TarienLorien
Hobbit
And out of a grey country darkness lies on the foaming waves between us...
Posts: 44
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Post by TarienLorien on Mar 14, 2005 18:04:58 GMT -5
I've finished re-reading the chapter entitled "Of Maeglin"... it's the one about Aredhel and Eol. I found this to be a very sad tale, but I did like it very much. So, what the heck. I'll start a discussion on it.
I liked Aredhel quite a bit.. perhaps she was a bit mule-headed, but she was vivacious and "hardy of heart", as Tolkien put it. I thought it unfortunate that she should have to dwell in the twilight with Eol, when she had such a sunny soul, and that her son would have to grow up in the darkness also. Now I'm wondering.. how could someone that stubborn be forced into an unhappy marriage? I wonder if somewhere inside of her, Aredhel felt a bit of love, or pity even, for Eol. If so, where did that love go when she and Maeglin abandoned him? And.. did Eol truly love Aredhel, or was he just in lust? He came across as possessive and jealous to me. How sad that he should end up killing Aredhel for the sake of that jealousness.
Did anyone else like this chapter? What were your thoughts on it?
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Post by Arien Elensar on Mar 14, 2005 19:04:51 GMT -5
When they abandoned him it was because he was going to kill her son and that is what I believe to be the reason for that love vanishing. I think he was more into lust because I don't really remember any semi-evil characters in the Silm.
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Post by RavenLady on Mar 14, 2005 20:43:01 GMT -5
I have a strange, inexplicable fascination with Eol, so I've been trying to figure out what I think of him. Just some thoughts . . .
This is from the scene where Eol threatens Maeglin:
". . . I will not deal nor have my son deal with the slayers of our kin, the invaders and usurpers of our homes. In this you shall obey me, or I will set you in bonds." And Maeglin did not answer, but was cold and silent, and went no more abroad with Eol; and Eol mistrusted him."
So Eol is prepared to force Maeglin to do what he wants, that is, to stay away from the Noldor. It isn't a death threat. He does not want Maeglin dead -- not until he finds Aredhel and Maeglin in Gondolin, at which point he decides Maeglin is better off dead than living with the Noldor.
Well, we don't really know. The story is told from the Noldorin perspective, after all. Sure, he was possessive and jealous. Both of them rushed into things, and while that ends happily in some cases in Tolkien's world (all those love at first sight stories!) this doesn't seem to be one of them. I'd like to think he loved her, at least at some point, but he didn't figure out what that meant, apparently.
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Post by Arien Elensar on Mar 14, 2005 22:11:36 GMT -5
I think that Eol was lustful of her but he couldn't exactly figure otu his feeling for her. and being one to rush into things...
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Post by Lady Orohisiel Rainyaviel on Mar 16, 2005 12:08:43 GMT -5
I think Eol only wanted her at first because she was pretty, he 'desired her' tends to make it seem more evil, at least it does to me. And I think she did love him, or pity him, because I remember it saying that she was not unhappy being with him. I just wish she had stoof up to him a bit more, but I admire her for sacrificing herself for her son
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Post by Arien Elensar on Mar 16, 2005 12:29:55 GMT -5
Yeah, what I was trying to say in words but you did it WAY better.
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Post by RavenLady on Mar 16, 2005 20:39:25 GMT -5
There's an interesting bit about Eol later in The Silmarillion (Ch. 21, "Of Turin Turambar"): "He [Eol] gave Anglachel to Thingol as a fee, which he begrudged, for leave to dwell in Nan Elmoth; but its mate Anguirel he kept, until it was stolen from him by Maeglin, his son.
But as Thingol turned the hilt of Anglachel towards Beleg, Melian looked at the blade; and she said, 'There is malice in this sword. The dark heart of the smith still dwells in it. It will not love the hand it serves; neither will it abide with you long."Darn! So Eol gets turned into a bad guy with a "dark heart" before he did anything really wrong (besides forging a creepy sword). Even Feanor and his sons get some of their better moments mentioned, but Eol is depicted as a creep. Not fair. Whatever happened to "nothing is evil in the beginning?"
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Post by Arien Elensar on Mar 16, 2005 22:22:17 GMT -5
Well they are wise elves so they could see that by forging the sword or without it he was turning to darkness. He was slowly being pulled into shadow. The elves can forsee many things. And actually I don't think that's true.
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Post by Lady Undomiel on Apr 6, 2005 3:32:08 GMT -5
I love that chapter and it was my favorurite before reading about Beren and Luthien and about Turin... Well, I think that Eol loved Aredhel but not with the same love as Beren and Luthien for example... And about Maeglin I don't like him much first because of Idril - he loves her and that love started to became 'evil' with the time and also he betraded Gondolin to Morgoth!!
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Post by Arien Elensar on Apr 6, 2005 17:41:28 GMT -5
Yeah, I was kind of upset about that too. I jsut couldn't get how he could have betrayed Gondolin to Morgoth! And poor Idril.
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Post by RavenLady on Apr 6, 2005 18:38:33 GMT -5
No, more a possessive love. That's part of what makes the story interesting, I think.
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Post by Arien Elensar on Apr 6, 2005 19:12:38 GMT -5
That's true. It's one of Tolkiens different stories.
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Post by Herenya on Apr 7, 2005 2:21:13 GMT -5
I think he loved her. I think she loved him, too. It after all says that it wasn't like she wasn't unwilling to stay with him, and by saying that he took her as his wife implies that he cares about her to an extent and that the feeling was mutual. The connatations on that word are more... positive than if he had just taken her as his mistress.
I found it interesting, too. Tolkien leaves a lot unsaid, which makes you wonder. AND it's different to his other stories.
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Post by Arien Elensar on Apr 7, 2005 13:27:13 GMT -5
I have no doubt he loved her, though to some extent. The words tell almost as plain as day. And it really is very different. More deep.
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Cibbwin
Dwarf
Do you wish, lord, to leave your people before your time?
Posts: 95
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Post by Cibbwin on Apr 8, 2005 15:54:25 GMT -5
I dunno. I think Eol loved them both, but his envy was an emotion he could not suppress or ignore. I just can't get over the fact that he killed Aredhel. I mean, she coulda been a strong calvalryperson, or something. d**n fool.
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