HEROES OF TOLKIEN-GANDALF'S FRAME PART 7

Hi everybody! Firstly, my apologies to all of you for not having uploaded anything for so long but i had my exams and the only thing I was doing was to study all the time from noon till the early morning hours. You know how hard it is to succeed in the exams! Anyway here i am again! This time I will develop one of my favourite characters: Gandalf the Grey!
Let's start with the basics, Gandalf comes from the race of the Ainur, something less than the Valar! He is a Maiar of Manwe, Nienna and Irmo! He is known with various names between the circles of Middle-Earth: His long forgotten name, the one he was called in Valinor, when he was young was Olorin, this was his name in the High Tongue, Quenya. in Sindarin he was called Mithrandir which means Grey Pilgrim.Gandalf Greyhame was another name of his, Gandalf was his name in the North, meaning Elf with the Staff and Greyhame meaning Greycloak. After he defeated the traitor Saruman he was called Gandalf the White. He is also known as the White Rider beacause he rides the great Shadowfax as a contrast to the Black Riders, the Nazgul.Stormcrow he was also named as, because his appearance was associated with trouble and problems, between the dwarves he is known as Tharkun, Greybeard for the servants of Sauron.
In the unfinished tales, Tolkien describes Gandalf asthe last of the wizards to appear in Middle-Earth one who: "seemed the least, less tall than the others, and in looks more aged, grey-haired and grey-clad, and leaning on a staff". Yet, when Cirdan, met him he saw in Gandalf a strong and extremely wise spirit, and gave him the Ring of Fire, Narya! Eversince, he was the guardian of the Fire of the Ainur!
In the Valaquenta, we learn that Gandalf, who was then named Olorin was a Maiar of Valinor and he was one of Manwe's people. It is said that he lived in the gardens of Irmo under the guidance of Nienna. When the Valar decided to send an Order of Wizards to Middle-Earth in order to offer help to those who opposed to Sauron, Manwe proposed Gandalf since he was said to be the wisest among the Maiar.
Once in Middle Earth he landed in Mithlond. Although he was of poor appearance Cirdan saw the wisdom and majesty of his spirit and gave him the ring of fire, Narya. Gandalf hid it well and the fact that he was the Secret Guardian of the Spirit of Fire wasn't revealed until the day he sailed to Valinor along with the other two remaining ring-bearers, Frodo and Bilbo, at the end of the Third Age!
Gandalf was the one who suspected that the Necromancer of Dol Guldur was not a Nazgul but Sauron himself. When the White Council was formed in order to help the races of Middle-Earth to defeat Sauron, Galadriel hoped that Gandalf would be the leader of the Council but he refused to bound himself to anyone else apart from the Valar! So Saruman took the leadership instead.
Gandalf was also mainly involved in The Quest of Erebor. In this adventure, Gandalf, along with thirteen dwarves persuades Bilbo Baggins to follow him in their Quest in order to regain the stolen treasure which lay hidden in the cave of a dragon named Smaug. This treasure was stolen from the Dwarves centuries ago and in this Quest they claimed it back, fought and won the mighty dragon due to Bilbo's smartness and took the treasure back. In the Quest of Erebor, Gandalf finds his lost sword, Glamdring and Bilbo happens to find the One Ring. By the time he found it no one knew that it was the One Ring that could restore the Black Lord Sauron back to his original power.In the Lord of The Rings, Gandalf is a very important character since he guides the Fellowship and offers great help and information. He is imprisoned in Orthanc by the traitor Saruman but he is eventually saved by his friend Gwaihir the King of The Eagles. In the Fellowship of the Ring he is taken down by a demon of the old times, a Balrog, in their way through the mines of Moria. Everybody believes him to be dead but he reappears in the two Towers. He had beaten the Balrog and after having travelled beyond space and time he returned as Gandalf the White. He beat Saruman and took his Palantir and kept it all the time with him hidden. The Nazgul fear him and even Sauron considers him a very powerfull enemy!
Gandalf is a mighty and wise wizard. Many of the deeds of the fellowship are due to him. he is a substantial hero and carries great history on his shoulders. Everyone admires and respects him!

