The War of the Jewels (13 page)

Thus began the love of Beren the blessed and Luthien the most fair, of which the Lay of Leithian was made. Their meetings were espied by Dairon the minstrel (who also loved Luthien) and were bewrayed to King Thingol. Then Thingol was wroth indeed, but Luthien brought Beren to Menegroth, and Beren showed to him the ring of Inglor his kinsman. But Thingol spoke in anger scorning mortal Men, saying that the service of Beren's father to another prince gave the son no claim to walk in Doriath, still less to lift his eyes to Luthien. Then Beren being stung by his scorn swore that by no power of spell, wall or weapon should he be withheld from his love; and Thingol would have cast him into prison or put him to death, if he had not sworn to Luthien that no harm should come to Beren. But, as doom would, a thought came into his heart, and he answered in mockery: 'If thou fearest neither spell, wall nor weapons, as thou saist, then go fetch me a Silmaril from the crown of Morgoth. Then we will give jewel for jewel, but thou shalt win the fairer: Luthien of the First-born and of the Gods.' And those who heard knew that he would save his oath, and yet send Beren to his death.

$190. But Beren looked in the eyes of Melian, who spake not, and he took upon himself the Quest of the Silmaril, and went forth from Menegroth alone.

$191 Now Beren went west to Nargothrond, and sought out King Felagund. And when Felagund heard of the quest he knew that the oath he had sworn was come upon him for his death (as long before he had said to Galadriel). But he kept his oath, and would have mustered all his host for the service of Beren, vain though all his strength must be in such a venture.

$192. But Celegorn and Curufin were in Nargothrond (as was before told), and the quest roused from sleep the Oath of Feanor. And the brethren spoke against Felagund, and with their words set such a fear in the hearts of the people of Nargothrond that they would not obey their king, neither for many years after would they go to any open war.

$193. Then [Finrod >] Inglor cast off his crown and made ready to go forth alone with Beren, but ten of his most faithful knights stood beside him, and Edrahil, their chief, lifted the crown and bade the king give it in keeping to Orodreth his brother. But Celegorn said: 'Know this: thy going is vain; for could ye achieve this quest it would avail nothing. Neither thee nor this Man should we suffer to keep or to give a Silmaril of Feanor. Against thee would come all the brethren to slay thee rather. And should Thingol gain it, then we would burn Doriath or die in the attempt. For we have sworn our Oath.'

$194. 'I also have sworn an oath,' said Felagund, 'and I seek no release from it. Save thine own, until thou knowest more.

But this I will say to you, [son of Feanor >) Celegorn the fell, by the sight that is given me in this hour, that neither thou nor any son of Feanor shall regain the Silmarils ever unto world's end.

And this that we now seek shall come indeed, but never to your hands. Nay, your oath shall devour you, and deliver to other keeping the bride-price of Luthien.'

$195. Thus King Felagund and Beren and their companions went forth, and waylaying a company of Orcs beyond the Taiglin they passed towards [Tolsirion >] Tol-in-Gaurhoth, disguised as soldiers of Morgoth. There they were questioned and laid bare by Sauron, and cast into a pit.

$196. Now Luthien resolved in heart to follow Beren, but seeking the counsel of Dairon (who was of old her friend) she was again bewrayed to Thingol, and he in dismay set her in a prison high in the trees. But she escaped by arts of enchantment upon a rope of her own hair and passed into the wild. There she was found by Celegorn and Curufin, as they were a-hunting, and taken to Nargothrond, and there closely kept. For Celegorn being enamoured of her beauty resolved to wed her, and compel King Thingol's assent.

$197. But Luthien with the aid of Huan, the hound of Valinor, who followed Celegorn but was won to the love of Luthien, escaped from Nargothrond and came to Tol-in-Gaurhoth.

$198. There in the pits of Sauron one by one the twelve companions were slain and devoured by werewolves, until at last only Beren and Felagund remained. But none had betrayed them, and Sauron could not learn the errand upon which they went. He left the Elven-king to the last, for he knew who he was, and deemed that he was the mover in whatever venture was devised. But when the wolf came to Beren, Felagund with his last strength broke his bonds, and wrestled naked-handed with the wolf and slew it, and was slain.

