History Literature / TheChildrenOfHurin

* IHaveManyNames: Even for Tolkien characters, the people here seem to pick up a lot. Túrin has more than everyone else put together, it seems -- every time he flees his current situation and moves somewher new, he re-names himself in an attempt to escape his past.
** Neithan, "The Wronged"
** "Wildman of the Woods" (not translated)
** Agarwaen iôn Umarth, "Bloodstained son of Ill-fate"
** Thuringud, "The Hidden Foe"
** Thurin, "Secretive," a name bestowed on him by Finduilas instead of self-given
** Mormegil, "Black Sword"
** Turambar, "Master of Fate"

* MightMakesRight: Repeatedly subverted. Túrin's flashy heroics and skill as a warrior gains him greater prestiege than more level headed cautious characters like Melian and Brandir, but his millitant strategies do little but rouse the attention of Morgoth, leading to the destruction of Nargothrond and the outlaws.

* NominalHero: Andróg. His record includes everything from mansalugher and murder to rape. Túrin arguably becomes one by the end, despite his attempts to be better than that.

Following the cataclysmic destruction of the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, Húrin, the greatest of all mortal warriors, was captured by the forces of [[EvilOverlord Morgoth]]. The Dark Lord offered Húrin freedom in return for revealing the location of the Elvish city of Gondolin. Húrin refused and the enraged Morgoth cast a curse upon him and his family for all eternity. The remainder of the plot follows Húrin's struggling son Turin and daughter Nienor as the curse winds its way toward a terrible conclusion.

Probably the [[DarkerAndEdgier darkest and most depressing single work]] in the entire Middle-earth canon. While beautifully written, this is in no way a happy book.

* AndIMustScream: Húrin's imprisonment in Angband, bound to a chair on one of the peaks of Thangorodrim and forced to watch visions of his family suffering under Morgoth's curse.
* AntiHero: Túrin, in one of the first fantasy examples. Although J.R.R. Tolkien was inspired by the tragic anti-heroes of Norse and Finnish mythology when he wrote the character of Túrin.
** Androg, Túrin's Lancer is an extreme Type V, a convicted murderer who crosses the MoralEventHorizon early on by attempting to rape a woman and subsequently killing Mim's son then trying to murder Mim in cold blood. He does have a few redeeming qualities such as his loyalty to Túrin, and even sacrifices his life to save Beleg.
* AntiVillain: Mim the Petty Dwarf is a Type II.
* AnyoneCanDie: And almost all characters do.
* TheArcher: Beleg "Strongbow" and Androg.
* AttemptedRape: Túrin's heroism first emerges when he rescues a girl from being raped by Androg.

* TheBadGuyWins: Even though Túrin takes down Glaurung, the dragon gets the last laugh while Morgoth succeeds in ruining Húrin's family, destroys most of his enemies and in part, thanks to Turin, ends the novel stronger than before and very much alive.

* BlackAndGreyMorality: Turin tries his best to be a great hero but is constantly hounded by his temper and inflexible moral views, not to mention having a convicted rapist as his second in command. The antagoists are often just as ambiguous, especially Mim. That said, Glaurung and Morgoth aren't ambiguous by any standards.

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

* ColdBloodedTorture: Done by Morgoth to the captive Hurin. Later on, Beleg is tortured by Androg and the other outlaws.
* CompellingVoice: Glaurung, who [[spoiler:uses it to create amnesia in Nienor]].

* DownerEnding or BittersweetEnding: 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 her incest, and Túrin does the same after he killed an innocent man]]. Hard to be happy at that.
** 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.

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Túrin and Nienor]].

* FantasticRacism: The human Túrin grows up among the Elves of Doriath, who are perfectly civil to him (being the King's ward tends to work wonders in that department, as does being related to varying degrees with some well-known mortal heroes), with a few exceptions: one of them, Saeros, pushes him one step too far...
** Mim the Petty-Dwarf and his sons are viewed with superstitious loathing by everyone, including other Dwarves. It's mentioned that the Elves used to hunt the Petty-Dwarves like animals for sport, and now only three remain alive.

