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Old 03-25-2009, 09:59 AM   #68
Aiwendil
Late Istar
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,224
Aiwendil is a guest at the Prancing Pony.Aiwendil is a guest at the Prancing Pony.
I think that the difficulty with this solution is this: it seems strange that, standing close enough to Mim to converse with him, Hurin would take up a bow, nock an arrow to it, aim, and fire, rather than simply striking Mim with his sword, particularly after he has already 'smitten' him as in our version (following TT). Indeed, there is no indication that Hurin was carrying arrows and a bow at all.

On the other hand, Findegil’s version may make the exact sequence of events sufficiently ambiguous to alleviate this concern, particularly since, following the Lay, the result of Mim’s being shot is described rather than the shooting itself. One problem, however, is that after Hurin ‘smites’ him but before he is shot, we say:

Quote:
But Mîm dying said unto {Úrin}[Húrin]:
Does ‘dying’ perhaps suggests that it is Hurin’s smiting that killed him, making the arrow superfluous? I suppose that if we observe the letter of Androg’s curse, it does not specifiy that the dart in Mim’s throat is what killed him, only that he had one there when he died. However, I think we might at least eliminate the word ‘dying’ to avoid a possible conflict.

Last edited by Aiwendil; 02-01-2013 at 02:05 PM.
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