Survivor: The Second Age

[Formendacil]

Okay, the official tally. Here we are:

Originally Posted by Eonwe

++Celebrimbor

In keeping with the spirit of the Second Age, that being redress of the wrongs of the First, and the uniting of the free realms in peace, Celebrimbor shows himself worthy of the crown of this competition.

Firstly, he turns from the corrupted path of his father and uncles, attmepting to maintain harmony with neighboring realms. Second, he starts the ambicious progect of forging the Three Rings of Power, which were instrumental in the founding of Rivendell, and Lothlorien, both crutial kingdoms by the time of the War of the Ring.

COUNTED- for reference to Celebrimbor’s break with his father, and his creation of the Elven Rings of Power.

Originally Posted by 1000 Reader

++Celebrimbor.

Celebrimbor is the only accomplished survivor left. He tried to make peace through actual peace, not war, and the three elven rings did more harm than good to Sauron.

The others have not done anything worthy to have gotten this far. Celebrimbor has created the elven rings, tools which helped save the Third Age, as well as the ages to come.

COUNTED- for reference to the Elven Rings and their effect on the Third Age.

Originally Posted by Firefoot

Are you saying that Tar-Miriel did nothing? She was put in a bad spot, forced into a marriage against her will to a man who would usurp all the power. It would have been easy for her to give in, but she remained loyal to the Faithful, and would have undoubtedly helped them out quite a bit (she was certainly in some sort of position to do so, even if she would have had to act in secret). But she herself was not able to be saved from the drowning of Numenor - how could she? the Queen could hardly just go missing, and their doings all had to be done in secret. So instead she drowned ascending the heights of Meneltarma. For her bravery, Tar-Miriel is my vote for Survivor.

++Tar-Miriel

COUNTED- for reference, amongst other speculation, to Tar-Míriel’s final ascent of Meneltarma.

Originally Posted by Tuor of Gondolin

++ Celebrian
She was actually rather adventurous, including journeying over a rather run-down Redhorn Gate to visit mom and dad, and she did survive orc poisoning and ill treatment. Plus her experience with nasty orcsees had a lot to do with her sons having a thing for terminating orcs with extreme prejudice . Oh yeah, and her seamstress daughter made a good trophy wife.

COUNTED- for reference to Celebrían’s trips over the Redhorn pass.

Originally Posted by Celuien

++CELEBRIMBOR

For being the only contestant remaining to have actually done something important. The Three Rings were important for the preservation of Rivendell and Lorien, and aiding Gandalf's efforts.

COUNTED- Again, for reference to the creation of the Three Elven Rings, and the resulting effect in the Third Age.

Originally Posted by the Saucepan Man

I rather prefer the idea of Celebrian as victor. It must have taken a lot of guts to resist simply succumbing to the torments of the Orcs that had captured her and relinquish her hroar then and there. I reckon that it was her love for her husband and children, and her wish to see them again, which kept her going, and that speaks loudly in her favour as far as I am concerned. Let's not underestimate the courage that is required to survive captivity in such terrible conditions. It is clear that she suffered terribly from the fact that even Elrond was unable, ultimately, fully to heal her spirit.

And she gave birth to some pretty remarkable chidlren. Arwen, who is likened to none less than Luthien, and whose inspiration of Aragorn contributed to the salvation of Middle-earth. And Elladan and Elrohir, whose qualities as hunters and warriors are undoubted, and who also contributed greatly to the cause at the Pelennor and before the Black Gate.

So, for her courage in the face of horrendous circumstances, and for her contribution, through her children, to the salvation of Middle-earth and ultimate defeat of Sauron in the Third Age:

++ CELEBRIAN

COUNTED- For recitation of Celebrían’s general history and the inferred personality she bore.

Originally Posted by Lalaith

Who here among us has never had the temptation to rewrite history - just a little - in favour of those innocents that were wronged?

To have saved the noble Germanicus from poisoning, and the Roman empire from the raddled bag of depravities that was his brother Tiberius...

To have stolen into the Tower and smuggled out the two Little Princes...
...or rescued poor, clever, shy Lady Jane Grey from the block, and taken her back to the safe obscurity she craved...

...or to administer a TB jab to a certain young Londoner in the early 1800s, and thus add to the world's greatest poetry the splendour of a mature Keats....

Now we have here, on the Downs, the chance to right a great wrong. Tar-Miriel would, but for the machinations of Sauron and his lap-dog Ar-Pharazon, been a very great Queen, a wise and just ruler of Numenor. I say we crown her Queen of Survivor instead, and allow the viewers a small glimpse what might have been.
++TAR MIRIEL

COUNTED- for summation of Tar-Míriel’s history, and the desire to rewrite the history regarding her. (Formendacil, as a historaphile, is- by the way- very appreciate of this rewriting strategy, and may just plagiarize it in the future…)

Originally Posted by JennyHallu

++Celebrian

So that grace and beauty shall not pass quickly from the world.

I have always had a fascination and reverence for Celebrian. She bore up under the greatest trials and triumphed. She kept herself alive until help came in a hopeless situation and through torture of the mind, body, and spirit, and that she left for healing afterwards cannot be faulted. My vote for her is because her story ends in triumph and reunion.

COUNTED- For reference to Celebrían’s survival in face of orkish peril- and reference to Elrond’s reunion with her in Valinor.

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

++Celebrian Think of the consequences if she does not survive into the Third Age. She is a survivor and her largely untold story encapsulates so many aspects of the wider history of middle earth.

COUNTED- for noting the fact that Celebrían actually did survive a nasty situation.

