#the Valar canonically “thou” each other

[eri-pl]

Blood, red like fire

Miriel pricked her finger on the needle. It was more difficult to control her hroa now, when the bounduaries between her and not-her were fuzzy. Her mother had warned her it would be like this.

At least she didn't break or lose the needle. It had been part of a gift from Vaire herself. Miriel smiled, remembering how the Valie --- and not other than the Weaver herself --- complimented her work.

A red drop bloomed on her fingertip, and she put it to her lips, not willing to risk staining any of the threads. The blood was too hot, almost painful to touch. Warmth creeped down her arm too, up her forearm and deep inside her body.

It was a new kind of warmth, not like the soothing, accepting light of Trees or her husband's embrace. Not like steady fire of the hearth even. It was unlike anything she'd known before. Somehow more new than every new thing she'd experienced before, more new even than the shores of Aman when she'd seen them for the first time.

This child would be brilliant.

The realization came suddenly, from within the warmth, and both quickly passed, but she knew. Deep inside her, the fire grew.

--- a few days before ---

Vaire worked in silence. Or, to be more precise, she was silent.

The prisoner talked and talked, without much point, analyzing her tapestry and criticizing most of it. At least he did it in a brilliant prose, at least at times. So much form, so little meaning... But it had a certain poetry to it, and that was why she agreed to keep him company. Still, he was getting tiring.

"Dons't thou think that thou shouldst be reflecting on thine behavior instead of trying to give me advice on what is my calling?"

"I am reflecting indeed." He stretched out hand and the light of her shining fabric danced on his too-long, too-shiny fingernails, like starlight reflested in ice. "But tell me, are my deeds not the very thing that allowed the brilliance in your tapestries to bloom? Had I not freed you of the Lamps, what wouldst thou weave now?"

Did Melkor just compliment the Trees? Maybe he was indeed reflecting. Maybe he simply wanted to make a point. Probably the latter.

He kept talking. "As for this work being thine, do I not have a part in all of your skills? Is there anything I cannot do?"

'Be silent, for example', she thought, but didn't comment.

"Thou hast the perspective wrong again."

Vaire sighed. "Indeed, thou shouldst be reflecting instead."

Melkor actually stopped talking for some time. Was the perspective really wrong? Probably not. But she kept wondering.

"I have reflected on my deeds." he said in a solemn voice. "And it occurred to me that I should do more than that. As I have said, I have a share in all the skills of all the Valar. Let me help thee. I shall make the perspective correct."

"I won't let thee spoil my work," she said. "Make thine own."

He probably offered the 'help' only to show off, but maybe not? Maybe Melkor was indeed trying to be helpful, finally? Anyway what could go wrong with letting him work? At worst he'd waste some of her thread.

---

Vaire narrowed her eyes, trying to find out what was wrong with the perspective in Melkor's tapestry. Something was wrong, definitely. She wouldn't hang it. But at least, he'd worked for some time, and did not complain.

The prisoner's question interrupted her thoughts. "Did Aule made those needles? they seem too beautiful to be his work," he said, giving Vaire's tools back to her.

"I shall not let thee talk badly about Aule."

"As you will, o lady of this prison. But heed my advice: keep those needles to thyself, as I do not believe that anyone would be able to replace them in case someone was to steal them. Not even I."

Even without the fake humility at the end, the attempt to make her possesive was just too obvious.

Vaire smiled. She'd give all of her best needles as gifts to the Eldar. No, to one Elda. Miriel definitely deserved it.

But Melkor did not have to know. She would him think he'd won this tiny battle.

The dark Vala smiled too.

[straynoahide]

ainulindale meta (V)

Index post here

Aftermath: the Second Music, the afterlife and apokatastasis

in the Aftermath, Eru is angry ("terrible" semblance), shows an intense negative emotion about the role evil played in the overarching Pattern of T3.

we could take this as confirmation that God indeed suffers that his Children are in anguish, because anger is an emotion geared towards aggression and triggered by an urge to protect something that is valuable and is threatened (although of course, again, this is about communicating something to the Ainur, and not that God can really be threatened). his creations can threaten each other, for sure, and at least Manwë suffers for Melkor once, out of his brotherly love.

only He is fully able to understand, but He has to subject all his Children to the entirety of creation, to a partial experience, regardless. we do not have His full understanding and never will at least in this life - we are partial, limited beings as his Children; yet all share in the same divine gift: free will, that we also share with spirits.

instead of a beginning, we have an ending, the Piercing Chord.

there follows a Silence in which we learn of Melkor's Shame (that also harbors secret anger, but this happens outside of the circles of the world where the music is sung, not in Arda).

