The Children of Húrin

The Children of Húrin is an epic fantasy novel which 1.1 Synopsis

forms the completion of a tale by J. R. R. Tolkien. He
wrote the original version of the story in the late 1910s,
revised it several times later, but did not complete it be- See also: Túrin Turambar and Nienor
fore his death in 1973. His son, Christopher Tolkien,
edited the manuscripts to form a consistent narrative, and Húrin, lord of Men of the house of Hador in Dor-lómin,
published it in 2007 as an independent work. marries Morwen Eledhwen and they have two children, a
son Túrin and a daughter, Lalaith. Túrin grows to boy-
hood. A kind woodworker in Húrin’s employ, Sador, be-
1 Overview comes his friend. However a plague from Angband kills
Lalaith when she is three.
Main article: The Silmarillion In the disastrous defeat of the Battle of Unnumbered
Tears Húrin’s brother Húor is killed and Húrin is taken to
Angband, stronghold of Morgoth. Morgoth places a curse
The history and descent of the main characters are given on Húrin’s family whereby evil will befall them for their
as the leading paragraphs of the book, and the back story whole lives, and imprisons Húrin high on mount Thang-
is elaborated upon in The Silmarillion. It begins five hun- orodrim.
dred years before the action of the book, when Morgoth,
a Vala and the prime evil power, escapes from the Blessed At Morgoth’s command, the allied Easterlings overrun
Realm of Valinor to the north-west of Middle-earth. Hithlum and Dor-lómin. Morwen, fearing her son’s cap-
From his fortress of Angband he endeavours to gain con- ture, sends Túrin to the Elven realm of Doriath for safety.
trol of the whole of Middle-earth, unleashing a war with Morwen gives birth to Nienor. In Doriath, Túrin is taken
the Elves that dwell in the land of Beleriand to the south. as foster-son by King Thingol and becomes a mighty war-
rior. He befriends an Elf-archer named Beleg and the two
However, the Elves manage to stay his assault, and most become close companions. At one point during his life
of their realms remain unconquered; one of the most with Beleg on the fringes of the forest Túrin returns to
powerful of these is Doriath, ruled by Thingol. In ad- Thingol’s court, where his wild and unkempt appearance
dition, after some time the Noldorin Elves forsake Vali- draws the scorn of Saeros, a proud Elf who believes that
nor and pursue Morgoth to Middle-earth in order to take Men should be kept out of Doriath. After Saeros hurls
vengeance upon him. Together with the Sindar of Bele-
a snide insult directed at Túrin’s mother and sister, Túrin
riand, they proceed to lay siege to Angband, and establish throws a dish in Saeros’s face, injuring him. Saeros, angry
new strongholds and realms in Middle-earth, including
over what happened in the hall, attacks Túrin from behind
Hithlum ruled by Fingon, Nargothrond by Finrod Fela- in the woods the next day. Túrin overpowers him, how-
gund and Gondolin by Turgon.
ever, and strips him, forcing him to run naked through
Three centuries pass, during which the first Men appear the woods shouting for help as Túrin pursues him. The
in Beleriand. These are the Edain, descendants of those Elf Mablung follows them, crying for Túrin to stop, but
Men who have rebelled against the rule of Morgoth’s ser- Túrin continues chasing Saeros until the terrified Elf at-
vants and journeyed westward. Most of the Elves wel- tempts to jump a gorge too wide for him, and falls, dying
come them, and they are given fiefs throughout Beleriand. in the water below. Mablung, having witnessed only the
The House of Bëor rules over the land of Ladros, the chase through the woods and not Saeros’s original assault
Folk of Haleth retreat to the forest of Brethil, and the upon Túrin, believes that Saeros was humiliated without
lordship of Dor-lómin is granted to the House of Hador. provocation and wishes to bring Túrin back to trial in
Later, other Men enter Beleriand, the Easterlings, many Doriath. Túrin’s pride restrains him from either correct-
of whom are in secret league with Morgoth. ing the misunderstanding or submitting to trial, and he
Eventually Morgoth manages to break the Siege of chooses rather to leave Doriath and become an outcast.
Angband in the Battle of Sudden Flame. The House of Thingol holds an absentee trial for Túrin, and as the only
Bëor is destroyed and the Elves and Edain suffer heavy evidence is that Túrin humiliated Saeros without cause,
losses; however, many realms remain unconquered, in- Thingol is on the verge of outlawing him from Doriath
cluding Dor-lómin, where the lordship has passed to until he should choose to return and ask for pardon. Just
Húrin Thalion. as the King’s judgment is about to be put into effect, how-

