Who do you think are the most overrated Tolkien characters?

Question

Lulu Sha · Answer

Beren and Luthien. Their story is basically a Tolkien self-insert Mary Sue. I’m not say that’s a bad thing, I just don’t find their story to have a lot of literary value. The only interpretation I can draw from it is a stereotypical “love conquers all”. The only nuance may be the simultaneous message warning about how beauty corrupts, which runs along the same trajectory of the main story of the Silmarillion. Luthien’s beauty and purity makes all men desire her. They want to trap her and preserve her purity forever. That also applies to Beren:

and in his fate Luthien was caught, and being immor

and in his fate Luthien was caught, and being immortal she shared in his mortality, and being free received his chain; and her anguish was greater than any other of the Eldalie has known.

Hey ladies, who wants to put down “chain of anguish” on their wedding registry? So no, this story is not a product of Tolkien’s inner radical feminist. But then again, “radical feminism” in the 1950s was the ideal white picket fence, flashy kitchen-appliance housewife. Putting that aside, my point is that Luthien basically has no free will in this story. She doesn’t get to choose what she wants to do with her life, Beren forces a “doom” onto her from the moment they meet. She has no agency. Their love is “powerful” in the sense that it can kick some werewolf ass and steal a shiny rock, but their love is extremely destructive too. And not just for Luthien.

That gets at my second reason why I really don’t like this story. To this day I still do not see how Beren and Luthien’s epic love story is that fantastic, and how it really affects the trajectory of Middle Earth’s History in a positive way. Sure, they had beautiful designer babies and the Numenorean kings, but what the hell did they even do except get corrupted by shiny things, just like their predecessors? There’s a darker side of “The Lay of Leithian” that I want to address: a lot of characters are sacrificed for Beren and Luthien’s romance. The safety of Doriath and Nargothrond is jeopardized by their mission. Finrod dies naked in a pit so that Beren can get married. Poor Huan is first forced to abandon Celegorm, who I will remind you he’s been with for 3000+ years. Then his entire fate is completely doomed to protect Beren and Luthien on their quest to retrieve the Silmaril. He dies tragically for a man he doesn’t even know. The only “helper” on Beren’s quest who actually has a motive to help the damn guy, besides for Luthien, is Finrod. And even then it’s kind of fishy, because the oath was to Beren’s father Barahir. Beren just shows up out of nowhere and waves around the flashy ring. I kind of picture him as the tax collector from Disney’s Robin Hood, walking into Nargothrond to collect Finrod’s debt. Besides for Finrod, where are the character motives? Why exactly does the poor doggie feel the necessity to completely throw aside his old life and sacrifice himself just so that Beren and Luthien can get married?

And I’m not even going to get into why Celegorm and Curufin are conveniently villainized in this story just because they’re Feanorians. I mean, if you wanted to show how beauty corrupts people, at least come up with a better example. The brothers are already corrupted by their lust for the Silmaril. I think it would’ve been a lot more effective thematically if Tolkien took a pure, virtuous character and had then turn greedy and possessive because they desire Luthien.

A lot of people, both in the real world fandom and in Beren and Luthien’s singer fanbase back in Valinor, praise this story for portraying the grief of men and elves because of mortality and immortality, different halls of Mandos, blah blah blah. That’s also kind of the point of Aragorn and Arwen. But throughout the actual story, the actual quest for the Silmaril, that isn’t brought up at all. Beren and Luthien never have a conversation about Beren’s mortality due to old age/sickness. In fact, I don’t remember them having a single conversation at all. There is literally no chemistry between the two of them, besides Beren desiring Luthien for her beauty. But back to my original point - we don’t get to see Beren dying of old age, and Luthien’s reaction to it. The quest is about the power of love against the physical embodiment of evil, not death, and then “some people are worth melting for” is just squeezed in at the very end. Nothing in the story sets up a discussion on human mortality and why the Children of Iluvatar are separated after death. You can find that in Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth, which I honestly think is a much more complex and thought-provoking text than the Lay of Leithian. That story is really where Tolkien should’ve invested all his philosophical genius, not Beren and Luthien. I guess Aegnor just got trashed because he’s not as good of a singer as Luthien. Oh, and did I mention that Beren and Luthien has to have a happy ending because it’s his Mary Sue self-insert?

This one part from the Silmarillion infuriates me. It’s when Luthien is singing to Namo in Mandos:

But Luthien came to the halls of Mandos… There those that wait sit in the shadow of their thought. But her beauty was more than their beauty, and her sorrow deeper than their sorrows; and she knelt before Mandos and sang to him.

So basically, Luthien got to skip the line and made a direct appeal to Namo. I mean, it takes years for a case to get to the Supreme Court. Get back in line, Karen! And the part about her sorrow being deeper than everyone else’s? Girl, I don’t think so. There’s a lot of people down there who’ve suffered a lot more than you have. Also, this is your first boyfriend we’re talking about, and the two of you literally have ZERO chemistry. How do you know he’s the partner you want to spend the rest of your mortal life with? Statistic show that the average woman goes through at least five relationships before she finds true love. On top of that, Luthien’s going through a rebellious teenager phase because of her helicopter dad. I’m betting that she’s going to regret marrying Beren when she goes through that midlife crisis, especially after the kids. It’s going to be very hard to sustain a relationship based purely on initial attraction, and Beren’s stalker sexual desires. Hormones fuel passion but not love.

So do you need any more proof that Beren and Luthien is Tolkien’s self-insert Mary Sue fanfiction? It lacks nuance and complexity, the other characters’ motive is helping Beren and Luthien get together, and the entire story revolves around Beren getting what he wants. Isn’t that the very definition of a Mary Sue? They suck the entire story dry. The other characters exist only to help Beren, and that includes poor Luthien. Besides for Huan, she is the most exploited character in this entire story. She’s almost entirely one-dimensional. Her only purpose is loving Beren and saving him whenever he needs it. And if this story is supposed to be based on Tolkien’s relationship with his wife, I don’t know how well that part is going to translate over to the real world. Well, actually I do. We’re coming back to that good old 1950s housewife, a standard that was frankly unachievable by the majority of women at that time, including Western Europe and the US.

But who am I to criticize Tolkien for writing a self-insert Mary Sue fanfiction of his own fictional universe? And even though I am not a straight white man living in the 1950s, I can relate to wanting to have a happy ending, wanting the world and all the people in my life to revolve around me. We all want to be the classical Odyssean heroes of our own stories, blessed by destiny and aided by the gods. We want our fantasy dreamgirls, boys, and non-binary persons to fall in love with us at first sight and overcome every obstacle in the path of our love. So even though the Beren and Luthien story infuriates me to no end every single time I read it, I guess I can understand some of Tolkien’s reasoning behind writing it. He’s done enough heavylifting already with the Silmarillion and all its Feanors and Turin Turambars. I can understand if he wants to sit back and write the most self-indulgent love story ever. You do you, JRR Tolkien.

