Tagged by @feanoriansappreciation ! Sorry this took so long, I wanted to think about my answers a bit! Thanks for tagging me—this was super enjoyable! ❤
1) Which of the three brothers (Fëanor, Fingolfin or Finarfin) would you have followed, based on political opinions and actions, and your moral code? Why? Fingolfin. I would not have followed Feanor, who was behaving rashly and used methods I cannot condone (kinslaying, burning the ships, etc); however, I would not have wanted to stay in Aman with Finarfin and his people. While Aman is not bad, per se, it feels stagnant and unchanging to me. Middle-earth, on the other hand, is the embodiment of potential and change. Though ultimately all that the Elves made in Middle-earth came to naught, the joy of the making of a thing can come from the making and not just the end result.
2) What’s your opinion on the doom that befell the Numenoreans? Was the drowning of an entire island a just punishment? The island of Numenor defied the one commandment that they were told not to break. It doesn’t matter that much of the island was worshipping Morgoth; it matters that they tried to enter and defile Valinor. Viewed in this light (that Numenor was declaring war on the Valar with the intent to seize Valinor), the drowning of Numenor can be viewed as self-defense. I’m not sure if I lean strongly either way on calling it just or unjust, though. Those who were faithful to the Valar were able to escape, so it’s not like there was no way to avoid the Doom at all. I believe that there is good and evil in Arda, and that at some point that evil cannot be redeemed. If evil gets too out of hand, Arda will irrevocably be changed for the worse, so something has to be done about it. Sauron had to be stopped in the Third Age; Morgoth had to be chained; and Numenor had to be drowned.
3) What would you do in Thingol’s place, taking into consideration the prejudices, his views and biased opinions; would you have given the Silmaril back? Why or why not? I think that unless you’re almost completely pure of heart (or something like that, like Beren or Samwise), the Silmaril will taint you and cause you to lust after it. In a similar (or “silmaril”, lol) manner to the One Ring, it is difficult to give up the Silmaril once you have it in your possession. I think that this taint on the Silmarilli, whether it comes from Morgoth or the Oath of Feanor, definitely influenced Thingol in his withholding of the Silmaril. So, I guess, my answer to this question depends on me: are my motives for retaining the Silmaril selfish or not?
4) Would you have followed the Valar to Aman, considering you don’t know what happens/will happen there? Why or why not? I think I may have, but that depends on my strength of will and ability to put faith in what I do not know. IK I DO THIS A LOT BUT IMMA PREACH AT U FOR A SEC: Undergoing temporary harsh trials for the promise of a richer eternal reward is akin to the Christian life. If you have faith that God will keep his promises (he will), and trust in his unfailing love for you, then you will find it much easier to overcome the hardships and toils of this life (and spend eternity in heaven—Aman—with him). If you have faith that what the Valar say that the end of the journey to Aman will hold, and trust in their wish to guide you, then the ordeal of the journey there will seem as naught in comparison to the eternal glory of Valinor. So, if I could surrender that much of myself to the will of my benefactor, I could make it all the way to Aman. It’s not easy, though.
5) If you were an Elf, would you befriend or shut out the Dwarves? Why? Honestly, this depends on what kind of Elf I was. If I were one of Thingol’s folk, I would find it very difficult to not shut out the Dwarves for the terrible actions they committed against my people. If I were an Elf of Eregion in the Second Age, I would have no trouble befriending the Dwarves. Uhhh my LOTRO High Elf toon is a Noldor metalsmith, so I think I would befriend the Dwarves and see what I could learn of their craft.
6) You have the chance to fix a relationship (romantic or not) between two characters from the Silmarillion. Who are they and why? Sauron and Aule. Though we don’t know much of Sauron’s reasons for joining with Melkor, I do like to imagine that he saw Melkor’s power and then felt dissatisfied with what he had as a Maia of Aule. I’d love to see a reconciliation between Aule and Mairon, perhaps during the three Ages when Melkor was chained, or after the War of Wrath after Melkor has been banished. I want to believe that at some point, redemption was still possible for Sauron.
7) One personal headcanon you have about the Seduction of Mairon: Haha, I just talked about this! I think that, like Melkor, Mairon wanted the freedom to do things his way. He probably saw Melkor’s power, and Melkor knew that he could win him over fairly easily, and tempted him to his side.
8) What do you think of the Rings of Power? Was it a wise move, considering Celebrimbor knows first-hand what happened with the Silmarils? It was a wise move. Though the Three Rings are great, they are no Silmarils. Feanor flaunted his Silmarils—they were meant to be displayed—but that’s the opposite of the purpose of the Three. The Three were intended to be passive aids in the fight against Sauron and his One, and if they were used openly all would have been lost. The Silmarilli were tainted by Morgoth’s touch, but the Three never were, so they do not possess the same tendency towards stirring up strife that the Silmarilli did. Celebrimbor’s greatest feat were the creation of the Three, and Arda was better for it.
9) What’s one non-canon OTP you have? I do like Silvergifting a lot!
10) If you were to adapt the Silm into a movie/TV show, what would be the most important points you would consider? What’s most important to me is preserving the integrity of the source work. We could have a faithful adaptation in terms of sticking to the plot, but if it did not have the same messages or themes it wouldn’t have the same power. I’d looove to see an Alkallabeth TV show.
11) Thoughts on the Children of Hurin? I love the tragedy of the Children of Hurin and Turin’s inability to wrest himself from his doom. It reminds me of Hamlet a lot in that you see one character and his descent (or not) into despair; the question of fate and whether or not one can fight it; and that the tragedy of the story is so delicately complex. I love both the Children and Hamlet.
My questions:
1. Does absolute evil exist in Tolkien’s universe? Why or why not?
2. Are Orcs redeemable? Are they simply monsters of Morgoth/Sauron, or are they more complex than that? Why?
3. If the Lord of the Rings trilogy were to be set in a universe other than Middle-earth, what AU would you most like to see it in and why?
4. Who do you think Gil-galad’s father was? Why?
5. What’s a canon ship you aren’t a fan of?
6. What realm of Beleriand (Nargothrond, Doriath, Gondolin, Angband, etc) would you have liked to live in and why?
7. What’s your opinion of Feanor?
8. What’s your favorite story in the published Silmarillion and why?
9. If you could be Noldor (of Aman or otherwise), Teleri, or Vanyar, which would you be and why?
10. What’s Maglor doing during the events of the Trilogy?
11. If you could replace one male character with a female character, who would you replace and why?
I tag: @cerulean-shark @alia-andreth @cataclysmofstars @verymaedhros @silverphantomcat @darksabreassassin @vampiraptor @alexhunterreaves @glorfy-the-bright-haired-ellon @lightofthetrees
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