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#women of arnor
fashi0nmistake · 2 years
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THE WIVES OF ISILDUR’S HEIRS 20/20
Arwen Undómiel was the Evenstar of her People, the Queen of Arnor and Gondor, and the mother of House Telcontar.
Born in the 241st year of the Third Age to Lord Elrond of Imladris and his wife, Celebrían, she was the youngest of their three children. She had two elder brothers, Elladan and Elrohir. Arwen was considered to be the fairest of the Children of Ilúvatar in the Third Age, greatly resembling her foremother Lúthien. Her fate would be the same.
In the year 2952 of the Third Age, after dwelling for many years in her grandparents’ realm of Lothlórien, she met her father’s young ward, Aragorn son of Arathorn, the heir of Isildur. They met, whether by chance or fate, at sunset in the woods as Arwen walked again the bounds of her home after many long years away and Aragorn walked those same paths, singing softly the Lay of Lúthien to himself. When Aragorn espied her, he thought he had strayed into a dream or had conjured the memory of Tinuviel with his song and he called to her, ‘Tinuviel, Tinuviel!’, as Beren had done in Ages past. She turned to him and smiled and from that moment on Aragorn loved her. But she did not love him, not yet. For Aragorn was still little more than a child in her eyes. He was young and knew little of the world; he had been educated as thoroughly as any child that ever dwelled in the House of Elrond but he had long been sheltered within that House as well. Aragorn soon departed from Rivendell and went out into the wilds. There he labored against the cause of Sauron, at first in the company of Gandalf and the sons of Elrond but, in later years, he journeyed alone. He rode in the host of the Rohirrim and fought for Gondor under the name Thorongil and won many great victories. But in time, he departed and went alone far into the East and deep into the South, exploring the hearts of Men, both good and evil, until at last, wearied from his journeys, he turned North again. He wished to seek respite in Rivendell again after so many years and passed first through the fair realm of Lothlórien. There too was Arwen, come again to dwell with her mother’s kin. When Aragorn and Arwen met for the second time, he was no longer young. He had grown to full stature in body and mind and his years lay upon his brow. Where once a boy had stood, now there was a lord of men. His face was sad and stern but his eyes were bright and his hope undaunted; dressed in the raimenants given to him by the Lady Galadriel, he appeared as though he was long dead Heroes of Men come again. Only then, when they met once more in Lothlórien, golden flowers all around them, did Arwen’s heart turn to Aragorn.
On Midsummer in the year 2980 of the Third Age, Aragorn and Arwen plighted their troth on Cerin Amroth. It would be many more years before they were wed but, at long last, in the 3019th year of the Third Age, they married.
Thus Arwen became the Queen of the Reunited Kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor. She and Aragorn had five children: the eldest was their son Eldarion and after him were his four sisters, each named in honor of a relative long passed from the world and the knowledge of Men. They were, in order, Tindómiel who would go on to wed Elboron son of Faramir and Eowyn; Eleránë who was named in honor of her paternal grandmother; and the twins Ninquelótë and Itarillë who were named after their maternal great-great grandmothers.
Arwen and Aragorn had many long and happy years together until at last Aragorn laid down his life and departed from the world. After taking leave of her children, and great was the sorrow at their parting, Arwen returned one final time to Lothlórien, now an empty and deserted realm. There upon Cerin Amroth she laid down her own life and sought out her beloved in the Circles Beyond.
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ettelenethelien · 2 months
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Headcanon: Female Rangers are never common among the Dunedain, but there's also always at least one because it's not forbidden either.
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iamnotshazam · 3 months
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Aragorn and Arwen have their son Eldarion twenty years after their wedding, and at least two or more daughters. That's the extent of canon info about their family after LotR. If we're going by what Tolkien's ghost would think is canonical pseudo-medieval gender roles, that's twenty years where the Reunited Kingdom has no heir.
Which is fine for Peredhel-turned-mortal Arwen, when elves can go centuries between having kids, and Dúnadan Aragorn, who knows he's got another 80-100 years in the tank before he *coughs politely* can't empty the tank. The Arnor Dúnedain, who for generations as an entire people have been crashing on Elrond's couch while larping at still having a kingdom, would understand this intuitively. But the people of Gondor (only a small percentage of which I think are Dúnedain?) may not quiiiiite understand this, not completely internalized it.
So they are hovering around Arwen, this beautiful alien creature that just landed in their backyard and snapped up the most available bachelor before he even came on the market, and she sometimes says outrageous things like "oh, I remember King Eärendur's wife liked this cookie recipe" and the servants and guests at tea cannot help but share a Look because that was 2160+ years ago, and does someone have to ask her if . . . if she knows what sex is?
In a pseudo medieval society it is the queen's duty to bear an heir, but like, she was raised an elf. Can we pressure her like we do our own kind into having grandbabies ASAP, or will she turn us into frogs? It's possible there are women who go through their entire reproductive years in between when Arwen has these kids. If Eldarion is her first then gossip in Minas Tirith for those twenty years must have been insane, waiting for an heir. Do elves even breed like we do? Did Beren and Lúthien spawn Dior Eluchíl in a pond? Did Tuor have to carry Eärendil like a seahorse? Do we have to catch a stork in the cabbage patch? Is Aragorn gonna have to lay eggs? What's the hold up?
