[Belin]

Well, she was clearly a very poor decision maker. Going off her path to find Feanor's sons and wandering away from her escort was not really the smartest idea either, although I should note that I don't consider poor decision making to be quite the same as stupidity. Her storytelling ability, for example, suggests that she was not entirely emptyheaded. She just wasn't very good at predicting the consequences of her actions and probably didn't consider her departure a serious threat to Gondolin. I would call her silly and immature rather than selfish and moronic.

The thing about Aredhel is that she can get slammed either way. The willfulness that leads her to leave Gondolin is problematic (as it is for many characters in the Sil), but it's her return that ultimately leads to the city's downfall.. and she had refrained from abandoning Eol and going home until urged by her son to do so. So the submissive-woman-listening-to-what-she's-told thing--or should I call it the mother-watching-out-for-her-son thing?--doesn't work for her either. I guess the point is that you have to be wise and know who you should put above you and who you shouldn't.

But she isn't wise.

--Belin Ibaimendi
(Irrelevant Side Note: Interesting coincidence--this was recently, and spontaneously, discussed in the chat room at some length, thanks to Niltaliel. I have hope for that place yet.)

[ August 22, 2002: Message edited by: Belin ]