Team Doriath

Okay, so normally when I start a read-along the first day is a big festival of introductions and “heads up followers i’m doing this thing” posts. But since this is just a super-casual little mini-read-along, I’m thinking that won’t be too necessary. (Of course, by all means make an introduction post if you’d like. But I’m thinking we shouldn’t have too many, if any, new-comers for this one.)

Instead, since it’s been a while since the last read-along, here’s a list of reminders/things to know:

The schedule is here.

The blog is still set up for the previous Silmarillion Read-Along. At some point in the next few weeks, I’ll be transitioning it into Hobbit Read-Along mode. So I’m sorry if the theme looks like a mess at some point during that process.

The tags that I’ll be reblogging from are tolkienreadalong and tolkienreadalong bingo.

I am posting Bingo Cards, and I highly encourage you to use them to inspire your own fanworks during (or after) the read-along. But I won’t be doing any giveaways for this one.

The week technically starts on Saturdays. So every Saturday expect an introduction post for that week’s readings, as well as a playlist (for those who like the mood music.)

As soon as this read-along ends I’m jumping straight into Hobbit Read-Along promotion. So if you’re at all interested in that read-along, stick around because I’ll have surveys, team sign-ups, and a new trailer!

HAVE FUN. Think of this as a warm-up read-along. We’re all still a little jet-lagged from the holidays, so we’re going to do a nice, relaxing, read-through of the best part of the appendices to get us all back in the read-along groove.

Hey everybody! If you’re on schedule, you finished up the Quenta Silmarillion this week. Congratulations! This week we move on to the next part of the Silmarillion, which is the Akallabeth (the story of Numenor.)

“Long did Dior gaze upon the Silmaril, which his father and mother had brought beyond hope out of the terror of Morgoth; and his grief was great that death had come upon them so soon. But the wise have said that the Silmaril hastened their end; for the flame of the beauty of Lúthien as she wore it was too bright for mortal lands.

Then Dior arose, and about his neck he clasped the Nauglamír; and now he appeared as the fairest of all the children of the world, of threefold race: of the Edain, and of the Eldar, and of the Maiar of the Blessed Realm.”

Fill for teamdoriath's bingo card : The Nauglamir

Sketches of Dior Eluchil for …. y’know…maybe.

*cough*nextreadalongchapterdoesnotexsist*cough*DoriathwillNEVERfall*cough*Thingolneverdied*coughcoughcough*

Colored faerveren-of-doriath ‘s drawing of Elu Thingol

The chat is easy to use and we are all very friendly. It’s getting a little quiet these days, so if you feel like joining us to talk about Tolkien or just hang out, please come!You don’t necesserily need to be part of the Silmarillion readalong.

(in which I am using the US-preferred double L, instead of Tolkien’s single UK usage ‘thraldom’. I prefer the way it looks.)   

I have become intrigued by the notion of thralldom, and have been collecting examples. Seems to me there are two main types:

Thralldom by charisma – being swayed / brainwashed by someone’s (yes Feanor, we’re looking at you) viewpoint. A dictionary definition: Someone who is bondage to power, influence or the like.

However Feanor likes to accuse others of this:  For Feanor now began openly to speak words of rebellion against the Valar, crying aloud that he would depart from Valinor back to the world, and would deliver the Noldor from thralldom if they would follow him.

Pulling his sword on Fingolfin: Try once more to usurp my place and the love of my father, and maybe it will rid the Noldor of one who seeks to be the master of thralls.

Feanor could be accused of the same though, as Angrod later references to Thingol when trying to defend the Noldors’ actions: Guiltless we came forth, save maybe of folly, to listen to the words of fell Feanor, and become as if besotted with wine, and as briefly.    (did not seem to be that brief to me. No one slept on it and in the morning went ‘yeah.. nah. Not gonna leave Tirion.)

Mandos to Feanor: Thou speakest of thralldom. If thralldom it be, thou canst not escape it, for Manwe is King of Arda, and not of Aman only. 

