#so a first-age balrog is actually not as powerful as the moria balrog

[wilwarin-wilwa]

balrogs get progressively stronger while orcs get progressively weaker over the ages sauron himself told me so

[sesamenom]

Ringlord High King of Everything Elrond, inspired here

(@the-writing-goblin)

I imagine in this situation elrond would have been partially tempted by boromir's declaration, but instead of trying to fight sauron with it (because even in the weirdest crack au i can think of elrond is still too genre-aware to try that) he tried to use it to supercharge his use of vilya and protect everyone.

basically Ringlord!Elrond turned the entirety of Eriador into a mega-gondolin situation: massive walls (courtesy of numenorean/eregion tech) around the regions bordering the north or Mordor, fortresses along the mountain range and several layers of gates along every road in or out. Everybody goes in; nobody goes out; everyone is safe.

and he ended up claiming the kingship to give him more authority in the process - he's High King of the Noldor and Sindar and King of the Edain (given that there are like three half-vanyar in middle-earth, he's more or less king of all children of iluvatar) and so he can have command over the entirety of the West.

and with the help of the Ring, this actually works! but the corruption starts to show eventually

he uses his kinship to Gondor to forcefully drag them into his neo-gondolin-empire-creation so he can ensure none of his great-nephews will ever have to face sauron. he extends the walls to encompass Mirkwood, because he's the high king of the sindar and has a duty to protect thranduil's realm, and unleashes the full might of his melian-lite powers to purge Sauron's Shadow and the spawn of Ungoliant from the now-Greenwood.

Galadriel and Glorfindel very much see where this is going and are very very worried. galadriel won't let him build walls around lothlorien (because she lives next door to a balrog and knows exactly what happened to gondolin) but celeborn thinks it's a good idea, since after all Doriath wouldn't have fallen if Melian's girdle had still been up. glorfindel tries to talk him out of it but the ring has taken hold

the Ring's power also enhances all his natural weirdness and powers - he has his wings and maia markings permanently activated now, with or without finwean anger. he can fully shapeshift, and he goes from raising waves in the bruinen to raising tsunamis in the great sea.

except the finwean anger seems to be permanently activated now, too, and anyone who harms someone he's deemed under his protection finds themselves the target of a rather ironic vengeance quest. the shapeshifting is looking weird now - his teeth are always sharp now, and his eyes have gone fully inhuman. sometimes he has claws and his wings look more like bats than eagles. and his water powers are more like osse's- he can't calm the waters now (goldberry is the first to notice something's up) and can only stir them into massive ship-sinking storms and tsunamis.

this progresses until he's basically Evil Luthien ruling over a continent-wide Mega-Gondolin, slaughtering orc-hordes before they even reach the white walls and sinking any naval fleet Sauron tries to send around the coast. Everybody is brought in; nobody leaves; everyone is safe...?

he figures out that the dwarven legend of "Durin's Bane" has to be one of the few first age balrogs thats still unaccounted for. and well, it's living right on his border, and he can't risk another fall of gondolin, right? so he leads a small force in there to clear moria, and they shove the balrog off the edge, but it takes one of his captains (except glorfindel) with it (maybe erestor?) and he uses the ring and saves erestor, (and maybe floods the balrog for good measure), and glorfindel is sure he saw elrond's eyes go yellow for a moment.

and even fully corrupted, he knows he can't take the ring directly into mordor. but he can wipe out sauron's armies outside the walls, to protect his kingdom - because turgon's mistake was thinking he was safe even when there were balrogs and dragons and orcs outside, right?

somewhere along the way, arwen realizes what's happening and goes to live with galadriel. one of the twins goes with her; the other stays out of loyalty but eventually follows.

elrond's kingdom has become a cross between doriath and gondolin now, with all the surrounding lands warped by ring-magic to hide it, and layers of stone walls and iron gates preventing anyone from leaving. because everyone is here; nobody leaves; everyone is... safe?

[attheexactlyrighttimeandplace]

More thoughts on episode 5 Partings (part 1).

My first reaction is here (it contains more thoughts that i didn't used in this post because it's already too long, and i didn't want to repeat myself).

Because a troll has commented on my last post about The Rings of Power negatively, i feel obligated to add some warnings to avoid to attract more of them (sorry for the length):

Indeed I'm not a native english speaker. Actually, english is my third language and i'm not even living in a english-speaking country. Thus i can't deny that i'm far from being fluent, having learnt to write it mostly through very old high school lessons, films/series and articles read on line. But thankfully, my bad english doesn't seem to stop people from reading my posts, understanding them and even interacting with me politely. So i don't think, the quality of my expression is an issue, except for the trolls.

More importantly, my language skills have nothing to do with the fact that i enjoy so much The Rings of Power. I'm raving about it because it's the best tv show that i've seen in years. It's a 10/10 (for people who like to rank things), which means season 1 will be probably in my top 10 of the best shows of all the time (next to The Wire, Twin Peaks, Chernobyl, The Terror, Hannibal, Battlestar Galactica etc.)

Now that we have established that i know enough english to express myself at least clearly in this language; and that i have good taste in tv series (and literature, poetry and non fiction too by the way), and thus if i see no flaws in this series, it's probably because it's way better than the limited taste of the trolls, and their too limited capacity of criticism (that enjoying to much low quality content has lead them to form) allow them to admit - let get's back to episode 5!

This is the most epic episode since episode 1 and the narration of the war of Wrath against Morgoth by Galadriel and boy did i love it! Glorfinder (is he the elf warrior?) and the Balrog were something unexpected because the Tolkien Estate has established (last time i checked) that the First and Third Age were off limit for the show. So every time the producers managed to negociate more, it feels like a very special gift. An art gift in this case because the representation of the battle between the heroic elf and the evil creature looked like a painting by a great master.

And let's be honest, who didn't scream Gandalf too when watching it?! Who didn't think of the LOTR films? The call back to the fight between Gandalf and the Balrog in Moria in The Fellowship of the Ring was obvious, in an episode where the dwarves and the Mithril they found in their mines were essential to the resolution of Elrond's arc.

Loved too the scale of the final scene in Nùmenor where the ships left the harbour, which propelled the series on the level of epicness of the films. Everyone looked so pretty in the armors. I hate war and colonization as much as Eärien and Kemen (loved his courage, yes destroying the ship was brave), and yet i still swooned over the perfect looks of Elendil, Galadriel, Halbrand and queen regent Miriel, and totally got why the crowd wanted to applaud them.

But it's the plot (characters development and theories) that i really want to discuss. Going through this commentary character by character and their relationships (it's only the part 1 because i have too many thoughts and the episode was so dense).

Starting by Nori and The Stranger:

I'm convinced that he's Sauron since his spectacular entrance in episode 1 for many reasons (developed in a another post to come), but the most important is how much essential it would be for Nori and Poppy 's characters development to experience this level of betrayal and corruption. Corruption of every living being (including plants and animals) during the Second Age, by Sauron who helped spread evil in Middle Earth by tempting, deceiving and manipulating while his armies of Orcs are invading every region, being the main theme of the show in my view.

Nori has been firmly established as a young naive hobbit who wants to expand on her world geographically, but also on what she learnt from her community about surviving. Since she couldn't leave her family, she decided that the novelty and mystery should come from this old man who has fallen from the sky like an angel, and put all her trust in him to the point where she made him a part of her family.

In the process, she ignored Marigold and Poppy's advices ("there's common sense and nonsense"). It's because she's deeply connected to those two very wise characters and because their first strong impression was that the Stranger was dangerous and should be left where he was and they argued about it with Nori a lot, that realizing that she carried the true evil with her all along (just like Frodo did with the One Ring but without knowing it), and brought chaos in the all world by trusting a stranger rather than her close friend and relatives (unlike Sam and Frodo who knew what lies Gollum was spreading), seems in my view a necessary lesson for her.

All those elements once assembled, can make a consistent arc and are compatible with the fact that it would be the best option for Sauron to cross the Middle Earth unidentified and without unwanted attention. And who except the Hartfoots that are the species the most hard to detect can provide this level of quasi invisibility?

Meanwhile, their relationship is something as intense, ambiguous and sometimes manipulative than the one between Galadriel and Hallbrand: he saves her and then hurts her badly. Though i believe he was indeed just this time healing himself, and hurting her was an accident (she came too close) contrary to what he did to the Fireflies, which was a real killing. I'm not sure if this last incident will open her eyes to the danger he could represent or if she will ignore it like Galadriel does with Hallbrand. Will she rather follow with her initial choice because she can't stop either (she can only share doubts with Poppy), not now that they are so far in their travel and they still need him so much to push the cart?

However, despite my attachement to this theory, for the first time, this week i had doubts about the Stranger being Sauron. And it's all because of what happened in Lindon with the Tree.

On The Elves

There's one fan theory that places Sauron in Lindon, already deceiving the elves as a fake ally of Celebrimbor but existing off screen. I don't like it because it would mean that all the clues collected that designated The Stranger or Halbrand (since Adar is not Sauron as proved in this episode) would have been just a way to midslead us, until a final cheap twist that would break the continuity of the character development for shock value (which wasn't the way Tolkien used to write). But the Tree was literally dying, and i wonder if it could have been poisoning. It seems like an opportunity Sauron wouldn't miss: destroying the entire community of elves of Lindon (which is also the most powerful of Middle Earth) with one stone.

I'm on the side who isn't sure Gil Galad and Celebrimbor weren't lying about the Mithril. I don't see how it can heal the Tree or share its power with all the elves, no matter the intensity of its light. it didn't seem to have this specificity when Elrond was holding it. Howewer we know because of Bilbo (hundred years later) that it can be transformed into very solid armors and swords for a potential coming war. It would thus explain why Celebrimbor needed a massive forge so quickly. Not (only) to make some artistic artefact to gain fame but to arm an entire nation of elves warriors (my speculations are all based on the appendices of LOTR just like the show, not the Silmarillion so there's plenty of my ideas that are partially spoilers free speculations).

I'm satisfied that Elrond got the same treatment that he inflicted on Durin last week. He learnt at least the lesson: that you don't try to manipulate friends, you tell them the truth and work with them to find a solution. I don't think he deserved their reconciliation scene: as beautifully shot as it was (a autumn decor with big rocks for Durin to sit on and think, and a forest of trees to quickly and softly heal his pain and bitterness and rekindle the trust), it's hard to forget that Durin did all the hard work (forgiving and helping). Elrond is lucky that Durin has such a good heart and still cares a lot about him. No matter how much he tries, and what he said to Gil-Galad about his dedication to his friends, i think that he will never be to Durin the real friend that Legolas was to Gimli.

That doesn't mean the elves are irredeemable. Even Gil-Galad, between two "fashion shows" where he looked like a superstar in his magnificent silk dresses, managed to share some really wise view of the world on hope (actually a central belief in Tolkien's work), that proved that he knows the real power isn't in a rare ore, no matter how magical it is, but in the moral quality of the people they use it and the relationship they can build. His presence during Durin/Elrond reconciliation scene and what he watched seemed to have satisfied him, and not only because of Durin's acceptation to help. He enjoyed the friendly way in which they both have lead this "negociation".