The Music -as we'll learn soon, the First Music- ceases.

"And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined." - Ainulindalë, J.R.R. Tolkien

Why is Melkor openly shamed and why is he secretly angry? Is this because anger is the "true" emotion, but he hides it calculatedly to further his plans? I don't think so. For starters, all emotions are given as genuine, Melkor did not pretend to be ashamed. We have an example in Valinor where Melkor feigns emotions to the other Valar as a motivated behavior of calculated deception.

This isn't that, they're outside the world and the music has already ended, and it's Melkor to God. This is Melkor as Melkor, after having exercised his freedom without understanding the whole impact; not Morgoth, the tyrant. He is angry because he does not understand. He is ashamed because he has done something shameful in the eyes of his figure of authority. What he does not understand is why seeking to fulfill his nature rather than his role is something he should be shamed for, I think.

Now onto the most controversial parts.

The canon status of Tolkien's eschatological narrative, the Dagor Dagorath (Battle of Battles), is controversial itself. But there are some things here that are thematically relevant regardless so I'm including them. I think the Piercing Chord is the, so to speak, Note of Reckoning at the end of the world.

The Elves, who are bound to the fate of Arda (hence why they're immortal, they have Arda's time) believe that the entire world will be broken and remade in a battle where everyone will participate, from Valar to men, and that just as "nothing was evil in the beginning", they will see Arda Healed or restored to its initial grace, true Paradise.

Restoration as a form of justice is the key component here. Restoration is not the same as restitution or rehabilitation, and it is not the same as retribution.

this is where I have to address the elephant in the room of the Second Music's implication.

there is a concept known as 'apokatastasis', the restoration of everything, that also demands universal salvation (instead of especial salvation through faith or deeds or whatever) - it would, for instance, argue that even Satan and Judas will be reconciled with God, and some theologians have argued this in several ways.

Melkorian redemption would be the equivalent, although one can argue in many senses Melkor is satanic but not identical to Satan in nature. Apokatastasis is heretical in all mainstream Nicene Christian denominations, though that didn't stop some early Fathers from holding the view. Am I saying Origen of Alexandria would believe in the redemption of Morgoth?

Well maybe but no, this is about Tolkien. I think Arda Healed is a sorts of apokatastasis, but at the same time also a polemic against apokatastasis. Arda Healed v Arda Unmarred contains this.

the concept of the Old Hope of the Edain in the times of Andreth, a belief that Eru would enter himself and "heal the Marring" - return to Arda Unmarred, is I think is a better in-world match for the idea of apokatastasis. it could in principle entail the restoration of Sauron, the ultimate tyrant over the people of Arda.

the return to Arda Unmarred attributes the Restoration to an act from God within History. whether Arda Healed implies or not apokatastasis is, I think, an open question that touches on what we consider unredeemable versus unredeemed. but Arda Healed is explicitly not the same as Arda Unmarred, and denies the idea of Arda Unmarred, it is unlike the Old Hope.

there are humans who threatened the Valar, who are buried in the Undying Lands under 'rolling hills' that will remain "until the world is remade", not as a divine intervention at a historical point like, but like after an apocalyptic event. and the Undying Lands were themselves removed from the rest of Arda.

in the Dagor Dagorath, Melkor's evil will be 'avenged' (retributive in language, but not focused on Melkor himself, rather on his legacy in Arda). regardless of what happens to him; the entirety of the Discord will be subsumed in the full Composer's "Symphony", of which it was always part - for "no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite" -

thus Melkor's exercise of free will, the expression of his individuality, at no point was an act of true creation, but also not a true rebellion, in the sense God was never truly threatened. Melkor too is of the mind of God, like the rest of the Ainur; like a child, he is ashamed when scolded by a parent for using his gifts to diminish and hurt others rather than uplift and help them, as was God's role for him.

then will come the Second Music, we are told, after the world's history is over, so that Arda is "remade". This is Arda Healed.

