Category: News

By TARYN PEDLER

Published: 20:59 GMT, 16 March 2025 | Updated: 00:48 GMT, 17 March 2025

This is the shocking moment a father drags a young boy through the snow by his backpack before tossing him on the ground and walking away. 

The footage captured the duo walking through the Nassfeld ski resort, Carnic Alps, Austria, before the incident took place.

In the clip, the father, donning a yellow waterproof can be seen struggling to get the child – who social media believe to be his son – to stand as he battles with the boy’s backpack.

After a moment of attempting to get the boy to walk forward, the dad resorts to flipping him around to place him behind him before beginning dragging him.

The young boy drags his heels through the snow as the man storms up a hill, leaving the boy slumped in his grip.

Once the father reaches his destination, he flings his arm around in front of him and releases the child into the snow on the ground.

As the video comes to an end, the boy can be seen on the floor as the father walks away, leaving him in the snow. 

The bizarre footage quickly made its rounds on social media and stirred up controversy from parents and viewers.  

A father was filmed dragging a young boy – believed to be his son – by his backpack at a ski resort in Austria

The man was seen in footage pulling the child up a snowy hill, dragging the boy behind him

Viewers were left stunned when the man reached the top of a small snow pile and threw the child into it

The child landed on the floor and the man walked away, leaving him behind

One social media user wrote beneath the Facebook clip: ‘Unbelievable to post something like this – a child is being “disposed of” like a garbage bag. 

A mother added: ‘I’m a mom myself and I know what children can be like, but that’s, well. No, and the way he throws the child at the end. I don’t know, that doesn’t have to happen’.

‘This is very careless and violent. The little man – like children in general – needs loving support and parents who recognise and respond attentively to their child’s needs. If dad wants to go skiing, no matter how bad the weather, that doesn’t mean the child wants to too…’ another angered viewer said. 

Another user commented: ‘I find it unacceptable to throw a child away like a wet sack in public!’ 

One more added: ‘Poor child… simply disgusting… hope someone did something about it and didn’t just film it…’

Sigi Fink, who shared the video on his Facebook profile but did not record it himself, also wrote: ‘Please don’t drag your children around the ski areas like that today.’

The post has racked up over 909,000 views and 770 comments since being uploaded on Saturday morning. 

Nassfeld is the largest ski resort in Carinthia with 110km of slopes in all levels of difficulty, 30 lifts, and 25 ski huts.

WELLINGBOROUGH, England (Gray News) – A 13-year-old in England was charged with the murder of her mother, according to British authorities.

The Northamptonshire Police Department said the child is also charged with arson with intent to endanger life.

Police said the girl was arrested last Monday after a body was discovered in a house on Newcomen Road just after 3 a.m.

Officials said the identity of the body is still awaiting confirmation, but is believed to be a 43-year-old woman.

A post-mortem examination concluded that the cause of death was an injury caused by a sharp force.

Police and firefighters were dispatched to the location after reports came in of a fire at the property.

Inside, police found the woman’s body and pronounced her dead at the scene at 3:29 a.m.

Copyright 2025 Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

The way we’re raised has a big impact on how we behave as adults. Growing up with straight-laced parents, the ones who played by the rules and valued discipline, can shape us in unique ways.

According to psychology, there are certain habits people tend to develop when they’ve had this kind of upbringing. Some are surprising, some make perfect sense, but all are intriguing.

Here’s a sneak peek into the habits you might have picked up if you grew up with straight-laced parents. Let’s dive in and make sense of why we are the way we are.

1) Respect for boundaries

Straight-laced parents are big on rules and boundaries. And that makes a lasting impression.

When you grow up in an environment where boundaries are respected and upheld, you tend to carry that habit into adulthood. It’s less about being restrictive, and more about understanding personal space and respecting others.

This habit becomes ingrained, whether it’s about respecting someone’s time, their personal belongings, or even their emotional space. You understand the importance of not overstepping or imposing.

Psychology suggests that people who grow up with straight-laced parents often develop a keen sense of respect for boundaries in their adult life. And that’s not just a good habit; it’s a valuable life skill.

