History Literature / TheChildrenOfHurin

* ArcherArchetype: Beleg "Strongbow" is famous for his archery and has a named bow (Belthronding). He's an independent wilderness-ranger sort -- though he certainly had companions in arms on the marches of Doriath, he does just fine on his own out in Beleriand, and being an Elf, he has excellent stealth and woodcraft. However, when he leaves the Hidden Kingdom to search for Túrin, he recognises that a bow alone isn't enough and asks King Thingol for a sword.

%%* AntiVillain: Mîm the Petty-Dwarf is a Type II.

* CessationOfExistence: Morgoth claims humans cease to exist upon death, and uses fear of this to control and rule them.

* DownerEnding: The whole story is pretty much one downer ending after another. [[spoiler: Túrin being exiled from Doriath, the Orcs attacking Amon Rhud and killing all the outlaws except for Túrin, Beleg finding Túrin, only to be killed by him, and the fall of Nargothrond to the Orcs]]. Basically, every time it seems like Túrin is going to have a happy and peaceful life and escape his fate, something bad happens. In the end, TheHero kills [[TheDragon The (literal) Dragon]], ridding the world of one of the greatest evils it has ever seen. However, [[spoiler: almost all the Elf kingdoms have been destroyed, and their inhabitants killed or enslaved. Most of Túrin's friends are dead, with it being either directly or indirectly his own fault. Túrin's sister commits suicide when she realizes she accidentally committed incest with her brother and was pregnant by him, and whom she also believes is dead. Túrin also kills himself after learning the same, and after killing an innocent man]]. Hard to be happy after that. [[spoiler: The book ends with Túrin's mother Morwen dying at her son's grave, and though it's not said in this book, Húrin will end up accidentally giving Morgoth almost everything he wants anyway, and Húrin realizes his heroic sacrifice just made things worse and all the torture and suffering he and his family went through was for nothing. He finally kills himself, the last of his family, alone and in utter despair.]]

* DownerEnding: The whole story is pretty much one downer ending after another. [[spoiler: Túrin being exiled from Doriath, the Orcs attacking Amon Rhud and killing all the outlaws except for Túrin, Beleg finding Túrin, only to be killed by him, and the fall of Nargothrond to the Orcs]]. Basically, every time it seems like Túrin is going to have a happy and peaceful life and escape his fate, something bad happens. In the end, TheHero kills [[TheDragon The (literal) Dragon]], ridding the world of one of the greatest evils it has ever seen. However, [[spoiler: almost all the Elf kingdoms have been destroyed, and their inhabitants killed or enslaved. Most of Túrin's friends are dead, with it being either directly or indirectly his own fault. Túrin's sister commits suicide when she realizes she accidentally committed incest with her brother and was pregnant by him, and whom she also believes is dead. Túrin also kills himself after learning the same, and after killing an innocent man]]. Hard to be happy after that. [[spoiler: The book ends with Morwen dying at her son's grave, and though it's not said in this book, Húrin will end up accidentally giving Morgoth almost everything he wants anyway, and Húrin realizes his heroic sacrifice just made things worse and all the torture and suffering he and his family went through was for nothing. He finally kills himself, the last of his family, alone and in utter despair.]]

* CessationOfExistence: Morgoth claims humans stop existing upon death, but Húrin rightfully calls him out on his lies (a conviction helped by the fact that his wife's cousin Beren was brought from the dead).

* OneManArmy: Húrin is the greatest warrior of Men. He fights alone a massive army of Orcs after his men are all killed. When his weapon shatters, he picks up an axe from a slain enemy and mows ''dozens'' of enemies down until his axe melts in his hands. He slays seventy trolls in that battle alone.

** Happens to [[spoiler:Beleg]] at Túrin's hands (he'd just been rescued from sadistic Orcs, was barely conscious, and thought he was still in enemy hands, only waking when accidentally pricked.)

* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: Averted. While Túrin is held by Glaurung's magic spell, [[spoiler:Finduilas is dragged off by the Orcs. They enslave her before they kill her. She both screams for his help as they drag her away and begs that he learn of her fate as she dies.]]

