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Marach — Legen

Children of Marach:
Malach Aradan — Zimrahin Meldis
Imlach — Amar

Children of Imlach:
Amlach

Children of Malach Aradan:
Adanel — Belemir (House of Bëor)
Magor — Amathal

Children of Magor:
Hathol — Thevril

Children of Hathol:
Hador Lórindol — Gildis

Children of Hador Lórindol:
Glóredhel — Haldir (House of Haleth)
Galdor — Hareth (House of Haleth)
Gundor — Angreneth

Children of Galdor:
Húrin Thalion — Morwen Eledhwen (House of Bëor)
Huor — Rían (House of Bëor)

Children of Húrin Thalion:
Túrin Turambar — Beleg Cúthalion, Niënor Níniel
Urwen Lalaith
Niënor Níniel — Túrin Turambar

Children of Huor:
Tuor Eladar — Idril Celebrindal

Children of Tuor Eladar:
Eärendil Ardamírë — Elwing (House of Bëor)

Children of Gundor:
Indor — Padrion

Children of Indor:
Aerin — Brodda the Easterling
Peleg

Eltas the storyteller
Dírhaval the poet

Servants of Morwen:
Gethron
Grithnir
Ragnir
Sador Labadal

Companions of Húrin:
Asgon
Ragnir the Hunter
Dringoth — Thoriel
Dimaethor
Negenor
Tondir
Haedirn
Orthelron

Gaurwaith:
Neithan (see Túrin)
Beleg Cúthalion
Forweg
Andróg
Andvír
Algund
Ulrad
Orleg
Blodren (son of Ban the Easterling)

Chapter Text

Marach was the leader of the third and largest group of Men to cross the Blue Mountains into Beleriand. Though originally his people led the way, they were so numerous that they needed to move slowly to keep together, and thus were passed by the peoples of Balan and Halthor. Indeed, Marach’s people had begun their journey long before the other Houses of Men, and it was in part their march that inspired the others to turn westward. Several generations passed between the start of their journey and its conclusion, enough that the original purpose of their travel had been lost, though not their resolve to continue.

The leadership of this people at first belonged to the man Legen and his ancestors, but when Legen was killed in a hunting accident before they ascended the mountains, his partner stepped forth to fill his role, for their sons were far too young to inherit the position. This was Marach, and though at first some were uncertain of his capability to lead while also caring for sons only five and two years of age, Marach soon proved himself to be firm, wise, and worthy of their loyalty.

Though the Green-elves of Ossiriand had turned away the other Men who entered their lands on the far side of Ered Luin, they were intimidated by the tall, warlike people of Marach and dared not confront them. Yet despite the loveliness of the forest, Marach did not wish to tarry long in Ossiriand, for he had heard that the people of Balan, kin to his own folk and speakers of the same tongue, had found a green and fertile land further down the Dwarf Road. He led his people to reunite with their distant kin in the land of Estolad and settled to the southeast of the lands of Baran, son of Balan, who now led his father’s folk.

After some years, many of Marach’s people desired to journey further west, but Marach was content in Estolad and would not lead them hither. Instead his elder son, Malach Aradan who had served the Elvenking of Hithlum in his youth, took a majority of their people to the southern slopes of Ered Wethrin. Marach remained in Estolad until his death, his younger son Imlach at his side.

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Imlach was the younger son of Marach, and remained in Estolad with his father even when his brother Malach departed with much of their people to seek out a home further in the west. Imlach was deeply devoted to his family and was hurt by Malach’s abandonment, and though he was careful never to speak an ill word against his brother, his son Amlach clearly saw his pain and drew his own conclusions as to its cause.

The wife of Imlach was Amar, a hunter who took firm command of the remaining People of Marach when their aging leader began to decline. For this Imlach was grateful, for he had never been inclined to leadership and preferred to devote himself to caring for his father.

Amlach, however, was eager to influence the minds of his people. He blamed the enchantments of the elves for stealing away his uncle Malach, and this resentment made it easy for him to connect with Bereg of the House of Bëor, who believed the same had happened to his grandfather Balan. Together, Amlach and Bereg began to organize an unrest among the Men of Beleriand, especially those in Estolad, stirring them up against their overlords. They claimed that their journey westward had been in vain, for the Light of the Gods was beyond an impassable sea, and danger was yet all about them.

When the time came for the greatest meeting of Men to decide whether they should stay or go, Amlach went out hunting in the woods with his mother in preparation for a great feast. Yet soon he and Amar were separated, and the woods seemed to become dark and unfriendly, and his way was utterly lost though he had known these trees all his life. Amid the gloom there was a soft voice and a light, which Amlach followed eagerly, believing it was his mother: but soon he saw that it was but a figment, a wisp and a voice, and in frustration he cast aside his bow and wept.

Come morning’s light, the wood seemed to have returned to its usual state, and cautiously Amlach made his way out to the open air. There he met his mother with confusion, for Amar claimed he had been with her all night, and had spoken at the feast with great fervor and passion. Indeed, his fell words had laid a shadow of fear upon the assembled Men, who now were eager to go: but Amlach had not been there, and saw now that the Elf-friends were correct, and the Dark King in the north feared and hated the Men of the West.

Amlach denounced the words of the thing that had taken his shape, and he and many others were deeply troubled by this treachery. Yet not all minds could be swayed, and Bereg persisted, taking a thousand men of his House back over the Blue Mountains, and after them went some of Marach’s people. Amlach, however, repented of his malcontent and swore he would avenge himself against the Enemy, saying: “I have now a quarrel of my own with this Master of Lies, which will last to my life’s end.”

Thus Amlach departed Estolad for the North, entering into the service of the elf-lord Maedhros of Himring, and fought under his command until he perished in battle against the vampires of Gorthaur, an honorable warrior to the last. But in Estolad the remnant of the people of Marach dwindled, some turning west to join their kin in the shadow of Ered Wethrin and the rest disappearing back over the mountains and out of the tales of the Elder Days.

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Malach was the elder son of Marach, and the second leader of his House. The elf-lords of the Noldor welcomed the Edain into Beleriand, and many young men joined their households, eager to learn from the Eldar. Among them was Malach, who as a young man left Estolad for Hithlum and entered the service of High King Fingolfin. He spent fourteen years among the elves, learning their languages and the craft of war, and earned the name Aradan from his liege.

Though Fingolfin was reluctant to let such a faithful vassal go, at last Malach returned to Estolad and his family. There he married the woman Zimrahin, who bore him two children: a daughter, Adanel, and a son, Magor. But soon Malach yearned to return to Hithlum, and discovering that many of his people were eager to move further west, he bid farewell to his father and brother and led a great number of Men to the vales of the southern slopes of Ered Wethrin. There he reassumed the elvish name of Aradan, and Zimrahin took the name Meldis, while their children had been named in Sindarin from their birth.

