The History of Middle-Earth 03: The Lays of Beleriand

The History of Middle-Earth 03: Lays of Beleriand - John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

The third volume that contains the early myths and legends which led to the writing of Tolkien’s epic tale of war, The Silmarillion. This, the third volume of The History of Middle-earth, gives us a priviledged insight into the creation of the mythology of Middle-earth, through the alliterative verse tales of two of the most crucial stories in Tolkien’s world – those of Turien and Luthien. The first of the poems is the unpublished Lay of The Children of Hurin, narrating on a grand scale the tragedy of Turin Turambar. The second is the moving Lay of Leithian, the chief source of the tale of Beren and Luthien in The Silmarillion, telling of the Quest of the Silmaril and the encounter with Morgoth in his subterranean fortress. Accompanying the poems are commentaries on the evolution of the history of the Elder Days. Also included is the notable criticism of The Lay of The Leithian by CS Lewis, who read the poem in 1929.   Review ‘A worthy addition to The History of Middle-earth’ Mallorn ‘Anyone loving the oiginal books will want to study this one’ Daily Mail   About the Author Christopher Tolkien was born on 21 November 1924. During the Second World War he served in the Royal Air Force, later returning to Oxford University to become a Fellow and Tutor. He devoted himself after his father’s death in 1973 to the editing of his unpublished writings, notably The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, the twelve volumes of The History of Middle-earth, The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien and The Fall of Gondolin. He died in 2020 at the age of 95. J.R.R.Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 60 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.