Hilário Alencar · Answer

My number one choice isolated from all others is none other than Tom Bombadil.

By overrated here I don't talk about the character and his literary importance, but about people who believe he was FAR more powerful than he really was just based on the fact that he was a mystery, which only works if you ignore many of what is said about him.

Tom Bombadil still has a unique importance, as he is considered the oldest being in Time. But people greatly exaggerate his power based on overrating and on a misconception about his neutrality towards the Ring, which is confused with superiority.

For starters, Tom Bombadil's power is limited to his country in the Old Forest and Barrow-downs—it was larger in the past—there he was paramount, but Sauron would have “extracted” his source and destroyed his lands, besides power to defy Sauron was not in Tom Bombadil.

%3E ‘I know little of Iarwain save the name,’ said Galdor; ‘but Glorfindel, I think, is right. Power to defy our Enemy is not in him, unless such power is in the earth itself. And yet we see that Sauron can torture and destroy the very hills.
Second, Tom Bombadil is not above the power of the Ring, he is just unaffected by dominance issues. But he cannot undo the Ring or its influence over other beings.

%3E ‘Could we not still send messages to him and obtain his help?’ asked Erestor. ‘It seems that he has a power even over the Ring.’ ‘No, I should not put it so,’ said Gandalf. ‘Say rather that the Ring has no power over him. He is his own master. But he cannot alter the Ring itself, nor break its power over others.
Here he has no power to change Sauron's work nor can he challenge Sauron's power. All this is confirmed by Tolkien when he says that Tom's very existence would be in jeopardy as long as the Ring existed, only Sauron's defeat would guarantee his survival. And when comparatively he says that NONE could defeat the forces Lothlórien EXCEPT Sauron.

But note that this is a Ringless Sauron, even Sauron with his Ring and at full power is still a lesser spirit compared to the Great Ones (Valar). And even with Tom Bombadil being unable to resist the power of a weakened lesser spirit, there are still a lot of people who believe that he has the power of a Vala, some ridiculous statements put him equal or superior to Melkor, or equal to Ilúvatar or being Himself! When Tolkien said several times that the One has no physical form in Eä.

Tom Bombadil was quite powerful in his own right—though it was a different type of power— he was the second or third mightiest being at the end of the Third Age of that world, but in the general hierarchy he would be comparable to a Lesser Maia like a Balrog or an Istar which is a Greater Maia limited, yet far less than the Valar and the Greater Maiar.

Sources: The Lord of the Rings. The Fellowship of the Ring. The Council of Elrond.

Anonymous · Answer

In the scheme of the Silmarillion, one of them has to be Tulkas.

Why? Mainly because of how the fanbase treats him. They think he is the mightiest of the Valar, and how they gain this information is saying he wrestled and defeated Melkor. Yet all the damn time people forget that Melkor was always weakened when Tulkas engaged in battle with him. People forgot that Melkor wasn’t the most powerful of the Ainur when Tulkas arrived.

In fact, from what I gathered, Tulkas is much less impressive compared to other Valar. Manwë is in no doubt superior to Tulkas in authority and power.

Let us ignore the fact that Tolkien stated around or over twice that Melkor was the greatest and mightiest of the Ainur.

%3E "Melkor must be made far more powerful in original nature [...] The greatest power under Eru."
Continuing on.

%3E “To Melkor among the Ainur had been given the greatest gifts of power and knowledge, and he had a share in all the gifts of his brethren."
Let's ignore the fact that Melkor was what weaved evil and discord into the world. His power was such that he permanently damaged the Themes of the rest of Ainur and Eru’s Himself.

Tulkas has little feats to even grasp by. Melkor during the First War if he and Tulkas fought one on one, would destroy Tulkas. The same war and era that Melkor fought all the Valar at once for a full millennium. Melkor is the same being who originally had a form so bright that even Manwë could barely stand it.

In the answers I’ve seen about Tulkas, people who say he’s superior to every Vala has little idea of what they’re talking about. They’re probably more grasping on the might of Tulkas but are lost in the ideals of Melkor’s complex might which commonly dwarfed the Champion of the Valar in much of his reign of power, or, just anime/comic book fans that can really don’t understand Tolkien’s literature.

Manwë and Melkor already are undoubtedly shown as superiors to Tulkas. Saying otherwise just proved my point previously. Tulkas is one of the most overrated Vala in Tolkien’s writing, and this is primarily for his strength, which is far less impressive than what people think.

Hope I made my point, thought to clear things up.

Cesar Alcaraz · Answer

Besides Tulkas, it has to be Ungoliant.

The fanbase seems to treat Ungoliant as the most powerful being in the Legendarium besides Eru simply because she overpowered Morgoth, who is said to be the most powerful of the Valar. But people always forget that Morgoth was severely weakened during his confrontation with the spider, had Morgoth been at full strength, Ungoliant would've been left like this.

And yet some people still rank her higher than the Valar including Melkor himself in terms of power, I even heard people go far as to say that Ungoliant is some sort of opposite to Eru Iluvatar. Eru doesn't have equals period. But yeah, the Ungoliant wank has to stop.

Tom Rymer · Answer

Denethor son of Ecthelion.

I had initially thought of suggesting Galadriel, and there is certainly a case to be made for her: she rejected the call of the Valar in order to have a kingdom of her own to rule. Galadriel was, in many ways, like her uncle Fëanor: proud of her status as one of the most beautiful of the Noldor and in the later ages, she too liked to stand apart.

Yet Galadriel is also unlike Fëanor: she is far more gracious (steadily becoming more so over time) and is capable of compassion and mercy. Despite her longing to remain in Middle-earth, she vehemently opposes Morgoth and Sauron. When she finally decides to return to Valinor, I doubt if she hangs her head in shame and regret: she has been instrumental in the defeat of Sauron, has followed Gandalf’s advice, and has been given an opportunity to take the weapon of the Enemy and rejected it.

Galadriel may be a rebellious and stubborn Elf, but she is undoubtedly one of the most valorous individuals to ever grace Tolkien’s writings.

Denethor is far more misunderstood, I feel, and not only due to the films.