Adanel was a wise-woman of her people, having learned lore and healing from her mother. She had been half-grown when her father took her family west, and missed the land of her birth and those among the House of Bëor whom she had befriended. When she came of age, Adanel wed Belemir, a descendant of Bëor, and bore him five children, the youngest of which was Beren, father of Emeldir the Man-hearted. Adanel preserved the old legends of her people, including one telling that Men had once been immortal but had fallen into mortality when some of them chose to worship Melkor rather than Eru, and passed these tales down to her husband’s young kinswoman Andreth.

Magor, meanwhile, remained in Ered Wethrin with his father, and when Aradan passed on to receive the gift of Men he inherited the leadership of the House of Marach.

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Magor was the son of Malach Aradan, and the third leader of the House of Marach. Though he had no special dislike of the elvenfolk, Magor was a strong-minded, independent man who wished to prove his people could succeed on their own merit without the aid of the elves, and thus he served no elf-lord and chose to move his people away from the shadow of Hithlum and downriver to the sources of the river Teiglin. His wife Amathal was assertive and bold, and though they truly loved one another they were often in conflict over logistical matters.

Amathal bore Magor only one child, a son named Hathol. Like his mother he was a warrior who had little patience when his orders were not followed, and after he inherited the leadership of his people they were quick to learn he was not a man to be crossed. Tempering his harsh personality was his wife Thevril the carpenter, a gentle woman who smoothed over any ruffled feathers by giving gifts of her own craftsmanship to those Hathol offended in the name of them both. Thevril suffered two stillbirths before her only son was born, and in loving little Hador she was more intense than even Hathol at his most egregious could dream to be.

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Hador was the son of Hathol, and became the first Lord of Dor-lómin. Unlike his father and grandfather, Hador loved the elves and entered into the service of High King Fingolfin of the Noldor, swiftly becoming beloved of the king as had his ancestor Malach Aradan before him. Such was Hador’s devotion to his liege that Fingolfin gave him both the name Lórindol for his golden hair and a fiefdom in Dor-lómin, where his eldest son Fingon dwelt also. In honor of his ennoblement, Fingon gifted Hador with a mighty helm crafted by the dwarves, bearing a design of Glaurung the Golden and enchanted to protect its wearer and strike fear into the hearts of their enemies. Its strength and heaviness was such that few could wear it, but Hador was a powerful man who could bear its weight, and in his honor the helm was called the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin and the Helm of Hador, becoming an heirloom that only the mightiest of his line could wear.

Hador was so great a warrior and so impressive a leader that his people were glad to follow him to their new land. His wife, Gildis, was a linguist eager to study the tongues of the elves, and was the first to propose that the House of Marach be renamed the House of Hador for her husband’s bravery and charismatic leadership.

Gildis bore Hador three children: a daughter, Glóredhel, and two sons, Galdor and Gundor. Hador encouraged his children to foster friendships with the Haladin of Brethil, eventually leading to a great feast celebrating the union of the two Houses when Galdor and Glóredhel each wed children of the Chieftain of the House of Haleth. Gundor married a woman of his own House, and was still young when he and his father both perished in the Dagor Bragollach, defending Eithel Sirion alongside Fingolfin their king.

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Gundor was the youngest child and second son of Hador Lórindol. Unlike his elder siblings, who both married into the House of Haleth, Gundor wed a woman of his father’s House: Angreneth, who despite her unyielding name was a gentle soul who actively avoided conflict. Angreneth bore Gundor only one child, Indor, before her husband was slain in the Dagor Bragollach alongside his father.

Angreneth was thus left alone to raise her son, and despite the tragic loss that might have broken others, Indor grew into a gentle and compassionate man. He kept a homely dwelling, welcoming any who sought shelter, including folk of the House of Bëor who fled to Dor-lómin after the destruction of their homes in Ladros. One such guest was Padrion, a man who quickly became attached to Indor, and time married him. Padrion bore Indor two children, Aerin and Peleg, each who endured a grim fate before they died too young. Peleg was only a young man before he was slain in the Fifth Battle, cut to pieces by the orcs.

Peleg’s sister Aerin was close to her kinsman Húrin Thalion, and closer to his wife Morwen Eledhwen, even taking her as a lover from time to time. When the Battle of Unnumbered Tears was lost and Dor-lómin overrun by Easterlings, Aerin suffered greatly, for Húrin was dead or captured and Morwen turned into a cold, proud woman with no time for anyone but her children, one of whom she quickly sent away to relative safety. Then Morwen, too, disappeared with her daughter Niënor, leaving Aerin without any friends to protect her when Brodda, an Easterling lord, forcibly took her to be his wife.

When Húrin’s son Túrin suddenly reappeared in Dor-lómin, instantly sparking conflict and slaying one of his own kinsmen, it was Aerin who informed him that his mother and sister had vanished. In his rage, he slew Brodda, and Aerin, not wishing to be further persecuted by her dead husband’s companions, burnt herself and many of them alive in Brodda’s hall.

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Galdor was the second child and eldest son of Hador Lórindol, and was the second Lord of Dor-lómin. He was exceptionally tall, and his height was especially admired by the people of Haleth, among whom he and his siblings spent much time in their youth. When Galdor was nineteen years of age, a great feast was held between his father’s House and the Haladin where both he and his elder sister Glóredhel wed the children of Chieftain Halmir. Glóredhel married Halmir’s heir Haldir, and Galdor took to wife Halmir’s daughter Hareth, a light-hearted woman who greatly appreciated her husband’s stature.

Hareth bore Galdor two sons, Húrin and Huor, who both grew into mighty heroes among the Edain. During the Battle of Sudden Flame, Galdor sent his adolescent sons to Brethil, hoping his wife’s kin would keep them safe while he and his father faced the Enemy. When the fighting died down, Galdor’s father and brother had perished, and Galdor inherited Hador’s title, but soon ill news came to him from the Haladin. Húrin and Huor, eager to prove their valour, had accompanied a scouting party and were separated from the main company after an orc ambush, and had not been seen since.

Miraculously, within a year the boys reappeared, refusing to tell the tale of their survival. In truth, the Vala Ylmir had caused a mist to rise at the ford of Brithiach, allowing them to be rescued by the Eagles of Manwë and carried to the hidden elf-kingdom of Gondolin. For a year, Húrin and Huor lived among the elves, being especially honored by King Turukáno, but soon a longing for home awoke within Huor’s heart. Turukáno agreed to allow their departure on the condition that they swore oaths of secrecy, which they never broke in their lifetimes.

Yet only seven years later, Morgoth sent a great force against Hithlum, and Galdor was slain by an arrow whilst defending Eithel Sirion. Húrin took up his mantle of lordship and pursued the orcs across the Anfauglith, holding back his foes long enough for High King Fingon, brother of Turukáno, to arrive with aid from Círdan of the Falas and avenge his fallen ally.

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Húrin was the son of Galdor, and the third and final Lord of Dor-lómin. In his youth, he and his brother Huor were rescued from an orc ambush by the Eagles of Manwë and taken to the hidden kingdom of Gondolin, where they befriended King Turukáno. Only by swearing an oath of utter secrecy were the young men permitted to return to their homeland, keeping the knowledge of Gondolin safe from the Enemy.

