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lesbiansforboromir · 1 year

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Iconic elements of Film!Boromir's character that everyone remembers;

Very into Aragorn, has multiple meaningful scenes with him where he is clearly disarmed, awed, unnerved and yet eager for his approval and companionship. His acceptance of Aragorn's right to the kingship is treated as a vital part of his character arc and even his last words before his death are entirely about Aragorn.

Awkward, often stalling or stumbling over his words, says things that leave uncomfortable silences and often makes loud declarations of intent, very earnest in all his mannerisms and always says everything in a guileless way. Very upfront and open about his emotions, to the point of making Aragorn uncomfortable in his attempts to connect with him about his fear for Gondor's safety and his own inner turmoil surrounding his father.

Immediately ring-obsessed. He argues with Elrond about the Ring's usage and clearly is not swayed by further arguments, in fact is sent by his father specifically to get the ring and so is technically a traitorous element in the fellowship from day one. Eagerly ensures he has a place in the fellowship at the Council of Elrond and is blatantly suspicious with his treatment of both Frodo and the Ring from then on. No one in the fellowship trusts him and for good reason.

Kinda a liability! Doesn't really offer anything to the Fellowship other than another sword arm, and one that seems sub-par in comparison to his comrades considering his underestimation of the Hobbits and the multiple times he has to be saved in Moria. Has no real expertise or wisdom to offer, barring obvious declarations like 'this will be the death of the hobbits'. Indeed the one moment of apparent unique wisdom he offers 'one cannot simply walk into mordor' is so widely viewed as foolish advice that it's one of the most enduring memes of the internet to date. Only has one moment of apparent skill in his final stand against the Uruks where he kills about 5 by himself before he is hit by 3 arrows and rendered helpless. Very much characterised as 'the normal guy' and 'the himbo'.

Has a nice, supportive and loving relationship with Faramir, his little brother that looks up to him adoringly and with a sense that he could never measure up to Boromir and that Boromir is his better. Protective of faramir.

Hah that was fun and now, completely unrelated, here are TRUE AND IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT BOOK!BOROMIR!!

Has one (1) line of dialogue about Aragorn and his kingship that essentially reads 'Well I don't care about Kings but if mythic heroes from legend could come and help my people we'd be grateful (press x to doubt)' and then he NEVER! VOICES A SINGLE OTHER OPINION ABOUT ARAGORN! FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. This includes his very last words which don't mention Aragorn or the Kingship once.

Clear-spoken! Makes concise speeches full of relevant and important information when in an official capacity. Always has a tone of well-meaning half-humourous sarcasm, making casual and comfortable jokes at his own expense or sometimes lightly teasing his fellows. Otherwise restrains his disagreements to darkly humourous complaints, strained and weary reactions or clear unemotional declarations of his concerns depending upon the recipient. Takes the phrase 'you'll have to pry my feelings from my cold dead hands' entirely literally, NEVER reveals the true extent of his internal struggles until the moment he is literally dying. In fact is entirely silent whilst Aragorn is asked to describe Gondor and waxes so lyrical he doesn't even notice Boromir get up and leave.

Asks one (1) clarifying question at the Council of Elrond about why they aren't using the ring, accepts the answer entirely and never mentions it again UNTIL Galadriel tempts him with it in Lothlorien. Doesn't even WANT to go on the fellowship and is more dragged along by Aragorn with the pretext that 'Gondor is on the way to Mordor so we'll tag along.' Is utterly trustworthy and has no ulterior motive in arriving in Rivendell other than his search for an answer to his prophetic dream. In fact his whole behaviour and personality changes immediately after Galadriel's mental interrogation and he BECOMES awkward, unnerving and unsure in his speech all of a sudden.

Has a WEALTH of knowledge, experience and personal skill that he uses to save the fellowship multiple times. Saves them all from freezing to death on Caradhras through his preparedness, his arguing with Gandalf and his personal durability. Hacks the head off wargs when they are attacked in the night. Remains lucid whilst the fellowship is paralyzed with fear by the Balrog and stalls it's approach using his horn to allow them time to flee. Fights alongside Aragorn at every opportunity, including charging with him at the Balrog as Gandalf is fighting it. And not only that, he regularly is proven right in his advice (that is rarely heeded) and is well informed on both his own peoples history and Rohan's position, even against Gandalf and Aragorn's doubt of their character. Actually saves Merry and Pippin initially from the Northern orcs whom he drives away entirely before he begins taking them back to the others, is only stalled when they are ambushed by Uruk-Hai. Continues to fight on even with far more than three arrows in him and actually yanks a few out before collapsing against the tree. Definitely not a normal guy, nor a himbo, just exceptional in a more mundane way than everyone else in the fellowship (except the Hobbits).

Never mentions his brother a single time, somehow got him to stand and defend the bridge of osgiliath with him whilst knowing that it would likely kill them both so not all that protective. Faramir meanwhile cannot say a single uncomplicatedly complimentary thing about his brother and in fact cannot stop telling Frodo (a man he has imprisoned for half a day), about what a stupid, reckless and prideful man Boromir was and how he's far better in every single way.

WOW HAHA ISN'T THAT INTERESTING! COOL! Book Boromir is my favourite character by the way haha I'm suffering incomprehensible horrors :)

#boromir #text post #erran vs tolkien #erran vs peter jackson #tolkien #lotr #lord of the rings

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imagines--galore · 1 year

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Hi! How are you? I saw your request for lotr characters are open, and was wondering if you could write something Legolas x reader. Where the reader is an elf (or maybe a dúnedain). And she and the prince elf had known each other since forever, but over time took separate paths because of their duties. And now after many years they are finally reunited for one last adventure. (It could be to help Frodo destroy to ring, or something entirely diferent).

Thank youuu!!

Pairing: Legolas x Reader

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+ Romance if you squint.

Translation: Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo, Legolas. - A star shines on the hour of our meeting, Legolas.

A/N: Cannot believe I missed this in my ask box. I hope you like this Anon! And I'm so sorry for being so late about it. Also I'm making the reader an elf.

The journey had been long and brutal, yet they had to have speed on their side. There was no time to be lost. The Uruk-Hai would be marching upon Helm's Deep soon. Thank the Valar, the weather had been in your favor. As Helm's Deep came into view, you couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement settle within you.

It had been so long since you had seen Legolas. Too long in fact. Since the beginning of the Quest for the Ring, you had only just missed him and his companions while you were having your own adventures. You were a mere Ranger of Lothlórien, yet somehow, the Prince of Mirkwood himself had deemed you worthy enough of his friendship. At first you had considered it an honor, but as time had passed, the two of you began to build a relationship built on a trust that ran deep.

You had been most disappointed when you had returned from a scouting trip, only to be told that the Prince had left with his comrades. Despite the urge to go after them, you had stayed. You had a duty to the Woods you called him and the Lord and Lady that ruled over them.

But when Elrond had made that call, calling elves to arm to help man fight against the darkness that had swept across their land, you had been one of the first to volunteer. Had been the first to pack your necessities and filled your quivers with the finest arrows, before shouldering the bow he had gifted you long ago.

It had been years and years since you had been in his presence, and you had realized, quite early on, that you felt his absence greatly. It was surprising to you at first, and yet, as time went by, it had become clear.

You were in love with Legolas. Perhaps had been the moment you had first met him.

But now would not be the time to discuss such matters. They were at war. A battle was to be had, and if the outcome was in their favor, you promised yourself you would act on your feelings and see what he would have to say.

As you and the rest of the elves marched into Helm's Deep, you were made aware of every man looking in your direction, or rather in the general direction of the army. You had barely lifted your head when your eyes caught sight of an achingly familiar head of golden silvery hair. You lowered your gaze once more, hiding your smile.

Haldir, your Captain, greeted King Théoden, and Aragorn thanked him for arriving so timely. You hadn't seen Aragorn in quite some time too, perhaps this would be a reunion for the ages? Aragorn embraced Haldir, as did Legolas, both visibly glad at their coming. You were standing right behind the Captain as the elves shifted in their position to look straight ahead.

