I read Tolkien’s The Children of Hurin as one would read history. Different versions are based on different perspectives due to the author or translator and when it was written.
I do not view these as draft versions with one being more accurate than another. I do not subscribe to the concept of canon.
Most tales of Middle-earth were elven based and passed through the years until landing with JRR Tolkien.
He did not even finish most of these tales and his manuscripts were left to his son Christopher to compile into more complete stories.
The drafts though came from different sources such as Eltas (a man), Aelfwine (a man translating from Elvish), Pengolod, and from oral history of the Elves in the form of the Lay.
Some were independent of the others and some built upon earlier versions. The original languages differed, but all were eventually translated into modern English, most likely first coming in common language and language of origination before that.
There are also references to Turin and Hurin in later tales, such as the Lord of the Rings, reinforcing the validity of these 1st age legends.
As with any history, the perspective of the author will impact the telling of the story.
For those that do view these as drafts and not history (relax and lighten up;-) you do have to take into consideration the fact that recency does not mean the story is the preferred or favored version of the story.
This story was one of the earliest Tolkien began working on and he worked on it up until his death. This story consumed him.
His challenge came in balancing a perfect version with a proper integration of this story into the greater legendarium.
To accomplish this there had to be accomodations made. I liken this to balancing an open wheel car on a road course. Given the different turns, pitches, and straightaway lengths, there has to be give and take to find the balance needed to create the most perfect lap. This requires compromise. You might not be fastest on the straight, but you can get through turns quicker or vice versa.
To this end Tolkien worked tirelessly to weave all aspects of the story into the legendarium. The afterlife is critical to the story’s central role, but barely touched upon in the stand alone volume and Silmarillion.
The end of Hurin is somewhat unclear. Unlike the end of Turin, Niniel and Morwen in life, we only know that Hurin does die. He likely committed suicide by walking into the sea until he could walk no more following his confrontation with King Thingol and Lady Meilian.
The confrontation, centered on Hurin believing the king did his family ill due to the effect of the curse led Hurin to give him the Nauglafring. Melian relieves him of the curse and in seeing things clearly he leaves never to be seen again in life.
The Nauglamir becomes the downfall of Thingol, Gondolin is found based on Hurins cries at the king in approximation to his lands, and Turin already led the downfall of King Orodreth in Nargothrond.
The curse ultimately leads to the end of all three elven kingdoms in Beleriand.
Being a believer in this being history, in my next post I’m going to explore some concepts determining what makes a historical account legitimate and how accurate can the story of the Children of Hurin really be.
Resilient Seeker Coaching | Ross Raymond Nunamaker 