And much later, in Beren & Luthien’s time: And after Celegorm, Curfin spoke , more softly but with no less power, conjuring the minds of the Elves a vision of war and the ruin of Nargothrond. So great a fear did he set in their hearts that never after until the time of Turin would any Elf of that realm go into open battle; but with stealth and ambush, with wizardry and venomed dart, they pursued all strangers, forgetting the bonds of kinship.

          2. The thralldom instigated by Morgoth – a thralldom of terror,                    activated by hypnosis. Another dictionary definition: bondage,                  slavery, servitude. 

And some he so daunted by the terror of his eyes that they needed chains no more, but walked ever in fear of him, doing his will wherever they might be.

Turgon to Eol: Your freedom to wander there wild you owe to my kin; but for them long since you would have laboured in thralldom in the pits of Angband.

Many of the Noldor and the Sindar they took captive and led to Angband, and made them thralls, forcing them to use their skill and knowledge in the service of Morgoth……   But ever the Noldor feared most the treachery of those of their own kin, who had been thralls in Angband; for Morgoth used some of these for his evil purposes, and feigning to give them liberty, sent them abroad, but their wills were chained to his, and they strayed only to come back to him again.

Now Gorlim would have drawn back, but daunted by the eyes of Sauron he told at last all that he would know.

For few of the Noldor whom Morgoth captured were put to death, because of their skill in forging and in mining for metals and gems; and Gwindor was not slain but put to labour in the mines of the North.

Luthien kicks Sauron out of his hold: …and the pits laid bare; and many thralls and captives came forth in wonder and dismay, shielding their eyes against the pale moonlight, for they had lain long in the darkness of Sauron.

Glaurung to Turin: As thralls thy mother and sister live in Dor-lomin, in misery and want.

            ***SPOILER ALERT for Chpt 22***

Hurin’s release from bondage: ‘the remnant of his own people shunned him, because of his coming from Angband as one in league and honour with Morgoth.  But upon handing over the Nauglamir to Thingol: For now my fate is fulfilled, and the purpose of Morgoth achieved; but I am his thrall no longer.

         ***SPOILER ALERT (Chpts 23 & 24) for those of you who haven’t steamed ahead like I have. (hey I’m about to go travelling overseas, can’t take my heavy edition, can’t leave myself hanging!)***

This instance seems to speak of captivity / servitude only, without the brainwashing: And Tuor was taken captive and enslaved by Lorgon, chief of Easterlings of Hithlum. For three years he endured that thralldom, but at the end of that time he escaped; and returning to the caves of Androth he dwelt there alone, and did such great hurt to the Easterlings that Lorgon set a price on his head.

And there is ‘captivation’, in the most positive sense: And Tuor remained in Gondolin, for its bliss and beauty and the wisdom of its people held him enthralled…   (I hope we have all experienced a positive type of thralldom of sorts. I know I have.)

I have been considering whether the final treachery of Maeglin was the result of a thralldom upon his capture. But I think not. This dark seed in him all along was simply awakened, his desires ready to be easily purchased.

Could we call the power of the Silmarils an enthrallment? And every day that he (Thingol) looked upon the Silmaril the more he desired to keep it forever, for such was its power. 

For Week 11 of the Standard Tolkien Read-Along Bingo Card:

For this week’s slot, I did Niënor escaping Doriath in disguise. Leafy Doriath armour was ensued.

Edit: A friend (la-bellota-maligna) had challenged me a while ago to do something with #26 of this palette set, so I tried with Niënor.

When I bought my Ted Nasmith illustrated copy and was idly flicking through looking at the pictures, this image in particular was utterly compelling. Who was this handsome, sullen being? Was he Elf or Man? And what the heck was going on here?

So I kinda read ‘Of Maeglin’ straight away. And it did kind of stand alone, it had a fairy tale element that drew me in without needing to know the background. Now I do know the background and it’s just so much more wow to me. But I wonder if it still stands alone. Will we come across any more Dark Elves? And does Maeglin have a further part to play? Some of you will already know; I don’t.  

For Week 11 of the Standard Tolkien Read-Along Bingo Card: