CoH specifically says that her speech to him was 'forthright', so she clearly did try and teach him. But she's pretty messed up herself. Don't forget that Morwen and Rian are Beren's baby cousins (their grandfather Bregolas was Barahir's brother); Morwen was 12 when the Dagor Bragollach killed half her family, and lived in besieged Dorthonion for the next year or so. Then she was taken to Brethil by Emeldir at age 13, and sometime in the following eight years was uprooted again to move to Dor-Lomin.

In that time, she would have heard of the death of her entire remaining family - Barahir and his band were wiped out in 460, when Morwen was 17. So she's one of the last of a dying breed, whose adolesence took place in the home of another dying breed (CoH makes it clear how badly the Haladin were doing by this time). Then she moved to a third location, where - wonder of wonders! - she's taken to wife by the new Lord of Dor-Lomin at the age of 21.

And then she has her first child the same year. And another two years later. And everyone calls her 'Elfsheen', because her beauty is the only thing they care about. And, oh yeah, her husband is keeping a huge secret from her, with the Gondolin thing (CoH specifically features the conversation where she says 'you did go to Gondolin, right?', and he replies 'I never said that, but yeah'). Oh, and apart from her cousin Beren (who people keep bringing reports about him dying, in Dorthonion, in Tol Sirion, in Doriath...), she's probably the heir of Beor - not that anyone cares, because her husband's more interested in hanging out with Fingon and playing with his axe. (His great chair was never finished, despite Sador having a good ten years to work on it - it's obvious he wasn't around much.)

This is not a recipe for a well-balanced woman. She sees herself as Lady of two peoples (and is aware that Brethil is a horrible place - she was present for the Orc invasion of '57, when she was 14 - so she may well end up as guardian of their culture, too), in a world where absolutely everything you love is prone to dying/catching fire at any moment. "One day, you will be Lord of Dor-Lomin," she tells her young son (he's 5 when he takes up stalking Lalaith). "And when you are, it will be your job to guard us - all of us. Just the way your father does. That's why he's never here - he's protecting us, keeping us safe. That's why."

Morwen had serious problems, and absolutely no-one helped her with them. Heck, when she's literally dying she meets her husband again and asks him to tell her about their children - but instead he just sits in silence until she pops her clogs. Read that final scene again, and think how utterly miserable it is to be Morwen then.

~

It's clear that Beleg saw something in Turin. You might actually be write about 'just so pretty' - Beleg is he of the 'Mablung and' pairing, so it's clear he, uh, craved male companionship. ^_~ And Turin is both a bold warrior, and the man they called 'Adanedhel' - 'Elf-man'.

I don't think Turin knows what love looks like. His mother was impossibly guarded, his father was never around, his best friend was a servant. As a half-Beorian (with Haladin habits from his mother, no doubt!) he was an outsider in Dor-Lomin. The only person he was particularly fond of was his baby sister.

So he doesn't notice people having feelings towards him. Nellas? Nothing. Beleg? Nope. Finduilas? De nada. The only one he picks up on is... the one he gets to teach to talk, and interact with the way he did was Lalaith. (Also the one who literally threw herself at him while naked; that may have been something of a shock to him.)

In fact, Turin's story is basically mirrored around the centrepoint. It goes like this:

-Turin is born.
-He is friends with a cripple.
-He is heir to the Dragon of Dor-Lomin.
-He loves his little sister and protects her without her knowing he's there.
-His sister dies.
-A distant war leads to the destruction of his homeland.
-He moves to an Elven kingdom, where he is a beloved ward, but treated as a child.
-He leaves after killing someone.
-He is captured by outlaws, and kills their chief.
-BELEG ARRIVES.
-His outlaws are killed by their host, and he is captured.
-He kills Beleg, but rescues Gwindor.
-He moves to an elven kingdom, where he is beloved as a war leader, and treated like a noble of their people.
-He causes a war which leads to the destruction of the kingdom.
-(Intermission running back and forth to Dor-Lomin.)
-He restores his sister to normal life.
-He falls in love with his little sister without knowing who she is.
-He fights the Dragon of Morgoth.
-He murders a cripple.
-He dies.

It's a neatly put-together story... but I find its protagonist thoroughly unlikable, and always have.

(As a side note: confirmed dragonslayers of Middle-earth are Turin, Earendil, Fram son of Frumgar, Bard. Between them, they killed all four named dragons.)

hS

I'm going with 'the least depressing from a really terrible Age'.