polutropos

Innumerable Stars 2025: Dear Creator

2025-08-23T21:54:57Z

Dear Creator,

Thank you for writing for me! I hope this heap of prompts is inspiring and not overwhelming. Please be assured I will be delighted with anything you create and expect no more than the word/sketch minimum for this exchange. I am a slow writer myself and believe 1000 words can be just as powerful as 10 000. That being said, long works will also be gladly received.

Treats are more than welcome!

General Likes

canon-compatibility (exploitation of loopholes and alternate versions warmly welcomed)
engagement with Tolkien's themes and ideas
complicated and messy relationships
explicit and non-explicit sexual scenes (the full spectrum from “because it’s hot” to “because of the disturbing psychosexual drama”)
unconventional writing formats (epistolary, testimonial, academic pastiche, etc.)
For art: bold colours, intense emotion, characters of colour, global cultural influences and inspiration, Elves whose experience and world-weariness shows in their appearance.

Feel free to include

first or second person pov
violence, death, noncon, and underage (with good narrative/artistic reason, please not just to be shocking)

DNW

unrequested characters showing up at implausible times and locations without explanation
unrequested canon divergences
content: alcohol abuse, deliberate and cruel violence against animals (hunting is okay) and young children (accidental injury is okay), graphic descriptions of bodily injury or meat preparation & consumption
See prompts for prompt-specific DNWs.

THE SILMARILLION - J.R.R. TOLKIEN

Daeron is Lúthien's half-sibling. Fic. Tolkien rejected the idea of his Tinuviel having a brother named Dairon, and I usually do also – but what if we meet halfway and make Daeron Lúthien’s half-sibling? Is the common parent Melian, or Thingol? Who is the other parent (I’ve entertained Eöl/Melian parentage, but there are options)? The Silm only gives us one example of half-siblings and that goes famously poorly. Would this relationship also go badly? How does this change Daeron’s motives and behaviour in the Leithian? Feel free to mix in Daeron/Luthien, Luthien/Thingol, and/or Daeron/Maeglin and make it as complicated and messy as you like. Canon divergences are welcomed here, naturally.

Emeldir and the Bëorians in Brethil. Fic or art. I would just love to know more about the refugees of Dorthonion and about Emeldir Manhearted. How did the Haladin receive them? How did they cope with their trauma? Did Emeldir ever see her famous son again? How long did she live, where did she die? Focus on Emeldir herself would be great, but any canon characters (Morwen, Rian, Hiril… I’ll let you look at the family trees and figure out who could be there lol) and/or OCs are welcome.

Refugees of Nargothrond in Doriath. Fic or art. This happened!! What was it like? Who went? How did they like it? I like to think of this as a high point in Thingol’s arc, when he’s at his most open-hearted after all he’s been through, and that this leads to him welcoming anyone from Nargothrond into his realm, Noldor and Sindar alike (maybe even Celebrimbor... think about it!). But maybe you disagree, and I’m keen to see your take. Canon characters and OCs welcome.

Implications of Surviving Rape in a Society Which Believes It's Impossible. Fic or art. I’m fascinated by this dark worldbuilding prompt. Could lend itself well to a testimonial fic. Commoner OCs would be very welcome. Could be combined with Avarin cultures and/or The life of Elvish slaves in Angband.

Impact(s) of the War of Wrath on the Religious/Moral Sensibilities of its Survivors. Fic or art. I’m also fascinated by this prompt. What is it like returning to Aman after you’ve fought a protracted war and witnessed the drowning of a continent? The Elves who stayed supposedly did so out of love of Middle-earth, but could they have had reasons to distrust Aman? A focus on Ingwion could be interesting, or perhaps Lalwen as someone who stays, but any canon character or OC is welcome. Could work well as academic pastiche, testimonials, or epistolary. Valar-critical ok, naturally.

Politics and culture of Balar in the late First Age. Fic. There’s quite a bit of fic set in the Havens of Sirion, exploring the many facets of this multicultural settlement of refugees, and I love it. But what was happening off the coast on the Isle of Balar? When was Balar settled? How often did people travel between Balar and the Havens? Did Gil-galad rule over the Havens, or was his power effectively confined to Balar? Or did Círdan rule the people of Balar, with Gil-galad more of a symbolic king than anything else? Was Balar almost all Falathrim, or were there Noldor, even Men, living there? What was their architecture like? What did they eat? Did any of the host of the West ever visit Balar?

