#isildur
The Orcs were now drawing near. Isildur turned to his esquire: ‘Ohtar,’ he said, 'I give this now into your keeping’; and he delivered to him the great sheath and the shards of Narsil, Elendil’s sword. 'Save it from capture by all means that you can find, and at all costs; even at the cost of being held a coward who deserted me. Take your companion with you and flee! Go! I command you!’ Then Ohtar knelt and kissed his hand, and the two young men fled down into the dark valley.
–J.R.R. Tolkien, Unfinished Tales, “The Disaster of the Gladden Fields" (Isildur sends Narsil away during an ambush, hours before his death)
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Ages of Arda Anthology art book is now published and available to buy! Here is my contribution: “The King of the White Mountain swears allegiance to Isildur at the Stone of Erech”
It’s a beautiful book - and would make a wonderful Christmas present for Art and Tolkien lovers alike! :D AND - rather fittingly - all proceeds go to a Literacy Charity.
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Middle-earth March - Day 3
J.R.R. Tolkien considered “The Silmarillion” as the core of his Legendarium. In a letter from 1965 he wrote: “The Silmarillion is quite different, and if good at all, good in quite another way; & I do not really know what to make of it. It began in hospital and sick-leave (1916-1917) and has been with me ever since, and is now in a confused state having been altered, enlarged, and worked at, at intervals between then and now.” It had occupied him basically through his entire adult life and having been the perfectionist that he was, he never really finished it for publication. Thanks to his son Christopher, we’re able to read these marvelous stories and adventures that form the First Age of Middle-earth.
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“Stealing the fruit of Nimloth”
Twelfth of fifteen new watercolours depicting Tolkien’s Second Age. I hope to finish the series by the end of April.
Thinking about Gondor’s dynastic disputes has me thinking about how interesting it is that the royal House of Anárion was ever a thing at all. IIRC, Anárion was the older son in an earlier draft, and in that case the kingship falling to his son Meneldil would simply be business as usual. But in the final version, Isildur is the elder son, and he had four sons of his own. He could have turned Gondor over to one of them instead of to Meneldil. Or, if he was set on establishing all of his children in Arnor, he could have made Meneldil a viceroy of some kind rather than placing him on the throne as king in his own right. It’s just a really different and intriguing way of going about things.
Elrond Memes
9 CONVERSATIONAL TRICKS
LORD OF THE RINGS
THE HOBBIT
It was originally named Minad Ithil and built by Anarion’s brother, Isildur. It guarded Gondor from evil from the East. After the plague, the population of the city was devastated. Following that, the city was besieged and taken by the Witch King. It was renamed to Minas Morgul, the Tower of Dark Sorcery. It was here that the last king of Gondor died. After the War of the RIng, the city was destroyed by Faramir.
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(Full painting)“THE OATH, or: The Men of the White Mountain pledge allegiance to Isildur at the Stone of Erech”
Painting available as a print from my Etsy shop:)
(Full painting)“THE OATH, or: The Men of the White Mountain pledge allegiance to Isildur at the Stone of Erech”
Painting available as a print from my Etsy shop:)
![‘Isildur cut the Ring from [Sauron’s] hand with the hilt-shard of his father’s swo](https://64.media.tumblr.com/b2310bf285b6b49b6231424ea1b512f1/tumblr_pa88qy4GSD1rl8v0vo1_1280.jpg "‘Isildur cut the Ring from [Sauron’s] hand with the hilt-shard of his father’s swo")
‘Isildur cut the Ring from [Sauron’s] hand with the hilt-shard of his father’s sword, and took it for his own.’
“…I will risk no hurt to this thing: of all the works of Sauron the only fair. It is precious to me, though I buy it with great pain.”
~ Fellowship of the Ring, JRR Tolkien
Isildur who took the Ring, but did not destroy it.
Pencil and acrylics, 21x29cms.
A character sketch to (attempt to) capture the compelling combination of Númenorean nobility with the burning corruption of the Ring’s influence.
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