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Trin TurambarIn The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien, Trin Turambar was a Man of Middle-earth, who became a tragic hero (or anti-hero) of the First Age in the tale called Narn i Chn Hrin ("The Tale of the Children of Hrin"). Unpublished drafts of the story, later edited by Christopher Tolkien and published in Unfinished Tales and The History of Middle-earth series, tell the story in greater detail. Trin was the only son of Hrin Thalion and Morwen Elfsheen. He had a younger sister Urwen whom everyone called Lalaith (laughter), but she died in childhood of a plague. After Hrin was captured in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, Trin remained with his mother Morwen, who hid him from the Easterlings that Morgoth had sent to Hithlum, fearing they would kill Trin or enslave him. Unknown to Trin, Morgoth had placed a curse on all of Hrin's family. When Trin was seven years old she sent him to Doriath, where he was adopted by Thingol as a son. After this Trin's second sister, Nienor was born. Trin was restless, and as soon as he was permitted he joined Beleg Cthalion on the marches of Doriath, fighting the Orcs of Morgoth. He wore the Dragon-helm of Dor-lmin, and the Orcs began to fear him more than any other. Trin accidentally caused the death of Saeros, one of Thingol's counsellors who had provoked and attacked him. Before he could be either punished or forgiven he fled, eventually meeting up with a band of outlaws that dwelt south of Brethil. There he identified himself only as Neithan (the wronged). Trin killed their leader, and became their leader in his place. During his rule he stopped the outlaws from raiding houses of Men, and only hunted Orcs. In the meantime Beleg Cthalion obtained leave by Thingol to seek out his friend. Beleg found Trin's outlaws at Amon Rdh and when he could not persuade his friend to leave the outlaws, he left to return to Doriath. While they were parted, and after such a long time living in the wild, Trin's band captured Mm the Petty-dwarf. Mm was forced to share his halls on Amon Rdh with them. At Doriath, Beleg asked to be able to join his friend. Thingol allowed this and also gave him the black sword Anglachel, and Melian gave him lembas. Beleg returned to Turin that winter, healing those of the band that had become sick with cold. Beleg brought with him the Dragon-helm, and the area around Amon Rdh became known as Dor-Carthol, the Land of Bow and Helm" (since Beleg was known as a mighty bowman). There Trin took the name Gorthal, The Dread Helm. Many warriors joined them, and much of West Beleriand was freed from evil for a while. Eventually Trin was betrayed by Mm, and he was captured and all his men slain. Beleg survived and rescued Trin from the Orcs in Taur-nu-Fuin with the help of Gwindor, an escaped slave of Morgoth, but Trin accidentally killed Beleg with Beleg's sword Anglachel. Gwindor led Trin, dazed, to the Pools of Ivrin, where he came back to his senses. Gwindor then led Trin to Nargothrond, where once he had lived. In Nargothrond Trin hid his name, calling himself Umarth, son of Agarwaen (the Bloodstained son of the Cursed). He had Anglachel reforged and named it Gurthang, Iron of Death. Finduilas, daughter of Orodreth, fell in love with him, but he avoided her because she had previously been the beloved of his friend Gwindor. Trin declined to tell her his name, so that she called him Thurin (the secret). He was also called Adanedhel (Man-Elf) because he was so like an Elf, though he was human. Trin became a chief counsellor of the weak Orodreth, and was extremely influential in Nargothrond. He encouraged the Nargothrondrim to abandon their practice of secrecy, and they built a great bridge before the gates. Because of his prowess with Gurthang, he himself became known as the Mormegil (Black Sword), or the Black Sword of Nargothrond. Morgoth sent the dragon Glaurung to Nargothrond. Trin was was caught by the powerful gaze of Glaurung, and stood by idly as Finduilas was dragged away, calling to him, a captive for Morgoth. Glaurung deceived him into believing Morwen and Nienor were suffering in Dor-lmin, and Trin abandoned Finduilas to seek out his kin. In actuality Morwen and Nienor were safely in Doriath, as Trin's own efforts had made the way passable. Once in Dor-lmin, Trin found his old home empty. He went to the halls of the Easterling lord Brodda, who had taken Hrin's kinswoman Aerin as a wife and had taken Hrin's lands and possessions. From Aerin, Trin