Fig.1: Agate and quartz geodes (top row); fuchsite, rhodonite and pyrite (bottom row).
Here is the second post in my new mineralogyseries, talking about my mineral collection ✨💎. I
have been a great fan of collecting minerals and gemstones since I was little, and
through the years I've collected quite a few, both from various shops and from
field trips. What really gave me the final nudge to rediscover mineralogy as an active hobby was finding out that the local kiosk was selling a mineral collection, the National Geographic RBA minerals collection (in Spanish), and it included a lot of minerals and gems I didn't have. So in April 2022 I started collecting most of the weekly numbers, and here I am, full on back to mineralogy as a hobby and expanding my existing collection 😃.
In Post 1 of this series I talked about various types of quartz (rose quartz, Tiger's Eye, amethyst and blue agate), as well as gold, fluorite, and celestine. Also check out this same first post for a lengthy rant about what I think about the pseudoscientific branches having to do with rocks, minerals and gems, such as 'crystal healing' (spoiler alert, I'm not a fan).
In this second post we're gonna keep following the order of the RBA collection, and talk about fuchsite, rhodonite, quartz geodes, pyrite and galena. As explained in the first post, in this series I will show the specimens from the RBA collection alongside the ones in my existing collection before collecting the kiosc numbers, and also any pieces from new hauls.
8) Fuchsite:
Fig. 2 - The fuchsite specimen from the RBA minerals collection. The flash showcases its pearly luster.
Fig. 3 - The fuchsite specimen from the RBA minerals collection. In this picture we can clearly see the ochre patina formed by alteration minerals.
The first mineral I got from this collection, this fuchsite specimen originates from Brazil, and I think that it's quite beautiful, with a pale apple green hue (it looks almost sea-green in some lightings), the characteristic pearly sheen, and an ochre patina that is formed by alteration minerals (as well as some silvery muscovite mica).With its low hardness and easy exfoliation, this fuchsite is among the more delicate specimens in this collection.
Fuchsite, also known as chrome mica*, is a variety of muscovite micarich in chromium (Cr). In comparison to other muscovites, a variable amount of Cr substitutes for aluminium (Al) in the mineral, and this gives fuchsite its characteristic green hue, ranging from pale green to apple green and a rich emerald green,depending on the amount of Cr substitution.
Fuchsites are most often found as small micaceous aggregates in metamorphic rocks, although rocks composed near entirely of fuchsite can also be found occasionally. These fuchsite-rich rocks are called 'verdite', in relation to their green colour.
*Micas(of which muscoviteis the most common member)are a group of silicate minerals common in igneous and metamorphic rocks. Their main characteristic is their perfect cleavage, with individual mica crystals being very easily split into incredibly thin plates along their structural planes. The wide use of micas spreads from numerous uses in electronics to paints, and their common inclusion in cosmetics to create shimmer (the luster and sparkle of shimmery eyeshadows is mainly achieved with micas, for example).
✨Some interesting STEM trivia about fuchsite:
Fuchsite is so named after the German chemist, geologist and mineralogist Johann Nepomuk von Fuchs (1774-1856).
Under long-wave UV light, fuchsite fluoresces lime green.
Uses: Due to its high fusion point, melting at temperatures above 1300 °C, as well as the dielectric nature of the minerals in the mica group, fuchsite is utilized in the industry area for thermal and electrical insulation purposes. Mica powder - often including fuchsite and other muscovite micas - is often used to make heat-resistant glass (isinglass) for stoves and ovens. Fuchsite is an excellent dielectric material, maintaining a low conductivity in temperatures above 600 °C, and is thus also used in a great variety of electrical appliances. Although it is not often used as a chromium ore due to its relatively low quantity, fuchsite varieties which are especially rich in Cr can also play a part in reinforcing steel.
Fig. 5 - Fuchsite infographic from the RBA collection.
9) Rhodonite:
Fig. 6.1 - The tumbled rhodonite specimen from the RBA collection (left), alongside a rough rhodonite (right).
Fig. 6.2 - Tumbled (left) and rough (right) rhodonites. The tumbled one shows black and brown patches as a result of manganese oxides, while the raw specimen has a green patina that may be malachite or a copper-based mineral.
Fig. 7.1 - The tumbled rhodonite specimen from the RBA collection.
Fig. 7.2 - The rhodonite specimen from the RBA collection, with its characteristic pink hue against black and brown patches corresponding to manganese oxides.
Fig. 7.3 - A small rough rhodonite with its characteristic pink colour and a green patina on the top, possibly malachite or a copper-based mineral?
Fig. 7.4 - Rough rhodonite showcasing an homogeneous pink colour and a green patina of possibly malachite.
Fig. 7.5 - Rough rhodonite, side view.
Fig. 7.6 - Rough rhodonite, view from the back.
The specimen from the RBA, originating from South Africa, was the first rhodonite in my collection. It's a tumbled rhodonite (see Figs. 6.1-2 and 7.1-2), with its characteristic vitreous luster, and showcasing its typical pink hues against the black and brownish tones caused by the surface oxidation of manganese. In December 2023 I also got a small rough rhodonite (in Figs. 6.1-2 and 7.3-6), a piece displaying the characteristic pink colour that lacks the brown and black patches of the tumbled specimen, and instead includes a curious green patina at the top, which I tentatively guess as being a copper-based mineral, possibly malachite (a curious combination that I personally hadn't seen before. It doesn't look like epidote or tephroite, the only green minerals I had seen associated with rhodonite so far).
Rhodonite(also known as mangenese sparand manganolite) is a manganese inosilicate mineral and a semiprecious gem containing in its composition variable amounts of iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca). The characteristic pink and rose-red hues of rhodonite are however caused solely by manganese (Mn). This mineral is also often associated with black and brown manganese oxides. Rhodonite is an uncommon mineral which is generally to be found in metamorphic rocks associated with other manganese minerals such as rhodochrosite. Rhodonite is typically found in massive and granular habit, with thick tabular crystals being much rarer.
✨Some interesting STEM trivia about rhodonite:
The etymology of rhodonite originates from the Greek ῥόδος (rhódos), "rosy".
Rhodonite was used as ore of manganese in India, but its main usesare generally limited to mineral specimens and ornamental uses (from beads and cabochons to sculptures and other lapidary uses).
Fig. 9 -Rhodonite infographic from the RBA collection.
Here's also a couple of short videos featuring both the RBA tumbled rhodonite (alongside the fuchsite, see above), and the rough rhodonite, in direct sunlight ✨:
10) Quartz and agate geodes:
Fig. 10.1 -A Saharan quartz geode specimen from the RBA collection.
Fig. 10.2 -Quartz Saharan geode specimen with no agate banding, featuring some well-formed crystals inside.
Fig. 10.3 -Quartz Saharan geode specimen, alongside other milky quartz pieces in my collection.
All of my geodes are clear quartz (rock crystal), milky quartz and/or agate geodes. Firstly, we have the specimen from the RBA collection, a quartz geode from the Sahara, this one specifically from Morocco (Figs. 10.1-3 and 11. , plus a couple of videos below). It's a geode composed mainly of what looks like milky quartz crystals, without the presence of any agate banding around it.The collection actually describes this specimen as being composed of clear quartz crystals, but personally I think this is a milky quartz geode because the crystals are milky-white rather than crystal-clear, and more transluscent than transparent. Agate banding and the presence of agate in geodes is something very typical in many geodes, as we'll be seeing below with the rest of the specimens in my collection (Figs. 12-15, and the two short videos below in this section).
Fig. 10.2 -Saharan geode infographic from the RBA collection.
💎A bit about milky quartz: Source 1, Source 2. I already introduced quartz in the first post in this series, but here I also wanted to share the rest of my milky quartz specimens, alongside this new quartz geode (see Figs. 11.1 as well as Figs. 11.2-9 below). Milky quartz (also known as milk quartz) is the most common variety of crystalline quartz, with its characteristic white colour caused by liquid and/or gas minuscule inclusions trapped during the crystal formation process. It has considerably less value than clear quartz (rock crystal) and other quartz varieties when it comes to gemstone quality and optical applications, but I've always found it very beautiful all the same.
