#valar aesthetics and thoughts

[arofili]

@tolkienlatamandcaribbeanweek day one | the valar & the orixás

Then those of the Ainur who desired it arose and entered into the World at the beginning of Time; and it was their task to achieve it, and by their labours to fulfil the vision which they had seen. Long they laboured in the regions of Eä, which are vast beyond the thought of Elves and Men, until in the time appointed was made Arda, the Kingdom of Earth. Then they put on the raiment of Earth and descended into it, and dwelt therein. 

—The Silmarillion, “Valaquenta”

The Valar are here represented by a selection of the Orixás deities of the Yoruba religion. All the images were created by Brazilian photographer Tiago Sant’anna, and edited by me.

Not every Vala is represented, as I only had so much material and space; also included is Uinen, who is a Maia, not a Vala, but still one of the most powerful Ainur. Likewise, not every Orixá is included.

Uinen is represented by Iemanjá; Yavanna is represented by Oxum; Aulë is represented by Xangô; Tulkas is represented by Ogum; Nessa is represented by Iansã; Oromë is represented by Oxóssi. They are all loosely connected to their Orixá deity by their aesthetics and domain of power.

Manwë and Vána’s images are not (as far as I can tell) actually artistic representations of the Orixá, but rather some inspiring photography on other topics, but I wanted to include them as well.

#tolkienlatam&caribbeanweek #tolkienedit #oneringnet #silmedit #silm #silmarillion #my edit #tefain nin #manwe #uinen #yavanna #aule #tulkas #nessa #vana #orome #photographer: tiagosantannaft #tiagosantannaft

[neldeathstar]

Melkor ...

... the Vala of darkness, also called Morgoth Bauglir

My thoughts on Melkor:

Melkor is the Vala whom Eru had given the important task to be the counterpart of cosmos, chaos, on Arda. He therefore seperated him from his brother Manwë, from then on he took the role of the Evil, so that every being on Arda, that Eru wants to create, is able to have a free will. To Melkor it means carrying the burden to be the outcast from now on, to be hated and feared for the aeons of Ardas existence. Since being seperated by his brother he developed a different sense of aesthetic in creation. He started to love the dark, crimson and morbid things, that others would see as ugly. He wanted the world to be dark and totally different than the concept the other demigods had. As he stood alone with his thoughts and feelings, he got rejected and became a misunderstood outcast and bc of that full of rage, hate and fear. Every rejection by the other Valar made him even more stubborn and from then on he never stopped sabotaging their creation as an act of rebellion. He wants his dark realm and he will show all, who doubt on him, that he is worth it! While fighting over the reign with Manwë and the other Valar they create a dynamic of life and death, a chance for history to happen, they form their world and let it be in a constant process of change- while Eru watches, caring and proud…knowing that all fear, pain and joy are just temporaily in a world of mortals and all will be good in the end. He just sends the souls of all beings on a journey so they can learn and grow…thst time on Arda, were the Valar built a stage for that.

Melkor is able to love. He loves the darkness, he loves his creatures and he loves Mairon.

Thanks for reading 💖

#silmarillion #tolkien #silmarillion fanart #mairon #sauron #lord of the rings #angbang #melkor #morgoth #tolkien fanart #morgoth bauglir #ainur #valar #character design #character illustration #fanart #fantasy

[lamemaster]

I Dropped College to Become a Dark Lord

Genre: Crack, Modern guy in Middle Earth

Pairing: tbh

Summary: At first look, Melkor’s form seemed to be devoid of any sort of essence. A chill ran through the Valar as they considered the possibility of his escape. Tulkas and Orome had almost packed up for their adventure to Middle Earth. But then they had felt it. A sudden surge of life.

AN: I think I am kinda funny. Nothing more.

PART 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |

“So, am I the bad guy?” Derek asked. They had somehow managed to reign in the emotions that ran wild in everyone’s mind. Introductions had been made and Derek got to know that Melkor is the name of the body he currently finds himself in.

“Yeah, no shit Melko- “

“Mandos!” the sky bluish light, who he had come to know as Manwe exclaimed.

Much to Derek’s dismay both the Vala switched back to the horrid Valarin. For beings who were the very source of music, one would expect a language calming, soothing, and sweeter than any other. Valarin…was horrendous. It stung in his ears like the noise of thousand nails scratching a blackboard.

He could understand it but trust him it was not worth it. It was the worst culture shock…worse than finding out his body’s origin.

Melkor, the body he entered, is none other than the ultimate bad boy of this world. A criminal who just barely got his parole on nepotism basis at that. Too bad he isn’t here to rejoice or anything. Derek wondered if the dark lord died or the worse possibility, Melkor switched bodies with him.

It was an amusing thought to imagine the dark lord as an engineering student. If there was anything worse than the endless void, it had to be the dark alleys of STEM. Well, he was glad that the report due the next day was not his problem now.

A distant, saner, part of Derek’s mind was still in the midst of processing the fact that he might indeed be dead in his world. His parents, his siblings, or roommates would find out and they would grieve for him. Or if they would delight in the chance of meeting his dark lord version.

The name Illuvatar had remained in Melkor’s memories, the only name that remained. All else was gone with him and so Derek tried it. ‘Umm…excuse me…Illuvatar are you there?’ Derek tried to talk to the possible god and his creator in this world. He had to be the one who must have had any idea of the stupid situation. ‘Am I still Derek? Or am I truly Melkor with an identity crisis or wait am I future Melkor and I time traveled back here. I mean it would be quiet a fall for Melkor to end up as an engineering student but hey it is a possibility.’ he tried asking, only to ramble and sound stupid in his inner monologue. None replied. Head empty no thoughts.

