Elrond - Mithril M338 (1994)

In order to recover from last model's disappointment, I picked a Mithril piece from the '90s: simple, elegant and dependable. And here is Elrond, or M338, from 1994. What a great model.

Elrond is probably one of my favourite characters from any book of Tolkien - as a matter of fact, he appears in all of them. A minor character in the Silmarillion, he rises to be one of the Wise in the later books, and take the archetypal role of mentor: the one who provides the main characters with information and advice, and sets them on the right path to victory.

Elrond was first conceived by Tolkien in the Hobbit:

The master of the house was an elf-friend - one of those people whose fathers came into the strange stories before the beginning of History, the wars of the evil goblins and the elves and the first men in the North. In those days of our tale there were still some people who had both elves and heroes of the North for ancestors, and Elrond the master of the house was their chief. He was as noble and as fair in face as an elf-lord, as strong as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves, and as kind as summer. He comes into many tales, but his part in the story of Bilbo's great adventure is only a small one, though important, as you will see, if we ever get to the end of it. His house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all. Evil things did not come into that valley.
Hob, Chapt. 3 - A short rest

Elrond is, since the beginning, the Master of the House in Rivendell: the place and the character are linked and inseparable, one the mirror of the other. They represent safety and hope for the Free People of Northwestern Middle-earth. Rivendell is a place of healing and wisdom, the Last Homely House before the Wilderness, a beacon of civilisation where civilisation is seemingly lost.

"Rivendell" by JRR Tolkien

His description in LotR is similar in tone:

The face of Elrond was ageless, neither old nor young, though in it was written the memory of many things both glad and sorrowful. His hair was dark as the shadows of twilight, and upon it was set a circlet of silver; his eyes were grey as a clear evening, and in them was a light like the light of stars. Venerable he seemed as a king crowned with many winters, and yet hale as a tried warrior in the fulness of his strength. He was the Lord of Rivendell and mighty among both Elves and Men.
FotR, Book II, Chapt. I - Many Meetings

While in Hob we are offered but a glimpse of Elrond, it is in LotR that he truly develops as a character, and even more in Sil. He is a character larger than life: noblest of the Eldar in Middle-earth, wisest among them, keeper of one of the Three, protector of the line of Isildur and their heirlooms. Looking at his life, he has been a direct witness to the most important events in history: born of Earendil and Elwing at the Havens of Sirion, after the Nirnaeth, Elrond and his twin Elros are captured by the Sons of Fëanor when only six years old, during the Third Kinslaying. They will never see their parents again, but they will be raised by Maglor.

"And Maglor took pity upon them" by Catherine Karina Chmiel

Elrond is 55 years old, just about an adult among the Elves, when the War of Wrath is over and Maglor disappears. Free at last from his captor and mentor, Elrond is offered a choice by the Valar, whether to be counted among the Mortals or the Immortals. Unlike his brother, Elrond chooses the Eldar, and as Beleriand sinks under the waves, he moved to Lindon in the court of the High King Gil-galad. Here Elrond becomes his Herald.

Elrond is one of the few who is not fooled by Annatar's promises and he meets him at the borders of Lindon forbidding him entrance. When the Maia reveals himself as Sauron and leads his armies against Eregion, Elrond in turn heads the host of the Eldar of Lindon against him. He fails to defeat the Lord of the Rings, but he is able to rescue some inhabitants of Eregion and retreats north, where he reaches the hidden vale of Imladris and there he sets his camp. He spends three years there, besieged by enemies, until Tar Minastir of Númenor lands his forces in Middle-earth and, together with Gil-galad, drives Sauron's forces out of Eriador.

At this point Elrond could go back to Lindon, but he does not. With great foresight, he understands the need to keep an outpost in eastern Eriador to guard the land against the Shadow, and together with the survivors of Eregion and a few of his companions he establishes the Last Homely House, the mansion of Imladris. He will spend the following 4.762 years as its lord and master.

