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TurnerMohan — Celegorm and Curufin
#elvesfantasy #lordoftherings #silmarillion #tolkienfanart
Published: 2018-10-12 05:44:02 +0000 UTC; Views: 11703; Favourites: 266; Downloads: 51
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In the Lord of the Rings, the elves are presented almost across the board as these saintly, somewhat removed beings. They are 'the Wise," stewards of the World and advisors to the younger races, their words giving hope to our mortal heroes in their darkest hours. They are getting ready to depart forever for the West, and hand over the world they have loved and fought for for countless millennia to mankind, and one senses that this last battle against the evil of Sauron is for them a tying up of theological loose ends, before they leave men to inherit the Earth.To those previously familiar only with LOTR and 'the Hobbit,' it is perhaps the greatest surprise of 'the Silmarillion' and the rest of Tolkien's posthumously released work to see the elves presented as "young;" proud, impetuous, dynamic beings who act on impulse, who can be jealous, manipulative, abusive, evil. With none is this more apparent than with Feanor and his sons, and I don't think it's any mistake that they are particular favorites of fans and fan-artitsts. In them we get to see the (what would have to be) tremendous, really super-human, pride and contempt of these immortal beings, aware of their role as "princes" in a world ordained for them by their Creator and possessive of their status as the "firstborn" in the face of emerging humanity. With Celegorm and Curufin, antagonists to the first-ever human/elven coupling of Beren and Luthien, we really get to see this up close; Celegorm's self absorbed, un-feeling "love" for Luthien, and Curufin's stewing, murderous indignation after his humiliation at Beren's hands. Their driving emotions follow patterns of romantic jealousy and prejudice that are all too familiar and, really, all too "human." Coming from the bottomless wisdom and kindness of figures like Elrond or Galadriel, well, its a surprise, and something of a shot in the arm for the creatures in whom Tolkien invested the greatest part of his love and creative energy, but who often come off in his best known works as just little anemic.
A note on design: the garments for these two have a little bit of everything in them, Greek, Egyptian, Indian, Germanic, Japanese, Elizabethan, Native American, even a bit of 1700's "georgian" styles. I'm increasingly attracted to the idea of the elves, in their material culture, as pan-cultural, or more like proto-(human)-cultural; they were, in themselves and in the things they made, these beings of beauty and natural artistry "beyond the measure of men" that mankind remembers from our mythic prehistory, and who all human cultures through our long history have sought, unconsciously, to recall through our arts and mythos.
And a note on Celegorm's hair: as a son of Feanor and Nerdanel, yes it was almost certainly Tolkien's intent for Celegorm to be dark-haired. I expect his descriptor 'the fair' ("fair" being used in antiquated English and often by Tolkien to mean both beautiful and/or light-colored) has been the major cause of the popular imagining of the character as a blond but, well, the image works, it sets him so perfectly as the classic, gleaming prince opposite gritty, human Beren. I've entertained the idea (and may get to one day show it in a colored image) of celegorm as nearly sheet white (and white, rather than golden, haired) perhaps the product of a kind of elven Albinism, regarded by them (as it likely was by much of ancient humanity) as not a defect but this rare and kind of awe-striking anomaly. we'll see
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Comments: 27
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You drawings are majestic and I always find your comments full of insights. You really are a fellow inhabitant of Arda ! Thank you so much for investing all you heart in the professor's masterpiece.
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One quick note, more of a footnote to your findings and considerations, which are - as always - so insightful: I feel like I have to defend Elrond and Galadriel a bit.
When we meet Elrond and Galadriel in the Hobbit or the LotR, what is easily forgotten is their age at this point in the history of Middle Earth. They are allowed to be more settled, sure of themselves, and at ease with the constant re-emergence of the same as everything around them changes so relatively quickly except for themselves. What's life for them other than the "same old, same old"? - I would love to say that they have grown wiser, which is more Tolkien's term, but I fear that the right state of mind here is also "bored". As the heydays of elvedom are surely over, why still invest in the world? Elrond suffers from fatigue and Galadriel hides herself in the golden woods - both have seen it all and remember the fate of their fathers, brothers, and cousins. In addition, they are survivors, who tend to be more cautious by design, and - unlike any other beings (with the advantage of possessing influence and power, no less) - they actually can learn from history and do not have to repeat old mistakes.
... Just saying ...
Otherwise, great design work and very nice thinking. What about the trousers, though? Is it more of a leggings thing?
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Good to see you are still at work in Middle-Earth. Been missing you for a while here.