* TheHeavy: Glaurung. Morgoth is the BigBad, but Glaurung is a much more visible villain who is more directly involved with Túrin and Nienor's story.

* IHaveManyNames: Even for Tolkien characters, the people here seem to pick up a lot. (Túrin has more than everyone else put together, it seems.)
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: Finduilas,]] who is pinned to a tree with a spear.
** Not to forget Glaurung and Túrin, both impaled on Gurthang. Allow me please; "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 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 Niniel was washed. For all my deeds have been ill, and the latest the worst.' 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. "

* LastOfHisKind: Mim and his two sons are the last Petty-Dwarves in the world. [[spoiler:All of them are killed]].

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Does Túrin encounter so much misfortune because he's actually 'magically' cursed, or because of 'regular' bad coincidence, or because he's stubborn and bullheaded and doesn't know when to give up or admit he's wrong? Or is it a little bit of all?
** Also Gurthang. Is it really a sentient EvilWeapon, or is the "malice" in it simply a function of its being a weapon that can be used to kill indiscriminantly, and anything more is just in Turin's head?
** And did it really speak to Túrin before he killed himself, or was he just hallucinating from extreme emotional distress?
* MentorOccupationalHazard: Okay, Beleg was more of a BigBrotherMentor than TheObiWan, but he still gave Túrin plenty of help and advice, and still got killed before everything was said and done.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: 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. 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...

* NominalHero: Androg. His record includes everything from mansalugher, murder to rape. Túrin arguablly becomes one by the end.

* ReplacementGoldfish: Mim sees Túrin as one for his murdered son.
* TheResenter: Morgoth lives in an eternal state of this.

* ScrewDestiny: Tragically averted. Túrin tries ''so hard'', even taking on the name "Turambar" ("Master of Doom") during his best attempt at living a normal life, but the curse catches up to him in the end. As Nienor said, "master of doom by doom mastered".

* ThunderboltIron: Anglachel and Anguirel, made of black steel from a "star that fell from the sky".

* 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, dollops 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. Martin.

* DarkIsNotEvil: Túrin, the main hero, wears black, wields a black sword (that may or may not be alive and somewhat malevolent) and often hides his face behind a fearsome mask. Somewhat played with in that while not an evil man himself, evil tends to follow wherever he goes anyway.

* AndIMustScream: Húrin's imprisonment in Angband.

** Mim the Petty-Dwarf and his sons are viewed with superstitious loathing by everyone. It's mentioned that the Elves used to hunt the Petty-Dwarves like animals for sport, and now only three remain alive. It's pretty much WordOfGod that their situation is an analogy for Anti-Semitism.

* AccidentalMurder: Happens to [[spoiler:Beleg]], at Turin's hands (he'd just been rescued from Orcs, was barely conscious, and thought he was an enemy.)
* AndIMustScream: Hurin's imprisonment in Angband.
* AntiHero: Turin, in one of the first fantasy examples. Although JRR Tolkien was inspired by the tragic anti-heroes of Norse and Finnish mythology when he wrote the character of Turin.
** Androg, Turin's Lancer is an extreme Type V, a convicted murderer who crosses the MoralEventHorizon early on by attempting to rape a woman and subsequently killing Mim's son then trying to murder Mim in cold blood. He does have a few redeeming qualities such as his loyalty to Turin, and even sacrifices his life to save Beleg.

* AttemptedRape: Turin's heroism first emerges when he rescues a girl from being raped by Androg.
* BadassNormal: Both Hurin and Turin are solid examples.
* TheBadGuyWins: Even though Turin takes down Glarung the dragon gets the last laugh while Morgoth suceeds in ruining Hurin's family, destroys most of his enemies and in part thanks to Turin ends the novel stronger than before and very much alive.
* BerserkButton: Do ''not'' insult Turin's family in front of him. It won't be pretty.
* BigBrotherMentor: Beleg has mentored Turin since he was a young child growing up in Doriath.
* BlackAndGreyMorality: Turin tries his best to be a great hero but is constantly hounded by his temper and inflexible moral views, not to mention having a convicted rapist as his second in command. The antagoists are often just as ambigous, especially Mim. That said, Glarung and Morgoth aren't ambigous by any standards.

