How Do Unfinished Tales and Fall of Gondolin Compare?

[Duguay]

Hello all, I have a question about the content for Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin, as published in The Unfinished Tales, compared to the corresponding reprinted inclusion in the book The Fall of Gondolin. Are they the same? Exactly? Or are there omissions between one or the other version?

I'm asking because I experienced some frustration with comparing The Childen of Hurin to the Narn that appears in UT. I felt uneasy about portions that were excluded from the UT version, and frustrated that a couple (admittedly small) passages that were in UT were trimmed from The Children of Hurin. I took this very seriously. To the point I was glad that I read the Appendix about the construction of the text of The Children of Hurin while I was making my way through the actual narrative. I felt lucky to have the opportunity, and at the relevant spot while reading The Children of Hurin, I read the corresponding text from UT in overlap to include the brief history of the Dragon-Helm of Hador, and the passage about Saeros's lineage in as close to their proper spots in the narrative.

I'm wondering if there are similar omissions, removed passages from the UT version? And is there omissions and restorations of the text included in The Fall of Gondolin book? Or are they exactly the same, or very closely so? If there are variations and omissions, can anyone provide a guide to where I would need to go back and forth to get the full text?

Thanks for any feedback and suggestions you all can provide!

 

[Elthir]

Of the tale as told in Unfinished Tales, Christopher Tolkien very generally notes: "As always with my father's writings there are variant readings, and in one short section (the approach to and passage of the River Sirion by Tuor and Voronwe) several competing forms; some minor editorial work has therefore been necessary."

Note 23 reveals some details of a parallel version of this short section (or at least a part of it), but in any case, Christopher Tolkien characterized it as almost certainly rejected in favor of the one printed in UT, and in The Fall of Gondolin the passage is the same as in Unfinished Tales.

See what I did there? "Passage" > words-in-a-book and the passage of the river. . .

. . . cough. Anyway . . .

. . . that much said, I don't know. I haven't read the FG version, still assuming (!) that it's exactly, or near exactly, the same as in UT.

Oh well. It's not my first time posting unhelpfully.

 

[Glorfindel Goldtress]

I'm wondering if there are similar omissions, removed passages from the UT version? And is there omissions and restorations of the text included in The Fall of Gondolin book? Or are they exactly the same, or very closely so? If there are variations and omissions, can anyone provide a guide to where I would need to go back and forth to get the full text?

Having not comprehensively read in full the two differing versions, and also with the knowledge that Tolkien sadly left his brand new The Fall of Gondolin incomplete, I am not quite aware what exactly Tolkien would have intended if there are divergences in the texts of the legendarium or even if he had the story set in his mind. As we do not have the newest version finished (or as my brain wanted to say, the newest fersion vinished), we can enjoy the enigma of the unknown within the beloved stories, which is one of the things that really builds the world of Arda into true being. So read and enjoy! Glean what you will and let your imagination do the rest!

 

[Duguay]

@Elthir: Very clever play on words, regarding the passage of the River Sirion in The Fall of Gondolin! As far as the rest of your response, don't sell yourself short; you've clearly read the text and some (all?) of the notes/footnotes/commentaries that go with it. Which is exactly what I was looking for, someone who read the notes or commentary about the text who might remember editorial details. Thank you for sharing what you know, Loremaster of Tolkiens writings!

@Glorfindel Goldtress: Thank you for sharing your philosophical approach to enjoying the mystery of what a closer view of the narrative might look like, that the imagination can work with, I agree and enjoy that aspect. It is one of the things that informs my current reading of The Silmarillion at a very relaxed pace:

I work my way through it at the pace of either a page a day, or through enough narrative content that would fill out a 20-40 minute block of narrative of a non-existent show (if the material was expanded into full-length script form). Every once in a while some passages got an even shorter daily dose, such as the splintering of the Elves along their journey to Aman, I found it useful to remember the names of the various sundered groups of Elves by giving each separation a single day's reading: so for that day I could reflect on the new group of Elves and remember better the significance of each separation.

The mystery of what isn't included is intriguing, but there have been rewards in connecting the longer versions in close proximity to each other. This was notable to me most recently seeing how things unfold between Turin and Brandir toward's the end of Turin's story, compare with the generosity and affection he treats a childhood friend/mentor who is lame, Sador. And then we see how his mentality has fallen the way he disrespects Brandir's leadership and later actively insults him because of his limp. One of those more subtle, psychological markers of Turin's deterioration and fall, making the tragedy of his life more effectively devastating.

Both responses are much appreciated, thank you again!

 

[banakil]

The mystery of what isn't included is intriguing, but there have been rewards in connecting the longer versions in close proximity to each other. This was notable to me most recently seeing how things unfold between Turin and Brandir toward's the end of Turin's story, compare with the generosity and affection he treats a childhood friend/mentor who is lame, Sador. And then we see how his mentality has fallen the way he disrespects Brandir's leadership and later actively insults him because of his limp. One of those more subtle, psychological markers of Turin's deterioration and fall, making the tragedy of his life more effectively devastating.

Sador (Labadal) may be one of the most underrated voices in Tolkien's work. In Children of Hurin, his quotes are epic, such as: “A man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a short cut to meet it.”

You're right to compare Sador and Brandir, as both were lame advisors to Turin:

• Sador provides openly to Turin's family; Brandir covets secretly Turin's family
• Sador counsels Turin to move swiftly; Brandir counsels delay
• Turin gifts Sador a knife to help with the homestead; Turin kills Brandir with a sword