Trace Túrin's tragedy as a story of cursed fate, pride, and unwitting incest, and see its links to myth and the legendarium.
Chapter guide
Húrin's son under the curse
This is the longest and darkest chapter of “The Silmarillion”: the fate of Túrin, son of the captive Húrin, on whom Morgoth's curse lies. Túrin grows up in Doriath under Thingol's protection, but his pride and hot temper drive him to flee; he becomes an outlaw and the captain of a robber band.
Key turns: the unintended killing of the Elf Saeros; his friendship with Beleg Cúthalion and Beleg's death, when Túrin kills him in the dark by a fatal mistake, taking him for an enemy; the fall of the hidden city of Nargothrond, laid open to the enemy by Túrin's proud counsel to build an open bridge; and the spell of the dragon Glaurung, who robs Túrin of his will and deceives him.
Glaurung clouds the memory of Túrin's sister, Nienor: with her memory gone, she meets her brother without knowing who he is, and they become husband and wife. Túrin slays Glaurung with the sword Gurthang, but the dying dragon reveals the truth. Learning of the incest, Nienor throws herself into the river Teiglin, and Túrin takes his own life, falling on his own sword. The name Turambar, “Master of Doom,” rings with bitter irony: he never could overcome his fate.
Lesson notes
Húrin's son under the curse
This is the longest and darkest chapter of “The Silmarillion”: the fate of Túrin, son of the captive Húrin, on whom Morgoth's curse lies. Túrin grows up in Doriath under Thingol's protection, but his pride and hot temper drive him to flee; he becomes an outlaw and the captain of a robber band.
Key turns: the unintended killing of the Elf Saeros; his friendship with Beleg Cúthalion and Beleg's death, when Túrin kills him in the dark by a fatal mistake, taking him for an enemy; the fall of the hidden city of Nargothrond, laid open to the enemy by Túrin's proud counsel to build an open bridge; and the spell of the dragon Glaurung, who robs Túrin of his will and deceives him.
Glaurung clouds the memory of Túrin's sister, Nienor: with her memory gone, she meets her brother without knowing who he is, and they become husband and wife. Túrin slays Glaurung with the sword Gurthang, but the dying dragon reveals the truth. Learning of the incest, Nienor throws herself into the river Teiglin, and Túrin takes his own life, falling on his own sword. The name Turambar, “Master of Doom,” rings with bitter irony: he never could overcome his fate.
The depth of the story
Names as masks. All his life Túrin hides behind other names: Neithan (“the Wronged”), Gorthol (“the Dread Helm”), Agarwaen (“Blood-stained”), Mormegil (“the Black Sword”), and at last Turambar, Quenya for “Master of Doom.” Changing names is an attempt to escape fate, and it fails.
— Nienor is called Níniel (“Tear-maiden”) while she does not remember who she is. The name comes true literally.
— Túrin's sword is Anglachel, reforged as Gurthang (“Iron of Death”): a black blade with a will of its own, forged by Eöl. At the end Túrin speaks to the sword and it answers, a rare motif in the legendarium: the talking weapon.
Sources and echoes. Tolkien drew directly on the Norse tale of Sigurd and the cursed gold, and for the incest of brother and sister on the story of Kullervo in the “Kalevala.” Glaurung is the model for the dragon Smaug and for “dragon-spell” in general (Tolkien's dragons deceive with words, not only burn).
Links to the legendarium. The full version is a separate book, “The Children of Húrin.” Some early and late versions of the legendarium also have the eschatological motif of the Last Battle (Dagor Dagorath), where Túrin plays a special part in Morgoth's final defeat. In the published “The Silmarillion” this motif is not part of the main narrative.