1
2 1 OVERVIEW

ever, Beleg rushes in late accompanied by an Elf-maid top of Amon Rûdh to defend themselves, but the entire
named Nellas, who witnessed Saeros’s assault upon Túrin band are eventually killed, excepting Beleg and Túrin,
from her vantage point in a tree. With Nellas’s evidence whom the Orcs want alive. They bind Túrin and carry
taken into account, Thingol grants Túrin a full pardon, him off towards Angband, while leaving Beleg wounded
and Beleg leaves Doriath to find Túrin and bid him to re- and helpless, chained to a rock. Mîm approaches him af-
turn to Doriath. ter all the Orcs depart and is on the verge of torturing the
Túrin meanwhile joins a band of outlaws in the wild, the Elf to death, when Andróg, one of the outlaws, who is
Gaurwaith or “Wolf-folk”, of which he later becomes the wounded and had appeared dead, rouses himself enough
to drive Mîm away and release Beleg before succumbing
captain.Beleg traces the signs of Túrin’s band, gathering
news of Túrin from those who had seen or heard of him, to his wounds. Beleg remains in Amon Rûdh until his
own wounds are healed, and then, knowing that Túrin is
but the outlaws repeatedly throw off his pursuit.
not among the dead and must have been taken captive,
After a year in the wild Beleg succeeds in overtaking the follows the company of Orcs.
band at a time when Túrin is absent. Mistrusting Elves
in general and having become cruel through long lives In pursuit of the Orcs, Beleg comes across a mutilated elf,
of self-centered crime, the men mistreat Beleg in an at- Gwindor of Nargothrond sleeping in the dread forest of
tempt to elicit any information he might possess. After Taur-nu-Fuin. Gwindor had been an Elvish lord before
being tortured by the lawless gang for several days, Be- being taken captive and forced to serve in Angband for
leg is on the verge of death when Túrin returns. Túrin is many years, and Beleg remains with him. They see the
horrified to see his friend so maltreated by his own men, Orc company pass by, and entering their camp that night
and while tending Beleg Túrin vows to forsake the evil find Túrin sleeping, and carry him away from the Orcs.
and cruel habits he has fallen into while among the law- When at a safe distance they stop, and Beleg begins to
less men, recognizing that his band’s senseless cruelty to- cut Túrin’s bonds with his sword Gurthang, which Beleg
wards the innocent Beleg can be traced back to his own had been warned was an evil blade which would not stay
lax standards. When Beleg recovers, he is able to deliver with him long. The sword slips in his hand and Túrin is
to Túrin the message of the king’s pardon; Túrin is torn, cut; and Túrin, mistaking Beleg in the dark for an Orc
but in spite of Beleg’s pleas refuses to humble his pride, who had come to torture him, leaps to his feet and kills
and will not accept the pardon and return to Doriath. Be- Beleg with his own sword. When Túrin sees Beleg’s face
leg then departs in order to participate in battles upon the in a flash of lightning and realizes what he has done, he
north-marches of Doriath, in spite of Túrin’s request that falls into a kind of frenzy, not speaking or weeping, but
refusing to leave Beleg’s body. In the morning Gwindor is
Beleg stay by his side.
able to bury Beleg, but Túrin remains crazed and witless
Some time later, Túrin and his men capture Mîm the with grief.
Petty-dwarf, who ransoms his life by leading the band to
the caves in the hill of Amon Rûdh, where the ancestral Gwindor leads Túrin through the wild for months, and
home of the Petty-dwarves is hidden. Despite the unfor- Túrin remains in a fixed state of grief and guilt, not speak-
tunate death of Mîm’s son at the hands of one of Túrin’s ing, but doing only what Gwindor bids him. At length,
band, Mîm grows to respect Túrin, and the outlaws set up however, the two reach Eithel Ivrin, where Túrin finally
a permanent base in the caves. In Doriath, Beleg decides weeps for Beleg, and is healed. Having regained his
against his better judgment to return to his friend, and ar- senses, he and Gwindor proceed to Nargothrond, where