Could be combined with Gil-galad/Maedhros or Earendil/Elwing/Gil-galad. I love Idril/Tuor/Voronwe. I’d also be keen to see some Gen set on Balar, like Cirdan & Eärendil, Eärendil and his crew, Eärendil & Elwing as children, Eärendil and/or Elwing & Idril and/or Tuor, Círdan & Gil-galad, other canon characters who could have dwelt or visited there, and/or OCs!

Underground Queer spaces in Aman. Fic. What are the Amanyarin attitudes to queer identities? Where do Queer Elves go to be themselves? Could be anything from a profound meditation on queer identity to a crazy sex party. I’m imagining Pre-Darkening but it could be any time! Some ships I would particularly like to see in this context: Finrod/Maglor, Glorfindel/Maglor, Glorfindel/Ecthelion, any combination of Amarie/Elenwe/Finrod/Turgon, Finwe/Miriel (but make them queer). Curufin/Melkor could also work interestingly in combination with this.

Avarin cultures. Fic or art. Tell me a story, in words or art, about some Avari OCs! I’m especially interested in the inhabitants of Taur-im-Duinath.

The life of Elvish slaves in Angband. Fic or art. Would love to see this with a focus on Gwindor. Could also be combined with Implications of Surviving Rape in a Society Which Believes It's Impossible if you want to go dark. Horror and violence okay here, but would rather they not be dwelt upon for paragraphs. I’m especially interested in the psychological experience of being a slave of Morgoth. Please DNW Morgoth or Sauron POV or redemption/sympathy; DNW Maedhros, I want to see a different Elf in Angband. Sympathy for orcs or other servants of Angband is welcome.

Gil-galad/Maedhros. Fic. Gil-galad son of Fingon with past Russingon please! Russingon of any flavour: romantic, unrequited, exes, tumultuous. I’m imagining Maedhros (& probably Maglor) ends up on Balar in the final years/days of the War of Wrath (does he have to beg? Do they show up like bandits in the night and hide away on the beach?), but if you can find other ways to get them together, then by all means. I want it to be MESSY.

Ecthelion/Fingon. Fic or art. “I killed the Balrog who killed you” dynamic. Also, hello, is this ship not super aesthetically pleasing to you? Were they lovers in Aman? Did they become lovers on the Helcaraxë? Did one of them love/lust for the other from afar? What did it mean for them to separate? Or do they become lovers only after rebirth, bonding over death-by-Gothmog trauma? Please no Russingon or other ships in this one, I just want it to be about them.

Enerdhil/Fëanor. Fic. Enerdhil, greatest smith after Feanor and creator of the Elessar (or was he?). Who is this guy? How’d he become so great? By studying with (and fucking) Fëanor, of course! Was it in Aman? Or did Enerdhil follow Fëanor to Middle-earth to the bitter end, and only after his teacher/lover’s death repent and join Turgon’s people? I see this one very angsty. Some dubious consent and power imbalance would be at home here, but not required.

Amrod/Nerdanel. Fic or art. Let’s go full Greek tragedy and dig into the psychological miasma of mother/son incest! And who better than Nerdanel and the son she *begged* Fëanor to leave with her? The son who then attempted to break his oath and sail back to her? Make it soooo messy. Underage ok, but please no sex with a pre-pubescent Amrod. I think this one would work best with a focus on the psychology of it all, but if a few thousand words of explicit sex seems like the wind that will fill this ship’s sails, then you go for it.

Amras/Amrod. Fic or art. Could be combined with the above for the ultimate incest soup. I do not understand why the fandom is sleeping on the Feanorian twincest. I am a fan of Lightly Toasted Amrod (is seriously burned/injured/harmed as Losgar but does not die). You can see some of my HCs about them here, here, here, and here. Also, I am picky about the names (it’s a personality flaw), so if you are using Quenya names, please make Amrod (Ambarto/Umbarto) the youngest and father-named Telufinwë; Amras (Ambarussa) the eldest and father-named Pityafinwë, and please do not have Amrod go by the name Ambarto in Aman (before events determined who the ‘Umbarto’/Fated one is). I am quite fond of their names Minyarussa (First Russa, Amras *to me*) and Atyarussa (Second Russa, Amrod *to me*).

Anairë/Elwing, Elwing & Fingolfin. Fic. Fingolfin meets his great-granddaughter-in-law. Elwing finds in him someone who understands. He understands why she despaired; why she leapt into the sea. Then Elwing meets Fingolfin’s wife and… a sapphic romance blooms. I see Fingolfin and Eärendil as both okay with this.

Eärendil & Fëanor. Fic or art. Fëanor breaks the Silmarils at Dagor Dagorath, but first Eärendil has to surrender his. What is their meeting like? What would the man who bore the Silmaril in solitude for all the ages of the world say to the man who crafted it? Or maybe Fëanor is re-embodied sooner. What would the man whose people and whose wife’s people were destroyed for the sake of a jewel say to the man who crafted it? What, in turn, would the maker of the Silmarils think of the half-Man who became the custodian of his dearest creation?

Curufin/Melkor. Fic or art. My angle on this ship is: Melkor was obsessed with Fëanor but Fëanor always hated and shunned him; his look-alike, beloved son, however, was far more susceptible to his manipulation… and gives Melkor a perfect “channel” to Fëanor. I headcanon Curufin as a closeted homosexual and I think Melkor would absolutely take advantage of that.

Lúthien/Thingol, Daeron/Lúthien, Daeron/Maeglin. Fic. I’m imagining some dark Doriath/Nan Elmoth eldritch possessive incest vibes. All three pairings are not necessary to fit into one fic. Daeron/Luthien as friends or siblings, but if not actually related there’s an element of incestuousness to their relationship (e.g., Daeron was raised by Melian and Thingol, or was a parental figure to Lúthien growing up). How does Maeglin come into it? I dunno, but he’s a weird dude and I think he’d fit right in to these vibes. Feel free to bring in any other surrounding canon characters or supporting OCs. Canon divergence/AU welcome, naturally.

Elwing/Eärendil/Gil-galad. Fic or art. They’re the youngest generation, they’re been through so much, they’ve been thrust into positions of responsibility, and they are ready to get down with each other. Gil-galad deserves some loving, and a warm bath. Elwing also deserves loving while her husband is away at sea. Elrond and Elros deserve all the dads. Why is this OT3 not a thing? Would love some smut for them, but non-explicit is good, too!

Fëanor & Thingol. Fic. Fëanor Lives AU? Or reembodiment? Or Hall of Mandos? Maybe something even more abstract… a visitation in dreams? I would just love to know what these two think of each other. Does Thingol see his old friends Finwë and Míriel in their son? What does Fëanor think about a King with an Ainu Queen? Any genre welcome – humour, angst, anything in between.

THE BOOK OF LOST TALES - J.R.R. TOLKIEN

Fëanor is a smith unrelated to the royal family, Fëanor/Finwë Nólemë. Fic. I'm so interested in the idea that the original Feanor was Just A Guy. Tell me story about his rise as a craftsman and how he gained such influence. Explore the place of craftsmen among the Noldoli.

Dairon/Tinúviel. Fic or art. Some fairytale sibcest! Why is Dairon so fiercely protective of Tinuviel? Why does Tinuviel wish for him when she's lost in the mazes of Artanor? Show me the vibes that make Dairon brother-of-Tinuviel into Daeron-lover-of-Luthien.

Gwendeling/Tevildo, Tinwelint. Fic. You've heard of Melian/Sauron, but have you heard of Gwendeling/Tevildo? Let's see some eldritch monsterfuckery. Or not. Would love to see Tinwelint as a character, divorced of his later Thingol evolution.

Melko & Tevildo. Fic or art. What's the history here? The predecessor of Melkor & Sauron corruption arc? What/who is Tevildo actually? Or something else... doesn't have to be an origin story. Feel free to slash them if that's your jam.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS - J.R.R. TOLKIEN

Cats of Imladris, Elladan & Elrohir, Arwen & Elladan & Elrohir, Original daughter(s) of Aragorn and Arwen, Aragorn/Arwen. Fic or art. Elrond's kids and their cats! Arwen and Aragorn's kids and their cats! I love cats. That's it, that's the story.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER

Galadriel's role in Elrond's childhood. Fic. What is up with that line about finding him as an orphan!? Galadriel standing in for Maglor? Or do both things happen? Could be combined with Elrond/Galadriel (later in life). See also Crossover prompt, Galadriel (RoP) & Maglor (Silm)!

