#queen of gondor

[velvet4510]

Headcanon time:

King Elessar restored Númenor’s policy of absolute primogeniture in the line of succession to the Gondorian throne.

Thus, King Eldarion, who had two daughters and no sons, was eventually succeeded on the throne by his eldest. She was named Minyarían (minya = ‘first’; rían = ‘queen’) because she was destined from birth to indeed be the First Queen regnant of Gondor.

And Queen Minyarían was later succeeded on the throne by her son, King Iorhael (Quenya for ‘Frodo’).

[tabukomi]

“She had nine black cats and one white, her slaves, with whom she conversed, or read their memories, setting them to discover all the dark secrets of Gondor.”

Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth by J.R.R.Tolkien

[queen-scribbles]

This is the Ring influencing Boromir, right? They're not honestly expecting me to believe he thinks of Merry and Pippin as "that halfling" and "the other halfling", right?

[anghraine]

Addendum to the "what if one of Arwen's brothers chose mortality and the other immortality" headcanon:

I kind of love the idea of Elladan (if it's Elladan who stays in Middle-earth) just drifting into Gondor to visit Arwen when he's not rangering with the Northern Dúnedain/slaughtering orcs. But for Elladan and Arwen, even once mortal, a "visit" is a lengthy affair by normal people's standards and he becomes a familiar sight in Minas Anor for years at a time before he goes off again.

(Also, because I can make everything about my faves, I choose to believe his drifting also takes him to Ithilien, both because of the Elvish colony there and to aid in the defense of Gondor's border. It involves protecting his sister and killing orcs, so ... you know. And I love the idea of him interacting with Éowyn and Faramir, of course.)

[themoonlily]

all couples have their fights and so do Éomer and Lothíriel, but the really difficult one was deciding which of them gets Arwen as the maid of honour for their wedding.

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Favourite Female Tolkien Character Poll - Round 1, Match 28

There are three polls today, all featuring women of Gondor and Arnor!

Berúthiel

A queen of Gondor remembered for her cats. From a note in Unfinished Tales:

She was the nefarious, solitary, and loveless wife of Tarannon, twelfth King of Gondor and first of the ‘ship-kings,’ who took the crown in the name of Falastur (‘Lord of the Coasts’), and was the first childless king. Berúthiel lived in the King’s House in Osgiliath, hating the sounds and smells of the sea and the house that Tarannon built below Pelargir ‘upon arches whose feet stood deep in the wide waters of Ethir Anduin’; she hated all making, all colours and elaborate adornment, wearing only black and silver and living in bare chambers, and the gardens of the house in Osgiliath were filled with tormented sculptures beneath cypresses and yews.

She had nine black cats and one white [my note: sonehow this feels like a metaphor/imagery for Sauron and the Ringwraiths], her slaves, with whom she conversed, or read their memories, setting them to discover all the dark secrets of Gondor, so that she knew those things ‘that men wish most to keep hidden’, setting the white cat to spy on the black, and tormenting them. No man in Gondor dared to touch them; all were afraid of them, and cursed when they saw them pass.

…her name was erased from the Book of the Kings…and King Tarannon had her set on a ship alone with her cats and set adrift on the sea before a north wind. The ship was last seen flying past Umbar under a sickle moon, with a cat at the masthead and another as a figure-head on the prow.

Vidumavi

She married Valacar prince of Gondor and their son was Eldacar (if you followed the Obscure Tolkien Blorbo poll tournament, you may have heard of him).

Gondor had sought good relations with the Northmen, who lived the plains surrounding the south of Greenwood the Great. King Rómendacil II of Gondor sent his son Valacar to live for a while with Vidugavia, the king or chieftain of lands east of southern Greenwood. Valacar went further than he expected in marrying Vidugavia’s daughter Vidumavi. People in Gondor did not like this, regarding the Northmen as lesser than them, and fearing that intermarriage would make their descendents shorter-lived. After Vidumavi’s death, when Eldacar became king, there was a rebellion and civil war called the Kin-strife, in which Eldacar was ultimately victorious.

[lotro-tooltips-daily]

[annachum]

A sketch of Queen Arwen with some of her handmaids in Gondor

Arwen's council of ladies in Rivendell consists of a bunch of noble ladies from Rivendell and various other Elvish Realms.