this is definitely universal in that it includes everything in creation, and it is definitely about restoration and reconciliation, because it seems to include Melkor and Men. Decide for yourself if it is apokatastasis.

that it is heretical does not mean it unchristian, however, rather it is about doctrinal interpretation. this is a passage from the New Testament seemingly supporting the concept, declaring prophets have spoken of the "restitution of all things":

Repent ye therefore, [...], that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come [...] which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. — Acts 3:19–21 KJV

This is in the Ainulindalë, about the Second Music:

"The Second Music of the Ainur is the great music the Ainur will make together with the Children of Ilúvatar before Ilúvatar after the End, during which Arda will be rebuilt. The history of Arda is but a learning process towards it.It will be more splendid than the first Music of the Ainur as the Children will participate, and every participant will fully understand their intent in their part and be in harmony with the others. Ilúvatar will give to them the Secret Fire and his themes shall take Being at the same time they are uttered.

Now this is what God said about Melkor, "For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined".

So it is not only that Melkor's Discord had a role in Arda, but beyond it. His actions in Arda have significance (will "prove His instrument") to things that are even beyond the First Music.

Without the Discord, there would not be a Second Music, then. Without freedom, not just in its capacity but in the exercise of that freedom -which was not harmless-, there would be no Ultimate Good -chosen Good-, in which every "participant" will partake in creation

in a way, parallel to how Melkor negates his own cause in Morgoth's tyranny - God vindicates Melkor's nature, that He gave him.

Melkor rushed towards this 'before the breaking of the First Silence'. Now, at its time and in true harmony, the Ainur get the Secret Fire - as a gift, not as a conquest. Arda Healed is Paradise: bliss, justice, communion, concord; "whole nature at its best and least corrupted".

So what if maybe Melkor was not meant to be a participant?

I think one can argue that 'Vala' may no longer include him, but it is difficult to argument that 'Ainu' doesn't - Tolkien could have just said 'Valar and Maiar' despite it happening outside the world because he's also speaking of the Children, who were not originally outside either, and the identity translates.

so my interpretation is that he, indeed, includes Melkor and the "restoration of all things". that Melkor, and thus also Sauron, and every Child that was corrupted, can still "glimpse Eden" at literally every vantage point within and without Arda:

“We all long for Eden, and we are constantly glimpsing it: our whole nature at its best and least corrupted, its gentlest and most human, is still soaked with the sense of exile.” - J.R.R. Tolkien

That brings me to the last point, which I think is one of the most interesting, the Doom of Men (reading Doom as 'Fate' and not intrinsically negative but yes inexorable and awe-inspiring).

In Arda, Death, i.e. the termination of incarnate life and separation from the fate of the world to have a different fate (Men are not Arda-timed, but have an unknown fate) - is a gift from God. This is very different from the Christian Death-Crucifixion discussed above, so it is important to remember we're speaking in-world here.

even when undying, Men are not like immortal elves because they still are Men; they can never escape their Doom. they simply prolong their lives and 'stretch' rather than 'lengthen' their days. the half-Elves, the peredhil, had to choose (Elrond chose the fate of Elves, while Elros chose that of Men); Lúthien shares with Men in their Doom for she would not part ways from Beren, the man she loved and who loved her (Tolkienian elf-marriage relates to this).

only God knows what the Doom of Men is. and yet he would have Men be faithful; and some are, and others really aren't, and grew to fear Death and rebel against their fate, if by Melkor's influence.

As Arda Marred, the world itself was affected by Melkor. the soldiers of Ar-Pharazon who landed in the Undying Lands were convinced that it was the land that made the Valar immortal and that they had lied to keep their 'privilege'; but instead, when they landed, they felt how they had brought death to Valinor instead.

it is not only the disquiet at the unknown that plagues the hearts of Men, it is the doubt of God's very existence or goodness - or for Pharazon, a reversed conviction of the Valars' malice. When Men don't have Hope, the afterlife can be a comfort or a source of pain. the Númenorean Kings, elite and the masses came to understand Death as a punishment, and grew resentful of God.

If the Second Music needs a learning process, then isn't the First Music unworthy on its own, inauthentic, a "rehearsal", "instrument" - or worse, what if the First Music is all there is, or all there is for Men, who do leave Arda unless they can avert that destiny? 'What if this is all there is? What if it isn't, but all there is isn't good?'

