Birth: Year 463 of the First Age
Death: 499 of the First Age Race: Men Culture: House of Hador, Edain Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Grey or Blue Skin Color: White Father: Hurin Mother: Morwen Siblings: Two younger sisters: Lalaith & Nienor Spouse: Nienor Niniel Children: 1 unborn child Sword: Anglachel/Gurthang Residences: Dor-lomin, Doriath, Nargothrond, Forest of Brethil |
Biography
Turin was a great hero of the First Age of the House of Hador. Though Turin was generally a good person, he executed a good-willed man at the end of his life, and for it he killed himself. Another key element to his downfall was the fact that he unknowingly married his sister Nienor.
Turin was born in the year 463 of the First Age. He was the eldest child of Morwen and Hurin. Hurin was the Lord of the House of Hador and Morwen was of the House of Beor. Turin was therefore the heir to the lordship of Dor-lomin, the region in Hithlum in which the men of the House of Hador resided. In 466, Turin's younger sister Lalaith was born. She was very beautiful and resembled an Elf child. She had golden hair and a beautiful song. Lalaith had originally been named Urwen, but Turin renamed her Lalaith meaning "laughter" in Sindarin. Turin loved Lalaith very much, and he often used to watch her play in secret. But in 469 Morgoth sent a deadly wind from Angband known as the Evil Breath. Both Turin and Lalaith fell ill from the disease, but while Turin evetually recovered, Lalaith died. Turin was devastated by Lalaith's death, and from then on he looked for women who resembled Lalaith.
As tensions increased between Morgoth and the free peoples of Beleriand, Turin's father Hurin went to war against Morgoth. Hurin fought in an army with immense strength - the free peoples were led by Fingon, High King of the Noldor, and his forces included hosts of Elves, Edain, Dwarves, and Easterlings. But Morgoth was more powerful and he crushed the free peoples in a battle which was remembered as the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. Hurin was captured by Morgoth and imprisoned atop the Thangorodrim. Turin lived with his mother in Dor-lomin.
Though many of the Easterlings fought with the Elves and Edain, there were some in the company of Ulfang who turned against the free peoples and fought for Morgoth. These Easterlings were given the region of Hithlum after Morgoth's victory, and they plundered the land and enslaved most of the Edain. Many of the women of the House of Hador were forced to marry Easterling men. Morwen nevertheless kept Turin safe, and he was not captured. Morwen was aided in her upbringing of Turin by a woman named Aerin, who had herself been forced to marry and Easterling chief named Brodda. But Turin's family would never come to prosper - Morgoth had cursed the family, so each one of them would face a horrible and devastating fate.
Turin learned much that he knew from a friend he had called Sador, who acted as his household servant. Sador taught Turin many crafts including woodworking and woodcarving among other things.
When Turin was only seven years old, Morwen sent him to be fostered by King Thingol of Doriath. Turin's second sister Nienor was not born until after Turin left, so he never saw her. As Turin grew older, he had a desire to drive Morgoth's servats out of Beleriand and to win back the homeland of his people. To fulfill this desire, Turin fought with Beleg for a time. He wore the Dragon-helm of Dor-lomin, and Turin became the single most feared warrior on the battlefield.
In 484, Turin fought in a skirmish resulting in the death of the Elf Saeros, a jealous Elf who had insulted Morwen in an attempt to lessen Turin's power. Turin left Doriath for a time and lived as an outlaw, and he joined a band of oulaws living south of the Forest of Brethil. This outlaw band became known as Gaurwaith, and Turin killed its leader Forweg so he himself could lead it. As leader, Turin made the outlaws stop assaulting other men and told them only to hunt Orcs.
Beleg went searching for Turin, and he found the outlaw band at Amon Rudh. Beleg tried to convince Turin to abandon the outlaw band and return to Doriath, but Turin did not agree. He wished to remain with the outlaw band in order to stop the evil being spread by the Orcs and by Morgoth.
