Ilúvatar

//…whoops. I mused. (It’s a sideblog to my haradrim blog.)

misty mountain - richard armitage & the dwarf cast ║ iron (acoustic version) - woodkid ║ to build a home - the cinematic orchestra ║ graveyard - feist ║ coming home, pt. ii - skylar grey ║ soldier on - the temper trap ║ we will not grow old (acoustic version) - lenka ║ hold me now - red ║ i will follow you into the dark - death cab for cutie ║ be still - the fray ║ i see fire - ed sheeran ║ after the storm - mumford & sons║

The advice that Erendis gives Ancalimë here is some of the most profound and wonderful guidance I’ve read from a woman in Tolkien’s works, or in any written works.  Erendis is proud to fault, but she also understands the reality of her world.  The narration never catches this, nor does the dramaturgical action; what we know as the standard of Numenorian life—the life that Elros, brother of Elrond unassumingly wrought—is laid bare by Erendis, a woman of Bëor’s House.  Her “otherness” is the way that we see the truth of Numenor, and a glimpse into its downfall.

                                 ๑ ｌｅｃｔｕｒｅ  ๑ Ｓｔｏｒｙ ๑ Ｃｏｎｔａｃｔ

Queens of Numenor by shyangell

I love the Alphonse Mucha inspired style. 

Silmariën (born S.A. 521), the progenitor of the line of the Lords of Andúnië—from which the Kings of Gondor and Arnor later sprung — was the oldest child of King Tar-Elendil. Under the laws at the time, women were not allowed to rule, so she was passed over in favour of her younger brother, Tar-Meneldur. Nevertheless, Silmariën is one of the most significant of Númenor’s royal family, as she presumably inherited both the sword Narsil and the Ring of Barahir from Tar-Elendil, her father, as these were handed down to her descendants, the Lords of Andúnië and later the Kings of Gondor and Arnor: it is to be presumed that her father, at least, considered her to have a good, maybe even rightful, claim to the throne. Silmariën also probably commissioned the creation of other precious heirlooms to survive into the Fourth Age: the Sceptre of Andúnië, which after the Downfall became the Sceptre of Arnor, and the Star of Elendil, which likewise became a token of royalty in Arnor.

Tar-Telperiën ruled for 175 years. During her reign, the Rings of Power were forged, and Sauron conquered Eriador. She appears to have done little to react to these events. She refused to marry and bore no children. She was succeeded by Tar-Minastir, the son of her younger brother, Isilmo (who it is presumed was already dead). According to Tolkien’s “The Line of Elros,” she died in year 1731 of the Second Age at the age of 411 years. However, this conflicts with material published in The Lord of the Rings, and elsewhere, stating that Tar-Minastir was king at the time of the Númenórean intervention against Sauron in the year 1700 of the Second Age.

Tar-Vanimeldë ruled for 111 years. When she died in 2637 of the Second Age at the age of 360 years, the Kingship should have gone to her son, Tar-Alcarin, but Herucalmo usurped the throne and ruled for twenty years as King Tar-Anducal. His rule was not considered legitimate, and in the official records Vanimeldë was directly followed by Alcarin. 

The only other thing I have to add to the beauty discussion is that beauty is a social/cultural construct - different features will be considered beautiful to different people. For example, take dwarf women: to men and elves, a woman with a beard, who looks pretty much identical to dwarf men, might not be considered beautiful. But on the other hand, the beardless women of the elves and men may not be considered beautiful to dwarves. So, while from Tolkien’s point of view most of his women were gorgeous, this isn’t a absolute rule.

Boromir/Fíli parallels

The Fate of Beren and Luthien; art by Jian Guo

From the book Tolkien’s Ring by David Day.