anghraine

An anon asked:

Do you have any family trees for children and marriages in the Fourth Age? Or any other Tolkien expanded family trees?

I answered the first question here, but I also do have a Grand Unified Headcanon family tree here, with red lines where generations are skipped. There are a lot of stories/story concepts embedded into the tree, some inspired by or dependent on canon, and some just “hey, I’ve had an idea,” so … feel free to ask about anyone on it!

Tagged: #i know it's ... uh. a lot #but there it is!

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Current Music: Is This The World We Created (Queen)

Unsurprisingly … there’s an AU that lives rent-free in my head where Faramir remains Ruling Steward in Gondor, and Aragorn wholly dedicates himself to rebuilding Arnor (assisted by Gondor after the war).

Sometimes it’s in a Denethor lives scenario; it’s not like Denethor was ever going to concede the Ruling Stewardship, healing hands or no healing hands, but his gratitude(!) to Aragorn for saving Faramir might lead to him being much more accommodating as an ally than he would otherwise be.

But also, sometimes it’s not out of strict necessity—perhaps Elrond “only” requires the restoration of Arnor for Arwen’s hand and so that’s the overriding goal that Aragorn focuses on, (rightly) trusting Faramir to have his back in Gondor. (And/or he himself wants to prioritize Arnor; he could, of course, become King of Gondor but largely leave it in Faramir’s hands while dealing with Arnor, and I sort of wrote a fic where this is the case, but ehhh.)

Or there’s some vague idea where Elrond’s conditions are the same and Aragorn has to make a very hard choice, but makes it nevertheless, and it’s Elrond who ultimately concedes, accepting a future for Arwen as “only” Queen of Arnor. This works most easily with alive!Denethor, but idk, part of me prefers the idea of it as an independent choice even though I’m really into scenarios where Denethor survives.

The thing is, of course, that Aragorn in the book is so focused on becoming King of Gondor and feels so strongly that it is his right to do so that it takes a lot of finagling to make it work. It’s just not probable for his character.

…and yet.

Tagged: #legendarium fanwank #putting that one there to be safe since it's kind of intrinsically wanky #éowyn: no longer do i wish to be a queen #faramir: well technically you wouldn't be... #aww but éowyn as the ranking lady of gondor is also really charming to me #i know that at the end of the day it's no less monarchist but ... i like and want it

Current Location: Washington
Current Music: Wheel in the Sky (Journey)

potatoobsessed999 responded to this post:

#it’s interesting that he would go out of his way to clarify that he doesn’t want gondorian domination#as if that is something remotely possible#in the present moment #but it’s nevertheless in his head as a dark possibility #which makes a whole ton of sense if you bear the dream-visions in mind (via anghraine)

I’d been wondering specifically about that bit, why the prospect of Gondorian imperialism would even be on his radar! This makes so much sense. He’s looking beyond the war, afraid that even if they win, what they do to get there might change them into something monstrous. And he’d rather lose than have that happen. Better to fall like Arthedain than like Númenor.

I replied:

Yeah, exactly! And that fits very neatly with his rejection of the Ring.

I think LOTR is quite clear (as are Tolkien’s letters) that death and failure are to be preferred above victory with the Ring, however difficult a choice that may be in the moment (and Faramir does genuinely struggle with it for a moment). But Faramir has already been thinking about the cost of victory for victory’s sake—even when it means survival—and about the intolerable forms that victory can take. Refusing the Ring is hard, but also the natural culmination of his thinking.

Tagged: #i think it also fits with the implication throughout lotr that there's a greater purpose at work #as with the ring falling to frodo #and gollum etc #like ... maybe faramir isn't haunted by númenor just because

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tyrellia responded to this post:

Wasn’t it implied to be a Numenorean blade, though? They had like. Hella elf magic compared to the Third Age - not quite Noldor, but still

I replied:

It was made in Arnor in the Third Age. That’s why it was specifically enchanted against the Witch-king.

[ETA 3/5/2024: I didn't say it at the time, but the fandom tendency to either deny Númenóreans' special abilities or treat them as Elves Lite/attribute their abilities to Elves is one of my peak pet peeves, so I was probably more brusque than I needed to be.]

tyrellia responded:

Huh. I could have sworn it was Westernesse-made - guess I need to re-read lol

I replied:

It is described as “work of Westernesse,” but in the broader sense of Númenórean:

“So passed the sword of the Barrow-downs, work of Westernesse. But glad would he have been to know its fate who wrought it slowly long ago in the North-kingdom.”

Current Location: Washington
Current Music: Mr Roboto (Styx)

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