* BrotherSisterIncest: [[spoiler:Turin and Nienor]], unknowingly. [[spoiler:When they find out, they kill themselves.]]
* ButtMonkey: Turin is a decidedly non-humorous example. As a result of Morgoth's curse, the entire universe essentially ''is'' out to get him, and he knows it.

* DarkIsNotEvil: Turin, the main hero, wears black, wields a black sword (that may or may not be alive and somewhat malevolent) and often hides his face behind a fearsome mask. Somewhat played with in that while not an evil man himself, evil tends to follow wherever he goes anyway.

* DefiantToTheEnd: Hurin.
* DownerEnding or BittersweetEnding: TheHero kills [[TheDragon The (literal) Dragon]], ridding the world of one of the greatest evils it's ever seen. Then [[spoiler: his sister commits suicide when she finds out about her incest, and Turin does the same after he killed an innocent man]]. Hard to be happy at that.
** The whole story is pretty much one downer ending after another. [[spoiler:Turin being exiled from Doriath, the Orcs attacking Amon Rhud and killing all the outlaws except for Turin, Beleg finding Turin only to be killed by him, and the fall of Nargothrond to the Orcs]]. Basically, every time it seems like Turin is going to have a happy and peaceful life and escape his fate, something bad happens.

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Turin and Nienor]].

* {{Expy}}: Turin is partially based on Cullervo from Literature/TheKalevala.

* FantasticRacism: The human Turin grows up among the Elves of Doriath, who are perfectly civil to him (being the King's ward tends to work wonders in that department, as does being related to varying degrees with some well-known mortal heroes), with a few exceptions: one of them, Saeros, pushes him one step too far...

* AGodAmI: Morgoth already ''is'' a godlike being in physical form, but his dialogue with Hurin clearly shows he has "Big-G God" aspirations on top of that.

* HannibalLecture: The whole chapter "The Words of Hurin and Morgoth" is basically a double HannibalLecture between the two title characters. Glaurung is good at this, too.
* TheHeavy: Glaurung. Morgoth is the BigBad, but Glaurung is a much more visible villain who is more directly involved with Turin and Nienor's story.

* HeroicBSOD: Turin, after he accidentally kills Beleg.

* HobbesWasRight: Played with. With the collapse of the Edain chiefdoms, they've dissolved into petty brigands capable of anything from petty thieving to rape. Averted later as Turin's militant, domineering personality and leadership lead to the destruction of Nargothrond and his personal demons drive him to suicide mere hours after being proclaimed ruler of Brethil in place of the more pacifistic Brandir.
* IHaveManyNames: Even for Tolkien characters, the people here seem to pick up a lot. (Turin has more than everyone else put together, it seems.)

** Not to forget Glaurung and Turin, both impaled on Gurthang. Allow me please; "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 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 Niniel was washed. For all my deeds have been ill, and the latest the worst.' 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. "

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Does Turin encounter so much misfortune because he's actually 'magically' cursed, or because of 'regular' bad coincidence, or because he's stubborn and bullheaded and doesn't know when to give up or admit he's wrong? Or is it a little bit of all?

** And did it really speak to Turin before he killed himself, or was he just halucinating from extreme emotional distress?
* MentorOccupationalHazard: Okay, Beleg was more of a BigBrotherMentor than TheObiWan, but he still gave Turin plenty of help and advice, and still got killed before everything was said and done.
* MightMakesRight: Repeatedly subverted. Turin's flashy heroics and skill as a warrior gains him greater prestiege than more level headed cautious characters like Melain and Brandir, but his millitant strategies do little but rouse the attention of Morgoth, leading to the destruction of Nathgorond and the outlaws.

