Yup, those golds work out!
Added 2020-02-21 16:34:02 +0000 UTC... but I won't get away with any of these for Fingon's hair. Not unless I want a rerun of the Fingolfinian Hair Colour Debate (TM).
And here's something you never thought you'd get - I recently came across a word document on my hard drive where I had actually collected the insane attacks of blonde Fingolfin fans on my Elfwood page. Here's all the madness for you to enjoy. Posted on "The Coming of Fingolfin" on Elfwood many years ago.
(Editor's note: There were, of course, positive comments too, but I edited these for pure weirdness. The last one is pure comedy gold. I studied early modern English and teach it, and basically everything about this post is grammatically wrong.)
Dec 14 2004 Fingolfin Aran Noldoli Ok, Great Picture and all, But you do know that Fingolfin was blonde, right? This is stated specifically in "The Silmarillion".
Jan 1 2005 Anonymous He had blonde hair!! Y does no one get that?
Jan 23 2005 Anonymous (Again) Ok, It is stated specifically in "The Silmarillion" that Fingolfin and Finarfin had fair hair, but Turgon and Fingon had dark hair. Perhaps you should read that book. I might give you a better idea of whgat you are painting.
Feb 4 2005 Elenwe Yes, I am elenwe the lost wife of turgon, and i have returned to say that my father-in-law had blonde hair. Like the sketch otherwise,cheers luv!
Aug 27 2005 glorfindel don t wanna ruin the picture but there s a mistake in it. Fingolfin is wearing a chainmail if i recall correctly the dwarves invented the chainmail and the noldor hadn t met the dwarves when they marched into mithrim. Though still a beautifull pic
Nov 25 2005 Elfwood artist: N. T. Very nicely done. I am a fan of the Simmilarian as well. Very good detail and love the expression. It look SO REAL. I love it. Keep drawing please, you have such a wonderful talent.
Dec 31 2005 A true Silma fan This drawing is an insult to all Tolkien fans. Every true studier of Tolkien's work knows that when facts about the people, places of tolkien's world are disputed, the information in "The Silmarillion" always takes precedence over any other book. If you would actually take the time to read it, one of the foot-notes by Christopher Tolkien says so. Also, "The Silmarillion" SPECIFICALLY states that both Fingolfin and Finarfin had BLONDE, that’s right,
B-L-O-N-D-E hair. Get your facts straight next time before you say stupid things like this. Try doing a little backround work.
Jan 8 2006 Anonymous Well, this picture sucks anyways. You have no use of depth and everything is three colors, take some classes er something
Jan 8 2006 ana Hey! don't be so mean! this girl oviously worked very hard on this lovely painting, I'd like to see you do any better!
Jan 8 2006 Anonymous ok, well you can go and visit me modern art gallery, "Gallery of the stars" in new hope, pennsylvania
Jan 8 2006 laurie Do you two need to do this here? Can' t we all just enjjoy this picture?
Jan 8 2006 Anonymous Http://www.shut-up-losers-because-no-one-gives-a-crap.org
Jan 8 2006 Anonymous "And both Fingolfin and Finarfin were of their mother's kin in face and touch" ~The Silmarillion, page 145
Jan 8 2006 Sesso OOOOOOOO I get it! Fingolfin is the blone one to the right!
Feb 2 2006 Anonymous Person #55 Never read the books, but damn, that Figgy black-haired guy is hot! Can you paint more of him? Please?! Less clothes maybe? :D
Mar 17 2006 Bryan Great work. Sorry to say that Fingolfin was in fact blonde. Tolkein's original name for Fingolfin he derived from Ingoldo... Tolkein translated as "hair of gold".
Jenny Dolfen: Sorry, but if you can’t even spell Tolkien correctly, I’ll take everything else you’re saying with about a sack of salt.
Apr 13 2006 paladin Fingolfin does have blonde hair because john howe and ted nasmith are professional artists who draw tolkiens works google search Morgoth and the first picture that comes up is when fingolfin rides to the gates of angband demands single combat or maybe the artists are wrong i dont know.
Jun 4 2006 Linaeth A skilled artist thou art, though the tale wit thee not well; Fingolfin's mother, Indis the Fair, of the Vanyar was, and as her sons both, golden haired. And quoth I from the pages of the Quenta Silmarillion: "Isil was first wrought and made ready, and first rose into the realm of the stars...and even as the moon rose above the darkness in the west, Fingolfin let blow his silver trumpets and began his march into Middle-earth..." Wit I well the lore ancient, and speaketh I the truth; many an hour have I spent wandering o'er the pages of volumes long past writ. Learn thee the tales proper before again thou dost dare of them to speak.
