Húrin is a fictional character in theMiddle-earthlegendarium ofJ. R. R. Tolkien. He is introduced inThe Silmarillion as a hero ofMen during theFirst Age, said to be the greatest warrior of both theEdain (Men ofNúmenor and their descendants) and all Men in Middle-earth. His actions, however, bring catastrophe and ruin to his family and to the people ofBeleriand.

Scholars have remarked the power and grimness of the tale.Tom Shippey calls the scene where Húrin is freed after 28 years by the Dark LordMorgoth the "lyric core" of the tale of thefall of Gondolin. Christopher Garbowski comments that when Húrin cries aloud, revealing the hidden entrance to Gondolin, the effect is quite unlike that ofThe Lord of the Rings. Helen Lasseter Freeh comments on the version inUnfinished Tales where Húrin and Morgoth discussluck and fate in Middle-earth. Shippey remarks thatTolkien often provides double explanations of events throughout his Middle-earth writings, so that their cause could be luck, but could equally be fate, the will of the godlike Valar.

Húrin is the elder son of Galdor of the House of Hador and Hareth of the Men of Haladin, who areEdain; his younger brother is Huor.^{[T 2]} They live with their uncle Haldir in Dor-lómin inBeleriand, and join a war party against theOrcs. The brothers are cut off from their company and chased by Orcs in the Vale of Sirion. TheVala Ulmo, Lord of Waters, causes a mist to arise from the river, and they escape. TwoEagles bring them to the hiddenElvish city ofGondolin. KingTurgon welcomes them, remembering Ulmo's prophecy that the House of Hador will aid Gondolin in its time of need. Turgon's nephewMaeglin urges that they not be allowed to leave, but Turgon overrides him; swearing secrecy, they return to Dor-lómin.^{[T 3]}

Morgoth's orcs attackHithlum, killing Húrin's father; Húrin chases the Orcs away and becomes the Lord of his people. He marries Morwen, who bears him a son,Túrin, and a daughter,Nienor. Húrin rides his horse Arroch, 'Noble horse',^{[T 1]} to battle alongside his brother. In the midst of battle he meets Turgon again. Losing the battle, Húrin and Huor take a stand, allowing Turgon to escape. Huor is killed, but Húrin fights until he is buried under a mountain of Orcs andTrolls. Gothmog Lord ofBalrogs brings him to Morgoth's fortress,Angband. Morgoth tries to force Húrin to reveal where Gondolin is. When Húrin refuses, Morgoth curses him along with his kin and puts him on a high mountain peak in chains, and lets him see and hear from the seat the evils thatwill befall his son and daughter, but not the good they will do. Húrin is embittered to learn that his children, both under a dragon-spell, marry each other, conceive a child, and commitsuicide.^{[T 4]}

After twenty-eight years of imprisonment and the death of his children, Morgoth releases Húrin: "He had grown grim to look upon: his hair and beard were white and long, but there was a fell light in his eyes. He walked unbowed, and yet carried a great black staff; but he was girt with a sword."^{[T 5]} He is brought to his old homelands, but enemies are living there. Seven outlaws join Húrin; they go to the Vale of Sirion. Húrin abandons his followers and seeks the entrance toGondolin, but it is closed, and Turgon does not wish to allow him in. Húrin cries out against Turgon,revealing the location of Gondolin to Morgoth's spies, and leaves. Too late, Turgon changes his mind and sends Eagles, but they do not find Húrin.^{[T 6]}

Húrin travels to the forest of Brethil where his son and daughter died, and meets Morwen at their grave, just before she dies. In anger and despair he seeks out the Folk of Haleth, blaming them for the deaths of his wife and children; a revolt ensues, killing the last Haladin. Hardang the Chieftain of Brethil fears and imprisons Húrin. A leader, Manthor, sets the people against Hardang; they kill him. Manthor too is killed; he asks Húrin: "Was not this your true errand, Man of the North: to bring ruin upon us to weigh against thine own?"^{[T 5]}