Eärien/Isildur. Fic. I get strong incest vibes from this relationship in the show, and I think Earien's character has so much more potential for complexity than it's given in the show. Could be combined with Eärien/Galadriel, but I'd also welcome the latter ship independently.

Commander of the South. Fic. Her appearance is brief, but opens so many questions for. The Southlands are her area, did she know something was up? Did she try to raise the alarm, and was she also ignored like Galadriel? (I'm going to be honest I don't even remember what her dialogue is so maybe it suggests something I've forgotten.) Would love to see her given a name and a story. Shipping her with someone (Galadriel? Gil-galad?) is welcome.

THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM

Bardic traditions of the Rohirrim, Háma/Wulf, Wulf, Héra. Fic. I see a character with a harp. I see unrequited, possessive love. I know what I like, and it's both of these things. I thought Hama's last stand alongside his injured horse was one of the best moments of the film. Would love to see an angsty backstory to that moment. See also Crossover prompt, Hama (WoR) & Maglor (Silm).

CROSSOVERS

BoLT is an in-universe mythical tradition about the First Age. Fic. What it says. The "great tales" in BoLT are cool but I am also very interested in the stories published in Volume I!

Mirkwood (Hobbit books) is Doriath (Silm). Tinwelint (BoLT) & The Elvenking (Hobbit books). Fic. The Hobbit seems to have been written before Tolkien ever conceived of a Third Age for his legendarium. Was Mirkwood inspired by Artanor/Doriath? Was Thranduil inspired by Tinwelint/Thingol? Run with this thesis! Write or draw something that reconciles Doriath and Mirkwood. Play with narrators. Play with the idea that one or both versions of the legends are mythical elaborations on "real" history.

Lindir (LotR books) is Daeron (Silm). Fic. Daeron finds his way to Imladris, and the descendants of his former King and Queen and of the woman he loved and lost. Play with that, or ignore it. Feel free to ship him with any of the inhabitants of Imladris (and you can include Maglor in that if you like). DNW others hung up on Daeron's "betrayal". It was thousands of years ago. He tried to protect someone he loved. We're over it.

Daeron (Silm)/Lindir (LotR books)/Maglor (Silm). Fic or art. Show me the best night (or day; I do love outdoor sex and a little threat of being discovered) of Lindir's life. Mature or explicit please!

Háma (WoR) & Maglor (Silm). Fic. I love the loophole provided by the Silm in saying that Maglor never returned among the Elves. Men are fair game. Hama encounters and ancient bard. What's it like? What can they learn from each other? Can Maglor save Hama from his horrible fate? See also WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM prompt.

Galadriel (RoP) & Maglor (Silm). Fic. See RINGS OF POWER prompt. Can Galadriel's finding of orphan Elrond on the beach coexist with Maglor's fostering? DNW happy kidnap family.

Círdan (RoP) & Rúmil (Silm), Círdan (RoP) & Daeron (Silm). Fic. How did Cirdan know these guys? Was Rumil really a drunkard? Was Daeron really insufferable? Why does Cirdan remember them this way? Crackfic welcome.

Fëanor (Silm) & Niggle (Leaf). Fic or art. I'll be honest I don't remember much of Leaf by Niggle except that I liked it. I'll reread it if you fill this prompt! This just seems like an inspired encounter with potential to say interest things about the act of creation.

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Galadriel Character Study, Day 7: Affiliations

2025-01-16T03:04:51Z

I chose to write some headcanons about Celeborn, which turned into a bit of a bullet-point story of his courtship of Galadriel (then Artanis, of course, since he'd give her the name Galadriel... or at least that's my preferred name origin).

