Character of Month: Húrin, Part One

Throughout the legendarium, characters are called to bear up under extreme pressures exerted by forces of evil. We see, mostly in the Third Age Lord of the Rings, characters like Aragorn and Éowyn and Samwise whose steadfastness, loyalty, and courage approaches the superhuman, as well as tragic antiheroes (mostly in the First and Second Ages) like Fëanor and Maeglin whose life circumstances seem to funnel them into an inevitable fall to ruin.

In this month's character biography, Melesta makes the case that Húrin serves as a precursor to those valiant Third Age heroes while retaining "the tragic elements that define the major tales of the First Age." After all, Húrin's story is far from eucatastrophic.

But this month's biography, the first of two parts, focuses on the earlier events of Húrin's life, when he was a hope-filled hero in whom we see glimmers of the character of Aragorn. In addition to reviewing what we know of the canon of Húrin's early life (which is complex, as Húrin is one of Tolkien's earliest characters and therefore manifests from a labyrinthine collection of texts and drafts), Melesta discusses some of the connections between Húrin and the Edain with ancient and medieval history and what these can reveal of culture and theme.

You can read Part One of Melesta's biography of Húrin Thalion here.

Posted on 3 June 2023 (updated 1 July 2023) by SWG Moderators