Articles related to "Gondolin"



The Wars of the Glorfindels
Glorfindel has been the subject of much curiosity and discussion through the years despite how little J.R.R. Tolkien actually told us about this character. And yet it wasn't always that way....
glorfindel gondolin turgon noldor vanyar

It's All in the Family: The Finweans
The second of two articles examining the families of the Eldarin kings. With the publication of The Peoples of Middle-earth, we learned Tolkien's final decisions on who was related to whom, and how.
finweans the lord of the rings the silmarillion morgoth's ring tolkien

Frodo's Temptation; Aragorn's Resistance
The Kings of Numenore succumbed to Sauron's influence. The Nazgul had all been men who had been corrupted by him. Boromir went mad with desire for the One Ring. What enabled Aragorn to resist the temptation to seize the Ring?
aragorn elrond elros rivendell gandalf

Moving Sale: Magic Rings and Other Trinkets Half Off
The Elves of Middle-earth had many regrets. But were they simply being materialistic when they grieved for lost treasures, or was there something more?
elves eregion aman gandalf frodo

The Captains Crazy of Middle-earth
A discussion of the inadequate strategies and tactics employed by the Noldor in the Wars of Beleriand, and the blunders which ultimately led to their downfall.
noldor beleriand fingolfin feanor hurin

The Quests of Middle-earth
A look at Tolkien's use of quests in his stories, long and short, and of how role-playing games and more recent fantasy stories have departed from Tolkien's ideas.
quest gilgamesh j.r.r. tolkien the lord of the rings fellowship

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Canon
A light-hearted romp through the wordscape of Tolkien canonical arguments.
balrog wings debate pointed elf ears shakespeare tolkien canon discussion the hobbit

The Other Way 'Round
J.R.R. Tolkien learned about philology and mythology through the study of Greek literature. What does Middle-earth owe to his lifelong interest in the Classics? How did he bring classical and medieval literature and poetry together to create a modern literary tradition which he so uniquely defines?
beowulf the fall of troy the iliad the epic cycle homer

Magic by Melkor, No Returns Accepted
How did magic work in Middle-earth, and was it really as unlimited as some people believe?
magic goiteia magia melkor morgoth the lord of the rings

In Feanor's Footsteps
Could Tolkien have fully visualized the War of Wrath as he provided details for so many other events, or was it necessarily a legend about which little could or should be known?
war of wrath host of valinor eonwe winged dragons flying dragons

Before the Numenoreans Came
What was Eriador like in the years between the departure of the Numenoreans over Sea and their eventual return? We can extrapolate a few ideas based on things J.R.R. Tolkien said concerning the history of the Dunedain.
gil-galad elrond lindon beleriand cirdan

The Manly Men of Myth and Middle-Earth
How much were Tolkien's heroes like the heroes of the ancient Greeks, Hebrews, and Germans? Did Beowulf really serve as a model for any of Middle-earth's men of action? Tolkien is believed to have revived some of the ancient epic traditions, but his heroes display a surprising humility when compared to classic examples.
beowulf aragorn eomer hurin turin

Unwritten Tales of Love and War in Middle-Earth
Both the First Age and the Third Age are highlighted by tales of love and tragedy. Yet the Second Age reveals only pieces of what might have been another enchanting cycle of stories of love, heroism, and the long struggle against evil.
second age first age third age middle-earth elrond

Gil-galad was an Elven-king...
A discussion of Gil-galad's history and genealogy, and the importance of The Silmarillion in studying Gil-galad.
gil-galad elendil numenor finwe lindon

Lonely Wanderers and the Tales That Almost Were
The story of Earendil changed considerably through the years of Tolkien's life. In a similar fashion, the history of the Lords of Dol Amroth also underwent changes. The promise of both stories was thus never fully achieved.
earendil the book of lost tales imrazor the numenorean mithrellas nimrodel

Do Elves Dream of Eclectic Sleep?
What does it mean to be an Elf? The answer to that question changes with the passing of the ages, and eventually an Elf must choose between sorrow and uncertainty. The growing burden of Elvish regret may, in fact, have compelled the Elves to grow beyond their own fears and misconceptions.
uncertainty aman valinor feanor finwe

Is That an Orc in Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Happy to Be Evil?
In classic story-teller fashion, J.R.R. Tolkien used good and evil in Middle-earth to reflect human ambitions and failings.
good and evil orcs men elves nargothrond

He Shall Be Like a Tree Planted By the Rivers of Water
The trees of Middle-earth reveal Tolkien's deep love for nature's graceful giants. But though the Ents championed the cause of trees in a world of two legged hewers, they seemed to reveal little about themselves. We must magnify Tolkien's words with our imaginations if we are to behold the all the trees in the silent, wild wood.
ents entwives entish aragorn galadriel

Elves By the Numbers
How many Noldor reached Aman? How many returned to Middle-earth? These questions have annoyed Tolkien fans for years. But though we cannot know what J.R.R. Tolkien intended, we can make some educated guestimates.
j.r.r. tolkien christopher tolkien the lord of the rings the history of middle-earth the peoples of middle-earth

Is your Canon on the loose?
An inquiry into how to establish a canon for Tolkien discussions, which inevitably leads to the question of how or whether the Silmarillion can or should be rewritten, and by whom.
silmarillion j.r.r. tolkien christopher tolkien quenta silmarillion the lord of the rings

It's All in the Family: The Elweans and Ingweans
The first of two essays examines the Eldarin genealogies and whether it is possible to state definitively who was related to whom and how. The Ingweans and Elweans are the royal families of the Vanyar and Sindar.
ingwe elwe thingol the book of lost tales the ruin of doriath christopher tolkien

