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b2mem2017-03-21 05:03 pm
starbrow.livejournal.com) wrote in b2mem2017-03-21 05:03 pm
All the Kisses Tolkien Wrote by amyfortuna
B2MeM Prompt and Path: Orange Path, Compile a list of sources on a specific topic
Format: Essay
Genre: Non-fiction, Meta
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Characters: Beren, Luthien, Túrin, Niënor, Húrin, Aragorn, Sam, Frodo, etc
Pairings: mainly Beren/Luthien and Túrin/Niënor
Summary: A compilation of all the kisses in The Lord of the Rings (LOTR), The Silmarillion (Silm), the History of Middle-earth series (HOME) and Unfinished Tales (UT).
You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by....
-- As Time Goes By, Louis Armstrong
I've long been fascinated by all the kissing Tolkien wrote into his legendarium, for a man with so little in the way of sexuality in his stories. Of course, there are all different kinds of kissing, from a parent kissing their child, to kisses from lords to vassals (and vice versa), to kisses of courtesy and friendship, and of course romantic kisses.
So, I've combed through everything -- The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, the History of Middle-earth series and Unfinished Tales -- (using a handy search function) and catalogued them all.
(There are no kisses of any kind in The Hobbit.)
Familial Kisses
(Kisses between parents and children)
(HOME) 1. [Túrin] wist not the weird woven of Morgoth, / nor the sundering sorrow that them swept between, / as farewells they took with faltering lips. / The last kisses and lingering words / are over and ended; and empty is the glen / in the dark forest, where the dwelling faded / in trees entangled.
(HOME) 2. 'It was sad, Elanorelle,' said Sam, kissing her hair. 'It was, but [it] isn't now. For why? Well, for one thing, Mr. Frodo has gone where the elven-light isn't fading; and he deserved his reward.
(HOME) 3. 'Maybe, maybe,' said Sam kissing [Elanor] gently. 'And maybe not. The choice of Luthien and Arwen comes to many, Elanorelle, or something like it; and it isn't wise to choose before the time.
(HOME) 4. 'Good night, Sam-dad. And don't work any more. For I know what your chapter should be. Write down our talk together - but not to-night.' [Elanor] kissed him, and passed out of the room; and it seemed to Sam that the fire burned low at her going.
(UT) 5. And setting Túrin on a table [Húrin] kissed his son, and said: "You overtop me already, son of Morwen; soon you will be as high on your own feet.'
(UT) 6. Next morning Aldarion hastened away. He lifted up Ancalimë and kissed her, but though she clung to him he set her down quickly and rode off.
(UT) 7. "You knew me once, Lady Ancalimë," [Aldarion] said, "but no matter. Today I am but a messenger from Armenelos, to remind you that you are the daughter of the King's Heir; and (so far as I can now see) you shall be his Heir in your turn. You will not always dwell here. But go back to your bed now, my lady, until your maidservant wakes, if you will. I am in haste to see the King. Farewell!" He kissed the hand of Ancalimë and went down the steps; then he mounted and rode away with a wave of his hand.
(UT) 8. "King's son," said Isildur, "I knew that I must do so; but I feared the pain. Nor could I go without your leave. Forgive me, and my pride that has brought you to this doom." Elendur kissed him. "Go! Go now!" he said.
Romantic Kisses
(Between lovers in canon)
(LOTR) 1. "I would," said Faramir. And he took her in his arms and kissed her under the sunlit sky, and he cared not that they stood high upon the walls in the sight of many. And many indeed saw them and the light that shone about them as they came down from the walls and went hand in hand to the Houses of Healing.
(LOTR) 2. "Estel, Estel!" she cried, and with that even as he took her hand and kissed it, he fell into sleep. Then a great beauty was revealed in him, so that all who after came there looked on him in wonder; for they saw that the grace of his youth, and the valour of his manhood, and the wisdom and majesty of his age were blended together.
(Silm) 3. At the feet of Hírilorn the great beech Lúthien met them walking slow, and some bore torches beside the bier. There she set her arms about Beren, and kissed him bidding him await her beyond the Western Sea; and he looked upon her eyes ere the spirit left him. But the starlight was quenched and darkness had fallen even upon Lúthien Tinúviel.