Celeborn's Early Life and His Courtship of Artanis

Celeborn, second son of Galadhon, was born on the Great Journey by the mouths of the Anduin near Greenwood (then a much larger forest).
His mother was among those who forsook the journey with Lenwë before the crossing of the Misty Mountains. Celeborn followed his father and brother onwards, being kin of Elwë, but he never forgot the place of his birth where his family was divided. Regretting somewhat his choice, there was no question for Celeborn that he would remain in Beleriand after Elwë went missing.
Celeborn’s father Prince Galadhon was Thingol’s chief counsellor. While his elder brother Galathil took to a private, woodland life after the First Battle with his wife and their daughter Nimloth, Celeborn followed in his father’s footsteps, gaining much respect and influence in the court of Doriath.
He was sensitive to the needs and thoughts of others and had a gentle manner that put people at ease. For this reason, he often acted as an intermediary between Thingol and the Sindar outside Doriath who still called him King. Celeborn was highly respected among the Sindar, even those who dwelt in the north and did not acknowledge Thingol’s overlordship.
He enjoyed spending time with his brother’s family and being an uncle to Nimloth (and she loved him dearly), but Celeborn had no strong desire to marry or start a family of his own. While he had a few lovers over the years, he was very private about his romantic life and never led his lovers to believe he was interested in marriage.
With his approachable yet regal manner, grace, and handsome appearance, there was no shortage of people in Doriath and beyond its borders interested in marrying him. But he politely declined all such advances.
This all changed when he went with Angrod, who had just visited Doriath for the first time, back to Lake Mithrim as an emissary of Doriath. There he set eyes on Artanis for the first time and was struck dumb by her formidable intelligence and beauty. Literally, he did not say a word to her the whole time he was there. (He did manage to learn some things about her from Angrod, who promptly broke his confidence and told Artanis about the massive crush the Prince of Doriath had on her; but Artanis’ heart at that time was still heavy with grief and her thoughts could not have been further from matters of romance and didn’t give Celeborn a second thought.)
When, some years (decades) later, Celeborn heard that Artanis would be visiting Menegroth, he got his act together. He would at least talk to her this time.
And he did! They had an enchanting couple of walks through the halls of Menegroth and in the surrounding forest, connecting over all sorts of matters of philosophy and politics, and found they shared the same witty sense of humour.
But it was not to last…. For almost as soon as she’d arrived in Doriath, Artanis made a connection with Queen Melian, spending all her time walking in the forests or locked away in a distant chamber of Menegroth, studying some secret arts. Soon, it was an open secret that the sister of Finrod had become the Queen’s lover. Well, Celeborn couldn’t compete with Melian.
When Artanis decided to dwell in Doriath for a time, Celeborn’s hope was renewed. Eventually, she stopped spending every waking moment with Melian. Celeborn would run into her in Menegroth’s library or in the gardens now and then, and they would talk for long hours and a friendship blossomed.
When the truth about the kinslaying at Alqualondë came out, Artanis became quite isolated for a time. There were those in Menegroth who did not conceal their distrust of her and hatred of his kin, even if she remained in the good graces of Melian and Thingol. Celeborn often visited her during this time and was a great source of comfort.
One day, Artanis confided to Celeborn that she had ended her physical relationship with the Queen. (At which Celeborn was astonished: she had ended it?) She had realised desire was interfering with her ability to enjoy the deeper emotional and intellectual aspects of the relationship. But she needed to take some time away from Menegroth to move on… so she was going to stay with her brother in the newly-completed Nargothrond for a time.
So Celeborn was once again left longing for Artanis’ affection, having made no progress towards confessing this longing to her — even though it was plain to most of Menegroth by then that he was smitten. They kept up correspondence by letters in the time she was away.
To Celeborn’s great relief, Artanis returned to dwell in Doriath after only a few years. Celeborn was terribly nervous about confessing his feelings for her, especially since he had grown to cherish their friendship and did not wish to lose it. But he would be a poor friend to continue to keep the truth from her: that he loved her.
So, not long after she’d returned to Menegroth, he invited her to walk to the top of the hill under which the city’s caves were delved. The trees were thinner there and the stars could be clearly seen. He asked her about her time in Nargothrond, and Artanis shared with him how she’d found it odd to be among the Noldor again; she no longer felt she belonged among them, but less did she feel that she belonged among the Sindar, even though Doriath felt more like home to her than any other place she had lived.
Now, Celeborn had only intended to confide his feelings to Artanis that night, but hearing this he was possessed with boldness and eagerness and told Artanis that, while she was already welcome among the Sindar, if she really wanted to feel she belonged she could marry him.
Artanis laughed at this. And laughed, and laughed, while Celeborn blustered through dozens of apologies. But it was not malicious laughter. When she finally collected herself, Artanis simply took his hands in her and said, “I thought you’d never ask.”

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Galadriel Character Study, Day 6: Appearance

2025-01-06T20:46:19Z

To inaugurate their 20th year, the Silmarillion Writers' Guild is doing a Jubilee Challenge, and I am doing the 30-day Character Study challenge from Nov 2017. I'll be posting thoughts on the daily challenges here and sharing any fanworks I created over on my SWG.

