#love me some lotr

[sinistercall]

『 "𝐃𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐍 𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐅𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓" 』

"𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘐 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮, 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘯-𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶."

Such a thing graced Ithuriel's eyes as she cut back into reality once more, finding herself laying down within her tent atop her bedroll - it smells sweet, like cinnamon ; how had she gotten here? Cinnamon ... Kettle ... Tea - Her gaze flicked over to spy that fluttering imp, right, she remembers now. The group had settled down for the evening after finishing up various chores, and she had thought it better for the night to read that 𝐆𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐘 romance novel Astarion had lent her. Something to clear her " 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 " and hopefully lead to ... " 𝘦𝘹𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 ". The comment racked a shudder across her being. Fel (   𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦?   ) had arrived shortly after, happy enough in her presence to speak with her plainly; his voice - despite all of the horrid vocabulary - somehow was a comfort. She'd managed to convince him to settle down in his chatter beside her, but ever diligent to work he kept twitching - so she had given him laundry to fold while she ‘studied up on runic symbols’. A lie, but one he didn't seem displeased by despite her confidence that he knew what she was actually up to. 

"Ahh you always were 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓𝐘 for knowledge Master! You should really rest though, my Lady, you must be tired from all of the sorocide from today. However, if you insist, I will stay here to watch over you and make sure you complete your studies."

Like a parent guiding their child. Had it always been that way? Had there been a point where the Scleritas held her 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐞 hand? Much to her chagrin, it brings a soft grin to her lips - a fleeting one as she peeks over to her gentlegoblin. She had no memory of being a child, no memory before waking up on the Nautiloid ... Surely she was 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓, once? He had mentioned being a "   𝘋𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘩𝘢𝘢𝘭   '' himself, something made to aid and protect Bhaal's most beloved child - Perhaps if there was any good within the 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑, he had placed it into Fel to keep her company and guide her along the way ... If not just to puppet her back into the Dread Lord's sticky and crimson embrace. The Butler began to hum as her cerise gaze trailed downward to her - well, 𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐍'𝐒 - book once more.

"𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘐 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘳, 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘌𝘰𝘸𝘺𝘯, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦?’ 

Surely he'd given her the wrong novel, this was far from some cheap romantic smut fest she had expected to open into, and she was unsure if she was disappointed or not. It was a fabulous book, one she had almost instantly bonded with; a traveler on a long journey fighting against his own corruption. 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱 - 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥. Instinctually her stare lifts to the rest of camp, alone in her tent but never truly lonely; someone was always out and about. The Sharran and Blade of Frontiers seemed locked in wicked debate, though their voices were soft their bodies told a new tale. Yes ... That was it, she concludes - the book she was so fond of; it reminded her of 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓. Introduced crudely but swiftly found to be resourceful and, well, a joy. She should speak to her soon ... maybe the two could step aside from their differences. Although the woman’s piercing expression did little to ease any doubts dancing about Ithuriel’s mind.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘰𝘸𝘺𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥, 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳.

Ithuriel observes over the camp once more before white moon-kissed locks greet her, eyes angling lower to watch Astarion mumble and pace about while holding a book that seemed much too heavy for his nimble statue. Her lips part with a tilt of her head, her own wintry hair spilling over her shoulder as she finds fuzzy moss growing in her. It's warm and fluffy and invades every part of her form, the garden inside of her chest feels like it's going to sprout from her mouth - and her ears flutter as though she were a butterfly prancing about from petal to petal. A blushing flush ran across her cheeks, she is safe in her small den ; and Astarion is far too preoccupied. She tries to further indulge in those 𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐘 feelings, and in the selenic glow, soft rays of silver and blue - he's as beautiful as glistening dew and the call of bird song. To her own reluctance, Ithuriel's mind begins to twist herself into the visage before her, next to him and listening to his murmurs of frustration and amusement. Her steady intelligent gaze studied him closely, noting the strength in his forearms that bore every inch of his determination and longing for freedom. 

Insurrection. Spite. 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 ... 𝘠𝘦𝘴 ... 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴.

