joked earlier but obviously the moment with Húrin spitting out the food/these successive interpretive frames are just... so... again like, this is as close as we get to textual acknowledgment of like... the HORROR of those scenes where Gollum is burned by the elf-rope and the moon, the fact that what’s spoken of in the abstract as a sure sign of evil reads on the page as just this terrible, wasteful injustice, that no one’s actively inflicting but that people have some duty to correct. And like. come on. the only explanation for orcish allergies that makes sense is that they’ve been deprived for so long that they just can’t handle [radiance/nutrients/silky touches of elf-hair]. Avranc and Manthor, I have great news, you think you’re making different arguments and through my sciences I have discovered, it’s ONE argument

'Prisoner, will you not speak?' said Avranc, and still Hurin gave no answer. 'So be it,' said Avranc. 'If he will not speak, not even to deny the charge, then there is no more to do. The charge is made good, and the one that is appointed to the Stone must propound to the Moot a penalty that seems just.'

But now Manthor stood up and said: ‘First he should at least be asked why he will not speak. And to that question reply may be made by his friend.'

'The question is put,' said Avranc with a shrug. 'If you know the answer give it.'

'Because he is fettered hand and foot,' said Manthor. 'Never before have we dragged to the Moot in fetters a man yet uncondemned. Still less one of the Edain whose name deserves honour, whatsoever may have happened since. Yes, "uncondemned" I say; for the accuser has left much unsaid that this Moot must hear before judgement is given.'

'But this is foolishness,' said Avranc. 'Adan or no, and whatever his name, the prisoner is ungovernable and malicious. The bonds are a needed precaution. Those who come near him must be protected from his violence.'

Sorry I just... really like Avranc...

Hmm I was going to put this observation somewhere else but I don’t really feel like attaching a quote: it is always soothing to me when Tolkien doesn’t quite know how to translate his ideas into an archaic register either. Like with the whole subplot of Hurin’s food being drugged. “IDK, HIS FOOD WAS DRUGGED.” Or when he tries to backdate idioms? “Third time shall thrive best!” mmhmmm

But the gathering and counting would take much time, and meanwhile Manthor saw that with each moment the mood of Hurin grew worse.

'There is another way more simple,' he said. 'There is no danger here to justify the bonds, and so think all who have used their voice. The Halad is in the Moot-ring, and he can remit his own order, if he will.'

'He will,' said Hardang, for it seemed to him that the mood of the assembly was restive, and he hoped by this stroke to regain its favour. 'Let the prisoner be released, and stand up before you!'

Hardang also a pretty great prototype of other doomed Tolkien politicians :[ from chilling in his chair with a bleeding headwound to bursting out petulantly about REMEMBER MY HEADWOUND? DO YOU THINK THIS IS A FANCY HAT? in court. He’s just... “trying his best”... I, too, suck at catering to the crowd while wishing to do nothing except cater to the crowd, Hardang.

'Ashamed ye may be. But this is not my charge. I do not ask that any in this land should match the son of Hurin in valour. But if I forgive those griefs, shall I forgive this? Hear me, Men of Brethil! There lies by the Standing Stone that you raised an old beggar-woman. Long she sat in your land, without fire, without food, without pity. Now she is dead. Dead. She was Morwen my wife. Morwen Edelwen, the lady elven-fair who bore Turin the slayer of Glaurung. She is dead.

[...]

Now Hardang was aghast at this turn, and his face went white with fear and amazement. But before he could speak, Hurin pointed a long hand at him. 'See!' he cried. 'There he stands with a sneer on his mouth! Does he deem himself safe? For I am robbed of my sword; and I am old and weary, he thinks. Nay, too often has he called me a wild man. He shall see one! Only hands, hands, are needed to wring his throat full of lies.'

With that Hurin left the Stone and strode towards Hardang; but he gave back before him, calling his household-men about him; and they drew off towards the gate. Thus it appeared to many that Hardang admitted his guilt, and they drew their weapons, and came down from the banks, crying out upon him.

Now there was peril of battle within the hallowed Ring. For others joined themselves to Hardang, some without love for him or his deeds, who nonetheless held to their loyalty and would at least defend him from violence, until he could answer before the Moot.

