Cirashala
Doriath
Jul 15 2023, 12:41am
Views: 6739
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Trade centers/hubs would be multi-cultural and multi-racial, organically.
Isolated villages would not be as diverse as mega metropoli of today's era, simply due to geographic limitations regarding available modes of transportation of the time period/world.
A society where a car can drive across an entire continent in a couple of days, and an airplane can fly across the WORLD in 16 hours, leads to FAR more diversity, especially in metropoli like New York City (America), London (UK), etc.
A society where the main means of transportation involves walking, riding a horse, or being pulled in a cart by horses or oxen, over thousands of miles of rough terrain, with little settlement and a lot of wild wilderness, and the high chance of being waylaid by hostile forces (whether it be marauding orcs, human or otherwise robbers, or wild predators, etc), without proper equipment (swords were luxury items, NOT everyday. Average peasant farmer would not have one, though might have bow and arrows for hunting), and unable to afford "swords for hire" protection while they traveled so far, a journey that takes several months (or even years) from one destination to another, subject to cold, heat, wind, storms, slippery and steep slopes, crossing river fords without bridges (or paying hefty tolls), AND having to haul enough food and potable water for both self and (if riding) animals for the entire journey...
Not as much diversity, because most people in such societies, without fast, safe, and comfortable transportation, wouldn't even, as Samwise remarked, leave a radius of about 10 miles/16 km from the place where they were born. He's actually an EXCELLENT example- "If I take one more step, it'll be the furthest away from home I've ever been."
So, seeing such "modern melting pot diversity", anywhere in Middle-earth EXCEPT major ports and (like Dale and Bree) trading hubs is not organic. It is forced inclusion on the part of the studio.
It is even more egregious when one's child is a completely different race (but ONLY if BOTH BIOLOGICAL parents' races are known, otherwise the child could be biracial), because that's just not genetically possible. Tolkien's race of Men were based biologically on REAL humans from our world, and elves were genetically alike ENOUGH to produce FERTILE, if mortal, offspring with these Men. Therefore, modern genetics, at least with Men and Elves, are most definitely into play here. Meaning, unless one BIOLOGICAL parent and another BIOLOGICAL parent are of different races, their child should have the same, or darn close, features as their parents AND siblings.
In this case, since we never see Miriel's mother, we could assume that she was a different race than Miriel's father, and (though in defiance of Tolkien's specific description of Miriel's fair features), it could be possible, especially since one could argue that her mother might've originated from Middle-earth (or her mother's ancestors) as part of a diplomatic envoy, or an inter-kingdom/realm marriage treaty. Same with Disa- she was married to the king's son, so she could've come from a race of eastern dwarves, and been the result (happy though it was) of a marriage treaty, OR an envoy's daughter who took a huge shine to Moria, and subsequently, it's shy prince  Marigold is clearly Nori's STEPmother, so there's no issue there, save that, as an isolated society, diversity would be more unlikely, given both their intentional isolation, AND their geographic isolation.
I think Cordova did a fantastic job as a Tolkien elf, acting-wise! But, do I think he fits Tolkien's descriptions of an elf? Possibly not, unless the Avari were darker in complexion than their Noldorin/Vanyarin/Sindarin counterparts. I LOVE Disa, and I think there's nothing that directly contradicts her, either, simply because we don't have Tolkien-based descriptors of every house of dwarves to compare it to, and she could be from a different line than Durin's line. I have an issue with Miriel simply because Tolkien DID describe her as being very fair/pale, and she's clearly not. I do not have issue with Theo, because we don't know who his father was.
Isildur I have issue with, because (though mom isn't shown) his sister AND father are both fair. Then again, one of my close friends is half-Mexican, and quite dark with jet black hair, and her half-brother (same mother, who is full Mexican) has blonde hair, lighter skin, light green eyes, so sometimes genetics are weird (both had white fathers, but different fathers, because her brother was a product of high school non-consent, and her mother married her father when her half-brother was a toddler).
There's nothing racist about this idea of geographic isolation leading to more homogenous populations, outside of trade hubs and ports, at ALL. It is simply a matter of the logistics and means of lengthy, hazardous, and uncomfortable transportation methods that would result in such modern conceptions of diversity being unavailable in Middle-earth. If people didn't HAVE to travel, for the most part, they didn't. It was too expensive, too long, too hazardous, and a rotten pain in the rear end.
Unfortunately, since much of the general public failed to pay attention during history class (I am a historical fiction author, and amateur historian with 26 years of independent research), they are seemingly unaware of historical geographical dispensation regarding racial homogeneity vs heterogeneity, and the reasons for it matching the same sort of societal, mobility, and geographical limitations within Middle-earth.
My writing and novels:
My Hobbit Fanfiction
My historical novel print and kindle version
My historical novels ebook version compatible with all ereaders
You can also find my novel at most major book retailers online (and for those outside the US who prefer a print book, you can find the print version at Book Depository). Search "Amazing Grace Amanda Longpre'" to find it.
Happy reading everyone!
(This post was edited by Cirashala on Jul 15 2023, 12:49am)
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