(Dang it! My hi-liter is running out of ink! Dumb research paper!)
Anyway,
littlemanpoet:
"Jus' one theeng. Eet occurs to meee zat 'ol Smaug..."
Not only are we now talking in circles, we are seemingly just a bit intoxicated too. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]
Moving on to more serious matters, while I love Farmer Giles of Ham, I really don't think that you can take Chrysophylax as an example of Middle earth dragons.
When is Smaug cowardly? He flew by himself and single handed and destroyed two kingdoms. Sounds rather brave to me.
The Balrog ran from Gandalf and it fled from the War of Wrath. Of course fleeing from the War of Wrath was sensible, but not exactly brave.
obloquy:
Quote:
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Balrog versus dragon? Balrog, by a mile...On the flipside, in one-on-one combat, regardless of the oppponent, I'd always put my money on the Balrog.
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Perhaps I have failed to understand something. Why? It seems to have been generally agreed that the physical strength of a Dragon was greater. You have not come up with a convincing reason to make me think that a Balrogs spiritual power would be able to daunt a Dragon, in a battle between a tank and a general it is always best to bet on the tank. It is better suited for fighting. Is that not the situation being discussed here?
Thingol:
So, drawing on the Suicide in Middle Earth thread, on the eve of battle should warriors give themselves a 'Marc Antony' fatal wound and then be able to perform great feats of heroics? [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
Actually, I sort of understand what you are saying. I think what you mean is that the individual in question has gone beyond the point where they have anything to lose. If you have nothing to lose, then you can fight without fear or concern because all you have to think about is trying to accomplish something great before you die.
This is the same sort of idea that Sun Tzu advocated in certain situations in
The Art of War because once soldiers get in this frame of mind they become almost impossible to defeat.
This is also the idea that the French Foreign Legion operated on. The recruits had no future except the Legion, best to fight and die and accomplish something great because there is nothing else to gain.
(Somebody needs to start a thread about
Farmer Giles of Ham sometime.)
[ March 04, 2002: Message edited by: Kuruharan ]