Lay Of Aotrou And Itroun

J. R. R. Tolkien, Verlyn Flieger

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Hardback

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English

Harper Collins
21 November 2016

Poetry; Poetry by individual poets; Fantasy; Fiction in translation; Epic Fantasy; High Fantasy; Magic; Mythological Creatures, People & Places; Fairies

Unavailable for more than 70 years, this early but important work is published for the first time with Tolkien’s ‘Corrigan’ poems and other supporting material, including a prefatory note by Christopher Tolkien.

Set ‘In Britain’s land beyond the seas’ during the Age of Chivalry, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun tells of a childless Breton Lord and Lady (the ‘Aotrou’ and ‘Itroun’ of the title) and the tragedy that befalls them when Aotrou seeks to remedy their situation with the aid of a magic potion obtained from a corrigan, or malevolent fairy. When the potion succeeds and Itroun bears twins, the corrigan returns seeking her fee, and Aotrou is forced to choose between betraying his marriage and losing his life.

Coming from the darker side of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imagination, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, together with the two shorter ‘Corrigan’ poems that lead up to it and which are also included, was the outcome of a comparatively short but intense period in Tolkien's life when he was deeply engaged with Celtic, and particularly Breton, myth and legend.

Originally written in 1930 and long out of print, this early but seminal work is an important addition to the non-Middle-earth portion of his canon and should be set alongside Tolkien’s other retellings of myth and legend, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, The Fall of Arthur and The Story of Kullervo. Like these works, it belongs to a small but important corpus of his ventures into ‘real-world’ mythologies, each of which in its own way would be a formative influence on his own legendarium.

By: J. R. R. Tolkien
Edited by: Verlyn Flieger
Imprint: Harper Collins
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 228mm, Width: 149mm, Spine: 17mm
Weight: 290g
ISBN: 9780008202132
ISBN 10: 0008202133
Pages: 128
Publication Date: 21 November 2016
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Author Website: http://www.mythus.com/index.html

J.R.R.Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 60 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.

Reviews for Lay Of Aotrou And Itroun

'The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun is a poem in the tradition of the medieval lay , also illustrated by the Lay of the Children of Hurin, and in the Lay of Leithian. This 556-verse-long poem tells the tragic story of a lord who sacrifices his life by love: in order to have a child with his wife, then to remain faithful to his spouse, he gives his life to a witch.' The J.R.R. Tolkien Estate website 'The language is as time-worn as a Runic engraving yet clear as a bell ... The holy and the unholy imbue everything. It is a world captured in stained glass.' Daily Telegraph