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lesbiansforboromir · 28 days
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Why do you think Aragorn as accepted as a King? They don't have blood tests to confirm his identity and he is not even from Gondor (was probally born here, but not raised)
Oh no Aragorn was not born in Gondor, canonically speaking he was born in the north amongst the northern dunadain and that is his cultural heritage. And not only that, Aragorn's claim to the throne is legally shakey at BEST. His only claim to the line of Meneldil (original King of Gondor after Anarion and Elendil's deaths) is through a female line, which used to be an accepted path to kingship in Numenor, but was since entirely discarded by both Gondor AND Arnor (so not even Aragorn's own direct ancestors agreed with letting women rule kingdoms) And a previous legal ruling on this PRECISE ISSUE decreed that Aragorn's ancestor DID NOT have a right to Gondor's throne. So yes it's a good question isn't it? There are two answers!
#1 Gondor is still a partial if not full theocracy. This is one of those aspects of the book that doesnt really make sense unless you understand all the character's actions through the lense of catholicism and religious faith in general. Aragorn is 'Estel' or 'hope', but when people say 'hope' in Middle-earth what they mean is faith etc.
In lotr meta-logic the divine right to rule is a real thing that actually exists, god (Eru) literally wants Aragorn to be king. The characters within the story are aware of this to varying degrees, Boromir being one of the few characters who properly disregards this and wishes to view Aragorn's claim on it's own merit. Even Denethor knows and understands that Aragorn is chosen by god, and he's very bitter and angry about it! (good for him). But in general, all other characters including all Gondorian lords are 'faithful' or 'elendili', and within this religion the only people who could be called 'priests', who can bridge the divide between man and god, are their Kings. So, religiously, if Aragorn IS sent by god to rule them, then they would be committing a kind of heresy to refuse him. And remember, god literally exists in Arda canonically and so therefore does sin and heresy, not just in a moral way but also in a literal like... fact of nature kind of way.
So when Aragorn arrives in Pelargir with an army of ghosts it gives Lord Angbor FAITH in him. When Gandalf, an angel literally doing god's will, is his friend and expressly supports his claim the other lords of Gondor also are inspired to have faith in him. Aragorn spends a good deal of time after the siege of minas tirith ticking divine checklists for 'guy who should be king', he is not making a legal argument for his right to the Gondorian throne, he is making a religious argument for his right to rule over the entire population of 'the faithful' which includes Gondor AND Arnor, destroyed or not.
There WOULD be discussion though! Not everyone in Gondor is dunadain and not everyone is faithful in the way that the dunadain are faithful. Culturally the northern and southern dunadain have been seperated for 3000 years and a lot of people would have issues with being ruled by someone so other to them, even if he had lived among them for 10 years (though that does help). But in the end the lords of gondor are almost all dunadain and they all have to abide by the tenets of their faith, or '''fall''' and become '''lesser men''' than even the rohirrim (terrible I know 🙄) so they really had no choice but to support Aragorn in the end.
However, reason #2
Minas Tirith's armies were absolutely decimated after a weeks long siege and war before that, and what few soldiers were left were exhausted and barely functioning. Aragorn arrived at their gates and broke the siege with a full army who'd only done ONE fight and told everyone he was king of Gondor. What was Imrahil gonna do, say no?
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Maiar in 'The Lady of Ithilien'
(to be updated with new information as the story progresses. As such, things may change)
Eönwë
Herald and banner-bearer of Manwë, the High King of Arda. He's among the most powerful Maiar in Valinor and the mightiest in arms. Military leader and High Commander of the Host of the Valar, he was one of the key fighters during the War of Wrath, which marked the end of the First Age of the Sun.
Birth: he entered Arda shortly after it was created.
Married to Elenna of the House of Húrin in 21 FoA.
Fancast: Daniel Sharman
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Ilmarë
Eönwë's younger sister and handmaiden of Varda, Queen of the Valar and Manwë's wife. Along with her brother, she's one of the chiefs of the Maiar.
Birth: she entered Arda shortly after it was created.
Eventually married to Eldarion, Crown Prince of Gondor and Arnor.
Fancast: Matilda Lutz
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Olórin
Also known as Gandalf (one of his many aliases), he has served several Valar throughout the various ages of Arda. He's mainly associated with Manwë and Varda, but he also served Nienna, Valië of sorrow and compassion and Irmo, Vala of dreams and visions. (Olórin is a Quenya name and its meaning is something along the lines of "dream of mind")
Birth: he entered Arda shortly after it was created.
Fancast: Sir Ian McKellen (as Gandalf during the War of the Ring. He sticks to this form for a little while longer before switching back to his usual one); Bradley James (as Olórin)
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(they give the same vibe tbh)
Wilwarin
Maia serving Irmo and occasionally Nienna. She's had a major crush on Olórin ever since she met him. She's not the sharpest tool in the box (sorry girl, I still love you), but she's kind-hearted and keeps to herself because no one wants to befriend her due to her perceived stupidity. SHE NEEDS LOVE AND AFFECTION, which no one has ever given her because most Maiar are stuck up and arrogant. Extremely naïve and completely clueless at times, she's been nicknamed "Wilya" (meaning airhead) by her fellow Maiar. She's obsessed with Olórin because he's the only one who's ever actually interacted with her.
Birth: She entered Arda at the beginning of the Second Age of the Sun, following the War of Wrath.
Fancast: Tuğba Melis Türk
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Isilmë
Maia of Vayanna. Considered among the most beautiful Maiarin women to ever enter Arda, she has been obsessed with Eönwë ever since she first saw him. They had a brief fling following the War of Wrath, which, needless to say, ended very quickly (and badly). She's firmly convinced he's still in love with her and will do anything to get him back. Her name is Quenya for "moonlight".