It bears mentioning that the overwhelming majority of bad behavior among the leaders of the Elves belongs to the Feanorians, starting with Feanor himself, who in turn set a bad example for his sons. (The good, wise, elder sibling Noldor were from the lines of Fingolfin and Finarfin.) The Oath did not help of course, but one wonders if the Oath would not had done so much ill and caused so much fracturing among Elves and Men if all the seven sons had been like Maedhros and Maglor. Poor Miriel finally threw up her hands in despair and let the young hooligans run wild and follow their own lead, and see where it got to? Adult hooligans making trouble and refusing to take responsibility or feel any regret over their self-centered decisions. Was the Oath a true goad at times, or did it serve as an excuse for acting without concern for consequences? YMMV I guess, but Celegorm and Curufin really makes one wonder at times. It of course does not help that their most prominent role in the literature of Middle-Earth is their willing participation as jealous rivals in the great epic of Beren and Luthien.
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theres an idea in our world (it seems to go for a person's attitude as well as clothing) that the more frilly and ornamented a man presents himself, the less actually formidable he is likely to be. This is certainly not how the ancient world thought about it; great heroes and lords of old are pretty much constantly seen in some remarkable attire, pontificating loudly about their deeds or their lineage. I imagine this strutting showiness of character would be the case - really to a degree that would be hard for a mortal man to match - with Celegorm, who is remarked to "swear openly" to slay thingol and recover the silmaril, and probably says a lot of things "openly" with loud forceful words and little concern for whoever's toes he might be stepping on. His mother-name "Tyelkormo" (of which "Celegorm" is a sindarization) means "the quick tempered," and it's easy for me to picture him as the archetypal petulant, empowered prince, perhaps most famously presented recently in the character of Joffery Baratheon (though embodied like no other by Jonathan Rhys Meyers as both the gothic prince Chiron in 'Titus' and as Henry VIII in the trashywonderful "the Tudors") he is an arrogant, mighty being, proud of himself and his heritage, and generally looking down on others as his inferiors. For all of it i find (or can imagine) that there's almost an innocence about him; a spoiled, beautiful creature, generally used to getting what he wants and reacting like a two year old when he doesnt, and his temper tantrums against elves and men are almost certainly matched (and to an extent counterbalanced) by courage in battle against the enemy, and prowess in the vocations of his choosing.
Curufin (the "cunning finwe") is another story; more insidious and clever, in a way "older" in character, and more effectual in his malevolence. while Celegorm's angry words against Finrod are personal and basically dismissed almost as soon as heard, its Curufin's machinations that stay with the people of nargothrond and color their role in the history of the elder days. He reminds me somewhat of another character of tolkien's (and infact another "curu") Curunir, or Saruman who, like Sauron before him, is a maiar of aule (of whom the noldor, and Curufin especially, were gifted students) a crafty artifacer but also a skilled manipulator. There is a strong tie in Tolkien's writing between the "Aulean" and "Melkorian" impulses (as there is much overlap between the two figures themselves) between creative skill and drive and the desire for mastery over ones own creations, and again and again we see the great creatives of Ea, feanor, sauron, celebrimbor, saruman, curufin, the dwarves, fall into evil through pride, greed, or the desire to expand their power and influence. Also like Saruman, Curufin, for all his gifts of word and hand, when the curtain is drawn back is kind of this vicious, nasty thing, vindictive and cruel in anger; His attempted shooting of Luthein marks him (along with Eol) as one of tolkien's only named woman-harmers and situates him squarely at the bottom of readers sympathies, though imagine the stewing rage and humiliation of a being like that, beaten in a very physical way by one of the Aftercomers. One can imagine Beren growing old and thickening into some sodded, almost dwarf-looking figure, bragging in "thatched barns" for the rest of his stupid little life about the time he choked out the Son of Feanor. It's a story his tribe would tell after he was gone.
Why Curufin's target is Luthien could be for any number of reasons.
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Tolkien readily chooses to have his leaders and champions of various sorts openly state their intentions and give fair warning or invitation of their doings. None of this plotting, furtive deals, and double-tongued diplomacy and oracles. Like the Teutonic and Celtic and Hebrew heroes he liked, his leading men and women do not boast or brag or dissemble when they declare what they will do. At least, not without being reminded that talk is cheap, anyway. As Faramir tells Frodo at a later date, the Men of Gondor make no boast without following through to death or fulfillment. Where could the men who claim Numenorian descent have learnt such a lesson? Why, from the Noldor and Sindar lords and officials who served as their role models, of course!