* AnyoneCanDie: And almost all the characters do. [[spoiler:Though not covered in this book, ''The Silmarillion'' states that Húrin is said to have eventually thrown himself into the sea.]]
* ArcherArchetype: Beleg "Strongbow" is famous for his archery and has a named bow (Belthronding). He's an independent wilderness-ranger sort -- though he certainly had companions in arms on the marches of Doriath, he does just fine on his own out in Beleriand, and being an Elf, he has excellent stealth and woodcraft. However, when he leaves the Hidden Kingdom to search for Túrin, he recognizes that a bow alone isn't enough and asks King Thingol for a sword.

** [[spoiler:Túrin is content to swallow all of Saeros's insults until the latter sarcastically asks whether the women of Hithlum "run like deer clad only in their hair", at which point Túrin throws his cup at him with such force that it breaks his jaw.]]
** [[spoiler:Similarly, although he already hated Brodda for usurping Dor-Lómin and enslaving his people, Túrin was content to let him be as long as he led Aerin to tell him where his family went. When Brodda tries to prevent this and calls Morwen a "thrall", Túrin throws him across his own table in rage, killing him instantly.]]

* CompellingVoice: Glaurung, who [[spoiler:uses it to create amnesia in Niënor]].

* DownerEnding: The whole story is pretty much one downer ending after another. [[spoiler:Túrin being exiled from Doriath, the Orcs attacking Amon Rhud and killing all the outlaws except for Túrin, Beleg finding Túrin only to be killed by him, and the fall of Nargothrond to the Orcs]]. Basically, every time it seems like Túrin is going to have a happy and peaceful life and escape his fate, something bad happens. In the end, TheHero kills [[TheDragon The (literal) Dragon]], ridding the world of one of the greatest evils it has ever seen. However, [[spoiler:almost all the Elf kingdoms have been destroyed, and their inhabitants killed or enslaved. Most of Túrin's friends are dead, with it being either directly or indirectly his own fault. Túrin's sister commits suicide when she realizes she accidentally committed incest with her brother and was pregnant by him, and whom she also believes is dead. Túrin also kills himself after learning the same, and after killing an innocent man]]. Hard to be happy after that. [[spoiler:The book ends with Morwen dying at her son's grave, and though it's not said in this book, Húrin will end up accidentally giving Morgoth almost everything he wants anyway, and Húrin realizes his heroic sacrifice just made things worse and all the torture and suffering he and his family went through was for nothing. He finally kills himself, the last of his family, alone and in utter despair.]]

* FailureHero: Poor Mablung ends up as this. All his best efforts fail thanks to forces outside his control. The trip to Nargothrong ends with Morwen lost in Glaurung's mist and Niënor under a dragon-spell, an orc raid separates him from the amnesiac Niënor, and he ends up unknowingly [[spoiler:giving Túrin the confirmation of Brandir's words that drives him to kill himself.]] The guy bitterly lampshades it.

* FanDisservice: A nude woman in the woods happens to be out of her mind, and the man who has a NakedFirstImpression of her [[spoiler:is her brother.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Saeros quips that Túrin's folk are wild and fell and their women run naked like deer. [[spoiler:The last bit happens to Niënor.]]

** He has a second one after he fails to save [[spoiler:Finduilas.]]

* HopeSpot: Occurs many times throughout the story. Characters start to dare to hope that things may turn out alright. [[spoiler:They ''never'' do.]]