Birth: she entered Arda following the War of Wrath (around the same time as Wilwarin)
Fancast: Beste Kökdemir
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Isilya
Maia of Yavanna. She's Isilmë's close friend (or so she believes). She fails to realize Isilmë doesn't really love her or value their friendship, but simply uses her for her own purposes. She blindly follows her "friend" and indistinctly agrees with everything the latter says or does, as she's been brainwashed into thinking she's perfect. She doesn't seem to have a mind of her own, modeling her own behavior after Isilmë, as she's afraid to lose the connection they share. She's petty and very annoying, but not inherently evil and might even redeem herself eventually. Who knows. Her name is Quenya for "the third day of the week" according to the Númenórean calendar.
(It might sound odd, but I picked the name purely because it sounds similar to Isilmë and because I like the sound of it, not necessarily because I had a specific idea. I'm terrible at naming characters, I know. Please don't be mean)
Birth: she entered Arda following the War of Wrath.
Fancast: Dilara Aksüyek
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Elenna's household
Four Maiarin ladies enter her service after her marriage to the Herald.
Handalimë
Originally a Maia of Vána, she is thoughtful, level-headed, smart and highly practical. Elenna is entrusted to her and she quickly grows fond of her new lady, becoming one of her most trusted servants and her main confidante. She's usually calm and collected and makes it her mission to protect her lady from anyone who might wish her harm—namely her sister Isilmë and a few of the Noldorin elves— and constantly worries about her. Her lady's well-being is her utmost priority.
Birth: she entered Arda sometime before the end of the First Age.
Fancast: Gülcan Arslan
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Naráel
A Maia of Aulë, she's spunky and crafty but also naive and shy. She loves making rings and necklaces and will be gifting many jewels to her new lady. She can often be found chatting with Gimli, as she's never seen a dwarf before and wants to know all about dwarf customs and traditions (for fairly obvious reasons, I'd say). Kind-hearted and wiser than she lets on, she loves sitting by fireplaces (and lighting them).
Birth: she entered Arda at the beginning of the Third Age.
Fancast: Sophie Turner
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Aranwen
A Maia of Nessa, she loves dancing, nature and poetry. She's not a great conversationalist, but when she does speak, one had better stop and listen. She loves reading and will spend many hours discussing books and history with her lady. She enjoys needlework and she's quite a good painter as well. She respects Elena greatly and often reassures her. Even though they get on each other's nerves quite often, she's great friends with Naráel. She too will spend a bit of time with Gimli, but only to try and convince him that ripping down trees is inherently bad. Nevertheless, she grows fond of the lord of the Glittering Caves- she and Legolas will try and teach him how to dance. Whether they will succeed is still unknown.
Birth: she entered Arda at the beginning of the Third Age.
Fancast: Rose Williams
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Elenya
Maia of Varda (the name is kind of a giveaway).
She's sweet, kind and very protective of Elenna. She often likes to remark how similar their names are and loves to recount stories that most have forgotten (star-related, of course). She was lady-in-waiting to Ilmarë before she volunteered to join Elenna's household.
Birth: she entered Arda during the Years of the Trees.
Fancast: Yasemin Allen
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camille-lachenille · 4 months
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Fourth Age headcanons (part 1/?):
Aragorn and Arwen's children: Eldarion, Tindómiel and Tinwërínel, Eldalótë
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About the picture: Eldarion is wearing the ring of Barahir as well as the Elessar. Tindómiel favours dark colours, especially the royal colours of Gondor, and a few pieces of jewellery. Tiwërínel prefers a lighter and brighter palette for her clothes, and most of her wardrobe is inspired by Elvish fashion. Eldalótë wears bright colours and Elvish cut gowns, and she prefers pearl jewelery.
Eldarion always looks grave and thoughtful (he’s got his dad’s resting bitch face) but is actually very kind and optimistic. He makes for a good king in times of peace, close to his people and always ready to improve their life conditions. One of his chief missions is to expand the school system his mother established even to the most remote parts of the kingdom and founding affordable universities, the most famed being led by his sister. He is very fond of the sea, and spends as much of his time as he can in the coastal regions of his kingdom. He meets his wife, Medliniel, in Dol-Amroth, and they have a daughter, Míriel, who succeeds him on the throne.
Tindómiel and Tinwërínel are twins, born four years after Eldarion.
Tindómiel is stern and studious, preferring the company of old books to people. She is fiercely protective of her family and, much to the amusement of her parents inherited many of Elrond's mannerisms, notably his Disappointed GlareTM. Famed lore mistress, Tindómiel is the Lady of Isengard and dedicates her life to cataloguing and archiving all the things Saruman and his predecessors left in the tower of Orthanc, turning it in a high place of knowledge and studies in the Reunited Kingdom. She remains unwed but considers all the women of Gondor, Arnor, Rohan and beyond she taught as her daughters. She names one of her great-nieces as her heiress, declaring that the fiefdom of Isengard should always be ruled by a woman since men brought only ruin there. The Ladies of Isengard become known across all of Middle-Earth for their wisdom and knowledge.
