Zemi: Thank you, once again! And here's a strange question given the days we're living in but I'd be interested to learn what you think: What kind of Tolkien character do you think resembles Putin and his thinking the most?
Tolkien Untangled: That's an interesting question. My instinct is to say Morgoth but that's probably a bit too easy. Perhaps one of the more corrupt Numenorean kings, maybe even Ar Pharazon? There seems to be a deep arrogance in what Putin's doing, and a sense that smaller nations don't really matter next to his mightier country (at least in his mind). The 'might makes right' mentality is something we only see in Tolkien's villains, and I think if Tolkien were alive today, he'd have some very harsh criticism of Putin.
Zemi: Thanks for your thoughts! I was thinking of Ar Pharazon too or perhaps Fëanor and his greed which blinded him and causing hurt to many. But it seems Ar Pharazon has a much more political and expansionist mindset that could be translated into the present-day circumstances
Dillon Olander @Tolkien Untangled of course in Putin’s mind he sees himself as Aragorn, the one to restore his kingdom to greatness and expand it and bring others back under it.
While we don’t know much about the Nazgûl, I’d say Putin reminds me most of one of them, like the Witch-king. He might claim to be a king, but he’s really still an agent of a darker, older power that uses him and sucked the hope and humanity out of him. In Putin’s case, an agent of old 19th/20th century -style nationalism and imperialism.
Tolkien Untangled: yeah, very well said. Interesting that both our choices were self proclaimed kings who took their power illegitimately. That doesn't reflect well on Putin.