This is effectively the first oath part II (or just “more TFO”), where I put extra scenes in this universe that aren’t extended or connected enough to be their own stories. Definitely read that first! ;)
We begin with two delirious conversations about reality and transformations (and cats and opera); and how having family about is not always enough to keep oneself steady.
FA 6: Maglor & Maedhros FA 559: Gil-Galad, Eönwë, Indis, Finarfin, Inglor (Ingwion)
Maedhros’ eyes were cracked open, the lamplight reflecting off them blearily, and he was staring straight at him.
It was real.
Maglor’s pulse suddenly sped up. and he sat forward. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I’m sorry, I’m-“
“Was it you who betrayed me?” Maedhros interrupted, voice thick with rust.
“I-“ he gaped. “Yes, I-”
“Who are you?” Maedhros asked again, still oddly emotionless.
Maglor took a breath, unsure what was being asked of him. “Kanafinwë Macalaurë,” he tried, placing his hand over his heart. “Your younger sibling. Your- your heir.”
I was sitting around with my sketchbooks trying to choose who to draw and realized I’d never drawn Finarfin before. Which makes sense because I don’t draw much of what went on in Aman, but still I decided it needed to be remedied because he’s a great guy.
@aspecardaweek day 5; earwen,finarfin,anaire+queerplatonic
The term queerplatonicrelationship describes a committed non-romantic relationship that departs from what is the subjective cultural norm for a friendship. Levels of intimacy and/or behaviors between the partners involved often don’t fit the conventional standards set by society.
[ID: An edit for Earwen, Finarfin, and Anaire, headcanoning them as having a queerplatonic relationship. The 10 images about follow the colours of the queerplatonic flag (yellow, pink, white, grey, black), two for each colour.
A blonde person standing in front of yellow flowers
A mosaic of a sun
Shells and starfish
A pink dress with golden embroidery
A black woman with golden earrings and necklace in front of a white wall
A white butterfly sitting on a flower
The sea
Pillars with leaf-shaped carvings
The northeast indian model Andrea Kevichusa, a woman with dark eyes and straight dark hair, wearing a black turtleneck
[ID: A drawing showing Finarfin standing next to a sitting Findis, holding her hand. They’re on a meadow sprinkled with yellow and white flowers. Finarfin is a man with brown skin and blond hair wearing silver armour and a yellow cape, Findis has pale skin and dark brown hair with glowing ornaments in it. She wears a blue skirt and a translucent yellow cape fixed onto a gold collar. End ID]
Finarfin “Offense” We got used to the calm image of Finarfin, but when I sat down to draw him, none of the calm images stuck. Neither sadness, nor longing, nor regret. And Finarfin became that, not at all typical in his peaceful image.
- It was a clear spring morning when you stepped up to the dais, lowering your head and feeling the cold metal lain to rest on your head. The Crown of Nargothrond had chosen a worthy bearer, and the new Queen was crowned.
- In the early days, you and Finrod were so busy, you barely saw each other save a few hours in the night. There was just so much to do - the building plans, rations, settling everyone in, organizing the defenses.
- But that didn’t stop him from folding you into his arms every single night, whispering sweet nothings and poems from Valinor in your ear.
- That became a tradition of yours. Every night, you and Finrod would do that, a sweet melody of words just for the two of you, and every night, it was always something new.
- Any king would need an heir, and Finrod was no different. But it wasn’t out of duty or honor. It was out of love that the two of you bore a child. A little, golden haired son like his father was first, and his little brother followed some years later.
- The Feanorians put blood and passion and duty first. The descendants of Fingolfin and the like put honor and valiance and the familial name first. Finrod, on the other hand, put love first. You saw it every day - the love for his kingdom, for every individual citizen, and of course, his new family. That was the jewel in his crown, and he didn’t want for more.
- That your children loved their father would be an understatement. They absolutely adored him, and it wasn’t hard to see why. He was utterly devoted to them, teaching them everything he knew, handling them with the utmost delicacy, taking them for long detours in the forest, pointing out the beauty of the land and comparing it to the beauty of the forests.
- It wasn’t long before the two of you conceived again, and that was when the stranger walked in. His name was Beren, he said, and would the great king of Nargothrond help him on his quest?
- Finrod said yes. You’d expected it with a heavy heart. He was a good man, too good for the happenings of Middle Earth. He was understandably torn, realizing that every time he embraced you or the children, it was potentially the last time. And what kind of father would he be if he wasn’t even there for the birth of his third one?
- But in the end, with a heavy heart, he left, and you watched the sunset for hours, trying in vain to catch sight of his receding figure.
- Orodreth tried to rule, he really did. But it was no match for Celegorm and Curufin, who were the real powers behind the throne. Even you, the great and beautiful queen of Nargothrond, was no match for the silvery tongue of the silvery haired Feanorian.
- Your third son never saw his father. At least the oldest two had memories of him.