2) Punctuality is key

I can’t tell you how many times I heard the phrase “Early is on time, on time is late” growing up. My straight-laced parents instilled in me a deep respect for other people’s time.

I remember one particular instance when I was around nine years old. My family and I were heading out for a dinner at a family friend’s place. We were supposed to be there at 6:00 PM. Even though the friend’s house was just a ten-minute drive away, my parents insisted we leave home at 5:30 PM. “We can’t keep people waiting,” they told me.

Now, as an adult, this has translated into a habit of being punctual in all aspects of my life. Whether it’s for work meetings, social catch-ups, or even personal errands, I ensure I’m always on time, if not early.

According to psychology, this punctuality trait is commonly observed among individuals who’ve grown up with straight-laced parents. It’s a habit that speaks volumes about respect and consideration for others.

3) Value for hard work

Growing up with straight-laced parents often instills a deep appreciation for hard work. These parents tend to reward effort and perseverance, leading their kids to develop a strong work ethic.

This habit extends into adulthood, with these individuals often striving for excellence in everything they do, whether it’s in their careers, personal projects or even hobbies.

Interestingly, a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that children who were taught the value of hard work from a young age were more likely to become successful adults. This success was measured not only in terms of career achievements but also their ability to maintain healthy relationships and lead fulfilling lives.

So, the habit of valuing hard work instilled by straight-laced parents seems to be more than just a beneficial trait – it’s a catalyst for overall success in life.

4) Appreciation for structure and routine

Growing up with straight-laced parents often means having a structured daily routine. From set meal times to fixed bedtimes, these households run like well-oiled machines.

As adults, individuals who grew up in such environments often find comfort in having a routine. They’re likely to plan their days, weeks, and even months meticulously. This doesn’t mean they can’t be spontaneous or flexible, but they thrive on knowing what’s coming next.

Psychology suggests that this penchant for structure is a result of the stability and predictability experienced during their formative years. It’s less about being inflexible and more about valuing order and organization in their lives.

So don’t be surprised if you see them making lists, planning ahead, or showing up with an uncannily accurate estimate of how long something will take. That’s just a habit they’ve picked up from their straight-laced upbringing!

5) A strong sense of responsibility

One of the most profound habits I’ve noticed among those raised by straight-laced parents is a strong sense of responsibility. These individuals tend to shoulder their responsibilities willingly and conscientiously, whether it’s their job, their relationships, or personal commitments.

I think back to a dear friend of mine whose parents were the epitome of straight-laced. Throughout our friendship, I’ve seen her show up for people, time and time again. She’s the one you can count on to remember birthdays, to volunteer when no one else will, to stay late after a party to help clean up.

She once told me that her parents always emphasized the importance of keeping one’s word and fulfilling obligations. It was a lesson she took to heart.

Psychology indicates that this sense of responsibility is deeply ingrained in those raised in a disciplined environment. It’s a habit that not only makes them reliable but also shapes them into individuals who value and uphold their commitments.

6) High standards and self-criticism

Straight-laced parents are known for their high standards. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It often drives their children to strive for excellence in everything they do.

However, it can also lead to a habit of being overly critical of oneself. I’ve experienced this firsthand. No matter how much I achieve, there’s always a voice in the back of my mind pushing me to do more, be more. It’s like I’m constantly racing against myself.

Psychologists suggest that this stems from the desire to meet the high expectations set during childhood. It’s a habit that can motivate us to continually improve and grow, but it’s important to balance it with self-compassion and recognition of our achievements.

7) Respect for authority

Growing up with straight-laced parents often means learning to respect authority from an early age. These parents teach their kids to follow rules and respect those in positions of power.

This habit often extends into adulthood. These individuals tend to respect hierarchies in the workplace and are less likely to challenge authority without a good reason. They’re also often very good at navigating systems and bureaucracies, as they understand the importance of following procedures and protocols.

Psychologists suggest that this habit reflects their upbringing where rules were respected, and authorities were not openly challenged. While it’s important to question authority when necessary, this habit also instills a sense of discipline and order that can be beneficial in many aspects of adult life.