L M A O I JUST FUCKIN. THE NEGGING. “Not that I expected you to be braver than my son!” The as if just-remembered other detail: you killed my wife, though. Remember when you totally killed my wife, as I decided when I realized I needed someone to have killed her, because I wanted a reason to live? Remember that? Oh, okay, I’m walking forward now. No rush. I’m just briskly walking forward to strangle your leader. Everybody with m---oh look, he’s running away. After him! On your own time.

Now she is dead. Dead. She was Morwen my wife.

'Out of the dark days of our past it comes,' he said, 'before we turned our faces west. A shadow is upon us.' And he felt one lay a hand on his shoulder, and he turned and saw Hurin who stood behind him, with a grim face watching the kindling of the fires; and Hurin laughed.

'A strange folk are ye,' he said. 'Now cold, now hot. First wrath, then ruth. Under your chieftain's feet or at his throat. Down with Hardang! Up with Manthor! Wilt thou go up?'

'The Folk must choose,' said Manthor. 'And Hardang still lives.'

'Not for long, I hope,' said Hurin.

a. strange. folk. are ye. now cold. now hot. down with hardang! up with manthor! wilt thou go up? Hurin, I know you can’t, but listen to me, I have to ask: can you control your jollies for even a second. Until the house is ashes? If you recall, your wife is dead and not here and can’t unsmilingly appreciate your shit

'You are a mightier man than I, Hurin of Hithlum,' he said. 'I had such fear of your shadow that all wisdom and largesse forsook me. But now I do not think that any wisdom or mercy would have saved me from you, for you have none. You came to destroy me, and you at least have not denied it. But your last lie against me I cast back upon you ere I die. Never' - but with that blood gushed from his mouth, and he fell back, and said no more.

I know you haven’t read ASOIAF and you are the only person who might conceivably have scrolled this far down, but, god when people claim GRRM is more grimdark in his interest in deflating backhanded anticlimax than Tolkien, I ... I just...

‘I must go to the Field of the Worm and the Stone of the Hapless, where Morwen their mother lies untended. Will any come with me?'

Then ruth smote the hearts of those that heard him; and though some drew back in fear, many were willing to go, but among these there were more women than men.

<33 <3 they loved Nienor

But Hurin said: 'Nay, Nienor is not here, but it is fitter that she should lie here near her son than with any strangers. So she would have chosen.'

[...] But it is said that after that day fear left that place, though sorrow remained, and it was ever leafless and bare. But until the end of Beleriand women of Brethil would come with flowers in spring and berries in autumn and sing there a while of the Grey Lady who sought in vain for her son.

I have to single out every time someone mentions “Nienor is not there,” also the implication that obviously Morwen would MOST want to be buried where Nienor is, um, soothing to me. Personally. Not because I don’t care a ton about Morwen and Turin, it’s just, the Morwen-Nienor relationship is like... you know. Anyway I can’t believe how lovely and unqualified this is even though Brethil is on fire in another tab.

Now Manthor sat gasping with his back to a tree. 'It is a poor archer that will miss his mark at the third aim,' he said.

Hurin leaned on his staff and looked down at Manthor. 'But thou hast missed thy mark, kinsman,' he said. 'Thou hast been a valiant friend, and yet I think thou wert so hot in the cause for thyself also. Manthor would have sat more worthily in the chair of the Chieftains.'

'Thou hast a hard eye, Hurin, to pierce all hearts but thine own,' said Manthor.

THANKS HURIN. THANKS FOR THE SOFTWARE UPDATE. THANKS FOR RUNNING A DIAGNOSTIC ON THIS DECEASED MAN. great job leaning on your staff for effect, you maniac

‘...I would weep for thee, Manthor; for thou hast saved me from dishonour, and thou hadst love for my son.'

'Then, lord, use in peace the little more life that I have won for thee,' said Manthor. 'Do not bring your shadow upon others!'

'Why, must I not still walk in the world?' said Hurin. 'I will go on till the shadow overtakes me. Farewell!'