I suppose that whatever we might otherwise say about Feanor and his fractious brood, they didn't pledge anything that they did not intend to fulfill, one way or the other. They could be impolitic and impolite, but they didn't "talk trash" as per the current mode. Good or bad in result, they operated from the same rulebook as all the other Eldar, and lying, dissembling, and worm-tongued speech belonged to the Great Enemy and his slaves. Despite their bad behavior in response to the Oath, no Son of Feanor would ever stoop to the level of the thralls of Morgoth, who never kept his word or acted only when his victory was assured. Even in "The Lay of Leithan" Celegorm and Curufin say what they mean. to wit that no one, claims a Silmaril except their family. No one, even a brave Man or the King of Doriath. And they mean what they say, whether by arguing against Finrod's well-meaning aid or by kidnapping Luthien to prevent her from helping, or by the attack in the forest. On the other hand, Beren, motivated by the need to play the hero in the most basic sense, means to carry out his boast to Thingol, and so we have a conflict....
I suspect that Curufin's parting shots at Luthien were due to shame at having been bested, overwhelmed, and plundered by a mere thieving mortal, who obviously enjoyed more favor than he ought to have deserved. To a proud prince of the First-Born that would have stung, and he wasn't the sort to take a reverse in the chivalric mode of "this time your victory, next time mine". If Curufin had been more cunning, he might have counselled Celegorm to wait and see if Beren succeeded, then either intercept him on the way to Doriath or likewise petition acceptance to plea for Thingol to surrender the Silmaril upon receipt, thereby honoring all oaths. That such wise thinking didn't occur seems to point out Tolkien's theme that the coveting of beautiful things like the Silmarils or Luthien undid all rational solutions.
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My dear Master Mohan, it's very good to see you post again! I've missed you a great deal and am very glad to see you're still out there (please be assured that the House of Libra send their regards as well).
So far as Celegorm goes, if I remember properly his paternal grandmother had silvery-grey hair (I may be misremembering) and one has tended to suspect he might have inherited her hair-colour; that this would give him wolfhound coloured hair is a bonus (given his closeness with the Hound of Valinor).
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I have to say I have no idea what Miriel's hair was (I would have assumed black) so that's a new one on me, but I guess it helps my case here
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Very True - your ideas are ever well considered and well worth subscribing to.
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Great stuff again my friend.
I am particularly pleased with the anatomy and posing in this one, and even though I reckon this is intended to be left as is, It could easily be turned into a full on Illustration to be featured in a book by just adding rendering. Good job indeed.
I don't think we talked in detail about this idea before too, so the explanation was really exciting and thought inducing to me. I am specially keen to see your albino Celegorm now. Expect me to be pestering you about it from now on.
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Many fans have the theory that Celegorm inherited a silver-coloured hair from Feanor's mother Miriel, but yes, him being almost pale enough to be a albino could work though, though that would have been trouble for him later when the Sun rose and he would perhaps turn out to have sensitive skin
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I've heard this theory kicked around a bit, and I honestly have no idea if Tolkien ever remarked on Miriel's hair color or if it's just (as I would suspect) fans attempting to justify what has become the more popular image of the character, which I have no problem with. Celegorm, like Helen from the Illiad or Beowulf, seems like one of those characters who is blond by popular demand.
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well, RL genes in us humans can be pretty funny at times
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Glad to see you’re still around and making art, TurnerMohan!
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Very good detailed design! You master Elves in drawing for sure.
And yes, most certainly it is the case that flawed and fiery Elves are what makes them something to actually relate to and like, as opposed to finding them too eerily angelic to get what they're all about. Both the Fëanoreans and Dwarves (and Denethor) occupy a greyzone in a setting that is otherwise very much a Mazdaean struggle between good and evil in the cosmos. This makes both the Fëanoreans and Khâzad the most interesting and thrill-inducing actors in Arda, and having read a lot of Tolkien's stories, the majority of the most memorable tales (and moments in tales) involved one or the other of them: The grudging and greedy Dwarves, stubborn and crafts-cunning with a fierce temper; and the Fëanoreans, high and haughty, noble and strong enemies of darkness, but likewise consumed by inner fire and a terrible oath that makes for bloodshed and fell deeds committed against their own kin in the darkest of times.
On that note, having the decimated Fëanoreans march on Nogrod and actually sack this mighty Dwarven city (an astonishing achievement, if one starts to take Dwarven engineering, architecture and martial power seriously for even but a moment!) was a very late change in the manuscripts, but utterly fitting. Not only would it pit these the best of Middle-Earth's story drivers against each other, but it would also make for one hell of a memorable fight, and get across the point what high yet horrible power the Noldor from Valinor truly held in their hands - even in such a reduced state after the fall of Himring.
Fëanor's promise of a whole world open to Elven empire does stand out in light of this.
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Where do you get that idea of the Fëanorians sacking Nogrod ?
