They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes, drums… drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow lurks in the dark. We can not get out… they are c o m i n g.
stop assuming Elwing was suicidal, stop assuming she was a bad mother, or Silmaril crazy, or that she wanted to desert her sons.
if you can extrapolate from the canonical evidence that Skilledhair Firesoul over there was a complex and sympathetic character with valid motivations, if you can make the legitimate argument – which I’ve heard, actually – that he did nothing wrong even including Alqualondë and the slaughter? you can extrapolate that Elwing Dioriel was not some kind of awful terrible person who abandoned her kids to die selfishly with the cursed jewelry. all we know is that she jumped. we don’t know that she wanted to die. we don’t know that she assumed the jump would be lethal. we don’t even know if she knew she was going to shapeshift (and considering she’s got Maiarin blood it’s a good fucking bet she had some kind of clue). how is it somehow Wrong to say, for example, that she recognized Maedhros and Maglor as the family members of the people who (as far as she knew) murdered her brothers and destroyed her childhood home and decided that Elrond and Elros were at least going to be alive if they were hostages?
What if, realizing that her enemies had killed children before when presented with the threat of not getting this particular jewel, and building on that information and the memory of Doriath that even if she cooperated they might still kill her and her boys anyway, she decided to remove herself from the equation and set up a scenario wherein her children were literally more valuable alive than dead? (After all, if she’s gone with the Jewel they can always negotiate. It’s not ideal, but this way, no one fucking dies.) What if she knew it was a terrible chance but it was the only way she, with her limited knowledge of Fëanorian social skills/past deeds, could see a way for her boys to even glimpse the possibility of living? How is this not possible?
how is it somehow more logical to assume she’s just the local crazy lady who is a worse parent than the guys who kidnapped the children in question? longtime followers will know I love Maedhros and Maglor, and I think that raising the boys and growing to love them in their own way was not entirely terrible, but
come on.
I agree with this, for the most part, but I don’t think it would even make her terrible if she /had/ jumped intending to die. Like, the Feanorians killed her family and destroyed her homeland before, despair isn’t at all an unreasonable response to them coming back.
No I’m ten thousand percent with you on that too.
I’ve been suicidal, more than once. My sympathies lie with her regardless of her motivations in jumping, and even if she did make a Bad (for a given value, of course, of “bad”) Decision that doesn’t make her a Bad Mother or a Bad Person. My issue is that everyone automatically assumes that she was doing one specific thing, which strikes me both as kind of sexist considering the massive amounts of meta/reinterpretation/headcanon surrounding other characters who’ve made decisions detrimental to the psychological wellbeing of their children and as kind of offensive to those of us who’ve been suicidal or are dealing with serious mental illnesses – are we automatically going to get hated because of decisions we’ve made in the grip of those illnesses?
Basically I’d like there to at least be room for “Elwing wasn’t being a bad mom” discussions without somebody turning it into a “Maedhros and Maglor were better parents!” argument.
This has been one of the projects (translating the original J.R.R. Tolkien poem) I’ve been working on for a long time (it seems forever) in between video and dictionary updates and many other side projects.
Your question made me set some time apart and redo/complete a large part of the poem, including your requested translation. As far as I’m aware the song from the first Hobbit movie
is just over a minute long and contains only 2 or the original 26 quatrains (of which 13 are translated below). Those 2 used in the movie I’ve highlighted below.
The form used is: Original English Text – Neo-Khuzdul Translation [literal translation back to English]
Over The Misty Mountains Cold – Uru Malasul’abbad Kall. [Over Mist-like-mountains Cold.]
Far over the Misty Mountains cold, – Udlag uru Malasul’abbad kall, [Far away over mist-like-mountains cold,] To dungeons deep and caverns old, – Du khaffad buzrâ r’agâr gamil, [To dungeons deep and caverns old,] We must away, ere break of day, – Madlagi mat, tabi ibrizbakn, [We-go far away must, before sunrise,] To seek our pale enchanted gold. – D’anshut kidizmâ majalakalbul lubma. [To seek gold-our enchanted pale,]
The dwarves of yore made mighty spells, – Khazud adrân farin tamahîn zarâd belkul, [Dwarves of ancient times (they) made spells mighty,] While hammers fell like ringing bells, – Ina telâkh taslini azafr kethâm zurum, [While (smith-)hammers fell like bells ringing,] In places deep, where dark things sleep, – Ni bizrîn, kûr kêl dush zelefôn, [In deep-places, where dark (unknown) things sleep,] In hollow halls beneath the fells. – Ni dûm tumun undu zudrahanâd. [In halls hollow under the fells (high hills)]
For ancient king and elvish lord – Khama Uzbad farin ra zabad fundul [for King ancient and lord elvish] There many a gleaming golden hoard – Yom êthârul mamamshul kidzul anlâkhul [There many that-which-is-hoarded golden shiny] They shaped and wrought, and light they caught, – Biratakhsigîn ra tamahîn, ra ulkhud mahtatisîn, [They formed and made, and light they caught,] To hide in gems on hilt of sword. – Du maharruk n’ibîn ai-kenaru zagr [To hide in gems on hilt of sword.]
On silver necklaces they strung – Ai-khagsmesêm kiblul takarrisîn [On silver necklaces they continued to attach (string)] The flowering stars, on crowns they hung – Thatûr nangâ, ai-kalâm takhfishîn [Stars flowering, on crowns they hung] The dragon-fire, on twisted wire – ‘urs uslukhul, ai-sanjezer masafrul [fire dragon-like, on wire twisted] They meshed the light of moon and sun. – Mahnetejôn ulkhudu izgil ra ibriz. [they meshed light of moon and sun.]
