User:TheWookieWikster/The Lay of the Children of Húrin

Subcreation as Synthesis
In the article entitled Subcreation as Synthesis of Language and Myth]] by Stephanie Ricker, she argues what many, including [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] himself argued, that is that the crux of Tolkien's Middle-earth was his love of Myth and Language. That it was the meeting of these two loves that created Middle Earth. Tolkien uses this background knowledge of language, mythology, and religion to create a rich, interconnected, Mythopoeic world filled with orcs, goblins, elves, dragons, wizards, Hobbit, jewels, and rings. His Christian belief, mixed with his love of language, meant that much of his naming system was based on Old Testament naming conventions. (p.35) This scholar uses the term Mythology to refer to, a "created narrative which expresses a deep, universal truth." (p.35)

Mythology is the combination, synthesis, of myth and language. Language is a metaphorical thought were a word represents a thing. This is what interests Tolkien the most, and it is largely the reason why he created his world. Again, he bases this naming system, which is the crux of his world, on the naming conventions of the OT. In the Book of Genesis, man is given the power of subcreation (helping maintain the created world) through naming the animals. It is a reflection of moral order. (p.37)

The name and essence of a thing are connected. The name is a metaphor for the thing. The thing is a representation of the name. The name of a person is literately that person. They are the name personified. Their personality, their essence, is irrevocably linked to their name. Using nicknames is a way of masking who they are in order to hide them from evil. (p.38) Thus, one must be careful to name a child by their true name, the right name. Changing someone's name signifies a substantial change in that person, i.e Gandalf the Grey being changed in The Two Towers to Gandalf the White, or Olórin as is his proper name.(p.39)

Tolkien took inspiration for writing The Children of Húrin in 1914, in the trenches, based off of a Finnish tale called the Kalevala. "Tiranne, Vainoni, and Kuruki, all names that are Finnish in sound and meaning, would later become Morwen, Niënor, Glaurung, names constructed from Tolkien's languages as his mythology developed." (p. 41) "In Sindarin, Húrin (Urin in the earliest manuscripts) means 'mind of vigor', and this name describes his character exactly." (p.41) This is because Húrin doesn't flinch to fear, and holds onto his beliefs. "Túrin, a mind (suitable) for victory' and is remarkably similar to Húrin's name in sound as well as meaning." (p.42) Morwen, Túrin's mother, means "dark maiden" possibly because of the darkness of her character.

A central issue and theme, as seen by Ricker, is the balance between fate, a name (which on the surface permenately defines you as seen above), and free will. After Lilaith, Túrin's sister, dies all laughter ceases and her name is no more. Her name means laughter. Morwen does not bow to Thingol out of her own pride. This greatly effects Túrin. He renames himself Neithan when meeting with the Outlaws. He changes his name to Neithan the Wronged because his true name does not fit his personality anymore, and the Wronged is added because he feels he can not escape fate. (p.44)

Agarwaen, Túrin's new self-made name after accidently killing his friend, expresses his true nature as he sees it, while also concealing his birth name. He meets an Elf maiden named Finduilas at this point in his journey. She, according to Ricker, represents the laughter that has been missing since his sister Lalaith died."The choices he (Túrin as a character) makes are the cause of his downfall, not his fate or the curse of Morgoth." (p.50) Túrin renames himself Turambar to become master of fate. This name means Master of Doom. Doom, in Tolkien's works; means destiny, calamity, and judgement. He later renames himself Wildman of the Woods. He renounces all other names in favor of hatred and vengeance. Renaming himself is only hiding from fate instead of confronting it. Given a new and final name after death, Túrin Master of Fate Slayer of Glaurung, he overcomes his fate, but not his pride.

Master of Doom by Doom Mastered
In Mythlore, Jesse Mitchell argues that "there are two viable answers: [regarding the character of Turin being a simplistic caricature of what a hero should not look like] the Byronic Hero and the Absurd Hero." Mitchell asserts that everyone, when reading Tolkien, looks for a hero or heroic things. (It is expected). The poetry in Unfinished Tales and The Silmarillion is Tolkien's, while the prose in Children of Húrin is Christopher Tolkien's. There are two critiques that Mitchell argues against in his article, that is West and Camus, instead, he argues that his arguement is one based on the story itself and nothing more or less. (p. 89) Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee posess Christian morals like Tolkien himself, and Pagan heroes such as Boromir and Túrin have a hope preoccupied with immediate good report and fame. (p. 90)

"Tolkien's fantasy speaks of the nature of the struggle against evil, the inescapability of involvement, the qualities of heroism, and the possibilities of real loss in that encounter. It also declares the viability of hope. The Happy Ending is meant to be taken very seriously." (p. 91)

Morwen represents home to Túrin. With family and home as with everything else he seems determined to learn everything the hard way. (p. 92) Túrin is a Byronic Hero in that he rejects king Thingol which represents his rebellon of will against unjust society. Mainly, his autonomy of will classifies him as a Byronic Hero. This garners sympathy even though in everything he does he is selfish. (p. 93) Túrin assumes responsability instead of fugitive idleness, because of Beleg who only indulges his selfishness. (p. 94) Both Morgoth, in the Silmarillion and the entirety of Tolkien's legendarium, is against the status quo of Illúvatar. Túrin, likewise, is against the status quo of the evil Morgoth. (p. 95) Morgoth, as Gothic Villain, is on the same plain as Byronic Hero (Túrin), though the Gothic Villain opposes the Byronic Hero. The Byronic Hero is instead not on the side of Good nor wholely on the side of Evil, who choses to follow his own will and own Truth.