Gaurwaith soon captured Mim the Petty-dwarf, and he shared his land with the men of the outlaw band. Beleg soon joined the outlaw band with the permission of King Thingol. Thingol gave Beleg the sword Anglachel and Melian gave Beleg lembas. Beleg reached the outlaw band that winter and he healed many of them. However, soon Mim the Petty-dwarf betray the outlaw band and all but Turin were killed. After the devastation, Turin returned to Doriath.
Thingol sent many messages to Morwen requesting that she come to see her son in Doriath. But Morwen was raising her infant daughter Nienor, so she could not go. She also had pride for the homeland of her husband, and she did not want to run away from it, even if it was in utter ruin. Morwen sent the Dragon-helm of the people of Hador to Turin.
In 490, Turin went to Nargothrond to inspire the Elves there to drive Morgoth's allies out of Beleriand. In 494, Morwen and Nienor went to Doriath in search of Turin but no one there knew what had become of him, so they remained in Doriath for a time.
Nargothrond was attacked by the dragon Glaurung in 495, and this evil dragon lied to Turin by telling him that Morwen was enslaved in Dor-lomin. Turin went to Dor-lomin to free her.
Survivors of the attack on Nargothrond arrived at Doriath in 496, and from them Morwen learned that her son had been there. Thingol and his wife Melian strongly advised that Morwen not go in search of her son, but she left in secret. When Thingol discovered her absence, he sent a company led by Mablung to retrieve her. Nienor secretly left in search of her mother as well.
Nienor soon found her mother, and Morwen ordered her to return to Doriath. Nienor did not obey her mother's orders. But when they reached Nargothrond they found Glaurung. Mablung's company crossed the Meres of Twilight while pursuing them. But Glaurung released an enchantingly evil fog and Mablung's horses all galloped away in fear. Morwen was able to escape the speel but went wandering for nearly the rest of her life. Nienor did not escape the spell, and Glaurung gave her amnesia and she forgot her true identity. Nienor ran off into the forests nearby and never saw her mother again.
Meanwhile, Turin went to Dor-lomin and found it overrun by Easterlings. In the hall of Brodda, Turin saw Aerin, and she told him that Morwen and Nienor had gone to Doriath to look for him. With renewed rage, Turin slew Brodda and many of his kin. Turin offered that Aerin come with him into the wild and escape the evil and overbearing Easterlings who had invaded Dor-lomin. But Aerin did not want to go out into the wild during the Long Winter, so she stayed behind. When she realized that more Easterlings would come to kill her, she set Brodda's hall aflame and was likely killed in the fire.
From Dor-lomin, Turin fled to the Forest of Brethil. There he took residence in Ephel Brandir and helped the people of Haleth fight off invasions of Orcs. Turin positioned himself at the Crossings of Teiglin.
One day, Turin found Nienor lying naked in the forest. She was cold, hungry, wounded, and ill. She had also forgotten how to speak because of her amnesia. When Turin asked her her name, she cried. He then called her Níniel, meaning "tear maiden." Turin introduced himself to her as Turambar.
Niniel was taken to Brandir, Lord of the House of Haleth. She was taught how to speak and her wounds were mended.
Turin adored Nienor because she reminded him of his beloved sister Lalaith. Turin brought Nienor to safety in the stronghold of Ephel Brandir, where the men of the House of Haleth took refuge.
Brandir had had an accident as a child and could no longer walk, but he was still able to nurse Nienor back to health. He was unable to restore her memory, but her physical self was refurbished. Brandir grew to love Nienor, but she thought of Brandir as a brother and loved Turin.
Turin proposed to Nienor in 497. Upon hearing of this, Brandir advised Nienor to wait because Turin was the son of Hurin of the House of Hador, and he would likely go to war against Morgoth and die. Brandir also forsaw that the marriage of Turin and Nienor would be ill-fated, but he did not say why or how. Nienor agreed and told Turin to wait.
Turin assured Nienor that he would not go to war unless he was defending his homestead. So in 498, Nienor finally decided to accept his marriage request. They were married in the summer of 498, and by 499 Nienor had fallen pregnant with their first child.