That is when those sanguineous eyes meet hers and lock in, her tadpole twitches - longing to reach out - but the shuddering of her skin gives her the strength to break the look between them. Ithuriel had never been looked at so 𝐃𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐋𝐘, within a moment he had undressed her soul - even buried under blanketed layers of wool she'd never felt so naked. The tiefling dares to look back at him; her veins turning to ice at the stark realization that he has not broken away yet. Not once.  Those eyes are full of a deep understanding and calm indifference. It is a crimson sea she wishes she could pour herself in to become the foam atop each wave of his iris. She is a person and he, as another person acknowledges that. 

                                               ... 𝐀 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 ...  

How long ... How 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 had it been since she had felt like one? Not a monster, not a 𝐆𝐨𝐝, not a 𝐌𝐀𝐃 𝐁𝐇𝐀𝐀𝐋 𝐁𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐍 -

" - Master, I have finished! -- Ohhh! Oh my Lady, did I startle you? It still pains me so to see my little liege in distress." The Sceleritas comforted quickly, soothing Ithuriel back from her skittish yip. "You appear to be on the same page as before! Are you troubled, Master?"

" ... No. I - Thank you, Fel. I - I," her hand fidgets forward to free the clasp of her tent, closing off herself from the outside world. From Warmth. From Friends. From Love. She doesn't dare look at any of their companions. Not now. "I think I will be turning in for the night, I ... Will you stay? I ... I think even with my loss of memory I have missed you."

"Ah ... Master, you make a butler 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐇! I'll carve that compliment into my heart! Worry not, my demiurge, these feelings of distraction will wane soon enough and you will be back on your feet by the next moon! A person of your fine 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 is never down for long, I know the unholy guarantee of your Father's legacy will spur you on. It is woven into you."

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥.

✧ ── 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐃 ۞ 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄 ɪᴛʜᴜʀɪᴇʟ ʟɪꜰ - ʙᴀʟᴅᴜʀ'ꜱ ɢᴀᴛᴇ 3: ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴜʀɢᴇ - @burntscars

#── 𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐒 𝐅𝐄𝐋 ...【 ᴏɴᴇ ʜᴇʟʟ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ʙᴜᴛʟᴇʀ 】 #── 𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐋 𝐋𝐈𝐅 ...【 ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʙʜᴀᴀʟ ʙᴀʙᴇ 】 #── 𝐎' 𝐒𝐔𝐍 ; 𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇! ... 【 ɪᴄ 】 #── 𝐁𝐄𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 ... 【 ᴅʀᴀʙʙʟᴇ 】 #── 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 #moonmaidened #sanguisstella #burntscars #hi albedo!!! #mwah #enjoy! #i kinda got carried away - #yes i do be quoting tolkien #love me some lotr

[nowandforalways]

Today I'm thinking about how playing Frodo Baggins is a thankless job in much the same way Frodo actually carrying the Ring was.

Like, when people talk about performances in LOTR adaptations, they talk about Sam, they talk about Gollum, they talk about Gandalf and Galadriel. All these characters that have iconic lines and big flashy moments of greatness or bravery or twistedness that let the actor show off. Frodo doesn't have any of those. What Frodo does have is the arguably harder job of making something external that is almost entirely internal, and, in most adaptations, having the most to do, just from a time-on-stage/screen/microphone perspective. But this never seems to get acknowledged and that's always kinda weird/interesting to me. I suppose people just respond to the big heroic/heartwarming/menacing moments, and not so much to littler moments of the same kinds. In the musical, in one of the dialogue breaks in "Now And For Always", Frodo says to Sam "It's not me they'll remember, you know". And that's funny because even if Sam tries to fight that in-universe with the finishing of The Red Book, it consistently ends up being true in a meta sense.

Anyway I suppose what I'm saying is appreciate Christopher Guard, Sir Ian Holm, Elijah Wood, James Loye, James Byng, and Louis Maskell or die by my blade.

