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camille-lachenille · 2 months

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I was thinking about how, in fanfictions and in the fandom in general, Elrond is often depicted as a pure Noldorin lord, if not a die hard Fëanorian. And while I do enjoy Fëanorian!Elrond, the more I think about it the more I am convinced Elrond is not the fëanorian one of the twins. Elros is. Elros who adopted seven eight pointed stars as the heraldic device of his whole dynasty, a symbol still used 6000 years after his death. Elros who had Quenya be the official language of Númenor. Elros who decided to leave Arda for an unknown fate after his death; not Everlasting Darkness but not the rebirth in the bliss of Valinor either. He choose to go to a place Elves aren’t supposed to go, just like Fëanor and his sons went back to Beleriand. Elros, the mortal man, who decided to forge his own path in the world.

And I am not saying Elrond didn’t, because Eru knows how much strength, patience and stubbornness Elrond must have to become who he is in LotR. But when I first re-read LotR after reading the Silm, he did not strike me as Fëanorian at all (except for the no oath swearing rule that seems to apply in Rvendell). In fact, Elrond, and all three of his children, are defined by being half-Elven. Elrond is so much at the same time they had to creat a whole new category for him. He is described as kind as summer in The Hobbit, but also old and wise, and his friendly banter with Bilbo in FotR show he is also merry and full of humour. Elrond is both Elf and Man despite his immortality, and this is made quite clear in the text.

But. If I had to link him to an Elven clan, I’d say Elrond is more Sinda than Noldor, and even that is up to debate. Rivendell, this enchanting valley hidden from evil thanks to his power, is like a kinder version of Doriath. Yet, the name of Last Homely House and Elrond’s boundless hospitality make me think of Sirion: Rivendell is a place where lost souls can find s home, where multiple cultures live along each other in friendship and peace.

In FotR, Elrond introduces himself as the son of Eärendil and Elwing, claiming both his lineages instead of giving only his father’s name as is tradition amongst the Elves. It may be a political move, or it may be a genuine wish to claim his duality, his otherness, or even both at the same time. But from what is shown of Elrond in LotR, he seems to lean heavily in the symbols and heritage from the Sindar side of his family, rather than the Noldor one. I already gave the comparison with Doriath, but it seems history repeats itself as Arwen, said to be Lúthien reborn, chooses a mortal life. Yet Elrond doesn’t make the same mistake as Thingol by locking his daughter in a tower and sending her suitor to a deathly quest. Yes, he asks Aragorn to first reclaim the throne of Gondor before marrying Arwen, but this isn’t a whim on his part or an impossible challenge. Aragorn becoming king means that Middle-Earth is free from the shadow if Sauron and Arwen will live in peace and happiness. Which sounds like a reasonable wish for a parent to me.

Anyways, I went on a tangent, what strikes me with Elrond is his multiple identity. Elrond certainly has habits or traits coming from his upbringing amongst the Fëanorians, and he loved Maglor despite everything. The fact he is a skilled Minstrel shows he did learn and cultivate skills taught by a Fëanorion, that he is not rejecting them. There is a passage at the end of RotK, in the Grey Havens chapter, where Elrond is described carrying a silver harp. Is this a last relic from Maglor? Possible.

But while Elros choose the path of mortality and showed clear Noldorin influences in the kingdom he built, Elrond is happy in his undefined zone he lives in. He is an Elf, he is a Man, he is Sinda and Noldo and heir to half a dozen lost cultures and two crowns. He is the warrior and the healer, the only one of his kind in Middle-Earth. And that is why I will never tire of this character and I love so much fanworks depicting him as nuanced and multiple yet always recognisable as Elrond.

#tolkien #the silmarillion #the lord of the rings #peredhil #half elves #elros #elrond and elros #elrond #elrond peredhel #one blorbo to blorb them all #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan #tolkien meta

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camille-lachenille · 9 months

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Aragorn’s elvish name is Estel, high or enduring hope. He’s the personification of hope against all odds in a world slowly falling apart.

Éowyn doesn’t have any estel left in her. She sees hope in the person of Aragorn and tries to catch it, this fleeting glimpse of hope. And when he rejects her, she rides to her death, heart full of despair. Because of this, the Black Breath has a strong hold on her, and Aragorn, estel, brings her from the brink of death.

Faramir too, is under the Black Breath, and he has little reasons to hope. Yet he stil has estel, and he accepts readily Aragorn as his king. He continues to hope when he and Éowyn are almost alone in left behind in Minas Tirith and the world is on the verge of destruction.