Well damn. This one’s got to have some daddy issues for sure. Derek wondered as he telepathically tried leaving a message for Illuvatar (don’t ask him how. He’s new to the whole thing. Trust the process).

‘ To Illuvatar, I do not know if this is you or not, but I must tell you I am not Melkor. Like I am in his body and it’s super weird. I don’t know if your feral son is dead (if he can die…) or not. I am just kind of in his body. I hope you can like tell me something about this all.’ P.S.- it's kinda urgent.

Hanging up the metaphorical phone Derek became aware of the quiet room. Manwe was staring at him again. It was the same look. Those puppy dog eyes just screamed of younger sibling energy. The look that siblings got seconds before they burst into tears. A precarious look for any older sibling ever.

Manwe was…bright. It was difficult to imagine how he was related to Melkor. Long white hair, glimmering blue eyes, and blue robes to maintain the angelic aesthetic. Manwe was pure innocence and uncorrupted power at the same time.

Melkor on the other hand. Well… Derek kinda could see himself without a mirror or anything. It was a Valar thing. A perk some would say. Just closing his eyes and he could see his form. He had almost screeched at his own reflection.

Melkor was…handsome. Sexy in the ‘I’ll be your fall from grace’ way. Dark black hair, the darkest there could be. Eyes bright like Manwe’s yet, there were glowing golden with the fervor of molten lava buried in the depth of the Earth. And contrasting such stark features was the palest skin ever. It was unlike Manwe’s healthy and flush tan. No Melkor was the supreme edge lord.

“Brother can you still not hear it?” Manwe asked. Derek, who had zoned out, realized that the focus from the previous quarrel had shifted back on him.

“Hear what?” Derek questioned. Was he supposed to hear something? Oh shit! Did someone call Melkor? It was hard remembering to respond to people when they called someone else’s name. Plus, he wasn’t that keen on the idea of discussing this weird possession with the guy who quite literally was a major simp for his brother. The idea of Manwe finding out his brother’s soul was gone was something scarier than Valarin.

With a barely concealed wince, Manwe replied “Do you not hear the music? The song of Arda? What about Illuvatar can you sense him?” Yikes, am I supposed to Derek wondered? To say or not to say, that is the question.

“I think don’t he can Manwe.” Another one of the Vala spoke instead of Melkor. If Derek remembered correctly, he was Ulmo. The Vala of seas, oceans, and rivers was visible in every facet of his personality and looks. Dark blue hair in the very predictably wavy in the fashion of waves, not that Derek disapproved of it. His first impression of Ulmo was that of the quiet kid who actually turns out to be really smart. The quiet kid you should not mess with. ‘Poseidon, Aquaman,’ Derek’s brain unhelpfully listed.

By the looks of it, Ulmo’s words did not sit well with Manwe. “I mean it is not difficult to see Manwe.” Mandos, the Vala who hated Melkor the most, added in support of Ulmo. It was surprising that even Derek felt the heavy animosity. And Derek was nothing if not dense.

Manwe continued to ignore Mandos and Ulmo collectively. “Can you truly not hear it Melkor?” he asked with an uncomfortably consistent eye contact. From his peripheral vision, Derek could see Varda take a step towards them.

“No,” Derek replied. “I cannot hear music or the song you speak of,” and the air in the room stilled. Everything fell silent as Manwe nodded in acceptance. However, Derek was not done. It was time to rip the bandage.

“I don’t remember anyone. I don’t know you or as matter of fact myse- “

“YOU MORON! WHERE IS MY MAIA?” before Derek could have completed his sentence he interrupted and was then promptly strangled by an unseen force. He truly had not seen it coming.

Put back the bandage he distantly wondered.

The room erupted in Chaos as Varda jumped in to save Manwe, who jumped in to save Melkor, who was attacked by Aule who was simultaneously being pulled away by Yavanna.

Chaos came to Valinor. Yet not the chaos that rained destruction but the chaos that mingled with the order to retain the world.

“He…he has returned.”

In the darkest canopy of unvisited forests, a voice whispered with a trace of hysterical joy. The sole existence of those woods. A shadow that lamented in unlit lands.

Once glazed eyes caught the first reflection of the light they once held. Ashen gray hair ignited as if a fire rekindled. Hair that now changed into the blistered red shade of flames. Gone was the lament and mourning.

Mairon had come to life.

“Master Melkor returned,” the silent trees of bleak woods shivered with fear as the fire captured them in its grasp.

With a crazed smile, Mairon wondered if it was time to go get his master back to their lands. Utumno would be rebuilt, and order would be restored.

So, it began as Mairon started making his way to Valinor.

#tolkien #silmarillion #the valar #ainur #manwe #manwe sulimo #melkor #morgoth #oc #crack fic #transmigration #Student OC #humor #nienna #varda #Nienna #Mandos #Irmo #tulkas #modern guy in middle earth #sauron

[greenbloods]

The idea of a Braavosi alphabet has been churning around in the back of my head for a while, and I’ve finally settled on a version I feel is interesting and “right” for the setting!

Sorry a couple of the letters are out of order and also for the image rendering, my handwriting is not all that great lol

Love love love Braavos it is so medieval Florence Venice core and I wanted to reflect the visual style of the manuscripts of that era with the script. I also felt like the Braavosi script would be in a rounded style especially during this time where it’s written by quill and inkbrush. The script kinda tended towards “standard fantasy alphabet” decisions like making it an alphabet and having both uppercase and lowercase versions of the letters, but I felt like it worked well for the aesthetics.

The script has been in use for more than 400 years, being developed at least in part by the Moonsingers who first came to Braavos by escaped slave ship, so I imagined that it was first used to write a form of Low Valyrian before evolving over time as the language turned into the modern Braavosi thats spoken during the time of the main series.