(Silm) 4. There [Niënor] saw the dragon lying, but she heeded him not, for a man lay beside him; and she ran to Turambar, and called his name in vain. Then finding that his hand was burned she washed it with tears and bound it about with a strip of her raiment, and she kissed him and cried on him again to awake.
(HOME) 5. Then did Tinuviel and Beren flee like the wind from the gates, yet was Karkaras far before them raging and in madness as a beast pursued by Balrogs; and after when they might draw breath Tinuviel wept over the maimed arm of Beren kissing it often, so that behold it bled not, and pain left it, and was healed by the tender healing of her love; yet was Beren ever after surnamed among all folk Ermabwed the One-handed, which in the language of the Lonely Isle is Elmavoite.
(HOME) 6. Now then they covered the leafy boughs whereon he lay with soft raiment, and they bore him away to the halls of the king, and there was Tinuviel awaiting them in great distress; and she fell upon Beren's breast and wept and kissed him, and he awoke and knew her, and after Mablung gave him that Silmaril, and he lifted it above him gazing at its beauty, ere he said slowly and with pain: "Behold, 0 King, I give thee the wondrous jewel thou didst desire, and it is but a little thing found by the wayside, for once methinks thou hadst one beyond thought more beautiful, and she is now mine." Yet even as he spake the shadows of Mandos lay upon his face, and his spirit fled in that hour to the margin of the world, and Tinuviel's tender kisses called him not back.'
(HOME) 7. Then did Turambar take farewell of Niniel and they kissed upon the hilltop, and it was then late afternoon, but Niniel's heart went as to stone with grief; and all that company descended to the head of Silver Bowl, and there she beheld her lord climb to the fall's bottom with his six companions.
(HOME) 8. Behold now Niniel had reached those places not long before him, and straightway did she run fearless into the open for love of her lord, and so found him lying with his withered hand in a swoon across his sword; but the beast that lay hugely stretched beside she heeded not at all, and falling beside Turambar she wept, and kissed his face, and put salve upon his hand, for such she had brought in a little box when first they sallied forth, fearing that many hurts would be gotten ere men wended home.
(HOME) 9. Now behold, Idril stood beside him, and the wind was in her hair, and Tuor thought that she was exceeding beautiful, and stooped to kiss her; but her face was sad, and she said: "Now come the days when thou must make choice," and Tuor knew not what she said.
(HOME) 10. Then said Idril heavily: "Sad is the blindness of the wise"; but Tuor said: "Sad too is the stubbornness of those we love -- yet 'twas a valiant fault," then stooping he lifted and kissed her, for she was more to him than all the Gondothlim; but she wept bitterly for her father.
(HOME) 11. And Beren caught that elfin maid / And kissed her trembling starlit eyes, / Tinuviel whom love delayed / In the woods of evening morrowless.
(HOME) 12. His voice such love and longing filled / one moment stood she, fear was stilled; / one moment only; like a flame / he leaped towards her as she stayed / and caught and kissed that elfin maid.
(HOME) 13. He lay upon the leafy mould, / his face upon earth's bosom cold, / aswoon in overwhelming bliss, enchanted of an elvish kiss....
(HOME) 14. One morning as asleep she lay / upon the moss, as though the day / too bitter were for gentle flower / to open in a sunless hour, / Beren arose and kissed her hair, / and wept, and softly left her there.
(HOME) 15. There beneath the beech, wherein before she had been imprisoned, Luthien met them, and kissed Beren ere his spirit departed to the halls of awaiting.[...] And she came to the halls of Mandos, and she sang to him a tale of moving love so fair that he was moved to pity, as never has befallen since. Beren he summoned, and thus, as Luthien had sworn as she kissed him at the hour of death, they met beyond the western sea.
(HOME) 16. There [Niënor] saw the Worm lying, but heeded him not, for a man lay beside him; and she ran to Turambar and called his name in vain. Then, finding his hand that was burned, she laved it with tears and bound it about with a strip of her raiment, and kissed him and cried on him again to awake.
(UT) 17. Níniel most dear," he answered, "we cannot flee further, you and I. We are hemmed in this land. And even should I go, deserting the people that befriended us, I could but take you forth into the houseless wild, to your death and the death of our child. A hundred leagues lie between us and any land that is yet beyond the reach of the Shadow. But take heart, Níniel. For I say to you: neither you nor I shall be slain by this Dragon, nor by any foe of the North." Then Níniel ceased to weep and fell silent, but her kiss was cold as they parted.
