The Manly Men of Myth and Middle-Earth - Page 3
© Michael Martinez
We embellish what we've done, pretty it up, and make it look good. Someone once told me, "It's not lying. It's telling prospective employers what they want to hear." Maybe, but if you lay it on too thickly, all the layers of deception will come dripping off under pressure, and suddenly you're unable to deliver the goods. Still, the resume tells anyone who would hire us what we are capable of doing. If you really have been a data processing manager, then you can tell people that.
Beowulf responds to Unferth by accusing him of cowardice. In short, he lays his life on the line in challenging a mere man before he goes up against the monster. Were Unferth not a coward, were his accusation true, he would stand up to Beowulf and challenge him to a duel to defend his honor. Of course, Unferth has no honor, and the poem establishes Beowulf's credibility by allowing him to put Unferth to shame.
Tolkien's heroes come from a different culture. Call it an Elven culture. Even the Rohirrim are not given to boasting about themselves. There is a subtle understanding among the heroic characters of Middle-earth that you just don't prattle on about how good you are. A man is judged by his deeds, not by his willingness to endure challenger after challenge, duel after duel. When a great hero, like Turin, puts a companion to shame (as he did Gwindor in the councils of Nargothrond), the deed is not remembered kindly.
The restraint we see in Aragorn, Eomer, and others is undoubtedly due to the fact that they have grown up in the shadow of the Elves. Elven culture undoubtedly imparted a set of values to the Edain and other peoples under their influence. But the Edain and their relatives (the Northmen) valued bravery and action. And, despite their reticence, the Elves could be brave and active. Even though Eomer had probably never seen an Elf, he knew of them, had heard tales of them, and feared them or at least respected them. When Eomer threatens Gimli, Legolas quickly draws an arrow, fits it to his bow, and aims it at Eomer. No one doubts the Elf can and will kill Eomer if he gives the order to his men to kill Gimli. And Legolas is never rebuked.
The Elves were not the manliest of men in Middle-earth. Hurin was probably the strongest hero on record. He slew seventy trolls and countless Orcs, yelling out "Aure entuluva! (Day shall come again!)" before he was finally overborne and taken prisoner. His son Turin survived disaster after disaster, walking away from more battles than many long-lived Elven lords had. And Beren faced the depths of Angband, robbing the Dark Lord Morgoth himself.
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