Best MORTAL fighter

[Boromir88]

The best mortal fighters, first age, second age, third age doesn't matter. Just trying to get some opinions. The two I will first talk about is probably Aragorn and Boromir. Boromir single-handedly took down 40 uruks/orcs at amon hen, I'm not speaking about all around skill I mean strictly fighting and save Aragorn Boromir was very good.

But as for the best I will say Hurin, he slayed 70 Trolls by himself, Boromir and Aragorn could of done a few but not 70. I say Hurin first, Aragorn second, Boromir 3rd. Your thoughts?

[Nimikôi Angarauko]

The Blacksword himself Turin

[Voralphion]

It would have to be Hurin, who personally killed seventy trolls plus an unknown number of orcs. In the Silmarillion, after he throws himself into the sea, it says something like, "and so passed the greatest of warriors of the race of men" (not an exact quote)
After him would have to be Turin and Tuor, with Turin slaying Glaurang, and Tuor doing many things in the fall of Gondolin.
After them would probably be Elendil, Aragorn and Isildur.

[Boromir88]

Yes, it seems I have forgotten about Turin and Tuor, they are definately up at the top.
New list hurin, turin, tuor, aragorn. Don't know about Elendil or Isildur great leaders but as of fighting I don't know enough info on them to judge.

[lindil]

Turin and Hurin.

Perhaps Isildur, who is to say really!? We know so little of the fighting skills or levels of 'being' of most men.

Did not some proto Rohirrim kill Scatha ? Bard got the major job done in a real pinch too.

But from the writings we have, I would say Turin's supreme fighting skills seem interwoven wth his supreme tragedy. Turin was a sort of Aragorn gone amok.

Trainied in the 'school' of the marches of Doriath in post-Nirnaeth Beleriand, alongside Beleg for years, this is pretty serious stuff.

His taking out of Glaurung was far more brutal an experience than Bard's.

[Bêthberry]

Frodo or Sam, perhaps even Eowyn.

Not all fighting is about mere physical fisticuffs.

[Boromir88]

Beth, your comment is rather interesting. Nice job, pointing out some people no one has mentioned. Frodo was no panzy like he was in the movie, and sam was no chump at fighting. But to say they beat out Hurin slaying 70 trolls I will disagree.

However, yes, I believe Eowyn is right up there with the tough guys. She slayed the Witch King saving many lives. She saved more lives in LOTR by killing the Witch King then anyone else, except Gollum.

[Numenorean]

Boromir88 -

Don't know about Elendil or Isildur great leaders but as of fighting I don't know enough info on them to judge.

Elendil was a great leader and fighter. He fought and led at the Battle of Dagorlad - a huge, bloody and hardfought clash in which both sides suffered very heavy losses. Elendil then laid siege to Barad-dûr for seven hard years during which there were many more fatalities, including Anárion his youngest son. Elendil (with Gil-galad) eventually faced, fought and overpowered Sauron himself - in a far longer and nastier fight than the movie prologue version.
For the most fell of all mortal warriors I believe Lindil is spot on with this statement:

Turin was a sort of Aragorn gone amok ...Trainied in the 'school' of the marches of Doriath in post-Nirnaeth Beleriand, alongside Beleg for years, this is pretty serious stuff

As mortal fighters go, Hurin Thalion was a complete hero and perhaps even mightier than his son, though maybe not quite so fell as the seventy Trolls he slew at the Nirnaeth were under orders to take him alive.
Aside from his Silmaril heroics, Beren Erchamion fought a near one man guerilla war for over 4 years in Dorthonion after the Bragollach. Beren caused so much damage to Morgoths forces that an entire army was sent to take him out - under the command of no-one less than Sauron/Gorthaur himself, and they failed.

[Bêthberry]

Actually, Boromir, my point was rather to suggest that, in terms of the plot scheme of LOTR, the lust for fighting and warfare is something that Tolkien downplays in favour of a, shall we say, more exacting heroism.