%3E Denethor II was a proud man, tall, valiant, and more kingly than any man that had appeared in Gondor for many lives of men; and he was wise also, and far-sighted, and learned in lore. Indeed he was as like to Thorongil as to one of nearest kin, and yet was ever placed second to the stranger in the hearts of men and the esteem of his father.
 * Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, (iv), The Stewards, The Return of the King
Thorongil is a guise used by Aragorn during a time period where he served Ecthelion, Denethor’s father. Despite appearing more kingly than any man for ages, Denethor is held as second to Thorongil not only by his people, but by his own father. That is a bitter pill for a son to swallow, and perhaps informs his own actions toward Faramir.

Gandalf the Grey is advised by Thorongil to be made welcome, but Denethor does not care for the wizard (perhaps due to his own envy of Thorongil, who suggests his welcome in the first place). Thus, even though it is made clear that Thorongil never attempts to take the throne, Denethor nonetheless believes this to be the case when he learns his true identity, and he suspects that Gandalf and Thorongil have conspired thus:

%3E At the time many thought that Thorongil had departed before his rival became his master, though indeed Thorongil had never himself vied with Denethor, nor held himself higher than the servant of his father. And in one matter only were their counsels to the Steward at variance: Thorongil often warned Ecthelion not to put trust in Saruman the White in Isengard, but to welcome rather Gandalf the Grey. But there was little love between Denethor and Gandalf; and after the days of Ecthelion there was less welcome for the Grey Pilgrim in Minas Tirith. Therefore later, when all was made clear, many believed that Denethor, who was subtle in mind and looked further and deeper than other men of his day, had discovered who this stranger Thorongil in truth was, and suspected that he and Mithrandir designed to supplant him.
Denethor is described as a particularly masterful Steward, able to take a firm hand in all he does. I imagine then that he is quite stymied at the fact that, for all his successes, his own people and the wizard who is supposed to counsel him apparently prefer someone else to take command of Gondor. This no doubt influences his decision-making: he listens to counsel, and then follows his own mind.

Denethor is married to his wife Finduilas for a mere twelve years, and this is a sore blow to him:

%3E Denethor loved her, in his fashion, more dearly than any other, unless it were the elder of the sons that she bore him.
The death of Finduilas causes Denethor to not only be “more grim and silent”, but to take extreme risks to defend his country:

%3E After her death Denethor became more grim and silent than before, and would sit long alone in his tower deep in thought, foreseeing that the assault of Mordor would come in his time. It was afterwards believed that needing knowledge, but being proud, and trusting in his own strength of will, he dared to look in the palantir of the White Tower.
This is something that no Stewards, nor any kings since the palantiri were taken by Mordor, have attempted, and though it grants him vast knowledge of many things even beyond Gondor, it does not come without cost: Denethor is become prematurely aged and gradually comes to despair against the power of the Dark Lord.

The Denethor we know so far is a man who has had to endure the loss of his father and wife, who has been forced to accept that he is less loved by his own people than a supposed stranger, and who has dared to challenge Sauron only to realize the apparent futility of doing so. Is it any wonder that Denethor is such a bitter man by the time we meet him during the War of the Ring?

Yet despite this, he has not wavered in his charge to defend Gondor. He risks looking into the palantir in order to gain knowledge, and he does so. He comes to love Boromir all the more dearly for the loss of Finduilas. Denethor has had plenty of grief early in life, and yet he is not bowed by it, and knows happiness where it counts.

When Boromir goes to interpret the dream shared by he and Faramir, Denethor is shown to have been loath to allow it:

%3E ‘I should have been chosen by my father and the elders but he put himself forward, as being the older and the hardier (both true), and he would not be stayed.’
 * Faramir to Frodo Baggins, Book IV, Chapter V, The Window on the West, The Return of the King
His reluctance, as we come to learn, is well justified: Boromir perishes, and all that returns to Denethor is his cloven horn. He is thus somewhat harsh to Pippin (as the cause for which Boromir died), but he finds himself touched at the hobbit’s gesture:

%3E Then Pippin looked the old man in the eye, for pride stirred strangely within him, still stung by the scorn and suspicion in that cold voice. ‘Little service, no doubt, will so great a lord of Men think to find in a hobbit, a halfling from the northern Shire; yet such as it is, I will offer it, in payment of my debt.’ Twitching aside his grey cloak, Pippin drew forth his small sword and laid it at Denethor's feet.

A pale smile, like a gleam of cold sun on a winter's evening, passed over the old man's face; but he bent his head and held out his hand, laying the shards of the horn aside. ‘Give me the weapon!’ he said.
 * Peregrin “Pippin” Took and Denethor, Book V, Chapter I, Minas Tirith, The Return of the King
Denethor is still capable of mirth, and this proves that he respects Pippin’s choice. He even seems to recognize that he has indulged more than time would seem to allow in his desire to hear more of his son’s fate, and asks pardon for “letting an old man’s folly run”. He does not care for Gandalf, but is willing to take counsel when it is given (though he notes that Gandalf does so very selectively).

Denethor also believes that he would not use the Ring, but rather keep it hid, and so devise stratagems and counsels with more of a sense of security. Gandalf counters this by suggesting that the desire to use it would eat away at him; had he trusted Denethor, he could have sent the Ring to Minas Tirith and been spared much anguish. Despite how things would turn out, one thing is made clear: Denethor would in no ways bow to the might of Sauron, and would die first.

Also, despite stating himself that he preferred Boromir, he still shows signs of caring for Faramir:

%3E ‘May I have your leave, father?’ And then he swayed and leaned upon his father's chair.

‘You are weary, I see,’ said Denethor. ‘You have ridden fast and far, and under shadows of evil in the air, I am told.’

‘Let us not speak of that!’ said Faramir.

‘Then we will not,’ said Denethor. ‘Go now and rest as you may. Tomorrow's need will be sterner.’
 * Faramir and Denethor, Book V, Chapter IV, The Siege of Gondor, The Return of the King
While he believes that Boromir would be more capable, Denethor nonetheless respects that his son, in terms of commanding in battle, has done what he might and not shied away from his duty - even in the face of the Nazgul. This is, of course, proven in the last when he believes his son near death, and in that instance, Denethor is perhaps the most relatable yet:

%3E And as he watched, it seemed to him that Denethor grew old before his eyes, as if something had snapped in his proud will, and his stern mind was overthrown. Grief maybe had wrought it, and remorse. He saw tears on that once tearless face, more unbearable than wrath.
 * Book V, Chapter VII, The Pyre of Denethor, The Return of the King
Denethor seems at last to understand how his preference for Boromir and dismissal of Faramir have affected his younger son, and for this he is somewhat ashamed:

%3E ‘I sent my son forth, unthanked, unblessed, out into needless peril, and here he lies with poison in his veins.’
While it is no excuse, there is at least some explanation for Denethor’s despair in his final moments:

%3E But he himself went up alone into the secret room under the summit of the Tower; and many who looked up thither at that time saw a pale light that gleamed and flickered from the narrow windows for a while, and then flashed and went out. And when Denethor descended again he went to Faramir and sat beside him without speaking, but the face of the Lord was grey, more deathlike than his son's.
As Gandalf confirms, Denethor went in that moment, as he so often did as the War of the Ring went the way of the Enemy, to use the palantir, and was at last convinced that though the Men of the West might triumph on the Pelennor, in the end their defeat would be assured.

