We see the love that Morwen has for Turin as well as Hurin. I loved that she's pregnant and gives birth to Nienor. I'm sure the child will be of great importance.
Turin's acceptance into the Elf Kingdom of Doriath is so neat. He will surely gain tons of knowledge that most Men never know. As the Elves of Doriath are whom Morgoth fears, it is surely vital that Turin learns all he can from them. He'll hopefully discover how to exploit Morgoth's weaknesses.
The refusal of Morwen to leave her home for the safety of Doriath is interesting. Her heart truly beats for her family and her husband and she feels Hurin is still alive, but unable to return to her. I do not envy her position.
Thingol's presentation of the Helm of Hador was a mark of his love for Turin. He has truly accepted him as a son. Turin's grief over the loss of both parents and a sister as well as a newborn sister he's never gotten to meet must tear at him internally, yet he has a place in Doriath and will no doubt find his niche soon.
I agree, a great chapter. I must admit I am SO hooked. I read through chapter 8 last night! DOH!
No spoilers from me though. No way. It's too good to ruin.
Morwen refusing to go to Doriath made me mad. If Tolkien hadn't already built her up with those "loyal to a fault" qualities, I would have objected that it was the author's hand showing--that Morwen really should have followed her son. Wasn't that what Hurin wanted? I thought he charged her to take Turin and go.
So is she really being loyal or just willful? And is that where Turin gets his stubborn streak?
And Thingol's love for Turin as a foster son is rather remarkable. That's one of the things I love about Tolkien's work. He does a marvelous job showing platonic love between characters. This is a kind of love sorely missed (or misunderstood) in our world. It is entirely possible for men to love other men--not romantically; may that never be! But the Word tells us that there will be friends closer than brothers. Thingol seems to have fatherly love and pride for Turin. It's really cool.
And any other LOTR geeks out there? Wasn't Thingol the father or grandfather of Legolas?
Whew, I'm so glad I'm not the only one wanting to read ahead. I promise on my part not to reveal anything prematurely. I was restraining myself from reading on, but since you've done it Wayne, I guess it's okay for me too. I'm totally hooked and read a page of Chap. 5 and can't wait to find out more of Turin's life in Doriath.
Wayne, you mentioned that you struggled a little bit with Morwen's refusal to leave with Turin. I've been thinking about that too.
Her pregnancy helped and I know that she is prideful. But ultimately, I've been told that she's prideful more than I've seen evidence of it.
And that points to the central strangeness of Tolkein's style. He has this mythic, Biblical style that presents itself as truth. Readers who love it just go with it. They accept that his world has order based on the language and the maps--but not always concrete examples of character motivation.
So far, chapter 2 is my favorite. The pile of bodies that became a hill was just awesome.
6 comments:
I LOVED this chapter!
We see the love that Morwen has for Turin as well as Hurin. I loved that she's pregnant and gives birth to Nienor. I'm sure the child will be of great importance.
Turin's acceptance into the Elf Kingdom of Doriath is so neat. He will surely gain tons of knowledge that most Men never know. As the Elves of Doriath are whom Morgoth fears, it is surely vital that Turin learns all he can from them. He'll hopefully discover how to exploit Morgoth's weaknesses.
The refusal of Morwen to leave her home for the safety of Doriath is interesting. Her heart truly beats for her family and her husband and she feels Hurin is still alive, but unable to return to her. I do not envy her position.
Thingol's presentation of the Helm of Hador was a mark of his love for Turin. He has truly accepted him as a son. Turin's grief over the loss of both parents and a sister as well as a newborn sister he's never gotten to meet must tear at him internally, yet he has a place in Doriath and will no doubt find his niche soon.
I'd love to hear others' analysis of this one.
Hurin and Turin? How confusing! lol. I need to go to Borders for a day and surround myself with food and drink while I read this one... :)
I agree, a great chapter. I must admit I am SO hooked. I read through chapter 8 last night! DOH!
No spoilers from me though. No way. It's too good to ruin.
Morwen refusing to go to Doriath made me mad. If Tolkien hadn't already built her up with those "loyal to a fault" qualities, I would have objected that it was the author's hand showing--that Morwen really should have followed her son. Wasn't that what Hurin wanted? I thought he charged her to take Turin and go.
So is she really being loyal or just willful? And is that where Turin gets his stubborn streak?
And Thingol's love for Turin as a foster son is rather remarkable. That's one of the things I love about Tolkien's work. He does a marvelous job showing platonic love between characters. This is a kind of love sorely missed (or misunderstood) in our world. It is entirely possible for men to love other men--not romantically; may that never be! But the Word tells us that there will be friends closer than brothers. Thingol seems to have fatherly love and pride for Turin. It's really cool.
And any other LOTR geeks out there? Wasn't Thingol the father or grandfather of Legolas?
Nope. Thranduil was the father of Legolas :P
Whew, I'm so glad I'm not the only one wanting to read ahead. I promise on my part not to reveal anything prematurely. I was restraining myself from reading on, but since you've done it Wayne, I guess it's okay for me too. I'm totally hooked and read a page of Chap. 5 and can't wait to find out more of Turin's life in Doriath.
We're loving it--still reading it outloud.
Wayne, you mentioned that you struggled a little bit with Morwen's refusal to leave with Turin. I've been thinking about that too.
Her pregnancy helped and I know that she is prideful. But ultimately, I've been told that she's prideful more than I've seen evidence of it.
And that points to the central strangeness of Tolkein's style. He has this mythic, Biblical style that presents itself as truth. Readers who love it just go with it. They accept that his world has order based on the language and the maps--but not always concrete examples of character motivation.
So far, chapter 2 is my favorite. The pile of bodies that became a hill was just awesome.
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