#the valar

[eloquentsisyphianturmoil]

So what if the Valar foresaw that a balrog would be reawakened, and sent Glorfindel back as a precaution against this?

Then when Elrond is picking the company that it is Glorfindel’s life’s purpose to be in he gets upped by some silvan weirdo.

#Olorin coming back to the valar like ‘I fought a fucking balrog’ and the valar being like #‘Where was glorfindel?’ And learning that he was just chilling in rivendell #Looking at each other like shit that wasn’t supposed to happen #Guess we gotta send this bad boy back then and apologise to glorfindel for all the inconvenience #Also glorfindel sending letters (?) to ecthelion like ‘miss you but there’s another moody dark-haired one called erestor #He reminds me of you’ #silm #the silmarillion #silmarillion #silm fandom #the silm #the silm fandom #tolkien #lotr #Glorfindel #gandalf #the valar #balrog #tolkien legendarium #middle earth

[ylieke]

#my art #silm art #silmarillion #the silm fandom #the silmarillion #tolkein #melkor #manwe #manwe sulimo #the valar #valar #morgoth #king of valar #fight for Arda

[velvet4510]

Here’s the thing.

Many Bagginshield shippers, especially in fics, focus on how Bilbo never got over Thorin, to the point where some describe Bilbo’s life as sad and unfulfilled because of that loss.

Don’t get me wrong: I do agree that he suffered terrible loss and undeserved torment by the Ring. And the fact that he never marries probably does have some connection to the memory of Thorin.

But, y’all, don’t forget or ignore the fact that, in Tolkien’s text, Bilbo does move on from grief and live the rest of his life well.

He does not become bitter from his pain. He retains his kind heart.

He is generous with his wealth, helping in every way he can the very community that ostracizes him.

He sees in Frodo a kindred spirit and takes it upon himself to be the parental figure that Frodo so badly needs as an orphan.

He and Frodo develop an uncle-nephew (really more like father-son) relationship built on trust, keeping no secrets from each other, to the level where he tells Frodo the truth about his encounter with Gollum. (And probably the truth about his feelings for Thorin, too.)

He and Frodo have so much fun, going for walks every day, studying the Elvish languages, and throwing big birthday parties to show the community a good time. It’s plain to see that caring for Frodo filled that massive void inside Bilbo, finally giving him someone to love and devote himself to looking after, after his first chance at that (albeit the first being a different kind of love) was taken from him.

He does not see himself as superior to the lower class despite his riches, and always treats the Gamgees with the utmost respect.

He teaches Sam to read and write.

He tells his story to the younger hobbits, inspiring more of them to want to learn more about the outside world and not be so sheltered and ignorant…an effort which ultimately saves Middle-earth because the Travelers learn from him to be curious and interested in the lands outside the Shire, and he inspires them daily, as they constantly say to themselves “if Bilbo could go there and back again and face great danger, so can we.”

He even learns to love having a tarnished reputation, ultimately taking advantage of being “mad” to play a fun prank.

When he is no longer at rest in the Shire, he gifts Frodo all his property which will ensure Frodo is set for life, and through all his passive aggressive gifts to his relatives, he gives the Gaffer genuinely useful items that he knows will help him, including ointment for creaky joints.

He gets a peaceful retirement among his Elven friends, which he spends writing his memoir so that future generations will know all about his lost friends.

And ultimately, he embraces the special gift of an exception from the Valar and rare permission to set foot in the Blessed Realm for one last adventure, where he will continue to look after his beloved nephew.

And the fact is, he never would’ve gotten any of these things if he’d stayed in Erebor. He would never have developed that special bond with Frodo - he may never have even met him - and consequently, Frodo may never have met Sam.

Yes, a lot of his life was lonely and somber. But much more of it, even after experiencing such a tragedy, was full of love and joy and fun and excitement. He became an invaluable caretaker and mentor to the next generation of hobbits, got a taste of fatherhood, passed on his expertise and his story, and spent his last years surrounded by friends and family.

