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victorie552 · 3 months

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Ok, so Noldolantë, "The Fall of the Noldor" is a lament composed by Maglor about what happened before, during and after First Kinslaying at Alqualondë. It's such a good song that it's played regularly in Aman and Valar listen to it often (I swear, I swear it was in the Silmarillion I just can't find it now).

It's also a more or less common fanon that Maglor continues writing Noldolante through the whole First Age. Makes sense - it's about fall of the Noldor, and Noldor did a lot of falling back then.

Headcannon time: So my first thought was that Noldolante must a long, long, long epic of a song. So it probably has many parts, right? Iliad has 24 books/parts, somehow I think Noldolante would be at least just as long, and there are longer epics. And again, just like Iliad, unless you're a scholar, in the daily life you don't really listen to/read the whole thing, just reread and repeat the most dramatic fragments. What I'm trying to impress upon you all is that the story would have different segments, or chapters, if you will.

And if Maglor continues to write the story during the FA, there would absolutely be a moment in the lament where the OG Noldolante becomes Noldolante 2, and even Noldolante 3. There may be the same musical motif or something, I decided that Maglor IS that good of a bard to keep it all consistent enough so you know it's all the same story, but the style changes a lot - it's been 400 years in the making, let The Music Elf have fun!

So, Point 1: Many, Many Parts, basically Maglor's FA WIP

My second thought was that, while Feanor invented his alphabet, elves learned their history mostly through oral tradition aka songs and spoken stories. Noldolante is definitely a historical record, where a historical event was archived for future generations.

(It was a also a way to deal with grief, guilt and blame Maglor and all Noldor have faced regarding First Kinslaying - free therapy! But that's not what this post is about)

Archived.

My 2.5 thought was that Noldolante isn't just recallings of how pretty and horrified the beach looked during the murdering or how mad and sorrowful the sea was at everyone during the voyage or even how awesome and charismatic Feanor looked during his speeches that every single Noldo was ready to fight Morgoth barehanded in his name - no, this is a record of who killed who, who got killed by whom, and how.

Noldor and Teleri knew each other (were friends, even!) before the First Kinslaying, so I'm confident that after a lot of interviews, detective work, and cross-referencing, Maglor could and would create a very good... name list. Practically every Noldo and Teler present during First Kinslaying would get a stanza in a song, more if he killed someone, most if he killed many people. Killers and killed would show up twice, first in a fragment listing the killers and their victims, then in a part listing the victims and their murderers. Basically it's the same thing twice, but from different POVs. With when, where and how included.

(It was seen to be in bad taste to compare kills during Maglor's Regency, when most of his interview-part work happened. People did it anyway. There were a Saddest Kill, Funniest Kill, and Weirdest Kill discusions. There was a Tier List. These were weird times to be a Feanorian Noldo.)

(It WAS in Bad Taste, but at least people talked about it. I cannot stress enough how much free therapy this lament provided)

(Little did they know, when Teleri started getting reembodied in Aman, they had very similar discussions, but more in a "I can't believe he killed me like THAT" way. Long, long, long after the First Age. Noldolante is a gift that keeps giving)

So, Maglor had all the historical grith and no common shame to create a "We Killed All These People And We Feel Bad About It" banger of a song, and every Noldo had a very personal reason to at least remember the fragments they are in. It's a hit on a scale never seen before.

(I'm not sure how to tackle the issue of Nolofinweans and Arafinweans learning about Noldolante after crossing the Ice. But there were discussions. There was anger, there was "????", there was controversy. Basically, the song got bigger and bigger rep no matter what your opinion on it was. By the time of Mereth Aderthad it was an important cultural and political piece and at least Fingon's forces were included in the main song. It had parodies.)

Point 2: Archive Function/Kill count storage. Cultural phenomen, every Noldo included

This is where my personal nonsense begins: Main Noldolante was done, there was nothing more to say about First Kinslaying, all killings and deaths were well documented.

But the Siege started. And the Noldor kept dying.

It was less dramatic than it sounded - between the big battles the siege was maintained, but orc raids also happened and sometimes one to few Noldor died in skirmishes. The legal procedure was to document the death of a fellow elf and send a word to king Fingolfin. The cultural procedure, technically started by Feranorians but adapted by many more, was to send the name, common characteristics and cause of death to Maglor's Gap. After few months, King Fingolfin would send reinforcements, short condolences and financial compensation if they had family. After few months, family of an elf would also receive a personal lament for them and a place for them in a Noldolante.

Yes, every lament Maglor created in that time was technically part of the Noldolante. Noldolante 1.5, if you will. Laments make in that time were very customized, and simpler than Noldolante Main, but were still considered a part of the same song. Of course, nobody was expected to know and remember laments for every single Noldo, younger Noldor born in Beleriand could even only know fragments about their family members. Only Maglor would ever know Noldolante in full, but it was understood that everyone had their place in The Song.

The results of Great Battles were harder to document, but Maglor did that. Of course, Dagor Bragollach was hard on him personally, but he worked his way through.

(High King Fingon forbade creating laments for his father. There were no songs for Fingolfin. Apart from in Noldolante, of course. Of course. Maglor did not share the lament with anyone, but he sat long hours and many nights with a blank paper before him, looking at the candle flame and thinking of the past and the future. The song unsung, but there)

Nirnaeth was... Maglor was never more hated and more approached at the same time than then. Still, Noldolante grew and grew, as if people knew the end was near.

It was Second Kinslaying that destroyed the myth of Maglor's song. Feanorians didn't know the Sindar they killed, but surely, they couldn't just left their names unmentioned like they did with orcs? So, Noldor talked, but the battle happened in caves - it wasn't uncommon to find dead bodies in empty rooms, with no witnesses to what happened. Surviving Sindar didn't want to share any names, even when Maglor strong-armed some into talking with him, and good for them. Maglor made a big lament anyway. Maglor, wild, with no shame and dead brothers, with legacy crumbling around him. Noldolante, with holes.

After Third Kinslaying, Noldor didn't want to talk. Lament for Sirion didn't have any names. Clearly, songs weren't a way to go anymore, it was always about live witnesses. And so Maglor raised the twins.

Lament for Maedhros was sung repeatedly. There was no one to hear it.

Point 3: Only Maglor knows Noldolante in full. But that doesn't matter, because everyone knows the important part: the Noldolante is finished. The Star of Hope rises in the West and the story goes on. The Fall has ended.

#silm #silmarillion #noldolante #maglor #yet another post that went in different direction than I planned #started with meta went into headcannon and ended with fanfic angst #I wanted to end it with crack!!!#I mean. I mean #it all makes kind of some sense if we're talking about elves here #but guys Noldor had Men and Dwarves as allies #Maglor would want them in his Historical Record song #I think with Dwarves they would mainly refuse when he asked them if they wanted a part in Noldolante #so maybe he would only get some allies and personal friends of Maedhros in #but Men #guys Men. they would agree and they would make lists and it would become Clown City so fast #but Sons of Feanor aren't known for their ability of knowing when to quit #so Maglor has a Noldolante 3.0 Standard Version with 254 Parts that has Elves and an Occasional Dwarf Only #and Special Version Noldolante Deluxe Extra Edition with 547398134 Parts that includes Men #everyone is included you don't have to die in battle #all common causes of death have a dedicated jingle to them #to the point you know a man's cause of death after 3 notes #these parts of Noldolante well the music bit actually survived into the Fourth Age #the words are gone but the music is played at funerals in some places #The Noldolante Main survived only in parodies though #actually Finished Noldolante is a very good thing huh #as in no more Fall of The Noldor #they can finally catch some break #I believe that during Maglor's Regency Era all Noldor did was Processing. and breeding horses.#Noldolante? more like Maglor Finally Discovers Shame: A Story #I think some personal revelations on legacy and connections between children and life's works would be made

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catboygretzky · 10 months

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i have not read the silm but people always use it to go GLADADRIELS HAIR TO GIMLI can u explain

I wish i could do this without explaining so much of the silmarillion but i refuse to explain the entirety of the silmarillion

the first thing you have to know is that there's an elf called fëanor who was the most important elf of the early first age. he was a big deal. super smart, super talented, and he knew it. absolute cunt of a dude. was he an anti hero? was he simply a villain? idk at the end of the day he was a kinslayer of a cunt that committed atrocious war crimes. but he was smart and talented! (he created the silmarils which - well. as you may be able to guess are also a big deal)

super interesting character though. a 🔥 character, one may say.

so just. keep in mind that fëanor was super great at doing elf things (not so great at being a dad or just. having morals that weren't ambition and arrogance) and he was also galadriel's uncle.

now fëanor was obsessed i mean obsessed with galadriel's hair - literally everyone was.