The Númenoreans tried to attain immortality by force by assaulting the land of the Valar, after all their previous attempts just resulted in more ornate tombs. At the time, many thought there was really no power behind the Throne of Manwë - Sauron taught they had made up God to rule the world.

God intervened in History, denied it to them and unleashed divine wrath, remade the world that very instant, and Númenor was forever destroyed, 'guilty' and 'innocent' alike drowning under the waves - and both 'guilty' and 'innocent', believers and atheists/misotheists, were and remained subject to the Doom.

for Tolkien, when Arda is healed, this will include Men, who are His Children. No matter what Doom separates part of Men's journey from Arda itself, Men will also be a part of the Second Music. and so, equal in dignity and the Creator's love towards the Elves -if not even more loved-, although gifted with different gifts, they will receive the ultimate one and share in it with all. the Secret Fire.

[cilil]

Very well. Allow me to explain the Melkor 🍆 theory/evidence.

CW: Discussions of (male and female) genitalia and sexual violence (sorry, but there's this one passage from Morgoth's Ring I have to bring up; that one is under the cut for those who prefer to avoid it. You can scroll to the tldr at the bottom)

The Silmarillion tells us the following about the gender identity and presentation of the Valar (which presumably applies to Ainur as a whole):

But when they desire to clothe themselves the Valar take upon them forms some as of male and some as of female; for that difference of temper they had even from their beginning, and it is but bodied forth in the choice of each, not made by the choice, even as with us male and female may be shown by the raiment but is not made thereby.

This passage may lead us to the general conclusion that, assuming Melkor is correctly described as male-identifying, he would take a male form.

However, Ainur aren't seen in a sexual context very often so one may argue that they might have a Ken-situation going on down there and just adopt the overall "aesthetic" of their individual gender identity to be seen and treated accordingly. Melian, while certainly an interesting case to bring up, probably got herself female sexual organs (unless we assume that she and Thingol reproduced differently), but still remains an exception - at least in current canon.

In the Book of Lost Tales, there's the concept of the Valarindi, the children of the Valar, and Melkor did in fact have one as well. Gothmog is his son in that version, with his mother being an ogress (source: BoLT Part Two), so Melkor managed to successfully reproduce and must have had the organs to match, at least if we assume that ogres reproduce in a way that involves one partner having a penis. But as we all know the Valarindi idea was discarded by Tolkien at some point and the characters in question either vanished from the text or were made into Maiar (or other Valar in some cases).

But we have another yet instance of Melkor engaging in explicit sexual behavior in the Myths Transformed chapter of Morgoth's Ring.

But Arie rejected Melkor and rebuked him, saying: 'Speak not of right, which thou hast long forgotten. Neither for thee nor by thee alone was Ea made; and thou shalt not be King of Arda. Beware therefore; for there is in the heart of As a light in which thou hast no part, and a fire which will not serve thee. Put not out thy hand to it. For though thy potency may destroy it, it will burn thee and thy brightness will be made dark.' Melkor did not heed her warning, but cried in his wrath: 'The gift which is withheld I take!' and he ravished Arie, desiring both to abase her and to take into himself her powers. Then the spirit of Arie went up like a flame of anguish and wrath, and departed for ever from Arda, and the Sun was bereft of the Light of Varda, and was stained by the assault of Melkor. (Emphasis mine)

"Ravish" is a dated term for rape, particularly a man/person with a penis raping a woman/person with a vagina. Now, you may say that sexual assault can take many forms and you would of course be correct, but we have to remember that Tolkien grew up in a heteronormative and heterosexist society which understands sex and rape primarily as "penis in vagina penetration" (you can see the remnants of this reductive view on intercourse in society today too, for example when you hear people ask things such as "how do lesbians even have sex").

[You could also do further analysis on how Melkor's dialogue here is reflecting the sexist view of female sexuality being something that is taken by a male partner, but that would go beyond the scope of this post and I don't want to dwell on the more uncomfortable topics more than necessary. If anyone would be interested in that, let me know.]

Ergo: If we assume that this is indeed what Tolkien had in mind, Melkor has to have had a penis or something similar to do so.

This also leads to the conclusion that, from the earlier to the later versions of the legendarium, Tolkien has had several scenarios in mind that strongly imply the existence of Melkor's penis, one of them even functional in terms of reproduction (so balls too).

