Unfinished Tales - Part One - I - Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Estelyn Telcontar · 10-27-2011, 02:47 PM

Just one brief comment from the beginning of this story:

What is it with Tolkien's wives and mothers?! Here we have yet another who effectively abandons her child (yes, she provided for fostering, but that's not the same as having an actual mother). Rather than staying with Tuor, Rían leaves him with the Elves and dies. Is life as a wife more important than life as a mother? Does her life end with that of her husband? This is an attitude I don't understand.

That is echoed in Arwen's death after Aragorn died, and I'm trying to remember another example that doesn't occur to me right now.

10-27-2011, 02:47 PM	#6
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	Just one brief comment from the beginning of this story: What is it with Tolkien's wives and mothers?! Here we have yet another who effectively abandons her child (yes, she provided for fostering, but that's not the same as having an actual mother). Rather than staying with Tuor, Rían leaves him with the Elves and dies. Is life as a wife more important than life as a mother? Does her life end with that of her husband? This is an attitude I don't understand. That is echoed in Arwen's death after Aragorn died, and I'm trying to remember another example that doesn't occur to me right now. __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'