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Eh, I think you're pushing a little, Lush. The idea that people are more important than the works of ones hands permeates many religions, including my own, not just Christianity.
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Oh, but Tolkien was a Catholic. A pretty ardent one, apparently, considering that he insisted his wife convert. Therefore, it is more likely that he was drawing from the Christian well, and not say, Buddhist or Muslim. Of course, I wasn't trying to sideline anyone's religion. I just think it's more likely that the Bible influenced Tolkien more than the texts of other religions.
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...and if this thread sets her up to be some sort of feminist heroine I shall be extremely annoyed.
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Not feminist, dear Squatter, but realistic. Much closer to the heart of other corrupt selfish females, like myself (I doubt I would ever knowlingly endanger my family, but I can guarantee that I am stupid enough to do so unknowingly, and maybe Aredhel just couldn't think far enough in the future), than, say, Miss Arwen.
I don't like Aredhel, but like you say, I enjoy reading and thinking about her. Above all, even when you lay Gondolin aside, hers is a cautionary tale: "Beware of what you wish for..." Because Aredhel really did get her freedom. In death. And I am somehow sure that this outcome wasn't something that she planned for.