32852985

More documents

Recommendations

Info

the Isle of Werewolves. He is, or will be, Sauron. Tevildo and his realm of cats have disappeared. But in the background another significant element in the legend had emerged after The Tale of Tinúviel was written: this concerns the father of Beren. Egnor the forester, the Gnome ‘who hunted in the darker places of Hisilómë’ (p. 41) has gone. Now, in the passage from the Sketch just given, his father is Barahir, ‘a famous chieftain of Men’: driven into hiding by the growing hostile power of Morgoth, his hiding was betrayed, and he was slain. ‘His son Beren after a life outlawed flees south, crosses the Shadowy Mountains, and after grievous hardships comes to Doriath. Of this and his other adventures is told in The Lay of Leithian.’
A PASSAGE EXTRACTED FROM THE LAY OF LEITHIAN I give here the passage in the Lay (written in 1925; see p. 88) that describes the treachery of Gorlim, known as Gorlim the Unhappy, who betrayed to Morgoth the hiding place of Barahir and his companions, and the aftermath. I should mention here that the textual detail of the poem is very complex, but since my (ambitious) purpose in this book is to make a readily readable text that shows the narrative evolution of the legend at different stages, I have neglected virtually all detail of this nature, which could only confuse that purpose. An account of the textual history of the poem will be found in my book The Lays of Beleriand (The History of Middle-earth, Vol. III, 1985). I have taken the extracts from the Lay in the present book word for word from the text that I prepared for The Lays of Beleriand. The line-numbers are simply those of the extracts, and have no relation to those of the whole poem. The extract that follows is taken from Canto II of the Lay. It is preceded by a description of the ferocious tyranny of Morgoth over the northern lands at the time of Beren’s coming into Artanor (Doriath), and of the survival in hiding of Barahir and Beren and ten others, hunted in vain by Morgoth for many years, until at last ‘their feet were caught in Morgoth’s snare’. Gorlim it was, who wearying of toil and flight and harrying one night by chance did turn his feet o’er the dark fields by stealth to meet with hidden friends within a dale, and found a homestead looming pale against the misty stars, all dark save one small window, whence a spark of fitful candle strayed without. Therein he peeped, and filled with doubt 5 10
Page 3 and 4: First U.S. Edition All texts and ma
Page 5 and 6: Contents Cover Title Page Copyright
Page 7 and 8: PREFACE After the publication of Th
Page 9 and 10: Lastly, I will cite another of my p
Page 11 and 12: NOTES ON THE ELDER DAYS The depth i
Page 13 and 14: That country came afterwards to be
Page 15 and 16: BEREN AND LÚTHIEN
Page 17 and 18: The Tale of Tinúviel in its rewrit
Page 19 and 20: of the white moths that flew in the
Page 21 and 22: Valinor. Melian was a fay. In the g
Page 23 and 24: Iron Mountains until he reached the
Page 25 and 26: quest, and indeed there was little,
Page 27 and 28: Now Gwendeling laughed not, for in
Page 29 and 30: towards Palisor, and there plays su
Page 31 and 32: Tinúviel was robed in her robe of
Page 33 and 34: ears, for they twitch already.’ B
Page 35 and 36: for Tevildo’s wrath was terrible,
Page 37 and 38: and Melko gazed on enchanted, but h
Page 39 and 40: him, saying it would be folly to be
Page 41 and 42: to cutting it open, but Huan licks
Page 43: A PASSAGE FROM THE ‘SKETCH OF THE
Page 47 and 48: he found the servants of the king a
Page 49 and 50: traitor betrayed, now stands! Nor f
Page 51 and 52: Yet seldom well an outlaw ends, and
Page 53: THE QUENTA NOLDORINWA After the Ske
Page 56 and 57: that burning, and the fumes of it w
Page 58 and 59: A SECOND EXTRACT FROM THE LAY OF LE
Page 60 and 61: An everlasting watch they hold, the
Page 62 and 63: that to Beren son of Barahir mercy
Page 64 and 65: is now our fate, but not to lose th
Page 66 and 67: they took; and loathing each him cl
Page 68 and 69: Foreboding evil weights their mind,
Page 70 and 71: Death to light, to law, to love! Cu
Page 72 and 73: and blood flowing they would smell.
Page 74 and 75: any who could capture her. Each wol
Page 76 and 77: Doriath. Then the heart of Thingol
Page 78 and 79: as arrow from a bow of yew; their v
Page 80 and 81: Curufin spake: ‘Good brother mine
Page 82 and 83: The perfume of her flower-twined ha
Page 84 and 85: her eager questions. Out of mind, i
Page 86 and 87: The others lived no more, but bare
Page 88 and 89: slim fingers flute and viol seize b
Page 90 and 91: and each was seized, and there were
Page 92 and 93: and vanquished betrayed his master
Page 94 and 95:
and there there lie the white bones
Page 96 and 97:
‘For never more to Doriath can Be
Page 98 and 99:
There Curufin had left his life, ha
Page 100 and 101:
long years had sung in those sad li
Page 102 and 103:
eneath the beech and oak we stand,
Page 104 and 105:
and dream thee back in Valinor, whe
Page 106 and 107:
would Huan make, of flowing pace: t
Page 108 and 109:
singing until the midnight hour. Sw
Page 110 and 111:
Fingolfin there: ‘Come, open wide
Page 112 and 113:
Thus Bauglir earned the furrowed sc
Page 114 and 115:
and ever wild their voices rolled i
Page 116 and 117:
eyes shining grim with evil mood, u
Page 118 and 119:
at every turn they silent loomed in
Page 120 and 121:
‘A lawful errand here me brought;
Page 122 and 123:
In slothful gardens many a flower l
Page 124 and 125:
in ecstasy enchanted borne. All eye
Page 126 and 127:
in sleep uneasy Balrogs stirred, an
Page 128 and 129:
No moon is there, no voice, no soun
Page 130 and 131:
my father’s consignment contained
Page 132 and 133:
twenty years from the original Tale
Page 134 and 135:
time return. But the sons of Men di
Page 136 and 137:
THE RETURN OF BEREN AND LÚTHIEN AC
Page 138 and 139:
[In a text somewhat later than the
Page 140 and 141:
tree and boulder do the brown Elves
Page 142 and 143:
She wandered in the woods, and of t
Page 144 and 145:
THE MORNING AND EVENING STAR Great
Page 146:
silver-grey. And at times, when Eä
Page 149 and 150:
of slender birches silver-grey stoo
Page 151 and 152:
to him of Eilinel his wife. ‘Woul
Page 153 and 154:
As Beren went, still like a knell r
Page 155 and 156:
aped from dead bodies. One a ring h
Page 157 and 158:
than all the world has since in son
Page 159 and 160:
FOOTNOTES Preface * ‘The Lost Tal
Page 161 and 162:
Beleg Elf of Doriath, a great arche
Page 163 and 164:
Ginglith River flowing into the Nar
Page 165 and 166:
Nan Dumgorthin ‘The land of the d
Page 167 and 168:
Valmar, Valimar City of the Valar i
Page 169 and 170:
like please, 88 (in doth it like th
Page 171 and 172:
Read More from J.R.R. Tolkien Visit
Page 173:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND EDITOR J.R.R.
show all

32852985

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?