It was then that Legolas looked from over Hadlir's shoulder. His eyes widened. Your name fell from his lips in a whisper. Despite the fact that you would be breaking a few rules, you glanced at your Captain who smiled and gave a small nod. Stepping forward, you reached up to pull back your hood. A few surprised gasps followed your act, the men having not expected a female to be amongst the elven army. What they didn't realize was that there were just as many females as there were male elves.

"Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo, Legolas." You greeted him in Elvish, eyes wide and hopeful as you smiled at him. Another call of your name, this time louder before he embraced you. A small laugh fell from your lips as you wrapped your arms around him just as tightly, returning the embrace. He picked you up and swung you around once, before setting you back on solid ground.

Neither of you cared that there were so many eyes on you, yet everyone seemed to want to share in your joy. To catch a glimpse of a joyful moment such as two friends reuniting after so long. They were to face the ugliness of battle soon. This would be there last bit of beauty before that. Théoden called for the Captain of his Guard to show the elves where they would be positioned. Aragorn began to speak to Haldir of strategies, prompting you to glance in the direction of your Captain.

"You were never one to shy away from a fight were you?" Legolas asked, with his arms bracing your own, as if to reassure himself that you were still here. That you truly were in front of him. You smiled at him. "And let you have all the fun?" You teased, though you could sense the underlying worry in his eyes. He surged forward to press his lips to your brow, closing his eyes as if in a silent prayer.

"Stay safe my friend. We have much to speak of." He whispered against your skin, prompting you to nod and close your eyes, inhaling deeply as you memorized his scent once more. "That we do Legolas. I shall see you once we have won." You said with conviction. There was not a doubt in your heart that you would loose. Not when you had Legolas at your side.

With a parting glance, and a joining of the hands that lingered until you had to step away from him, you disappeared into the crowd to do get to your station, just as Legolas turned to take care of his own duties.

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A/N: Hmmmmm should i continue this?

#legolas x reader #legolas x y/n #legolas x oc #lotr imagine #lord of the rings imagine #hobbit imagine

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ramoth13 · 2 years

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A few thoughts on Galadriel's Valor, Story, and "Girl-boss" energy

I've seen many things written about the "girl-bossification" of Galadriel, as though she 1. did not need anything extra given to her character, 2. she was diplomatically power hungry rather than vengeful, and 3. she was already Married and had her daughter by the time this show was taking place.

I'm not attempting to defend any creative choices or say why the show is "right" to portray them as they have, but I do think some things could be discussed with a bit more context and I do love some lore-diving and graceful discussions, so here goes.

To the first part (1.), she is recorded as not only engaging in the first kinslaying (she fought AGAINST Feanor, protecting the Teleri, but almost certainly killed other elves and elves aren't known for their weakness), but Tolkien himself said she was a "great warrior" in her youth. In the same vein, canonically she did initially go to Middle-earth to rule, but that is not clearly stated to be false here, merely that she is currently fueled by anger, pride, and vengeance, and rejecting the Valar's pardon which is canon for the most part (pg. 242 Unfinished Tales). Again, not defending, but I do think that this fits into established context as well as the next two points.

2. We're not given a clear reason as to why she, specifically, comes to Middle-earth in the show. There is a general reason why the elves go, yet not her. But I also realize that such logic goes both ways and I also understand that adapted stories are told by admissions AND omissions. However,

3. We know soooo little as to the intentions of the story yet. There's so much left to see, but the one thing I do think is the most important to bring up is the fact that this "character reversal" has been done before, by Peter Jackson and the character of Aragorn.

Aragorn in the books not only knows he's the king, but is downright giddy and excited to get going, reforging Narsil into Anduril before they even leave Rivendell. The rest of the trilogy is him slowly spreading his influence and making his grand "Return" Yet, in the movies it's the exact opposite. Movie Aragorn is not just reluctant, but almost hostile to the mere idea of reclaiming his throne, and slowly throughout the series he is pushed towards that reclamation of power.

In the RoP, we see Alatáriel/Artanis (Galadriel) as the daughter of a great Noldorin lord, single and alone in a quest for vengeance. Yet, we know she will become the most influential Elf in all of Middle-earth. The reason she doesn't fit that bill yet is because THAT is the story that I think they are telling. Literally the first episode is setting up the journey towards finally letting go of the sword, claiming the influential (but non-martial) power of her birthright and marrying (quite scandalously, I might add) a sindar elf that will unite the Noldorin and Sindarin Elves into a United people.

I think the story we are going to see is Alatáriel, the sword-wielding daughter of Arafinwë, become the Galadriel, Queen of the Elves of Middle-earth.

(*POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR SHOW-ONLY WATCHERS*)

After all, when Sauron/Annatar does return and sway the Elven people, there are only two elves that find him untrustworthy and reject him (Galadriel and Elrond).... and the fact that no one listens to her has always been questionable and unexplained in the cannon narrative. If the most powerful and influential leader alive said someone seems sketchy and shouldn't be trusted, it doesn't make sense that you'd ignore those warnings off-hand, especially if she was regarded as one of the wisest elves alive.

But if it's a blood thirsty, vengeful war-leader who has spurned the commands of her king who is saying that this beautiful and gracious elf who has been kind and generous and infinitely helpful to all of her people is actually evil incarnate, perhaps she would not be given much credence and would instead be ignored. It might actually HELP explain a few things lol.

(*POSSIBLE SPOILERS CONCLUDED*)

In the end, we will simply have to wait and see. But I think she's (Morfydd Clark) bringing something to Galadriel we have never seen but always known about, and that's a personal history. Just like Aragorn, I'd bet my last penny that we will see the Galadriel we all know and love, but that's the journey she is on. And I am so excited to see it happen!

But perhaps I'm like Elrond and harbour naive hope for the future, only time (or perhaps a certain Elf's magical mirror) will tell.

In any case, I wish you all well!

Na lû e-govaded 'wîn, mellon nin!

~ Ramoth13

#ramoth13 #fandom #lord of the rings #silmarillion #the hobbit #rings of power #galadriel #jrr tolkien #tolkien elves #tolkien #histories of Middle-earth #tolkien lore #morfydd clark #noldor elves #Noldorin #Sindarin #sindar elves #the rings of power

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aeonianarchives · 2 years

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The Fourth Hunter

Summery: the reader is Aragorn's sibling, the only thing the two have in common is there ranger abilities and their love for elves

Ft. jealous Gimli and Boromir, Gandalf enjoying the scolding tea, clueless Aragorn, doesn't follow main canon at some points

Pairing: Legolas x Reader

A/n: OMFG the GIF is so Cute

Gandalf sat on a log by the fire tending it, Aragorn sat with his back to it on look out, Boromir and Gimli were talking highly of there unnamed but guessable crushes, the hobbits were asleep and You had happened to fall asleep leaning against a tree next to Legolas, your head had landed on his shoulder, and he was to scared to move as he was afraid to wake you.

Gandalf was chuckling to himself but hid it behind his pipe admittedly not very good hiding, but hiding it non the less.

"they doesn't trust people easily Legolas, to have there trust you to protect them and let down there guard means they must trust you as much as they trusts Aragorn or Elrond" Gandalf noted to the elf, pink dusted over the tips of the elf's ears rather quickly.

"Oh Gimli they is amazing" Boromir said

"I didn't think you would go for that type of person laddie" Gimli replied, you opened your eye

"I hate to break it to you Boromir, but that ship has sailed, wrecked and sunk to the bottom of the ocean" You said the man turned to you

"How do you know who I like, your half asleep and can't put together actual thought in your head" Boromir said

"You like me, don't you, I don't like you, i very much dislike you, your flirting is obvious and it's either you flirting or insulting me there is no in between with you" You shot back at Boromir

"Even if they are tired, doesn't mean they won't form an accurate hypothesis, which most of the time is true" Aragorn said

soon the company has split, you were chasing after the hobbits with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, both Boromir and Gandalf had passed on, Frodo and Sam were now on there way to Mordor.