HEROES OF TOLKIEN-BOROMIR'S FRAME PART 6

Well it has been so long since I last updated...I am really sorry about it but my free time is very limited this period. Anyway here i am with my sixth portrait about Boromir and his complex character.
Boromir is the proud son of Denethor, th Steward of Gondor. He is the first of the two brothers. The second is Faramir whose portrait will be updated the next time. Boromir is a human and he is raised within a kingly environment. That is why he is very proud and craves for power. He had a strange dream about a ring and a little human( this was Frodo, the hobbit) and being quite smart and cunning he decides to attend the council in Rivendell when he was invited by lord Elrond. That is why he went there, having in mind to take the ring from Frodo and give it to his father in order to save Gondor from Sauron!
He has in the back of his mind to take the ring and become the king of Gondor.
But things do not proceed the way he desires.When he tries to take the ring from Frodo, the latter becomes scared and wears the ring and eventually disappears. This is exactly what the orcs wanted: they attack the fellowship and they try to kidnap the hobbits as this is their Lord's (Saruman) wish. Just then Boromir understands his mistake and fights with chivalry and bravery in order to protect the little hobbits from the orcs. Eventually he gets killed by many arrows that pierced his body. He dies in the arms of Aragorn whom he never acepted as the real king of the Numenorians but finally accepts his leadership in his hands and calls him his Leader and King. Then he dies....
Boromir is rather complex. He is not exactly the antihero but his not the hero either. He has some elements that indicate his human nature: he is greedy, craves for power and gets easily tricked by the power of the Ring instead if thinking clearly. His judgement gets distorted by the power of the One Ring.
Though he acts like that, in the end he turns out to be really brave while he tries to protect the hobbits from the evil that threatens them. His true heart finally came in the surface. He dies being rescued from the dark part of himself and that is a relief for he reader!!

Something Else.........

Merry Christmas to everyone. Merry Christmas to the whole world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Long live to everyone!

HEROES OF TOLKIEN-ARAGORN'S FRAME Part 5

Sorry for being so horribly late to upload but I have to read for school.

So here we are with the portrait of who else but Aragorn? :).

Aragorn is also known as Strider. he was born on March 1 in 2931 of the Third Age, the son of Arathorn the Second and his wife Gilraen.Through his ancestor Elendil (whom he closely resembled), Aragorn was a descendant of Elros Tar-Minyatur , Lord Elrond's Half-Elven twin brother and the first king of Númenor. Aragorn is descended from both of Elendil's sons, from Isildur through Arvendui, last King of Arthendain, and from Anarion through Arvedui's wife Firiel.
When Aragorn was only two years old, his father was killed while pursuing Orcs. Aragorn was afterwards fostered in Rivendell (Imlandris in the Elvish tongue) by Elrond. After his mother's request, his lineage was kept secret, as she feared that he would possibly be killed like both his father and grandfather if his true identity as the descendant of Elendil and Heir of Isildur became known. Aragorn was renamed Estel and was not told about his heritage and his "burden" until he came of age in 2951.Elrond revealed to "Estel" (which means "Hope" in the Sindarin tongue) his true name and ancestry when he came of age, and delivered to him the shards of Elendil's sword, Narsil, (the legendary sword that deprived Sauron of the One Ring and its power) and the Ring of Barahir. He withheld the Sceptre of Annuminas from him until he "came of the right" to possess it. It was also around this time that Aragorn met and fell in love with Arwen, Elrond's daughter, who had newly returned from her mother's homeland of Lorien.

