#the great river

[ebaeschnbliah]

Before the travellers lay a wide ravine, with great rocky sides to which clung, upon shelves and in narrow crevices, a few thrawn trees. The channel grew narrower and the River swifter. Now they were speeding along with little hope of stopping or turning, whatever they might meet ahead. Over them was a lane of pale-blue sky, around them the dark overshadowed River, and before them black, shutting out the sun, the hills of Emyn Muil, in which no opening could be seen.

Frodo peering forward saw in the distance two great rocks approaching: like great pinnacles or pillars of stone they seemed. Tall and sheer and ominous they stood upon either side of the stream. A narrow gap appeared between them, and the River swept the boats towards it.

`Behold the Argonath, the Pillars of the Kings!' ...

... cried Aragorn. `We shall pass them soon. Keep the boats in line, and as far apart as you can! Hold the middle of the stream! '

As Frodo was borne towards them the great pillars rose like towers to meet him. Giants they seemed to him, vast grey figures silent but threatening. Then he saw that they were indeed shaped and fashioned: the craft and power of old had wrought upon them, and still they preserved through the suns and rains of forgotten years the mighty likenesses in which they had been hewn. Upon great pedestals founded in the deep waters stood two great kings of stone: still with blurred eyes and crannied brows they frowned upon the North. 

The left hand of each was raised palm outwards in gesture of warning; in each right hand there was an axe; upon each head there was a crumbling helm and crown. Great power and majesty they still wore, the silent wardens of a long-vanished kingdom. Awe and fear fell upon Frodo, and he cowered down, shutting his eyes and not daring to look up as the boat drew near. Even Boromir bowed his head as the boats whirled by. frail and fleeting as little leaves, under the enduring shadow of the sentinels of Númenor. So they passed into the dark chasm of the Gates.

Sheer rose the dreadful cliffs to unguessed heights on either side. Far off was the dim sky. The black waters roared and echoed, and a wind screamed over them. Frodo crouching over his knees heard Sam in front muttering and groaning: `What a place! What a horrible place! Just let me get out of this boat, and I'll never wet my toes in a puddle again, let alone a river! '

`Fear not! ' said a strange voice behind him. Frodo turned and saw Strider, and yet not Strider; for the weatherworn Ranger was no longer there. In the stern sat Aragorn son of Arathorn, proud and erect, guiding the boat with skilful strokes; his hood was cast back, and his dark hair was blowing in the wind, a light was in his eyes: a king returning from exile to his own land.

'Fear not! ' he said. `Long have I desired to look upon the likenesses of Isildur and Anárion, my sires of old. Under their shadow Elessar, the Elfstone son of Arathorn of the House of Valandil Isildur's son heir of Elendil, has nought to dread! '

Then the light of his eyes faded, and he spoke to himself: `Would that Gandalf were here! How my heart yearns for Minas Anor and the walls of my own city! But whither now shall I go?'

The chasm was long and dark, and filled with the noise of wind and rushing water and echoing stone. It bent somewhat towards the west so that at first all was dark ahead; but soon Frodo saw a tall gap of light before him, ever growing. Swiftly it drew near, and suddenly the boats shot through, out into a wide clear light.

The sun, already long fallen from the noon, was shining in a windy sky. The pent waters spread out into a long oval lake, pale Nen Hithoel, fenced by steep grey hills whose sides were clad with trees, but their heads were bare, cold-gleaming in the sunlight. At the far southern end rose three peaks. The midmost stood somewhat forward from the others and sundered from them, an island in the waters, about which the flowing River flung pale shimmering arms. Distant but deep there came up on the wind a roaring sound like the roll of thunder heard far away.

`Behold Tol Brandir!' said Aragorn, pointing south to the tall peak. 'Upon the left stands Amon Lhaw, and upon the right is Amon Hen the Hills of Hearing and of Sight. In the days of the great kings there were high seats upon them, and watch was kept there. But it is said that no foot of man or beast has ever been set upon Tol Brandir. Ere the shade of night falls we shall come to them. I hear the endless voice of Rauros calling.'

JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Great River

#the lord of the rings #the fellowship of the ring #the great river #jrr tolkien #anduin #argonath #isildur #anárion #nen hithoel #amon lhaw #amon hen #tol brandir #falls of rauros #aragorn #boromir #legolas #gimli #frodo #sam #merry #pippin #movie pics #peter jackson

[wanderingwoodlandslotro]

ꜱᴛᴀɴɢᴀʀᴅ ➳ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ʀɪᴠᴇʀ

❝ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴏʟᴅɪᴇʀꜱ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴛᴀɴɢᴀʀᴅ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴛʀᴏɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰɪᴇʀᴄᴇʟʏ ʟᴏʏᴀʟ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴋɪɴɢ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴠɪʟʟᴀɢᴇ ʜᴀꜱ ꜰᴀʟʟᴇɴ ᴏɴ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ɪꜱ ɪɴ ꜱʜᴏʀᴛ ꜱᴜᴘᴘʟʏ. ᴇꜱᴛᴀʙʟɪꜱʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜᴇꜱᴛ ʀɪꜱᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏʟʟɪɴɢ ᴘʟᴀɪɴꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴇᴏʀʟꜱᴍᴇᴀᴅ, ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏʜɪʀʀɪᴍ ᴠɪʟʟᴀɢᴇ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴛᴀɴɢᴀʀᴅ ᴋᴇᴇᴘꜱ ɪᴛꜱ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇɢɪᴏɴ. ❞ - ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴏʀᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪɴɢꜱ ᴏɴʟɪɴᴇ ʟᴏʀᴇ

#lotro #the lord of the rings online #gaming #pc games #tolkien #lord of the rings online #gladden #middle-earth #the lord of the rings #the hobbit #the rings of power #gaming photography #gaming screenshot #virtual photography #virtual landscapes #landscapes #mmo #lord of the rings fandom #the great river #stangard #rohan #eorlsmead #dusk

[elijones94]

🦁 Though a different color scheme, this is Mohatu from the read-along “Lion King” book “The Brightest Star”. “The Lion King: The Brightest Star” was published in September of 1994 to tie into the release of “The Lion King”. James Earl Jones, the voice of Mufasa, provided the narration while Avery Brooks provided the voice for Mohatu. The story tells how, Mohatu, Mufasa’s grandfather, led the Pride Lands through a severe drought and guided the other animals to the Great River in a lush oasis. Mohatu definitely resembles Mufasa and Simba put together. Of course, in actuality, he is a brownish-tan lion. 🐾🌴

#Mohatu #The Lion King #The Lion King: The Brightest Star #character study #Disney fanart #90s Disney #read along #lion #Pride Rock #The Great River #Mufasa #Simba #The Lion King 1994 #James Earl Jones #Avery Brooks #drought #the Pride Lands #Disney read along books #Disney books #Disney books from the 90s #1994 animated movies

[judgingbooksbycovers]

The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi

By Boyce Upholt.

#The Great River #Boyce Upholt #books #book covers

[sirioniel]

J.R.R. Tolkien: The Lord of The Rings.

(Illustration titled the Full Moon Slowly Rises - published in: Camille Flammarion: Astronomy for Amateurs. New York 1904).

#tolkien #lotr #quote #antique book illustration #full moon #landscape #illustration #anduin #the great river #the anduin #frodo #the lord of the rings

[firstfullmoon]

the asian american writers’ workshop just published 16 love poems by poets of palestinian heritage that were featured in the anthology we call to the eye & the night edited by hala alyan & zeina hashem beck

#GREAT selection #w #poetry #poetry compilation #from the river to the sea

[cowboycunt]

wait are y’all an ocean guy, lake guy, or river guy. i am a river guy tbh

#being from the great lakes area this is strange #however. i have spent a lot of time in the delaware river so like #fish.txt

[morgulscribe]

"But the Enemy holds the eastern bank," objected Boromir. "And even if you pass the Gates of Argonath and come unmolested to the Tindrock, what will you do then? Leap down the Falls and land in the marshes?" (The Great River, 438)

Oh, Boromir... there you go, predicting your own fate.

#fellowship of the ring #the great river #boromir

[frommylimitedtravels]

One of my favorite trails on the Olympic Peninsula - Staircase, O.N.P.

#olympic national park #pnw #washington state #old growth forest #olympic peninsula #great trails #skokomish river valley #forests #forest aesthetic

[naffeclipse]

What if Eclipse from AP was a naga? And this took place in the deep jungle of the amazon, where photographer y/n is trying to take pictures of the wildlife?

I'm vibrating at the speed of sound over this ask while also nudging my naga au

Naga Eclipse from AP would have the tail of a Green Anaconda, with an olive green scaly color dotted with black, framed by burning-like flares of orange along the length of his slithery body. He's also decorated with orange-yellow striping on either side of his long, slipper form. His upper half is scaley with a lithe deadliness to his musculature and decorated by frills surrounding his head with brighter orange-yellow colors, almost hypnotic in their gradient hues. One eye is deep emerald green, and one is midnight blue.

Lucky you—you're out on a once-in-a-lifetime expedition to explore a jungle closed off to the public, funded by Fazco, and occupied by two researchers who will be your bunkmates for the next few weeks. You're itching to take photos of the large river, including swamps, marshes and streams, and whatever wildlife is out there.