Nienor became unhappy, but she could not say why. She had little interaction with other people, and she became somewhat depressed. In time, Glaurung began sending legions of Orcs to attack the borders of Brethil, and soon the dragon himself attacked.
Though initially Turin kept his promise of not fighting for a time, the men of Haleth were eventually overrun by the forces of Glaurung. Turin led a company of men to help defend the forest at Nen Girith, and Nienor soon followed. Turin fought valiantly against Glaurung, and they both fell in battle. Despite this, neither of them had fully died.
When she reached the Crossings of Teiglin, Nienor found Turin lying on the ground. He appeared to be dead, for when she held him he did not wake up. He was also badly wounded. Glaurung also appeared to be dead, but with his last words he told her that Turin was her brother. When Glaurung died, his spell over her was lifted and her memories returned. She remembered that Turin was in fact her brother, and with this knowledge and the belief that her brother was dead, she cast herself off of Deer's Leap into the Teiglin and committed suicide. After her tragic death, the Deer's Leap became known as Cabed Naeramarth. This translates as the Leap of Dreadful Doom.
Brandir soon arrived at the scene and told Turin what had happened, and Turin killed Brandir in disbelief. But when Turin learned that he had been wrong and he was guilty of killing Brandir, and with the knowledge of what had happened to his beloved sister, he killed himself.
Turin was buried in a great tomb. Though Nienor's corpse was never found, the name Nienor Níniel was written on his tomb alongside his own name. This tomb survived the destruction of Beleriand during the War of Wrath and became an island in the Sea known as Tol Morwen.
Turin was born in the year 463 of the First Age. He was the eldest child of Morwen and Hurin. Hurin was the Lord of the House of Hador and Morwen was of the House of Beor. Turin was therefore the heir to the lordship of Dor-lomin, the region in Hithlum in which the men of the House of Hador resided. In 466, Turin's younger sister Lalaith was born. She was very beautiful and resembled an Elf child. She had golden hair and a beautiful song. Lalaith had originally been named Urwen, but Turin renamed her Lalaith meaning "laughter" in Sindarin. Turin loved Lalaith very much, and he often used to watch her play in secret. But in 469 Morgoth sent a deadly wind from Angband known as the Evil Breath. Both Turin and Lalaith fell ill from the disease, but while Turin evetually recovered, Lalaith died. Turin was devastated by Lalaith's death, and from then on he looked for women who resembled Lalaith.
As tensions increased between Morgoth and the free peoples of Beleriand, Turin's father Hurin went to war against Morgoth. Hurin fought in an army with immense strength - the free peoples were led by Fingon, High King of the Noldor, and his forces included hosts of Elves, Edain, Dwarves, and Easterlings. But Morgoth was more powerful and he crushed the free peoples in a battle which was remembered as the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. Hurin was captured by Morgoth and imprisoned atop the Thangorodrim. Turin lived with his mother in Dor-lomin.
Though many of the Easterlings fought with the Elves and Edain, there were some in the company of Ulfang who turned against the free peoples and fought for Morgoth. These Easterlings were given the region of Hithlum after Morgoth's victory, and they plundered the land and enslaved most of the Edain. Many of the women of the House of Hador were forced to marry Easterling men. Morwen nevertheless kept Turin safe, and he was not captured. Morwen was aided in her upbringing of Turin by a woman named Aerin, who had herself been forced to marry and Easterling chief named Brodda. But Turin's family would never come to prosper - Morgoth had cursed the family, so each one of them would face a horrible and devastating fate.
Turin learned much that he knew from a friend he had called Sador, who acted as his household servant. Sador taught Turin many crafts including woodworking and woodcarving among other things.
When Turin was only seven years old, Morwen sent him to be fostered by King Thingol of Doriath. Turin's second sister Nienor was not born until after Turin left, so he never saw her. As Turin grew older, he had a desire to drive Morgoth's servats out of Beleriand and to win back the homeland of his people. To fulfill this desire, Turin fought with Beleg for a time. He wore the Dragon-helm of Dor-lomin, and Turin became the single most feared warrior on the battlefield.