(UT) 18. Then she threw herself down by him weeping, and kissed him; and it seemed to her that he breathed faintly, but she thought it but a trickery of false hope, for he was cold, and did not move, nor did he answer her. And as she caressed him she found that his hand was blackened as if it had been scorched, and she washed it with her tears, and tearing a strip from her raiment she bound it about. But still he did not move at her touch and she kissed him again, and cried aloud: "Turambar, Turambar, come back! Hear me! Awake! For it is Níniel. The Dragon is dead, dead, and I alone am here by you." But he answered nothing.
(UT) 19. "No!" said [Aldarion]. "But you do not lock it in hoard. Yet I think you set it too high; for it is dimmed by the light of your eyes." Then he kissed [Erendis] on the eyes, and in that moment she put aside fear, and accepted him; and their troth was plighted upon the steep path of the Meneltarma.
Courtly Kisses
(From a lord to vassal and vice versa)
(LOTR) 1. "I have a sword," said Merry, climbing from his seat, and drawing from its black sheath his small bright blade. Filled suddenly with love for this old man, he knelt on one knee, and took his hand and kissed it. "May I lay the sword of Meriadoc of the Shire on your lap, Théoden King?" he cried. "Receive my service, if you will!"
(LOTR) 2. And then Beregond, perceiving the mercy and justice of the King, was glad, and kneeling kissed his hand, and departed in joy and content. And Aragorn gave to Faramir Ithilien to be his princedom, and bade him dwell in the hills of Emyn Arnen within sight of the City.
(HOME) 3. But Melko might not thus easily forgo his sport. "Nay first," said he, "wilt thou come Manwe and kneel before me, and after you all the Valar; but last shall come Tulkas and kiss my foot, for I have in mind something for which I owe Poldorea no great love." Now he purposed to spurn Tulkas in the mouth in payment of that buffet long ago, but the Valar had foreseen something of this and did but make play of humiliation that Melko might thereby be lured from his stronghold of Utumna.
(HOME) 4. 'It can soon be known,' said Manthor; and coming to Hurin as he lay he knelt and raised his hand and kissed it. 'Awake!' he cried. 'Help is near. And if you are Hurin, there is no help that I would think enough.'
(UT) 5. The Orcs were now drawing near. Isildur turned to his esquire: "Ohtar," he said, "I give this now into your keeping;" and he delivered to him the great sheath and the shards of Narsil, Elendil's sword. "Save it from capture by all means that you can find, and at all costs; even at the cost of being held a coward who deserted me. Take your companion with you and flee! Go'. I command you!" Then Ohtar knelt and kissed his hand, and the two young men fled down into the dark valley.
Friendship Kisses
(Between friends or nonromantic kisses between a man and a woman)
(LOTR) 1. [Faramir] embraced the hobbits then, after the manner of his people, stooping, and placing his hands upon their shoulders, and kissing their foreheads. "Go with the good will of all good men!" he said.
(LOTR) 2. Then [Aragorn] kissed [Éowyn's] hand, and sprang into the saddle, and rode away, and did not look back; and only those who knew him well and were near to him saw the pain that he bore.
(LOTR) 3. Then Aragorn stooped and looked in her face, and it was indeed white as a lily, cold as frost, and hard as graven stone. But he bent and kissed her on the brow, and called her softly, saying: "Éowyn Éomund's daughter, awake! For your enemy has passed away!"
(LOTR) 4. Merry seized [Aragorn's] hand and kissed it. "I am frightfully sorry," he said. "Go at once! Ever since that night at Bree we have been a nuisance to you. But it is the way of my people to use light words at such times and say less than they mean. We fear to say too much. It robs us of the right words when a jest is out of place."
(LOTR) 5. "I know that well, or I would not deal with you in the same way " said Aragorn. "May the Shire live for ever unwithered!" And kissing Merry he went out, and Gandalf went with him.
(LOTR) 6. Then Merry took the horn, for it could not be refused, and he kissed Éowyn's hand; and they embraced him, and so they parted for that time.
(HOME) 7. 'But do not think that he was not moved,' said Gimli. 'Indeed, I think Aragorn himself was so deeply grieved that he went through all perils after like a man that can feel little more. He raised her up and kissed her hand, and then without a word we set out, before the sun came over the black ridges of the mountain.'
