Your Take On Eöl & Maeglin

[Belegorn]

And Fëanor did not join forces with Melkor to set up his people's destruction. His purpose was one of revenge for his greatest love [father] against his greatest hate [Melkor], "none of the Eldalië ever hated Melkor more than Fëanor".

[Nikkolas]

Revenge, or the desire to reclaim his pretty gems? Was the Oath of Feanor that doomed all his sons and so many others to misery "I shall kill Morgoth" or "i shall reclaim the Silmarils at all costs"? Exactly. And if Feanor loved his father, he wouldn't have betrayed and hated his father's sons. His father's blood ran iN Fingolfin's veins too and yet Feanor was perfectly content to leave them all to die. After he committed unprovoked murder."

So, no, just because he hated Melkor doesn't make him better than Maeglin. Maeglin never killed his fellow elves for no reason.

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Nikkolas

Revenge, or the desire to reclaim his pretty gems? Was the Oath of Feanor that doomed all his sons and so many others to misery "I shall kill Morgoth" or "i shall reclaim the Silmarils at all costs"? Exactly. And if Feanor loved his father, he wouldn't have betrayed and hated his father's sons. His father's blood ran iN Fingolfin's veins too and yet Feanor was perfectly content to leave them all to die. After he committed unprovoked murder."

So, no, just because he hated Melkor doesn't make him better than Maeglin. Maeglin never killed his fellow elves for no reason.

Your reading of the story is somewhat skewed. Revenge for the murder of his father and desire for retrieving The Silmarils, his greatest achievement (great even in the eyes of the Valar as Mandos inferred), were both at play here, and clouded Feanor's mind -- driving him to madness. He could never get back his slain father, but he could gain back the Silmarils, exact revenge on Morgoth and escape the imprisonment of Valinor (benevolent, but a prison nonetheless).

The Kinslaying and the irrevocable oath forced on his sons were Feanor's great sins and there is no forgiving those, but that is a tragedy of overriding ambition mingled with hate; however, Maeglin's betrayal of his own kin to Morgoth himself was a Cardinal Sin amongst the Elves.

You make the odd statement "Maeglin never killed his fellow elves for no reason", and I am utterly flummoxed at such a misguided comment. Maeglin's lust for his first cousin (another sin tantamount to incest to the Elves) was the main factor in his betrayal. It's a rather sick notion, and no other Elf would betray his own relatives to The Great Enemy of the World.

[Nikkolas]

Did Maeglin get up one day and say "I'm going to betray everyone so I can get my cousin?" No. He was captured, tortured, and broken by the greatest evil ever to exist. Pardon if i can sympathize with horrific pain Maeglin experienced more than Feanor merely losing his dad. It was tragic yes but how many people, Elves, Men, Dwarves, lost their fathers in all the Ages? And yet probably not even 1% of them went on to commit the atrocities Feanor did.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Nikkolas

Did Maeglin get up one day and say "I'm going to betray everyone so I can get my cousin?" No. He was captured, tortured, and broken by the greatest evil ever to exist. Pardon if i can sympathize with horrific pain Maeglin experienced more than Feanor merely losing his dad.

The story in The Silmarillion is that Meaglin was threatened with torment: he did not actually suffer physically. It also states that Meaglin's hate for Tuor and desire for Idril made his treachery that much easier. So I don't find anything pitiable in Meaglin's treason.

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

The story in The Silmarillion is that Meaglin was threatened with torment: he did not actually suffer physically. It also states that Meaglin's hate for Tuor and desire for Idril made his treachery that much easier. So I don't find anything pitiable in Meaglin's treason.

Agreed. Maegliln was weak-willed and jealous, betraying his kin-folk without the sort of torment experienced by Hurin, Maedhros and the brothers Gelmir and Gwindor. Morgoth, ever guileful, promised him both Idril and Gondolin and Maeglin greedily agreed. That Tolkien considered him evil is evident, as the curse of Eol came true and he was flung from the parapets of Gondolin, just as his father had been.

[Andsigil]

Originally Posted by Nikkolas

Did Maeglin get up one day and say "I'm going to betray everyone so I can get my cousin?" No. He was captured, tortured, and broken by the greatest evil ever to exist. Pardon if i can sympathize with horrific pain Maeglin experienced more than Feanor merely losing his dad. It was tragic yes but how many people, Elves, Men, Dwarves, lost their fathers in all the Ages? And yet probably not even 1% of them went on to commit the atrocities Feanor did.

Maeglin was never tortured; just intimidated.

He would have done well to follow the example of Hurin, who suffered far more at Morgoth's hands.

[cellurdur]

I am not very keen on either of them.

Melian commenting on the dark nature of Eol still residing in his sword should tell us a lot about what sort of man he was. The whole situation with Aredhel does not sit well with me either. It seems like she was 'not completely unwilling,' but it was a case of I would only marry you if you were the last man alive. Trapped in the woods and the only elf being Eol kind of forced her hand.

I personally don't blame him for deciding to go after his son. It seems Maeglin was still under the age of majority and he had the right to decide his best interest. I don't even blame him for choosing to fight rather than remain in Gondlin. The issue is that he decided to kill his son. A parent, whose pride is more important than his or her child is something I frown upon.

Then in the end he curses his son to die as he did. Again he would be a nobler man if he could forgive his son at this point.

Maeglin had a tough childhood, but it's hard to look past his betrayal. As it says it was his lust for Idril and hatred for Tuor that led to it. Even the strongest of men can be broken by torture let alone when an evil Valar like Morgoth is administrating the punishment. However, Maeglin was far too keen to kill Earendil and take Idril for himself. It seemed to me like it was almost an excuse for him to get what he wanted.

The comparison with Feanor is an interesting one, but Feanor had more redeeming qualities like the great love for his father. Maeglin really does not have many admirable qualities at all except for his physical/mental talents.