#ok maybe Varda

[eri-pl]

Not really, but ... ok I will admit that I often headcanon that it is part of it. (The other part being: he choses to do the evil thing.) On the other hand (which I still possess, unlike some), his lack of empathy and stuff is a direct consequence of his earlier choices, so...

It's complicated.

But yes, he definitely lacks empathy. And goes into dissociative states. And is evil.

Neither of those is 100% of him.

Nienna, about Melkor: It's not that he's evil. He lacks empathy and he goes into a disassociative state and commits atrocities.

Everyone else: ㆆ_ㆆ

[urwendii]

Actually original Mairon and Arien being so otherworldly pretty the elves cannot look at them for too long

[victorie552]

I don’t agree with interpretation of the events where Maedhros and Maglor are burned by Silmarils and that makes them realise how evil they really are, which leads to Mae’s suicide and Mags’ exiting the narrative. I mean, I don’t agree with the pious, religious aspect of it.

They already knew they were weren’t good people, closer to monsters than other elves. Maybe they backed back on it a little while raising E&E, or defeating Morgoth gave them some new hope on the matter. Silmarils burning them would be a horrible thing, but... More in a way that they can’t touch their father’s things  than being scorned by a holy object?

I mean, they already knew gods didn’t like them, they told them that personally. And we need to remember, Valar were their neighbors in Aman. When they thought “gods”, they were thinking of Orome hunting with Celegorm, Aule hanging out with Mathan and Manwe talking to Finwe (and fucking Morgoth). Their “jewels hollowed by the gods” are not our “jewels hollowed by the gods”. They’re having a property dispute with their gods. Honesty, I think at this point in the game Feanor was more of a holy image to them as we get it than Valar ever were.

DLDR: Silmarils burning them wasn’t a holy punishment, it was Varda calling them a bitch.

[lissomelace]

Ok, because I have literally no self restraint: elvish NASA patches:

(Also, check if you're in the right place and have clear skies to see the comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas! I saw it last night and it's SO COOL!)

I came up with the concept for and potentially faulty etymology of Elvish NASA (VEV, Vardildi Elengolmo Vilciryamoyë) here, so I won't go into that again. I did this in a couple colors and ended up liking the concept for the purple one more, but the blue one came out much nicer, visually speaking. Purple is less...loaded, I think, with specific Elvish connotations (house of Ñolofinwë my beloveds), and the blue was my second choice even though dark blue represents the sky well because I wasn't trying to copy NASA, just be inspired by them.

I stuck the Valacirca (big dipper) in there, and again--I prefer the silver of the purple one conceptually, because those stars are created from Telperion's dew, but they stand out against the white way less well. Also, I didn't cut the thread jumps on the gold ones, and I really love the way that gives the distinctive silhouette of the constellation.

The tehta of the acronym was going to be a stylized shooting star, but literally the moment I was starting to digitize that bit was when I got called to see the comet, so I just had to try to make it a comet instead. My inability to properly digitize gradients continues to be a problem, so it isn't a great representation of a comet's tail, but whatever. An attempt was made.

The star is white, because Varda apparently has a tendency to appear to elves in a glowing white fana. It has fourteen points for theological reasons.

I really wanted to stick a stylized sun in the lower right and moon in the upper left, but I know I have a tendency to make things cluttered so I left them out. But I might try that in the future, because I really want to try out a stylized floral moon.

I have no experience with logo design, but this was a fun concept even though I have to clean it up a little! And maybe now I'll be able to work on the things that actually need doing!

[ippokampos]

a computer a camera and a cat

[eri-pl]

Silm reread interlude 4: Lay of Leithian canto 8-10

…because the War of Wrath reread is waiting for the event.

We start with Huan's backstory, and a mention that in Orome's house there is strong wine and hunting songs. Oh, an Orome is called Tavros. And he "alone of Gods had loved the world before the banners were unfurled of Moon and Sun". Huh.

His hounds are immortal, unless they get themselves in the Doom of the Noldor. And Huan is "A wolf-hound, tireless, grey and fierce". Also, can see through all shadows and mist, can track months-old scents, and "No wizardry, nor spell, not dart, no fang, nor venom devil's art could brew had harmed him; for his weird was woven."