8) Self-discipline is second nature

Above all, growing up with straight-laced parents breeds an incredible amount of self-discipline. This is perhaps the most significant habit that individuals carry into adulthood.

These people have an innate ability to control impulses, delay gratification, and consistently pursue their goals, even when it’s challenging. They’ve learned from a young age that discipline is the key to achieving what they want in life.

In psychology, this trait is often linked to long-term success and satisfaction in various areas of life, from career achievements to personal relationships. It’s a habit that’s not just about sticking to rules but about having the inner strength to follow through on commitments and strive for personal growth.

Final thoughts: It’s about balance

When we delve into the realm of human behavior, it’s fascinating to see how our upbringing shapes us. Growing up with straight-laced parents, we’ve seen how certain habits can develop and persist into adulthood.

However, it’s crucial to remember that these habits, while generally positive, need to be balanced. High standards and self-discipline are commendable, but they should not edge out self-compassion. Respect for authority is important, but so is the ability to question when necessary.

It’s all about striking a balance and adapting these habits in a way that best serves our personal growth and happiness.

The renowned psychologist Carl Rogers once said, “What I am is good enough if I would only be it openly.” So let’s embrace our habits, understand their roots, and use them to be the best versions of ourselves. It’s not just about being shaped by our past, but about shaping our future with awareness and intention.

Jennifer Lawrence and husband Cooke Maroney have been spotted out and about in N.Y.C. amid rumors that they recently welcomed their second child together. 

The pair stepped out dressed for cool temps on Sunday, March 16. The No Hard Feelings actress, 34, wore a scarf and navy trench coat over jeans, and accessorized with a leopard print tote. She wore her hair long and loose.

Lawrence and Maroney, 40, got engaged in February of 2019 and were married in October of the same year. They welcomed their first child, a son named Cy, 3, in February 2022. 

In October 2023, a rep for Lawrence confirmed to Vogue that the actress and Maroney were expecting their second child. The news was announced after Lawrence was seen grabbing dinner in Los Angeles with a small baby bump on display.

Lawrence has previously been candid about her love of motherhood — as well as how becoming a parent fundamentally changed her as a person.

“I mean the euphoria of Cy is just — Jesus, it’s impossible,” she said while speaking to Vogue for their October 2022 issue. “My heart has stretched to a capacity that I didn’t know about. I include my husband in that,” she added.

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“The morning after I gave birth, I felt like my whole life had started over,” she said elsewhere in the interview. “Like, ‘Now is day one of my life.’ I just stared. I was just so in love. I also fell in love with all babies everywhere. Newborns are just so amazing. They’re these pink, swollen, fragile little survivors. Now I love all babies. Now I hear a baby crying in a restaurant and I’m like, ‘Awwww, preciousssss.’ ”

In the same Vogue interview, the Don’t Look Up star shared that she feels a tremendous responsibility to ensure that her son — and any other future children — are able to maintain their privacy, despite her extremely public career.

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“If I was at a dinner party, and somebody was like, ‘Oh, my God, you’re expecting a baby,’ I wouldn’t be like, ‘God, I can’t talk about that. Get away from me, you psycho!’ But every instinct in my body wants to protect their privacy for the rest of their lives, as much as I can,” she said.

“I don’t want anyone to feel welcome into their existence,” Lawrence added. “And I feel like that just starts with not including them in this part of my work.”

The daughter of an elderly British man detained with his wife by the Taliban in Afghanistan has expressed grave fears for his health, a report said on Sunday.

“We hear he now has a chest infection, a double eye infection and serious digestive issues due to poor nutrition. Without immediate access to necessary medication, his life is in serious danger,” the Sunday Times newspaper quoted his daughter, Sarah Entwistle, as saying.

Entwistle said that according to information provided by a “reliable source” her 79-year-old father had been “beaten and shackled” and was in “immense pain”.

The report said Barbie Reynolds, 75, had also been told she could no longer see her husband.

Entwistle described her parents’ alleged separation as a “shocking escalation”.

SALT LAKE CITY — Andre Rodriguez and his brother, Sidney Rodriguez, were sentenced to prison less than two years ago. Their first parole hearing isn’t scheduled for another three years.