rives at Amon Rûdh to a loving reception from Túrin. The Gwindor lived before his long imprisonment in Angband.
other outlaws resent Beleg’s presence, however, and Mîm, There Túrin gains favour with King Orodreth and earns
who had earlier proclaimed his enmity towards the Elves, the love of his daughter Finduilas, although she was previ-
grows to hate him bitterly. Nevertheless, everything pro- ously engaged to be married to Gwindor, and Túrin does
ceeds smoothly for a while, the outlaw band gradually in- not reciprocate her romantic feelings. After leading the
creases to a great number (though only the original fifty Elves to considerable victories, Túrin becomes the chief
men are allowed entrance to the hidden caves of the Petty- counsellor of Orodreth and effectively commander of all
dwarves), and becomes more daring and successful in the the forces in Nargothrond. This fuels Túrin’s pride, and
warfare against Morgoth’s troops. At length, Túrin and he begins giving extravagant orders which are arrogant
Beleg even establish the realm of Dor-Cúarthol, and word and ill-thought-out, and eventually hasten the doom of
spreads that Beleg and Túrin, long unheard-of, have ap- Nargothrond.
peared again as the captains of a great host. Messengers sent from Círdan warn Túrin to hide Nar-
However, Mîm’s hatred towards Beleg eventually reaches gothrond from Morgoth, but Túrin refused to retract his
a breaking point, and he approaches a band of Orcs with rash and prideful plans for full-scale battle, and treats
an offer to lead them to the outlaw’s headquarters on the messengers rudely. However, after five years Mor-
Amon Rûdh, in return for the promise of monetary com- goth sends a great force of Orcs under the command of a
pensation. The dwarf leads them to the hidden caves, and dragon, Glaurung, and defeats the army of Nargothrond
Túrin’s company is taken unawares. They retreat to the on the field of Tumhalad, where both Gwindor and Oro-
dreth are killed. Easily crossing over a great bridge which
1.1 Synopsis
Túrin had had built against all counsel, Morgoth’s forces
sack Nargothrond and capture its citizens while its forces
are engaged on the field of battle. Túrin returns just be-
fore the prisoners are led away by the Orcs, and in an
attempt to prevent this, Túrin encounters Glaurung. The
dragon, wielding the evil power of Morgoth, enchants and
tricks him into returning to Dor-lómin to seek out his
mother and sister instead of rescuing Finduilas and other
prisoners, which, according to the last words of Gwindor,
is the only way to avoid his doom.
When Túrin returns to Dor-lómin, he learns that Morwen
and Nienor have long been sheltered in Doriath, and that
Glaurung deceived him into letting Finduilas go to her
death. An enraged Túrin incites a fight among the East-
erlings who now inhabit Dor-lómin and is compelled to
flee once more. He tracks Finduilas’s captors to the for-
est of Brethil, only to learn that she was murdered by the
Orcs when the woodmen attempted to rescue the Elvish
prisoners. Almost broken by his grief, Túrin seeks sanc-
tuary among the Folk of Haleth, who maintain a tena-
cious resistance against the forces of Morgoth. In Brethil
Túrin renames himself Turambar, or “Master of Doom”
in High-elven, and gradually overrules the gentle, lame
Chieftain Brandir.
Meanwhile, in Doriath, Morwen and Nienor hear ru-
mours of Túrin’s deeds at Nargothrond, and Morwen de-
termines either to find Túrin living or hear certain news of
his death. Against the council of Thingol she rides out of
Doriath alone, and when the king sends a group of Elves
to follow and protect her, Nienor conceals herself among
the riders and rejoins her mother. Mablung, leading the
group, does not wish to proceed with Morwen’s mission,
but feels compelled to protect her and Nienor. When
they approach Nargothrond, Mablung leaves Morwen and
Nienor with a group of riders, and takes the rest to explore
the ruins of Nargothrond in the hopes of finding informa-
tion about the fall of the city and of Túrin’s fate. There
they encounter Glaurung, who has established himself in
the ruins of Nargothrond, and he scatters Mablung’s force
before proceeding to the hill on which the women and
