The Lays of Beleriand. Christopher Tolkien

the first version of the poem. – Mavwin is the form in the Tale; Mailwin does not occur elsewhere.117On the variation Nienóri/Nienor in the Tale see II. 118–19.120Tinúviel A, Tinwiel B unemended but with Tinúviel in the margin. Tinwiel does not occur elsewhere.121Ermabwed ‘One-handed’ is Beren’s title or nickname in the Lost Tales.137Gumlin is named in the Tale (II. 74, etc.); the younger of the two guardians of Túrin on his journey to Doriath (here called Halog) is not.160Belcha A, and B as typed, emended to Bauglir. Cf. notes to lines 20, 22, 75.213Urin > Húrin A; but Húrin A in line 216.218Nínin Udathriol A, and B as typed; cf. line 13.226The distinction between ‘Gnomes’ and ‘Elves’ is still made; see I. 43–4.230Dorwinion A.306For Mavwin was Melian moved to ruth A, and B as typed, with Then was Melian moved written in the margin. The second half-line has only three syllables unless moved is read movéd, which is not satisfactory. The second version of the poem has here For Morwen Melian was moved to ruth. Cf. lines 494, 519.333Túrin Thaliodrin A (cf. line 115), emended to the son of Thalion.361Glamhoth appears in The Fall of Gondolin (II. 160), with the translation ‘folk of dreadful hate’.364Belcha A, and B as typed; then > Melegor > Bauglir in B.392Bauglir: as at line 364.408Morgoth Belcha A, and B as typed.430Kor > Cor A, Cor B as typed. Cf. line 50.431Tengwethil A, and B as typed. In the early Gnomish dictionary and in the Name-list to The Fall of Gondolin the Gnomish name of Taniquetil is Danigwethil (I. 266, II. 337).438Mavwin A, and B as typed, but Mavwin > Morwen a later emendation in B. I read Morwin throughout the first version of the poem (see note to line 105).450Cuinlimfin A, and B as typed; Cuiviénen a later emendation in B. The form in the Lost Tales is Koivië-Néni; Cuinlimfin occurs nowhere else.461–3These lines bracketed and marked with an X in B.471This line marked with an X in B.472Mavwin > Morwen B; see line 438.494all washed in tears A, washed in tears B (half-line of three syllables), with an X in the margin and an illegible word written in pencil before washed. Cf. lines 306, 519. The second version of the poem does not reach this point.514–16Against these lines my father wrote in the margin of B: ‘Make Orgof’s kin set on him and T. fight his way out.’517stonefacéd stared: the accent on stonefacéd was put in later and the line marked with an X. – In his essay On Translating Beowulf (1940; The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays (1983) p. 67) my father gave stared stonyfaced as an example of an Old English metrical type.519his hands laved: the line is marked with an X in B. Cf. lines 306, 494.528With the half-line and their anger alight the second, more finished, part of the manuscript A begins; see p. 4.529Belcha A, Morgoth B as typed.548Guthrond A, and B as typed.

      Commentary on the Prologue and Part I ‘Túrin’s Fostering’

      The opening section or ‘Prologue’ of the poem derives from the opening of the Tale (II. 70–1) and in strictly narrative terms there has been little development. In lines 18–21 (and especially in the rejected line in A, as a myriad rats in measureless army / might pull down the proudest) is clearly foreshadowed the story in The Silmarillion (p. 195):

      … they took him at last alive, by the command of Morgoth, for the Orcs grappled him with their hands, which clung to him though he hewed off their arms; and ever their numbers were renewed, until at last he fell buried beneath them.

      On the other hand the motive in the later story for capturing him alive (Morgoth knew that Húrin had been to Gondolin) is necessarily not present, since Gondolin in the older phases of the legends was not discovered till Turgon retreated down Sirion after the Battle of Unnumbered Tears (II. 120, 208). That he was taken alive by Morgoth’s command is however already stated in the poem (line 20), though it is not explained why. In the Tale Morgoth’s interest in Húrin as a tool for the discovery of Turgon arose from his knowledge that

      the Elves of Kôr thought little of Men, holding them in scant fear or suspicion for their blindness and lack of skill

      – an idea that is repeated in the poem (46–8); but this idea seems only to have arisen in Morgoth’s mind when he came to Húrin in his dungeon (44 ff.).

      The place of Húrin’s torment (in the Tale ‘a lofty place of the mountains’) is now defined as a stool of stone on the steepest peak of Thangorodrim; and this is the first occurrence of that name.

      In the change of son to heir in line 29 is seen the first hint of a development in the kingly house of the Noldoli, with the appearance of a second generation between Finwë (Finweg) and Turgon; but by the time that my father pencilled this change on the text (and noted ‘He was Fingolfin’s son’) the later genealogical structure was already in being, and this is as it were a casual indication of it.

      In ‘Túrin’s Fostering’ there is a close relationship between the Tale and the poem, extending to many close similarities of wording – especially abundant in the scene in Thingol’s hall leading to the death of Orgof; and some phrases had a long life, surviving from the Tale, through the poem, and into the Narn i Hîn Húrin, as

       rather would she dwell poor among Men than live sweetly as an almsguest among the woodland Elves

      (II. 73)

       but to spend her days

       as alms-guest of others, even Elfin kings,

       it liked her little

      (284–6)

       she would not yet humble her pride to be an alms-guest, not even of a king

      (Narn p. 70)

      – though in the Narn the ‘alms-guest’ passage occurs at a different point, before Túrin left Hithlum (Morwen’s hope that Húrin would come back is in the Narn her reason for not journeying to Doriath with her son, not for refusing the later invitation to her to go).

      Of Morwen’s situation in Dor-lómin after the Battle of Unnumbered Tears there are a few things to say. In the poem (111–13)

       men unmindful of his mighty lordship

       dwelt in Dorlómin and dealt unkindly

       with his widowed wife

      – echoing the Tale: ‘the strange men who dwelt nigh knew not the dignity of the Lady Mavwin’, but there is still no indication of who these men were or where they came from (see II. 126). As so often, the narrative situation was prepared but its explanation had not emerged. The unclarity of the Tale as to where Úrin dwelt before the great Battle (see II. 120) is no longer present: the dwelling was dear where he dwelt of old (288). Nienor was born before Túrin left (on the contradiction in the Tale on this point see II. 131); and the chronology of Túrin’s childhood is still that of the Tale (see II. 142): seven years old when he left Hithlum (332), seven years in Doriath while tidings still came from Morwen (333), twelve years since he came to Doriath when he slew Orgof (471). In the later story the last figure remained unchanged, which suggests that the X (mark of dissatisfaction) placed against line 471 had some other reason.

      There are several references in the poem