Day 6 Prompt Artistic Licenses. Take at least ten minutes to peruse fan art about your character. If you are working on a rare character about whom little has been drawn, you may substitute looking at fan art about a group of characters to whom your character belongs (e.g., Dwarves, female characters, commonfolk, craftspeople, etc.) Think about which fan artists best capture how you imagine your character and why. Think about how your character's appearance does (or does not) support other aspects of their traits and history.

Galadriel’s most emphasised physical trait in canon is, of course, her hair. It’s even, in HGC, the inspiration for the creation of the Silmarils. That’s a pretty big deal (and a little over-the-top, Professor, if I do say so myself).

...and her hair was held a marvel unmatched. It was golden like the hair of her father and of her foremother Indis, but richer and more radiant, for its gold was touched by some memory of the starlike silver of her mother, and the Eldar said that the light of the Two Trees had been snared in her tresses.

I find this difficult to visualise: the gold and silver mixed, the light ensnared in her hair. I am not sure there’s any form of visual art that could capture it.

Galadriel is also described as tall (and this is the primary reason I just can’t fully accept Morfydd Clark as Galadriel – she’s so tiny!). In the Nature of Middle-earth, Tolkien even gives us a number: 6’4” (193cm). I know some people like to imagine Elves being in the realm of 7’+ but I am quite satisfied with this height for Galadriel (I believe Tolkien says it’s the average height for a male elf). Impressive, but not inconceivable.
Her mothername is Nerwen, man-maiden, and she was (as discussed) “of Amazonian disposition” so I imagine her with an athletic build.

I think her physical appearance is very much in line with her personality. Not that one has to be physically impressive to be powerful (though, in Tolkien, and especially in the Silm, this does seem to hold true with few exceptions). Her exterior “luminosity” matches the warmth of her heart. The light of the Trees being caught in her hair might be said to visually represent her enduring connection to the Valar and Valinor, even as her heart is torn between it and Middle-earth.

I went through my #galadriel tag on Tumblr and found some of the fanart that has most captured my vision of her:

Galadriel by thynium

Fëanor and Galadriel by irithyllians

Melian and Galadriel by tenthousandleaves

Lúthien and Galadriel by seasbird

Melian and Galadriel by nimphelos

Celeborn and Galadriel by thestaroffeanor

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Galadriel Character Study, Day 5: Food

2025-01-06T20:08:14Z

I confess food and cuisine worldbuilding is not something that captures my imagination, but I had a go at this prompt and put together a quick moodboard for things people might have eaten in Lothlorien.

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Galadriel Character Study, Day 3: Strong Points

2025-01-05T05:22:13Z

It is not hard to find strong points for Galadriel. Tolkien writes very positively about her, in much as they same way as he writes about her brother Finrod. It almost seems as though she can do no wrong (she can, and I am already thinking head to the Weak Points prompt, but even when she does mess up Tolkien has a way of making it very forgivable). When she does make mistakes, it's contrasted with the far worse mistakes of her kin.

So, I made a list of some strengths teased out of my readings for Day 1:

athletic
thoughtful
diplomatic
insightful
curious
practical
devoted

I can get into why I chose these traits in a comment if anyone is interested, or has different thoughts on her!

I chose to focus my fic for this day on her insight, with a hint of her athleticism.

Tolkien wrote in a letter that she was of "Amazonian disposition" (of course, this is part of an explanation for her name, relating to the crown she braided in her hair into when she competed in athletic events) and in HCG she is "a match for both the loremasters and athletes of the Eldar". I love this detail about her and was glad to be able to incorporate it.

On insight, I was inspired specifically by this passage that I quoted in my Day 2 post:

From her earliest years she had a marvellous gift of insight into the minds of others, but judged them with mercy and understanding, and she withheld her goodwill from none save only Fëanor.

You can read the fic on the Silmarillion Writers' Guild:

Insight
Rated G, ~900 words
Angrod & Galadriel

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Galadriel Character Study, Day 4: Home

2025-01-05T01:06:15Z

To inaugurate their 20th year, the Silmarillion Writers' Guild is doing a Jubilee Challenge, and I am doing the 30-day Character Study challenge from Nov 2017. I'll be posting thoughts on the daily challenges here and sharing any fanworks I created over on my SWG.