Even among the Eldar [Galadriel] was accounted beautiful, and her hair was held a marvel unmatched. It was golden like the hair of her father and of her foremother Indis, but richer and more radiant, for its gold was touched by some memory of the starlike silver of her mother; and the Eldar said that the light of the Two Trees, Laurelin and Telperion, had been snared in her tresses. Many thought that this saying first gave to Fëanor the thought of imprisoning and blending the light of the Trees that later took shape in his hands as the Silmarils.

so yeah - pretty impressive hair on a pretty impressive elf. impressive enough to inspire the silmarils creation? maybe.

(everyone was obsessed, but fëanor was obsessed obsessed, there's this whole thing with him and light. see: silmarils, which literally captured the light of the Two Trees of Valinor and quite possibly were inspired by galadriel herself)

NOW fëanor begged for an entire lock of hair, and expected her to agree, three times. galadriel denied fëanor all three times.

to bring gimli back in - if you remember, gimli says his only desire is a single strand of her hair, not expecting to receive it but hey, she asked for what i desire most so!

by this point you may be able to sumise why it's a big deal without me telling you BUT

when galadriel tells him to name his desire and what she should give him, gimli says this

"There is nothing, Lady Galadriel," said Gimli, bowing low and stammering. "Nothing, unless it might be - unless it is permitted to ask, nay, to name a single strand of your hair, which surpasses the gold of the earth as the stars surpass the gems of the mine. I do not ask for such a gift. But you commanded me to name my desire."

"i do not ask for such a gift, but you commanded me to name my desire" whereas fëanor begged - gimli didn't even ask it of her, just answered her question about his desires.

but to everyone else this was a Big Deal

The Elves stirred and murmured with astonishment, and Celeborn gazed at the Dwarf in wonder, but the Lady smiled. "It is said that the skill of the Dwarves is in their hands rather than in their tongues," she said; "yet that is not true of Gimli. For none have ever made to me a request so bold and yet so courteous. And how shall I refuse, since I commanded him to speak? But tell me, what would you do with such a gift?" "Treasure it, Lady," he answered, "in memory of your words to me at our first meeting. And if ever I return to the smithies of my home, it shall be set in imperishable crystal to be an heirloom of my house, and a pledge of good will between the Mountain and the Wood until the end of days."

the elves went UM WHAT THE FUCK but galadriel just smiled because yeah, it was bold of him to ask, but he expected nothing and the only thing he would use it for would be to fix the (shitty) relationship between dwarves and elves.

so this look? when gimli tells legolas she gave him three hairs?

i'm sure inside he's thinking "holy shit holy shit holy shit", but it's definitely a turning point in their friendship. because well, if galadriel deems him worthy...

and when gimli said the only thing he'd use it for was to fix the relationship between elves and dwarves? HE DID.

and then galadriel let legolas bring gimli into elf heaven.

i'm sure others can say this much more eloquently, but tl;dr: galadriel said 'fuck you fëanor, go gimli go'

#this was long i'm so sorry #gimli #galadriel #the lord of the rings #fëanor #the silmarillion #tolkien #legolas #ask #lotr #gigloras #lord of the rings

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sotwk · 5 months

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About This Recommended Fics List:

All the Tolkien fanfics in this list meet the following qualifications:

Fandom: All-inclusive Tolkien (LotR, Hobbit, Silm, RoP) Type: One-shot Length: approx. 1,000-6,000 words Ship/Pairing: Any, including OCs and Reader Inserts Rating: G or PG-13 Content: No excessive angst, violence, or death. No unresolved stress. Happy endings only!

Disclaimer: I (@sotwk) have not personally screened all of these fics for their content. There may be triggers. Please read descriptions, take responsibility for your own media consumption, and observe the Golden Rule: Don't Like, Don't Read!

Link sources are either Tumblr or Ao3. Some Ao3 works are locked to registered users only.

This list of comfort fics is a collaboration and compiled through the recommendations of Readers. Thank you to everyone who contributed!

This remains a work in progress, and I will continue to accept recommendations. Please send them via DM, Ask, or Reblog. We need more, please!

Last updated: 1/23/2024

THE LORD OF THE RINGS

Aragorn

Hush Now by @entishramblings

Mirage @sileastral

Boromir

You’re the one who’s calling me to heaven by @cauliflowertree

A Shield Against the Snow by @scyllas-revenge

A Thief in the Night by @scyllas-revenge

The Floor Is Molasses by @scyllas-revenge

Anything But This by @minaturefics

Elrohir

Just a Little Longer by @theelvenhaven

Elrond

The Weft Between the World by Antarctica_or_bust

Eomer

Alive and Alight by @minaturefics

Fair Enough by @middleearthpixie

Wildest Dreams by @scyllas-revenge

Blue Moon by @epilogue-and-prologue/@absentmindeduniverse

Eowyn

An Idiot's Guide to Gift-Giving by @scyllas-revenge

Faramir

Wrong Conclusions by @minaturefics

Frodo

Arda University by @lady-of-imladris

Over Joy by PurpleProsaist

Gandalf

Days for which they sit and wait by BloodwingBlackbird

Gimli

Mahal's Gift by @lemonsprite

Haldir

Unfairness by @errruvande

Serenade by @glassgulls

Three Weeks on the Nimrodel by @from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras

Legolas

Sending Memes by @ironmandeficiency

Elucidative by @shrubdaddy

Winter Forest by @wordbunch

The Cruel Nature of the World by @entishramblings

What Haunts Your Heart by @entishramblings

Lindir

Bottled Up by @heilith

Merry [Seeking recommendations!]

Pippin [Seeking recommendations!]

Samwise

Better Company by @wordbunch

Let Met Take You Dancing by RaisingCaiin

THE HOBBIT

Bilbo

Primary Sources by bunn (@cycas)

Why Hobbits Eat So much by Madkat89

Fili

Sweets by @blairsanne

Lost My Way by @lathalea

Kili

Sapphires by @lathalea

Catch Her by a_daydreaming_writer

Porridge by @fili-urzudel

Insecurities by @bookworm-with-coffee

Tauriel

Royal Jar Opener, Reporting for Duty by @unendingwanderlust

Heavenly Inferno by midearthwritings

The Pairing Ceremony by dumbassunderthemountain

You Are My Happy Place by SmartassUndertheMountain

Liantë by WritingsOfAHobbit

Thorin

In The Woods of Ered Luin by @enchantzz

A Long Lost Home by @babe-bombadil

Dead End by @fizzyxcustard

The Arrival by @lathalea

Strong by @lathalea

Thranduil

Nothing by @entishramblings

Goodnight by @heilith

Under A Starless Sky by My_Marvel_Musings and RinzlersGhost

THE SILMARILLION

Finrod

here, at the end of all things by Dalliansss

Glorfindel

Warmth by @on-a-hill-by-the-sea

Stay the Night by @theelvenhaven

Golden by molerein

THE RINGS OF POWER

Elrond

My shadows by @thesolarangel

Dating shy Elrond by @thesolarangel

Perfectly Proper by @wordbunch

Haladriel

Stay by @scriberated

Covered in Colours by myfavouritelunatic

It’s the Last Thing I Wanted (It’s the First Thing I Do) by Helholden

Stay by @scriberated

Covered in Colours by myfavouritelunatic

It’s the Last Thing I Wanted (It’s the First Thing I Do) by Helholden

Divider credit: @saradika-graphics

Please remember to Support Your Writers and consider leaving a kudos/like or comment/reblog!