Elves are waiting. His coming drives all of the horses
mad, and in the frenzy Nienor is separated from all the
others. When she regains the hilltop alone, she comes
face-to face with Glaurung, who, upon discovering her
identity, enchants her so that everything she knows is lost,
and her mind is made blank.
When Mablung returns to the hill alone, also separated
from his company, he finds her waiting on the hill like a
lost child, and is forced to attempt the long journey back
to Doriath on foot, leading Nienor by the hand. The two
of them become stranded in the wilderness, and only the
arrival of a few of the other Elves from the scattered group
prevents them from starving to death. The few Elves con-
tinue their long journey to Doriath, but in an affray with
a band of Orcs Nienor runs into the woods and is lost.
Eventually she collapses near Brethil on the grave of Find-
uilas, where Túrin finds her and brings her back to the
3
town. There she gradually recovers the use of speech, al-
though she has no memory of any past life. Brandir falls
in love with her, but though she feels a sisterly affection
for him, she and Túrin develop a strong mutual attraction;
Túrin has never seen her, and she remembers nothing of
what she once knew about her brother, and not realizing
their kinship, they fall in love. Despite the counsel of
Brandir, they soon marry, and Nienor becomes pregnant.
After some time of peace, Glaurung comes to extermi-
nate the Men of Brethil. But Turambar leads a perilous
expedition to cut him off, and stabs the dragon from be-
neath while he is crossing the ravine of Cabed-en-Aras.
Meanwhile, Nienor and several other of the people of
Brethil leave the safety of the town and, wishing to know
what transpired between the men and the dragon, join
the scouts waiting for Turambar’s return on a hill a short
distance from where the dragon was stabbed. As Glau-
rung is dying on the bank of the ravine, Turambar, who
is now alone, pulls his sword from the dragon’s belly, and
the venomous blood spurts onto his hand and burns him.
Overwhelmed with pain and fatigue, he faints. Nienor
eventually comes to the place of the battle, followed by
Brandir hobbling on his crutch. She takes Turambar’s
swoon for death and weeps over him, as with a last ef-
fort of malice Glaurung opens his eyes, and informs her
of the fact that she and her husband are in reality brother
and sister, taunting her with her incestuous pregnancy.
Glaurung then dies, and his spell of forgetfulness passes
from her, and she remembers her entire life. Forced to ac-
knowledge that the dragon’s words were true, she throws
herself off the nearby cliff into the river Taeglin, and is
washed away, as Brandir watches helplessly. When Tu-
rambar wakes and returns to the hill where the scouts are
waiting, Brandir bitterly informs him of Nienor’s death
and of hers and Turambar’s true relationship as siblings,
concerning which he overheard the dragon’s words. Be-
lieving that Brandir has concocted the story as a lie stem-
ming from jealousy of Nienor’s love for Túrin, Túrin kills
Brandir, who declares before dying his hope that he will
rejoin Nienor across the sea, which only further infuri-
ates Túrin. However, running crazed into the wild, Túrin
meets Mablung, who has been seeking Nienor for years;
as well as Morwen, who was never found after Glaurung’s
scattering of the Elvish company. Mablung, without
knowing anything that has transpired since Nienor was
lost in the woods, innocently confirms Brandir’s tale. Af-
ter Túrin has learned all the terrible truth from Mablung,
he returns to the place where Nienor threw herself from
the cliff, and takes his own life upon the sword, Gurthang,
which killed Beleg so many years before.
The main part of the narrative ends with the burial of
Túrin. Appended to this is an extract from The Wan-
derings of Húrin, the next tale of Tolkien’s legendarium.
This recounts how Húrin is at last released by Morgoth
and comes to the grave of his children. There he finds
Morwen, who has also managed to find the place, but now
dies in the arms of her husband with the following sunset.
4 2 PUBLICATION HISTORY