During this time, only once will Elrond ride in arms outside his borders: during the War of the Last Alliance. Summoned by his king Gil-galad, the Lord of Imladris led his forces against Mordor and fought during the siege of Barad-dûr. He was witness to the defeat of Elendil and Gil-galad, felled by Sauron himself, and the victory of Isildir, who cut the One from his Master's hand and took it for himself. He spoke to a dying Gil-galad, and received from him the Ring of Air, Vilya, thus becoming one of the Keepers of the Three.

His time in Middle-earth ended with the Third Age, when he took the Last Ship with the other Ringbearers and joined his wife in Valinor, leaving behind his children, Elladan and Elrohir, who remain in Imladris, and Arwen, who becomes Queen of Gondor and will share with his husband Aragorn the doom of Men and mortality.

Untitled by Pauline Baynes

Elrond is, as we have seen, full of virtues - strength, courage, wisdom, leadership, nobility, compassion - but none of them greater than his humility. In spite of being the best candidate to lead the Eldar in Middle-earth, first in line to succeed Gil-galad as High-king, he never raised any claim, simply content to be the Master of Rivendell, to occupy a small, isolated corner of Eriador and help the Free Peoples with hospitality and advice. And ultimately his choice bore fruit: he surely understood better than others the Doom of Mandos and the futility to try to restore the power and glory of the Light Elves, but instead he was key to ensure the success of many enterprises such as Thorin Oakenshield's quest for Erebor and the journey of the Fellowship of the Ring, as well as many others we know not of from the main books - the sapping of Angmar's power in Rhudaur in the middle of the Third Age, among many. By defending Rivendell in the wild lands around the Misty Mountains, he fostered hope for generations of members of the Free Peoples. Few indeed, in all of Middle-earth, contributed more than Elrond in the fight against Sauron, and yet he went mostly uncredited, simply known in other lands as a loremaster and wise scholar.

 

The representation of Elrond in the visual media varies wildly, but somehow there seems to be a preference for the colour blue associated to him, perhaps because of the sapphire in his ring. As an alternative, grey.
 

The Hobbit (1977)

R. Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings (1978)

The Hobbit graphic novel (1989)

Bilbo's Last Song by Pauline Baynes (1990)

"Elrond recalls past events" by M. Kaluta (1990s?)

Hugo Weaving playing Elrond in P. Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003)

So here we go. The sculpt from Chris Tubb is very good: extremely natural and harmonious. Elrond holds a book, pointing at a page and looking up. His simple and wide robes drape elegantly, held at the waist by a long belt of cloth. The sleeves are folded up, manifesting the pragmatism of the character, whose hair are held back by a circlet. This is the fifth time Tubb sculpts Elrond (out of seven) and, in my opinion, this figure is the nicest.

The sculpt is, in itself, very simple, so I decided to experiment a bit with the painting to add complexity. Making use of a liner brush, I drew the letters on the book and added little white points at the bottom of the robes as stars. For a first attempt, the stars came out ok, although I think I can do better. But the book is spot on, isn't it? The circlet is non metallic silver - again, it could have better, but for a first time it's not too abysmal.

Overall, greatly pleased by this piece. One of the best I've painted from Mithril.

Gwindor Lachlîn (M269 Gil-Galad, High King in Exile)

There was a last miniature which emerged from the old box I found when moving house: it was half painted and still broken in the original three parts which had never been glued together. Half finished, M269, "Gil-Galad, High King in Exile" had been set to become a player character for LotR RPG (Coda), which eventually was never played because I moved abroad a few weeks later.

The painting, though, was beautiful - it was the apex of my ability 12 years ago or so. Still no blackwash, no highlights, no other tricks, but just a beautiful painting of details and an elegant choice of colours.

In no time, I started finishing the job. So here it is to you:

A bit of background: the character is Gwindor Lachlîn, which is also an NPC in a description I had written for MERP Fan Modules group about the House of Brothers, a Noble House of the Noldor linked to two heroes of the Silmarillion, Gelmir and Gwindor of Nargothrond.

The House of Brothers has a tragic history: Gelmir was captured in the Dagor Bragollach and used as a bait in the Nirnaeth, when his cruel murder led his brother Gwindor to abandon the position of advantage on the hills and lead the first charge against the Orcs in the valley.