#lotr #lotr musical #frodo baggins #thank you and heyday #i tried to get in as many Frodos as i could think of but i know i missed some #hit me up with Frodos from non-English-language adaptations that deserve love #also can we talk about how funny it is that both actors who played Frodo in the Drury Lane production of the musical were named James? #hehehe #for frodo

[queenlucythevaliant]

Okay gang, here's a silly little game. I've assembled six teams of blended Narnia and Tolkien/LotR characters. Here they are:

For bonus points, tell me in the tags where you're going on your road trip, who has what role (driving, snacks, aux) on the road, and what you'll stop off and see along the way

#this is shameless inspired by the lotr national parks poll #but the crossover potential is just too good #also for characters who wouldn't reasonably fit in said VW bus just handwave it #everyone basically fits okay? #narnia #pontifications and creations #ask me hard questions #tolkien legendarium #i myself am going with team 5 (to no one's shock) #we're gonna hit national parks across america #Bilbo and Treebeard can trade off as DJ #Eärendil gets to help drive and navigate #Lucy is in charge of snapping pics out the window #Reepicheep can lead us in some road trip games or something idk #i feel like this would be a really lovely group to just sit and stare at natural beauty in silence together #which is kinda my jam #occasionally pointing out something really especially lovely #would be fun #edit: as if I left put your fave character I'm sorry both these series have about a million so it was bound to happen #and for Narnia in particular I was trying to bias it towards Narnians rather than friends of narnia #also i was seriously tempted to do a 'team dragon' which would be all the tolkien dragons + eustace haha

[aragornsrockcollection]

How Glorfindel living under Elrond in Imladris is often presented: “I, Glorfindel, am sworn in service to Turgon, and therefore will swear fealty to you, Elrond, his great-grandson and heir on these shores, for that is reasonable and normal.

How I imagine it: “Hi, I’m Glorfindel, I’m your bodyguard. I know you didn’t order a bodyguard. You could send me away, but before you do, I need you to understand: Your grandmother Idril came to see me before I set sail for Middle Earth. And. Um. Let’s just say if anything happens to you before she gets to meet you? She will hunt me to the ends of of Arda. Nowhere would be safe, do you understand? I’m pretty sure they let Tuor stay in Valinor as collateral against Idril wrecking the Valar for sending her son into battle against a giant dragon. If I return to Valinor without you my life is forfeit. Please let me stay. I am in danger.

#tolkien #the silmarillion #jirt #lotr #silmarillion #silm #elrond #Glorfindel #Idril #I just definitely think Idril had some THOUGHTS about who Glorfindel should give his service to in middle earth #specifically ‘you can come home with your shield or on it- I don’t care. But my grandbaby better be accompanying you’ #I also just imagine her as an extremely warm and pleasant person #who is universally loved by the Gondolindrim #and because they love her her disappointment inspires terror #Idril doesn’t threaten Glorfindel but she makes it clear she would be devastated #and Glorfindel is like ‘you might as well eviscerate me I’d prefer it’

[modernbaseball]

Fighting off both the sickness and the fear, Frodo gripped Sam's hand.

Then as he stood, darkness about him and a blackness of despair and anger in his heart. it seemed to him that he saw a light: a light in his mind, almost unbearably bright at first, as a sun-ray to the eyes of one long hidden in a windowless pit. Then the light became colour: green, gold, silver, white.

#by FAR my favorite chapter in the two towers #well. maybe if i thought about it some more id change my mind but it feels like its my favorite #i ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. i liked making this piece it went thru a lot of changes and at times i was like omg this will be awesome #and now its like. well i wont be negative. now its finished so hooray #i fucking NEVER use color theres a folder of trial and error behind this one lol. lets say the hue changer helped me a lot here #ONE THING I DO STILL LIKE IS MY STING REDESIGN #sorry to be a hater but i dont love the movie sting i think it should be cuter. sorry. #ok ill stop. ill stop #lotr #lord of the rings #lord of the rings fanart #sam gamgee #frodo baggins #jellybeans #samfrodo #if youre on mobile zoom in to my sting handle. i think its pretty cool alright