2 Publication history tale of Túrin Turambar and his sister Níniel –

of which Túrin is the hero: a figure that might
The Children of Húrin was published on 17 April 2007, by be said (by people who like that sort of thing,
HarperCollins in the United Kingdom and Canada, and though it is not very useful) to be derived from
by Houghton Mifflin in the United States. Alan Lee, il- elements in Sigurd the Volsung, Oedipus, and
lustrator of other fantasy works by J. R. R. Tolkien (The the Finnish Kullervo.[4]
Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) created the jacket
painting, as well as the illustrations within the book. The moral issues in The Children of Húrin have been
Christopher Tolkien also included an excursus on the evo- compared to Tolkien’s analysis of The Battle of Maldon
lution of the tale, several genealogical tables, and a re-that shows Tolkien’s interest in the “theory of courage”,[5]
drawn map of Beleriand. and distinguish between arrogance and true courage.
Túrin’s decision to build a bridge at Nargothrond which
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote that the setting is intended to be
enables the invasion by Morgoth’s forces resembles the
our Earth several thousand years ago,[1] although the ge-
character Byrthtnoth from The Battle of Maldon.[6]
ographical and historical correspondence with the real
world is tenuous. The lands of Middle-earth were popu-
lated by Men and other humanoid races: Elves, Dwarves, 2.2 Themes and interpretation
and Orcs, as well as divine beings, Valar and Maiar. The
story concentrates on a man of the House of Hador, Túrin The themes explored in the story include evil, free will
Turambar, and his sister Niënor Níniel, who are cursed and predestination. The book reflects also on heroism
along with their father Húrin by the Dark Lord Morgoth. and courage. It has been suggested that Túrin’s character
The events take place more than 6,500 years before the is not only shaped by Morgoth’s curse but that he himself
War of the Ring. is also partly responsible for his actions. The curse can-
According to the Tolkien Estate: not completely control his free will, and Túrin displays
traits like arrogance, pride and a desire for honour, that
The Children of Húrin takes the reader eventually cause the doom of his allies and family.[7]
back to a time long before The Lord of the
Rings, in an area of Middle-earth that was
to be drowned before Hobbits appeared, and
2.3 Writing
when the great enemy was still the fallen Vala,
See also: Narn i Chîn Húrin
Morgoth, and Sauron was only Morgoth’s lieu-
tenant. This heroic romance is the tale of the
Man, Húrin, who dared to defy Morgoth, and A brief version of the story formed the base of chapter
his family’s tragic destiny, as it follows his son XXI of The Silmarillion, setting the tale in the context of
Túrin Turambar’s travels through the lost world the wars of Beleriand. Although based on the same texts
of Beleriand...[2] used to complete the new book, the Silmarillion account
leaves out the greater part of the tale.
Other incomplete versions have been published in other
2.1 Influences
works:
The story is mainly based on the legend of Kullervo,
a character from the Finnish folklore poems known as • The Narn i Hîn Húrin in Unfinished Tales.
Kalevala. Tolkien drew inspiration from the Kalevala for • Items in the History of Middle-earth series, includ-
“The Story of Kullervo” in 1914, which was to become ing:
the model for his tale of Túrin.[3] Túrin also resembles
Sigmund, the father of Sigurd in the Volsunga saga, in the • Turambar and the Foalókë, from The Book of
incestuous relationship he had with his sister. In Richard Lost Tales
Wagner's opera, Die Walküre (also drawn in part from • The Lay of the Children of Húrin, an early nar-
the Volsung myths), Siegmund and Sieglinde are paral- rative poem.
lels of Túrin and Nienor. Túrin further resembles Sigurd
himself, as both achieve great renown for the slaying of a
None of these writings forms a complete and mature nar-
dragon of immense power and magic.
rative. The published Children of Húrin is essentially a
Túrin’s resemblance to figures from Classical and synthesis of the Narn and of the account found in the Sil-
Medieval tales can be confirmed by a letter which marillion. The first part of The Children of Hurin (chap-
Tolkien wrote to Milton Waldman, a publisher from ters I to VII) is taken directly from the Narn with the
HarperCollins, concerning the fate of his works: exception of the Nírnaeth Arnoediad (chapter II), which
actually forms the twentieth chapter of the Silmarillion;
There is the Children of Húrin, the tragic both in the Narn and in the much compressed Silmarillion
 5