The few locals you did meet before you left to hike the rest of the way to what would be your new, isolated home warned you of a dangerous snake—a large, mythical beast. You take note of the local folklore. You understand the truth is hidden in there somewhere, and you are well aware of the dangers and diseases you could be met with in such a harsh environment, but you're determined.

It doesn't take long for you to feel eyes watching you when you first venture out by yourself. You take beautiful pictures of freshwater fish, big and beautiful, unlike any you have ever seen. Of course, you have hundreds of snapshots of the local flora, the trees, the floating meadows, the thick vines that drape each branch and hang thickly about the ground. You almost forget that you eerily don't feel alone.

But you swear something moves in the water—the ripples stop as soon as you look. The stillness is suddenly stiff, lifeless. Even the birds have stopped chirping.

You lower your camera and carefully put it away. A trickle of fear slips into your heart. You turn away from the river's edge only to be met by a low hiss and a creature, unlike anything you witnessed in your travels, spooling itself neatly out of the water, blocking your path to the base. An incredible creature with long arms and a great, serpentine tail that seems to stretch for yards and yards. You can hardly breathe in his presence—he's otherworldly with his frills and scales and fangs.

His eyes contain a mesmerizing shine as if staring into a fire as it burns or watching the ocean as it laps up against the beach, drawing your attention, demanding you don't look away. You couldn't anyway. Half-frozen, you struggle to keep from collapsing. He beckons with a sharp talon. He hisses softly for you to come closer, mouse. He wants to see you. You try to beg no without revealing how terribly you tremble. He doesn't let you go. He insists. His eyes flash with an allure. You almost step close when he murmurs that you need to be good.

But then your sense of survival kicks adrenaline into your heart, and you turn to run—

He strikes faster than your eyes can follow. Two loops of his green and orange tail surrounded you in an instant. You're dragged to the ground, your arms pinned under his mass, and the back of your head cradled by his large palm as powerful muscles squeeze you in the slightest—a gentle rebuke for thinking you could get away. You're hyper-aware of the terrifying bulk of muscles as you lie trapped in his coils. One strong twist and your eyes could pop out of your skull, and every bone protecting your heart and lungs would crumble to shards. You gasp. An urge to kick your legs and struggle erupts in your panic; a sinking feeling tells you it would only make things worse.

He coos over you, hissing and humming in an ancient song of the jungle you have no name for. When you whimper, he shushes you and strokes your cheek. He tells you how lovely you'll be. When you talk back to him, somehow finding your tongue amid your horror, you find out his name. Eclipse. He moves you more upright, resting you on his tail so you're not petrified by how vulnerable you feel lying down, but he never loosens his scaly bindings. He hovers over you. You gaze into his stunning frills of yellow-orange and wonder how a being like him came to exist. He studies you as you study him. He grins at how you shiver when he traces your collarbone with a sharp fingertip.

You remind yourself that you can still breathe. He hasn't crushed you—yet—but you don't like how wide his smile is. Sometimes, his jaw stretches a little too long as if dislocating from his skull, ready to devour you. His eyes gleam with a ravenousness as scales twist around you, holding you close enough to smell the slick green water he had been in and deep musk.

He tells you that he'll see you again very soon—away from other humans, lest you bring him a fine gift for a meal. You can only flex your fingers, silently pleading in your heart that he won't unhook his jaw and eat you alive.

Then, he unravels himself from your limbs. But before he lets you go entirely, he leans in close, his serpentine tongue flickering close to your neck and by your hair, tasting the air around you as you muster all your strength to not scream. He inhales deeply, pleased, before he murmurs, "Sweet mouse. You are mine. Say it."

You don't understand, but you echo his command, and when he taps your chin once in what might have been a loving gesture, you force your jelly legs to solidify before you run and run, all the way back to base. You slam the door to your room behind you. You touch your ribs, your arms, still caught in the heavy sensation of his loops as if he were upon you right now.

The stories are true—there is a giant snake in this jungle, and he wants you. You're afraid to discover if Eclipse's intrigue with you is only an exotic way to satisfy his hunger.