The scenes he shared with Durin were pure gold! I would watch without question a show in which in every episode Durin would find a new thing to "stole" from him, for Disa, until he finishes to refurnish their entire home. The dinner scene was a very nice light comedy moment (Gil Galad's face was the best thing! I hope Disa will enjoy her table), a rare moment of pure humor in the show.

[frodo-with-glasses]

Love this idea! Don't know if you've done them already, but Elrond and Gandalf, any or all of 1, 2, 4, 5, 12, 13, and 15?

Bold of you to assume I know how to stop being a perfectionist long enough to NOT answer every question I’m asked in a list 🤣🤣 Let’s go!

1. “When I think they became friends”

I answered this one here! TL;DR: I’m not sure when exactly, but I think it happened when Elrond noticed that Gandalf had Cirdan’s ring and went, “ooh, mutual friend”.

2. “My favorite scene of them”

It’s a tough race between a) the part where they worked together to make a magical river flood to protect Frodo and pwn some Ringwraiths and b) the part where Gandalf proudly declares in the middle of Elrond’s Very Serious Council how well he roasted Saruman’s wardrobe choice.

4. “My favorite thing about their friendship”

Powerful old dudes being powerful old dudes and loving the heck out of hobbits. They’d be cool enough if they were just one of the most powerful beings in Middle Earth and one of the oldest beings in Middle Earth hanging out and being bros, but the icing on the cake is how much they both adore these furry-footed little mortal smols. Elrond and Gandalf are basically walking around with the fate of the world on their shoulders, but they will absolutely take time out of their respective days to argue with old Bilbo Baggins for fun because it makes them happy and I think that’s beautiful.

5. “A scene I wish we had of them”

I already mentioned a couple of fun hypothetical scenes here, but I’d also like to see the conversation when Gandalf briefed Elrond on what was about to go down.

Gandalf: “The world is in danger. I’m sending you a hobbit.”

Elrond: *eyebrow raise* “Another one?”

Gandalf: “Yes. Related to the one you already have, actually.”

Elrond: “I see.”

Elrond, internally: :-D

Gandalf: “Also he brought friends, so actually you’ll be getting four more hobbits.”

Elrond: “Understood. Accommodations will be made.”

Elrond, internally: 8-D 8-D 8-D

12. “A word to describe them”

Venerable, adj: accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character.

13. “What I think would have happened if they had never met”

Oh dang. Uh. The world explodes??

I mean, it’s 2 AM and I’m too lazy to check the Appendices right now, but weren’t Elrond and Gandalf part of some kind of Council or something to help deal with Sauron’s reemergence early on in the Third Age?? If one or both of them were missing from that Council, the results could be catastrophic. (Especially if Gandalf were the one missing, if the wiki is anything to go by.) We might not even know the full extent of what people like Gandalf and Elrond were doing behind the scenes to resist Sauron; maybe their cooperation goes deeper than we know.

On a more practical level, if Elrond and Gandalf are never allowed to meet in the story, then Gandalf never sets foot in Rivendell. That means, first of all, that Frodo may or may not have died at the Ford, but just as catastrophically, we don’t get Gandalf’s side of the story during the Council of Elrond. That’s a huge chunk of information about the Ring and Sauron’s movements, gone. The Council is crippled and having to act on incomplete information. Also, assuming the Fellowship is formed anyway, Gandalf never joins it (unless he hops on board after they leave Rivendell, for some reason). But if Gandalf doesn’t join the party—yeah, nobody gets past Moria. They either freeze to death on the mountain, get eaten by wolves, become goblin shish-kabobs or a Balrog snack, or simply get throttled by the Watcher ‘cause no one else figured out how to get the door open.

If Elrond and Gandalf had never met, Middle Earth explodes. Easily.

15. “If I would want to be friends with them”

Sure, why not? They’re really cool! And if they’re chill with ridiculous little mortals like hobbits, they’ll probably be chill with me too. ;-P

FRIENDSHIP ASK GAME!

[imakemywings]

Why didn’t Durin’s Bane seemingly have any ambition of his own, like his fellow Maiar in Sauron or Saruman? Obviously Gandalf, Radagast and the Blue Wizards all had their own thing going on as well, but the Balrog was seemingly content to chill in Moria for thousands of years, for some reason? In theory, would the Balrog have been cognisant enough to seek rehabilitation in Valinor, as Sauron was offered during the First Age?

Anon, if you're one of the anons who's been here before, you ask some very interesting questions.

As with some of my past answers I think there are a few viable options.

a) You nailed it and Durin's Bane just did not really have much personal motivation or ambition, so without a leader he was directionless, but once Durin VI and then the Fellowship intruded on "his" territory, he was moved to action.

b) He was asleep, possibly dormant after the War of Wrath, and awakened by the activities of the Dwarves of Khazad-dum, and then later further disturbed by the Fellowship and the Orcs following them.

c) He had been weakened enough by Melkor's defeat/possibly injuries he received during the War of Wrath that he did not want to venture out into the world, but again, was still willing or motivated to defend what he saw as "his" space in Moria, either against Durin VI or the Fellowship.

The Tolkien Gateway appears to support (b), stating:

"For more than five millennia, the Balrog hibernated in his deep hiding place at the roots of the mountains in Khazad-dûm. He remained undisturbed throughout the Second Age and most of the Third, before the mithril-miners of dwarf-King Durin VI awoke him in T.A. 1980." (Tolkien Gateway, entry: Durin's Bane, section: Awakening and the Third Age)

But I pulled out my copy of The Return of the King to check the citation on this statement, and while it does say in the timeline of the Third Age that "A Balrog awoke" and slew Durin VI, it does not mention what Durin's Bane was doing prior to this. Appendix B says:

"1980: The Witch-King comes to Mordor and there gathers the Nazgul. A Balrog appears in Moria, and slays Durin VI." (Page 1087, 2020 hardback ed.)

So I'm not sure if Durin's Bane being "asleep" or "hibernating" during the Second Age is actual canon, or just an assumption/interpretation of the person who wrote that section of his article.

However, I do find it a plausible scenario. To your point, it seems unlikely he was just chilling down there for 5,000 years. Then again, time passes differently for Ainur, so it's not impossible. Most of Melkor and Sauron's creations seem to run rampant without direction, causing mayhem and destruction in their wake as their MO though, so I feel like if Durin's Bane had been awake, he would have made his presence known.

Furthermore, Gandalf himself uses the phrasing "awoke/awakened" when referencing the causes of Khazad-dum's downfall and the actions of the Dwarves, which I feel supports theory (b). The way Khazad-dum's destruction is framed certainly seems to evoke that they had disturbed a slumbering evil which might have otherwise continued to lay dormant.

I also think that Sauron and Saruman are perhaps exceptional in their ambition. They are both portrayed as extremely driven and ambitious and become over time very fixated on the growth of their own power and their own self-promotion. I'm not sure if this necessarily holds true for every Maia who was in service to Melkor or Sauron. For example, neither Gothmog nor Thuringwethil seem to have the same drive. Frankly, Gandalf and Radagast, while not layabouts, do not seem nearly that ambitious either, being more content to just explore Middle-earth and learn what they can, helping people along the way. So these may just be quirks of character, as with people.

As to whether rehabilitation is possible--that's a tougher question. Tolkien seems to imply, in my view, that the turning of a Maia to a Balrog is an irreversible kind of corruption. Why else is it that some of them are Balrogs, but others, like Sauron and Thuringwethil, are not? Sauron is offered a chance at redemption at the end of the War of Wrath, but there's no mention of the Balrogs. That could be because there were no Balrogs around, being either dead, dormant, or in hiding, but it may also be because they were too far gone. It may also be that they were offered it, but it wasn't mentioned because they were not as plot-relevant as Sauron, but I feel Tolkien would have at least dropped a sentence or two on it if they were.

But Tolkien also repeatedly emphasizes that anyone is capable of change, although they may not choose to do it. That's why Melkor and Sauron and Grima and plenty of others who we think perhaps should not have gotten a second chance got one anyway. So I'm not sure I would entirely rule out that Balrogs are capable of reforming and perhaps returning to their original Maiar state, but I would imagine it's very unlikely. However, if a Balrog asked for the chance to repent and change, I’m sure Manwe would allow it.

[laoih]

Since I haven't really stopped shaking my head about all the changes Amazon made when they adapted Tolkien's stories about the 2nd Age, I have also thought about how an adaptation with The Lord of the Rings appendices as a basis could be done differently.

The 2nd Age:

The Rings of Power and the Downfall of Númenor

I have many ideas abiut a possible adaptation of the 2nd Age that is closer to Tolkien's writings. However, I won't go into details because there exists a really good video about this.

Actually, if I only had the rights to The Lord of the Rings incl. the appendices and not to the 2nd age texts from Unfinished Tales and The Silmarillion, I probably would not go for the 2nd Age at all. The majority of Tolkien's writings about the 2nd Age is in texts outside of The Lord of the Rings, and if I would not be allowed to properly adapt Tolkien's 2nd age stories because of rights, then I would pick something else.

So instead, let's go to a promising time in the 3rd Age, since most information about the 3rd Age can be found in The Lord of the Rings.

The 3rd Age:

The Angmar War and the Fall of Arnor

Let's go to the years 1940-2050 of the Third Age. In this time

in Arthedain, Arvedui marries princess Fíriel and becomes King of Arthedain. But the kingdom is overrun by the armies of the Witch-king and eventually falls. Arvedui dies, but his son survives.

in Lindon and Rivendell, Círdan, Elrond and Glorfindel defend Eriador against Angmar, together with Arthedain.

in the Shire, the hobbits elect the first Thain.

in Moria, the Balrog awakens and the Dwarves flee, eventually establishing the kingdom in Erebor

in Lóthlorien, Nimrodel and Amroth fall in love and decide to travel south. On their travels, Nimrodel is lost, and Amroth drowns, and Galadriel and Celeborn take up rule in Lóthlorien.

in Gondor, the king and his sons are killed by invading Wainraiders. The next king sends his son Eärnur against the Angmar in the North, resulting in the defeat of the armies of the Witch-king. When the Nazgûl come to Mordor and take Minas Ithil, they challenge Eärnur and he is never seen again after accepting and meeting their challenge. The rule of the stewards in Gondor begins.

Why this part of Middle-earth's history?

110 years: Compared to the time compressed in Amazon's show, 110 years is basically nothing. If needed it could even be shortened to only 59 years from 1940-1999, and only the final confrontation of the Witch-king and Eärnur would be lost.

Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits and Men: All major races of Middle-earth are involved thanks to the presence of the Men of Arthedain and Gondor, the Elves of Lindon and Rivendell, the Dwarves of Moria, and the Hobbits in the Shire.

Many canon characters to pick from: Canon characters include Círdan, Glorfindel, Elrond, Celebrian Nimrodel, Amroth, Celeborn and Galadriel among the Elves, Durin VI, Náin I and Thráin I among the Dwarves, Bucca among the Hobbits, and Arvedui, Fíriel, Ondoher, Eärnil II, Eärnur, Aranarth and more among Men.

Antagonists can include the Witch-king and other Nazgûl, the Barrow-wights, the evil Men of Rhudaur, the Wainraiders, Orcs, and the Balrog.