[andromeda3116]

people actually went on about how game of thrones made it socially acceptable to be a fantasy nerd, as though the lord of the rings movies hadn't been released less than a decade earlier and left far greater cultural ripples and i am just

got may have made the adults feel better about liking fantasy, but lotr got into the kids' heads when they (we) were just young and impressionable enough to be absolutely transported and emotionally rewritten by don't you leave him, samwise gamgee and my brother, my captain, my king and and rohan will answer

lotr was rewriting entire generations' brain chemistry long before asoiaf and so obviously it's not fair to compare any post-lotr fantasy novel to it, and each book series was trying to do different things within their own spheres and so that also is not a fair comparison, but in terms of the cultural impact of the adaptations that came out within a decade of each other, saying that it was game of thrones that made fantasy mainstream is baffling

game of thrones could only run because the lord of the rings movies laid the path, and i will die on this hill

#lotr #lord of the rings #lord of the rings movies #i started this post because ''may it be'' came up on my playlist but now i think i'm going to start my nth rewatch of the trilogy #there is a lot to discuss about it re: comparison to the books but it's like... #for all the changes they made - good and bad and neutral - everyone involved in making the films *loved* the source material #they all *wanted* to do justice to it and believed in it and it shows #i think of some posts i've seen about how frustrating this modern push towards tongue-in-cheek irony over sincerity #so afraid to be corny or cheesy that you have to tack a joke onto every real emotional moment #like no fuck that #give me sam hauling frodo onto his shoulders saying ''i can't carry it for you but i can carry you'' #give me aragorn gently kissing boromir's forehead as he dies #give me merry and pippin throwing themselves at the uruk hai to distract them from frodo #give me theoden's grand speeches and gandalf's pained expression when frodo says he'll carry the ring #tbh i think that sincerity is a large part of *why* it has such staying power even now #because it is a story you are meant to get deeply emotionally invested in and not hold yourself a little ironically apart from #it isn't meant to sell merch it's meant to bring you to middle-earth and capture your heart and make you believe that the war can be won #with love and loyalty and hope and fellowship and fidelity and integrity and just... just refusing to give in to despair #it is earnest. it is unafraid to be melodramatic or corny because it believes in the story it's telling. #and so it imprinted onto a whole generation growing up right at the cusp of a barrage of apocalypses #anyway. i have Feelings about these movies and their impact and how that mirrors and enhances the books' own impact

[buttered-milky]

The sea-longing thing really gets to me. Legolas longed for something so deeply that it was like life had a hole, and yet if he sailed before the fellowship had died his life would have still had a void in it. That chapter had to be closed before he could sail. And then also he took Gimli with him because he had no intention of leaving Gimli to a past chapter of his life. Gimli was always meant to continue to the story with him, and elf heaven was not going to be heaven without him. Gimli had to be present or the void would still be there. I think about this. A lot

#the indomitable force of human love my god #I understand truly #there are some people I would not chase my dreams without #and there are some dreams that are incomplete without love #good lord Legolas greenleaf the living ghost of the past that you are #living as a Walking memory for so long and being overcome with a desire to leave for the one place where you can feel present and future #and setting that aside so your own past will not come back to haunt you #girl. I gotta say. these books are tearing me up #legolas #lotr #gimli #gigolas

[incorrect-lord-of-the-rings]

#wasteland baby but its about love even if sauron wins #like hes out there seeing all the desth and destruction from mordor and hes singing some beautiful song about the darkness coming #and the wasteland is mordor #like real people do but its the bodies in the dead marshes #hes singing about the love of the trees and of ancient lore #IS IT JUST ME??? #lotr #lord of the rings #hozier #poll #idk man #put that man in a cloak in a lush forest on the edge of the green world overlooking the doom of all

[surpriserose]

......i dont like how much people keep pointing to the lore from the extra dungeon meshi stuff (?) that more experienced adventurers are fatter as like...proof dungeon meshi is better with body diversity than it is because like idk!! Maybe it would be great if it was actually used to make falin or marcille or laios or kabru or anyone fat but its not!!!!

