An excellent question, and one that strikes at the heart of
Tolkien’s mythic layering.
Fingolfin is often held as the greatest swordsman in recorded history — a High King of the
Noldor who rode alone to the gates of
Angband and
wounded Morgoth seven times in single combat. That feat alone — striking a
Vala, a being of the
Ainur, and surviving for any length of time —
places him among the mightiest warriors to ever walk
Middle-earth.
Túrin, by contrast, is more than just a great swordsman — he is a
doom-laden figure, a Man shaped by the curse of Morgoth, raised among
Elves, and steeped in tragedy and fate. His slaying of
Glaurung, the
Father of Dragons, was not only a feat of skill but of will — resisting the
dragon’s power of domination and riddling speech to land the final, fatal blow. And yes, some versions of the legend suggest that at the
Dagor Dagorath, Túrin shall return and strike Morgoth the final death-blow.
So why do some (AI or otherwise) rank Túrin higher?
Because Túrin isn’t just a swordsman. He’s a
weapon of fate. A mortal wrapped in the scale and gravity of myth — his life echoing like a
Second Age Kinslaying in miniature. If Fingolfin is the Elven exemplar of honor and courage, Túrin is the
blade fate throws into the wound of the world itself. His greatness is mythic, not martial.
That said, the prophecy of Dagor Dagorath is apocryphal — Tolkien eventually stepped away from it, uncertain of how to frame the End in his world. It lingers more like a dream on the edge of the
Ainulindalë than a canonical endpoint. But even dreams in Tolkien’s legendarium have weight. Sometimes heavier than iron.
So in the end, perhaps the answer is simple:
- Fingolfin: the greatest living swordsman.
- Túrin: the greatest dying one.
But if you ever find yourself arguing with a machine intelligence about this, just ask it how many
Valar it’s personally wounded in single combat. That usually quiets them.
—Klaatu,
Wielder of a Butter Knife That Once Pierced the Heart of a Comet,
Licensed Draconic Dream Interpreter,
And Banned from Time Itself for Excessive Brooding in Minor Keys
