Why isn't Tuor more popular?

[Belnorn]

I read everywhere that Turin, Hurin, Beren, and all the others get more respect. However Tuor was the light version to his cousin. I felt that his story was one of the best.

Lost both his parents to war or grief. Raised by elves. Eventually became a badass and created his own guild for warriors to face off against the orcs and humans slaves of Morgoth.

Eventually went to the hidden elven capital, Gondolin. Given a special armory by one of the Valar. Was one of the only humans to marry an elf. The daughter of the King of Gondolin. Help produce one of the coolest warriors and half elf ever, Earendil. He saved most of the city from destruction. He slew five BALROGS. Also became the ancestor of the numenoreans. He is the grandfather of both Elrond and Elros.

 

[JoyridingTilion]

Probably because Tuor was much more lucky than those three. He wasn't cursed to marry his own sister or watch his family destroy themselves, nor did he have to steal jewels from Morgoth. Which is why he just comes off as kind of bland IMO.

 

[Starbrow]

I agree with you, Belnorn. Tuor is one of my favorite characters. I think it's pretty impressive that he had a conversation with Ulmo, when the rest of the Valar were ignoring Middle Earth.

 

[Belnorn]

Yeah and also killed five balrogs. That's no easy feat.

 

[Ingolmin]

Who said Tuor, son of Huor cousin of Turin Tarambar was not popular. He was known in Thangorodrim as a great warrior and Easterlings had even set a price upon his head. People eventually came to knew less of him as he spent most of his life in Gondolin which was a hidden city. But during the war in Gondolin, he proved a hardy man.

 

[Phuc Do]

I like Turin the best of all the legendary first age humans. Tuor on second place and Beren last. I think that Beren didn't do much it was his girlfriend who did all the heavy lifting. He just tagged along. I like Turin better than Tuor because of his tragic nature. A tragic story is so much more compelling than a fairy tail ending.

 

[Yalerd]

I agree!
Tuor is an incredibly pivotal character in the history of the 1st age but gets no spotlight!
Talking to Ülmo, invisibility cape, beholding Gondor, falling in love with Celebrindal whom I assume was mega hot, grudge match with Maeglin, killing Balrogs. Bro....

 

[CirdanLinweilin]

I agree!
Tuor is an incredibly pivotal character in the history of the 1st age but gets no spotlight!
Talking to Ülmo, invisibility cape, beholding Gondor, falling in love with Celebrindal whom I assume was mega hot, grudge match with Maeglin, killing Balrogs. Bro....

Father of Eärendil, grandfather of Elrond and Elros.


Fellow was legit.


CL

 

[Yalerd]

I like Turin the best of all the legendary first age humans. Tuor on second place and Beren last. I think that Beren didn't do much it was his girlfriend who did all the heavy lifting. He just tagged along. I like Turin better than Tuor because of his tragic nature. A tragic story is so much more compelling than a fairy tail ending.

Beren went through hell before he saw Luthien. Walking through those mountains, shelobs are all over the place and god knows what else. A mortal man sneaking around Morgoth and cutting a Silmaril off his crown is pretty hardcore. Yea Luthien had him under a trance but still

 

[Elthir]

(...) He slew five BALROGS.

While I think this is considered a great feat within the context of the early tale, for myself I don't believe Tolkien was going to have even the great Tuor slay any Balrogs.

"The early conception of the balrogs makes them less terrible, and certainly more destructible, than they afterwards became: they existed in "hundreds"..." commentary Christopher Tolkien, The Book of Lost Tales, The Fall of Gondolin

My opinion is that, by the later 1950s, after the Balrogs had come to be conceived of as Maiar, their power and terror had been ramped up, and hosts/hundreds/thousands wouldn't do anymore. Essentially they had become too powerful for such numbers, even in the First Age.

Although the evidence for Tolkien's "at most seven" Balrogs (ever existing) seems to consist (if memory serves) of but one marginal note, and at least one revision to Quenta Silmarillion (Christopher Tolkien revised other references related to Balrog numbers, for the nineteen seventy seven constructed Silmarillion), I steal lean toward thinking Tolkien was going to carry through with this idea.

wow "lean toward"... I really went out on a limb there

if seven

Siege of Utumno 2 (which means 5 get away !?! see below)
Ecthelion slays 1
Glorfindel slays 1
War of Wrath 2
Gandalf slays 1

but I don't love that dot dot dot so how 'bout maybe 12

Siege of Utumno 6 die (half are killed -- still not wholly loving it but)
Ecthelion 1
Glorfindel 1
War of Wrath 3
Gandalf 1

Well, yes, I'm just playing now, and not even listening to Tolkien! Interestingly, his note actually started with 3 ever existing!

