In our previous episode, we detailed the brutal events of the Nirnaeth Aernoediad – the battle
of the Unnumbered Tears, which quashed the Elven hopes to defeat the Dark Lord for good.
Further woe was to be wrought upon the defeated Elves and Humans. The Lord of Dor-lómin Húrin,
who saved the remnants of the Union of Maedhros with his heroic rearguard action, had been
captured and brought before Morgoth himself. Here this mere man refused to bend the knee to
the tyrant and reveal the location of the secret Elvish city Gondolin. He and his line were cursed
to live in misery and strife for this insolence. Húrin would be forced to witness all which befell
his children upon the high peaks of Thangorodrim. So begins our retelling of the Children of Húrin.
"I am the Elder King: Melkor, first and mightiest of all the Valar, who was before the world and
made it. The shadow of my purpose lies upon Arda, and all that is in it bends slowly and surely to
my will. But upon all whom you love my thought shall weigh as a cloud of Doom, and it shall bring
them down into darkness and despair. Wherever they go, evil shall arise. Whenever they speak,
their words shall bring ill counsel. Whatsoever they do shall turn against them. They shall die
without hope, cursing both life and death." – The curse of Morgoth upon the Children of Húrin
Túrin was the sole son of Húrin Thalion and Morwen Eledhen, with a younger sister named Urwen,
nicknamed Lalaith because of her easy demeanour and frequent bouts of laughter. By comparison,
he was an old soul with a sullen nature, and it was only on rare occasions that he was to speak.
This mood was not improved when Lalaith passed away early in their childhood due to a plague. The
situation in Dor-lómin was to worsen spectacularly following the Nirnaeth Aernoediad, as the
ever-deceitful Morgoth had betrayed his Easterling allies by ensconcing them within the less fertile
lands of Hithlum. Frustrated by their place of low standing despite their vital role in the
Dark Lord's ascendancy, the Easterlings kept the Northerners in a state of perpetual repression.
Morwen, pregnant with the final child of Húrin, surveyed the ever-darkening days of her people and
decided upon a heart-breaking course of action: she would send Túrin away to be fostered within
King Thingol's halls in Doriath. The path was not an easy one, however, the safety of Túrin
and his companions was practically assured when they came upon one of the most formidable Elves
of that period, Beleg Cúthalion[1]. He provided the weary company with food and guidance and
brought them to the Halls of Thingol. Here Túrin would gaze upon the great marvels of Menegroth,
a feat which had only been achieved by one human – Beren, one of the greatest of his kind.
When Túrin met Thingol, he was welcomed with great honour due to the feats of his father,
Húrin and his kinsman, Beren. He was placed upon the King's knee, which was a sign that Thingol had
adopted the boy as his own son. This was all the more surprising following the loss of his Luthien:
many Elves believed that the actions of Túrin's kinsman Beren played a role in the death of the
King's daughter. Still, Thingol proclaimed: "Here son of Húrin shall your home be; and in
all your life you shall be held as my son, man though you be. Wisdom shall be given you beyond
the measure of mortal men and the weapons of the Elves shall be set in your hands. Perhaps the time
may come when you shall regain the lands of your father in Hithlum; but dwell now here in love."
Thingol's wise wife, Melian, attempted to bring Morwen to Doriath in order to avert the
doom of her children, yet the latter would not abandon her people so lightly and instead sent
the Great Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin. Thingol would safeguard this mighty relic of the House of Hador,
until such a time when Túrin would be able to wield it as the head of his household.
During this period, Túrin learned much from the Elves, particularly from an Elf maiden
named Nellas. Although the great darkness within his heart was lifted for a time,
during his nine-year sojourn within Doriath, his restlessness was to return.
His thoughts would often return to his mother and sister. He had never met Niënor, of whom he knew
only that her beauty had become such that she was now considered a flower in the grey North.
During this stay, Túrin had matured into a fine representative of the House of Hador,
with his stature surpassing even the Elves of Doriath. His strength and hardiness earned him
great renown within the Kingdom. From Beleg he learned much and had begun to show signs of the
peerless warrior and woodsman he was to become. Yet his manner and inherent sadness often held
him back from forging friendships among the denizens of Doriath, which combined with his
more impressive characteristics, led one Elf to envy and begrudge him. Still, King's councillor
Saeros seemed unable to provoke the young man and the silence with which he answered his cruel
jests only furthered the jealous grudge which the Elf held against the scion of the House of Hador.