Not long after Galdor’s death and his subsequent inheritance, Húrin wed Morwen Eledhwen of the House of Bëor, who had fled her home of Ladros amidst the Sudden Flame. Together they had two children: a son, Túrin, and a daughter, Urwen. For a time the family was happy and the children played and laughed as children ought, and Urwen even earned the nickname Lalaith for her sunny disposition and her delight in splashing about in the waters of Nen Lalaith, a river nearby her home.

But soon a dark shadow would descend upon the children of Húrin, never to be lifted. Morgoth sent down a plague from his lair in the North, unleashing sickness upon the Edain, and among the victims of this Evil Breath was little Lalaith. She perished at only three years of age, her death bringing great sorrow to her parents and especially to her older brother Túrin. Now robbed of his playmate, Túrin grew into a serious child whose only friend was Sador Labadal, an injured servant who told him stories and gave him little gifts carved out of wood by his own hand.

When Túrin was only eight years old, his father and uncle led the House of Hador to war under the banner of High King Fingon, brother of King Turukáno. This Fifth Battle ended in disaster: Fingon was slain by a Balrog, and though Húrin and Huor were reunited with Turukáno upon the battlefield, many Men of Hador’s House were slain defending the retreat of the Gondolindrim, including Huor himself. Húrin remained steadfast in the face of his people’s slaughter, crying out Aurë entuluva! for each foe he slew with his axe until he was buried under the bodies of his enemies. For this great feat of valiance he earned the name Thalion, the Steadfast.

But Húrin did not die: he was dragged into Angband, where Morgoth himself interrogated him for the secret of Gondolin’s location. Húrin held firm, refusing to betray Turukáno his friend, and in his rage Morgoth cursed him and all his kin, chaining Húrin to a chair high on the slopes of Thangorodrim and using sorcery to force him to watch the tragic downfall of his family even from leagues away.

In the wake of Morgoth’s victory, Dor-lómin was overrun by Easterlings, but even the fiercest Incomers feared the supposed witchcraft of Morwen, Lady of Dor-lómin. She protected her household as best she could, including her cousin and law-sister Rían, who like Morwen herself was heavy with child. When the Easterling Brodda became bold, claiming Dor-lómin for his own and taking to wife Aerin the kinswoman of Húrin, Morwen feared for her son’s safety and sent him with two aged servants to the land of Doriath, hoping that King Thingol would have mercy upon young Túrin.

Remembering his ill-treatment of Beren, Thingol softened his heart and took Túrin as his own son. He invited Morwen to the relative safety of Doriath as well, but she had recently delivered her daughter Niënor and was too weak for travel. Even as Niënor grew older and stronger, Morwen’s pride would not allow her to leave her husband’s halls. Instead she sent the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin to Túrin, an heirloom of his House and a reminder of his heritage.

In Doriath as in Dor-lómin, Túrin was a solitary child, though he learned many skills from the elves and grew into a young man of great valour. Soon he desired to return to the lands of his birth and fight against the Enemy, but Thingol would not permit his departure, only allowing him to join the marchwardens in defending Doriath’s borders. There he grew close to Beleg Cúthalion, an ancient elf who was equally enamoured of him, and earned great renown slaying orcs while wearing the Dragon-helm.

Túrin could not remain in the marches at all times, and on a visit to Menegroth he had an altercation with Saeros, one of Thingol’s counsellors. Saeros insulted and provoked him, going so far as to ambush him in the woods, and in response Túrin stripped him of his clothes and chased him through the forest. Saeros ran blindly through the trees and tumbled into a river gorge, killing himself, and believing himself guilty of murder Túrin panicked and fled into the wild. Yet the event was witnessed by Túrin’s childhood friend, the elvenmaid Nellas, and once her story was told in full Thingol was sorrowful and declared Túrin pardoned. Then Beleg took up the black sword Anglachel from the king’s treasury and set out to find Túrin and return him home.

But for Túrin, Doriath was home no longer, if it ever had been. In the wilds he encountered a band of outlaws and swiftly rose to become their leader, going by the name Neithan, the Wronged. He stopped their practice of raiding the homes of Men, leading them in hunts against only orcs, and established a hideout upon the hill of Amon Rûdh, where he took captive its original inhabitant, Mîm the dwarf.

After a harrowing search, Beleg at last discovered his friend, but upon their reunion Túrin refused to return to Doriath. In sorrow, Beleg left, but that winter he trekked back to Amon Rûdh, this time to stay. As Beleg and Túrin grew ever closer, their military accomplishments grew, and the land about their hideout became known as Dor-Cúarthol, the Land of the Bow and Helm. Túrin took the name Gorthol, the Dread Helm, and many warriors enlisted under his command, and western Beleriand was freed from evil while the union of Beleg and Túrin endured.

But Mîm the dwarf harbored resentment in his heart against Túrin and his soldiers, and when one day he was seized by orcs, he traded his life for those of his captors. In the ensuing battle, Túrin was taken captive and all of his warriors were killed—except for Beleg, who set out once more to rescue his dearest love.

In this he succeeded, but fell himself when Túrin, delirious from his torment, attacked him as an enemy with his own cursed blade. Thus fell Beleg, truest of friends, to the hands of the soul he loved most of all. Yet Túrin still lived, and with the aid of the escaped thrall Gwindor he found his way to the elven kingdom of Nargothrond, carrying the blade that had slain his very heart. In Nargothrond he rose to greatness beyond that he had before known, taking the names Agarwaen, the Bloodstained, and Adanedhel, Elf-Man, and Mormegil, the Black Sword.

In Nargothrond, Finduilas, daughter of King Orodreth, grew to love him, though his heart did not turn her way. Túrin’s friendship with Gwindor waned, for in years past he had been betrothed to Finduilas, but his influence in the cavern-city only increased. He oversaw the construction of a great bridge and urged Orodreth to make open war upon the Enemy, and for a time the Black Sword was feared and admired throughout the land.

Amid this brief respite, Morwen and Niënor, now full grown, fled at last to Doriath. There they learned that Túrin had long since departed, and heard news that the Black Sword of Nargothrond was none other than Húrin’s son. Unmoved by Thingol’s pleading she remain in safety, Morwen set out to find her son, escorted by the marchwarden Mablung. Niënor was commanded to stay behind, but she disguised herself and followed them in secret. When at last she was discovered, Mablung insisted the women remain upon the hill of Amon Ethir while he scouted out the land surrounding Nargothrond.

But disaster had struck, for in his hubris Túrin’s bridge had brought about the fall of Nargothrond. A great army of orcs attacked the kingdom, and in that battle fell Gwindor and Orodreth, and only a few survived to flee to the Falas. Leading Morgoth’s army was the dragon Glaurung, whose likeness gave the Dragon-helm its name, and as the orcs carried off prisoners from Nargothrond—including Finduilas—Glaurung hypnotized Túrin and spoke lies to him that his mother and sister were in danger in Dor-lómin. Crazed, Túrin fled northward, heeding not the desperate cries of Finduilas, who perished near the borders of Brethil and was buried in the mound of Haudh-en-Elleth.

