The Middle Earth Popularity Cup

[skip spence]

See, this is why I couldn't vote for him. I cringe every time he draws Andruil while crying "Elendil", especially when there seemingly is no need for it, like on the fields of Rohan when Eomer first runs across them. Now Thingol on the other hand has got dignity and class and if he were to say "Lo!" or "Behold!" he would get away with it.

I also wonder just how tall Thingol was. "The tallest of all the children of Illuvatar" he's described as. What, even today we have freakishly tall people who reach 2 1/2 metres. Was Greycloak even taller than that? And Melian, how tall was she? Now my mental image of him resembles that of an NBA star on the red carpet with his in comparison tiny wife. And Luthien their child - I always imagined her as petite.

[Lalwendë]

Thingol has one of the coolest names in Tolkien's creation of course, and he's much, much more like an Elf of Faerie than most other Elves are. He lives in this wooded/underground realm with his otherworldly wife and their beautiful daughter. He sets people up with impossible tests just like a ruler of Faerie might. He's not one of those jumped-up Noldor either who return and basically take over Beleriand.

Aragorn is a fascinating figure who we really see grow into his Kingship over the course of LotR. He might be a bit of a prig at times but he's not perfect and Gandalf knocks his corners off soon enough. He was also this interesting, mysterious Ranger for many years so he's not just some 'igh and mighty prince, but woodsy and earthy.

So that's a really tough choice...

I shall, though, pick

++Aragorn

Because Thingol wouldn't stand a chance in later rounds so he'd be a wasted vote!

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Originally Posted by skip spence

See, this is why I couldn't vote for him. I cringe every time he draws Andruil while crying "Elendil", especially when there seemingly is no need for it, like on the fields of Rohan when Eomer first runs across them. Now Thingol on the other hand has got dignity and class and if he were to say "Lo!" or "Behold!" he would get away with it.

There's a long standing joke among my friends that Aragorn is said to have "daughters" (plural) but only one son, and this because when Eldarion was, oh, maybe three or so, every time Aragorn started something with "Lo!" the kid immediately piped up with "And Behold!" Not wanting to appear abusive for smacking his son and heir when this became too annoying to bear, he simply made up his mind to have no more sons, since girls were so much better behaved.

For me, though, voting for Thingol would feel like nepotism, since I'd feel like I was voting for my husband, who is also tall and silver-haired.

[skip spence]

^Wow, you and your friends have active imaginations, Ibrin.

Behold! Aragorn has prevailed with 6 votes to 2 and advances to the second round.

Match 14 of Round 1:

Now something for the ladies: Legolas, the fair-haired surfer dude from Mirkwood, has finally entered the competition. The question is whether he will remain in it because his opponent is none other than Samwise Gamgee.

Legolas vs. Sam

[Morthoron]

++Sam.

I voted for his old man, so I'll stick with the Gamgee clan. Sam is a great character and his asides are priceless.

In addition, this is definitely a vote against Legolas, or rather, what Legolas has become primarily due to the movies. This is an anti-Orlando vote, a vote against bleach blonde, contact-wearing, wooden-acting, shield surfing pretty boys everywhere.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Oh man. . . I have to vote Legolas, because I really find Sam annoying.
Also I cannote help feeling sympathy for Legolas, after spending this long on this site with all you Legolas haters.

++Legolas

[Groin Redbeard]

Originally Posted by Rune Son of Bjarne

Oh man. . . I have to vote Legolas, because I really find Sam annoying.
Also I cannote help feeling sympathy for Legolas, after spending this long on this site with all you Legolas haters.

Blame it on Orlando Bloom.

I really like Sam's character, Tolkien does a wonderful job of making him in the image of the ordinary man. In some sense, Sam is the true hero of Lord of the Rings.

++Sam

[skip spence]

Movie Legolas may be annoying but book Legolas is something worse, he's boring. Having lived for millennia he still has no stories to tell and no advice to give. Sam on the other hand is a well crafted character through and through, one of Tolkien's best. His puppy love for Frodo annoys me a bit too but that's okay, I still love him.

++Sam

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Since they both annoy me, I will have to vote

++Legolas

(dark haired, not blond ) because I like his poetry better. It was fun setting it to music, especially the Song of Nimrodel.

And skip, I don't think it's so much that we have active imaginations as that we listened to old Bill Cosby routines too much. This "lo and behold" thing was doubtless inspired by one of his childhood reminisces about his mother's use of "sick and tired" and how he got smacked for finishing the phrase for her at the wrong time.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

I feel like voting for Legolas just to counter all the anti-legolism, because I think (and I see that on myself, at least!) people started to dislike Legolas really after the movies: most people won't mind that much, probably, if there had not been for the movies. (What does it mean? Yes, of course! Another proof that PJ and all the deed of his blasphemy must be erased from the face of this earth!)

Legolas indeed tends to be boring, in a similar way like Gimli: sometimes, you get the impression that they are there just to "fit in the number of nine". However, his dreams, behavior; sometimes his sayings, songs and poetry, as Ibri said, are actually quite interesting. But Sam, of course, is great character and we see lot of his development, I think it's unnecessary to go on lengths about him here.

Hmm. I will re-think it yet before I vote.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Rune Son of Bjarne

Oh man. . . I have to vote Legolas, because I really find Sam annoying.
Also I cannote help feeling sympathy for Legolas, after spending this long on this site with all you Legolas haters.

++Legolas

Rune! How could you! You have a chance to vote for one of the proletariat and you vote for one of the landed gentry?



I love Sam, he's no mindless servant of Frodo, but a family friend, someone younger who looks up to Frodo. He's an idealist and he goes off on this journey both because he's Frodo's young friend and because he's entirely overawed by the prospect of seeing things straight out of Faerie. Sam is just like every single reader of Lord of the Rings, blindly giving his trust to the older, 'wiser' friend (i.e. Tolkien in our case) and willing to be led off on this mad quest to who-knows-where.

Plus he likes a beer.

++Sam

[Tuor in Gondolin]

While Legolas can skateboard down fortresses
steps Sam does a terrific impression of a great elf warrior,
so + + Samwise

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Rune! How could you! You have a chance to vote for one of the proletariat and you vote for one of the landed gentry?

I had a chance to vote for a conservative idea of the ideal servant and I chose not to take it.

When you read Tolkiens work you have to look past class devide, otherwise I would be going on and on about how almost all his heroes are aristocrats.