%3E ‘Now I understand what seemed so strange to me!' said Pippin shuddering at his memories as he spoke. 'The Lord went away from the room where Faramir lay; and it was only when he returned that I first thought he was changed, old and broken.’

‘It was in the very hour that Faramir was brought to the Tower that many of us saw a strange light in the topmost chamber,’ said Beregond. ‘But we have seen that light before, and it has long been rumoured in the City, that the Lord would at times wrestle in thought with his Enemy.’
Denethor thought to challenge Sauron in a contest of wills, and he paid the price. However, despite knowing the might of Mordor sent to assail Gondor, he does not despair completely until he realizes that he forsook his own son, and may not have an heir to defend Minas Tirith. It takes the combined losses of his father, wife, and eldest son (and the belief that he has lost Faramir) to break this mighty man.

Denethor knows he is favored less in the eyes of Gandalf and his people. Does this deter him? No! He champions the defense of his people at great personal risk to his mind by going toe-to-toe with Sauron himself and is able to keep Mordor at bay. He does send for Theoden and the Rohirrim, but as Gandalf himself points out, they will take time to arrive. Denethor is not fool enough to believe that Gondor can stand against Mordor by themselves.

He loses Boromir, his preferred son and captain, but though thankless, Faramir nonetheless drives the Enemy back until his own near-death. Denethor is bitter over the death of Boromir but comes to take back his words toward Faramir before the end.

Denethor is a proud Steward of Gondor who has gradually been beaten down by the losses in his life (in large part owed to Sauron). Yet even at the end of his life, he knows compassion and love, and is only driven to the end he chooses after a great many blows to his morale and sanity.

Fraser MacWilliams · Answer

Sauron

Sauron isn’t some mustache twirling villain who wants evil for evils sake. He doesn’t want to kill everything. He doesn’t appear to delight in murder and cruelty.

He’s a Maia on a mission.

And that Mission?

Remake Middle-Earth in His image. Not even Melkor’s image - Sauron’s.

Melkor is more your stereotypical villain. He destroys for destruction’s sake. He wanted to destroy the world, but got a taste for ruling and was ensnared by it, and weakened thereby.

Sauron though - Sauron wants to build.

Sauron is the hero of his own story. He wants to make the world a better place. He’s just accepted that doing so will require some ‘evil’ actions. He is in his own view a classic utilitarian - the ends justify the means. As long as the ends are good enough, as far as Sauron is concerned any means necessary to achieve them are acceptable.

Sauron was a Maia of Aulë the Smith first, and it shows. His desire is not destruction but rather control and reformation.

In fact, he actually repented of his evil after the fall of Melkor, and for a time… wasn’t all that bad.

After the Fall of Morgoth, the Destruction of Beleriand, and the end of the First Age of the Sun, Sauron saw the world was broken and wanted to fix it. He was a Maia of the Smith, and he had work to do!

But Sauron had served Morgoth for too long.

The image of the world he wanted to build had glimpses of beauty in it - a world of machines and order, but machines and order for the common good. Think what could be achieved with a little industry! With a little order! Even his One Ring was beautiful to behold, and was a truly great work of subcreation - and what did it do? What did it really do? It brought order. It dominated wills. That was its purpose, to get people to follow Sauron’s lead.

And here was Sauron’s great fall, his great failure, his great flaw. He did not respect the freedom of others - their freedom of choice, or of will.

And he was arrogant. He knew how things needed to be done. He was the best! He was the mightiest, wisest, cleverest being remaining active on Middle-Earth! Everyone should listen to him!

“If only they’d all listen to me! If only they’d do what I said! If only they stopped squabbling, and followed my lead. Sauron knows best, after all.”

And so he began to scheme, and to dominate. His good intentions paved his road to hell.

Sauron wanted to bring peace, order, prosperity.

And no one was going to stand in his way.

And so his good intentions - his seed of repentance and hope of redemption - turned to bitterness and evil, as he schemed, and planned, and dominated.

Pride burned into envy. A desire for order shifted to a desire for control, then a will to dominate all life. And hope and dreams turned to malice and cruelty. You need to crack a few eggs to make an omelette, after all.

Sauron the great, the powerful, the wise - became Sauron the broken.

Thanks for the A2A guys. I stewed over this one for a few days.

Image credits sourced by Quora User: 
Both Sauron works by Gerwell [ https://www.deviantart.com/gerwell ] (links to: https://www.deviantart.com/gerwell) on DeviantArt:
The Lord of the Rings  [ https://www.deviantart.com/gerwell/art/The-Lord-of-the-Rings-352918407 ](links to: https://www.deviantart.com/gerwell/art/The-Lord-of-the-Rings-352918407)

Sauron  [ https://www.deviantart.com/gerwell/art/Sauron-373603448 ](links to: https://www.deviantart.com/gerwell/art/Sauron-373603448)
Last image by Ted Nasmith [ https://www.tednasmith.com/site-map/j-r-r-tolkien/ ] (links to: https://www.tednasmith.com/site-map/j-r-r-tolkien/). (E/N: I could not find this particular piece in Nasmith’s gallery, but it definitely matches his style, and is consistent with other works.)

Randy Burns · Answer

Tom Bombadil is nothing but an out of place character that the story has to struggle to explain away.

Christopher Balderas · Answer

All of te answer here are good, but in a particular case, one overrated character or creatures of Tolkien Legendarium is…

Ancalagon

One of most famous Dragons in fantasy, but at the time overrated, not only because of his size misconception, but how fandom put him Above Sauron and other characters.

Sauron was the greatest servant of Melkor in First and Second Age, so powerful, that became more efficient than Morgoth.

Can Ancalagon become efficient as Morgoth? Can Ancalagon become more powerful than Morgoth at his weakest (Morgoth can emerge mountains ranges, make lava storms of country-size and destroy Arda, the Solar System in some cases if he was in a destructiva state)

Even, I doubt Ancalagon was intelligent, yes he was more powerful than Smaug, but Smaug, aside from be the biggest dragon in Third Age, was smart.

My conclution is that Ancalagon, despite be the nuclear weapons of Morgoth, was the most speculative character of Legendarium, and only was strong, not wise, intelligent or smart, only a weapons.

