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AlystraeaArt — The Wedding Of Tuor And Idril
#glorfindel #gondolin #idril #maeglin #silmarillion #tolkienfanart #tuor #turgon #tolkien #silmarillionfanart
Published: 2017-11-05 18:16:46 +0000 UTC; Views: 10780; Favourites: 183; Downloads: 0
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Done with Clip Studio Paint.Related content
Comments: 64
Yup, that's Glorfindel! 
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No, I don't think it's right to excuse his faults. I think the only character who I actually have a firm headcanon that ain't going anywhere is Maedhros, so shifting headcanons is fine.
I haven't spent nearly as much time trying to figure Maeglin out though.
Maybe a healthy medium in between? I don't think he went completely to the dark side. I think he was terrified of Morgoth, yes, but to the point where it absolves him of all responsibility? Not really. Maybe he was ashamed of his betrayal. Maybe he wanted to confess but pride/shame/fear kept him from it. Maybe going after Idril was opportunistic or maybe he planned it from the start.
He really is a fascinating character. Maybe that's why Beren and Luthien don't capture my heart as much as the others. They're pretty much faultless, which doesn't make for very interesting characters.
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Absolutely! there are so many possibilities when we consider Maeglin that he is one of the most interesting characters in the Silm! I love that kind of complexity.
I feel the same as you about Beren and Luthien, and I still can't figure out why I'm not for them, and why I would be more interested in seeing how a Celegorm/Luthien AU would turn out. Maybe you're right and it's because B&L are faultless/boring. Yet I love Tuor and Idril, even though they're faultless too. I'm still figuring it out...
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I agree. I wonder if his betrayal was in part motivated by the death of his parents as much as by the terror of Morgoth/desire for Idril. I mean, when Huor and Turin show up and he hates them... they did nothing to deserve that, but I really can't blame Maeglin for his hatred. I mean... he's probably thinking at Turgon, "Both of my parents DIED because of your stupid law and now you show leniency for two mortals when you couldn't even bestow the same to the family of your sister?" I might hold it against them too.
And I feel like self-loathing was thrown in there somewhere. Did he know his desires were unnatural and hate himself as a result? Maeglin is an interesting puzzle indeed.
I love Tuor/Idril too. You're right. They are flawless. So are Aragorn/Arwen and I still love them. Maybe it's because Beren and Luthien got people killed by default.
Tuor and Idril broke Maeglin's heart, but that really can't be held against them.
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I know right? His father is forbidden to leave the city then imprisoned and executed, while the two mortals get the red carpet treatment. I'm with you on the self-loathing part too, plus the fact that he must have felt very much an outsider and alone in Gondolin after his parents' death.
"Maybe it's because Beren and Luthien got people killed..." Me too. I find it really hard not to hold Finrod and Huan's deaths against them. The fact that Finrod and Huan willingly sacrificed themselves somehow makes it even worse. I know I'm supposed to be rooting for a romantic love that Tolkien exalted as being stronger than death, but there seems to be something so... selfish about it. 'We have this grand, epic passion, and we must be together and must have our happily-ever-after. If it means dragging a dozen innocents to their doom along the way, and setting into motion events that will destroy two great elven kingdoms, so be it'. I think you may have nailed it. I think I find it hard to like B&L because I can't see their legendary love as being worth all the ruin that attended it.
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Honestly, that must have been... so traumatizing for him. And then Turgon kind of... puts him in a place of honor without acknowledging his grief and it doesn't seem like he had anyone to understand what he was dealing with. Like everyone is just kind of like, "Okay, bud, we get it. Bad stuff happened. But look, you're the king's heir now, so get over it."
It reminds me in a way of Feanor. His mother died and that's something... there is no precedent for dealing with that really among elves. They are meant to be deathless and yet he out of all of them lost his mother. And then you've got Finwe remarrying Indis and Feanor is probably like, "hmmmmm, if the love he felt for my mother could be replaced by the love he feels by Indis... well, could the love he feels for me transfer to the sons of Indis?"
And honestly, I think he felt so, so alone. He and Maeglin both.
Obviously, Feanor had Nerdanel to quell some of that grief and his sons as well, but Maeglin had no such comfort as far as we know.
So... I see the actions of Feanor and Maeglin less as "they were inherently evil people," and more as, "loneliness, grief and myriad of other things can drive people to terrible things."
Throw in the fact that Feanor's mother died because of her exhaustion after birthing him and Maeglin's mother died acting as a shield to protect him and... you've got two sons who feel like the cause of their mother's deaths. That's one hell of a messy situation.
