Book – The Lays of Beleriand

Book – The Lays of Beleriand

(= History of Middle-Earth 3/12) 

Author: J.R.R Tolkien, edited and commented by Christopher Tolkien 

Score: 10/10
Year: 1985 (original) ; 2015 (this paperback edition) 

Publisher: HarperCollins 

ISBN 978-0-261-10226-2

Pages 393

Language: English

I've enjoyed this third book in the History of Middle-Earth series in its majority, but with some exceptions.  In it, Chrisopher Tolkien continues presenting his father's writings of various stories in the Middle-Earth Legendarium, written as lays, first in the mid-1920's and re-writes for one of them, in the 1950's. 

Due to its length, I have to divide this review into segments, A (a brief table of content), B (the stories) C (my overall review), and D, a fuller table of contents. 

Segment A : I'll start with a brief table of content: 

Preface, p. 1-2 

I. The Lay of the Children of Hùrin, p. 3-130, in alliterative verse, his most sustained work in ancient English Meter. 
II. Poems Early Abandoned, p.131-149, also in alliterative verse 
III. The Lay of Leithian, p. 150-314, in rhyming couplets

[The composition of I, II & III is from the 1920's, whereas the re-writing of III (Leithian) seen in part IV below, is from the mid-1950's, with alteration made to names, and fitting the stories as reimagined at the completion of the Lord of the Rings.]

Appendice : Commentary by C.S Lewis, p. 315-329, which critics an early version of the Lay in III, and which prompted a few emendations Tolkien made in lines as shown by Christopher.

IV. The Lay of Leithian Recmmenced, p. 330-363
Note on the original submission of the Lay of Leithian, and the Silmarillion in 1937, p. 364
Glossary of Obsolete, Archaic, and Rare Words, and Meanings, p. 368
Index p. 373- 393 

Each section or Canto for poems in parts I, II and III is accompagnied by Christopher's notes and commentaries, illuminating aspects of the tales as well as adding new information to their composition, variants in manuscripts and notes of his father's ; and sometimes notable differences with other versions in the Lost Tales, Unfinished Tales,  or the Silmarillion - as well as name changes for characters, locations and shifting geography in his father's conceptions. 

The re-writing of the Lay of Leithian presented in IV is proposed with its 660 lines, and after this entire new composition, Christopher's notes and comments on differences between this 1950's version, and that of the 1920's. 

Segment B: The stories : 

I. The Lay of the Children of Hùrin is presented in two versions :
The first (p. 3-94) has a Prologue and three sections, totalizing 2276 lines ; it tells of Hùrin and Morgoth, of Túrin (his son)'s forstering, of Beleg (Túrin's friend) and of Failivrin (known in later stories as Finduilas).  It narrates quite well, in grand scale, the tragedy of TúrinTurambar's life. 

The second is shorter (p. 95-130) comprised only of 2 sections, corresponding roughly to the first version's prologue and its first section, ending abrpultly in the middle of line 816, before Túrin and Beleg's portion would even begin. 

Túrin's tale had been told in the Book of Lost Tales 2, second tale Turambar and the Foaloke, which had centered on Túrin's adventure and fight with a dragon. In the present lay, we can read more of the reasons that drove him out of his home, into the wild, and into the very lands of the dark enemies. The title Children of is slightly misleading insomuch it concentrates mostly on one character, his life, his adventures, romance and tragic events. The presence of his forebearers is but marginal in the lay, but wider in other versions of this story. Despite missing elements, Tolkien's characterisation and rich descriptions are very present, and the tragedies of this unlucky Túrin are very touchingly told. 

II. The Poems Early Abandoned, are comprised of The Flight of the Noldoli (p.131), fragment of an alliterative Lay of Eärendel (p. 141), and the Lay of the Fall of Gondolin (p. 144-149). They are very short : 146 lines for the Flight, 36 lines for Eärendel and only 20 lines of the Fall are given, as Christopher indicates that the poem doesn't add anything to the tale. These extracts barely give any proper indication as to the stories as told in the Tales (Lost or Unfinished alike), or their 3 respective chapters in the Silmarillion, and pale in comparison due to the lack of material before JRR had abandonned their poem versions as introduced here. 

III+IV. The Lay of Leithian (+recommenced). Is the story of Beren and Lùthien, their meeting, their love, their toils and torments. They also have their respective versions in the Tales, the Silmarillion and a stand-alone prose version puiblished in 2017. The lay in III is in rhyming couplets, and in IV seems to mix rhyming couplets and alliterative and presented in portions by Christopher, to show only the extent of re-writings JRR did in the 1950's, and the differences with the 1920's versions shown in III. 

Segment C: the overall review:

As I said in my introduction, I enjoyed this book in majority, but with exceptions : The Lay of the Children of Hùrin's in alliterative verse doesn't rhyme, by definition. It is less fluid than the rhyming couplets of Lay of Leithian. However, I enjoyed comparing the narrative elements from version to version of this story, from those in the Lost Tales, to the ones in the Silmarillion, and to the stand alone prose version, published in 2007, which I had read before these poem versions that were conceived in the mid 1920's to 1931, when JRR abandonned this format. Despite some strain, I enjoyed reading the story and its unfolding. 


