April’s Character of the Month is Maedhros! To this point, Maedhros’s only biography on the site was created for the Seven in ‘07 event almost fifteen years ago. @heartofoshunhas taken on the formidable task of writing the biography of the SWG’s most popular character. The biography will be a two-part article, with the first part covering Maedhros’s early life and the various influences that shaped the leader he would become in Beleriand. You can read the first part of Oshun’s biography of Maedhros here: https://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/node/5455
(Note that Tumblr messes up our links so that they frequently return a Page Not Found error, so you may need to copy and paste the link above.)
My friend and longtime collaborator @heartofoshun wrote this! She’s written over one hundred character biographies for the SWG, and I feel like all of them have been warm-ups for this one about one of her (and my) absolute favorite characters. It’s a two-parter, so please check out Part 1 and let her know if you appreciate her work!
But when they were landed, Maedhros the eldest of his sons, and on a time the friend of Fingon ere Morgoth’s lies came between, spoke to Fëanor, saying: ‘Now what ships and rowers will you spare to return, and whom shall they bear hither first? Fingon the valiant?’
Then Fëanor laughed as one fey, and he cried: ‘None and none! What I have left behind I count now no loss; needless baggage on the road it has proved. Let those that cursed my name, curse me still, and whine their way back to the cages of the Valar! Let the ships burn!’ Then Maedhros alone stood aside, but Fëanor caused fire to be set to the white ships of the Teleri. So in that place which was called Losgar at the outlet of the Firth of Drengist ended the fairest vessels that ever sailed the sea, in a great burning, bright and terrible. And Fingolfin and his people saw the light afar off, red beneath the clouds; and they knew that they were betrayed. This was the firstfruits of the Kinslaying and the Doom of the Noldor.
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, “Of the Flight of the Noldor”
April’s Character of the Month is Maedhros! To this point, Maedhros’s only biography on the site was created for the Seven in ‘07 event almost fifteen years ago. @heartofoshunhas taken on the formidable task of writing the biography of the SWG’s most popular character. The biography will be a two-part article, with the first part covering Maedhros’s early life and the various influences that shaped the leader he would become in Beleriand. You can read the first part of Oshun’s biography of Maedhros here: https://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/node/5455
(Note that Tumblr messes up our links so that they frequently return a Page Not Found error, so you may need to copy and paste the link above.)
When I hear this song I think that this is the song Fingon would sing In sadness after first Hearing of the capture of Maedhros and before he decided to go rescue him. BIG TIME RUSSINGON FEELS HERE
Nobody who’s actually good at manipulation is known for being good at manipulation.
A truly excellent manipulator is subtle enough that people aren’t even aware they’re being manipulated.
Based on the fact that Curufin is know far and wide for being a sneak, but Maedhros manages some fairly impressive feats of diplomacy and garners our sympathy despite participating in no less than three kinslayings, I postulate that Maedhros isn’t actually less manipulative and sneaky than Curufin. He’s just much better at what he does.
Tyelko and Moryo are grunting with their brute strength to get the damn thing in the doorway, while occasionally swearing at Nelyo and Curvo; who have decided that their strengths are in supervising and bossing everyone around. Ambarussa are calling out contradictory directions which gets the appliance MORE stuck, while Kano is apologising profusely to the delivery people who had their task hijacked.
Imagine,Welly Boots (TAD), but it’s sung by Maglor (/ Maedhros?) and about Elrond & Elros!!!!!!
(my favorite pastime: pretending that tad songs are about the silmarillion)
the whole “awake awake” thing has the vibes of an abrupt change; eg. get up now because we’re in danger, + a storm is coming on = the battle between the valar & morgoth and the resulting Events that cause the separation of e&e and m&m
maedhros pov — he’s, yk, not alive, but he’s watching over the children and reminds them to be kind despite their hardship, just like he did
i know this is supposed to be a witcher reference BUT SHUT UP IT’S MAGLOR LOOK AT THIS HE LITERALLY LEAVES FOR THE COAST AND HE SINGS BUT THEY CAN’T HEAR HIM AAAAAAA
maglor again — need i explain more??
both of them this time… elrond and elros don’t know how much they are loved :(((((
STOP I’M GOING TO CRY
elrond, years later… everyone from his upbringing has left him
you know all those illustrations of maglor singing(/screaming) in a storm by the sea? anyway maybe elrond connects maglor to storms
this is now heavily deviating from canon BUT WHAT IF MAGLOR LEAVES LITTLE THINGS AROUND FOR ELROND IN PLACES HE FREQUENTLY GOES TO
I like to imagine Maedhros as more traumatized from losing practically all of his little brothers, especially the twins, but Maglor is more even headed and sometimes even cold of the two so he’s not in favor of taking the kids impromptu. (Maglor lets him keep the kids in the end though)
Another highly vulnerable group in situations like these, and another one I will illustrate a Tolkien character, landscape or OC of your choice for in return for a direct donation (by donating directly to the crowdfund link, not through paying me! Just message/reply what illustration you would like, and donate independently).
See pinned post for examples of my work.
The fundraiser was organised by LLM students at the Centre for Disability Law and Policy at the National University of Ireland.