version (Of Turin Turambar), this battle is only briefly is no element of extraneous 'invention' of any
mentioned. kind, however slight.” He was criticized for
In the middle section (chapters VII to XII), that is, from having monkeyed with his father’s text when
the end of Túrin’s residing on Amon Rûdh to his re- putting “The Silmarillion” together. This pre-
turn to Dor-lómin, material is mostly drawn from the emptive strike must be meant to allay the fears
Silmarillion but is often supplemented with more com- of Tolkien’s most persnickety readers.”[10]
plete but disconnected passages from the Narn (provided
by Christopher Tolkien in the Appendix of the Unfin- Christopher Tolkien explains how the compilation of The
ished Tales). Such more developed scenes include the Children of Húrin was achieved:
exploits of the outlaws in Dor-Cúarthol, Túrin’s roman-
tic connection with Finduilas, his debate with Gwindor In the Unfinished Tales there is a third gap
over the strategy that the Elves of Nargothrond were to in the narrative on p. 96: the story breaks off
adopt in their fight against Morgoth, as well as a much at the point where Beleg, having at last found
expanded account of the coming of the Elves Gelmir and Túrin among the outlaws, cannot persuade him
Arminas to the halls of Narog. Some minor editorial pro- to return to Doriath (pp. 115-119 in the new
cess has been needed mostly to provide smooth transi- text), and does not take up again until the out-
tions.The last section (chapters XII to XVIII) comes ex- laws encounter the Petty-dwarves. Here I have
clusively from the Narn, with the addition, at the end of again referred to The Silmarillion for the filling
the last chapter, of Húrin’s release from Angband, and his of the gap...[11]
last words to Morwen.
Christopher Tolkien elaborates in the Unfinished Tales
concerning his use of the Narn and of the Silmarillion
2.3.1 Editorial process in order to achieve a complete account of Túrin’s tale:
With the publication of The Children of Húrin, Christo-
I have contrived a narrative, in scale com-
pher Tolkien quotes his father’s own words on his fictional
mensurate with other parts of the Narn out of
universe:
the existing materials (with one gap, see p. 124
and note 12); but from that point onwards (see
once upon a time... I had in mind to make p.135), I have found it unprofitable to attempt
a body of more or less connected legend... I it. The gaps in the Narn are here too large, and
would draw some of the great tales in fullness, could only be filled from the published text of
and leave many only placed in the scheme, and The Silmarillion; but in an Appendix (pp. 193
sketched.[8] ff.) I have cited isolated fragments from this
part of the projected larger narrative.[12]
Christopher Tolkien gives this apology for his exercise of
his authorized editorial function to produce this work of
his father: 3 Reception
...it has seemed to me that there was a good The initial reviews following the publication of The Chil-
case for presenting my father’s long version of dren of Húrin were mostly positive. Likening it to a
the legend of the Children of Húrin as an inde- Greek tragedy, The Washington Post called it “a bleak,
pendent work, between its own covers, with a darkly beautiful tale” which “possesses the mythic reso-
minimum of editorial presence, and above all nance and grim sense of inexorable fate”.[13] A positive
in continuous narrative without gaps or inter- review was carried by The Independent (UK) (“dry, mad,
ruptions, if this could be done without distor- humourless, hard-going and completely brilliant”).[14]
tion or invention, despite the unfinished state in Bryan Appleyard of The Sunday Times (UK) set The Chil-
which he left parts of it.”[9] dren of Húrin above other writings of Tolkien, noting its
“intense and very grown-up manner” and “a real feeling
[15]
Ethan Gilsdorf reviewing The Children of Húrin wrote of of high seriousness”. Maurice Chittenden of The Sun-
the editorial function: day Times, said that “it may merit an X-certificate” due
to the amount of violent deaths.[16]
Of almost equal interest is Christopher The book received negative reviews from the Detroit
Tolkien’s task editing his father’s abandoned Free Press (“dull and unfinished”),[17] Entertainment
projects. In his appendix, he explains his ed- Weekly (“awkward and immature”, “impenetrable forest
itorial process this way: “While I have had to of names ... overstuffed with strangled syntax”),[18] and