"They are about 2 days ahead of us" Your brother said, he had stopped you from chasing after the hobbits with Legolas

"Dwaves are natural born sprinters, very dangerous over long distances" Gimli said

"Hurry up Gimli" Legolas said as Gimli fell down the hill, you sighed.

"If anyone slows us down it's you and the hobbits gimli" You huffed bringing up the council of Elrond.

you soon learned Gandalf was alive and The hobbits were ok, and had talked to the king of rohan.

"Y/n, were are you going" Aragorn questioned, you turned back to him.

"You are going to helms deep, I may as well go and help Sam and Frodo, they are going to need as much help as they can get, don't let Legolas follow me" You said

"You are going after the hobbits" Aragorn said

"I can find them near the dead marshes or maybe osgiliath if Gondor's rangers have found them" You said, checking the saddle was secured.

"We will need your help" Aragorn said

"I am sure you can come through and don't need it" You said, Legolas came down the stairs towards you.

"Why are you leaving now, won't you come to Helms deep, are you leaving the fellowship" Legolas said

"The fellowship is broken Legolas, it's split up, Helms deep can help itself, I have more pressing matters to Handel" Aragon left you both

"Im iest na treneri- cin a dolen nin mellon" Legolas said in Elvish, you raised an eyebrow to him motioning for him to contuie

"Gi Melin Meleth nin" Legolas said

"Cin mel nin" You questioned him

"athon Meleth nin dhir sevin gûr nin" Legolas said

"Gi Melin ana Meleth nin" You returned to him

"I will see you in Gondor, for now fair well" you said mounting the horse, Legolas took it's reins

"Will you not stay" Legolas said

"I cannot" You said looking into his eyes, you leaned down and pecked him on the lips, he gave you back the reins and you rode off, Legolas walked back into the Long house.

"You didn't get them to stay" Aragorn said

"I could not persuade them" Legolas said.

"Sam and Frodo get the Help and we lose the best ranger and warrior we had" Aragorn said

"they went to sam and frodo" Legolas said

"It was there choice, i may of persuaded them to go, but they asked me what to do" Gandalf said. the other three hunters did not see you again until aragorn's coronation, Aragorn looked you up and down.

"You Look like shit" Aragorn said

"Why Thank you, also Elrond and Arwen have arrived" You said back to him.

"What happened to you" Aragorn said

"Suaron manged to take physical form just before the ring was destroyed, try fighting him" you said

"You fought suaron" Aragorn said you nodded to him.

"I need to find Elrond and persuade him to heal me" You said to Aragorn waving to him as you walked away, you walked in on Mithrandir and Elrond talking.

"mae govannen" you greeted them the two turned to you.

"You've looked better" Mithrandir said

"I know" You held up the broken sword

"Suaron really needs to stop taking swords with him, when he dies" You said looking at the broken blade

"I think he also broke my rib" You said Elrond sighed and lead you to the healing ward were Faramir and Eowyn were already.

"Hello again" You said to the two

"What happened to you" Eowyn asked

"The Ranger who followed the hobbits, what did happen to you" Faramir asked

"Oh i don't know, killed a few Nazgul and Suaron, no big deal" You replyed.

The Coronation soon came you stood behind your brother Legolas was the first to pay respects to your brother, before you tackled him into a hug, the elven prince caught you while laughing.

"About time, love birds" Aragorn said teasing you, you chuckled and shook your head before kissing Legolas.

"Gi Melin Meleth nin" Legolas smiled and rested his forehead against yours and repeated what you said.

"Gi Melin ana" Legolas told you, you smiled as you wrapped your Legs around Legolas' waist.

Elvish Translations:

Im iest na treneri- cin a dolen nin mellon - i wish to tell you a secret my friend

Gi Melin Meleth nin - I Love you My Love

Cin mel nin - you love me?

athon Meleth nin dhir sevin gûr nin - Yes My Love You have captured my Heart

Gi Melin ana Meleth nin - I love you to my Love

mae govannen - Well Met

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qprsmackdown · 9 months

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Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli (Lord of the Rings) vs Gil Galad, Elrond, and Celebrian (Silmarillion)

I am going to cry. -🦊

Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli propaganda: i likea them a lot :) • three dudes going on a road trip i hope nothing bond making happens • they can all braid each others hair • i don't know what the actual shipname is but gigolaron sounds funny youve opened my eyes youre so so so right. theyre just sooooooo. THEY ARE SO QPR FOR REALSIES. legolas and gimli devoted their whole lives to one another and legolas took gimli to essentially elf heaven with him. legolas and aragorn were amazing friends and i think they kissed. the three hunters are so qpr coded to me. they care so much for one another. i have not watched lotr in too long i should rewatch it again but Trust Me Bro theyre SO in love for realsies i got told to vote this by one of the mods. also aragorngimlilegolas resembles my qpr thank you tolkien for making these bitches sooo qpr roadtrip material

Gil Galad, Elrond, and Celebrian propagada: theyre soooo. the high king and his herald, facing unimaginable enemies that have killed all of their families. theyre both so trans also. they can only try to support each other even though the work keeps piling on and people keep dying and all they can do is try to live for each other. elrond has pledged his life to gilgalad and he will always be loyal. gilgalad would die for elrond but he has too many responsibilities and it breaks his heart that he cant say it back. when he does die it is for the world and for love and for elrond. to make a safe world for everyone. when they reunite in valinor they will have changed and learned so much but will still be there for each other, even though they are no longer king and herald.a king and a herald and their best friend. one has pledged their life to the people, the other to him, and the last is just trying to support them. in the midst of so much fear and destruction and uncertainty they stick together and support each other. gil galad dies before them and his loss will stay with them forever. celebrian has to sail to valinor and she must leave behind one for the other. but when elrond sails they will finally all be reunited. gil galad will never meet arwen but she grew up hearing stories about her second father, and strives to be as fair and just a ruler as he. elrohir and elladan are grown by the time they sail but they have until the end of days to make up for lost time. they get a happy ending, even through so much pain and strife. gil galad and celebrian know about elros and his decision to become mortal and how elrond knows it was the right choice for him but has a broken heart anyways. they knew but they didn't realize it would happen to them too. but they love each other and their children and they just want whats best for them. and they take solace in each other, they who still remain even through death. and they hope that when the dagor dagorath comes they can finally see all of their loved ones return from the great adventure of man and fight alongside each other, for even the destruction and renewal of arda cannot mar the happiness at being all together once more.

#mod zazie #qpr smackdown #qpr tournament #aragorn #legolas #gimli #gil galad #elrond #celebrian #round 1 #side 2

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glitteringaglarond · 1 year

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'So it seems,' said Faramir, slowly and very softly, with a strange smile. 'So that is the answer to all the riddles! The One Ring that was thought to have perished from the world. And Boromir tried to take it by force? And you escaped? And ran all the way – to me! And here in the wild I have you: two halflings, and a host of men at my call, and the Ring of Rings. A pretty stroke of fortune! A chance for Faramir, Captain of Gondor, to show his quality! Ha!' He stood up, very tall and stern, his grey eyes glinting. Frodo and Sam sprang from their stools and set themselves side by side with their backs to the wall, fumbling for their sword-hilts. There was a silence. All the men in the cave stopped talking and looked towards them in wonder. But Faramir sat down again in his chair and began to laugh quietly, and then suddenly became grave again. 'Alas for Boromir! It was too sore a trial!' he said. 'How you have increased my sorrow, you two strange wanderers from a far country, bearing the peril of Men! But you are less judges of Men than I of Halflings. We are truth-speakers, we men of Gondor. We boast seldom, and then perform, or die in the attempt. Not if I found it on the highway would I take it I said. Even if I were such a man as to desire this thing, and even though I knew not clearly what this thing was when I spoke, still I should take those words as a vow, and be held by them. 'But I am not such a man. Or I am wise enough to know that there are some perils from which a man must flee. Sit at peace! And be comforted, Samwise. If you seem to have stumbled, think that it was fated to be so. Your heart is shrewd as well as faithful, and saw clearer than your eyes. For strange though it may seem, it was safe to declare this to me. It may even help the master that you love. It shall turn to his good, if it is in my power. So be comforted. But do not even name this thing again aloud. Once is enough.'