But undoubtedly the most conclusive passage is once again provided by the Silmarillion:

Then Morgoth hurled aloft Grond, the Hammer of the Underworld, and swung it down like a bolt of thunder. But Fingolfin sprang aside, and Grond rent a mighty pit in the earth, whence smoke and fire darted.

Ok this time I'm messing with you. Had to lighten up the mood a bit.

Tldr/conclusion: Melkor probably has a penis. He has used one on several occasions and may also wear it for ✨gender flavor✨

Me: I should go to sleep.

Also me: And here's how I can canonically prove that Melkor has a 🍆, in this essay I will

[chaos-of-the-abyss]

Can you do Manwe for the character headcanons?

I most certainly can, anon. Manwë is my king and I’m forever open to doing anything about him.

1: sexuality headcanon

Bisexual and demisexual. 

2: otp

Manwë x Varda is my OTP to end all OTPs. I will not budge on this; they are beautiful.

3: brotp

Manwë and Melkor. Like, their relationship makes me tear up. It’s so complicated and so heartbreaking. 

I also love Manwë and Ulmo’s bromance. Ever since I read this quote I consider them to be best friends:

“And llúvatar spoke to Ulmo, and said: ‘Seest thou not how here in this little realm in the Deeps of Time Melkor hath made war upon thy province? He hath bethought him of bitter cold immoderate, and yet hath not destroyed the beauty of thy fountains, nor of my clear pools. Behold the snow, and the cunning work of frost! Melkor hath devised heats and fire without restraint, and hath not dried up thy desire nor utterly quelled the music of the sea. Behold rather the height and glory of the clouds, and the everchanging mists; and listen to the fall of rain upon the Earth! And in these clouds thou art drawn nearer to Manwë, thy friend, whom thou lovest.’

Then Ulmo answered: ‘Truly, Water is become now fairer than my heart imagined, neither had my secret thought conceived the snowflake, nor in all my music was contained the falling of the rain. I will seek Manwë, that he and I may make melodies for ever to my delight!’ And Manwë and Ulmo have from the beginning been allied, and in all things have served most faithfully the purpose of llúvatar.”

Actual footage of me after reading this:

4: notp

I haven’t really seen any Manwë ships that I hate. There are some that I don’t ship, but they’re not NOTP material.  

5: first headcanon that pops into my head

I have too goddamn many headcanons of this beautiful specimen of a character; you can read them here. The first one that pops into my head is that Manwë is witty. Like, very much so. I mean:

‘If thou hadst thy will what wouldst thou reserve?’ said Manwë. 'Of all thy realm what dost thou hold dearest?’'All have their worth,’ said Yavanna, 'and each contributes to the worth of the others. But the kelvar can flee or defend themselves, whereas the olvar that grow cannot. And among these I hold trees dear. Long in the growing, swift shall they be in the felling, and unless they pay toll with fruit upon bough little mourned in their passing. … Would that the trees might speak on behalf of all things that have roots, and punish those that wrong them!’'This is a strange thought,’ said Manwë.

6: one way in which I relate to this character

Manwë has such good intentions, but I headcanon him as doubting himself a lot: “Am I doing what’s right? Were my actions fair? Did I do the best thing for Father’s theme?” Those kind of thoughts. And I think it’s beautiful that the Elder King of Arda, viceregent of Eru Iluvatar, is capable of such self-doubt. It’s so relatable to me.

7: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

Nothing at all. I love every bit of him.

There is one thing that annoys me, not about Manwë himself, but about the fandom’s general perception of him. There seems to be this notion that Manwë is submissive, weak, malleable, etc., and it frustrates the hell out of me. 

In my opinion, it stems from the fact that his most obvious parallel is with Melkor, who the fandom likes to portray as the flirtatious, sexy, desirable, bad boy TM. Because Manwë’s the less, shall we say, rebellious one between the two, that appears to translate to him being some wimp in the eyes of much of the fandom. Whereas Melkor is depicted as independent and creative and unorthodox, Manwë is reduced to this puny, shy, naive mouse. And if he’s not a puny, shy, naive mouse, I’ve also noticed this fondness for making Manwë an abusive asshat. The idea that he’s abusive to Varda, especially, ticks me off. Come on, fandom. 

