#ramoth13

For absolutely no particular reason, I felt compelled today,- November 6th of 2024, to write about hope.

There are days when Hope feels foolish; when you have just watched in horror as things that once seemed sturdy and unbreakable, crumble and burn. Whether it is an elvish city or a chosen path, when that happens, Hope feels naive. It feels like that's what lead you here to begin with. It feels like, if you had been more realistic and pessimistic, you wouldn't be so hurt.

For all of the things that Tolkien wrote about, his message of hope was perhaps the most resilient, poignant, and enduring. Few can forget Sam's hopeful message to Frodo:

Yet, today, for many people it may not feel that this is true. I know I often struggle with hope, but today does feel exceptionally difficult (for no particular reason, of course).

Tolkien's most hopeful message, for me, comes from his bleakest story. Húrin's story is one of defeat. Courage sprang alive when high King Fingon and the elves and men fought together against the blackness of Morgoth's reign. The Nirnaeth Arnoediad, or Unnumbered Tears, was a day when victory was close and Turgon, brother of the king, arrived with a mighty host,

"Then When Fingon heard afar the great trumpet of Turgon, the shadow passed and his heart was uplifted, and he shouted aloud: 'Utúlie'n aurë! Aiya Eldalië ar Atanatarni, utúlie'n aurë! The day has come! Behold, people of the Eldar and Fathers of Men, the day has come!' And all those who heard his great voice echo in the hills answered crying: 'Auta i lómë! The night is passing!' "

They believed that their courage and steadfastness had saved them, that daybreak was soon at hand. Tolkien understood, perhaps better than most, that there was a difference between courage and hope. For courage is what spurs action, brings change, and inspires duty. Courage is what makes the difference when the time has come, just as they continued to fight on against orcish hordes. It was courage that led them into the heart of Angband where the Dark Lord himself sat shaking on his throne. Courage carried them past the gates, but betrayal can cut through courage like a hot-knife through butter. The hill men betrayed the men and elves and the dawning light turned into a simmering dusk.

Darkness had returned.

So, where was the hope?

With the elves slain or fleeing, Húrin, leader of his people fought valiantly to let his people and what was left of his elvish allies escape. Courage did survive the betrayal of the wild men, but only just. And with each swing of his axe he cried out, "Aurë entuluva!" And with each felled enemy, he cried out again, "Aurë entuluva!" Even as his enemies surrounded him, overtook him, and even when taken by the enemy into the dark halls, he cried out for any allies that might hear him, "Aurë entuluva!" It was a promise of hope.

~ "Day will come again!"

Hope is not what makes us act, it is not what leads us to change: hope is what sustains us, what keeps us going when courage has faded and the dark night envelopes us. Húrin held fast to hope when courage and Valor had failed, when the efforts of good people fell short. I do not know what the future holds, bleak as it may seem, but I keep those words near me with every passing hour and in those moments where I feel as though I have been dragged into a dark lord's dungeon, I say those words:

Aurë entuluva!

Day will come again!

-

Courage will be needed when the day arrives, but until then, I will cling to hope.

I wish everyone peace and hope. It is the dearest thing I can wish. And remember, Aurë entuluva!

Namárië,

Are you leaving tumblr? I totally get it if you are, I would. But I'll miss your posts!

~

Although I have been a lover of Tolkien since the earliest days of my youth and have been a Tolkien Scholar for over a decade, I have not made too many forays into the Silm fandom other than when I was younger and more recently a few years ago. Thus, I was rather surprised by the trends that seem to be mainstays of the Fandom and which ones I've seen big shifts in. I'll mention them briefly, but please note, although I may share differences of opinion regarding these characters or themes, we all share a deep love of the source material and that makes us fellow Enthusiasts. Whatever our differences, we have more in common with what we love than that which we do not.

With that said,

A "newer" trend I've noticed is the number of Fëanorian apologists, which is rather surprising, especially given their vocality. Some of the more common trends in this vein:

~A general indifference towards Fingolfin apart from a "if he had been through what Fëanor had, he would have been that way too" kind of approach, etc.

~All of Fëanor's sons (but especially Maedhros) are often given the best possible excuse for every action and bad decision. Others like Thingol or Elwing, less so.

