[Mithadan]

In light of the recent discussion in the Tragic Flaw of the Hurin Family thread, I am bumping this to the top as it discusses similar or parallel issues regarding the nature of Morgoth's curse. In particular, Aiwendil's discussion of whether the curse is internal (driven by Turin's own choices and actions) or external (caused by Morgoth's malevolent influence). Aiwendil suggests that I espouse the external view, and he is partially correct. I believe that Turin's exercises of his free will was influenced by Morgoth's focus and attention so that his choices and actions went awry. However, I do not view the curse as being a "thing" that attached to Turin, his mother and sister causing perpetual bad luck. Rather, I view the curse as requiring a degree of Morgoth's attention (see DaveM's post) to nudge Hurin's family along, though their characters and personalities may have been affected so that even when Morgoth was not paying attention, their actions went astray.