(HOME) 8. 'And at the last when she saw that he would go,' said Gimli, 'then she begged to come with us! Indeed she knelt before him. Yet she is a proud lady. I wondered much what it all might mean, and I was grieved; for she was young and much troubled. But he raised her up and kissed her hand and without more words we departed. Yet I saw that he, too, was greatly grieved.'
Death Kisses
(Given mainly when a character is dead or about to die)
(LOTR) 1. "No!" said Aragorn, taking his hand and kissing his brow. "You have conquered. Few have gained such a victory. Be at peace! Minas Tirith shall not fall!"
(LOTR) 2. [Sam] stooped. Very gently he undid the clasp at the neck and slipped his hand inside Frodo's tunic; then with his other hand raising the head, he kissed the cold forehead, and softly drew the chain over it. And then the head lay quietly back again in rest. No change came over the still face, and by that more than by all other tokens Sam was convinced at last that Frodo had died and laid aside the Quest.
(LOTR) 3. Then Merry stooped and lifted his hand to kiss it, and lo! Théoden opened his eyes, and they were clear, and he spoke in a quiet voice though laboured.
(HOME) 4. At length however it seemed to Flinding that the Orcs were astir, and so it was, for the shouts of Turin had come to them; wherefore he said to Turin: "The Orcs are upon us, let us flee," but Turin answered not, and Flinding shook him, bidding him gather his wits or perish, and then Turin did as he was bid but yet as one dazed, and stooping he raised Beleg and kissed his mouth.
(HOME) 5. But Turin tearless turning suddenly / on the corse cast him, and kissed the mouth cold and open, and closed the eyes.
Ambiguous Kisses
(These aren't clear from the text)
(LOTR) 1. Sam felt that he could sit like that in endless happiness; but it was not allowed. It was not enough for him to find his master, he had still to try and save him. He kissed Frodo's forehead. "Come! Wake up Mr. Frodo!" he said, trying to sound as cheerful as he had when he drew back the curtains at Bag End on a summer's morning.
(LOTR) 2. Sam went to [Frodo] and kissed his hand. "Then the sooner we're rid of it, the sooner to rest," he said haltingly, finding no better words to say. "Talking won't mend nothing," he muttered to himself, as he gathered up all the things that they had chosen to cast away. He was not willing to leave them lying open in the wilderness for any eyes to see.
(LOTR) 3. Sam knelt by him. Faint, almost inaudibly, he heard Frodo whispering: "Help me, Sam! Help me, Sam! Hold my hand! I can't stop it." Sam took his master's hands and laid them together, palm to palm, and kissed them; and then he held them gently between his own. The thought came suddenly to him: "He's spotted us! It's all up, or it soon will be. Now, Sam Gamgee, this is the end of ends."
(LOTR) 4. "No," said Faramir, looking into her face. "It was but a picture in the mind. I do not know what is happening. The reason of my waking mind tells me that great evil has befallen and we stand at the end of days. But my heart says nay; and all my limbs are light, and a hope and joy are come to me that no reason can deny. Éowyn, Éowyn, White Lady of Rohan, in this hour I do not believe that any darkness will endure!" And he stooped and kissed her brow.
(LOTR) 5. Then Frodo kissed Merry and Pippin, and last of all Sam, and went aboard; and the sails were drawn up, and the wind blew, and slowly the ship slipped away down the long grey firth; and the light of the glass of Galadriel that Frodo bore glimmered and was lost.
(HOME) 6. Then Beleg of the bow embraced [Túrin] there -- he had not fared to the feast or the fall of Orgof -- there kissed him kindly comfort speaking:
(HOME) 7. In slothful gardens many a flower / like thee the amorous gods are used / honey-sweet to kiss, and cast then bruised, / their fragrance loosing, under feet.
(HOME) 8. Then Frodo kissed Merry and Pippin and last of all Sam, and went aboard, and the sails were drawn up, and the wind blew, and slowly the ship sailed away down the [?pale] Gulf of Lune.
I would be very interested in any thoughts people have come up with from reading over this data!
I'm personally kind of amazed at how many kisses were left out of the published Silmarillion -- only two survive. To me, these add to characterisation immensely. Who could read Húrin's adorable little speech to Túrin and his clear affectionate love for him, and not feel that they understand him better? (I'm not even going to get started on Beleg and Túrin, but damn it, at least one of their kisses should've been left in!)