Bilbo Baggins may have lost the love of his life, but he did not give up on life itself, and he lived a full one. Don’t forget that.

#lotr #jrr tolkien #lotr books #lord of the rings #the hobbit #bilbo baggins #frodo baggins #bilbo and frodo #hobbits #samwise gamgee #elvish language #red book #the valar #valinor #tolkien elves #bagginshield #thorin x bilbo #samfro #frodo x sam

[eccentricmya]

The Valar's mistake did not lie in seeing a possibility of good in Melkor. Rather, their mistake lay in not seeing the equal possibility of him remaining evil.

#i do not think nienna was completely wrong to argue for a second chance for him #if we reject all possibility of repentance n change then we reject the very idea of life itself #life means growth means growing pains... if one mistake is all it takes to end it then there is no meaning to it at all #in any case while melkor squandered his second chance the idea that feanor n his sons do not even get a second chance to waste is just wron #everybody deserves a second chance. but we also need to mitigate any side effect of such mercy #the valar should have been more proactive in monitoring melkor's rehabilitation #they should've had countermeasures in place in case he was up to no good again #so while nienna did her job right but the rest of the valar should've done theirs too #melkor #morgoth #the valar #nienna #feanor? #silmarillion

[thelandswemadeofpaper]

#silm #Feanor #sons of feanor #the valar #tolkien #house of finwe #silmarillion #silmarils #manwe #luthien and beren #celebrimbor #jrr tolkien #nerdanel #miriel #maedhros #poll #polls

[boxofsairo]

#silmarillion #fanart #tolkien #fantasy #my art #silm art #manwë #manwe sulimo #the valar

[incorrect-tolkien-quotes]

Sauron: Do you want me to seduce Morgoth?

Aulë: How would that help?

Sauron: I don't know, I just want to see if I can do it.

#angbang #Sauron #mairon #melkor #morgoth #aule #the valar #incorrect silmarillion quotes #incorrect quotes #incorrect tolkien quotes

[sallysocker]

#finrod #tolkien #middle earth #the silmarillion #silmarillion #silmarillion memes #jrr tolkien #tolkien elves #elves #the valar #sauron

[meluiloth]

"Everything went wrong because the Valar are stupid"

"Everything went wrong because Morgoth is evil"

"Everything went wrong because Finwë remarried"

No no no, the REAL reason everything went wrong is because Fëanor didn't listen to his wife.

#the silmarillion #Fëanor #the valar #Morgoth #Incorrect quotes #Nerdanel #finwe #house of finwe #Nerdanel supremacy #headcanons

[that-angry-noldo]

#silmarillion #silm polls #morgoth #sauron #the valar #thingol #eol #maeglin #feanor #feanorians #finwe #made a typo in the original and had to remake it

[eloquentsisyphianturmoil]

contrary to popular belief Namo is the overprotective brother who’s like ‘look at her you made her cry’ and Irmo is just like ‘smh she’s always crying; that’s basidally her job’

#Silm shitpost #namo #mandos #irmo lorien #nienna #the valar #silm #the silmarillion #silmarillion #silm fandom #the silm fandom #the silm #tolkien #valar

[ylieke]

Snow-white! Snow-white! O Lady clear! O Queen beyond the Western Seas! O Light to us that wander here Amid the world of woven trees!

#my art #silmarillion #lotr #elbereth #varda #silm art #silm #valar #the valar #queen of valar #tolkein

[velvet4510]

The parallels between Beren & Lúthien and Frodo & Sam have been written about and spoken of plenty of times. But I’ve not yet found a full list, point by point, of each parallel. That I shall remedy.

These are listed in the chronological order of Beren & Lúthien’s story. The chronologies of the stories do not match up exactly, since the order of parallel events differs between each story. (For instance, 11 and 12 occur before 6–9 in the hobbits’ story, but after 6–9 in the Man and Elf’s story.)

Lúthien dances for joy in the woods, and Beren watches. / Sam dances for joy to warm in the sun naked on the Barrow-downs, and Frodo watches.

