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WonderBroad
Menegroth
Mar 8 2007, 3:21am
Post #1 of 6
(939 views)
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Thorondor Bore Up Glorfindel's Body Out of the Abyss
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"Many are the songs that have been sung of the duel of Glorfindel with the Balrog upon a pinnacle of rock in that high place; and both fell to ruin in the abyss. But the eagles coming stooped upon the Orcs, and drove them shrieking back; and all were slain or cast into the deeps, so that rumour of the escape from Gondolin came not until long after to Morgoth's ears. Then Thorondor bore up Glorfindel's body out of the abyss, and they buried him in a mound of stones beside the pass; and a green turf came there, and yellow flowers bloomed upon it amid the barrenness of stone, until the world was changed."
The Silmarillion
This scene was drawn for an "artists' challenge" in Mythlore. A number of artists were given the same text, and each illustrated the scene, without knowledge of what the other artists were doing. The results were published in the same issue of the journal, with a write-up of why each artist chose to depict the scene the way he or she did.
If I remember correctly, I wrote about how I liked to depict "emotional aftermath"--what happens after everything else has happened. My inspiration for the composition came from any number of Baroque-era paintings depicting Christ's deposition from the cross. It seemed a fitting scenario to emulate in the illustration, since Glorfindel had saved the others by taking on the Balrog, heedless of his own safety.
Pen & ink.
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linkin-artelf
Menegroth
Mar 8 2007, 6:23am
Post #2 of 6
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A very moving piece, love the darks and lights and all the texture, especially in the eagle. What I really like is what it adds to the text that just says 'they' buried him....
"I walk along the shore and I gaze
At the light that radiates down
Will it travel forth to you
Far across this shimmering sea?"
formerly linkinparkelf
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Altaira
Superuser
Mar 9 2007, 5:05am
Post #3 of 6
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I love this one. But, now I have to decide between this one and Thingol and Melian as my favorite so far. ....or Frodo and Bilbo. No wait, Thingol and Melian. Yes, I think that's definitely it. Or not.  
Oh heck, I love them all and thank you again for sharing them with us.
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"All we have to decide is what to do with the boards that are given to us"
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
TORn Calendar
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WonderBroad
Menegroth
Mar 10 2007, 10:47pm
Post #4 of 6
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>>thank you again for sharing them with us.
You're welcome. And thank you for your comments. It's nice to have a new audience for these illustrations.
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White Gull
Menegroth
Mar 13 2007, 2:51pm
Post #5 of 6
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Very well done, and it IS reminiscent of some of the classic depictions of the martyred Christ. Glorfindel is one of my favorite LOTR canon characters.
WG
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estelien
Nevrast
Jan 5 2012, 8:51pm
Post #6 of 6
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This picture is amazing. I love the black and white - it grabs your attention and really brings out the feeling.
However, I have a little gripe with the eagles:
While reading the silmarillion, thorondor and his eagles at first excited me, because it was a nice link between the hobbit and lotr and the sil. But as I read on, the eagles started to annoy me. You never really learn anything about the eagles. How did they get to middle earth? why are they fighting against Morgoth? why do they want anything to do with the elves? They have very little story about who they are, yet they are always showing up right when they happen to be needed, and you are never told why they care enough to help out the elves and men. Are they just kind and like to help whoever needs it? It doesn't really sound that way in the Hobbit, from what I can remember. And how do they always know what's going on? Granted, they are very useful, but they seem too useful - less like an important part of the story and more like a handy way out of trouble.
(This post was edited by estelien on Jan 5 2012, 8:54pm)
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