Fig. 11.1 -All the milky quartz specimens in my collection so far, featuring the Saharan geode from the RBA collection and some massive pieces of differing sizes, hues and shapes, also including some ferruginous milky quartz, with orange-yellow and rust tones caused by iron oxide coatings.
I found all of these milky quartz specimens in local parks and mountains regions over the years, and they come in various forms, shapes and sizes, all of them in massive habit, from very small naturally tumbled stones to larger rough quartz pieces, from more matte specimens to more translucent ones, and featuring some really glittery ones, like the one in Fig.11.2, which I found quite recently (Autumn 2023) during a walk near home, and features tiny crystals that really sparkle when moving it from side to side (also see the videos below). In addition, some of these quartzs feature yellow and rusty tones that are a result of iron oxide coatings (like hematite and limonite) (see esp. Figs. 11.8-10). I quite like these ones! Ferruginous quartz due to inclusions (this would be iron-stained milky quartz rather than actual ferruginous/hematoid quartz, though) also features in the rarer 'ametrine' specimens, a combo not of amethyst and citrine, but of amethyst and ferruginous quartz (as discussed in this post).
Fig. 11.2 - A particularly glittery milky quartz which I found during a walk back in October 2023.
Fig. 11.3 - Milky quartz pieces in my collection.
Fig. 11.4 - Milky quartz pieces in my collection, found in local parks and mountainscapes over the years.
Fig. 11.5 - Milky quartz pieces in my collection.
Fig. 11.6 - Milky quartz pieces in my collection. Some of them is iron-stained milky quartz, showcasing orange-yellow and rust colours due to the presence of iron oxides.
Fig. 11.7 - Milky quartz pieces in my collection.
Fig. 11.8 - Iron-stained milky quartz, with zones of deep orange-yellow due to the presence of iron oxides.
Fig. 11.9 - Iron-stained milky quartz, with zones of deep orange-yellow due to the presence of iron oxides.
Fig. 11.10 - Milky quartz pieces in my collection, also featuring some iron-staining
Before delving into geodes (lol), here are some videos showcasing the shape and sparkle of the quartz crystals in the geode, as well as the hues, shine and sparkle of some of the other milky quartz specimens:
Fig. 12 - The rest of geodes in my collection, spanning several sizes from small geodes with clear quartz and agate banding (geodines), to large agate geodes which have been sawn and polished.
Geodesare independent spherical-to-subspherical hollow rock structures, ranging in size from under 1 cm to several meters in length, with an internal cavity lined with mineral matter, which commonly include crystals. Geodes are created as secondary geological formations within volcanic (igneous) and sedimentary rocks. The crystals fill the cavity mainly through concentric inner growth, a growth that is caused either by the filling of gas bubbles in igneous rocks (such as vesicles in basaltic lava) by minerals which have been deposited from hydrothermal fluids; or in in sedimentary formations, created by the filling and slow growth of minerals precipitated from groundwater or hydrothermal solutions. The durable outer wall of geodes makes them more resistant to weathering than the surrounding bedrock, and allows for geodes to survive intact and be ultimately dug from the soil, or collected in stream beds or from the land surface.
The most common geode type consists of a druse of small crystals lining and filling the cavity,often also including multiple concentric bands of chalcedony (agate or jasper) in different tones (typically brown, tan, grey, white or black). Quartz crystals (especially clear and milky quartz, and amethyst) are dominant in geodes, and white calcite or dolomite are also quite common, while other minerals such as blue silica, pink rhodochrosite, pyrite and colourful opal can be found in rarer specimens. Sometimes the geodes aren't filled with geometric crystals, as is the case with chalcedony-lined geodes (chalcedony being a microcrystalline variety of quartz).
The banding and coloration in geodes is the result of variable impurities. For example, agate banding in its natural form tends to create white and grey tones (as we can see in the geodines of Fig. 13),while brownish and rusty hues are caused by the presence of iron oxides (very present in the large agate geodes in Figs. 14 and 15).
Fig. 13 - Two small geodes with clear quartz and agate banding. These small quartz+agate geodines hailing from Brazil are commonly calledocco/ocho geodes, displaying sparkly drusy quartz linings on tan, grey, brown or black agate shells.
Fig. 14 - A large agate geode, sawn and polished, lined with several layers of colourful agate banding, showing a crystal-filled cavity in the middle, and a central part featuring more agate layers of different hues. Each coloured agate band represents an episode of agate formation.
Fig. 15 - Another large agate geode, sawn and polished, bigger than the former one but also thinner. It's also comprised of numerous layers of colourful agate, and we can also see some zones with crystals
✨Some interesting STEM trivia about geodes:
The etymology of the name 'geode' comes from the Ancient Greek γεώδης(geṓdēs), "earthlike".
Geodes are given a variety of names. The word "geode" may be preceded by the name of the mineral filling it (such as "amethyst geode" or "agate geode"), or by a geographic name referring to its place of origin (such as "Sahara geode", in the case of the RBA collection).
Geodes are massively used as collectable mineral specimens, and for
various ornamentation purposes, from pendants to bookends, paperweights,
and various items of home and office decor. Seeing as agate in its natural form often has white and grey tones (or red and brown if affected by iron oxides), and many people find these hues less appealing for decorative purposes, geodes and geode slices are sometimes dyed with artificial colours, creating vivid and unusual hues of blue, green, purple, red and other bright shades that aren't generally to be found in their natural form (see for example a bright blue agate slice in Post 1 of this series). Personally, I prefer the more natural shades of agate xD.
Finally, here are a couple of short videos showcasing the sparkle and shape of the quartz crystals in one of my geodines (occo/ocho geode), and the textures of one of the large agate geodes:
11) Pyrite:
Fig. 16.1 - All my pyrite specimens, in various forms: Several cubic pyrite crystals in various sizes, a specimen with pyritohedron-shaped crystals (right, in box), and a disk-shaped pyrite sun.
Fig. 16.2 - A cubic
pyrite crystal featuring some intergrowth with another smaller cubic crystal on one of its faces (above, left), and two specimen with pyritohedron-shaped
crystals - the larger one in the right is the specimen from the RBA collection.
All of the pyrites in Fig. 16.1 are from the rest of my former existing collection, while Fig. 16.2 includes the new specimen from the RBA collection. Most of my pyrite specimens are cuboid crystals (the main crystal habit of pyrite), three small ones, and a very large one. At least two of them originate from La Rioja, one of the main mining sources of pyrite in Spain (mineralogists actually consider La Rioja and Riotinto - in Huelva, Spain - among the sites which provide the best pyrite specimens worldwide). There's also a couple of speciments of the pyritohedron-shaped crystal variety(see below), and a large (and pretty stunning) pyrite sun, a disk-shaped concretion of pyrite arranged in an ortorhombic crystal configuration (a rectangular/stretched cube shape). In pyrite suns, crystals grow radially (laterally) instead of vertically as a result of the weight of overlying sediments, causing flat-shaped pyrites.
Pyrite, also known asiron pyrite and fool's gold, is the most abundant sulfide mineral, an iron sulfide variety (chemical formula FeS2). It is a very common mineral that is found ubiquitously around the world, associated with other sulfides or oxides in igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, as well as in quartz veins, coal beds, and in fossils as a replacement mineral.
Pyrite has a simple cubic structure, usually forming cuboid crystals. Under certain circumstances, pyrite can also be found in a pyritohedron shape, forming irregular dodecahedrons known aspyritohedra, and also as octahedrons. Pyrite often occurs intergrown, and can also be found in massive, granular, globular, radiated and stalactitic habits.