Susanna Viljanen · Answer

Sauron.

Morgoth, Ungoliant and Sauron form the unholy trinity - Chaotic Evil, Neutral Evil and Lawful Evil, and of that unholy trinity, Sauron is the most misunderstood.

Whereas Morgoth wanted to destroy everything - reduce the Eä into tohu wa bohu, and Ungoliant cares only of herself, Sauron is completely different.

Sauron was originally a maia of Aulë gone haywire. You might say he was the original Starscream, since the alliances of the evil are temporary at best, and everyone looks the chance of either toppling or assassinating their boss and becoming the cock on the dunghill. And whereas Morgoth wanted to defile, despoil and destroy - reduce the world into primordial atoms - Sauron wanted to build, form and rule. Sauron wanted order, he wanted to build, he wanted to construct the world into what he saw fit and he wanted to become the sole lord of the world. Mind you also Saruman was originally one of the Aulë’s maiar.

Mind you Aulë is the vala of making - the archangel of sciences, technology and creativity. Sauron’s original name was Tar-Mairon, “The Admired Lord”. Like his original master Aulë, he was a maker, constructor, builder. He wanted to build the Middle-Earth a better place - at least a better in his own opinion. He was devoid of compassion, pity and dignity - hey, you cannot make an omelette without breaking some eggs, and the end justifies the end.

Once his former boss Morgoth was ousted and Ungoliant was undone, and the Valar retreated back to the Undying Lands, he realized the whole Middle Earth basically was his oyster. Sauron saw the Middle Earth was kaputt and someone had to repair it. He even showed repentance. And who would be the best to repair it, the mightiest maia and pupil of Aulë himself?

Sauron had a vision. He would make the Middle Earth organized, industrialized and function like a clockwork. Unfortunately, he had only two little hurdles for that.

Namely Elves and Men.

By definition, they were free peoples. Not willing to subjugate under the iron fist of Sauron, and Sauron never shied from coercion and wanton violence when needed. So he had to subjugate them, and failing that, destroy them.

Sauron was the Ur-Nazi. He was a disciplinarian. He had no use for things like freedom and liberty. He was the mightiest, wisest and canniest thing in the whole Middle Earth, so everything had to bow under his will. Except that they didn’t.

Sauron was a proof that order can be just as destructive as chaos - and even more so.

Tom Rymer · Answer

Finwë, first King of the Noldor Elves.

He actually has a very good life to start: he is chosen by Oromë to represent the Noldor, and becomes their king. He weds Míriel Þerindë, with whom he sires Fëanor, who becomes one of the mightiest of the Eldar to ever live, so mighty that his mother is said to have passed the strength of many into him. Unfortunately, so strong is he that the effort consumes Míriel’s life, and Finwë is so saddened by this that he visits Lorien, to where her spirit goes, calling her by her many names in vain.

%3E But it was unavailing; and alone in all the Blessed Realm he was deprived of joy.
 * Chapter VI, Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor, Quenta Silmarillion, The Silmarillion
Even when Finwë weds his second wife, Indis the Fair, the shadow of Míriel’s death never leaves him:

%3E But the shadow of Míriel did not depart from the house of Finwë, nor from his heart.
One can see then why, though he also begets (~fathers) Fingolfin and Finarfin, he has the greatest love for Fëanor, his eldest son of his first great love. He is nonetheless greatly saddened that Fëanor does not take pleasure in his father’s second marriage, and that his sons never live together and indeed there is great strife among them. Thanks to the whisperings of Melkor, Fëanor is led to believe that his brothers will usurp his father’s throne and his claim; and Fingolfin and Finarfin are led to believe that Fëanor will drive them from their land.

Fëanor declares that he will lead all the Noldor back to Middle-earth. Fingolfin beseeches his father Finwë to speak to Fëanor, who then threatens Fingolfin at swordpoint. Naturally, Fëanor is brought to account before the Valar themselves for his words and deeds, and is banished for twelve years; at this time Fingolfin pledges that he will forgive his brother. Finwë is forced to watch the rift between Fëanor and his brothers grow ever deeper.

Melkor offers his assistance to Fëanor in his flight to Middle-earth, but is rejected when Fëanor sees that Melkor only desires to claim the Silmarils for himself; Finwë becomes very unsettled at this rejection:

%3E Then hate overcame Fëanor's fear, and he cursed Melkor and bade him be gone, saying: 'Get thee gone from my gate, thou jail-crow of Mandos!' And he shut the doors of his house in the face of the mightiest of all the dwellers in Eä.

Then Melkor departed in shame, for he was himself in peril, and he saw not his time yet for revenge; but his heart was black with anger. And Finwë was filled with great fear, and in haste he sent messengers to Manwë in Valmar.
 * Fëanor to Melkor, Chapter VII, Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor, Quenta Silmarillion, The Silmarillion
Fëanor has become very rash and wrathful, full of pride, however deserved, and he has just incurred the anger of the mightiest of the Valar (even if Melkor is no longer counted among them). Finwë is terrified at what might befall his family, and quite rightly so.

While Fëanor is called by Mandos to a celebration during which he and Fingolfin reconcile in word if not in their hearts, Melkor strikes. Melkor has desired the Silmarils crafted by Fëanor from their conception, for in them is caught the light of the Two Trees of Valinor. Out of respect for his son’s exile, Finwë has chosen to remain at their home in exile of Formenos in renunciation of his throne until the exile is over. This is sadly his undoing.

Melkor attacks Formenos during the celebration, steals the Silmarils, and murders Finwë. His death has more lasting impact than just about any other in the First Age: to avenge his father, Fëanor swears a terrible oath to reclaim the Silmarils from Melkor, now named Morgoth (The Black Enemy), and not suffer any Vala, Maia, Eldar or Man yet to be born to keep them from him. This leads first to the Kinslaying at Alqualondë, and eventually to the death of Fëanor and all his sons.

Finwë is the first casualty of Melkor’s deceit, and his death is cataclysmic in terms of what comes afterward. To me though, this is a father who loved all of his sons deeply and yet was powerless to prevent the tragedies to befall them, and was slain for honoring his eldest son.

At least there is some comfort in that Finwë may be reunited with his wife Míriel for a time in the halls of Mandos.

Alan Sisto · Answer

As a group of people, I’d agree wholeheartedly with Joan’s answer about the Teleri in the Kinslaying: their deaths were wholly undeserved and they were the first (of many) victims of Fëanor’s prideful, foolish and blasphemous Oath.

But on an individual level, I have to say that there are two that come to mind.