** [[spoiler:Finduilas,]] who is pinned to a tree with a spear and left to die.

---> Then he fled from them, like the wind, and they were filled with wonder and fear. But Mablung said: "Some strange and dreadful thing has chanced that we know not. Let us follow him and aid him if we may: for now he is fey and witless." But [[spoiler:Túrin]] sped far before them, and came to Cabed-en-Aras, and stood still; and he heard the roaring of the water, and saw that all the trees near and far were withered, and their sere leaves fell mournfully, as though winter had come in the first days of summer. "Cabed-en-Aras, Cabed Naeramarth!" he cried. "I will not defile your waters where Níniel was washed. For all my deeds have been ill, and the latest the worst." [[spoiler:Then he drew forth his sword, and said: "Hail Gurthang, iron of death, thou alone now remainest! But what lord or loyalty dost thou know, save the hand that wieldeth thee? From no blood wilt thou shrink! Wilt thou take Túrin Turambar? Wilt thou slay me swiftly?" And from the blade rang a cold voice in answer: "Yea, I will drink thy blood, that I may forget the blood of Beleg my master, and the blood of Brandir slain unjustly. I will slay thee swiftly." Then Túrin set the hilts upon the ground, and cast himself upon the point of Gurthang, and the black blade took his life.]]

* LastGirlWins: Finduilas, in some regards a perfect match for him (and who, unlike Lúthien, has a very understanding father who considers Túrin deserving of her), doesn't manage to make him fall for her. The woman who finally does, though, accomplishes that feat within moments of their first encounter, and she's the last woman of note he makes acquaintance with [[spoiler:and his long-lost sister.]]
* LastOfHisKind: Mîm and his two sons are the last Petty-dwarves in the world. [[spoiler:All of them are killed]].

* LoveTriangle: Gwindor, Finduilas, and Túrin. And later, Brandir, Níniel, and Túrin. Both end badly. [[spoiler:All members of the triangles are dead by the end.]]

* MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning: Glaurung certainly didn't intend to die, but ''boy'', did he have one zinger of a parting shot. [[spoiler:He reveals the truth of Niënor's and Túrin's identities and SurpriseIncest, and his death undoes the spell of forgetfulness he put on Niënor so that she knows it's true]].

** Túrin helps the Elves of Nargothrond fortify their city against their encroaching enemies, including the addition of a giant bridge in front of their gates across the River Narog, and encourages them to give up secrecy and go to open warfare. This just shows Morgoth's armies exactly where to find the hidden fortress-city, and he sends the dragon Glaurung to literally smoke them out. The bridge turns out to be just the right size for Glaurung, and too sturdy to destroy quickly...

** Gwindor becomes this after his return to Nargothrond as Túrin overrules his counsel and calls for more open military efforts. Gwindor's words are eventually vindicated because Nargothrond's militarization results in [[spoiler:its location being revealed, Nargothrond's destruction, and the woman they both love dying]].

* UnbuiltTrope: Let's see, it's an epic DarkFantasy novel featuring incest, the fate of a family over the course of an epic struggle, a morally ambiguous dwarf, loads and loads of Black and Grey Morality, a sinister supernatural force encroaching from the north and a serious downer ending. And it's got nothing to do with George R.R. Martin.

* YouShallNotPass: Húrin and his forces, including his brother Huor, who is killed, hold back those of Morgoth long enough for the forces of Gondolin to escape back to their city. His men all agree to HoldTheLine there, because it was their ancestral land, and they'd resolved to either win it back from Morgoth or die on it.

* CessationOfExistence: What Morgoth claims happens upon death (for humans, at least).

* AccidentalMurder: Happens to [[spoiler:Beleg]] at Túrin's hands (he'd just been rescued from sadistic Orcs, was barely conscious, and thought he was still in enemy hands, only waking when accidentally pricked.)

** ''"Beyond the Circles of the World you shall not pursue those who refuse you."''
** ''"Beyond the Circles of the World I will not pursue them,' said Morgoth. 'For beyond the Circles of the World there is Nothing. But within them they shall not escape me, until they enter into Nothing."''
** ''"You lie," said Húrin.''
** ''"You shall see and you shall confess that I do not lie," said Morgoth.''

* DoNotCallMePaul: Do Not Call Him Túrin. He doesn't like that. And he has a hair-trigger temper and a nasty sword. No seriously, don't! ...Well, we warned you.

* DoomMagnet: Túrin. Lampshaded by Brandir: ''You are a curse on your own lineage and those who want to help you.''

