Turin?

Oh man, walking epic tragedy Turambar. Warning- while I don’t have the dislike for him (coming off the tragedy of his tale more than his character himself) that I had three years ago, I’m still not his fan. I don’t dislike him; I just don’t have investment into him. He is one of Tolkien’s strongest and most developed characters (An opinion I held even when my thoughts towards him were unkind), but I still try to give him a wide breath as anyone attached to his Doom should have if they could have. ;p

• 1-3 things I enjoy about them

The re-naming – sure I tease about his many names. But it’s fascinating and this great psychological element as much as a story element that I’m a sucker for. How he is constantly trying to distance himself or re-appropriate or accept from others or try to reject all the various legacies and self-history and how he framed all of that by what name he is known by others by and what name he chooses for himself and the conflict when those don’t match up. And then the sheer irony of some of those names. How epithets and the development and spread of legends runs through all of Túrin’s narrative.

He defends the weak and is very kind. Also it’s interesting how he attaches himself to characters that are lamed or disabled in some way, who would be disrespected by society, and looks up to them. First with Sador, then Gwindor, and lastly Brandir. (Mîm might count in this).

He killed a dragon, starting the trend that only mortals, not elves, can do this feat.

Talking cursed sword. That is the coolest character. And original Exacilbur than needed the magical scabbard as to control the blood-lust.  A sword that might or might not hate its wielder, that snarks back. Created my original stories off the concept of Gurthang because I loved it so much.

The ambiguity of the curse and how it functions and what is curse versus nature versus the situation of a continent in the grips of a losing war.

• Something interesting about them based on tenuous circumstantial evidence

If I read more about him I might have something. …Uh, probably great at wordplay games and puns. Yeah, wasn’t Húrin infamous for his puns? Between him and Thingol I bet Túrin knew all the lame dad jokes and puns and was super-super excited to be a father and get to use all those on his kid.

• A question I have about them

Did he ever meet Dior?

• A random relevant line I like

There he drew forth his sword, that now alone remained to him of all his possessions, and he said: ‘Hail Gurthang! No lord or loyalty dost thou know, save the hand that wieldeth thee. From no blood wilt thou shrink. Wilt thou therefore take Túrin Turambar, wilt thou slay me swiftly?’
And from the blade rang a cold voice in answer: ‘Yea, I will drink thy blood gladly, that so I may forget the blood of Beleg my master, and the blood of Brandir slain unjustly. I will slay thee swiftly.’

• My preferred version, if there is more than one version of their story (or part of their story)

I only ever made it through the version in the published Silm. Though I think I read the version in the Unfinished Tales when I first bought that book. Either that or it was the snippets of the translated Kalevala so I only remember the sister flinging herself from the moving sled after the incest reveal and can’t remember if that was ever in an early version of the story. I have CoH somewhere and I need to read it eventually.

• Favorite relationship(s)

Túrin and Gwindor. That relationship gets overshadowed by the one with Beleg but it shouldn’t.

• How would they react to Tom Bombadil

Accidentally kill them while trying to help Considering how often he hung out with Nellas in the forest learning about it, I have a feeling Túrin would be fascinated by Tom’s knowledge and songs and find a relaxing shelter and solace at Tom’s home. Then Túrin would try to help out and fight Old Man Willow or something and Doom follows him and there goes Old Tom’s last piece of pastoral peace preserved in Arda Marred.

• Optional: Something about them that I think people forget

He was always trying to make things better for everyone around him/be a hero. An actual hero, not that Byronic plot device anti-villain hero only if you are really generous and skew the text that some of those elven characters are (you know who they are; I’m trying to be civil).