#tolkien fanfiction #fanfiction #comfort fic #fanfic rec #fic rec list #tolkien fic rec #lotr fanfiction #lotr #the hobbit #the hobbit fanfiction #silmarillion #silm fanfic #rop #rings of power #rop fanfiction

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omegas-reincarnation · 1 year

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The reason I don't categorise the Silmarillion as grimdark - despite the relentless disintegration of both the characters and the world, the endless death and loss of self - is that it is a story about people trying.

Even in the middle of what, at the height of Morgoth's power, must have felt like the end of their world, the story is full of people who keep on trying to do something right. Fingon's forgiveness and rescue of Maedhros, Finrod's self-sacrificial friendship with Beren, Gwindor's determination to help Turin, a complete stranger that he literally met five minutes ago. Celebrimbor gifting the elfstone to Idril in the hope that it would bring her comfort, Maglor adopting Elros and Elrond.

Even the things that go really spectacularly badly, like the battle of unnumbered tears, are born out of a determination to keep trying, keep fighting, even in the face of impossible odds.

The final message of the Silmarillion, its literal epilogue, is that things fall apart, inevitably and irredeemably. And yet, in the middle of the falling apart there people fighting for love and forgiveness and brotherhood and every time one of them fails or dies or gives up, it hurts all over again, because they really wanted to keep going. Not even necessarily out of a hope that things would get better, but out of a belief that it was worth doing anyway.

Even if you lost.

#the silmarillion #tolkien #maglor #fingon #finrod #gwindor #celebrimbor

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warrioreowynofrohan · 4 months

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For the first day of Silmarillion Daily - some thoughts on the Discord of Melkor.

The Great Music is a theme where Ilúvatar provides the broad strokes, and the Valar are encouraged to improvise upon it. The purpose of Melkor’s discord is not creativity, but in a sense the opposite of it - “to increase the power and glory of the part assigned to himself,” and thus to give one voice greater dominance over all the others, rather than all working together in their own ways. And that dominance and lack of creativity is the first effect: some are discouraged and stop singing, while others match him rather than following their own thoughts.

The Music is something of a speedrun of what Melkor later becomes - at the beginning he wants more power in order to make his vision a reality, but as he continues fighting against anything that is not his own music, he ceases to have any real vision of his own, but only the object of drowning out everyone else.

it was loud, and vain, and endlessly repeated; and it had little harmony, but rather a clamorous unison as of many trumpets braying upon a few notes. And it essayed to drown the other music by the violence of its voice

This is a pretty good encapsulation of what evil does to a person who chooses it, on a pattern repeated throughout Tolkien’s works (Melkor, Sauron, Fëanor, Saruman): any creative impulse or goal is drowned in the desire for power and dominance and crushing any opposition.

For all this, Melkor cannot overcome Ilúvatar’s guiding theme in the music, but as a consequence of this discord Ilúvatar’s theme becomes both sorrowful and more beautiful, the beauty coming from the sorrow. This is also the core theme of The Silmarillion: evil can destroy, it can bring sorrow, but it can never ultimately win.

behold! a third theme grew amid the confusion, and it was unlike the others. For it seemed at first soft and sweet, a mere rippling of gentle sounds in delicate melodies; but it could not be quenched, and it took to itself power and profundity…deep and wide and beautiful, but slow and blended with an immeasurable sorrow, from which its beauty chiefly came….it seemed that its most triumphant notes [of Melkor’s Discord] were taken by the other and woven into it own solemn pattern.

Lastly, there is a sharp contrast drawn between the attitudes of the other Ainur towards the vision of the Children of Ilúvatar, and the attitude of Melkor. The other Ainur are delighted at the prospect of people who are different from them, with whom they can communicate and from whose different ways of thinking and living they can learn:

when they beheld them, the more did they love them, being things other than themselves, strange and free, wherein they saw the mind of Ilúvatar reflected anew

But Melkor, by contrast, is jealous of them because they are different from him, and wants to control them and be obeyed by them:

he desired rather to subdue to his will both Elves and Men, envying the gifts with which Ilúvatar promised to endow them; and he wished himself to have subjects and servants, and to be called Lord, and to be a master over other wills.

In Tolkien’s works, almost invariably, more diversity and variation and creativity is a good thing, and trying to make everything done one way, your way, inevitably leads to ‘making people do want you want’ become the goal that precedes and displaces whatever it was that you wanted to do in the first place.

On another note, it’s fascinating that most of the Ainur other than Ulmo initially find the Sea unsettling (‘because of the roaring of the sea they felt a great unquiet’), even as the Elves will the first time they see it. It’s possible, in line with the above, that part of this is the wild and uncontrolled nature of the Sea; that it is, to Tolkien, the ultimate element of freedom, the thing that cannot be controlled and yet holds no dominion. This also fits with Ulmo’s role as the ‘loyal opposition’ to some of the other Valar, in his desire not to summon the Elves to Middle-earth, and to aid the Noldor after their departure; both or these are in line with allowing the Children of Ilúvatar more freedom to choose their own path.

#silmarillion daily #tolkien #the silmarillion #valar #melkor #eru iluvatar

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cilil · 4 months

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gift to: feanor

from: his boys

♡ To: Fëanor ♡ From: Fëanor's sons

𝓐 𝓳𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝓮𝓯𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓽

"Are you sure Atar will like it?"

"Curvo, put more sprinkles on it."

"No, don't! You're ruining the entire composition!"

"Maybe more candles?"

"There are too many, actually."

"You're no fun –"

"Enough!" It was unusual for Maitimo to raise his voice and slam his hands on the table, so his brothers went quiet immediately and stared up at him. Curufinwë was still holding the sprinkles and Carnistir clutched the piping bag defensively.

"The cake is done," Maitimo declared firmly. "And I am certain Atar will like it."

"After all..."

"... we put in a lot of time and effort!" the Ambarussar chimed in, grinning from ear to ear.

"That we did. Now behave, he's coming!"

Indeed, Fëanáro entered the kitchen shortly after everyone assumed their designated places, standing shoulder to shoulder behind the table with the cake proudly sitting on top of it. He looked at his sons, from one to the next, appearing slightly startled.

"I was wondering who is causing all the noise," Fëanáro began. His gaze fell onto the cake. "But it seems you were... baking?"

"We made you a cake, Atar!" Makalaurë announced.

"Do you like it?" Tyelkormo added quickly.

Fëanáro stepped closer to the table to examine the cake, smiling as he did so. "For me? Why, what a thoughtful gift!"

"We had a hard time finding something we could all agree on," Maitimo explained. "Curvo wanted to forge something, Turko wanted to hunt –"

"– Moryo told us we're stupid –"

"– and Kano wanted to sing a stupid song, but nobody liked the idea –"

Maitimo glared at the twins. "I said enough!"

"Well then. It seems at the end you were able to find something to make for me," Fëanáro chuckled lightly, amused by the bickering he was witnessing. "Now, as lovely as it looks, I would very much like to taste your cake. Turko, how about you stop playing with your knife and cut it into pieces so we may sit down and eat together? And don't forget one for your mother too."

