#morgoths ring
‘Ah, wise lady!’ said Finrod. 'I am an Elda, and again I was thinking of my own people. But nay, of all the Children of Eru. I was thinking that by the Second Children we might have been delivered from death. For ever as we spoke of death being a division of the united, I thought in my heart of a death that is not so: but the ending together of both. For that is what lies before us, so far as our reason could see: the completion of Arda and its end, and therefore also of us children of Arda; the end when all the long lives of the Elves shall be wholly in the past.
'And then suddenly I beheld as a vision Arda Remade; and there the Eldar completed but not ended could abide in the present for ever, and there walk, maybe, with the Children of Men, their deliverers, and sing to them such songs as, even in the Bliss beyond bliss, should make the green valleys ring and the everlasting mountain-tops to throb like harps.’
Then Andreth looked under her brows at Finrod: 'And what, when ye were not singing, would ye say to us?’ she asked.
Finrod laughed. 'I can only guess,’ he said. 'Why, wise lady, I think that we should tell you tales of the Past and of Arda that was Before, of the perils and great deeds and the making of the Silmarils! We were the lordly ones then! But ye, ye would then be at home, looking at all things intently, as your own. Ye would be the lordly ones. “The eyes of Elves are always thinking of something else,” ye would say. But ye would know then of what we were reminded: of the days when we first met, and our hands touched in the dark. Beyond the End of the World we shall not change; for in memory is our great talent, as shall be seen ever more clearly as the ages of this Arda pass: a heavy burden to be, I fear; but in the Days of which we now speak a great wealth.’ And then he paused, for he saw that Andreth was weeping silently.
'Alas, lord!’ she said. 'What then is to be done now? For we speak as if these things are, or as if they will assuredly be. But Men have been diminished and their power is taken away. We look for no Arda Remade: darkness lies before us, into which we stare in vain. If by our aid your everlasting mansions were to be prepared, they will not be builded now.’
'Have ye then no hope?’ said Finrod.
'What is hope?’ she said. 'An expectation of good, which though uncertain has some foundation in what is known? Then we have none.’
'That is one thing that Men call “hope”,’ said Finrod. ’Amdir we call it, “looking up”. But there is another which is founded deeper. Estel we call it, that is “trust”. It is not defeated by the ways of the world, for it does not come from experience, but from our nature and first being. If we are indeed the Eruhin, the Children of the One, then He will not suffer Himself to be deprived of His own, not by any Enemy, not even by ourselves. This is the last foundation of Estel, which we keep even when we contemplate the End: of all His designs the issue must be for His Children’s joy. Amdir you have not, you say. Does no Estel at all abide?’
–J.R.R. Tolkien, The History of Middle-earth X: Morgoth’s Ring, “Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth”
Melkor “incarnated himself” (as Morgoth) permanently. He did this so as to control the hroa, the “flesh” or physical matter, of Arda. He attempted to identify himself with it. A vaster, and more perilous, procedure, though of similar sort to the operation of Sauron with the Rings. Thus, outside the Blessed Realm, all “matter” was likely to have a “Melkor ingredient”, and those who had bodies, nourished by the hora of Arda, had as it were a tendency, small or great, towards Melkor: they were none of them wholly free of him in their incarnate form, and their bodies had an effect upon their spirits. But in this way Morgoth lost (or exchanged, or transmuted) the greater part of his original “angelic” powers, of mind and spirit, while gaining a terrible grip upon the physical world. For this reason he had to be fought, mainly by physical force, and enormous material ruin was a probable consequence of any direct combat with him, victorious or otherwise.
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This is the chief explanation of the constant reluctance of the Valar to come into open battle against Morgoth. Manwë’s task and problem was much more difficult than Gandalf’s. Sauron’s, relatively smaller, power was concentrated; Morgoth’s vast power was disseminated. The whole of “Middle-earth” was Morgoth’s Ring, though temporarily his attention was mainly upon the North-west. Unless swiftly successful, War against him might well end in reducing all Middle-earth to chaos, possibly even all Arda.
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It is easy to say: “It was the task and function of the Elder King to govern Arda and make it possible for the Children of Eru to live in it unmolested.” But the dilemma of the Valar was this: Arda could only be liberated by a physical battle; but a probable result of such a battle was the irretrievable ruin of Arda. Moreover, the final eradication of Sauron (as a power directing evil) was achievable by the destruction of the Ring. No such eradication of Morgoth was possible, since this required the complete disintegration of the “matter” of Arda.Morgoth’s Ring - The History of Middle-Earth - J.R.R. Tolkien
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I love how the fandom took one look at Glorfindel and all said “Him, he’s a ray of shine” when he is literally a mighty warrior who fought in the kinslayings and battled a Balrog to the death. Nowhere is it mentioned that he’s a happy ball of sunshine, but we all just came together and said he was. There was no debate, we just all agreed, him, strong one, traumatized and probably a bit depressed, you, you’re our favorite ray of sunshine. Be happy.
Also, might I add, this guy is strong enough to defeat a corrupted Maia! Strong one!
Do you realize how traumatizing most of the events he partook in were?! Horrifying and just one would be enough to give someone PTSD! Just reading them sometimes traumatizes me. They are horrifying!
Yet we all believe him to be a ray of sunshine. Someone give me Glorfindel angst. Give me the recovering from reinbodiment fic. Please. Give me it.
But OP, consider the angst of how much pain he went through and because of it, decided to be happy.
Middle-Earth is broken enough, everyone is traumatized, and they all need someone to lean on—
So Glorfindel, being the hero he is, decides to take it on himself.
Imagine him burying his own pain so deep just so he can stand protectively and give someone a hug, comfort them while thinking, I was there, too.
And then imagine, those nights alone in his room, him sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands, shaking, breaking apart, because sometimes the weight of a Balrog feels comparatively little to the weight of a smile.
“Nowhere is it mentioned that he’s a happy ball of sunshine”
Hmmm…. but what about Tolkien describing Glorfindel like this:
his face fair and young and fearless and full of joy; his eyes were bright and keen, and his voice like music; on his brow sat wisdom, and in his hand was strength.
(Fellowship of the Ring)
Plus he has been through the halls of Mandos, which is the ultimate therapy and healing for the elvish soul: “howsoever they had died, they were corrected, instructed, strengthened, or comforted, according to their needs or deserts” and “Those who were healed could be re-born, if they desired it: none are re-born or sent back into life unwilling” (Morgoth’s Ring).
So no elf leaves the halls of Mandos a PTSD-stricken wreck even though the memories of their past life are intact.
Does angst, pain and depression make people more “interesting” or “real”?
I have my own scars and traumas to deal with, but I love my Glorfindel “full of joy”. There is joy after sorrow, wholeness after being broken, healing after pain. He gives me life and light.
