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CuriousG
Half-elven
Dec 20 2012, 7:04pm
Views: 782
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I agree they don't rank neatly
[In reply to]
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Can't Post
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"Power" in the books is defined differently for different people. I'm reminded that the sons of Feanor didn't dare attack Beren and Luthien to recover the Silmaril while they were alive. They didn't even send a demand for it. Why not? They told Dior, as King of Doriath, to surrender it, and they had a combined army that was greater than his, so they should have been able to overcome the scattered Elves of Ossiriand. I think the answer is because the sheer reputation of Luthien and Beren was "powerful" enough that Feanor's sons didn't dare challenge it, and just as in politics in the real world, the perception of power is as important as the reality of it. In every political science class I took in college (it was my major), the professors tried to define power, and no one ever did so satisfactorily. But putting all that aside, there are general impressions about power, and who has more of it than others, and we can make reasonable distinctions there. Maybe it's mostly about perception. If asked to compare Denethor and Galadriel, I'd say Denethor had much more territory and a larger army, but Galadriel was still more powerful, even without her magic ring. Besides military and magical power, there's power of the mind. She was able to read Sauron's mind (or all of it that concerned the Elves), but she could keep hers shut to him. Denethor, on the other hand, was ensnared by Sauron's mind when he looked into the palantir, so he was weaker than she was in that respect.
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Time
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The Most Powerful of the Third Age
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Carnivoran
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Dec 11 2012, 7:13pm
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I really
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Nerven
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Dec 11 2012, 9:21pm
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What do you think of Elrond vs the Nazgul?
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CuriousG
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Dec 11 2012, 9:32pm
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I
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Nerven
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Dec 11 2012, 9:44pm
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A herald in battle would be a worthy leader and formidable fighter themselves
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ElendilTheShort
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Dec 14 2012, 10:50am
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Welcome! And great question
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CuriousG
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Dec 11 2012, 9:25pm
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Nice list
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Carnivoran
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Dec 11 2012, 11:07pm
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Like your list
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elevorn
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Dec 12 2012, 3:58pm
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Agree on Gandalf
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CuriousG
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Dec 12 2012, 4:05pm
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They are all Maiar
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Aule
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Dec 20 2012, 5:55pm
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Where does it say that the Eagles are Maiar?
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CuriousG
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Dec 20 2012, 6:28pm
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Thorondor
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Aule
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Dec 20 2012, 6:38pm
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Gwaihir
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CuriousG
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Dec 20 2012, 6:52pm
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Correction
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Aule
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Dec 20 2012, 7:27pm
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Are you thinking of the fell beast?
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JessCej
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Dec 28 2012, 12:00am
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Some eagles: Maiar or not
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Elthir
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Dec 30 2012, 1:58pm
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And Ungoliant
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CuriousG
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Dec 30 2012, 4:41pm
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Oops
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CuriousG
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Dec 30 2012, 5:44pm
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Ungoliant's origin
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ElendilTheShort
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Dec 30 2012, 8:29pm
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i don't go in for this sort of thing much
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geordie
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Dec 20 2012, 6:47pm
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I agree they don't rank neatly
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CuriousG
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Dec 20 2012, 7:04pm
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Power is definitely situational and varying
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Escapist
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Dec 20 2012, 7:08pm
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