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tar-thelien · 1 month

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I want a Silmarillion game. Let me explain;

So, most important is that the Valar needs to have an important role even if they´re not really there, in the way that you can be devoted to one of them and that will give you extra actions. You can also change Vala you´re devoted to, but not from everyone, so you can´t change to Este if you come from Orome so to say, because he will get pissed you choose something "more peaceful" the only Vala you can choose to without pissing anyone of would be Nienna, but only because of respect from her siblings, so if you change to her your previous Vala might not want you back and YES you can be devoted to Melkor, and there the only one you would be able to change to would be Nienna.

Also if you don´t want to be devoted to a Vala anymore Nienna would be the only one who would let you got AND if you do change to any of the Valar who do not "see eye to eye" without going through Nienna they will either curse you or send Maiar after you to kill you, although with some of them, Tulkas and Nesse, if you win over their Maia they will bless you and give you gifts even you´re not their devote anymore. This also applies if you don´t follow their order (go on the side quest they give you) or plain up just go against what they stand for, or you don´t spread the word of them and try to get people to prey to them.

You will also at some chance in the game when you´re pretty high up in levels have the chance to become some sort of Eldritch creature where you can start a cult with you as it´s god.

You won't be able to kill any of the Valar or Maiar, but you can disembody some of the Maiar, although most will just come back later when they have a body again. You can definitely capture a lesser Maiar tho! And there needs to be some sort of Maia (like Huan) who wears the shape of a horse and doesn´t serve any of the Valar you can find and makes your company travel faster than even if you had a horse or warg.

Also you can be any race more or less. Even a Maiar. But then you would be either a very weak one or one who pissed off one of the Valar, limiting who you can be devoted to and was trapped in a mortal form trying to either make said Vala happy or piss them even more off while trying to get your power back.

Last note, you can choose when this takes place (probably only in the first age tho) but you can´t change the outcome of cannon, although you can absolutely have your own little kingdom and fight one anyone you want to but you won't change the outcome, only for your own story.

Might just make it into a DND campaign. IF I KNEW HOW TO!

I have so many ideas, please ask me!

EDIT I know have a blog where I´ll be exploring it! it´s @silmarillion-dnd might change the name later

#tolkien #silmarillion #jrr tolkien

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aragornsrockcollection · 1 year

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I can’t remember if I ever posted this before but I absolutely think about it all the time:

So the history of Tolkien’s world is absolutely riddled with threes, especially in regards to elves and the light of the trees (which is thematically tied to the time of the elves the way the sun and moon are tied to the time of men). There are some earlier threes, like the three Valar who contributed most to the creation of the physical world, (Manwe, Ulmo and Aule), and he corresponding three elements they represent (Air, Water, and Earth/fire). (One day I’m going to edit and release my rambling thoughts on the elemental symbolism in the Silmarillion and then they’ll all be sorry).

There are also three main races in Middle Earth, the Elves (who first had three awaken), then the Dwarves (who had seven, a number unrelated to three, but that makes sense since they are the adopted children so being ever so slightly out of tune with the rest makes sense) and then finally the Men, (who had nine originally awaken, aka three times three).

Then there are the groups of powerful artifacts that reflect those elements, first the Silmarils, which are fated to be lost to the sky, the fires of the earth, and the ocean. These obviously contain the light of the two trees, which is the light of creation. And then of course the three Elven Rings which parallel the Silmarils, not containing the light of the trees, but based in those same three elements and crafted by Feanor’s grandson: Vilya the ring of air, Nenya the ring of water, and Narya the ring of fire.

But here’s the thing parallel story beats also tend to happen in threes. A great example being “significant character held captive by the enemy in tower/tall place is rescued by a loved one who finds them by singing a song and having them answer” which happens first with Maedhros and Fingon, then Beren and Luthien, then Frodo and Sam.

So… where’s the third instance of three powerful artifacts based in the elements of creation in the story? It feels super weird that there isn’t a third instance of this.

My completely out there answer to this problem I just created is there is about to be.

Because one character just received three of something with the light of the trees in it, and has stated that he is going to make objects that sound extremely similar to the Silmarils with them;

Gimli is about to make the Silmarils 3.0 with Galadriel’s hair.

So let’s go back to the years of the trees real quick. Feanor asks for Galadriel’s hair, which she refuses to give him. He asks three times. Why does he want it? Well, we can assume it’s because the light of the Two Trees is said to be captured in Galadriel’s hair, and Feanor is obviously interested in figuring out how to capture the light of the Trees in physical objects, because he’s about to undertake the forging of the Silmarils, which are literally just physical objects with the light of the Two Trees in them. In at least one version Tolkien wrote that Feanor was inspired to make the Silmarils by Galadriel’s hair.

It isn’t a leap to think Feanor believes studying her hair can help him figure out how to make the Silmarils, or even that he originally intended to USE her hair to make the Silmarils. He obviously figures it out without whatever knowledge he would have gained from it, and he captures the light and puts it into imperishable crystal that according to the translation of elven history we are technically reading, no one else knows how to make.

But the elves don’t know the secrets of the dwarves. Who the hell knows if they have created a similar material. We do know that when Gimli is asked by Galadriel what he will do with her hair if she gifts it to him, he says he will encase it in imperishable crystal.

Which… to me… sounds like he’s about to make some imperishable crystal with the light of the trees in it. And that is basically a goddamn Silmaril. That is what a Silmaril is. HE JUST DESCRIBED A SILMARIL. Gimli is planning on making Friendship Silmarils.

And it makes sense that the last iteration of three powerful objects in the vein of the Silmarils would happen in the dawning of the age of men, because the significant number for Men is three times three. This would be the third instance of three powerful artifacts being made- three times three.

Also just going to point out that breaking into Valinor without permission is explicitly shown to be made possible with a Silmaril. And Gimli is the first dwarf to go to Valinor. Hmmm. That’s interesting.

I personally believe he’s the first dwarf to ever want to go to Valinor, and similar to Tuor, the Valar just straight up hadn’t set up a rule against it yet and that’s how he gets in. But crafting three Silmaril-esc items and bringing them to the Valar has so many juicy possibilities for what it would do for the world, especially the elves of Valinor, who at their strongest relied on the light of the trees that would be reflected in these objects.

Needless to say, whatever Gimli makes will be super powerful, but in the theme of Tolkien’s work, not as powerful as the objects they are reflections of. Power trickling down through the ages and being increasingly watered down is a constant in this world.

Also this is obviously a stretch. But I do think about it.

All.

The.

Goddamn.

Time.

#tolkien #the silmarillion #jirt #lotr #silmarillion #jrr tolkien #silm #feanor #gimli is my favorite #Gimli #Gimli son of Gloin #the two trees #the Silmarils #Galadriel #the song is cyclical #Valinor #the elven rings #rule of three #I have so many ideas about this

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runawaymun · 15 days

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"To [Elrond's] surprise, Celebrimbor really does just allow him to sleep, giving him those touches that are so generous, so casual. And he wishes for nothing in the morning. And still nothing that following night, and the night after that, and the night after that, save to ask the question: 'would you like to be held tonight, elincë?' to be answered yes or no, and when the answer is yes (it always is, Elrond cannot lie, it always is, but Celebrimbor asks twice to be certain he is telling the truth) to hold him, read one of his books while he idly strokes Elrond’s hair, and lets him rest. "

Hi. I missed writing them. And this was one of those parts of Partake that I daydream regularly about and decided to finally write down. Originally I skipped over it/summarized for pacing reasons, but I've been Thinking About Them lately and also just...early Partake!Elrond hits a little differently now that I've put him and Gil on the page more together. So I wanted to get back into his headspace and really explore more of that opening-up phase, so to speak.

I just got to thinking that there's no way that first night went smoothly lol. Each chapter is a stand-alone ficlet.

