Turin and Maeglin?

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Urwen

The Fall of Gondolin was written by survivors of Gondolin and later by Bilbo. Are you saying that the survivors of Gondolin weren't biased?

That goes especially for the teller of the original, Littleheart, son of Bronweg. Bronweg was close to Tuor, who killed Maeglin. Bronweg was one of biased ones (against Lomion) as a result, and he told the biased version to his son. Like the part where Meglin had Orc's blood in his veins. Bronweg and many other Golodhrim hated him, and so had an aptitude to write such a story where all the blame would fall squarely on his shoulders.

Look, I realize you're probably the sort who become pen pals with convicted murderers because "they're so misunderstood", but you're now basically calling Tuor and the survivors of Gondolin liars to suit your sordid fantasy. You're also ignoring the intended arc of the story the author wished to present by inferring propaganda created by another fictional character who was later eliminated from the story altogether.

So, I went back to the earlier texts of The Fall of Gondolin (The Book of Lost Tales II), and "Meglin" was even more despicable than in the drafts that made up The Silmarillion. But even though in the earlier drafts Meglin divulges his treachery to the orcs prior to even speaking with Melko (so much for fearing eternal torment), the basic story remains the same: Maeglin wishes to have an unnatural and unlawful relationship with his first cousin, Idril is repulsed, Maeglin travels out of Gondolin proper without Turgon's leave, is captured, and switches allegiance to Morgoth in order to have Gondolin as a vassal (or a great captaincy amongst the Orcs), and to seize Idril. Morgoth allows him to return to Gondolin "with smiling face and evil in his heart." He reveals to Morgoth when best to attack Gondolin (during a festival), Gondolin is destroyed in the only manner it could fall, by treachery, and thousands of elves are slaughtered.

During the battle, he tries to steal away with Idril and Eärendil, but Tuor saves his wife and child (Maeglin having no compunction to rape a married women with a child, evidently), and Maeglin is thrown to his ruin off the walls of Gondolin in a self-fulfilling reiteration of the destruction visited upon his equally twisted father, Eöl. And Tolkien the writer certainly enjoyed his ironic conceptual continuity.

Tolkien never deviates from Maeglin being a traitor and a reprobate. Tolkien is quite clear that Maeglin is a traitorous villain who dies without redemption, because he sought no redemption. Tolkien even has him killed in the same manner as his father, Maeglin being the fruit of the poisonous tree.

But I'm done arguing fan-fiction fallacies. Perhaps you should consider the same tack.