Final thoughts on Wanderings of Húrin: it’s super weird how Homer wrote the softcore flanderizing fix-it AU of Morwen/Húrin thousands of years before Morwen/Húrin ok ok it doesn’t actually bear that much resemblance to the Odyssey/the slaying of the suitors, I just think I’m funny

[outofangband]

Textual significance of Morwen being accused of witchcraft

Aka the essay draft I’m posting earlier than I should be because I wanted to post this on my birthday

my tag for this topic is word ran among them where there are way too many posts. I’ve written at length about the implications in universe and real life connotations but here are some thoughts on why Tolkien chose to include this detail in The Silmarillion and The Children of Húrin

This is my first draft of this, written as bullet points. I’m going to make a more essay style version with more sources. Pretty much all of these I have posts about, and as I said, I’m very fixated on this topic so I’m definitely looking forward to elaborating a lot of this

I actually have studied the history of witchcraft accusations and their sociopolitical contexts for years and I’m so happy it’s going to such great cause :/

cw: discussion of misogyny both in universe and historical

It’s also worth mentioning that while these accusations didn’t exist in the very first drafts of The Children of Húrin, such as the book of lost tales version, they exist in pretty much every version that Morwen herself exists in as Morwen (that is, not in the book of lost tales versions or versions of The Lay where her name is different)

-It makes Morwen’s situation precarious when her survival is needed for the plot and the doom; she’s hated and feared and shunned but not directly attacked due to that fear. She’s alive but in danger, poverty and isolation.

It also puts the reader in fear for her. Good things do not happen to women who are accused of witchcraft

Witch hunts and witch trials are events that bring cruelty, paranoia and betrayal. The invoking of this adds to the bleak atmosphere of post Nírnaeth Hithlum. The phrasing, “word among them” or rumor ran among them, depending on the version , adds to this atmosphere of paranoia and whispers, and not knowing who to trust.

-It highlights the regressive beliefs of her accusers*. and emphasizes certain aspects of Morwen’s character. Morwen is very clearly not a witch. She is however a severe and intelligent woman who canonically challenges the men around her.

She’s also presumed to be a widow. Historically, especially when women were thought to be the property of their husbands, it has often been unmarried women and widows who were persecuted as witches*

The exact reasons given in the text are somewhat vague. “But so great was the beauty and majesty of the Lady of Dor-l��min that the incomers were afraid and whispered among themselves that she was perilous and a witch skilled in magic”, “proud and fair as a queen she was…Witchwife they called her and shunned her”. These descriptions alongside other descriptions of Morwen’s personality and countenance can easily track with commonalities among women who have historically been accused; she is fiercely independent, blunt in her words and proud.

“These were women given to speaking out, to a bold tongue and independent spirit. It is no surprise that such unwelcome, even feared speech, could be mistaken for wicked enchantment”Mona Chollet wrote in a recent nonfiction book on the history and legacy of witch hunts.

-Morwen specifically being related to the elves (“he had thought that he looked in the fell eyes of an elf”, “word ran among them that she was perilous and a witch who had dealings with the elves”, “Witchwife it is but elf friend in the new language”) also is used to show how deeply Melkor has managed to turn human and elven populations against each other

I cannot say if Tolkien intended this but this aspect mirrors a common theme in witch hunts historically. I talked about this before but many if not most accused women were accused of either obtaining their alleged powers through communion with non humans or otherwise engaged with them.

I have…way too many posts about this specific connection

-I also definitely want to do more about what exactly the lore is for witches in first age Beleriand, what it’s believed they are and what it’s believed they can do

-Morwen being feared by the occupiers mean that she is largely left alone by them. She’s still suffering, we know there were times that she and Niënor nearly starved, and its implied she faces harassment and intimidation but despite the doom on Húrin’s family, she is able to resist being driven from Hithlum for decades.

Morgoth canonically sews dissent, mistrust and prejudice. The prejudice of the occupiers here has the potential to interfere with Morgoth wanting to use Húrin’s family to hurt him. This fits neatly into Tolkien’s themes of evil hindering itself.

-It highlights her as a cultural outsider. It is specifically Morwen, a refugee and exile who is accused of having sinister powers and alliances with an enemy. I think this is especially interesting because, in the earlier version of The Children of Húrin, the occupiers were comprised largely of men from Hithlum

-It adds to the power of her character and makes parallels with other confrontations and struggles with villains that members of her family have. It’s easy to parallel for example the lines about Húrin not being daunted by Morgoth’s eyes or Niënor staring down Glaurung with the encounter between Morwen and Brodda. And while it is true that he might not be quite as powerful or dangerous as Morgoth or Glaurung, if he kills or hurts her, she’s going to be just as dead or traumatized as she would be if he were a god or dragon. Her courage is extraordinarily powerful and harrowing. Does this make sense?

