ArwendeLuhtiene on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/arwendeluhtiene/art/Tolkien-women-Erendis-Tar-Elestirne-625972406ArwendeLuhtiene

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Tolkien women - Erendis Tar-Elestirne

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Started being a Pre-Raphaelite study, ended up joining the ranks of my Tolkien women 'series' as Erendis of Númenor. 

Erendis is a character that I find really interesting, especially because she is one of the few women in Tolkien's universe who makes an openly feminist speech (to her daughter Ancalimë) - even though she's not that well-seen in the narrative, or in the fandom itself :/ She gets called 'bitter' and 'resentful' and similar stereotyped insults, while ignoring her non-fulfilling situation as Aldarion's wife. She's basically 'bitter' and 'resentful', with a 'jaded perspective on men', because she's not your ideal passive, sweet wife who does everything her husband wants. Plus most people, especially males, don't stop to think about just how frustrating this kind of life can be, a life where you have to fulfil a set of pretty restrictive roles (sexism and classism in the equation) and the other part of the couple, the male, has basically all the privileges and way more freedom. How can you blame the other less privileged counterpart for becoming 'bitter' and 'resentful' after years of this kind of life?? I know I can't. And hey, it's not like Aldarion treats her all that well either, but she's kind of the 'bad guy' in the tale >_<. Aldarion gets to be self-willed and stubborn and have things his own way. He gets to choose where and when to travel and where to live. Erendis gets called names ('bad wife', 'selfish', 'bitter', 'wilful', 'stubborn', etc, etc) for displaying the same behaviour, because that's not what a woman and a wife should be doing, she's selfish if she doesn't sacrifice everything for her husband!! Double standards.


This vision many people (Tolkien seemingly included) have of this kind of character made me think of Pre-Raphaelism and especially Rossetti's portraits. Pre-Raphaelites are well known for drawing either passive women (dead, asleep, trapped, waiting to be rescued, dying) or intense 'femme fatales' who frighten and 'allure' men at the same time (they're powerful but seen in a pretty negative light and still objectified for the male gaze).   I see Erendis as having quite an intense presence, in the manner of many of Rossetti's portraits of Jane Burden (Morris), the kind of woman that intimidates weak MRA men and gets called 'femme fatale' (and worse) because of her assertiveness, intensity and intelligence. These portraits, showing the woman so serene and intense and 'alluring' from the point of view of the males, also makes me think of sadness, anger and frustration, often pretty well hidden and yet present. And she's holding a fruit just because, no dubious symbolism to it, I just liked the hand pose xD

The gem in her circlet ('a white gem in a silver fillet') is supposed to be the one Aldarion gave her, which earned her the title of Tar-Elestirnë ('Lady of the Star-brow')


-Media: Charcoal
-References: Study of D. G. Rossetti's Proserpine: rlv.zcache.es/proserpine_perse…. Face shape changed intentionally.

Other Tolkien women in this series:
-Nienor: arwendeluhtiene.deviantart.com…
-Lúthien Tinúviel: arwendeluhtiene.deviantart.com…
-A young Morwen Eledhwen: arwendeluhtiene.deviantart.com…
-A young Artanis (Galadriel) in Valinor: arwendeluhtiene.deviantart.com…
-A Beörian wise-woman: arwendeluhtiene.deviantart.com…
Image size
3221x3790px 5 MB
Make
Canon
Model
Canon MG3500 series
© 2016 - 2024 ArwendeLuhtiene
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