#Like i love dungeon meshi dont get me wrong but people want to be like oh its so great with body diversity and its like...well yes and no #The different races have different body types sure but theres no diversity within them theres no fat elves or anything like #And i think sure on some level that counts as body diversity but also like....its not like people are praising dnd or lotr for that dhdyegs #Anyways good morning everypony

[theheirofthesharingan]

tolkien said sam was the chief hero of lord of the rings. also frodo wouldn't have made it out of the shire without him. sam carried frodo on his shoulders in mordor and fought shelob all alone.

tolkien said sam was the chief hero of lord of the rings.

He didn't, apparently. The chief hero quote is a heavily misquoted, perverted phrase LotR fandom has perpetuated without using any critical thinking because it serves their bias. The entire quote, within the context of the letter, means and says something else entirely.

Since we now try to deal with 'ordinary life', springing up ever unquenched under the trample of world policies and events, there are love-stories touched in, or love in different modes, wholly absent from The Hobbit. But the highest love-story, that of Aragorn and Arwen Elrond's daughter is only alluded to as a known thing. It is told elsewhere in a short tale. Of Aragorn and Arwen Undómiel. I think the simple 'rustic' love of Sam and his Rosie (nowhere elaborated) is absolutely essential to the study of his (the chief hero's) character, and to the theme of the relation of ordinary life (breathing, eating, working, begetting) and quests, sacrifice, causes, and the 'longing for Elves', and sheer beauty. But I will say no more, nor defend the theme of mistaken love seen in Eowyn and her first love for Aragorn. But altogether it would hardly amount to the excision of a single long chapter.

People miss the whole context. Here, the theme is that of Love. The characters in question are Sam (rustic, simple love) being compared to Aragorn (higher, nobler love). Tolkien also mentions Éowyn because of her feelings towards Aragorn. It's not a comparison between Frodo and Sam. LotR is a story about the hobbits and all four serve a purpose in the story. They all start out as fairytale heroes but only three return with a gain. Frodo is the tragic hero of the tale.

Furthermore, in many of his letters, Tolkien talks about Frodo as the central character.

Here is a small consignment of 'The Ring': the last two chapters that have been written, and the end of the Fourth Book of that great Romance, in which you will see that, as is all too easy, I have got the hero into such a fix that not even an author will be able to extricate him without labour and difficulty. Lewis was moved almost to tears by the last chapter. All the same, I chiefly want to hear what you think, as for a long time now I have written with you most in mind. (letter #91).

Many people think since Sam is the only one (physically) present there, Tolkien is talking about Sam; but in truth, the one character who is in 'fix' here is Frodo. The main objective of the story is how will Frodo, with Sam's help, go to Mordor and destroy the Ring. Since Sam abandons the idea of destroying the Ring and chooses to follow Frodo's 'dead body', hence endangering the fate of the world, I doubt it has to be about him. We need Frodo to save the world. And we need Sam to save Frodo. Without Frodo, Middle-earth is doomed and the story and the plot cannot go any further than this.

In another letter to David Masson (1955), Tolkien says this:

'Surely how often "quarter" is given is off the point in a book that breathes Mercy from start to finish: in which the central hero is at last divested of all arms, except his will?

(emphasis is mine)

Frodo is the one who divests himself of all arms. And it's his will that's repeatedly talked about throughout the story. The central hero Tolkien talking about here is him.

In The Silmarillion, Frodo is the only character mentioned from the Fellowship. Gandalf is mentioned as Olórin, not Gandalf. Surely, it's a bird-eye view of LotR, but the sentence that was phrased as 'Frodo with the help of his servant destroyed the ring' could also have been said differently with Sam being in focus instead. In the letter #246, JRRT goes in extreme detail regarding Frodo, his heroism, his contribution to the quest, and his relevance in the story thematically. Frodo was the antithesis of Sauron and fought against him singlehandedly. The battle of wills, not any physical battle. In the Field of Cormallen, both Frodo and Sam are honoured, but Frodo is still bestowed with the highest honour for his service (they sang 'Frodo of the Nine Fingers in his honour). Tolkien's words on this:

Frodo deserved all honour because he spent every drop of his power of will and body, and that was just sufficient to bring him to the destined point, and no further. Few others, possibly no others of his time, would have got so far. The Other Power then took over: the Writer of the Story (by which I do not mean myself), 'that one ever-present Person who is never absent and never named' (as one critic has said). (Letter #192)

also frodo wouldn't have made it out of the shire without him.