Thus Morwen, Niënor, and Mablung arrived upon a scene of devastation. From the mist emerged the victorious Glaurung, whose malice and magic ensnared Túrin’s kin as they had himself. Morwen was lost amid the fog, and Niënor was rendered all but mindless in her madness.

Túrin’s flight to Hithlum proved fruitless, for his old home was empty, and the halls of his father plundered by Brodda. Furious at the ruin of his House, Túrin slew Orlin, his mother’s kinsman, when he attempted to halt his advance. Then Aerin, his father’s kinswoman and Brodda’s unwilling wife, recognized him as the son of Húrin and told him of his family’s departure. Full of rage, Túrin slew Brodda and fled, while Aerin burnt herself and her husband’s men alive in the great hall.

Next Túrin attempted to track Finduilas, only to find her grave. He collapsed upon the Haudh-en-Elleth in grief, and was carried to Brethil by the huntsmen of Haleth’s House. In time, he took up his life once more, calling himself Turambar, Master of Fate, as he believed his curse to be ended, for how could his life get worse? Indeed, when he discovered a young woman naked upon the mound of Finduilas, he thought himself blessed with the opportunity to aid her, and along with Chief Brandir of the Haladin he nursed her back to health. The woman had lost all her memories of her past and of language, and as she recovered Túrin gave her the name Níniel.

Brandir loved Níniel, but her heart was turned instead to Turambar. Though Brandir’s heart misgave him and he convinced Níniel to wait before rushing into a relationship, in time she and Turambar were wed, and soon were expecting a child. But their happiness was not to last, for soon rumors of Glaurung’s approach reached Brethil, and Túrin knew he must end this foe before he lost his new family to the monsters of his past. Accompanied by faithful Hunthor and cowardly Dorlas, Turambar set out with his black sword to slay the dragon. Even as he dealt the dragon a mortal blow, Glaurung cast a spell upon him, and he fell into a swoon.

Níniel had begged Turambar not to leave on this dangerous quest, and fearing for his life she had rushed after him. She arrived to see Turambar in a swoon upon the ground, and, believing him dead, began to weep. At that moment Glaurung stirred and spoke his last treacherous words, revealing that Níniel was none other than Niënor, daughter of Húrin, who had lost her memory after fleeing Nargothrond. Horrified that she had married her own brother, Niënor Níniel cast herself into the gorge of Cabed-en-Aras, and was seen no more.

But Turambar was not dead, and now he woke only to learn from Brandir, who had been unable to prevent Níniel’s fall, that she had been his sister. Enraged and grieving, Túrin slew Brandir, believing him to be a liar; but soon Mablung arrived, having tracked Niënor to Brethil at long last, and corroborated Brandir’s tale. In utter misery, Túrin cast himself upon his sword, dying by the same blade that had killed Beleg his most-beloved.

Túrin Turambar was buried by the Haladin near the Haudh-en-Elleth, and upon his tombstone was written TÚRIN TURAMBAR DAGNIR GLAURUNGA, and beneath his name were the names NIËNOR NÍNIEL, though her body could not be found. It was at this mournful place that Túrin and Niënor’s parents at last reunited after many long years of separation, for upon witnessing the utter ruin of his children, Húrin had been released from his torment. After finding nothing left of his former life in Dor-lómin, he and a few faithful companions sought for the kingdom of Gondolin, but King Turukáno denied his once-friend entry. Cursing Turukáno, Húrin revealed the general location of the hidden city to the spies of Morgoth, and when the King of Gondolin changed his mind and sought to bring Húrin within the city’s walls it was too late, for he had left.

Húrin abandoned his companions and traveled alone to the forest of Brethil where his children had died. There he found Morwen, and after one last night in each other’s arms, she died as had their children. Húrin buried his wife by the Stone of the Hapless, engraving her name upon it beside her childrens’, and it is said that this mound survived the drowning of the Beleriand as the island of Tol Morwen. Húrin was then taken by the marchwardens of Brethil to the settlement of Ephel Brandir, where amid his grief and anger he turned the Haladin against one another, leading to the destruction of the last of the Three Houses of the Edain.

From Brethil Húrin wandered to the ruins of Nargothrond, where Mîm the petty-dwarf had claimed its treasure for his own. In revenge for betraying Túrin and his warriors, Húrin slew Mîm and took with him the Nauglamír, once the dazzling necklace of King Finrod Felagund, the first friend of Men. This he delivered to Thingol in Menegroth, cursing him for failing to aid and protect his family, and in that moment Queen Melian pierced through the shadow of Morgoth that lay upon him and revealed to him all the wickedness he had done.

Húrin departed Doriath in shame, bereft of all purpose and desire, and made his way to the Great Sea. Seeing no path forward in life, he cast himself into the waters and drowned as had his daughter, joining her and the rest of his kin in death.

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Huor was the second son of Galdor, and the younger brother of Húrin Thalion. In his youth, he and Húrin were rescued from an orc ambush by the Eagles of Manwë and taken to the hidden kingdom of Gondolin, where they befriended King Turukáno. Only by swearing an oath of utter secrecy were the young men permitted to return to their homeland, keeping the knowledge of Gondolin safe from the Enemy.

Only two months after Huor married Rían of the House of Bëor, cousin to his brother’s wife Morwen Eledwhen, he followed Húrin to war under the banner of High King Fingon, brother of King Turukáno. This Fifth Battle ended in disaster: Fingon was slain by a Balrog, and though Huor and Húrin were reunited with Turukáno upon the battlefield, many Men of Hador’s House were slain defending the retreat of the Gondolindrim. Before they parted, Huor was struck by foresight and prophesied to Turukáno that a new hope would spring from between them: “From you and from me a new star will arise.”

Huor stood firm against a sea of foes, holding the Pass of Sirion so Turukáno could escape safely to Gondolin, keeping his hidden realm’s location secret. Yet soon the day grew darker, and amid that last desperate battle Huor was slain as his father had been by a poisoned arrow to the eye.

In the wake of Morgoth’s victory, Dor-lómin was overrun by Easterlings, and there was great lamentation among the surviving Men of Hithlum. Rían, pregnant with her dead husband’s child, was overcome with grief. Her gentle nature was marred by sorrow and her voice, so often raised in songs she herself had crafted, was heard no more among her people. Though Morwen and Húrin’s kinswoman Aerin did all they could to comfort her, Rían’s despair overwhelmed her utterly and she fled into the wilderness.

No firm word had come to Hithlum of Huor’s fate, and against hope Rían set out to seek tidings of her husband. She was heavy with child and vulnerable to the elements as well as orcs and unfriendly men, and could have suffered greatly had it not been for the kindness of the few remaining Grey-elves of that land, who took her into their cave-dwellings and cared for her through the birth of her son, Tuor.

Only further wearied by childbirth, Rían committed Tuor to the care of Annael, leader of the Grey-elves, and departed Hithlum entirely. She made her way to the Haudh-en-Nírnaeth, the Mound of Tears where the bodies of the slain had been piled, and found Huor’s remains piled there. The confirmation of her husband’s death dealt her a final blow, and she lay in grief upon the mound, never to rise again.