Most of the letters have existed since the beginning of the script except for “f” which developed later in Braavos’s history. There are two “y” letters: the one that’s just y is treated as a vowel (like in Daenerys) and the one that’s j/y is a consonant (like in the name Yorko). “gh” (as in “Valar morghulis”) exists as a letter but its pretty archaic today as the sound doesnt exist in the language of the city today. “x” only exists for transcribing the back-of-the-throat guttural sound but only like the Iron Bank uses it if you ask pearl merchant #17 about that letter they probably couldnt answer you

More information about the technical details and thought process behind this script can be found at this post

#i loved seeing the fandoms contributions to grrms worldbuilding in fashion and hairstyles and so much art #i wanted to contribute in my own way #plus i feel strongly that braavos should have its own unique visual style as we get some hints of it in the books but more is left unfilled #asoiaf #neography #braavos #game of thrones #my posts

[outofangband]

The rest of the Valar offer their advice to Melkor (BoLT verse) during his imprisonment in Mandos!

Like my Angband paperwork, the handwriting choices were vital :)

@tolkien-feels this is in part for you 

Image description/transcript:

Dear Melko, I hope this aids in thy self reflection. Please consider too the advice our brethren have so kindly left for thee! Best wishes, your brother :)

Remain in the outskirts of Arda. Stay away from the Children. Bask under the light of the stars. Love, Varda 

 meditate, take walks, I don’t know what’s in fashion to relax these days but please try. I can’t keep getting called to council meetings about you. Kills my loner aesthetic-Ulmo

Learn woodworking, knitting, or another productive craft. Ideally one that doesn’t involve mutilation or imprisonment of living creatures. Improve your skills and enjoy your (safe, harmless) accomplishments.-Aulë

Quarantine your mutants and stay away from my creations. I helped Tulkas with his garden. That’s just a fun life update. Not in any way a threat. Obviously. Enjoy Mandos. Sincerely, Yavanna 

Contemplative strolls, swims, letting yourself become lost in your thoughts. Keep a dream diary. Visit my gardens. We get bored, you know.-Irmo 

Oh, do visit. There is healing to be found here for all. But be warned, it is so easy to become lost in my husband’s mazes…-Estë

Stop and smell the flowers. Literally. Enjoy little moments of joy and peace. There is beauty in so much. Peace, Vána

Come monster hunting with me! I won’t let Tulkas Punch you more than once!! Promise! -Oromë

Run. Run hard and fast until your breath is gone and you can no longer distinguish between hot and cold upon your face.-Nessa 

No one ever taught me to lie convincingly, sorry no advice for you. But not actually sorry. Written by: tulkas 

(Vairë does not communicate verbally) 

As I currently am overseeing your stay in Mandos, it would be a breach of ethics to offer advice of this nature. But I do hope you receive advice on how to remain out of my halls. From, Námo 

#the silmarillion #BoLT #melkor #Valar #Tulkas #Nessa is still very mad #silliness

[eunoiaastralwings]

Hop into my inbox and provide a sentence or a rant about which of much ocs would date/marry and why?

As for my ocs, I have their character sheets but also included a brief - I do recommend you at least scan through the character to get a better understanding as int he briefs i only provided small things.

Anyways - I cannot wait to hear what y'all opinions are. I hope you enjoy - have fun, place nice and anons are allowed.

I'll respond to ever ask - even provide the oc thoughts too so you have interactions with them too :)

Lúthriel Tinuviel: daughter of Beren and Lúthien, twin sister of Dior

brief: she's kind, compassionate, grows attached, a part maia who is insecure about her heterochromia eyes. sometimes has trouble navigating her magic, forced to an immortal because of her powers, lost her twin and parents forever - she's bi!

Quildalótien: Valar daughter of lord Oromë and lady Vána.

brief: Valinor!Quilda has a crazy 4D personality, she will embrace fun in your life. She's wild, crazy and fun - already pranked even Manwë a few times. On dates she will pull you into doing pranks with her. ME!Quilda however is on the opposite sit - she is scared easily and you need shower her with love :) - she's a pansexual! She can grow a vast forest, give herself wings, and create creators like Huan.

Cala: Son of Tilion and Arien

Brief: Cala is caring, sweet. He's a panromatic demisexual. strict to the rules of propriety - scowls and lectures if anyone breaks them. the embodiment of 'turning a joke into a lecture' - but he means well because he doesnt want to see you hurt. Concerned if you do so little as clumsily fall. Maia of lunar eclipses.

Ixalië: Maia of Mandos

brief: after having being bullied, and pushed to her death - she is mean and while Lawful chaotic Good, she has sadistic tendencies! She can be easily manipulated into the dark side so keep a watch over her. She doesn't know what love is -you almost have to teach it do her. She is stubborn, single-minded and a born strategist. She's a pansexual but doesn't know it yet.

Cóloniélë: Maia of Nienna

brief: this poor baby is a heartbroken maia who lost the love of her life to Fëanor. The SIndar meaned her Pelineldes meaning Fading Star Woman - Given to her by the Sindar when she is in middle earth as she a star (referring to the light in her) ready to fade away. She needs to learn to love again - heal her own heart. She was the power to heal you mentally, take away your tears to provide you comfort even though she was soul crushing pain when heals someone too. She's a panromatic demisexual.

