Las baladas de Beleriand (Historia de la Tierra Media, 3)

The Lay of the Children of Húrin was replaced by the Lay of Leithian, "Release from Captivity," in which the author gives poetic form to another important legend of the Elder Days. Although it is the main source for the prose tale of Beren and Lúthien in The Silmarillion, it too remained incomplete. It recounts, however, the quest for the Silmaril, and the narrative is interrupted only after the encounter with Morgoth in his subterranean fortress. Many years later, after he had finished The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien returned to the Lay of Leithian and began a new version, which is also presented here. The lays are accompanied by commentaries on the development of the history of the Elder Days, largely unfolding during the years in which the author wrote them.