The first is Gelmir, son of Guilin. He’d been captured in the Dagor Bragollach and, 17 years later, he was brought near the walls of the fortress of Eithel Sirion when the forces of Morgoth were trying to taunt the Elves into leaving their strong defenses. So he’d already suffered 17 years of torture after being captured and the text says that he had been blinded by them as well. But then, this:

“Then the heralds of Angband showed him forth, crying: ‘We have many more such at home, but you must make haste if you would find them; for we shall deal with them all when we return even so.’ And they hewed off Gelmir’s hands and feet, and his head last, within sight of the Elves, and left him.”

Mighty unpleasant death, that. (Though there’s also poor Gwindor, Gelmir’s brother - but that’s another story.)

The second one that comes to mind probably falls more under ‘mistreatment of a corpse’ than ‘terrible death’, but you just have to know the death itself wasn’t quick and painless. Celebrimbor. Yep, the guy who made the Rings of Power (no, not the One). Celebrimbor (or ‘Brimby as I sometimes call him) fought directly with Sauron on the doors of the Mírdain (the house of the craftsmen in Eregion), but was captured. That’s when Sauron got the Nine; and, after torturing Celebrimbor, he found where the Seven were as well. But he wouldn’t reveal anything about the Three. So “he had him put to death” — simple, right? Well, then we get this:

“In black anger he turned back to battle; and bearing as a banner Celebrimbor’s body hung upon a pole, shot through with Orc-arrows, he turned upon the forces of Elrond. ”

It’s not bad enough he was tortured and killed, his arrow-riddled body became a banner for Sauron’s forces.

So those are the terrible deaths that come to mind.

Martina Schaar · Answer

MAEDHROS and MAGLOR, the first two sons of Feanor.

* Maedhros is the tall ginger with only one hand (the second one was severed off), Maglor is his raven-haired younger brother.
Yeah, I know, they are probably quite unlikeable choices in terms of their fandom popularity. But I love them just because of the duality of their characters. They are both great and absolutely terrible. Deep down, they were basically good people with a great potential who turned to evil to avenge and please their narcissistic father… who wasn´t exactly The Father of the Year, and who might have not even cared that much about his sons, in the end.

Maedhros was a diplomatic man, yet passionate in everything he was pursuing. He was a man of Samurai valor and honor. His downfall was his extremely sense of duty towards his own family.

Maglor was a singer-composer-poet who must have been considered a superstar in his homeland. He was the best musician of the Noldor (one of the three main clans of elves) and the sencond best out of all elves. He was also naturally kind-hearted and sensitive. His downfall was that he was a people-pleaser who blindly followed his brothers.

Because of the evil Oath of Feanor that the seven brothers took with their father, they were basically forced to pursue and kill the people who came across their stolen family heirloom - the Silmarils. And boy, did they kill a lot! It made them really unhappy, though. And they wanted to quit. The problem was that they weren´t sure if it was possible to break the Oath. Because if you broke it, you would end up in the Everlasting Darkness. That was exactly what their drama queen father Feanor called on them in case they failed their quest! And unfortunately, they did. Out of shame, despair and depression, Maedhros committed suicide out of desperacy, and Maglor turned to a life of a self-imposed eremitism (i.e. he became a hermit). What a terrible end for people with such a great potential! That´s also why I love the Feanorians. Because of the what-could-have-been.

This pattern of what-could-have-been is, by the way, very characteristic for my Likes. Remember the movie “1900” with Tim Roth? It was about a guy who was born on a steamer ship during the New Year´s Eve, left to die in an unused fruit box. Somebody from the ship found the orphan, nurtured him and took him for his own. I think it was some black servant on the ship. He taught the child to be a great concert pianist. The best in the world! Soon, the popularity of the young man rose and he was offered several contracts with famous music record studios. But you know what? He refused to leave the ship because he never stepped on a shore and he was afraid of the world outside, and nobody even bothered to record his very existence. He was just the cruiser´s living curiosity. In the end, the owners of the ship decided to blast it off because it was too old to sail. The pianist promised everybody that he would get off the ship to save yourself, and he even successfully faked his leaving. He sent out somebody else instead. And because he was so intensely scared of the outside world, and nobody knew he was still on that ship, he hid in a quiet corner of the ship, his whole world and the only world he had ever known in his life, and he let himself be bombed with the ship. Tragic, innit? But still kinda poetic and beautiful. In a terribly sad, sad way.

The same goes for the movies like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Gattaca (1997), or Jean-Jacques Amand´s The Lover (1992).

Now you know why I like the Feanorians. Because many people were frequently asking about why I even like those murderers, and what the hell is wrong with me. Nothing. I just like dark but poetic stories.

Donovan Walls · Answer

He goes by a hundred names.

The Dark Lord. The Great Deceiver. The Ring Maker. The Dread Abomination.

Once he was even called “The Admirable”.

Now he’s the creature who almost brought the entire world to its knees.

I have a weakness for great villains and I must say, Sauron the Lord of Mordor is definitely up there. He’s this creature who has been twisted from noble roots into becoming nothing short of a monster. He’s an instrument of darkness.

Sauron was originally a minor godling and for a while, was actually what you might call “a good dude”. Sadly he was a servant to Morgoth, the Tolkein equivalent of Satan. Morgoth imprinted upon Sauron his own insatiable desire to control and gain power. Sauron became his master’s most trusted general. After Morgoth’s defeat though at the hands of the Valar [ http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Valar ], Sauron lingered in the mortal world and would plague Middle Earth for millennia. During this time, he accomplished many horrible acts that would earn him a place in the Hall of Fame for Villainy.

* He managed to enslave the majority of monsters in Middle Earth. The Werewolves, vampire, trolls, orcs and demon spiders all we some level of fealty to Sauron, both out of respect of his power and his promise to lead them to battle against men.
 * Used his powers of shape-shifting to slowly accumulate his own power. This involved him manipulating the Elves by appearing as one of them. Sauron nearly seized control of Elven civilization after he tricked Celebrimbor [ http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Celebrimbor ] into forging the original Rings of Power. The Elves only barely managed to escape his deception and Sauron then declared war on them, slaughtering thousands, including Celebrimbor.
 * Using his own magic, Sauron created his own Rings and enslaved several powerful human kings. These men became his abominable lieutenants to spread fear and pain across the land as immortal wraiths. The Nazgûl [ http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Nazgul ].
 * After his armies were defeated by the kingdom of Númenor [ http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Númenor ], Sauron became their prisoner. Thanks to his glib tongue and shape shifting powers though, Sauron was able to slowly take over Numenor and even became advisor to their king! Never underestimate the power of deception. Reportedly he was so beautiful, everyone believed his advice and thought he was a great guy.
Sauron’s form when corrupting Numenor.