Anyways happy birthday to me, thank you for reading all of this and for your patience with my rambling which I have done so much of on this topic and will continue to do more of

End note: I wanted to add another note about how the position Morwen is in can also be used to show Aerin’s bravery in helping her; Aerin takes great risks to help her people and the danger she faces for her aid to Morwen is even more extreme; she faces extreme physical abuse for it. But I have several posts about this already and I think it deserves its own post

Sources

Fearless Wives and Frightened Shrews: The Construction of the Witch in Early Modern Germany

Mona Chalet, Stacy Schift

[outofangband]

do you have any ocs?

anon this is from like a year ago I'm so sorry

Also sorry because anything I wrote a year ago is potentially different from later headcanons

I actually have dozens!

I'll tell you about one, the one I have probably the most about at the moment, her name is Rhea and she is another slave in Brodda's house. She first appeared in my fic with slander for a blade where she offered Aerin some not very helpful words of shall we say, advice? ANd she has some scattered appearances in fics and world building

Unfortunately she does not have a proper tag

Warning for discussion of slavery, abuse and victim blaming because well, if you’ve read anything that Rhea is in…yeah

Stole my own character introduction from an earlier post but basically Rhea is an older slave tasked with caring for Aerin in a handmaid adjacent role but more importantly is tasked with keeping her in line and teaching her Brodda’s expectations (including well, sexually) She’s given her genuinely helpful (if often unpleasant) advice that’s made Aerin’s life if not better, at least occasionally easier. I wrote here about how much knowledge and anticipation of Brodda’s expectations, preferences and so on Aerin has to learn for her own safety (and the psychological cost of that knowledge). Most of this is due to Aerin’s own skills but some of it was taught by Rhea

Rhea comforts her when she's hurt, bandages and cleans her wounds, occasionally gives her something for pain but also tells her that she should have been more obedient, that this punishment was justified. She believes very firmly in these rules she tries to ensure others follow.

Rhea has some amount of control over how Aerin dresses, where she is at any given time, and how she spends her time. Especially in the beginning, she’s very much expected to act as a handler or caretaker when Brodda isn’t interested in requiring Aerin to be at his side.

Especially in the beginning, this often includes telling on her.

As you can imagine they have quite a contentious relationship. Aerin has pity for Rhea and later something resembling fondness but also is acutely aware that Rhea’s loyalty is to Brodda, even if this loyalty is the result of decades of abuse

Rhea is what Aerin does not want to become and Aerin hates that these worries even cross her mind.

Fun facts about Rhea

-The ea in her name is pronounced similarly to the ae in Aerin, but lighter

-She’s of the eastern Drúedain and was brought to western Beleriand a year or so before the Nírnaeth

-She fucking hates Morwen. No she’s never met her*

-She likes sheep.

-She cannot read beyond a couple of words. She doesn’t remember her life from before she was a slave

*I have a little au fic where Morwen is imprisoned from Rhea’s point of view as well as one more generally about Rhea’s fear of her (I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately)

Thank you to @maglors-anion-gap for appreciating her

[outofangband]

“(the people of Hador) marveled at the equity of (Aerin) whose lord lay slain and they guessed not at the horror of her life aforetime with that man"

I am once again thinking about the phrasing regarding Aerin’s situation in The Book of Lost Tales version of the Narn, specifically the phrase “the horror of her life”. It’s such an ominous phrase and all the more so because Tolkien rarely uses the word horror to describe mundane or human cruelty. Horror is reserved primarily for winged monsters, fell towers and the pits of a hell ruled by a god. I know I’ve rambled about this a dozen or so times and I am working on another long post about this version but it’s just something I wanted to highlight again because I find it so chilling and poignant

It's a detail I sometimes with had made it to the final version, certainly there is much horror in Aerin's life in the Narn though of course, the full sentence refers to her people's ignorance of her suffering, one of the primary differences between the two. In the Narn, Aerin's ordeal is acutely and cruelly known to the Hadorians as I talked about here. In BoLT,her suffering is shrouded in silence. I do believe aspects of this of course continue to the later versions.

