The Lays of Beleriand

About “The Lays of Beleriand”

This is the third volume of the History of Middle-earth, a series that includes previously unpublished manuscripts written by J.R.R. Tolkien over many years before The Silmarillion was published. The volume contains the previously unpublished Lay of the Children of Hurin, a long poem about the tragedy of Turin Turambar, and the Lay of Leithian, which tells the story of Beren and Luthien. These poems were part of Tolkien's broader work on the Elder Days. The Lay of Leithian was later revised after The Lord of the Rings was completed. The volume also includes commentaries on the development of the history of the Elder Days and a detailed critique of the Lay of Leithian by C.S. Lewis, who praised its imaginative and academic qualities.