Day 4 Prompt: Home Sweet Home, Part One. Think about a geographical location where your character lived. Learn more about what life in that location might have been like: the climate, topography, seasonal changes, flora and fauna, or anything else related to that physical location.

Galadriel lived in Doriath through most of the First Age. For today’s prompt, I read (re-read?) outofangband’s fantastic environmental worldbuilding posts on Doriath, Region, and Neldoreth.

Canon actually provides quite a few named plant and animal species for Doriath. Thingol is “King of beech and oak and elm"; niphredil blooms at Lúthien’s birth and and moths fly about her when she dances; nightingales of course are Melian’s birds; Region (one of Doriath’s forest) means ‘holly’.

Doriath seems to have been a deciduous forest, and despite the vague way in which Melian seems to have been able to control growth (“Though Middle-earth lay for the most part in the Sleep of Yavanna, in Beleriand under the power of Melian there was life and joy…”), Doriath experienced seasons like the rest of Beleriand. I still like to imagine she exerted some influence over the land within her Girdle and if there was a very cold day in Doriath, it was because the Queen (or King?) decided it should be a cold day. (I am thinking of the “winter” of Thingol’s grief that Lúthien heals when she returns for Mandos – I can imagine the forest having an almost empathic-symbiotic relationship with its king and queen, perhaps occasionally behaving quite unseasonably based on their moods.

I imagine that even without Melian’s influence, Doriath would have had one of the most pleasant climates in Beleriand: abundant plant life, rivers running through it, protected from the north by both mountains and trees. Lots of rain with all those trees, but what does that matter when you have a thick canopy… and a beautiful cave city to withdraw to.

Galadriel of course ended up watching over a forest realm of her own, Lothlorien. I don’t doubt she was drawn there by the memory of her life in Doriath, which, despite the griefs of the First Age, was probably one of the most enchanting places she lived, where she spent some of the loveliest times of her life, falling in love with ~~Melian~~ Celeborn and learning from Melian.

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Galadriel Character Study, Day 2: Childhood

2025-01-03T00:39:28Z

To inaugurate their 20th year, the Silmarillion Writers' Guild is doing a Jubilee Challenge, and I am doing the 30-day Character Study challenge from Nov 2017. I'll be posting thoughts on the daily challenges here and sharing any fanworks I created over on my SWG.

Day 2: Down Memory Lane, Part One. Think about your character’s childhood (or the early days of their existence if they had no childhood). What was the environment and daily life of their formative years like? Did they have siblings? What was their relationship to their family like? Who were their friends? What made them feel sad/angry/frightened? What made them feel content/excited/happy? Who were their teachers?

The Annals of Aman say that Galadriel was born in YT 1362, the same year as Aredhel. Finrod and Turgon were apparently also born in the same year (YT 1300), and I’ve come across a headcanon in fandom that Anairë and Eärwen planned this, which I think is rather cute. However, I don’t think it turned into a great friendship between the two granddaughters of Finwë, as it did for Finrod and Turgon. They just don’t strike me as being into the same things (the sons of Fëanor not least among those things), but I am sure they were cordial cousins at family gatherings.

‘The History of Celeborn and Galadriel’ (HCG) says that “From her earliest years she had a marvellous gift of insight into the minds of others, but judged them with mercy and understanding, and she withheld her goodwill from none save only Fëanor.” RIP Fëanor (she was right about him… in fact she had excellent vibe-radar throughout her life and everyone should have listened to her) – but what a lovely trait! I think it would be difficult to dislike someone like her, and she must have been well-liked by her extended family and fellow citizens of Aman. (Though I mustn’t forget that there were plenty of people willing to listen to Fëanor, and if she was as openly unfriendly to him as Tolkien makes it sound, I doubt he didn’t at least try to turn some hearts against her. I feel like this was probably only successful with a handful of people.)

I like the headcanon, based on some statements Tolkien makes about Finarfin’s affinity for his wife’s people, that he and his family actually lived in Alqualondë. I imagine that by the time of Galadriel’s birth they were well-settled there (Finrod, I think, was born in Tirion) – another reason I don’t think she was particularly close with her cousins.

I like to think she was close to Finwë (as his babiest grandchild) and asked him lots of questions about the Great Journey and Middle-earth. She was a curious child, much like I imagine her oldest brother Finrod was.