Beren is tasked to embark upon a perilous quest that involves keeping the Silmaril away from Morgoth and Sauron; the Silmaril is coveted by the sons of Fëanor. / Frodo is tasked to embark upon a perilous quest that involves keeping the Ring away from Sauron; the Ring is coveted by Gollum.

By completing the quest, Beren will win Lúthien’s hand and a chance for them to live in peace together. / By completing the quest, Frodo will ensure Sam’s safety and a peaceful land in which they can live.

Beren encounters an Elf, Finrod, who befriended his father, Barahir. / Frodo encounters an Elf, Elrond, who befriended his father figure, Bilbo.

Beren is imprisoned in Sauron’s dungeons. / Frodo is imprisoned in Sauron’s tower.

Lúthien uses her cloak to shield herself and scare off her enemies in Sauron’s fortress. / Sam uses the Ring’s power to shield himself and scare off his enemies in Sauron’s fortress.

Lúthien sings a song within Sauron’s fortress and locates Beren when he sings in response, believing her voice is no more than a dream. / Sam sings a song within Sauron’s fortress and locates Frodo when he sings in response, believing Sam’s voice is no more than a dream.

Upon finding Beren in the dungeon, Lúthien believes for a moment that he is dead and darkness falls upon her in her grief. / Upon finding Frodo stung by Shelob, Sam believes for a moment that he is dead and darkness falls upon him in his grief.

Beren and Lúthien are aided by Huan. / Frodo and Sam are aided by the Fellowship.

Beren and Lúthien are attacked by the sons of Fëanor, who seek to prevent them from completing their quest. / Frodo and Sam are attacked by the Nazgûl and by Gollum, all of whom seek to prevent them from completing their quest.

Beren is wounded in his upper body (chest) by Curufin’s arrow, but is healed by a leaf found by Huan, with help from Lúthien. / Frodo is wounded in his upper body (shoulder) by the Witch-king’s knife, but is healed by athelas found by Aragorn, with help from Sam.

Beren tries to sneak away to complete his quest on his own for the sake of Lúthien’s safety, but Lúthien catches up to him and vows to go with him, regardless of what may happen to them, and Beren gives up on talking her out of it, realizing they share a fate. / Frodo tries to sneak away to complete his quest on his own for the sake of Sam’s safety, but Sam catches up to him and vows to go with him, regardless of what may happen to them, and Frodo gives up on talking him out of it, realizing they are meant to go together.

Beren and Lúthien disguise themselves as Draugluin and Thuringwethil to infiltrate Morgoth’s land. / Frodo and Sam disguise themselves as Orcs to infiltrate Sauron’s land.

Lúthien uses her divine power to get herself and Beren past Carcharoth. / Sam uses the power of Eärendil’s light in his hand to get himself and Frodo past the Two Watchers.

Beren uses the power of the Silmaril to defy and intimidate Carcharoth. / Frodo uses Eärendil’s light, taken from the light of that very Silmaril, to defy and intimidate Shelob; he also uses the power of the Ring to defy amd intimidate Gollum.

Carcharoth bites off Beren’s hand with the Silmaril still clasped in it, an act which drives him into further madness and gives Beren the title “Beren the One-Handed.” / Gollum bites off Frodo’s finger with the Ring still on it, an act which drives him into further madness and gives Frodo the title “Frodo of the Nine Fingers.”

Gwaihir and Landroval rescue Beren and Lúthien from Angband. / Gwaihir and Landroval rescue Frodo and Sam from Mount Doom.

Beren fails to literally bring back the Silmaril due to the loss of his hand, but his quest is still completed indirectly, as his hand indeed holds the jewel. / Frodo fails to literally destroy the Ring due to its indomitable will that leads to the loss of his finger, but his quest is still completed indirectly, as his actions bring the Ring to its inevitable doom.

Carcharoth’s poison almost kills Beren in the aftermath, but he is healed by Huan. / Shelob’s poison almost kills Frodo in the aftermath, but he is healed by Aragorn.