The name 'fool's gold' originates from the fact that the brass-yellow hue and metallic luster of this mineral give pyrite a superficial resemblance to gold. In spite of this, both minerals can be differentiated relatively easily: Gold is
soft, malleable and dense, while pyrite is hard, brittle and considerably less dense,
and its characteristic cubic crystal structure is also a solid factor
that can distinguish it from the precious metal. Pyrite can however be used as a gold ore, as the two minerals often occur together in the same rocks and form under the same conditions. Even though gold often comprises a very small fraction of the ore, pyrite is still considered as a mining target for gold due to its high value.
Fig. 17.2 - Pyrite infographic from the RBA collection (in Spanish)
✨Some interesting STEM and history trivia about pyrite:
The etymology of the name 'pyrite' is derived from the Ancient Greek πυρίτης λίθος (pyritēs lithos), "stone or mineral which strikes fire", which is in turn derived from πῦρ (pyr), "fire". Ancient Romans used this name to refer to several stones (one of them the mineral pyrite as we know it) which could be used to create sparks when struck against steel or another hard material. Pyrite has indeed been used with flintstone and tinder as a traditional method of starting fires in various parts of the world, and it was also used in the 16th and 17th centuries as an early source of ignition for firearms (sigh).
Pyrite has a wide variety of uses, among which we can cite the following:
Ores: As well as an ore of gold, its main use as an ore, pyrite has historically been used as an important ore to produce sulfur. Nowadays, however, pyrite is only a minor ore for sulfur, although it remains in commercial use to produce sulfur dioxide, and sulfuric acid is also produced as a by-product of gold production. Despite containing a sizeable amount of iron in its composition, pyrite is also only considered as a minor ore of iron.
Electronics and technology: In early 20th century, pyrite was used as a crystal detector in radio receivers.
Crystal detectors consisted of a piece of crystalline material with the
role of rectifying the alternating current radio signal. Galena (see next mineral below!) was the main mineral used in these detectors. Pyrite is a semiconductor material, and one of its newer uses is as the cathode material in non-rechargeable lithium batteries. Pyrite being abundant, non-toxic and inexpensive, this mineral has also been proposed as a fitting material to manufacture photovoltaic solar panels with iron sulfide as a photovoltaic material, as well as thin-film solar cells constructed entirely out of pyrite.
Ornamentation: Pyrite has been used around the world for centuries with both ornamental and ceremonial purposes: From the Ancient Romans to several Native American peoples, it has been polished as mirrors, and worn in the form of amulets, pins, earrings, lockets and rings. Today it is still used widely as an ornamental stone, as well as a very popular stone among mineralogist collectors. Although it tarnishes easily and is quite brittle, pyrite can be used as a low-cost gemstone, faceted and polished to make jewelry. Pyrite jewelry was especially popular in the Victorian era.
Hazards: In spite of all its uses, pyrite also presents some environmental and construction hazards. The occurrence of sulfur from pyrite in coal beds, for one, can result in sulfur dioxide gas when the coal is burned, contributing to air pollution and acid rain unless removed (coal itself and all fossil fuels are also pretty hazardous to the environment in and for themselves, as we well know). Crushed stone used to make concrete and asphalt paving materials for roads and buildings must also be free of pyrite, as it oxidizes when exposed to air and moisture, resulting in potential maintenance problems as a result of the damage and weakening of these construction materials.
12) Galena:
Fig. 18 - The galena specimen from the RBA collection, with its characteristic silver colour and metallic luster. It's noticeably quite heavy, due to its high lead content.
This is my first galena in my collection. The specimen originates from Spain, where galena has been mined extensively since Roman times in Jaén (Andalucía) and Tarragona (Cataluña).The perfect cleavage of galena makes it easy to identify, exhibiting clear planes of exfoliation across which pieces of the mineral can break. Another distinct factor is its weight - This small specimen is easily one of the heaviest specimens in my collection, as a direct result of its high lead content.
A short video with this specimen in direct sunlight:
Galena, also known as lead glance, is the mineral form of lead sulfide (with a chemical composition of PbS), one of the most abundant and widespread sulfide minerals. This mineral can be found in igneous and metamorphic rocks in hydrothermal veins (in association with several other minerals such as quartz, calcite, dolomite, chalcopyrite and fluorite), and disseminated in sedimentary rocks in the form of veins and isolated grains, and as a replacement of limestone and dolomite.
With its characteristic silver colour, bright metallic luster and perfect cleavage in three directions intersecting at 90 degrees, galena is an easy mineral to identify. It also has a distinct high specific gravity due to its high lead content, and this is immediately noticeable even with small specimens. This mineral crystallizes in the cubic crystal system, often showing cubic and octahedral forms. It can also appear as blocky and tabular crystals.
Galena is the primary ore of lead since Ancient times, where lead was already being smelted from galena in ordinary wood fires. Lead was probably the first metal to be processed from an ore, with manufactured lead artifacts having been found as far in the past as 6500 BC in Turkey. Some galena deposits also contain a small amount of silver, either as a substitution of lead for silver in the atomic structure, or occurring in small grains as a by-product, and this "argentiferous galena" has also been an important ore of silver since Ancient times - Ancient Greeks and Romans already knew how to separate silver from lead 2000 years ago.
Fig. 20 - Galena infographic from the RBA collection
✨Some interesting STEM and history trivia about galena:
The etymology of the name 'galena' comes from the Latin galēna, “dross from smelting lead”. This name was already being used as far back as 77 AD by the Roman naturalist Plinius the Elder.
🌟🪐Astrophysics fact! The planet Venus has a highly inhospitable environment with volcanoes venting superheated gases - featuring sulfur and lead - into the atmosphere. High enough in the atmosphere, these gases condense, generating the so-called "heavy metal snow". This 'snow' seems to be a mineral deposition combining galena (lead sulfide) and bismuth sulfide, precipitated from the atmosphere on the higher elevations of the planet, at altitudes above 2600 m.
Maat Mons, on Venus, showcasing this 'metallic snow'. Image: NASA
As well as an important ore of both lead and silver, these are some other uses of galena:
Cosmetics: As appalling as it sounds, galena with its high content of (toxic 😬) lead has been in widespread use as part of several types of cosmetics since Ancient times, and, as we know today, prolongued exposure to lead can lead to various health problems. In Ancient Egypt, galena was used to make the eye cosmetic kohl (which was applied around the eyes to reduce the glare of the harsh desert Sun, as well as repel flies and ward off eye infections). In pre-Columbian North America, it was also used by First Nations peoples in cosmetics and decorative paints. Lead in make-up has been extensively used in face-whitening 'foundations' in Western Europe since at least Roman times, with a special emphasis during Elizabethan 16th century England.
Electronics: Galena is a semiconductor material, and as such, it was widely used during the late 19th century and early 20th century in early wireless communication systems. Galena was the main crystal being used as a crystal detector in radio receivers (cf. the similar use of pyrite, above). In these detectors, the alternating current flowed into a sharp wire, called a "cat's whisker", that was in contact with the galena crystal. This crystal served as a point-contact diode that could limit the flow of electricity
to one direction, thus converting the alternating current into a pulsing
direct current to detect radio signals.
Hazards: Lead, the primary constituent of galena, is a toxic element, and as such, nowadays many lead compounds have been significantly reduced in many areas due to health concerns, from cosmetics to pesticides, plumbing or motor vehicle fuels (among others). Lead is however still being routinely used in paints, electrical acumulators and cables, among some others.
-Finally, here are some infographics from the collection (in Spanish) about fuchsite, rhodonite, geodes, pyrite and galena (click on the pics or open in new tab for larger pics!):
That's it for today! On the next minerals post: Red jasper, Iceland spar, obsidian, azurite, and desert rose 😃💎
After my post about my thesis and PhD defense, here's another post about my thesis project, now summarized in poster form for the 15th Scientific Reunion of the Spanish Astronomical Society (XV Reunión Científica de la SEA), which took place this week 🌟🪐🔭📚📐📊.