But the mother of 16-year-old Camden Hales is already concerned that whatever time they serve won’t be enough.

“‘I’m pretty much sentenced to a life of sadness. I have been given a life sentence of trauma and sadness and fear, and I just feel like these boys aren’t going to be fully rehabilitated,” a tearful Holly Lee told the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole on Tuesday. “I don’t think it’s fair they just get out some day … They’re just going to go on with their life and I’m still going to be sad. And nothing can fix it.”

On June 2, 2021, two groups met at an Orem church parking lot for a drug deal. Sidney Rodriguez, then 18, went into the back seat of the victim’s vehicle to negotiate the deal. But not long after, his brother, Andre Rodriguez, then 16, approached the car with a rifle and ordered the victims to hand over their money and the drugs, according to a statement supporting his guilty plea.

A struggle ensued over the rifle, leading to two shots being fired, injuring three of the four teens in the car. Sidney Rodriguez exited the vehicle, pulled out his own gun, and additional shots were fired at the vehicle as it drove away. One of those shots hit and killed Camden.

The younger Rodriguez was sentenced to a term between two and 20 years in prison for murder, five years to life in prison for aggravated robbery, and three to 15 years for shooting a gun and causing injury. The sentences were ordered to run consecutively. Andre Rodriguez will remain in juvenile detention until he is 25 years old after the judge granted a request by his attorney not to move him to prison immediately so he can work toward graduation and continue with therapy.

Sidney Rodriguez pleaded guilty to manslaughter and aggravated robbery for his role in the incident, admitting he knew there was a plan for a robbery. He was sentenced to up to life in prison for the robbery and up to five years for manslaughter, with both sentences to run consecutively.

The first parole hearings for the brothers are not scheduled until 2028. And even then, as board member Blake Hills told them on Tuesday, there should be no expectations that either inmate will be granted parole.

On Tuesday, however, victim impact hearings were held at the request of Lee for both Rodriguez brothers. A hearing was first held for Andre Rodriguez immediately followed by Sidney Rodriguez. Because the board had to treat each in separate hearings, Lee delivered her statements to the board twice.

At Lee’s request, neither brother was allowed in the room as she delivered her emotional comments to the board. The Rodriguezes were each taken to a back room where they were given headphones to listen to her comments and then they returned to the main hearing area and asked if they would like to reply.

Lee began to cry immediately when it was her turn to speak at Andre Rodriguez’s hearing.

“Basically my life hasn’t been the same and isn’t going to be the same,” she told the board. “I’m constantly thinking about this. There are nights I get up and I can’t go back to sleep.

“I don’t feel like what’s happening to them is strong enough punishment,” she continued.

Lee said she fears the men won’t be rehabilitated, though she admitted she doesn’t know what programs the Utah Department of Corrections offers. She asked the board to make the brothers serve as much time as possible.

“I don’t know how to not feel this way,” she said. “I don’t know how to have it not affect everything.”

Andre Rodriguez responded by reading from a short note he had prepared. He said there isn’t a day that goes by that he doesn’t think about what happened.

“There is no excuse for what I did,” he said. “I’m truly sorry for their mom’s pain and suffering.”

Rodriguez said he had read the letters submitted to the board about Camden.

“I believe he had a lot of potential. And as a result of my actions, life ended before it could even be started. Again, there are no excuses for what happened and I’m sorry,” he said.

During Sidney Rodriguez’s hearing, Lee was a little less emotional as she repeated much of what she said during Andre Rodriguez’s hearing.

“I feel they need to serve as long as possible for pain for what they did to my son Camden,” she said. “I am living out a life sentence of grief, pain. The hardest thing for me is living this shattered life. … It’s incredibly difficult because I miss my child.

“He got roped into going there that day, He was not a drug dealer. … This is not his life, and he just ended up there that day. It’s very unfair and it has caused a lot of trauma and brought a lot of trauma in my life that didn’t need to be there,” she continued.

During both hearings for the brothers, Lee claimed that she was told by those with knowledge of the crime that it was Sidney Rodriguez who fired the shot that killed her son and that Andre Rodriguez took the blame because he was 16. Both brothers, however, denied the accusation.