Later on, a number of those Elvish ladies in waiting followed Arwen to Gondor, where Arwen gained new human ladies in waiting, one of them including Lady Lothiriel

The ladies in waiting of Arwen are all ladies of high esteem, being also spiritual and political aides of Arwen

🤩🤩🤯🥺🥺🥺🥺

[dungeons-and-dictions]

It’s Analysis Friday, Eagles of Middle Earth edition!

Ar-Pharazôn stealing the show at Miriel’s coronation was irritatingly perfect. I didn’t expect the use of an eagle to start an overt takeover!

Eagles serve Manwë, King of the Valar. They were originally sent from Valinor to watch the traitorous Noldor as well as Morgoth. They watch, mark great events, and warn people. They have fought alongside Valar, Elves, and others in many wars. Shortly after the War of the Ring concludes, they depart from Middle Earth.

At first, the magnificent eagle who arrives in Númenor seems to come to magnify Queen Miriel’s coronation. But as the spotlight is stolen from her, and the crowd chants for Ar-Pharazôn, the eagle becomes more agitated and loud, just as real eagles will get when upset. It leaves, having transformed into a warning for Númenor.

Ar-Pharazôn has been chosen as their final leader. The rest of the show, we will see Gondor rise and Númenor drown.

Hint - watch the clouds!

[paintsandquests]

Long live Elessar and Arwen, King and Queen of Gondor

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Quotes on both characters, because they’re intriguing and I didn’t remember them well!

Pearl Took (from Letters of JRR Tolkien, letter 214; fair warning, pretty fatphobic in tone)

Lalia the Great (or less couteously the Fat) …ruled the Tooks and the Great Smials for 22 years, a grand and memorable, if not universally beloved, ‘matriarch’. She was not at the famous Party [Bilbo’s 111th birthday], but was prevented from attending rather by her great size and immobility than by her age. Her son, Ferumbras, had no wife, being unable (it was alleged) to find anyone willing to occupy apartments in the Great Smials, under the rule of Lalia. Lalia, in her last and fattest years, had the custom of being wheeled to the Great Door, to take the air on a fine morning. In the spring of Shire Year 1402 [the year after Bilbo’s party] her clumsy attendant let the heavy chair run over the threshold and tipped Lalia down the flight of steps into the garden. So ended a reign and life that might well have rivalled that of the Great Took.

It was widely rumoured that the attendant was Pearl (Pippin’s sister), though the Tooks tried to keep the matter within the family. At the celebration of Ferumbras’ accession the displeasure and regret of the family was formally expressed by the exclusion of Pearl from the ceremony and feast; but it did not escape notice that later (after a decent interval) she appeared in a splendid necklace of name-jewels that had long lain in the hoard of the Thains.

To me this doesn’t suggest intent, just that Lalia wasn’t particularly mourned; but definitely a fine source of hobbit gossip!

Queen Berúthiel

In the main text of LOTR, the only mention of her is a reference to her cats. This is elaborated on in the notes to “The Istari” chapter of Unfinished Tales (summary by Christopher Tolkien):

Berúthiel was the nefarious, solitary, and loveless wife of Tarannon, twelfth king of Gondor (T.A. 830-913) and first of the ‘Ship-kings’, who took the crown in the name of Falastur ‘Lord of the Coasts’, and was the first childless king [of Gondor]. Berúthiel lived in the King’s House in Osgiliath, hating the sounds and smells of the sea and the house that Tarannon built below Pelargir ‘upon arches whose feet stood deep in the wide water of Ethir Anduin’; she hated all making, all colours and elaborate adornment, wearing only black and silver and living in bare chambers, and the gardens of the house in Osgiliath were filled with tormented scupltures beneath cypresses and yews. She had nine black cats and one white, her slaves, with whom she conversed, or read their memories, setting them to discover all the dark secrets of Gondor, so that she knew the things ‘that men most wish to keep hidden’, setting the white cat to spy upon the black, and tormenting them. No man in Gondor dared touch them; all were afraid of them, and cursed them when they saw them pass. What follows is almost illegible in the unique manuscript, except for the ending, which states that her name was erased from the Book of the Kings (‘but the memory of men is not wholly shut in books, and the cats of Queen Berúthiel never passed wholly out of men’s speech’), and that King Tarannon had her set on a ship alone with her cats and set adrift on the sea before a north wind. The ship was last seen flying past Umbar under a sickle moon, with a cat at the masthead and another as a figure-head on the prow.