Beren and Lúthien dwell peacefully for a time in the greenery outside Doriath, and don’t want to leave, but eventually return to Lúthien’s home so that she can check on the wellbeing of her father Thingol, as Beren does not want to keep her away from her fellow Elves. / Frodo and Sam dwell peacefully for a time in the greenery of Ithilien and later in Minas Tirith, and don’t want to leave, but eventually return home so that Sam can check on the wellbeing of his father, the Gaffer, as Frodo does not want to keep Sam away from their fellow Hobbits.

Thingol despairs back home in Doriath, worrying about his daughter Lúthien. / The Gaffer despairs back home in the Shire, worrying about his son Sam.

When they return from their Quest, Beren and Lúthien find new danger has come to Doriath via Carcharoth, and lead a defense of Doriath against him. / When they return from their Quest, Frodo and Sam find new danger has come to the Shire via the Ruffians, and lead a defense of the Shire against them.

Beren’s wounds force him to be separated from Lúthien as he dies, but he waits in the Halls of Mandos for her to join him. / Frodo’s wounds force him to be separated from Sam as he leaves Middle-earth, but he waits in Aman for Sam to join him.

The Valar pity Beren and Lúthien’s suffering and offer Lúthien a choice to be with Beren again (a mortal life). / The Valar pity Frodo and Sam’s suffering and offer Sam a choice to be with Frodo again (passage into the West).

Lúthien chooses to forsake the fate of her own kind, immortality in Valinor, to spend the rest of her lifetime with Beren in the green isle of Tol Galen. / Sam chooses to forsake the fate of his own kind, rest in the tilled earth of the Shire, to spend the rest of his lifetime with Frodo on the island of Tol Eressëa.

Lúthien’s son Dior is known as “the beautiful.” / Sam’s daughter Elanor is known as “the Fair” for her Elvish-like beauty.

No man ever saw Beren or Lúthien again, and nobody in Middle-earth knows when or where exactly they finally died. / No hobbit in the Shire ever saw Frodo or Sam again, and nobody in Middle-earth knows when or where exactly they finally died.

Tolkien, my dear friend and idol, you sure knew how to write a love story to end all love stories. And you did it twice. Whether you intended to do it twice or not, you did.

Bravo, good sir. Bravo.

#lotr #jrr tolkien #samfro #beren and luthien #lord of the rings #lotr books #the silmarillion #frodo x sam #beren x luthien #frodo baggins #samwise gamgee #beren erchamion #luthien tinuviel #the valar #literary parallels #morgoth #sauron #sam x frodo #samfrodo #silmarils #the one ring

[cilil]

Reasons why Melkor is banned from the Valar council, part 1/?

#melkor #morgoth #yavanna #aule #aulë #nienna #valar #the valar #crack #silm crack #shitpost #silm shitpost #memes #silm memes

[a-world-of-whimsy-5]

This is a little something that came to life after some fun discussions on Discord. A big thank you to @cilil for helping me figure out the title, and details of how the chase that came after the feast could go. The first post featuring elements of the Feast of Horns will appear in tomorrow's Pre-Defection! Gothmog (Calinár) /Eönwë fic.

Warnings: mentions of drinking and sexual activity (very subtle)

Minors DNI | 18+ | You are responsible for the media you consume

Original image by Livin4wheel/Unsplash

🍃 This festival began after the first forests came to life on Almaren, and the Valar feasted to celebrate this new chapter in the making of Arda.

🍃 The feast ended in a great race through the woods, where some of the Ainur ran beneath the branches of mighty trees and encouraged the others that followed to catch them. It turned out to be a good way for them to enjoy themselves and free themselves of any inhibitions they may have had.

🍃 As the theme of the festivities involved both the hunter and the hunted, Oromë and his consort, Vána, took on the roles of Master and Mistress of Ceremonies, respectively.

🍃 When caught, the captured then granted their captor whatever they desired, including rewarding them with acts of physical pleasure. The Ainur believed in giving physical affection freely to whomever they wished, as it was only the act of spirits cleaving to each other that mattered when it came to marriage and fidelity among their kind.