“For the record, my brother did not fire a shot that day,” Andre Rodriguez told the board. “Every shot fired came from me.”

In his response, Sidney Rodriguez apologized for his actions and said he was trying to correct his “thinking errors” while in prison. But he also denied firing the fatal shot, saying, “There is no proof to back that up” and adding, “I don’t appreciate that.”

Hills reminded both brothers that their first parole hearings in three years will go a lot better if they stay out of trouble while incarcerated and complete the programs they are asked to complete.

“How the hearing will go is largely upon you,” he said.

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Parent advocates at a Long Island high school are demanding that local sports authorities take the extraordinary step of keeping schools in a rival district off their kids’ athletic schedule — because of race issues.

Elmont High School’s Parent Teacher Student Association and Dad’s Club recently held a town hall with officials from Nassau County’s sports Section VIII over what the parents said is a long history of racist behavior against their kids by the Bellmore-Merrick School District crowd.

Reps from Elmont High’s Sewanhaka School District and Bellmore-Merrick district were in attendance, too.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result,” said Lynette Battle, a Sewanhaka board of trustee, former PTSA president and Elmont mom, to The Post.

“Something different has to be done. And someone needs to be courageous enough to stand on business,’’ she said.

The straw that apparently broke the camel’s back for Elmont’s advocates involved a varsity girls basketball game on Feb. 7 at Kennedy High School in the Bellmore-Merrick district.

An Elmont player and a Kennedy player got into a scuffle during the game, but only the Elmont girl, who is black, was kicked out after she was seen swinging at the Kennedy girl, who is white.

Elmont appealed the suspension when video emerged showing their student was hit first.

Section VIII upheld the suspension initially but then reinstated the girl after a second appeal, allowing her to suit up for a play-off game.

Bellmore-Merrick meanwhile suspended its Kennedy player for two games voluntarily.

But for the activist parents at Elmont, the incident provided enough fuel to make them want to redress the history of problems between the districts.

At the recent meeting, the Elmont camp demanded that Bellmore-Merrick schools be kept off its high school’s athletic schedule, as well as that of its middle school, starting next fall.

Lynette Battle, a mother of a recent graduate of Elmont High, alleged a long list of racially charged incidents since 2019.

In February 2019, Elmont cheerleaders were called racial slurs by Bellmore-Merrick spectators, one of whom wore an afro-wig to mock the black players, Battle told The Post.

That November, a workshop was held for students from the two schools.

Players from Elmont alleged at the session that their Bellmore-Merrick rivals had on occasion spit on them, refused to shake their hands and used racial slurs, Battle said.

In December 2021, some fans at a Bellmore-Merrick Mepham High School vs. Elmont junior varsity basketball game hurled racial taunts involving “bananas’” and called the girls “monkeys.”

Two fans who were involved were disciplined, and both the superintendent and district athletic director from Bellmore-Merrick apologized to the Elmont team in person at their high school, according to Patrick Pizzarelli, Section VIII director, to The Post.

In 2023, at a junior varsity volleyball game between Elmont and Kennedy, fans once again taunted Elmont players with bananas and “monkey” comments.

Other racially tinged incidents, which were not officially reported to local sports authorities, also occurred in August 2022, twice in September 2022 and again in October 2023 between the schools’ students, according to Battle.

Section VIII and school districts have responded by holding workshops with involved teams and by instituting the reading of a civility statement before games.

That’s not enough for at least some Elmont parents.

“Our children are the ones being victimized. Why do they need to be in the room for a kumbaya moment?” Battle said.

Jon Johnson of the Dad’s Club told The Post that his three adult children — now ages 37, 29, and 23 — all went through Elmont High, all played sports, and all had their own experience with on-the-field racism.

“So when my middle son was playing against [Wellington C. Mepham High School in the Bellmore-Merrick district] he was playing lacrosse, and in the middle of the game, the opposing player, after Elmont scored, the opposing player called him flat-out the n-word and told him to get off of the field,’’ said the dad, who is black.

“We have trusted our district to help look over our kids, but I don’t think that they have, because they keep doing things to put a Band-Aid to a gunshot wound.”