It's been many years since I read the book, so my memory might betray me, but if I remember it correctly, Sam helped them in the Old Forest because he was the only not under the spell of the tree (Old Man Willow, I suppose). In other instances Frodo took precautions himself. He knew whom to trust. The rest was handled by Merry and Pippin while they left their home and met Strider. Frodo saved his friends from Barrow Wight at the Downs, was the only one to summon courage enough to get back at the Nazgúl while the other three hobbits were terrified. Are you sure you aren't making any overstatements in your comments?

sam carried frodo on his shoulders in mordor and fought shelob all alone.

His contribution in helping Frodo and getting him to Mordor, even on his shoulder, are undeniable. He has a long list of accomplishments, for which he was generously rewarded in the end. But his accomplishments don't make him the 'true hero of LotR', definitely not greater than Frodo.

I can't recall the taste of food, nor the sound of water, nor the touch of grass. I'm naked in the dark. There's nothing — no veil between me and the wheel of fire. I can see him with my waking eyes.

This was Frodo's condition while they were nearing Orodruin. He still didn't give up. No one else, I repeat no one else, was put through these conditions, not even Sam. There comes a time when the Ring physically forces Frodo to put itself on. He resists it and then finds Galadriel's phial. When Sam carries Frodo on his shoulders, he states Frodo hardly weighed more than a hobbit child. It was either Sam was rewarded for his kindness or Frodo had actually lost so much weight that he didn't even weigh more than a child at that time.

'All gave some and some gave all' is a quote I read somewhere. Frodo was the one who gave all he had. He was the kindest, bravest, and most selfless hobbit. Tolkien might have meant Sam to be the chief hero/main character, but that means that for a 'supporting character', Frodo is far more heroic, relevant to the story, because without him, the story wouldn't even exist.

___

I hope this answer was convincing enough for you, anon. Thanks for reminding me why I grew to dislike LotR fandom so much. Apparently, anything pro Frodo must be responded with "sam is the true hero" and "tolkien said so" without looking at the context of the phrases because it helps you with your own bias.

#frodo #lotr frodo #frodo baggins #tolkien #jrr tolkien #lotr #ask #anon #i don't write for anything other than naruto on this blog but this ask had me do it #i gave up on LotR fandom a long time ago for this reason #and haven't written anything for years #for a fandom that has tons of scholars and the books that inspired modern fantasy literature lotr has some of the dumbest fans #though sometimes exceptions are necessary i guess #anyway if you love frodo we might be best friends already

[lotrmusical]

HI! i saw u reblogged the West end hadestown and said you've seen it so i have to ask, thoughts on hades? the character switch when he goes very camp on chant (reprise) threw me for a fucking LOOP. i had been crying beforehand but I was just like desperately holding in my laughter after that. the "young man" up against the door frame? I almost pissed myself. and his legs....

OH MY GOD. OKAY. YES

i'm the wrong person to ask about this because whenever a stage performer turns up the camp to 100, worthwhile questions such as 'is this the best considered acting choice for the character' don't stand a chance. they are completely overshadowed by the gay part of my brain emitting whirring noises. i enjoy it too much to care

but anyway my actual thoughts on zachary's hades are as follows:

i like when hades sucks. i enjoy when he gets to be a melodramatic loser and a villain-y villain, because it makes orpheus managing to get through to him hit much harder for me. so zachary hades with his sleazy attitude and the kind of warped enjoyment he's getting out of playing at being powerful and manipulative fulfilled my every wish. tailored to me specifically

i especially enjoyed his acting when he starts to break down a bit for epic 3, his scared/angry/shaken/lashing out was all delicious

direct quote from the messages i was sending people about the show after i saw it: i will say that he was not very.. idk.. plausible?? in chant 2 convo with orpheus specifically bc he was having too much gay fun strutting around the revolve to sell the lines about keeping a woman lmaooo

also i'm extra sad that we don't have the 'now it thickens on my tongue / now it quickens in my lung / now i'm stricken now i'm stung / it's done already' lines in his kiss the riot any more because they're some of my favourites and i want his gay take on them