I love the worl "weird"! (It is basically fate, but it's like a textile — the verb for making it is "to weave"). So, in simple words, his fate was predefined. As we well know.

(Also, not all of Orome's dogs are grey and I think not all are wolfhounds.)

C&C. "Curufin spake: 'Good brother mine[…]" First, arbitrary past tense forms are back! Second: this is a rather …unique usage of the word "good", but ok. Well, maybe compared to Curufin Celegorm deserves it. But also, ha says this partially for show, as later he whispers some other stuff, so I guess he tries to sound like a good guy. Anyway, this opening feels very ironic to me.

They conspire, consider Orodreth to be stupid and want to know how's Finrod. Not out of care for him. Also, a fragment I liked: "and if he bear a Silmaril — I need declare no more in words; but one by right is thine (and ours), the jewel of light; another may be won — a throne. The eldest blood our house doth own."

I love how ominous he is. I will use "I need declare no more in words" as a threat in my posts. XD

Also, a good explanation of their motivations.

Huan's immunity to magic is a trait of all Orome's hounds: "[Huan's] old immortal race and kind no spells could ever turn or bind." And it's in various different places, but Huan's voice (and of all those hounds in general, I think) is deep, low and like a bell. I love this.

The people of Nargothrond seem to know that Luthien is held against her will and not care? Or maybe this line is about the fact that she realizes that she's kidnapped: "Too late she knew their treachery. It was not hid in Nargothrond that Feanor's sons her held in bond, [….] who had little cause to wrest from Thû the king they loved not and whose quest old vows of hatered in their breast had roused from sleep."

Also: 1. They did not love Finrod. Obviously. 2. Again the Oath is presented as something that sleeps and wakes.

Canto 9

We are back at Thû's island. Beren frees Finrod from his oath to Barahir, because he did a lot already, and more than needed. Peak Finrod moment (no, not that kind. The slightly other kind): Finrd says that even if he tells Thû that they are Finrod and Beren, Thû will break his word and kill them, because bad guys are Like That.

Oh, and Beren "thou"-s Finrod (we don't see what Finrod does but he would do the same), which is vely lovely, because this means that Finrod shown Beren that he can treat him like a friend, not like a might Elven king who had seen the Trees etc etc.and so on. :)

And then Thû replies to him, because he was, of course, eavesdropping. And now he knows who they are. Finrod, my dear, I really like you, but this wasn't very wise. ;)

Thû is planning to keep Finrod for ransom (and fun torture) and kill Beren. The rest of the situation goes as usual. Plus we get another title refernce when Finrod frees himself.

Their farewell is not as good as in some other versions. and then we get another stanza in present tense, for… reasons?

Beren dreams of singing, sings when dreaming (?), we get a mention of a constallation called the Burning Briar (which is the Big Dipper, iirc. Rather this than Orion. Those two are Varda's "Morgoth, we'll get you" signs.) "the Seven Stars that Varda set about the North, were burning yet, a light in darkness, hope in woe, the emblem vast of Morgoth's foe."

Lúthien replies. Song-rescue order inverted! That is unusual.

Thû has a black hood! Also, Tolkien repeatedly uses "sable" to mean "black', luckily I read some basics of heraldry and I know the word. He recognizes Lúthien by her song and plans to capture her as in the usual story. And yes, he does stand on his high tower and smile before getting wrecked.

Description of werewolf!Sauron includes gems like: "its fangs more gleaming-sharp and dyed with venom, tornment, and with death." Mmmmm… lovely isn't the best word for it, but the poetry is so good…

And now we learn that Thû has been made by Morgoth.: "the foul spirit Morgoth made and bred of evil". Very non-later-Legendarium.

More lovely poetry: "O demon dark, O phantom vile of foulness wrought, of lies and guile, here shalt thou die" and so on and so forth, unless you give me your island. Also: "thou"! Not "you"! Adding insult to injury. :)

[In case it needs a clarification: "thou" is informal, so it's used between close friends and family and to someone of a lower status, or as an insult. It's a bit like calling someone "bro" instead of "sir". When Beren and Finrod do it it's because they're close friends. When Luthien does it to Sauron is to disrespect him.]

