Quote:
Originally Posted by Inziladun
Indeed. Gollum, fundamentally A Stoor variety of Hobbit, is a champion "sneaker", but that serves to add to his creepy, malignant aura.
Sauron's forgotten detachment of Orcs ambushed Isildur and are presented as cowardly, but the Green-elves attacking the Dwarves of Nogrod and recovering the Silmaril are heroic.
Motives do matter, in Tolkien's world and this one.
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... that's almost enough to make me wonder whether Tolkien intentionally mirrored the two situations. A king's (Thingol/Sauron) former allies (the dwarves/the Numenoreans) turn on him, killing him and stealing his greatest treasure (the Silmaril/the Ring). As they flee for home, a small band of the king's other allies (the Laiquendi/Orcs) set upon them by the river (Ascar/Anduin). Treasure is lost in the river (the rest of Doriath's treasure/the Ring), and afterwards, the greatest treasure is known by the thief's/thieves' name (the Nauglamir/Isildur's Bane).
Hmm...
hS