Tinwërínel is as extroverted as her twin is introverted and she thrives in the political landscape of the Reunited Kingdom. Clever politician and ruthless diplomat, or vice versa depending of the situation, she is one of her father's most trusted advisors and he names her Stewardess of Arnor. Tinwërínel has to abdicate the function when she marries Elboron and becomes Princess of Ithilien, but she remains an active politician even as she raises three sons, and is part of her brother's council. She remains widowed at the age of 110 and returns to Annúminas where she is Chief Advisor of the Steward of Arnor until her death, several decades later.
Eldalótë, born seven years after the twins, is the splitting image of her mother, with her father’s love for wild places and his gift for healing. She is more than happy to be the youngest of the family, as it allows her to travel and explore without any care for politics. When in Gondor, Eldalótë spends most of her time studying the arts of healing, be it in Minas Tirith or beside Éowyn. It is during one of her stays in Ithilien that she meets Elfwine of Rohan, and they quickly start a secret courtship. They wed the year after she comes of age, making her queen of Rohan much to her dismay and her family’s amusement. Despite her initial reluctance, Eldalótë settles well enough in her role and dedicates much of her rule to building Houses of Healing in Edoras. She outlives her husband and, once their son is secure in his rule, Eldalótë leaves Rohan and divides her time between Minas Tirith, Orthanc and Annúminas. She is remembered in Rohan for her great kindess and constant cheerfulness.
About Eldarion's daughter under the cut:
King Eldarion of the House Telcontar, second king of the Reunited Kingdom, his wife Medliniel and their only daughter Míriel
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About the picture: Eldarion didn't change his style much as he appears here in his regalia. Míriel is wearing her formal court attire, icluding the ring of Barahir and the Elessar. The cut of her sleeves is a nod to her Elven ancestry while imitating a cape at the same time, which gives her more freedom of movement than wearing an actual cape. Medliniel comes from lesser nobility and she is more comfortable wearing simpler clothes (compared to her husband and daughter) and favours blue, the colour od Dol Amroth, over red and black.
CW mentions of miscarriage
Eldarion meets Medliniel in Dol-Amroth and it is love at first sight for the both of them. They wed after the shortest courtship and engagement possible without seeming entirely inappropriate and are expecting a child within the year. Unfortunately, Medliniel looses the baby and it takes them a long time before trying again. Medliniel miscarries twice more before finally giving birth to a healthy little girl they name Míriel. Eldarion and Medliniel commonly agree not to try for more children because another pregnancy could be fatal to her. They cherish their daughter and make sure she gets the best possible education as a future queen.
Míriel spends most of her childhood with her parents doting on her, but she also makes long stays by her various aunts and cousins to perfection her education. She studies history and ancient lore in Orthanc under the strict instruction of Tindómiel, rides wildly across Rohan with Eldalótë and learns the subtlety of both ruling and motherhood by her aunt Tinwërinel’s side. Strong minded and free hearted, Míriel has three children without ever marrying, though she openly lives with her lover and make no secret he is the father of her children.
When she becomes the first Ruling Queen of the Reunited Kingdom, Míriel continues many of the social refoms started by her father and grandfather. Her greatest accomplishent is to see Osgiliath fully restored to its former glory and, by the end of her reign, she even moves the capital from Minas Tirith back to Osgiliath. Her reign is highly controversed by the nobility but she is well loved by her people, especially the women. In fact, Míriel leads a great reform of the laws revolving around family, marriage and inheritance, and made sure women had equal rights over their children with their husband. She also funded a network of shelters for abused women and children.
And I'll stop here before turning this massive post into a fully fleshed fanfiction.
Next post of this series will be about Tinwërínel and Eldalótë's lives and their children.
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What are your thoughts and theories about Dunedain women? They're not really named or talked about, but they must exist
You’re so right! And thank you for this ask! :)
The Dúnedain women are fascinating, and I wish Tolkien had written more about them. I’m assuming you’re asking about Dúnedain women in Middle-earth, but I want to go back earlier and talk about the Númenoreans first.
There were three Ruling Queens of Númenor—Tar-Ancalimë, Tar-Telperiën and Tar-Vanimeldë—but there would have been four, if Tar-Míriel had not been forced to marry Ar-Pharazôn against her will. I find Míriel’s fate really tragic. Not only did her cousin force her to marry him and usurp the throne from her, then she had to watch as he became more and more corrupt and authoritarian (under Sauron’s influence) and ultimately brought about the downfall of her kingdom.
But I find it really interesting that (until Ar-Pharazôn ruined everything) Númenor had such egalitarian rules of succession. This was because Tar-Aldarion changed the laws so that Tar-Ancalimë, his daughter, could inherit the crown from him. Although Númenor had male-only primogeniture before that, I think it’s important to note that this law change happened quite early in its history—Númenor had twenty-five rulers, and Tar-Aldarion was the sixth. It’s also interesting to me that a power-hungry man illegitimately taking away the political authority of a woman is such an essential part of the downfall of Númenor.
And speaking of a man usurping the rightful Queen, I’m still mad that Fíriel didn’t become the Ruling Queen of Gondor after her father, King Ondoher, and her two elder brothers, were killed. She was the rightful heir to the throne according to the ancient laws of Númenor! She should have become Queen of Gondor! (I’ve been upset about this ever since I was 13 years old and reading the ROTK appendices for the first time.) But Eärnil II claimed the crown, and then his son Eärnur received it, and he was killed, and the rule of Gondor passed to the Stewards; and Eärnur was the last King of Gondor until Aragorn took the throne more than 900 years later, so once again, a man usurping a woman’s political power led to extremely dire consequences for the Dúnedain. If Eärnil hadn’t wrongfully taken the crown from Fíriel, the line of Kings and Queens wouldn’t have been broken and Gondor and Arnor wouldn’t have fallen into disarray.