* NamedWeapons: Many special (and less special) weapons having names exist in Tolkiens stories and this is no exception: Beleg's bow Belthronding, the sister-swords Anguirel and Anglachel, the latter renamed Gurthang by Túrin.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Turin 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. 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...
** Everything Turin does goes awry, all the good he does ends in evil, everything he loves he looses. That is the whole point of the tale and Morgoth's cruel curse on Hurin. Who himself; greatest of all mortal warriors and unbending even by Morgoth, still does his handiwork by breaking the people of Brethil and bringing the Nauglamir to Doriath.
** Later, Turin returns to the northern homeland he was exiled from as a child, now ruled by an Easterling chieftain who usurped his father's lordship. He kills this chieftain out of revenge, which sparks a rebellion from the enslaved Edain. This just makes the Easterlings oppress the Edain ''even harder''.
* NominalHero: Androg. His record includes everything from mansalugher, murder to rape. Turin arguablly becomes one by the end.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: The roving band of outlaws in the Brethil forest who are joined by the exiled Turin. He takes over as their leader and organizes them into LaResistance against the Orcs.

* ReplacementGoldfish: Mim sees Turin as one for his murdered son.

** Brandir, when Turin subverts his command and weds Niniel, whom he loves.
* ScrewDestiny: Tragically averted. Turin tries ''so hard'', even taking on the name "Turambar" ("Master of Doom") during his best attempt at living a normal life, but the curse catches up to him in the end. As Nienor said, "master of doom by doom mastered".

* TalkingWeapon: Gurthang speaks only once. When Turin wants to kill himself and asks his sword if it will do the job, it anwers him. If it actually spoke or if he just imagined it is not known, as this is the only instance of a weapon doing so.

* TragicHero: Turin, so very much.
* UnbuiltTrope: Let's see, it's an epic DarkFantasy novel featuring incest, the fate of a family over the cours eof an epic struggle, a morrally ambigous dwarf, dollops 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. Martin.
* YouCantFightFate: Turin tries so hard to get things right, and even tries several times to completely quit his heritage in an attempt to escape, but in the end nothing works out.
* YouHaveNoChanceToSurvive: Morgoth, [[EvilGloating gloating]] to Hurin about his family's terrible fate. Of course, being a PhysicalGod, [[YourDaysAreNumbered he's right]].

* HobbesWasRight: Played with. With the collapse of the Edian cheifdoms they've disolved into betty brigands capable of anything from petty theiving to rape. Averted later as Turin's militant, domineering personality and leadership lead to the destruction of Nathgorond and his personal demons drive himto suicide mere hours after being proclaimed ruler of Brethil in place of the more pasafistic Brandir.

* AGodAmI: Morgoth already ''is'' a godlike being in physical form, but his dialogue with Hurin clearly shows he has "Big-G God" aspirations on top of that.

* DeadLittleSister: An exquisite specimen of this trope. [[spoiler:Both little sisters die.]]

* DefiantToTheEnd: Hurin.

* {{Expy}}: Turin is partially based on Cullervo from TheKalevala.

* FanNickname: "The Narn."

* HeroicBSOD: Turin, after he accidentally kills Beleg.

* TheHeavy: Glaurung. Morgoth is the BigBad, but Glaurung is a much more visible villain who is more directly involved with Turin and Nienor's story.
* HobbesWasRight: Played with. With the collapse of the Edian cheifdoms they've disolved into betty brigands capable of anything from petty theiving to rape. Averted later as Turin's militant, domineering personality and leadership lead to the destruction of Nathgorond and his personal demons drive himto suicide mere hours after being proclaimed ruler of Brethil in place of the more pasafistic Brandir.

* MightMakesRight: Repeatedly subverted. Turin's flashy heroics and skill as a warrior gains him greater prestiege than more level headed cautious characters like Melain and Brandir, but his millitant strategies do little but rouse the attention of Morgoth, leading to the destruction of Nathgorond and the outlaws.

