Last Scene of All, That Ends This Strange Eventful History by Nighthaunting  

Fanwork Notes

This is a 'canon divergence' au only in the sense that we are working from the point of view of exploring and studying a historical text (in this case the Leithian) and sort of working backwards from the text to create the au. Some of this is just headcanons and some of this is touching on things within the canon I don't think are usually addressed and some of this is extrapolating out of the canon to reach conclusions about characters and some of this is just for fun!

But also: We are interrogating the text. We are using advanced interrogation techniques on the text. We are waterboarding the text.

Additional Tags: Pseudo-History, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Valinor in the Fourth Age of Arda (Tolkien), Lay of Leithian (Tolkien), Fake Academic Scholarship, Ancient History, Oral History, Alternate History, AU-ing the Leithian via fake academia, I’ve connected two dots and am making that everyone else in the fandom’s problem, Headcanon, Politics, First Age of Arda (Tolkien), Post-Nirnaeth Arnoediad, Second Kinslaying | Sack of Doriath (Tolkien), Third Kinslaying | Sack of Sirion (Tolkien), References to War of Wrath (Tolkien), References to the Sack of Eregion, Epistolary 

Fanwork Information

Summary: In which one Fourth Age historian sets out to chart the complete history of the events and writing of the Lay of Leithian and ends up with an oral history of First Age politics, the Fall of Nargothrond, the Second Kinslaying, the Third Kinslaying, and one elf’s commentary on Second Age repertory theater. OR “The Lay of Leithian: a Historiographical Approach” by Líwë Ríniel of the University of Tirion Major Characters: Celegorm, Lúthien Tinúviel, Beren, Orodreth, Celebrimbor, Elrond, Original Character(s), Dior Major Relationships: Beren/Luthien Genre: Alternate Universe, Experimental, Folktales/Myths/Legends, In-Universe Artifact Challenges: Rating: General Warnings: Character Death
Chapters: 1	Word Count: 35, 882
Posted on 9 November 2026	Updated on 9 November 2026
This fanwork is complete.