Over the years, I have made several posters and presentations for several conferences, meetings and seminars, ever since I started my PhD project in 2015, some of which you can find on my ORCID here. This is the most updated version of the poster, now the thesis is complete 😃.
I uploaded this poster for the SEA meeting, alongside a series of slides summarizing the analysis and results from my thesis, on Zenodo here (and also posted about it on Twitter here), and you can also read both the poster and the slides below in this post 😊👇
The summary of the poster which was presented at the conference proper:
Here's the full poster, which was uploaded to Zenodo:
And here are the slides summarizing my PhD project, which you can also find on Zenodo:
✨Read the full post about my thesis and PhD defensehere.
The final 24 promotional posters for S1 of Rings of Power (Source)
Rings of Powers is very nearly here😃✨⚔️🙌, and I thought it would be interesting to blog about
some initial thoughts, mostly various sources of hype, and also a couple of slight (and subjective) aesthetic pet peeves, regarding all the promotional material we have so far. I’ve
been a Tolkien fan for years, since the very first LOTR movie, so when I learned
about this adaptation, I was very excited, and I'm really looking forward to this series! Of course, seeing as the series hasn't aired yet, this lengthy post will only include my thoughts judging solely by the promotional material and my knowledge of Tolkien lore, and later on I'll be posting a couple of follow-up posts commenting on these thoughts, and whether I still hold the same opinions or not, because you can never judge solely by the promotional material without actually seeing the series proper (something that many people in the fandom should understand, I'm afraid 😬).
My stance on book vs adaptations in the form of movies and TV series is also relevant here. On this matter I'm often directly opposed to the very strong opinions
of those "purists of the canon", who believe that any adaptation that
deviates even so slightly from the lore is automatically a bad one, and instantly assume that the creators of said adaptation, as well as the fans who enjoy it, are total ignorants of the lore and the books. Because as we know, one can't enjoy both the books and a movie/series adaptation at the same time, apparently 🙄 (I keep having to tell the elitists that I've read and studied Tolkien's books for more than 20 years, having to show my proof that yeah, I know the lore, I just also like the movies lol). I've been
disagreeing about this concept regarding Peter Jackson's movies for years, and,
unfortunately, I've continued to read the same discourse ever since the first promotional material for Rings of Power came out.
My personal take on book vs adaptations?I don't need an adaptation to be 100% accurate to the original source material to consider it a good one, and I'm perfectly OK with changes that are still coherent with the universe the adaptation is based on. I tend to see books (or any original source material) and adaptations (usually as movies or series, also as comics or other media) as parallels in a way, two versions of the same story,to be enjoyed in a different way. Sometimes an adaptation will have to make some changes that work better on screen than on the page, while a book can excel in other respects that would not work on the screen. And both can be good, in my book (lol).
Pretty much
So, like I said, in this post I'll be talking about some general thoughts and impressions about the series. Some of these impressions will also include opinions from a feminist and activist point of view, of course, and the pet peeves will for the moment refer to aesthetic preferences more than anything else, seeing as I prefer to reserve my actual fandom rants (if any) for when I have a more complete opinion on the material xD. I actually wrote a whole set of notes detailing my impressions, hype and some hypotheses about each Middle-earth race and place (starting
with the Elves of Lindon and Eregion, and then following with the
Dwarves of Khazad-dûm, Númenor and the Southlands, the Harfoots, and the
Dark side), and also about several subplots which will appear in S1, but seeing as I obviously won't be able to post all that before the air date, those notes will instead feature in the follow-up posts about Rings of Power S1, where I'll be speaking in more detail about the main characters, the places and the plot arcs, and whether or not I've formed new opinions, compared to these initial impressions, after watching the first season (as can very often happen).
Galadriel in her (actually perfectly canonical) warrior aspect. And yep, you guessed it, I'll obviously keep talking a lot about her in the follow-up posts, even after already blogging about her in this one xD
✨1. initial general thoughts about Rings of Power✨
Sophia
Nomvete as Dwarven princess Disa and Ismael Cruz Córdova as Silvan Elf
Arondir are the first represented poc in main roles among the Elves and
Dwarves in an adaptation of Tolkien's universe.
✨Representation and diversity: I’m very
happy about the addition of new female and poc ('people of colour', non-white) characters in this series👍.
Even though Tolkien's works do contain interesting and powerful female characters, such as Galadriel herself, most (nearly all) stories are still blatantly male-dominated, and the adaptations so far have followed suit for the most part. Jackson's movies, to the chagrin of *that* faction of the fandom, tried to redress this at times with the inclusion of a more proactive Arwen in Fellowship of the Ring (even though in LOTR quite a lot of additional scenes featuring women were finally cut, such as the inclusion of warrior Arwen at Helm's Deep, an Éowyn action scene with added female bonding in the Glittering Caves, and Arwen and Galadriel interacting in Lórien). Achieving a slightly better gender balance was a more conscious decision in The Hobbit movies, with the addition of original female characters (OCs), namely Silvan Elf captain Tauriel, and Esgaroth women Sigrid, Tilda and Hilda (as well as the appearance of Galadriel in the Dol Guldur storyline). Even so, the female interaction stayed to a minimum (women don't interact beyond a couple of lines in the final cut of LOTR, and they only do so in some scenes in The Hobbit thanks to the original female characters created for the story).
Galadriel and Tar-Míriel will meet in S1, a deviation from the lore that offers the possibility of women from the canon interacting more.
Rings of Power, for its part, will put Galadriel at the forefront of the story as one of its main characters (see my latest post on how amazing Galadriel ishere), and will also introduce queen Tar-Míriel of Númenor in another main part, as well as several OCs which will also help balance out the oft male-dominated world of Tolkien adaptations. We’re finally getting female Dwarves in speaking roles as part of the main cast (Princess Disa of Khazad-dûm), as well as introducing more human women (Southlands healer Bronwyn and Isildur's sister Eärwen) and female Harfoots (ancestors of the Third Age Hobbits) in the main cast as well (Elanor 'Nori' Brandyfoot, Poppy Proudfellow, Marigold Brandyfoot) (and, brief note, I don't thnk that choosing the name 'Elanor' for a Harfoot was coherent, as it's a significant name that Sam Gamgee chooses for his daughter after visiting Lórien at the end of the Third Age, and the Harfoots wouldn't know about the flowers of Lórien, or use Elven names, in any case. But anyway xD).
Female representation in the main cast of S1 is still less than 40% (8 out of 23 characters in the main cast are female, corresponding to a percentage of 35% - and yet there have been plenty of complaints already about the inclusion of OCs). But even so, this series will clearly help to redress the middling gender balance in Tolkien adaptations, and will also offer more visibility and participation of women as secondary and extra characters: Reportedly, we will see female Orcs, as well as female soldiers among the Númenóreans as an established norm (hoping to see more Elven women as well, as for now Galadriel is the sole female Elf in the main cast). And, while Jackson's The Hobbit already showed Dwarrowdams in flashback scenes, this series will help normalize the more routinely presence of Dwarf women as well. I'm also looking forward to the greater female interaction in this series, something that is very often much more difficult to see in the media. But its seems that this time we will have Galadriel and Tar-Míriel interacting (a deviation from the lore which I'm very much looking forward to seeing), as well as what looks like a friendship dynamic between Harfoots Nori Brandyfoot and Poppy Proudfellow, and hopefully we'll also see the rest of female characters interacting with more women in the series.
Some of the women in Rings of Power,
including several new characters that bring more female representation
to the series. From left to right, top to bottom: Galadriel (Morfydd
Clark), Tar-Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), Disa (Sophia Nomvete),
Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), Eärien (Ema Horvath), and Nori Brandyfoot
(Markella Kavenagh).
