Favorite story by Tolkien

[Luthien Tinuviel]

I would do a post, but I don't know how to make choices for one, help! :)

I love the Beren and Luthien story in any form. Even if Beren is an Elf (which he is in the Lost Tales 2). They were so brave, and did so much for their love. Beren probably knew that Thingol would've let Luthien marry him without getting the Silmaril, but he wouldn't marry her unless he fulfilled the quest. She loved him enough to get him out of the captivity of Sauron (or Telvido in the Lost Tales), then went to the deepest part of Melkor's lair and danced/sang for him. Then, he died and she followed him, and pleaded with Manwe to bring him back, and she made such a case as he did. It's great, I love it, hence my name, Luthien Tinuviel. :)

I do like the story of Turin, it's so sad though. His little sister dies even before there is a curse upon them, then his dad never comes back from the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. He causes an entire kingdom of Elves to fall, and the woman who loves him to die. He's taken captive by Orcs, then kills his best friend in the world when he rescues him. Then, when things start to look better, he's taken a new name, Turumbar, Master of Doom. Then he goes and inadvertantly marries his sister. He does slay Glaurung, that's a plus. They find out their kinship, she kills herself, he kills the chief, then himself. It's so sad, but, it too, is one of my favorite stories.:boohoo: :dragon:

[Gwaihir]

I agree. I like both of the stories you mention.

My favorites are:

1. Beren and Luthien
2. Turin Turambar
3. The Chaining of Melkor
4. The Coming of the Valar

I could think of more, but that will include every single story in the HoME! lol

[Lasgalen]

I like Narn i Hin Hurin. I also like the story about the Fall of Gondolin and Earendil's voyage.

[Luthien Tinuviel]

I'm almost done with the Fall of Gondolin in the Lost Tales, that's great! I liked it in UT, but it was so short and unfinished I didn't think much about it, now that I read the rest I love it! It's action packed, about like the battle at Helm's Deep in the TTT movie (they played that up a ton). And then, when it says that Idril was upset over her father's certain death, Tuor starts to go get him out, even though he knows that he'd die in the process. He cares so much about his wife, that part is stuck in my head for ever.

[Periantari Andruil]

My favorites from Sil are "Of the Return of the Noldor", "Of Beren and Luthien" (i was so captivated by this chapter that i had to bring it down to the gym with me!) lol , "Of Turin Turumbar" (so tragic mecry ), and the last 3 chapters of the Silmarillion (Ruin of Doriath, Fall of Gondolin, and the War of Wrath...)
I also really like the story about Aredhel...you see how Maeglin becomes a traitor in the end and i like how the Professor snuck in that last bit of foreshadowing in the end of that chapter...

From UT, I've been skipping around, but i can say hands down that i really like Disaster of Gladden Fields, the Hunt for the Ring, and the Quest of Erebor... i have yet to read about the First and Second Ages though :rolleyes:
but i will :)

[Luthien Tinuviel]

Oh, my favorite stories come from the First Age, Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin (which is the beginning of the Fall of Gondolin) is great, and the Narn i hin Húrin is the best in that book (it's the Tale of Turumbar). But, neither of them beats the Tale of Tinuviel, that is my all time favorite.

[Lasgalen]

Andruil, if you liked "Of Turin Turambar" then you are going to really like "Narn i hin Hurin". It expands and adds so much to that story. You get a lot more details.

[Periantari Andruil]

yeah i'm going to read that next =).... or maybe i'll just go backwards in the Ages hehe :grin:
Is the Second Age story about Aldarion and Erendis interesting?

[Luthien Tinuviel]

Yeah, that's a good story, but it wasn't one of my favorites. I mean, it seemed in the beginning like it would be, but then it...well, it was a tad dissapointing. Not that I didn't like it, it was good, don't get me wrong, it just wasn't what I expected. It definately goes the other direction from stories I would compare it too. There's also the fact that it's unfinished, I mean, of course it is, it's in Unfinished Tales, but....It's more finished than the story of Tuor's coming to Gondolin, but it's not as finished as the Narn. I dunno, it's very interesting, it's just...there's something...well, I guess it kind of runs into the geneology (sp?) of Númenorean Kings in my mind, so that...welll, that was boring, it was interesting to learn the names and stuff, and it was worth it, since it's so short, it is just boring. It's like the Bible, So-and-so was King for some-number years, and then his son what's-his-name was King for some-number years and he was bad for the Kingdom. And his daughter reigned and was good for the kingdom, and she reined for some-number years...etc.

[Periantari Andruil]

yeah...that's my feeling about it before reading it... that it'll be somewhat of a genealogy and it talks about a people who don't really relate to the future, IMO... The Second Age in general doesn't seem so interesting... but i'll read it after the Narn perhaps =)

[Luthien Tinuviel]

Well, I didn't mean to make it seem boring, oops! It's quite interesting, it's just...different, a little too expected mixed with a little too unexpected, the way the story goes. It's just that (to me) it mixes with the genealogy of Kings and Queens of Númenor, which is...okay, but not great, the tale of Aldarion and Erendis is better, but not quite like the story of Beren and Lúthien or Túrin. It's like the guy on one of the appendicies discs to FOTR says "people have a tendency to expect too much of Tolkien" and I guess after all I'd read I did that, then I got to the Second Age and it was good, just not normal Tolkien stuff. I think that if it was by someone I'd never heard of before I would've really liked it a lot more...if that makes any sense...

