Why did Tolkien abandon Tevildo and his cat army?

[Nameless Thing]

Managed to find Beren and Lúthien in the library! My little daughter was throwing a tantrum so I thought I would just pick the first book that doesn't look stupid and leave. And just as I decided it I saw Beren and Lúthien! It was a miracle lol.
So now I'm reading it and it's so interesting how the story has evolved over time. But it doesn't explain why did Tolkien abandon some characters. For example why did the cats have to go? And what about Thû?

 

[Rothinzilyn87]

I think Tolkien thought that some characters don't need, or because they aren't have many record Christoper Tolkien except them in Silmarillion. In addition, Thu is the earliest name of Sauron.

 

[Olorgando]

Maybe JRRT also felt that with the Tevildo stuff he was getting too dep into Aesop's animal fable territory (Huan is also very "gabby" in this version of the tale, while he later only speaks three times on special occasions).

 

[ArwenStar]

Jrrt probably though it was excessive and that it deducted from the story line. Phaps it was cause they didn’t fit???????????

 

[Olorgando]

And there's the point that control freaks like Morgoth aren't quite the ideal cat "owners". Those felines are just too independent. 😄

The point has come up elsewhere on TTF: the cat video "plague" on the Internet!
But, but, but … how likely is it that JRRT would have found anything about the Internet positive?
I have my serious doubts.
So maybe he was clairvoyant here, and as Tevildo and his pride appeared in early versions of Beren & Lúthien, the story most dear to his heart, any vision of these (big!) cats being sent through the "cute kitty sausage machine" of the Internet could have led him to utter an extremely un-Tolkienian (as far as we know) comment of "§$%&@€µ# that!!!!!"
And Sauron.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

They're not all "cute":

Even Alan Lee did one, for Beren and Luthien:

 

[Olorgando]

They're not all "cute":

Adding the links to "The Leopard Man" and "Cat People" here from elsewhere on TTF might have reinforced your argument (just gusseing … 🥴 )

 

[ArwenStar]

Why are we talking about cats again?🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔






Oh. It’s in the title.....



*stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid,stupid,stupid,stupid,stupid,stupid,stupid,stupid,stupid,stupid,stupid,stupid,stupid,stupid,stupid,stupid*

 

[Olorgando]

Amazon's TV series seems to be, from scantily available information, limited to the Second Age, though there is no mention of what books are involved.
Just speculating that some film producer in the future manages to get hold of that part of HoMe containing Tevildo, or even "Beren and Lúthien" ...
They could have a field day producing a fanfic catering to those millions of cat-video freaks on the Internet.
Suggestion:
Morgoth becomes a not-so-nice castle-owner with a rebellious teen-age princess daughter (this would be the morphed Sauron - I mean it's closer to M-e "canon" than his previous incarnation as a cat, and I did say fanfic!) with a penchant for adopting stray cats or something like that ...

 

[ZehnWaters]

Managed to find Beren and Lúthien in the library! My little daughter was throwing a tantrum so I thought I would just pick the first book that doesn't look stupid and leave. And just as I decided it I saw Beren and Lúthien! It was a miracle lol.
So now I'm reading it and it's so interesting how the story has evolved over time. But it doesn't explain why did Tolkien abandon some characters. For example why did the cats have to go? And what about Thû?

I'd imagine because the idea was a LOT goofier than he'd started to make his writings. See the notable tone shift from The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings.

 

[Elthir]

They're not all "cute":

You wanna rephrase that?

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

😅

But I stand by my statement.

Hey -- I have one of those!

 

[Vorondil]

Hey -- I have one of those!
View attachment 24433

I want it!

Anyway, I think it would have been great if Tolkien had left the cats in the story, after all, if you can have were-wolves, why can't you have were-cats?

 

[ZehnWaters]

😅

But I stand by my statement.
View attachment 24432

Hey -- I have one of those!
View attachment 24433

When they're not cute they're cool.

 

[Deimos]

His friend, CS Lewis, was already writing a story where animals figured prominently, in fact they commanded center stage, and Tolkien either 1) didn't want to upstage him , or (2) didn't want to be upstaged.
(And if you believe this, I know of a bridge for sale in Brooklyn)

 

[Radaghast]

They're not all "cute":
View attachment 6139

Even Alan Lee did one, for Beren and Luthien:

This reminds of the scene in Avatar with the thanator.

 

[Olorgando]

(And if you believe this, I know of a bridge for sale in Brooklyn)

Manhattan? Williamsburg? Verrazzano? 🤔

 

[ZehnWaters]

Manhattan? Williamsburg? Verrazzano? 🤔

If it's not the Italian one with the houses on it I don't want it.

 

[Deimos]

Manhattan? Williamsburg? Verrazzano? 🤔

Actually it is THE Brooklyn Bridge that is implied in the reference (I had to look it up)

 

[Olorgando]

Actually it is THE Brooklyn Bridge that is implied in the reference (I had to look it up)

Oh. I thought Godzilla wrecked that in 1998. Are they selling the wreckage for scrap? 🤔