What other king can claim the military conquests of Artur Paendrag Tanreal, or his legal achievements as a head of state? Not to mention, he's the greatest man in his age, when he is an ordinary mortal with no superpowers, in a world dominated by people with powers, where his gender's dominance is undone by that very same lack of powers. He would have stood out as a real world mundane ruler, but he also forestalled a massive crisis by confronting the arch-evil power of Darkness. The Trolloc invasion Hawkwing stopped WOULD have conquered the world if he had not beat them, as we see in the portal stone world. What took the Compact of the Ten Nations, with the White Tower at its peak of strength and power decades to do, and ruined themselves in the process, was prevented by Hawkwing by himself. Hawkwing not only kicked ass as an ordinary guy, he took on the super-powered folks and would have won, if not for the supertitious subjects who were cowed into helping them. 1,000 years after his death, one of the scariest things you can threaten the White Tower with is "another Hawkwing."
Except that half of Hawkwing's greatness had to do with his supernatural power that bent reality to his will. Even if this is excusable, after his first wife died he became a tyrant and it was only through the intervention of his second wife that the world survived his wrath. Secondly, he became a puppet for one of the Forsaken, and died a madman.
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Fan of Lanfear
Fan of Lanfear
This message last edited by Sidious on 10/04/2010 at 10:30:36 AM
The greatest King in Fantasy
- 09/04/2010 05:18:42 AM
2176 Views
King Arthur. Hands down.
- 09/04/2010 06:40:15 AM
1578 Views
I would argue with you.
- 09/04/2010 06:54:53 AM
1520 Views
That's the point, though. Arthur's humanity is what makes him so admirable.
- 09/04/2010 06:59:07 AM
1547 Views
I have to agree with Dannymac
- 09/04/2010 02:04:44 PM
1536 Views
But he's not in a modern fantasy novel.
- 09/04/2010 07:37:14 PM
1592 Views
- 09/04/2010 07:37:14 PM
1592 Views
when I read the actual book...
- 10/04/2010 12:08:21 AM
1556 Views
"The actual character"? Which of the countless different ones? *NM*
- 10/04/2010 12:21:00 AM
741 Views
i mean the actual character of Arthur in the actual book.
- 10/04/2010 12:51:44 AM
1658 Views
There isn't an "actual book." Le Morte d'Arthur is a relatively early compilation of legends. *NM*
- 10/04/2010 03:09:40 AM
775 Views
I'm going with the most likely historical version of King Arthur
- 09/04/2010 06:45:26 PM
1624 Views
My money is still on Aragorn
- 09/04/2010 12:47:43 PM
1663 Views
Aragorn is so awesome...
- 09/04/2010 02:05:42 PM
1508 Views
Arwen's character is just never fleshed out, though.
- 09/04/2010 02:18:30 PM
1475 Views
Re: Arwen's character is just never fleshed out, though.
- 09/04/2010 02:49:45 PM
1548 Views
Mostly, yes, but there are a few exceptions - Galadriel, Eowyn, and above all Luthien.
- 09/04/2010 03:32:00 PM
1484 Views
Re: Mostly, yes, but there are a few exceptions - Galadriel, Eowyn, and above all Luthien.
- 09/04/2010 03:45:37 PM
1754 Views
I can't agree about the goddesses.
- 09/04/2010 04:34:15 PM
1603 Views
Re: I can't agree about the goddesses.
- 09/04/2010 04:55:34 PM
1487 Views
If Tacitus and Graves were accurate
- 09/04/2010 05:09:20 PM
1616 Views
Re: If Tacitus and Graves were accurate
- 09/04/2010 05:26:43 PM
1524 Views
I rather liked her depiction in Rome.
- 09/04/2010 05:34:37 PM
1582 Views
Re: I can't agree about the goddesses.
- 09/04/2010 05:02:50 PM
1570 Views
Nienna, the Valier of Mercy, was single and a wanderer. She's not the most powerful, but...
- 09/04/2010 06:55:23 PM
1589 Views
Re: Nienna, the Valier of Mercy, was single and a wanderer. She's not the most powerful, but...
- 09/04/2010 07:04:37 PM
1573 Views
thought of a better example: Arien the Maia of the Sun was single and far more powerful than Tilion
- 09/04/2010 09:17:34 PM
1815 Views
Re: I can't agree about the goddesses.
- 09/04/2010 05:06:49 PM
1689 Views
That was my first assumption too, but evidently not. *NM*
- 09/04/2010 05:22:39 PM
709 Views
I changed it to Livia Augusta
Sheesh, you people-- a guy mistypes one time!! *NM*
- 09/04/2010 05:29:03 PM
782 Views
Sheesh, you people-- a guy mistypes one time!! *NM*
- 09/04/2010 05:29:03 PM
782 Views
I call bullshit
- 09/04/2010 08:09:49 PM
1480 Views
Re: I call bullshit
- 09/04/2010 08:31:16 PM
1491 Views
Re: I call bullshit
- 10/04/2010 08:04:15 AM
1585 Views
I didn't realize it was fashionable to call Tolkien sexist.
- 10/04/2010 05:12:07 PM
1592 Views
He's good, but then he just doesn't have to face so many things.
- 09/04/2010 02:22:04 PM
1807 Views
Doesn't have to face many things?
- 09/04/2010 07:59:27 PM
1562 Views
As in, there are many important aspects of being king he doesn't have to face.
- 09/04/2010 08:07:16 PM
1545 Views
well technically speaking he WAS the king when he did all those things.
- 10/04/2010 12:15:26 AM
1534 Views
Re: Doesn't have to face many things?
- 09/04/2010 08:38:51 PM
1409 Views
Re: Doesn't have to face many things?
- 10/04/2010 08:24:33 AM
1525 Views
I'm sure there are many, but one coming to mind is Prince Josua from Memory, Sorrow and Thorn
- 09/04/2010 02:23:57 PM
1507 Views
I'm going to go with a tie...
- 09/04/2010 04:22:42 PM
1506 Views
Rohan was a whiny hypocritical bitch who failed at the only real test of rulership he ever faced.
- 10/04/2010 02:51:34 AM
1601 Views
Artur Hawkwing
- 10/04/2010 03:34:02 AM
1676 Views
Alexander the Great?
*NM*
- 10/04/2010 05:08:25 AM
742 Views
*NM*
- 10/04/2010 05:08:25 AM
742 Views
AH conquered more, did better, & was not a huge d-bag. Alex would have commissioned that big statue *NM*
- 12/04/2010 03:00:39 PM
731 Views
And both managed to have their so-called "empires" crumble within a year of their death. *NM*
- 12/04/2010 06:12:20 PM
743 Views
Which just reinforces how awesome AH was - no one else could do what he did
- 13/04/2010 11:50:54 AM
1592 Views
???
- 10/04/2010 10:30:13 AM
2096 Views
Ta'veren is not a power, it is an accomodation with what the Pattern demands of certain people
- 12/04/2010 02:56:57 PM
1518 Views
What's the name of the Lemur-thing that's the King in "the penguins of madagascar"? He gets my vote! *NM*
- 14/04/2010 04:46:42 AM
792 Views