Kind of reminds me of something else always in my mind, how the phrasing regarding Morwen’s suffering after the Nírnaeth in The Lay of The Children of Húrin seems to eventually become the phrasing for the suffering of the Hadorian people. Both lines are disturbing for different reasons.

Anyways I’ve been sick a lot so this isn’t super cohesively done but it’s something I’m always thinking about

[outofangband]

Disclaimer: though this is a repost with more edits, this is originally a post I wrote most of while at work at five fifty in the morning so

Note: more about the implications of this is in my tag “none but aerin knew where”

Thinking about Aerin after Morwen and Niënor flee

Aerin tells Morwen to flee Dor-lómin many times over the years before she finally does. She is terrified that the fear of Morgoth’s men for Morwen will finally fall second to their hatred. (In The Wanderings of Húrin it says that Lorgan knew of Niënor and wanted to abduct her. They’re living under constant threat of violence and starvation.) Aerin would hear them speak of Morwen at times, hear them name her a witch, and often worse, both when the speakers knew she could hear and when she overheard. She could not bear to see Morwen killed or worse, imprisoned and tells her that explicitly, all the while hating herself for not wanting her only loved one still alive to leave.

We know Aerin guarded Morwen’s secrets and plans closely and suffered for it. “The Lady Aerin will know,” Sador tells Túrin, “She knew all the counsels of your mother.

She watches them finally plunder the house with a mixture of rage, triumph and grief. Morwen was smart enough to take or get rid of any other evidence in the house of Aerin’s aid and they found very little of value there.

Aerin tells herself she couldn’t have gone, for some of the same reasons Morwen has after Túrin leaves; another person escaping, would bring too much attention, and have Brodda more personally involved in looking for them.

Aerin tells herself (and Morwen) that she must stay for the sake of her people and the little good she can still do.

But they would both have known that this parting was a permanent one.

Much of what I have to say about Morwen in this is based on my own headcanon because we only see Aerin speak of Morwen and not the other way around. I’ve mentioned my thoughts on it a couple times but I imagine this is another grief that Morwen buries deep.

I think the lack of any anger towards Morwen in both the Narn and BoLT versions says a lot and in some ways I find that more devastating. In both Aerin speaks as though Morwen has escaped at best or at worst was driven out and does not seem to hold resentment towards her for leaving. Or perhaps she is simply so tired.

Regardless, none of her assurances make it any easier when she’s alone now in Hithlum. I think the next year is one of the hardest and most bleak. Aerin feels a strange numbness especially towards Brodda’s abuse. She works until her fingers bleed. Later as the flames rise, she wonders fleetingly if she had always known

I think a lot about foresight in the Narn and the overlap between narrative foreshadowing, foresight in the Tolkien sense, and fatalism as an aspect of trauma. On this, I sometimes wonder if Aerin had some foresight about Túrin’s return and the violence it would bring . I wonder if she knew that one way or another, she wouldn't be in this position forever.

(Note: I do actually have something written where Aerin is able to flee also, well, a couple things actually but one more relevant to this. One where she's in Doriath, another, Brethil)

[outofangband]

Some random thoughts on Aerin’s sobriquet (also disclaimer I wrote a lot of this at five am at work which to be fair is when I write a lot of my posts but still)

I went into some linguistic detail here but basically I created the name with the sobriquet Aerin has in the Book of Lost Tales in mind

Aerin’s birth was unexpected and late, just around the beginning of summer when it was predicted to be spring. Her hair as a young child was the color of the yellow grasses that grew among the normal green beyond her parent’s house so she was given the name Laeriel by one of her uncles.

It’s used as an affectionate name by those close to her.

It’s something Brodda never finds out; if he hears someone calling Aerin that, they’re not important enough that he pays attention (actually, I think I said in WSFAB, he doesn’t really call her Aerin himself but that’s another story). The name Laeriel is hidden away but it is hers; it envokes memories Aerin feels are from a different world, where she was free and these memories might be painful, almost unbearably so at times, but the knowledge of this world must be kept

I think some of the older Hadorians call her it on occasion, post Nírnaeth, though in hushed terms. Aerin is one of their few sources of warmth and light and so the summer the name evokes takes on a different meaning, one that Aerin certainly feels conflicted about

I think it might be one of the secret words she sews into her sleeves as I talked about here but perhaps not

[outofangband]

@theworldisquietheretooquiet sent me this as a sentence prompt like a year and a half ago

Winter had returned to Dor-lómin, as cold, bleak, and mercilessly dark as ever.