#silmarillion #silm oc #the silmarillion #tolkien elves #the silm #tolkien oc #eunoiawrites #silmarillion oc #middle earth #valinor #the silm fandom #silm game #silm crack #Ixalië #Morwen #oc #tolkien ainur #tolkien roleplay #tolkien valar #namo mandos #maia of mandos #original character #pinned post #ainur #ainur oc #maia #maia oc #maia of Nienna #Cóloniélë #Pelineldes

[marietheran]

I feel like I completely don't remember my reaction to my very first reading of the Silm which is sad... I know I was 11 and I read it all in a day or two, with no apparent difficulty, or even need to refer to the family trees at the back. But the only thing I actually remember, is opening the book at random in the library and reading the scene between Sauron and Gorlim, right up to "'but I shall bring you to Eilinel'; and they slew Gorlim cruelly"... (I guess it was a lucky moment to stumble on, because I already knew one of the characters...)

I remember, back when we were discussing the Hobbit in class the year before, one of the girls mentioned the beginning of the Silm and Christian influence on the legendarium (to this day I don't remember who that was and don't know whether she had actually already read it or been told by an older sibling/cousin or what). And I remember putting Tolkien away for a year after a weird dream that I decided meant I shouldn't read it; and then the holidays at the beach with my cousins a year or two later, when I elected to reread LoTR after all, and had the cousin nearest in age, a boy who had just gotten into Tolkien that year, summarise the Silm (which I had forgotten a lot of) over the course of a restaurant meal. I still wonder what the thoughts of everyone sitting around us must have been.

I remember long talks about the Legendarium between us, late in the evening when we should have been in bed (oh, for so many reasons, that was the best week in my entire life, but those conversations were one of them). I remember saying that I didn't like the sound of the names Tolkien gave the Valar (my cousin disagreed and today-me is inclined to do so too). I remember, it took me until Galadriel's song in Lothlorien on my LoTR reread to get that Elbereth means the same person as Varda, and my utter surprise when I realised (but my cousin was also surprised when I showed him). And I remember the way I made the Tale of Beren and Luthien my aesthetic and the love of my life (hah) so utterly in the following months as only a thirteen year old can... I remember holding the library copy of the Silm for half a dozen months before my mother bought me my own, in English.

But I do not remember my first reactions when reading my now-favourite book.

#putting it here and not on sideblog because it's more like personal rambling #... #I have to tell you more about that one holiday because it literally was the best moment in my life so far #I should tell you more about my cousins too #therese rambles #original post #the professor's mythopoeia #Silmarillion

[hirazuki]

Hi! Thought I'd send you some of these, what about... 🔮You can reach into the Beyond and ask the Professor to settle one (1) debate for you. He won't even waffle on the answer, honest. What do you ask him? -and- 🤔 Tell us one of your favorite Silm headcanons. Can be one that’s out in the wild or a personal one! If you feel like it

Hiiii!!

🔮You can reach into the Beyond and ask the Professor to settle one (1) debate for you. He won't even waffle on the answer, honest. What do you ask him?

So... as far as debates go, I kind of prefer them unsettled/unresolved? One of my absolute most favorite things about Tolkien's universe is the mind-boggling quantity of alternate scenarios and events. I honestly don't want to know who Gil-Galad's father is. I don't want to know the "true" origin of the orcs. I don't want to know who Tom Bombadil is. It's fascinating for me to toss these issues around in fandom and hear arguments and counter-arguments, that then inspire new interpretations and headcanons and possibilities and fanart/fanfics, etc. It makes the world he created feel that much more alive to me, and I feel like sometimes knowing some things for certain actually stifles creativity.

So! I'm going to tweak the question a bit to be more general -- as in, if I could ask the Professor anything, what would it be -- and I would ask him to expand a bit on his ideas regarding the nameless things, that he describes as dwelling in caves and migrating deeper into the earth after orcs and dwarves took to digging tunnels (LotR) and that roam and reside in Nan Dungortheb and the associated ancient shrines for nameless gods there (Silm/BoLT), that predate Melkor and the Valar. Again, not necessarily to explain -- because I find that sometimes explaining too much takes the magic away, sometimes "vibes" are just better -- but to elaborate on his concepts, inspirations, any additional thoughts or plans or ideas regarding the region and who would have built those shrines that never made it into the text (because, obviously, the Silmarillion itself isn't concerned with them); mostly just a chance to listen to him talk about aesthetics, inspirations, and his process of world-building, with this topic as a locus.

🤔 Tell us one of your favorite Silm headcanons. Can be one that’s out in the wild or a personal one!

Hmmm, I feel like most of what is pure, shameless headcanon for me is technically Third and Fourth Age... there's the Eol's servants are former thralls of Angband, which is my new personal favorite, but we already discussed that recently lol...

OH, right, I headcanon that Mairon and Celebrimbor met in the First Age!

Mairon was sent to southern-ish Beleriand to scout around for Nargothrond's location -- to make up for his loss of Tol-in-Guarhoth, though haven't decided yet if I want it to be on Melkor's instructions or as self-inflicted atonement; most likely a combination of both -- at the around the same time that Curufin and Celegorm were kicked out. I'm planning on writing this as a one-shot so, without saying too much, basically Celebrimbor is on the road returning to the city from his last interaction/argument with his father and uncle where he broke off with them, while Mairon is on the road heading in the opposite direction and they cross paths, Mairon presenting himself as a nameless elf. Celebrimbor never finds out, though he does have a moment of near deja vu with Annatar at one point in the Second Age.

#thank youuuuu ♡ #silm musings #silmarillion #tolkien #mairon #celebrimbor

[maglors-anion-gap]

◼️ ∇ head canons for Cirdan?

