The Manly Men of Myth and Middle-Earth - Page 4
© Michael Martinez
These names mean little to the first-time reader of The Lord of the Rings but they mean a great deal to Aragorn. And Eomer undoubtedly knows something of the ancient heroes, too, since his grandmother came from Gondor. The deeds of the great heroes cast a long shadow in Middle-earth, and it's difficult for succeeding generations to match them. Isildur, for example, broke into the well-guarded royal palace of Numenor to steal a sapling of the White Tree. That's a pretty significant accomplishment, but does it rival Hurin's stand at the fens of Serech, or Turin's slaying of Glaurung, or Earendil's defeat of Ancalagon (not to mention his years of voyaging to find Valinor)?
Gil-galad was the only Elven king ever to defeat a Dark Lord. Feanor, Fingolfin, Maedhros, and Fingon had briefer reigns, but they figure prominently in the ancient legends. Gil-galad's long, cautious reign over northwestern Middle-earth is nonetheless shrouded in mystery; until we get to the final combat with Sauron on the slopes of Orodruin, there really isn't much in Gil-galad's resume that compares with the accomplishments of his predecessors. One could have stood upon a peak of the Misty Mountains, looked down upon the assembled hosts of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, and said, "They just don't make Elven kings like they used to. Feanor would have gone in with only the vanguard."
Of course, Feanor and his vanguard were all killed, so there is something to be said for Gil-galad's strategy of building up massive, overwhelming, superior force. In fact, it was such a good strategy, Sauron borrowed it for the next rematch. But Gil-galad didn't just have the biggest army on the map. He was accompanied by some legendary warriors. And a few fools, I suppose. Oropher's ill-fated assault against Mordor doesn't seem to have been too bright. But then, he wasn't enthusiastic about joining the Last Alliance in the first place. Common sense must have won Oropher over to the cause, but he apparently lost it after seeing his friend (and perhaps relative) Amdir get blistered in the Dead Marshes.
Rash actions are probably the one great failing of the Elves. They are brave, strong, and intelligent. But when they lose control, they lose control. So Feanor rushes ahead of his army, and his company is wiped out. Gwindor succumbs to the provocation of seeing his brother chopped to pieces, and prematurely launches the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. Turgon loses all common sense and decides to go down with the tower in Gondolin. Why? What is so heroic about throwing one's life away in a lost cause?
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