Silmarillion - Chapter 23 - Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Aiwendil

To begin with, Turin and Tuor are of course cousins, each the son of a heroic warrior who fought in the Nirnaeth. Each has had a destiny of some kind prescribed for him by a Vala - by Morgoth in Turin's case and by Ulmo in Tuor's (the interesting questions about fate vs. free will that arise in Turin's saga are applicable also to Tuor's, though less often discussed).

I think it is noteworthy that Túrin did have some intervention by the same Vala who "blessed" Tuor.

Ulmo had sent emissaries to Nargothrond, who had given express warnings from him against the manner in which, ordered by Túrin, the Elves there were conducting themselves. Túrin refused to listen, and I see no way in which Morgoth could have prevented him from doing so.

Tuor, on the other hand, sees himself as but a small player in the greater Play. He accepts Ulmo's errand with that in view. One would have to wonder what Túrin might have said in a similar circumstance, confronted by the Lord of Waters, and asked to give up any private ambitions he might have had and go do Ulmo's bidding. Something to the effect of "What have the Valar ever done to help me or me kin? No thanks," maybe.

Originally Posted by Aiwendil

One could argue that throughout the story, Tuor makes the right decisions where Turin made the wrong ones. But then, as Esty points out, Tuor was blessed whereas Turin was cursed; after all, neither of them escaped his fate - though, of course, Tuor's fate was happy whereas Turin's was not.

And the "fate" of both was not etched in stone. Just as Túrin could have at least lessened the impact of the curse by his choices, I feel certain Tuor was also at liberty to escape his "fate". He could have refused Ulmo's errand, "fate" would have found another means of being accomplished, and Tuor's enduring fame would consequently probably not have been present.