->'' I also have been meshed in the doom of the Children of Húrin, and thus with words have slain one that I loved.''

* FatalFlaw: Hurin and his entire family seemingly share the same one, which is their stubbornness. Though it was originally a virtue in Hurin's case, with his refusal to bend to Morgoth's torture and demands, the rest of the story shows how it goes ill, with his son, wife, and daughter all scorning advice, aid, and requests in favor of taking their own path, which ultimately leads to disaster.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Saeros quips that Túrin's folk are wild and fell and their women run naked like deer. [[spoiler:The last bit happens to Nienor.]]

* GideonPloy: This is how Túrin joins the Men of Brethil. He comes across a group of them being attacked by orcs in the forest so he hides in the bushes making enough noise to sound like a small army and leaps into action acting like a captain leading his troops. The orcs run away and are killed by Túrin and the Men of Brethil who then get confused as to why Túrin's men are taking so long to join the battle.

* HateSink: Saeros is a racist Elf in King Thingol's court who resented the presence of Túrin as a ward of Thingol. One evening Saeros made insulting remarks about Túrin's people, causing Túrin to injure Saeros. The next morning, Saeros attempted to murder Túrin over the last night's events, provoking Túrin into stripping him and accidentally killing him by running him off a cliff. When Thingol heard of what Saeros had done, he pardoned Túrin, while it was stated that Saeros would be held in Mandos, the land of the dead, for a long time due to his misdeeds.

* OneManArmy: Húrin was the greatest warrior between the Men. He fought alone a massive army of Orcs after his men got killed. When his weapon shattered, he picked the axe from a slain enemy and mowed ''dozens'' of enemies down until his axe melted in his hands. He slew seventy trolls in that battle alone.

* {{Pride}}: Thingol completely forgave Túrin for accidentally killing Saeros and sent Beleg to bring him back to Doriath with honor. Túrin could have gone back home ''at any time'', but he was too proud to accept a pardon for manslaughter.
** Also the reason Morwen refused to flee her lands for a long time. This was part of the reason for Túrin's misery.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Saeros already had it out for Túrin, but a series of misunderstandings between them bring forth tragedy that could have been avoided with a few simple words or assumptions. When the latter sits on the elf's seat in Thingol's hall, Saeros assumes it was out of spite when in truth it was just an honest mistake from a warrior who was too exhausted and battleworn to worry about proper decorum. Later on, Túrin starts thinking about his mother and other unhappy things, prompting him to frown, which Saeros further assumes was aimed at him. This causes tensions to boil and sets in motion the chain of events that lead to Saeros' death and Túrin self-imposed exile from Doriath.

-->'''Morgoth:''' ''Sit now there, and look out upon the lands where evil and despair shall come upon those whom thou lovest. Thou hast '''dared''' to mock me, and to question the power of '''Melkor,''' master of the Fates of Arda. Therefore, with my eyes thou shalt see, and with my ears thou shalt hear; [[AndIMustScream never shalt thou move]] from this place until all is fulfilled unto its bitter end!''

* DownerEnding: The whole story is pretty much one downer ending after another. [[spoiler:Túrin being exiled from Doriath, the Orcs attacking Amon Rhud and killing all the outlaws except for Túrin, Beleg finding Túrin only to be killed by him, and the fall of Nargothrond to the Orcs]]. Basically, every time it seems like Túrin is going to have a happy and peaceful life and escape his fate, something bad happens. In the end, TheHero kills [[TheDragon The (literal) Dragon]], ridding the world of one of the greatest evils it has ever seen. However, [[spoiler:almost all the Elf kingdoms have been destroyed, and their inhabitants killed or enslaved. Most of Túrin's friends are dead, with it being either directly or indirectly his own fault. Túrin's sister commits suicide when she realizes she accidentally committed incest with her brother and was pregnant by him, and whom she also believes is dead. Túrin also kills himself after learning the same, and after killing an innocent man]]. Hard to be happy at that. [[spoiler:The book ends with Morwen dying at her son's grave, and though it's not said in this book, Húrin will end up accidentally giving Morgoth almost everything he wants anyway, and Húrin realizes his heroic sacrifice just made things worse and all the torture and suffering he and his family went through was for nothing. He finally kills himself, the last of his family, alone and in utter despair.]]