And this, right here, is the exact moment that Faramir because my favorite character when i read it as an eight year old child, and why he has never been bumped from that #1 spot in the 20+ years since.

i've talked about this before, but there can never be enough said about how good this moment is.

Ever since we were first introduced to Faramir, both we the readers and Frodo have been conflicted about whether or not to trust him. He reminds us all of Boromir, and while that's usually not a bad thing the last time Frodo and Boromir saw each other does make all of us second guess everything. And the fact that he Boromir's brother just makes that seem to be an even more likely eventuality that he will be tempted in the same way that Boromir was.

No... as much as we want to trust Faramir, as much as we are reminded of Aragorn and Elrond and Gandalf as well as of Boromir, it's probably a much safer course of action not to risk confiding in him.

But then Sam slips and he tells the secret that we all - Frodo, Sam, and the readers - are in agreement that we probably shouldn't be telling Faramir. And his response is terrifying, because he is described in almost the exact same words as Boromir was when he tried to take the Ring.

But then... he sits down again. He doesn't make a move towards the Hobbits, he doesn't fall into the same pitfall that took Boromir, and instead reaffirms the trust we wanted to put in him and comforts Sam so that he will not blame himself for what he would undoubtedly have considered a massive mistake.

And we realize that everything he was saying earlier that made us so badly want to trust him has now been backed by his actions.

it's not that Faramir wouldn't be tempted by the Ring. But while Boromir acted from his heart and did not allow wisdom to guide his actions, Faramir acts from a place of wisdom and allows the empathy and compassion of his heart to inform those actions.

#lotr newsletter #faramir #guys i've been trying through every one of these zillion posts i've made about him to express how much i love him #and i'm still falling short #but just... i love him so much #my op #newsletter march 7

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tanoraqui · 1 year

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Maker's Marks

Chapter 5: In the Last Homely House

Note: I AM formally abandoning/indefinitely hiatus-ing this fic now, but I DID succeed in writing this chapter first, featuring the Council of Elrond and some scenes of what follows before our company leaves the Rivendell. Enjoy!

There was a pleasant surprise for Celebrimbor on his way to the council meeting the next morning, at least. Yes, he knew the smithcraft of that mail, the shape of those faces, that style of formal beard braiding!

"Hail, people of Durin!" he called in Khuzdul, rushing forward to greet the Longbeards. "What news from—"

At the last second he remembered Aragorn's terse addition to the tale of Bilbo and the Dragon, about why Thorin and company wandered so far afield.

“—the Lonely Mountain? I am glad to hear that you prosper once more!"

Both dwarves looked at him in surprise, the elder wary and the younger suspicious. But the elder hid his wariness quickly and replied in the same tongue, "An elf who speaks the language of dwarves! I've never heard of such a thing before, but I guess if I'm hearing it now, it would be in the house of Elrond." He bowed in greeting. "Well met, friend of Durin's folk! I am Gloin, and this is Gimli, my son. The Lonely Mountain does prosper, though...well, our other news is for the council."

"Well met, Master Gloin, and Gimli as well." Celebrimbor answered with the honorific appropriate to one who had birthed another of their own body, for so Gloin's inflections on 'my son' had indicated. Dwarves considered this greatest craft a matter for dwarves alone, but anyone trusted with private Khuzdul was deemed sufficiently dwarvish, and in that language it would've been insufferably rude not to acknowledge the masterwork.

"I was called Zigilrathkur, and Lord of the Hollies when last I knew your people," Celebrimbor explained. "Or when last you knew me, I suppose..."

He trailed off at the renewed guardedness in their eyes. What had history made of him, after he brought the wrath of Sauron to the very doors of Khazad-dûm?

A bell rang, summoning them to council and saving him from answers.

[keep reading on AO3]

#lord of the rings #the silmarillion #lotr #celebrimbor #elrond #frodo baggins #fanfiction #my fic

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bookwyrminspiration · 1 year

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Debate the pros and cons of the two ships Gigolas (Alternatively Gimleaf, Gimli x Legolas) and Aragolas (Alternatively Leragorn, Aragorn x Legolas). Compare and contrast the two ships. You have half an hour (From the moment you start writing this ask, leave it in your inbox for as long as you wish). Go.

OKAY! Warning I know very little and there is probably a lot wrong or missing here! So right of the bat I'm seeing we've got different species and power dynamics at play

Gimli and Legolas are dwarf4elf, so that may be worth mentioning. If I'm remembering right, Gimli is also the "and my axe!" fucker, and I know Legolas is the shooty mcshootinson bitch, so right away we've got the shared love of weaponry and fighting, though they very likely have incredibly different styles for more reasons than one. Dwarven and elven values and attitudes towards death and violence are likely different, but this is Tolkien so it's probably existence and I'm on limited time here.

Hang on. These are the "never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an elf" people. Okay so here we've got a clear display of their growth (since Gimli was originally distrustful of Legolas' intentions) and how the two characters developed emotionally to put aside their difference and unite, both in battle and emotionally. It's not unreasonable to say that they can take that another route and into relationship territory (not that one is better than the other, just another path to take). Despite their differences, they are, in canon, capable of the necessary growth to make a healthy relationship.

Okay I'm also seeing that they became friends when walking through the woods, and elves are very woodlands creatures, so perhaps we can find a bit of similarity between their interests there. How do the dwarves view nature? Scrap that question I just read in the wiki that he went into the Undying Lands and Tolkien said it was strange that any dwarf would be willing to leave Middle-Earth for any love. I don't have any fucking clue what that means but it feels important.

I'm a third of the way through my time let's look at Aragorn. GOD wiki please tell me what species he is this is ridiculous. Okay he's not an elf but is descended from them? So he's got an unusually long life span? Okay his character description says he's somber and grim, and that kind of outlook might mesh well with an elven one like Legolas'? I'm not actually sure. Something about the seriousness feels like it could match an elven look and help them work together.

His name is also mentioned a lot on Legolas' wiki page, multiple instances of the two of them going through things together (though Gimli is a notable third addition). Found a random site that mentions something about Aragorn's true identity and Legolas defending him to Boromir, which was either when they met or very early on in their meeting. That sets a strong foundation for future relationships and a clear feeling of protection and trust in it, which is beneficial. Listen I have no context for this scene I have no idea who knows what or how they feel about it, but potentially this hinting towards Legolas knowing his identity could've built a bond between them from the get go that forces them to be more careful with each other, and that can lead to interesting dynamics.

There's also the whole matter of similar backgrounds, or at least more similar than Legolas and Gimli. Even if Aragorn's got a whole complicated situation with his race he was raised by Elrond in Rivendell (i think?) so he's got some elven thinking. If Elrond is indeed an elf but I've got six minutes so I'm not checking. And Legolas is Legolas, raised however he was. He's pretty clearly and elf, but the one thing that trips me up here is that he was "unimpressed" when he came to Rivendell to see the council of Elrond, as it displays that perhaps these two elven backgrounds may be as different as Gimli and Legolas' differences.

My other thought is that when I was key word searching through all their profiles, more often than not all of their names were coming up together. They seem to be a trio for a lot of the story, so why try to decide between a pairing? Why not all three of them if they're bonded so and endured so much together? Legolas has two hands, after all. But then I'd also have to get into what Gimli and Aragorn's relationship is like to see if it would be a triangle sort of a pairing or if they were both dating Legolas but not each other.

I think my final conclusion is that I can understand the shipping either way, but I don't think either one is superior to the other. Gimli and Legolas seem fun for the dynamics and depth they bring, and Aragorn and Legolas sound entertaining for the subtlety and intrigue. But also this was just thirty minutes of frantic skimming articles and trying desperately to remember my limited lotr knowledge.