Túrin's seventeenth year was to prove a deciding one, bringing to an end the comfortable existence
he had enjoyed within the girdle of Melian, as ill tidings now came from the North. Morgoth's power
had grown exponentially to a point at which all of the North now lay within his grasp,
and no further word from the messengers of Thingol would come regarding the land of Dor-lómin.
So, Túrin, who still has not reached manhood, took from the King the great Dragon-Helm of his
father and his father's father, and ranged far and wide alongside his mentor Beleg.
Such was the fury and the weight of the doom which lay upon his shoulders that word soon
raced throughout the lands of the North that Húrin himself had returned from the very depths of hell
to wage war upon those who had wronged his people. Three years would pass, with Túrin devoting
himself entirely to the cause of striking back against the Dark Lord and in this time, he began
to care little for his appearance or even the seat he had once held at the side of his foster father.
On one of his seldom visits to his former home in Menegroth, he came within its Halls only to
discover that Thingol was, in fact, absent. Weary from his journeys, Túrin took the first seat he
could find, which happened to be by the side of the Elders of the realm. Saeros arrived late and
presumed the pride caused Túrin to take such a place. The councillor then began to belittle and
torment the man of Dor-lómin, with one particular jest as to the quality of their womenfolk, finally
provoking Túrin. At this, he cast his drinking vessel at the face of the Elven councillor,
and drew his sword; if it were not for Mablung, he would have attacked Saeros. Sufficiently calmed by
Mablung, Túrin sheathed his blade and left without a word. Angered by his fellow Elf's conduct,
Mablung decreed that should any further ill come from the encounter, it should lay at Saeros' feet.
However, the latter was not abated by such words and attempted to waylay Túrin as he
left the Kingdom. Unfortunately for the Elf, the years spent in the wilderness had made the
young man wary of such tactics. Seeing Saeros from the corner of his eye, Túrin moved aside,
and his strike split Elf’s shield in twain. The fight which ensued was fierce,
yet Túrin combined the agility of an Elf with far greater strength. He disarmed the Elf, and with
him now at his mercy, he threw the councillor to the ground and stripped him of his clothing.
Saeros cried for help and fled into the forests with Túrin in mock pursuit.
The councillor fearing the wrath of Túrin, ran ahead with such pace that when he came
to a stream and failed in his leap across it, he crashed into the rocks and died instantly.
Hearing the commotion, Mablung and the other Elves came upon the scene, unaware of Saeros' attack.
They asked Túrin to go with them to face the judgement of Thingol. However, the son of
Húrin was unwilling and left the Kingdom with none eager to stop him for fear of further bloodshed.
None among the people of Doriath knew where Túrin was now headed, for he had
kept his course secret until he came across an outlaw band based in the South of Brethil.
He identified himself only as Neithan or the Wronged, and as he was now in the
full vigour of his manhood, the outlaws quickly realized that he far outstripped
any of them in terms of strength of arms and did not object to him joining their company.
His prowess was further evidenced when the leader of the group insisted on terrorizing
an innocent woman. In response, Túrin slew the man assuming his role as leader of the group.
From now on, the band would only hunt Orcs, and with Túrin at their head, they would instil fear
in all who served the Dark Lord within the region. Meanwhile, Thingol and Melian finally returned to
Doriath, and the King called upon his councillors to direct his foster son's judgment. Mablung spoke
at length but could not forgive the slaying of Saeros despite the taunting.
As a result, the King was about to pronounce his judgement which would not favour his adopted son.
At the last minute, however, Beleg burst into the Hall and made overtures to be heard by his King.
When this was accepted, he brought Nellas, who had witnessed the beginning of the fight.
Her testimony would prove vital in exonerating Túrin, and having questioned her at length,
Thingol would pardon his adopted son and task Beleg with returning him to Doriath.