* After some time, Sauron had literally turned Numenor into a “wretched hive of scum and villainy”, enslaving them to the memory of his patron Morgoth. They became prideful,, arrogant and made human sacrifice the new normal. The Numenoreans degenerated so badly that GOD HIMSELF [ http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Ilúvatar ] sunk their entire kingdom into the ocean. Numenor (which had been one of the greatest civilizations in Middle Earth’s history) would never rise again. Sauron had his revenge (though thankfully he lost the ability to shape shift.
 * After even more war and suffering, Sauron’s body was only destroyed through incredible sacrifice and even then, it wasn’t enough to kill him completely. Sauron brewed for years reclaiming his power before launching his final campaign to take over the world. The War of the Ring [ http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/War_of_the_Ring ] which finally saw his ambition put to rest.
What I appreciate most about Sauron though isn’t even his story.

It’s his presence on the saga of the Lord of the Rings that’s so amazing, though he never appears in the flesh. Even though his body is gone, his spirit watches over the world as an enormous burning eye. Even though the entire free world stands united against him, he is still one of the most feared beings in Middle Earth.

To men he is doom. The antichrist that will never cease in his ruthless desire to enslave the world.

To the Elves he is nothing less than pure evil. The last student of the dark god Morgoth and the demon who would drown the world in darkness.

To the Orks and monsters of Middle Earth, Sauron is their champion. Their master. Their GOD. Sauron is the unifying force that will lead them to victory

Without Sauron, the events of the Lord of the Rings could never have happened. His evil is the motivating force behind the series. His will to dominate civilization is what causes so many heroes to rise up and unite against the darkness.

And that’s why I love him. Without an ultimate evil to stand against, you wouldn’t have a sage even half as epic as the Lord of the Rings. You can’t have Lord of the Rings without THE LORD of the Rings.

Tom Rymer · Answer

Thranduil, the Elvenking.

(Note: To be clear, I will be basing my answer on the book version, not the travesty created by Peter Jackson, though admittedly pulled off reasonably well by Lee Pace).

%3E So to the cave they dragged Thorin- not too gently, for they did not love dwarves, and thought he was an enemy. In ancient days they had had wars with some of the dwarves, whom they accused of stealing their treasure. It is only fair to say that the dwarves gave a different account, and said that they only took what was their due, for the elf-king had bar gained with them to shape his raw gold and silver, and had afterwards refused to give them their pay.

If the elf-king had a weakness it was for treasure, especially for silver and white gems; and though his hoard was rich, he was ever eager for more, since he had not yet as great a treasure as other elf-lords of old. His people neither mined nor worked metals or jewels, nor did they bother much with trade or with tilling the earth. All this was well known to every dwarf, though Thorin's family had had nothing to do with the old quarrel I have spoken of. Consequently Thorin was angry at their treatment of him, when they took their spell off him and he came to his senses; and also he was determined that no word of gold or jewels should be dragged out of him.

The king looked sternly on Thorin, when he was brought before him, and asked him many questions. But Thorin would only say that he was starving. "Why did you and your folk three times try to attack my people at their merrymaking?" asked the king.

“We did not attack them,” answered Thorin; “we came to beg, because we were starving.”

“Where are your friends now, and what are they doing?”

“I don't know, but I expect starving in the forest.”

“What were you doing in the forest?”

“Looking for food and drink, because we were starving.”

“But what brought you into the forest at all?” asked the king angrily.

At that Thorin shut his mouth and would not say another word. “Very well!” said the king. “Take him away and keep him safe, until he feels inclined to tell the truth, even if he waits a hundred years.” Then the elves put thongs on him, and shut him in one of the inmost caves with strong wooden doors, and left him. They gave him food and drink, plenty of both, if not very fine; for Wood-elves were not goblins, and were reasonably well-behaved even to their worst enemies, when they captured them. The giant spiders were the only living things that they had no mercy upon.
 * Thranduil (The Elvenking) and Thorin Oakenshield, Chapter VIII, Flies and Spiders, The Hobbit
To begin with, since Sauron’s arrival in Dol Guldur, a darkness has lain over Greenwood and it has become a place of fear, now more commonly called “Mirkwood”. Dwarves and Men use the Old Road more seldom due to this, but still occasionally use it. Yet we see here that the Elvenking is angrily indignant that Thorin and the dwarves enter Mirkwood at all.

To be frank, their quest is none of the Elvenking’s business. The dwarves are passing through, and if Thorin does not want to give an account of all his dealings, he reasonably expects that he should not feel compelled to do so. Regarding their disturbing the Elves, as Thorin explains, they did not attack his folk, but merely attempted to beg for food.

Thranduil ignorantly assumes that Thorin is one of the dwarves whom his folk had a quarrel with in years gone by. Thorin knows that his family took no part in this, and is righteously angry at his treatment. The Elvenking is being a racist and xenophobe due to his unpleasant interactions with other dwarves, and fails to take into account that the dwarves of Durin’s line are innocent in their petty grievances.

He further continues his insufferable self-righteousness when Balin and the others are captured:

%3E “What have we done, O king?” said Balin, who was the eldest left. “Is it a crime to be lost in the forest, to be hungry and thirsty, to be trapped by spiders? Are the spiders your tame beasts or your pets, if killing them makes you angry?”

Such a question of course made the king angrier than ever, and he answered: “It is a crime to wander in my realm without leave. Do you forget that you were in my kingdom, using the road that my people made? Did you not three times pursue and trouble my people in the forest and rouse the spiders with your riot and clamour? After all the disturbance you have made I have a right to know what brings you here, and if you will not tell me now, I will keep you all in prison until you have learned sense and manners!”
 * Balin and Thranduil (The Elvenking), Chapter IX, Barrels out of Bond, The Hobbit
The dwarves have had no indication that there is such a law against wandering through Mirkwood: Gandalf would surely have informed them had he been made aware that this is the case. If, as it seems, this law is only known to the Elves (and possibly the Men of Laketown), how can the dwarves be expected to abide by it?

Furthermore, Thranduil speaks of what he does not know claiming that they “rouse the spiders with (their) riot and clamour”. The dwarves do rouse them, but wholly unintentionally, and nearly die confronting them. The Elvenking dislikes outsiders and likes to keep a tight control on his realm, but this does not excuse his incredibly poor treatment of them (in fairness, he does provide them food and drink).