In addition to giving her the island, Lúthien demands Sauron Thû to release his spell on it. In the Silm she removes the spell herself. So we are told that he "betrayed his master's trust". So Morgoth trusts his minions. Funny. Not impossible, but ironic.

Prison crumbled, people freed, surprisingly no single very direct title reference.

Canto 10

We start with nice things: "Felagund laughs beneath the trees in Valinor". This is lovly, this is much better and more evocative than in the Silm, where he just walks beneath them.

C&C get cancelled in Nargothrond and people speak about them in a Mallory-like style: "'Let us slay these faithless lords untrue!' the fickle folk now loudly cried".

They aren't amused, and the description is again great: "Scornful, unbowed, and unashamed stood Celegorm. In his eye there flamed a light of menace. Curufin smiled with his crafty mouth and thin."

The usual misadventure of C&C vs B&L, Curufin is mentioned to have mighty arms, also gets very nearly strangled. Celegorm curses Huan: "Curse thee, thou baseborn dog, to dare against thy master teeth ro bare!"

Baseborn? Orome would like to have a talk with you. At this point, probably the kind of talk that involves a bow, and doesn't involve talking.

We get another (3rd at least) nor/nor about how fearless or invulnerable Huan was. :)

Lúthien adresses Beren as "my lord" (HUH :/ ) and tells him to not kill Curufin, because it would help Morgoth if they killed an ally in war.

Curufin's knife is made by the Dwarves (singing slow enchantments. I imagone Disa from the series.), not by Curufin. Also, it deals magically unhealable wounds.

Beren yeets Curufin! "uplifting him, far him flung, and cried 'Begone!', with stinging tongue; 'Begone! thou renegade and fool" Also, this is another great burn in this lay. Also tells him to go and rethink his life. Which Curufin really should have done.

Aaaand Celegorm curses Beren. …my guys, seriously… "We curse thee under cloud and sky, we curse thee from rising into sleep!" I wonder when did Curufin sign the papers to let Celegorm curse people for him, but I suppose he gladly would.

Also, even Celegorm's arrows show us that he's evil: "a dwarvish dart and cruelly hooked".

There is a part which I don't understand, I have no idea what is said. [after they shot Beren] "though Curufin with bruised mouth laughed, yet later of that dastard shaft was tale and rumour on the North, and Men remembered Marching Forth, and Morgoth's will its hatered helped."

Morgoth is actively hunting for Lúthien. Well, his minions are.

[ozu-teapot]

Hey - haven't seen you in quite a while.

Hope all is OK there.

Yes, and thank you!

I've been struggling with motivation (to make caps, posts, etc) for quite a while, a couple of years actually, and this year seemed particularly bad so I just decided to stop. It kind of amused me that after all the Ozus, Bergmans, Vardas, Fassbinders, and Tarkovskys the last film I posted was one of the worst I'd watched, Secrets of a Door-to-Door Salesman. Anyway the vague plan was that I'd take a big break, maybe a year and then see how I felt.

I'm still watching films (though maybe less than before) and I still drop in to scroll through my tumblr dash pretty regularly, and just lately with October looming I have actually felt the slight urge to make some Halloween posts, so while I might not exactly be back I may be "around" sooner than I thought.

[cilil]

Omg I loved that Manwë & Varda snipet!! The idea that Varda uses the airs to form her stars and then ignites them😭 I never considered they would aid each other in creation that way before. Of course it makes sense when I think about it now, since stars are burning gasses essentially. I really loved that😭❤️

Aaah thank you so much!❤️

I just love how perfect the Manwë Varda pairing is even from a science perspective; and since Tolkien wasn't watching science documentaries on YT and some knowledge we can easily access today simply wasn't available yet, it's at least partially unintentional too. Maybe I could make a dedicated post about it sometime, though I believe someone recently touched on the vision/hearing enhancing thing and how that also checks out with these two (sound waves in the air and light and vision) as well...

Suffice it to say for now, I like the thought that, just like Varda is often in Valinor and by Manwë's side to help him, he helped her with her work in space and the stars and galaxies are "their baby". You could even take that quite literally, since the Valarindi are no longer canon and the vast majority of Ainur seems to opt out of "standard" reproduction (despite it being not impossible), so creating something together could be the preferred Ainurin version of "bringing something into the world" (particularly for Ainu/Ainu couples). There are really cool relationship dynamics to explore with this, refreshingly different from incarnate norms.