Here’s a rambling collection of headcanons about post Nírnaeth Hithlum

(Quick disclaimer that information and material control in post Nírnaeth Hithlum is one of my favorite subjects so I did ramble about this a bit; I have way more in my occupation of hithlum tag)

Also all of these I wanted to go on about so I had to cut myself off so I’ll probably return again to these separately

Discussion of poverty, abuse, slavery and mentioned death of people and animals

Winters in Hithlum are cold, with temperatures averaging around two degrees Celsius (about thirty five degrees Fahrenheit) to four degrees Celsius (about forty degrees Fahrenheit) with temperatures dropping below freezing dozens of times throughout the winter. Heavy snow is not uncommon and the ground freezes over for weeks, making grazing all but impossible for the Hadorians’ many animals.

Winters have always been difficult of course, there’s hundreds of tasks each autumn to prepare and preserve food, ensure hay for their horses and cattle, fortify structures and collect firewood, collect the materials necessary for treating the inevitable illnesses and making blankets and clothing. These tasks must still be done; but the people of Dor-lómin have no say in the process that they are not expressly granted; their work is strenuous and the fruits of their labor are not distributed equally, indeed, much is denied to them

Aerin watches people die each year; relatives and friends sometimes, sometimes, people who have known her since birth, who have taught her their people’s history, lore, songs, who taught her to ride, comforted her when she fell…she feels each death as a physical wound and they never quite leave her. Sometimes she will be explicitly forbidden to continue aiding someone near death, often with the implication that if she defies this, it won’t just be her who suffers for it

The numbers of the ill and wounded seem to grow each year. The numbers of her people grow smaller.

Aerin walks among the wounded in their cramped quarters, giving cloth bandages to an old man she knows will be dead the next time she visits. Whatever supplies she can give must be used quickly for if her gifts were discovered, all would pay.

The cold will make any blows hurt still more.

The first few years the cold bit at her no matter what she did but at some point she becomes almost used to it. If it were not for her wish to hide the worst of the bruises on her arms, she would appear among her people without any cloak or scarf.

Brodda leaves for about a fortnight each winter and Aerin dreads the times she is forced to accompany him. It is in these days she feels the most a stranger; called a name that is not hers, frozen in a position she never wanted, in clothes she is forced to appear in.

The inhabitants of Morwen’s household heavily ration firewood especially when it becomes more dangerous to collect it further from the house. Oftentimes, all will sleep in what was once the great hall; except Morwen herself who stands or paces in the entry

There are often no lights at all in the windows and as always Morwen wonders if their presence or absence is more likely to attract unwanted attention from the men she knows search the woods on occasion, held off only by their own superstitious fear of her…on those long nights when she holds young Niënor herself to keep the child warm, when the howling wind cracks the already damaged windows…their fear feels both particularly galling, and a particularly fragile ward

[outofangband]

Aerin remembers when she used to watch her uncle crafting each plate from the clay of Nen Lalaith. He would let her press her small fingers into the edges of a few and wink at her before they were set to be fired. Her uncle followed Húrin to battle and did not return. His children are slaves in her shadow. Her aunt has not spoken to nor looked at her after Midsummer.

The plates are cracked now, from misuse and mishandling. Her prints are stained and fractured.

Late entry to @tolkienekphrasisweek day one, ceramics. I understand if you can’t reblog it!

I learned the hard way that it is impossible to get good quality pictures for pointalism! This took hours to do but the pictures do not show but oh well. Thoughts under the cut!

The text is from Summer, one of my Aerin fics.

I have a lot of thoughts on Hadorian ceramic ware which was largely made from clay deposits in the northern reaches of Nen Lalaith, sometimes supplemented with feldspar found in the foothills of Amon Darthir and neighboring mountains.

Bowls, plates and cups are the most commonly made usually using coil techniques.

