History YMMV / TheChildrenOfHurin

** An unusual one. How much control did Glaurung actually have over enacting the curse? Is he TheChessmaster, or merely carrying out Morgoth's designs?
** Is Morgoth's curse really what decided Túrin's fate, or were Túrin's failures the result of his own actions? Arguments can be made for both.

** Túrin Turambar. The guy's life is basically a TraumaCongaLine (lost his little sister as a child, his father never returned from war, being sent away for his safety as a child, accidentally killing his best friend) but a good chunk of his problems are brought about by his own pride and stubbornness and he winds up unintentionally causing a lot of misery through his actions.
** Mîm the Dwarf. He sells out Túrin and the outlaws to Orcs after he's captured and hates Beleg and the elves, but he's also the last of a dwindling people once hunted by the Sindar (they thought the petty-dwarves were animals until they met other dwarves), who loses his son, and did try to ensure Túrin wouldn't be harmed.

** Poor Gwindor had to watch his brother [[CruelAndUnusualDeath being horribly dismembered]], then he was enslaved and repeatedly tortured in Angband for 17 years. When he finally escapes he's maimed and traumatized, and when he manages to walk all the way home his fiancée falls in love with Túrin, his whole country decides he's too non-badass to respect him any more, and then the kingdom is destroyed.

%%** Morwen as well.
%%* JerkassWoobie: Túrin.
%%** Brandir is this by the end.

* WhatMeasureIsANonBadass:
** When Gwindor returns to Nargothrond with Túrin, he has learned some things about Morgoth during his thralldom in Angband, and has the wisdom to see that Nargothrond must remain hidden and wait in hope for the Valar to deliver Beleriand. Unfortunately for poor Gwindor, he's now bent over, crippled, traumatized, and decidedly non-Badass, so everybody ignores his words. Even when Ulmo's messengers tell Orodreth point-blank that Gwindor's right, the king still takes Túrin's advice and goes to open war. It's only compounded by the fact that, typically, people who "escape" Morgoth return home as little more than his slaves or mouthpieces.
** Brandir. He's a wise leader and a healer but due to his lameness is overshadowed by Túrin to the point Dorlas' mocks him to his face. Little wonder he becomes bitter.

* MoralEventHorizon:
** Saeros insulted Túrin's mother and sister, causing him to throw a goblet at him, breaking the Elf's mouth. His response? Ambushing Túrin and trying to kill him. When he hears what happened Thingol pardons Túrin.
** Androg and Forweg attempted to rape a woman in the woods for starters. Androg later killed Mîm's son with an arrow. It becomes quite clear why Túrin was ashamed and angered by the Outlaw's behaviour.
** Túrin's murder of Brandir marks the point of no return for him.

** Everybody, but Túrin, Niënor, and Húrin himself qualify most.

* IronWoobie:
** Túrin.
** Morwen as well.
* JerkassWoobie: Túrin.
** Brandir is this by the end.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: It's as well-written as any Tolkien story and an important part of the Legendarium but good ''god'' is it depressing!

* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer: Most reviews showed complete ignorance of the history of the text, which is somewhat forgivable. However, it's rather hilarious to see reviewers who thought that it was being released (and in some cases written) principally to be fodder for another movie. (Christopher Tolkien alone owned the rights to anything that happened before the first page of ''Literature/TheHobbit'', and it's pretty clear that he will never sell the movie rights to any of it. Also, the following entry ought to indicate that it would not exactly be “Hollywood”).

* WhatMeasureIsANonBadass: When Gwindor returns to Nargothrond with Túrin, he has learned some things about Morgoth during his thralldom in Angband, and has the wisdom to see that Nargothrond must remain hidden and wait in hope for the Valar to deliver Beleriand. Unfortunately for poor Gwindor, he's now bent over, crippled, traumatized, and decidedly non-Badass, so everybody ignores his words. Even when Ulmo's messengers tell Orodreth point-blank that Gwindor's right, the king still takes Túrin's advice and goes to open war.
** It's only compounded by the fact that, typically, people who "escape" Morgoth return home as little more than his slaves or mouthpieces.

*** What no one seems to focus on - and admittedly the incest is rather distracting - is that Túrin essentially marries a child. Yes, Niënor was fully grown, but the Niniel personality is only a few years old ''at best''.
** ...you do realise that an amnesiac is not automatically reverted to childhood, right?

** Is Morgoth's curse really what decided Turin's fate, or were Turin's failures the result of his own actions? Arguments can be made for both.

** Androg and Forweg attempted to rape a woman in the woods for starters. Androg later killed Mîm's son with an arrow. It becomes quite clear why Turin was ashamed and angered by the Outlaw's behaviour.

* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer: Most reviews showed a complete ignorance of the history of the text, which is somewhat forgivable. However it's rather hilarious to see reviewers who thought that it was being released (and in some cases written) principally to be fodder for another movie. (Christopher Tolkien alone owned the rights to anything that happened before the first page of ''Literature/TheHobbit'', and it's pretty clear that he will never sell the movie rights to any of it. Also, the following entry ought to indicate that it would not exactly be “Hollywood”).

* WhatMeasureIsANonBadass: When Gwindor returns to Nargothrond with Túrin, he has learned a some things about Morgoth during his thralldom in Angband, and has the wisdom to see that Nargothrond must remain hidden and wait in hope for the Valar to deliver Beleriand. Unfortunately for poor Gwindor, he's now bent over, crippled, traumatized, and decidedly non-Badass, so everybody ignores his words. Even when Ulmo's messengers tell Orodreth point-blank that Gwindor's right, the king still takes Túrin's advice and goes to open war.

** Poor Gwindor had to watch his brother [[CruelAndUnusualDeath being horribly dismembered]], then he was enslaved and repeatedly tortured in Angband for 17 years. When he finally escapes he's maimed and traumatized, and when he manages to walk all the way home his fiance falls in love with Túrin, his whole country decides he's too non-badass to respect him any more, and then the kingdom is destroyed.

* 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 ''UnfinishedTales'', 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.

** Androg and Forweg attempted to rape a woman in the woods for starters. Androg later killed Mim's son with an arrow. It becomes quite clear why Turin was ashamed and angered by the Outlaw's behaviour.

** 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.

*** For example, Christopher Tolkien's notes state that his father intended to change Saeros' 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.

* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer: Most reviews showed a complete ignorance of the history of the text, which is somewhat forgivable. However it's rather hilarious to see reviewers who thought that it was being released (and in some cases written) principally to be fodder for another movie. (Christopher Tolkien alone owns the rights to anything that happened before the first page of ''Literature/TheHobbit'', and it's pretty clear that he will never sell the movie rights to any of it).

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: An unusual one. How much control did Glaurung actually have over enacting the curse? Is he TheChessmaster, or merely carrying out Morgoth's designs?

* ObviousBeta: And 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.

* MagnificentBastard: Glaurung qualifies, see [[YMMV/TolkiensLegendarium his entry on the main page]] for details.

** For example, Christopher Tolkien's notes state that his father intended to change Saeros' 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.