Guess Who's Coming to the Disaster - Page 7
© Michael Martinez
Although it's hard to guess what attracted Nellas to Turin, he was clearly a strong, brave, and forthright man who must have stood out among Orodreth's counsellors. Finduilas may have been attracted to the tall, handsome leader. Or it may be that his secretive nature made Turin seem like just the sort of mystery which Finduilas would enjoy unravelling. Or it could be that Finduilas pierced his facade of bravado, and understood something of the deep sorrow and pain Turin carried with him, even though she couldn't know the details of his life.
In classic tragic style, however, Turin's romantic love was finally inspired by the one woman he shouldn't feel that way about his sister. Turin had never met Nienor before Glaurung took away her memory. Clearly, she would have seemed to him like just another forlorn victim of Morgoth's malice. And for her part, Nienor had no way of knowing she was being rescued and cared for by her brother. Deep down inside, something tried to warn her, but there was no way for Nienor or Turin to realize what was going on. So their one chance for happiness doomed them to a cold hour of despair. There was never any real hope for either Turin or Nienor to have a happy, fulfilling relationship.
Love may not be predestined in Tolkien, but tragedy does seem to be the most visible aspect of Morgoth's will. Cruel fate intervened even when marriages were supposedly solid. Aldarion and Erendis grew apart despite the great love they originally felt for one another. It becomes apparent only when Tar-Meneldur reads Gil-galad's letter, that Gil-galad has been mostly responsible for Aldarion's inevitable delays in returning home. The weather is blamed here and there, but the truth is that Aldarion sacrificed his marriage because he felt he could achieve something against the return of the darkness.
And yet, the best which can be said of Aldarion's sacrifice is only that he delayed Sauron's rise for a short time. And the consequences of the failure of Aldarion's marriage were far-reaching. Had he and Erendis remained together, they might have had a son. And that son would have inherited the Sceptre instead of Tar-Ancalime, for whose sake Tar-Aldarion had the inheritance laws changed.
A whole new royal line would have been forged within the Line of Elros. Ancalime would have become like Silmarien of an earlier generation, a princess rather than a queen. And if Ancalime (who seemed to marry only so she could become Queen) didn't have any children, then Ar-Pharazon would not have been born. He would not have seized the throne and forced his cousin Miriel to marry him. Sauron would not have been taken to Numenor, and the Numenoreans would not have tried to take immortality from the Valar. Elendil and his sons would not have gone to Middle-earth.
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