But Tuor her son lived, raised by Annael and his kin, and despite the tragedy of his parents’ lives and deaths he would grow swiftly into a valiant and noble man, fulfilling Huor’s prophecy and lighting the sky with a new star.

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Tuor was the son of Huor and Rían, though he was raised by the Grey-elves of Mithrim. His father died before he was born, and his mother died of grief shortly after giving birth to him, leaving him in the care of the elf Annael. When Easterlings occupied the lands of Hithlum, Annael and his kin, the Folk of the Swan, retreated into the caves of Androth, where Tuor spent his youth. Living among the elves, Tuor learned many skills of song and craft, but Annael was careful to teach him all he could of his Mannish heritage as well.

Though he loved his elvish foster-family, Tuor also yearned to be among his own kind, and he was eager to make war upon the orcs and Incomers who had taken the lands of his fathers. Fearing for his safety, Annael forbade him and instead resolved to flee to the Havens of Sirion where the Falathrim elves lived freely. But as the Folk of the Swan set out, they were assailed by their enemies and forced to scattered into the night.

While Annael regrouped with most of his people, Tuor refused to flee from the fight and had been taken captive by Lorgan, a chieftain of the Easterlings in Dor-lómin. Not knowing what had become of his mortal foster-son and believing it likely he was already dead, Annael sorrowfully turned south, leading his people to their intended destination. But Tuor lived, and endured three years of thralldom under Lorgan’s foot, treated all the more cruelly for the knowledge of his heritage as the rightful lord of the land Lorgan claimed as his own.

When sent into the woods on an errand, Tuor at last saw his opportunity for escape, slaying his guards and fleeing to the caves of Androth. The elves were long gone, and Tuor endured another four years as a lone outlaw, killing orcs and Easterlings and accumulating a price upon his head. All the while, Tuor searched for the Gate of the Noldor, by which Annael had intended to escape Hithlum unnoticed, and finally the Vala Ylmir sent him a sign leading him to that secret mountain pass. On his journey, he met Gelmir and Arminas, messengers sent by Círdan to Nargothrond delivering a warning from Ylmir himself. From them Tuor heard of Gondolin, the hidden kingdom of the Noldor of which Annael had whispered on occasion, and a new curiosity sparked within him to discover that secret city as well.

Gelmir and Arminas showed Tuor the path through the mountains to Nevrast, a long-abandoned settlement of the Noldor. Upon his arrival, he became the first of the Edain to reach the shores of the great western sea, and a sea-longing awoke within him that he would carry for the rest of his life. He lingered by the shore until autumn, before Ylmir sent him a sign in the form of seven swans that urged him southward to Vinyamar, the crumbling capital city of Nevrast. Within these halls he found a sword, armor, and a shield bearing the device of a swan on a blue field, and taking up these arms he felt the hand of fate upon him.

Led by premonition to the seashore, Tuor walked through a great storm where he at last met Ylmir face to face. The Vala instructed him to seek the city of Gondolin and deliver a message to its king; to aid him in this quest, Ylmir gave him a cloak that had the power to hide him from his foes, and a companion to guide him on his journey. This was Voronwë, a mariner from Gondolin who had sailed out west seeking aid from the Valar that would not come. All his companions perished in the raging storms of Yssion, but Ylmir spared him and carried him safely back to land. Upon hearing Tuor speak the words of Ylmir, Voronwë agreed to guide Tuor to the hidden gates of Gondolin, even knowing that to bring a mortal outsider to the city was an offense punishable by death.

Voronwë led Tuor through lands desolated by the recent passing of Glaurung, including the ruined Pools of Ivrin where once Ylmir’s magic had made the cool waters sing. While there, they saw a figure in black, crying out the name of Finduilas, but they knew not the significance of this strange occurance. After enduring a bitter winter, the only bright moments of which were the evenings that Voronwë instructed Tuor in Quenya, they at last reached the gates of Gondolin, where they were taken as prisoners by Elemmakil, a dear friend and companion of Voronwë before his journey. Rather than slaying them as the law dictated, Elemmakil delivered them to Lord Ecthelion of the Silver Fountain, who recognized the arms Tuor bore and welcomed them into the city with honor.

Tuor was brought before King Turukáno, where the words of Ylmir—or, as the Noldor knew him, Ulmo—poured forth from his lips. He warned Turukáno that the Doom of the Noldor was nearing its fulfillment, Gondolin should be abandoned, and a last great alliance should be formed against Morgoth to defeat his evils forever. But Turukáno had grown proud and complacent, refusing to heed Ulmo’s words; yet he welcomed Tuor to Gondolin, where he grew to high status and prominence among its people.

In Gondolin, Tuor fell in love with and married Turukáno’s daughter Itarillë Telpevontál in the second Union of Elves and Men. In becoming her husband, he also became the Lord of the House of the Wing, a title that hearkened back to his youth among the Folk of the Swan. Itarillë bore Tuor a son, Eärendil Ardamírë, who was the light of the city and adored by all. But soon Ulmo’s prophecy came true, for Gondolin was betrayed by Itarillë’s cousin Maeglin and was destroyed in a great battle. Tuor and his family escaped through the secret passage they had been building ever since Tuor’s arrival, and together they took up the mantle of leadership in the wake of King Turukáno’s death.

Journeying south, the exiles of Gondolin stayed for a time in the woods of Nan-tathren, where the music of Ulmo flowed through the willow-streams and awoke sea-longing within both Tuor and young Eärendil. There Tuor composed a song, “The Horns of Ylmir,” in honor of the Vala who had led him on this difficult and rewarding journey, and Itarillë knew then that the fates of her family would reach beyond Beleriand and perhaps even beyond Arda.

The remnant of the Gondolindrim eventually reached the Havens of Sirion, where they settled amongst refugees from the other fallen elf-kingdoms, Nargothrond and Doriath, as well as a few survivors from the Three Houses of the Edian. There Tuor met Gelmir and Arminas once more, and most joyously of all, reunited with Annael his foster-father. At Sirion, Eärendil grew into a man, but living so close to the sea was a torment for Tuor, who yearned more every day to set sail for the Undying Lands, the realm of his wife’s birth.

When Eärendil was full-grown, Tuor built the ship Eärrámë, waiting only for his son to be married before he departed. The day of Eärendil and Elwing of Doriath’s wedding was bittersweet, for the very next morn Tuor and Idril set sail upon the Eärrámë seeking Valinor. Before she left, Idril gave her son a parting gift: the enchanted stone known as the Elessar, made first for her uncle Fingon and then crafted into a necklace for her own wedding. She had named her child Ardamírë in part for this jewel, which though it held not the fate of Arda as did the Silmarils, had a great power within it for healing that she trusted her son could bring to Middle-earth.

None in Beleriand ever heard of the fate of Tuor and Idril, but the legends of the Edain say that they arrived safely in Aman and that Tuor alone of Men was counted among the Eldar as an immortal being. But the elves tell a different tale: that their journey was long and harrowing, and when they at last arrived it was long after Eärendil had ascended upon Vingilótë into the sky, and that though his time in the Undying Lands lengthened his lifespan Tuor did indeed die, passing on to receive the Gift of Men, leaving Idril to return to Tirion, the city of her birth. Yet the truth of their fates is lost to history, and it may be that they perished upon the waves—though for one so blessed by Ulmo Núron, a joyous resolution of some nature can be safely assumed.