(I think the narrative agrees with me, too, because Eärnur was described as valiant but not wise, a man who took pleasure chiefly in fighting, and he ultimately died because he was too proud to refuse a challenge from the Lord of Minas Morgul. Is this who should have been ruling Gondor? No. It explicitly says in the appendices, ‘It may be that if the crown and the sceptre had been united, then the kingship would have been maintained and much evil averted.’ Fíriel should have been given the crown! Another point in my favor is that Aragorn was descended from Fíriel, the rightful line. It says, ‘Arvedui did not press his claim; for he had neither the power nor the will to oppose the choice of the Dúnedain of Gondor; yet the claim was never forgotten by his descendants even when their kingship had passed away.’ That’s right! I fully believe that Aragorn reinstated the Númenorean law of succession when he became King, allowing for there to be Ruling Queens after his reign.)
But if there is not enough written about the Queens of Númenor and Gondor, there is even less about Dúnedain women who weren’t of royal blood. I love the idea that in later years, after the Númenoreans founded Gondor and Arnor, some of them would have become rangers alongside the male Dúnedain. Because why not? The fact that Númenor had Ruling Queens suggests that women could have had many of the same rights as men, so I see no reason why they couldn’t have done all the same things men did. I’d love to see more stories about them.
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tanoraqui · 2 years
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a Silm headcanon that idk if/how I’ll ever integrate clearly into fic is that a lasting effect of the Exiled Noldor in northwestern Middle Earth, especially but not exclusively lands once dominated by Númenoreans, is a general cultural agreement on the moral importance of being caring and conscientious of women who are far along in pregnancy or who have given birth in the past year. Because the entire Noldorin royal family had a Thing about this and you know it. Everyone was twitchy every time Indis had a new baby, everyone was twitchy whenever Nerdanel did, and then Anairë, Eärwen, eventually the granddaughters-in-law… Even Feanor was always mostly polite to his (half-)sister-in-laws in the immediate wake of childbirth, just in case his words might be the straw on the camel’s back of their hypothetical deadly exhaustion. Aredhel and Galadriel both scolded themselves at least once while pregnant for being anxious about following Miriel, despite having no relation to her whatsoever.
For the Finweans it wasn’t a moral issue, obviously, just a massive multi-generational, trauma-based anxiety. But by the time it filters through the many channels of the general Noldorin population, the Northern Sindar they ruled for a while, the Men they ruled/allied with likewise, the thousands of years of Lindon, Númenor, Gondor and Arnor… It’s just common decency to be particularly courteous to a woman for about a year after she gives birth. It’s like thanking someone for a gift—universal good manners. And if you don’t give a woman a full year of maternity leave, you’re side-eyed hard as an employer.
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warrioreowynofrohan · 8 months
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Favourite Female Tolkien Character Poll - Round 1, Match 28
There are three polls today, all featuring women of Gondor and Arnor!
Berúthiel
A queen of Gondor remembered for her cats. From a note in Unfinished Tales:
She was the nefarious, solitary, and loveless wife of Tarannon, twelfth King of Gondor and first of the ‘ship-kings,’ who took the crown in the name of Falastur (‘Lord of the Coasts’), and was the first childless king. Berúthiel lived in the King’s House in Osgiliath, hating the sounds and smells of the sea and the house that Tarannon built below Pelargir ‘upon arches whose feet stood deep in the wide waters of Ethir Anduin’; she hated all making, all colours and elaborate adornment, wearing only black and silver and living in bare chambers, and the gardens of the house in Osgiliath were filled with tormented sculptures beneath cypresses and yews.
She had nine black cats and one white [my note: sonehow this feels like a metaphor/imagery for Sauron and the Ringwraiths], her slaves, with whom she conversed, or read their memories, setting them to discover all the dark secrets of Gondor, so that she knew those things ‘that men wish most to keep hidden’, setting the white cat to spy on the black, and tormenting them. No man in Gondor dared to touch them; all were afraid of them, and cursed when they saw them pass.
…her name was erased from the Book of the Kings…and King Tarannon had her set on a ship alone with her cats and set adrift on the sea before a north wind. The ship was last seen flying past Umbar under a sickle moon, with a cat at the masthead and another as a figure-head on the prow.
Vidumavi
She married Valacar prince of Gondor and their son was Eldacar (if you followed the Obscure Tolkien Blorbo poll tournament, you may have heard of him).
Gondor had sought good relations with the Northmen, who lived the plains surrounding the south of Greenwood the Great. King Rómendacil II of Gondor sent his son Valacar to live for a while with Vidugavia, the king or chieftain of lands east of southern Greenwood. Valacar went further than he expected in marrying Vidugavia’s daughter Vidumavi. People in Gondor did not like this, regarding the Northmen as lesser than them, and fearing that intermarriage would make their descendents shorter-lived. After Vidumavi’s death, when Eldacar became king, there was a rebellion and civil war called the Kin-strife, in which Eldacar was ultimately victorious.
