The Children of Húrin

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Character Witness: Nellas, a Sindarin elf maiden who befriended Túrin when he first came to Doriath. She preferred the forest and was never comfortable in the caves of Menegroth, and as Túrin got older and spent more time there they grew apart, though she would secretly watch him whenever he ventured into the forest with Beleg. She witnessed what actually happened when Saeros died, and Beleg calls her to Menegroth to stand before Thingol, where she very nervously gives her testimony, exonerating Túrin. It is the expanded account of the story of the wanderings and deeds of Túrin Turambar, son of Húrin, and his sister Niënor, in their struggle against fate (and the curse cast upon Húrin's kin). It is considered to be among the darkest examples of any of Tolkien's works, as well as the foremost substantiation of any argument against disregarding the High Fantasy genre as colorless or "holier than thou". The hero is doomed yet strives toward goodness in spite of inadvertently murdering friends and becoming his sister's lover. Túrin fights against self-loathing as well as sorrow throughout, until the culmination of the novel's events.

Named Weapons: Many special (and less special) weapons having names exist in Tolkien's stories and this is no exception: Beleg's bow Belthronding, and the sister-swords Anguirel and Anglachel, the latter renamed Gurthang by Túrin. Evil Overlord: Morgoth rules Angband and, by the time this book starts, has conquered a big chunk of Beleriand too. He's the source of all evil in the universe; basically, he's Satan.

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This story fits well into Tolkien’s view if “the long defeat” that is prevalent throughout most of his stories in Middle-Earth. The slow, inevitable march from one age to the next where things aren’t as beautiful or grand as the last. The struggle flutily against the inevitable end that is in store for everyone. Not every struggle has to have a happy ending. Not every hero deserves their glorious ‘happily ever after.’ They are but men standing against immeasurable odds, there to be swept aside by powers they cannot even hope to endure. The story, as already published in The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales, is mainly based on the legend of Kullervo, a character from the compilation of Finnish folklore poems called Kalevala. Tolkien drew inspiration from the Kalevala for "The Story of Kullervo" in 1914, which was to become the model for his tale of Túrin. [7] Túrin (like Kullervo) also resembles Sigmund, the father of Sigurd in the Volsunga saga, in the incestuous relationship he had with his sister. In Richard Wagner's opera, Die Walküre (likewise drawn in part from the Volsung myths), Siegmund and Sieglinde are parallels of Túrin and Niënor. [8] Túrin further resembles Sigurd himself, as both achieve great renown for the slaying of a dragon of immense power and magic. Turin's suicide following an exchange of words with his sword is lifted essentially unchanged from Kullervo's tale in Kalevala. [7] a b Italie, Hillel (1 May 2007). "Sales soar for new Tolkien novel". Associated Press . Retrieved 17 November 2007. Unfinished Tales, Part One: The First Age, II: " Narn i Chîn Húrin" (The Tale of the Children of Húrin) Laughing Mad: Downplayed with Brandir, who starts losing it after Níniel's death. Túrin follows not long after.

Alex Lewis, writing in Mythlore, asserts that Tolkien introduced a historical bias into the tale of Húrin's coming to Gondolin. He suggests that Tolkien chose to favour Turgon at the expense of Maeglin, because Turgon was a direct ancestor of Elrond and therefore had to be spared the blame for the fall of Gondolin. Lewis comments that the long version in The Book of Lost Tales differs markedly from the account in The Silmarillion here. He notes that Tolkien started to revise the tale but never completed the revision. [3] Lewis asserts, too, that "Hurin was a far better tactician than Fingon or Turgon. He had the best idea of keeping the high-ground advantage", putting this down to Tolkien's bias in favour of Elves over Men. [3] Dragon Hoard: After Glaurung has destroyed Nargothrond, he sweeps all the gold together into a heap and lies down on it to rest for a while. In the meantime, Beleg Cúthalion obtained leave from Thingol to seek out his friend. In FA 487, Beleg found Túrin's outlaws at the outskirts of Amon Rûdh and was held and tied up by them until Túrin returned. Andróg, who was a prominent member of the group, mistrusted Beleg even after Túrin declared him a friend and begrudged him Túrin`s friendship. Beleg tried to persuade Túrin to return to Doriath, for the king held that he was innocent. When Beleg could not persuade his friend to leave the outlaws, he left to return to Doriath. Túrin's band later captured Mîm the Petty-dwarf while Beleg and Túrin were parted. Mîm was forced to share his halls on Amon Rûdh with his company while Túrin promised to repay Mîm for the accidental death of his son Khîm.Parma Eldalamberon, Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien In that remote time Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in the vast fortress of Angband in the North; and the tragedy of Turin and his sister Niënor unfolded within the shadow of the fear of Angband and the war waged by Morgoth against the lands and secret cities of the Elves. Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (1981). The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-31555-2. The History of Middle-earth ( The Book of Lost Tales Part One [1983] • The Book of Lost Tales Part Two [1984] • The Lays of Beleriand [1985] • The Shaping of Middle-earth [1986] • The Lost Road and Other Writings [1987] • The Return of the Shadow [1988] • The Treason of Isengard [1989] • The War of the Ring [1990] • Sauron Defeated [1992] • Morgoth's Ring [1993] • The War of the Jewels [1994] • The Peoples of Middle-earth [1996] • Index [2006])

When becoming a novel in form, it was designed as a single and continuous narrative, not necessarily a source covering every account of the narrative (or alternate version of the tale). Certain aspects related to Húrin following the story are left out but do get brought up in the follow up Beren and Lúthien, as does extended story for Mîm and his curse of the gold of Glaurung, and its relevance to the fall of Doriath, and corruption of the Dwarves and others who touch it. Though there is still much of Túrin's extended history left out of either source. The second prophecy of Mandos (later removed from The Silmarillion by Christopher Tolkien) states that at the End of Time, Morgoth would wage a final battle against the Valar, the Final Battle, and that Túrin Turambar reincarnated would plunge Gurthang into Morgoth's heart and defeat him once and for all, exterminating evil forever, and avenging the Children of Húrin. Túrin is portrayed as a man of great and terrible potential, a warrior that has no equal amongst men or even elves in many cases. His cause is a just one, he is swift and unyielding in the face of the enemy, gaining him so much infamy that the orcs and goblins flee from the slightest mention of him. He builds a reputation that brings him praise and rises him in the ranks with his allies. He is everything that a hero should be on the surface, yet under it he is also impatient, prideful, stubborn and hot tempered. The man is a stranger to humility, he has some of the worse flaws of men who carry great power. Time after time again, Túrin builds himself up from nothing to stand as a leader amongst people, and every time some great tragedy befalls him, as well as the people around him. Many times due to his own arrogance and pride, he loses everything and finds himself alone once more. Every time afterwards he flees, takes up a new name and begins all over again.

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First Girl Wins: Averted with Nellas. Of course, some might consider Túrin going completely out of her life and being forgotten a win.