I've read and heard conflicting things regarding the End of
Arda. It says in the earlier HOME
books - numbers 1-5 - that
Turin Turambar with his black
sword was destined to destroy
Morgoth during the
Dagor Dagorath. This, however, conflicts with the idea that
Men leave Arda
never to return when they die. Also, in Morgoth's Ring
Tolkien stated quite clearly that the
Elves had no clear apocalypse legends - besides which, Gurthang
broke when
Turin took his life. Ok, so Tolkien changed his legends. It's been done.
But in the appendix to Narn I Hin
Hurin in UT,
Finduilas says:
The Adanedhel is mighty in the tale of the World, and his stature shall reach yet to Morgoth in some far day to come.
This doesn't sound like some random nonsense, does it?
OK, now I'm done rambling, may I say that UT rules. I never viewed Turin's story as dramatically or sympathetically before. Also, that quote by Finduilas made me think, of what Turin accomplished besides amusing Morgoth, destroying
Nargothrond, and creating another sad tale. And then I realized - had Turin not existed, or more precisely had
Glaurung not been killed at about that time -
Numenor would not exist!
The
House of Hador and the
realm of Beor's folk were destroyed or enslaved. The dwellings of Haleth's folk at Brethil represented the last free
Elf-friends in the entire world after the
Nirnaeth Arnoediad. Had Glaurung not been destroyed in a timely fasion, all of the remaining
Edain would have been incinerated when he descended on Brethil, and there would have been no people to found
Westernesse! The Elves would have no companions in their twilight
ages, and they would be remembered only as witches by the men of
the East and South, and as peculiar sad ghosts by the kindred of the Edain in
Eriador and
Wilderland. (And
Sauron would have taken over all
Middle-Earth in the
Second Age, of course.) So Turin really was very important, because Brethil was just as vital as the settlement on the isle of Balar, and much more vulnerable.