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shantismurf · 2 months
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Bagginshield Book Club Discussion #37:
An Unexpected Attachment by lily_winterwood
Our next discussion will be happening on Saturday, February 10th at 10am CST. Continuing with the month of romance will be discussing the wonderfully romantic Bridgerton crossover, An Unexpected Attachment by lily_winterwood. See you then! 💖
An Unexpected Attachment by lily_winterwood https://archiveofourown.org/works/30315300 Rating: Mature (borderline Explicit) Length: 25,220 Warnings: none Notes: When I saw that this was a Bridgerton crossover I was hopeful, but when I saw "The Regency Handholding Trope" as a tag I knew, we just had to read this one to honor our long-standing wrist-touching joke. Even better, it ends with a very Mature borderline Explicit scene a la Bridgerton canon. It's very skippable from the time they find their rooms in the last chapter, but also makes for a nice sweet ending, if that's your thing. Summary: Hobbiton, Shire Reckoning 1341. My dear readers, the time has now come to place our bets for the upcoming Shire social season. As ever, this curious period from the end of Winter to the beginning of Summer is an excellent time for the marriageable young men and women of the Kingdom of Arnor to meet one another and make advantageous matches. This year there is all reason to believe that King Thorin II of Erebor, who is planning to tour Eriador on a goodwill trip this spring, will also be participating in the merriment. But the most notable attendee for the past seven years has, indeed, been Bilbo Baggins, the Golden Hare of the Shire. None who have made offers to him over these past few years have been accepted, but that does not seem to stop the relentless hunt for his hand. Will King Thorin find his match in the Shire this season? Will we finally see the Golden Hare ensnared? Only time will tell. Or: five social events where Bilbo Baggins and King Thorin II of Erebor were pretending to court, and one where they weren’t. (A Bagginshield Bridgerton AU) ----------
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Literally no one asked for this, but also I was inspired to finally write this all out because I've seen a couple of other posts about this cross my dash. So. I said that one day I would write a post about the parallels between Finrod and Turgon and their stories.
That day has come.
First off, they were born in the same year. If you look at the (sparse and rather unreliable) data we have on timelines for when other elves who are considered of the same generation are born, this is VERY uncommon. The only time it happens again is Aredhel and Galadriel, iirc, and I haven't had the time or energy to unpack any narrative parallels they might have as of yet.
Then, of course, we have very little information about their time in Valinor except that they were besties. Which makes sense. We DO know, however, that they both fell in love with Vanyarin women, Elenwe and Amarie, and lost them during the Flight of the Noldor. Elenwe dying during the crossing of the Helcaraxe, and Finrod leaving Amarie behind. Finrod and Amarie were seperated because she didn't follow him, and Turgon and Elenwe were seperated because she did.
After arriving in Beleriand, Finrod builds Minas Tirith and Turgon builds Vinyamar. It's been a while since I've reread the silm, so I actually don't remember a whole lot of details about Vinyamar. But my big point here is that Minas Tirith is on Tol Sirion on the river Sirion, and Vinyamar faced the sea. Both cities were strongly associated with bodies of water. There's also an interesting contrast in their fates. While Vinyamar was never touched by Morgoth or his servants, Minas Tirith eventually become Tol-in-Gaurhoth, the fortress of Sauron. Vinyamar was also an important location for Tuor, and Tol-in-Gaurhoth became an important location for Beren, both of whom ended up marrying elvish princesses of hidden realms.
Of course, there's the most obvious connection, with them both being given a dream by Ulmo instructing them to build hidden strongholds, after which they leave their original cities to build new ones. They also both have a tendency to take in and befriend mortal men. Húrin and Huor for Turgon and Beor, Barahir, and Andreth for Finrod. They were also both rescued from almost certain death in battle by said mortal men
And then we've got the stories of their deaths and the ruin of their cities. While these don't match up chronologically, they do have a LOT of parallels.
They both took in a nephew after one of their siblings died. Orodreth and Maeglin. Orodreth is trying desperately to fill Finrod's role, while Maeglin wants to undermine Turgon. Both stories heavily involve the influence of a mortal man who was close to the king. Also, Maeglin's and Turin's influence over Turgon and Orodreth, respectively, cause the kings to ignore the advice of even their most trusted advisors against their better judgement. Ultimately, both are destroyed.
Their deaths are also, like, not quite mirror images of each other. Finrod, who spent his time in Beleriand making friends, died with only one other person by his side, in a dungeon deep underground, because he was trying to help along what becomes one of the greatest love stories in Middle Earth. Turgon, who spent all his time in Beleriand hiding away, died surrounded by people who refused to leave him, in a high tower, because of Maeglin's love turned to darkness. They were both betrayed by family members they had taken in (Celegorm, Curufin, and Maeglin), and died in the towers they built.
Turgon's legacy is deeply entwined in the fate of Middle Earth through Idril and her descendants, while Finrod ultimately leaves very little behind. However, they both have massive lasting impacts on the Edain of Numenor. Especially the royal family, with the Kings of Numenor, Arnor, and Gondor being descended from Turgon, and the Ring of Barahir being passed down as an heirloom and symbol of the kingship (at least when they want to be associated with the eldar).
I don't know if there's more narrative significance to this than I'm seeing at the moment, I just noticed this after rereading one time and couldn't stop thinking about it. It's one of the reasons I love their relationship so much.
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fashi0nmistake · 2 years
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THE WIVES OF ISILDUR’S HEIRS 19/20
The wife of Arador was Elemmírë. Elemmírë was always mindful of her duty; she bore the struggles and grief of the Dúnedain without hesitation. She outlived all she loved, friends and family alike, save for one: her grandson Aragorn.
Gilraen was the wife of Arathorn II and the mother of Elessar. She was young when she wed; she was young when she bore her son; and she was far too young when she was widowed. Perhaps, in the end, Gilraen is best described in her own words: she gave hope to the world but kept none for herself.