Known elements to attract the casual viewer:

characters like Elrond, Celeborn, Galadriel and the Witch-king

places like Rivendell, Moria, Lóthlorien and Gondor

the exploration of the origin of the Rangers in Eriador

the exploration of the history of Minas Ithil

the beginning of the rule of the stewards in Gondor

the awakening of the Balrog

the palantíri

Not-yet-seen elements to surprise the viewers:

exploring of the kingdom of Arthedain including its characters, culture, and its capital Fornost

exploring the Elven realm of Lindon and getting to see some of Tolkien's famous Elves properly for the first time

exploring Moria before its fall

getting to know the kingdom of Angmar and its capital Carn Dûm

exploring the concept of Barrow-wights

exploring other Mannish cultures like the Wainriders and the Lossoth

Possible storylines to tell

Storylines from Tolkien's writings:

Arthedain

Prince Arvedui marries princess Fíriel of Gondor.

When Fíriel's father and brothers die, Arvedui claims Gondor's throne since by Númenorean law Fíriel would be ruling queen, but the claim is rejected. Arvedui becomes King of Arthedain after his father's death.

The threat of Angmar grows, and Arvedui asks Gondor for help. But Angmar attacks first and captures the capital of Arthedain, Fornost. Many flee to Lindon, but Arvedui holds out at the North Downs for a while before fleeing to the Dwarf-mines in the Blue Mountains.

Eventually Arvedui flees further North, reaching the Icebay of Forochel were he meets the Lossoth. When Círdan sends a ship to get him, he is warned by the Lossoth not to get on the ship but ignores the warning. The ship sinks in a storm, and all aboard die.

Before his death, he gave the Lossoth the Ring of Barahir to thank them. The Ring is later on ransomed by the Dúnedain.

the Shire

During the war, most of the Hobbits went into hiding.

Some Hobbit archers were sent in support of the King, but they never returned. Some Hobbits als went to the last battle at Fornost when Angmar was defeated.

The Hobbits elect Bucca as the first Thain of the Shire in the absence of a King in Arnor.

Lindon & Rivendell

Angmar is kept at bay for a while thanks to the Elves of Lindon and Eriador.

After the fall of Arthedain,Círdan learns of Arvedui's escape route from Arvedui's son Aranarth and sends a ship North, which never reuturns.

Círdan of Lindon and Glorfindel of Rivendell regroup with Eärnur of Gondor, and together their armies defeat the armies of the Witch-king at Fornost.

When the Witch-king flees Glorfindel foresees that he won't be killed by the hand of a man.

Aranarth decides for his son to be raised in Rivendell.

the Shire

During the war, most of the Hobbits went into hiding.

Some Hobbit archers were sent in support of the King, but they never returned. Some Hobbits als went to the last battle at Fornost when Angmar was defeated.

The Hobbits elect Bucca as the first Thain of the Shire in the absence of a King in Arnor.

Lóthlorien

The story of Amroth and Nimrodel, ending with Nimrodel being lost and Amroth dead.

As a result, Celeborn and Galadriel come to Lóthlorien and take up rule there.

Moria

The Balrog awakens in Moria and Durin VI is killed.

Náin dies a year after Durin VI, and the Dwarves flee Moria.

The Dwarves come to Erebor, where Thráin I establishes his kingdom.

Gondor

Gondor is attacked by Wainraiders, and King Ondoher and his two sons fall in the battle north of the Morannon. Eventually, the invasion is stopped under the leadership of Eärnil, Captain of the Southern Army.

After rejecting Arvedui's/Fíriel's claim to the throne, Eärnil is crowned King.

Vorondil, later steward of Gondor, hunts down the Kine of Araw and creates the Horn of Araw.

Eärnur, Eärnil's son, arrives in Anor by ship with the army of Gondor. Together with the Elves of Lindon and Rivendellhe attacks the Witch-king in Fornost. Angmar is defeated and the Witch-king flees, but humiliates Eärnur.

The Nazgûl come to Mordor and take Minas Ithil. The Witch-king then taunts and challenges Eärnur who is King by now. Eärnur accepts the challenge and rids out to meet him, but he is never seen again.

The stewards start ruling Gondor.

Possible storylines to develop:

Was Arvedui's and Fíriel's marriage a political marriage or did they marry out of love?

Did Fíriel survive, and if so, how and where?

How did Aranarth escape and where did he go? What was his relationship with Elrond that convinced him to have his son raised in Rivendell?

Who among the Dúnedain went North to Forochel to get the Ring of Barahir back?

How were the Hobbits in the Shire affected by the war against Angmar?

What was the story of the Hobbit archers at the last battle of Fornost?

What made the Hobbits elect Bucca as the first Thain?

What was Celebrían like and what was she up to at that time? Was she in contact with her parents? What where her children doing?

What was the relationship between the Elves of Rivendell and the remaining humans in Rhudaur?

Where were Celeborn and Galadriel before eventually going to Lóthlorien, and what where they doing?

What was the relationship of Durin VI and his son Náin I?

After the awakening of the Balrog and the death of Durin VI, the Dwarves remain in Moria for a while. Where they still unaware of the Balrog, were they trying to fight it, or were they just too stubborn to leave?

"All evil things were stirring" – was the balrog roused by the digging of the Dwarves or because Sauron's power was growing again in Mirkwood?

How did Nimrodel and Amroth fall in love with each other?

What happened to Nimrodel?

How where Galadriel and Celeborn received in Lóthlorien?

Who created the sword that would eventually kill the Witch-king in the battle of the Pelennor fields?

... and many many more.

An adaptation would probably profit from a little rearrangement of the timeline – for example having the Balrog awaken a couple of years earlier than it did so that the Dwarvish plotline can run at the same time as Arvedui's. Since it is only a couple of years, there are no noticable effects on events of characters – at best it even provides a reason why the Dwarves did not help the Elves and Arvedui against Angmar, and why the Elves of Rivendell could not provide any assistance against the Balrog.

... so, this was fun. 🙂 And I guess based on my current knowledge I should be happy that nobody attempts to mess up this fascinating part of the Appendices in any adaptation...

[hello-robin-goodfellow]

LOTR OC: MARIN

FRANCHISE/UNIVERSE: THE LORD OF THE RINGS PLACE OF ORIGIN: EREBOR SPECIES: DWARVE FACE CANON: ANNETTE BADLAND From the first generation of Dwarves born in Erebor after decades of nomadic life, Marin is the daughter of Dwalin with the dwarve Mana, and Balin’s niece.

Due to his long friendship with Dwalin, Glóin offered himself to be Marin’s godfather.

When Dwalin dissaperead, going to investigate the mistery of Moria with Balin and Nori, his wife Mana falled ill and died, so little Marin got raised by Glóin’s family, and she grows calling Glóin ‘uncle’ and Gimli ‘cousin’.

Marin was educated to be a modest and well behaved noble lady of Érebor. And while she is a sensitive romantic, who enjoys acts considered traditionally feminine, like dancing, music, cooking, gardening, sewing and jewelry making, she also has an adventurous curiosity and playfull personality.

One day, her uncle Glóin and Gimli travel for Rivendel to meet at the Councel of Elrond, and he decides to take Marin along because she always wanted to see the beauties of Rivendel and because he hopes that Marin and Gimli fall in love there to get married someday.

While Glóin is right about Marin getting overjoyed about the vision of Rivendel, she and Gimli don’t see each other as nothing but best friends/cousins, almost brothers. Wich gets Glóin a bit frustrated, but he soon conformes.

Marin’s attention is actually turned to the shy and wounded hobbit Frodo Baggins, the nephew of his uncle’s old friend and companion of adventures, Bilbo.

She starts teasing Frodo, blindfolding his eyes and calling him to play hide and seek games.

After sometime, Gimli and Sam Gamgee notice that Marin is flirting with Frodo, and they explain this to him, who while finded Marin atractive, was oblivious about her also feeling the same for him.

So, to start a conversation, Frodo takes a pomegranate to share with Marin, and while eating the fruit, Marin kisses Frodo’s cheeks. Frodo blushes, but them he gains courage to kiss Marin in the lips.

Glóin didn’t expect this romance between a dwarve and a hobbit, but since he likes Frodo and his uncle Bilbo, he gets happy for his niece.

When the counsel decides that Frodo will be the Ring Bearer and the Fellowship of the Ring will be formed, Marin volunteers to go along, taking her shield made of bronze and turtle’s shell. Her uncle Glóin is against it, wanting to take her to safety in Érebor. But, when Marin insists that she is determined to acompany her beloved Frodo, and the Fellowship (specially Gimli, Frodo and the other three hobbits) swear to protect her from harm, Glóin accepts her choice.

In the Mines of Moria, the Fellowship suffers the tragic loss of Gandalf at the hands of the Balrog.

Later, when they all arrival at Lothlórien, Marin searches for Frodo, and talks to him about her fear of anyone on the Fellowship dying at any moment since what happened at Moria, so she takes some line threads of her clothes and proposes that they exchange wedding vows at Lothlórien, making wedding rings of the threads.

They exchange this vows:

“With this ring, i thee wed: Marin.

With this ring, i thee wed: Frodo.

Now we are one.

Forever”.

And at night consumate them.

The time to live Lothlórien and sail the Anduin river to Minas Tirith arrives.

At the Anduim marges, when Frodo runs away from Boromir and the orcs attack, Marin is kidnapped by the orcs alongside Merry and Pippin.

Later, the trio is rescued by Threebeard and join the remaining Fellowship friends (with Marin reacting with surprise at seeing Gandalf reborn as the White Wizard) in their fight against Saruman and the Witch King’s armys.

During this time, Marin acts as a nurse for the troops, and prays for the safe return of Frodo and Samwise.

After the destruction of the ring, she is finally reunited with her beloved Frodo Baggins, and becomes the only person besides Samwise to learn about his failling in the destruction of the One Ring.

During the cellebration’s of Aragorn’s coronation and marriage to Arwen in Gondor, Marin and Frodo ask Gandalf to act as a priest and oficially bless their marriage, and them Gandalf makes an enchantment so that their rings, made of simple line threads, never be destroyed, because they are a simbol of love more precious than the Golden One Ring of Power.

During the Scouring and Reconstruction of the Shire, Marin uses the nursery abilities that she learned in the War of the Ring to help treat the wounded hobbits.

Some hobbit families are judgmental aggainst the marriage between Frodo and Marin, due to her being a dwarve, but neither of them care about the gossips.

ENDING I

One day, Gandalf comes to visit, and Marin faints during the dinner. Frodo fears that she is sick, but Gandalf thels them that actually Marin is not sick, but pregnant. Months later, she gives birth to a daughter, who is called Mithril Baggins, as an homage to the armour that kept Frodo alive.

Three years later, suffering from the phisical wounds and trauma he got during the war, Frodo takes the decision to sail into the Western Undying Lands in search of healing.

He gives goodbye to Marin and put on her hands a letter, that she must give to Mithril when she is 33 years old (the hobbit age of adulthood).

Marin decides to leave the Shire and raise Mithril in Crickhollow, where the neighbors are less gossipy and judgemental. When Mithril finally turns 33, Marin gives her Frodo’s letter, allong with his mithril armour, his sword Sting and her shield, and them leaves Crickhollow to the Gray Haven’s, where a boat to the Undying Lands awaits.