Originally Posted by dancing spawn of Ungoliant

Celebrimbor: "Silver-fist". Silver -> a second place -> not worthy of winning.

Celebrían: "Silver queen". See above.

Tar-Míriel: Tar = high lady, queen. Mîr, Míre = jewel. This dazzling woman is the jewel of the show. She might be a diamond in the rough, her brilliance dimmed by her ever so horrible husband, but she has got a lot of potential in her (and a personal name compared to the Celeb-something-club), so let us now give her a chance to shine.

I trust that a voting decision that is based on languages that were so dear to Tolkien is Middle-earthian enough... However, just in case:

++TAR-MÍRIEL

COUNTED- Languages and Tolkien go together like fish and chips. Oh, and there is an alternative reasoning, if one doesn’t like this.

Originally Posted by Diamond

As one also possessing a jewel-like name, I must toss my hat in with the tragic Queen of Númenor. Re-writing history with unrepentant glee, we right the wrongs done unto not only her but the whole Isle of Númenor. Let this survivor's island be the new Isle of Númenor, with Tar-Miriel ruling as Queen, as is her right as the only heir of Tar-Palantir, last decent King of Númenor.

++ Tar-Míriel

COUNTED- for reference to Tar-Míriel’s right to be queen, her tragic loss of that privalege, and her status as Tar-Palantír’s only child.

Originally Posted by the Phantom

++ Celebrimbor

For previously stated reasons (making the three rings, getting them hidden before Sauron's plan could catch them, and refusing to reveal their whereabouts when tortured). And I also like the way he and those under his leadership forged such an excellent relationship with the dwarves of Moria. Isn't that nice?

COUNTED- For reference to Celebrimbor’s hiding the Rings ere Sauron could reach them, and for reference to his bravery in face of torture, and for reference to his exceptional relationship with the Dwarves.

Originally Posted by Lhunardawen

++TAR-MÍRIEL

and say that it's his thread.

Okay, okay...he'll do only the first part.

But why Tar-Miríel? Because Celebrían, respectable though she is, is not exactly a Survivor in a sense. Not that we can blame her for giving up on life, but we have a game to consider.

Celebrimbor, while deserving credit for the creation of the rings, was in some way just following the footsteps of his grandfather: he created something grand, then died because of it. Mind that I don't have anything against Feanor...or maybe I do.

NO ONE else in Middle-earth history had a life similar to our dear tragic queen's. And she died holding on (quite literally) to what she believed in. Beat that!

COUNTED- for reference to Tar-Míriel’s death on Meneltarma. You were lucky, sis… Your vote almost didn’t have a Tolkien-based reference to deal with Tar-Míriel.

So there we have it. The tally is:

Celebrían: IIII
Celebrimbor: IIII

Tar-Míriel: IIIII

So close to a tie... so close. Of course, I'd have vote Tar-Míriel anyway. But that unnecessary dirtying of my hands has been avoided, and so it is with great pleasure (mwahahahaa: Moderator Win) that I crown Míriel, daughter of Palantír, Queen of Survivor: The Second Age.

GAME OVER

Those of you needing a Survivor fix are directed over to Diamond's Survivor: The Minor Works, Round 5 of Survivor: Middle-Earth.

~Michael A. Joosten - Survivor: The Second Age Moderator Emeritus~

[Formendacil]

POSTSCRIPT:

In the case of a tie for 2nd and 3rd Place, I hereby, as my last act as Survivor Moderator, declare Celebrimbor son of Curufin as 2nd Place Champion, in light of Anguirel's post-deadline vote for him.

~Finis~

[The 1,000 Reader]

Okay...the person who didn't do a single thing and was pushed around throughout her lifetime won simply because of far-fetched what-ifs and because she was touching a building when she died.

...................

....


"What's wrong with you people?!"

[Diamond18]

Why is no one else celebrating??

*cavorts around tossing candy and confetti in the air*

Or bemoaning for that matter?

*hands out sackcloth and ashes*

(X-posted with 1,000 Reader.)

[The 1,000 Reader]

Get yer' bombs boys, we're sinkin' this queen with er' isle again.

[Firefoot]

I'll celebrate with you, Diamond!

To tell the truth, Tar-Miriel is one of the ones I was hoping might win. Even though she is so minor, she has always been one of my favorite minor characters. I had not ever realized before this just how little was explicitly written about her. Guess that shows you what a little imagination can do. Sometimes it is nice that Tolkien leaves us little holes to fill in.

[The 1,000 Reader]

"With our research over, George Bush is a better writer than Shakespeare because there is a 3% chance that he was abducted by aliens and injected with writing-enhancing formulas."

Seriously, people shouldn't win because of far-fetched dreams that aren't in tune with the story they came from. "She died in a tower" doesn't really mean anything. Any other character would have gone to the tower if they couldn't reach a boat.

(As a sidenote, you might want to find a new island for the next survivor. Heh heh. )

[Diamond18]

Nobody likes an aggressively sore loser. It's annoying.

Also, your analogy holds no water since Shakespeare and George Bush are real people and Tar-Miriel et al are (say it with me everyone) fictional.

fic·tion n.

1.a. An imaginative creation or a pretense that does not represent actuality but has been invented.
1.b. The act of inventing such a creation or pretense.

2. A lie.

3.a. A literary work whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact.
3.b. The category of literature comprising works of this kind, including novels and short stories.

Finally, saying that you're going to blow up the island because you didn't like the outcome of the game is childish. Or, to put it into another analogy, blowing up games you didn't win today leads to beating up grandmothers and stealing candy from children the next. It's a slippery slope.