On episode 236, we are continuing our tour of The History of Middle-earth series as we survey The Lays of Beleriand.
The Lays of Beleriand contains poetic versions of “The Children of Húrin” and “Beren and Lúthien”, as well as fragments from poetic versions of other Middle-earth tales.
The executive producers of this episode are Kaitlyn of Tea With Tolkien, Liis U, Andrew T, John R., and Ms. Anonymous.
I noticed that the poetic meter of the excerpt of The Lay of Leithian that John read sounds similar to the Song of Durin from The Fellowship of the Ring, and some of the lines are similar or identical as well. The Lay of Leithian came first, implying that the Song of Durin was heavily influenced by the older work. Here are some of the lines that seemed most similar:
“A king he was on carven throne In many-pillared halls of stone … There beryl, pearl, and opal pale, And metal wrought like fishes’ mail, Buckler and corslet, axe and sword, And shining spears were laid in hoard.“
– The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Ch. IV: “A Journey in the Dark”
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2 Responses
I noticed that the poetic meter of the excerpt of The Lay of Leithian that John read sounds similar to the Song of Durin from The Fellowship of the Ring, and some of the lines are similar or identical as well. The Lay of Leithian came first, implying that the Song of Durin was heavily influenced by the older work. Here are some of the lines that seemed most similar:
“A king he was on carven throne
In many-pillared halls of stone … There beryl, pearl, and opal pale,
And metal wrought like fishes’ mail,
Buckler and corslet, axe and sword,
And shining spears were laid in hoard.“
– The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Ch. IV: “A Journey in the Dark”
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