RIP Berúthiel but I’m different, I would love a house on stilts in the ocean. Nonetheless, a literal goth queen, and I want fanart of that last scene.

Obscure Tolkien Blorbo: Round 2

Berúthiel vs Pearl Took

Berúthiel:

A Queen of Gondor noted for her unhappy marriage and her cats.

An evil sorceress who is also a cat lady. Need I say more

Pearl Took:

The eldest sister of Pippin Took.

Ok but can you IMAGINE being Pippin Took's eldest sister. This girl DEFINITELY has eldest daughter syndrome. She dealt with it by casually murdering an elderly relative :)

Round 2 masterpost

[queen-scribbles]

I also think I may possibly have done something out of order for LOTRO. Since I jumped Hal to 95, and had no sense of when things are meant to be done(lmao) I may possibly have already done the sending off the Fellowship stuff that's supposed to come after you deal with Mordirith. >.> WHOOPS.

[velvet4510]

I just want to say to my fellow female Tolkien fans that we should not feel ashamed for loving these books that are admittedly male-centric.

It’s tempting to call Tolkien a sexist for including so few female characters in his legendarium - and I admit that yes he was not entirely free of sexism - but we must remember that the women he did include are the epitome of girl power and some of the best role models we could ask for: strong and willful and noble and brave, without sacrificing their femininity to prove themselves.

It’s glorious to me how you can flip through the books and see page after page of men doing everything … and then suddenly:

There’s Varda creating the Stars, Sun, and Moon!!

There’s Yavanna saving her trees by inspiring the creation of the Ents!!

There’s Melian making an Elf king forget his own people and then shielding an entire kingdom!!

There’s Lúthien defeating Sauron himself AND Morgoth himself!!!

There’s Idril preventing the complete annihilation of her people by creating the secret path out of Gondolin!!

There’s Galadriel resisting the One Ring!!

There’s Éowyn killing the lord of the Nazgûl!!

There’s Ioreth saving the victims of the Black Breath through her knowledge that the king will be the healer!!

There’s Arwen bridging the gap between Elves and Men as Queen of Gondor!!

There’s 100-year-old Lobelia beating Ruffians with her umbrella and leaving money in her will to help homeless hobbits!!

There’s Rosie raising 13 kids while simultaneously serving the whole Shire as Mistress of Bag End!!

There’s Elanor guarding and preserving the Red Book so that we can read it now!!!

That’s why I just can’t hold too big of a grudge about this. Yes, Tolkien didn’t write female characters too often, and it would’ve been fantastic if there were more. But when he did write them, they were amazing.

And on top of that, his male characters display literally our dream level of healthy masculinity in a man. Frodo, Sam, Aragorn, Faramir, etc. are our wish fulfillment. We have every right to enjoy that.

[taurielsilvan]

"Do not scorn pity that is the gift of a gentle heart, Éowyn! But I do not offer you my pity. For you are a lady high and valiant and have yourself won renown that shall not be forgotten; and you are a lady beautiful, I deem, beyond even the words of the Elven-tongue to tell. And I love you. Once I pitied your sorrow. But now, were you sorrowless, without fear or any lack, were you the blissful Queen of Gondor, still I would love you. Éowyn, do you not love me?"

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Favourite Female Tolkien Character Poll - Round 3, Match 7

This is the section final for women of Gondor!

Berúthiel

A queen of Gondor remembered for her cats. From a note in Unfinished Tales:

She was the nefarious, solitary, and loveless wife of Tarannon, twelfth King of Gondor and first of the ‘ship-kings,’ who took the crown in the name of Falastur (‘Lord of the Coasts’), and was the first childless king. Berúthiel lived in the King’s House in Osgiliath, hating the sounds and smells of the sea and the house that Tarannon built below Pelargir ‘upon arches whose feet stood deep in the wide waters of Ethir Anduin’; she hated all making, all colours and elaborate adornment, wearing only black and silver and living in bare chambers, and the gardens of the house in Osgiliath were filled with tormented sculptures beneath cypresses and yews.

She had nine black cats and one white [my note: sonehow this feels like a metaphor/imagery for Sauron and the Ringwraiths], her slaves, with whom she conversed, or read their memories, setting them to discover all the dark secrets of Gondor, so that she knew those things ‘that men wish most to keep hidden’, setting the white cat to spy on the black, and tormenting them. No man in Gondor dared to touch them; all were afraid of them, and cursed when they saw them pass.

