The Children of Húrin

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Meanwhile during all of this, Túrin’s mother Morwen and his sister Niënor hear of the better deeds of Túrin — or who they suspect is him — and wish to go find him. Niënor goes to the last known whereabouts at Nargothrond only to find Glaurung, the dragon that laid waste to the Elven city and claimed its riches as a horde. The dragon recognizes her as a child of Húrin, the man cursed by his master, and uses his foul magic to enchant her making her forget everything she knows, including her own name. The Lays of Beleriand, the third volume of The History of Middle-earth, consists of two extensive poems by J.R.R.Tolkien having to do with the Eldar Days. They are the Lay of the Children of Húrin and the Lay of Leithian. The first of the poems "the Lay of the Children of Húrin", his early but most sustained work in the ancient English meter, intended to narrate on a grand scale the tragedy of Turin Turambar. a b Italie, Hillel (1 May 2007). "Sales soar for new Tolkien novel". Associated Press . Retrieved 17 November 2007. Marshall, Jeremy (14 April 2007). "Tolkien, before Bilbo". The Times . Retrieved 22 September 2007. Whether the tragedies in Túrin's life were the result of Morgoth's curse or of his own arrogance, or some combination of the two, are a subject of some debate among fans and scholars.

The story begins as a rather dry telling of history and relations, going through the names and various deed drawing up to the line that will inevitably become the main protagonists that we will follow throughout the rest of the book. Admittedly it did start to grow into a tiresome drone but if you endure it eventually it does settle down on a man named Húrin living in a land called Huthlum. In his youth Húrin joins with his brother Huor to wage war against the encroaching orcs, and during their endeavors the found themselves cut off from the rest of their party and pursued until a typical thing that tends to happen in Tolkien stories snatches them from danger; they were rescued by eagles and carried off to the Elven kingdom of Gondolin. The king, Turgon, welcomed them openly and lets them stay, and in time he even grows fond of them. Despite the king’s generousity, the brothers wished to return to their homeland and was permitted so, but only under the condition they keep Gondolin a secret. 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. Poor Communication Kills: Saeros already has it out for Túrin, but a series of misunderstandings between them bring forth tragedy that could have been avoided with a few simple words or assumptions. When the latter sits on the elf's seat in Thingol's hall, Saeros assumes it was out of spite when in truth it was just an honest mistake from a warrior who was too exhausted and battleworn to worry about proper decorum. Later on, Túrin starts thinking about his mother and other unhappy things, prompting him to frown, which Saeros further assumes was aimed at him. This causes tensions to boil and sets in motion the chain of events that lead to Saeros' death and Túrin self-imposed exile from Doriath. Túrin, in one of the first fantasy examples. J.R.R. Tolkien was inspired by the tragic anti-heroes of Norse and Finnish mythology when he wrote the character of Túrin. At first, he's a Pragmatic Hero as his negative qualities mostly boil down to pride and his gruff nature, but as the novel progresses, he steadily slides down the scale, finally becoming a Nominal Hero when he murders Brandir in cold blood. Gwindor becomes this after his return to Nargothrond as Túrin overrules his counsel and calls for more open military efforts. Gwindor's words are eventually vindicated because Nargothrond's militarization results in its location being revealed, Nargothrond's destruction, and the woman they both love dying.

In the body of The Silmarillion, we find it as the second of the three tales which Tolkien wrote in succession while on medical leave from the British army during 1917 through the spring of 1918: "Of Beren and Luthien", "Of Turin Turambar", and "Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin". Most of the material of the story is from prose sources. Very little from the Lay of the Children of Húrin was used, and where it was, it was amended from verse-form to prose. When elements from Narn i Chîn Húrin, most of the side story of Húrin is excluded, i.e. his adventures and fate (which are fully recounted in the Lost Tale The Wanderings 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. Nominal Hero: Andróg. His record includes everything from manslaughter and murder to rape. Túrin arguably becomes one by the end, despite his attempts to be better than that.

The Children of Húrin, Narn i Chîn Húrin, The Tale of the Children of Húrin, X: " Túrin in Nargothrond" Godhood Seeker: Morgoth already is a godlike being in physical form, but his dialogue with Húrin clearly shows he has "Big-G God" aspirations on top of that. Tragic Hero: Túrin, who achieves many great and heroic deeds during his lifetime, but is undone by his Fatal Flaw— the inability to take the good counsel of other, wiser people.Unfinished Tales, Part One: The First Age, II: " Narn i Chîn Húrin" (The Tale of the Children of Húrin) Christopher Tolkien will regrettably be unavailable to attend any signing events. However, Alan Lee will be signing copies of the book in the UK and further details of these events will be available here. Despair Event Horizon: Most of the characters spend the majority of the book teetering on the edge of it. And then they all cross it at the end.