Comments
I think I rolled my eyes so hard I saw the back of my skull.
Maura Burns
2020-02-25 20:09:12 +0000 UTCThanks for sharing these weird comments... I've been laughing so loud I woke up both my husband and our kitties! 😂 When I read this señorita's comment "I am elenwe the lost wife of turgon, and i have returned to say that my father-in-law had blonde hair" I was like: "Honey, please don't go out without your straitjacket"... And the guy pretending to write "Olde English" (I'm pretty sure he had no idea what Early Modern English is) was just hilarious.
Laura Michel
2020-02-23 01:41:17 +0000 UTCOh, I remember being horribly upset with those comments. But looking at death threats and rape threats and all the sorts of other things women who have an opinion are given online, I actually count myself lucky at times that the worst I was ever given online was the (admittedly infuriating) accusation that I didn't know my favourite book!
Jenny Dolfen
2020-02-22 06:25:30 +0000 UTCAt least he wasn't the one calling the Silmarillion "Simmilarian"! That one has had me howling for one and a half decades. Intermittently. XD
Jenny Dolfen
2020-02-22 06:23:40 +0000 UTCAnd isn't it weird that this whole "There's another person at the other end, you know?!" thing is most often used with far, far worse insults, and these people got worked up as badly as incels O_o
Jenny Dolfen
2020-02-22 06:22:52 +0000 UTCAnd the weird thing is: This wasn't even artistic licence. My short-haired Maedhros is, I suppose, but these people got worked up over something that is unambiguously clear from the books!
Jenny Dolfen
2020-02-22 06:20:41 +0000 UTCThis is gatekeeping at its very worst. I'm glad none of these put you off
Evelyn Maire
2020-02-22 03:06:14 +0000 UTCthe "sack of salt" reply from you has me howling, DRAG THEM.
Evelyn Maire
2020-02-22 03:05:46 +0000 UTCI love seeing these progress updates! And the comments you posted took me back, and reminded me of why I generally avoid most online fandom things now. I think too many people forget that there are other humans on the other side of the screen, and that their comments can be hurtful.
IlexBerry
2020-02-21 23:14:44 +0000 UTCOh wow. This is a reminder of why I walked away from posting my art online. I have always loved your work. Hair color should not get in the way of creative licence. <3 love your work!
Rebecca Bean
2020-02-21 19:29:19 +0000 UTC^ This. ^ I did write a lot of more of less snarky replies to many of those, haha. I think for the last one, I went for an infuriating, "Your early mordern English is already pretty good; watch the second person singular and personal pronouns - keep it up!"
Jenny Dolfen
2020-02-21 18:46:49 +0000 UTCAs the cool kids say, "Now we don't have the time to unpack all that..." There are some bizarre levels of pedantry in the Tolkien fandom (which is in part understandable because of the "real history" feel of the material, I suppose), but it's always doubly bizarre when the "facts" they're insisting on aren't even in the book they insist you should read! I'm not surprised that "the tale wit thee not well", though! Why should the tale know you? AFAIK you weren't involved in any of the events of the 1st Age (unless you're a lot older than you let us know)... XD
Lyra
2020-02-21 18:39:28 +0000 UTCWow those comments... bad enough that even I feel like coming with snappy replies, even though I KNOW they’re old and i NEVER discuss things on any social media (except here) - if I had seen these, I probably could not have resisted. Though that last one is really very funny (for the reasons you pointed out in your note)
Liv Klein
2020-02-21 18:38:19 +0000 UTCbtw, as a writer I've had such comments as well, and I know they can be hurtful, but also that you can learn to laugh about them... and yet, I'm genuinely impressed by the way you distance yourself from those idiotic feedback! Well done! <3
Litsen
2020-02-21 18:25:58 +0000 UTCI love how this golden light bathes those two pretty Noldor <3 as for the those old comments... OMG! the "Dec 31 2005 A true Silma fan" is impressively... well, aggressive indeed, but also ridiculous, of course ( what is "a true fan' anyway?), AND interesting. I mean, nowadays, if you depict a blond-haired Fingon, a lot of people (Especially on Tumblr, but meh... Tumblr, you know...) would immediately throws rocks at you ! Everything changes, except those stupid people who don't want to acknowledge the true power of imagination and artistic vision.... Arf. If only people could be more open-minded...
Litsen
2020-02-21 18:21:14 +0000 UTCAs always, your work is pretty impressive. :)
Avril Sauquet
2020-02-21 18:05:15 +0000 UTC
