Hurin, but not Huor

[Ithrynluin]

The History of Middle Earth XI: The War of the Jewels; The Grey Annals
Huor fell pierced with a venomed arrow in the eye, and all the valiant men of Hador were slain about him in a heap, and the Orcs hewed their heads and piled them as a mound of gold; for the sun was shining on the [fourth >] sixth and last I day of the battle and their yellow locks shone amid the blood. Last of all Hurin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield and wielded his axe two-handed; and it is sung that in that last stand he himself slew an hundred of the Orcs. [color=sky blue]But they took him alive at last, by the command of Morgoth, who thought thus to do him more evil than by death.[/color]

Why did Morgoth command Hurin to be captured alive, but not Huor?

 

[Eriol]

I would suppose Morgoth ordered that they should both be taken alive, but that since Huor received a poisoned arrow in the eye, they couldn't capture him. It seems the natural interpretation, for me; I don't think there would be much differentiation between the two in the eyes of Morgoth.

 

[Ithrynluin]

I would suppose Morgoth ordered that they should both be taken alive, but that since Huor received a poisoned arrow in the eye, they couldn't capture him.

I would suppose that if both were to be taken captive, the army of Morgoth would have been especially careful about dealing with Huor too, and they would obey what their master commanded them.

Could Hurin slaying a hundred orcs be ascribed to his warrior prowess or does it reflect Morgoth's command that Orcs should be especially careful about dealing with him, so they let him go on a killing rampage until they could take hold of him?

I don't think there would be much differentiation between the two in the eyes of Morgoth.

Foresight, perhaps?

Why wasn't Fingon ordered to be taken alive?

 

[Inderjit S]

He captured Hurin because he knew where Gondolin was. Fingon didn't know where it was. Morgoth learned of Hurin and Huor's supposed sojourn in Gondolin from spies who heard the rumour of it, after their conversation with Galdor.

It seems surprising that Hurin is always the one who is captured and it seems this was a long standing story in the mythology, from the Book of Last Tales,Turumbar and the Foaloake (BoLT 2) ,Lay of the Children of Hurin (HoME 3) and of course the Quenta's and Annals of HoME 4 and 5. Of course the story that Huor was the one who went to Gondolin with him only emerged in the course of writing the Grey Annals (HoME 11), before that it was Haleth (Annals of Beleriand, Later Quenta Silmarillion, HoME 5) and Handir, grandson of Haleth (HoME 11). The story of Tuor being Hurin's companion in Gondolin also appears in Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin (U.T) which was written 1951, at the same time when he was re-writing/editing the Grey Annals. But as I said, I think the notion of Hurin being captured by Morgoth so he could locate Gondolin was firmly embedded in the myth.

Note that the version given in the Grey Annals was rejected for a later version of him saying 70 Trolls, not 100 Ork's, as is told in the Published Silmarillion. Even if they were trying to capture him it was sure a great feat anyway. But I think it was his warrior prowess that played a greater part. The Trolls would have got carried away (And Orks in the version you have citied) and maybe would have been filled with battle-lust, but you must remember that it was the Troll-guard of Gothmog, Gothmog would have been assigned as the one who was going to capture him, as he did. Hurin was 'captured' by hordes of Orks jumping on him, and restricting his movement, so this could be seen as the mode of capture that Morgoth wanted, IMO, Hurin simply just whooped some Troll but. ( Do you really think Troll's were intelligent enough to understand commands to capture him )

 

[Niniel]

I agree with Eriol, they couldn't take Huor alive since he had received a poisoned arrow. But Morgoth needed Húrin so that he could tell him the location of Gondolin, and if Húrin wouldn't tell him that, Morgoth could punish him, which he probably enojyed.