~Finarfin and his children are generally regarded as boring, except for Galadriel who is either, loved as being awesome, wild, and wise or slightly disliked for having ill-opinions of Fëanor or some combination of the two.

~Fingolfin's line is seen as either goody-two-shoes or full of themselves, with the exception of Fingon who is close friends with Maedhros.

~The Valar are often illustrated to be antagonists, especially when in opposition to the Fëanorians.

~In the same light, I've seen a few posts that portray Luthien as being somehow problematic, seemingly to balance out the negative Fëanorian interactions she endures.

~One of the more sad effects of this apologist line of thinking is the Denegration of Elrond and Elros' parents. In order for Maedhros and Maglor to be considered "good" their actual parents are seen as "bad" despite little evidence of that being the case.

~ It seems Fëanor and sons have become the golden child of the Silm fandom, a spot once reserved for Sauron and Morgoth, if memory serves.

NOTES:

These are all fairly intriguing lines of discourse and I understand that they are tied up in and often heavily influenced by the fan-fictions and fannons. Still, it does make me wonder, with how vocal the Fëanorians are (especially on tumblr), how many Nolofinweans are in the Fandom? How many fans of Finarfin's cohort (or as one Tumblr user once called them), the blondes?

Some older trends that continue:

~Thingol still sucks (at least by common thought). It is interesting that despite all of the love of the Noldorin lines given their proclivity towards violence and bad decisions, the fandom still has not been able to lend some compassion towards the reigning Sindarin Monarch.

~Celeborn somehow ending up with Galadriel is still a big mystery (I do love this one).

~Sauron is still seen as Morgoth's boyfriend/lover/etc.

~The Valar are antagonists (before this was due to the Sauron/Morgoth apologists, and now it seems to stem more from a Fëanorian view)

~Turin and Beleg are still a ship (I am pleased).

~Halls of Mandos Reunions (always a classic).

~Gimli/Legolas ship.

Some older trends I don't see as much:

~Fingolfin/Fëanor ship (I'm not upset that this one is scarce. Even in Fantasy, incest isn't my thing).

~Fingon/Maedhros ship (see above note)

~Celebrimbor is the greatest elf of all time.

~Melkor/Manwe/Varda and/or Sauron love triangles.

I'm curious to see what others think of these trends. I'll be the first to admit, I have always had a fondness for the Nolofinweans, but it is interesting to see the growth of the Fëanorian fans and how quickly their voice has grown into one of the primary topics of fandom discourse (which is good, I love the discussions!).

No spoilers, just a character appreciation post. But what a legend. This character, Rían, had one of the most metal scenes in the whole Rings of Power show.

Love her.

Season 2 has been a hive of fascinating interpretations. Annatar's manipulations, Celebrimbor's crafts, or the stranger's tension between mastery and service, there is almost no end to the ways in which the series has taken on fundamental aspects of the lore.

But one element I've been rather intrigued by is the way the series will display its title subject matter: the power of the rings. Here, I would like to take a turn discussing the Elven Rings specifically. And hopefully I can take a turn at the other sets (men, dwarves, and Sauron's later). There is an answer that stays true to the original intention, which they have seemingly held true to in the series as well,- the rings provide stasis of life.

In the third age, Elves no longer dot and populate the trees, hills, and mountains of Middle-earth. In fact, there are seemingly only four elven realms left, Rivendell, Lothlorian, Mirkwood, and the Grey Havens. Of these, only Mirkwood is not under the direct power of an Elven Ring at any given time.

Mirkwood's king, Thranduil, is unique in this roster as being the only king of an elvish land never under the stasis of a ring. But it is important to also note that his realm is the only realm that is shrinking, beset on all sides by the darkness of the forest, the invasion of the spiderlings, and even Necromancers. Even if the necromancer in question was Sauron (and there is plenty of evidence to suggest it was, but nothing definitive so far as I'm aware), the Sindarin king is a far cry from his powerful former counterpart, Thingol, whose wife was a maiar with the powers of protection. Thranduil's kingdom isn't just shrinking though, it is also the last of the original holdouts.

Although Thranduil and his son Legolas are Sindarin, those people who went towards the Valar but never made it to the sea, they rule over Silvans, those elves who stayed in their forests refusing the call of Valinor. They are hermits, whose way of life is quickly fading. They are considered the least in grandeur and wisdom of all elves (my sincerest apologies to Arondir and Tauriel, I love you both and dearly).

