[inglor]

Maybe I am biased and just want to start a discussion:

I'm not sure you could say he was Tolkie's favorite but here are a few examples of what I read as Tolkien's subtle bias towards Finrod

Finrod's death was the only Great Elf Lord death that eventually led to something good: through many degrees of separation, Earendil would have never made it without the recaptured Silmaril that Luthien and Beren nicked from Morgoth.

Finwe: well we all know what happened after that...
Fingolfin: single combat w/ Morgoth that robs the Noldor of their strongest leader
Fingon:Sealed the Nirnaeth
Turgon: Destuctioin of Gondolin
Thingol: Destruction of Doriath
Gil-Galad: hollow victory
Feanor: makes his boys reiterate The Oath
Feanorians: More Kinslayings
Finarfinian brothers: breaking of the Seige

Did I leave anyone out?

And Finrod's death was the least glorious


Finrod is the only elf ever specifically, without a doubt, refered to as being rehoused. Glorfindel had to be clarified later.


He went to ME so Finarfin's folk wouldn't be leaderless and wanted to see new lands. Not to find new places to dominate like his sister

Tolkien choses Finrod to find Men and effectively "Bring them out of Darkness" and talk on their behalf to the rest of his kin.



Anyone else see this or am I just being a cheerleader?

Inglor

*Finrod! Finrod! he's our Elf. If he can't do it, no one can*

Stupid Luthien... too slow

[BittenBuggy]

Changed me mind.

*Hands Inglor a mini-skirt and pom-poms*

[Viv]

I always suspected the Galadriel was JRR's fave. I mean, he started out writing her as very like the Feanorians, and then, as his crush on her grew, he started making excuses for her. Oh, she didn't take the oath. Oh, she didn't really take part in the kinslayings at Aqualonde. Oh, in fact, she fought against the kinslayers. Actually, she didn't even head over the Helcaraxe with the others but hopped in a boat with Teleporno, and...

See? Revisionist JRR transforms Galadriel from kind-of cool power-hungry bitch to just-not-so-bad-pretty girl. Since the revised characterization strips her of much of her appeal (to me, at any rate), I can only assume that it was caused by the writer's twu lurve.

Does he address favorites in the Letters? (I'm guessing not, but then, I haven't read the Letters completely... that guy adored 90-word sentences.)

[Saralitazie]

I love that phrase... power-hungry bitch Sounds so...bitchy!

[inglor]

(BB, I already have some, for halloween I dressed up as a coach and my pregnant wife dressed up as a cheerleader. So I'll just borrow hers)

I have thought that too Viv, or maybe he was most fascinated with her and found her story the most fertile for exploration.

I think he regarded Finrod as the best of what the elves could be, the Anti-Feanor

Inglor

[Haleth]

Finrod was also the only Leader of the Exiles specifically mentioned as having been re-embodied.

Although there isn't much mention of them, Ingwe and Finarfin were probably the ideals. The problem with ideal, perfect people is that they tend to not do things that make good stories (swearing a terrible oath, killing a group of lightly armed people to steal their boats.)

Finrod seems to be an example of how someone can use less than ideal judgment in one situation (following Feanor) but learn from his mistakes.

The continual revisions to Galadriel's story and character could be because Tolkien wanted to put her on a pedestal. It could also be a product of his getting older, more set in his ways and wanting to have his world cast more in black in white than shades of grey. It's really difficult to make generalisations about a writer's motives.

IMO, the changes rob the character of her development.


PS Was there any point that Feanor forced his sons to swear his Oath? I was under the impression that they did it voluntarily.