Both of these deliberately negative portrayals of Manwë are, in my opinion, debunked with this quote:

‘He was appointed to be, in the fullness of time, the first of all Kings: lord of the realm of Arda and ruler of all that dwell therein. In Arda his delight is in the winds and the clouds, and in all the regions of the air, from the heights to the depths, from the utmost borders of the Veil of Arda to the breezes that blow in the grass. Súlimo he is surnamed, Lord of the Breath of Arda. All swift birds, strong of wing, he loves, and they come and go at his bidding…..Manwë has no thought for his own honour, and is not jealous of his power, but rules all to peace.’

‘His raiment is blue, and blue is the fire of his eyes…and he was appointed to be the vicegerent of Ilúvatar, King of the world of Valar and Elves and Men, and chief defence against the evil of Melkor.’

Tolkien gives Manwë such a badass description that it’s clear that he’s not meant to be seen as a naive, weak, and submissive puppet. But Tolkien also states that Manwë is a selfless, kind king. There is absolutely no canon basis for Manwë to be so commonly interpreted the way he is; in fact, there are actual contradictions. And for the life of me, I can’t understand why so much of the fandom wants to make him look so negative. Manwë isn’t perfect, not by a long shot, but he’s a far cry from being a malleable, dithering weakling, or a controlling, abusive douchebag.

Sorry for the giant reply to that one, lol. I can get a bit overzealous when it comes to Manwë; I just love him so much. (In fact, I’m aggressively loving him more in response to the treatment he gets from certain parts of the fandom.)

8: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

Cinnamon roll, of course. My boy is literally the purest, most well-intentioned character I know. I love him so much.

[garden-ghoul]

more HoME misc

“in which the ghoul pages desperately through a 3500 page document with no search function, looking for the shibboleth of feanor”

I’m not blogging leithian mk 1 any more but I just want to note that Chris included a detailed list of all the things that are long and tall, as an end note. He like, spent his entire life trying to decipher Johnald’s notes, so he could bring to us the faintly-pencilled name and origin of Nan, the giant of the south.

As I got lost somewhere in the beginning of “the tale of turambar” I started wondering why so many of our human heroes are intimately involved with Doriath, “the secret kingdom no-one can go into.” If we add Gondolin (”the other even more secret kingdom that REALLY no-one can go into”) I think ALL of the human heroes of the Silmarillion are involved with one of the two. Not counting heroes like Haleth who tragically didn’t get any dialogue. Is it just that the only humans who are heroes are the ones Special enough to trip into hidden kingdoms? Fate junk? Probably fate junk.

I was sort of skimming through Turin stuff and my eye was caught by Saeros (”Orgof”) insulting Turin’s... uncombed hair? Cute. In this one Turin throws a cup at him, killing him instantly, and everyone just kind of sits there silently at the overturned table as he runs out of the hall.

Turin laved his hands in the stream without the doors and burst there into tears, saying: "Lo! Is there a curse upon me, for all I do is ill, and now is it so turned that I must flee the house of my fosterfather an outlaw guilty of blood -- nor look upon the faces of any I love again."

Aw, Neithan. You neith’d yourself, dude.

I also want to mention (again?) that I really like Melkor being well known as a guy with an actual kingdom, where people worked. Granted, they were all Thralls, but he seemed a lot more like all of the other immortals who established kingdoms in Beleriand. I didn’t get the impression in the early drafts that like Everyone Was United Against Him. He was just an asshole neighbor? (later, in the Nauglafring story, we actually get the line “and there was peace with Melkor.”) This makes me suspect that the Porous Shadow of Doom overlaying the world in the final Children of Hurin would be a lot less huge and pervasive. But I’m not actually going to read it, just skim it. It was like 8 liveblogs long, or something, geez.

A manifestation of this lessened Porous Shadow of Doom is that when Turin returns home it’s late summer rather than winter; the grass has grown tall around Morwen’s house, and when Turin makes it to Brodda’s hall he doesn’t even pretend to be cowed, he immediately starts fucking things up. So, in that way, the original version of CoH was a lot less about Depression.

Also in this version Nienor doesn’t lose her ability to speak, so when Turin finds her and names her Niniel she can actually say “no don’t call me that.” He calls her that anyway. When she goes to live with Turin’s friends in Brethil they all constantly say “Would that the Valar would lift the curse on Niniel!” I can only aspire to be that obviously cursed, yknow.