So why is it that the realm of Mirkwood is struggling to stay afloat while the other three elven strongholds thrive?

Indeed, the rings of power have the power to maintain. Think of the trees of Lothlorian, which have all faded and died in all other parts of Middle-earth (minus the seedling which Samwise plants in the shire, of course). Think of the last homely house of Elrond, right at the foot of mountains filled with goblins and wargs, yet not even the Witch-King of Angmar may enter it.

At this point, some of my fellow Enthusiasts might point out that in the third age, the third ring of power no longer resides in the Grey Havens. Old Círdan gave his ring away...

They are correct, of course. The last of the Elven rings, Narya, lies hidden away, upon the finger of a wandering Maiar trapped in the body of an old man. An istari, once known as Olórin, better known to the elves as Mithrandir, and to the Dwarves as Tharkûn, but to good hobbits and men as Gandalf.

So how does the Grey Havens fit into the stasis field? It is not a kingdom, but a doorway, one in which the Valar have opened and maintained, to bring the elves home to Valinor. Only those under the powers of the rings and the holdouts, the Silvans, are left. But the Valar maintain that opened gate. The Haven is not a permanent residence, but a path towards the home of all Elves.

Which at last leads to the question: if Gandalf has the ring Narya and its power is one of life and stasis, how is he using it? I suspect Rings of Power may yet show us. But if they do not, I would posit that his wanderings are a clue. The great elven lords of the third age (Elrond, Galadriel, and Círdan) are maintaining their realms for very different reasons. Unlike the others, Galadriel cannot leave for Valinor, for her test is not yet finished (she must prove that she is willing to give up power). Círdan is maintaining the Havens until all of the elves leave, and Elrond seems to be acting as historian and tour-guide to those passing to Valinor.

But Gandalf's use of the ring seems to be less regional. That is, by traveling, he spreads the Ring's influence throughout Middle-earth. My speculation here (and in that I mean that this is where personal opinion is treading new ground) is that the Gandalf uses the Ring to bring life and prosperity wherever he travels, be it as Gandalf to the Hobbits and Cities of Men, as Mithrandir to the Elven Havens and elvish realms, or as Tharkûn to the Dwarven halls under mountains.

It is worth noting that the Elven Rings have been rumored glimpses of martial power, such as when the aforementioned 9 wraiths are halted at the border of Imládris. It is presumed that it is the powers of the Ring that kept them at bay. But with the exception of the video game (Shadow of Mordor), I am not familiar with any other attempts to show the rings as martial weapons. Not to say they don't exist.

It will be interesting to see where the Rings of Power series takes the power of the rings. I hope this was helpful and/or at least interesting!

Na lû e-govaded 'wîn.

~Ramoth13

(Note: when using the term "myth" I mean social narrative and fiction as value; I do not mean to use myth as a stand-in for falsehood)

I want to start off by being exceptionally delicate regarding the application of narrative fiction in the real world. Everyone believes they are the hero of their story, the victim of fate, and only the villain that is most reasonable and deserved.

And even with that in mind, it can still be exceptionally tempting to pilfer the easiest and mundane examples from narrative to apply to whatever our current circumstances might be. Crying "wolf!" seems to be all the rage these days, and specificity and nuance are quickly becoming non-starters. When do we become desensitized to the warnings of Nazism and fascism? That time may have already arrived.

And yet, there's also been a contagious trend to explain away the banality surrounding our understanding of current events.

Look, whether you agree with the current administration or not (and to be open and forward with my biases for the sake of discourse, I very much so do not agree), we are not currently living in a fascist state. I, of course stress the word currently. You might say we are on our way there or that our ability to internally fight off such a state is quickly diminishing, but we are not yet subject to the every whim of a dictator. That said, the normality by which our current society is breaking down the institutional taboos is frightening. The normality and desensitization of unrighteous imagery is spreading with a new fervor.

That this particular gesture could be and has been explained away by a large portion of the larger social community is a good barometer of our atrophy.

It is worth noting that by using the term "unrighteous" my goal is to shift our understanding of the image away from a simply negative sign (in the same way we view, for instance, a flipped middle finger) and instead as something wholly unique and of inverted ethical value. The religious and moral weight of the term "righteous" should br understood as something to strive for, a goal not of superiority and purity, but of goodness and foundational to humanity.