Regarding poc characters and racial diversity, Tolkien adaptations have been even less inclusive so far, in part translating into the screen the already problematic views we can also find in Tolkien's original works - It can be easily assumed that all Free Peoples in the fantasy Europe that a significant part of Middle-earth is inspired in are white, something which is often the main staple in the argumentation of racist 'fans' (the same people who will insist that Ancient Times and Middle Ages Europe was all-white, when that wasn't the case either). Even though some quotes in the books can dispute this assumption of an all-white group of Free Peoples (for example, both the Harfoot Hobbit people in LOTR and the human House of Bëor, a sizeable part of the ancestors of the Númenóreans and Gondorians, are described as including many individuals with darker skin tones, and nothing is explicitly said of Dwarves and of more than one Elven people), these quotes are often to be found in more obscure material (such as the History of Middle-earth series), and most main characters when described can also be easily assumed to be white.
This scenario is paired and very much aggravated with the regrettable fact that most of the time the people who are explicitly described as 'swarthy', 'dark' and non-white (Dunlendings, Easterlings, Haradrim), often coming from the far East and far South of Middle-earth (a parallel to real life Asia and Africa), are outright described as the enemy, the human peoples who have associated with Sauron and the orcs, and the ones who oppose the main Hobbit characters, the Elves, the Dwarves of Erebor, the Anglosaxon Rohirrim, and the supposed-to-be all-white (not really) Gondorian civilization.
1) A sizeable part of the ancestors of the Númenóreans are canonically ethnically mixed; 2) Númenor's culture is directly based on Ancient Egypt and draws clear inspiration from a mix of cultures from Byzantium to Greece and Italy (and the fabled Atlantis), and pretty much all the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. *That* faction of Tolkien fans: "Rings of Power and its wokeness hasn't depicted all Númenóreans as white and blond, where was Gondor when the sanctity of the lore fell!!" 😅
😂
Jackson's The Hobbit movies started to somewhat redress this very racially-loaded good-evil binary scenario (completely upheld in LOTR) by introducing a more diverse population in Esgaroth, something which also made complete sense seeing as it's a trade crossroads between Rhovanion, the far East and the South, but even so this was received with backlash from *that* part of the fandom. And so, it was little surprise (but a lot of frustration) to see this racist backlash mutiplied exponentially when Rings of Power revealed its intention to present a more homogeneously diverse Middle-earth (how much so it remains to be seen in the final product), with the first poc actors ever playing Elves and Dwarves (featuring SophiaNomvete as Dwarven Princess Disa and Ismael Cruz Córdova as Silvan Elf Arondir). The series is also showcasing more diverse populations in the Southlands, in Númenor and among the Harfoots as well (something which also makes sense regarding the lore, by the way), with Tar-Míriel played by a black woman (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), and with the inclusion of several more poc human and Harfoot characters in the main cast. The appearance of the Southlands diverse settlement in the series will also help redress the racially-loaded binary scenario that features heavily, especially in LOTR material, regarding poc humans in Eastern and Southern populations, seeing as their plot will directly tackle Elven prejudice against this Southern settlers whose ancestors allied with Morgoth during the First Age (as told in the Southlands promo).
Cynthia Addai-Robinson as queen Tar-Míriel of Númenor is *chef's kiss*
I'm personally very excited for all this, and I hope that the diversity increases even more in future seasons - because, although it's undeniably an appreciable improvement amongst Tolkien adaptations regarding representation, similarly to the case of female characters, poc characters still only constitute 30% (vs the 35% of female characters) of the main cast, with only 7 out of 23 main characters not being white, and the lack of Asian representation in the main cast has been noted as well (although it isn't a complete lack in that respect, as Tyroe Muhafidin, who plays Theo, does have Indonesian roots. The issue remains a very legit concern when it comes to fantasy media casting, however). But once again, still *that* part of the fandom clamoured out and cried injustice, "wokeness" and oppression because less than 40% of the main cast are not white and/or male🙃, and that is why it's still a 'controversial take' to talk about the need for diverse casts to get more and more normalized in fantasy media.
"But Tolkien's universe is meant to be for us white Europeans to solely enjoy"
I'll be devoting an entire separate post to talk in more detail about the very problematic trend of sexist and racist responses to the casting choices and the characters of Rings of Power,
coming from *that* faction of the fandom who try to rationalize their sexism
and racism behind the also disagreeable mask of the supposed 'sanctity
of the lore', elitism and gatekeeping, but I want to be very clear about this matter here as well: So, succintly, regarding casting, the efforts to create diversity in the media are
necessary, and women and poc are allowed to be seen in fantasy media (and every other media), period. Even though many of the choices made here are actually either canon or perfectly
coherent with the universe, the canon and lore should not come first in these
cases.
This article also expresses and explains this issue in an excellent way: New adaptations of fantasy and sci-fi franchises with important and positive messages that are also a product of their problematic times in some respects (such as a lack of diversity or the presence of sexism or racism) must also change with the times, be it Star Trek or Tolkien. Many Tolkien stories highlight the importance of several races and peoples working together against a common evil, after all, and what better way to display such messages in our modern times than to make an effort to represent more than white and male peoplein fantasy and science fiction stories which should be universal? Fans who prefer to gatekeep these stories and have an issue with women and poc appearing in them are rather missing the point as to what many of these stories are about, indeed.
The level of racism in some parts of the fandom (often more close to home than I would like) is literally seeing this cover and describing it as 'two Hobbits', and, when corrected, '*some* Hobbits', because the existence of a black Hobbit blows their minds 😬
🙄😤
✨Soundtrack: I’ve
listened to some of the tracks in the playlist by Howard Shore (main theme) and
Bear McCreary (the rest of the sountrack), and so far I’m really liking it 😃👌! The feel is very much a
Middle-earth universe Tolkien feel with the music, and there are distinct vibes and tones depending on which race, location and character the music is talking about – from the more ethereal Elven sounds, to the striking Dwarven choirs, the epicness and
Middle-eastern musical influences for Númenor, and the Celtic-inspired Harfoot
melodies.I’m particularly liking
Galadriel and Elrond’s themes as well. You can listen to the soundtrack of S1 by Howard Shore and Bear McCreary on this Amazon music playlist!
Some of the visuals in promo shots of S1 of Rings of Power
✨Visuals: I think they look amazing from the
promotional material we’ve been given so far: Lindon, Númenor, Khazad-Dûm,
Rhovanion, the Southlands, the Sundering Seas, it all looks stunning. Very high
hopes. The only shot I don't love is ironically the first one were ever shown, with Valinor, Eldamar and the Two Trees. I love the idea that we're going to see Valinor in a flashback, but the lighting effects aren't quite right, as others have already pointed out - It looks like the clouds are being illuminated from behind, instead of the light coming only from the Trees. But this is a very small detail in a whole sea of stunning visuals.
✨Source material and deviations from the lore: Rings of Power is going to be focused on the main events of the Second Age, but Amazon only got the rights to LOTR, The Hobbit and the LOTR appendixes, so key books like The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales or The History of Middle-earth are unfortunately off bounds. That doesn't mean that the creators haven't read them, though. And it doesn't mean that the series creators, the producers, the art team, the cast and so on, are completely ignorant of the lore, as so many people claim or assume, often not exactly in good faith (although I can understand those people who may have genuine initial trepidations about the limitations of source material). On the contrary, various interviews to creators, producers and cast have demonstrated that many of the people involved in this series are well-invested in Tolkien's lore and know quite a lot about it. Of course, the limitations on how much source material and which books they are allowed to use, mention and show onscreen will mean that the plot arcs, while also including the main events from the Second Age as described in the canon they have access to, will have to deviate in some cases from the established lore. But is this so wrong, and will it result in a completely incoherent take on Middle-earth? Because it is an adaptation, after all. Peter Jackson's movies also had changes and deviations from the lore with no limitations to source material, after all. And in my opinion, to achieve a good adaptation that is coherent with the universe it's based on you don't really need to be completely canonical all the time either.