Yeah, that's exactly it. I know I'm meant to root for them, but I... can't. And to be honest, I'm disgusted with them- all of them, Thingol and his line, with the exception of Melian, for holding on to the Silmaril. Stealing stolen property from a thief does not make it yours, especially when the original owners are seeking it. Their holding onto it feels almost spiteful, which might be unfair considering the nature of the gems, which seem possessive almost of themselves, but still.
When people say the Feanorians brought misery upon themselves, I can't help but think that Beren and Luthien brought misery down upon their line by their actions in the keeping of the silmaril too, despite how "righteous" they are supposed to appear.
But when you consider that Maedhros basically did everything he could to try and AVOID another Kinslaying...
And the lines that speak of Luthien's anguish being greater than all other anguish... really, really bother me. She was an Elven princess whose mother's magic kept her sheltered from the evil of Morgoth while the Elves around their little kingdom suffered and died. And her lover died, but let's face it. She's not the only gal whose lover died. And she brought him back, so... she got off easy in my opinion.
But when I look at Hurin and Morwen- Hurin who had to literally watch the deaths of his children unfold while there as NOTHING he could do, Maedhros who was tortured in Angband for years, Gwindor who had to watch as his tortured brother was mutilated and murdered, before being taken, tortured, mutilated and eventually killed himself, Aegnor and Andreth, Nerdenal, who had to watch as her husband slowly become more and more mad, before taking himself and all her children away from her, etc- to say her grief outshines all of theirs when she gets a far happier ending than any of them? It bothers me to no end.
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I never saw that parallel between Maeglin and Feanor before, and now you've laid it out I wonder how I failed to see it! There's little to add to what you've already said. Both were marked as outsiders - Feanor when he was exiled to Formenos, Maeglin when he came to Gondolin. And both were wilful and rebellious - Feanor against the Valar, and Maeglin against Turgon's command not to leave the valley, with disastrous results for an entire people, not just themselves.
I don't buy Luthien's sorrow being greater than all other sorrow either, and you've so clearly laid out why this [Edited grammar!] rings so false in the long pageant of Silm tragedies. For me, the most heartwrenchingly painful stories are those of Hurin and Gwindor... or Maglor, whose torment as he wanders Middle Earth has no resolution and no end.
Poor Tolkien - he was too besotted with Luthien to write her in anything except superlatives and hyperbole, and he definitely went overboard with that bit!
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It's not something that jumps out right away, I don't think. Which is one of the many beauties of Tolkien's world- there are so many things that don't jump out at you, that you have to ponder- and pondering The Silmarillion is something I never get tired of. I justify that by reminding myself that there are legit Tolkien scholars. And that- hey if he put all this effort into creating this world, I might as well appreciate it to the fullest extent.
My list is very similar to yours- although I would add Maedhros to the list, because his pain and the mental scars that he must have been burdened with after Angband have made my heart ache the most. Maglor is a close second.
On the one hand, I can't really blame Tolkien for that since she was based on his wife and I take it as a testament of how much he really loved her, but on the other hand, it makes for a far less compelling or interesting character.
There's also the interesting consideration that The Silmarillion may be biased Sindar history- so of course, they would be entranced with the tale of Luthien.
And the fact that Maglor can see the Silmaril in the sky and say, "Let us be glad," despite that damned oath and the Everlasting Dark looming over him and his brother- can say it without any bitterness, or despair, or anger, and Maedhros' (at least in my personal headcanon) silent agreement. That... that's far more compelling than any of the grand deeds that Beren and Luthien accomplished and, to me, that speaks of a greater character than either one of them. And it's more than we can say for Thingol, Dior or Elwing, who all begrudged the Silmarils at the detriment of their families.
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[Posted this reply above, in the wrong place! Had to hide it!] "And the fact that Maglor can see the Silmaril in the sky and say, "Let us be glad," despite that damned oath and the Everlasting Dark looming over him and his brother- can say it without any bitterness, or despair, or anger." You just highlighted exactly why I adore Maglor so much!
One of the key properties of the silmarils seems to be that they inspire intense lust. Morgoth. Ungoliant. Thingol became obsessed with his, so did the dwarves who killed him, and I don't think either Dior or Elwing were immune to its lure, though their justification is that their parents/grandparents had paid such a high price for it. Given that any rational person would have returned the silmaril to Maedhros and bros to avert a terrible massacre, I think there was a lot more in play than just their stubbornness or pride.