In 484, Turin fought in a skirmish resulting in the death of the Elf Saeros, a jealous Elf who had insulted Morwen in an attempt to lessen Turin's power. Turin left Doriath for a time and lived as an outlaw, and he joined a band of oulaws living south of the Forest of Brethil. This outlaw band became known as Gaurwaith, and Turin killed its leader Forweg so he himself could lead it. As leader, Turin made the outlaws stop assaulting other men and told them only to hunt Orcs.
Beleg went searching for Turin, and he found the outlaw band at Amon Rudh. Beleg tried to convince Turin to abandon the outlaw band and return to Doriath, but Turin did not agree. He wished to remain with the outlaw band in order to stop the evil being spread by the Orcs and by Morgoth.
Gaurwaith soon captured Mim the Petty-dwarf, and he shared his land with the men of the outlaw band. Beleg soon joined the outlaw band with the permission of King Thingol. Thingol gave Beleg the sword Anglachel and Melian gave Beleg lembas. Beleg reached the outlaw band that winter and he healed many of them. However, soon Mim the Petty-dwarf betray the outlaw band and all but Turin were killed. After the devastation, Turin returned to Doriath.
Thingol sent many messages to Morwen requesting that she come to see her son in Doriath. But Morwen was raising her infant daughter Nienor, so she could not go. She also had pride for the homeland of her husband, and she did not want to run away from it, even if it was in utter ruin. Morwen sent the Dragon-helm of the people of Hador to Turin.
In 490, Turin went to Nargothrond to inspire the Elves there to drive Morgoth's allies out of Beleriand. In 494, Morwen and Nienor went to Doriath in search of Turin but no one there knew what had become of him, so they remained in Doriath for a time.
Nargothrond was attacked by the dragon Glaurung in 495, and this evil dragon lied to Turin by telling him that Morwen was enslaved in Dor-lomin. Turin went to Dor-lomin to free her.
Survivors of the attack on Nargothrond arrived at Doriath in 496, and from them Morwen learned that her son had been there. Thingol and his wife Melian strongly advised that Morwen not go in search of her son, but she left in secret. When Thingol discovered her absence, he sent a company led by Mablung to retrieve her. Nienor secretly left in search of her mother as well.
Nienor soon found her mother, and Morwen ordered her to return to Doriath. Nienor did not obey her mother's orders. But when they reached Nargothrond they found Glaurung. Mablung's company crossed the Meres of Twilight while pursuing them. But Glaurung released an enchantingly evil fog and Mablung's horses all galloped away in fear. Morwen was able to escape the speel but went wandering for nearly the rest of her life. Nienor did not escape the spell, and Glaurung gave her amnesia and she forgot her true identity. Nienor ran off into the forests nearby and never saw her mother again.
Meanwhile, Turin went to Dor-lomin and found it overrun by Easterlings. In the hall of Brodda, Turin saw Aerin, and she told him that Morwen and Nienor had gone to Doriath to look for him. With renewed rage, Turin slew Brodda and many of his kin. Turin offered that Aerin come with him into the wild and escape the evil and overbearing Easterlings who had invaded Dor-lomin. But Aerin did not want to go out into the wild during the Long Winter, so she stayed behind. When she realized that more Easterlings would come to kill her, she set Brodda's hall aflame and was likely killed in the fire.
From Dor-lomin, Turin fled to the Forest of Brethil. There he took residence in Ephel Brandir and helped the people of Haleth fight off invasions of Orcs. Turin positioned himself at the Crossings of Teiglin.
One day, Turin found Nienor lying naked in the forest. She was cold, hungry, wounded, and ill. She had also forgotten how to speak because of her amnesia. When Turin asked her her name, she cried. He then called her Níniel, meaning "tear maiden." Turin introduced himself to her as Turambar.