We are told that Finrod was “nearest to her heart” of all her kin, and I see no reason to think this didn’t go back to childhood. I can imagine he was quite the older brother to have and someone she would have looked up to – and also been rather competitive with.

I bet she would have been a handful as a child. Lots of questions, lots of opinions, a good dose of (well-founded) pride, and a lot to prove as a youngest grandchild and a woman.

I love the detail of Galadriel being into athletics and I can imagine a wiry blond Elvish-equivalent ten-year-old leaping around in a gymnasium and absolutely dominating all other ages and genders.

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SWG 30-day Character Study - Galadriel

2025-01-01T20:12:50Z

To inaugurate their 20th year, the Silmarillion Writers' Guild is doing a Jubilee Challenge... which means I get to go back and do the 30-day Character Study! I have, with on-brand hubris, chosen Galadriel as my character. I'll be posting thoughts on the daily challenges here and sharing any fanworks I created over on my SWG.

Day 1: Drop Everything and Read, Part One. Take at least a half-hour to read what the texts say about your chosen character.

I took the time to re-read the chapter ‘The History of Celeborn and Galadriel’ (calling this HCG going forward) in Unfinished Tales, the most lengthy text (or rather, collection of texts) focussing on her. It is also terribly convoluted and I found it took me most of an afternoon, having to go back over passages (even though I’ve read this many times) to fully absorb it. Wait, where is she? Which Amroth is this? Wait, Celebrimbor said what now (he said he loved her)? But which Celebrimbor? And then, of course, one must always take a moment to regroup after each occurrence of the name Teleporno.

I am fascinated by the way Tolkien’s characters evolve over time. As a fanfic author, this is both a source of frustration (“Who even is this character!?”) and creativity (“How can I make this character work as a cohesive individual?”). Galadriel is a particularly good example of this tension. My understanding is that, when she first appears in Lothlorien in The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien… didn’t really know who she was. And then he spent the rest of his life trying to (among other things, of course) ret-con her into the legendarium. And, of course, he never did finish the job. Christopher was left to do that. And, frankly, it kind of shows! But isn’t that fun?

After re-reading the HCG, I’ve decided I’m going to focus this character study on Galadriel on the published Silmarillion. I’m not going to attempt to study the Galadriel who married her Telerin lover Teleporno in Aman and sailed to Middle-earth independently. Sorry, Christopher, I know you think your father would “doubtless” have rewritten the narrative to accommodate this reconception of her history but (thankfully, in my opinion) neither he nor you did that. I’m also going to focus, probably, on the “youth” of Galadriel in Aman and Beleriand, primarily because this is the period of the legendarium I am most interested in.

I do plan, however, to also re-read some of her appearances in The Lord of the Rings since I’ve always found that Galadriel difficult to connect with any of the Galadriel’s described in ‘The History’ or the Silmarillion. Having been introduced to Galadriel via Cate Blanchett’s performance in the Jackson movies, and more recently being influenced by Morfydd Clarke in The Rings of Power I’d also like to go some way toward peeling away the layers of those influences – not because I reject them, but because I am curious about how they colour and, at times, constrain my own imagination when it comes to Galadriel.

Update:

Being a completionist, I went off and re-read Galadriel’s appearances in the The Lord of the Rings and went through all her index entries in The Nature of Middle-earth and Tolkien’s letters (I’ll have to find time for reviewing some of HoMe at another point in this study).

Takeaways:

I was reminded how much lighter Galadriel is in the book LotR vs the film LotR (sidenote: I haven’t watched the Jackson Hobbit films). She laughs, she smiles, she’s kind. I think they captured more of this in the extended cut on FotR than in the theatrical release, but still the impression I came away from after seeing FotR (at the impressionable age of 14) was of an austere, frightening elf-queen… whereas in the book I think she starts this way but is revealed over the Fellowship’s stay in Lothlorien to be the compassionate, perceptive woman Tolkien talks about in HCG.
I was also reminded that it is only in one sentences in the Appendices to LotR that Tolkien mentions her familial connection to the House of Finarfin (!?).
A couple of Tolkien’s letters mention similarities between Galadriel and the Virgin Mary. Having no background in Christian religion (spiritual, culture, or academic) this perplexed me. I know Mary from nativity scenes and Christmas carols and… I don’t get it. Bookmarking this as something to read up on on the meta/scholarship day of this challenge.

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