Armed with the mighty black blade Anglachel, forged from the metal of a falling star,
Beleg set forth with the blessing of Thingol and Melian. Beleg, unceasing in his efforts
to find his dear companion of old, continued the search long after all other messengers of Thingol
had given up the pursuit, and in FA 487, he came upon the band at the outskirts of the Amon Rûdh.
He was promptly captured and tied up here, for Túrin was not with the band. Fortunately, he soon
returned and had his friend released, despite the protests and continued distrust towards the Elf of
his lieutenant Andróg. Beleg initially attempted to have Túrin return to Doriath with him, however,
Túrin showed steadfast loyalty of his house, saying that he would not leave his men to their
fate. As such, Beleg returned to Doriath in order to inform the King that his foster son was alive.
In the meantime, Túrin came upon the Petty-Dwarves Mim and his son Khim.
These were some of the last of their kind, a group of minor dwarves that came from the ancient holds'
exiles. The band hastily captured Mim, but in the scuffle, Andróg accidentally slew Khim, which
left the surviving father bitter and rageful. In exchange for his freedom, Mim was forced to share
the halls he dwelt within on Amon Rudh with the company. He also received a payment of ransom for
the death of his son. This is the reason behind the Halls being nicknamed the House of Ransom.
That winter, Beleg returned to Túrin and won over many within the band through his aptitude
for healing. Beleg also brought with him the Dragon-Helm that Túrin had left in Doriath,
so the region became known as Dor-Cúarthol or the Land of Bow and Helm. Túrin took up a new
name in this epoch of his life, Gorthol the Dread Helm. Here the warrior would bring great fame and
renown to the band, drawing many new recruits. As a result, a vast swathe of Western Beleriand
was freed from the evil that had held the land in sway for so long. Yet the rage of Mim was to
ensure that the curse of Morgoth would once more wreak havoc upon the House of Hador.
The petty-dwarf decided to get his revenge, so he met with the Orcs, providing information fatal to
Túrin's band. His conditions included the return of his Halls, iron and gold for all those caught,
that Beleg is imprisoned and left to him, and that Túrin is allowed to go free. Yet the
conditions were somewhat altered by the Orcs, who decided they would take Turin to Angband.
To guarantee his cooperation, the Orcs took Mim's surviving son Ibun hostage.
So, the petty-dwarf led the Orcish company to the Halls of Ransom. Although this was a surprise,
the sentries bought the band a fraction of the time to prepare a defence. The Orcs were
initially driven back by the ferocity of man and elf, yet before long the company was forced to
retreat within the Halls and roll a large stone across its entrance. Here Andróg revealed a
hidden stair which led to the flat summit of Amon Rudh, where the small group of Orcs who
had made their way up the outer path were driven from the ledge. A last-ditch defence was mounted
against the Orcs now scaling the summit, however, there was little cover and many of Túrin's company
were feathered by black arrows from below. Andróg was mortally wounded in such a manner.
As only Beleg, Túrin and ten other men were left alive, they withdrew to the
centre of the summit and, with their backs to a standing stone, started a desperate last stand.
Their numbers dwindled until none, but Beleg and Túrin survived. These two were taken captive as
the Orcs ravaged the Halls. While Túrin was taken to Angband, Beleg was left to Mim who was angered
further by the sacking of his home. Unbeknownst to the petty dwarf Andróg yet lived, and this valiant
warrior had crawled inch by inch through the dead bodies of his comrades. Having already set
his initial misgivings of the elf aside through the long war they had waged against the dying of
the light, he saved his life, thrusting his blade towards the deceitful dwarf who subsequently fled.
With the last of his strength, Andróg cut the fetters which bound his comrade.
As Beleg turned to heal his friend, the last of the men of the company
bade him farewell stating, "My hurts are too deep even for your healing".
Beleg was now left alone among the slain with only a frail hope that Túrin yet lived, however the
Elves of Beleriand had long since learned to live with nought more than a fool's hope to guide them.
The woes of the Children of Húrin were not to end here, however this is the story for our
next documentary on the history of the First Age. The next few videos in this series will
be dedicated to the Children of Húrin and the last desperate battles of this age,
but we are planning to cover the battles of many other fantasy, sci-fi, and space opera universes,
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