This fic has way more to do with To Partake than it has to do with Rings of Power, and could probably be read on its own from a Silmarillion perspective, just like To Partake, with the understanding that Elrond and Gil-Galad have had an incredibly toxic relationship for quite a while, and Tyelpe is helping Elrond recover. <3 <3 <3

Anyway this is incredibly self indulgent. :) I hope you guys enjoy. I will likely write more of the nights when I feel like it. But for now, here's the first one.

This is also an informal gift to @crumbling-toast and @metatomatoes because without y'all this fic wouldn't be the same. I'm forever so grateful for all the cheerleading you do and the way you guys pick up on every little thing I try to slip in. It makes me so so feral <3 Thank you!!!

#to partake #brimbrond #elrond x celebrimbor #rings of power fic #the rings of power #lotronprime #got way too excited to post this haha #elrond #celebrimbor

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light-of-the-two-trees · 28 days

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On Arwen, Legacy, and the Gift of Men

I've been meaning to make this post for a while, actually, so here goes:

For all we talk about Arwen's inadequate characterisation (and I won't disagree, because in comparison with all the other characters in LOTR and even the Silmarillion, Arwen isn't very heavily characterised or featured in the text of LOTR at all), I feel like what really defines her, despite a lack of obvious characterisation, and despite possibly being unintentional (though I doubt that somehow), is this overwhelming sense of having been burdened with legacy — something that feels so central to her character that it makes up for everything else and gives you a good sense of who she is. Which leads me to believe that even if she had not fallen in love with Aragorn, she would have chosen mortality anyway.

The most famous part of Arwen's inherited legacy, of course, is her similarity to Lúthien. She is someone 'in whom it was said that the likeness of Lúthien had come on earth again' (LOTR, Book 2, Ch.1), and in the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen (LOTR, Appendix A), Aragorn sees her and immediately calls her 'Tinúviel'. She looks like Lúthien, lives (to some extent) like Lúthien, and ends up dying somewhat like Lúthien too. Then there is the legacy passed down to her as a Finwean. She is named 'Arwen' (noble-maiden), a name choice that echoes the name 'Artanis' (which is of course Galadriel's father-name, and means 'noble-woman'). This sets up a comparison (which cannot be ignored, for names are of utmost significance in the legendarium) between Arwen and Galadriel — Galadriel, who is a survivor of the First Age, learned in lore and magic (under Melian's tutelage too), kind and compassionate, but also powerful and fearsome. So both Arwen's name and her face are, to a great extent, something inherited from people who are in many ways far greater than herself in their power, influence and majesty, and people whom she may feel she has to live up to.

Arwen's legacy, and the many connections she has to the noble Elves of the First Age, understandably seems to weigh on her, especially in her demeanour. Of her it is said that 'her face was more grave, and her laughter now seldom was heard' (LOTR, Appendix A) , and there is a solemnity to her, unlike Lúthien's unabashed enthusiasm for life, or Galadriel's ambition. It is evident in the little that we see of her that she is, despite being compared time and again to Lúthien and Galadriel both, not much like either of them. Taken in the context of the rest of Middle-Earth's history, as well as with reference to her other name, 'Undómiel' (meaning Evenstar), this difference becomes far more significant. For Arwen was born in the Third Age, when the time of the Elves in Middle-earth was drawing to a close; indeed, Arwen's Elven heritage is referred to by Aragorn as 'the Twilight you must renounce' (LOTR, Appendix A). She is the Evenstar of the Elves: with her, the sun will set on their time in Middle-earth, and they will depart for Aman, to be removed from the rest of the world until thr Dagor Dagorath, if it ever happens.

But Arwen has so much to live up to. She is as beautiful as Lúthien, and named after Galadriel, but the Age itself sort of denies her the chance to live up to that legacy — as an Elf, from what we know of Arda, she can never truly measure up to her ancestors' deeds in the First Age, because it isn't the First Age anymore, and her people, almost collectively, are tiring of Middle-earth, which itself is growing older and weaker. There is nothing for an Elf here. If you'll pardon me for bringing in an unexpected comparison, it's a bit like Sophie Hatter's case (from Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, if anyone is unaware). Sophie feels she'll end up a failure or worse off than her sisters because that's how the world allegedly works. And in much the same way, Arwen can be interpreted as someone who feels like she can't be anyone of note in the Third Age as an Elf because Elves can't be notable in the Third Age.

Which brings me to my final point: that I think Arwen would have chosen mortality, and the life of the Aftercomers, regardless of whether she'd fallen in love with Aragorn or not. There's a bit in the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen about this that I think of when I try to make sense of Arwen's character. During Arwen and Aragorn's very first meeting, when he is but a boy and she hasn't fallen in love with him yet, she responds to Aragorn's claim that she is 'in [Lúthien's] likeness' with 'Yet her name is not mine. Though maybe my doom will not be unlike hers [emphasis mine]. But who are you?' Note here that she doesn't know or love Aragorn at this point. But she is already considering what choice she shall make in regard to remaining functionally immortal or becoming mortal. Of course, some of this can be ascribed to Elven foresight, but I still find it quite significant, because I see her becoming mortal as her choosing the only way she feels she can live up to Lúthien and Galadriel, who are both in some way a significant part of her identity.

Let's come back to Sophie Hatter. In her text, her transformation into an old lady comes with a sense of liberation, in that she feels she can do as she pleases, and is unshackled from her supposed fate. I tend to see Arwen's choice to become mortal as a similar kind of liberation, made more significant in Arda because in Arda, the 'Music of the Ainur [...] is as fate to all things [save for Men]' (The Silmarillion, Ch.1), and as an Elf, she cannot be anything but what is fated for her. Arwen breaks free of the shackles of 'Elves will fade away or sail, and become insignificant, doing their part in the fate of the world' through her choice, and ends up becoming a Queen. Even if she hadn't been a Queen in some alternate universe, I don't doubt that until her death, she would have been one of the chief advisors of the kingdoms of Middle-earth. But in the role which she ends up, she becomes influential.

No longer will she be remembered simply as 'Arwen, daughter of Elrond', relegated to footnotes much like the daughters of Finwë, but as the first Queen of the Reunited Kingdom, the first Queen of Gondor in living mortal memory. In this she becomes as important as Lúthien and Galadriel ever were — she, too, will make her mark on the dawn of a new Age, until she has 'laid herself to rest upon Cerin Amroth' (LOTR, Appendix A). Even in her death she will be like Lúthien, who chose to die a mortal after living in peace, and like Galadriel, who chose to 'diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel' (LOTR, Book 2, Ch.7). The legacy she leaves — that of a whole kingdom — will be as great as that of her forebears. And I feel like she would, considering how much her heritage seems to impact her and shape her, choose that greatness anyway (almost as a contrast of sorts to Galadriel refusing the Ring, but I digress).

So yes, that's my take on Arwen. That despite the lack of information and characterisation we have for her, she can be interpreted as a complex individual, shaped by her circumstances, her heritage, and her ultimate choice to make a mark on the world as great as that of any of her ancestors by choosing mortality; not simply for love (as I feel it often gets simplified to), but also to break free of the fate that binds her and to be truly free by renouncing Elvenkind and taking the Gift of Men: that 'they should have a virtue to shape their life, amid the powers and chances of the world, beyond the Music of the Ainur' (The Silmarillion, Ch.1).

