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#TOLKIEN BIRDS
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unavidas · 3 months
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Elwing 🕊️
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mrkida-art · 3 months
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Just a little guy from Ravenhill
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exercise-of-trust · 8 months
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thought i heard a red-winged blackbird red-winged blackbird down my road he'll be in there singing his heart out he'll be telling me stories too of where he went to winter last year of how he's going back there too
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elfinfen · 8 months
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Nellas - elven herbalist for the fanfiction "The Light of the Damned Stars"
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vidumavi · 9 months
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a young Morwen and a friend
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the-red-butterfly · 2 months
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The Oldest Of Friends
Day 2: Friends & Love | Rain & Clouds
Second day of @manweweek AND IT'S STILL TUESDAY, I'M ON TIME! I love their friendship so much (@cilil baby girl, I know you wanna ship them, you have my permission go ahead, go ham, green light means go) so so much, I think it was one of the things that first stuck with me when I read the silm. I mean, unless I imagined the whole thing. Wasn't there something about them working together?? Correct me if I'm wrong XD
Anyway, I REALLY wanted to draw Manwë under the rain, I'm doing everything on a time crunch but I would love to try again with more time and mind to put into it.
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Open for Commissions
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ach-sss-no · 10 months
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I feel weird giving out unprompted permission statements because I'm making a big assumption that anyone's going to want to use my work. That said I also know people do like to build on other people's art and can't always work up the nerve to ask, so: Anyone is free to use this design if they want to for any reason- I don't own this character anyway. (Although I am hopeful that you do not, you know, monetize it, because i cant do that and if you do that its not fair ;_; ) Feel free to remix, improve, use as basic inspiration, etc. I would appreciate a tag/mention if you use it so I can see what you did!
This design has evolved a little since I first started drawing it, and I will see people reblogging the original design notes and think 'oh no! those are out of date and I don't have new/accurate ones!'
Reblogging the old one is still an honor- and the first take on a design just sometimes has a different appeal because it's less refined and more chaotic (especially with a character that should be chaotic), so I suspect some people will just prefer the older drawings & they'll still get shared, which is great! But I felt as if the project was a little bit incomplete without an update, since I think I've reached the point where if you see that old post & then come to my blog and look at my current content, there's a noticeable difference.
Also I kind of like making design notes.
If anyone's wondering why things changed, the answer's really simple- 90% of it is just the result of him settling into having more consistent anatomy and facial structure so that I can keep him looking accurate across different angles and poses. If you look at the old drawings you may notice that Gollum has an inconsistently shaped squishy head. That's fine for a concept post but doesn't work as well for maintaining him across different comic panels or in an animatic, at least not the way I work.
In the same vein, while my art is still & will always be heavily stylized, I started giving him more structured semi-sorta-realistic anatomy so that he wouldn't look entirely out of place next to less bizarre-looking characters such as Aragorn. (I feel that's also helpful in nudging Gollum into the uncanny valley where he ought to be, rather than leaving him so abstractified that there's a risk you won't see anything wrong with him having noodle arms.) He also acquired the new-style 'garbage bag' outfit because I found a reference in LOTR to his arms and legs being bare/exposed (it's in one of my favorite passages, the 'an eagle would think Gollum was dead if it came by right now' passage in The Two Towers):
Not even an eagle poised against the sun would have marked the hobbits sitting there, under the weight of doom, silent, not moving, shrouded in their thin grey cloaks. For a moment he might have paused to consider Gollum, a tiny figure sprawling on the ground: there perhaps lay the famished skeleton of some child of Men, its ragged garment still clinging to it, its long arms and legs almost bone-white and bone-thin: no flesh worth a peck.
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gwaedhannen · 3 months
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first sentence: "Upon his return from the War, Eärwen found Finarfin changed."
That should not have surprised her, the War was—well, she’d seen enough of it herself. But if he was changed more like the Lindar who could no longer bear torches or crowds, or the once-chained who crowded under Lorien’s trees hoping to relearn peace, or her far-niece soaring the salt breeze more often than she walked the land (birds cry only to clean their eyes, Elwing once confided), or their Returned eldest son only half at home in his skin; that she could understand.
Instead his smiles were too wide, his bows too deep, his dancing too flawless, his lovemaking too empassioned, his speeches too cunning; if he spoke of the War at all it was if it were already a distant history. Who was this bright King who threw himself into the politics and lawmaking that he once threw himself at the seaside and herself to avoid? Just what exactly had returned from the pits of Angband, wearing her husband’s flesh?
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tarninausta · 11 months
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On those journeys Elwing did not go, for she might not endure the cold and the pathless voids, and she loved rather the earth and the sweet winds that blow on sea and hill. Therefore there was built for her a white tower northward upon the borders of the Sundering Seas and thither at times all the sea-birds of the earth repaired. And it is said that Elwing learned the tongues of birds, who herself had once worn their shape and they taught her the craft of flight, and her wings were of white and silver-grey. - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, "Of the Voyage of Earendil and the War of Wrath"
[ID: A picspam consisting of 12 images, mostly white.