Before I start talking about the chemical composition of Manwë's breath here's a mini shitpost instead:

Manwë: Ok here's a gas cloud. How do we make a star out of it? Varda: (squeezes him and lights a match) 💥🔥🌟

[carlandrea]

@mariniacipher was wondering about how Fëanor's oath affected his sons and whether "Eru Allfather! To the everlasting Darkness doom us if our deed faileth…" means they wouldn't get to the Halls of Mandos... I don't know enough Silm to say, can you help?

oh my god ok—@mariniacipher you've hit on kind of a big question that I don't think anyone could answer conclusively, except for maybe Jirt's Ghost, and i'm not even sure about him.

What we know is that Feanor made his sons swear an oath, and we know that it's a consistent throughline in Arda that you can't break oaths—either morally or practically. It's why the paths of the dead exist—these men broke their oath to the king, so they're cursed to be ghosts until they fulfill it. It's how Finrod dies, following his oath to Beren after Beren's father saved his life.

So when Feanor says this:

Our word hear thou, Eru Allfather! To the everlasting Darkness doom us if our deed faileth. On the holy mountain hear in witness

and our vow remember, Manwë and Varda!

Even though the authority he invokes is probably not too keen on this whole situation, this does have some kind of power, and the sons of feanor at least believe that it's binding.

There's also the Doom of Mandos, or the Doom of the Noldor, which is a separate (but related) ominous proclamation, said by the vala of death and prophecy. He says:

For though Eru appointed to you to die not in Eä, and no sickness may assail you, yet slain ye may be, and slain ye shall be: by weapon and by torment and by grief; and your houseless spirits shall come then to Mandos. There long shall ye abide and yearn for your bodies, and find little pity though all whom ye have slain should entreat for you.

Which of course the implication of that is that they'll be trapped in Mandos if they die. Which do they. A lot. It is, after all, the silmarillion. (this is also not specific to the sons of feanor, which the oath is, but.) The doom of the noldor is mostly about how much everything will suck for the exiles in middle-earth. which uh. again it does a lot.

So what uh happens to the sons of feanor if they break their oath? How much does it affect their actions? Can they never get to the Halls of Mandos? Are they going to be thrown out into space? uhhhhhh. Those are all great questions.

I like to think they get stuck as ghosts! It's what happens in a couple of other similar situations, and I'm into the tragedy. Maglor definitely ends up a ghost i think, even if the others don't

[grusinskayas]

ok watched varda's documenteur and like it's great it's so pretty!! but ugh maybe i'm just not in the mood for that type of film rn cause it took me 2 hours and half to watch a 65 minutes long film

[ryoalouette]

Hey. Hey.

Of ELVES and AMITY PARK be like.

You can't not convince me that Amity "city of Commit to the Bit Gremlins" Park won't also Commit to the Bit.

They would have elven names too! Maybe it's LotR inspired. Warcraft! Witcher! Or actual Norse-inspired names, which can't be hard due to Infinite Realms and dead ppl and whatnot.

So legal identities of Sam and Tucker while OUTSIDE Amity can be Sylvanas and Turgon. (Sue me, those two are the first names I can think of). Jazz, Dani and Val can be Luthien, Elurin, and Varda or something 😂😂 (I unapologetically love Tolkien ok)

What's to say that they would also be gaslighting everyone that the modern iteration of elves also came from them?

Danny at the tender age of 23, has had a bad month. He had just lost his job as an interpreter with his company due to rejecting the advances of one of the older female bosses and his landlord was trying to screw him over on rent.

It honestly surprised him when he woke up one day with his wrists bound in front of him and trapped in a tube. He had been out of the hero game since the portals closed up years ago and Vlad lost his powers, so it had been a while since the whole "kidnapping" thing had happened to him.

He looked out through the glass of the tube as he turned intangible to let the IV needles fall out of his arms. There luckly wasn't any glowing green goo in the tube with him, but he doubts it will stay that way long as the scientists outside his containment chatted happily about "the discovery of the decade!" Ick.