I would like to thank the orchestral version of all star by smash mouth for fueling this chaotic splurge of words. The years start coming and they don't stop coming and they don't stop coming and they don't stop comin--

#lotr #gigolas #aragolas #quil's queries #nonsie #long post #this was fun nonsie! thank you for the entertainment on this fine thursday morning #sorry lotr mutuals for the butchery of their characters like this #i am operating off watching the movies once several years ago and having read like. the first third of the first book #whichever one is after the hobbit #the fellowship?#of the ring?#who knows! not me!

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kiatheinsomniac · 5 months

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⋆ ⁺ ｡ ˚ ⊹ ° . 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐒 | 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 ˎ :ˊ-

❝Name: Alexandra, but my best friend calls me Sasha (Russian short version) Gender: sex is female but tbh, I always thought of myself as an individual and not strictly male or female. I don't know what this is called :/ Sexuality: I once thought I'm bi, but I never enjoyed sex with my ex. I find men and women attractive equally but don't feel any specific sexual attraction, even though I do have some fantasies about a specific fictional character. So I think the best that would describe me would be demi bi sexual, or some sort of it. I apologise for the long elaboration Appearance: neither skinny nor heavy. I'd say a good middle (I used to be obese and have stretch marks in hips and thighs, but I also was anorexic, now I'm happy to be in between with slight curves and a few muscles that slowly show themselves as I'm working out quite a bit), brown hair till past shoulders, brown eyes, high cheekbones. I'm around 176 cm tall Personality: I can be impatient, but when it comes to others or animals I'm very patient. I like the nature and animals, sort of pagan believe, I like reading and drawing but also action as I used to race in horses (barrel race but also carriage races), I'm seeking adventure and have done a lot of crazy stuff, like skydive, hitch hiking and other stunts (when I was younger though). I still like a good adrenaline rush but in a controlled way. I like horse riding and motorcycling (again controlled in a good manner). Both give me a feeling of freedom. I guess I could be described as sporty. I'm empathic but also stubborn. Coming from a family where domestic violence was used to break me and make me follow what I was expected to do and how to behave. I need time to warm up to people. While I'm friendly to strangers, it takes a really long time until I warm up and even longer to let a person in and trust that person. But once a person is' in my inner circle', I'm loyal and protective. I love walking barefoot (something that pissed my parents off and I received a few bruises for that, still liking it though). I love a good banter between friends, and can be sassy (when I feel comfortable around the person). I also tease and appreciate the small things in life, I don't need big presents or anything but am quite happy when I can be with the people I hold dear and enjoy the time with them, if it's a calm evening or some adventure/action. Oh, and I don't wear dresses! I feel uncomfortable in them! No high heels either. Not very practical.❞ — @havatnah

I ship you with Aragorn!

Aragorn loves your balance of adventurousness as well as your appreciation for reading and drawing. Being raised by Elrond and his twins, Aragorn is both a ranger and erudite. He really admires how you’re in touch with nature and are so patient and gentle with animals. He’s exactly the same and these traits are very core to his personality so he admires how you share these values of his. He really enjoys riding horses with you because he feels he gets to see your adventurous spirit in its element. He also enjoys sharing books from Elrond’s library with you! In fact, it’s likely how he’d first approach you: he would simply observe to see what sort of books you’ve been reading and would find some that he thinks you’d enjoy, bringing them to you and start up a conversation about you and your interests.

He’s quite fond of your more practical dress sense and the lack of heels and dresses as it’s the sort of clothing he’s more accustomed to wearing too as a ranger. Also, it seems that going barefoot isn’t too uncommon for elves so he doesn’t find it unusual at all. He admires your loyalty and protectiveness of your loved ones as he finds these to be very noble traits and they just make you all the more brilliant in his eyes.

♡ Aragorn is very fond of horses so to find out that you enjoy things like horse riding and racing excites him quite a bit. He’ll often invite you to join him when he’s out patrolling the lands around Rivendell. He really enjoys your company and it’s nice to have an experienced rider with him who’s as gentle and respectful to horses as he is. He always gets a thrill racing you too (though he won’t admit it, he often lets you win just to see your smile and hear your sass – it’s very endearing to him).

♡ He’s spent late evenings in Elrond’s library with you too. Should he ever find a book in an elven tongue you don’t understand but he thinks you’ll enjoy, he’ll sit with one arm around you and the book open across your laps as he holds you close and translates for you. He doesn’t want any door to be closed to you if he thinks you’ll find any sort of happiness and joy on the other side.

♡ He’s noticed that you take a while to warm up to people and so when he was first getting to know you, he took things slowly and always paid attention to your expressions and body language to make sure he’d never make you uncomfortable. He’s a gentleman to his very core and so he started with suggesting books to you, talking about your interests, inviting you on patrols to ride together and then getting you gifts and making romantic gestures.

♡ He always makes sure you get the softer bedroll when bringing you on patrols means that you have to camp out for the night. He finds that he’s more vigilant keeping watch as he wants to make sure he can protect you from any possible dangers lurking out there. Once you’re asleep, if it gets cold, he’s quick to add more wood to the fire and to take off his cloak and lay it over your body, tucking you in so that no drafts can get under the warm cloak that he’s using like a blanket.

♡ Due to your love for nature, he loves going on little rambles and tangents about which plant or bark does what and it means a lot to him when you listen or you put his little ramblings to use. There are so many little things you do that just bring a smile to his face and he won’t even realise when he’s looking at you like a lovesick puppy. You have so many traits that he just finds so noble in a person. In a way, he looks up to you and who you are and what you’ve been through a lot.

☾ ⋆ ﾟlike my work? why not: ∘ buy me a coffee? ∘ commission me? ∘ join my taglist ∘ consider following/reblogging

#⊹ ° . kia ships ˎ :

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frodo-with-glasses · 2 years

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1 and 10 for Aragorn and Legolas?

1. “When I think they became friends”

Once again I have plundered the Appendices for potential information on Aragorn’s early life—but this time, I’ve come back empty-handed! There’s nothing in the book to indicate that Aragorn and Legolas had met before the Council of Elrond. If that's the case, I'm sure their friendship grew quietly and gradually, as it did for most members of the Fellowship (at least, those who didn't know each other already). Clearly Legolas trusts Aragorn as leader by the time they leave the Mines of Moria; when he sees Sam and Frodo lagging behind, Legolas' first thought is to tell Aragorn about it.

But the book also doesn't say anything about them NOT meeting before the Council of Elrond! And if Legolas' outburst from the movies ("tHaT iS nO mErE rAnGeR, he is aRaGoRn sOn of aRaThOrN") is any indication, it seems that Legolas already knows about Aragorn and considers him worthy of respect.

If they met at any time before the Council, I'm gonna hazard a guess that it was somewhere between 2957-2980, when Appendix B tells us that "Aragorn undertakes his great journeys and errantries". During this time he served—in disguise—under both the King of Rohan and the Steward of Gondor (Theoden's dad and Denethor's dad, respectively), so it's not out of the question that he could have served in Thranduil's court for a little while too. Appendix A tells us that he spent some time journeying East and South, "uncovering the plots and devices of the servants of Sauron", and where better to start that search than the nearest friendly kingdom to Dol Guldur, where the "Necromancer" had been hanging out since like the start of the Third Age??

......I put way too much work into this answer. TL;DR: Aragorn and Legolas might have met somewhere around 2980-ish when Aragorn was off doing heckin' Ranger Stuff.

10. “A song that reminds me of them”

Okay, so once again I had to go looking for a new song since I couldn’t think of any off the top of my head, but I think I finally found something: “Mountain Sound” by Of Monsters and Men. Honestly, you could probably listen to any song by that band and it would fit—all of their music is just the right combination of joyful, melancholy, mysterious, and baffling to fit the Sunshine Prince and Emo King—but this song in particular reminded me of the Three Hunters, what with the emphasis on horses and running through the woods, so I’m gonna go with that.

FRIENDSHIP ASK GAME!

#ask game #legolas #aragorn #lord of the rings #lotr #my writing #in which i somehow managed to spend two whole hours answering just two questions

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rangers-are-cool-moved · 2 years

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Reaching Out

For: Elrond | @malkuvoitenoldoran

Muse: Arathorn

Verse: What is Seen is Not Always what Lies Ahead | AU

DAY and NIGHT; SUN and MOON; LIFE and DEATH; LIGHT and DARK.