And for any that might wish to misconstrue my intentions, I am not claiming that anyone in our government are Nazis. This essay is about symbolism and myth, what those in power "believe" is between them and God, or at the very least, not in my purview of discourse.

To understand this situation wherein unrighteous symbols are losing their negative, connotative currency, it's important also to consider the social landscape as well as the official one.

People, in general, understand this to be a negative position. Overall, people will reject this symbolism. Knowing that is important, but not the only point of value. That these symbols live on as a form of value is culturally significant. The taboo is still present, but the normalization of these symbols hints at a loss in meaning. This loss is gradual, not instantaneous.

We will never be a Nazi state.

That particular flavor of Fascism was seasonal, never to return again. But the symbols, motivations, hatred, and myths that powered that regime are always readily available to any power that might wish to use it.

So, how does any of this tie into Bethesda's response to Tomb Raider and Uncharted, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle?

When we understand propaganda as myth, we begin to see where the truth behind symbolism lies.

The swastika is not geometrically evil, but the symbol of meaning is.

We are slowly losing the importance of myth and symbol as a language of meaning. But the arrival of Indiana Jones is a return to meaning.

Playing as the titular character allows one the opportunity to engage in myth without the social baggage. Indiana Jones fights nazis in whatever form they show themselves, in whatever guise they pull. He never pulls punches. But the most important part of Indiana Jones is not that he fights the people, it's that he fights the Idealism of nazism. His violence isn't, I would argue, a trait of masculine dogma, but of radical ideology. Despite the clear contradiction, Indiana Jones' super power is his ability to maintain that there can be no exception when rejecting intolerance.

He is a pillar of virtue, a truth-seeker, a hero of both, intellectualism and empathy, a myth of resistance to tyranny.

There is little doubt that history will repeat itself in some form or another. But in the war of symbolism currently running rampant in the world, the nazi-punching seeker of truth feels like a breath of fresh air.

-

As an aside, the game is an excellent game and I highly recommend it.

Lady Disa is everything that Dwarves and our Dwarven lovers have deserved and not gotten since time began. On top of being a wonderful character, an equal in all measures to the dense and valourous immovability of dwarven men, but best of all, she has PRESENCE!

Gimli nearly stole the trilogy and it was only Aragorns firm kindness and Legolas's graceful rivalry together that balanced his forceful nature in the movies. I was nervous, because Dwarves are a lot (not in a bad way, but even dwarves must admit, they are a lot) and I worried that any portrayal of dwarven women might be a simply masculine portrayal.

But dear Manwë how wrong I was. Sophia Nomvete's Lady Disa swept the room with her power and brazen audacity and I loved every second of it. The way she cut through Durin's hurt straight to his love by pointing out the Tree, recognizing that while Durin's feelings might be valid, he'd regret it for the rest of his life if he didn't fix it, and treating Elrond with love and kindness despite how badly hurt she knew Durin was, because in the end, no matter how hurt he was, he still cared for that tree.

She balances out the crudity of dwarven men not by being elven proper, but by dwarven keen. Oh, she's clever and reads those around her like the Sunday newspaper. She's steady in the way she presents herself, sturdy in the way she balances out the more ridiculous sides of her husband, and absolutely steadfast in her control of the situation.

She makes me believe that had Dwarven women been in the peace talks between the Elven kingdoms in the first age, they might have had peace sooner, one way or another. Because let's face it, she might have been the absolute picture of kindness and hospitality but she also scared me a little. I would not want to be on her badside.

There were few things in this show that I didn't know I needed, but between the friendship of Durin and Elrond and The great lady just being herself...

And the juxtaposition of Disa and the other great ladies of Middle-earth! Eowyn is mighty and must express it in battle, Galadriel is just so amazing and this post isn't about her so I'll stop there, and Arwen, whose power of choice and grace speaks volumes, but only Disa made me feel at home (and a little scared, the looks she gives are terrifying lol).

And to you Dwarven kind out there saddened by the lack of beard... I hear you, truly. But, tell me it was not amazing seeing a real Dwarven princess be an actual legend on screen? I think the Dwarven legendarium deserves this wonderful woman and just like Elrond's reception by the lady herself, it was such an unexpected joy.