Elluendifad

This is a neologism of mine!

Anarnurtalë from Quenya!

Meaning solar eclipse ☀️🌑

The literal translation is sun hiding, from Anar meaning sun and the present form of nurta, to hide.

For Sindarin, I have anoresgal meaning sun screening or sun covering. Esgal is an old Sindarin word related to shading, covering or hiding. Esgal in Ilkorin, the Sindarin language of Doriath, means a roof of leaves.

I want to have a full post for each plant and animal species specific to Tolkien’s Legendarium. Let me know which one you’d like to see next!

Originally requested by @serregon

Aeglos and Seregon are two species of flowering plants unique to Tolkien’s Legendarium,. Both of these species are only ever mentioned in connection to Amon Rûdh, the hill upon which lived Mǐm the dwarf and for a time, Túrin and the outlaws.

Beyond, upon the moors and about the lower slopes of Amon Rûdh there grew thickets of Aeglos 

Aeglos was related to gorse, a genus of evergreen, thorny shrubs in the pea family. Its name translated directly to point of snow but was usually read as snow thorn. The only mention of it in the legendarium is in The Children of Húrin where it grows on the sides of Amon Rûdh and the surrounding moors. 

It was described as a tall and thorny shrub with sweet smelling white flowers. The thickets guard the opening to the home of Mîm. 

Aeglos is also the name of the spear of Gil-Galad. 

Gorse is also referenced as a species in both The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings, in this case likely referring to common gorse, a yellow flowering plant (picture here). It’s also sometimes called whin. 

Seregon serves perhaps a still more dramatic significance

As the men of Túrin’s band drew near, the sun westering broke through the clouds and fell upon the crown and the seregon was all in flower. Then one among them said “There is blood on the hill top”

Seregon grows atop Amon Rûdh, covering the hill in small flowers the color of blood which is of course foreshadowing for the massacre that will later occur there.

Seregon was described as like stonecrop. Stonecrop or sedum is a large genus of flowering plants in the orpine family (which is also called the stonecrop family). The family is notable for a rare method of photosynthesis called Crassulacean acid metabolism. This involves a unique cycle of chemical reaction between night and day.

Many species grow on rock faces or within crevices. Seregon was the only plant atop Amon Rûdh though there are multiple species described on the slopes and base of the hill including rowan, silver birch and thorny trees, possibly an acadia species.

Similar flowers for reference might be Mexican stonecrop, English stonecrop, or Widow’s Cross (Sedum pulchellum). Unlike these however, the flowers of Seregon are a deep, blood red. 

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[ID–

First image shows a cat leaning half off an armchair with its front paws reaching out toward a plate of cat food set out on the rug below. The cat is gazing intently at the plate of food and its toes are spread out – it looks like it is summoning the food.

Second image is a GIF based on the first image. In this GIF the cat's paws are glowing, and the plate of food moves slowly and jerkily across the fluffy rug toward the cat, as though it has actually been summoned by some strange and mystical feline telekinesis.

End ID.]

it's 1pm at the marsh! come on down, we've got

I've been thinking of making an updated, transparent version of my original Pride Protection Sigil for a while now, so I figured Pride Month was a perfect moment for it! I remade the shapes I could in photoshop, copied the thorny vines from the original, and then made a bunch of different community ones (see more under the cut).

I've designed this sigil as a protection for the entire rainbow community. You can print it out or redraw it yourself. Place a candle over it, use it as a base of a crystal grid, place it on your altar and meditate, make it the centre of a (digital) moodboard, whatever feels right for you.

The centre of the sigil is the Progress Pride flag, symbolizing our community (you can redraw the sigil and place a different flag inside, if you wish to focus on a specific part of the community). Around it is a black circle (protection, community) which is made by five stickfigures holding hands (people, community). Around them is a square (protection) and then a ring of intertwined briar branches with the thorns pointing outwards (again, protection). On the right side I also snuck the rune Thurisaz (briar, protection) into the ring of briar branches. The pentacle in the centre stands for magic as well as, surprise, protection. Customize this for whatever you need, the pentacle is optional, place more stickfigures, change the flag, whatever makes it work for you.