He waits till they're gone before turning intangible slipping out of his tube and heading straight for the computer. He knew how to hack, but he was low on time and needed to know exactly what was going on, so some ghostly meddling with electronics were necessary. Sorry Tuck.

It was at this moment he found out several things.

1. Danny had apparently been here for several months instead of the few days he had initially assumed

2. He was found somewhere in his own thermos, asleep. Luckily they haven't been able to replicate any technology from it.

3. Superheros were a very real thing now. How long had he been asleep?

4. He had been cloned. Again. But this time he had someone else's DNA mixed in with the clones to make them more stable and intelligent. Some guy named Red Robin. Huh. Was that his real name or...?

Danny took a deep breath before locating his new clone kids. Ellie would be thrilled...if she was still around that is. He could think about that later, right now he had to grab his babies-and oh ancients- they were babies! The oldest of the three looked four years old at most and the youngest looked only a few hours. He was still all pink and alien looking.

Luckily his children didn't fight him when he picked them up and flew through the walls with them. He made a mental note to teach them stranger danger when he came across a large red button.

You won't believe what it was labeled as. Yep. A self destruct button. How cliché. Whatever. He pushed it and sirens immediately started to go off and he continued flying them through walls before exited into a dark gothic city he knew Sam would immediately love.

Somehow he managed to immediately land a job as a linguist for Wayne tech. Probably thanks to the three small kids he had and the panicked look on his face. Bruce was a really chill dude.

Batman however, was a prick. He met the guy weeks after his run in with Bruce and he kept popping up after he found out the clone babies were partially from one of his birds and trying to take custody away from him or convince him to give them up. Danny retaliated by spreading the rumor/truth that his kids where Red Robins from creepy cloning scientists that kidnapped him before immediately moving out of Gotham and into Fawcett City to work for a competitors company. This way Red couldn't legally go after him for custody without revealing his identity :)

This is how Red Robin, at the tender age of 25, learned he had kids with a man named Daniel Nightengale. Not only that, Bruce knew about them and didn't tell him.

Danny made it clear that if any of the Gotham Rouges tried to follow him and harm his kids they would come back missing a hand. Joker found out the hard way that he wasn't bluffing.

Shazams old guy mentor almost has an aneurysm when he senses the freaking GHOST KING living in Fawcett. Danny is also much more powerful then ever before and accidentally made the power go out in half the city when he got truly angry with Batman.

[heartandmusic]

ok literally like every time i watch a godard movie i put it on like “ok even though i hate godard solely on the basis of when he made varda cry on camera that one time, he is supposed to be Good and maybe i’ve been watching the wrong godard movies and i’ll understand this one” and every time i end up fucking bored like. maybe i’ve just reached terminal pragmatism or i’m just dumb?? like i’ve done absurdist french theatre before and its probably that you need to be in a certain headspace to engage with these styles of art and yeah yeah i recognize the value and importance of godard from like a cinema studies perspective but my god its hard to sit through his shit and pay attention????

[holytrickster]

🐯🏔️✨🗣️💚

ahh thanks for the ask! ok long post incoming-

🐯For the most part, I already see myself as my 'types, at least mentally/spiritually? I guess I kind of just identify with the idea of being all these things (guardian angel, elf, rabbit, etc.) but in a human body, but also kind of..not human? It's difficult to explain, lol. I definitely do find myself wishing I was physically closer to what I was/am, though--I especially miss my wings, mainly because it'd be incredible to fly again, but I also find myself missing the elf ears! After all, if it wasn't for those things, I really could have been mistaken for a human most of the time, besides being a couple different animals before. (Don't even get me started on the previous human lives I recall, lol.)

🏔️The biggest thing for me has definitely been going out in nature when I can; it makes me feel more like myself and just generally more grounded in the present and in my body. Also the moon and the night, mainly because of the connection I had to Varda as an elf, but I also just really vibe with the moon and stars😅 It also just definitely gets me in an..animal kind of mindset sometimes, because of being a rabbit, deer, + coyote (also potentially fox? But i think maybe that's its own kind of thing)

✨Hmm that's tough. I guess sometimes being referred to as my types or by old names I've had makes me feel validated, because it feels like..being believed that my experiences are real, if that makes sense; I still deal with a lot of self-doubt sometimes and convincing myself I've made things up, despite being aware of these experiences and feelings for a couple years now.