And it’s this enduring hope, Faramir’s estel, that Éowyn sees. She accepts his words of comfort because he has estel enough for the two of them and she is beginning to understand for herself, what hope really is. Aragorn was a projection, a personification of everything she didn’t have, but Faramir is her hope.

#tolkien #the lord of the rings #éowyn #faramir #aragorn #estel #hope #tolkien meta #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan

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camille-lachenille · 12 days

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Was thinking about just how much characters in the Silm and LOTR deal with pain an injuries on a daily basis. It’s not always said plainly but they exist in the story, they live, they are important, and I wonder how much of them are inspired by Tolkien’s own experience of war injuries/illness. How many of his fellow soldiers came back home disfigured and disabled and were faced with disgust or contempt?

Sure, there’s the whole fairy-tale/mythic aspect of loosing a limb in your heroic quest to get the Magic Object, but what about Gwindor, who was captured by Morgoth and, when he finally managed to escape, was so changed by his sufferings that his beloved rejected him? Gwindor’s not a hero, he’s a simple soldier who suffered through war and captivity and became disabled because of that. How much pain did he live with daily even if it’s never said on the page?

And, still in the CoH, there’s Brandir the Lame. He was born disabled, couldn’t be a warrior, yet held a position of power until his people wanted action and scorned him. Brandir is a healer, a man of wisdom and lore; how much of it is because he tried to cure himself? To ease his pain but also try to "fix" himself in the eyes of his people and be the worthy leader he thought they wanted.

There is Sador ‘Labadal’ too, who chopped his foot off in an accident and is looked down for that by several character (not the least of them being Morwen).

These three characters are all disabled and looked upon with pity, contempt or outright disgust. They did not become disabled in the doing of great deeds, their stories aren’t heroic, and so their disability makes them worthless in the eyes of many.

If you take Maedhros, on the other hand (pun fully intended), he is seen as made greater by his disability. He suffered unthinkable torments and was freed at the price of his right hand, and did many great and terrible things after that. It is similar for Beren, who also lost his hand (arm chopping is not a love language!) but it always portrayed as a good and heroic character, because his disability is the direct result of him taking part in the great designs of the world rather than a banal accident.

And that’s only for the Silm characters, because we don’t want to forget about Frodo of the Nine Fingers, who bore the One Ring to the very fires of Mt Doom. Frodo who returned home sickly and traumatised, plagued with chronic pain, nightmares and a poor health and was only looked at down by the hobbits who did not take part in the quest if the ring. Frodo may be a hero for Men and Elves but he has little to no recognition in his homeland.

Another character I nearly forgot (shame on me!) is Celebrían, She was captured and tortured and despite her physical wounds healing she was never the same again, to the point she had to leave her family to seek healing elsewhere. I see this as a form of mental illness, probably depression and PTSD. And Celebrían is not thought as lesser because of her disability. She is seen as a tragic story, yes, but it’s better than most of the other disabled characters in the Silm.

Anyway, I don’t really know what my point is here, just that I noticed a pattern in the representation of disabled characters in Tolkien’s works, first of all that they exist at all, and second that how they are treated certainly reflects the views of society on disabled people during Tolkien’s lifetime. The way he writes disabled characters isn’t perfect, far from it, but they are here, and I, as a disabled reader, am immensely glad for their existence and I play in the gigantic sandbox of the Legendarium with these characters and others whom I imagine as disabled in any way.

#tolkien #the silmarillion #the lord of the rings #gwindor #brandir #sador #frodo baggins #celebrían #disabled characters #tolkien legendarium #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan #tolkien meta

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camille-lachenille · 11 months

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Mandos is a place of rest and healing for the fëar of dead Elves. It is a non-place, somewhere not quite physical yet enclosed within clear boundaries by the power of Námo. If feels utterly safe and warm, and the fëar can rebuild themselves before their rebirth - as if in the womb once more - or dwell forever in this place. Mandos is enclosed yet open, for the stars always shine upon the healing fëar, and the dead Elves revel in this cherished light, be it for a time or until the remaking of the world. The floors are of the darkest water, and each Elf who passes through the halls experiences what it was to wake at Cuiviénen, surrounded by silence, and marvelling at the countless stars reflecting upon the still water. Mandos is a place beyond comprehension, where the Song fills every nook and cranny, nurturing each of the Firstborn back to life or to timeless peace. It is both terrible and beautiful but, ultimately, it is a place sung to be the safest, most peaceful and healing possible to the Elves. And maybe, in this non-place, this timeless hall, they can catch a glimpse of what Arda unmarred could have been, until they awake anew and remember only the hope and healing this place brought them.