And I love the number of times Aragorn kisses people, especially Éowyn and the hobbits! You get a real sense of someone who is very warm and open in his affection for the people he cares about.
Format: Essay
Genre: Non-fiction, Meta
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Characters: Beren, Luthien, Túrin, Niënor, Húrin, Aragorn, Sam, Frodo, etc
Pairings: mainly Beren/Luthien and Túrin/Niënor
Summary: A compilation of all the kisses in The Lord of the Rings (LOTR), The Silmarillion (Silm), the History of Middle-earth series (HOME) and Unfinished Tales (UT).
You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by....
-- As Time Goes By, Louis Armstrong
I've long been fascinated by all the kissing Tolkien wrote into his legendarium, for a man with so little in the way of sexuality in his stories. Of course, there are all different kinds of kissing, from a parent kissing their child, to kisses from lords to vassals (and vice versa), to kisses of courtesy and friendship, and of course romantic kisses.
So, I've combed through everything -- The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, the History of Middle-earth series and Unfinished Tales -- (using a handy search function) and catalogued them all.
(There are no kisses of any kind in The Hobbit.)
Familial Kisses
(Kisses between parents and children)
(HOME) 1. [Túrin] wist not the weird woven of Morgoth, / nor the sundering sorrow that them swept between, / as farewells they took with faltering lips. / The last kisses and lingering words / are over and ended; and empty is the glen / in the dark forest, where the dwelling faded / in trees entangled.
(HOME) 2. 'It was sad, Elanorelle,' said Sam, kissing her hair. 'It was, but [it] isn't now. For why? Well, for one thing, Mr. Frodo has gone where the elven-light isn't fading; and he deserved his reward.
(HOME) 3. 'Maybe, maybe,' said Sam kissing [Elanor] gently. 'And maybe not. The choice of Luthien and Arwen comes to many, Elanorelle, or something like it; and it isn't wise to choose before the time.
(HOME) 4. 'Good night, Sam-dad. And don't work any more. For I know what your chapter should be. Write down our talk together - but not to-night.' [Elanor] kissed him, and passed out of the room; and it seemed to Sam that the fire burned low at her going.
(UT) 5. And setting Túrin on a table [Húrin] kissed his son, and said: "You overtop me already, son of Morwen; soon you will be as high on your own feet.'
(UT) 6. Next morning Aldarion hastened away. He lifted up Ancalimë and kissed her, but though she clung to him he set her down quickly and rode off.
(UT) 7. "You knew me once, Lady Ancalimë," [Aldarion] said, "but no matter. Today I am but a messenger from Armenelos, to remind you that you are the daughter of the King's Heir; and (so far as I can now see) you shall be his Heir in your turn. You will not always dwell here. But go back to your bed now, my lady, until your maidservant wakes, if you will. I am in haste to see the King. Farewell!" He kissed the hand of Ancalimë and went down the steps; then he mounted and rode away with a wave of his hand.
(UT) 8. "King's son," said Isildur, "I knew that I must do so; but I feared the pain. Nor could I go without your leave. Forgive me, and my pride that has brought you to this doom." Elendur kissed him. "Go! Go now!" he said.
Romantic Kisses
(Between lovers in canon)
(LOTR) 1. "I would," said Faramir. And he took her in his arms and kissed her under the sunlit sky, and he cared not that they stood high upon the walls in the sight of many. And many indeed saw them and the light that shone about them as they came down from the walls and went hand in hand to the Houses of Healing.
(LOTR) 2. "Estel, Estel!" she cried, and with that even as he took her hand and kissed it, he fell into sleep. Then a great beauty was revealed in him, so that all who after came there looked on him in wonder; for they saw that the grace of his youth, and the valour of his manhood, and the wisdom and majesty of his age were blended together.
(Silm) 3. At the feet of Hírilorn the great beech Lúthien met them walking slow, and some bore torches beside the bier. There she set her arms about Beren, and kissed him bidding him await her beyond the Western Sea; and he looked upon her eyes ere the spirit left him. But the starlight was quenched and darkness had fallen even upon Lúthien Tinúviel.
(Silm) 4. There [Niënor] saw the dragon lying, but she heeded him not, for a man lay beside him; and she ran to Turambar, and called his name in vain. Then finding that his hand was burned she washed it with tears and bound it about with a strip of her raiment, and she kissed him and cried on him again to awake.
