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Description

Gil-galad, born Ereinion, was a Ñoldorin Elf and son to Fingon. He was the last High King of the Ñoldor in Middle-earth, and bore many titles, including High King of the Elves of the West, King of the Eldar, King of Lindon, Lord of the High Elves, and the Lord of Eriador.
Gil-galad held the highest authority among the Elves he ruled and was respected by both the Ñoldor and the Sindar, thus being considered a "High King" of Elves in Middle-earth. He formed the Last Alliance of Elves and Men with Elendil, and led the Elves to war against Sauron during this time. His death marked the end of the Ñoldorin Kingdoms in Middle-earth, though many Ñoldor would still dwell in Imladris later throughout the Third Age.

Today’s piece was brought to you by me, this time as a gift to our good friend Mr Libra1010 www.deviantart.com/libra1010 who donated some money to help me through a bad situation my wife and I had with covid. Thank you so much for being one of the people that keep insisting on showing me why I should not lose my faith on mankind.

He is depicted here as requested by Libra1010: “I believe) one imagine the Elvish High King leading the march to meet his great ally at Weathertop - presumably on a very mild day, as the sun strengthens and the bleak days of winter come to an end (with pasture fit to sustain transport animals thick enough to feed them very well) - possibly raising his hand or his storied spear in greeting as his elf-eyes make out the High King of Arnor & Gondor from afar, the image of a young lord marching to meet a friend and then head off to war.

Presumably relatively lightly-armed, but still carrying a shield & spear (at the very least) and possibly wearing his under-armour gear: a veteran in friendly country, marching light, but still taking precautions against the unexpected: perhaps he’s running ahead of his troops as they draw closer to the camp of their allies, eager to meet his friend and begin the Great Work that will claim both their lives … and tear down the Dark Lord.”

This compelling line inspired my take on this great character and I strived to depict him as such: A very youthful looking handsome man, boyish even despite his years, walking on grass barefoot as many elves enjoy doing. He is wearing a hoplite-like gear fitting for the antiquity of both himself and his culture and lineage. The harness is richly decorated and encrusted with small gems, as well as sporting rich fabrics such as silk and velvet. He would wear a full helmet and upper legs and arms protections too, as well as armoured footwear when in combat, but is shown here wearing his crown instead and a light configuration of his harness. The crown consists of golden Laurels and flowers and a halo of sun rays.

Aeglos’ design was inspired by both Hoplite spears and also the short Zulu variety. There is a touch of Yari on it too. The sword was based on both a Kopis and a Yataghan, given both weapons seem to have a common ancestor despite the eons that separate them.
I imagine most of his armour to be a special type of bronze, maybe an alloy involving Mithril and Gold, perhaps a ME version of the fabled Orichalcum. The spear and sword blades would be probably Mithril (even though I am not sure it would be possible given the time line. Lore masters, feel free to educate me on that).

He bears a medium shield, Ideal for one handed spear and sword combat, but also offering the option of being worns “on the shoulder” while wielding the spear two handed. For that use, this shield type features a strap high up near the top edge, where the upper left arm will be strapped through allowing for both hands to be free while still providing some coverage to the left side of the body.

For the general “feel” of the concept, I came up with a very diverse mix of ingredients: there is Helenic obviously but also some Egyptian, Byzantine, Renaissance and mostly some Catholic Iconography in it. I wanted that mythic “ancient hero” vibes from medieval art to be present, as well as the familiar imagery of angels and Greek heroes and gods. Basically, a mix of the ancestral Myths and heroes most of us are familiar with even on an unconscious level. This is what I tried to tap into the most with this one. I wanted him to be Both Apollo, Hermes and the Archangels, all in one. I hope I managed it to a satisfying degree.

So there you go folks, a simple but hopefully enjoyable concept made possible by one of my main supporters. Thanks again Libra1010 for your ever-present encouragement.

Happy new year to all, and don’t allow the darkness around us to obscure the good that still lingers in this world.