She sails to the West, and reunites with her beloved Frodo once and for all.

ENDING II

Frodo’s nightmares start around the time that Marin gets pregnant. To help her husband, Marin takes the risk of travelling on her own to the woods that take to Buckland, and in the woods she sings a song her husband told her:

“Ho! Tom Bombadil! Tom Bombadillo!

By water, wood and hill, by reed and willow.

By fire, sun and moon, hearken now and hear us!

Come, Tom Bombadil, For our need is near us”!

Tom Bombadil apears to her, and she asks if there is a way to heal Frodo’s pain and nightmares. Tom gives to Marin a bottle with the tears of his wife, Goldberry. Marin must mix three drops of her blood with those tears in a cup, and give to Frodo drink.

What she does, and it works.

Later, a few months after Rosie Cotton gaved birth to Elanor Gamgee, Marin gives birth to a daughter, called Mithril Baggins. Mithril is the oldest of her eight children with Frodo. The others are: Gimli Baggins, the twins Dwalin and Balin Baggins, Mana Baggins, Thorin Gandalf Baggins, Nori Durin Baggins and Priscilla Dandelion Baggins. *The Lord of the Rings belongs to the Tolkien State. *Marin belongs to me. *Annette Badland belongs to herself.

@superkingofpriderock @mademoiselle-princesse @johnnyclash87 @jgvfhl @anne-white-star @lioness--hart @hmmm-what-am-i-doing @amalthea9 @princesssarisa @ardenrosegarden

[caitlinsfandomthoughts]

A film fan’s reaction to reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time.

I’ve been a big fan of the Peter Jackson films (extended versions - nerd that I am) since I was about 11 and I think I know all of the big changes made in the adaptation: Arwen, Faramir, Aragorn falling off a cliff. I did read the first book around the same age (in the first of many waves of my lotr obsession) but I only really remembered Saruman of ‘Many Colours’.

However I have always wanted to properly know the book version of the story so finally started listening to an amazing full audio book reading by Steven Red Fox Garnett which I highly recommend:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwLvFU2onc7cPIEBee-_xMw

………………………………………………………………………………….

And here are my silly reactions and occasional analysis of the differences between book and film that I didn’t know about.  

The Fellowship of the Ring part six, one, two, three, four, five

The Great River:

Oh Boromir’s feeling tempted

The first time Sam sees Gollum, he tells someone (Frodo) and actually voices his suspicion that it IS Gollum. Frodo’s been seeing him since THE SHIRE, and probably suspected who it was since Moria? At least Lorien, but is like nah I’ll keep this info to myself. Oh Frodo you are too much like me.

Sam says he’ll watch for tonight but Frodo insists that he wake him during and they share the duty. I want to see more of this breaking down of class boundaries.

The build up to seeing Gollum has had legitimate tension in it that it doesn’t in the films so much as he is only seen once, or twice, I think twice. And every scene when he is ‘seen’ has been frightening, as has the Balrog and Moria in general. This is a credit to the book but I also wonder if these scenes in particular work well with the medium of audiobook. The times I have been listening to them have often been in bed at night with the lights off, so that adds to the experience.

TIME works differently in Lorien! Is this how elves experience the world? Is this how they live forever they’re just on a much slower timeline?

The third Aragorn-Boromir moment I miss from the film is when Boromir is actually trying to get Aragorn to face up to his duty to Gondor (I really love how he switches between ‘Gondor needs no king, and ‘Aragorn please come to Minas Tiriiiith it’s really preeeetty!’) and Aragorn says something like ‘I will not lead the ring within x leagues of your city.’ Film Boromir is currently filling the role of heir to the leadership of Gondor that Aragorn should be. His temptation by the ring is also a reason Aragorn is afraid of taking that role. The film not only makes Aragorn less perfect, but also weaves his and Boromir’s arcs together in a way I would’ve liked in the book.

 The Breaking of the Fellowship:

Boromir is not dead! What?! Boromir lives! Well for slightly longer than I thought, I really thought I knew all the changes like this but nope.

I mean, I probably wouldn’t really leave Frodo, the guy with the ring, alone when they know the enemy is close behind them, even for an hour but ok.

I like Boromir’s give me the ring speech, it’s similar to the film, but there is just more of it, he mostly comes off as genuinely believing his justifications rather than being power hungry, and they are pretty convincing, it’s easy to see why he would believe them. A couple of people just ‘simply walking into Mordor’ with no real plan and their most powerful and wise member of the group dead is really unlikely to work. He does eventually say that he would be king, but this doesn’t really seem to be his true motivation to me, it’s more the ring’s influence, I think he is more deeply moved by the fear that this plan will fail. I do actually love that idealism wins in the end and the message that using power, or a terrible weapon always corrupts. But I also love that Boromir isn’t strawmanned I guess, that you can see both points of view even when you ultimately only agree with one makes it a more compelling conflict.

Frodo take the ring off! Seriously though I do like that it is difficult to do that, it makes sense, and we get to hear that Frodo is fighting an invisible battle (while invisible himself hehe) when he puts the ring on, I think it is a little clearer here than the equivalent moment in the film.

It’s been way over the hour that Frodo said he needed and you still haven’t gone to see if he’s ok?!!!

Sam knows Frodo best, he knows why he would try to go on his own (for the sake of the others not in spite of them) and he also knows it’s a dumb idea and he needs someone/him. I also love that Sam is the first person Frodo thinks of when he thinks of the others he cares about, then Merry and Pippin, then ‘Strider’ I don’t think it necessarily would have been that way when they first set off.

Frodo you would be dead so many times over or just be in a cave somewhere with the ring if it wasn’t for Sam! Or really anyone, you need people. It’s interesting to look at it from a mental health lens, particularly the way the ring affects the hobbits. Frodo, was already a little bit of an outsider in the Shire, now with the ring he slowly has to battle more and more to maintain his sanity. Frodo doesn’t ask for help enough, he doesn’t tell anyone about Gollum, but Sam does (even if that person was just Frodo and not Aragorn) and now he thinks he’ll be better off on his own, with a combination of I can’t trust others, and those I do I don’t want to put them in danger, don’t want to burden them with my burden. And Sam is like, that’s not possible, no one can do that, you need people to help, especially given the burden you carry. I know that Sam is very influenced by the WWI batmen, and Frodo and Sam function as an idealised version of a master-servant relationship. But because I’m not a big fan of that I like seeing Sam’s relationship to Frodo as being that of a carer (as well as friend) in a mental health setting, through this lens he is a reminder to Frodo, the one figuratively struggling with his mental health, that you don’t have to, nor should you do it all alone.

And while I realise the reasoning of ‘I can’t go with the whole fellowship cause they’ll all go the way of Boromir’ is sound, I think Frodo takes it too far the other way by thinking he can/has to do it alone and I think we’re meant to see it that way, hence Sam.

Aragorn doesn’t see Frodo after Boromir does like in the film, although I liked this scene I think it works better without it, Aragorn letting Frodo go on his own seemed pretty unrealistic, and Frodo being assured that Aragorn can be trusted, unlike Boromir, lessens the believability of him deciding to go on his own. Here while they all give him way too much time to think given the danger, no-one seems to be saying we should let him go on his own, and they all rush off to find him when they realise he’s trying that. There’s more chaos as everyone goes off without listening to Aragorn, that’s a scene I would have liked to have seen in the film, and I think I’ll add it to my own personal collated headcanon.  

 *And that’s the end of book 1. I think I’ll post some final thoughts on it at some point then move onto the Two Towers*

[austerlitzborodinoleipzig]

Today is one of those “let’s think about Tolkien’s weird obsession with Second-of-his-name trope” days.

Because really, I still don’t know why but nearly half of Tolkien’s heroes, or characters of particular relevance to the plot/history of Middle-Earth are the second guys to wear that name. 

I mean,the most glaring exemple is Aragorn who is actually Aragorn II, son of Arathorn, you guessed it, II. And in Gondor you have Denethor II, son of Ecthelion II. Also fun fact, had Boromir been a Ruling Steward, he would have been called Boromir II. (Unrelated, but Boromir the first was a bit of a badass, and one of my favorite obscure characters). Thorin Oakenshield? Thorin the fucking second. And so is his cousin, Dain II Ironfoot. 

So I decided to sit down, reread LOTR’s appendices and see where that trend goes. 

So hereby is the (maybe not exhaustive list) of all the characters that wear the number II behind their names. 

Kings of Arnor and Chieftain of the Dunedain

Argeleg II and Arveleg II, no, they’re not father and son. Kings of the Arthedain. There’s nothing else about them, except that during Argeleb’s reign, there was the great plague of the Third Age, so that puts him above most of the other kings for relevance. 

Arahad II: chieftain of the Dunedain

Arathorn II: aka Gilraen’s husband

Aragorn II, son of Arathorn, Heir of Isildur

Interestingly, Arvedui, while an important figure, is the first and last of his name, but then again, I guess you can’t have two kings called “The Last One”. 

Kings of Gondor

Atanatar Alcarin, “The Glorious”, whose reign represents the summit of Gondor’s power. Guess what? He was Atanatar II

Romendacil II: okay this one is an interesting one, and one of my obscure faves. (Seriously, Gondor’s history is fascinating). Seemingly one the great kings Gondor had. Per ROTK, Appendix A he “was a man of great vigour, and in 1240 Narmacil, to rid himself of all cares, made him Regent of the realm.” Interesting because he’s the first and last Regent, Gondor apparently had. A sort of proto-Stewardship? Why was the title not used after that? But anyway, guy ruled Gondor, in his uncle’s, then father’s and finally in his own name. Also first one to reach out toward the Northmen, to conclude alliances with them. Invited some Northmen to serve in Gondor’s armed forces. Send his son and heir to Vidugavia’s court. So generally open-minded. Good captain, crushed the Easterlings. Also built the pillars of the Argonath. On the downside, his policy concerning the Northmen led to the Kin-Strife. 

Hyarmendacil II and Narmacil II : unremarkable

Eärnil II : penultimate King of Gondor. Also one the greats. See the pattern, yet?

Stewards

Belecthor II : under his office, the White Tree died. 

Turin II : built Henneth Annun

Ecthelion II, Denethor II, and Boromir would-have-been-II 

Durin’s Line

Technically there has been a Durin II, however, nothing is said about him. We know Durin III was given one of the Seven Rings, by Celebrimbor, and Durin VI awoke the Balrog in the Moria. 

Nain II : only thing we know is that his son, Dain I, was killed by a dragon.

And then come-on Tolkien, it’s getting ridiculous

Thrain II : died in Dol Guldur, 

his son Thorin II Oakenshield

Dain II Ironfoot, who ends up King under the Mountain.

Interestingly enough, all Kings of Rohan have a unique name. 

Same goes for the Kings of Numenor, except that there are two Amandil and Elendil, who bookend the Numenor era. 

Tar Amandil, second ruling King of Numenor and his son Tar Elendil.

And then we have the Lords of Andunië, Amandil and his son Elendil, who then becomes the first High King of the Numenoreans in exile. Both are descendants of Tar Amandil and Tar Elendil, through Elendil’s daughter, Silmariën. 

