Tinw Filigod, Elf-Friend

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Ranked #816 in Me, #96,045 overall

Greetings from Middle-earth!

Mae govannen-- "Well Met!" If you have heard my lyre and song ringing above the falls of Rivendell, if you have met a wandering harper in the wide ways of Middle-earth, if you have discussed the Lord of the Rings with one who speaks much of the heart and of dreams, symbol and myth-- why, you've met me already!

Who is Tinw? 

Tinw is my online persona on the Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza, the best online community I have ever found for Tolkien lore and scholarship, sharing love of The Lord of the Rings, and bringing the magic of Middle-earth to life through roleplay, contests, trivia quizzes, games and activities inspired by or embedded in that world.

Tinw is a human girl, a daughter of a Wood-man from Mirkwood who has "gone to live with the Elves." She was originally created as a humorous parody of a lot of young fans I saw in our Rivendell forum, besotted by Legolas and Elves in general. However, I'm not good at parody, and Tinw quickly became (like the Velveteen rabbit) a very real character exploring a recurring theme in Tolkien's work: what happens when mortals have dealings with the immortal race?

Lord of the Rings Plaza: Lore, Quizzes, Trivia, Forums, Roleplay and More!

Other Lord of the Rings Fanatics 

Other members of my online community.

A rotating selection of Lenses by members of the Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza, and a few of my Plaza-related lenses.

Tinw's backstory, in brief 

...not that a bard can ever be brief.

I took my primary inspiration from Bilbo, who was delighted by Elves yet in some ways no longer a proper Hobbit (Frodo had the same trouble). I was also intrigued by the figure of Eriol in the Book of Lost Tales, a human who sojourns with Elves in order to learn their ways and history. Most of all, I was inspired by two quotes in the Lord of the Rings:

The Rider looked at them with renewed wonder, but his eyes hardened. 'Then there is a Lady in the Golden Wood, as old tales tell!' he said. 'Few escape her nets, they say. These are strange days! But if you have her favour, then you also are net-weavers and sorcerers, maybe.' ~ Éomer to Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, TTT

'Yet there are among us still some who have dealings with the Elves when they may, and ever and anon one will go in secret to Lórien, seldom to return. Not I. For I deem it perilous now for mortal man wilfully to seek out the Elder People. Yet I envy you that have spoken with the White Lady.' ~ Faramir to Sam and Frodo, TTT

I was astounded at the idea of humans wandering off to stay with the Elves -- though clearly the Men of the North had heard only vague tales of such incidents and feared the Elves as bogeymen. Even Faramir, a well-educated man from a kingdom that had once held close ties with the Elves, judges that the friendship between the two races was best left in the past.

Through no plan of my own, Tinw's career in the Plaza's Middle-earth has proved the wisdom of Faramir's words. She has learned much, had a great deal of wonder in her life, yet has also been cut off from the human world and has had all kinds of misadventures.

The Classroom of Soronúmë 

Life in Rivendell and the Imladris Bards Guild

But those misadventures came later. I won't tell you all of Tinw's story here, but let me give you a glimpse of how she -- and one part of the Plaza -- began. My first day exploring the Plaza, I found an activity called the Imladris Bards Guild. I signed up and was assigned as an "apprentice" to Soronúmë, Master of Song, who gave me poetry assignments and critiqued my work.

I'm not a good artist, but I loved the conceit of his airy study with a high balcony overlooking the valley. Here is an excerpt of an exchange between Soronúmë and Tinw, from lessons with him back in June 2005:

Soronúme:
[Commenting on my last assignment, which was to write a poem about Morgoth]
Little bird, be not ashamed of your ability to grasp the guile of Bauglir's speech. Such skill, if skill it is, will enable your race to thrive and forge ahead, and will give you the desire to create and survive, conquering all physical boundaries, until I sense, in the distant future, an alien world consumed by technology, a world where Men turn their backs on Arda.
Can this be said to be a triumph of Morgoth, even though he has been cast out?
It is a world we will not see, for, as you say, we will go home. Yet home for me is here in Middle-Earth. I never saw Aman, although my parents spoke often of it. My mortal friends here, Men, Dwarves, and Hobbits, are all ageing, and I remain. Death, that blessed curse, that abominable gift, will take them and leave me. Then I will build a Grey Ship and sail with as many of my race as will accompany me, but I will be leaving my home.
I wish you could come with me - few mortals have attuned themselves so completely with our people, but such Grace is not mine to give. So sing! Play! Enjoy Rivendell while it lasts. Then return to the White City, and sing to Arwen, my kinswoman, my regard for her.
Stay here with us a while, little bird - mortals may stand tall alongside the Firstborn, and our hearts are turned to you.

Tinw:
The girl's face falls as he speaks of the distant future, but she neither protests nor comments: she honestly does know little of the ways of Men, just as any peasant in the field is not conversant with policies, the structures of society, save through the vehicle of stories. But as he speaks of Grace, she gives a quiet laugh. "Well, you cannot keep death at bay, master, but for my part- you have given that Grace! Don't you think I'm in Valinor now?"
The light is back in her eyes again. "As much as mortal heart can bear."




After five years, nearly all of Tinw's closest friends in Rivendell have taken the ships to the Undying Lands. (In other words, some old Rivendell members have stopped playing). So Tinw has decided to follow her master's advice and move to Minas Tirith, to share the songs and lore she's picked during her time as an "Elf-friend."

My Favorite Tolkien Books 

Tolkien's written reams of stuff -- and it seems like more and more of it gets published every year, since he left a huge body of unpublished work! Here's some of my favorites: well-known classics, and not so well-known.

Latest News from the Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza 

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Featured Lenses: Tinw's Poems, Art, Stories and Songs 

A selection of recordings, poetry and music, much of it original, that I've made as part of Tinw's bardic repertoire. Many of these are translated into Elvish! Also, fanfiction set in Middle-earth!

Notes From Fellow LOTR Fans 

Love Tolkien? Are you a Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza member, or would you like to be one? Give a shout!

...and be sure to stop by the Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza today.
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Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza: Lore, Quizzes, Trivia, Forums, Roleplay and More!

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by Tinw

I'm a graduate student who loves the myth and magic of Tolkien's Middle-earth. This is my "goofing off" persona, that of a young woman living in the L... (more)

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