#i can't be critical about it i love it too much. ref the lotr musical and tom giles's impeccable gay saruman also #but yes ESPECIALLY during chant 2 the walk took me out i was dying #is there any point in me tagging this as #hadestown spoilers #i loved the whole cast to bits tbh. saw madeline eurydice and lauren persephone so i'm excited to hopefully catch grace and gloria at #some point in the future but i really really loved madeline's eurydice like she's In My Brain Forever now #ANYWAY YEAH #hadestown #ask #anon #gay belligerence

[genitalkenobi]

no one:

Frodo throughout the entirety of the LOTR trilogy:

#my post #quit lookin’ at me with them big ol’ eyes #somebody get this boy some brown contacts for the love of GOD #lotr shitpost #lotr memes #lord of the rings #lotr frodo #frodo baggins #lotr fandom #lotr funny #the fellowship of the ring #the two towers #the return of the king #i hope this hasn't been done before

[wizardnaturalist]

I hate readings of eowyn that are "of course the only woman interested in battle and glory decides she actually just wants to be a wife at the end of the story 🙄" bcs congrats, you have spectacularly missed the point!

yeah, eowyn decides she no longer wants to be a warrior at the end of the series, but that is the overarching theme of Literally The Entire Story. lord of the rings is not, and has never been, about epic battles and great fighters and glory through combat. war is continuously framed as a horrifying consequence of the greed and selfishness of powerful people that ruins the lives of everyone involved

aragorn is not accepted as king of gondor because he won the battle of pelennor fields, he is accepted because of his skill and care in healing the wounded afterward. boromir's desire to use the ring as a weapon is what allowed it to corrupt him so easily, despite his noble intentions.

and yes, eowyn wanted to fight. she got to see firsthand the "glory" she sought. she got to see her uncle die in her arms, and herself and her best friend greviously injured and almost killed themselves. the whole point is that there was no glory. there was no great triumph on the battlefield. there was only struggle and horror and death.

and how could you see eowyn best one of sauron's top minions, someone even gandalf feared, and think the ultimate message was "obviously she belongs in the Home :)"

#'I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness nor the arrow for its swiftness' etc etc #like sorry but that argument reads to me the same as anything george rr martin has said about the series with just a feminist veneer #we can discuss tolkien's misogyny! the limited bumber of women in the series and their far smaller roles etc #but lets not act like he was some kind of antiprogressive who thought Women Should Be In The Kitchen Ad Raising Babies #once again his shortcomings seem to come from a place of insensitivity and unexamined biases rather than malice #lotr #lord of the rings #eowyn

[torchwood-99]

Ok, been sitting on this for a while, been trying to talk myself out of it, but here goes.

The book doesn't sell me on the love Theoden had for Eowyn.

I tried to read it and find something in his actions towards her that tell me he has proper regard, proper respect for her, that gives any weight or meaning to his love for her, but I can't find anything. He dismisses her before the entire court, doesn't consider her an heir or a proper part of his house, and has to have her virtues called out to him by other people, when she has been serving him for years.

Return Of The King sees him spout platitudes and declare her "dearer than daughter", but none of this is backed up by his general actions to her.

He loves Eowyn, fine. But he doesn't love her the way he loves Eomer, or probably loved Theodred. He doesn't love her as a fully realised being. Nor as someone to take pride in and carry on his legacy. He loves her a crutch, a tool, and something between pet and person.

He has affection for Eowyn, but his love feels more like a trivial thing, than something with any real worth or regard to it.