…her name was erased from the Book of the Kings…and King Tarannon had her set on a ship alone with her cats and set adrift on the sea before a north wind. The ship was last seen flying past Umbar under a sickle moon, with a cat at the masthead and another as a figure-head on the prow.

Ioreth

A talkative elderly woman of Gondor who worked in the Houses of Healing. Also chats with her country relative during Aragorn’s coronation.

Then an old wife, Ioreth, the eldest of the women who served in that house, looking on the fair face of Faramir, wept, for all the people loved him. And she said: “Alas! if he should die. Would that there were kings in Gondor, as there were once upon a time, they say! For it is said in old lore: The hands of the king are the hands of a healer. And so the rightful king could ever be known.”

And Gandalf, who stood by, said: “Men may long remember your words, Ioreth! For there is hope in them. Maybe a king has indeed returned to Gondor; or have you not heard the strange tidings that have come to the city?”

“I have been too busy with this and that to heed all the crying and shouting,” she answered. “All I hope is that those murdering devils do not come to this House and trouble the sick.”

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

OK, the absence of female Rohirrim political leaders and warriors from the Middle Earth historical record…let’s get into it.

There’s a reason this remains a significant point of debate in the fandom, and it’s because the source material is confusing. Clearly, there is/was a role for women in public life in Rohan that is unlike anything we see in the other realms of Men (or hobbits or dwarves!). The concept of shieldmaidens has obviously been in their culture for a long time. Éowyn is one. Someone thought it worth their time to train her to fight, and the people (speaking through the voice of Háma) know her to be “fearless” and trust her to be their leader. The men of Elfhelm’s éored have no problem with her presence among them in Gondor, and though people are shocked to find her injured on the field, no one is scandalized by the very idea that she was there. So there are Rohirrim all over this story who are behaving in ways that suggest female leadership and female martial ability are not inherently surprising or objectionable to them.

And yet…there is not a single named female Rohirrim either before or after Éowyn in any part of the text of LOTR that we know to have wielded any actual political authority or who fought in battle. If those women existed, why/how are they not in the historical record?

The most satisfying answer TO ME is tied up in which historical records we’re looking at. By the framing device of LOTR, the text that we’re reading is ostensibly the story as documented in the Red Book of Westmarch. The appendices, where we find histories and legends of Rohan, were meant to have been written by the hobbits with some contributions by Aragorn, Gimli and others — but NONE OF THE AUTHORS WERE ROHIRRIM. Yes, they surely spoke to Éomer and Éowyn as the sections on the House of Eorl were written, but the sibs didn’t write the text themselves. Outsiders did. So the text does not represent a direct Rohirrim version of Rohan history. THAT version doesn’t exist in writing anywhere, because that’s not how the Rohirrim operate. They preserve their histories and legends through song, poetry and storytelling. Which brings me to this line from Appendix A:

”Many lords and warriors, and many fair and valiant women, are named in the songs of Rohan that still remember the north.” [emphasis added]

That’s confirmation right there that Rohan history as the Rohirrim practice it DOES include “many” women. And if they have songs that remember many women of the north (i.e., their direct ancestors among the Northmen) then surely their more recent songs, poems and stories would also cover the women of more recent times. So the problem is not that the Rohirrim don’t remember women in their (oral) historical record. The book tells us that they do. Maybe the problem is that the men of outside cultures who wrote the book — those who notably came from societies where women had no comparable roles — didn’t choose to include those parts when they created this written historical record. They noted that the Rohirrim name many women in their histories, and then they proceeded to only tell us about some of the men. That’s a skill issue for the authors, not for Rohan.

So in my mind, an average Rohirrim could talk to you about great warrior heroines of the Northmen or the exploits of some of Rohan’s powerful queens and princesses.* That’s not to say that Rohan was drowning in such figures, but they existed and people knew about them. It means there was enough of them and enough awareness of them to create space in their culture to have those views that we see in the main story (i.e., a willingness to accept both a woman as a leader of the people and a woman as a rider in the army when those things were presented to them). It reconciles the strange contradiction between the apparent culture in Rohan and their history as it was given to us as readers. Make of that what you will, but I like it for me!

*And yes, this could presumably explain the omission of Héra from WOTR in the telling of Helm Hammerhand’s story, though that gets complicated by the fact that WOTR contradicts the published Helm story in a few significant ways. (Which, for the record, I am fine with, but it means I view WOTR as more of an AU than a literal extension of the source text!)