🍃 Because the Ainur enjoyed that first race so much, Manwë issued a decree allowing it to become a festival that fell on the first day of every tenth Valian year. The only rule was that no one was to be forced into doing something they did not want to do.

🍃 The feast would begin with a sumptuous banquet within the halls Oromë and Vána call home. All present would dine on roasted meat, foul and fish, and cheese and bread and honey and fruits that grew wild outside the halls. There would be flagons of water and mead and ale and beer and even fine wine for anyone who wanted it. Then, after everyone had their fill, guests, more often than not, would indulge in singing bawdy songs before everyone had to go outside for the chase.

🍃 Oromë would make his way onto a dais made for the occasion and ask the hunters and the hunted if they were ready to begin. After they answered, he would invite Vána to bring him the Valaróma, which she does so on a velvet cushion. When he blew the horn for the first time, the hunted raced into the forest. After the second time, the hunters ran after them.

🍃 To separate the hunter from the hunted, a symbol that established the identity of each was. Hunters wore horns on their brow and amidst their hair, and the hunted wore chains and collars adorned with actual animal horns or horns wrought of gold and iron and other metals. For the Ainur, it was an easy thing to produce horns that adorned their physical forms, and the hunted kept Aulë occupied with their requests for necklaces and collars. In time, these horns, necklaces, and collars became quite elaborate.

🍃 Any Ainur, sprite, fay, or other spirit capable of flight could not fly during the chase. Just like the others, they had to run as well.

🍃 Both the hunter and, once caught, their captive, were allowed to invite others to join them if they wished.

🍃 While some pairs and groups indulged themselves in whatever way they liked within the forests, others returned to the halls and made their way to chambers set aside for them to use with their partner(s).

🍃 Once in a while, Manwë and Varda would also take part.

🍃 Eönwë and Gothmog (Calinár, as he was known before he swore himself to Melkor) first paired off during one such chase.

🍃 Very few beings know that Melkor first came across Mairon during one of the earlier chases.

🍃 Those who took on the role of the hunted would sometimes try to hunt those who chased them, and a contest of wills and skills would ensue.

🍃 After the destruction of the two lamps and Almaren itself, the feast and the chase that followed it continued after the Ainur migrated to Valinor.

🍃 In Valinor, the festivities always took place within the halls and forests of Oromë.

🍃 As the chase occurred within the lands he ruled over, Oromë and Vána once again returned to their roles of Master and Mistress of Ceremonies, respectively.

🍃 After the elves who undertook the great journey settled into life in Valinor, they were invited as well. Elves who served Oromë and Vána took part without fail. Those who served the other Ainur took part whenever possible as well.

🍃 After the first kinslaying, the Feast of Horns ceased for a while as elves and Ainur alike grieved the murder of a king, the destruction of the two trees, and the loss of life in Alqualondë. Festivities only resumed after the appropriate time for grieving had passed, and the elves themselves requested it to have some sense of normalcy return to their lives.

🍃 Those who only ever lived in Middle Earth and heard tales of the feast and what came after were shocked to witness it with their own eyes. Nevertheless, these elves soon grew comfortable with the notion of such a feast and took part also. 

tags: @asianbutnotjapanese

#the feast of horns #headcanon #world building #the valar #the ainur #the maiar #the silm #the silmarillion #the silm fanfiction #💫 a world of whimsy writes

[symphonyofsilence]

The level of sheer incompetence the Valar show every time a dire situation occurs is infuriating!

Like...do I even need to say anything about how they handled the Míriel/Finwë/Indis situation?! By putting pressure on the DEAD PERSON who had lost both her will to live and her physical strength, to just get up and go back to producing more children for her whiny, entitled husband already?! And interrupting her recovery process every next second? And then! Instead of inventing divorce or "death doing the couple apart" or anything made Míriel stay dead forever (& never get to see her son again as far as they knew) so Finwë could remarry. And their hot offer for Míriel was "last chance. come back or your husband will marry this lady he already has in mind."