Aragorn thereafter assumed his proper role as the sixteenth Chieftain of the Dunedain, the Rangers of the North, and went into the wild, where lived the remnants of his people, whose kingdom had been destroyed through civil and regional wars centuries before.
Aragorn met Gandalf the Grey (Mithrandir in the elven tongue) in 2956, and they became close friends. At Gandalf's advice he and his followers began to guard a small land known as the Shire , inhabited by the diminutive Hobbits, and he became known among the peoples just outside the Shire's borders as Strider.
From 2957 to 2980, Aragorn undertook great journeys, serving in the armies of King Thengel of Rohan , and Steward Ecthelion II of Gondor. Many of his tasks helped to raise morale in the West and counter the growing threat of Sauron and his allies, and he acquired invaluable experience which he would later put to use in the War of the Ring. Aragorn served his lords in disguise and his name in Gondor and Rohan during that time was Thorongil (Eagle of the Star). With a small Gondorian squadron of ships, he led an assault on the long-standing rebel province of Umbar in 2980, burning many of the Corsairs' ships and personally slaying their lord during the battle on the Havens. After the victory at Umbar, "Thorongil" left the field and to the dismay of his men, went East.
Later in 2980, he visited Lórien, and there once again met Arwen. He gave her the heirloom of his House, the Ring of Barahir, and, on the hill of Cerin Amroth, Arwen pledged her hand to him in marriage, renouncing her Elvish lineage and accepting the Gift of Men: death.
Elrond withheld from Aragorn permission to marry his daughter until such time as his foster son should be king of both Gondor and Arnor. To Elrond's as well as Aragorn's knowledge, in order to marry a mortal his daughter would be required to choose mortality, and thus deprive the deathless Elrond of his daughter while the world lasted. Elrond was also concerned for Arwen's own happiness, fearing that in the end she might find death (her own and that of her beloved) too difficult to bear.
Before the events of The Lord of the Rings proper take place, Aragorn also travelled through the Darwen mines of Moria, and to Harad (where wild people lived).

Tolkien gives a brief but detailed description of Aragorn in The Fellowship of the Ring: lean, dark and tall, with shaggy dark hair "flecked with grey", grey eyes, and a stern pale face. In "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen" in the Appendices, he was said to be often grim and sad, with unexpected moments of levity. Some time after the publication of the books, Tolkien wrote that he was 1.98 m tall.
Aragorn possessed Elven wisdom due to his childhood in Rivendell with Elrond and the foresight of the Dúnedain. He was a skilled healer, notably with the plant Athelas (also known as Kingsfoil). He was also a mighty warrior and an unmatched commander; after the Battle of the Pelennor Field, he, Eomer and Imrahil were said to be left unscathed, even though they had been in the thick of the fighting. Due to his position as Isildur's heir, Aragorn had impressive powers for a Man, and, as the rightful owner of the Palantiri could use the Orthanc stone unhampered by Sauron.
Though there is no indication of him ever doubting his role and destiny as one of the leaders of the war against Sauron and the future king of the Reunited Kingdom he was not immune to self-doubt, as he doubted the wisdom of his decisions while leading the Fellowship after the fall of Gandalf in Moria, and blamed himself for many of their subsequent misfortunes.
On one occasion, his pride (or reverence for his heritage) led to complications, as he refused to disarm and leave his sword Andúril (a priceless heirloom of Númenor and one of the weapons which slew Sauron) at the door of Edoras, as Théoden had required, and only did so after Gandalf left his own sword (also of high lineage) behind. Even so, he swore that death would come to anyone else who touched it (whether by his own hand or by some magic is left unsaid).