Anyway, with all due respect to the mighty Tuor, as of today I still don't think he was going to be noted as having slain any "new and improved" Maiarian Balrogs.

 

[Jorlan Elükar]

I read everywhere that Turin, Hurin, Beren, and all the others get more respect. However Tuor was the light version to his cousin. I felt that his story was one of the best.

Lost both his parents to war or grief. Raised by elves. Eventually became a badass and created his own guild for warriors to face off against the orcs and humans slaves of Morgoth.

Eventually went to the hidden elven capital, Gondolin. Given a special armory by one of the Valar. Was one of the only humans to marry an elf. The daughter of the King of Gondolin. Help produce one of the coolest warriors and half elf ever, Earendil. He saved most of the city from destruction. He slew five BALROGS. Also became the ancestor of the numenoreans. He is the grandfather of both Elrond and Elros.

That moment you realize Tuor and Aquaman have VERY similar back stories lol

 

[Ent]

And we need to keep in mind Tolkien says his Silmarillion is to be considered "mythological legend" unlike the records of The Hobbit and LoTR. As with all other myth, it 'contains' truth, but many things are also the natural result of verbal re-telling of the tales of the heroes, etc. where strengths, feats, events, size of armies, etc. become 'blown out of proportion' over time.

It is a mistake to try to accept SIL as 'recorded, true history' in all its 'facts' as we more rightly can with TH and LoTR. Tolkien never intended it or wrote it to be that way. He was well aware and fully intentional about his writing of the 'legends of the past,' brought forward into the 3rd age...as he was fully intentional in writing the 'recorded history' so to speak, of that 3rd age.

 

[Olorgando]

Starting off tongue-in-cheek, I would say "I'd like to see those popularity polls!"

Then there's the fact that JRRT cast both the story of Lúthien & Beren and that of Túrin in (unfinished ) verse forms, and worked on the "Narn" repeatedly. What could have been the equivalent of that was "Of Tuor and his coming to Gondolin", the title Christopher Tolkien gave the fragment in "Unfinished Tales". JRRT's original title was "Of Tuor and the Fall Gondolin", but he barely got Tuor inside the innermost gate of the secret passage. Tuor's "Great Tale" is a bit thin in JRRT's writings, and from vague hints to be found in HoMe would have been overshadowed by that of his son Eärendil, the savior-hero of the First Age.

And then perhaps there are the supposed tastes of the audience.
I am reminded of the inane blather of the PJ apologists defending his deformation of Aragorn in the film. That "modern" audiences can't take a hero who is "too perfect" (Northrop Frye's comment about the descent of "heroes" in western literature to the bottom of his five-tier scale) - film audiences, at least. That the film audiences are calling for "more warts, please!" - at least that seems to be the take of the studio trolls.
Personally, I can't take a "hero" seriously who resembles Joe Blow from next door in Peoria ... 🤬 which neither book Aragorn (who is wracked by doubts especially during the chase of the Uruk-hai towards Isengard, as seems to have escaped the attention of those whose abilities for this seem to be below 1 minute) nor Tuor resemble in the least.

 

[LaurelinBearsFruit]

Why indeed isn't he!?

Interestingly enough, I find that Tuor's story and accomplishments in SIL are a refreshing break from the heartbrake and suffering found throughout most of the rest of the Elder Days. Certainly his genealogical importance can't be overstated, but sometimes it's fun to have a hero that actually has a happy ending. His deeds are indeed legendary, and I am in agreement that his being one of (maybe the only?) Men to whom a Vala spoke directly in M-E is pretty baller.

I get that his accomplishments in some respects are diminished in the revised/alternate versions of his tale, but I feel that's part of the fun of SIL. As @Old Ent mentioned, it reads so much like and is intended as a mythological epic, something Homeric even, that it has a certain absurdity and grandeur that are compelling.