Also there’s King Bard II of Dale, succeeds his father during the War of the Ring.

[globalworship]

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday (Orthodox hymn)

Today a grave holds Him who holds creation in the palm of His hand. A stone covers Him who covers with glory the heavens. Life is asleep and hell trembles, and Adam is freed from his chains. Glory to Your saving work, by which You have done all things! You have given us eternal rest, Your holy resurrection from the dead."

— from a matins hymn for Holy Saturday (Orthodox Church)

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Image: the Harrowing of Hell—Christ pulls a sinner from death’s realm—portrayed on the baptismal fount of St. Mary Magdalene Church, Eardisley, Herefordshire, England.

+++

For most modern-day Protestants, Good Friday and Easter Sunday are of great importance, with the Saturday in between a sort of meaningless pause. However, for a great many Christians in the first millennium, Saturday was as important as Friday and Sunday of Holy Week. Holy Saturday was the ‘Harrowing of Hell.’ ‘Harrowing’ in modern English has the sense of ‘frightening’ but in the Early Middle Ages it was an agricultural term that referred to turning over soil in preparation for planting. Think about that, the ‘turning over’ of Hell to make it fruitful! In Early Medieval thought, throughout the Christian world, it was act two of a three-stage drama, and in fact it was the dramatic crescendo of Holy Week. Would you like to learn more about that? The following is a slightly adapted excerpt from my book Water from an Ancient Well published by Anamchara Books.

Jesus’s followers through the ages have understood that Christ’s work on holy week was that of atonement (think at-one-ment). As the Apostle Paul said, within decades of Christ’s death, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to God’s self” (2 Corinthians 5:19). But how was that marvelous work achieved? Through the ages there have been a variety of explanations.

The theory of atonement most Protestants hold today is that of “substitution.” It goes like this: all humans are sinners who deserve punishment, but God the Father chose to punish his Son in humanity’s place. While common today, this theory of redemption has only been popular since Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury promoted it around the year 1100, more than a thousand years after the birth of Christianity.

Christians in the Early Middle Ages understood Christ’s work differently; their understanding was commonly based on the perspective of the “Christus Victor” model of atonement. The Christus Victor premise was that Jesus’ death was not a legal settlement with God but rather a battle against the forces of darkness. Descending from the cross into the realm of death, Christ stepped into the arena where all of humanity confronts death and the other works of Satan. Like the bravest of knights, he fought with these terrifying enemies and was victorious; forcing them to release humanity from their grip. This theology is based on passages like Colossians 2:15: “And having disarmed the powers and authorities (evil spiritual powers), he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross,” and 1 John 3:8: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” Most specifically, 1 Peter chapter 3 tells of how Christ “having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit…went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits who once were disobedient.

The film Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers presents a powerful allegory, inspired by Christ’s descent into the lower realms. In the dark caverns of Moria, the wizard Gandalf (a Christ figure in Tolkien’s epic) stands against a fiery demon called the Balrog. As they grapple with each other, they both fall into a chasm, hurtling down into the Earth’s depths, clawing and slashing at one another as they descend. As the wizard and demon plummet into this dark and fiery underworld, Gandalf’s companions flee to safety. They are grief-stricken over Gandalf’s apparent death, but later in the story, he reappears, now dazzling white and possessing even greater powers than before. He has defeated the Balrog and emerged victorious. In the same way, early Christians imagined Christ dying, battling with Satan in the nether realms, and then rising as the victorious hero. This epic battle—the point where humanity’s salvation was actually achieved—occurred in the ‘Harrowing of Hell’ on Holy Saturday.

Christians in the Early Middle Ages not only studied the Christian scriptures but also other Christian writings, and the monks of the ancient Iona monastery included The Acts of Pilate among the treasured documents of their library. In this book, the Harrowing of Hell is recounted in vivid pictures. Satan rushes to hell after Christ’s death on the cross, “fleeing in fear” as Christ pursues him. When Christ reaches hell’s gates, he demands, “Open thy gates that the King of Glory may come in.” The demons refuse him entrance, but then “suddenly Hell did quake, and the gates of death and the locks were broken small, and the bars of iron broken, and fell to the ground, and all things were laid open.” Christ then frees a jubilant crowd of captives. Afterward, “all the saints of God besought the Lord that he would leave the sign of victory—even of the holy cross—in hell, that the wicked ministers thereof might not prevail to keep back any that was accused, whom the Lord absolved. And it was so done, and the Lord set his cross in the midst of hell, which is the sign of victory; and it shall remain there forever” (italics mine).

For the ancient Celts and Saxons, the cross was a symbol of Christ’s heroic and eternal victory over hell and death. They believed if they descended to the very depths of hell, they would find the cross waiting for them, offering them hope and salvation even there. The psalmist wrote, “If I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there” (139:8 KJV), and the Apostle Paul was “convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love” (Romans 8:38 NLT).

Text and art from this FB page: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154110049323217&set=a.10150130312383217&type=3&theater

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What did Jesus do on Holy Saturday? https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/what-did-jesus-do-on-holy-saturday/2012/04/02/gIQATLMSrS_story.html

[chiliadicorum]

Only Seven Balrogs

I’m writing this because I know people might argue what I was talking about in my last post, in that I’m completely wrong or mistaken because there were a ton of Balrogs and way more than two were killed pre-LotR and “just look at the early writings!” Obviously, what I have to say is in adherence with Tolkien’s statement that “There should not be supposed more than say 3 or at most 7 ever existed.” [HoME Annals of Aman, section 2 X.80]

When dealing with earlier canon and determining if it’s legit or not, I follow a simple rule: if it’s contradicted by later canon, or if Tolkien outright dismisses or changes it, then it’s no longer viable. Believe me, if early canons weren’t overthrown by the later, more established canon, the earlier battle of Utumno would be hardcore canon for me through and through. Along with the original conversation between Thingol and Beren, to name a few (especially the original conversation between those two). But they’re not, because Tolkien revised them and made new decisions about them. 

Arda originally had a very different shape and structure, but that was changed. Beren was an Elf, but that was changed. Mermaids, however, which can be found in the early writings, were never contradicted or dismissed and so I still believe they exist in Arda. In the early writings it was said that Melkor ripped the wings off Eagles when they wouldn’t tell him what he wanted, and since nothing contrary was ever later written, that specific canon is still canon to me. Hence why, in my Glorfindel essay, even though his duel with the Balrog is in those early writings, I still consider it legitimate canon because there’s nothing to contradict it (indeed, his slaying a Balrog carried on into the later lore). Determining what to use from the early mythology can be very difficult precisely because not every thing was rejected.

But Tolkien’s Balrogs cannot claim the same stability in the lore as Glorfindel’s story. 

For one, those who study the lore will have noticed how the actual number of Balrogs fluctuated and decreased as Tolkien’s conception of his world evolved. Secondly, those earlier Balrogs weren’t even Maiar (so if we’re to accept the idea of the Balrogs being numerous as canon, shouldn’t we also accept that they’re not Maiar, just another type of creature Morgoth created?). In the early writings, there were hundreds of Balrogs and in other accounts, they numbered in the thousands and people were killing them left and right (Ecthelion being one of those people, along with Tuor). 

But in the “finalized” lore, if you will (namely the time of the published Silmarillion), the Balrogs were no longer creations of Morgoth, but Umaiar and far more powerful and dangerous and destructive. And so that’s why it becomes much more impressive that Glorfindel and Ecthelion both slew a Balrog each, why their notoriety and praise is as great as it is.

I accepted Tolkien’s later statement(s) about the Balrogs on their own, but those rather large revisions made to the Balrogs themselves also convinced me that limiting the number to seven or to at least a very small amount was certainly Tolkien’s last intention regarding those demons.

Because here’s the rub: I don’t personally believe there were only seven Balrogs. As in, only seven Balrogs ever. Even though Tolkien uses that word “ever”, but I’m inclined to believe that’s from Elven perception (I’ll address that in a moment). I don’t really believe there were thousands or even hundreds, but certainly dozens before the construction of Arda began. Or maybe there were hundreds, I don’t know (the host of Maiar coming into Ea was never numbered). But I like to believe that the Valar/Maiar defeated those numerous Balrogs before the Awakening of the Elves. The Wars of the Valar lasted thousands upon thousands upon thousands of years, and I find it highly believable that those Balrogs were battling against the Ainur alongside Melkor and that the majority of them were defeated. And that those remaining seven or dozen or whatever escaped into the World no less than Sauron did (twice) where they then fell asleep for like five Ages.

That’s why, in my post, I said there were “only seven Balrogs”, in that at the very least, Elves/Men/Dwarves only knew of the existence of seven of them. They were only aware of seven. Only seven were ever seen, that kind of thing. I mean, it doesn’t explicitly say that all the remaining Balrogs awoke at Melkor’s call. Some could in fact still be sleeping! (that certainly seemed to be the case for the Balrog in Moria lol) So no, I don’t believe that there were only ever seven Balrogs or that only seven remained in Arda (I’d say a dozen, maybe two at most). But that only seven took part in Morgoth’s siege of Beleriand? Yes. That I believe. Maybe only seven woke up at Melkor’s scream.

The reason I said I suspect it might be from Elven perception is simply me accounting for the bias/limited perspective the history was written with. That, and Tolkien also talks a little bit later about the Maiar who followed Melkor and those who became Balrogs, and those Maiar were more than a few: 

“For of the Maiar many were drawn to his splendour in the days of his greatness, and remained in that allegiance down into his darkness”

Tolkien then made an additional note, consisting of:

“These were the (ealar) spirits who first adhered to him in the days of his splendour, and became most like him in his corruption [Tolkien then proceeds on to name and describe the Balrogs]”

That’s why I suspect there were more Balrogs than seven, because the subject of all this is the Balrogs and the mention of the Maiar and their corruption were listed as being “many”. Thus, why I partly think many Balrogs did actually exist in the beginning but were defeated until only seven remained at the time of the Awakening of the Elves, when the Children’s own timeline began. 

However, I could be and am possibly very wrong and we should be taking Tolkien’s use of “ever” literally since it is in fact a footnote that was written by him and not Pengolodh. And it does make sense if there truly were only ever seven. Taking into account how unique Balrogs were based on what Tolkien later wrote (most noticeably in The Later Quenta Silmarillion (I) MR.165 §18, where those quotes above comes from), I can’t think of a good reason not to take Tolkien literally with that. Though Melkor corrupted others into his service and “bred many other monsters” after indwelling Arda, the Balrogs were ever Melkor’s greatest “weapon” (or of his greatest) and like in many military ventures, the greater or more valuable something is, the less there is of it.

To go on a small tangent, part of me theorizes that those hundreds of monsters were renamed to what was conceived in the later lore as the Boldogs: 

"the name of a kind of creature: the Orc-formed Maiar, only less formidable than the Balrogs[...]Morgoth had many servants, the oldest and most potent of whom were immortal, belonging indeed in their beginning to the Maiar; and these evil spirits like their Master could take on visible forms. Those whose business it was to direct Orcs often took Orkish shapes, though they were greater and more terrible." [HoME Myths Transformed X.418]

Their description certainly fits the earlier stature of the Balrogs. Boldogs are canon and their numbers aren’t given, so maybe that’s where that big number of monsters went? This is only a theory, and one I don’t fully commit to.

