The Greatest
 

Who are the Greatest of each race:

Elves
Men
Dwarves
Hobbits

Even Balrogs and Orcs

Feanor
Beren
Azhagal
Frodo

Well...Balrogs would be Gothmog and everything else is about right.

Very cute Mithadan, but don't you think the question is too broad to be so specific. I would have at least included several people in the elves humans and dwarves category.

I think Feanor and Galadriel were about equal, but Feanor might have been just slightly greater. And as for Dwarves, unless it mentions Azhagal(I am fairly sure it doesn't) Then Durin the Deathless would be right up there at the top to me, and then maybe Azhagal and Telchar and a few others. And Men, to many different kinds of men to even start, I mean what about that Druedain in UT...

Of course we all have our own ideas of what makes someone great and with the few exceptions of where Tolkien explicitely states, but I am sure everyone already understands this and this was a wasted post

Fëanor
Húrin
Azaghâl
Frodo
Gothmog
Boldog [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

I can agree with all of these except Frodo.

I think Sam was greater. You all know the characters, so I won't explain. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Glorfindal
Earendil
Durin
Frodo
Gothmog

Elves: me
Men: Harrison Ford
Dwarves: Doc
Hobbits: Bélle

Orc: Thraktrak the Devastator

Hobbit: Harding Tunnelly from Bywater

Elf: Maltaharmaion

Dwarf: Trán Thundersinger

Elf: Fëanor
Dwarf: Dáin II Ironfoot
Man: Tuor
Hobbit: Bilbo Baggins
Balrog: The one in Moria
Orc: Azog

Sam's kind of an unsung hero, isn't he? Takes a lot of steely guts to do a lot of what Sam did.

/pointlesspost

Harrison Ford, Good one Red! I didn't think of actors, mine should be Hugo Weaving then

[img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

It depends on your idea of "great". I think Hurin is an excellent choice for "greatest" Man in Middle-earth. I think he's a more all-around "great" Man than, say, Turin or Beren. Beren had wonderful character, but lacked the sheer strength and fighting prowess of Turin. On the other hand, Turin was mighty, but had a much less desirable temperament. Hurin gets my vote here.

According to the Silmarillion, Feanor was the greatest of the Noldor. That's not to say he was unrivaled -- Galadriel, Gil-galad, Finrod, and Fingolfin all come to mind. Obviously, though, Thingol and Olwe of the Teleri, or Ingwe of the Vanyar can't be said to be less great than Feanor based on this statement. However, I seem to recall reading that the Noldor were the mightiest race of Elves.

Am I rambling? [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Azaghal, huh? Fill me in on this fellow. From what I can find, it seems he is merely responsible for wounding Glaurung before being slain by him. That's about all the information on Azaghal I've managed to find.

Galadriel - for reasons stated by JRRT
Turin or Tuor
Durin Father of the Longbeards - possibly TELCHAR
Sam - no doubt...

As said before, it really depends on the definition of greatest. By strength, skill, battle prowess, and achievements, the greatest of the races certainly have been already named.

However, we probably have to see the whole thing within the cosmology, which is unevitably tied to the morals and values of Middle-Earth, in order to give a judgement whom the author would have assumed as being the 'greatest'. For some, he said it more or less explicitally in the books - such as Fëanor being the greatest elf in skill and mind alike (not verbatim, but close, I think).

Nevertheless 'my' 'author's choices' would be something like that:

Lúthien of Elves, (can't get better than 50% Maiarin) or maybe Ingwë or Finwë.

Eärendil of Men. He was much greater in the myth than the short fragment of the Silmarillion tells. Other choices might be Aelfwine or Eriol.

Dwarves: Durin the Deathless. Interestingly, the opinions diverge over this practically quite clear case.

Hobbits: Bilbo Baggins or Samwise Gamgee. Tough call.

Balrogs and orcs? There were none that were 'great'. If you mean 'mighty (in evil', Gothmog is the obvious one, and Boldog for orcs, I think (although Uglúk was a meanie, too).

Elves: Finrod
Men: Hurin
Dwarves: Durin the Deathless
Hobbits: Samwise
Balrogs: Gothmog
Orcs: Azog
Dragons: Glaurung
Valar: Mandos

In the Hobbit bit we are all forgeting that Bilbo also went through a lot of danger and he was an unsung hero because without him the ring would never have passed into the hands of those who could destroy it.

Elves: Feanor
Men: Earendil
Dwarves: Durin
Hobbits: Bilbo Baggins
Balrogs: Gothmog
Orcs: Boldog

If we are going to add Dragons and Valar, that would be:
Ancalagon
Manwe

And Greates Istari: Gandalf

Elves: Gil-Galad son of Fingon

Men: Denethor II steward of Gondor

Dwarves: Thiazi, who built the countless bridges over the chasm of Khazad-Dûm

Hobbits: Trotter

Balrogs: That wingless one in Moria

Orcs: the goblin king

Maiar: Tom Bombadil

Trolls: the sun-resistant ones in the First Age

Valar: Gandalf/Manwë

Dragons: the mechanical ones at the fall of Gondolin

Quoth obloquy:
I believe it states in UT (in the Galadriel and Celeborn section I believe) that Feanor and Galadriel were the greatest of the Eldar in Aman, or something like that. So that rules out Ingwe and Olwe.

Good call, Aiwendil. Here it is:
Here's another pertinent quote from the same chapter in Unfinished Tales:

That still doesn't eliminate Thingol or Luthien, but I think we can safely say that if either of them had been "greater" Tolkien would likely have mentioned it.

By the way, Galadriel and I are getting married. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]