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An article summary of some late-life draft changes by JRR Tolkien to the Silmarillion: Including Amrod dying sleeping inside a vessel during their father's ship-burning (leaving six sons for the rest of the First Age), and the reduced Fëanoreans following one trail of clues as to the whereabouts of the freed Silmaril to Nogrod (since the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked Menegroth, though were ambushed on their way home), taking that weakened city by storm before homing in on the refugee havens at the mouth of the Sirion.
Read it some years ago, and cannot easily find it again: The part about Amrod shows up immediately on a Google search, but not on the Fëanorean assault on Nogrod. I'll ask around among those closely read up on Tolkien's manuscript changes and see if I can return with something to show.
Personally I'm not a fan of Amrod burning even though it drives home the insanity of the ship-burning, but that of Nogrod taken by Fëanoreans is a concept in a much better category on every level.
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I do agree that Amrod burning calls for more development of Amras or shouldn't have happen. Though it's kinda cool that Fëanor get some loss after all he has done (not cool for Amrod but he's not a real character anyway). I also like the paralel of Fingolfin and Fëanor both losing their youngest son (Argon and Amrod) on the trip to middle earth.
That story I knew : it's from the Grey Annals (HOME 12). However Nogrod's sack I can't find. :/ Though I agree it's a great tale and one that would further the divide between Dwarves and Elves.
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Aye, Amrod's burning adds a lot of character to Fëanor, but I'm extremely partial to both Fëanor and Dwarves, so personally I'd rather have all seven sons alive for most of the First Age. Personal preference aside, it's a good story development. Amrod's burning to death is also easy to find on a search.
After some scrambling about on Quora and other places, I must conclude that the sack of Nogrod revision stems from a misunderstanding on my part, or a miswriting on someone else's part. All I can find are some difficult to find passages about Tolkien late in life pondering having the Sons of Fëanor ambush the Dwarves of Nogrod after they return home from sacking Doriath, instead of Beren, the Elves of Ossiriand and the Ents, yet decided to stick with Beren (a wise decision). What I may have originally read, may have been a Tolkien reader summing this up as "the sons of Fëanor destroying the Dwarves of Nogrod" in their quest for the Silmaril that got away. I interpreted it as meaning the fall of the city of Nogrod after its king and main army already had been slaughtered out in the woods, with an epic subterranean city battle between decimated Fëanoreans and Dwarves alike; a real titanic clash of mortals (sidestepping Tolkien's own terminology on immortality here for a moment).
This is the second case I've come upon, where a misreading of mine turned out to make for a richer Middle-Earth than the actual text. The first case was Half Trolls of far Harad read at age 14, which makes for a richer fantasy world than just humans down south, and which Games Workshop also chose to misinterpret for the better: vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/lo…
Thus I'll stick with both misreadings. Makes for a more colourful memory of the stories!
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Thanks for the in-depht explanation on this fructuous misunderstanding.
I'm well aware of the Games Workshop miniatures (I'm doing some miniatures myself : check my DA) though I see Trolls as a very northern species, the most southern one being the Olog-hai. But Trolls are very adaptable so why not ? Especially since the latest visions of Trolls being degenerate giant species of Men you could imagine them in-breeding and giving birth to half-trolls (Yuck).
I like your idea of the sack of Nogrod though I see one flaw in it : a lot of Nogrod's Dwarves fled to Moria. It would be weird after such a massacre to see them befriend Celebrimbor, Curufin's son. Of course Rivendell was an ally of Eregion despite Elrond's (mixed) history with the Feanorians but the Dwarves can hold a grudge much longer. But who knows ? Celebrimbor was probably a great speaker and diplomat (considering his father's and grandfather's gift with words) : he could have conviced them to make a trade that turned into an alliance.
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Trolls are indeed both adaptable and part of northern imagery (at least in real world folklore), but the southern realms need to sport something beyond the mundane just as the well-mapped northwestern part of Middle-Earth do. I quite often have fun thinking of Orc-on-Easterling and Orc-on-Southron raiding and warfare. We may have had a slew of otherworldly ingredients down south if Tolkien had fleshed out Eärendil's travels sufficiently.
Very good point on Nogrod Dwarf refugees in Khâzad-Dûm! Haha, yes, I'll put it down to Celebrimbor's charisma and all-round talent both with people and matter (how else could an Elven kingdom exist without major friction right outstide the largest Dwarf city in the world?), inherited from his grandfather yet not marred by the same darkness that beset Fëanor. Thanks! And have a good day!
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Unique and amazing as usual! I notice the pointed ears, and remember you saying that they were unnecessary or not intended by Tolkien, has your interpretation changed?
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This may be of interest: www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-…
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