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Originally Posted by WarBringer
Feanor, by sheer force of will, could unite all the elves under his banner, except for Thingol. Both are egomaniacs and power mongers who are more interested in advancing themselves than the people they rule.
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FEANOR might be an egomaniac and a power-monger, although I wouldn't use those exact terms myself, but I do not see any such case for Thingol.
An egomaniac is a person who is concerned first and foremost with himself/herself. In what way is Thingol like this? His first concerns are for his people: he protects them in war, guards them from the troublesome Noldor, refuses to bring them into doomed battles. He also cares for his family: he doesn't want to see Luthien hurt by marrying a mortal, but when he cannot change that, he accepts Beren, and mourns his death. Later, he accepts Turin, and when Turin leaves Doriath, he does his best to safeguard him and have him brought back. These are not the actions of an ego-maniac.
As for a power-monger, if Thingol was concerned first and foremost with power, would he have permitted the Noldor to settle AT ALL in Beleriand? Would he have tolerated the power of Morgoth and the Noldorin kings? No, he would have been right there with them, striving for the top-dog position.
I'm not saying that Thingol was perfect, but give the guy a bit of credit. The record in
The Silmarillion doesn't show him as THAT bad.