#i'm not normal about nagas #this is great because in the naga au with sun and moon #eclipse isn't a naga so this gives me my fix of naga eclipse #just augh #love these monsters #anyways he's gonna squeeze you and love you and you are just so lucky he finds you adorable he could just eat you up (not really but ya kno #he has plans for lovely little you #he's going to show you so many cool creatures like pink river dolphins and big big BIG floating meadows and the best brightest birds! #he's also gonna try to get you to eat vermits and promise that he'll protect you when you get sluggish after eating #and you have to explain that your metabolism is very different from his but then you get to see him sluggish and sleepy after he eats #(whoops that means extra long cuddles for you and boy does he like to take long naps and wrap you up tight so you don't go anywhere) #apex polarity #<<< just tagging for the same characterization of Orclipse and photographer y/n #but i am calling this: #blackwater lure #naga!eclipse #photographer!reader #naff writing #the serpent den

[ebaeschnbliah]

Stroke by stroke they laboured on. In the darkness it was hard to be sure that they were indeed moving at all; but slowly the swirl of the water grew less, and the shadow of the eastern bank faded back into the night. At last, as far as they could judge, they had reached the middle of the stream again and had driven their boats back some distance above the jutting rocks. Then half turning they thrust them with all their strength towards the western shore. Under the shadow Of bushes leaning out over the water they halted and drew breath.

Legolas laid down his paddle and took up the bow that he had brought from Lórien ...

Then he sprang ashore and climbed a few paces up the bank. Stringing the bow and fitting an arrow he turned, peering back over the River into the darkness. Across the water there were shrill cries, but nothing could be seen.

Frodo looked up at the Elf standing tall above him, as he gazed into the night, seeking a mark to shoot at. His head was dark, crowned with sharp white stars that glittered in the black pools of the sky behind. But now rising and sailing up from the South the great clouds advanced, sending out dark outriders into the starry fields. A sudden dread fell on the Company.

`Elbereth Gilthoniel!' sighed Legolas as he looked up. Even as he did so, a dark shape, like a cloud and yet not a cloud, for it moved far more swiftly, came out of the blackness in the South, and sped towards the Company, blotting out all light as it approached. Soon it appeared as a great winged creature, blacker than the pits in the night. Fierce voices rose up to greet it from across the water. Frodo felt a sudden chill running through him and clutching at his heart; there was a deadly cold, like the memory of an old wound, in his shoulder. He crouched down, as if to hide.

Suddenly the great bow of Lórien sang. Shrill went the arrow from the elven-string. Frodo looked up. Almost above him the winged shape swerved. There was a harsh croaking scream, as it fell out of the air, vanishing down into the gloom of the eastern shore. The sky was clean again. There was a tumult of many voices far away, cursing and wailing in the darkness, and then silence. Neither shaft nor cry came again from the east that night.

After a while Aragorn led the boats back upstream. They felt their way along the water's edge for some distance, until they found a small shallow bay. A few low trees grew there close to the water, and behind them rose a steep rocky bank. Here the Company decided to stay and await the dawn: it was useless to attempt to move further by night. They made no camp and lit no fire, but lay huddled in the boats, moored close together.

'Praised be the bow of Galadriel, and the hand and eye of Legolas! ' said Gimli, as he munched a wafer of lembas. 'That was a mighty shot in the dark, my friend!'

'But who can say what it hit?' said Legolas.

'I cannot,' said Gimli. `But I am glad that the shadow came no nearer. I liked it not at all. Too much it reminded me of the shadow in Moria - the shadow of the Balrog,' he ended in a whisper.

'It was not a Balrog,' said Frodo, still shivering with the chill that had come upon him. 'It was something colder. I think it was -' Then he paused and fell silent.

'What do you think? ' asked Boromir eagerly, leaning from his boat, as if he was trying to catch a glimpse of Frodo's face.

`I think - No, I will not say,' answered Frodo. `Whatever it was, its fall has dismayed our enemies.'

`So it seems,' said Aragorn. `Yet where they are, and how many, and what they will do next, we do not know. This night we must all be sleepless! Dark hides us now. But what the day will show who can tell? Have your weapons close to hand! '

Sam sat tapping the hilt of his sword as if he were counting on his fingers, and looking up at the sky. `It's very strange,' he murmured. `The Moon's the same in the Shire and in Wilderland, or it ought to be. But either it's out of its running, or I'm all wrong in my reckoning. You'll remember, Mr. Frodo, the Moon was waning as we lay on the flet up in that tree: a week from the full, I reckon. And we'd been a week on the way last night, when up pops a New Moon as thin as a nail-paring, as if we had never stayed no time in the Elvish country.

`Well, I can remember three nights there for certain, and I seem to remember several more, but I would take my oath it was never a whole month. Anyone would think that time did not count in there! '

`And perhaps that was the way of it,' said Frodo. `In that land, maybe, we were in a time that has elsewhere long gone by. It was not, I think, until Silverlode bore us back to Anduin that we returned to the time that flows through mortal lands to the Great Sea. And I don't remember any moon, either new or old, in Caras Galadhon: only stars by night and sun by day.'