[Failivrin]

In no particular order:

Hurin
Turin
Elendil
Aragorn
Boromir

Eowyn is an interesting one. i'm not entirely sure whether i would calss her with those as a 'fighter' because what she did with the Witch King was more from sheer desperation than from valour. maybe i am wrong though, my thoughts on Eowyn are constantly evolving, so i'll put her in too

[Kransha]

Actually, therein lies a harder question.

One could weigh the 'best' mortal fighter scale ala, what was accomplished in the field of warriordom by said warrior. Just because tales or stories are told, naught can be taken for granted. Living, breathing (or rather dead, not breathing) evidence is required to confirm the calibur of every mighty man. As was said earlier, are we talking warriors or fighters. Think on it this way: Turin probably gets the prize, mainly because of his exploits and the obvious fact that he slew Glaurung. He might also constitute as the best warrior, because of strength of mind, but he was still corrupted by Glaurung's spell. Some, including, perhaps, myself, might believe that a less corruptable but still strengthy warrior such as the noble Theoden King, or Samwise Gamgee, eternal paladin of the Shire, would be more oriented towards real righteous warriordom.

Swordsman: Well, you've got Elendil and Isildur who less is known of in terms of prowess, Aragorn and Boromir, who's exploits have been carefully related, and Turin and Hurin, who bear those epic tales of incredible "slayage" to back them up. But what about heroism. Is this heroism or fighter's power? Fisticuffs or feelings? Though I would not dream of complicating the question, I believe I just did.

[Gorwingel]

This is a hard question because there is just so many ways we can go to answer this. We can go by pure numbers (Turin, Hurin, etc.) or we can go by bravery and doing what was needed to be done at the time. I have to admit that when answering a question like this, I don't really personally think that Frodo, Sam, or Eowyn would be the best answer. It is just that they were really not people who made their livings as fighters. They just fought because it was a situation of life or death, and the survival of the peoples of Middle-Earth.

So I would most definitely have to go with Hurin. Slaying 70 trolls is a pretty unmatchable feat.

Do The Men from the paths of the dead count? surely one of them would surpass any other man. do they class as men though? Just a thought

[Voralphion]

It is hard to say if those of the paths of the dead count as great warriors because I don't think they didn't do any real fighting. All fled before them and ran away, leaving all the real killing to Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and the ranges of the north. Legolas said, that he didn't know if the swords of the dead could still bite, (Not an exact quote). In the movie they fought, but in the books they didn't.
Frodo and Sam definately shouldn't be included in this category as they weren't really great fighters. They did do a great deed, one that shows they had great valour and courage, but not that they were good fighters.

[Boromir88]

Yes, very true the dead army was just used as a "scare tactic," who just scared all the corsairs off their ships.

If my memory serves correct Aragorn not only with gimli, legolas, and the dunedain also used the 50 ships and gathered men from Lossarnach. That is why Forlong only sent 500 men at first to Minas Tirith because he thought the corsairs would attack Lossarnach so he left a lot of his force there.

[Amrod the Hunter]

Definetly Hurin who killed 70 trolls and a large amount of orcs before they captured him and his son,Turin,who was a great fighter,but he didn't have luck and in the end he went mad.

[Carrûn]

My vote has to go to Hurin, if for no other reason than in "Of the Ruin of Doriath" Tolkien writes "But it is said that Hurin would not live thereafter, being bereft of all purpose and desire, and cast himself at last into the western sea; and so ended the mightiest of the warriors of mortal Men."

I guess you could take that to mean several different things, but I'll use it in its literal form.

[rutslegolas]

Well Hurin will be always ranked first in my book and then Aragorn , Isildur ,Elendil.

But what about Anarion ,is there anything mentioned in the books anywhere anout his fighting skills.But I think they were right up there with Isildur .

[Lachwen]

Jeez, talk about the underappreciated younger brother! What about Huor? Sure, he may not have killed seventy Trolls like his big brother, but he was still no pansy! And, from what I gather of him from the Silmarillion, I think that, had that venomed arrow missed its mark, Huor would have stood beside Húrin until the very end and added some of his own to the count of slain Trolls.