Great-Grandmother Has Been Accidentally Praying to a ‘Lord of the Rings’ Figurine

Elrond figure

There’s a religious-like fandom for The Lord of the Rings books and film franchise, but that wasn’t what one elderly woman from Brazil meant to pray to all these years. Gabriela Brandão, a freelance makeup artist from Florianópolis, recently discovered something unusual about the tiny figurine that her daughter’s great-grandmother worships every day. The ears were pointed—like an elf—and Brandão knew that something wasn’t right. Taking to the internet, she found an identical figurine for sale online. So, what was supposed to be a statue of Saint Anthony was actually Elrond, an elf from The Lord of the Rings.

Brandão says that this was “the the funniest thing that ever happened to me,” and shared her discovery with the internet. It quickly went viral in Brazil and fans of The Lord of the Rings couldn't help but relate. Despite her amusement, Brandão didn't keep the mix-up a secret from the great-grandmother. “We tried to explain right away but she didn’t understand at first,” Brandão told BuzzFeed. “The next day we explained again and she understood and we got her a new figure of Saint Anthony.”

Here's the figure the great-grandmother was actually praying to every day…

Elrond figure

Elrond figure

…who's modeled after Elrond from The Lord of the Rings.

Elrond

Photo credit: Divulgação / New Line Cinema

What she actually wanted was this guy:

Elrond figure

Photo credit: Father Chris

She's now got an actual Saint Anthony to pray to every day. (With regular, non-pointed ears.)

h/t: [Bored Panda]

All images via Gabriela Brandão unless otherwise noted.

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Illustration and MFA in Illustration Practice. Sara is also an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, a studio where she stitches pet portraits and other beloved creatures. She chronicles the creativity of others through her website Brown Paper Bag and newsletter, Orts. Her latest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread, published in 2014. Sara’s work has been recognized in Be Creative With Workbox, Embroidery Magazine, American Illustration, on Iron and Wine’s album Beast Epic, among others. When she’s not stitching or writing, Sara enjoys planning things that bring together the craft community. She is the co-founder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops in the Seattle area.
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