(HOME) 5. Then did Tinuviel and Beren flee like the wind from the gates, yet was Karkaras far before them raging and in madness as a beast pursued by Balrogs; and after when they might draw breath Tinuviel wept over the maimed arm of Beren kissing it often, so that behold it bled not, and pain left it, and was healed by the tender healing of her love; yet was Beren ever after surnamed among all folk Ermabwed the One-handed, which in the language of the Lonely Isle is Elmavoite.
(HOME) 6. Now then they covered the leafy boughs whereon he lay with soft raiment, and they bore him away to the halls of the king, and there was Tinuviel awaiting them in great distress; and she fell upon Beren's breast and wept and kissed him, and he awoke and knew her, and after Mablung gave him that Silmaril, and he lifted it above him gazing at its beauty, ere he said slowly and with pain: "Behold, 0 King, I give thee the wondrous jewel thou didst desire, and it is but a little thing found by the wayside, for once methinks thou hadst one beyond thought more beautiful, and she is now mine." Yet even as he spake the shadows of Mandos lay upon his face, and his spirit fled in that hour to the margin of the world, and Tinuviel's tender kisses called him not back.'
(HOME) 7. Then did Turambar take farewell of Niniel and they kissed upon the hilltop, and it was then late afternoon, but Niniel's heart went as to stone with grief; and all that company descended to the head of Silver Bowl, and there she beheld her lord climb to the fall's bottom with his six companions.
(HOME) 8. Behold now Niniel had reached those places not long before him, and straightway did she run fearless into the open for love of her lord, and so found him lying with his withered hand in a swoon across his sword; but the beast that lay hugely stretched beside she heeded not at all, and falling beside Turambar she wept, and kissed his face, and put salve upon his hand, for such she had brought in a little box when first they sallied forth, fearing that many hurts would be gotten ere men wended home.
(HOME) 9. Now behold, Idril stood beside him, and the wind was in her hair, and Tuor thought that she was exceeding beautiful, and stooped to kiss her; but her face was sad, and she said: "Now come the days when thou must make choice," and Tuor knew not what she said.
(HOME) 10. Then said Idril heavily: "Sad is the blindness of the wise"; but Tuor said: "Sad too is the stubbornness of those we love -- yet 'twas a valiant fault," then stooping he lifted and kissed her, for she was more to him than all the Gondothlim; but she wept bitterly for her father.
(HOME) 11. And Beren caught that elfin maid / And kissed her trembling starlit eyes, / Tinuviel whom love delayed / In the woods of evening morrowless.
(HOME) 12. His voice such love and longing filled / one moment stood she, fear was stilled; / one moment only; like a flame / he leaped towards her as she stayed / and caught and kissed that elfin maid.
(HOME) 13. He lay upon the leafy mould, / his face upon earth's bosom cold, / aswoon in overwhelming bliss, enchanted of an elvish kiss....
(HOME) 14. One morning as asleep she lay / upon the moss, as though the day / too bitter were for gentle flower / to open in a sunless hour, / Beren arose and kissed her hair, / and wept, and softly left her there.
(HOME) 15. There beneath the beech, wherein before she had been imprisoned, Luthien met them, and kissed Beren ere his spirit departed to the halls of awaiting.[...] And she came to the halls of Mandos, and she sang to him a tale of moving love so fair that he was moved to pity, as never has befallen since. Beren he summoned, and thus, as Luthien had sworn as she kissed him at the hour of death, they met beyond the western sea.
(HOME) 16. There [Niënor] saw the Worm lying, but heeded him not, for a man lay beside him; and she ran to Turambar and called his name in vain. Then, finding his hand that was burned, she laved it with tears and bound it about with a strip of her raiment, and kissed him and cried on him again to awake.
(UT) 17. Níniel most dear," he answered, "we cannot flee further, you and I. We are hemmed in this land. And even should I go, deserting the people that befriended us, I could but take you forth into the houseless wild, to your death and the death of our child. A hundred leagues lie between us and any land that is yet beyond the reach of the Shadow. But take heart, Níniel. For I say to you: neither you nor I shall be slain by this Dragon, nor by any foe of the North." Then Níniel ceased to weep and fell silent, but her kiss was cold as they parted.
