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Old 02-24-2006, 04:31 PM   #59
Anguirel
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Location: The 1590s
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So in other words, Lalaith, even more than any intrinsic selfishness in Turgon's actions, you hold them to account because of their relative lack of generosity compared to other Elven lords.

I tend to think this is a valid point. Caranthir-who had the decency to rescue Haleth's people-put a higher price on the lives of the Atani, and he's not thought of as an especially liberal prince. (Perhaps mistakenly.)

As for the much stressed point that Turgon was taking orders from Ulmo...well, once again, this places Turgon firmly among the Elves who get ahead by obeying the Big Shiny Ones. For many of us this just lacks the appeal of heroes who "toiled in the North", like Fingon or Finrod, who rebelled against the Valar but did not shrink from taking on Morgoth openly.

As for Aredhel and Eol...in retrospect, Aredhel had left and returned to Gondolin without threatening its security in the least; could Eol not have been allowed to do the same, his destination after all, Nan Elmoth, being as well hidden as Gondolin itself? No, perhaps not, he was a grim, fell Dark Elf, Turgon's sympathisers might answer. But it might have set a good example, and weakened rather than confirmed Eol's suspicion of the Noldor, had a Noldorin King reached out and made a friend of the gruff Sinda.

It seems to me that Turgon is here a kind of Creon, whose draconian regard for law accelerates the pace of the tragedy.
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