Awesome deaths!!!

[Laitoste]

I've always thought that the deaths of Finrod Felegund and his companions in the captivity of Sauron was rather awe-inspiring. Just imagine, sitting in the dark, knowing that you will eventually be eaten unless you tell everything you know, and still not saying anything! Simply amazing.

The death of Fingolfin has cultivated a rather odd thought in my head. It says that Morgoth struck him multiple times with his mace (I think... ) I now think of Fingolfin being crushed, then popping back up again, like you would see in a cartoon. I feel bad about thinking like that about his heroic death...

[Bêthberry]

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.

I like how you relate this death to the plot, Son of Númenor. You provide a tangible reason and not simply opinion or personal preference (not to slam either, but they are tough to debate!).

Many of the deaths here concern derring do and heroic exploits. But I wonder if we could not step back and ask which death has the most bearing on a central concern of LOTR, the "gift" of man, mortality.

In this context, it seems to me that Arwen's death, recounted in Appendix A, part v, encapsulates most clearly the poignancy of this dilemma of death in man and elves. I would not call it "awesome" but certainly profoundly moving.

But Arwen went forth from the House, and the light of her eyes was quenched, and it seemed to her people that she had become cold and grey as nightfall in winter that comes without a star. Then she said fairwell to Eldarion, and to her daughters, and to all whom she had loved; and she went out from the city of Minas Tirith and passed away to the land of Lórien, and dwelt there alone under the fading trees until winter came. Galadriel had passed away and Celeborn also was gone, and the land was silent.

'There at last when the mallorn-leaves were falling, but spring was not yet come, she laid herself to rest upon Cerin Amroth; and there is her green grave, until the world is changed, and all the days of her life are utterly forgotten by men that come after, and elanor and niphredil bloom no more east of the Sea.

Oh, I weep as I read this, for all the unnumbered lives of women who have passed unremarked and unmemorialised in all the ages of history which are devoted to the accolades of men and their petty rivalries and their doings and gettings and spendings.

Concerning the significance of Arwen's death, Tolkien wrote in Letter #181:

The Incarnation of God is an infinitely greater thing than anything I would dare to write. Here I am only concerned with Death as part of the nature, physical and spiritual, of Man, and with Hope without guarantees. That is why I regard the tale of Arwen and Aragorn as the most important of the Appendices; it is part of the essential story and is only placed so, because it could not be worked into the main narrative without destroying its structure: which is planned to be 'hobbito-centric', that is, primarily a study of the ennoblement (or sanctification) of the humble.

Of course, this is just my own personal reading; there are many other deaths as stirring.

[Gorwingel]

Well going back to LOTR, one of the most memorable (it's not exactly awsome) deaths for me has to be the death of Theoden. He was basically killed by his horse. What a cruel twist of fate! It was also for me one of the most saddening deaths in the book.

But yes there is a ton of good deaths (if any death is really a good one). I do have to give credit to the Balrog though. He did give Gandalf quite a fight before he went down

And Smaug's death has to be one of the most spectacular

[Osse]

Sorry to jump back to the start, but Elianna, i own the extended (4) DVD of both TT and FOTR, yet i cannot find anywhere the scene you describe of Gil-Galad's demise... not through lack of looking either, dosen't sound like something i'd miss!


Anyways... You guys talk about the ones actually describe, but i actually IMAGINE all my characters that die, dying in such splendour, really adds some pep to otherwise boring parts like; and <insert minor, soon-to-be-dead character here> met his fall at the hands of many orcs...

Always interesting to imagine just HOW <insert minor, soon-to-be-dead character here> met his demise at the hands of many orcs!

Most of the most interesting deaths handed to us seem to have already been discussed, so i won't go back into them much, except to say that Anarion's always seems rather comical to me, when i see it in my mind's eye; a tall, valiant-looking bloke, standing around a campfire under baradur, looking preoccupied, suddenly he looks up and a boulder is hurtling down upon him and in true warner brothers form, lands on his head, causing the man to completely dissapear into a gondorian-shaped hole!

Then, you think again, and his mithril helm is split, his brain spills out, and his neck is broken in three places; take your pick!!


<not another Osse-rave that adds little to the discussion, no, not at ALL!>

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Old Forlong of the flowering vales of Arnach, hewn by axes as he fought for his life, alone and unhorsed, surrounded by enemies in the fields of Pellenor.

Fea

[Elianna]

Osse:
Gil-galad's death as I described it is shown in the FotR DVD extras disc one, under Visualing the Story, then Early Storyboards, and finally: The Prologue. It's so cool. I'm going to watch it again now.