- You never saw Finrod again either, until centuries later. The fires from the fall of Nargothrond still unfaded from your mind, you stepped on the docks of Valinor, cleansing the pain from your soul.
TheHOUSEOFFINARFIN was a noble house of Noldorin Elves. It was founded by Finarfin, the youngest son of King Finwë and his second wife Indis of the Vanyar. Finarfin alone of his siblings inherited the Vanyarin features of his mother, including golden hair, and most of his descendants shared this trait. The descendants of Finarfin were also notable for possessing the blood of all three Elven clans having inherited blood of the Noldor and Vanyar from Finarfin himself and Telerin blood from his wife Eärwen, daughter of King Olwë. It’s most notable members were Finarfin, High King of the Noldor in Valinor, his eldest son Finrod Felagund, the King of Nargothrond, and his daughter Galadriel, the Lady of Lothlórien.
That Tolkien quote about Finarfin not having “high courage” like his brothers always bothers me because of the implication that he’s a coward. Then I realized that the “high courage” of the Noldor basically means that they are incredibly brave but kinda stupid. The Noldor are depicted as fierce warriors who never back down from a fight, but that is exactly the problem. Feanor gets himself killed chasing a bunch of orcs. Fingolfin manages to maintain a 400-year long siege and then goes to challenge Morgoth alone. They both die glorious but unnecessary deaths.
Finarfin on the other hand is canonically more of a Vanyar in personality than a Noldor, and the Vanyar can be read as career soldiers. They know the importance of discipline, battle formations, military logistics, tactical retreat, etc. Their way of fighting might be “low courage” but is much more useful in an actual war. That’s why Finarfin succeeds in defeating a larger and deadlier army than what either of his brothers faced. He’s not a coward; he’s smart, patient, and unwilling to risk lives until he is reasonably sure that they can win.
See, the thing is that “high courage”, despite the positive-looking “high”, is not a good thing in the Anglo-Saxon tradition that Jirt was so fond of. It probably isn’t meant as praise at all.
A while back (in 2007) during a seminar on Old English literature I came across a quote that I found hilarious in the context of the Silmarillion (which it isn’t about), so I filed it away For Future Reference:
Unlike [Heremod, some random nobleman and Grendel], Hrothgar suggests, he [Beowulf] has not fallen prey to either “bolgenmod” or “oferhygda dael”*, conditions of psychological excess that lead to the slaughter of kin, the denial of treasure, and, ultimately, the alienation of exile. (Michael R. Near, “Anticipating Alienation: Beowulf and the Intrusion of Literacy” in PMLA108)
(I think we can all agree that Jirt was familiar with Beowulf and its meanings.)
High courage is a condition of psychological excess. A lack of high courage doesn’t mean that someone is a coward; it means that they have a balanced sense of courage that stops them from *checks notes* slaughtering kin, denying treasure to others, or the alienation of exile.
High courage is not a good thing. Tolkien isn’t saying that Finarfin is less courageous than his brothers. What he’s saying is that Finarfin’s courage is tempered with good sense, unlike his brothers’ (who indeed slaughter kin and end up in exile and, in one rather well-known case, also deny treasure to others). Low courage gets the job done.
- - - *Bolgenmodcan be translated as “rage” and oferhygda dael as “overly high courage”, so there we are.
I was sitting around with my sketchbooks trying to choose who to draw and realized I’d never drawn Finarfin before. Which makes sense because I don’t draw much of what went on in Aman, but still I decided it needed to be remedied because he’s a great guy.
Nestadion of Rivendell - ‘the dark elf’ of Rivendell. Nestadion is a noldorian Elf (House of Finrod). The name means “Son of a Healer”. Nestadion was portrayed by Jason Secto (Actor & Painter). In LOTR Secto portrayed five (!) Elves: Nestadion, Elvanir, Anyriand, Orophin, Thingalad.
![Children of Finwë [insp.]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/3d2151e39e32e6d80d9d455cdf61a696/tumblr_ntwetrl8nd1r9x5ovo3_r5_1280.jpg "Children of Finwë [insp.]")
![Children of Finwë [insp.]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/47a56aace75e1e1d3d8f3411c09b9768/tumblr_ntwetrl8nd1r9x5ovo4_r2_1280.jpg "Children of Finwë [insp.]")
![Children of Finwë [insp.]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/63aac314bf59774921d56d12edee8eda/tumblr_ntwetrl8nd1r9x5ovo5_r1_1280.jpg "Children of Finwë [insp.]")
![Children of Finwë [insp.]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/62ab19087189982a98a8e6264c0d72c8/tumblr_ntwetrl8nd1r9x5ovo1_r1_1280.jpg "Children of Finwë [insp.]")
![Children of Finwë [insp.]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/fed5c191da892838bb2e5072077797ab/tumblr_ntwetrl8nd1r9x5ovo2_r3_1280.jpg "Children of Finwë [insp.]")
