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Legolas and Gimli depart

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"We have heard tell that Legolas took Gimli Glóin's son with him because of their great friendship, greater than any that has been between Elf and Dwarf. If this is true, then it is strange indeed: that a Dwarf should be willing to leave Middle-earth for any love, or that the Eldar should receive him, or that the Lords of the West should permit it. But it is said that Gimli went also out of desire to see again the beauty of Galadriel; and it may be that she, being mighty among the Eldar, obtained this grace for him. More cannot be said of this matter."   --The Return of the King, Appendix A

Dammit Tolkien, why not?! This is a matter upon which I would want to hear QUITE a bit more.

this is one of the last recorded events in the entire chronology of middle-earth, followed only by the passing of Arwen Umdomil in Lorien the following year. Aragorn, after a hundred and twenty-year reign over the reunited kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor, has died, Merry and Pippin lay buried in honor beside him, Sam has long since followed his master over the Sea, leaving the Red Book, that all important document on the soon-to-be-lost-forever history of the Earth and the magic that once dwelt therein, to his descendants. Last of all the fellowship are Legolas, the immortal elven prince, and Gimli, now a very old, venerable dwarf lord, having come to the end of a long and prosperous life which saw (and in large part orchestrated) the breaking of old prejudices and the re-establishment of good relations between his people and other races. Legolas' yearning for the sea, first glimpsed all those years ago at Lebennin, has finally caught up with him, as it does for all his kind, and in the year of Aragorn's passing, he builds a ship in Ithilien to depart from Middle-Earth forever. Astonishingly, Gimli goes with him.

Gimli was always one of my favorite characters in the Lord of the Rings (I have an especial love for dwarves, and Gimli, like Dain Ironfoot, seems to be an ideal of the race, possessing all the good qualities commonly attributed to his people, while overcoming alot of the bad ones) I always though of him as being, in a strange way, basically the 'Bilbo' of his people; he goes on a great quest surrounded entirely by people of other races, he grows to love them and learn their value, fights and risks his life for and with them, and afterward grows to a ripe old age, finally going over the sea, the first (and in his case, only) member of his race to do so, there to behold the wonders of Valinor. Imagine what he finds there; his reunion with the lady Galadriel (I can easily picture the ancient dwarf, barely able to walk on his own, shaking off his cane and Legolas' kindly supporting arm at the sight of her and striding forward, cavalier as ever, to bow low at her feet, his huge long beard sweeping the ground) meeting Finarfin and Finrod, seeing Gandalf in his right form, perhaps even meeting Aule himself and learning first-hand the truth of his people, of himself. What a charmed life.

Part of the Weekly Tolkien Sketchblog
Image size
2355x3388px 3.88 MB
Make
Canon
Model
Canon MX890 series Network
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KonradKMrozik's avatar

First time I sow this picture, that was several years ago, I completely fell in love with this Legolas and Gimli. The situation is moving, their emotions are clear, magical and wonderful, the spirit of Tolkien is strong in this very drawing. This is one of my favorite art based on Tolkien's works, and I'm a huge legendarium freak. Is there any chance to buy the original? :O