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Eltas was a man of Dor-lómin who had been only a boy when the Fifth Battle was lost. He was a few years younger than Lord Húrin’s son Túrin, and greatly admired the older boy, though he knew not how to approach him in friendship. When Lady Morwen sent Túrin away to Doriath, the people of Dor-lómin had no knowledge of his fate, and many, including Eltas, assumed he was dead.

As a member of Hador’s House, Eltas was persecuted by the conquering Easterlings, and his youth was one of fear and bitterness. When Túrin returned unexpectedly, now a man grown with a dreadful Doom upon him, hope rose within Eltas that their time of oppression was at an end. But instead of freeing his people of their tyrannical leaders, Túrin rampaged through Dor-lómin, killing friend and foe alike, and his short-lived rebellion crumbled away as soon as he departed once more into the wilds.

Eltas has been among those who rose up against Brodda and the others, but seeing the destruction Túrin wrought the band realized that they would become hunted men. Another rebel, Asgon, rebuked Túrin and assumed leadership of the small group, taking Eltas and the others to the caves of Androth where the Grey-elves and Tuor son of Huor had once dwelt. They struggled through a difficult existence for some years, eventually parting ways, and while Asgon himself remained in Mithrim, Eltas traveled south to the Havens of Sirion.

There he met Dírhaval, son of a woman who had fled Dor-lómin in the wake of the Fifth Battle and settled in the Havens with her children. From the elves of the Falas, Dírhaval learned the Sindarin tongue and became greatly skilled in verse and song. When news of Túrin’s fate trickled south, Dírhaval became fascinated by the tragic story of a man who in another life could have been his liege-lord, and sought out those who had encountered him in an attempt to piece together the whole story.

One of his sources was Eltas, who had developed a similar obsession with how the solemn boy he had known in his youth had become the angst-ridden anti-hero he met as an adult. Eltas and Dírhaval worked together to uncover the truth of Túrin’s life, interrogating anyone who had come into contact with him. This included the elf-maiden Nellas who had known him in Doriath, Andvír of the Gaurwaith, Celebrimbor who had reforged his sword Anglachel into Gurthang, Glírhuin of the Haladin, and of course Eltas himself, who had known folk such as Morwen and Sador in Dor-lómin.

Dírhaval then set himself the task of composing an epic poem to honor the strange and tragic life of Túrin Turambar. This was his greatest work, known as the Narn i Chîn Húrin, or the Lay of the Children of Húrin. He set his poem to song, allowing the story to spread across all of Arvernien and Balar, where it would survive through the Ages as one of the Great Tales of Beleriand. Yet Dírhaval himself would not be so lucky, for when the Sons of Fëanor descended upon the Havens in the Third Kinslaying, Men were not spared from their wrath. He perished in the battle, Eltas at his side even in death, leaving his composition of the Narn i Leithian incomplete forever.

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Lady Morwen Eledhwen of Dor-lómin was originally of the House of Bëor, but after she wed Húrin Thalion she was greatly honored by the people of the House of Hador. She possessed an iron will and great beauty, and though many of her most faithful servants perished in Nírnaeth Arnœdiad, the same battle where her husband was captured by Morgoth, those who remained kept their loyalty to their Lady even in that dark hour.

When the Easterlings came to Dor-lómin and claimed the land as their own, Morwen’s reputation kept her household safe for a time, for they believed her to be a witch who dealt with the elves. She was indeed in contact with the Grey-elves of Mithrim, those who remained after countless tragedies, but from them she received only information, and that very scant. She dared not meet them herself for fear of angering her new overlords, instead sending her servants in secret to speak with them.

The two servants she trusted most with this task were Gethron and Grithnir, men who had been young in the time of Hador Lórindol, grandfather of Lord Húrin. They had traveled far and wide and had dealing with the elves when they were strong and hale, but they were now well past their primes, far too old to serve as warriors in the Fifth Battle that took the lives of so many men of their House. Knowing a bit of Sindarin, Gethron could communicate with the Grey-elves and pass news back to his liege-lady; Grithnir spoke less of the elven tongue, but still enough to communicate.

When Morwen resolved to send her young son away to Doriath, hoping King Thingol would have mercy on the boy and protect him from the dangers of Beleriand, she chose Gethron and Grithnir to accompany him. The journey was long and perilous, but they eventually arrived, and in the halls of Menegroth Gethron beseeched Thingol to take Túrin as a foster-son. Grithnir, however, fell ill, the harrowing journey taking its toll upon him, and he died before he could make the journey back to Dor-lómin. Grieving his friend, but still devoted to Lady Morwen, Gethron stayed to see his body laid to rest before departing alone for his northern homelands.

The other two servants who remained by Morwen’s side were younger than the aged Gethron and Grithnir but were disabled, rendering them unfit for war. Ragnir, a young man whose brothers had marched with Húrin in the Fifth Battle, was blind from birth, and while he cared for his liege-lady as best he could he was also timid and shy, frightened of her and terrified of the Easterlings who mocked and mistreated him. His only friend was Sador, his fellow-servant, though even Sador had little patience for his anxieties.

Sador had once been a woodman who as a youth had fought in the Dagor Bragollach under the command of Húrin’s grandfather Hador, though he came late to the battle and was only able to bring back Hador’s fallen body. After this he tired of war and retreated in the woods, but soon found himself severely injured, accidentally severing his right foot. Unfit to work as a woodman any longer, Sador entered Húrin’s household staff, and soon befriended Húrin’s young son Túrin.

Túrin did not make friends easily, but he was loyal to them when he did. He would help Sador with his tasks, fetching materials and tools to spare him from hobbling along, and often brought him gifts of things he found lying around. Unfortunately those gifts were usually other people’s possessions, and Sador had to teach him to return them and not to steal even if it is to give. Feeling indebted to his lordly little friend, Sador carved figures of men and beasts for him out of wood, though Túrin’s favorite gifts were always Sador’s stories. He gave Sador the name Labadal, “hopafoot,” after his injury, and though many saw the name as cruel Sador understood that Túrin simply took things literally and meant no mockery by it.

When Húrin gave Túrin an elven knife of great worth as a birthday present, Túrin eagerly thought of his friend who carved with less quality knives and decided to gift his new present to Sador. Unable to refuse without being rude, Sador accepted the knife, though he felt guilty for taking this lordly gift from Túrin when his father had clearly not intended this to be its use. Indeed, Túrin’s parents were upset with him, but even Morwen, who did not care for Sador at all, grew kinder to him in the wake of Túrin’s generosity.

When Túrin departed for Doriath, Sador remained in Morwen’s house, though now without his young friend and only his grim liege-lady and his anxious fellow-servant Ragnir for company he grew morose and lethargic, wishing he could have gone off to war with Húrin and perished nobly in battle. Túrin’s younger sister Niënor had no interest in befriending Sador as had her brother, and when she and Morwen finally departed Dor-lómin they did so alone, leaving their servants behind.