The Poems Early Abandoned, are merely introduced in this book ; they are very short, since JRR Tolkien had discontinued his narrative in lay form and chose to concentrate on prose, and therefore cannot be trully ascertained and reviewed, due to their briefness. 

III+IV. The Lay of Leithian (+recommenced). I much prefer the rhyming couplets, and fuller lay presented in III. it is more fluid and offers many beautifully written lines, entire passages with gorgeous details or profound despair and tragedy, whereas the version in IV lacks in alost every respect - with the exception that names and relations in family trees concur with the Lord of the Rings which had been completeled not long before the recommenced lay. 

This story of Beren and Lùthien is heartwarming, touching and yet, marked by tragedy and strife, topics dear to Tolkien in a period much closer, to his real-life events (WWI and meeting his wife) ; thus, composing the lay in the 1920's, his memories were fresher, his style, in my opinion, was richer and more profound, than his attempt to re-write and re-cast the story 3 decades later. 

I find it a bit harder to summarize this story, because it's so full of events. In short, Beren, a Man (read: human) falls in love with an Elven maiden, Lùthien/Tinùviel, whom he saw dance in the woods... Couragerous, this maiden doesn't flee from him the same way as her own brother, Daeron (Dairon), who had been playing his flute. Eventually, when Beren asks King Thingol to marry his daughter, the king sends him on a fool's, and most certainly, suicidal errand: to fetch the Silmaril, a magical gem created by Fëanor, whose family swore an oath to protect and cursed all others who would use it against their will... This gem is set on a crown worn by the Dark Lord, Morgoth. Thus, Beren has to reach his evil stronghold, and come back with this priceless jewel, in order to wed with the maiden Lùthien...  The curse, of course, acts in multitudes of ways, perils and tragedy pursue, in varying degrees, each character involved. 

Comparing contents of each lay to my memories of other versions I previously read, or explained by C. Tolkien really adds an important dimension to the details given, or ommited in each. For instnace, I love how the lay of Leithian doesn't portray King Thingol as either rich or poor and greedy, it simply says that he wants the Silmaril because it is priceless and magical. In the Tales, however, there were differences between one tale where he was rich and still wanted it, or poor, and wanted it, but with no real consistency... The lay solves this : he is rich, as an Elven kign ought to be, but the Silmaril is so alluring, and his anger at a Man asking an Elven maiden for marriage sends the man on a dangerous mission. 

Although I am glad that I could read in this book all the content, I enjoyed mostly the narrative in the Lay of Leithian, in rhyming couplets, more than any other lay. I did love, in a slightly lesser degree, the Lay of Children of Hùrin, and each of these offered many beautifully worded passages, too numerous to count. It was so interesting to read the original names, and, then, find in Christopher's notes and comments, allusions to notes his father had added to specific lines, with changes which were to endure, over the years. The one example I can site here is Telvido, prince of cats in Lost Tales, changed to Thû in the Lays of Beleriand, and noted by JRR to become...Sauron! 

I found the re-writings of Leithian to be far less poetic, and most strenuous poem in the book.  

The Lays of Beleriand continues the History of Middle-Earth faithfully. In p. 140-141, Christopher even shows his father's own analysis on the meter used in The Flight of the Noldoli, which is beyond my own personal understanding, but if you have any interest in poetry and meter contruction, you'd love this part. 

For my own needs and likes, this third volume in the series fills the evolution in names of characters and places,  shifting geographies and conceptions (Beren, a Man, or Gnome/Elf? ; and some family trees). I see here changes and enduring elements, which were present as early as the mid-1910's in Lost Tales, and would continue all the way to the Lord of the Rings, and the Silmarillion, decades later! 

My score 9/10 is only about my appreciation, based on the relative interests I had for each version here presented. 

Segment D: fuller table of content:

Preface, p. 1-2 

I. The Lay of the Children of Hùrin, p. 3-130, 
[prologue (p. 6) ; Túrin's fostering (p. 8), Beleg (p. 29), Failivrin (p.56) Notes and comments at the end of each section]

II. Poems Early Abandoned, p.131-149, 
[The Flight of the Noldoli (p.131), fragment of an alliterative Lay of Eärendel (p. 141), and the Lay of the Fall of Gondolin (p. 144-149]

III. The Lay of Leithian, p. 150-314, 
[14 cantos starting at pages 154, 161, 171, 183, 198, 210, 224, 235, 248, 259, 275, 284, 294, 306. Notes and comments at the end of each Canto and completed by Unwritten cantos and comments, as always, by C.Tolkien p. 308-314]

Appendice : Commentary by C.S Lewis, p. 315-329

IV. The Lay of Leithian Recmmenced, p. 330-363

Note on the original submission of the Lay of Leithian, and the Silmarillion in 1937, p. 364
Glossary of Obsolete, Archaic, and Rare Words, and Meanings, p. 368
Index p. 373- 393