[for this ask game]

q: Bedroom/house/living quarters headcanon

a: I think cirdan is painfully tidy - I also think he doesn't own many things, despite being so old. Expert at letting things go, or impatient after all this time to pull up his roots and sail? You choose. I have been toying for a long time with the idea of cirdan living in a cedar plank longhouse (think PNW Native homes of the Coastal Salish etc); I think this matches very well with 1) what I see the ecology of the falas being like, 2) community-centric and common-space ideology we see mirrored in rivendell, and 3) I find myself tiring of the PJ aesthetic and its insistence on, if not whiteness, then fantasy "well it's still not brown." The only thing I would say to modify the traditional plank house design is that instead of a shed roof, I think it would have beams/rafters that mirror the belly of a wood boat - see below, and imagine rotating that to be the roof.

q: old age/aging headcanon

a: cirdan is interesting to me because he's one of the oldest elves we see in tolkien's work, and we get to see the outcome of his aging rather than simply speculate. His narrative is marked by his submission to duty, which in and of itself is not that interesting to me (to explain, the valar as complex entities are interesting to me, but the valar as leaders are not so much, and cirdan's submission is to the foresight of the valar). I think if he were less driven to move west, to sail, or to see valinor, I would find him less interesting. Similarly, missing the last departure to valinor because he spent so much time looking for thingol is very very tasty to me. We see in him someone who has very strong motivations that lie at odds with what he ends up doing. So I might hazard a couple of headcanons out of this. That he respects the valar is a given, but his chief duty in his mind is likely toward his people and his family (as seen in his search for thingol, and his persistence in helping the elves sail west in the third age). I think it likely took him some time to reconcile what logically needed to be done (there's little wrong with the foresight of the valar, even when I have issues with their methods) with what he wanted. I'm not sure this counts as pietas/struggling with pietas (I'm not a classics scholar, someone else please weigh in!) but the thought crossed my mind! And last headcanon: I think he lived the longest with sea longing (perhaps since cuivienen, since he's referred to as the premier shipwright in all of elvish history per peoples of middle earth), and resisted it the longest. This is a roundabout way of answering the question, but yeah.

[tanadrin]

“the orcs are corrupted elves,” “the orcs are corrupted humans,” “the orcs are corrupted talking animals,” “the orcs are talking animate mud-men”

listen

all these versions of the orcs are dumb as hell. 1) is hella awkward when you slaughter a bunch of orcs just to find them chilling in the halls of mandos; 2) takes the uncomfortable background racism of having a mortal Always Chaotic Evil race and dials it up to 11; 3 and 4) requires us to believe p-zombies can exist in Middle Earth, and frankly it’s way easier to believe in dragons and magic rings and tom bombadil than that shit

the answer is obvious: the orcs are maiar.

now wait, you say. maiar are sauron! maiar are balrogs! maiar are big and scary! yes, often this is true. maiar are clearly a diverse class of being with many orders and types, as befitting their origin in the thoughts of eru; some are relatively powerful, and near in influence to the valar. some are much less so. but also, the elves are just relaying secondhand myths they remember from Valinor, and it’s clear that “maiar” is functionally a catchall category for non-elf, non-human, non-dwarf sentient being with some degree of spiritlike attribute, who is not one of the fourteen Valar or Morgoth

we know Morgoth had many maiar flock to him early in the history of the world. many of these were spirits of fire like the balrogs. not all. we know maiar can reproduce (cf. Melian). we also know that as Ainur (the class of being containing Maiar) expend their power in the world, it dissipates their essence and makes them weaker in some sense. morgoth could solo the valar during the shaping of Arda; by the time of the War of Wrath, he was getting clowned on by Tulkas like it was no big deal

orcs probably began as spirits serving morgoth; morgoth had a hand in creating these spirits’ progeny (possibly, though not necessarily, in a manner imitating the way the Children of Iluvatar reproduce); and the gradual diminishment of these spirits and the diffusing of their power into a larger population of orcs and goblins and trolls, makes the creation of separate subcategories functionally distinct from the major maiar important in the elven chronicles.

orcs are sentient, have free will, do not go to Mandos or share in the fate of Men, but are bound to the world; but like the other Maiar their personalities are less flexible. like post-Numenor Sauron or late Morgoth, they are weak enough they can’t transform or disembody themselves, and they are probably also biologically immortal but have high mortality rates. this also explains why they can eat rotten meat and drink putrid water (because they don’t get sick, and it’s important for The Aesthetic; though they probably do need to nourish their bodies), and when slain they probably either become disembodied spirits of malice just sort of drifting around the gaff like post-Ring Sauron, or maybe they get reincarnated with amnesia or something (while retaining their original dickish personalities)

[danwhobrowses]

The Rings of Power Eps 1&2 Review

The House of the Dragon is not the only fantasy prequel series out recently, and Amazon Prime have released the first two episodes of The Rings of Power.

Of the two, The Rings of Power's hype has diminished more than its risen, poor trailers and changes unbefitting of Tolkein's vision - especially compared to HOTD maintaining GRRM's vision - have lowered expectations, but still I decided to give it a shot.

Spoilers for the First Two Episodes

Okay so, it's not actually bad.

Not nearly as bad as trailers and vitriol makes out.

Now, it's not perfect, it's not better than HOTD. Frankly some narrative choices remain miffing such as Galadriel being a warrior doggedly seeking revenge on Sauron - even though in canon neither were active during Morgoth's downfall, Galadriel had skipped the entire war since she thought it was hopeless to do anything and Sauron himself as king of werewolves had already got his ass kicked by a wolfhound (clearly a greater series missed there) and even tried to get pardoned by crawling back to Eonwe, before opting out of going to Valar and just skulking away for centuries - Celeborn completely absent, and making Elrond a 'politician' type. I also think the Galadriel plot is the weakest so far, they tried to translate a symbol of Sauron and apparently they can't hear or beat a bunch of trolls wandering around, the Theo and the Morgoth Blade plot is perhaps the second weakest. The CGI can be garish as well, specifically the Wyrm, and it's highly unbelievable that Galadriel could survive so long in water, nor that Halbrand can look that handsome while adrift. Arondir the watchman elf - in love with the very attractive healer and Theo's mother, Bronwyn - is also rather wooden, and rather than get the back-up of his men decides to venture into a network of tunnels alone, and the script can be a bit dumb - the whole Ship vs Rock dialogue was awfully contrived.