#arwen #arwen undomiel #lotr #lord of the rings #legendarium tag #the silmarillion #silm #meta #is this the essay i'm meant to be writing? no. will it be better than the essay i'm meant to be writing? yeah probably #i feel like i might be opening myself up to DiscourseTM here...oh well. i've said my piece and that's that #goes without saying that this draws upon the book rather than the films but. saying it just in case #and it was not void

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nyxshadowhawk · 7 months

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I Read The Silmarillion So You Don't Have To, Part Four

Here are the previous parts:

https://nyxshadowhawk.tumblr.com/post/726120109073104896/i-read-the-silmarillion-so-you-dont-have-to-part

https://nyxshadowhawk.tumblr.com/post/726261927846772736/i-read-the-silmarillion-so-you-dont-have-to-part

https://nyxshadowhawk.tumblr.com/post/726476229805473792/i-read-the-silmarillion-so-you-dont-have-to-part

Chapter 7: Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor In which the peace is disturbed by conspiracy theories and shiny objects.

Fëanor decides to preserve the light of the Two Trees of Valinor… you know, in case anything ever happens to them. Somehow, using all of his knowledge and power and craftsmanship, he captures their light and uses it to create THE SILMARILS! The Silmarils are the biggest, brightest, and most beautiful gemstones in the history of Elfkind. No one but Fëanor knows what they’re made of (and at this point in time, he isn’t exactly in a position to tell anyone), but they look like diamonds and are completely unbreakable. Just as the bodies of the Children of Ilúvatar are shells for the soul, the crystal that composes the Silmarils is a shell for the light of the Two Trees — literally, the stones are actually alive. They are like three stars.

Silmarils of Fëanor by Nikulina-Helena

Side note — this isn’t technically in the text of The Silmarillion, it’s from Unfinished Tales, but I have to mention it because it’s hilarious — Fëanor got the idea to preserve the light of the Trees because Galadriel wouldn’t give him her hair. Here’s the relevant part of Unfinished Tales:

Even among the Eldar she was accounted beautiful, and her hair was held a marvel unmatched. It was golden like the hair of her father and of her foremother Indis, but richer and more radiant, for its gold was touched by some memory of the starlike silver of her mother; and the Eldar said that the light of the Two Trees, Laurelin and Telperion, had been snared in her tresses. Many thought that this saying first gave to Fëanor the thought of imprisoning and blending the light of the Trees that later took shape in his hands as the Silmarils. For Fëanor beheld the hair of Galadriel with wonder and delight. He begged three times for a tress, but Galadriel would not give him even one hair. These two kinsfolk, the greatest of the Eldar of Valinor, were unfriends for ever. […] there dwelt in her the noble and generous spirit of the Vanyar, and a reverence for the Valar that she could not forget. From her earliest years she had a marvellous gift of insight into the minds of others, but judged them with mercy and understanding, and she withheld her goodwill from none save only Fëanor. In him she perceived a darkness that she hated and feared, though she did not perceive that the shadow of the same evil had fallen upon the minds of all the Noldor, and upon her own.

So, just to reiterate: Galadriel is wise and benevolent and loves everyone except Fëanor, because Fëanor is just that much of an arrogant asshole. So when Fëanor asks her for her hair, she basically tells him where he can stick it, and he goes, “Well fine! I didn’t need your hair anyway! I’m going to make gems that are even prettier and shinier than your hair, and then everyone will be jealous!” And that is why it’s such a big deal that Galadriel grants Gimli’s much humbler request for her hair. Gimli may be a dwarf, but he’s actually a good person!

Anyway, everyone is impressed by the Silmarils, even the Valar themselves. Varda, the goddess of the stars, blessed them so that nothing evil could touch them.

Now, I already said that Melkor lusted for all the shiny things that the Noldor had dug up, so how do you think he reacted when he saw the Silmarils? Oh, you’d better believe he wanted those gems more than anything else in the world. He concocted an evil plan to sew as much discord between the Elves and the Valar as possible, and to destroy Fëanor in the process. Unfortunately, enough of the Elves start to listen to his rumors. They start to believe that the Valar brought them to Valinor to stop them from ruling kingdoms of their own. Melkor also told the Elves about the eventual coming of Men, which the Elves knew nothing about. Melkor didn’t know much about Men either, but it was enough to spread a conspiracy theory that Manwë was holding the Elves hostage in Valinor so that Men could take over the world, cheating the Elves out of their God-given inheritance. The Noldor start to want to go back East, to be free of the Valar’s influence so they can start building kingdoms of their own and establishing themselves before the Men come.

Fëanor especially is desperate to get out of Valinor, which is exactly what Melkor wanted, because this was all just a ploy to get the Silmarils. But Fëanor is just as obsessive about them, keeping them locked deep in his “horde” (as though he’s a dragon), except when he parades around wearing them during feasts. He doesn’t let anyone see them, except for his father and his sons. He’s already started to forget that the entire point of them was to preserve the light of the Trees of Valinor, and not just to glorify himself.

Fëanor by dakkun39

Melkor starts to zero in on his mark. He spreads a new lie that Fingolfin, Fëanor’s brother, was planning to supplant him as Finwë’s heir. And to Fingolfin, he says that Fëanor has always hated his half-brothers and plans to kick them out of the city of Tirion.

As the unrest brews, Melkor teaches the Noldor how to make weapons. Each family of Noldor believes that only they know about the weapons, and that none of the other families do. Meanwhile, Fëanor makes a secret forge to experiment with crafting weapons, so he and his family can have especially dangerous ones. Even Melkor didn’t know about that, that was all Fëanor. Mahtan, Fëanor’s father-in-law, bitterly regretted having taught him anything about metalwork.

Fëanor openly calls for revolution against the Valar, and escaping back East. That crosses a line. Finwë holds court and asks his lords what he should do. Fingolfin asks him, “Why are you letting Fëanor call all the shots? He’s not King. You’re the King. You tell him to stop!” Fëanor promptly bursts through the doors and struts up to the podium, armed to the teeth. He draws his sword on Fingolfin and tells him to fuck off. Fingolfin hastily bows to Finwë and gets the hell out of there before his own brother murders him on the house floor. Fëanor follows him and starts taunting him. Fingolfin has the good sense not to respond.

By Jenny Dolfen

Now the Valar get involved. They were sad about the Noldor wanting to leave, but whatever Melkor might say, the Valar weren’t about to keep them there against their will. This, though? This is a step too far. They summon Fëanor to stand trial before them. During the trial, it’s finally revealed that Melkor, not Fëanor, is ultimately to blame for all the unrest. Tulkas doesn’t even wait for the trial to be over to go and put Melkor’s lights out. Meanwhile Mandos (the god of death/purgatory) delivers his judgement on Fëanor: “If you’re our ‘thralls,’ then I hate to break this to you, but Manwë is the king of all of Arda, not just Valinor. So… going back East isn’t going to help you very much. Threatening to kill your brother is still a crime whether here or in Middle-earth, so I sentence you to exile from the city of Tirion for twelve years. Go and think about what you did! Then, after your time-out is over, if your family forgives you, we’ll let you back in.”

Fingolfin speaks up to say that he already forgives Fëanor, which is very charitable of him. But Fëanor just sulks and stalks off. Honestly, he’s had it easy — he hasn’t even been asked to leave Valinor, only to leave the city! He leaves with his seven sons and founds his own fortress, Formenos, some distance from Tirion, where he hoards all his gems and weapons and other sparkly things (including the Silmarils). Finwë loves Fëanor so much that he leaves his own city to be with Fëanor, and Fingolfin becomes king of Tirion in his place. So, in the end, Melkor’s lie became a self-fulfilling prophecy: Fingolfin did become King of the Noldor instead of Fëanor, not because of any treachery on his part, but because of Fëanor’s shitty behavior. Nice going, Fëanor.