But of course, much has been ranted (guess by whom) about the fact that Rings of Power will yes, deviate from the source material in some of their plot arcs (and will also include a compressed timeline, as we will see below). Like I mentioned before, any adaptation is liable to make changes and deviate from the canon, if only because book and screen are different media and stories will naturally get told differently as a result of that in more than one case. Adaptations also tend to be a related but ultimately different version of the source material, often offering a take or an interpretation of it, and not a clone or an exact copy. And, like I said at the beginning of this post, I like to think that a good adaptation is not necessarily the one that follows the source material to the letter (although of course, that can happen too), but rather the one which immerses you in the universe and the story it's trying to tell, and even the one which reimagines the story to offer you a completely new twist on it.
People always like to say that the book is always better than the adaptation, in every case - In my case, that is true in some cases, but in others I like the adaptation better than the book, and in many cases I like both. And it's OK if someone else's idea of what a good adaptation is differs from mine, but I think that we should all still bear in mind that this series is going to be an adaptation, and as such, there will be aesthetic choices we may like or not (it's often a lottery in these cases), and certain deviations from the source material that may work for us or not. But it's just disingenous to claim that an adaptation is objectively bad just because it doesn't fulfil all personal expectations and aesthetic preferences of each individual fan.
'Hey,
toxic people are going on about how Galadriel is not a warrior and
black Elves and Dwarves are taking away their rights to see their
all-white fantasy, when maybe their rants should be more harmlessly
directed at why you got all the hair and why I got so little' 😅
😂 (Absolutely no hate to Aramayo's Elrond, tho, he has really grown
on me, and I also understand that short-haired Elves are a completely
valid take, even if not my preference 😅 But more on that later xD).
Personally,
the promotional material and the information that we have on the series
so far has left me with the initial impression that the series will end up being
considerably more canonical than many people have assumed it will be,
and when it is not, I think it's very probable that the added characters and plotlines will still be coherent with the universe created by Tolkien and
feel like Arda, even with the limitations they have regarding source materials. At least that's the vibe I'm getting. Also, some aspects which have been criticized time and again by alleged (and offended) diehard tolkienites are actually canonical or very much coherent with the lore as well (warrior Galadriel and her feud against Sauron appear in the lore, for example, and seeing poc in Númenor and among the Harfoots is perfectly coherent with the canon as well). And in any case, beyond initial impressions and preferences regarding adaptations, none of us can say much more until we actually watch the series and decide if the adaptation is to our personal taste or not. Because, at the end of it all, it's also always going to be a matter of personal preference in many ways.
But yeah, it also irks me to no end that many supposed hardcore tolkienites have been claiming for freaking months that more than one actually canonical aspect is not so (very often because sexism and racism, heh 🙃), and without having watched the series already feel confident to say just how coherent with the universe of Arda it will be. It's fun to see supposed 'real fans' and 'experts' to be blatantly ignorant of the lore in the first place, and how often they try to shield their prejudice, toxicity, gatekeeping and problematic mindsets by
citing it anyway. Ah well.
Me being excited for Rings of Power amid all the toxic haters xD
✨Compressed Second Age timeline: When the Variety first look announced that the plot of Rings of Power would significantly compress the timeline of the Second Age so that the series could tell several stories at the same time, I was initially apprehensive that the result would be confusing and would
change the plot arcs too much. But since then I’ve come to understand and appreciate this
concept much more. It does make sense for a series that aspires to tell the main events of the Second Age
to compress such a huge timeline so that all main events the series wants to talk
about in their five seasons can flow more naturally. If we left the timeline untouched, centuries would pass by for the immortal Elves with minimal changes while Númenor changed at a rapid rate with generation after generation of kings and queens and characters and events, for example, and time would pass even more swiftly for less long-lived races such as the Middle-earth human settlements or the Harfoot ancestors.
To be able to tackle the ambitious list including events such as the war of the Elves
against Sauron and the forging of the Ring of Power (supposedly the main arc in the series), as well as the twilight and Fall of Númenor, the
full splendour of Khazad-dûm, the founding of Rivendell, the
rise of Sauron in Mordor, the Nazgûl, the One Ring, the creation of the Last
Alliance, and who knows what the scope of the five seasons will end up being...It’s just a lot of material spanning millennia, and the only way to do even just a handful of these is to compress the timeline considerably. So that is why Sauron hasn't yet made his appearance as Annatar and Celebrimbor hasn't forged any Ring of Power as yet, and the War of Wrath seems to be somewhat fresh on the Elves' memories, but at the same time Elendil and Isildur are already out and about. So yeah, I get it, and so far, judging from the promos and trailers, it
seems like the timeline, even if compressed, will still be pretty coherent
with the main events from the lore, or will at least make sense within the limits of this series.
The initial 23 promotional posters for Rings of Power, showcasing the details of the costumes, props, weapons and jewellery for the main cast.
✨Costumes and historical inspirations: From the moment the detail
posters dropped (see above), I was mostly awed by the level of detail in the
costumes shown for the main cast, and after all the promotional images that came after that, I have high hopes. As with the soundtrack, each Middle-earth people seems to have their own particular fashion style, and the colours, textures, jewellery and weaponry look pretty stunning so far. I particularly love the suits of armour they have given to Galadriel, which I think are both beautiful and thankfully functional (female armour in the fantasy genre isn't so lucky as a rule), and Tar-Míriel, Gil-galad's and Disa's looks are close favourites as well. There will be probably
times when I may have wished for something different, or for something more, but for the
moment my impressions as a cosplayer and costumery fan are mainly very positive 😃✨ (although there have been some costume choices in the promos that I don't quite get from a more feminist point of view, like the decision to have an all-female Elven group of what looks to be personal attendants of king Gil-galad wearing semi-transparents veils covering their heads :S It rings an icky vibe to me for now, we'll see what's that about 😬).
The costumes and visuals are definitely some of the aspects I'm more excited about the series
Another thing I thought about when looking at the different costumes is the real life historical inspiration and influences. Jackson's movies drew a lot of inspiration from different historical eras, from European Medieval fashion elements, Art Nouveau and traditional Asian fashion for his Elves, to 18th Century styles for the Hobbits, 16th Century Italian and German armour for the Gondorians, Italian Renaissance fashion for the Dwarrowdams in Dale and Erebor, or Anglosaxon culture for the Rohirrim. In Rings of Power I found it interesting that many historical influences for many styles seem to come more often from Ancient cultures, as well as the quintessential high fantasy Medieval vibes typical of this genre which are still to be found. I can kind of see Roman influences with Gil-galad's golden leaf crown; a Greek-inspired Delphos dress/Fortuny pleated gown situation with Disa, and also a classicist inspiration with Galadriel's simple white tunic in the shipwreck scene; Celtic and Anglosaxon vibes with the way that Elrond wears his mantles pinned at one shoulder with a pennanular brooch; and a range of Ancient Greek, Byzantine, Persian and Egyptian inspirations (among others) for the Númenóreans. And although onscreen adaptations need not be interconnected and can include completely different visions, I liked to see an apparent progression in these historical influences in some cases by taking into account that Rings of Power takes places in the Second Age vs the Third Age, when The Hobbit and LOTR take place, and the costumes seem to have drawn quite a lot of inspirations from real life Ancient Times and early Medieval fashions for this series, while Jackson's Middle-earth also includes later Renaissance and 16th-18th Century influences more often in some cases.
Some of the costumes in Rings of Power S1: Gil-galad (left), Tar-Míriel (middle), and Disa (right)
✨Pronunciation: My most sincere and happy congratulations to dialect coach Leith McPherson because, oh my Valar, you don’t know how refreshing and cathartic it is to see the
cast (and special mention to Welsh Morfydd Clark 😄) actually pronouncing the Elven names with those trilled 'r' sounds, and the correct enunciation: GalAdRiel, MORdoR, NÚmenoR, MORgoth, SAuRon,...I love it so much 😍. As a Spanish speaker
who’s routinely frustrated with the apparent disinterest of many English-speaking people to
pronounce other languages correctly (sorry for generalizing, but in
general terms that's my experience 😅), I’m thrilled this is not happening here! Also, I read in an interview that they’re drawing inspiration from Tolkien's way of writing and associating the way of talking of each race with different heroic meters, and I’m so into that as
well!