Each keeps the other in CHECK, preventing the BALANCE from failing.

But when that balance is broken and you stand on a razor-sharp knife edge,

DO YOU ASK FOR HELP THAT MAY NEVER COME OR CUT YOURSELF OPEN AND

As both a Ranger and the current Chieftain of the Northern Dunedain, Arathorn had seen his fair share of Death. Caused by both his own hands and that of others, as well as Nature itself. He had also seen Life, new and old, but then that was not unusual when it came to the Wandering Men of the North. Killing had always been seen as a necessary evil when it came to his kin, one that he took no delight in doing. But rarely had much choice, lest darkness spread across the lands.

On a more personal level, Arathorn had been hit with both loss and joy at the same time. Joy - for the birth of his son and heir, Aragorn. And loss- for his wife, Gilraen had passed from this world just a few days after Aragorn was born. What should have been a happy occasion was marred by grief and pain. As well as a anger that had been directed at him by Gilraen’s grieving parents. For it had been as unexpected to them, as it was by him.

He needed to visit Tinnudir and Rushingdale, the place where the Lady Gwindeth spent much of her time. But making the trip there whilst caring for his son wasn’t worth the risk. With his father also gone, Maechedir not up to looking after a baby again and not completely trusting his in-laws, there was only one place he could take Aragorn.

It was the dead of night when the lone eyed Ranger dismounted carefully from the back of his rather patient dappled grey mare. He hadn’t given any warning that he was coming, unlike normal. He couldn’t run the risk of the note being intercepted by their enemies. There weren’t that many elves awake at that time of night, so he slipped into the room that was kept for when he visited.

Imladris.

Home of Lord Elrond, his children and their kin. Long time allies to that of the Dunedain and the elf who had helped raise him.

Arathorn didn’t fall asleep once he had gotten his son settled though. He simply curled up by the sleeping chid and silently watched over him. Aware that he would probably be getting visitors in the morning when his horse or presence was noticed.

#malkuvoitenoldoran :: elrond #~/ thorn hidden in scars and shadows \~ :: arathorn #*|* find the man you are/ meant to be *|* :: dúnedain chieftain #*|* a tiny change is all that's needed / to alter the seen future *|* :: AU | single parent Arathorn #~/ to wander the wild is all i ever wanted \~ :: aragorn/strider #child aragorn au #*|* a peaceful valley untouched by evil *|* :: imladris

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abominableastronaut · 1 year

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Aragorn and/or Arwen 👉👈

why not both!

Aragorn: First impression "He's alright, I guess". I was seven and very hard to impress, what can I say

Impression now Aragorn my good friend Aragorn… I love book Aragorn and film Aragorn in different ways but they're both great. He's got leader of the friend group energy and I would trust him to be the designated driver Favorite moment Dramatic door opening his quiet moments in the films are some of my favourites, but I also really like his moment with Frodo before the final confrontation in Fellowship As for the books, I like him coming to Minas Tirith, directly after Pelennor, and his greatest actions in the aftermath are healing. Ioreth had a good point actually Idea for a story Tolkien gives us a decent understanding of what people are doing in the appendices but… I wouldn't say no to seeing more moments that see him developing into the man he is when we meet him Unpopular opinion What even would be an unpopular opinion for book Aragorn… I assume there's different takes but I interact with fandom stuff in such a chill way I have no idea For film, yes the beacons are lit is such a cool scene but I spend so much of that run anxiously thinking he's going to trip, slow down buddy Favorite relationship It feels like such a copout to say the Fellowship but name a more iconic group tbh Favorite headcanon This man is great at just going with the flow when he's actually confused as hell, and he absolutely has put it to use when the hobbits say something that makes no sense

Arwen: First impression It was the 2001 film so I thought she was cool, then was immediately confused when she didn't get any further moments like that in the other films. Still liked her a lot, though Impression now She's fascinating to me, and I can respect that it must have been difficult to change her life and future so drastically Favorite moment Of the number there are in canon, there's something very somber and touching about the moments in the appendices where she gives up immortality, and then later when she reaffirms her decision. Some of that wording gets used in the films, though in a different set of situations Also I think the little moment where she gifts Frodo something for his pain is very sweet Idea for a story I think we deserve Arwen in Lothlórien actually, I'd love to see more of her life before Fellowship, she's lived over 2000 very interesting years during the decline of the elves in Middle Earth. I'd love to see more of that time for her. More family content too Unpopular opinion Are there unpopular opinions about Arwen these days? I don't even know Favorite relationship I have a soft spot for the father-daughter dynamic with Elrond, parents who want the best for their kids and postive parent-child dynamics just get me Favorite headcanon I have some nebulous, positive thoughts regarding her relationship with her grandmother (clearly good enough that she spends a decent chunk of her time with her grandparents). Not much, though, but I do love to hear everyone's opinions send me a character!

#tolkienverse #ask memes #ginkovskij

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warrioreowynofrohan · 3 years

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Not by might, and not by power…

One of the things that stands out in The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings is is the idea that fighting evil isn’t enough. In fact, Morgoth and Sauron both have a terrible genius for twisting people’s desire to fight them to serve their own ends. Fëanor whips up the Noldor to go fight Morgoth using Morgoth’s own lies about the Valar imprisoning them and keeping them from Middle-earth so Men could rule it, and leads them immediately to first killing their kin and then betraying the greater part of his own army. The narrative explicitly recognizes this irony: His wrath and hate were given most to Morgoth, and yet well nigh all that he said came from the very lies of Morgoth himself.

Likewise, Morgoth specifically exploits Túrin’s desire to fight Angband openly. Both Dor-Cúarthol and the campaigns of Nargothrond reveal Túrin to him, and the latter also reveals Nargothrond to him and enables him to first destroy the army of Nargothrond in the Battle of Tumhalad, and then capture the fortress itself.

The Oath is perhaps the central example of this in The Silmarillion - sworn in hatred of Morgoth and in wrath at his theft of the Silmarils, it ultimately drives the sons of Fëanor against everyone except Morgoth: the Teleri, Finrod, Beren, Lúthien, the Doriathrim, Dior, Nimloth, Elwing, the people of Sirion, and at last the Valar. This too is called out by the narrative: their oath…had harmed [Morgoth] never and turned always to his mightiest aid.

The pattern continues through the later ages. Ar-Pharazôn conquers Sauron and in so doing becomes his most dreadful servant and tool. The central temptation the Ring deploys is the offer of the power to defeat Sauron: to Boromir, to Gandalf, to Galadriel, faintly to Denethor, and even (rather ridiculously and futilely) to Sam. It is Saruman and Denethor’s desire for more information with which to fight Sauron that drives them to the palantirí which he uses to control the one and manipulate the other.

So what does succeed, in the end? The desire not primarily to destroy and defeat what is evil, but to save and nurture and create what is good. Fingon’s rescue of Maedhros, Finrod giving his life to save Beren, Beren and Lúthien being willing to risk their lives for their love and so obtaining a Silmaril, Eärendil and Elwing taking that Silmaril into the West to intercede with the Valar, the Valar’s compassion for the people of Middle-earth that leads them to the War of Wrath, Isildur saving a fruit from the White Tree of Númenor nearly at the cost of his life, Elrond’s establishment of a home for wanderers and fostering of the heirs of Isildur, Frodo’s desire to save the Shire, Gandalf’s I shall not fail wholly of my task if anything passes through this night that can still grow fair or bear fruit and flower again in days to come, Eómer’s willingness to help and trust strangers against orders, Faramir’s willingness to help and trust strangers, the friendship and devotion to each other of the whole cast of characters - Frodo and Sam, Merry and Pippin, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, Merry and Théoden - Frodo’s and eventually Sam’s compassion for Gollum.

