Character of Month: Túrin, Part Two

Few characters in The Silmarillion are as embattled as Túrin. Like other hapless characters who wear disaster as easily as a pair of cozy pajamas, Túrin is loved and loathed in equal measure by Tolkien fans.

Tolkien certainly considered his story important: It is the longest of the chapters, the longest of the three Great Tales, and the first of the Great Tales to make it into its own book. It is also a particular entangled piece of writing for Christopher Tolkien to unwind, and a complicated plot for readers to unwind. Firstamazon has graciously offered to tackle this snarl of complicated texts in a three-part series of biographies about Túrin.

This month's installment covers the middle years of Túrin's life, after his salad days in Doriath but before everything went completely awry. Living among the outlaws, Túrin actually has a fairly content existence as the productive member of a community, making noble choices, and making and reunited with friends. Of course, nothing ever goes well for Túrin, and next month, we will join him on his inevitable and final slide into ruin.

Read the second part of firstamazon's biography of Túrin. And if you missed it, you can find the first part here.

Posted on 17 December 2022 (updated 26 January 2023) by SWG Moderators