Túrin believes that he can do nothing to change his tragic destiny and fights against fate. His fanatical devotion to save his family is another mark against him as examplified in Finduilas. He finally realizes after everyone he loves has died, that he is the problem and that if he would just stop for a minute, everything might turn out better. Túrin finally realizes that the only way he can change fate and have freewill is in the way he dies. So, like Kullervo, he ends his life. (p. 102-103)

He gives himself names throughout the story that both hide his true identity and symbolize his downfall. "All of his self-applied names to this point have been symbolic; Turambar, however, is literal." (p. 106) So, he will Master his own Doom. Túrin is an Absurd Hero, such as Sissyphus [cite], only if his Doom was sealed from the start. The Byronic Hero is reactionary to Fate, whereas the Absurd Hero embraces it. By Mitchell's opinion, Túrin is a Byronic Hero.

Túrin and Aragorn: Evading, and Embracing, Fate
Croft begins by addressing the similarities and differences in both Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings and Túrin from Children of Húrin. One character (Aragorn) is willing to step into his role, while the other (Túrin) tries everything he can to change fate. (p. 155)

Túrin's Name Story
Túrin becomes aware of using names to become someone else on his eighth birthday when his father nicknames him as "Heir to the House of Hador". He is conflicted by being both and heir and an exile. This conflict, coupled with his fixation on Morgoth, sends him on his journey. (p. 156) Túrin's fostering in Doriath is similar to Aragorn's fostering in Rivendell, Croft notes. Both are fostered to be hidden, and both await an inheritance. His new title of Neithan, the Wronged, positions him as guiltless despite his not caring one way or the other. "It is a form of logizomai, or giving a new name in the hope of changing the recipient to match." (p. 158)

He is nicknamed Dragon-Helm, a type of "synccdoche, or using the name of a part to refer to the whole." (p. 158) After the death of Beleg, he names himself Agarwaen, Son of Úmanth (Blood-Stained, Son of Ill-Fate). This is only a pseudonym.

"There are two more nicknames yet to come in this chapter of Túrin's life; first the Elves begin calling him Adanedhel, the Elf-Man, because of his elvish looks and bearing (CoH 164), and then the elf-maiden Finduilas falls in love with him and gives him another nickname: Thurin, the Secret (165). So during his stay in Nargothrond we find Túrin at his most polyonomous, overly blessed with four names in addition to his hidden birth-name: one given by himself, one by his enemies, one by the people he lives with, and one (uncomfortably close to his true name) by the woman who loves him." (p. 159)

His name is not his own, though he believes and truly wishes it to be, but it is a symbol given by all who have come in contact with him. It is a projection to the world writes Croft. At this point in the article she draws paralells between Túrin and Fëanor. If they both would have rejected themselves then their fates might have ended differently. (p. 160) Glaurung utilizes negative logizomai by calling Túrin's ways evil and giving him a list of "bad" names. Túrin finally changes his name to Turambar which in a way tempts fate as it is close to the accursed name Túrin. This change of name, and consequently identity, prevents anyone from finding him. He ends by defiantly mastering his own fate and killing himself.

Aragorn's Name Story
As a foster child in Rivendell, Aragorn was renamed Estel or Hope. In Rohan (Middle-earth) and Gondor he was named Thorongil (Eagle of the Star). Names, more specifically renaming, are not a bad thing as seen with many places and people being renamed in the Council of Elrond scene. (p. 164) In Lorien, he is given the name Elessar. At this point he begins to grow into his kingly role. He is given many names later in Minas Tirith, but the one the people know him by and give him is again, Elessar Elfstone which is his regal name.

Túrin never embraces a new name until Turambar. He uses names to remake himself and doesn't acknowledge old ones except for Túrin. He can not let go of his past. Ultimately, Aragorn accepts and uses all of his names becoming more or less an anti-Túrin as Croft puts it.

'The Lay of the Children of Húrin' Illuminated Manuscript: Q&A with artist Steven Umbrello
Steven Umbrello has created an Illuminated manuscript for the Lay of the Children of Húrin. He also has a YouTube channel dedicated to his art.

Interview
He is a student at the University of Toronto and is studying Philosophy and Classical Civillizations. He states that his love of Tolkien began at the age of six or seven as his father read The Hobbit to him. It was then furthered by Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings (film series), and the rest is history. His favorite work by Tolkien is The Children of Húrin.

At this point, the interviewer and Umbrello discuss his artistic illuminated manuscript of The Lay of the Children of Húrin. Umbrello states that he has never done anything artistic. He learned a lot via YouTube. He derrived his inspiration from classic medieval illuminated manuscripts such as The Book of Hours, and decided to begin his work after looking at Benjamin Harff's illuminated manuscript of The Silmarillion. He decided that The Children of Húrin was too long to create by hand so he opted for the shorter Lay of the Children of Húrin instead.

He outlines his steps as:

"1. Hand cut the pages, and rule them so the text is straight.

2. Write out the text by hand using a nib and bottle of ink.

3. Sketch/draw the illustrations that you want on each page around the text.

4. Lay down the gold adhesive and gild with gold leaf the parts that require it.

5. Paint the illustrations.

6. Sew the leafs together in a sewing frame with the proper spine cords.

7. Cut and attach the book boards to the book to create the covers (in this case I used solid oak boards).

8. Bind the whole book in leather (I used blue goatskin leather)."

It took Steven one hundred and forty man hours to complete this project. He found binding the book to be the mostfun, and painting it to be the hardest part.