Most valiant?

[RosieCotton]

Originally posted by Eruviel Greenleaf
I say they can't be singled out. They are all valiant, in their own ways.

True, very true. Poor Legolas. No one voted for him.
Rosie

[Elf Girl]

Legolas is very cool. He just didn't have many opportunities to be valient.

[RosieCotton]

Originally posted by Elf Girl
Legolas is very cool. He just didn't have many opportunities to be valient.

True. Hey, he killed Nazgul's horse. He helped find a way out of Caradhras. He killed a bunch of Orcs at Helm's Deep (Gimli just beat him. Go Legolas. He's not valient, but he didn't just sit there.

[Comic Book Guy]

Gimli killed 41 orcs at Helms Deep, one more than Legolas.

[Elf Girl]

That's cuz Gimli had more opportunities to kill orcs.

[Comic Book Guy]

That may be true, but it may be false also, fact of the matter is though that Gimli slew more Orcs than Legolas at Helms Deep, fair and square.

[Elf Girl]

Gimli was at home at Helms Deep. He's a dwarf. Legolas couldn't shoot orcs where he was at home. (Rivendell, Lorien)

[GandalfTheWhite]

i say legolas for showing no fear on the paths of the dead

[Strange-Looking Lurker]

That's 'cause he was an Elf, there was nothing really valiant about it. It was Gimli who was valiant!

[Comic Book Guy]

Not that a person's homeland actually matters, but Gimli lived in Erebor, not Helms Deep. Legolas lived in Mirkwood, not Lorien or Rivendell.

[Elf Girl]

I didn't say he lived there, I said he was at heme there. Dwarves will always feel more comfortable around caves than Elves will, and Gimli had probably had training mostly on fighting in caves. Legolas will have had the most training in fighting in the forest.

However, Gimli was definitely the most valient on the Pathes of the Dead.

[Ñólendil]

[nitpickmode]

True. Hey, he killed Nazgul's horse.

Nazgul's winged beast, it was not a horse.

Gimli was at home at Helms Deep. He's a dwarf. Legolas couldn't shoot orcs where he was at home.

Geography has a lot to do with battle. There's many factors one has a to consider, and geography is one of them. Whether they were in the Woodland Realm, on the slopes of Erebor, or at the Hornburg, a contest is a contest. Gimli won, fair and square. What I quoted above is really your opinion, the outcome of the contest is a fact. But is the amount one kills in a battle the measure of one's valour?

[/nitpickmode]

Interesting note: the only source we have as to the meaning of Aragorn's name (an old draft that never made it to the Appendices) says that it meant "noble valour".

[Halley_Brandybuck]

Aragorn is an easy answer. Since I am partial to the hobbits, I'll say either Merry or Pippin.

I could say Merry, because he helped to kill Aragorn

? what version you reading, boy? lol

They all were very noble, but some of them broke down at particular instances. Legolas with the balrog, Gimli on the paths of the dead...

very true, very true

[BeardofPants]

My, how the passing of time changes ones perspective. A few years on, and 9,000 odd posts later, I now feel that it falls to the hobbits to take up the mantle of the most valiant member(s) of the fellowship. Gandalf, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn were all heroes of their people. They were important figures, already history-in-the-making. The fact that mere Hobbits stepped up to take their positions in the annals of history, to put in motion events that would shake Middle-Earth to its very foundations, to rouse Legends into taking action against a tide of decay, those are valiant acts, worthy of heroes, worthy of Legends, performed by a forgotten people. Lets hear it for Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Frodo!

[BeardofPants]

... aaaand in typical entmoot fashion, my 9000th post did not update the thread. Hmph.

Bugger the 90 second rule, I remember when it was only 60 seconds [/grumpy old fart]

[Earniel]

Woah, talk about a blast from the past!

Nice one for your 9000th post, BoP! And I wholeheartedly agree with you argument for the Hobbits.

[BeardofPants]

Originally Posted by Halley_Brandybuck

? what version you reading, boy? lol

Hecate only knows what I was smoking that day, I'm not sure why I put that when I clearly meant the witch king.

[Bombadillo]

Congratulations BoP! You'd be over 10,000 by now too if we were counting your alter ego's posts, I think.

I really don't want to say Boromir, because I kind of don't like him. But that's not fair. I think it's a tie between him and Aragorn. Argorn, the obvious one, was completely altruistic throughout the entire story. He was ready to die for a couple of hobbits despite all that was riding on his own shoulders. Boromir's head was messed up by the Ring, but once he broke its barrier, he fought impressively well and selflessly.

Also, I'm tempted to say Gandalf, but I don't think he's quite valiant. He's the most something. He never actually puts himself in much harm on other's accounts though, because he really can't; he's somewhat above harm. Except of course the Balrog, but that was a Maiar on Maiar battle and can be compared to Aragorn on orc or Aragorn on a thousand orcs which occurs much more regularly.

Then Merry is pretty impressive too, but also Pippin at Minas Tirith. THe thing is, their nobility was learned from Boromir and Aragorn.

[clep_web]

I'd say the hobbits, especially Merry (for stabbing the Witch-king) and Sam (taking on the Ring after he thought his master was dead, supporting him all the way), Boromir (defending the two hobbits from the Uruk-hai) and Gandalf (facing the Balrog though he knew pretty well he was probably going to kaput. Some people say they were both Maiar anyway, but the Balrog was still in 'original' Maiar form whereas Gandalf was in a mortal body).

Also I think valiantness shouldn't be measured just by how macho or efficient a character was in battle. The Oxford dictionary defines 'valiant' as 'showing courage or determination.' Originating from the Old French vailant, from Latin valere ‘be strong’. So in that case Sam would come out trumps. Well, all of the Fellowship anyway.

I tend to think of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli as more of the warrior/fighter type, so in battle they would have been valiant, but I like the other type of valiant more.

[The Wizard from Milan]

Gandalf for his facing of the balrog.
If we look beyond the company: Eowin for riding into battle with the men and defeating the witch king.
If we look beyond two-footed creatures: treebeard for facing saruman down

And although he was evil, we have to recognize that Sarum too was brave to carry on a plan that put him against all other in middle earth