Idril like Thetis?

[Aiwendil]

Actually, the gaining of glory is the main focus of the warrior in the epic Beowulf. So it is definately not just a southern thing.

I haven't expressed myself very well. I don't know the specifics of the northern/Norse moral system. The Homeric code was a very specific system of values that was, as far as I know, peculiar to Greece; it was more than just a generic warrior-ethic. I doubt that the northern/Norse moral system is precisely the same as it; in fact I suspect that it differs in some important ways. I know that it differs in this: the northern tradition is preoccupied with the long defeat; glory is hopeless, but must be sought without hope. This is not a feature of the Homeric code. Tolkien was influenced by the Norse tradition much more than by the Hellenic tradition (by all accounts).

Earendil, in fact, as well as most of the other good characters in Arda, adheres to a sort of hybrid Christian/heroic moral system. I think it's fundamentally mistaken to draw parallels between Earendil and Achilles (though comparison may be worthwhile). The thematic ingredients of the two stories are very different. Earendil's is a story about sea-longing, seeking the light/Valar/West, and bringing hope to Middle-earth. Achilles's is about the rejection of certain principles in the Homeric code and the development of a new type of moral system.

[ September 26, 2002: Message edited by: Aiwendil ]