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anghraine · 2 years
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I just remembered the other thing I was going to say on my Arvedui and Pelendur post earlier today.
It’s sometimes presumed that Aragorn’s claim to the throne of Gondor is interchangeable with Arvedui’s, but this isn’t true. Arvedui pretended or believed that Númenor allowing women and their children to inherit somehow gave him a claim to the throne of Gondor as Princess Fíriel’s husband. He was wrong. Under Númenórean law, he would be a usurper had he succeeded, either of Fíriel or of their son Aranarth. But Aragorn is Aranarth’s heir, so had he chosen to claim the throne through Fíriel, the claim on that side would not be nearly so groundless.
However, Aragorn doesn’t actually try to make that claim. He firmly identifies himself as the heir of Isildur and claims the throne of Gondor as heir of Valandil -> Isildur -> Elendil, evading the entire prickly issue of royal inheritance through the female line (something that neither Arnor/Arthedain nor Gondor ever permitted, though the Stewards managed it by not claiming royalty).
On top of that, though, the rejection by Pelendur and the Council of Gondor is so sweeping that I suspect they would have rejected any argument that Arvedui made. This is veering into headcanon, but I think their overriding concern—above misogyny, above whatever Isildur may or may not have intended—was the subordination of Gondor’s interests to Arthedain’s. And Pelendur was a descendant of Anárion (according to POME and NOME) through some line that couldn’t claim the throne—likely through a female line. He excluded himself and his own descendants from the succession forever to keep the house of Isildur out of Gondor.
Something that’s interesting about Aragorn in the book, though, is that he’s ... pretty damn enthusiastic about becoming King of Gondor for its own sake. Like, yes, he restores Arnor and reunites the kingdoms and all, but I think it’s clear that Gondor is not subordinated to Arnor in his rule or mind. If anything, the end of “The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen” indicates that Aragorn’s rule was centered on Minas Anor to the end of his very long life.
So while the heirs of Isildur were eventually able to take power in Gondor, it makes sense that Aragorn—the victorious captain who was willing to jeopardize himself for Gondor and who clearly loves and values it for its own sake, and who is much more straightforward and honest about his claim—was a lot more palatable to Gondorians than Arvedui would have ever been. And it certainly didn’t turn out in the way that I think Pelendur and the Council might have feared.
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olivieblake · 1 year
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Hi Olivie!!
So here is part 2 of the praise that I owe you hahah. Again I will try to keep it as short as I, a rambler, possibly can!
Spoilers for Midsummer Night Dreams and My Mechanical Romance included
Midsummer Night Dreams:
The Wish Bridge: NILE AND LILA MY LOVES!!! They were adorable like I’m actually obsessed with them. How he said “no matter what happens i’ll just keep finding you” and he always did. BUT THE ANGST OF HER ALWAYS HAVING TO LEAVE UGH INCREDIBLE. Then how he wished to take her place because he knew she wanted to get out and live. But when she’s out she tries to find ways to be close to Nile and learns he was always chasing a river to find the bridge he always talks about (and how he always talks about a girl with lilac eyes). How the bridge and her were his favorite place and how his smile makes her stupidly happy. They just make me 🥺🥺🥺. My babies now I’m claiming them. Also the little murderesque love rectangle? between the side characters cracked me up hahah thank you providing humor with the angst you the best.
Avalon: Just know the quote: “Wherever he was, it amounted to undefinable bliss in her presence. She was a magic of sorts, a drug, a fire and a food all her own, and she diminished him wholeheartedly to blissful panic, to heavenly fear, to breathlessness and wonder, all with the spellbinding cruelty of her smile. With her, he felt he could see directly through to his future, and for each glimpse of it that he stole, he imagined it to be a gallery wall, filled to the moldings each time with portraits and landscape of her.” has permanently been in my head since I read it in this story. Him resetting after he finally met her killed me 😭
The Twelve Huntsmen: Soffia is a boss ass bitch I love her so much and this story really showed girl power. I am so incredibly happy she realized she deserved better than Steffan and got to be with Arnor in the end. Also Fridrick and Ragna together felt like a win for me I was hardcore shipping them throghout the story.
How to Dispel Friends and Curse People (Letters From An Aspiring Poet to the Village Witch): This one was my favorite of the collection! I swear every single page of this story is tabbed the quotes were everything. Can you plese write more poetry it was so good. Like this was filled with so many bangers like “you look lovelist when you’re curing me” “And I’ll see you tomorrow so we can do it all again”“if I can make you laugh half as well as you can then i think I’ll probably be happy enough with that” “the magical thing about you is how you are both these things at once” “I would dig up bodies for you if you needed it.” THEN WHEN HE GETS TAKEN SHE COMES TO THE RESCUE AND SAYS YOU CAN’T HAVE HIM THAT’S MY IDIOT (I SCREAMED),and “but I made you happy so we both win.” LIKE TRULY ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? This story was amazing. I still have not stopped thinking about it daily and I read it in May/June. Thank you for this story.
Sucker For Pain: I think this is one of the few love triangles in existence that I don’t have a preferred ship haha I loved Nora and Edmund in one way then loved Nora and Ives in another (plus Ives is a vampire so like he really did not have to try hard). I was very shocked she turned Edmund into a vampire. I was not expecting that but I’m very thankful because now she gets to keep both! P.S thanks for all the vampires in some of your books from a girl who will never be out of her vampire era.
