This Is An Interesting Thing I'm Noticing As I'm Reading But It Kinda Seems To Me Like A Lot Of The Tolkien

This is an interesting thing I'm noticing as I'm reading but it kinda seems to me like a lot of the Tolkien characters all seem to have elemental symbolism that seems to follow their characterization.

Like Gandalf and Bilbo both seem to have a lot of fire symbolism that follows them around. Gandalf uses light and fire as kind of his two go to weapons and he's the keeper of the ring of Narya which is the fire one. And of course Gandalf the White is forged out of flame. And then Bilbo's introduced in the middle of smoking, and he spends a lot of time hanging around campfires and hearths, like the campfire storyteller he is. He seems to like hanging out in the Hall of Fire at Rivendell, and his conflict with Smaug obviously also involves a lot of fire. He's also arguably the character who is closest to Gandalf.

Frodo on the other hand is like all water imagery. One of the first things we learn about Frodo is his parents were weirdos who hung out in boats and then drowned, and he's introduced filling drinks at Bilbo's party. He makes his stand against the Nazgul at the river. He himself nearly drowns like three times in the story, and spends a lot of time in boats, being haunted by dark waters, and the sound of the ocean (and of course ends the story going over the sea). Like the water symbolism with Frodo is nonstop and he shares that in common with Gollum, who specifically is characterized by pools, rivers, and lakes, as well as fish, worms, mud and roots and caves—very wet and slimy compared to Frodo's more mariner/wayfinder imagery. But they're still kind of two sides of the same coin.

Pippin and Merry get a lot of plant and tree symbolism. Besides hanging out with ents and drinking tree wine and that time they both got eaten by a tree, it's clear Merry grew up wandering forests and knows a lot about wild plants (and writes a book on it later) and Pippin gets a ton of association with Gondor, y'know, that place that is represented by a big ol' tree. Their tobacco leaves too actually kinda play a pivotal role, and are again, very plant focused.

You'd think Sam would also be more earth oriented, being he's a gardener, but not really? Unlike Merry who's out here spitting plant facts 24/7 and working on his plant book, Sam's interest in plants seems like to only be around when he's on the clock. His symbolism is all very celestial. He's the guy who ends up using the Star of Earendil. He sees Earendil while he and Frodo are walking through Mordor. He evokes Elbereth, the Star Goddess like multiple times. He names his daughter after the star-sun shaped flower Elanor which literally means "Sun and Stars." And if you think about it, Gardener is actually kind of a perfect role for a star-guy when you remember how dependent plants are on the sun. He also seems to share some kind of connection with Galadriel who is also caked in a lot of star imagery. It also tracks he'd be paired with Frodo thematically as he serves as a guiding light to a mariner, in contrast to how Gollum represents the depths.

IDK what all that means, I just think it's neat!

More Posts from Elanorpevensie and Others

4 months ago

People all throughout history have seen the same sun. They had red dawn light and warm noons and sunsets reflecting off puffy clouds. History wasn't just illustrated in books; it felt the sun.


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4 months ago

Steve actually dies dies when the plane crashes and his spirit remains. Hes attached to Peggy and as far as he can see, its more of an attachment of love then unfinished business.

Peggy cant see him or hear him. The closest he gets is in her dreams. Its not perfect and not every night. He's still unsure of how he can communicate to her but theres some peace of reliving memories in her mind.

She talks to him but still cant see him as time goes on.

Peggy does often feel watched. Sees a flash of famiar baby blues but just chalks it up to the various lack of sleep to grief. She feels comforted during storms where thunder rattles her bones, like a famiar weight is around her shoulders once more. And her dreams...reliving the dances they shared in private in her rented apartment, or conversations where they whispered sweet nothings.

During tense moments of anger or fighting, she gets overwhelming senses to say things she doesnt know to exist but fully believes somehow (and it turns out to be true), or last minute tactic changes she isnt aware was an option (just like how Steve saw outside the box).

Its like Steve is there, still changing and saving her life. She never voices this but shares the private thought.

One day (maybe during S1 of AC or pre-AC by a few weeks), she's hurt to the point she almost dies and is thankfully saved by others quick thinking and Steve clinging to her hand, begging her to hang on.

He has a thought, a selfish one that if she does die, she would get to be with him but Peggy doesnt deserve to die. Not like this. She doesn't deserve to perish like this. No one does.

She has so much work to do. To change the world. Hed give his life a thousand times over for her to survive.

When Peggy's eyes flutter open, she takes in the early morning light, the curtains fluttering in the wind. The sweet smell of grass and a cool wind blowing on her, tickling her hair.

"Thank God you're alive," she hears a voice that she never thought she'd get to hear again. She thinks it must be a hallucination but she doesnt care. Steve is beside her, still wearing his old and tattered uniform he's died in, but there, holding her hand and its ice cold and he smells of cold and the sea but hes here.

It turns out, after she was hurt, so close to death, Peggy can now see Steve.

2 months ago

New ask game:

Reblog if you want your followers to tell you what your trademark ™️ is. Like, what’s that thing that really identifies you.


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3 weeks ago
Agents Of B.A.R.B.I.E. -> Phil Coulson

Agents of B.A.R.B.I.E. -> Phil Coulson

This Barbie is losing it!


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1 month ago

i wish you guys could read the amazing fic i haven't written and probably will never write, it's fire

2 months ago

i’d care if the person i reblogged this from vanished

idc if you reblog this from me but reblog it every time you see one of your friends or mutuals have reblogged it

1 month ago
Oh My God Oh My God Faramir Put Éowyn In (okay Something Closely Resembling) The HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR’S

Oh my god oh my god Faramir put Éowyn in (okay something closely resembling) the HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR’S CELESTIAL MANTLE.

Oh My God Oh My God Faramir Put Éowyn In (okay Something Closely Resembling) The HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR’S

*it’s not clear when you first look, but it’s showing stars in the celestial sphere. I swear.

Oh My God Oh My God Faramir Put Éowyn In (okay Something Closely Resembling) The HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR’S
Oh My God Oh My God Faramir Put Éowyn In (okay Something Closely Resembling) The HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR’S

McCluskey, Astronomies and Cultures of Early Medieval Europe

Oh My God Oh My God Faramir Put Éowyn In (okay Something Closely Resembling) The HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR’S
Oh My God Oh My God Faramir Put Éowyn In (okay Something Closely Resembling) The HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR’S
Oh My God Oh My God Faramir Put Éowyn In (okay Something Closely Resembling) The HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR’S

(X)

Shut up I’m having a fan moment. Clenching my fists. I love the stupid star mantle. This mantle is a celebrity to me.


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4 months ago

no more cold and calculating i want warm and calculating. i want characters who use deductive reasoning to figure out whether their friend would like a wool or cotton quilt based off of their lifestyle, career, hobbies, and habits. i want "your nails are often chipped because you work for a law firm as a typist for this company which notoriously underbudgets their IT department, so ive bought you a keyboard cover that will not only prevent manicure damage but is also sensory friendly because I know you dislike certain clicking noises". i want characters who figure out their friends entire schedules and social battery levels just by examining who only use that info to know when the best time is to hang out with them. i want characters who create elaborate, supervillain level schemes just to get their hands on some collectible they know their best friend wants. most of all i want characters who do not use intelligence and reasoning skills as a reason to be cruel but as a means to be kind

1 month ago

reblog to give prev a notification

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elanorpevensie - Dreaming of a Castle Library
Dreaming of a Castle Library

Christian FangirlMostly LotR, MCU, Narnia, and Queen's Thief

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