Melkor lays low for a while, disguised as a cloud. No one hears anything of him for a bit, but the Trees look slightly darker and the shadows slightly more ominous. Suddenly, he turns up on Fëanor’s doorstep and pretends to be friends, using the self-fulfilling prophecy to his advantage to make it sound like everything he’s said so far is true. Melkor offers to help Fëanor leave Valinor. Fëanor still thinks that Melkor is kind of sus, but Melkor gets to him by mentioning the Silmarils, and how they won’t be safe as long as Fëanor stays in Valinor. Unfortunately for Melkor, he showed his hand too soon. Fëanor finally sees that the Silmarils are what Melkor’s really been after this whole time. He screams the equivalent of “Get the fuck out of my house!” and slams the door in the face of what is technically the most powerful being on Arda. Melkor runs off with his tail between his legs, but Finwë recognizes that this isn’t over, and calls for Manwë’s help. Manwë and the other Valar chase Melkor to the edge of Valinor, and everything is suddenly fine for a while… the Trees are bright again, and Melkor is nowhere to be seen, but not knowing where he is might actually be worse. The people of Valinor can feel him lurking on the edge of the horizon.

Fëanor and Silmarils by breath-art

Chapter 8: Of the Darkening of Valinor In which everything goes to hell.

The Valar assume that Melkor returned to his old fortress in the north, but they didn’t find him there. Instead, Melkor shapeshifted and slunk southwards, to a shadowy land called Avathar. He was going to visit… an old friend, shall we say.

If you think Shelob is bad, you haven’t met her mother.

By John Howe

Ungoliant isn’t just a spider, she’s an eldritch abomination that happens to take the form of a spider. Even the Valar don’t really know where she came from, and she managed to escape them by hiding in the south where they weren’t turning their attention. She weaves webs that suck in all the light around them. Melkor takes the form of a tall Dark Lord and tells Ungoliant that he will feed her whatever she wants in exchange for her help in conquering Valinor (although at this point, you should already know that when Melkor promises anything, it’s with his fingers crossed behind his back). Ungoliant agrees, and they decide to attack while the people of Valinor are celebrating a harvest festival. Because whenever anysort of disaster happens, it’s when everyone is unsuspectingly having a party.

Fëanor sulkily attends the festival, only because Manwë literally ordered him to be there, but the other elves of his household (including Finwë) don’t show up. Fëanor also deliberately underdresses for the party; instead of parading around with the Silmarils like he used to, he decided that the Valar didn’t deserve to see them, and kept them locked up in his castle. Fëanor reconciles with his half-brother Fingolfin right in front of Manwë’s throne, and may even have been sincere! The Trees shine with a perfect blend of silver and gold… for the last time.

The poor Elves and the Valar barely have time to react. Melkor leaps on top of the sacred mound and strikes each Tree through with his spear, and Ungoliant drinks up all the sap that gushes out of them like blood, and they quickly wither and die. Then Ungoliant drinks up all the well water, and she looks so huge and bloated that even Melkor is afraid of her.

And… that’s it. Just like that, it’s over. The Trees are dead. The resulting darkness is almost a palpable thing that can attack the body and soul. The Valar and all the Elves gathered in Manwë’s palace are thunderstruck as the lights suddenly go out, and then, they hear the screams of the Teleri, who have had nothing to do with this whole mess and had no idea that there was any unrest in Valinor to begin with. You know what I’m reminded of? That scene in The Prince of Egypt when God kills the firstborn of every Egyptian household, and there’s a shot of Orion, a beat of silence, and then a wail of grief and despair goes up.

Manwë sends the Valar to chase after Melkor, but they can’t penetrate Ungoliant’s cloud of darkness, and it’s too late. The damage was done.

By Titita

Chapter 9: Of the Flight of the Noldor In which the Valar have finally had enough of Fëanor’s bullshit.

Valinor is left in shock. Yavanna tries in vain to heal the Trees, but they are dead, and there’s nothing she can do… unless she had a little of the light of the Trees, which Fëanor fortunately preserved in the Silmarils. Manwë asks Fëanor if he will give Yavanna a Silmaril. Fëanor whines that just as the Trees were Yavanna’s masterpiece, the Silmarils are his masterpiece, and if he breaks any one of them, he’ll be the first of the Elves to die. Mandos mutters that he wouldn’t be the first, since his mother Míriel died, but no one takes his meaning.

Fëanor goes off to sulk, and remembers what Melkor said: that the Valar want the Silmarils, and will do anything to get them. Now they’re asking him to give them one. Fëanor concludes that because Melkor, a Vala, is such a shitty person, then all the other Valar must be the same. He tells the Valar that he will not give them a Silmaril, and that if they try to take one from him by force, then that will prove that they really are just as bad as Melkor.

That’s that, then. Because Fëanor is such a selfish asshole, the Trees are not healed, and there’s nothing left to do but to mourn. Nienna, the goddess of sorrow, stands on top of the mound where the Trees used to be and laments the scarring of Arda, letting her tears wash away the destruction caused by Ungoliant and Melkor.

Then Elves from Formenos, Fëanor’s fortress, arrive to tell the Valar about another of Melkor’s crimes: He broke into Formenos, murdered Finwë, and stole everything that was in Fëanor’s treasure horde. The Silmarils are gone. Fëanor is enraged, firstly because the Silmarils are gone, secondly because he was at Manwë’s stupid party instead of defending his castle, and thirdly because his beloved father is dead. This is when he first calls Melkor by the name Morgoth (which is what he’ll be called for the rest of the Silmarillion).

History might have been different if Fëanor had originally said yes to Yavanna’s request, before learning that Morgoth had stolen the Silmarils. We can’t know.

Meanwhile Morgoth and Ungoliant take the long way back to Middle-earth. Morgoth hopes to eventually escape from Ungoliant, because even he’s afraid of her, but she catches on. She tells Morgoth that she’s still hungry, and she wants to eat all the treasure he stole from Formenos. So Morgoth, begrudgingly, feeds her all of Fëanor’s beautiful gemstones. All but three, that is. The Silmarils literally burn Morgoth’s hand, because Varda made them evil-proof, but he grips them tightly and refuses to give them to her. He’s a lot weaker than he should be because he lent Ungoliant so much of his power, and she weaves a web of darkness to strangle him. Melkor screams so loud that his screaming can still be heard in that region to this day. Deep beneath the ruins of Angband, the Balrogs still lurked, and when they heard their Lord cry for help, they came to save him. Let’s just reiterate that: Ungoliant is so evil that Morgoth, who’s like Sauron but worse, needed Balrogs to save him from her.

By Sheppi-Arthouse

Ungoliant fled, and lurked for some time in a dark valley where she mated with other spider-creatures and ate their heads. No one knows what happened to her after that. She might still be out there, but one legend says that eventually, in her eternal hunger, she ate herself.

Morgoth rebuilds Angband, amasses his armies of Balrogs and Orcs, and gives himself the modest title of “King of the World.” He forges himself an iron crown and sets the three Silmarils in it. But his hands are permanently burned by having held them, and he can never take off the crown. He stews in his hatred, and vents his humiliation at the eight spidery legs of Ungoliant by abusing his minions. Despite how pathetic that near-defeat was, Melkor is still technically a Vala, and is so terrifying in his majesty that no one can even be near him without being consumed by fear.

By NeexSethe

Back in Valinor, everyone is depressed. Then Fëanor shows up and gives a rousing speech to the Noldor, mostly condemning Morgoth, but also repeating all of the lies that Morgoth had spread about the Valar. Fëanor declares himself King of the Noldor since his father is dead (which isn’t anything like what Morgoth just did), and persuades the Noldor that they shouldn’t live under the Valar’s rule anymore. After all, the Valar failed to keep out Morgoth, and they’re related to him so they must be partly to blame for his actions. Fëanor doesn’t want to be anywhere near the distant cousins of the guy who killed his father. Also, look at the greener grass back in Middle-earth where the Noldor can build an empire for themselves! They can become a warlike people, and conquer Middle-earth before the Men come! Fëanor throws some racial supremacy into the mix and says that once the Noldor have waged war on Morgoth and taken back the Silmarils, they alone will be the lords of the last remaining Light.