Now, to Thranduil’s credit, he seems to somewhat repent of his self-righteousness following the Battle of the Five Armies. For one thing, the Elves of Mirkwood fight alongside Dain’s Dwarves of the Iron Hills, and Thranduil himself honors Thorin:

%3E Upon his tomb the Elvenking then laid Orcrist, the elvish sword that had been taken from Thorin in captivity. It is said in songs that it gleamed ever in the dark if foes approached, and the fortress of the dwarves could not be taken by surprise.
 * Chapter XVIII, The Return Journey, The Hobbit
Not much is said of his doings during The Lord of the Rings, but given that Legolas and Gimli become practically inseparable, it is quite possible his view of dwarves has softened somewhat.

Nonetheless, much of what we see of the Elvenking shows him to be rather racist and xenophobic.

My Name is no One · Answer

Captain of Gondolin, slayer of Lord of Balrogs, Elf who singlehandedly slew more Orcs in one battle than any army has in any battle.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Ecthelion. Other than Fingolfin, I would argue that no elf could match Ecthelion’s valor and prowess.

Imagine you have a 30 foot monster in front of you with a sword longer than the length of your entire body, and a thong made out of fire….You’re on your last leg, your job is done, you could just give up and die and you will already be known to be one of the greatest warriors ever known. yet you run up to this freaking monster, and because you don’t have enough strength to pick up your sword, you charge this mother with the sharp ass horn on top of your helm, you stab him in the chest. At this point your job is finished, but oh shit! This thing is a Demi god that doesn’t die. “Screw it, we are both gonna go for a swim you firey fuck! So what if I die, I took you out. How you like them apples?”

My only hope is that when life becomes turbulent, we can act more like Ecthelion, and less like Salgant.

Edit: There seems to be some comments about Glorfindel. 
a. He is NOT a minor character, he was essentially the savior of first age - He saved Eärendil the beloved - and history repeated itself again when he Saved the ring bearer in the third age. So he is disqualified.

b. Gothmog was Morgoth’s second lieutenant and not only the most powerful Balrog, but also the leader of his armies during the fall of Gondolin. If not for his leadership, the dragons could not have breached the walls of the city. So in my opinion, a severely wounded elf taking him out was a huge feat onto itself. Not only did Ecthelion showed his valor, he was selfless knowing his peril and yet still going up against Gothmog without any hope of survival. That’s why he is my favorite MINOR character.

Jessica Wollschleger · Answer

Elu Thingol (or Elwe Singollo, to use his original name).

The Elf didn't like anybody! He treated every other race with contempt. After he got to know Beren he relented slightly about Men. But he didn't change fundamentally, as is shown in the contemptous way he treated the Dwarves of Norgrod. Which led to his death.

He simply hid behind his wife's power and did not try to help conquer the most evil being in Arda.

He married way above him, but then never seemed to listen to his wife's advice. He didn't listen to his daughter either when she fell in love with a Man. And yet somehow he had a reputation for “wisdom”!

In short, Thingol is a racist and jerk.

Tom Rymer · Answer

Gildor Inglorion.

Gildor just seems so ineffably Elvish: charmed by Frodo’s knowledge of their language, merry and grave at the same time (much like Elrond) and of course, the character who names Frodo Elf-friend.

This is the Elf that provides Frodo with his most early and useful advice while on his journey: that the Black Riders are far more dangerous than he thinks, that Gandalf’s absence is far more telling than Frodo knows, and perhaps most importantly, that he should take companions as are willing with him on his Quest. Frodo intends to go it alone, but Gildor knows that he will need his friends.

We also get this memorable exchange:

%3E Gildor was silent for a moment. ‘I do not like this news,’ he said at last. ‘That Gandalf should be late, does not bode well. But it is said: Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger. The choice is yours: to go or wait.’

‘And it is also said,’ answered Frodo: ‘Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes.’

‘Is it indeed?’ laughed Gildor.
 * Gildor and Frodo Baggins, Book I, Chapter III, Three Is Company, The Fellowship of the Ring
Tolkien gifts us with this character our first glimpse of the world of Middle-earth in Frodo’s time outside the Shire: Elves leaving it, but still compassionate enough to assist its inhabitants, and full of merriment and mirth, while also marking the troubles besetting the world that they leave behind. A tiny bit of foreshadowing, I think, also comes out in Gildor’s speech:

%3E ‘But it is not your own Shire,’ said Gildor. ‘Others dwelt here before hobbits were; and others will dwell here again when hobbits are no more. The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out.’
Frodo and his friends learn this to their dismay when they return home, but it is sage advice to remember nonetheless. It seems, too, that Frodo and Gildor will have a good many more talks, as they travel together from the Grey Havens.

To me at least, Gildor makes a lasting impression despite only appearing for a few pages.

Zach Czajkowski · Answer

Uhhh Boromir pops into my mind.

Personally, he’s my favorite character. He’s a soldier (like me), willing to do anything to protect his country and people. So when he saw the Ring, he was like “sweet, a powerful weapon made by the Enemy that I could use against the Enemy.” That’s why he desired the Ring so.

Ok, he tries to take it from Frodo. That’s not right. But he immediately realizes his mistake, tries to correct it, and then dies protecting his comrades. He should have at least died on the walls of Gondor, not in an abandoned outpost far from home.

Valeria Mesalina · Answer

Legolas Greenleaf. I love the book character, but…

Let's be clear: a whole generation of teenagers fell in love with Orlando Bloom. He was so totally Prince Charming that he could have stepped right out of a Disney movie. It was not the Legolas that I used to know.

Eleftherios Tserkezis · Answer

Turin Turambar, hands down.

Turin lived in the worst period possible and was marked by Morgoth’s curse throughout his entire life. After his father was defeated at Nirnaeth Arnoediad and was presumed dead, Turin was sent to grow up in Doriath, as Thingol’s adopted son, and became brave, fierce and also depressed and lonely. His life was one of conflicting emotions, guilt, anxiety and grief; a shadow was above him and he was always trying to escape it, to no avail.

Turin had a lot of redeeming qualities: he could empathize with others; was protective towards the Men who helped him; he kept his word to Mim the Pettydwarf; he was also very just, as was proved when he killed the leader of his own group of outlaws for trying to rape a girl.

At the same time, though, Turin was also very arrogant to the point of irritating others and making them his enemies. He was dark, irascible and temperamental. Glaurung was not altogether insincere when he mocked him saying:

%3E Evil have been all thy ways, son of Húrin. Thankless fosterling, outlaw, slayer of thy friend, thief of love, usurper of Nargothrond, captain foolhardy, and deserter of thy kin. As thralls thy mother and thy sister live in Dor-lómin, in misery and want. Thou art arrayed as a prince, but they go in rags; and for thee they yearn, but thou carest not for that.
Turin’s death shows exactly his ambiguity: he killed himself with his cursed sword after learning the terrible truth about him and his sister-wife, but it’s also said that it is Turin who will destroy Morgoth once and for all during Dagor Dagorath.