And many of these things involve little or no combat. Frodo is the only member of the Fellowship who kills no one throughout the entire story, and it is his endurance and compassion that saves Middle-earth. Fingon’s rescue of Maedhros, Beren and Lúthien’s infiltration of Angband, Eärendil and Elwing’s journey to Valinor, none of them involve fighting, and yet they are some of the most important deeds in the whole story. (Lúthien’s particular approach in Angband is something I want to get into in my next installment of the Leuthian Reread.) Tolkien has interwoven the heroic epics that he loved with the ideals of his Christian faith to create a herioc epic in which great deeds in battle play a decidedly subsidiary role (and are successful rather than destructive only to the extent that they are willing to play such a role), and the heroism of love and support and compassion and healing rises to the forefront.

#tolkien #the silmarillion #the lord of the rings #christianity #fëanor #túrin turambar #morgoth #sauron #frodo #sam #gandalf #fingon #beren #lúthien #gollum #elwing #eärendil

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armenelols · 3 years

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There isn't enough appreciation for Elrond's and Isildur's friendship.

I think much of this comes from the movies, where our only image of Isildur is his 'no' and Elrond yelling 'Isildur!', and then we see him die because he dives into the river while running away from a battle because the One Ring falls from his finger. Sure, there is some scroll Gandalf reads, but it only makes Isildur seem even more obsessed with the Ring than he already seemed. Add to that Aragorn's rambling about how he and Isildur share blood and weakness and you've got the perfect receipt for evil Isildur and 'cast it into the fire' memes.

Movie!Elrond's 'men are weak' really isn't helping.

So to start with, I think it is necessary to say that I am talking about book!Elrond and book!Isildur here, and while I don't recall either of them calling the other friend, it's a headcanon I have and it is to some extent supported by the books.

In the chapter The Disaster of the Gladden Fields in Unfinished Tales, Isildur shares a few exchanges with his son, Elendur, that I would like to show here.

Elendur went to his father, who was standing dark and alone, as if lost in thought. 'Atarinya,' he said, 'what of the power that would cow these foul creatures and command them to obey you? Is it then of no avail?'

'Alas, it is not, senya. I can not use it. I dread the pain of touching it. And I have not yet found the strength to bend it to my will. It needs one greater than I know myself to be. My pride has fallen. It should go to the Keepers of the Three.'

And later in the chapter:

'My king,' said Elendur, 'Ciryon is dead and Aratan is dying. Your last counsellor must advise, nay command you, as you commanded Ohtar. Go! Take your burden, and at all cost bring it to the Keepers: even at the cost of abandoning your men and me!'

'King's son,' said Isildur, 'I knew that I must do so; but I feared the pain. Nor could I go without your leave. Forgive me, and my pride that has brought you to this doom.'

Earlier in the chapter, we also get this passage talking about Isildur:

When he at last felt free to return to his own realm he was in haste, and he wished to go first to Imladris; for he had left his wife and youngest son there, and he had moreover and urgent need for the counsel of Elrond.

Nearer to the end of the chapter, when talking about Isildur's death, Tolkien writes this:

There suddenly he knew that the Ring had gone. By chance, or chance well used, it had left his hand and gone where he could never hope to find it again. At first so overwhelming was his sense of loss that he struggled no more, and would have sunk and drowned. But swift as it had come the mood passed. The pain had left him. A great burden had been taken away. There he rose up out of the water: only a mortal man, a small creature lost and abandoned in the wilds of Middle-Earth. But to the night-eyed Orcs that lurked there on the watch he loomed up, a monstrous shadow of fear, with a piercing eye like a star. They loosed their poisoned arrows at it, and fled.

And last from this chapter, this bit about the Ring itself:

It was little more than two years since it had left his [Sauron's] hand, and though it was swiftly cooling it was still heavy with his evil will, and seeking all means to return to its lord.

So what does this tell us? And in addition, where was I coming to with Elrond & Isildur friendship?

1. For all of Isildur's refusal to give up the Ring after the war ended here:

'Alas! yes,' said Elrond. 'Isildur took it, as should not have been. It should have been cast then into Orodruin's fire nigh at hand where it was made. But few marked what Isildur did. He alone stood by his father in that last mortal contest; and by Gil-galad only Círdan stood, and I. But Isildur would not listen to our counsel.

' "This I will have as weregild for my father, and my brother," he said; and therefore whether we would or no, he took it to treasure it.

- The Council of Elrond, Fellowship of the Ring

Isildur realized he was wrong. The Ring was still at its most evil, and it wanted to corrupt him, it wanted to go back to Sauron, yet Isildur resisted enough to be able to almost give up the Ring willingly or at least consider it.

When he was slain, he was already taking the Ring to Elrond. Whether he would have the strength to do it later, he resisted the Ring enough to at least consider it. How many would be able to do so? Of course, there was the factor of the very touch of the Ring paining him, but compared with the Ring's will, that's hardly enough to convince a man to give it up.

And at last, when the Ring slipped from his finger, he did not dive after it. He gave it up, and swam away; and even as the orcs killed him, they killed him a free man.

2. He was bringing the Ring to Elrond. At the very beginning I said this post is about Elrond's and Isildur's friendship, and finally, I am talking about it.

It should go to the Keepers of the Three, Isildur says of the Ring - and for that, he would have to know who the Keepers are, or at least know of someone who knows. And it is said repeatedly that he seeks Elrond's counsel, that he goes to Imladris; did he know Elrond has Vilya?

The location of the Three is one of the greatest secrets kept from Sauron, and it is said many times that almost no one knew of it. Did Isildur know, suspect? In addition to this, Elendur seems to have the same knowledge, which, as he is repeatedly called Isildur's greatest confidant, isn't much of a wonder.

All in all, Isildur either connected the dots well enough to realize that out of all high elven lords, it is Elrond bears a ring of power (and Isildur is clever, this is a possibility); or Elrond was not careful enough and Isildur figured it out from his missteps (which, considering Elrond's experience with cursed jewellery isn't very likely); or Elrond gave him hints on purpose; or he just. Straight up told him.

The last two options seem to be most likely to me, which brings me to Elrond trusting Isildur enough to reveal such a secret to him, which leads me to my Elrond and Isildur are friends agenda.

Should the first option be true, props to Isildur for figuring it out by himself without any clues from Elrond other than him being important. Should Isildur be bringing the Ring to Elrond in hopes that Elrond knows who the Keepers of the Three are, without knowing Elrond is one of them, it still shows Isildur trusted Elrond enough to bring him the Ring even for temporary keeping.

(there is also the matter of whether Isildur knows the other Keepers of the Three, as he mentions them a few times, but never enough to indicate if he knows who they are)

3. Parallels. It is said that Elendil and Gil-galad, the two high kings of their people are friends. Is it really so unlikely that Elrond, Gil-galad's herald (and possibly heir, even though he took no crown), and most trusted advisor besides Círdan; and Isildur, the heir of Elendil the Tall and his second in command, would strike a friendship?

The Isildur we are presented with is both bold and wise - he saves the fruit of the White Tree of Númenor alone because it needs to be done, and then he does it again, and he does it because it's the best for his people. He takes the Ring, and tries to make it listen to him, and realizes he made a mistake; he tries to fix it, and wants to bring it to Elrond.

The Isildur we are presented with has courage, and wisdom, and hope.

Do you know what does this remind me of?

Edain. Their ideals. The reasons why they got the gift of Númenor, greater wisdom, longer lives.

They resisted the evil, no matter how strong; they were loyal, true to their beliefs, brave and courageous.

Elros was chosen as the king of the Edain and really, I highly doubt Edain would choose him as a king just because of his heritage, or because someone told them to do so. Sure, someone could have pointed out Elros to them and say 'hey, look at this dude, he could be a nice king, what do you think?' but in the end, while they might start following Elros because someone else told them, I doubt they would let themselves be led by someone who wasn't the best representation of them. In Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, Andreth does not shy away from telling Finrod her beliefs, the beliefs of her people. And I don't think that changed with time.