Then Fëanor and his sons draw their swords and swear an oath that they will hunt to the ends of the earth any creature — Vala, Demon, Elf, or Man — who possesses a Silmaril.

By Jenny Dolfen

Despite having just disavowed the Valar, this oath is still sworn with the gods and their sacred mountain as witnesses, so… old religious habits die hard.

Immediately, unrest erupts among the Noldor. Fingolfin and his son Turgon are horrified, Finarfin (Fëanor’s other brother) tries to calm everything down, and Galadriel (the only woman there) likes the idea of seeing Middle-earth and ruling a realm of her own. Fëanor’s side of the debate eventually wins, and the Noldor depart for Middle-earth. Fëanor hurries them out of there before they have the chance to change their minds.

Of course, the remaining problem is that Fëanor can’t simply declare himself king so easily. Fingolfin has been King of the Noldor ever since Fëanor was exiled from the city, and most of the Noldor are still loyal to him. He’s also level-headed and kind, whereas Fëanor is a hot mess. Fingolfin doesn’t want to leave Valinor, but accepts that he doesn’t have much of a choice, because he doesn’t want to abandon his people. Also, his son Fingon is urging him to go. Finarfin is even less willing to leave, but follows Fingolfin anyway for similar reasons.

By BellaBergolts

As the Noldor are leaving, a messenger arrives from Manwë. He says that the Valar won’t prevent the Noldor from leaving, since the Elves are free to do whatever they want, but that the Valar strongly advise against it. But Fëanor and his family are explicitly exiled from Valinor, on account of their oath. The messenger emphasizes that Fëanor is right — Melkor is a Vala —which is exactly why Fëanor and co. stand no chance against him or against any of the other Valar. So, the oath is impossible to fulfill. That sucks, because oaths are serious business, and once you’ve made an oath, you can’t simply disregard it. Fëanor has basically condemned himself and all of his sons to an impossible, borderline-blasphemous and utterly hubristic venture. Nice going, Fëanor.

Of course, Fëanor gives a typical arrogant response, urging the Noldor not to send their king into exile and “return to bondage.” He says to the messenger, “Go tell Manwë that even if I can’t beat Morgoth, at least I’m gonna try, instead of sitting on my sorry ass and grieving! My battle with Morgoth is gonna be so legendary that one day the Valar will realize I was right!” Fëanor is so intimidating that even the messenger of Manwë bows to him in response. And so, the Noldor leave into exile — some boldly and without looking back, some very reluctantly.

They quickly run into the first big problem: How do they get to Middle-earth? Fëanor first tries to follow Melkor and go north, to cross the narrow strip of land that connects the two continents. But realistically, there’s no way that an entire nation’s worth of people are going to cover that distance. The other option is to cross the sea itself, but the only way to do that is with ships, and the Noldor don’t know how to build them. Fëanor decides to persuade the Teleri to join his company, which would get them the ships they need — and spitefully, Fëanor hopes to further dismantle Valinor and gain himself more soldiers for his war against Morgoth.

The Teleri are sad that their friends are leaving, and completely unwilling to lend them any ships or go against the will of the Valar. Olwë, the King of the Teleri, never heard any of Morgoth’s conspiracy theories, so everything Fëanor says sounds completely insane. You can imagine how well that went over with Fëanor. He’s like, “You owe us because we helped you build your city! You stragglers would still be living in mud huts if it weren’t for us!” Olwë points out that friends don’t let friends make such stupid decisions, that the plan was to live together in Valinor forever, and that the Noldor didn’t teach the Teleri shipbuilding. They learned to build ships on their own, directly from the sea gods, and don’t owe the Noldor anything. The Teleri feel the same way about their ships as Fëanor does about his jewels — they’re unique masterpieces, and can never be replicated.

Fëanor doesn’t take no for an answer, and tries to take the ships by force. The Teleri fight back. What follows is the first large-scale battle between Elves. It’s brutal and sad — there’s deaths on both sides, but the Noldor win and steal the precious ships away. (Don’t ask me how the Noldor know how to sail the ships — sailing isn’t exactly a skill that one can just pick up.) Olwë calls upon Ossë, the Maia of the Waves, but he doesn’t come, because the Valar swore to neither help nor hinder the Noldor’s departure. But Uinen, the Maia of sea life, is so distraught over the cruel deaths of the Teleri mariners that she wrecks several of the ships.

By Ted Nasmith

When the Noldor reach the shore, a dark figure rises up from the cold mountains. Some say the figure was Mandos himself. He pronounces the “Prophecy of the North”: Anyone who’s studied pagan mythology knows that kinslaying is just about the worst thing you can do, so now all the Noldor are exiled, not just Fëanor and his sons. But Fëanor has well and truly brought down the wrath of the Valar upon his head. They’ve given him enough second chances. Now, his oath isn’t just useless — it’s actively a curse that will destroy his family, drive them to evil and treason, and keep the Silmarils forever just out of reach. After they die — and they will die, despite the immortality granted to them by Eru Ilúvatar — their souls will return to the Halls of Mandos as ghosts. The Noldor who don’t die will slowly diminish, and watch their own power fade as the other races gradually supplant them, leaving them with nothing but regret.

Mandos by marcelamedeiros_arts

Don’t let anyone tell you that Tolkien’s Elves are all perfect beings who are prettier, wiser, more magical, and otherwise superior to everyone else. The reason why all the Elves of the LotR fit that description is because only the wise Elves last that long. All the arrogant, hotheaded, and power-hungry Elves don’t make it to the Third Age because they’ve all killed each other by then.

Case in point, Fëanor responds to this imposing figure pronouncing the wrath of the gods with his typical arrogance, insisting that he and his family are not cowards and that treason is just another evil that they’ll have to deal with. And, as an extra “fuck you,” that everyone will sing of their deeds until the end of the world.

At that, Finarfin turns back. He never actually wanted to leave Valinor, he hates that the battle ruined his friendship with Olwë, and he’s deeply resentful towards the House of Fëanor for having caused this whole mess. He and his people receive the Valar’s forgiveness, and return to their beautiful city of Tirion. Finarfin rules over the Noldor that returned with him, but without his children, because they didn’t turn back. They wanted to stay with Fingolfin’s sons, Fingon and Turgon, and they aren’t the sort of people to abandon a task halfway, so they continue on.

Fëanor, Fingolfin, and the other Noldor reach the far north, where the continents of Aman and Middle-earth meet. They’re cold, hungry, and don’t know which way to go next. Some of the Elves are starting to catch on that Fëanor and his propaganda is the cause of all their trouble. Fëanor is already starting to fear treachery, so he takes his sons and all the ships, and straight-up abandons Fingolfin and his people to freeze to death. Fëanor becomes the first Noldor Elf to set foot on Middle-earth.

Maedhros, Fëanor’s eldest son, asks him if he’ll send any ships back for Fingolfin’s people (specifically Fingon). Fëanor laughs at his son, calls his brother and nephews and all their people “worthless baggage,” and then burns the ships. Maedhros just stands aside and lets him do it. (I’m guessing that the inability of Fëanor’s kids to stand up to their father is going to become a recurring source of conflict.) So, the curse has already come into effect.

The Burning of the Ships by Ted Nasmith

In spite of Fëanor, Fingolfin and his company pass through the icy wastes in the farthest north, and eventually reach Middle-earth, though they lost many along the way. The narrator tells us straight-up that few of the deeds of the Noldor will ever surpass that desperate crossing.

We're a quarter of the way through!

Next part: https://nyxshadowhawk.tumblr.com/post/738735962858897408/i-read-the-silmarillion-so-you-dont-have-to-part

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