✨Hairy pet peeves:
From left to right, top to bottom: Hairstyles and facial hair (or lack thereof) as chosen for Celebrimbor, Arondir, Disa, Elrond, Finrod Felagund, and Ereinion Gil-galad.
As my inner circle already full knows at this point, this has been my main aesthetic pet peeve since the first promotional material came out 😅. While Jackson's movies and many people in the fandom associate Elves, male and female alike, with long, beautiful hair, Rings of Power has made the undeniably bold choice of breaking this pattern outright and deviating from the general aesthetic of long-haired Elves bychoosing to show most male Elves in the series with shorter hairstyles, from Elrond and Celebrimbor's wavy, just below-the-ear locks, to Arondir's crew cut, and we can see this aesthetic choice in many of the male Elven extras as well, both in Lindon, in Eregion and in the Southlands. Most male Elves we have seen so far in the promotional material have followed this short hair aesthetic, although we also see some variety of hair lengths among the male
Elven extras of Lindon and Eregion, some of them sporting longer hair lengths from above the shoulder to nearly mid-back (seen for example at the start of the Elrond promo). And High King Gil-galad offered some respite and hope to us long hair lovers with the long, flowing hair that has been associated so often with Elves of Middle-earth 👌.
Gil-galad our Lord and Saviour xD 🙌
One thing that I found interesting regarding Elven hair in the series was the fact that Gil-galad actor Benjamin Walker said that the High King wore his hair long as is the wont of Elven nobles, and associated his long hair to the noble status of Gil-galad ("Gil-galad’s hair is long, like we traditionally see with noble elves, but it’s shaved on the sides as though he were a fighter"). Which is an interesting take, as pretty much all of the explicitly long-haired Elves described as such in
the lore are Elven princes, kings and nobles as well, and it seems like a legit interpretation (and also to be found in real life cultures and time
periods) to only give long hair to the Elves holding the higher status.
This could track with Arondir being a Silvan foot soldier and Elrond, albeit of noble birth,
starting his career holding a lower societal status as a budding politician before becoming the
Lord of Imladris (although we might argue that as Gil-galad's herald and later lieutenant, he is already of quite high status in the Lindon court). However, while this interpretation only seems to apply
to male Elves (I'll be talking about my thoughts on short haired Elves and the gender binary below), Celebrimbor, who is also an Elf Lord of high status, and Finrod, the eldest son of Prince Finarfin of Valinor, seem to be outliers to this hypothesis.
Still, I
can't but hold my ground with the personal opinion that Elrond, Celebrimbor and Arondir
would have all looked better with longer hair – and when the first images of Arondir came out, especifically (and Cruz Córdova looks amazing as an Elf, A+ casting!), I thought what a
failed chance it was not to give him an intricate braided hairstyle as a Silvan Elf (dreads would’ve looked so cool as well). I guess I personally dislike this aesthetic and would prefer longer haired
Elves by a long shot, so this counts as one of the few pet peevesI currently have with the series 😅. Of course, it's an aesthetic preference, and mayhaps I’ll get used to it eventually – I’m already
warming up quite a lot to Robert Aramayo’s Elrond, for example, and so far his hairstyle looks like the most Elven and 'fantasy' look
of all the shorter hair looks for the Elves, with its wave, swept up bangs and slightly
longer length.
Celebrimbor and Elrond sport below-the-ears wavy locks in Rings of Power
My personal preference aside, it is also important to bear in mind that once again, this is an adaptation, and depicting male Elves with short hair is after all an
aesthetic choice that the series is perfectly entitled to do.And let’s be clear, before delving into some more stuff – it’s a very different
thing to differ with an aesthetic choice such as hair length or
costumes, than to have an issue with the representation of characters with different skin tones and genders.Having an issue with fantasy hair lengths and styles generally harms nobody and invalidates
nobody (unless the issue is racially-loaded). We all have preferences about purely aesthetic matters, and that's fine. A fantasy adaptation in the 21st century, like I said, is more than
entitled to add some very necessary gender and racial diversity to a fantasy
universe that is made no more incoherent for it, and to have an issue with the existence of genders and races is rather more problematic than to rant about the hair length of a fantasy species. Both issues are not comparable.One goes against human rights, and the other doesn't.
To delve a bit more about just how canon long Elven hair should be considered to be, I also think it fair to note that, while Tolkien Elves are traditionally associated with long
hair, and this is something which has been reinforced both by the fantasy
genre during years and, particularly, by the great influence of the aesthetic choices of Peter Jackson’s
movies, in the lore it’s not explicitly said outright that all Eldar and Elves have long hair as a rule. When speaking about the princes of the Noldor in Valinor, Tolkien does remark in Peoples of Middle-earth, that the Eldar appreciated hair that is particularly beautiful, but doesn't really explicitly specify that is must always be long, although 'length' is mentioned and easy assumptions can be made (“All the Eldar had beautiful hair (and were especially attracted by hair
of exceptional loveliness) but the Noldor were not specially remarkable
in this respect, and there is no reference to Finwe as having had hair
of exceptional length, abundance, or beauty beyond the measure of his
people.”).
Tolkien
also describes several important individual male Elves, such as
Fingon or Glorfindel (among some others), as having long hair, and many Elves in the house
of Finwë have names with the Quenya name for 'hair' in it, fin(dë)(ssë),
as well (which does also seem to direct to the fact that at least the
Noldor seem to be quite a lot into hair, because if not that's too much of a
coincidence xD). And so, because of this quote and the individual instances where male Elves are described as having long hair, it’s generally concluded among many
tolkienites that Elves in general value and favour long hair, men and women
alike, but it's also something that can be more assumed rather than directly statedwhen it comes to generalizing this fact to all Tolkien Elves. So just citing the lore may not do either.
This is also not the first time that Tolkien Elves have been portrayed with shorter hair. Regarding former adaptations, Ralph Bashki's LOTR already depicted Elrond and Celeborn with short hairstyles not dissimilar to the ones we're seeing in Rings of Power, and Legolas sported a shoulder-length shorter style
as well. And if we must take serious offense with the aesthetic choices
that other Tolkien adaptations have made, let us also remember that the
1977 Hobbitanimated film showed a wizard-like grey-haired Elrond with a goatee and Thranduil as
a wizened goblin (wtf xD), and illustrated Russian Tolkien books have the
penchant of showing Elves as winged fairies, so there are...choices out
there 🤣. Among the realm of Tolkien art, long-haired Elves certainly dominate, but we can also find famous artists such as Jenny Dolfen who like to depict Elves with both long and short hair (see example below).
And so, (male) short-haired Elves is an aesthetic choice that we may love, like, be neutral to, or hate with a passion. But like it or not (and I don't much like it xD), it's also a prerrogative and a valid choice for any Tolkien adaptation. But I must also mention that I find it strange that a fantasy production wouldn't be excited to explore different intricate hairstyles for its male Elves (and also for Dwarf women, as we'll see below), to be honest, especially taking into account the gorgeous costume design the series has already showcased.
In this painting depicting the Oath of Fëanor, Jenny Dolfen portrays Fëanor and his seven sons with varying hair lengths.
Similarly to long-haired Elves,
many people of the fandom tend to also feel very strongly about
Dwarf women having beards, and it's often quoted how Tolkien described
both Dwarf men and women as being pretty much identical in appearance
and voice to human eyes, including the fact that Dwarf women have beards
as well (War of the Jewels, for example, states that "the Naugrim
have beards from the beginning of their lives, male and female alike; nor indeed can their womenkind be discerned by those of other race, be it
in feature or gait or in voice"). I am generally a strong supporter of Dwarrowdams having beards and facial hair, and I was already frustrated with the fact that the brief appearances of Dwarf women in The Hobbit movies had rather less facial hair than many of their male counterparts - Many of them had sideburns, but also the smallest possible amounts of beards. In contrast to this, there are art concepts for the Hobbit movies of Dwarrowdams with luxurious beards and intricately braided hair (see below), and many Tolkien cosplayers also tend to showcase intricate hairstyles and beards with their Dwarf women designs.