Which makes me appreciate all the more that Maedhros and Maglor, in their compulsion to fulfil their oath, were quite free of this jewel-lust. Did their immunity come from having the silmarils in their household as they grew up (hmmm... I'm wondering how old they were when the silmarils were made), and witnessing the progression of their father's disturbing obsession with his creations? It's clear that it was only the oath that compelled Maedhros and Maglor to recover the jewels, and no desire for the jewels in themselves.
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That moment affected me more than any other passage in The Silmarillion. It was just... so telling of his character. I think Maedhros' surrendering of the kingship to Fingolfin was another such moment.
Oh, I definitely agree with you there. There's definitely more at work than just pride/stubbornness. I'm more inclined to be sympathetic towards the Feanorians, but Elwing/Dior/B&L aren't entirely undeserving of it either.
That's a really interesting theory! I never considered that, but you're right! They do seem completely immune to the jewel-lust. Maybe it does have something to do with growing up around them.
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And yet another such moment: Maedhros standing aside and refusing to participate when Feanor burned the ships at Losgar. How does anyone not love this elf??
I just recalled that Elwing and the elves at the Havens also attributed powers of blessing to the silmaril - another reason why they refused to give it up to Maedhros. Given the power of the phial of Galadriel, one can imagine what the full effects of a silmaril loaded with the light of the Trees would be like.
I'm more inclined to be sympathetic to the Feanorians too. Maybe that's largely because I've thought about them a lot more and see them as complex, deeply human, fully-realized characters, whereas all of the Doriath and Havens elves are one-dimensional ciphers. The strongest character attribute of Elwing, their leader, is that she is described in the various texts as pining for Earendil a lot. I was startled to realize that there are those who condemn her as a bad mother because she abandoned the twins and tried to save herself, but there is absolutely nothing in any text to support her abandoning the twins, and the jump into the ocean can be interpreted in any number of ways: sheer despair; terror; a vain attempt to lure the attackers away from her sons and her people; a defiant attempt to deny the Feanorians what they sought. I mean, I'm not a fan of hers, but I do think people can be unfair.
Immunity of Feanorians to jewel-lust: wondering about the psychology of being forced to acquire something because you swore you would. Maybe that alone would be enough to kill any real desire for it.
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It's beyond me. That's part of what I adore about- his struggle to maintain his integrity even while bound to his oath.
I completely forgot about the powers attributed to the gem. But that's another good point.
The deeply flawed characters are the ones who are more interesting for me. They're the ones who feel more... human.
I definitely agree! I'm not a fan really of any of the line of Thingol, but... I don't think there's supposed to be any black or white/good or evil side when it comes to the Elves of Tolkien. They're all coming from a different place, they all have their own justifications. And yes, some of them do commit deeds that are... terrible.
Part of me wonders if they DID desire it- just not in the same way. They were the work of their father's hands. Maybe they saw it as a piece of their father to recover- and maybe that's why the moment when the Silmaril burned Maedhros' hand drove him so deeply to despair. But I agree with you. I don't think that they would have had the same jewel lust others suffered from.
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This is one of your best works. That sky, that vault, those elves <3
So detailed, beautifully done, perfect!
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Beautiful picture. I have seen many illustrations of Tuor and Idril being happy together with Maeglin brooding somewhere in the shadows, but I think I have never seen their wedding depicted. Also, Maeglin depicted showing grief rather than grudge and spite is very interesting. I also love the angle you used here.
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Thank you!
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Maeglin is a very fascinating character, although I couldn't say I like him (my heart is with Tuor & Idril 
It's a pity Tolkien never finished his later version of the full story of Tuor and the Fall of Gonodlin. Surely Maeglin would be treated in more detail there as well.
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Oh, Maeglin is I think the only traitor we know of in elven history, and that is plenty of reason for people for hate him! I definitely see him as sympathetic for all the reasons you mention, particularly as he was still very young for an elf when all those things happen to him. It also depends a lot on whether one sees his feelings for Idril as creepy and perverted, or whether it was a hopeless love or infatuation that carried him away. It doesn't make his wicked actions right, but I do feel sorry for him.
I am also one of the fans who find it interesting to consider how many of the texts that make up The Silmarillion and HoME could be seen as historical accounts written by biased narrators. Most history is biased, after all, and Tolkien does take the trouble to frame his tales as histories written by Pengolodh, or Frodo and Sam, and then translated into English. So, if we think of The Fall of Gondolin as being written by the elves who survived and fled to Sirion, they have so much reason to hate Maeglin. Maeglin himself would probably never have had a chance to tell anyone what happened to him in Angband, so their version would not be accurate. Was he tortured? Was he made into a puppet of Morgoth? The two-dimensional evil traitor they portray him as could be very unfair.
