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The War of the Jewels

The War of the Jewels

FantasyLiterary Fiction
Published
1994

Synopsis

Volume Eleven of the History of Middle-earth continues the later evolution of the First Age mythology, presenting the later forms of the Quenta Silmarillion concerned with the wars and fates of the Elves in Beleriand. The volume focuses on the Grey Annals (a detailed year-by-year chronicle of events in Beleriand), the later development of the tale of Turin Turambar, and the unfinished Wanderings of Hurin -- showing how Tolkien continued to expand and deepen the history of the First Age even after the core narrative was essentially complete. Christopher Tolkien's commentary documents the many revisions and unresolved contradictions that Tolkien never reconciled before his death.

Prose complexity
8/10

Vibe

DarkMelancholicThought-ProvokingIntellectual
Dual TimelineSacrificeBetrayalQuestFamily Saga

Genres

Fantasy Literary Fiction Mythology

About the author

J
J.R.R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa in 1892 and raised in England after his mother brought him home at age three. Orphaned before he was thirteen — his mother died a devout Catholic convert — Tolkien went on to study Old and Middle English, Germanic languages, Welsh, and Finnish at Oxford. He graduated in 1915, married Edith Bratt before shipping out to the Western Front, and fought in the Battle of the Somme. Nearly all of his closest friends were killed. He contrac...

Characters

Turin TurambarProtagonist

The tragic hero whose story is expanded in considerable detail in both the Grey Annals and the late tale of Turin that forms a major section of this volume.

MorgothAntagonist

The dark lord whose curse on Hurin drives the fate of Turin through the chronicle material presented here.

HurinSupporting

Turin's father, whose wanderings after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad are the subject of the unfinished narrative included in this volume.

All characters in The War of the Jewels

Frequently asked questions

  • What is The War of the Jewels?

    Volume Eleven of the twelve-volume History of Middle-earth. It presents later revisions to the First Age mythology with a focus on the tale of Turin Turambar and the Grey Annals of Beleriand.

  • What are the Grey Annals?

    A detailed year-by-year chronicle of the events of the First Age in Beleriand, one of the most systematic historical documents in the entire legendarium. They are presented here in their later revised form.

  • What is the Wanderings of Hurin?

    An unfinished narrative following Hurin's journey through Middle-earth after his release from Morgoth's captivity -- filling in events that are only briefly mentioned in The Silmarillion.

  • What is this volume's position in the History of Middle-earth?

    Volume Eleven of twelve.