#tolkien #the silmarillion #halls of mandos #námo mandos #námo #musings #silm headcanons #silm meta #silm elves #tolkien elves #valar #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan

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camille-lachenille · 5 months

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I was researching something completely unrelated but I passingly saw that hemlock means mortality in Victorian and modern flower language. And my brain immediately thought of the ‘Song of Beren and Lúthien’ in FotR, specifically the first stanza:

The leaves were long, the grass was green,

The hemlock-umbels tall and fair,

And in the glade a light was seen

Of stars in shadow shimmering.

Tinúviel was dancing there

To music of a pipe unseen,

And light of stars was in her hair,

And in her raiment glimmering.

Hemlock is the third element im the description of the glade Lúthien is dancing in, even before we learn her name. We have the long leaves, the green grass and the tall hemlock; two elements traditionally associated with spring and youth, and one heavily associated with death. In two verses we know everything there is to know about Lúthien: she’s youthful and she’s going to die.

The hemlock appears again in the second stanza:

There Beren came from mountains cold,

And lost he wandered under leaves,

And where the Elven-river rolled

He walked alone and sorrowing.

He peered between the hemlock-leaves

And saw in wonder flowers of gold

Upon her mantle and her sleeves,

And her hair like shadow following.

This stanza is from Beren’s point of view, looking at Lúthien. And fact he looks at her through the hemlock leaves tells us he is mortal. Beren looks at Lúthien through the lens of a mortal gaze, and thinks her otherworldly. There is an added layer to it because, in Victorian flower language, hemlock not only means mortality but also more specifically ‘you will be my death’. And, indeed, Beren dies in his quest to obtain Lúthien’s hand.

The last occurrence of hemlock in this song is in the fourth stanza:

He heard there oft the flying sound

Of feet as light as linden-leaves,

Or music welling underground,

In hidden hollows quavering.

Now withered lay the hemlock-sheaves,

And one by one with sighing sound

Whispering fell the beechen leaves

In the wintry woodland wavering.

I find this stanza more difficult to analyse from a symbolic point of view since it’s mostly a description of autumn and winter coming, but it certainly puts emphasis on the importance of this plant in Beren and Lúthien’s story. As I interpret it, and this is my personal reading, it is an allusion to Beren and Lúthien growing old together and Lúthien choosing to die along Beren.

In The Tale of Tinúviel, the hemlock is also extremely important in the introduction of Tinúviel, and it is more or less a description in much more details of what is hinted at in the Song of Beren and Lúthien from FotR. I can’t put the quote because it’s in French but, very roughly, it says that the hemlock is so tall and dense it looks like Tinúviel is dancing on a white cloud. Then, when Tinúviel sees Beren, she hides under a very tall hemlock and her white dress makes her disappear in the hemlock, looking like moonlight on the flowers. The imagery used in this scene is absolutely beautiful and I can’t make it justice, but what is important is that, upon their first meeting, Tinúviel is metaphorically surrounded by mortality. She is an Elf yet she will die. And Beren, who is an elf too in this version (a Gnome, the proto-Noldor, and I struggle not to picture him as a garden gnome), is doomed to die too from the moment he walks amongst the hemlock in search of Tinúviel.

Last but not least is the Lay of Leithian. Sadly, I don’t have the full Lay of Leithian so I can’t look at the meeting scene but, in an extract given in the French translation of Beren and Lúthien (Christian Bourgois, 2017) it is said that Lúthien wears white roses in her hair (Canto VI, verses 116-117) and there are a few other mentions of unspecified white flowers. White roses mean ‘I am worthy of you’, withered white roses mean ‘transient impressions’, white rosebuds mean ‘girlhood’ and a crown of roses ‘reward of virtue’. I don’t really know what to do with these informations since I don’t have the original text so I can’t say how accurate the translation is, but all of this enhance Lúthien’s ethereal, eternally youthful appearance. It also shows the association of Lúthien with white and light in opposition to Morgoth’s black darkness, I think. But I don’t doubt for a second that the hemlock is an important part of the place where Beren and Lúthien’s meeting.

