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Lay of Leithian Canto II

2007-02-16T22:12:23Z

Oloren:

{{lolcantos}}This [[Cantos of the Lay of Leithian|Canto]] of the [[Lay of Leithian]] tells of how [[Barahir son of Bregor|Barahir]] and his band lived as outlaws. It tells of the snaring of [[Gorlim]] the Unhappy by a phantom of his lost wife fashioned by [[Thû]], and how under torture he revealed the secret lair of Barahir before being slain, and how Gorlim's ghost appeared to [[Beren Erchamion|Beren]], Barahir's son, away on reconnaissance, and told him of his treachery. Beren upon returning found his father and all his outlaw companions dead. He marked the grave of his father with a cairn of stones, swore an oath to avenge his death, and then, following the slayers, recaptured the [[Ring of Barahir]] from an orc-captain who boasted of killing Barahir and lying to Sauron in order to keep the ring for its gold. The Canto ends with [[Beren Erchamion|Beren]] leaving [[Dorthonion]] in an attempt to reach the Elven Lands of [[Beleriand]]. This Canto includes one of the most praised paragraphs of the Lay, describing [[Morgoth]], recounted below.

==Concerning the Canto==

This canto may be considered one of the darkest and most morbid cantos, with first a vivid description of the horrors of Morgoth, one of the most famous paragraphs in the Lay.

:''There sat a king: no [[Elves|Elfin]] race''
:''nor mortal blood, nor kindly grace''

Then comes the hope of Barahir, and the stumbling of Gorlim the Unhappy.

:''But still there lived in hiding cold''
:''undaunted, [[Barahir]] the bold''
:''of land bereaved, of lordship shorn''
:''who once a prince of [[Men]] was born''

The carrion-crows add to the effect of horror, and the sense of panic and hatred is full. Then comes the curse and despair of Beren, and when in the last he leaves the grave of his father, and heads south. Finally, the famous lines:

:''[[Beleriand]], Beleriand''
:''the borders of the faëry land''

end the Canto and leave its tragic spell hanging.

==External Links==
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKYq75Cc3yo Of Hunters Lore...] OpenMic Video: Excerpt of the Lay of Leithian by Loren & Strumstick Messiah

Lay of Leithian

2007-02-16T21:17:45Z

Oloren: /* See Also */

{{lolcantos}}
The '''Lay of Leithian''' was a long [[Elvish]] lay that told the story of [[Beren Erchamion|Beren]] and [[Lúthien]], their [[Quest for the Silmaril]], and their return from [[Mandos]]. It was said to be the second longest of all such tales (with the longest being the ''[[Narn i Hîn Húrin]]'', the story of [[Túrin Turambar|Túrin]] and [[Nienor]]).

== Plot ==
[[Image:Anke Eissmann - Beren recovers a Silmaril.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Beren recovers a Silmaril'' by [[Anke Eissmann]]]]
The Lay tells the story of Beren's escape from [[Dorthonion]] after the loss of his father [[Barahir son of Bregor|Barahir]]. Coming into the south, he entered [[Doriath]] and came across [[Lúthien Tinúviel]] in the woods. They desired to wed, but Lúthien's father [[Thingol]] set an impossible bride-price on his daughter—a [[Silmaril]] from the [[Iron Crown]] of [[Morgoth]] in the deepest pits of [[Angband]]. Beren set out on his hopeless quest with the aid of [[Finrod Felagund]], but they were captured and imprisoned by [[Sauron]]. Lúthien came to their aid through many troubles of her own, and with the help of [[Huan the Hound]] she rescued Beren. Using her magical arts, they penetrated Angband and stole one of the Silmarils, but in their escape Beren's hand, holding the Silmaril, was bitten from his wrist by the great wolf [[Carcharoth]]. Eventually, the wolf was hunted and slain, and the Silmaril recovered, but only at the cost of Beren's life. Then Lúthien, too, passed away, and pleaded before Mandos himself. Both Beren and Lúthien were returned to life, and they dwelt in the south of [[Ossiriand]] for a time. Lúthien had become mortal herself, and she passed away at last with her beloved beyond the [[Circles of the World]].

== True-life History ==
The Lay is not a mere literary invention—it does substantially exist, and is contained within volume III of ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', appropriately named ''[[The Lays of Beleriand]]''. Though the extant lay runs to 4223 lines and fourteen [[Cantos of the Lay of Leithian|Cantos]], [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] never fully completed the poem. He ended in the place that Carcharoth bites off Beren's hand.