$199. Thus perished Inglor Felagund son of Finrod, fairest and most beloved of the children of Finwe, and returned never again to Middle-earth. But it is said that released soon from Mandos, he went to Valinor and there dwells with Amarie.

$200. Beren sank down now into a darkness of sorrow and despair. In that hour Luthien and Huan came to the bridge that led to Sauron's isle, and Luthien sang a song of Doriath. Then Beren awoke from his darkness; and the towers of Sauron trembled, and he sent forth Draugluin the greatest of his werewolves. But Huan slew Draugluin, and when Sauron himself came forth in wolf-hame he overthrew him. Thus Sauron was constrained to yield up Tol-sirion, ere bereft of his bodily form he passed away as a black shadow into Taur-nu-Fuin.

$201. Thus Luthien rescued Beren, and set free many hapless prisoners of Sauron. These prisoners Huan led back to Nargothrond, for his loyalty constrained him to return to Celegorn, his master. But when the tidings came to Nargothrond of the death of Felagund, and the great deeds of the Elf-maid, then Celegorn and Curufin were hated, and Orodreth took the crown of Nargothrond, and drove them forth; and they fled eastward to Himring.

$202. Luthien and Beren wandered in the wild together in brief joy; and Beren led Luthien back towards Doriath. Thus by ill chance Celegorn and Curufin came upon them as they rode to the north-borders with Huan. There Celegorn would ride Beren down, and Curufin seized Luthien; but Beren overthrew Curufin, and took his horse and his knife, and was saved from death at the hands .of Celegorn by Huan; who in that hour forsook his master and served Luthien. Then Celegorn and Curufin rode away upon one horse, and Curufin shooting back smote Beren with an arrow and he fell.

466.

$203. Luthien and Huan guarded Beren in the woods, and Luthien brought him back at last from the edge of death. But when he was healed, and they had passed into Doriath, Beren remembering his oath and proud words to Thingol, was unwilling to return to Menegroth, neither would he lead Luthien upon his hopeless quest. Therefore in great grief he left her as she slept in a glade, and committing her to the care of Huan, rode away north upon his horse that he took from Curufin. And since Tol-in-Gaurhoth was now destroyed he came at last to the north-slopes of Taur-nu-Fuin and looked across the Anfauglith to Thangorodrim and despaired.

$204. There he sent away his horse, and bade farewell to life and to the love of Luthien, and prepared to go forth alone to death. But Luthien was borne swiftly after him by Huan, and she came upon him in that hour, and would not be parted from him. Then with the aid of Huan and her arts, Luthien disguised Beren as a wolf in the hame of Draugluin, and herself as the vampire Thuringwethil, and they passed over Anfauglith and came to Angband, but Huan abode in the woods.

$205. At Angband's gate Luthien cast down the warden of the gate, Carcharoth mightiest of all wolves, into a deep slumber, and Beren and Luthien came into the dreadful realm of Morgoth, and descended even into his uttermost hall and came before his throne. There Beren slunk in wolf-form beneath the very chair of Morgoth, but the disguise of Luthien did not deceive Morgoth and she was revealed to him. Yet she eluded his foul grasp, and even as he watched her dancing, held as in a spell by her beauty, she set a deep slumber upon all the hall, and at last Morgoth himself was overcome and fell from his seat into a blind sleep, but the Iron Crown rolled from his head.

$206. Then Luthien roused Beren and stripping off the wolf-hame he took the dwarf-knife of Curufin and cut from Morgoth's crown a Silmaril. But desiring suddenly to go beyond doom and rescue all the jewels he was betrayed by the knife which snapped, and a splinter smote Morgoth and disturbed his sleep.

$207. Then Beren and Luthien fled, but at the gates they found Carcharoth once more awake, and he leaped upon Luthien; and before she could use any art Beren sprang before and would daunt the wolf with the hand that held the Silmaril.

But Carcharoth seized the hand and bit it off, and straightway the Silmaril burned him, and madness seized him and he fled away; but his howls roused all the sleepers in Angband. Then Luthien knelt by Beren, as he lay in a swoon as it were of death, and all their quest seemed in ruin. But even as she drew forth the venom from Beren's wound with her lips, Thorondor came with Lhandroval and Gwaihir, his mightiest vassals, and they lifted up Luthien and Beren and bore them south, high over Gondolin, and set them down on the borders of Doriath.