AH. AT LAST HERE IS THE NAUGLAFRING. I can’t even remember if I’ve read it before but I Have Been Waiting.

I’m taking a break here to eat dinner because not eating makes me really stupid. Have you eaten recently? Are you stupid? If so, maybe have a snack! Sometimes I wish the internet would periodically remind--oh, no, I have a Personal Device for this exact purpose. Mm. peace out.

I’M BACK. After reading a couple paragraphs of this I realized I have read it before, but I didn’t blog it because I was procrastinating on CoH. Hurin has brought a bunch of cursed treasure to Tinwelint (do you like my horrible mixture of “canonical” and “noncanonical” names) and departed without taking any, in a huff. Then everyone in Menegroth starts murdering each other over this treasure; Tinwelint wins, and his wife (now named Gwenniel; I don’t understand how Tolkien could fail to get attached to ANY of the names he put in his first drafts) soothsays to him that he should dump it in the river because it is TRIPLE CURSED. He does, but then he stares at it for a while because, cursed. Gwenniel tells him that this isn’t even worth a third of what a Silmaril is, but like, are Silmarils useful for anything? Do they, strictly speaking, have any worth beyond the prestige value associated with possessing something super evil rare?

Some visitor says that it’s a crime to let all that gold go to waste when it could instead be used to make pretty things (natch, he is a guy who hangs out with Naugrim) and Tinwelint looks at his jewelry and is like “dang. I am a king and I do not look NEARLY that fine. please make something nice for me.” but he also grabs the elf guy and takes him hostage in a really impolite way. I have seen a lot more polite hostage-takings in the Silmarillion! Some so polite that the hostages didn’t even notice!

There’s a bunch of stuff here that I actually really enjoy, mostly descriptions of treasure, but I’m not going to blog it because I’m too lazy. I just want to note that I really enjoy the descriptions of treasure made by the Naugrim (in captivity). It’s very much the same impulse that led me to page for hours and hours through the LotR prop jewelry recreations magazines that my household for some reason received monthly when I was young.

Mm and then there’s a bunch of naugla/elda murders that I don’t care about. UGH and halfway through this story he changed Melian’s name back to Gwendelin. STG Tolkien!! Later someone is trying to kidnap her and we get this great bit:

Then said Gwendelin: "Thief and murderer, child of Melko, yet art thou a fool, for thou canst not see what hangs over thine own head." By reason of the anguish of her heart was her sight grown very clear, and she read by her fay-wisdon the curse of Mim and much of what would yet betide.

Then did Naugladur in his triumph laugh till his beard shook, and bid seize her: but none might do so, for as they came towards her they groped as if in sudden dark, or stumbled and fell tripping each the other, and Gwendelin went forth from the places of her abode, and her bitter weeping filled the forest. Now did a great darkness fall upon her mind and her counsel and lore forsook her...

The moral of the story is there’s a fine balance of anguish you have to maintain to be really good at seeing the future. IMO it’s probably “really sad but not depressed.” Oh um also, Huan is there. He works for Tinwelint now. I’m extremely offended, because this means Tolkien killed him EXPRESSLY because he was dating Luthien and Beren in the final lay. He killed Huan just so we couldn’t have nice things! And to make a point about Huan’s death metaphor, I guess. It was very artful, but I’m still mad we can’t have gay.

There’s some more murders. The asshole with nice jewelry is haunted by Gwendelin’s Glare. Oh! Luthien actually gets to meet her mom again! Haha Gwenelin says not to wear Nauglamir because it is SUPER CURSED but Beren is like “don’t worry about it! The Silmaril is so holy it cancels out all curses!” Which reveals a severe misunderstanding of what a Silmaril is, I think. Unless the Silmaril curse is stronger than all the other curses and it eats them, maybe? Like helpful strains of E. coli. Except then it mutates into a harmful strain of E. coli again--no, I’m sure there’s a better biology metaphor for this that I’m not thinking of. it was a harmful strain in the first place.

After this there’s more murders, this time feat. some Feanorions. And with that (skipping the story of Earendel) we have come to the end of Lost Tales pt 2! Next one is Lays of Beleriand, which I am going to attempt to skip because I have read all the good ones already. But I have to skip it manually so we’ll see I guess.