I will always regret Tolkien never finished his later version of the Fall of Gondolin. I think that he would probably still portray Maeglin as villainous, for Tolkien never seemed to have any liking for him, but I imagine he would revise the parts about Maeglin having orc-blood (I mean how on earth does that happen??), or Salgant being heavy and squat (which is so un-elflike), and I would love more characterization of each of the Lords of Gondolin and their houses.
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You're right he was probably the only open traitor that we know of. Many elves did terrible things (e.g. kinslaying), and even sympatethic ones sometimes by their actions unintentionaly helped to carry out the Morgoth's plan (such as Gwindor's charge), but I can think of no other than Maegling who conspired with the Enemy. Still he is a really believable character and I do feel sorry for him as well.
Also, interesting thoughts about the biased narrators. I do not really like those fan-fictions purporting to tell the history of Arda as it "really" was, with the good and bad sides reversed etc., that just seems too much. But I agree with you, that the stories are framed by Tolkien as history written by later characters. I think the elves were noble people and didn't lie in writing their histories, so they should be factually correct, but still it is written from the point of view of the survivors, so it is obvious Maeglin himself would explain things differently. It is fascinating to think about other points of view on various events: Tolkien sometimes offers us hints how these alternative views could look like (though these views are apparently distorted and caused by Morgoth's lies), such as Fëanor's speech against Valar, or the dispute among Edain in Estolad. I love for example the illustration Earendil In Bronze (and others) by TurnerMohan where he explores the idea how First Age heroes could have been viewed by later King's Men Númenoreans.
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Thanks for sharing the Earendil in Bronze painting! I like St Michael and St George art so I found that v interesting - the whole concept that after many years the depictions change and get distorted.
I agree with you about fanfics with the good and bad sides reversed (e.g. Valar are evil, Melkor was a revolutionary setting the Children of Illuvatar free...) I generally accept good and bad as Tolkien portrays it and don't like subverting it. But occasionally it can be done in a very clever or funny way, in which case I do enjoy it!
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How much I like the atmosphere here - happyness and grief! Happyness in full light and greif standing in darkness...Such a beautiful concept!
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I'm so glad you noticed the contrast and liked it! Thank you.
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That contrast is awesome! Great take on it!
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I love how angelic it feels as if the wedding is up in the heavens
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Thanks, I did want that effect, which is why I wanted a very low angle composition. But it was hell finding low angle references so I'm not quite happy how it turned out...
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When all else fails you can always use yourself and any poor soul happening to be wandering past as references XD But it looks great tho nonetheless!
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I often use my hands for refs! XD But I haven't found any cooperative souls willing to help me out... yet!
And thanks!
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*whispers that's what family members loitering around is for XD
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*whispers* you haven't met my family!
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Oh no I do not request; I grabbed I photographed I draw XD
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Hahaha!!! I'll let you know if I succeed in doing the same!!
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Beautiful! I feel so sorry for Maeglin... Is that Duilin next to Glorfindel?
You know, I would really love to read a story about Maeglin and Eärendil in Valinor ^^
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I feel sorry for Maeglin too! It's supposed to be Ecthelion next to Glorfindel, but since I gave him no distinguishing features, I guess he could be anyone!
A story about a non-genderbent Maeglin in Valinor? That would be tough to write! If ever I feel up to the challenge, I'll try it!
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Ah, I see - I thought I had recognised the braids from your earlier picture.
No, I meant it as a spin-off of The Golden and the Black. I think that would be hilarious ^^ Although I'd take the other version, too ^^
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Haha, OK! I must try that some day! ^_^
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The look on Maeglin's face is absolutely heartbreaking... he looks like a lost child, and I guess in a sense he is, right? Glorfindel is the only one to notice, and his expression isn't one of pity, but of compassion and maybe even understanding. And they're both so very lovely... *sniff*
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I do think of Maeglin as being so very young (he is, by elvish standards). I originally wanted Glorfindel to have a far colder / mor condemning look on his face, but Mr Sunlight and Joy turned out like this...
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Yes, unrequited love is always so sad...
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Thank you! After you painted Gar Ainion, remember I told you I was planning to paint the wedding? It took me two years to get round to it. My main focus was always Maeglin and one of the lords noticing his sad face during the ceremony, but I think the mountains in the background and the steps must have been influenced by your art.
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Wow! You make me very honoured! You know how I love this part of the Silmarillion, and everything about Maeglin and Aredhel! Your work is absolutely perfect in every details, and the face of Maeglin captures his heart so well... I love so much the composition, really, one of your best work ^.^
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