Life in an Elven Fishing Town
Tolkien wrote little concerning the lives and crafts of Cirdan's mariners, but these hearty Elves of the sea fought in all of Middle-earth's great wars. They were also among the last Eldarin people to vanish from the world of men.
cirdan brithombar and eglarest mithlond the grey havens teleri

Love, Middle-earth Style
An examination of some of the love stories (some tragic, some idyllic) bound up in Tolkien's long history of Middle-earth.
edain numenor love marriage hobbits

All the King's Horses and All the King's Men...
This is the third in a series of articles exploring previously unpublished texts about Middle-earth. The 'Osanwe-kenta' text is closely identified with J.R.R. Tolkien's 'Orcs' essay and 'Quendi and Eldar'. But there may also be a connection with the much later 'Shibboleth of Feanor'.
osanwe-kenta shibboleth of feanor quendi and eldar

The Good, the Bad, and the Outlawed
All the great tragedies of Tolkien's First Age cycle are founded upon the outlaw motif. The loss of community and the moral isolation force his characters to undertake purifying journeys. But the journeys are so arduous that most who tread the outlaw path fail to redeem themselves, or must do so by paying the ultimate price.
outlaws redemptive journey tolkien's outlaws noldor beren

Them Dwarves, Them Dwarves!
First part of a discussion about Tolkien's Dwarves.
dwarves tolkien middle-earth belegost nogrod

Who Is Like the Wise Elf?
An examination of what Tolkien may have meant in referring to the lords of the Eldar as 'the Wise'.
the wise elven-wise lords of the eldar luthien tinuviel earendil

Browsing the Compleat Middle-Earth Library
The study of J.R.R. Tolkien's life and works is an ever-expanding field. Here is a road-map for readers new and old to help them navigate their way through the winding paths of Tolkiendom.
j.r.r. tolkien the history of middle-earth the lord of the rings the hobbit the new shadow

Celeborn Unplugged
Taking another look at Celeborn, we find he is not quite so cut-and-dried as his detractors would have us believe. But is what Tolkien told us about Celeborn nearly as important as what he implied?
celeborn galadriel fangorn forest treebeard lothlorien

Where Have All the Dragons Gone?
J.R.R. Tolkien's first story concerned a "green great dragon", which he was told was not the correct way to speak of dragons. Years later, the author found the means to speak of dragons in a most compelling fashion. But how great were his dragons, and why did they like gold so much?
j.r.r. tolkien dragon the hobbit the lord of the rings fram

Who Really Discovered North America First?
Discussion of the Myth of the Voyage of St. Bredan across the Atlantic from Ireland to Newfoundland in a wooden and leather Irish fishing boat. But is it only myth?
st. brendan navigatio myth navigation monks

Keep the faith, if you can
A discussion of how Tolkien fans have influenced some merchandising decisions, and whether they may be involved in future merchandising projects.
merchandising tolkien middle-earth tolkien enterprises fellowship

Speaking of Legolas...
An examination of the character of Legolas, and the possible clues Tolkien may have left concerning Legolas' age.
legolas gimli aragorn gandalf thranduil

It is a dark and stormy movie...
A discussion of the emotional impact Peter Jackson's 'Lord of the Rings' movies are having on fandom, and how Tolkien's story evokes emotional responses from the readers. Will Jackson's films evoke similar responses?
peter jackson lord of the rings fellowship of the ring two towers return of the king

The Downfall of the Lore of the Rings
What have Tolkien scholarship and criticism achieved toward sharing an appreciation of The Lord of the Rings? Are literary analysts exploring Tolkien or their own ideals, masked by a veneer of literary exploration?
tolkien the lord of the rings middle-earth tom shippey anglo-saxon

The Middle-Earth Prophecies
An examination of the role prophecy plays in Middle-earth, and how Tolkien distinguishes between true foretelling and forecasting, and how prophecy may be a tool for compulsion.
prophecy melkor manwe osanwe-kenta valar

Them Dwarves, Them Dwarves, Part II
A continuation of the discussion of Tolkien's Dwarves: their history, culture, and relationships with other peoples.
dwarves middle-earth tolkien eriador hobbits

A History of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Part 3
Part three of a three-part article examining the causes and events of the War of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. This section includes the end notes and bibliography of sources.
aule valinor war of the last alliance of elves and men concerning galadriel and celeborn unfinished tales

Guess Who's Coming to the Disaster
Tolkien is often criticised for not including more romance in The Lord of the Rings. But the romance is scattered throughout his long pseudo-history, and the fate of Middle-earth was more than once decided by a love story.
j.r.r. tolkien middle-earth the lord of the rings the hobbit the silmarillion

The Sauron Strategies: One War to Win Them All, Except...
The second of two essays examining the strategies Sauron employed during the Second and Third Ages. Striving to be like Morgoth, Sauron took on the world. Perhaps he bit off more than he could chew.
sauron gondor arnor lords of the eldar council of elrond

Tolkien's Time Machine: When Literary Worlds Collide
Most readers agree that The Lord of the Rings is a unique book. And though J.R.R. Tolkien is credited with helping launch the modern fantasy literary genre, there are no other books which approach LoTR in quality and perfection. Why? Could it be that Tolkien was pursuing a goal which no one else has yet attempted?
the lord of the rings j.r.r. tolkien middle-earth medieval romand heroic romance

Shhh! It's a Secret Ring!
Who knew about the Rings of Power at the end of the Third Age? It requires some historical detective work to figure out who knew about them in the first place, who learned about them later, and who would have been around to forget about them.
rings of power the one ring numenor eregion noldor


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