learned that Morwen had left, and in his rage he killed Brodda, thereby also sealing Aerin's fate. As Trin left again, Aerin burnt herself alive in her halls, and the remainder of the House of Hador now was persecuted even more cruelly. Trin next tried to find Finduilas, but by the time he picked up the Orc's trail he came too late: the woodsmen of Brethil informed him she had been killed as they had tried to rescue the prisoners of Nargothrond. Trin collapsed on the mound she was buried in, and was brought to Brethil. In Brethil Trin again took up his life, now calling himself Turambar (master of fate) in an act of bravado, deciding that his curse was now finally over. One day he found a naked young woman on Finduilas's grave, and calling her Nniel he later took her as his wife. Trin's happiness ended when Glaurung came near Brethil. Trin with two others set out to kill the dragon, but he was the only one to reach the drake. With his black sword he killed Glaurung at Cabed-en-Aras, but was hurt and fell in a swoon. As Nniel came to search for him, Glaurung with his last words revealed to her she was Trin's sister. Horrified, Nienor Nniel killed herself. When Trin awoke he was told by Brandir, lord of the Haladin of Brethil what had happened, and he killed Brandir, refusing to believe. When he learned from Mablung of Doriath who had come to seek him that Brandir had told the truth, he killed himself on Gurthang, his black sword. Trin is one of the only characters in the Middle-earth legendarium to have committed suicide and several of the others are connected to his story. Trin was buried near Finduilas' grave, and on his tombstone the Haladin wrote in the Cirth of Doriath: TRIN TURAMBAR DAGNIR GLAURUNGA
(Trin, Conqueror of Fate, Slayer of Glaurung). Beneath that they also wrote: NIENOR NNIEL
though her body could not be found. Morwen and Hrin later met at this site for the last time, and Morwen was also buried there. The mound they were buried beneath survived the War of Wrath and as Tol Morwen was the westernmost isle off the coast of Lindon in the Second and Third Ages. It was prophesied by Mandos that at the End of Time Morgoth would wage a final battle against the Valar, the Final Battle, and that Trin Turambar would deliver the death blow, exterminating evil forever. Trin was a first cousin of Tuor, father of Erendil. There are many parallels between the circumstances of their lives (both lost their fathers in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, were raised in part by Elves, spent time as outlaws and as prisoners, and were war-leaders in the greatest oldorin fortresses), but the outcome of Tuor's life was quite different. (Even Trin's coloring was dark, enhancing his resemblance to the oldorin Elves but further setting him apart from his fair-haired cousin.) The two never actually met, but Tuor did once see his cousin in passing (not an everyday occurrence in the wilds of Beleriand). Whether the tragedies in Trin's life were the result of Morgoth's curse or of his own arrogance, or some combination of the two, is a subject of some debate among fans and scholars. The supposed resemblance of Trin to figures from medieval tales can be confirmed by part of a letter Tolkien wrote to Milton Waldman, a published concerning the publication of his works. - There is the Children of Hrin, the tragic tale of Trin Turambar and his sister Nniel --- of which Turin is the hero: a figure that might be said (by people who like that sort of thing, though it is not very useful) to be derived from elements in Sigurd the Volsung, Oedipus, and the Finnish Kullervo.
The Line of Trin Turambar and Nienor Nniel Marach | Haldad Malach Aradan : | : -------------------------- : | | : Hador = Gildis Adanel = Belemir : | | Halmir ---------------- | | | | | Hareth = Galdor Glredhel = Haldir Beren Thingol = Melian | | | | ---------------- Handir | | | | | | | Morwen = Hrin Huor = Ran Brandir Emeldir = Barahir | | | | | ---------------- | Beren Erchamion = Lthien | | | | | | Lalaith | Tuor = Idril Nimloth = Dior | | | | Turin = Nienor | | | ----------- | | Erendil = Elwing | ------------------------------ | | Elros Elrond = Celebrian | | ------------------------ | | | | Kings of Nmenor Lords of Andni | : | Elendil | | | --------------------- | | | | Isildur Anrion | : : | Kings of Arnor Kings of Gondor | and chiefs of the | Dnedain | : | : | Arathorn II = Gilraen | | | Aragorn = Arwen
Two Stewards of Gondor were also named Trin: Trin I and Trin II.
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