Awesome deaths!!!

[Lalaith]

Thanks Numenorean for highlighting the death of Brodda. You're quite right, a very impressive passage - Turin in his wrath must have been quite something to see.

[Kransha]

Well, Gollum rather obviously (who wouldn't want to plummet into lava?)

Also, even though dragons were mentioned, no one said anything about Ancalagon. He was slain by Earendil the Mariner, and his bulk was so huge that when his limp form fell from the sky, it took the towers of Angband that he fell on with him (not entirely sure if it was Angband or another evil outpost. Wasn't Tol-in-Gaurhoth). All in all, he was a heavy fellow, who weighed a lot, and died. That's pretty awesome in itself (or not).

Hmm...let me think of some others. Was going to say Nienor, but that would be both obvious and repetetive. I guess you could say that the Witch-King of Angmar's death was very awesome, despite being done in by a lady and hobbit (nothing against either *nervous laughter*)

Now then...more...more...thinking....

[NightKnight]

Most people in Gondolin's Fall, actually. Rog and his people who went on a balrog killing spree, one guy who got shot down from the walls with a firebolt... And of course Ecthelion.
Hmm, others... Like Thorongil said, Fingon's death was pretty cool, as well as Fingolfin's.

[Olorin_TLA]

What about Boromir? Or Glorfindel? Or Gandalf for that matter? And Gil-Galad.

[Amanaduial the archer]

Ah, but then, Gandalf's death wasn't really actually a death

What a very morbid topic, Elianna! If we are using all Tolkien's works (as we evidently are - silly me!) rather than simply LotR, may I also mention the three trolls in The Hobbit - transfixed in stone in mid-sentence as the sun came up! Probably rather inconvenient for them...

[tar-ancalime]

And let's not forget Feanor!

[Olorin_TLA]

The Disaster of the Gladden Fields is a great account of Isildur'sdeath...I could go on forever listing great deaths.

And yert the only great birth I can think of isFeanor,but that's because it caused a great death! Does the violence ever end?

[Saraphim]

Fingolfin for ever!!!!!

He (being my favorite character, I'm a bit biased) had the best death scene! Fingolfin really went out with a bang.

From the Lays of Beleriand:

...He fell to wreck/ upon the ground, and on his neck/ a foot was set,/and he was crushed./ Not conquered yet;/ one last despairing stroke he gave:/the mighty foot pale Ringil clave/ about the heel, and black the blood/ gushed as from smoking fount in flood.

Not everyone could eternally wound Morgoth while being crushed by him.

[Son of Númenor]

Elianna, you sadist.

I'm not sure about great deaths, but I felt the most stirring demise was the departure of Boromir. His passing & his final speech with Aragorn were touching, & made all the more poignant by the dirge sung by Aragorn & Legolas for the fallen Captain of Gondor. Perhaps it was particularly moving because some of his last thoughts were of failure, & the words 'I am sorry. I have paid,' indicate that he felt it was to some extent justice served that he had been slain defending his hobbit companions only a while after he himself had attempted to assail Frodo. His final plea to Aragorn, to 'go to Minas Tirith and save my people!' was, in my mind at least, an important factor in Aragorn's decision making from that point forth, as it gave him a tangible oath ('Be at peace! Minas Tirith shall not fall.') to fulfil rather than simply a doubtful destiny to look forward to.