Hadorian pottery is often decorated with indented designs, usually simple botanical ones. Coloring is rare but occasionally pigments from stone and minerals are used.

Ceramic and earthenware were some of the only Hadorian items that were continued to be utilized after the Nírnaeth though different methods of producing the materials and craft, and different decorations and artistic styles began to intermingle with the Hadorian ones, replacing them entirely in some

[outofangband]

last year @searchingforserendipity25 requested appearence headcanons for Aerin and Húrin, I wanted to repost them with some extra additional thoughts

I put some mildly darker ones under the cut, I didn’t go into too much detail because I wasn’t sure what you and ’d be comfortable with but there are one or two for each

Húrin:

-He’s short and stocky and has always been strong, even as a little kid. Absolutely wanted to help adults lift heavy objects and help out with tasks that he saw the older kids doing

-He walks quickly with a bounce in his step (pre Angband obviously)

-Pre Angband his hair is around shoulder length but he grew it out longer around the time Túrin was born. He canonically doesn’t wear a helm to war but he does tie his hair back against the back of his head.

-His hair is darker than Huor’s and Galdor’s, a sort of honeyish blonde. It gets curlier in his bangs and when it grows out.

-He had lots of freckles as a kid but as a teenager starts to tan instead.

-Both Húrin and Aerin gesticulate a lot when they talk, it’s a common habit among their people

Aerin

I have a post with some clothing/fashion HCs here!

-Aerin has a grandfather of the Haladin and though she looks mostly Hadorian, she has a few traits from this side of the family too. She has either light brown or green eyes and had reddish blonde hair as a young girl though it got lighter as she got older.

-Her hair is fairly straight but gets a bit wavy or frizzy over long summers.

-Her hair is about four inches/ten centimeters longer than shoulder length at the time of the Nírnaeth which is fairly shorter than her average hair length.

-Aerin is 165cm tall when she’s fully grown, a couple centimeters taller than Húrin.

-Unlike him she has freckles throughout her life, light ones mostly on her face and arms.

-Pre Nírnaeth she’s fairly athletic and a good runner.

cw: mentions of physical injuries resulting from abuse and torture

-Most injuries on Húrin’s face are healed before he’s released as Morgoth wanted to present him as “in high honor”, pretending he betrayed Turgon however there is a faint scar on his right cheek from when Morgoth broke that sword before him

-His sword hand is also permanently damaged in Angband. He can technically hold a weapon afterwards but this is mostly pure spite, it causes him an extraordinary amount of pain and worsens over time.

-Aerin doesn’t have many visible scars from the physical abuse she’s subjected to; most of the significant damage was internal but she has some scars on her back from poorly healed lashes.

Despite the public nature of her abuse, Aerin can’t stop herself from covering up the bruises and other temporary, marks. Some of it is denial, some of it is pride, some of it she can’t quite put into words

Occasionally she is expressly forbidden from hiding it as I sort of talked about here

-The stress of her life post Nírnaeth takes a strong toll on her. Her hair pales and greys early and she loses a dangerous amount of weight especially in the first couple of years. Her health never fully recovers after this and, had she been allowed to return to some of the outdoors activities she had done pre Nírnaeth, she might have been unable to.

I have actually been working on some more extensive writings on her injuries and the effects but I don’t know if I’ll post them as they’re pretty bleak

[outofangband]

Dor-lómin after the Nírnaeth: comparing versions

(In this I went through the versions in The Silmarillion, The Children of Húrin, The Book of Lost Tales, and The Lay of the Children of Húrin. I will go through Unfinished Tales and the other HoME volumes later!

Warnings: mention/discussion of canon occupation, abuse, and gendered violence.

Second note: I have a lot about Aerin and Morwen specifically throughout other versions in their character tags and the BoLT tag

There are also further posts in my tag “occupation of hithlum” and “word ran among them”

The occupation of people following the battle is one of the most interesting and disturbing aspects of The Children of Húrin. Just like I did with Húrin’s capture I wanted to compare the different versions, for both the region as a whole and for Morwen specifically

The Silmarillion:

Dor-lómin is occupied by Morgoth’s human servants who are then trapped themselves in Hithlum. Most of the Hadorians are enslaved. Aerin, Húrin’s kinswoman is said to be married to Brodda, one of the invaders. Very interestingly, the word force or by force does not appear in The Silmarillion while it does in The Children of Húrin. Though force is likely implied by context, it’s still an interesting redaction

Morwen specifically: “But so great was the beauty and majesty of the lady of Dor-lómin that the invaders were afraid and dared not lay hands on her or her household and they whispered among themselves saying she was perilous and a witch skilled in magic and in league with the elves” This is more or less all that is said about her until her fleeing to Doriath.

