Denethor and Theoden
 

This is a post to involve Theoden more because he is one of my favorite characters and never seems to get much attention.

What if Denethor and Theoden reactions were switched? By that I mean Denethor became galvanized and rose and Theoden stayed depressed and gone a bit crazy. Helm's Deep would have never happened and the Rohirrim would have never come to help Gondor. Probably Rohan would have been destroyed in general. Then Gondor would have risen up stronger than they did. This would have maybe made a more impressive fight. (Not to say a good one didn’t happen)

Another question is who would win in a fight between the two?

If Theoden and Denethor would've been switched, it would've meant a sure victory for Sauron. Without Rohan moving against Saruman, Saruman destroys them and then comes up against Minas Tirith at the same time as Sauron does, doubling the attack. Only Minas Tirith would be without all those extra riders from Rohan, so they couldn't put up as much of a fight. Basically, it would've been hopeless for them.

I'm glad it turned out the way it did!

I just don't think it would have worked, since their characters were so different. If Theoden had been like Denethor, the he certainly wouldn't have listned to Wormtongue and so the whole ring saga would've been dratsically diffrent.

(playing devil's advocate)

But what difference would Denethor's character have made to Minas Tirith? With their leader before them, would the men of Minas Tirith have risen in greater numbers and with greater will to fight? How much closer would the battle have been, even with Saruman's forces and without the Rohan reinforcements?

wowee.... good topic! two of my fave characters [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

sorry i dont have an answer to this post, but could somebody please tell me where i can find info on denethor, if any? is there a place in the appendices? and is he mentioned in ttt book itself? or does he just appear in the third?

Good point, Nuranar. The trouble is that we can never know what Gondor might have been capable of doing if Denethor hadn't been spending most of his time looking at the Palantir and thinking about how he was doomed. Who knows, it might have turned out exactly the same in the end...except, who would have killed the Witch-King if Eowyn had never had the chance to go to the Pelennor Fields? Unless Ioreth decided to put on a mail-shirt and take a stab at it... [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img].

If Denethor was King of Rohan, he would have fought and beat Saruman all the same, maybe.

I guess the only real difference would be in the morale of the Rohirrim, but I don't think that would have mattered too much.