Aragorn, son of Arathorn was called the Dúnadan ("Man of the West/Numenorian", given by Bilbo in Rivendell), Longshanks (given by Bill Ferny in Bree), Strider, called so by Butterbur, and Wingfoot (given by Eomer after discovering that Aragorn had travelled forty-five leagues in four days in pursuit of Pippin, Merry, and their Uruk-hai captors). He was the founder of the House of Telcontar (Telcontar is "Strider" in Quenya, after the mistrustful nickname given him by the rustics of the North), which ruled Gondor well into the Fourth Age of Middle-earth; in records, his full ruling name is given as Elessar Telcontar ("Elfstone Strider"). Envinyatar (meaning "the renewer") is another name by which he referred to himself when he claimed the elfstone. He was known as Estel ("hope") to protect his true lineage from the Enemy when they were seeking the heir of Isildur. He was also known as Thorongil ("Eagle of the Star") in his younger days when he travelled around Middle-earth and performed services in Rohan and Gondor often by protecting camps and raiding enemy strongholds like he did when he crossed the Corsairs of Umbar. Initially it is said that Aragorn's forefathers were the exiles of Númenor who ruled over the people of Ond (early name of Gondor), but were driven out by the Wizard King"when Sauron raised a rebellion".The story of the two branches of Elendil's descendants ruling over two kingdoms of Men through many generations only emerged gradually; at one time, Tolkien even seems to have conceived only three generations between Isildur and Aragorn.
One significant feature which was not established until late stages was Aragorn's relationship with Arwen. When Tolkien first introduced Éowyn, the interest which she showed towards Aragorn was not one-sided, with suggestions in notes that they would marry at the end of the story. Another proposal was done soon, that Éowyn would die to save or avenge Théoden, and Aragorn would never marry after her death.

Arangorn is an extremely complex character. He is a combination of everything worthy uppon Middle-Earth at that time. He is valiant, trustworthy, wise and smart. He leads one of the most basic roles in the History of Middle-Earth and he becomes immediately beloved even by his very first appearance in the story of the Ring!

HEROES OF TOLKIEN-GIMLI'S FRAME-Part 4

Gimli is Legolas' best friend and surprisingly, he is a dwarf! He is a firm descentant of Durin's folk, son of Gloin, and he decides to accompany Frodo Baggins along with the rest of the fellowship to the great journey aiming to the destruction of the One Ring! As a dwarf, he is short, with a great red beard and long, red hair. He is straight with his actions and he has a wise mind. He has a heart of gold as he proves to be a really great and loyal friend. He is also extremely good at using the Axe ( axes are the weapons prefered by the folk of Dwarves).

He fights with great bravery and chivalry. He is quick and accurate while handling the axe and he is always ready to protect his friends from the dangers that lurk during their journey! He is lover of raw meat and food and his great passion is beer (like all dwarves). Although he is a little stubborn, he manages to overcome this weakness of his when this is necessary.

Gimli is the one who along with Legolas brings back the great bonds of friendship that once, in the First age and the beggining of the second, were held among the Elves and the Dwarves. He feels very proud when he walks into Moria and he is scared when the company crosses the Forest of Fangorn. Thus, he is a genuine Dwarf!!! He and Legolas are together untill the end of the story and in The Red Book of Westmarch, it is told that after many years upon Middle-Earth, when Legolas builts a grey ship and sets sails to the shores of Valinor, his best friend, Gimli follows him to the Immortal Lands!

SOME PLUS MATERIAL-Part III

There are some songs related to Tolkien's masterpieces. Enjoy!

Blind Guardian-Nightfall.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Azt8p7rWFaQ
It is a song about the first age when Melkor and Ungoliant destroyed the Two Trees of Valinor and the beginning of the Nightfall of the world came!

In Dreams.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYkzVrLl1O4
It is a song of hope and the bonds of companioship. Even when everything will be dark and misty...hope will be always in the deepest of our hearts!

Evenstar-Arwen Undomiel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28YhJ17BJxU
Unique beauty, loving heart, great power, everlasting hope, courage, wisedom, love........this is everything Arwen incarnates!!!!!!!!

The Passing of The Elves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUNOl_zbrqk
The time of the Elves is fading.....the leave forever from Middle-Earth and set sails to the Deathless Shores!

NOTE: I own none of the videos above.

