The Middle Earth Popularity Cup

[Groin Redbeard]

Originally Posted by mormegil

Also, his was more on accident than an actual feat of prowress and cunning.

Well, at least he showed the courage to actually fight him. You will notice that this particular feat alone shows the vast change that Pippin has made since going on his adventures with Frodo. I think we can give him some credit here, after all he was still in his "tweens".

Let's see here, Pippin has always been an adorable character to me (my little brother is just like him) and although he can be foolish, he can, at times, be very resourceful. After all I credit the escape of Merry and Pippin from the Uruk-Hai chiefly to Pippin: it was he who dropped his elven brooch for the Three Hunters to find and it was he who first cut his bonds off with the edge of a sword.

Mim, has always been an exception for me. I mainly defend Dwarves with a passion but with Mim I have difficulties doing. He may have had good reasons for hating Beleg, and even Turin, but Mim I would say is an evil Dwarf (Tolkien in the beginning drafted the Dwarf race as evil so this shouldn't be a surprise). I cannot vote for someone who had dealings with the enemy and caused such pain to those in his household. Hurin was right to slay him at Nargathrond...

This was a difficult choice, but I'm going with ++Fool of a Took for his ability to learn from mistakes and to see his character transform from that of a fool to wise young Hobbit.

[mormegil]

Originally Posted by Groin Redbeard

Well, at least he showed the courage to actually fight him. You will notice that this particular feat alone shows the vast change that Pippin has made since going on his adventures with Frodo. I think we can give him some credit here, after all he was still in his "tweens".

But the whole time he was belly-aching and only wanted to be there to prove how courageous he supposedly was when in face he was a coward. He did not rush off to meet them, don't think of the movie, he waited and the only thing he did was hold up his sword and poach the kill that Aragorn was getting.

Originally Posted by Groin Redbeard

Let's see here, Pippin has always been an adorable character to me (my little brother is just like him) and although he can be foolish, he can, at times, be very resourceful. After all I credit the escape of Merry and Pippin from the Uruk-Hai chiefly to Pippin: it was he who dropped his elven brooch for the Three Hunters to find and it was he who first cut his bonds off with the edge of a sword.

What an idiot Pippin was! To drop such a gift is wholly irresponsibly and shows the lack of sense. If he only understood what great trackers both Aragorn and Legolas were he would have known that there was no need to drop such a gift. Also, think of the litter factor, it is well documented that Pippin is the first litterer in all of Middle-earth. Up until then nobody even thought of littering...you should have seen the rubbish heaps that formed in Hobbiton after word of this dead was relayed to them by Pippin...he caused an epidemic himself.

You, sir, are a dwarf hater and only voted Pippin because Mim is a dwarf.

Incidentally I believe the voting for Pippin and Mim is over and Pippin is off to the gallows but I cannot resist a good rip at the old Pippin.

[mormegil]

Next round...

Okay let me ask you this, is Sauron really a character. I mean what has he done lately?

The kind of character I like knows where to put his trust and power and in a ring...I mean it makes no sense. I can only imagine the thought process "Hmmmm I am evil and want total world domination, what to do? What to do? *snaps fingers* I know I'll make a ring. I'll pour all my power and malice on it..."

A ring!?!? Why not a mask or a sword or maybe even a sneaker. How easy are rings to lose.

++Tuor

Any relative of Turin is a friend of mine.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

++Sauron.

He's just misunderstood.

[Gollum the Great]

++Sauron

He's cooler. He can also subvert whole nations to his will.

[skip spence]

Oh, it's all over. Good win for Mim that, I didn't see that one coming.

Originally Posted by Ibrîniðilpathânezel

++Pippin
He makes me laugh (something I can use after the last few months), and I think he of all the LotR characters demonstrates the most accessible "humanity." He makes mistakes, he can be foolish and short-sighted, yet he can also summon courage even when his knees are quaking, and dignity. He is not servile, yet he can be humble. He needs to grow up a bit, but then, don't we all in one way or another?

Not much love for Pippin on this board it seems and I'm glad someone is on his side. Alas, your were just a little too late as Morthoron drove the last nail into his coffin. First to five votes wins.

I've also an announcement to make. Morgoth has been sent into the void and can no longer participate in the tournament. He will be replaced by Maedhros, eldest son of Fëanor.

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

++Tuor

Since Sauron made the short-sighted mistake of linking his power and nearly all his existence into a small thing that could be taken from him and destroyed, while Tuor may have been the only mortal to be granted the Elven kind of immortality. Plenty of people have made ill-fated "doomsday weapons" (though perhaps Sauron has the distinction of being the first), while Tuor did what no one else has, before or since. As far as we know.

[skip spence]

That's it, despite a late scare Gandalf has defeated Tom Bombadill 10-8. Perhaps Tom will find comfort in Goldberry's warm bosom.

Match 10 of Round 1:

Finally it's time for the first woman to enter the competition. Eowyn, the shield maiden, is up against lore-master Elrond.

Elrond vs. Eowyn

[Morthoron]

++ Mim

To me. in many respects he is reminiscent of Shylock in the Merchant of Venice, a tragic figure caught up in revenge and grief. He's more of a layered character than Pippin, and the side-history (or lack thereof) of the petty-dwarves is intriguing as well. Petty-dwarves...rather redundant.

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

++Pippin

He makes me laugh (something I can use after the last few months), and I think he of all the LotR characters demonstrates the most accessible "humanity." He makes mistakes, he can be foolish and short-sighted, yet he can also summon courage even when his knees are quaking, and dignity. He is not servile, yet he can be humble. He needs to grow up a bit, but then, don't we all in one way or another?