WWXXXV: Werewolves among the Wolf-men

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

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[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Túrin son of Húrin was a man strong and proud, a hero of old times, and his deeds were great in the lands of Beleriand in ages long gone. But his fate was dark and sorrowful, for the curse of Morgoth the Dark Lord lay on him and his kin. His tale is fulltold in that lay that is called Narn i Hîn Húrin, the Tale of the Children of Húrin. Here of that tale is told but a small part, for it is the longest of all the ancient tales.
When Túrin was young, his mother sent him to Doriath, where king Thingol received him and raised him. Túrin grew fair and strong in Doriath, and became the companion in arms of Beleg Cúthalion. But he came into enmity with Saeros, an elf from king's court, and Saeros assailed him in the woods; but Túrin overcame him and Saeros fleeing in terror before him fell into the chasm of a stream. In fear of punishment, Túrin left Doriath and joined himself to a band of such houseless and desperate men as could be found in those evil days lurking in the wild. Gaurwaith, wolf-men they were called, and Túrin became their leader and led them away westward out of Sirion's vale; for they grew weary of their life without rest, ever watchful and in fear of pursuit, and they sought for a safer lair.

And it chanced at a time of evening that they came upon three Dwarves, who fled before them; but one that lagged behind was seized and thrown down, and a man of the company took his bow and let fly an arrow at the others as they vanished in the dusk. Now the dwarf that they had taken was named Mîm; and he pleaded for his life before Túrin, and offered as ransom to lead them to his hidden halls which none might find without his aid. Then Túrin pitied Mîm, and spared him; and he said: "Where is your house?"
Then Mîm answered: "High above the lands lies the house of Mîm, upon the great hill; Amon Rûdh is that hill called now, since the Elves changed all the names."
Then Túrin was silent, and he looked long upon the dwarf; and at last he said: "You shall bring us to that place."

The company set westward, and Túrin went at the head with Mîm at his side. They walked warily when they left the woods, but all the land was empty and quiet. They passed over the tumbled stones, and began to climb; for Amon Rûdh stood upon the eastern edge of the high moorlands that rose between the vales of Sirion and Narog, and even above the stony heath at its base its crown was reared up a thousand feet and more. Upon the eastern side a broken land climbed slowly up to the high ridges among knots of birch and rowan, and ancient thorn-trees rooted in rock. About the lower slopes of Amon Rûdh there grew thickets of aeglos; but its steep grey head was bare, save for the red seregon that mantled the stone.
As the afternoon was waning the outlaws drew near to the roots of the hill. They came now from the north, for so Mîm had led them, and the light of the westering sun fell upon the crown of Amon Rûdh, and the seregon was all in flower.
Then one among them said: "See! There is blood on the hill-top."
"Not yet," said Túrin.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Then Mîm led them by secret paths up the steep slopes of Amon Rûdh; and at the mouth of his cave he bowed to Túrin, saying: "Enter into Bar-en-Danwedh, the House of Ransom; for so it shall be called."
And now there came another dwarf bearing light to greet him, and they spoke together, and passed swiftly down into the darkness of the cave; but the men followed after, and came at length to a chamber far within, lit by dim lamps hanging upon chains. There they found Mîm kneeling at a stone couch beside the wall, and he tore his beard, and wailed, crying one name unceasingly; and on the couch there lay a third. But Túrin entering stood beside Mîm, and offered him aid. Then Mîm looked up at him, and said: "You can give no aid. Not unless you can turn back time, and then cut off the cruel hands of your men. For this is Khîm, my son; pierced by an arrow. He died at sunset. Ibun my son has told me."
Again pity long hardened welled in Túrin's heart as water from rock. "Alas!" he said. "I would recall that shaft, if I could. Now Bar-en-Danwedh, House of Ransom, shall this be called in truth. For whether we dwell here or no, I will hold myself in your debt; and if ever I come to any wealth, I will pay you a ransom of heavy gold for your son, in token of sorrow, though it gladden your heart no more."
Then Mîm rose, and looked long at Túrin. "I hear you," he said. "You speak like a Dwarf-lord of old; and at that I marvel. Now my heart is cooled, though it is not glad. My own ransom I will pay, therefore: you may dwell here, if you will. But this I will add: he that loosed the shaft shall break his bow and his arrows and lay them at my son's feet; and he shall never take arrow nor bear bow again. If he does, he shall die by it. That curse I lay on him."
The outlaw who shot the Dwarf was afraid when he heard of this curse; and though he did so with great grudge, he broke his bow and his arrows and laid them at the dead Dwarf's feet. But as he came out from the chamber, he glanced evilly at Mîm, and muttered: "The curse of a Dwarf never dies, they say; but a Man's too may come home. May he die with a dart in his throat!"

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

So began the abiding of Túrin son of Húrin in the halls of Mîm, in Bar-en-Danwedh, the House of Ransom. For a long while the life of the outlaws went well to their liking. Food was not scarce, and they had good shelter, warm and dry, with room enough and to spare; for they found that the caves could have housed a hundred or more at need. But when the year drew on to midwinter, snow came down from the north heavier than they had known it in the river-vales, and Amon Rûdh was covered deep; and they said that the winters worsened in Beleriand as the power of Angband grew. Then only the hardiest dared stir abroad; and some fell sick, and all were pinched with hunger. But in the dim dusk of a winter's day there appeared suddenly among them a man, as it seemed, of great bulk and girth, cloaked and hooded in white; and he walked up to the fire without a word. And when men sprang up in fear, he laughed, and threw back his hood, and beneath his wide cloak he bore a great pack; and in the light of the fire Túrin looked on the face of Beleg Cúthalion.
Thus Beleg returned to Túrin, and their meeting was glad; and with him he brought out of Dimbar the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin, thinking that it might lift Túrin's thought again above his life in the wilderness as the leader of a petty company.

