I'd take Eonwe, since he is considered to be the best in Arda at fighting with a weapon.
As far as only mortals are concerned...I think it's really hard to say. There are many that had proven great skill as warriors, so it's difficult for me to choose only one.
But the coolest warrior definitely has to be Aghan, who managed to defeat some Orcs, even without fighting himself. :D

It's a little hard to say, trying to breakdown exactly the criteria for "greatest"... you have to take into consideration the foes they were facing at the time, and how grea tthey were... how many they faced, and who their peers were at the time.

That being said, considering the fear Morgoth had about his greatness, the "legend" of his return at the end of the world, and what he was able to accomplish nearly single handedly during his many campaigns, I would say Turin.

But I would say that, according to many arguable stances, Feanor, Fingolfin, Beleg, Hurin, Ecthelion, are all valid candidates.

Hurin is the greatest
 

My vote for the greatest warrior goes to Húrin; because this is someone who, captured and tortured by Morgoth, refuses to beg for mercy for himself or his family; and indeed utters the most dreadful insult against him, calling him an 'escaped thrall [a serf or unfree servant, the lowest person in the social order] of the Valar'. This is against somone who calls himself King of the World. :eek:

I just couldn't resist!
 

The greatest warrior is me, of course! Who else? My username comes from when Sam was called a great elven warrior, and while he wasn't really a warrior, when he had to stand up to orcs, Frodo, Gollum, whoever, he was brave and fought well.

I also think that Turin, Hurin, and Beleg would qualify as great warriors. Calling someone "the greatest warrior" is just an opinion. It is just like saying that carrots are the greatest vegetable or cookie dough is the greatest ice cream.

Boromir the Steward. He was so bad, the Witch King ****ed in his pants.

He regained Ithilien after the stronger black Orcs first appeared on the scene and captured it. "Boromir was a great captain, and even the Witch-king feared him. He was noble and fair of face, a man strong in body and in will, but he received a Morgul-wound in that war which shortened his days, and he became shrunken with pain and died twelve years after his father." [Appendix A: p. 376] Think how that drove Frodo crazy. He lived with it for around 14 years.

Wraiths and their digestive systems
 

I agree with you about Boromir the Steward being a great warrior, such that the Witch King was afraid of him; but how could he be capable of what you described above, if he was a wraith? :confused::confused:

He got a Morgul Wound like Frodo, in that battle and lived with it for 14 years. That weakened him. Before that, however, he was a strong man. It seems like the effects were different though still crippling for whoever got them. His did not seem to turn him into a wraith but to cripple him, "shortened his days, and he became shrunken with pain".

Sorry!
 

I'm sorry for the confusion, Belegorn! I was talking about the the Witch King, and how he, in your words, '****ed in his pants'. I was wondering whether a wraith was capable of such behaviour... :confused:

Oh well, that would be just me expressing his fright in my words. I did not know **** would be blocked out. People sometimes urinate in their pants when they get scared. So I used that expression in reference to the Witch King's fright of Boromir.

I believe that it is clear that there are better warriors even among other Men of his time. Aragorn and Boromir's younger brother for instance. Faramir may not be seen as the warrior, but he most certainly is.

"He is bold, more bold than many deem; for in these days men are slow to believe that a captain can be wise and learned in the scrolls of lore and song, as he is, and yet a man of hardihood and swift judgement in the field. But SUCH IS Faramir. Less reckless and eager than Boromir, but not less resolute." [RotK, p. 42]

I suppose it's the same when it comes to how people see Feanor as not being a warrior because he got killed and because his greatest feats were based on his sub-creative abilites which surpassed any of Elf-kind.

With Faramir he does speak of how the High Men became more like Middle Men and valued the warrior more than Men of other crafts when before warriors had more skills, as he himself does. This change is why he said Boromir, "was accounted the best man in Gondor" [TTT, p. 339] since they looked upon warriors as better than Men of other crafts. Faramir, being like the old Numenoreans was not only a warrior but a scholar and people seeing him the scholar did not account him as good a warrior as Boromir. Well most did not. Some, as in my quote above knew he was every bit the warrior Boromir was. Also take into account Eowen's perception of Faramir, she "knew, for she was bred among men of war, that here was one whom no Rider of the Mark would outmatch in battle." [RotK, p 265]

It's one of many saying like, "scared me to death", which you don't take literally, etc. I mentioned the Witch-king wetting himself as my way of saying he was really scared as some people who do get scared sometimes pee on themselves.