Hurin and despair - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

davem · 05-09-2003, 02:08 AM

I think pride is a central issue, though. Hurin 'proudly' defies Morgoth, the most powerful being in Arda. That effectively starts the tragedy.
You can go right back to Feanor. So many of the central events & themes of the Legendarium seem to come down to that. We have to remember that for a Christian pride is one of the seven deadly sins. In the Magnificat we have the line 'He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.'
This is central, I feel. Tolkien never esteems pride, & always sees it 'going before a fall'.
Pride is always a sin for Tolkien, so whenever I read of a character displaying pride, I'm expecting disaster to follow.

05-09-2003, 02:08 AM	#9
davem Illustrious Ulair Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties Posts: 4,240	I think pride is a central issue, though. Hurin 'proudly' defies Morgoth, the most powerful being in Arda. That effectively starts the tragedy. You can go right back to Feanor. So many of the central events & themes of the Legendarium seem to come down to that. We have to remember that for a Christian pride is one of the seven deadly sins. In the Magnificat we have the line 'He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.' This is central, I feel. Tolkien never esteems pride, & always sees it 'going before a fall'. Pride is always a sin for Tolkien, so whenever I read of a character displaying pride, I'm expecting disaster to follow. __________________ “Everything was an object. If you killed a dwarf you could use it as a weapon – it was no different to other large heavy objects."