Don't be afraid

→ elros & elrond — the first king of númenor and the lord of the last homely house

I was thinking about how, in fanfictions and in the fandom in general, Elrond is often depicted as a pure Noldorin lord, if not a die hard Fëanorian. And while I do enjoy Fëanorian!Elrond, the more I think about it the more I am convinced Elrond is not the fëanorian one of the twins. Elros is. Elros who adopted seven eight pointed stars as the heraldic device of his whole dynasty, a symbol still used 6000 years after his death. Elros who had Quenya be the official language of Númenor. Elros who decided to leave Arda for an unknown fate after his death; not Everlasting Darkness but not the rebirth in the bliss of Valinor either. He choose to go to a place Elves aren’t supposed to go, just like Fëanor and his sons went back to Beleriand. Elros, the mortal man, who decided to forge his own path in the world.

And I am not saying Elrond didn’t, because Eru knows how much strength, patience and stubbornness Elrond must have to become who he is in LotR. But when I first re-read LotR after reading the Silm, he did not strike me as Fëanorian at all (except for the no oath swearing rule that seems to apply in Rvendell). In fact, Elrond, and all three of his children, are defined by being half-Elven. Elrond is so much at the same time they had to creat a whole new category for him. He is described as kind as summer in The Hobbit, but also old and wise, and his friendly banter with Bilbo in FotR show he is also merry and full of humour. Elrond is both Elf and Man despite his immortality, and this is made quite clear in the text.

But. If I had to link him to an Elven clan, I’d say Elrond is more Sinda than Noldor, and even that is up to debate. Rivendell, this enchanting valley hidden from evil thanks to his power, is like a kinder version of Doriath. Yet, the name of Last Homely House and Elrond’s boundless hospitality make me think of Sirion: Rivendell is a place where lost souls can find s home, where multiple cultures live along each other in friendship and peace.

In FotR, Elrond introduces himself as the son of Eärendil and Elwing, claiming both his lineages instead of giving only his father’s name as is tradition amongst the Elves. It may be a political move, or it may be a genuine wish to claim his duality, his otherness, or even both at the same time. But from what is shown of Elrond in LotR, he seems to lean heavily in the symbols and heritage from the Sindar side of his family, rather than the Noldor one. I already gave the comparison with Doriath, but it seems history repeats itself as Arwen, said to be Lúthien reborn, chooses a mortal life. Yet Elrond doesn’t make the same mistake as Thingol by locking his daughter in a tower and sending her suitor to a deathly quest. Yes, he asks Aragorn to first reclaim the throne of Gondor before marrying Arwen, but this isn’t a whim on his part or an impossible challenge. Aragorn becoming king means that Middle-Earth is free from the shadow if Sauron and Arwen will live in peace and happiness. Which sounds like a reasonable wish for a parent to me.

Anyways, I went on a tangent, what strikes me with Elrond is his multiple identity. Elrond certainly has habits or traits coming from his upbringing amongst the Fëanorians, and he loved Maglor despite everything. The fact he is a skilled Minstrel shows he did learn and cultivate skills taught by a Fëanorion, that he is not rejecting them. There is a passage at the end of RotK, in the Grey Havens chapter, where Elrond is described carrying a silver harp. Is this a last relic from Maglor? Possible.

But while Elros choose the path of mortality and showed clear Noldorin influences in the kingdom he built, Elrond is happy in his undefined zone he lives in. He is an Elf, he is a Man, he is Sinda and Noldo and heir to half a dozen lost cultures and two crowns. He is the warrior and the healer, the only one of his kind in Middle-Earth. And that is why I will never tire of this character and I love so much fanworks depicting him as nuanced and multiple yet always recognisable as Elrond.

Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time

Maglor with Elros and Elrond

I've always wandered how it happened that Maedhros and Maglor adopted twins, so why not like this?

If it comes to their tails... maybe just don't ask (or ask if you want, but it's kinda silly story) ✨

Anyway, I think Elrond had a breakdown on Elladan and Elrohir's sixth birthday because they're so young, which means that he and Elros were that young when—

Maitimo with Elros

Do not use without my permission, please

Maglor: The plan is kinda changing so we're gonna take you with us.

Elrond: Am I being kidnapped?

Maedhros: No no no no no

Elros: Can I leave?

Maglor: No.

I like to think that the real reason Elrond left to Valinor was because Aragorn and Arwen’s daughters were actually twins and he wasn’t ready to face the chaos the first girl twins of the House of Finwë would unleash upon Midde Earth

Whenever Maglor sings for Elrond and Elros, he quite literally has a captive audience. 🙃

@feanorianweek Day 2: Maglor

Maglor with little Elrond and Elros because he deserves some joy and love too

Mr. Snuffles plotts a murder

Maedhros: Come on, you need to go to bed. Elros, holding his stuffed bunny: Mr. Snuffles says that I can stay up as long as I want. And that you need to die! Maedhros: … Maglor, in the background: What the hell, Mr. Snuffles—

inspired by the classic fandom post https://www.tumblr.com/penny-anna/178677237688/penny-anna-can-tell-merry-pippin-apart-of?source=share by @penny-anna I wanted to try do the same thing for the Silm. But with everyones favourite half elven twins. So here goes nothing.

Can tell Elrond & Elros apart, of course they can, what kind of question is that: Elwing, Maglor, Maedhros

Could not initially tell Elrond and Elros apart but made an effort to learn their names & can now tell them apart: Celebrimbor, Cirdán

Try as they might cannot consistently tell Elrond and Elros apart: Gil Galad, Celeborn, Erestor, Finarfin

Can absolutely tell Elrond and Elros apart but pretends not to be able to: Galadriel

Cannot tell Elrond and Elros apart and not even trying: Thranduil, Oropher, Eonwe

Elrond: I’m Elros

Elros: I’m Elrond

During the whole kidnap/adoption of Elrond and Elros Maedhros was probably like one of those dads who says “We are NOT getting a cat and that’s final!” But then ends up like:

This is how it happened, right?