And then! They let Melkor free unsupervised and let the shit he spread among the Noldor reach the point that Fëanor drew a sword on Fingolfin, and then! When Melkor had filled Fëanor's head with how the Valar wanted his silmarils, not only did they without considering any other option at the first sign of crisis very untactfully asked for all three of his silmarils (to break them), but Tulkas straight up told him that he can't deny them cause the silmarils are actually Yavanna's and not Fëanor's.

And then! They not only did absolutely nothing to de-escalate the situation when the Noldor rebelled, and after that when they got into a fight with the Teleri, but they made the situation worse by making threats and banishing the house of Fëanor & cursing them all & whoever who followed them. So of course when there was no way back for the Fëanorians they'd try even harder to gather everyone behind them so they wouldn't have to fight Satan alone & of course, they'd oppose the Valar even worse now, and of course, they'd say "welp... we're doomed anyway. No matter what we do from this point on. Might as well do our worst."

The Valar are like 10-year-old children in charge of 5-year-old children. The moment the 5-year-olds throw a tantrum, the 10-year-olds throw an even worse tantrum.

Fëanor had already told the Noldor that the Valar were jealous tyrants, and they just confirmed it with every step they took after the rebellion.

And then they just left the Noldor and the poor race of men & dwarves who had done nothing wrong alone with Melkor in Middle-earth. The poor sailors who tried to get to Valinor to beg for help all drowned! Except for Earendil who had a Silmaril with him...but no, the Valar didn't want the Silmarils HOW DARE FEANOR PRESUME!

And they wouldn't even let the children of the Noldor who were not even born at the time of the rebellion set foot in Valinor. Even Earendil had to pay a price for stepping into Valinor. So Valar believed in collective accountability. So going by that logic, Melkor was a Vala. MELKOR WAS MANWE'S BROTHER! And everything that happened in Middle-earth, and even before that, Everything that happened to Fëanor & the house of Finwë that kickstarted the rebellion was Melkor's fault. Then why were the Valar not taking responsibility for the family member THEY antagonized & THEY couldn't control & THEY left unsupervised?

(and then they offered pardon to Sauron and Melkor, but Feanor got sentenced to staying in the halls of Mandos forever.)

Maedhros didn't burn the ships but still, he was the one who took responsibility for his family's actions and apologized and paid the ransom, and abdicated for it. Fingolfin had lost a son & a daughter-in-law & lots of followers for Fëanor's stunt with the ships but he still forgave the Fëanorians. Here we have a bunch of hot-headed, traumatized, grieving +3000-year-olds acting more mature & responsible & competent & gracious than gods who have been around forever.

And then! The fucking Numenor thing! They caged those poor people on an island, put boundaries on how far they could travel so they wouldn't get tempted when they saw the immortal lands and when the Numenorians rioted they had the guts to send representatives to convince them that actually, being mortal is very good. It's a gift. All the while still not letting them in the immortal lands. And when their mismanagement resulted in the Numenorians finally rioting, Manwe asked Eru for help & Eru... you know... did a genocide & changed the whole world's structure. (He was so quick to answer Manwe's prayer and demolish anyone who criticized him that makes one wonder where was he when Melkor was eating everyone?)

They just HAND situations to Melkor & Sauron. Honestly, Sauron & Melkor would have been idiots not to use these perfect situations handed to them on a silver platter.

I don't think the Valar's hearts are in a wrong place but they're so fucking incompetent! They look like some dysfunctional rich brats with no experience who have to manage their negligent father's company after he's fucked off.

#I'm fond of many of them individually especially Ulmo Aule Yavanna Nienna Irmo and Este but as a unit...wtf are these people doing #silmarillion #tolkien #jrrt #jirt #the silm #lotr #lord of the rings #the valar #the noldor #manwe #varda #melkor #sauron #numenor #miriel #miriel therinde #finwe #indis #mandos #fingolfin #maedhros #feanor #earendil #house of feanor #feanorians #my two cents