Tuvo the wizard king

[Groin Redbeard]

I was recently reading through the History of Middle-earth books and I came across a interesting text that mentions the greatest wizard that dwelt in Arda:

Originally Posted by Gilfanon’s Tale: The Travail of the Noldoli

Now the tale tells o a certain fay and names him Tu the wizard, for he was more skilled in magics than any that have ever yet dwelt beyond the land of Valinor; and wondering about the world he found the elves and he drew them to him and taught them many deep things, and he became as a mighty king among, and their tales name him the Lord of Gloaming and all the fairies of his land Hisildi or twilight people.

The text goes on to explain that Tu is also known as Tuvo, and explains his part in the awakening of men. After this Tuvo (as I shall refer to him) is never mentioned anywhere else in all of Tolkien’s writing (at least not under the name of Tu or Tuvo). How is it that we never hear of this important figure? Is it because he wis known by a different name in later years?

Chirstopher Tolkien explains that one concept for the story was for Tuvo to be evil. On a scrap piece of paper JRR Tolkien wrote: “Melko meets with Tuvo in the hall so Mandos during his enchainment. He teaches Tuvo much black magic.” This, however, was struck out and nothing more was said on the matter. This raises another question: what is Tuvo? This wizard is likely enough to be elf, seeing that Chistoper Tolkien explains that “after the escape of Melko and the ruin of the Tees that Tuvo entered the world and “‘set up a wizard kingship in the middle lands.’” However, Tuvo has knowledge that no Elf, that I kno of , had. When the Elf, Nuin, tells Tuvo of his finding of the resting place of men:

Originally Posted by Gilfanon’s Tale: The Travail of the Noldoli

Then did Tu fall into fear of Manwe, nay even Iluvaar the Lord of All. The Wizard Tuvo told Nuin that the sleepers he had found were the new children of Iluvatar, and that they were waiting for light. He forbade any of the Elves to wake them or to visit those places, being frightened of the wrath of Iluvatar...”

How did he know this? The possibility of him being a Maiar arises, but didn’t the Valar restrict any one of their kind from ruling over the Elves once they left Valinor?

What do you think happened to the wizard king? Is he an Elf, Maiar, or possinly something else (can I hear some one say Tom Bombadil)?

[Lalwendë]

Which volume did you get this from? Just to save me rummaging for the Index, you understand

I'm wondering if the name evolved into Tevildo, Lord of Cats? Being that Tolkien was fond of recycling names...

[Groin Redbeard]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Which volume did you get this from? Just to save me rummaging for the Index, you understand

Volume 1, and the chapter is Gilfanon's Tale: The Travail of the Noldoli, page 232. Looking forward to your response!

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Groin Redbeard

Volume 1, and the chapter is Gilfanon's Tale: The Travail of the Noldoli, page 232. Looking forward to your response!

Cheers, I shall have a look at this tonight!

[The Might]

Probably from Book of Lost Tales. Anyway those stories are so old, that many of the ideas were simply dropped and fully replaced. Same goes for Tuvo I believe, Tolkien simply gave up the idea and perhaps some of his characteristics (evil ruling wizard) later passed on to Saruman. No idea really, but as said a lot of BoLT is really old dusty stuff.

[Lilly]

That was interesting, Lalwendë, that you thought of Tevildo as perhaps being a recycling of Tu/Tuvo.

I first thought that this Tu/Tuvo character might have later evolved into Thû - Thû the Hunter and Thû the Necromancer. Both of these being early names of Sauron, as was Tevildo.

Tolkien, or so it seems to me, sometimes approached working out characters and their places in the history of Arda in rather circuitous ways.

I also recalled a brief mention of Tu/Tuvo by Tom Shippey - HERE. Unfortunately the article does nothing to illuminate who Tu was, but it is an interesting discussion of how Tolkien might have evolved his own particular concept of Elves.

[Formendacil]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Which volume did you get this from? Just to save me rummaging for the Index, you understand

I'm wondering if the name evolved into Tevildo, Lord of Cats? Being that Tolkien was fond of recycling names...

By now you'll have figured this out, likely enough, Lal, but here is it for the public record anyway: this is out of The Book of Lost Tales. It's from the chapter "Gilfanon's Tale" which isn't so much a narrative as disjointed scraps around the missing "middle section." Insofar, therefore, as Tuvo/Tu's name goes, it probably postdates rather than predates Tevildo, since Tevildo is a major character in the original tale of Beren and Tinuviel, which predates these near-the-end workings on the Book of Lost Tales.

That is not to say, however, that Groin is quite right in his assertion:

Originally Posted by Groin Redbeard

After this Tuvo (as I shall refer to him) is never mentioned anywhere else in all of Tolkien’s writing (at least not under the name of Tu or Tuvo).

The name "Tu" does not reappear, this is correct, but a very similar DOES appear--as a wizard, a powerful one, and a not so pleasant character either. Interesting enough, Thû, while having a name similar to "Tu"--and possessing some similar characteristics, is more of a replacement of Tevildo in the Beren and Tinuviel story--who was also apparently a Necromancer of some distinction. He had a minor role in The Hobbit, and as the 1930s went by, Tolkien gave him another name, by which he would chiefly be known in both the developing Silmarillion and in [i]The Hobbit[/b]'s famous sequel--Sauron.

Of course, I'm not suggesting that Sauron is equatable with Tu, but I WOULD suggest that, by stages, Sauron inherited something of the persona or aura of Tu, mixed into his plot-role inherited from Tevildo. And insofar as Saruman seems to be something of another working of the Sauron tradition (servant of Aulë, evil wizard, ring-maker, corrupter of orks), I think The Might might be on to something.