Note: the aspect of Morwen being accused of witchcraft can be dated to drafts of The Silmarillion from Tolkien’s middle period of writing. I have a theory that it derives in part from details in BoLT regarding stories told about her after death, this is something I will get into in more detail later

The Children of Húrin:

Dor-lómin is occupied by Morgoth’s human servants who are then trapped themselves in Hithlum. Aerin, Húrin’s kinswoman is said to be forcibly married to Brodda, one of the invaders. More details are given about the status of the other Hadorians including mentions of the abuse of young children and the driving out and starving of the elderly.

Morwen specifically: But they dared not yet lay hands on the Lady of Dor-lómin or thrust her from her home for word ran among them that she was perilous and a witch in league with the elves

The word yet is added here where it's not in the Silm

So, accused of being a witch and contact with the elves, shunned and ostracized. Brodda rides to her house with the intention of a foray but is scared off by Morwen herself (which, still a strong contender for funniest and scariest scene simultaneously). The book makes it clear that had he not been scared off, he would have killed Túrin (and he did not ransack her house nor discover Túrin else the life of the heir of the true lord would have been short) Morwen’s animals and possessions are stolen though it’s somewhat unclear when this occurred. Her household is also spied on and under constant low level siege which is detailed more than in The Silmarillion.

We get this line later on in addition to the line similar to that in Silm. "They dared not touch her for they feared her. Proud and fair as a queen she was until sorrow marred her. Witchwife they called her and shunned her: witchwife it is but elf-friend in the new language" The linguistic connotations of this are absolutely fascinating but as I've talked about that at length I won't here sadly

The Book of Lost Tales

Post about Aerin specifically in BoLT

Untrustworthy characters reside in Hithlum, some Morgoth's servants, some not. The entire situation is more muddled and confused and there isn't a direct invasion from the outside in the same way.

Interestingly enough, Aerin's marriage to Brodda dates back to this version however in BoLT. In this version, it's not forced but seemingly arranged on both sides and Brodda is actually a man of Hithlum himself. He's still not great though as when Húrin is gone, he goes rogue and betrays Morwen's house.

Exactly who Brodda is is somewhat unclear, he's described as a kinsman to both Húrin and Morwen at various times though kinsman is occasionally used to describe kin through marriage. Regardless he more or less names himself lord after Húrin is captured.

He is also still cruel and abusive, and Aerin’s life with him is described as a life of horror

When Túrin returns to Hithlum, he confronts Brodda in a similar manner to the version in the Narn though when he kills him, it's completely intentional.

And Brodda still treated Aerin badly, she describes him as cruel and harsh and says though he is wrongly killed by Túrin, no one will mourn his death. The men around her claim "he lived a thief and died as one".

(THIS IS THE COW VERSION)

Morwen specifically:

Somewhat unclear. I have another post about Morwen herself in BoLT because her character is complicated and I have many thoughts and feelings about it but that's for another time. Either way her situation is still a bleak one. "the strange men who dwelt nigh knew not the dignity of the Lady Mavwin"

The Lay of the Children of Húrin:

This version likewise is complicated in this regard. A direct invasion is not described in the same way as in the Narn but this is said "Laid waste his (Húrin's) lands and his lieges slain and men unmindful of his mighty lordship dwelt in Dorlómin and dealt unkindly with his widowed wife" the second version is identical except saying "dealt unkindly with his wife in widowhood" The lack of clarity is extremely ominous; dealt unkindly could mean anything from the shunning and threats of the others versions to direct torture and violence. I won't lie, I spent like three hours last night mulling this over in awful ways. This is the version with the least about Morwen. We do not see her or her household again in this version and Aerin or other kin of Húrin do not appear.

I figured I'd just link my Union of Maedhros post because the meta note has to do with the Narn version.