1: Seagulls in flight / 2: A bird with orange feathers spreading its wings / 3: the model Ashley Radjarame, who has brown skin and black hair. In this image, she is wearing a golden necklace and earrings / 4: Text reading "Elwing" / 5: A ray of light breaking through clouds / 6: a group of puffins / 7: a group on mandarin ducks / 8: waves on the beache / 9: Text reading "And it is said that Elwing learned the tongues of birds, who herself had once worn their shape" / 10: a bird with long, orange tail feathers in flight / 11: Pearls / 12: A person holding a white cloth billowing in the wind /End ID]
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thecryofthegulls · 11 months
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On Elwing's Bird Forms
In the educated opinion of me, a slightly wine-drunk semi-professional seabird specialist with a Tolkien hyperfixation, procrastinating from a work presentation I should be preparing let's gooooo.
Too many people think of Elwing in the form of a random bird thing, when there are so many interesting species!
First, the source text (emphasis by me):
"... they told that Elros and Elrond were taken captive, but Elwing with the Silmaril upon her breast had cast herself into the sea. Thus Maedhros and Maglor gained not the jewel; but it was not lost. For Ulmo bore up Elwing out of the waves, and he gave her the likeness of a great white bird, and upon her breast there shone as a star the Silmaril, as she flew over the water to seek Ëarendil her beloved. On a time of night Ëarendil at the helm of his ship saw her come towards him, as a white cloud exceeding swift beneath the moon, as a star over the sea moving in strange course, a pale flame on wings of storm. And it is sung that she fell from the air upon the timbers of Vingilot, in a swoon, nigh unto death for the urgency of her speed, and Ëarendil took her to his bosom; but in the morning with marvelling eyes he beheld his wife in her own form beside him with her hair upon his face, and she slept."
"On those journeys Elwing did not go, for she might not endure the cold and the pathless voids, and she loved rather the earth and the sweet winds that blow on sea and hill. Therefore there was built for her a white tower northward upon the borders of the Sundering Seas; and thither at times all the sea-birds of the earth repaired. And it is said that Elwing learned the tongues of birds, who herself had once worn their shape; and they taught her the craft of flight, and her wings were of white and silver-grey. And at times, when Ëarendil returning drew near again to Arda, she would fly to meet him, even as she had flown long ago, when she was rescued from the sea. Then the far-sighted among the Elves that dwelt in the Lonely Isle would see her like a white bird, shining, rose-stained in the sunset, as she soared in joy to greet the coming of Vingilot to haven."
The Silmarillion CHAPTER 24 OF THE VOYAGE OF EARENDIL AND THE WAR OF WRATH
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Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
Right out of the gate, a swan is a popular choice for Elwing. Makes sense, they are beautiful, regal birds with a graceful baring on the water. There is a strong association between mute swans and England, they are indeed an old world bird and as part of Tolkien's worldview as oak trees. They are also vicious and brave defenders of their young. A tough bird, symbol of the Teleri Elwing's elven clan. However, not the best for Elwing. They are not sea birds, and while powerful fliers, do not fly particularly high or far. Mute swans are heavy, needing a lengthy run on the water to take off with a clacking of their wings. Not the ideal shape to fly across the ocean undetected to find your mariner husband, or meet said husband in the morning sky when he comes back from being a star.
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Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus)
No, not a Great White Pelican, but a Dalmatian Pelican. More silvery than its pale African cousin, the Dalmatian Pelican has the advantage of being present in more Mediterranean climes, which might be representative of what Sirion was like (thank you @outofangband). Pretty much the largest freshwater bird, this choice for Elwing suffers the same problem as the mute swan. Not a sea bird, doesn't really do long-distance flights. Though I could imagine this large silvery-grey bird being mistaken for a cloud in the night, and you KNOW that the Silmaril is tucked nice and safe in that big pouch!
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Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans)
Now that's a sea bird! Another popular choice for Elwing, this graceful soaring beauty is essentially the biggest flying bird in the world by wingspan, with a sweeping 11 feet/3.5 meters. The older they are, the whiter they become, with only bit of dark plumage on the wing tips and tail. The wandering albatross is the textbook example of a great white bird. Albatross adore storms, and can use strong (storm) wings to carry them over vast distances very quickly. They nest on steep hills, because they need the sweet winds to give them lift to take off. All in all, like the others above, large enough to carry a Silmaril without affecting flight capabilities. Though I really can't imagine Ëarendil cradling an albatross to his bosom, long wings flopping down on both sides of him. (Elros and Elrond are definitely albatross chicks muppets, as per @swanmaids' point).
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Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)
A gull! Yes, of course, but which gull? There are 54 gull species, and so many of them are herring gulls. But for Elwing? Ulmo would transform her into a Black-legged Kittiwake. A graceful, almost dove-like gull, Kittiwakes are bright white with wings topped in silver-grey. They fly like they are playing in the wind, and spend most of their lives at sea. Gorgeous sea bird. Ëarendil would hug. Am I biased because I love them? Maybe.