🗣️Not my family, but some of my friends, not the ones I made in school or anything because I don't even think they're absorbed enough in internet stuff to know what I'd be talking about lmao. Which is a little silly considering it's not like it's some extremely recent phenomenon. But there are certain people I confide in about these things, because they've also talked about their own experiences so I know they won't think I'm crazy or whatever 😅 I was definitely that kind of person when i was younger that thought certain things online were "cringy" and really everybody that sincerely talked about this stuff just wanted to be "special", but with time I started to learn that, no, none of this is a choice. Definitely coincided with my "not like other girls" phase, the internet was not the kindest place to be when I was in middle school or whenever I first heard about otherkin.

💚 I think, for instance, my time as a guardian angel really made me appreciate humans and mortality more? Like the knowledge that I chose to be a human multiple times over so I could better understand them and how to help them in the future--I think that gave me a better appreciation for this life; there's so much I can experience now that I never would've even dreamed of. As much as I struggle with self-worth sometimes, the one thing I like about myself is that I try to be as compassionate as I can, and, idk, I just feel so much? And that life and my time as an elf both just really influenced my spirituality and how I view life in general, and as hard as a lot of that has been, I also wouldn't change it for the world, because it gave me something to hang onto in the really bad times. Plus, this is kinda silly, but sometimes I just?? Really like what I am? Like it just makes me happy sometimes that I'm just this forest creature and all these things, it just makes me who I am! I would never have the friends I do or the sense of community I feel if I'd never learned these things about myself, and I wouldn't trade those friendships and bonds for anything !

[aquarda]

“Being the “keeper of the truth” is a very hard job and one I would not want. Ray Manzarek is basically a nice guy but I think he must have a very bad memory. And sometimes he acts like he hates anyone that was a friend of Jim. Most of what he wrote in his book and what he says in interviews about me and Babe Hill are far from the truth. I won't call his statements lies; let's just say that his memory is dysfunctional. We all know that Ray stretches and changes reality to suit his own purposes. Let me state this accurately: Jim Morrison was a fantastic human being and an incredible creative artist, but not for the reasons Ray says. Jim's myth and legend do not need the manipulation of Ray or Danny Sugerman. Jim left us with poems and songs and films and writings that establish him as one of the 20th century's most creative inhabitants. Jim doesn't need Ray to pump him up into a steroid monster myth. Actually Ray is doing himself and the Doors damage by not citing Jim's real accomplishments. Ray should stop trying to make Jim the bad boy of rock, stop trying to show how he was the embodiment of Dionysus (com'on Ray, the Greek god metaphor was old 30 years ago), and stop trying to portray Jim as a petulant child. He should stop because it doesn't do the Doors any good in the long run. Jim's poems will endure long after anyone can remember Ray's stories. It would be far wiser for the Doors to cite Jim's accomplishments. Instead they want to sell the public an image of Jim (Jim the drunken troublemaker and black leather outlaw) that they think will sell records. This is very short sighted, and something that Jim would find distasteful.

It's strange and somehow ironic that Ray doesn't like HWY. Maybe it's a matter of taste.  Maybe he doesn't like experimental films, or films that turn their back on convention.  Jim thought HWY was complete (he says so in interviews) and he thought that it was something of a break through film. He was proud of it, proud enough to bring it Paris with him to show to his friends Agnès Varda and Jacques Demy. In matters of artistic taste I'll side with Jim Morrison every time. Ray didn't like the film “Feast of Friends” either, but he cut it up and used sequences from that film for the Doors home videos. Maybe he didn't like it because he wasn't much involved in the making of the film? And you know, he was very unfair about those home videos. He never did credit me for my camera work at the Hollywood Bowl Concert.

[...]

Ray, Robby and John are excellent musicians and even, most of time, OK guys. But something monumental happened to them when they were young and they've never recovered. They met a genius on their way to maturity and they've had trouble trying to justify their behavior during and since that genius walked out of their lives. I just realized that a whole book could be written on this subject: the effect that a truly remarkable human being has on the lives of the ordinary humans he encounters. Does anyone remember Pier Paolo Pasolini's film “Teorema” which explores this very subject?

