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Originally Posted by Arvegil145
Could the evil within mentioned as a possible cause for the downfall of the Girdle of Melian in Concerning... 'The Hoard' be as simple as Hurin's sheer admittance to Doriath?
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An interesting argument, though I don't think I really buy that the entrance of Hurin into Doriath in itself was "an evil deed", nor
the evil deed that robbed the Girdle of its power.
However, your point at the end has gotten me thinking that perhaps it was really the power of the doubly cursed treasure (cursed by Glaurung and by Mim) that sapped the magic of the Girdle from within. The idea that mere "evil deeds" could defeat the girdle strikes me as rather
ad hoc and unsatisfying both from a narrative and a world-building standpoint. But the curse upon the treasure is a real, almost tangible force that Thingol has foolishly allowed to enter into Doriath. And I think that this idea is harmonious with what is said in
CTH about the "evil deeds" robbing the Girdle of its power, because those evil deeds are themselves an effect of the curse. Why do
these evil deeds weaken the magic of the Girdle? Because they were brought about by the power of the dragon's curse.
Of course, I'm not suggesting we make any statement to this effect in the text. I think I'm for taking the "evil deeds" explanation straight out of
CTH and omitting the alternative that Melian removed the Girdle herself. The passage reads like Tolkien still being unsure of what mechanism to use to bypass the Girdle, and so offering two very tentative alternatives. I don't think the intention was that the text of a full telling of the Ruin of Doriath would dither about the reason.
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Another point - I find the Dwarves in CtH faaar more reasonable and behaved than in the previous versions (especially The Nauglafring): in my opinion, having the Dwarves still intent on abducting Melian is just utterly at odds with everything that's been said of them in the new text.
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Agreed. In fact, the idea of them trying to abduct Melian is directly at odds with the text of
CTH, since it states that in their "honesty" they only took that which was owed them, and that the only point in which they wavered from this honesty was the taking of the Nauglamir.