* ObviousBeta:
** And Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad, but it was plain Tolkien intended to do more work on it, both in adding to descriptions and in filling in certain (sometimes fairly long) gaps between scenes. May also qualify as WhatCouldHaveBeen, as one of the "longest tales of the Elder Days" could likely have been even longer if it had been brought to its final completion.
** The version of the story in the ''[[Literature/TheSilmarillion Silmarillion]]'' of 1977 is less detailed and more chronicle-like, but because of that, it feels more complete than this more novelistic treatment.
** This version is largely based on the version in ''Unfinished Tales'', a more Obvious Beta. For example, Christopher Tolkien's notes state that his father intended to change Saeros's name to ''Orgol'' which coincidentally meant ''pride'' in Old English. However, Saeros ended up being the character's name in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' and became too late to change.

* AccidentalMurder: Happens to [[spoiler: Beleg]] at Túrin's hands (he'd just been rescued from sadistic Orcs, was barely conscious, and thought he was still in enemy hands, only waking when accidentally pricked.)

* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: Averted. While Túrin is held by Glaurung's magic spell, [[spoiler: Finduilas is dragged off by the Orcs. They enslave her before they kill her. She both screams for his help as they drag her away and begs that he learn of her fate as she dies.]]

* AnyoneCanDie: And almost all the characters do. [[spoiler: Though not covered in this book, ''The Silmarillion'' states that Húrin is said to have eventually thrown himself into the sea.]]

** [[spoiler: Túrin is content to swallow all of Saeros's insults until the latter sarcastically asks whether the women of Hithlum "run like deer clad only in their hair", at which point Túrin throws his cup at him with such force that it breaks his jaw.]]
** [[spoiler: Similarly, although he already hated Brodda for usurping Dor-Lómin and enslaving his people, Túrin was content to let him be as long as he led Aerin to tell him where his family went. When Brodda tries to prevent this and calls Morwen a "thrall", Túrin throws him across his own table in rage, killing him instantly.]]

* BrotherSisterIncest: [[spoiler: Túrin and Niënor]], unknowingly. [[spoiler: When they find out, they kill themselves.]]

* CompellingVoice: Glaurung, who [[spoiler: uses it to create amnesia in Niënor]].

* CynicismCatalyst: As a boy, Túrin likes to protect his younger sister Urwen, but she dies from a plague thought to be caused by Morgoth. It is from this early traumatic experience onward that he develops a grim and bitter personality. Lampshaded by Urwen's symbolic nickname, Lalaith ("Laughter"). [[spoiler: He then kills himself after the death of his ''other'' little sister.]]

* DeathSeeker: Brandir towards the end [[spoiler: after Niënor dies.]]

* DespairEventHorizon: Most of the characters spend the majority of the book teetering on the edge of it. [[spoiler: And then they all cross it at the end.]]

* DownerEnding: The whole story is pretty much one downer ending after another. [[spoiler: Túrin being exiled from Doriath, the Orcs attacking Amon Rhud and killing all the outlaws except for Túrin, Beleg finding Túrin only to be killed by him, and the fall of Nargothrond to the Orcs]]. Basically, every time it seems like Túrin is going to have a happy and peaceful life and escape his fate, something bad happens. In the end, TheHero kills [[TheDragon The (literal) Dragon]], ridding the world of one of the greatest evils it has ever seen. However, [[spoiler: almost all the Elf kingdoms have been destroyed, and their inhabitants killed or enslaved. Most of Túrin's friends are dead, with it being either directly or indirectly his own fault. Túrin's sister commits suicide when she realizes she accidentally committed incest with her brother and was pregnant by him, and whom she also believes is dead. Túrin also kills himself after learning the same, and after killing an innocent man]]. Hard to be happy at that. [[spoiler: The book ends with Morwen dying at her son's grave, and though it's not said in this book, Húrin will end up accidentally giving Morgoth almost everything he wants anyway, and Húrin realizes his heroic sacrifice just made things worse and all the torture and suffering he and his family went through was for nothing. He finally kills himself, the last of his family, alone and in utter despair.]]

