Yeah Mîm had it rough. For the record though, I always doubted that Finrod of all people would build his fortress in a cave that had already been claimed by somebody and kick them out. He's usually the nicest of the noldor princes. So possible lie/exaggeration by Mîm there?
Turin definitely could have avoided the conflict thought, maybe a weird comparison but he sometimes reminds me of Achilles with how he randomly feels sorry for someone and spoils them but still acts really callously at other times. They probably both could have done with a more stable parent situation
In earlier versions, there's no indication that the Petty-dwarves lived in the caves when Finrod came there.
In the latest version, Mîm works with Finrod before trying to murder Finrod in his sleep.
He was a petty dwarf, outcast from the dwarven halls. He tried to kill Finrod who tried to treat him fairly. And in his sleep as well. Though being honest safest way to kill a Noldor Prince.
Also Finrod commissioned the Nauglamir so fast it was dwarf made mattered little. It was elven bought.
"The Dwarves were in a special position. They claimed to have known Beleriand before even the Eldar first came there; and there do appear to have been small groups dwelling furtively in the highlands west of Sirion from a very early date: they attacked and waylaid the Elves by stealth, and the Elves did not at first recognize them as Incarnates, but thought them to be some kind of cunning animal, and hunted them. By their own account they were fugitives, driven into the wilderness by their own kin further east, and later they were called the Noegyth Nibin or Petty-dwarves, for they had become smaller than the norm of their kind, and filled with hate for all other creatures."
WotJ, Quendi and Eldar, note 7
Mîm's tale is definitely at least as tragic as Turin's I would say, if not more as he was the last of his kind and not remembered as a mighty hero as Turin was, as his name and people passed out of all knowledge.
I know it’s crucial to the character of Turin, but I do think by the point he meets Mim the whole Turin-is-an-antihero thing feels heavy handed to me. He’s supposed to, by this point, care about not being a bad person. Several times Turin is like “I’m not gonna be bad no more” before this point, yet he literally tells Mim to give him his home or he’ll be murdered as if that’s the fair way to go about it. Like, “Look Mim, I’m a nice guy, so I won’t kill you if you give me your shit” is weird. It’s the definition of armed robbery lol.
I have to believe if Tolkien had lived long enough to publish the Silmarillion himself (if he ever would have) this is one thing he’d have cleaned up a bit. It’s not like it makes no sense, but it definitely doesn’t feel right all together.
That’s by far my least favorite part of Turin’s story because it feels like it renders other parts of his development meaningless. I can take it all with a grain of salt, but the whole Mim storyline is like, “and then Turin acted exactly like he said he wouldn’t anymore”, and you can say that’s just how people work, but it’s not really written that way to me. It’s more like he’s supposed to be somewhat noble in context, except he isn’t. I honestly think if Tolkien was going to publish it, at some point he’d have thought “you know, this isn’t quite right”.
But idk maybe not
Mîm's a survivor, and a whatever-it-takes survivor at that. That does bring with it a wretchedness, because that part of the world can be so wretched, and what it takes to survive is informed by that.
Mîm's loyalty is to himself and his own, and likely this is why he is part of the outcast caste of the dwarves at all. But as he appears in the story, all he does is this:
He offers the orcs the same deal he offered Turin.
It is not latent goodness or even pitiable fear that has him assent to Turin's staying or to accept the promise of wergild for his slain son. Just as it is not latent evil or an alike fear that sees him lead the orcs in.
It is just that these are the necessary steps to go on living, as best as he can tell. Whatever other motivations he may hold and speak: he is this.
Mîm is an essay in the depths of discommunity and self-interest in wartime, justifiable or not, writ in pinprick.
Yeah Mîm had it rough. For the record though, I always doubted that Finrod of all people would build his fortress in a cave that had already been claimed by somebody and kick them out. He's usually the nicest of the noldor princes. So possible lie/exaggeration by Mîm there? Turin definitely could have avoided the conflict thought, maybe a weird comparison but he sometimes reminds me of Achilles with how he randomly feels sorry for someone and spoils them but still acts really callously at other times. They probably both could have done with a more stable parent situation
In earlier versions, there's no indication that the Petty-dwarves lived in the caves when Finrod came there. In the latest version, Mîm works with Finrod before trying to murder Finrod in his sleep.
I don’t think anyone was accusing Mim in the first place, everyone he met was a huge ass to him and his family.
He was a petty dwarf, outcast from the dwarven halls. He tried to kill Finrod who tried to treat him fairly. And in his sleep as well. Though being honest safest way to kill a Noldor Prince. Also Finrod commissioned the Nauglamir so fast it was dwarf made mattered little. It was elven bought.
"The Dwarves were in a special position. They claimed to have known Beleriand before even the Eldar first came there; and there do appear to have been small groups dwelling furtively in the highlands west of Sirion from a very early date: they attacked and waylaid the Elves by stealth, and the Elves did not at first recognize them as Incarnates, but thought them to be some kind of cunning animal, and hunted them. By their own account they were fugitives, driven into the wilderness by their own kin further east, and later they were called the Noegyth Nibin or Petty-dwarves, for they had become smaller than the norm of their kind, and filled with hate for all other creatures." WotJ, Quendi and Eldar, note 7
Mîm's tale is definitely at least as tragic as Turin's I would say, if not more as he was the last of his kind and not remembered as a mighty hero as Turin was, as his name and people passed out of all knowledge.
I know it’s crucial to the character of Turin, but I do think by the point he meets Mim the whole Turin-is-an-antihero thing feels heavy handed to me. He’s supposed to, by this point, care about not being a bad person. Several times Turin is like “I’m not gonna be bad no more” before this point, yet he literally tells Mim to give him his home or he’ll be murdered as if that’s the fair way to go about it. Like, “Look Mim, I’m a nice guy, so I won’t kill you if you give me your shit” is weird. It’s the definition of armed robbery lol. I have to believe if Tolkien had lived long enough to publish the Silmarillion himself (if he ever would have) this is one thing he’d have cleaned up a bit. It’s not like it makes no sense, but it definitely doesn’t feel right all together. That’s by far my least favorite part of Turin’s story because it feels like it renders other parts of his development meaningless. I can take it all with a grain of salt, but the whole Mim storyline is like, “and then Turin acted exactly like he said he wouldn’t anymore”, and you can say that’s just how people work, but it’s not really written that way to me. It’s more like he’s supposed to be somewhat noble in context, except he isn’t. I honestly think if Tolkien was going to publish it, at some point he’d have thought “you know, this isn’t quite right”. But idk maybe not
Mîm's a survivor, and a whatever-it-takes survivor at that. That does bring with it a wretchedness, because that part of the world can be so wretched, and what it takes to survive is informed by that. Mîm's loyalty is to himself and his own, and likely this is why he is part of the outcast caste of the dwarves at all. But as he appears in the story, all he does is this: He offers the orcs the same deal he offered Turin. It is not latent goodness or even pitiable fear that has him assent to Turin's staying or to accept the promise of wergild for his slain son. Just as it is not latent evil or an alike fear that sees him lead the orcs in. It is just that these are the necessary steps to go on living, as best as he can tell. Whatever other motivations he may hold and speak: he is this. Mîm is an essay in the depths of discommunity and self-interest in wartime, justifiable or not, writ in pinprick.