Of Night and Light and The Half-light by oshun

Sisters-in-law

Women of the Silmarillion O68: Sisters and Sisters-in-law.

Clips from originial art by:

1)John William Godward (August 9 1861 - December 13 1922), By the Wayside. In the public domain.
2) Edward Robert Hughes (5 November 1849 – 23 April 1914), The Valkyrie's Vigil. In the public domain.
3) John William Godward (1861-1922) A Classical Maiden with signature and dated 'J. W. Godward 99.' ) In the public domain.

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The following is a graphic relating to the plight of three sisters-in-law. I must give credit for inspiration in part to Dawn Felagund's The Work of Small Hands for the vividness of its account of living in darkness and in an all but deserted city.

Note: the word "sisters" does not appear in The Silmarillion, although there are lots of "brothers." Also, the trend seems to be a single sister per named First Age hero. Turin had two, but not at the same time. There are sisters among the Valar, but among the Elves, harder to find, and sisters-in-law are rarely named. Just saying! (I have your number, Professor!)

The Battle Under the Stars

BeMeM - O72: Fëanor: saviour of Middle-earth

Source painting Niccolò Mauruzi da Tolentino at the Battle of San Romano (probably c. 1438–1440). In the public domain.

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"Dagor-nuin-Giliath it is named, the Battle-under-Stars, for the Moon had not yet risen; and it is renowned in song" --The Silmarillion

The First Rising of The Moon

Economy card i22 - Climatic Change

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This is another one for the dawning of the magnificent First Age in Middle-earth (be still my beating heart--I guess my wonder at stories of The Silmarillion never grows old).

First Sun Rise

Economy card i22 - Climatic Change

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Thingol Fell Under Melian's Enchantment

Women of Arda - N43: Melian
From The Lay of Leithian:

There Melian came, the Lady grey,
and dark and long her tresses lay,
beneath her silver girdle seat
and down unto her silver feet.

Source painting - Endymion, Arthur Hughes (first exhibited 1869-70?). In the public domain.

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Maedhros Alone Stood Aside

The prompt is for the card Sons of Fëanor: "Maedhros alone stood aside."

This is one of the most dramatic moments of the story of the earliest days of exile of the Noldor. Fëanor, who still had the wherewithal to unite the Noldor and lead them out of Tirion and onto this epic quest, seems to have lost his ability to reason somewhere between Tirion, Alqualondë and the shores of Middle-earth. But Maedhros standing aside when Fëanor seeks to burn the ships set the stage of the events that will shape all of the First Age.

Image from painting by Edward Moran (1829–1901) Burning of the Frigate Philadelphia in the Harbor of Tripoli. In the public domain.

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Then Fëanor laughed as one fey, and he cried: ‘None and none! What I have left behind I count now no loss; needless baggage on the road it has proved. Let those that cursed my name, curse me still, and whine their way back to the cages of the Valar! Let the ships burn!’ Then Maedhros alone stood aside, but Fëanor caused fire to be set to the white ships of the Teleri. So in that place which was called Losgar at the outlet of the Firth of Drengist ended the fairest vessels that ever sailed the sea, in a great burning, bright and terrible. --The Silmarillion, "Of the Flight of the Noldor."

 [Source paintings or drawings for the artwork to be credited later--not under copyright.]

Babes in the Woods

068: Maedhros went to look for Eluréd and Elurin.

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And we all like to think that Maglor helped him, just because.

[Family photo with figures inserted and other effects via photo-manipulation.]

The Mariner's Wife

Women of the Silmarillion - N43: Women of Númenor.

John William Godward (9 August 1861 – 13 December 1922), Summer Flowers (1903).

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The War of Telerin Aggression

Photo-manipulation of Civil War painting by Edward Everard Arnold (1824 - 1866).

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I would never go as far as to call the events at Alqualondë the War of Telerin Aggression. But, in fact, Fëanor was not a complete monster to have perhaps assumed that he might have received some help from the Teleri. The Noldor had given generously of their skill, talent and resources to help build the Telerin capital.

"Many jewels the Noldor gave them, opals and diamonds and pale crystals, which they strewed upon the shores and scattered in the pools; marvelous were the beaches of Elende in those days. And many pearls they won for themselves from the sea; and their halls were of pearl, and of pearl were the mansions of Olwe at Alqualonde, the Haven of the Swans, lit with many lamps. For that was their city, and the Haven of their ships; and those were made in likeliness of swans, with the beaks of gold and eyes of gold and jet." – The Silmarillion, Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië"

 

 

Ereinion Was Sent to the Havens

Berceuse by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1875. In the public domain.

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I think he was probably a boy and not an infant. Also, I do endorse the history in the published Silmarillion that Fingon was his father. It's more romantic and complicated that the other story.

Lúthien of the Third Age

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But the Queen Arwen said: ‘A gift I will give you. For I am the daughter of Elrond. I shall not go with him now when he departs to the Havens; for mine is the choice of Lúthien, and as she so have I chosen, both the sweet and the bitter. --The Return of the King: The Lord of the Rings

(The gift referenced above is not the standard she gave to Aragorn; she is speaking here to Frodo. I cited this for the reference she makes to the choice of Lúthien.)

 

 

And all eyes followed his gaze, and behold! upon the foremost ship a great standard broke, and the wind displayed it as she turned towards the Harlond. There flowered a White Tree, and that was for Gondor; but Seven Stars were about it, and a high crown above it, the signs of Elendil that no lord had borne for years beyond count. And the stars flamed in the sunlight, for they were wrought of gems by Arwen daughter of Elrond; and the crown was bright in the morning, for it was wrought of mithril and gold. --The Return of the King: The Lord of the Rings

The Death of Arvedui Last King of Arthedain

Created this to inspire myself when working on the Arvedui last king of Arthedain character bio.

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