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Aerin, Niënor, Túrin, and Húrin, though technically the latter doesn't die in this book but he does in the sequel chapter in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'']]. After everything that has happened, it's not hard to understand why.

* EmpathicWeapon: Gurthang is a talking sword unless Túrin was hallucinating that. It is confirmed to "mourn" for [[spoiler: its previous owner, Beleg.]]

* FailureHero: Poor Mablung ends up as this. All his best efforts fail thanks to forces outside his control. The trip to Nargothrong ends with Morwen lost in Glaurung's mist and Niënor under a dragon-spell, an orc raid separates him from the amnesiac Niënor, and he ends up unknowingly [[spoiler: giving Túrin the confirmation of Brandir's words that drives him to kill himself.]] The guy bitterly lampshades it.

* FanDisservice: A nude woman in the woods happens to be out of her mind, and the man who has a NakedFirstImpression of her [[spoiler: is her brother.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Saeros quips that Túrin's folk are wild and fell and their women run naked like deer. [[spoiler: The last bit happens to Nienor.]]

* HeroicBSOD: Túrin, after he accidentally [[spoiler: kills Beleg.]]
** He has a second one after he fails to save [[spoiler: Finduilas.]]

* HopeSpot: Occurs many times throughout the story. Characters start to dare to hope that things may turn out alright. [[spoiler: They ''never'' do.]]
** Example: A shadow of doubt and fear falls on the High King of the Noldor, Fingon, that their war against Morgoth will go ill. But light returns to his heart, and he cries, ''"Utúlie'n aurë! The day has come! Auta i lómë! The night is passing!"'' [[spoiler: During the battle his army is completely crushed, and he ends up getting his skull caved in with an axe, and the orcs chop up his body and trample his banner into his spilled blood.]]

** [[spoiler: Finduilas,]] who is pinned to a tree with a spear and left to die.

---> Then he fled from them, like the wind, and they were filled with wonder and fear. But Mablung said: "Some strange and dreadful thing has chanced that we know not. Let us follow him and aid him if we may: for now he is fey and witless." But [[spoiler: Túrin]] sped far before them, and came to Cabed-en-Aras, and stood still; and he heard the roaring of the water, and saw that all the trees near and far were withered, and their sere leaves fell mournfully, as though winter had come in the first days of summer. "Cabed-en-Aras, Cabed Naeramarth!" he cried. "I will not defile your waters where Níniel was washed. For all my deeds have been ill, and the latest the worst." [[spoiler: Then he drew forth his sword, and said: "Hail Gurthang, iron of death, thou alone now remainest! But what lord or loyalty dost thou know, save the hand that wieldeth thee? From no blood wilt thou shrink! Wilt thou take Túrin Turambar? Wilt thou slay me swiftly?" And from the blade rang a cold voice in answer: "Yea, I will drink thy blood, that I may forget the blood of Beleg my master, and the blood of Brandir slain unjustly. I will slay thee swiftly." Then Túrin set the hilts upon the ground, and cast himself upon the point of Gurthang, and the black blade took his life.]]

* LastGirlWins: Finduilas, in some regards a perfect match for him (and who, unlike Lúthien, has a very understanding father who considers Túrin deserving of her), doesn't manage to make him fall for her. The woman who finally does, though, accomplishes that feat within moments of their first encounter, and she's the last woman of note he makes acquaintance with [[spoiler: and his long-lost sister.]]
* LastOfHisKind: Mîm and his two sons are the last Petty-Dwarves in the world. [[spoiler: All of them are killed]].
* LaughingMad: [[spoiler: Downplayed with Brandir, who starts losing it after Níniel's death. Túrin follows not long after.]]
* LightningReveal: Immediately after [[spoiler: Túrin kills Beleg mistaking him for an Orc in the dark]], a flash of lightning illuminates his face.
* LoveTriangle: Gwindor, Finduilas, and Túrin. And later, Brandir, Níniel, and Túrin. Both end badly. [[spoiler: All members of the triangles are dead by the end.]]

* MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning: Glaurung certainly didn't intend to die, but ''boy'', did he have one zinger of a parting shot. [[spoiler: He reveals the truth of Niënor's and Túrin's identities and SurpriseIncest, and his death undoes the spell of forgetfulness he put on Niënor so that she knows it's true]].

* MysteriousWaif: Túrin finds Níniel naked and alone on an Elven woman's grave with no memory of her past. Beautiful and vulnerable, it's no wonder that Túrin falls in LoveAtFirstSight.
* NakedOnArrival: Túrin's first meeting with his LoveInterest Níniel is of her lying naked on the grave of the Elf who had an unrequited crush on him. He takes this as a sign and later they get married. [[spoiler: It's a pity then that she's actually his long-lost sister Niënor]].

** Gwindor becomes this after his return to Nargothrond as Túrin overrules his counsel and calls for more open military efforts. Gwindor's words are eventually vindicated because Nargothrond's militarization results in [[spoiler: its location being revealed, Nargothrond's destruction, and the woman they both love dying]].

* OhAndXDies: [[spoiler: The very sentence that introduces Túrin's sister Urwen also states ''"she was called Lalaith, which is Laughter, by all that knew her in her short life."'']]

** The absolute worst part? This all started because Húrin refused to reveal the location of Gondolin to Morgoth. [[spoiler: And then after all this happened, Húrin inadvertently lead Morgoth's forces to it anyway. All the suffering he and his family endured was for nothing.]]

-->'''Morgoth''': You have learned the lessons of your masters by rote. But such childish lore will not help you, now they are all fled away.
-->'''Húrin''': This last then I will say to you, thrall Morgoth, and it comes not from the lore of the Eldar but is put into my heart in this hour. You are not the Lord of Men and shall not be, though all Arda and Menel fall in your dominion. Beyond the Circles of the World you shall not pursue those who refuse you.

* SurpriseIncest: [[spoiler: Between Túrin and Niënor -- they'd never met, he kept his identity secret, and she'd totally lost hers thanks to Glaurung.]]

* TragicHero: Túrin, who achieves many great and heroic deeds during his lifetime, but is undone by his FatalFlaw - the inability to take the good counsel of other, wiser people.

* YankTheDogsChain: Túrin finally finds some measure of peace living in Brethil with his wife Niënor, thinking that all of his misfortune and woe is finally behind him. Turns out [[spoiler: his treasured happiness is a lie - his wife is actually his sister]].

* CessationOfExistence: What Morgoth claims happens upon death.

* DownerEnding: The whole story is pretty much one downer ending after another. [[spoiler: Túrin being exiled from Doriath, the Orcs attacking Amon Rhud and killing all the outlaws except for Túrin, Beleg finding Túrin only to be killed by him, and the fall of Nargothrond to the Orcs]]. Basically, every time it seems like Túrin is going to have a happy and peaceful life and escape his fate, something bad happens. In the end, TheHero kills [[TheDragon The (literal) Dragon]], ridding the world of one of the greatest evils it has ever seen. However, [[spoiler: almost all the Elf kingdoms have been destroyed, and their inhabitants killed or enslaved. Most of Túrin's friends are dead, with it being either directly or indirectly Túrin's fault. His sister commits suicide when she realizes she accidentally committed incest with her brother and was pregnant by him, and whom she also believes is dead. Túrin also kills himself after learning the same, and after killing an innocent man]]. Hard to be happy at that. [[spoiler: The book ends with Morwen dying at her son's grave, and though it's not said in this book, Húrin will end up accidentally giving Morgoth almost everything he wants anyway, and Húrin realizes his heroic sacrifice just made things worse and all the torture and suffering he and his family went through was for nothing. He finally kills himself, the last of his family, alone and in utter despair.]]