(UT) 18. Then she threw herself down by him weeping, and kissed him; and it seemed to her that he breathed faintly, but she thought it but a trickery of false hope, for he was cold, and did not move, nor did he answer her. And as she caressed him she found that his hand was blackened as if it had been scorched, and she washed it with her tears, and tearing a strip from her raiment she bound it about. But still he did not move at her touch and she kissed him again, and cried aloud: "Turambar, Turambar, come back! Hear me! Awake! For it is Níniel. The Dragon is dead, dead, and I alone am here by you." But he answered nothing.
(UT) 19. "No!" said [Aldarion]. "But you do not lock it in hoard. Yet I think you set it too high; for it is dimmed by the light of your eyes." Then he kissed [Erendis] on the eyes, and in that moment she put aside fear, and accepted him; and their troth was plighted upon the steep path of the Meneltarma.
Courtly Kisses
(From a lord to vassal and vice versa)
(LOTR) 1. "I have a sword," said Merry, climbing from his seat, and drawing from its black sheath his small bright blade. Filled suddenly with love for this old man, he knelt on one knee, and took his hand and kissed it. "May I lay the sword of Meriadoc of the Shire on your lap, Théoden King?" he cried. "Receive my service, if you will!"
(LOTR) 2. And then Beregond, perceiving the mercy and justice of the King, was glad, and kneeling kissed his hand, and departed in joy and content. And Aragorn gave to Faramir Ithilien to be his princedom, and bade him dwell in the hills of Emyn Arnen within sight of the City.
(HOME) 3. But Melko might not thus easily forgo his sport. "Nay first," said he, "wilt thou come Manwe and kneel before me, and after you all the Valar; but last shall come Tulkas and kiss my foot, for I have in mind something for which I owe Poldorea no great love." Now he purposed to spurn Tulkas in the mouth in payment of that buffet long ago, but the Valar had foreseen something of this and did but make play of humiliation that Melko might thereby be lured from his stronghold of Utumna.
(HOME) 4. 'It can soon be known,' said Manthor; and coming to Hurin as he lay he knelt and raised his hand and kissed it. 'Awake!' he cried. 'Help is near. And if you are Hurin, there is no help that I would think enough.'
(UT) 5. The Orcs were now drawing near. Isildur turned to his esquire: "Ohtar," he said, "I give this now into your keeping;" and he delivered to him the great sheath and the shards of Narsil, Elendil's sword. "Save it from capture by all means that you can find, and at all costs; even at the cost of being held a coward who deserted me. Take your companion with you and flee! Go'. I command you!" Then Ohtar knelt and kissed his hand, and the two young men fled down into the dark valley.
Friendship Kisses
(Between friends or nonromantic kisses between a man and a woman)
(LOTR) 1. [Faramir] embraced the hobbits then, after the manner of his people, stooping, and placing his hands upon their shoulders, and kissing their foreheads. "Go with the good will of all good men!" he said.
(LOTR) 2. Then [Aragorn] kissed [Éowyn's] hand, and sprang into the saddle, and rode away, and did not look back; and only those who knew him well and were near to him saw the pain that he bore.
(LOTR) 3. Then Aragorn stooped and looked in her face, and it was indeed white as a lily, cold as frost, and hard as graven stone. But he bent and kissed her on the brow, and called her softly, saying: "Éowyn Éomund's daughter, awake! For your enemy has passed away!"
(LOTR) 4. Merry seized [Aragorn's] hand and kissed it. "I am frightfully sorry," he said. "Go at once! Ever since that night at Bree we have been a nuisance to you. But it is the way of my people to use light words at such times and say less than they mean. We fear to say too much. It robs us of the right words when a jest is out of place."
(LOTR) 5. "I know that well, or I would not deal with you in the same way " said Aragorn. "May the Shire live for ever unwithered!" And kissing Merry he went out, and Gandalf went with him.
(LOTR) 6. Then Merry took the horn, for it could not be refused, and he kissed Éowyn's hand; and they embraced him, and so they parted for that time.
(HOME) 7. 'But do not think that he was not moved,' said Gimli. 'Indeed, I think Aragorn himself was so deeply grieved that he went through all perils after like a man that can feel little more. He raised her up and kissed her hand, and then without a word we set out, before the sun came over the black ridges of the mountain.'
(HOME) 8. 'And at the last when she saw that he would go,' said Gimli, 'then she begged to come with us! Indeed she knelt before him. Yet she is a proud lady. I wondered much what it all might mean, and I was grieved; for she was young and much troubled. But he raised her up and kissed her hand and without more words we departed. Yet I saw that he, too, was greatly grieved.'