Niniel was taken to Brandir, Lord of the House of Haleth. She was taught how to speak and her wounds were mended.
Turin adored Nienor because she reminded him of his beloved sister Lalaith. Turin brought Nienor to safety in the stronghold of Ephel Brandir, where the men of the House of Haleth took refuge.
Brandir had had an accident as a child and could no longer walk, but he was still able to nurse Nienor back to health. He was unable to restore her memory, but her physical self was refurbished. Brandir grew to love Nienor, but she thought of Brandir as a brother and loved Turin.
Turin proposed to Nienor in 497. Upon hearing of this, Brandir advised Nienor to wait because Turin was the son of Hurin of the House of Hador, and he would likely go to war against Morgoth and die. Brandir also forsaw that the marriage of Turin and Nienor would be ill-fated, but he did not say why or how. Nienor agreed and told Turin to wait.
Turin assured Nienor that he would not go to war unless he was defending his homestead. So in 498, Nienor finally decided to accept his marriage request. They were married in the summer of 498, and by 499 Nienor had fallen pregnant with their first child.
Nienor became unhappy, but she could not say why. She had little interaction with other people, and she became somewhat depressed. In time, Glaurung began sending legions of Orcs to attack the borders of Brethil, and soon the dragon himself attacked.
Though initially Turin kept his promise of not fighting for a time, the men of Haleth were eventually overrun by the forces of Glaurung. Turin led a company of men to help defend the forest at Nen Girith, and Nienor soon followed. Turin fought valiantly against Glaurung, and they both fell in battle. Despite this, neither of them had fully died.
When she reached the Crossings of Teiglin, Nienor found Turin lying on the ground. He appeared to be dead, for when she held him he did not wake up. He was also badly wounded. Glaurung also appeared to be dead, but with his last words he told her that Turin was her brother. When Glaurung died, his spell over her was lifted and her memories returned. She remembered that Turin was in fact her brother, and with this knowledge and the belief that her brother was dead, she cast herself off of Deer's Leap into the Teiglin and committed suicide. After her tragic death, the Deer's Leap became known as Cabed Naeramarth. This translates as the Leap of Dreadful Doom.
Brandir soon arrived at the scene and told Turin what had happened, and Turin killed Brandir in disbelief. But when Turin learned that he had been wrong and he was guilty of killing Brandir, and with the knowledge of what had happened to his beloved sister, he killed himself.
Turin was buried in a great tomb. Though Nienor's corpse was never found, the name Nienor Níniel was written on his tomb alongside his own name. This tomb survived the destruction of Beleriand during the War of Wrath and became an island in the Sea known as Tol Morwen.
Names & Meanings
The name Túrin is Sindarin for "he who desires mastery." It can be derived from from tûr, meaning "mastery" and in from ind, meaning "desire." Turin was also called Turambar, which translates from Quenya as "master of doom." It is derived from tur meaning "master" and ambar meaning "doom."
There were also two Stewards of Gondor named Turin I and Turin II as well as a King of Gondor named Turambar. All three of these figures did not live until the Third Age.
There were also two Stewards of Gondor named Turin I and Turin II as well as a King of Gondor named Turambar. All three of these figures did not live until the Third Age.
References
The Silmarillion: "Of the Coming of Men into the West;" "Of Turin Turambar," passim
The Unfinished Tales: "Narn i Chîn Hurin," passim
The Children of Hurin: "The Childhood of Turin," passim; "Turin among the Outlaws," pages 101 and passim; "Turin in Nargothrond," pages 159-165 and passim; "The Land of Bow and Helm," page 146; "The Coming of Turin into Brethil," pages 196 and passim
The Unfinished Tales: "Narn i Chîn Hurin," passim
The Children of Hurin: "The Childhood of Turin," passim; "Turin among the Outlaws," pages 101 and passim; "Turin in Nargothrond," pages 159-165 and passim; "The Land of Bow and Helm," page 146; "The Coming of Turin into Brethil," pages 196 and passim
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