Anyway.

By all means, everyone believe what he or she chooses! I know in the end, nothing in the lore is 100% concrete (thanks a lot, Tolkien), but I’m just trying to explain where I’m coming from and my thought process behind this. I’ve studied the lore and its infuriating contradictions so much that, for the sake of writing fanfiction and metas and hcs and stuff, I finally just developed that rule, which has so far stood the test of time, at least for me. 

[garden-ghoul]

fellowship of the bloggening, part 7

“I actually checked this time and it’s totally part 7″

THE BRIDGE OF KHAZAD-DUM

Gandalf finds a bloodstained book by Balin’s tomb, and Tolkien makes it his mission to recreate as accurately as possible the experience of reading a partial text that needs Deciphering. Because he’s a nerd. The book is basically a family diary that recounts how things went for Balin & co since they came to Moria 30 years ago.

'I fear their end was cruel. Listen! We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the Bridge and second hall. Frár and Lóni and Náli fell there. Then there are four lines smeared so that I can only read went 5 days ago. The last lines run The pool is up to the wall at Westgate. The Watcher in the Water took Óin. We cannot get out. The end comes, and then drums, drums in the deep. The last thing written is in a trailing scrawl of elf-letters: they are coming. There is nothing more.'

I’m endeared, because this is exactly the kind of thing I wrote in my journals when I was 12 because I thought it sounded impressive--that semi-poetic repetition of we cannot get out and the “trailing scrawl” at the end where you can see someone was trying to run away while writing. I really want dwarven record-keeping to be a specific poetic form, I want every kind of writing to have a specific poetic form, up to and including sales receipts.

As the company is leaving the records chamber they hear the doom, doom of enormous drums (have always loved that as an onomatopoeia). Legolas and Gimli, the nerds, immediately quote from the ominous text they just read, to express their fear, and at the same time the hypothesis that whatever killed Balin’s guys is coming for them. Very elegant use of echolalia! But it does make them sound, like nerds.

They are attacked by orcs, bla bla, the hobbits are surprisingly courageous and good at fighting! Well, Frodo and Sam are. We hear nothing of valiant deeds performed by Merry and Pippin. They flee out the other door of the records chamber; Gandalf stays behind to do something--I thought he was sealing the door with magic, but he says he was nearly defeated by something up there? It did a magic battle with Gandalf over the lock of the door, which is terribly exciting but left our wizard exhausted. When the door exploded, something “dark as a cloud” was obscuring the room. One point for my firesmoke balrogs. Anyway, we reach another hall, one level below the west gate (I love how Gandalf is carefully narrating exactly where they are). This hall has familiar pillars carved into the shapes of enormous trees. I assume it’s one of Tolkien’s imagery obsessions, but still I’m adding it to the Menegroth-Angband-Mandos trifecta of places to face one’s doom. Doom, doom, say the drums in the deep. The company moves on to the narrow bridge over a Hella Pit, designed to be difficult and unsafe for enemies to cross.

Also there’s this really neat balrog description:

What it was could not be seen: it was like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man-shape maybe, yet greater. It came to the edge of the fire and the light faded as if a cloud had bent over it. Then with a rush it leaped across the fissure. The flames roared up to greet it, and wreathed about it; and a black smoke swirled in the air. Its streaming mane kindled, and blazed behind it.

So basically balrogs look like a cloud of black smoke concealing an enormous humanoid form, but their dash attack is rocket powered. Also later it says that it has wings that span the entire hall. Very cool, but not as cool as walking tripod jellyfish things that whip out tendrils of fire to sting people.

Gandalf faces the balrog on the bridge, cuts its flaming sword to pieces (hell yeah). And he makes a stopping-spell so powerful that his staff shatters as the spell takes effect, cutting the bridge in two. But as we know he gets dragged into the pit. The company flees into daylight, scattering terrified orcs before them, and then once they’re out of bowshot of the walls they all stand there weeping.

Will our heroes make it to

LOTHLORIEN?

Tune in right now to find out! Or, in a little while. Aragorn says, enough crying we have lots to do. Gimli takes a brief detour to see Dimrill Dale’s biggest tourist spot, the location where Durin first looked into the Mirrormere and saw a prophetic vision of himself becoming an eternal king. You can actually see the jewels in his crown down there “till he wakes.” Um. What? What are those? Ah also Gimli really really wants Frodo, specifically, to see this with him. He knows Frodo is a history nerd. I love him.

Anyway they hike until they get to Lorien; it being winter, the leaves on the trees are gold. Thanks Galadriel for acknowledging that seasons exist, kinda. Legolas notes that a “secret power” protects the wood, although apparently nobody knows what it is (Nenya). Boromir is less happy to be here, because in Gondor the rumor is that nobody who walks into the Golden Wood ever walks out. Probably because y’all aren’t exactly elf-friends.

'Perilous indeed,' said Aragorn, 'fair and perilous; but only evil need fear it, or those who bring some evil with them.’

Stares at Aragorn. Stares at the Ring, the most evil artifact left in the world. Stares at Aragorn again. Anyway they walk until they find the river Nimrodel, which Legolas says brings healing to the weary. So he paddles in it for a bit. When they make camp he sings about Nimrodel and her beau, but breaks off, saying that he forgot the rest. When did elves become able to forget things? This new?

Then there’s a long passage that I forgot to blog because it was really engagingly written, but basically our heroes meet some Lorien elves and hang out in treehouses for a while, Legolas and Gimli argue about why the Lorien elves distrust dwarves so much, and the party takes a stroll. Everyone gets un-blindfolded and Frodo and Sam talk a bunch about how dreamlike and unchanging Lorien is. Sounds like a terrifying place. There’s also an element of “echoes of the past” here; Frodo hears the sea and calls of extinct seabirds from on top of Amroth’s Hill. The implication is that Lorien has been unchanged for thousands of years, and Frodo feels it will remain that way forever.

THE MIRROR OF GALADRIEL

We enter the one and only city in Lothlorien, Caras Galadhon. This city is unique not only in that all the buildings are trees, but also in the fact that our heroes can’t see anyone there. They hear people moving around, talking, and singing, but they don’t see anyone. This implies some kind of very interesting culture, I’m sure. Well, when they get to the throne room or whatever, Celeborn greets each of the travellers by name, as if to impress upon them that he already knows everrrrythingggg. Galadriel is silent and scary until it’s time to correct her husband on the reason Gandalf isn’t here. The tale of Gandalf’s fall is told; Celeborn is so ready to blame dwarves for this, because he is as racist as ever, but Galadriel chides him for it like she always does. She speaks of Khazad-dum and environs in dwarvish, possibly for the purpose of flirting with Gimli, and they smile at each other.

He rose clumsily and bowed in dwarf-fashion, saying: 'Yet more fair is the living land of Lórien, and the Lady Galadriel is above all the jewels that lie beneath the earth!’ 

Did you have to put in ‘clumsily.’ We get it, he’s not an elf. Whatever. Gimli and Galadriel are cute, she’s trying very hard to show everyone that she’s less racist than her husband. I also want to appreciate how people keep using “before the fall of Gondolin and Nargothrond” as a very specific time measure. I’m guessing that that’s what people say when they mean “in the First Age” but don’t want to, uh, ruin immersion by being specific.

Our heroes get some much-needed rest. They sleep a lot and go for constitutionals among the trees. Legolas goes out to a lot of elf-ragers or something, and gradually starts bringing Gimli with him. Oh, you finally noticed he’s a real stand-up guy, huh? Well, it’s nice that they’re both making friends.

Later Galadriel fetches Frodo and Sam to look into her magic mirror. They see various things. Frodo last sees the Eye of Sauron, and Galadriel does a little speech about how she uses Nenya to defend Lothlorian from his eye and his mind.

‘Do you not see now wherefore your coming is to us as the footstep of Doom? For if you fail, then we are laid bare to the Enemy. Yet if you succeed, then our power is diminished, and Lothlórien will fade, and the tides of Time will sweep it away.’

Oho! So the Three do draw a good portion of their power from the One, even though Celebrimbor tried his best to make them independent. That must have taken some doing, forging a magic that would subjugate all free rings. I like to think that he had to put a constraint of rings only on it, in order for it to be strong enough to stand against Celebrimbor’s work. Also:

‘We must depart into the West, or dwindle to a rustic folk of dell and cave, slowly to forget and to be forgotten.'

Mmm perfect memory as maybe a First Age thing specifically; perfect memory that depends on the state of the world and maybe even the blessing of the Valar and their presence on the same planet. I friggin dig it. Frodo also offers Galadriel the Ring--one passing that I have to assume the Ring is actually encouraging, rather than its normal unwillingness to leave any one owner. Galadriel does her speech about what will happen if she gets the Ring. I read it as kind of a warning/intimidation tactic honestly. In the movie they portrayed it as a power trip and her being tempted, but I think she already finished tempting herself long ago and decided not to take it. The test she speaks of here isn’t a test of wisdom, it’s a test of willpower in sticking to the decision she already made.

[spirit-science-blog]

If you’re a fan of any kind of Fantasy, you undoubtedly know about Lord of the Rings, with its beautiful story, complex characters, and its imaginative and colorful world. The significance of Lord of The Rings for the fantasy and sci-fi genres as a whole cannot be understated. If you were to ask any Fantasy writer, chances are most today would cite Tolkein as an influence in some way. His worldbuilding, personalities, and character archetypes have influenced nearly every corner of literature profoundly.

To be honest, when sitting down to write this episode, it was a DAUNTING task. There’s so much in the lore of Middle Earth, including its expanded universe, where do you even start? In case you didn’t already know, not only was Tolkein influenced by many religious, spiritual, philosophical, and even metaphysical sources, but there are also numerous underlying spiritual messages in his works that hold great wisdom if you know where to look and how to apply it. So let's dive into the Hidden Spirituality of Lord of the Rings!

Intro

To start with, since there’s so much to cover, we should point out that we’re going to be doing it on a movie/book by book basis, starting with this episode on the Fellowship and ending with Return of the King to wrap it up. Hey, we might even include the Silmarillion for all of the nerds out there who want to explore Numenor and Eru Illuvatar!

Now, at its heart, the central theme of LoTR is the quest. On its surface, we see a kind of normal fantasy thing. In essence, the heroes have to overcome the Dark Lord by going on this great journey of self-discovery to conquer the darkness both in the world and within themselves. With Lord of the Rings, it is depicted through the temptation of the One Ring, and the journey to save Middle Earth from its destruction.

But where LoTR begins to get interesting is when you look at the actual pacing of it. The story is completely flipped on its head compared to your average story trope. See, the heroes are not seeking a “treasure,” but are questions to destroy one instead. If we were to look at this same story from Sauron's point of view, the tale is a quest, with Sauron trying to get the treasure back, with the evil Black Riders replacing the traditional "errant knights seeking the holy of holies." The movie begins with a bit of backstory, giving us an awareness of the rings, and the races. We learn about the villain, Sauron, who forged the rings of power and delivered them to the leaders of the tracks who could be controlled, humans, elves, and dwarves. These rings, bestowing power to the bearers, also binds them to the dark lord, which sets the spiritual tone of the story - the idea that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and the deception that evil will use to trap others. In giving these rings to the leaders of the three races, Sauron essentially puts his hold on the world.

