Appendix: Action Elves Are Canon

*Many people seem to think that Legolas's stunts in the films are over-the-top, and deserving of scorn. They say that such stunts are a deviation from Tolkien. This list is to show that the contrary is true – Tolkien created and used such 'action elves'. It is, in fact, an inherent part of being an elf.*

Arwen Undómiel

*This essay is a part of my 'Tolkien and Gender' series. You must read my Intro before reading this essay.*

Arwen is my favorite character, and I became a Tolkien fan because of her. Yes, you read that right. Arwen is an amazing character, and I find the way a lot of people frequently interpret her incredibly problematic.

Most people say that 'she doesn't do anything' and that she is 'passive' or 'submissive'. Passive means “accepting or allowing what happens or what others do, without active response or resistance.” Submit means “to yield or surrender (oneself) to the will or authority of another.” They mean that Arwen does nothing to assert herself, influence events around her, or change her place in life. That she is, in short, a trophy bride.

Nothing could be further from the truth. With as little page time as Arwen has, she has quite an active role and an enormous effect on the plot.

Tauriel of the Woodland Realm

*This essay is a part of my 'Tolkien and Gender' series. You must read my Intro before reading this essay. This essay was updated after the BotFA Extended Edition was released.*

I'm writing this essay because of all the conversations revolving around Tauriel. There have been many outraged posts about how Tauriel is sexist. Frankly, they make me feel sad. Because there is nothing sexist about Tauriel. I feel sad because people are taking all of the rage and hurt they have gotten from being mistreated by the Patriarchy, to enforce the Patriarchy.

Let me repeat, there is nothing sexist about Tauriel. Raging about her only ingrains sexism deeper into our psyche.

Appendix: Fair

*This is a list of most quotes that use the word “fair” in a way that means something other than physical beauty within LotR. I have compiled this list because it is one of my key points in the frequent misunderstandings of Tolkien's writing style.*

For the Love of the Lord of the White Tree: Legolas and Aragorn's Friendship

I wrote this essay because I love the friendship between Legolas and Aragorn and it infuriates me that the friendship between Legolas and Aragorn not only gets overlooked most of the time, but that some people even outright deny that it is canon.

Introduction to the 'Tolkien and Gender' Series

The idea for this series came to me when I was writing the end of my Éowyn essay. Tolkien faces a lot of criticism from people for supposedly being 'sexist' in his works. Overall, Tolkien's works are not sexist. I agree it is very problematic that only 18% of the characters are female. 

However, Tolkien's works take a very refreshing and nuanced look at sexism, and this has been largely overlooked or dismissed.

Elves and the Unseen Plane

This is all about the Unseen Plane, especially as it relates to Elves. Gandalf's comments in “Many Meetings” makes it clear that the 'wraith-world' and the 'unseen plane' are the same world. What do we know about this Plane, and what do we know about its relation to Elves and Men?

Aragorn and Elrond's Relationship

For me, one of the most heart wrenching parts of LotR is the relationship between Aragorn and Elrond (alright, there are a lot of heart wrenching parts, this is just one of them). I do not agree with comparing Elrond to Thingol, because the situations are completely different. However, I don't believe that everything was alright between them.

Éowyn: The White Lady of Rohan

*This essay is a part of my 'Tolkien and Gender' series. You must read my Intro before reading this essay. This essay is what inspired me to write the series.*

When discussing Tolkien, gender, and feminism, very few characters are as talked about as Éowyn. Understanding her character arc is crucial to understanding the systematic damnation of sexism that is present in the majority of Tolkien's works.

Without further ado, let's start!

Aragorn's Timeline Issue

When reading the Appendixes, Aragorn's timeline gets very messed up.