* DownerEnding: The whole story is pretty much one downer ending after another. [[spoiler: Túrin being exiled from Doriath, the Orcs attacking Amon Rhud and killing all the outlaws except for Túrin, Beleg finding Túrin only to be killed by him, and the fall of Nargothrond to the Orcs]]. Basically, every time it seems like Túrin is going to have a happy and peaceful life and escape his fate, something bad happens. In the end, TheHero kills [[TheDragon The (literal) Dragon]], ridding the world of one of the greatest evils it has ever seen. However, [[spoiler: almost all the Elf kingdoms have been destroyed, and their inhabitants killed or enslaved. Most of Túrin's friends are dead, with their deaths being either directly or indirectly Túrin's fault. His sister commits suicide when she realizes she accidentally committed incest with her brother and was pregnant by him, and whom she also believes is dead. Túrin also kills himself after learning the same, and after killing an innocent man]]. Hard to be happy at that. [[spoiler: The book ends with Morwen dying at her son's grave, and though it's not said in this book, Húrin will end up accidentally giving Morgoth almost everything he wants anyway, and Húrin realizes his heroic sacrifice just made things worse and all the torture and suffering he and his family went through was for nothing. He finally kills himself, the last of his family, alone and in utter despair.]]

** Example: A shadow of doubt and fear falls on the High King of the Noldor, Fingon, that their war against Morgoth will go ill. But light returns to his heart, and he cries, ''"Utúlie'n aurë! The day has come! Auta i lómë! The night is passing!"'' [[spoiler: His army is completely crushed, and he ends up getting his skull caved in with a black axe, and the orcs chop up his body and trample his banner into his spilled blood.]]

* DownerEnding: The whole story is pretty much one downer ending after another. [[spoiler: Túrin being exiled from Doriath, the Orcs attacking Amon Rhud and killing all the outlaws except for Túrin, Beleg finding Túrin only to be killed by him, and the fall of Nargothrond to the Orcs]]. Basically, every time it seems like Túrin is going to have a happy and peaceful life and escape his fate, something bad happens. In the end, TheHero kills [[TheDragon The (literal) Dragon]], ridding the world of one of the greatest evils it has ever seen. Then [[spoiler: his sister commits suicide when she finds out about the incest, and Túrin does the same after he killed an innocent man]]. Hard to be happy at that. [[spoiler: The book ends with Morwen dying at her son's grave, and though it's not said in this book, Húrin will end up accidentally giving Morgoth almost everything he wants anyway, and Húrin realizes his heroic sacrifice just made things worse and all the torture and suffering he and his family went through was for nothing. He finally kills himself, the last of his family, alone and in utter despair.]]

** Example: A shadow of doubt and fear falls on the heart of the High King of the Noldor, Fingon, that their war against Morgoth will go ill. But light returns to his heart, and he cries, ''"Utúlie'n aurë! The day has come! Auta i lómë! The night is passing!"'' [[spoiler: His army is completely crushed, and he ends up getting his skull caved in with a black axe, and the orcs chop up his body and trample his banner into his spilled blood.]]

* HateSink: Saeros is a racist Elf in King Thingol's court who resented the presence of Túrin as a ward of Thingol. One evening Saeros made insulting remarks about Túrin's people, causing Túrin to injure Saeros. The next morning, Saeros attempted to murder Túrin over the last night's events, provoking Túrin into stripping him and accidentally killing him by running him off a cliff. When Thingol heard of what Saeros had done, he pardoned Túrin , while it was stated that Saeros would be held in Mandos, the land of the dead, for a long time due to his misdeeds.

* CrapsackWorld: The story begins with the armies of Elves and Men

* DarkerAndEdgier: You could say that again. This is the darkest and most depressing story in ''The Silmarillion'', set as a standalone story and expanded in length.

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Aerin, Niënor, Túrin, and Húrin, though technically the latter doesn't die in this book but he does in the sequel chapter in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion''.]]. After everything that has happened, it's not hard to understand why.