But as Sauron's power grows, some fight back, and we see the fall of Sauron at the hands of Isildur, but who is unable to destroy it - another powerful lesson for us still, the temptation that power has over us. What could this ring represent? The story says that into the ring, Sauron poured his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate all life. And so the ring ultimately comes to represent these qualities in the form of greed. This can be reflected in our daily lives as any kind of temptation, such as money, fame, sex, all of which can be used to subjugate or manipulate others into doing what you want. In addition to this, the ring bestows the wearer with invisibility, providing a false sense of security, which we can also see in this idea of greed - for as you generate more money or fame or what have you, it gives you this sense of security, but real security - as the story also teaches us, comes from the connections that we have with our friends and family.

One of the things that Sauron creates is feelings of absolute despair through facilitating the creation of evil forces, such as manipulating Saruman, to do his bidding in creating an army of orcs and uru-kai. Gandalf, on the other hand, has the reverse power, supporting others to resist the temptation of despair, and rekindling hope and courage wherever he goes. That Tolkien was conceiving these works during England’s darkest days during World War II, gives a unique context to this power to resist fear and despair.  

It would also seem that Tolkein uses this narrative, especially the easily swayed humans, to describe the over-inflated ego and the dangers of what can happen when your desire and ambition are left unchecked. From this viewpoint, it appears that the Fellowship is on a quest to destroy the ego and ultimately free the world from the dark influence of desire and temptation. Tolkien had lived through two world wars, including the "routine bombardment" of civilians, the use of famine for political gain, concentration camps, and genocide, and the development and use of chemical and nuclear weapons, and so much of this story, although based in a different world than ours, is very much rooted emotionally and contextually in severe and real events in history.

The story raises the question of whether, if the ability of humans to produce that kind of evil could somehow be destroyed, even at the cost of sacrificing something, would it be worth doing.

Now, if any of this talk of desire, temptation and evil sound familiar, that’s because Tolkein was devoutly Catholic, a trait which he admitted to having been a profound influence on his writings. While it is interesting that he never included a direct form of religion in his main body of work, the themes, moral philosophy, and cosmology of The Lord of the Rings reflect his Catholic worldview. Christian items are ever-present in much of his work, more so in the later books -especially return of the king, which we will cover when we get there, many of the ideas focus around death, resurrection, forgiveness, grace, repentance and of course, free will.

Even Tolkien himself said, "Of course God is in The Lord of the Rings. The period was pre-Christian, but it was a monotheistic world," and when questioned who was the One God of Middle-earth, Tolkien replied, "The ONE, of course! The book is about the world that God created – the actual world of this planet." Delving a bit deeper into the language of Middle Earth, even the name itself comes from the Norse Midgard - which was the name for our earth.

The influence of Norse Mythology for Tolkein was HUGE. There are some excellent videos out here on YT that talk about the Mythology of LoTR, so if you want to go deeper, we recommend looking this up. Everything from the characters to the environments is rich in symbolic meaning.

Let’s take Gandalf, for instance. Speaking purely from Tolkein’s point of view, Gandalf was mostly based off of the Norse God Odin Who is a bit different from the Marvel version you’re probably familiar with. Odin, in Norse Mythology, is described as "The Wanderer," an old man with one eye, a long white beard, a wide-brimmed hat, and a staff. Tolkien, in a 1946 letter, nearly a decade after the character was invented, wrote that he thought of Gandalf as an "Odinic wanderer." Much like Odin, Gandalf promotes justice, knowledge, truth, and insight. His battle with the Balrog in the Mines of Moria was meant to mirror that of the fight with Surtr spiritually, the Fire Giant in Norse Mythology, with the ensuing collapse of the Bridge of Khazad Dum mirroring the prophesied destruction of the Bifrost during Ragnarok.

Interestingly though, it should be said that Ragnarok was not seen as the end of the world as it is often thought, but rather the beginning of a new cycle, and this is essentially what happens in the Fellowship, with the fall of the Balrog and the collapse of the bridge, it gives way for the journey to unfold. Gandalf had to fall to be reborn as a higher, more ascended, and powerful being than he was before.

As we looked at, there are several key races in the story, which seem to spiral around the elements. This is not spelled out directly by Tolkien. Still, it would appear as though the humans reflect the element of Fire, showing their passionate ways, leadership qualities, and also a bit of their destructive power, and even in Return of the King we see that it is time for humans to take the throne as the new world leaders, further reflecting the fire being the closest to the Godhead in the alchemical systems. The Dwarves are Earth for probably obvious reasons, the Elves are Air with their both living in the trees, their precision, their mental acuity and awareness of the world, and Hobbits as Water - being natural, flowing, and most importantly, nurturing qualities, a trait that is often described as the highest form of the divine feminine, manifested through the alchemical element of water, or the emotional body. If we were to count wizards and orcs, we would see angels and demons join the fray with the aspects of Aether and Voidness, the latter of which stands for lack of substance.

Now speaking of Hobbits - the Shire itself represents an idyllic haven, where the hobbits live in harmony with nature and each other, creating an environment of peace, love, and pleasure. Even though not all hobbits get along and are mainly stuck in their ways, their ways are that of connection with the spirit of the earth. In many ways, living in the shire might be what we would think would be the end goal for many characters, a peaceful haven where evil doesn’t exist, reminiscent of the English Countryside.

We also see some new numerology here. As the story opens, we see Bilbo celebrating his eleventy-first birthday, which in the book just so happens to be on the same day as Frodo celebrating his coming of age birthday, as he turns 33. In Sacred Numerology, 111 signifies manifestation and prosperity. This number's central symbolism is manifesting thoughts into reality and is also said to symbolize awareness, uniqueness, motivation, and spiritual awakening. This makes sense as shortly after Bilbo’s celebrations; he slips away to go on a new journey in his life.

Frodo’s age is also hugely significant, as 33 in Christian numerology is the age Jesus was when he was crucified in the year 33AD. We might even go as far as to say that no number holds more esoteric significance than “33.” The number three is significant in all major religions, with there being a Trinity for Christians and even a trinity of Goddesses or Deities in many ancient cultures. The number 33 was also crucial to secret societies and is often concealed within significant literary works. There are even 33 degrees in modern Freemasonry. At the Vatican, there are 32 archways on each side of the courtyard with a giant obelisk in the middle, and the Pope’s cassock has 32 buttons with his head representing the 33rd.

Furthermore, the first Temple of Solomon stood for 33 years before being pillaged. Alexander the Great also died at 33, and Pope John Paul I was murdered after being in power for only 33 days. And if that wasn’t interesting enough, in the movie we see all of this happen on the 22nd of September! So all together, we have 111, 22, and a hidden 33.

When we first meet Bilbo and Gandalf, Bilbo is unwilling to give up a ring, a sign of being unable to let go of his worldly attachments and temptations. Eventually, after much persuasion from the Wizard, he gives it up and is relieved of a considerable burden, symbolic of him reducing his ego of its duty. When Gandalf returns later on to visit Frodo, he casts the ring into the fireplace, revealing the engraved Elvish Script. Isn’t it remarkable how the Black Speech of Mordor can be so beautiful and yet so evil at the same time? It's a scenario reminiscent of Lucifer, who was said to be the most beautiful of God’s angels, don’t you think?

Along with the strength of will, the value of wisdom is also integral to the underlying spirituality of The Lord of the Rings. Although I’m sure Tolkien never intended it this way, we find the elves to be the embodiment of and reminiscent of Taoist wisdom. Like the Taoist sage, the elves, for the most part, are free of the discontent that so affects humans. They love the natural world and govern their lives in harmony with it. They dedicate their creative powers to fashioning things of beauty that enhance the natural world without damaging it. Their dwellings bring to mind the houses in the tremendous Taoist landscapes — habitations in harmony with their environment. All of this, like the ideal government of the Tao Te Ching, is so at odds with our actual world that “fantasy” is an apt term for it. But it does bring to mind the kind of world, beings who were born with inner contentment might create. And in doing so reminds us of the degree that the world we have created is carried of our discontentment.

Leading up to their meeting in Rivendell, Frodo is stabbed by a Nazgul blade that begins to slowly infect him, which Aragorn says can only be healed by Elven Magic. If we look at it from a higher perspective, the Nazgul are creatures of Necromancy, fueled by dark magic and hatred. By being stabbed, perhaps that hatred and despair begin to enter Frodo slowly, but given that Elven magic is born solely out of love and compassion, it is the only thing that can heal a wound of fear and hatred. Much like our current situation, love is the sole real remedy for anxiety. It is no coincidence that Frodo meets Bilbo here again, as the environment itself is one of healing and repentance.

Now the first book and movie are called the Fellowship of the ring, and on a base level, it arguably represents the bonds of brotherhood and family and this idea that no one race is better than another. In this, we find that even once enemies can become friends, such as Legolas and Gimli. Although the fellowship was not meant to last, the establishing of this shared intention between all of them is ultimately what allows the entire story to transpire once they reach Rivendell.

During the council of Elrond, we see that the presence of the ring and the conversation stirs everyone to arms with each other. And honestly, if each of them tried to destroy the ring on their own, they would all fail and ultimately become corrupted by it. The only one who can do it is Frodo because he represents the purity and innocence of the natural soul, and even then, the ring still gets to him slowly but surely by the end. Nevertheless, only by having a united Fellowship made up of each of the world’s races can they hope to succeed. There is undeniably a lesson is cooperation here, only by working together and lifting each other when we can accomplish something seemingly impossible, and this is an excellent lesson for us to recognize in the world today. There is more power in unity than in separation. From a spiritual perspective, perhaps the experience here is that by creating and maintaining an environment of mutual trust and harmony and working together and creating a space for that kind of movement and growth to occur can we too “do the impossible” and curb our desires and egos, allowing us to exist in harmony with our world, collectively.

Also, it is impressive that the Fellowship numbers nine people (2 humans, an elf, a dwarf, four hobbits, and a wizard), along with their being 9 Nazgul. There's probably some strong numerology in there somewhere, as 9 is a very significant number numerologically. But for now, let's just say the two “groups” create a sense of balance, one for one.

Throughout the story, we also see the theme of personal sacrifice, over and over. I wonder if this was inspired by Tolkiens own spirituality, reflecting Jesus - who gave his own life because it was what must be done. Frodo went on the journey to take the Ring to Rivendell, and then to Mount Doom, sacrificing his old life, his old way of being, and things would never be the same again for him.