Upon Túrin’s sudden return, now a grown man with heavy burdens upon him, Sador was the one who informed him that his family had left Dor-lómin. In his rage and disappointment, Túrin began a disastrous rebellion against the Easterling lord Brodda, and ever-faithful Sador followed him into battle, finally taking action he perceived as noble. Yet in the chaos, Sador was wounded, and soon he perished in service of his lord.

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Upon witnessing the utter ruin of his children, Húrin Thalion was released from his torment at the hands of Morgoth and given an escort back to his land of Hithlum. His reappearance alongside the soldiers of the Enemy made the men of Dor-lómin believe he was in league with the Dark King, and thus Húrin was shunned by his own people and prevented from rousing any rebellion against the Easterlings who had occupied his land. Only a small company of outlaws dared to follow Húrin when he departed, following him first to the halls of Lorgan, the man who had enslaved Húrin’s nephew Tuor, though Húrin did not know this. Lorgan feigned friendship with Húrin, but when Húrin declared he was not in Morgoth’s service Lorgan allowed him to leave unhindered, guessing his Master’s purpose was to use Húrin’s bitterness to sow discontent among the remnant of the Edain.

Húrin took with him eight companions from Hithlum, some men he had known before his captivity and some he met only now. The chief of these was Asgon, a man who had refused his lord’s summons to the Fifth Battle and had chosen to live as an outlaw until the Easterlings discovered his hideout and forced him into bondage. Asgon had been among the rebels stirred up by Túrin when Brodda was killed, but seeing the destruction Túrin wrought he had rebuked him and led his fellow revolutionaries out into the wild to live once more as outlaws. Now, his conscience pricked at him, and attempting to redeem his cowardice, he took what remained of his followers and entered into Húrin’s service where he had fled it before.

Though there had been nearly twenty men in Asgon’s band of outlaws before, many had abandoned their companions for other pursuits, and now only seven remained. These were Dringoth, a smith who had been laid low by an injury at the time of the Nírnaeth; Dimaethor, who had been away on an errand when the call to arms came; Negenor, who like Asgon had refused to fight; Tondir, who had been carrying his husband’s child that fateful year; Haedirn, a scout who had been injured on the march to the Anfauglith and sent home; Orthelron, a roof-worker who had suffered a broken leg just before the battle; and last of all Ragnir the Hunter, who had been too young to follow his father to war.

Húrin instructed Asgon to lead him down into the Vales of Sirion, for he desired to visit Turukáno of Gondolin with whom he had been friends before the war. Yet he could not reveal his destination to any of his company, for he was bound by an oath of secrecy, and he had little intention to bring them along with him into the hidden city. Asgon led the way from Hithlum down the Lithir River, their journey unhindered by any creatures of Morgoth, who were tasked instead to spy upon the men.

Coming to the ford of Brithiach, Húrin told Asgon he wished to go to Brethil where his son had died. That night, having given them a false lead, Húrin slipped away and headed into Dimbar seeking Gondolin. Arising the next morning, Asgon and his companions knew if Húrin had left of his own volition or if he was taken by a beast or foe. Ragnir had tired of the journey and wished to go home, but Asgon denied him and led his men instead to Brethil where the marchwardens of the Haladin took them into custody for trespassing. When questioned, Asgon revealed to Hardang, the new Chieftain of the Haladin, that Húrin had returned and intended to come to Brethil, though none of the Haladin had seen him thus far.

Frightened by this news, for he had held little love for Turambar in his time among the people of Brethil, Hardang expelled Asgon and his men from Brethil without their weapons. They were led away, blindfolded, but the marchwarden Ebor was a servant of Hardang’s rival Manthor and secretly returned their belongings, begging them not to return lest Hardang order them killed on sight. Yet Asgon determined to remain nearby, waiting for Húrin to reappear.

His faith in his liege-lord came too late, for Húrin had lost any care he may once have held for his companions, and returning from his vain search for Gondolin he passed by them in the night without bothering to seek them. Thus Asgon and the rest waited impatiently for their lord’s return for several days, during which young Ragnir, whose initial patience with Asgon had waned, led a mutiny and headed back to Hithlum with half their group. With Ragnir went Negenor, Orthelron, and Dimaethor, and no tale tells of their fate. It is certain only that they never made it back to Dor-lómin, and most believe them to have been slain on the road by the servants of Morgoth.

When at last Húrin reemerged from Brethil, Asgon confronted him in anger, demanding to know why they had been abandoned. Húrin only laughed and told them that the last House of the Edain had fallen into disarray, and that Morgoth had all but won the battle against the Free-peoples of Beleriand. He scorned them for their faith in him and ordered them to leave, departing alone in the direction of Nargothrond.

Furious, Asgon resolved to prove Húrin wrong. He led the remnant of his followers to the ruins of Ephel Brandir, rallying the remnant of the Haladin and declaring he would guide them to a safe place. Tondir reminded Asgon that the only free realms remaining were Doriath, which refused most outsiders, and Gondolin, hidden so well even Húrin could not find it. But Haedirn interjected, saying that the Havens of Sirion yet stood, and that many Edain had fled there already, including Eltas, who once had been a member of their outlaw band. Seizing hold of that last hope, Asgon shepherded his folk out of Brethil and set their course for the seashore. Though some perished along the way, others survived, and these folk were among the ancestors of the Men who fought beside Elros Tar-Minyatur in the War of Wrath—including Queen Hiril Tári-Ecceþindë, who was the descendant of Dringoth of Hithlum and Thoriel, the daughter of Larnach who had been saved by Túrin from the Gaurwaith some years prior.

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The Gaurwaith, or “Wolf-men,” were a band of outlaws who plagued the woodmen of Brethil in the years after the Nírnaeth Arnœdiad. They were composed of outcasts mostly of the Edain, though as their numbers grew, Men of other houses joined their ranks. Their first leader was Forweg, a man once of the House of Hador, who had deserted the field of the Fifth Battle and fled south to live as an outlaw. He was a hard and cruel man, leading by fear rather than respect, and few men were bold enough even to stand at his side. His lieutenant was Andróg, a man who had been forced to flee from Dor-lómin for the murder of a woman, almost as harsh as Forweg himself.

When Túrin fled Doriath after causing the death of Saeros, he counted himself as an outlaw and took the name Neithan. When the Gaurwaith encountered him in the wilds near Brethil, they challenged him, and one outlaw shot an arrow his way. But the arrow missed, and Neithan slew the man then offered to fight the rest of the outlaws to prove himself. Ulrad, a friend of the fallen archer, stepped forth in anger, but when Neithan approached he gave way in fear. Andróg alone faced Neithan’s challenge, but seeing his strength and bravery instead suggested he join their group. Forweg acceded, allowing Neithan entry into their band, but the next spring he would come to rue that decision.