* TheBadGuyWins: Even though Turin takes down Glarung the dragon gets the last laugh while Morgoth suceeds in ruining Hurin's family, destroys most of his enemies and in part thanks to Turin ends the novel stronger than before and very much alive.
* TragicHero: Turin, so very much.

* HobbesWasRight: Played with. With the collapse of the Edian cheifdoms they've disolved into betty brigands capable of anything from petty theiving to rape. Averted later as Turin's militant, domineering personality and leadership lead to the destruction of Nathgorond and his personal demons drive himto suicide mere hours after being proclaimed ruler of Brethil in place of the more pasafistic Brandir.

* HeroAntagoist: Brandir.

* MightMakesRight: Repeatedly subverted. Turin's flashy heroics and skill as a warrior gains him greater prestiege than more level headed cautious character like Melain and Brandir, but his millitant strategies do little but rouse the attention of Morgoth, leading to the destruction of Nathgorond and the outlaws.

A DarkFantasy novel by JRRTolkien, it was edited posthumously by his son Christopher. This is one of Tolkien's "Great Tales" of the First Age of Middle-earth--one of the earliest and most elaborated tales. It exists in many versions, both in prose and in poetry, some almost complete and some as fragments. The various versions and parts have previously been published in ''TheSilmarillion'', ''Literature/UnfinishedTalesOfNumenorAndMiddleEarth'', and ''Literature/TheHistoryOfMiddleEarth'' known as ''Narn i Chîn Húrin'' (aka "The Narn"), but the published novel '''''The Children of Húrin''''' is the first to compile it all into a single complete text.

Following the cataclysmic destruction of the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, Húrin, the greatest of all mortal warriors, was captured by the forces of [[EvilOverlord Morgoth]]. The Dark Lord offered Húrin freedom in return for revealing the location of the Elvish city of Gondolin. Húrin refused and the enraged Morgoth cast a curse upon him and his family for all eternity. The remainder of the plot follows Húrin's struggling son Turin and daughter Nienor as the curse winds its way toward a terrible conclusion.

Probably the [[DarkerAndEdgier darkest and most depressing single work]] in the entire Middle-earth canon. While beautifully written, this is in no way a happy book.

!! ''The Children of Húrin'' provides examples of:

* AGodAmI: Morgoth already ''is'' a godlike being in physical form, but his dialogue with Hurin clearly shows he has "Big-G God" aspirations on top of that.
* AccidentalMurder: Happens to [[spoiler:Beleg]], at Turin's hands (he'd just been rescued from Orcs, was barely conscious, and thought he was an enemy.)
* AndIMustScream: Hurin's imprisonment in Angband.
* AntiHero: Turin, in one of the first fantasy examples. Although JRR Tolkien was inspired by the tragic anti-heroes of Norse and Finnish mythology when he wrote the character of Turin.
** Androg, Turin's Lancer is an extreme Type V, a convicted murderer who crosses the MoralEventHorizon early on by attempting to rape a woman and subsequently killing Mim's son then trying to murder Mim in cold blood. He does have a few redeeming qualities such as his loyalty to Turin, and even sacrifices his life to save Beleg.
* AntiVillain: Mim the Petty Dwarf is a Type II.
* AnyoneCanDie: And almost all characters do.
* TheArcher: Beleg "Strongbow" and Androg.
* AttemptedRape: Turin's heroism first emerges when he rescues a girl from being raped by Androg.

* BerserkButton: Do ''not'' insult Turin's family in front of him. It won't be pretty.
* BigBrotherMentor: Beleg has mentored Turin since he was a young child growing up in Doriath.

* BrokenBird: Nienor.

* ButtMonkey: Turin is a decidedly non-humorous example. As a result of Morgoth's curse, the entire universe essentially ''is'' out to get him, and he knows it.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Done by Morgoth to the captive Hurin. Later on, Beleg is tortured by Androg and the other outlaws.