This one was so fun I really enjoyed all the stories!!! I’m looking forward to finally reading The Lover’s Grim soon!!
My Mechanical Romance:
I really want to say thank you for this book, as a woman in STEM (although more the bio/chem side of STEM) this book would have beens so important for little Amanda to read before starting college (I mean it still meant a lot now but I think the impact would have hit even harder then) but I’m very happy it exists for young women today. I definitely have dealt with the same interactions and thoughts as Bel and Neelam and the little girl moments when she comes up at the end to them was very emotional for me (so did the acknowledgements 😭😭😭
However, I also really related to Teo a lot and reading his POV really felt like I was looking through a mirror to when I was younger and in ways my present day self. We both have fears of failure, fears of disappointing others, feel the need to be the responsible role, and fix everyone else’s problems before our own. I like how you said in an interview that he has to redefine his version of failure in this because it’s so true for both him and me. I really learned how to do that and how to focus on myself more in college, although it's always a work in progress. There’s very few characters I relate to in the same ways as Teo, because we share so many insecurities, but it was really interesting and introspective to get to read his POV for that purpose.
Love my teammates with tension TeoBel forever. Love how supportive they were of one another always. I seem to remember an interview I watched where you said Neelam would be good with a fake dating trope sooooo when is that 👀 (I’m kidding kind of).
I’m also hoping to go to the Boston Book Festival while you are there as Alexene to come say hi and talk about the book! So hopefully see you then!
So I wrote out the rest for the last book I’ve finished but it’s really long sooo I’ll stop here and just make a part 3 so this isn’t super super long!
-Amanda ❤️
I’m really happy I got to see you in boston this fall!!! and so excited to hear MMR means that much to you. that YA panel was great—I haven’t had many opportunities to talk specifically about that book and what the characters mean to me (bel’s identity and teo’s fear of failure, specifically) and it makes me really happy you were there for that particular talk
the poems to the village witch are my favorite, too. I always credit that particular anthology to the point where my romantic leads took a shift from broody masculine lead to… well, the poet? and nile, beloved nile. the wish bridge is mr blake’s favorite story of mine, which is the most significant proof I have of him being a cancer
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quirk-nova · 8 months
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Tate Haggard
A whimsical and free-spirited human who represents Deer. Tate can use the Deer Glove to gain the abilities of deer. He grew up in a forest community consisting mostly of women and children, which is why he can often relate to them more than men.
Headcanon Voice: Matthew Mercer
Olivert Reise Arnor Voice - The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III (Video Game) - Behind The Voice Actors
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Small Hands 2: Ioreth of Gondor
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Can we talk for a second about the most overlooked hero of the siege of Minas Tirith? I mean my girl Ioreth, an assistant at the Houses of Healing, who is probably the character across the entire legendarium who is the most egregious combination of wise and totally disrespected.
When we first meet Ioreth, we're told right away that she's an old woman. That's based both on the physical description of her as an old woman and the fact that her name literally means "old woman" in Sindarin (leaving us to wonder exactly what Ioreth's parents were all about when they settled on a name for their little infant child many years ago). Whenever she talks, which she tends to do in a rushing stream of extremely verbose thoughts and digressions, you can practically hear everyone around her roll their eyes and start to tune out. More often than not, someone cuts her off before she's done talking. But even when she gets a complete thought out, her ideas and opinions are ignored or even outright mocked. In essence, Ioreth is roundly treated like a batty old grandma whose presence is tolerated but no one takes seriously.
That reaction, however, misses several major truths about our Ioreth. For one, she's incredibly brave. Let's not forget that she chose to remain in a city under siege. While all the other women have been evacuated, Ioreth remained in order to treat the sick and wounded--a monumental task, given the conditions--for as long as the city still stood. Based on the information available to Ioreth at the time, she couldn't have had many illusions about ever getting out of Minas Tirith alive. She could probably hope, at best, for a death that wouldn't be too brutal or prolonged. But she still stayed!
More importantly, Ioreth might not be book smart or sophisticated, but she's the Gondorian equivalent of street smart. She has that wisdom that comes from a long life of experience and a deep respect for traditional ways and customs. As a result, Ioreth is the only one to remember the critical old adage that the hands of a king are the hands of a healer, thus giving Gandalf the idea that Aragorn could heal Faramir, Eowyn and Merry. It's been more than a thousand years, at this point, since Gondor had a king, and the serious and learned men of the land have long since forgotten this ancient wisdom or dismiss it as (in this case literally) an old wives tale. But Ioreth remembers, and if she hadn't spoken up--and had at least one person in Gondor willing to actually listen to what she said--everyone in the Houses that had been afflicted by the Nazgul would probably have died. No happy reunion of our hobbits, no love story of Faramir and Eowyn, no happy end for Eomer, and perhaps no peaceful transition of power in Gondor without a living steward to hand over authority to King Elessar.
Old women are easily overlooked and dismissed even here in our world, and it's a shame that the fantasy world of Middle Earth is no better on that score. But the fact is that Ioreth's commitment to the traditions and knowledge of her ancestors and her willingness to give her opinion EVEN WHEN SHE KNOWS SHE WILL ALMOST ASSUREDLY BE IGNORED ends up not only saving the lives of 3 beloved and important people but probably shoring up the political stability of Gondor itself and, thus, ensuring the happy peace that King Elessar is able to preside over for all of the disparate lands of Gondor and Arnor.
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