Has anyone paid attention that Nirnaeth Arnoediad began on the summer solstice (June 21-22), and so did the Great Patriotic War in the former Soviet Union? What do you think of this coincidence?
Stalin was no angel. I believe sources indicate that he killed a fair few more people than Hitler did. I'll have to check that out on Wikipedia...
Not sure what to make of the coincidence though.
PS: comparing any human to Morgoth is going too far in my opinion. Humans are just that, subject to corruption, sin and all the rest of it, Morgoth was an angelic being of immense power that directly came from the mind of God, and yet turned away from it all.
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Utúlie'n aurë! Aiya Eldalië ar Atanatári, utúlie'n aurë! Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva!
Well, to be earnest, I don't actually think there're any parallels. As far as I know, Tolkien himself hated it when Middle-earth events were compared to real historical events or when his characters were compared to real historical persons. But it's a curious fact (and I was astonished to learn it) that some Russian Tolkien fans commemorate the so-called double day of remembrance and sorrow on the summer solstice. Some also say that June 21-22 is the date of the Fall of Gondolin, but it may be a mistake. In "The Silmarillion" the word "Midsummer" is used for that date. This word is applied to July 1 in "The Lord of the Rings" (the wedding of Aragorn and Arwen), so it makes us suppose that the Fall of Gondolin took place on July 1. But the word can also be understood as the summer solstice, why not, and it's sometimes considered more logical from the strategical and tactical viewpoint...
-- Edited by Isillune on Saturday 10th of July 2010 06:18:30 PM