[Periantari Andruil]

yeah...that does make sense, Luthien =) For me, it just makes sense to read about something that relates more to characters directly from the Sil or from LOTR then reading something totally different but i'm sure reading a new story about somebody different would just be as interesting....=)

[Friend of Maglor]

I actually thought that "The New Shadow" sounded interesting, even if Tolkien didn't want it to be only a thriller.

Unfortunatly, I have a hard time swallowing anything with mortal men as the main characters, esp. Hurin and Turin.

To my surprise, I was actually caught up in the Narn, who can't be when Tolkien gets going!!

[Ereinion]

My favorite stories are everything that concernes Gondolin: the foundation,Maeglin and his mother,Tuor,the destruction... For me it's the saddest story ever. mecry

[Friend of Maglor]

ooooooh ohhhh, they have TONS of Gonldolin stuf!!!!! have you read any History of Middle Earth stuff? They elaborate on all the fight scenes and everything!!!!! (I mean he not they)

[Ereinion]

Not yet but I've heard about it....We don't have any english ME books where I live exept LOTR,the Sil,the Hobbit and the Unfinished Tales...But I really want to read it,so I'll probably just download it from the net.....

[Friend of Maglor]

does Amazon deleiver to where you live *large smile*

they really are great books

[Ereinion]

Even if they did,the prices are in dollars and I don't have much of those...lol I'm just a poor student lol

[Gwaihir]

Has anyone tried reading books by Tolkien that's not about Middle Earth? I've recently finished Farmer Giles of Ham and Leaf by Niggle. Both were great stories. Farmer Giles of Ham is a real easy one to read. I had a hard time comprehending Leaf by Niggle somehow.

[Friend of Maglor]

I havent yet, only the father christmas letters and mr.Blisss, very funny too lol

[Luthien Tinuviel]

Originally posted by Gwaihir
Has anyone tried reading books by Tolkien that's not about Middle Earth? I've recently finished Farmer Giles of Ham and Leaf by Niggle. Both were great stories. Farmer Giles of Ham is a real easy one to read. I had a hard time comprehending Leaf by Niggle somehow.

The other day I read Farmer Giles of Ham, and Smith of Wootton Major. They were both good stories, very cute I thought, especially Smith of Wootton Major, I liked it better than the other. One thing I didn't get though, is, where was that supposed to be, I though maybe it was something to do with Middle-earth, or Arda anyway, with all the Faery stuff, but I'm not sure. If it was about Arda in any way, how could Smith get to Faery just by walking? That confused me a little, but I didn't let it bother me, I just enjoyed the story. It seems like some lovely little bedtime story, anyway that's what it reminded me of, am I completely nuts here, or is it the same for anyone else?

[Black Rider]

i recently got a book with the three stories in it "farmer Giles" "leaf by niggle" and "smith of wooton major" and i loved all three of them now. i 've got a totally new appreciation for tolkien as a short story writer now that i've read these stories.
"farmer giles" was a really great one. i loved how it flowed into different subjects but the writing style was like this passive narration. garm was cool.
"smith of wooton major" was interesting too. to give my thoughts on your questions, Luthien, i don't honestly know where it was. tolkien created this town probably based on a medieval society. so we're to pretend that it's a town that existed in england probably somewhere between 1200 and 1500 based on the descriptions. of course it is obviously made-up. but i am pretty certain the way he got into the land of faerie was because of the star on his forehead. he was chosen by the king of faerie to have access to the land when he was younger. my theory is that they keep it hidden with magic from everyone else...
as for "leaf by niggle" this one was my favourite! i don't know who else has read it though. and i don't want to ruin it for anyone by explaining my other theory of it to Gwaihir because i understood it. heh.

anyways, i am now a fan of not only mainstream tolkien but obscure tolkien as well. next i've got his essay "on faerie stories" to read. yeah!:rock:

[Thatz]

I liked the Tale of Turin Turambar the best. It was so cool, yet so sad.

[Fëalossë]

Is the Second Age story about Aldarion and Erendis interesting?
Actually, I quite liked that story. It's sad, maybe a bit slow at times, but I thought it was definitely a highlight of the Unfinished Tales.

[Gwaihir]

I like the tale of Aldarion and Erendis also, though it was sad that husband and wife were estranged because of Aldarion's love for the sea. It's great if you want to know what life in Numenor was like.

[Mirkgirl]

Aldarion and Erendis bored me to tears but that's me. I think they're both guilty and not worth so much of text... I liked UT for the info it gave and, honestly, I usually skip through this story, as it doesn't give any info of interest to me and is boring (IMO)

I rather liked Tuor's story altho its not finished...

[Merrisil]

Feanor and his attempt to recover the Silmarils from Morgoth is my the story I liked best, I think Feanor has the qualities of a tragic character who is doomed by his own talents to subject himself to exile and loss of his family. The story is so epic and sad... yet somehow beautiful.

[Gryffonheart]

I liked the Tale of Turin Turambar the best. It was so cool, yet so sad.

yeah, thats a good story. one of the best in the silmarillion, actually. I love Beren and Luthien. And I liked parts of all the other stories; esp. the hobbit