One last note:  I have no hard feelings about Ray. He and I were friends once. I wish he'd remember that and stop demeaning me in the press. In fact I wish he'd retract all the bullshit he's said about me and set the record straight.  I was not one of Jim Morrison's “drinking buddies”, I was his friend.”

— Frank Lisciandro

[urwendii]

Manwë: are you guys doing sketchy things?

Makar & Meássë: nope

Manwë: ok. Seems legit

Varda: Sulimo no- theyre literally covered in blood !!!!

Manwë: maybe they are clumsy. I didn't want to assume

Varda: START TO

It's honestly sad Makar and Meássë did not make it into the Silm because of how good it would have been for Melkor to have them as secret allies in Aman lying in wait for the Dagor Dagorath 🤭

[eri-pl]

Silm reread 22: Earendil (and very vague Elwing)

Earendil rules the people in the area. Elwing, despite being the heiress of the crown of one of the two groups who joined in there, is simply his wife. Huh.

Also, he's got sea-longing and wants fo find his parents (not a good reason to leave your wife and kids) and find Valinor and ask the Valar for mercy (ok, this is a better reason). So, Círdan makes Vingilot (from birch tree) and Earendil sails off. Elwing is sad.

But… his sailing is still a good thing, because he wants to ask the Valar for help? I guess? I have a hard time with Earendil, I'm not a fan of absent husbands. But I guess his mission is important.

And also, maybe they did discuss it with Elwing before they got married ("I dream of sailing far and for long periods of time." "ok, I may be sad with it but I still want this marriage.")…. You know what? I am going to HC that they did have this talk. It makes him 20x more sympathetic to me.

Meanwhile, among the Feanorians… Maedhros is restraining himself (again!) because he is remorseful for Doriath. But. the oath tornments them all (ok, so it is a compel, but not absolute. Not "dominate person", but it does give them mental damage for not following it. Unless it is just honor and stuff, but it doesn't sound like it.)

The Feanorians gather. (Which is a bad sign). They send messangers to Elwing, demanding "politely but clearly", the Silmaril. Well, you should have tried "politely" with Thingol, now, after Doriath, your politeness feels a bit empty.

[Also, Maedhoros' life would be much, much easier if he had the ability to just throw C&C under the bus and blame everything on them. It was even mostly true! And might have worked. But he is loyal to his brothers. And this is a good thing. This is tragic: he has one good trait, but can't manage another (not murdering people), and so he fails both morally, and fails at his chosen goal.]

Elwing, and the people of Sirion didn't want to give him the Silmaril. Because:

people have died and suffered for it (the usual argument, which I feel is increased by the nature of the Silmaril)

their ruler was not home, and they didn't want to make the decision without him (this is stupid, on a very mundane level. Earendil should have chosen someone to make important decisions when he's away. Also, Elwing seems either very indecisive / shy, or not respected by the people. My bet would be on "shy", or eldritch/shy, somewhat Varda-style)

it seemed to them that the Silmaril was the reason of their health and prosperity (this is a new idea)

So: it is not Elwing's decision. And it is not based mostly on "we hate them, they killed our people", but on survival needs (and a misconception). And again, there is no textual evidence that the people of Sirion know about the Oath.

Yes, there are people from Gondolin there, but who exactly? Turgon died. Idril was a child when the Oath happenned. They may not know, or they may not share the knowledge (but the later would be unwise).

Based on what the people of Sirion know and assume, their reply makes complete sense to me.

(Also, it seems like it was less a clear "nope" and more of a "umm, let's wait till Earendil returns, but we can't give you an ETA for that".)

The remaining soF suddenly attack the poor people of Sirion and the book is pretty clear that this is bad. It's so bad that some of their followers change sides and die trying to protect Elwing (because of course they do die, we can't have any characters getting any sort of redemption… yea, I understand, it makes sense realism-wise that they all die. But still, non-lethal wounds causing unconciousnes are a thing and I think it was a thing among the Elves? I can't remember an example)

Anyway, A&A die (because this is the unburned version).

Oh, and also Gil-Galad comes to the (too late) rescue (with Círdan). Which means that the mainstream Noldor are (for the first time) willing to fight the Feanorians. They just miss the party. Hmmm, this one detail makes me more fond of G-G son of Fingon. Because: think of the angst. (Or even better: G-G son of one of the Feanorians. But this has other problems)

There are a few survivors who join G-G.