Anyways, I just love digging this kind of rabbit holes in Tolkien’s poetry, because it gives us so much insight on the characters, and I am almost sure that Tolkien, who grew up in late Victorian England and loved nature, knew of the meaning of hemlock or he wouldn’t have insisted so much on it. I’d love to see if there is a paper out there about flower language/symbolism in Tolkien’s work because I am sure there is so much more of it than what I looked at today.

Sources:

https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Song_of_Beren_and_L%C3%BAthien

https://www.gardeningchannel.com/flower-meanings-dictionary-from-a-to-z-the-secret-victorian-era-language-of-flowers/

J. R. R. Tolkien, Beren et Lúthien, Christian Bourgois, 2017

And as a bonus, the Song of Beren and Lúthien in music by Clamavi de Profundis: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=11_aneHVaz8&list=PLR5qYNG5Nf7WFbZ6wr-rr7gDnALA4C8mQ&index=19&pp=iAQB8AUB

youtube

#tolkien #the silmarillion #lay of leithian #beren and luthien #the lay of leithian #the tale of tinúviel #beren #lúthien #lúthien tinúviel #flower language #hemlock #lotr poetry #tolkien song #tolkien meta #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan #Youtube

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camille-lachenille · 4 months

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Of Laughter and Tears in the Children of Húrin or the fates of Lalaith and Niënor:

Lalaith was doomed to die young from the beginning. She was Joy and Innocence in a not yet tainted world, in a family soon to be cursed, and her death foreshadowed the terrible events to come, for not joy and happiness can last under Morgoth’s gaze.

On the other hand, Niënor, born after most of her family is dead or lost, lives. She is born and raised in sorrow, she is the embodiment of grief, of all that was lost, in a broken land and family. She never could afford innocence or happiness. And Niënor endures; Grief endures and persists. Even when she has lost everything, even her own identity, she still has her tears left as she becomes Níniel.

Just as her older sister’s life was cut short; a beautiful, short-lived burst of happiness, Niënor’s drags and lasts through the worst, until she actively jumps to her death. Happiness can be taken away in the blink of an eye, but you have to actively choose to overcome grief in order to go on. And Niënor couldn’t live any longer because she was grief, just like Lalaith had to die so young because she was happiness.

The two sisters who mever met each other mirror the other’s life in a tragical way.

And, to paraphrase the Athrabeth, whither may Lalaith go, may she find light and await there for her siblings.

#tolkien #the silmarillion #the children of húrin #lalaith #urwen #niënor #níniel #nienor niniel #legendarium ladies #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan #seriously though #i wrote this at 3am and found the worse typos ever as I edited it to make it coherent #tolkien meta

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camille-lachenille · 1 year

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There is a thing that I noticed reading The Lord of the Rings and other works by Tolkien. And that thing is how diverse and beautiful love is, and how much it speaks to me.

True Love at first sight exists in Tolkien’s universe, and from it came some of the grandest deeds; think Beren and Lúthien braving Morgoth and then Mandos to be together, think Arwen renouncing immortality and Aragorn reclaiming his throne in order to marry her. But these grand tales of love at first sight are that; tales. It’s not for normal people.

There is also another aspect of romantic love that is present, one slower to take root and much more domestic. It is Sam missing Rosie when he is halfway trough the world and barely daring to ask her out even after facing Mordor. It is the blooming love between Éowyn and Faramir, a relationship based on shared grief, mutual understanding, respect and comfort sought in each other.

Sometimes it ends badly, like Nerdanel leaving Fëanor despite centuries of marriage and having had seven sons together because they don’t get along anymore. It’s Erendis and Aldarion falling apart because they are too different to work as a couple. It’s Elrond mourning for his wife who had to sail West in order to heal her broken soul and body. But it’s much more realistic than the grand tales, this is something relatable for a human heart and mind.

And what I like above everything else is how these romantic relationships, no matter how epic the love is, are never sexualised. How they are not even the more important kind of relationships and love in Tolkien’s universe. For someone Ace and arospec as well, seeing familial relationships and platonic love having such a major role in the story makes my heart soar in joy because I can relate.

I can relate to Sam, brave little Sam who walked to Mordor and back out of love and loyalty for Frodo despite missing his home a little more each day. And my heart warms each time I read about Merry, Pippin and Sam plotting to follow Frodo and hammering in his head that they are in this together until the end, and only the direst circumstances managed to separate them.