But after the winter came spring, and now again the might of Angband was moved; and as the long fingers of a groping hand the forerunners of his armies probed the ways into Beleriand. They have taken all the northern lands and led their way as far as the Guarded Plain; but the Orcs did not go far upon it, as yet, for there dwelt now in the wild a terror that was hidden, and upon the red hill were watchful eyes of which they had not been warned. For Túrin put on again the Helm of Hador; and far and wide in Beleriand the whisper went, under wood and over stream and through the passes of the hills, saying that the Helm and Bow that had fallen in Dimbar had arisen again beyond hope. Then many who went leaderless, dispossessed but undaunted, took heart again, and came to seek the Two Captains. Dor-Cúarthol, the Land of Bow and Helm, was in that time named all the region between Teiglin and the west march of Doriath. In Menegroth, and in the deep halls of Nargothrond, and even in the hidden realm of Gondolin, the fame of the deeds of the Two Captains was heard; and in Angband also they were known. Then Morgoth laughed, for now by the Dragon-helm was Húrin's son revealed to him again; and ere long Amon Rûdh was ringed with spies.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

In that time, when due to deeds of the Bow and Helm the power of Morgoth was stemmed west of Sirion, Morwen mother of Túrin fled at last from Dor-lómin with Nienor her daughter, and adventured the long journey to Doriath. There new grief awaited her, for she found Túrin gone. But Morwen's heart was restless, as if she saw some great peril coming, and longed to go to seek for Túrin. But Thingol said to her: "This is a perilous matter, Lady of Dor-lómin, and must be pondered. Such doubt may in truth be the work of Morgoth, to draw us on to some rashness."
But Morwen being distraught cried: "Rashness, lord! If my son lurks in the woods hungry, if he lingers in bonds, if his body lies unburied, then I would be rash. I would lose no hour to go to seek him."
But Nienor said: "If the wife of Húrin can go forth against all counsel at the call of kindred, then so also can Húrin's daughter. Mourning you named me, but I will not mourn alone, for father, brother, and mother. But of these you only have I known, and above all do I love. And I want not to lose you, but I will go and find my brother, and bring him back."
Then Morwen would restrain her; but Nienor knew her mother will not give up unless Túrin is found. So under the cover of night, she had taken horse and left Doriath to seek for her brother in the wilderness. She crossed Sirion and headed northwards, and there came upon a small company of outlaws. Their leader welcomed her, but to her questions he gave no answers. "The Bow and Helm are in these lands," he said, "but where their bearers dwell, no one knows."

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

At that time, news reached Túrin that the Orcs are assembling once more to cross Teiglin with great force, and Beleg set forth with some of his companions to learn more about their numbers, while Túrin decided to stay and guard their hideout for the few days.
"I will return shortly," Beleg said to Túrin when they parted. "But until then, do not admit anyone you do not know to Amon Rûdh. My heart warns me that there is some greater peril ahead than our eyes can perceive."

Thus Beleg departed, and Túrin heard nothing of him for some time. He spent few days with the old Dwarf, listening to his lore and the tales of his life. Mîm seemed well pleased, and showed much favour to Túrin in return; eventually he would admit Túrin to his hidden smithy, and there they would talk softly together. But as days passed, Túrin's heart became unsettled, and every evening he would look westwards to see Beleg returning with news from the Crossings. But Beleg did not come, and Túrin's heart was restless.

But it happened one evening that Ibun son of Mîm returned from gathering of food, and brought news about the Outlaws in surrounding camps, for the fame of the Helm and Bow has brought many men to these lands. And then it was when Túrin heard this strange tale: of a young woman coming from the East, in likeness of the fair women of the House of Hador, seeking for the bearer of the Helm of Dor-Lómin.
"Who was she?" said Túrin, suddenly in fear and doubt, though he knew not why. But at that moment a hooded man appeared beside them, and Túrin, startled, drew his sword. But the man took off his hood, and lo! In the light of campfire Túrin looked again in the face of Beleg Cúthalion: but the face he saw was weary and fearful.
"I bring grave news, my friend," said Beleg before Túrin could ask anything. "The might of the North has moved. Before we could even reach the Crossings, we were waylaid by a troop of Orcs who must have secretly crossed the river. The men fought valiantly, but many of them were slain by the first unexpected strike and the rest have fled into the woods. I do not know what happened to them."
And Túrin said: "So it is as I have feared. I pity that loss, for they were brave men. But even then there is some hope. Mîm's son, here, said that there are men gathering in the nearby woods to join the Helm and Bow. Is that not a good sign of fate in the darkness of this time?"
"Your fate is all dark, and not good, son of Húrin," said Beleg. "But I do not understand what you say."
"I say," Túrin answered, "that we send Ibun for the outlaws down in the nearby camps. We need more men and if we have enough, we can at last go and throw back the Orcs."
Now Beleg was alarmed and said: "But surely you cannot plan to bring those you hardly know to our hideout? The Enemy is searching for you everywhere, and who knows his counsels? Remember that it was for the treachery he achieved his ends in the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. Choose wisely whom you admit to your presence!"
But Túrin would not listen, and against the counsel of Beleg he sent a call to the men from nearby camps to join him; and he let a chosen number of them come to Amon Rûdh. But Beleg remained quiet and unsettled, and he covered his face with hood, so that none of the men recognized him.