“Tilion was a young hunter of the company of Orome, and he had a silver bow. He was a lover of silver, and when he would rest he forsook the woods of Orome and went unto Lorien and lay adream by the pools of Este in the flickering beams of Telperion; and he begged to be given the task of tending ever the last Flower of Silver.” –The Book of Lost Tales
Anon, you had me stumped for a good long time with this one! I had no idea what I thought about Tilion, and was forced to do some research. I have to thank you for making me dig around in HOME to formulate headcanons about him, because it led me down some VERY exciting…. rabbit holes…. >w>
–Tilion is described as being wayward and flighty– he chases the stars around, keeps tailgating Arien and her Sunship, sometimes he spends too long underground, and when he gets too frisky he causes an eclipse…
I can see him scampering around, chasing shiny things, playing with stars and getting distracted, or frightened by shadows, generally having a poor sense of time, and unlike Arien– who sails through the Gates of Night and Morn and travels the Outer Dark, he dives down through the sea to the caverns and grottos beneath Arda. Burrowing, if you will.
His epithet is “the horned” (probably referring to the horns of the moon, but I like taking the literal approach), and he’s also a sleepy boy who spent most of his time in Lorien.
Let’s ask him some questions! 😀
–Tilion, why don’t you introduce yourself?:
–Nice to meet you, Tilion! Can you show us what you do as the moon steersman?
“Certainly! It’s simple: I run, and the moon follows me. If anything comes too near us, I chase it off! I’m very fierce.”
–Weren’t you supposed to be one of Oromë’s hunters? You don’t, er, look like the hunting sort…
“Hunters must have something to chase, you know! I used to be the prize of Oromë’s Wild Hunt! I have a job now looking after the moon, so I don’t do that anymore. (I think a white hart is the prize these days?)
Don’t worry, they never REALLY caught me. The Wild Hunt all for sport.
…Besides I am very fast and good at jumps and can fly.”
The stories said you had a silver bow….?
“My wings are bow shaped! It’s like a metaphor for how fast I am! But I don’t shoot anything. I don’t have thumbs and I’m a vegetarian.”
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