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Thread: hurin and the nirnaeth


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in the nirnaeth arnoediad it says that hurin cast aside his shield and wilded an axe. it says that his axe smoked in the black blood of the TROLL-GUARD. so hurin didnt fight gothmog, he fouhght a troll? like a troll in lotr?
also it says evry time hurin SLEW he cried...does this mean he slew orcs or something there or everytime he turned. (slew means:1. past tense of slay/kill. 2. turn around quickly)
From my memory, I say that Hurin never had to face Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs. The guy who killed Gothmog was Fingon, I think. Vir can correct me if my memory is wrong.

And I am quite positive that "slew" means the past tense of slay in that context.
Every time Hurin slew - that is killed he cried: 'Aure entuluva!'

Clover - Fingon was killed by Gothmog, he didn't kill him. Ecthelion of the fountain of Gondolin did that by driving his helm into him but also was killed by Gothmog.
Quote:
does this mean he slew orcs or something there


If i remember correctly he uttered that cry 70 times meaning he killed atleast 70 orcs & trolls. You must also remember that morgoth wanted him alive and that the orcs tried to catch him without hurting him. That's why maybe he managed to kill that much.
Moregoth didn't want him alive. It just happened that H’rin slew so much that he was buried under the dead, rancid bodies of fiends and monsters, so that he could be taken.
I suggest re-searching the passage a little better Virumor:

"Seventy times he uttered that cry; but they took him at last alive, by the command of Morgoth, for the Orcs grappled him with their hands, which clung to him still though he hewed off their arms; and ever their numbers were renewed, until at last he fell buried beneath them. Then Gothmog bound him and dragged him to Angband with mockery."

Lord of All, one of my favorite passages.  Truly shows the desperation and futility against Morgoth.

There is always hope, Brego! Even when it is fool's hope. And none of the fight's against the enemies of freedom have been in vain, even those untimely made or failed by mistake of leaders.
That passage put's the final stroke and marks the name of the battle one more time. But so it was many times in the history of ME (as in RL). I cannot be sympathetic to Morgoth's cause. Therefor I like other passages more.

Thorin, It might have been Morgoth's intention to capture Hurin and torture him for his courage or by whatever  malice might have been in Morgoth's mind, but nevertheless I believe orcs did not spare Hurin from harm just to capture him alive. He was a strong and skilled warrior and managed to stand against enemy of high count.

I must agree with Ammornil's thoughts about the situation and I especially agree that , as Aragorn says in the movie at least in the Two Towers, 'there is always hope.' And every inch gained is an inch the next group of valiant fighters can dig their feet into to stand them steady.

True, there is always hope, and yes sometimes only a Fools Hope, however with the Doom of Mandos hanging over all at this time and the curse on the Silmarills at work the good deeds of all were constantly undone.  The Noldor for forewarned of this and knew full well that any and all deeds since their exile would ultimately come to nothing, this of course fed into the lives of the Men who supported them as well.  So ultimately in this case there was no hope.

Even Galadriel called the struggle the banished Eldar Long Defeat.....