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Ross's Gull (Rhodostethia rosea)
You want a more white and daintier gull? I was going to write about the Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea) but if we are going with a rare Arctic species, there are many good things about the Ross's Gull. I mean look at it! White and silver-grey with a rosy blush like it is continuously bathed in sunset, a black collar like Elwing is still wearing the memory of the Nauglamír. I also prefer to go with Ross's gull because every time I have seen an ivory gull in the wild it was slightly blood-stained (they feed off polar bear kills) which has very unfortunate implications in Elwing's case really...
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But really, if you want a pure-white dove that actually goes sea for your Elwing imagery, go with ivory gull instead!
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Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)
Terns are gorgeous sea birds with impressive flight capacity, and pack an absolutely ridiculous amount of fight and spite in 100 g. I have a scar on the top of my head from a tern chasing me off a beach where it was nesting. That beak sure pinches. Roseate Tern are particularly pretty, and if you subscribed to raven-haired Elwing, that cap is an excellent match. The adults also gain a pink sunset stain on their underparts, so you get that poetic match again. Terns would absolutely yell at Manwë, and probably have.
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Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)
Now if you think Elwing was pale-haired and blue-eyed, a Northern Gannet would be more for you. Northern Gannets are sea birds of great size, swift and fearless. They quite literally launch themselves into the sea. They are powerful enough fliers to evoke thoughts of storm-wings and clouds under moon. Gannets also follow boats, which works nicely with the imagery of bird-Elwing meeting Vingilot.
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White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus)
Look at this beautiful thing, is she not fitting of a daughter of Dior, of Lúthien's line? I hope I see one for real one day. These long-tailed sea birds are excellent, graceful in flight, easy to see at a distance due to their tail. More active in the morning and in the evening, more to catch the morning and evening star. White-tailed Tropicbirds also come in a spectacular 'golden' variety. Absolutely fitting for someone named Star-Spray.
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Snow Petrel (Pagodroma nivea)
When I first read the Silmarillion years ago, and I read "... as a white cloud exceeding swift beneath the moon, as a star over the sea moving in strange course, a pale flame on wings of storm" I immediately imagined a glowing white creature that I eventually witness in real life: the gloriously beautiful snow petrel. And while Elwing might not endure the cold and pathless void like a snow petrel would around Antarctica, I think she would revel in the shining feathers, the swift, fleet wings, and, as a feature of being a petrel, the tube nose that would allow her to smell and find Ëarendil anywhere at sea or in the sky. They soar with such joy. Perfect hold-to-your-bosom sized. Snow petrels are one of my favourite sea birds, and you should know more about them!
Like how they have the most hilarious defence mechanism:
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Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta)
No absolutely not.
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i-did-not-mean-to · 2 months
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Day 1: Family | Breath & Air
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Dragging myself over here to participate in my dear friend's event!
Have some wholesome Manwë for your heart!
Words: 100
Characters: Manwë & (can you guess?)
Warnings: /
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Manwë took a deep breath and froze.
The air tasted bittersweet, carrying thrilling notes of desperate fear.
As he took flight, he knew not what he was going to find, but he trusted his element and his instincts unquestioningly.
Someone was reaching out to him, weaving their call for aid into the invisible ocean through which the Lord of Winds surged so effortlessly.
The avian Maia—young and endearingly innocent-looking—was perched on the edge of a crumbling nest, his bright blue eyes glistening with tears.
“Fear not, little one,” Manwë spoke. “You shall be part of my family henceforth!”
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@manweweek
Lots of love from me!
-> Masterlist
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thelien-art · 1 year
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Day 6: Ambarussa of @feanorianweek
Hunting
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Honeysuckle = Gluttony | Thirst
Amrod was on the ships when Feanor burned them and lost most of his left face, his body was heavily scarred and the worst was on the left side, he also lost two fingers and when Maedhros comes back from Angband he keeps making fun of it telling him they could borrow each other's hands. He did lose the ability to speak so Caranthir helped develop sign langue (Dwarfs have a different sign langue for themself, humans usually use the Elvish version which was heavily inspired by the Sindirin and Avain hunting signs) for him, and Amras translate for others.
Amrod was always more of a scholar and enjoyed beauty quite a lot. He would sometimes join Amras and Celegorm on hunts.
Amras was the more outspoken of the twins and usually spoke for Amrod outside of court and after the burning of the ships he became Amrod's voice as Amrod followed him no matter what and even insisted on sharing a bed (Amras didn´t mind, they always shared a bedroom and when they were smaller, a bed)
Maedhros | Maglor | Celegorm | Caranthir | Curufin | Nerdanel and Feanor
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stardayzzing · 1 year
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Some Rivendell elf content!
These are very rushed concept sketches/doodles so dont mind that!
Rivendell elves have bird like features, including mainly feathered arms and ears! They also, as you can see with the hand, have talons!
Ive got more details for them but for now Im just gonna drop this
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vidumavi · 1 year
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local bird lady thrilled by valinor biodiversity after spending most of her life in one town
(the short hair is either a fashion choice or a deliberate nod to lúthiens hair cutting shenanigans. your pick)
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