Pizzarelli said he believes his group has been working well to respond to any racial incidents that occur and that progress has been made in recent years through collaborative town halls and open dialogue.

When asked about years-old alleged incidents, he expresses empathy for the parents and players, but said it is impossible for Nassau officials to respond appropriately if things aren’t officially reported.

Pizzarelli said Section VIII will make a decision on scheduling in the coming months.

Neither Bellmore-Merrick Superintendent Michael Harrington nor Sewanhaka Superintendent Regina Agrusa responded to The Post’s requests for comment.

Director Jessica Earnshaw has an eye for blind spots. Traveling to Northeast Ohio for her tremendous second feature “Baby Doe,” she ventures into the kind of working class, deeply religious enclave that is typically overlooked in America, or at least often reduced to stereotypes in its depiction on screen. But with considerable sensitivity and empathy, she is also able to pick up on how people can become unconscious of the most painful elements of their lives. “Baby Doe” looks to make sense of what would be an otherwise inexplicable case of infanticide and how the mother involved, Gail Ritchey, could claim to have been completely unaware that she was pregnant until delivery and remained unaware of how or why she disposed of the baby after giving birth.

It’s an undeniably tough watch, but Earnshaw has a way of putting her subjects at ease to access the typically unreachable. Her equally harrowing debut “Jacinta” saw her camera roam around the grounds of a prison, and the director has similar free rein here, meeting with Gail and her family well ahead of a court trial where she faces a life sentence for the murder of the baby. 

The case poses a fascinating question around belated justice. The death occurred in 1993, but was only recently unearthed by local law enforcement due to DNA technology that linked her to the corpse. Ritchey and the baby’s father, Mark, claim they are unaware a birth ever happened, and have gone on to have three kids and live a pious life largely built around their work at a local church.

Gail has essentially formed a mental block around the experience, and “Baby Doe” becomes absorbing as the defense works through testimony in private sessions with her struggling to describe what happened. Her lawyers try to tease out various alternative cases to the diminished capacity defense they’d like to pursue, built around an increasingly common yet largely unrecognized phenomenon known as “unperceived pregnancies,” where the mother simply can’t acknowledge their pregnancy due to the conditions under which it was conceived.

Although Ritchey can’t articulate her own experience, Earnshaw is nonetheless able to illustrate what could have led her to such an unthinkable decision. The doc shows how Ritchey’s strong religious faith came with a fear of God, likely contributing to why she can’t speak up. A particularly telling moment comes when Mark remembers thinking that none of the sex they had before marriage was infringing on the purity expected of them; he didn’t want to get married until he could buy a house to start a family in and they were deep into a committed relationship. The logic makes no sense now to him, yet it helps him understand how Gail could have made choices that she couldn’t possibly have fully processed. His unwavering support becomes a beautiful part of the film when he has to look past his own social programming to decide how he feels about what his wife allegedly did.

“Baby Doe” only accumulates power as Earnshaw and editors George O’Donnell and Leah Boatright meticulously strip away any preconceptions that audiences may bring toward the matter. The intense focus on Ritchey’s yearslong case clearly pays off in the candor the family and others have around Earnshaw. But with such specific details captured, the doc also opens up ideas around restorative justice, when the rigidity of how the law is applied feels unlikely to achieve anything worthwhile. A verdict in court makes for a naturally compelling climax, but creating the space for an audience to comfortably come to its own is what makes the film so striking.

The Lord of the Rings is such a rich universe, that sometimes it feels like the movies can’t help but limit everything about it. It’s not their fault, of course, and Peter Jackson indeed did an incredible job in taking Middle-earth to the big screen, but one does miss a whole universe worth of incredible stories by not going through the doors opened by these movies. One such story is the tale of Eärendil the Mariner, Elrond’s (Hugo Weaving) father — a story so beautiful and important, it actually saved the world, changed the fate of all his descendants, and added a star to the sky… Our sky.