When one day Forweg and Andróg disappeared from the Gaurwaith’s camp, Neithan, irritated by the squalor of their hideout, went wandering into the woods. Suddenly he saw a young woman running through a hazel-thicket in fear, chased by two men. Neithan rushed to her defense, killing one of her pursuers, realizing too late that it was Forweg himself. Andróg then appeared, shocked at his captain’s death, but would not strike Neithan for the murder, knowing he would be beaten. The woman demanded Neithan kill her second pursuer, but he refused and sent her home. While Andróg buried Forweg, Neithan returned to the camp and reported his deeds, claiming leadership of the Gaurwaith. Some men wished to kill Neithan, but Andróg arrived to confirm his story and support his claim, and they were forced to accept Neithan as their captain.

Neithan led the Gaurwaith southward, stopping them from raiding the houses of Men and hunting only orcs. When a band of orcs passed nearby, several of the outlaws demanded to kill them and steal the fruits of their plundering. While Neithan thought this unwise, his men were hungry and he knew he was dangerously close to losing his command, so he ordered them all to stay put while he and the best tracker of the group, Orleg, scouted out their enemies; in Neithan’s absence, Andróg was left in charge.

Meanwhile, Beleg Cúthalion, the greatest of Doriath’s marchwardens, had long been searching for Túrin, whom he counted as a dear friend before his flight. Now at last he drew close to Túrin’s camp, and meeting the man Larnach and his daughter Thoriel, whom Túrin had saved from Forweg and Andróg, he learned of Túrin’s position among the Gaurwaith as their captain, Neithan. Beleg discovered the outlaws’ camp, and unwilling to fight the companions of his friend he allowed them to take him captive and tie him to a tree. Andróg questioned him ruthlessly and resolved to kill him, envying his great bow, but Algund, the eldest and wisest of the outlaws, stayed his hand.

Neithan and Orleg were absent for several days, for they had been discovered by the orcs and forced to flee. Orleg was slain by many arrows, and Neithan barely escaped with his life only by running in the direction opposite of his camp. It was a long journey back, and when he finally arrived it was to the shocking sight of Andróg and Ulrad preparing to press a flaming brand to Beleg’s skin in an attempt to torture him into giving them more information.

Horrified and enraged, Neithan freed Beleg and chastised his companions, ordering them to make a vow they would never again raise a hand against elves or Men. The reunion of Beleg and Túrin was one of great love, though Beleg’s petition for Túrin to return with him to Doriath was denied. In sorrow, Beleg returned to pass the tidings to King Thingol, though before long his heart was turned again to Túrin and he journeyed in search of the Gaurwaith once more.

While Beleg set out into the wild again, Neithan and his outlaws had found a more permanent settlement. As they traveled ever southward, the Gaurwaith discovered three dwarves carrying heavy sacks, and as their vow did not prevent them from attacking dwarves they swiftly moved to raid them. The oldest dwarf was captured, while the younger two fled with arrows at their backs. The captive was Mîm, a petty-dwarf who was an outcast in his own right, and in exchange for his life he was forced to lead the Gaurwaith to his secret halls in Amon Rûdh. Ulrad searched Mîm’s sack and, finding nothing, demanded why he had been so protective of an empty bag. Neithan, finding pity in his heart for the dwarf, upbraided Ulrad for speaking without thought, a gesture Mîm would not forget.

Arriving in Amon Rûdh, Mîm first sought for the other dwarves, his two sons. Ibun, the elder, revealed that his younger brother Khîm had been slain by an arrow. In fury and grief, Mîm cursed Andróg, who had fired the arrow, that he would die from an arrow wound himself if he did not forswear his craft and break his bow. Sensing the power of his words, Andróg obeyed, but ever after there was hatred between them.

Neithan expressed regret for the loss of Mîm’s son, and this as well as the promise of gold should he come into wealth softened Mîm’s heart to the outlaw’s captain, though not his men. Having little choice but to allow the Gaurwaith to dwell in his halls, Mîm gave them entry to the Bar-en-Danwedh upon Amon Rûdh. Suspicious of their unwilling host, Andróg spied around his dwelling and discovered a secret stair to the summit of the hill, though he said nothing of it.

Aside from Neithan, the only member of the Gaurwaith who had any interest in Mîm was Blodren, an Easterling man whose father, Ban, had marched under the banner of Bór the Faithful in the Nírnaeth Arnœdiad. Ban had known dwarves in the east before he entered Beleriand, and knew a little of their tongue, which he passed to his son. Though Ban was slain in the battle, Blodren had survived and escaped the captivity of Morgoth before he had been taken to Angband, but the Edain despised him for the actions of Uldor the Accursed, not distinguishing between the two groups of Easterlings. Thus Blodren fell in with the Gaurwaith, who also held him in suspicion, and found a strange kinship with Mîm, a fellow outcast among outcasts.

When Beleg returned to the Gaurwaith, this time he gave to Túrin the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin, an heirloom of his House, and declared his intent to stay by Túrin’s side forever. Overjoyed to be reunited with his dearest companion, Túrin welcomed him gladly,  though he was distrusted by his men and by Mîm, who despised the Sindar who had once hunted his people for sport. Yet Túrin and Beleg were happy together in this time, finally realizing their mutual love and taking each other as husbands. With Beleg supporting Túrin, the Gaurwaith became a formidable rogue militia who fought against orcs: their territory grew, as did their numbers, and their lands became known as Dor-Cúarthol, the Land of the Bow and Helm.

In this time, emboldened by their victories, Andróg grew arrogant enough to take up the bow once more. As Mîm had declared, he was struck by a poisoned orc-arrow and would surely have died—had not Beleg, whom he had help captive and mistreated in the past, not healed him with his elven skills. Mîm’s hatred of them both only grew, though he yet fawned over Neithan, even though the interest Túrin had once shown in him had begun to wane.

But this would not be enough to save the Gaurwaith in the end, for the Curse of the Children of Húrin followed Túrin wheresoever he went, and as his dominion grew so did the malice of Morgoth. On one winter morn, Mîm and Ibun went out into the wild to gather roots and herbs and were taken captive by orcs. Pleading for his life, Mîm quickly offered up the location of the Gaurwaith, begging only that the Dread Helm be spared; he thought not of even Blodren, whose friendship had not wavered.

Mîm led the orcs to Amon Rûdh in the dark of night, and a fierce battle took place upon the top of Amon Rûdh. Every man was slain except for Túrin, who was captured; Mîm witnessed Blodren’s fall by an orc-arrow, but thought only of his revenge against Beleg, who had been bound and left alive on the hill’s peak for Mîm to kill him personally. But as Mîm’s knife was about to strike, Andróg crawled up the secret stair despite his mortal wounds and halted the blow. He chased Mîm away and cut through Beleg’s bonds, then died in the arms of the elf he once had tortured.

The only survivors of that bloody battle were Túrin, carried away captive by the orcs; Beleg, who chased after them to rescue his husband; Mîm, who fled into the night grieving the death of his final son, Ibun, who had been killed in the crossfire; and the youth Andvír, son of Andróg, whose father had sent him away at the first sign of trouble. Andvír eventually made his way to the Havens of Sirion, where as an old man he served as a source for Dírhaval’s epic poem about Túrin’s life, the Narn i Chîn Húrin.