Thoughs on M[a]eglin

[Urwen]

I wonder what would happen if Meglin and Glorfindel's roles were swapped? Wouldn't it have been funny to read about reborn!Meglin helping Hobbits?

Maybe he'd even fall in love with 'little woman'.

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Urwen

I wonder what would happen if Meglin and Glorfindel's roles were swapped? Wouldn't it have been funny to read about reborn!Meglin helping Hobbits?

Maybe he'd even fall in love with 'little woman'.

So I'm seeing Maeglin, slightly crazy as ever, transferring his obsession with Idril into obsession with her son. He sees the boy as practically his own child, and will protect him no matter what. Tuor, naturally, hates this, and is quite public about his dislike of the king's nephew. (To be honest this is fairly true to the book.)

Which is what turns Glorfindel against him. He really doesn't like this mortal acting like he's better than a noble Elf, especially since Tuor has taken to calling Maeglin 'half-breed', which pushes buttons for half-Vanyarin Glorfindel. He probably gets captured while scouting outside the dry river (in his paranoia, he's half-expecting other mortals to show up - after all, Tuor shows that Huor and Hurin clearly betrayed the city's location), and is seduced by Morgoth promising to make Gondolin 'as a golden flower amid the plains'.

Spoilers: the gold is flames while it burns.

Meanwhile, to build their Way of Escape, Idril does an end-run around Tuor and just straight-up enlists Maeglin's help. The House of the Mole manages to dig a lot further than Idril did, so when the time comes they actually get a fair few more people out.

Glorfindel doesn't go after Tuor - he's not nearly as obsessed as Maeglin was. Maybe he goes out duelling Turgon? Yes, a duel beneath the Tower, as the replicas of the Two Trees burn around them - that's nice and appropriate.

As for Maeglin - he jumps in front of the Balrog specifically to protect Earendil, and they have a nice Burning Sword Duel. Maeglin probably still gets to fall from a high place, because some fates are too strong to defeat.

The main problem I see is that when he comes back, he's going to end up around Elrond (who looks like Earendil) and Arwen (who probably looks enough like Idril). Things are going to get creepy again, and I wouldn't be surprised if he got kicked out of Rivendell at some point. Dunno, I'd have to think about it.

hS

[Urwen]

So...you believe that he'll still be crazy even with the role-swap?

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Urwen

So...you believe that he'll still be crazy even with the role-swap?

Well, unless you meant 'what if the golden-haired Lord of the Golden Flower was named Maeglin, and the twisted son of Aredhel was named Glorfindel', yes, I think he'd still be the same person. Maeglin has an obsessive personality and fixated on Idril to the point that he tried to murder her son. I've just tried to find a way to turn that into 'save her son' instead.

hS

[Urwen]

You're telling someone who is obsessed with him that he is crazy...

Also, off-topic, it's your turn to make a new riddle.