I laughed at the bantering and teasing between Gimli and Legolas, who managed to bridge the gap of centuries of dislike between their folks, and I admire their relationship no matter if one interpret it as platonic or romantic.

I can relate to the brotherly love between Boromir and Faramir because I too would do anything to spare pain to my sister. I love the friendship between Maedhros and Fingon for I am so close to my cousins too, and I would do about anything for my family no matter the circumstances just like the line of Finwë followed Fëanor in the first place (the outcome was… not good but that’s not the point).

I can relate, to some extent, to Elrond’s grief at Arwen’s Choice, because sometimes, loving someone means accepting to let them go no matter how we feel.

I cried at the end of the Hobbit, when Fíli and Kíli died defending their uncle, because this unwavering loyalty and love for family is something I can understand better than giving up everything for a romantic partner.

I cried reading the Tale of Beren and Lúthien, but I cried more when Sam sails West after Rosie dies and is reunited with Frodo, when Merry and Pippin are buried with the old kings of Gondor once Aragorn dies too, or when Legolas builds a boat and sails to the Undying Lands with Gimli because he can’t bear to be parted from his dearest friend. I cried when Bilbo returns to the Shire alone after the quest for Erebor, having lost dear friends, and wishing to see the Lonely Mountain again decades later. I cried when Maglor, last of his brothers, wanders endlessly on the shores in eternal sorrow.

But I also smiled a lot; be it when Faramir kisses Éowyn, or when the Three Hunters are welcomed to the ruins of Isengard by Merry and Pippin whole and safe and they share a moment of carefree joy in the midst of darkness. I laughed at the foolishness of a Took and his Brandybuck cousin, I smiled fondly when Sam mutters to himself when he worries for Frodo. I grinned when Gandalf returns after his fight against the Balrog and takes time to catch up with his friends despite the war raging around them. I laughed when Gimli and Legolas plan a vacation and sightseeing after a gruesome battle, and then when they comment on how to redecorate Minas Tirith. These are small moments that make the friendship between the characters authentic and relatable, and I am certainly forgetting so much more passages that made me smile or cry along the characters.

There is also the love one has for a place, this powerful motivation that makes Frodo leave the Shire in the first place to protect it against the Ring. Faramir’s love for his country that makes war bearable for him, because despite how much he hates violence and weapons he won’t let his beloved home be destroyed without fighting with his life. The love Sam has for his garden and the green hills of the Shire that gives him hope until the very end when all seems lost. This is also a kind of love I understand.

Love in Tolkien’s universe is what makes the events go as they go, and more precisely platonic and familial love. And I rejoice in seeing how friendship old and new, how bonds forged in shared danger or in peaceful days, saved the world at the end of the day. I won’t say I don’t like love stories, because that’s not true, but I love to see platonic relationships so strong being so important in The Lord of the Rings and other Tolkien’s works. Romantic relationships are not a superior form of relationship. True, unwavering love is not always romantic, and I love how Tolkien managed to capture this in his writing.

#tolkien #the lord of the rings #the hobbit #the silmarillion #love is not only romantic #friendship #family #love #i wrote this instead of sleeping #i can’t brain anyome but here are my thought anyways #asexual #arospec #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan

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camille-lachenille · 1 year

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Was thinking about how Aragorn and Arwen called their son Eldarion, son of Elves in Quenya, and it seems to me like a big political/cultural statement. It’s very in line with the strong attachment to Númenorean traditions of Gondor and shows that, once more, the line of Kings has strong Elven blood.

And I like to think that Aragorn and Arwen would name their daughters with the same goal, choosing the most blatantly Númenorean/Quenya names they can think of. My personal hc is that their eldest daughter is called Tindómiel, after Elros’ daughter (and consequently Arwen’s cousin), the first princess of Númenor. The other girls could be named after Númenorean queens, like Ancalimë, or noble ladies of the line of Elros.

It makes a lot of sense in the process of restoring the monarchy to return to the older traditions and Aragorn takes a new Quenya name, Elessar (Elf-stone), as his ruling name. The name of his House is Telcontar (which means Strider in Quenya and makes me very emotional whenever I think of it), to further enforce the tradition.

There is no information about the following kings of Gondor, but I really think that they would follow pretty strongly these naming conventions, at least the first few kings. I also want to believe that the laws of succession in Gondor are the same as Númenor’s were and it means that the eldest child of a monarch inherit the throne no matter of gender. I need a Ruling Queen of Gondor.