Art concepts for the hairstyles and facial hair of Dwarf women in The Hobbit (Weta Workshop), showing varying degrees of facial hair. The most abundant full beards among these designs didn't make the cut.
So when the first picture of Disa came out (see above in the post), I was both thrilled at the perspective of finally seeing more Dwarf women, and in actual main parts and with speaking roles, and similarly thrilled to see black Dwarf women. But I was also frustrated at the fact that Rings of Power had also decided to follow the trend to not give full beards and facial hair to Dwarf
women. Rings of Power actually seems to have decided to give their Dwarf women even less facial hair than Jackson's briefly seen Erebor Dwarrowdams, as Disa does sport a little bit of a sideburn situation, but at a distance it's practically non-existent, considerably less so than the sideburns and slight beards sported by the Dwarf women selling their goods in Dale in Unexpected Journey, and the Dwarrowdams at Khazad-dûm that we've seen so far in promotional material seem to have practically no facial hair to speak of either (see below), and this is additionally put into blatant evidence with the comparison of theincredibly long and abundant beards that all the male Dwarves seem to be sporting.
Dwarf men and women in Khazad-dûm. All the Dwarrowdams we've seen so far have no significant facial hair to speak of, so I guess it's safe to conclude that Rings of Power has decided to clearly differentiate between the two regarding beards.
However, while this isn't my preferred aesthetic preference either, there may be a caveat in the lore to explain this facial hair dychotomy as well. While Tolkien stated that Dwarf women do indeed have beards and facial hair in the material of History of Middle-earth, he seemingly changed his
view on Dwarf women and facial hair later on, seeing as in Nature of Middle-earth he's quoted as saying that only Dwarf men have beards, and so Dwarf women might in fact not have beards in his later revisions ("All male Dwarves have beards"). So in this light, portraying Dwarrowdams sans the beards might in fact be a canonical aesthetic choice as well.
I still prefer Dwarf women to have beards, though, but it's important to also bear that in mind. It's still curious that this series has decided on this choice, however, seeing as the LOTR appendixes, the main material they have used to create the series, do state that Dwarf men and women are indistinguishable to human (and Elven) eyes, which must surely include the facial hair: "It was
said by Gimli that there are few dwarf-women, probably no more than a third of
the whole people. They seldom walk abroad except at great need. They are in voice and
appearance, and in garb if they must go on a journey, so like to the dwarf-men
that the eyes and ears of other peoples cannot tell them apart."
Disa sings a Song of Power alongside male and female Dwarves
✨ A brief commentary on short hair for male Elves and no beards for
Dwarrowdams in light of the gender binary:
Apart from personal aesthetic preference, there's another reason why I was rather disappointed by the decision of the series to portray male Elves with short hair and female Dwarves without beards. From a feminist perspective,bearded Dwarrowdams and androgynous Elves with long hair disregardless of gender can be powerful examples that defy gender norms and expectations, and that subvert the constructed gender binary that's prevalent in society. I’ve
always loved how both these aesthetics and description of physical appearances for Dwarves and Elves challenge limited notions regarding the gender binary among humans. And while the artistic choices of Rings of Power regarding their Elves and Dwarves are still valid, as I commented above, I still feel like it's a missed opportunity to defy societal expectations about traditional 'masculinity' and 'femininity' with the appearance of the Elves and Dwarves in Tolkien's universe, presenting more normalized societal notions where most male characters have shorter hair and all women are clean-shaved, instead.
Even though we know that in real life there are also women, both cis and trans, who can grow facial hair for different reasons, this is of course both considered shameful and diametrically opposed to traditional femininity. And thus, all Tolkien adaptations to date (that I know of), have edged away, whether conscious or subconsciously, from the opportunity to explore just how cool Dwarf women can look with intricately braided and decorated beards and facial hair. Similarly, in Western society short hair for men has become the norm and long hair is traditionally associated with women (note that all Elven women in the promotional material continue to sport long hair that's at least past shoulder length). Even though men still wear their hair long in some modern cultures (such as many Native American tribes), and historically men have also worn their hair long in many places and time periods, from Europe to Asia. Long hair is so culturally associated with Native American and East Asian cultures, actually, that I've always thought that casting Tolkien Elveswith those ethnicities would be just so fitting (but still, it's a good thing that Tolkien Elves are already starting to get more diverse with this series).
And the more androgynous quality that is often given to fantasy Elves in direct association to Tolkien, with their long hair disregardless of gender, their beardlessness (until they're really, really old like Círdan, or unless you're Mahtan, in Arda's case xD), and their graceful features, can certainly serve as an example of how the gender binary can be blurred beyond the established limitations constructed by society, similarly to the near identical physical appearance of Dwarves disregardless of gender.
And
there's not much that's directly problematic about the choice to portray short-haired male Elves and beardless Dwarf women as to what the series
is trying to directly express, I don't think, but I still think it's
such a missed opportunity when seen from this perspective, beyond purely
aesthetic preferences. Because whether consciously ot not, the media tends to reinforce normalized societal notions regarding both the beauty canon, the gender binary with its diametrically opposed notions of 'femininity' and 'masculinity', and gender roles and stereotypes (all these are usually closely related). And while Rings of Power is quite clearly consciously involved in improving the gender balance in Tolkien adaptations and defying and subverting limited gender norms in more than one respect, I just think it would have been really cool if they had fully taken the plunge in this particular case as well. But, like I said before, the series creators and the art department are still perfectly entitled to make different aesthetic choices regarding hair and beards, so while this issue will still remain a personal pet peeve (and feminist wish), it also won't stop me from enjoying the series! It's still kinda grating, though 😅.
Celebrimbot and Elrond in Rings of Power
And finally, I wasn't planning on talking especifically about the individual characters per se in this post, but I wanted to write briefly about Celebrimbor's casting as well: Charles
Edwards’ Celebrimbor seems to have become one
of the more controversial casting choices in Rings of Power, alongside the sexist and racist ‘fans’ who have taken so much exception to every
single
non-white and female member of the main cast. Personally, I have to say that I was very confused when the first image of Edwards as Celebrimbor came out. I do like Charles Edwards as an actor, and I'm sure he'll do a good job, but I can also freely admit that this is not how I imagine the Noldorin smith of Eregion and grandson of Fëanor to look like, by a long shot 😅. However, at the same time, I've been growing more and more tired and directly opposed to the often offensive attitude of the dissenting voices among, well, *that* faction of fans. So much so, that, even if I'm still puzzled by this very conscious casting choice, I've become somewhat protective of Edwards' Celebrimbor, of whom we have yet to see any significant material apart from a couple of promotional images and seconds-long silent appearances in a couple of teasers and promos.
An issue that I would still like to comment on regarding this casting choice, however, has to do with the fact that they've consciously chosen a middle-aged actor to play an Elf who's in-universe considerably
younger than Galadriel as played by Morfydd Clark in her early 30s - and, ageless
appearance of Tolkien Elves aside, this does sound like a gendered double
standard which extends beyond Celebrimbor's case in the realm of Tolkien adaptations (albeit perhaps not so blatantly), and also well beyond Elven casting and the fantasy genre. But for now, as regards Celebrimbor, I may still imagine him vastly different in my mind, but I'm also both fed up about the constant hate and honestly intrigued about this casting choice, and in any case, it's a wait and see situation for me at the moment. I'm
reserving further opinions until I've watched this version of the leader
of Eregion onscreen, and who knows, maybe he will surprise us all.
So that's it for the general impressions! Hope you've enjoyed reading my ramblings, and hope you'll enjoy the series! We'll see how season 1 plays out, and I'll be back in the near future with more Tolkienite material 😃 Until then, I bid you all namárië!
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