#Lotr #Lord of the Rings #Eowyn #Theoden #I don't think this is Tolkien's intent #I think I'm meant to believe that Theoden was awesome to Eowyn and did love her more than a daughter #but Tolkien never gave me a reason to believe that #can someone find me a moment in the books where Theoden's love for Eowyn feels like something substantial #where he loves her for who she is and not for the services she has provided #where he shows any respect for her capabilities and pride in her person #and not just going along with it when other people point them out to him #I love them in the films and I want to believe in their love so much #but Theoden's love for Eowyn in the books just feels perfunctory and leaves me feeling empty #I don't think this is how their relationship is meant to make me feel #Eowyn put her life on hold and endured hell for Theoden's sake #and we never even get an implication he regretted what she endured for his sake #we never see a hint of Theoden regretting how he snubbed her before the court #almost every scene between the two of them in Two Towers lacks warmth or regard between them #the minute Theoden's recovered he sends Eowyn away as though she's not longer of use to him #he forgets her bloody existence before everyone in the hall #he has her wait on him while Eomer Aragorn Gimli and Legolas all get to sit with him #and in turn all Eowyn can do is look at him with cool pity #and at their parting she focusses more on Aragorn than Theoden #she clearly isn't feeling the love right now and why should she? #it makes Theoden calling her daughter and showing her some morsels of affection in Return of the King feel empty #like now yeah he can be bothered to acknowledge Eowyn a bit now that it suits him #but when other stuff is going on she falls to the back of his mind #there's enough unseen moments or gaps where perhaps if Tolkien had written them I might have believed in Theoden's love for Eowyn #such as their parting before Pelennor which was described as “painful” #but that pain could have meant a variety of things

[girlscience]

i am so goddamn tired of every single fantasy story being about men. i am so goddamn tired of women being side characters and love interests and set dressing and an afterthought. i am so goddamn tired of women who are powerful but feminine. women who are "dressed to kill" and they are wearing eyeliner and a dress and heels. i am so goddamn tired of women always being healers and having water magic. i am so goddamn tired of men going on adventures and dying nobly. i am so goddamn tired of never being able to find a story about women that i can fall in love with. i am so goddamn tired of all fandom being about men.

#i have spent the past several weeks becoming increasingly upset about this #hannibal? men. lotr/the hobbit? men. stargate atlantis? men. dragon age inquistion? men. one piece? men. #the handful of superhero's i periodically read about? men. transformers? men. every goddamn anime i've ever loved? men. #the witcher? men. fantasy anachronism? men. literally every single fantasy adventurer series? men. #it's men and men and men and men and men and men and men and men #i just want ONE. one single goddamn story about women that is as well written and well made and as deep as everything else #i want ONE story about a women or women who are noble and honorable and fight in the face of impossible odds #and i don't want them to be pretty and small and feminine #make them hairy and fat and muscular and tall and wear steel toed boots and carry swords and fight monsters and sleep in the woods #and eat stew and carry heavy packs for long distances and be intelligent and sneaky and cowardly and fearful and brave #make them laugh and cry and scream and fall in love and write poetry and books and songs #make them wrestle and pick on each other and pull each others hair and sit around campfires #MAKE THEM GODDAMN PEOPLE #there are books out there about women going on adventures. they exist. i've read some #but they are not the majority and they never get big #and so many end up being poorly written or a romance or a combo of the two #i don't WANT to have to read genderbends just to read about women #i don't want to scroll tumblr and just see men on my dash #all i have ever wanted my whole life is to be a fantasy adventurer. and none of them. not ONE of them looks like me #i am tired of watching youtube critiques of fantasy shows/movies/stories and them just shitting on the women characters #i am just so tired of it

[eggmarmalade]

Okay I finally got a decent VPN and re-taught myself to torrent (buhbye streaming services)

Recommendations for shows and movies you think are underrated GO

#tagging this with some current favs and stuff already on my download list #if you're in these tags give me more #wwdits #good omens #ofmd #lotr #eeaao #doctor who #the witcher #i just love a good cultural moment