Tragic flaw of the Hurin family

[EluThingol]

You guys rock. Thank you.

[Mithadan]

I enjoy wandering through old threads. I tend to reread threads that I posted on, but this means that I am overlooking threads that I did not participate in. Because I have been absent for periods of time over the years, this means that I have missed discussions that were interesting or that were promising but did not develop. This thread is an example of the latter. The first post shows that the thread was created as a result of Elu's reading of the Children of Hurin, and questions the nature of Morgoth's curse upon the family of Hurin. Specifically, Elu wonders whether the tragedies that befell Turin, Morwen and Nienor resulted from their own pride and willfulness.

Until the publication last year of The Nature of Middle Earth (NoME), a significant essay by JRRT, Osanwe-Kenta, was only available in a limited fashion. Originally published in Vinyar Tengwar in 1998, this essay was available only to those who had a copy or could find it, or excerpts of it, on the internet. Osanwe-Kenta was known to many here, and I was fortunate enough to get a copy of that edition of the pamphlet shortly after it came out.

The essay, on its face and from a quick review, addresses mind to mind communication, primarily what we see at the end of LoTR during the post-war journey back north, when the bearers of the three Elven Rings converse in this manner after the Hobbits have fallen asleep. However, the essay goes much deeper than being a simple discussion of Elvish "telepathy." The essay touches upon the relationship of the "soul" (Fea) to the body (hroa), the "clothing" of Valar and Maiar in "bodies," and, applicable here, gives insight into the fundamental nature of Morgoth.

Osanwe-Kenta states that for minds to communicate without words, among other things, both the sender and the receiver must be willing participants. Osanwe can not be used when a participant is unwilling. This type of communication cannot be forced. Nor can information be "stolen" from another's mind without permission. For this reason, when Hurin was captured and brought to Angband, Morgoth could not simply look into his mind and take from him the location of Gondolin. Morgoth could physically torture Hurin or use Osanwe to pressure Hurin's mind or cause pain or distress. Morgoth could also use Osanwe to show things to Hurin (just as Gorlim, a member of Barahir's band, was "shown" an image of his wife to cause him to betray Barahir). But Morgoth could not simply take from an unwilling Hurin's mind the information he wanted.

So what does this have to do with Hurin's curse? The essay also discusses "axani" and "unati." Axani are rules or laws imposed by Eru. It would be an axan that one should not murder another. Unati are things that are impossible or cannot be done due to the nature of Arda. Among the unati is using osanwe against one's will. It cannot be done. Morgoth's nature, at least as he evolved, was to repudiate all axani and rage against all unati. Imagine Morgoth's fury when he could not take from Hurin the location of Gondolin. But he could use osanwe to pressure Hurin and his family and to deceive them or lead them astray.

Turin, Morwen and Nienor were willful and prideful. But these traits were subject to the influence of Morgoth, at least when his attention was focused upon them. Elsewhere on these boards, it has been speculated that while they were in Doriath, behind Melian's girdle, Morgoth could neither perceive them or directly affect them. But their temperaments had already been affected by Morgoth, and in their pride and willfulness, they left Doriath and became available to Morgoth's influence. This is how I believe Morgoth's curse worked it's way to fulfillment.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

A couple of thoughts:

1) Melkor ultimately was the source of all evil in Arda, and, closer to this, the origin of evil in Men (the Fall). But this of course applied generally. What was specific to Hurin's family?

2) Turin's and Morwen's personalities and character were already in place before the Nirnaeth and the Curse. The Curse apparently amplified what was already there, rather like the Ring granted power by amplifying what was already present in the Bearer

3) I think that both character and Curse-amplification led to Hurin, Morwen and for that matter Nienor, while in Doriath, nonetheless furthering Morgoth's designs: Turin by killing Saeros, Morwen and her daughter by willfully journeying to Nargothrond against all advice

4) Still, you can't deny that Hurin's kids had an amazing run of bad luck. "Chance," as men call it.