#tolkien #the lord of the rings #eldarion #aragorn #arwen undomiel #quenya #gondor #númenor #names #king elessar #aragorn elessar #tolkien meta #more accurately #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan

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camille-lachenille · 10 months

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Túrin loving Niënor is both the best and worse thing that happened to them. On the one hand, they genuinely love each other and Niënor is good for Túrin. He settles a bit for her and tries to keep his Doom at bay (the irony is strong here). Túrin gives Niënor a stability and a safety she probably never had in her life, he cares for her deeply.

On the other hand, well, they are siblings. And their love is so completely wrong and twisted by the Doom it becomes horrifying and ultimately leads to their deaths. They should love each other, it’s a good thing! But they got it completely wrong because, when they meet, Niënor is Níniel, and Túrin is Turambar (if I kept track of his names correctly), and thus mistake the connection between them as romantic love when it should have been siblings love. And so, everything goes pear-shaped once more and their love becomes one of the worse transgressions imaginable. And it ends up in death for everyone, including the unborn child begotten from this Cursed love. And I think this is the only positive point in this whole disaster: the curse ends with them and no innocent life will suffer under Morgoth’s gaze.

#tolkien #the silmarillion #the children of hurin #niënor #nienor niniel #túrin #túrin turambar #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan #cw incest

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camille-lachenille · 8 months

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Hold on a second, I had an epiphany! I was thinking about the links between the Hobbits and other ‘grander’ stories by Tolkien in terms of narration and worldbuilding. And there’s these two lines from the poem The Dragon is withered, when Bilbo arrives in Rivendell on his way back home that really struck me:

The stars are far brighter/ Than gems without measure,

The song seems a bit silly, with lots of tra-la-la-lally, but these two lines really made me think of the Silmarillion. Of course the Elves are singing about Bilbo’s adventure and refer to the Arkenstone. But. We know from FotR that there are survivors of Nargothrond and Gondolin living in Rivendell. Survivors from two cities destroyed by dragons, but also survivors of the third Kinslaying. A Kinslaying over a magical gem everyone wanted, just like the Arkenstone. These tra-la-la-lally Elves saw first hand what ‘gems without measure’ lead to. And guess what the Silmaril becomes? A star. The brightest star of the skies even. And that’s just two lines of this song!

Am I reading too far into it? Maybe. But knowing how careful Tolkien was in his choice of words, especially in his poems, I think this is a valid reading. He also makes a clear allusions to past collaboration between Dwarves and Elves in the third stanza of Far over the Misty Mountains cold:

For ancient king and elvish lord/ There many a gleaming golden hoard/ They shaped and wrought, and light they caught/ To hide in gems on hilt of sword.

I understand these lines as a reference either to the alliances between Dwarves and Elves in the First Age, when they crafted the Nauglamír and helped building Nargothrond, or the collaboration between Celebrimbor and Narvi in the Second Age, where they use Ithildin for the Doors of Durin, this material that reflects only the light of stars, or both.

Anyways, there are these little easter eggs hidden in the details of the songs, these allusions to a larger world and ancient History surrounding the quest to Erebor. Tolkien had already written a good chunk of the Silm material before the Hobbit. The Fall of Gondolin was almost two decades old and the Lay of Leithian just over a decade. He knew about Eärendil carrying a Silmaril in the sky. He knew about Nargothrond falling to dragon fire and the Sons of Fëanor slaying their kin for gems.

I haven’t read the Hobbit in over a year so I’m sure there are other references I’m missing, but my point that the Hobbit actually fits so well in the wider frame of Arda and Tolkien’s legendarium stil stands. Sure, it’s a children’s book and the tone is so much lighter compared to the Silm, and even LotR, but the myths and History are already there, setting the foundations of the stories published later.

#tolkien #the silmarillion #the hobbit #tolkien meta #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan

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camille-lachenille · 1 month

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Thinking about how Elrond has so many complicated and conflicted relationships during his life. Love grew between Maglor and him, it is said in the Silmarillion, but just how much of it did survive the Ages? Elrond is fundamentally kind. Kind as summer is the key element of his characterisation in the Hobbit, so I think he would never hate the sons of Fëanor. Resent yes, feel abandoned, rage, all of this yes. But even if he does stop to love them at some point in his life, I am convinced he would still have pity and kindness for them, and cherish the good memories of his childhood despite the bitterness of Maglor leaving Elros and him.