introduce bridging passages here and there in The Guardian (“a derivative Wagnerian hero ... on a
the piecing together of different drafts, there quasi-symbolic quest”).[19]
6 4
Other critics distinguished two audiences. Tom Deveson
of The Sunday Times said that “although J.R.R Tolkien
aficionados will be thrilled, others will find The Children
of Hurin barely readable”.[20] Kelly Grovier from The
Observer, on the other hand, stated that it “will please
all but the most puritanical of his fans”, referring to the
scepticism about Christopher Tolkien’s involvement.[21]
Jeremy Marshall of The Times generally echoed: “It is
worthy of a readership beyond Tolkien devotees,” al-
though he thought it was flawed (“occasionally the prose is
too stilted, the dialogue too portentous, the unexplained
names too opaque”). He also presupposed that: “In The
Children of Húrin we could at last have the successor to
The Lord of the Rings that was so earnestly and hopelessly
sought by Tolkien’s publishers in the late 1950s.”[22]
3.1 Sales
Illustrator Alan Lee signing copies of The Children of Húrin
The Children of Húrin debuted at number one on The New
York Times Hardcover Fiction Best Seller list.[23]
According to Houghton Mifflin, the U.S. publisher,
already 900,000 copies were in print worldwide in
[18] Giles, Jeff (17 April 2007). “The Children of Húrin”.
the first two weeks, double the initial expectations of
[24]
the publishers. HarperCollins, the U.K. publisher,
claimed 330,000 copies were in print in the U.K. in the [19] Crace, John (24 April 2007). “The Children of Húrin by
first two weeks.[24]
4 References
Notes
[1] Carpenter 1981, letter No. 211
[2] “The Children of Húrin”. Tolkien Estate. Retrieved
2013-03-06.
[3] Shippey, Tom (2004). “Tolkien and the Appeal of the
Pagan”. In Chance, Jane. Tolkien and the Invention of
Myth. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 155, 156. ISBN
9780813123011.
REFERENCES
[4] Carpenter 1981, letter No. 131
[5] Solopova 2009, p. 48, citing West, R. C. (2000). “Túrin’s
Ofermod: An Old English Theme in the Development of
the Story of Túrin”. In Flieger, Verlyn; Hostetter, Carl F.
Tolkien’s Legendarium: Essays on the History of Middle-
earth. Greenwood Press. pp. 233–245.
[6] Solopova 2009, p. 48
[7] Solopova 2009, pp. 46–47
[8] J R R Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien, The Chil-
dren of Húrin, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 2007. ISBN
0-618-89464-0, p.9
[9] J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, editor, The Children
of Húrin, p.7
[10] The Boston Globe Book Review of The Children of Húrin
by Ethan Gilsdorf, 26 April 2007.
[11] J R R Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien, The Chil-
dren of Húrin, Ballantine Books, New York, 2010. ISBN
0-345-51884-5, p. 286
[12] J R R Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien, Unfinished
Tales, HarperCollins, 2009. ISBN 0-007-32257-7, p.9
[13] Hand, Elizabeth (27 April 2007). “The Return of the
King”. The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
[14] Boyce, Frank Cottrell (18 April 2007). “Spreading the
elfish gene”. The Independent. Archived from the original
on 20 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
[15] Appleyard, Bryan (8 April 2007). “What took them so
long?". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
[16] Chittenden, Maurice (24 September 2006). “X-rated
Tolkien: it’s not for the kiddies”. The Sunday Times. Re-
trieved 2007-09-22.
[17] Salij, Marta (18 April 2007). “Just kick the hobbit and
don't suffer 'The Children of Hurin'". Detroit Free Press.
Retrieved 2008-06-08.
Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
JRR Tolkien”. The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
[20] Deveson, Tom (15 April 2007). “Away with the fairies”.
The Sunday Times. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
[21] Grovier, Kelly (27 April 2007). “In the name of the fa-
ther”. The Observer. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
[22] Marshall, Jeremy (14 April 2007). “Tolkien, before
Bilbo”. The Times. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
[23] “The New York Times: Books-Best-Seller Lists”. The
New York Times. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
[24] Italie, Hillel (1 May 2007). “Sales soar for new Tolkien
novel”. Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
Works cited
 7

• Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (1981), The Letters of

J. R. R. Tolkien, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, ISBN
0-395-31555-7

• Solopova, Elizabeth (2009), Languages, Myths and

History: An Introduction to the Linguistic and
Literary Background of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Fiction,
New York City: North Landing Books, ISBN 0-
9816607-1-1

5 External links
• Statement about the book by the Tolkien Estate
• FAQ on the subject of The Children of Húrin by the
Tolkien Estate
• Statement about the book by HarperCollins

• Interview about the book with Adam Tolkien (in

Spanish but with an English version at the bottom
of the page)
• An introduction and background on the book at
Tolkien-Online.com
• The Children of Húrin FAQ

• The Children of Húrin with analysis and reviews

8 6 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

6 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

6.1 Text
• The Children of Húrin Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Children_of_H%C3%BArin?oldid=669593043 Contributors: Paul A,
Furrykef, Robbot, Jor, David Gerard, Gwalla, Gamaliel, Andycjp, Flex, D6, Rich Farmbrough, Dbachmann, Zaslav, CanisRufus, Thu, Phei-
dias, Zetawoof, Uucp, Ceyockey, Carcharoth, Duncan.france, Colin Watson, Rjwilmsi, Nightscream, Amire80, Quiddity, BlueMoonlet,
Himasaram, Elmer Clark, DannyZ, Str1977, Chobot, Roboto de Ajvol, Thiseye, Manraviel, Ms2ger, Pegship, Rfsmit, Andrew Lancaster,
Richard Hallas, Enakar, Attilios, SmackBot, Red-Blue-White, Uthanc, GwydionM, Kevinalewis, Macduff, Psiphiorg, Bazonka, DonnEd-
wards, MisterHand, Alanlastufka, Mirlen, Gildir, Qmwne235, T-dot, John, OliverWKim, Euchiasmus, IronGargoyle, Grandpafootsoldier,
Davemon, Galadh, Eluchil404, Pink Fae, Aherunar, Randalllin, Michaelsanders, GuyFromChicago, Cydebot, MC10, TheCyanid, Roberta
F., Kingstowngalway, Thijs!bot, Caedus, Picus viridis, Eilev G. Myhren~enwiki, AgentPeppermint, JimDunning, Narfil Palùrfalas, Lor-
can.doyle, JAnDbot, .anacondabot, Connormah, Mclay1, Hans Persson, Flami72, Jfredrickson, GimliDotNet, KTo288, Darin-0, Sisu99,
Bhojpuri, STBotD, VolkovBot, MikeLondon, Mogwit, Dom Kaos, Mercurywoodrose, Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici, Elphion, Talk ape,
Broadbot, Psyche825, BotKung, PateraIncus, Tttom, Judicial, NinjaRobotPirate, Iceage77, Amsmith0903, Sayan241, Solicitr, YLSS,
SieBot, Charleys2004, PauloIapetus, Randy Kryn, De728631, Googlyelmo, Olenia Olyosia, Eruhil, Blanchardb, Trivialist, DragonBot,
Howdoesitflee, Miuq, Addbot, BrainMarble, Setanta747, Tide rolls, Lightbot, NeoBatfreak, Odder, Luckas-bot, Yobot, AnomieBOT,
Tobz0r, The sock that should not be, Mfybht, RibotBOT, Winterwater, Eomund, Mickfelagund~enwiki, Bgpaulus, CobraBot, Jhender-
son777, Reach Out to the Truth, Ethanfreak, Ajraddatz, Ncsr11, Patsfan1994, Faolin42, Princess Lirin, Kjosh61, H3llBot, Glimmer721,
SporkBot, Catholic nerd, Iiii I I I, Braincricket, Bdlp, Helpful Pixie Bot, MahdiBot, ChrisGualtieri, Comatmebro, Khazar2, ArmbrustBot,
OccultZone, Turin96, An Unexpected Journey and Anonymous: 127

6.2 Images
• File:Alan_Lee_signing_The_Children_of_Húrin.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Alan_Lee_
signing_The_Children_of_H%C3%BArin.jpg License: CC BY 2.0 Contributors: The Children of Tolkien Original artist: Danie Ware
• File:Arda.Tengwar.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Arda.Tengwar.svg License: Public domain Con-
tributors: Own work Original artist: Pmx
• File:Edit-clear.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg License: Public domain Contributors: The
Tango! Desktop Project. Original artist:
The people from the Tango! project. And according to the meta-data in the file, specifically: “Andreas Nilsson, and Jakub Steiner (although
minimally).”

6.3 Content license

• Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0