5) Morgoth really, totally won. He didn't just ensure that all concerned suffered miserable deaths; after all, he could have just killed Hurin at any time. Nor was it simply a matter of torturing Hurin for the Eevuls. He broke Hurin: by which I mean he took one of the noblest and most stalwart of men and made him a minion. Not that Hurin realized this; he thought, from the time of his release, that he was defying Morgoth- but when your motivation is hate, you are acting on Morgoth's behalf whether you admit it or not. Hurin was made into a sort of moral Typhoid Mary, spreading corruption to Brethil and Doriath: the proud, bitter old man, in his hatred of the enemy, had turned his back on all that was good. (Pop-culture parallel: as if Luke embraces his hate and falls to the Dark Side)

[Mithadan]

Regarding Hurin and his family, Morgoth "won" in that he wreaked havoc, punished and abused the entire family, destroyed Nargothrond (likely on his hit list anyway) and, importantly, gained some knowledge about the general whereabouts of Gondolin. I doubt that he foresaw the slaying of Glaurung, but, in the balance of things, this was not an overwhelming loss in that other dragons were already being spawned.

With respect to the War of the Jewels, generally, it cannot be disputed that he thoroughly defeated the Elves and their allies. From the time Gondolin fell through the arrival of the host of the West, he was likely sitting back, gloating over his victory and pondering his next steps.

But this is the central point of the entire Silmarillion, which was undeniably a tragedy, beautiful and inspiring at times, but an overwhelming defeat of the Noldor and their allies. The defeat was inevitable. The Noldor had chosen to make war upon one beyond their ability to successfully challenge; Morgoth, corrupt and corrupted as he may have been, a Vala nonetheless. As the messenger of Manwe stated when the Noldor were departing from Tirion, "Vala he is thou saist. Then thou hast sworn in vain, for none of the Valar canst thou overcome now or ever within the halls of Ea, not though Eru who thou namest had made thee thrice greater than thou art."

Hurin's defiance against Morgoth falls into the same category. Brave and inspiring, but nonetheless, part of a tragedy. It was beyond Hurin or his family to evade Morgoth's curse. While some small good may have come of Hurin's defiance, certainly a good story, the fall of Glaurung, and a short term delay in Morgoth finding the precise location of Gondolin which gave Turgon time to dispatch his messengers into the West (failures all, but leading to Tuor and ultimately Eardendil), at bottom the fight against Morgoth was futile.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Mithadan

It was beyond Hurin or his family to evade Morgoth's curse. While some small good may have come of Hurin's defiance, certainly a good story, the fall of Glaurung, and a short term delay in Morgoth finding the precise location of Gondolin which gave Turgon time to dispatch his messengers into the West (failures all, but leading to Tuor and ultimately Eardendil), at bottom the fight against Morgoth was futile.

When Húrin faced down Morgoth, his back was against the wall.

He had been captured while warring against Morgoth; his unbreakable loyalty was to the Noldor.
He had two options: accept Morgoth's offer to join him, and sell out Turgon in the process, or defy him. Húrin kept the faith. I don't think he believed he could withstand everything Morgoth could throw at him, but in his mind he had no choice. Had he taken the first option, could there have ever been a messenger to the West?

[Mithadan]

All true. My post was in response to William's in which he states "Morgoth really, totally won." My response is simply, "of course he won." In a sense, this relates to my post above regarding "unati." It was not possible, within Arda, for the Children of Iluvatar to successfully make war against and defeat one of the Valar. While the pride and willfulness of Turin and Morwen were certainly factors that Morgoth took advantage of, at the end of the day the family could not evade the curse. One way or another the curse would come home to roost.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

What I was saying, though, was not simply that Morgoth won in a battlefield sense, but that he succeeded in perverting one of the greatest of Men: ruining Hurin, turning him into an agent of evil, was a far greater victory than merely killing him. The goal of the Devil after all is not our death but our damnation.