Thuringwethil

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Bethberry

Angels traditionally had/have wings, but I don't think the Ainur did/do. Or the Valar. My Silm is shakely, so I could be wrong, but would Tolkien omit this simply to give his mythology a more independent status or did he tend to ascribe wings to evil creatures? Other than the Eagles, who of course are winged (comes with the genes), how did Tolkien treat wings? Were they something to be feared? Crows were nasty spies. Is there something about flying that inspires fear or at least great discomfort?

Originally Posted by davem

There are the Eagles in LotR & The Sil, but there are also gulls, & a couple of ravens & a thrush in TH on the good side. Most birds are on the 'good' side. Apart from the Crebain & some flies with the eye of mordor on them, I can't think of any natural flying creatures that are evil. It is only 'monsters' like dragons, Thuringwethil & the Fell Beasts which can fly & are 'evil' - & one assumes they were bred to be so.

Neatly leaving Balrogs out of it due to not having wings, that's still a substantial amount of winged beasts that are on the side of darkness, especially given their size and potential for damage. I seem to remember reading a letter of Tolkien's where he associated planes with bad things, possibly written during WWII to Christopher? Wasn't he a bit worried about him having joined the RAF? So maybe Tolkien did indeed associate most large winged beasts with evil. Certainly unnatural or supernatural winged creatures, as vampires, dragons and fell beasts were, unlike the Eagles.

Originally Posted by bethberry

For a costume, I can envision a little something in black leather, svelte, with a few assessories to complement the metal claws. Hold the ugly face unless you're really going for authenticity. And while Oxonmoot might be a bit tight, Hallowe'en might fit the schedule more plausibly.

That might indeed be more suitable for Hallowe'en as I think I'd look less like one of the Ainur and more like a DFS sofa. It could be an easy costume for anyone with goth outfits left from a mis-spent youth (or indeed in current wardrobe rotation). The claws could be those pointy finger ring thingys that are like long silver claws.