However, on the plus side, I very much enjoy this story with the Harfoots, Nori has bigger protagonist energy fitting of a Tolkein story and though I am worried this fallen being is gonna end up as a rewrite of Gandalf, there is more intrigue on its side. Marked as a Politician aside, Elrond surprised me with his charm offensive, his actor and voice is great, I just don't see why he couldn't be more the Elrond we are familiar with, captain of Gil-Galad with his own biological and paternal conflicts, but his plot feels more like 'The Rings of Power' given how it is Celebrimbor creating a forge for it. Khazad Dum was glorious, its visual aesthetic is beautiful and well thought out, and plot-wise I did enjoy Elrond's interactions with Durin, as well as Durin's anger that his friend had blanked him for 20 years. The practical work on the burrowing orc was really good too, as was Arondir's armour design (the best of the costuming so far).

I understand that this isn't Tolkein's truest and most accurate vision, but considering how low the bar was, I am very surprised that we still have something here worth giving a shot.

#lotr rings of power #rings of power #the rings of power #lord of the rings #galadriel #elrond #the silmarillion #celebrimbor #elanor brandyfoot #halbrand #arondir #bronwyn #prince durin #khazad dum #sauron #harfoots #elves #dwarves #tolkein #jrr tolkien #middle earth

[sweetteaanddragons]

Rings of Power, Episode Three: Welcome to Numenor

Spoilers ahoy.

- The visuals continue to be stunning; I particularly like the aesthetics of Numenor and the Harfoot festival.

- “You go tell Pharazon she’s escaped.”

- “I told him last time!”

- “Last time it was a dog.”

- I like the implication that this is something they have to tell Pharazon a lot. I kind of want to write a 5+1 about it.

- We get to meet Elendil and Isildur! And a sister that I don’t think is canonical but who I like so far. Actually, so far I like the whole family, and I’m excited by their inclusion.

- We also got a very solid Elros reference! I was a little disappointed he didn’t look more like Elrond, but otherwise 10/10, solid reference.

- Although their inclusion brings up one of my main issues with our current Elrond: I don’t dislike RoP’s Elrond.

I just.

Hm.

He has not convinced me that he will react to news of Elros’s descendants in a manner consistent with a man who, six thousand years after his brother’s death, was still fostering his descendants. And that matters, if we’re going to be introducing Elendil’s family and Miriel.

- So far my opinion of Miriel mirrors my opinion on Durin: I like her as a character, but I’m still deciding whether or not I like her as Miriel. Although her visit to her father and her hints that she might support Elendil more than she lets on are pushing me toward liking her more.

- I am not impressed by Galadriel in this episode. Galadriel being rasher and more imperious in her younger years is one thing, but failing to navigate a diplomatic situation this badly in court is another. Also, threatening to kill Elendil was not a good look.

- Nor were her repeated claims that the island - which was given to Men by the Valar, something the show supports - is something Men should be grateful to elves for.

- I know Adar is the obvious choice for our “Where’s Waldo?” hunt for Sauron, but I’m leaning more and more toward Halbrand as my personal favorite for it, both for the delicious irony of Galadriel encouraging him to go be king of future-Mordor, and for all the hints. (He’s excellent at wheedling what he wants out of people, he’s fascinated by the forges, he’s intrigued by the opportunities in Numenor, and some of his lines [I took it off a dead man, anyone?] would hit with a wonderful double age if this turns out to be the case.)

- If he turns out not to be Sauron, I might well write a fic where he is just so I can get some mileage out of this.

- The scene where the Harfoots listed their dead actually made me tear up a little, though I’ve got some mixed feelings on how the show is handling Nori’s dilemma. Of course she did the right thing by not leaving a stranger to die, but it seems very clear now that this decision had easily foreseen and serious consequences not just for her, but for her whole family; I would like to see her take that with a little more remorse.

- Definitely leaning toward Stranger = Gandalf now.

- Edited to add additional thought: I love how, when Malva reminds Sadoc that by their laws they should be exiling Nori, he stops and you can just . . . watch his facial expressions as he very clearly searches for a plausible reason that they are Not Going to Do That because he so very clearly doesn’t want to.

- Not a huge fan of the captive storyline in this episode, not because it was badly done - I thought the visuals were highly interesting - but because I wasn’t sufficiently invested in the other elves for the story beats to hit quite right and because the final fight scene was full of frustrating moments.

- Why are you hesitating? Why is our protagonist able to take an orc out with a stick when another elf can’t take out a single warg while armed with an ax?

- Not insurmountable problems, but definitely my least favorite storyline this episode.

Definitely still planning to continue to watch, although I highly suspect there will be more nerdy grumbling about lore in my future.

#Rings of Power #less indignance this week #but still plenty of quiet grumbling #still enjoying it though

[huans]

@oneringnet valar event: yavanna kementári, the giver of fruits

The spouse of Aulë is Yavanna, the Giver of Fruits. She is the lover of all things that grow in the earth, and all their countless forms she holds in her mind, from the trees like towers in forests long ago to the moss upon stones or the small and secret things in the mould.