Legolas stirred in his boat. `Nay, time does not tarry ever,' he said; `but change and growth is not in all things and places alike. For the Elves the world moves, and it moves both very swift and very slow. Swift, because they themselves change little, and all else fleets by: it is a grief to them. Slow, because they do not count the running years, not for themselves. The passing seasons are but ripples ever repeated in the long long stream. Yet beneath the Sun all things must wear to an end at last.'

`But the wearing is slow in Lórien,' said Frodo. `The power of the Lady is on it. Rich are the hours, though short they seem, in Caras Galadhon, where Galadriel wields the Elven-ring.'

JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Great River

#the lord of the rings #the fellowship of the ring #the great river #jrr tolkien #anduin #aragorn #boromir #gimli #legolas #frodo #sam #winged creature #nazgul #movie pics #peter jackson #left out scene #black and white

[illustratus]

Windsor Castle from Datchet Lane on a rejoicing night, 1768

by Paul Sandby

#windsor castle #art #paul sandby #windsor #datchet lane #england #english #bonfire #night #full moon #river bank #fireworks #river thames #middle ward #winchester tower #star buildings #georgian era #georgian #great britain #history #celebration #king #george iii #torch #tricorn hat #drunken #drunk #castle #british #torchbearer

[sly-kitty]

Sophia Locke & River Lynn

#sophia locke #river lynn #bewbs #great bewbs #bewbsfordays #huge bewbs #huge tiddies #huge titts #lesbian

[artypurrs]

Art by the amazing artist @deyonside of lord bloodraven brynden rivers thank you so much 🫂

#art #a song of ice and fire #asoiaf #pre asoiaf #pre got #game of thrones #pre game of thrones #hotd #song of ice and fire #fantasy #brynden rivers #blackfyre rebellion #great bastards #bloodraven #river #albino #grrm #shiera seastar #seastar #house targaryen #house blackwood #lord commander #nights watch #magic #red #dragon #3 eyed raven #3 eyed crow #riverlands #westeros

[daenerys-stormborn]

TARGARYEN WEEK Day 6: Favorite Family Dynamic - THE GREAT BASTARDS

While on his deathbed, Aegon legitimized his bastards and placed them in his line of succession after his firstborn, Daeron II.

Daemon Blackfyre  

Daemon I Blackfyre, born Daemon Waters, was the bastard son of Princess Daena Targaryen and King Aegon IV Targaryen. Daemon when denied Princess Daenerys he rose up and  swayed half the kingdom to support his claim to the Iron Throne against King Daeron II in a war called the Blackfyre Rebellion. He was the first and greatest of the Blackfyre Pretenders.   

Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers  

Ser Aegor Rivers, often called Bittersteel, was a renowned knight. In the First Blackfyre Rebellion, Aegor sided with Daemon against King Daeron II.  Bittersteel fled Westeros after Daemon’s death at the end of the rebellion to the Free City of Tyrosh.  Aegor founded the Golden Company, a famous mercenary organization, to stop the loss of support for the Blackfyres.  

Brynden 'Bloodraven' Rivers  

Lord Brynden Rivers, called “Lord Bloodraven”. Brynden was a Targaryen loyalist during the Blackfyre Rebellions, the Hand of Aerys I and Maekar I Targaryen, and Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. Shiera Seastar, another bastard of Aegon IV, was his mistress. His half-brother Aegor “Bittersteel” Rivers desired Shiera also, which served in increasing the enmity between the two. Bloodraven was thought to be a sorcerer. He disappeared while ranging beyond the Wall in 252 AC. He is discovered to be The Three-Eyed Raven by Bran Stark.  

Shiera Seastar  

Shiera Seastar was the last of the Great Bastards of King Aegon IV Targaryen.  Shiera never married, but took many lovers, and numerous duels were fought for her favor. Her half-brother Brynden Rivers repeatedly proposed marriage to her. Although she refused to marry him, she did share her bed with him.Her other half-brother Bittersteel, was said to have also desired her, which only served to increase the hatred between Bloodraven and Bittersteel. There were rumors that she bathed in the blood of maidens to retain her beauty.  

#asoiafedit #valyrianscrolls #asoiaf #brynden rivers #bloodraven #shiera seastar #aegor rivers #bittersteel #daemon blackfyre #targaryensource #the great bastards #mine #gif #targweek

[pamietniko]

Sol Duc River

Olympic National Park, Washington

#analogue #35mm #film photography #washington #mountains #naturecore #rainforest #sol duc falls #sol duc river #mosscore #pacific northwest #pnwonderland #pnw #hiking #the great outdoors #national park #olympic national park