* DarkFantasy: Could have been the UrExample, if only JRRTolkien wouldn't hold it in DevelopmentHell so long (the conception appeared in the Professor's mind as early as WWI).
** TheHorde vastly outnumbering civilization? Check. Isolationist elves and shameless dwarves? Check.
** The gods [[PassThePopcorn passing the popcorn?]] Check, as this is set before Earendil's voyage. The GodOfEvil is the only one not passing the popcorn? Oh yes, check.
** The main hero is an AntiHero [[KnightInSourArmor in sour armor]]? Frickin check.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Turin, the main hero, wears black, wields a black sword (that may or may not be alive and somewhat malevolent) and often hides his face behind a fearsome mask. Somewhat played with in that while not an evil man himself, evil tends to follow wherever he goes anyway.
* DownerEnding or BittersweetEnding: TheHero kills [[TheDragon The (literal) Dragon]], ridding the world of one of the greatest evils it's ever seen. Then [[spoiler: his sister commits suicide when she finds out about her incest, and Turin does the same after he killed an innocent man]]. Hard to be happy at that.

* EvilOverlord: Morgoth.
* EvilWeapon: Whether or not the black sword Gurthang is ''evil'' is up for debate, but it's certainly unpleasant, and Melian (a PhysicalGod, or, rather, [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angelic being]]) specifically remarks upon seeing it that there is malice in it.

** Mim the Petty-Dwarf and his sons are viewed with superstitious loathing by everyone. It's mentioned that the Elves used to hunt the Petty-Dwarves like animals for sport, and now only three remain alive. It's pretty much WordOfGod that their situation is an analogy for Anti-Semitism.

* HeroicBSOD: Turin, after he accidentally kills Beleg.
* HannibalLecture: The whole chapter "The Words of Hurin and Morgoth" is basically a double HannibalLecture between the two title characters. Glaurung is good at this, too.
* TheHighQueen: Melian, in her own way.

* TheHeavy: Glaurung. Morgoth is the BigBad, but Glaurung is a much more visible villain who is more directly involved with Turin and Nienor's story.

** Not to forget Glaurung and Turin, both impaled on Gurthang. Allow me please; "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 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 Niniel was washed. For all my deeds have been ill, and the latest the worst.' 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. "

* LastOfHisKind: Mim and his two sons are the last Petty-Dwarves in the world. [[spoiler:All of them are killed]].
* ManipulativeBastard: Glaurung.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Does Turin encounter so much misfortune because he's actually 'magically' cursed, or because of 'regular' bad coincidence, or because he's stubborn and bullheaded and doesn't know when to give up or admit he's wrong? Or is it a little bit of all?
** Also Gurthang. Is it really a sentient EvilWeapon, or is the "malice" in it simply a function of its being a weapon that can be used to kill indiscriminantly, and anything more is just in Turin's head?

* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Glaurung breathes fire, has no wings, is highly intelligent and possesses incredible mind-bending magic.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: The roving band of outlaws in the Brethil forest who are joined by the exiled Turin. He takes over as their leader and organizes them into LaResistance against the Orcs.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Thingol, in contrast to his {{Jerkass}} persona from ''Beren and Luthien''. Somebody learned his Aesop, it seems.
* TheResenter: Morgoth lives in an eternal state of this.

* SmugSnake: Saeros, who paid for it dearly.

* TragicHero: Turin, so very much.

** And did it really speak to Turin before he killed mimself, or was he just halucinating from extreme emotional distress?

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

A DarkFantasy novel by JRRTolkien, it was edited posthumously by his son Christopher. This is one of Tolkien's "Great Tales" of the First Age of Middle-earth--one of the earliest and most elaborated tales. It exists in many versions, both in prose and in poetry, some almost complete and some as fragments. The various versions and parts have previously been published in ''TheSilmarillion'', ''Literature/UnfinishedTales'', and ''Literature/TheHistoryOfMiddleEarth'' known as ''Narn i Chîn Húrin'' (aka "The Narn"), but the published novel '''''The Children of Húrin''''' is the first to compile it all into a single complete text.