Cheers

🎨 Your encouragement and appreciation fuel my passion for creating art. If you've enjoyed my work and would like to support it, I'd be incredibly grateful for any tips you're willing to give. Your generosity allows me to continue pursuing my artistic endeavors, and every little help counts.
If you'd like to leave a tip, please visit the following link: PayPal Tip Link
Thank you so much for being a part of this journey! 🙏✨

Description

Gil-galad, born Ereinion, was a Ñoldorin Elf and son to Fingon. He was the last High King of the Ñoldor in Middle-earth, and bore many titles, including High King of the Elves of the West, King of the Eldar, King of Lindon, Lord of the High Elves, and the Lord of Eriador.
Gil-galad held the highest authority among the Elves he ruled and was respected by both the Ñoldor and the Sindar, thus being considered a "High King" of Elves in Middle-earth. He formed the Last Alliance of Elves and Men with Elendil, and led the Elves to war against Sauron during this time. His death marked the end of the Ñoldorin Kingdoms in Middle-earth, though many Ñoldor would still dwell in Imladris later throughout the Third Age.

Today’s piece was brought to you by me, this time as a gift to our good friend Mr Libra1010 www.deviantart.com/libra1010 who donated some money to help me through a bad situation my wife and I had with covid. Thank you so much for being one of the people that keep insisting on showing me why I should not lose my faith on mankind.

He is depicted here as requested by Libra1010: “I believe) one imagine the Elvish High King leading the march to meet his great ally at Weathertop - presumably on a very mild day, as the sun strengthens and the bleak days of winter come to an end (with pasture fit to sustain transport animals thick enough to feed them very well) - possibly raising his hand or his storied spear in greeting as his elf-eyes make out the High King of Arnor & Gondor from afar, the image of a young lord marching to meet a friend and then head off to war.

Presumably relatively lightly-armed, but still carrying a shield & spear (at the very least) and possibly wearing his under-armour gear: a veteran in friendly country, marching light, but still taking precautions against the unexpected: perhaps he’s running ahead of his troops as they draw closer to the camp of their allies, eager to meet his friend and begin the Great Work that will claim both their lives … and tear down the Dark Lord.”

This compelling line inspired my take on this great character and I strived to depict him as such: A very youthful looking handsome man, boyish even despite his years, walking on grass barefoot as many elves enjoy doing. He is wearing a hoplite-like gear fitting for the antiquity of both himself and his culture and lineage. The harness is richly decorated and encrusted with small gems, as well as sporting rich fabrics such as silk and velvet. He would wear a full helmet and upper legs and arms protections too, as well as armoured footwear when in combat, but is shown here wearing his crown instead and a light configuration of his harness. The crown consists of golden Laurels and flowers and a halo of sun rays.

Aeglos’ design was inspired by both Hoplite spears and also the short Zulu variety. There is a touch of Yari on it too. The sword was based on both a Kopis and a Yataghan, given both weapons seem to have a common ancestor despite the eons that separate them.
I imagine most of his armour to be a special type of bronze, maybe an alloy involving Mithril and Gold, perhaps a ME version of the fabled Orichalcum. The spear and sword blades would be probably Mithril (even though I am not sure it would be possible given the time line. Lore masters, feel free to educate me on that).

He bears a medium shield, Ideal for one handed spear and sword combat, but also offering the option of being worns “on the shoulder” while wielding the spear two handed. For that use, this shield type features a strap high up near the top edge, where the upper left arm will be strapped through allowing for both hands to be free while still providing some coverage to the left side of the body.

For the general “feel” of the concept, I came up with a very diverse mix of ingredients: there is Helenic obviously but also some Egyptian, Byzantine, Renaissance and mostly some Catholic Iconography in it. I wanted that mythic “ancient hero” vibes from medieval art to be present, as well as the familiar imagery of angels and Greek heroes and gods. Basically, a mix of the ancestral Myths and heroes most of us are familiar with even on an unconscious level. This is what I tried to tap into the most with this one. I wanted him to be Both Apollo, Hermes and the Archangels, all in one. I hope I managed it to a satisfying degree.

So there you go folks, a simple but hopefully enjoyable concept made possible by one of my main supporters. Thanks again Libra1010 for your ever-present encouragement.

Happy new year to all, and don’t allow the darkness around us to obscure the good that still lingers in this world.

Cheers

🎨 Your encouragement and appreciation fuel my passion for creating art. If you've enjoyed my work and would like to support it, I'd be incredibly grateful for any tips you're willing to give. Your generosity allows me to continue pursuing my artistic endeavors, and every little help counts.
If you'd like to leave a tip, please visit the following link: PayPal Tip Link
Thank you so much for being a part of this journey! 🙏✨