$208. There Huan found them and again they tended Beren and won him from death, and as spring grew fair they passed into Doriath and came to Menegroth. Glad was their welcome in Doriath, for a spell of shadow and silence had lain upon all the land since Luthien fled; and Dairon seeking her in sorrow had wandered far away and was lost.

$209. Thus once more Luthien led Beren to the throne of her father, and he marvelled at him, but was not appeased; and he said to Beren: 'Didst thou not say that thou wouldst not return to me save with a jewel from the crown of Morgoth?' And Beren answered: 'Even now a Silmaril is in my hand.' And Thingol said: Show it to me! But Beren said, That I cannot do,- for my hand is not here.' And he held up his right arm; and from that hour he named himself Camlost.

$210. Then Thingol's mood was softened, for it seemed to him that this Man was unlike all others, and among the great in Arda, whereas the love of Luthien was of a strength greater than all the kingdoms of West or East. And Beren took Luthien's hand and laid it upon his breast before the throne of her father, and thus they were betrothed.

But now Carcharoth by the power of the Silmaril burst into Doriath.

Here Version II breaks off abruptly, and not at the foot of a page.

The page on which Version I ends, with the words 'Thus ended the Quest of the Silmaril' (p. 64), continues with the annal for 467.

467.

$211. In this year at the first breaking of Spring Luthien Tinuviel laid her body as a white flower on the grass and her spirit fled from Middle-earth, and she went unto Mandos, as it saith in the Lay. But a winter as it were the hoar age of mortal Men came upon Thingol.

468.

$212. In this time Maidros began those counsels for the raising of the fortunes of the Eldar that are called the Union of Maidros. For new hope ran through the land, because of the deeds of Beren and Luthien, and it seemed to many that Morgoth was not unconquerable, and that fear only gave him his power. Yet still the Oath of Feanor lived and hindered all good, and not least the evil that Celegorn and Curufin had done because of it. Thus Thingol would lend no aid to any son of Feanor; and small help came from Nargothrond: there the Noldor trusted rather to defend their hidden stronghold by secrecy and stealth. But Maidros had the help of the Naugrim, both in armed force and in great store of weapons; and he gathered together again all his brethren and all the folk that would follow them; and the men of Bor and of Ulfang were marshalled and trained for war, and given fair arms, and they summoned yet more of their kinsfolk out of the East. And in Hithlum Fingon, ever the friend of Maidros, prepared for war, taking counsel with Himring. To Gondolin also the tidings came to the hidden king, Turgon, and in secret also he prepared for great battle. And Haleth gathered his folk in Brethil, and they whetted their axes; but he died of age ere the war came, and Hundor his son ruled his people.

469.

$213. In the spring of this year Maidros made the first trial of his strength though his plans were not yet full-wrought. In which he erred, not concealing his stroke until it could be made suddenly with all strength, as Morgoth had done. For the Orcs indeed were driven out of Beleriand once more, and even Dorthonion was freed for a while, so that the frontiers of the Noldor were again as they were before the Bragollach, save that the Anfauglith was now a desert possessed by neither side. But Morgoth being warned of the uprising of the Eldar and the Elf-friends took counsel against them, and he sent forth many spies and workers of treason among them, as he was the better able now to do, for the faithless men of his secret allegiance were yet deep in the secrets of Feanor's sons.

$214. In this year, it hath been [thought >] said, Beren and Luthien returned to the world, for a while. For Luthien had won this doom from Manwe that Beren might return to live again, and she with him; but only so that she too thereafter should be mortal as he, and should soon die indeed and lose the world and depart from the numbers of the Eldalie for ever. This doom she chose. And they appeared again unlooked for in Doriath, and those that saw them were both glad and fearful. But Luthien went to Menegroth and healed the winter of Thingol with the touch of her hand; yet Melian looked in her eyes and read the doom that was written there, and turned away: for she knew that a parting beyond the end of the World had come between them, and no grief of loss hath been heavier than the grief of the heart of Melian Maia in that hour (unless only it were the grief of Elrond and Arwen). But Luthien and Beren passed then out of the knowledge of Elves and Men, and dwelt a while alone by the green waters of Ossiriand in that land which the Eldar named therefore Gwerth-i-guinar, the land of the Dead that Live. Thereafter Beren son of Barahir spoke not again with any mortal Man.