“Then the Captain of Morgoth sent out riders with tokens of parley, and they rode up before the outworks of the Barad Eithel. With them they brought Gelmir son of Guilin, that lord of Nargothrond whom they had captured in the Bragollach; and they had blinded him. Then the heralds of Angband showed him forth, crying: 'We have many more such at home, but you must make haste if you would find them; for we shall deal with them all when we return even so.' And they hewed off Gelmir's hands and feet, and his head last, within sight of the Elves, and left him.

By ill chance, at that place in the outworks stood Gwindor of Nargothrond, the brother of Gelmir. Now his wrath was kindled to madness, and he leapt forth on horseback, and many riders with him; and they pursued the heralds and slew them, and drove on deep into the main host. And seeing this all the host of the Noldor was set on fire, and Fingon put on his white helm and sounded his trumpets, and all the host of Hithlum leapt forth from the hills in sudden onslaught. The light of the drawing of the swords of the Noldor was like a fire in a field of reeds; and so fell and swift was their onset that almost the designs of Morgoth went astray. Before the army that he sent westward could be strengthened it was swept away, and the banners of Fingon passed over Anfauglith and were raised before the walls of Angband. Ever in the forefront of that battle went Gwindor and the Elves of Nargothrond, and even now they could not be restrained; and they burst through the Gate and slew the guards upon the very stairs of Angband, and Morgoth trembled upon his deep throne, hearing them beat upon his doors. But they were trapped there, and all were slain save Gwindor only, whom they took alive; for Fingon could not come to their aid.”

Silmarillion, Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad

Gwindor dwelt as a slave for many years in Angband, until he managed to escape, only to be rescued by Beleg Cúthalion. He witnessed his accidental death by the hand of his friend Túrin son of Húrin, which he nonetheless helped, bringing the young Man to Nargothrond, an act of kindness which ultimately led to the separation of Gwindor and his loved one, Finduilas, and the fall of Nargothrond to the forces of Morgoth.

The House of Brothers was first imagined by Jeff Erwin in his unpublished module Lindon, in which he also defined the colours of their livery: black and maroon, to represent the mourning for the Darkening of Valinor.

According to Lindon module, the head of the House in the Second and Third Age was Gwindrûn, son of Gelmir. In the description of the House of Brothers I wrote, I imagined Gwindhrûn to have been first sworn an Oath of Vengeance against the Enemy, which eventually led to his involvement in the Second and Third Kinslaying. Overcome by guilt and a feeling of inescapability from the Doom of Mandos, Gwidhrûn ultimately decided to close himself in a castle on the western side of the Ered Luin and linger there with his people, refusing stubbornly to be involved anymore in the affairs of Middle-earth.

Gwindor Lachlîn was the son of Gwidhrûn. His father named him Gwindor in memory of his uncle, who raised him after the capture of his father, but his mother, Hirimel of the Coppershields, named him Lachlîn, "Leaping Flame Glance". Fiery and reckless, he was a son of the Second Age, who never experienced the dramatic events of the previous Age and brooded over the deeds of his ancestors, fearing he would never have the chance to prove himself and pass his name into the stories of the minstrels.

Constantly at odds with his overprotective father, Gwindor Lachlîn took upon himself his Oath of Vengeance and accused him to have forsaken it. At last, when Annatar revealed himself as Sauron and raised an army in Mordor, Gwidhrûn gave in to Gil-Galad's requests and granted his only son leave to lead his folk to battle. Gwindor fought first on the borders of Lindon, and later in the War of the Last Alliance. At the Battle of Morannon, he led the countercharge which broke the ranks of the Orcs of Mordor and pushed them back to the Gates after their last sortie. He died by the slopes of Amon Amarth, killed by the Troll Guard of Sauron whom he had attacked to distract them from the High King, who was coming from the other side.

Thus, his name passed into the tales of the Eldar and the Dúnedain, as he had wished. It is said that when his father received news of his demise, he relinquished the lordship of the House and let himself die, to join the rest of his kinsfolk. This was the end of the House of Brothers, and all those few who had survived either left Middle-earth by way of the Ships of Círdan, or lived like wanderers in Lindon and Eriador, so that the castle of Gwidhrûn remained a ruin forever more.