It is told that E&E were captured. It is told that Elwing jumped to the sea with the Silmaril.

For the capture we later get a confirmation. But not for how exactly Elwing landed in the sea.

No info on how much she knew about her sons (already captured? assumed dead? hidden? whatever?). No info on whether she panicked and run blindly, or tried to distract M&M from killing other people, or wanted to maneuvre them into falling into the sea too, or one of myriads of possible scenarios. Or just even fell by a lucky "accident".

You want a perfect, flawless Elwing? The text doesn't contradict it (though she is at least a bit indecisive or not in such a position of power that would make sense given her parentage).

You want a stupid, indecisive Elwing who does a random thing? The text doesn't contradict it.

You want a young, lost, completely panicked Elwing? The text doesn't contradict it.

You want Elwing putting the prosperity of her people (which is assumed to be based on the Silaril) and them not dying of hunger above her own children? The text doesn't contradict it.

(No, we can't have a canon-compliant terrible mom Elwing, we'll get a counter for this.)

She joins Earendil and they are really terrified about their captured sons. So yes, they do care about their sons. they fear that M&M will kill them.

Kidnap fam mentioned, Maglor is sad and tired because Oath. :,(

Earendil wears the Silmaril on his forehead. So… what happenned to the necklace? Did Ulmo take it when he shapeshifted Elwing? The text very much sounds like the necklace is now gone, it's just the gem.

It is said among the gnomes wise, that the Silamril was what guided them to Valinor and let them pass all the magic barriers/traps.

Elwing has Lúthien vibes of "No, I am your wife, you aren't going to do the deadly risky thing alone!"

Earendil comes during a celebration and we are reminded that it's just like Morgoth and Ungoliant did (but he does it by accident). Nice bracketing, I guess? He is scared that even if Valinor something bad happenned. I like this scene.

Eonwe gives him a really cool (however very formal) greeting. "the looked for that cometh at unawares, the longed for that cometh beyond hope." I love this line. Yes, a lot of Tolkien's good lines give the vibe of "wrote it as part of a prayer, rewrote it to fit in his fantasy book". It's not a flaw. But I do find it a peculiar kind of funny.

Anyway, stuff is happenning. The Valar summon even Ulmo for a conversation. They talk. Námo plays the bad cop, which peronally I don't like but ok. I guess somebody has to, it is his job.

Manwë goes "we won't punish them, because they took this risk out of love" which is a solid argument. Earendil&Elwing (and by mention their sons) get the choice.

Also, interesting wording (or translation): they will be judged according to the laws of the species they chose. Huh. Interesting phrasing, I'm not sure what to think of it.

I totally forgot Elwing chilling out with the Teleri in the meantime.

Anyway, Vingilot gets an upgrade, the three sailors get a new ship. Also, doors of Night mentioned. Also, Earendil comes back to Valinor at sunrise and sunset. And it does seem like he does land, he is banned from the mortal lands, but not from Aman? So I guess he does spend some time home with Elwing. When she flies to him it's just to meet him earlier.

But I may be wrong.

Estel / "High Hope" mentioned.

M&M notice a new star. Confirmation that they saw the Silmaril sinking in the sea. Mae is like "Sure it's the silmaril." Maglor is like "we are supposed to rejoice." Anyway they do, at least they are no longer despairing.

And Morgoth is freaked out. :D But he doesn't expect the war (as they say), because the Valar were upset at the Noldor, and he doesn't get what pity is.

The army has white banners, the Vanyar are there (all of them? I suppose Ingwë stayed with Manwe, because before we were told he never went back to ME? Maybe only some Vanyar went to war.) And so are the non-Exile Noldor.

There are some Teleri in the army of the West!!! Just not many. At least that's how the Polish text reads. "Not many wanted to go to war" — so, some did want? some went?

More Teleri (convinced by Elwing) join as sailors, but those Teleri stay at the ships and don't touch tha land. (So yes, it seems there were other Teleri there)

I will leave the War of Wrath for later, maybe for the Morgoth into the Void day 1. Maybe not. Maybe i will do it sooner.