#yavanna #valar #silm #tolkien #the silmarillion #silmedit #tolkienedit #*mine #oneringnet #character aesthetic #i wasn't sure if i should use the picture of the black woman i saved or the red hair #idk the arms etc are definitely the ones of a white person #and i thought it probably wouldn't settle well if i then used a black woman #but i couldn't find anything like that with black hands etc. #so i used the other pic

[tolkien-feels]

Random fun fact: in many versions, most of the Valar are not officially married or at least they had no ceremony. The wedding of Tulkas and Nessa during The Springtime before the lamps were destroyed was the first m wedding.

I think that the Valar do not feel romantic or sexual attraction in the way that humans or even elves do. Their original forms have no body and therefore no sex (like physical sex the noun not the verb).

Their marriages differ in meaning from what might be described as a mutually beneficial working partnership to a more traditional bond of love and companionship to something else entirely

The marriages before Tulkas and Nessa are certainly bondings of some sort but I think calling them marriages is the intentional application of a human or elven lens to relationships. The Valar permit this with gentle confusion because they desire to be comprehensible to The Children, at least in some ways

I also think that not all emotions or forms of attraction are shared between all of the Ainur. And there are phenomena they experience that are similarly foreign to The Children.

That being said the Maiar do usually feel an intense loyalty to their Patron Vala. This isn’t universal but it’s one of the more common emotional experiences.

Of course this is just my interpretation! I think it does draw from canon information but it’s still largely my reading.

-@outofangband

@outofangband Sorry it took me forever to post this, but I wanted to share my own thoughts and my brain didn't feel like letting me

I agree so much with this. Things such as gender, marriage, siblinghood... for me these are things the Valar "translate" into shapes the Children can understand, much like they take elvish-looking physical forms, and much like they describe the Ainulindale in terms of sounding like harps and lutes and other instruments. It's a concession to limited understanding, not an accurate representation of truth.

There seem to be commonalities between spouses, siblings and Valar-Maiar relationships, which makes me headcanon the Ainur are attempting to describe specific bonds when they use these relationships.

This is informed by my utter confusion when allo people try to explain sexual attraction to me. I'm ace and biromantic, so I understand easily enough the difference between platonic and romantic attraction, but when someone tries to explain sexual attraction I'm just like "HOW is finding someone hot different from aesthetic appreciation??? It literally sounds like you're making up feelings that don't exist. It's the shrimp colors of human experience, wtf" and my brain explodes.

That's more or less how I feel this works for the Ainur. The Ainur feel drawn to each other in specific ways, but because the Children don't experience these kinds of attraction, they try to find analogies.

An easy example is Valar-Maiar relationships. I feel like Maiar just naturally experience devotion towards the Valar they serve. They are under no oath to serve, and they couldn't even necessarily word what it is that is inspiring devotion in them, but they feel it. The Valar in return want to guide these Maiar specifically for some reason (bonus! Incorporate rejected canon and have the Valar say their Maiar feel like they're their children!) But elves don't normally look at each other and feel the urge to serve nor the urge to rule (in a non corrupted way, at least), so the Valar go "Hm... They serve us? We are lords and they are our servants?" not because it's the same thing (serving is who Maiar are, not what they do, it's a very different thing from even the best of elvish servants), but because there's no real way of explaining what the experience really is like.

Even things that seem pretty straightforward, like Manwe and Ulmo's friendship, strike me as being just translations. It seems like they feel a great affinity that they don't feel towards the other Valar (who are also what elves would conceptualize as being their friends!), but it's not the affinity of "marriage" or of "brotherhood" so they settle for "close friends" even though that's not really what it is. It's more like... Their role in the Music is neither a matter of complementing one another (marriage) nor of developing the same theme together (siblinghood), but their melodies are in great harmony. But that's just me disliking elvish translation and coming up with my own, which is probably just as inaccurate.

#ainur break my brain tbh

[lesbiansforboromir]

ALRIGHT! Since it’s all settled out a bit more and we have some actual information about the RoP show, here is a list of my concerns for it;

- At the moment, my biggest worry is now about the dwarves. We’ve had recent confirmation that Durin IV and Durin III will both be extant at the same time, so Durin III will be receiving the ring from Sauron as canon states. It also states that Durin III is some kind of ‘bad father’ or something along those lines and I just... So first off, how can two people be alive whilst sharing the same soul? Are we just going to discard dwarven culture and religion entirely as false? In a world where elves are biologically catholic, dwarves are directly related to jewish history and culture and Gimli ‘converts’ to catholicism... we’re going to just say that the ‘jewish race’ has a made up religion but the elven gods are real and WILL destroy continents with their bare hands? And are we also saying that one of the reincarnated messiahs of dwarven culture, the father to their whole race in both a symbolic and fervently emotional way is... bad? An abusive father? Like... we don’t need to do this. No one has ever even tried to delve into the intimate concepts of this whole system of reincarnation in a broad media space (except lotro) like we JUST get this whole aspect shown on screen and we immediately have to subvert it somehow? It will make me genuinely sad if this is the case and I suspect I will have to reactively stan Durin III just to cope. 

- As we are right now, it seems the furthest the show will go into elven culpability is just ‘Gil Galad was kinda naive and thought everything would be okay now’. Galadriel seems to be entirely main charactered, with I doubt any discussion of her usurpsing of Lindórinand or her lack of care for humanity in general. Indeed she seems to be fully tied into both the hunt for Sauron and the human storylines which.. I suppose is fine. But with this pervasive sense that Galadriel is untouchable in her morality, it makes me worry for the narratives of human frustration with the elves. Not that I was particularly hopeful for a nuanced philosophical walk through of all Numenor’s points of view and their abandonment by the Valar. But still... a crumb? A crumb of nuance? 

