This tells of Hurin’s heroic stand at the
Nirnaeth Arnoediad, the fifth battle in the Wars of Beleriand. He and
his house
stood as the rear-guard and allowed Turgon the time to escape back to
Gondolin. The last man alive on the battlefield after his brother Huor
was killed by an arrow in the eye, Hurin slew a thousand orcs (or
seventy trolls according to which story version) thus earning himself
the name Hurin Trollslayer) before he at last was captured. This deed
is the most renowned of men among elves.
Due to his mother’s (Hareth’s) being the daughter of
the chieftain of the house of Haleth and the son of the chieftain of
the
house of Hador (Galdor or Gumlin, also two different versions) and the
wife
of the daughter of the chieftain of the house of Beor, later named the
house
of Hurin, and being the last survivor of all these families (though not
by
much as the tale says) he is rightfully, at the end, chieftain of all
three
houses of the Edain.
top