Further, Gandalf decided to allow Frodo the choice to take either the Mines or Mountains after leaving Rivendell, a decision which ultimately led to Gandalf’s death and Christ-like resurrection. While the majority of these scenes take place in the next film, it is significant that Gandalf dies his purpose, protecting and guiding the others. In doing so, he is allowed to return by the One as a much more leveled up Gandalf the White, taking the place of Saruman as the benevolent white wizard. The color symbolism here cannot go unmentioned, as his transition from Grey to White is arguably symbolic of him “shedding the veil of the night” (to quote our good friend Thoth in the Emerald Tablets) and becoming a real ascended being. This transition into ascension is also present with Galadriel in Lothlorien towards the very end of the film. For people who have only seen the movie version of The Lord of the Rings, we see a little context for Galadriel’s actions and words after she resists taking the ring. Even the book version does not provide the full context. But in the appendices at the end of The Return of the King and in The Silmarillion, we learn that Galadriel’s character flaw is the desire for power. This flaw she shares with her ancestors, who were exiled from the Far West due mainly to their pride and aggression. Through sharing in this exile, Galadriel was always torn by her love of the world and its beauty and her desire for power. Through the ages of Middle Earth, she steadfastly pitted her will against the will of Sauron, and in doing so, served in the protection of beauty and harmony against chaos and destruction. With this background, we can better understand the scene where Galadriel is finally offered the ring of power by Frodo. A part of her had long desired such an opportunity, yet she can resist this temptation, and in doing so, she finally can relinquish her desire for power. Having done so, she knows that the condition of her exile has been lifted and that she can return to the Far West, symbolic of her ascension and moving into a new life for herself.

Even the gifts of Lothlorien themselves have spiritual meaning. Frodo’s “Light of Earendil” that illuminates the darkness seems to signify light as purifying energy that provides hope, warmth, and shows the way. Interestingly there is a slight difference in the gifts that Sam gets from Galadriel. In the movie, he receives an Elven rope that can be easily anchored up by a simple tug, but in the book he receives soil from Galadriel’s garden and a seed, which he uses to replant the trees in the Shire after it is destroyed, signifying a spiritual rebirth and ultimately resurrection of the Earth. It makes sense that this item was changed for the movie because the destruction of the shire was cut from the film adaption.

The movie ends with Frodo disbanding the fellowship under the premise that the ring holds too much temptation to be able to keep the group together. Once again, he makes a substantial sacrifice for what he sees as the highest good. But like always, love is the answer. Sam, knowing Frodo as a friend, immediately guesses where he is going and follows him into what is quite literally the mouth of hell, signifying the bonds of brotherhood and family transcend even the darkest of darkness.

On that note, let’s bring this to a close. There is so much more that we could have spoken about here, and believe me, it was tough to condense this into just one video, but hey, at least we have two more to go! We will expand on each of these themes and delve more into them as we make our journey to Mt Doom by working through the story.

[filligan-universe]

Understanding THE LORD OF THE RINGS

The Lord of the Rings has already inspired two blog-like posts from me: one, written on a particularly nostalgic day, chronicles the most tear-jerker moments of the trilogy and the other, my review for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, served not just as a critical analysis of that film, but I used the Lord of the Rings trilogy as a consistent counterpoint to illustrate why those films are so seminal. I note these two pieces to emphasize this point: Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a monumental cinematic achievement in my eyes, and greatly shaped my appreciation for film and its possibilities. They’re simultaneously well-honed adventure epics and brimming with hints of former lore -- of a history that has shaped the world we get to see. Having taken The History of Middle-earth course, those gaps are now filled, and my appreciation and comprehension of Tolkien's world is far more complete than it was before.

The portrayal of Middle-earth in the films is one of decay, of a bygone era long-crumbled, and the remnants are now scattered kingdoms filled with weak or illegitimate leaders. This is clear from the first viewing of these films, and I always understood that there was a rich history behind these images. The film consistently brings them up: Aragorn sings of the Lay of Lúthien, Frodo and Sam happen upon a decapitated statue of a king, Gandalf warns “they are not all accounted for -- the lost seeing stones” -- the only backstory we get of the Palantíri. Indeed, even things we are shown in the prologue are only given so much information. Viewers have no idea of Mordor’s history -- was it always there? Has Sauron always been a plague on Middle-earth? Where did he come from? And little is told of Valinor, the land Frodo sails off to in the end, the land Gandalf gorgeously describes to calm Pippin during the siege of Minas Tirith. 

The Silmarillion tells us of before Earth (or Arda) is even created, how the beings that helped shape it reside in Valinor across the western sea. From it we have better descriptions of Valinor than the poetry Gandalf musters, and we understand the Valar themselves -- their limitations of understanding, their unique desires to see different aspects of Arda to fruition, and the thousands of years of history that explain why Valinor is such a coveted destination -- and a particularly impossible one for the race of Men. 

That’s a heavy amount of information already, but it’s enough to bring the grander vision of Middle-earth into the light. Before the course, my understanding of Valinor was that it was a Tolkienized vision of heaven; a place where you never die, you never hunger, you never feel pain. And while heaven isn’t exactly a wrong term to describe Valinor, it’s also incorrect in its lack of nuance and understanding. Valinor is a real place in Arda, a place with its own geography and names and cities. The majestic beauty of the Valar, the godlike beings who first shaped Arda and reside in Valinor, bestow upon the lands a light that gives it a heaven-like quality, but it isn’t a heaven in the religious sense. 

While I always inferred a sense of ancient history to The Lord of the Rings, I had absolutely no comprehension of how far back that history ran, nor how much the geography changed since Arda’s formation. When we follow the Fellowship into the Mines of Moria, there is a sense of hundreds of years of decay, but the truth is the oldest places of Middle-earth are under the sea -- sunken from a great battle to expel evil (more on that later). Time, and just how much of it has passed and shaped the people, the world, is lost in the films. All we see are bones now; ruined monuments, frail kingdoms. Another example from Moria is when the Orc stampede awakens a Balrog. This moment is superbly done in the film and still gives me goosebumps: the music halts, stone creaks, and Gandalf for the first time has no answers except “run.” The entire following sequence has entered pop culture. But I was left to come up with my own idea of the Balrog’s origins. It seemed like the depths of Middle-earth held a powerful evil, one of the worst of which could be the Balrog. Turns out, well...

The Silmarillion describes one of the Valar, Melkor, who strayed from the light from pride and desire, and eventually sought to undermine the other Valar and rule Arda. He was the one who began to torture Elves, twist them into Orcs through cruelty (this is shown once in the films and is quite ambiguous -- another gap filled by the history). And Melkor, later named Morgoth, supplemented his armies of Orcs with legions of Balrogs. There used to untold numbers of those foes. They slaughtered Elves and Men in several wars, before the western lands sank, and they even had a leader named Gothmog (a name I suppose Jackson & Co. liked so much they donned it upon the crippled Orc leader in Return of the King). Tales of these wars, of the heroes within them, are often told in detail, and when Morgoth was finally defeated (after a very, very long time), the remaining Balrogs fled into the deeper, darker regions of the world, to hide and await the return of their master. The now-classic Khazad-dûm sequence is given layers of context from this: a creature of ancient evil, created by a Valar of all beings. No wonder Gandalf is out of options; the Fellowship doesn’t have a chance against such a creature. Moreover, when Gandalf holds the Balrog on the bridge, he says, “I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn.” The Silmarillion teaches us that the Secret Fire, or Flame Imperishable, is with Ilúvatar, and that Anor is another name for the Sun. Again these indications of a greater lore behind the present storytelling, but only indications -- only mentions. The Silmarillion doesn’t break down this phrase, but it does use this terminology. I could get the gist of what Gandalf was saying beforehand, but now I know exactly what he’s saying and referencing. And this adds layers to Gandalf, too. Sure, he knows what a Balrog is from the start, but now I know he’s referencing Illúvatar, the light of the Sun as provided by the Valar, and he knows the Balrog’s master, and Melkor’s first fortress Utumno. A kind of snowball effect begins to occur with the extra knowledge of this history, and soon every character feels deeper, feels more connected to a root system going back thousands of years.

Through the history, the origins of seemingly random things can be traced, thereby eliminating their randomness. Sauron, though the highest power of evil in the Third Age, was a mere lieutenant to Morgoth. And Sauron was a corrupted Maiar, a lesser version of the Valar, tasked to aid the Valar with the keeping of Arda. In the Unfinished Tales, we learn that wizards like Gandalf and Saruman are Istari, sent in the fallible form of Men in the Third Age by the Valar to help steer Elves and Men along the path of the light in the wake of Sauron’s growing influence. This was always a point of contention with pedants: “Why can’t Gandalf use magic to help them out here?” -- akin to the “Why can’t he summon the Eagles to fly them straight to Mordor?” argument. My answers, before the course, were more defense of story structure than actual answers. But it makes sense, given the history of Maiar like Sauron, that the Valar would send the Istari to Middle-earth with restrictions on their powers, lest they be tempted to rule by force or seek power. This still happens with Saruman, and so the Valar seem wise to have placed limitations on wizardly powers. But again, these answers are not clear from the films. The films don’t tell us what Maiar are, and thus Gandalf and Sauron simply are. They exist without given reasons. The history detailing the Istari not only illuminates on Gandalf and Saruman’s backgrounds, but it raises the stakes for Gandalf. His susceptibility to human weakness makes him less otherworldly, less out of place from the Fellowship, and the challenges he faces seem greater. He cannot just poof away his problems. And these sorts of things continue to show up in the histories. Ungoliant, a presumed twisted Maiar in the form of a wretched spider-beast, is pivotal in a dark moment in the ancient history of Valinor, and her appearance (without even mention of it) makes Shelob’s presence in Return of the King more acceptable (as in, it’s more than just “a giant spider monster happens to dwell in this tunnel”) and fearsome.  

To the strongest point of the history’s effect on the films, I think the theme of doom and how it ripples through the timeline even to Lord of the Rings is the most compelling and rewarding for later re-watched of the films. Morgoth doesn’t start out as this vicious, evil spirit, but his slow descent from disobedience to power-hungry lust is what does it. He learns to lie, to deceive and spread half-truths, to sow evil into the hearts of (first) the Elves and (then) Men. And it reaches out from there. Countless times, a small act from Morgoth eventually incites violence, and those involved don’t even know of Morgoth’s involvement half the time. In Valinor, during the First Age, Morgoth is the catalyst for rumors of discontent among one of the Elvish clans -- the Noldor. And when Fëanor creates the Silmarils, beautiful orbs of light from the Trees of Valinor, Morgoth steals them with the help of Ungoliant. Because the Noldor have learned of deceit, learned of greed, and even learned of weapons thanks to Morgoth’s “advice,” violence and tragedy strike through Valinor as Elves attack Elves, banishments from the Valar are placed, and foul oaths are taken. The Silmarils, through the course of the First Age, bring nearly every big player in that era to their knees, and this theme of doom echoes around them -- the fate of Arda being tied to them. Fëanor, so enamored with his creations, swearing to destroy any kind of being -- Elf, Man, or otherwise -- in pursuit of the reclamation of his treasures echoes the weak will of Isildur to destroy the One Ring. Even the rings themselves are connected to Fëanor via ancestry through Celebrimbor.

This theme of all beings of Illúvatar and their weakness, their ability to succumb to power, to self-aggrandizement, to doomed desire, encircles the entire history of Middle-earth; it isn’t just unique to The Lord of the Rings. The fact that this keeps playing out again and again, in different ways, with different consequences, and yet always with grief and strife one way or another, makes those themes in The Lord of the Rings even more tragic and poignant.