And that’s not even touching the feeling he must have about Elwing and Eärendil! In FotR, Elrond introduces himself as the son of Eärendil and Elwing, showing how he wants to acknowledge both his heritages. But he has had roughly 6000 years to come to term with that and, even if he managed to accept the grief of loosing his birth parents, how does he react to meeting them in Valinor? It would be awkward and long and painful at times but Elrond would try his best to connect with his parents, as good friends and kin if not as close family at the very least.

And what about his grandparents? Idril and Tuor who are but a myth to him, maybe a few stories told by Glorfindel. Were Dior and Nimloth re-embodied and, if so, how does Elrond feel toward them?

So many dynamics possible, so many unanswered questions!

#tolkien #the silmarillion #the lord of the rings #elrond #elrond peredhel #one blorbo to blorb them all #half elves #peredhil #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan

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camille-lachenille · 7 months

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Welcome to Camille’s weekly mental breakdown over The Children of Húrin:

You know the worst part of Túrin and Niënor’s relationship? THEY LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH!

LIKE THEY’RE SWEET AND MAKE EACH OTHER HAPPY AND COMMUNICATE ALMOST HEALTHILY AND ARE JUST SO *GOOD* FOR EACH OTHER. Really, they’re one of the most tender and full of respect romantic relationships in the First Age. But. THEY’RE SIBLINGS. And it makes this deep love so twisted and fucked up and I want to cry whenever I think about them!

#tolkien #the silmarillion #the children of húrin #túrin #túrin turambar #nienor #nienor niniel #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan

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camille-lachenille · 7 months

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Gil-Galad son of plot hole theory of the day: Gil-Galad is Fingon’s son. With Orodreth (Orodreth being a son of Finarfin in this case).

They were both very drunk and sad and lonely one night, fell in bed together, one of them is trans (Fingon?), and Gil-Galad happened.

Orodreth raises him in safety in Nargothrond and everyone assumes the other parent is Orodreth’s wife because she’s a dark haired Sinda and Gil-Galad has dark hair too. But since Fingon named Gil-Galad as his heir and he kind of look A Lot like the king, people start saying he was just fostered by Orodreth and he’s actually Fingon’s son with his very elusive wife who died short after Gil-Galad’s birth.

Gil-Galad knows his true parentage and has a good laugh each time a new, more improbable rumour reaches him.

#tolkien #the silmarillion #gil galad #gil galad son of plothole #crack theory #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan

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camille-lachenille · 6 months

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I was discussing with a friend about the translation choice for The Fellowship of the Ring in French. In the first translation, the translator Francis Ledoux uses ‘communauté’ for ‘fellowship’, in the meaning of ‘a group of people united by a common goal or shared traditions’*. This is almost exactly the same definition the online Cambridge dictionary** gives for ‘fellowship’. However, ‘fellowship’ has another meaning, a little outdated, that keeps the idea of a shared goal or interest but with the added nuance of a bond of friendship formed over this goal.

And that’s where the new French translation comes in, with the title La Fraternité de l’Anneau instead of La Communauté de l’Anneau. Daniel Lauzon chose ‘fraternité’ for fellowship, meaning ‘the bond between people within a same group, working toward a same goal’*** There is an outdated and specific use for ‘fraternité’ in the context of a medieval, feudal society, to design the bond between knights who swore to protect each other in battle and always fight for the same cause. And knowing just how much Tolkien was influenced by the Middle Ages for his universe, this seemingly trivial difference of translation has me foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog. Because it means the translator, Daniel Lauzon in this case, really took the time to study and look for the exact nuance of a word to best render the idea of The Fellowship of the Ring in the translated title of the book. This is so in line with Tolkien’s love for languages and words, I am over the moon.

There is a big debate amongst French speaking Tolkien fans about old vs new translation but I am a hardcore defender of Daniel Lauzon’s translations of The Lord of the Rings because it’s the one that made me fall in love with Tolkien’s style and poetry even though it was not the original version, and that’s a feat. It’s not perfect, no translation is ever perfect, but it had this feeling of deliberate choice for each word to best render the multiple meanings of a sentence or poem. Francis Ledoux’s translation feels too dry and artificial to me, even though I love how he translated Strider by Grand-Pas, or ‘Big-Steps’

* https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais/communaut%C3%A9/17551

** https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fellowship

*** https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais/fraternit%C3%A9/35113

#tolkien #the lord of the rings #the fellowship of the ring #translation #languages #french #translated literature #linguistics #i guess #tolkien meta #lotr meta #le seigneur des anneaux #la communauté de l’anneau #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan #except this time it’s not half-baked and i even cite my sources #*gasp*#i’m lucky to have a bff as nerdy and into both tolkien and linguistics as i am

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camille-lachenille · 7 months

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I finished The Children of Húrin and I am utterly destroyed. My heart was trampled into the mire.