HEROES OF TOLKIEN-LEGOLAS' FRAME Part 3

And now let us focus on Legolas the Greenleaf. Legolas is an Elf from the Forest of Mirkwood .Son of King Thranduil, Legolas is the Prince of Mirkwood. Although he lives among the Silvan Elves (the elves of the woods) he does not belong with them. He and his father actually come form Lindon and they are Sindar, Grey Elves that is. He speaks the Sindarin tongue (elvish dialect) and as all elves, his senses are extremely developed. He is a very good fighter and has great capacities in battle. The characteristics of his tribe are very obvious on him: He is very tall, with fair, almost golden, hair (although there are opinions that he might have been dark-haired) and has bright blue eyes and perfect eye-sight. Tolkien describes him as "an Elf, clad in green and brown". He is almost always light-hearted and when the fellowship tried to cross Caradhras, he remained in a good mood. He was little affected by the blowing winds and snow, he did not even wear boots, only light shoes, and his feet scarcely made imprints on the snow - illustrating the Elves' otherworldliness!
Legolas is the perfect assassin! He kills the enemy with amazing accuracy. He can perfectly handle the bow and arrow as well as the sword. He is a great horse-rider and one of the charismas of his tribe that has passed straight to him is that he can "talk" to animals so they obey and follow him not by fear but by love and reliability. He is also very open-minded as he becomes very good friend with a dwarf. (Dwarves and Elves were in great dispute since the beginning of the second age). He has a kind and loving heart and he is extremely loyal to the Fellowship and to the great goal they must achieve.
In The Return of the King, Legolas and Gimli accompanied Aragorn on the Paths of the Dead, along with the Grey Company. After Aragorn summoned the Dead Men of Dunharrow to fight for him, Legolas saw them frighten away the Corsairs of Umbar from their ships at Pelargir. Galadriel's prophecy was then fulfilled: as Legolas heard the cries of seagulls, he began to experience the Sea-longing — the desire to sail west to Valinor, the "Blessed Realm" which was latent among the Sindar. His heart longed to see the shores of the Immortal lands.
Legolas' age is never well and plainly presented. Some passages though in Tolkien's books, give some sort of information:
"The forest is old, very old," said the Elf. "So old that almost I feel young again, as I have not felt since I journeyed with you children. It is old and full of memory. I could have been happy here, if I had come in days of peace."
"These are the strangest trees that I ever saw," Legolas said; "and I have seen many an oak grow from acorn to ruinous age. I wish that there were leisure now to walk among them: they have voices, and in time I might come to understand their thought."
"Five hundred times have the red leaves fallen in Mirkwood my home since [the building of Edoras]," said Legolas, "and but a little while does that seem to us." Thus Legolas must be old enough for men and dwarves but a lot less than middle-aged according to the Firstborn.Legolas is certainly older than Gimli and Aragorn, who are 139 and 87 respectively at the time of the War of the Ring .
Here follows the prophecy ,and warning as well, given to him by Galandriel:
"Legolas Greenleaf long under tree
In joy thou hast lived. Beware of the Sea!
If thou hearest the cry of the gull on the shore,
Thy heart shall rest in the forest no more."
After the destruction of the One Ring, Legolas remained in Minas Tirith for Aragorn's crowning and marriage to Arwen. Later, Legolas and Gimli went travelling together through Fangorn forest and to visit the Glittering Caves of Helm's Deep, as Legolas had promised Gimli. Eventually, Legolas founded an Elf-colony in Ithilien and spent his remaining time in Middle-earth, helping to restore the devastated forests of that war-ravaged land.
It was told in the Red Book of Westmarch (first written by Bilbo Baggins, continued by Frodo Baggins and supposedly finished by Samwise Gamgee), that after Aragorn's death in the year 120 of the Fourth Age Legolas built a grey ship and left Middle-earth to go over the Sea to Valinor, and that Gimli went with him!!!!!!!!!