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Originally Posted by Morthoron
I'm sorry, but I believe you are reading a bit more into the passage than Tolkien intended. Certainly, the Dwarves were brave and deserve their due for fighting the dragon, but you seem to be overlooking some points:
1) There were many Dwarves with Azaghal encircling Glaurung (much like when the Dwarves murdered Thingol). This was not single combat (again, going back to the original premise of the thread).
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It seems that you have looked over a couple of facts. Fact: dragons are the fiercest of Morgoth's creation and Glaurung is fiercest of the dragons. The dragon's were all routed and the Dwarves WON!
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Originally Posted by Morthoron
2) The Dwarves were better equipped armor-wise to withstand the fires of Glaurung.
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I think that is more of a compliment,
Morthoron.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Morthoron
3) They did not kill the dragon. Azaghal only wounded him with his blade (Turin, a man, did a more complete job of sword thrusting).
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Azaghal had only a knife while Turin had a sword. Turin didn't exactly face the dragon in a fair fight.
What about Glaurung's gaze? It affected Turin, but doesn't seem to do anything to the Dwarves, how can this be?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Morthoron
4) When their king was killed the Dwarves bore him off the field -- and left. They gave up.
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They didn't give up they did their part. I think that says more about their love for their king than anything else. The passage also says that none
dared to hinder them, that description doesn't sound like a people who have given up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Morthoron
Now, see, that's the problem with confining an entire battle to a single quote. Had you read the previous page of the Sil, you would have found this important information:
So saying that the only thing the Noldor had going for them the entire day was the Dwarves is a fallacy. The deciding factor in Morgoth's victory was the treachery of Men, a point Tolkien reiterated twice. The Dwarves certainly saved the Eastern army of the Noldor after they were decimated by treachery, and deserve renown for their battle with Glaurung, but you have to take the whole battle in context.
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The passage I chose from the Silmarillion did not downsize the might of the Elves, it emphasized the might of the Dwarves. Like I said before, there is so little known about the Dwarves and I gave that reference as the best that I could find.
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Originally Posted by Morthoron
This seems to indicate a fair fight until a second Balrog bound Fingon with fire.
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He still got beat. I also dislike the way that people say the things are unfair when people are fighting, you do whatever it takes to survive. You can also use that kind of argument with the Dwarves. Everything could have gone so well for them if Glaurung hadn't "cheated" and use his breath to melt the Dwarves or when he used his gigantic sized to roll over one of them.
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Originally Posted by Morthoron
Since there really is no noted instance of single combat between a Dwarf and a Noldor, I can only refer you to the Battle of Sarn Athrad, where Beren (an Edain) "fought his last fight, and himself slew the Lord of Nogrod, and wrested from him the Necklace of the Dwarves." If Beren could do such a deed of arms (and he was not even the most renowed warrior of the Edain), I see no reason why Fingolfin, Ecthelion or Glorfindel could not do the same.
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The passage does not say that Beren "wrestled" with the Dwarves it just says that he slew them and took the necklace. It also refers to how the cowards chose to kill the Dwarves with bows and not hand to hand, though I am sure that they did fight hand to hand once the Dwarves where low enough in numbers.
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Originally Posted by Inziladun
Yes, they did. The Petty-Dwarves, however, were said to have been "banished in ancient days from the great Dwarf-cities of the east." They were exiles, but there is no indication they were less capable in combat than the "civilised" Dwarves.
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They are described as being shorter than a normal Dwarf, that would put them in the same category of height as the Hobbits.