The last two chapters were especially terrible, and yet beautiful and poetic in a haunting way. The death of Glaurung and his revelations to Niënor were chilling and yet written with such a beautiful language. So carefully chosen words.

The confrontation between Brandir and Túrin had me gripping the edge of my seat with the sheer hate and fury of their words. In this moment Túrin, who may not have always made the best advised life choices but was a fundamentally good person at heart, simply snaps and reveals all the ugliness a man can have. Brandir too, who is always depicted as compassionate and wise, says outright mean things in the end, so pushed to his limits by Túrin he is.

And the description of Túrin in his ire, refusing to face the truth and compared to a cornered beast lashing out before dying of its wounds… Also the brutal, ugly, utterly useless murder of Brandir… I don’t have words.

I want so curl in a ball and stare at the wall for hours but I’m nearing the end of my lunch break at work so I’ll have to make it do with this post and a glass of cool water.

I also have a post about disability in the silm/the narn in relation to Brandir and Gwindor and how it can relate to Tolkien’s observations of disabled fellow soldiers brewing in my head but it’ll have to wait until I collected my wits and I’m not at work anymore.

#screaming into a pillow #foaming at the mouth #clawing at the walls #tolkien #the silmarillion #the children of húrin #túrin #túrin turambar #nienor #nienor niniel #brandir #glaurung #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan

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camille-lachenille · 1 year

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Scattered thoughts about half-Elves and the Choice they have

I haven’t yet read any of Tolkien’s later works like history of ME or the likes even if I am slowly reading my way to it, but I have thought a lot about the Choice between immortality and mortality that the Half-Elves face in Tolkien’s universe. This post is based on the LOTR and the Silmarillion, so feel free to add textual evidences of what I say or correct any misconception I have.

As far as I remember, all the canon Half-Elves are:

Elured, Elurin and Elwing children of Nimloth (Elf) and Dior (mortal?)

Ëarendil, son of Idril (Elf) and Tuor (mortal)

Elrond and Elros sons of Elwing (Half-Elf) and Ëarendil (Half-Elf)

Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen children of Elrond (Half-Elf) and Celebrian (Elf)

I didn’t count Dior, son of Beren and Luthien, as a Half-Elf because Luthien became mortal in exchange of Beren’s life and, thus, I don’t think their son is considered an Elf. Anyways, he dies before being plot-relevant and it doesn’t change my theory.

Now, Elured and Elurin died as children in the second Kinslaying, and we don’t know if they were given a choice by Námo to go where Men go after their death or to be reborn in Aman.

What we know is that Elwing grew up and married Ëarendil, and they had twin boys together. After the third Kinslaying, they reached Aman and were given the choice between immortality and the fate of Men, and both chose immortality (Ëarendil for Elwing’s sake even though he wished to be mortal). But their sons weren’t automatically granted immortality and chose each a different path, Elrond to live as an Elf and Elros as a Man.

As far as I know and from what the canon implies, every single descendent of Elros was mortal even though they had an exceptionally long life. However, Elrond’s children had the Choice, and Arwen chose mortality to be with Aragorn, and their children were mortals too.

So, why is that when a Half-Elf chose mortality, their children are automatically counted amongst the Men, while the children of a Half-Elf who chose immortality still have the choice? And that’s when the Gift of Men becomes relevant. This Gift, granted by Eru to the Second Born is Death. And the wording here is very important: death is not something to be feared or avoided; it’s a gift.

So, my theory is that, when a Half-Elf chose the Gift of Men, he accepts it for all his children, because it is a gift from Eru and it cannot be taken back. While the children of the Half-Elves who chose immortality are presented with this Gift that their parent declined, because all should be able to receive this Gift is they wish so, no matter the decision of their parent. Eru doesn’t blame those who decided to be immortal, because they choose it from their own free will, but immortality can be a burden and their descendent should be able to chose for themselves what path is best for them. While mortality is definitive and should be embraced as the gift it is.

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