Far over the Misty Mountains cold, – Udlag uru Malasul’abbad kall, [Far away over mist-like-mountains cold,] To dungeons deep and caverns old, – Du khaffad buzrâ r’agâr gamil, [To dungeons deep and caverns old,] We must away, ere break of day, – Madlagi mat, tabi ibrizbakn, [We-go far away must, before sunrise,] To claim our long-forgotten gold. – Du jalâzrul kidizmâ sigin-magalyul. [To claim our gold long-(that which is)forgotten]
Goblets they carved there for themselves, – Ishlekrathkhdebân yom takfinîn khama izdufan, [Goblets there they carved for themselves,] And harps of gold, where no man delves – Ra siginzadkhlefam kidzul, kûr mabakh ‘utn gunuda [And golden harps, where no man delves] There lay they long, and many a song – Yom tashragîn sigin, ra êthârul kamâth [There they lay long, and many songs] Was sung unheard by men or elves. – Makemethôn binmakaltul udu ‘atân fa fanâd. [were (being) sung not (that which is) heard by men or elves.]
The pines were roaring on the heights, – Tarbzarâs tamgirîn aya azadâr, [(The) pine trees were roaring upon (the) heights,] The wind was moaning in the night, – Bagd tanraniki ni zann, [(The) wind was moaning in (the) night,] The fire was red, it flaming spread, – ‘urs kasat baraz, ‘ursul mahtamnigi, [(The) fire was red, firey it spread,] The trees like torches blazed with light. – Zarâs azafr ‘urstherâk biratarzidîn y’ulkhud, [(The) trees like torches blazed with light.]
The bells were ringing in the dale, – Kethâm zurum ni bizar, [The bells were ringing in the dale,] And men looked up with faces pale. – R’atân tasakhumunîn ya durûz lubma. [And men looked up with faces pale.] The dragon’s ire, more fierce than fire, – Khezraru uslukh, ‘ugmazul m’urs, [Ire of the dragon, fiercer than fire,] Laid low their towers and houses frail. – Tashragi bazir zarrakhizd ra zahhar sabk. [(he) laid low towers-their and houses frail.]
The mountain smoked beneath the moon. – ‘Abad tashiri undu izgil. [(the) mountain (he) smoked under the moon.] The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom. – Khazâd, taklitîn faithû dumsu. [(the) dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom.] They fled the hall to dying fall – Mahtashikîn dum du saln tamradi [They fled the hall to fall dying] Beneath his feet, beneath the moon. – Undu ifâthhu, undu izgil. [Beneath feet-his, beneath the moon.]
Far over the Misty Mountains grim, – Udlag uru Malasul’abbad sulukh, [Far away over mist-like-mountains grim,] To dungeons deep and caverns dim, – Du khaffad buzrâ r’agâr zukun, [To dungeons deep and caverns dim,] We must away, ere break of day, – Madlagi mat, tabi ibrizbakn, [We-go far away must, before sunrise,] To win our harps and gold from him! – D’azkuf siginzadkhlefâm ra kidiz biyhu! [To win harps-our and gold from-him.]
The wind was on the withered heath, – Bagd kasat ai-Funjumatanul, [(the) wind was on the Withered Heath,] But in the forest stirred no leaf: – Ak ni zarsthuhru lu turuthumuna injam: [But in forest (group-of-trees) stirred up (disrupted the quiet) no leaf:] There shadows lay be night or day, – Yom ‘azûn shurugôn zann ra nurt, [There shadows lay night and day,] And dark things silent crept beneath. – Ra kêl dush takt rurukifôn undu. [And things (unknown) dark silent crept under.]
The wind came down from mountains cold, – Bagd nekhifa biy ‘abbad kall, [(the) wind came down from mountains cold,] And like a tide it roared and rolled. – R’azafr ‘âzah’âl mugura ra mahmegema. [And like tide (sea-flow) it roared and rolled.] The branches groaned, the forest moaned, – Zarasî birahufunôn, zarsthuhru naranika, [(the) branches (elements of trees) groaned, the forest moaned.] And leaves were laid upon the mould. – Ra nijâm shurugôn ai-makarfrolkâmin. [And leaves were laid upon the crumbling-soil (mould)]
The wind went on from West to East; – Bagd ganaga aya biy Zelem du Nud; [(The) wind (he) went from West to East;] All movement in the forest ceased. – Sullu shuftu ni zarsthuhru tadrabi. [All movement in the forest stopped.] But shrill and harsh across the marsh, – Ak rakhsh ra girigh urununur khulumshâlat, [But shrill and harsh across the marsh,] Its whistling voices were released. – Kemâth-hu temmul makhuruyôn. [Voices-its whistling (they) were released.]
One of these days I’ll put some extra time aside to complete the whole poem and check the translation again (for any mistakes), but first I want to focus on some of the other more urgent projects I’m busy with (such as the new lessons).
So. A guy who calls himself “Lord of Gifts” has a big workshop in a land full of holly where he tells a bunch of elves to make cool objects. Later he travels around the world dropping off these cool things as presents for people who he thinks show potential.
I’m not sure where I’m going with this, but I choose to believe it would work if I could think about it long enough.
‘He Would Suffer No More Loss’ A brief history of Thranduil (that may shed some light on his motives) summarised from the Unfinished Tales and the Appendices of LotR by JRR Tolkien; composed and Illustrated by Soni Alcorn-Hender
Meg's Mumbles 