The Shaping of Middle-earth. Christopher Tolkien

Dragon Glórung⁴ taunts him. Glórung then offers him freedom either to follow seeking to rescue his ‘stolen love’ Finduilas, or to do his duty and go to the rescue of his mother and sister who are living (as he lying says) in great misery in Hithlum. Túrin forsakes Finduilas against his heart (which if he had obeyed his uttermost fate would not have befallen him) and believing the serpent goes to seek Hithlum. Glórung lies in the caves of Narog and gathers beneath him all the gold and silver and gems there hoarded.

      Túrin after long wandering goes to Hithlum. But Morwen and Nienor are in Thingol’s court, when survivors tell of the fall of Nargothrond, and of Túrin, and some say Túrin escaped alive, and some say he was turned to stone by the eyes of the serpent and lived still in bondage in Nargothrond. Morwen and Nienor at last get Thingol to give them men to go against Glórung, or to spy out his lair at least.

      Túrin slays Brodda in his hall, in his anger when he finds Morwen’s hall and lands empty and despoiled. Repenting his deed he flies from Hithlum again, and seeks no more after his kin. Desiring to forget his past he takes the name of Turambar (Turmarth) ‘Conqueror of Fate’, and gathers a new people, ‘Men of the Woods’, east of Narog, whom he rules, and lives in peace.

      The expedition of Thingol, with whom ride Morwen and Nienor, views Narog from a hill-top. The Elves ride down towards the lair,⁵ but Glórung coming out lies into the stream and a huge hissing and great vapour goes up, so that their horses turn and fly. Morwen’s horse and Nienor’s are also panic-stricken and gallop wildly in the mist. When the mist clears Nienor finds herself face to face with the Dragon, whose eye holds her, and a spell of darkness and utter forgetfulness comes upon her. She wanders witless in the woods. At last her senses return but she remembers little.⁶ Orcs see her and chase her, but are driven off by a band of ‘Woodmen’ under Turambar, who lead her to their pleasant homes.

      As they pass the falls of Silver Bowl a shivering touches her. She lives amid the woodfolk and is loved by Tamar the Lame, but at last weds Turambar, who calls her Níniel ‘the Tearful’ since he first found her weeping.

      Glórung begins to raid across Narog, and Orcs gather to him. The woodmen slay many of them, and Glórung hearing of their dwelling comes crawling and filled with fire over Narog and through the woods against them. He leaves a blasted track behind him. Turambar ponders how the horror can be warded from his land. He marches with his men, and Níniel foreboding evil rides with him,⁷ till they can see the burning track of Glórung, and the smoking place where he lies. Between them runs a stream in a deep-cloven ravine after falling over the high falls of Silver Bowl. Turambar asks for volunteers and obtains six only to lie in the ravine over which the Dragon must pass. The seven depart. They climb the far side of the ravine at evening and cling near its edge in the trees. The next morning all have slunk away and Turambar is alone.

      Glórung creeps over. Turambar transfixes him with Gurtholfin⁸ ‘Wand of Death’, his black sword. Glórung coils back in anguish and lies dying. Turambar comes forth to retrieve his sword, and places his foot upon Glórung and exults. But the venom of Glórung gushes out as he tugs out his sword, and he falls in a swoon. The watchers see that Glórung is slain, but Túrin does not return. Níniel goes in search of him and finds him lying beside Glórung. As she is tending him, Glórung opens his eyes and speaks, and tells her who Turambar is, and lifts his spell from off her. Then she knows who she is, and knows his tale true from things Turambar has told her. Filled with horror and anguish she flies and casts herself over Silver Bowl and none ever found her body again. Tamar followed her and heard her lament.

      Túrin comes back in triumph. He asks for Níniel, but none dare tell him. Then Tamar comes and tells him. Túrin slays him, and taking Gurtholfin bids it slay him. The sword answers that his blood is sweet as any other’s, and pierces him to the heart. Túrin is buried beside Silver Bowl, and his name carved in characters of Nargothrond upon a rock. Beneath is written Níniel.

      Some say Morwen released from spell by Glórung’s death came that way and read the stone.

      1 Added here: At his advice Narog is bridged (cf. note 5).

      2 one of the first and mightiest > that first and mightiest

      3 Added here: even Glómund, who was at the Battle of Tears (see note 4).

      4 Glórung > Glómund here and subsequently, except at the last occurrence.

      5 towards the lair > towards the bridge leading to the lair (cf. note 1).

      6 she remembers little > she remembers not even her name.

      7 Added here: though she is with child,

      8 Gurtholfin > Gurtholfir at both occurrences.

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      Húrin was released by Morgoth after the end of Túrin and Nienor, for Morgoth thought still to use him. He accused Thingol’s faint heart and ungentleness of Túrin’s unhappiness, and Húrin wandering bowed with grief pondered his words and was embittered by them.

      Húrin and outlaws come to Nargothrond, whom none dare plunder for dread of the spirit of Glórung¹ or even of his memory. They slay Mîm the Dwarf who had taken possession and enchanted all the gold. Húrin casts the gold at Thingol’s feet with reproaches. Thingol will not have it, and bears with Húrin, until goaded too far he bids him begone. Húrin wanders away and seeks Morwen, and many for ages after related that they met them together in the woods lamenting their children.

      The enchanted gold lays its spell on Thingol. He summons the Dwarves of Nogrod and Belegost to come and fashion it into beautiful things, and to make a necklace of great wonder whereon the Silmaril shall hang. The Dwarves plot treachery, and Thingol bitter with the curse of the gold denies them their reward. After their smithying they are driven away without payment. The Dwarves come back; aided by treachery of some Gnomes who also were bitten by the lust of the gold, they surprise Thingol on a hunt, slay him, and surprise the Thousand Caves and plunder them. Melian they cannot touch. She goes away to seek Beren and Lúthien.

      The Dwarves are ambushed at a ford by Beren and the brown and green Elves of the wood, and their king slain, from whose neck Beren takes the ‘Nauglafring’² or necklace of the Dwarves, with its Silmaril. It is said that Lúthien wearing that jewel is the most beautiful thing that eyes have ever seen outside Valinor. But Melian warned Beren of the curse of the gold and of the Silmaril. The rest of the gold is drowned in the river.

      But the ‘Nauglafring’³ remains hoarded secretly in Beren’s keeping. When Mandos let Beren return with Lúthien, it was only at the price that Lúthien should become as shortlived as Beren the mortal. Lúthien now fades, even as the Elves in later days faded as Men grew strong and took the goodness of earth (for the Elves needed the light of the Trees). At last she vanished, and Beren was lost, looking in vain for her, and his son Dior ruled after him. Dior re-established Doriath and grew proud, and wore the ‘Nauglafring’, and the fame of the Silmaril went abroad. After vain bargaining the sons of Fëanor made war on him (the second slaying of Elf by Elf) and destroyed him, and took the ‘Nauglafring’. They quarrelled over it, owing to the curse of the gold, until only Maglor was left. But Elwing daughter of Dior was saved and carried away to the mouth of the river Sirion.⁴

      1 The name Glórung is not here emended, as in §13, to Glómund, but a d is written over the g, sc. Glórund (the earliest form of the name of the Dragon).

      2 At the first occurrence only of Nauglafring, th is pencilled above, i.e. Nauglathring or Nauglathfring.

      3 Above Nauglafring here my father wrote Dweorgmene [Old English, ‘Dwarf-necklace’]; this was struck out, and Glingna Nauglir substituted.