The first recorded date of the writing of the Lay was at Line 557: August 23, [[1925]]. The next date is two and a half years later, 17-28 March, [[1928]], at line 1161. Over the next nine days he wrote fully 1769 lines, up to 2929. These dates are for the copying out of the manuscript, not for their writing, so Tolkien may have had many passages earlier before he put them together. In September, [[1931]], he abandoned the Lay. He sent it to [[C.S. Lewis]], who wrote back the following:
{{quote|I sat up late last night and have read the ''Geste'' as far as to where Beren and his gnomish allies defeat the patrol of orcs above the sources of the [[Narog]] and disguise themselves in the ''rëaf'' [ [[OE]]: 'garments, weapons, taken from the slain']. I can quite honestly say that it is ages since I have had an evening of such delight: and the personal interest of reading a friend's work had very little to do with it. I should have enjoyed it just as well as if I'd picked it up in a bookshop, by an unknown author. The two things that come out clearly are the sense of reality in the background and the mythical value: the essence of a myth being that it should have no taint of allegory to the maker and yet should suggest incipient allegories to the reader|The Lay of Leithian introduction}}

Later he wrote a detailed criticism, which pretends to treat the Lay as if it were a historical document. Tolkien was influenced by Lewis' comments, and made several minor changes based on them.

The etymology of the name is unknown. Tolkien remarked that it meant "''Release from bondage''". Probably Tolkien derived it in part from [[Quenya]] ''[[leithia]]'' ("release"). This word is only used in a single note hastily written, and "''Leithian''" may not have any etymological background at all.

== Recycling the Lay ==
Tolkien recycled parts of the older version of the Lay, most notably in [[The Lord of the Rings]], where [[Gimli]] sings of [[Moria]] to the rest of the [[Fellowship]]. Following is a piece found in both the Lord of the Rings and the Lay:

'''Original Lay'''

<blockquote>
...There might and glory, wealth untold 
Were wielded from his ivory throne 
In many-pillared halls of stone. 
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale 
And metal wrought like fishes' mail 
Buckler and corslet, axe and sword 
And gleaming spears were laid in hoard 
All these he had and loved them less 
Than a maiden once in Elfinesse. . . 
</blockquote>

'''Lord of the Rings'''

<blockquote>
...There forged was blade, and bound was hilt; 
The delver mined, the mason built. 
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale, 
And metal wrought like fishes' mail, 
Buckler and corslet, axe and sword, 
And shining spears were laid in hoard. 
</blockquote>

== See Also ==
*[[Cantos of the Lay of Leithian]]
*[[Lay of Leithian continued]]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKYq75Cc3yo Of Hunters Lore...] OpenMic Video: Excerpt of the Lay of Leithian (Canto II) by Loren & Strumstick Messiah

[[Category:Lays and Tales]]
[[Category:Quest for the Silmaril]]

Lay of Leithian Canto II

2007-02-16T20:52:34Z

Oloren:

{{lolcantos}}This [[Cantos of the Lay of Leithian|Canto]] of the [[Lay of Leithian]] tells how [[Barahir son of Bregor|Barahir]] lived as an outlaw. It tells of the snaring of [[Gorlim]] the unhappy by a phantom of his lost wife, and how he revealed the secret hiding of Barahir. Then how [[Thû]] slew him, and his ghost appeared to [[Beren Erchamion|Beren]], Barahir's son, who happened to be away, and told him of his treachery. Beren upon returning found his father and all his outlaw companions dead. He recaptured the [[Ring of Barahir]] from an orc who ironically was speaking of lying to Thû and keeping the ring. There the Canto ends. This Canto includes one of the most praised paragraphs of the Lay, describing [[Morgoth]], recounted below.

==Concerning the Canto==

This canto may be considered one of the darkest and most morbid cantos, with first a vivid description of the horrors of Morgoth, one of the most famous paragraphs in the Lay.

:''There sat a king: no [[Elves|Elfin]] race''
:''nor mortal blood, nor kindly grace''

Then comes the hope of Barahir, and the stumbling of Gorlim the Unhappy.

:''But still there lived in hiding cold''
:''undaunted, [[Barahir]] the bold''
:''of land bereaved, of lordship shorn''
:''who once a prince of [[Men]] was born''

The carrion-crows add to the effect of horror, and the sense of panic and hatred is full. Then comes the curse and despair of Beren, and when in the last he leaves the grave of his father, and heads south. Finally, the famous lines:

:''[[Beleriand]], Beleriand''
:''the borders of the faëry land''

end the Canto and leave its tragic spell hanging.

==External Links==
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKYq75Cc3yo Of Hunters Lore...] OpenMic Video: Excerpt of the Lay of Leithian by Loren & Strumstick Messiah