Eärendil and Elwing Are the Only Mortals to Ever Reach Valinor

The tale of Eärendil begins in the First Age of Middle-earth, when he’s born in the hidden Elven city of Gondolin to a Man, Tuor, and an Elf, Idril. He is still a child when Morgoth`s forces are finally able to locate, sack, and destroy Gondolin, forcing Elrond and his family to flee to the city of Arvenien on the coast, where he becomes a mariner and the leader of the community. He also meets and marries Elwing, with whom he has twin sons, Elrond and Elros.

With the help of Círdan the Shipwright, Eärendil builds the ship Vingilot, with the purpose of searching for his parents, who have been missing since the fall of Gondolin. During his travels though, the Sons of Fëanor invade Arvenien looking for the Silmaril in Elwing’s possession. They slaughter everyone in the city and take Elrond and Elros hostage, but Elwing is able to escape with the Silmaril by throwing herself into the sea. With the help of the Vala Ulmo, Elwing is able to reach the Vingilot with the Silmaril.

Once Eärendil hears of what happened in Arvenien, the couple decides to sail to Valinor and plead for the Valar’s aid in the fight against Morgoth, given that everything bad that has ever happened ultimately traces back to the Dark Lord. With their Silmaril as a guide, they reach Aman, the continent where Valinor is located, and become the first Humans to ever do so, since mortals aren’t allowed there. But the Valar are impressed by the couple’s feat, reaching the Undying Lands by themselves and bearing a Silmaril, so they accept Eärendil’s plea.

They Are Also the Reason Why Arwen Gets To Choose To Become Human

Those who pay more attention to the movies or watch Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power have certainly noticed how Elrond (Robert Aramayo in the series) is sometimes referred to as “Elrond Half-elven.” It’s because both Eärendil and Elwing are the descendants of the only two Human-Elf couples in Middle-earth history until then; Eärendil is the son of Tuor and Idril, while Elwing is the granddaughter of Beren and Lúthien. Because of this, everyone in their line is born Half-elven and, because of Eärendil’s feats, is granted a special privilege.

When the Valar decide to fight against Morgoth, a conflict known as the War of Wrath ensues, and Eärendil fights bravely, even slaying the greatest dragon in Morgoth’s army, Ancalagon. It’s such a bloody war, that a whole continent of Arda (the world) called Beleriand sinks in order to cleanse the world from all the evil things that are unleashed. But, ultimately, the Host of the Valar are victorious, fighting alongside the Elves and the Edain, who are Humans who chose to join the war on their side. As a gift from the Valar, the Edain are granted the star-shaped island of Númenor to settle on. As for Eärendil and Elwing, they are granted the privilege of choosing whether they want to be Elves or Humans, given their Half-elven blood. Elwing immediately chooses to become an Elf, and, although Eärendil prefers to be mortal, he chooses to become an Elf to be with Elwing.

Because of the couple’s valor, as a gesture of their gratitude, the Valar also bestow upon all their descendants the same privilege: they are all able to choose whether to be Elves or Humans. The choice is final, but one that no other beings in Middle-earth have. Elrond chooses to be an Elf, while his brother, Elros, chooses to be mortal, and goes on to become the first king of Númenor. This is why Arwen (Liv Tyler) chooses to become mortal to be with Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen). She was born an Elf because both her parents are Elves, but as a descendant of Eärendil, she gets to choose.

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Eärendil Still Crosses the Sky With a Silmaril on the Brow of His Boat Everyday

In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Sam (Sean Astin) uses Galadriel’s (Cate Blanchett) gift to Frodo (Elijah Wood) to defeat the spider Shelob. It’s a vial of pure white light, which he calls the Light of Eärendil. This light was captured by her fountain from the Star of Eärendil, and holds special power and significance because it comes from the Silmaril of Elwing’s family, which is now crossing the sky every day with Eärendil and, thus, known as the Star of Eärendil.

Once Eärendil chose to be counted among the Elves, the Valar lifted the Vingilot into the sky with the Silmaril upon its brow, and bound Eärendil’s fate to it. Every day, as night falls, he crosses the sky aboard the Vingilot with the Silmaril, bringing hope to the world. In J.R.R. Tolkien‘s Legendarium, that’s how Venus came into existence; since The Lord of the Rings is supposed to take place in our own world, we can see the Star of Eärendil, also known as the Evening Star, when it first appears in the sky.