Death Kisses
(Given mainly when a character is dead or about to die)
(LOTR) 1. "No!" said Aragorn, taking his hand and kissing his brow. "You have conquered. Few have gained such a victory. Be at peace! Minas Tirith shall not fall!"
(LOTR) 2. [Sam] stooped. Very gently he undid the clasp at the neck and slipped his hand inside Frodo's tunic; then with his other hand raising the head, he kissed the cold forehead, and softly drew the chain over it. And then the head lay quietly back again in rest. No change came over the still face, and by that more than by all other tokens Sam was convinced at last that Frodo had died and laid aside the Quest.
(LOTR) 3. Then Merry stooped and lifted his hand to kiss it, and lo! Théoden opened his eyes, and they were clear, and he spoke in a quiet voice though laboured.
(HOME) 4. At length however it seemed to Flinding that the Orcs were astir, and so it was, for the shouts of Turin had come to them; wherefore he said to Turin: "The Orcs are upon us, let us flee," but Turin answered not, and Flinding shook him, bidding him gather his wits or perish, and then Turin did as he was bid but yet as one dazed, and stooping he raised Beleg and kissed his mouth.
(HOME) 5. But Turin tearless turning suddenly / on the corse cast him, and kissed the mouth cold and open, and closed the eyes.
Ambiguous Kisses
(These aren't clear from the text)
(LOTR) 1. Sam felt that he could sit like that in endless happiness; but it was not allowed. It was not enough for him to find his master, he had still to try and save him. He kissed Frodo's forehead. "Come! Wake up Mr. Frodo!" he said, trying to sound as cheerful as he had when he drew back the curtains at Bag End on a summer's morning.
(LOTR) 2. Sam went to [Frodo] and kissed his hand. "Then the sooner we're rid of it, the sooner to rest," he said haltingly, finding no better words to say. "Talking won't mend nothing," he muttered to himself, as he gathered up all the things that they had chosen to cast away. He was not willing to leave them lying open in the wilderness for any eyes to see.
(LOTR) 3. Sam knelt by him. Faint, almost inaudibly, he heard Frodo whispering: "Help me, Sam! Help me, Sam! Hold my hand! I can't stop it." Sam took his master's hands and laid them together, palm to palm, and kissed them; and then he held them gently between his own. The thought came suddenly to him: "He's spotted us! It's all up, or it soon will be. Now, Sam Gamgee, this is the end of ends."
(LOTR) 4. "No," said Faramir, looking into her face. "It was but a picture in the mind. I do not know what is happening. The reason of my waking mind tells me that great evil has befallen and we stand at the end of days. But my heart says nay; and all my limbs are light, and a hope and joy are come to me that no reason can deny. Éowyn, Éowyn, White Lady of Rohan, in this hour I do not believe that any darkness will endure!" And he stooped and kissed her brow.
(LOTR) 5. Then Frodo kissed Merry and Pippin, and last of all Sam, and went aboard; and the sails were drawn up, and the wind blew, and slowly the ship slipped away down the long grey firth; and the light of the glass of Galadriel that Frodo bore glimmered and was lost.
(HOME) 6. Then Beleg of the bow embraced [Túrin] there -- he had not fared to the feast or the fall of Orgof -- there kissed him kindly comfort speaking:
(HOME) 7. In slothful gardens many a flower / like thee the amorous gods are used / honey-sweet to kiss, and cast then bruised, / their fragrance loosing, under feet.
(HOME) 8. Then Frodo kissed Merry and Pippin and last of all Sam, and went aboard, and the sails were drawn up, and the wind blew, and slowly the ship sailed away down the [?pale] Gulf of Lune.
I would be very interested in any thoughts people have come up with from reading over this data!
I'm personally kind of amazed at how many kisses were left out of the published Silmarillion -- only two survive. To me, these add to characterisation immensely. Who could read Húrin's adorable little speech to Túrin and his clear affectionate love for him, and not feel that they understand him better? (I'm not even going to get started on Beleg and Túrin, but damn it, at least one of their kisses should've been left in!)
And I love the number of times Aragorn kisses people, especially Éowyn and the hobbits! You get a real sense of someone who is very warm and open in his affection for the people he cares about.