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Gostir

TrueColddrake


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Gostir, the ancient "Dread-glance," was a powerful enchanter who resided in the mountains of Barl Syrnac north of Rhûn. He was a pure white Cold-drake renowned for his burning red eyes and terrifying countenance. Gostir could frighten a foe to submission or even death with his gaze. Fortunately for the local Snowman, Umli, and Easterling peoples, however, he fed mostly on herd animals and large water mammals.

Gostir, the ancient "Dread-glance" was a pure white Cold-drake. Renowned For his burning red eyes and terrifying countenance, he was a powerful enchanter who could frighten a foe to submission or even death with his gaze. Fortunately for the local Snow-man and easterling peoples, however, he fed mostly on the rich fauna of the Far North. His diet consisted of the herd animals and large water mammals that lived in and around the Sea of Illuin. Gostir resided at Ninqualka (Av. "White Fell"), a hollow granite spire. The stone tower rose from a vast ice-field like a rough-hewn five hundred foot obelisk and stood amidst the frosty mountains of later Barl Syrnac. This rugged range comprised the central remnant of the once-vast Iron Mountains. There, north of Rhûn and along the eastern boundary of the Northern Waste, great glaciers wound between the snow-capped peaks:These glistening spires protected the more temperate coastal taiga to the east from the harsh winds of Forodwaith. Great evergreen forests covered much of the taiga, especially in the coves and bays of the Sea of Illuin, and were an ideal hunting preserve for Gostir the White. In many respects, Gostir was a typical Cold-drake. He had hatched years after the fall of Thangorodrim, and grew to a length of sixty feet. His thick hide, stout limbs, and massive skull suggested great strength and protected him from the some of the harshest weather in all Middle-earth. Huge claws and teeth and a long, whip-like tail provided him with the tools of war. Unlike most Cold-drakes, Gostir was a skilled conjurer. He favored spells and incantations to more physical means of power. This unusual prediliction reflected his heritage as one of Morgoth's Sly-worms,.. and his subsequent role as a lieutenant of the Demon Úruvaiwa and Guardian of the Illuin Marches. The white Drake enjoyed virtually complete mastery of his domain. Comfort-able and confident, his chief fear was complacency.Gostir was the brother of Lamthanc, the other son of Laicarca and Muinahelki.Most likely he died in the War of Wrath though the men of the Second age believed he had returned as they mistook the cold wirms 'Inyi'akta and his brother 'ur'êrê for the ancient Lamthanc and Gostir returned.

Notes[]

Gostir only appears as a name in the 1930ies etymologies punlished in the History of Middle-earth.No official tale about him was ever told in the legendarium.

According to MERP canon Gostir was born/hatched a few years after the founding of Thangorodrim, and Lamthanc some time before the War of Wrath, this seems unlikely if they were alive about T.A. 1640.If they were indeed older than Smaug they must have died long before him as he was considered the last of the great Dragons and he was still considered quite young and not yet fully grown when he invaded Erebor.To correct these problems with chronology and the inner logic of the Legendarium on this wiki Lamthanc and Gostir of the first age and the dragons of the Second Age are considered different individuals.

References[]

  • MERP: Creatures of Middle-earth
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