What am I trying to say? I think Elros and Isildur were both similar in many ways, in ways that made them the leaders they were - and that in a way, Elrond saw Elros in Isildur, as well as himself; for Elrond still connected strongly with his mortal kin, and as I mentioned earlier, their political positions were similar.

And while Isildur was his own person and had done things neither Elros or Elrond would have done, and had his own good and bad qualities, it doesn't erase the similarities.

4. Aragorn was raised in Rivendell, by his mother and Elrond and his people. Of all the people there, it is easy to see which ones would influence him the most: Gilraen, Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir. It is repeatedly shown how close he was to them. To some extent we may include Glorfindel, for they were friends, but not as much as the above mentioned four.

Now, as Estel, he wasn't aware of his heritage. He is shown to be proud of his heritage, of his descend from Isildur; and yes, this could be a simple pride in one's ancestors. It could have been that he simply liked Isildur as a historical legendary figure and it became greater after he learnt of his descend from him. Or it could have been that he was told many tales of Isildur, of his deeds and personality, and his family, and decided I want to be like him, and like Elendil, even without knowing he was in any way related to them.

And really, when it comes to the above-mentioned people, who would be the most likely to tell him stories of Isildur? Gilraen who only knew him from stories, or Glorfindel who was never mentioned around Isildur in the books, or Elladan and Elrohir, born after Isildur's death, who could have any number of first-hand stories about hundreds of Aragorn's cool ancestors but not Isildur himself?

All I am saying is there is a potential for Elrond to be telling stories of his old friend Isildur and Elendil and Gil-galad to Estel, and Estel loving them.

There is also the fact that in the chapter The Disaster of the Gladden Fields, Elendur, Isildur's son, is said to be very similar to Aragorn. And I love the idea of Elrond's and Isildur's sons paralleling each other, in a strange way, thousands of years apart.

5. In the books themselves, we do no see Elrond speaking about Isildur much. (I checked almost every mention of Isildur in most of my Tolkien books. So yeah.) On the Council of Elrond, Elrond talks about Isildur the most, but it is mainly in historical manner and 'the Ring should have been destroyed that day' manner, as you can see in the passage from the book I mentioned above in point 1.

This doesn't tell us much about their relationship, much less their friendship - and thus as a source for my image of them as friends, I give the place to The Disaster of the Gladden Fields, thinking they would make a good duo, and the potential of how Isildur's death may have had affected Elrond.

Isildur's death was unexpected. No one expected the road not to be safe - there is a reason why Isildur and his men were unprepared for a battle. They were simply journeying on a familiar road, to Rivendell and then Arnor. Not even the Orcs that ambushed them knew of the Ring. In Rivendell, they learnt of what happened only thanks to Ohtar, Isildur's squire who survived; and even then, the specific circumstances of his death were not revealed until Aragorn found Elendilmir and the chain which bore the Ring among Saruman's things.

In all honesty, I don't think even Elrond knew Isildur planned on giving him the Ring. I do not doubt he expected him, for his wife and youngest son were in Imladris - but I found no reason as to why he might know of Isildur's plans with the Ring.

That could give him a reason to speak ill of Isildur, couldn't it? Yet when he speaks of him, he only speaks of facts and what should have been done - he doesn't call Isildur too weak to give up the ring, or power-hungry, or proud - and by the latter, Isildur calls himself several times (as can be seen here, in the passages I used above)

It needs one greater than I know myself to be. My pride has fallen.

And here:

Forgive me, and my pride that has brought you to this doom.

And yes, it was a formal Council - Elrond had no reason to speak of his personal feelings towards Isildur. Yet I think the little he said reflects his thoughts well. He might have felt some bitterness towards him, especially as he later learnt what the Ring's nature truly was; and especially as he had no knowledge of Isildur being willing to give the Ring to him, for better or worse, whether he would find the strength to do so or not.

Still, once Elrond learnt of the Ring's Nature, I think he might have understood Isildur better - especially as he himself did not dare to even touch the Ring.

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lazydoodlesandfanfic · 3 years

Text

Following as Backup (Borormir X Sister!Reader)

Characters: Boromir X Sister!Reader

Universe: LOTR

Warnings: Fighting

Request: How about being Boromirs little sister who wants nothing more than to be a warrior like him. So she trains in secret and surprises everyone when she saves the fellowship by fighting the Nazguls. In the end she tags along with the fellowship and her big brother?

You’d been careful to not be seen by the fellowship- mostly your brother and the elf- as soon as they had left to take the ring to Mordor. You’d been at the meeting, thought you were more in the back, only being referenced as the sister of Boromir, who would be staying in the safety of Rivendell. You had just smiled and nodded at you being acknowledged for a second, before attention went back to the ring. However, just moments after the fellowship had set off, Lord Elrond had approached you to inform you a horse was prepared for you so you could follow.

Anyone would have thought that Elrond had gone mad, letting you, Boromir’s dear little sister, follow after him and the fellowship, and you knew that your brother would be furious if he found out. However, both you and Elrond had known better. You were fully capable in taking care of yourself, having trained for years with a range of weapons and in hand to hand combat with whoever would train you, most of your training actually coming from Rivendell, which was why Elrond felt confident enough to let you follow them alone.

Originally you had planned to simply be their back up if they needed it, which you hoped they wouldn’t, and sure it got lonely at times being just out of sight, but you were admittedly scared to see the reaction of your brother upon finding out. He’d always been protective of you, and babied you even as you grew into a young woman, and the only way you could think to make him stop seeing you as such, was to show you could do what he could. So when trouble arose for the group, you didn’t hesitate to charge in.

The trouble had been a sudden appearance of the Nazguls from seemingly nowhere, ambushing the fellowship, leaving them unprepared as they had been in the midst of packing up to start moving again. Luckily you hadn’t been to far behind, and upon hearing the sound of swords clashing, and calls for the Hobbit’s to run, you didn’t hesitate to make your horse gallop right into the camp, sword unsheathed, and slashing the first Nazgul you saw, who happened to be attacking your brother. The impact threw the Nazgul to the floor, and your appearance caused enough of a startle for you to get another one with your sword, though with less force as the other attack had slowed your horse, so you took the hit to slide off your horse, letting it run away from the danger, and you used the remaining momentum to thrust the sword as deep as it would go, before pulling back as hard as you could, swinging around and ready for the next attack. Luckily however, by this point Boromir, Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli were prepared enough to begint to fight as well, defending the Hobbits and more importantly, the ring. Luckily it seemed that the Nazguls themselves weren’t prepared, and after another moment of battle, they fled as quickly as they had attacked.

“What are you doing here?” Boromir finally asked you as everyone started to relax. The hobbits emerged them their hiding spot, your horse returning to your side. “It’s dangerous to be out here- you could have been killed!”

“I’m fully aware of that, and you would be dead yourself, brother, if I hadn’t had been there.” You snapped back, taking a step forward, refusing to back down.

“How long have you been behind us?” Aragorn asked, breaking the thick air between you two, and you turned yourself to face him.

“An hour since you left Rivendell. Lord Elrond provided me with the horse and weaponry. He trusted that I could be valuable as back up for you in case something like this happened.” You explained.

“Am I right in assuming he’s been assisting with your training then? He’s trained you well.” Legolas complimented. It may not have been a direct thank you, but it was clearly hidden behind the words, and so you took it as such.

“And you’ve been alone this entire time?” Boromir asked, though this time with less anger and more shock. Or horror, you couldn’t quite tell. You nodded, rather proudly.

“Well it takes skill to stalk an elf, and if he didn’t see you this entire time, that must mean something! We owe you greatly, lady Y/N. I’m much in favour of you continuing to follow us on our adventure, though maybe quite a bit closer.” Gimli spoke up.

“I second that!” One of the hobbits called as well. You turned back to your brother, smiling, and waiting for his decision, as at the end of the day, as your brother, he had the final word. He clearly wasn’t impressed that you had been following them, putting yourself in danger, but he couldn’t deny that if you hadn’t had done that, then things could have ended awfully. He sighed, pointing to you.

“Stick close, and don’t make me regret this.”

Hope you like it! If you have any questions, please send them in!

*Not my gif

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