- And yet on the other hand I have seen a suspicious lack of anything to do with Numenorean colonisation. All the possible indigenous characters have turned out to be either hobbits or elves so far. And if the antler horn fellows are all we’re getting for representation of the truly vast number of human tribes living all throughout Middle Earth then well... it’s a little worrying. Not that I would trust them to do Numenor the coloniser in any kind of thoughtful way but I’m also in no way comfortable with just brushing it entirely under the rug and pretending that everything’s fine even as Isildur curses a whole population to 3 millenia of undeath, doom and torment because they didn’t come to fight for him when he asked them too. 

- What the hell are they gonna do with Corine... Like okay yes more female characters of importance but also this is... the family with two sons who very notably share power and then divide the Kingdoms between them, from the country that is the only canonical human civilisation to have Queens. The show seems to be surging forward with this ‘there is no misogyny in tolkien’ angle which is never the way I like to deal with the misogyny in tolkien’s writing but it THAT is the case then... how are we gonna explain Corine? Apparently Anarion is a child at the moment. IDK IT’S JUST... ODD? Couldn’t Corine have been Isildur’s good friend or something. Confusing!!

- Whilst I have no real investment in elves as usual, I am disappointed by the first few looks at Lindon. This kind of complete copy paste lorien aesthetic is so dull and unimaginative and pandery to the lotr films when Lindon was a Noldo built country and city. Are elves only elves when they’re in trees? Do they worry fans just wouldn’t be able to tell they were elves unless they were surrounded by golden leaves? There’s no real majesty or newness to the construction. And it’s pretty non-canon to boot, Gil Galad doesnt have his ring yet, there is no way to temporally preserve his lands in this between summer and autumn situation with all the gold leaves everywhere. 

- Another bit of one of the vanity fair articles talked about how Arondir comes from the ‘southlands’ which... I mean if he’s the one who comes and tells everybody about the massive fuck all army Sauron’s amassing out there then that’s a pretty excellent OC creation but on the other hand do we have to... explain... why someone is brown? You know black people aren’t just white people who’ve been under the sun a bit long right? Like come on. 

Other than those things, I currently have no major other bugbears. Hair colours and appearances I’m so accustomed to everyone getting wrong it barely bothers me, and as for Elrond’s apparent change of personality, I can see them wanting to say that this is how Elrond BECOMES all wise and calm and unambitious just for character arc reasons. I’m fine with Disa not having much of a beard just because there is a lick of misogynoir in putting a beard on a black woman, and she looks gorgeous anyway. Not-Gandalf-but-is-definitely-gandalf is just... it’s too much, I cant care about it. And I want Halbrand to be Sauron. There it is. 

#the rings of power #rings of power #erran vs lotronprime #text post #lotronprime

[outofangband]

Hobbies/Activities of the Valar, for an anon

Anon I am so sorry for the delay, I hope you see this

Some of these are based in canon, some are my own!

under a cut just for length!

I’m also thinking of doing a separate post for “how each of the Valar like to interact with elves” if there’s interest? so I didn’t include hanging with the elves as a hobby 

Manwë: poetry, taking walks, abstract strategy games (think like mancala games), meditation,

Varda: it’s harder to have hobbies elves or humans would recognize when you rarely take a corporeal form but Varda does enjoy teaching certain gifted elves about the cosmos, sometimes something like swimming 

Ulmo: seaside walks, taking the form of various creatures to gather and spread information, music, occasionally helping Manwë make rain clouds to rain on Melkor (credit to @forestials for that idea)

Aulë: toy making, especially when he gets to paint them and add all sorts of little details. He loves to see other’s delight in his creations 

Yavanna: Yavanna likes to read (and sometimes correct) the Valarin equivalent of Nature journal, designing interesting and environmentally friendly gardens (and making them regardless of whether or not she has permission to garden in any given place)

Oromë: hunting, chasing monsters, lurking in the woods, hanging out with elven hunters and explorers, occasionally causing minor chaos (he’s officially banned from giving Tulkas anything resembling caffeinated drinks. There isn’t necessarily a word for caffeine in their languages but there are definitely words for “By Eru, Oromë what did you GIVE him?!)

Vána: exploring the domains of the others, gathers and spreads information by land like Ulmo does by the water, some work in enchantments

Námo will insist he does not have hobbies. He does genuinely enjoy his record keeping though.

Vairë’s life’s work is her weaving. Calling it a hobby would trivialize it

Nienna: Listening to stories, occasionally mosaics

Irmo: painting, exploring, dabbles in cryptography

Estë: calligraphy, research into medicinal plants

Nessa: running, dancing, most physical activity, lurking in the woods in terrifying deer form whether with her brother or by herself, occasionally sending deer to follow Melkor around and creep him out.  Imagine you’re in Valinor and you feel a tingling on the back of your neck. You look around. There is no one there. You feel unsettled. A rustling sound catches your attention and you look round again. A deer watches from behind a tree. You keep away from it.  You are unused to feeling like...prey... and deer should not make you feel that way in the first place. 

I have this other post of her here!!

Tulkas: sparring, tactile puzzles, hunting/chasing monsters with Nessa and Oromë, playing with creatures 

Melkor: :/

In all seriousness I think Melkor genuinely enjoyed some strategy games during his time in Valinor, not the same kind as Manwë though. Also I guess experimentation and exploration counts as a hobby. And finding ways to subtly torment his kin during his parole. (And in some versions not so subtly)

#the silmarillion #Manwë #Varda #valar aesthetics and thoughts #musing and meta #I project ADHD onto Tulkas so it's possible that the caffeine knocks him out rather than makes him hyper #for those unaware caffeine can have a wildly inconsistent effect on adhd #it can make us really sleepy