Húrin and the outlaws go toNargothrond. They take the dragon's gold from the dwarf who had claimed it, to avenge his family. They bring the treasure, including the dwarves' necklace, the Nauglamír, toDoriath; they insultThingol by giving the necklace as payment for his care of Húrin's kin. This brings a curse on Doriath, leading to its downfall.^{[T 7]}Melian theMaia, queen of Doriath, uses kind words to reach Húrin's clouded mind. Húrin sees that all his deeds have only aided Morgoth. A broken man, he drowns himself in the sea, ending the life of the "mightiest of the warriors of mortal men".^{[T 7]}

TheTolkien scholarTom Shippey writes that the "lyric core" of the story of thefall of Gondolin, the source of narrative dynamism amidst all the description andgenealogy inThe Silmarillion, is the scene where Húrin is set free after 28 years imprisoned by Morgoth. In his view, "everything in this scene is emblematic";^[1] the sun sets behind the Mountains of Shadow, standing for the coming catastrophe, but "the real sunset is in Húrin's heart".^[1] The dynamism is revealed, Shippey writes, by asking who is at fault on this occasion: is it Húrin, for despair, or Turgon, for being suspicious? Shippey comments that to answer fully would be to retell "the whole unhappy story of Middle-earth."^[1] He explains that the matter hinges on "a conflict of kinship"; Húrin remembers from many years earlier how he suffered to help Turgon; but though Turgon knows Húrin's situation, the royal Elf "refuses to trust the man who saved him once", and does not relent until it is too late. It is thus vital to the scene, and to the whole story, that the reader appreciates why Húrin goes into this emotional sunset; and that in turn requires the reader to know about his kinship with Turgon, from the family tree.^[1]

Christopher Garbowski writes in theJ.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia that the depiction of Húrin inThe War of the Jewels, crying aloud in the wilderness by the hidden entrance to Gondolin, creates a very different and far less optimistic and effect to that ofThe Lord of the Rings, which had already been written. The ValaManwe sends an eagle to Turgon for help, but the account seems, writes Garbowski, to allow no time for the message to arrive. He calls Shippey's description of the scene, a "posed tableau", apt.^[2]

Alex Lewis, writing inMythlore, asserts that Tolkien introduced a historical bias into the tale of Húrin's coming to Gondolin. He suggests that Tolkien chose to favour Turgon at the expense of Maeglin, because Turgon was a direct ancestor ofElrond. Sincein Tolkien's view ancestry indicated character, that meant that Turgon had to be spared the blame for the fall of Gondolin – Húrin had to take this blame in his place. Lewis comments that the long version inThe Book of Lost Tales differs markedly from the account inThe Silmarillion here. He notes that Tolkien started to revise the tale but never completed the revision.^[3] Lewis asserts, too, that "Hurin was a far better tactician thanFingon or Turgon. He had the best idea of keeping the high-ground advantage", putting this down to Tolkien's bias in favour of Elves over Men.^[3]

David Greenman, also inMythlore, proposes aclassical influence on Tolkien. He describes the sad tale of Húrin as "Aristotelian Epic-Tragedy", as defined in thePoetics in terms of Aristotelian elements such as "plot, ... spectacle, language, character, ... reversal, and catharsis".^[4]

Theattorney Douglas Kane, writing inTolkien Studies, discusses Húrin's trial as described inThe Wanderings of Húrin, published inThe War of the Jewels. He assaults Hardang with a stool; he is drugged and put on trial; Manthor advises him. Húrin "falsely charges" the people of Brethil with failing to help Morwen. Kane calls the tale "some of Tolkien's most incisive political commentary", citing "Húrin's cold comfort to Manthor on his deathbed": telling Manthor that his friendship "was rooted in self-interest", as he hoped to "use his defense of Húrin to further his own ambition to become the Chieftain."^[5]

The Tolkien scholar Helen Lasseter Freeh notes that the longer version of the tale of Túrin Turambar inUnfinished Tales (theNarn) contains a dialogue between Morgoth and Húrin about fate and providence. Despite his imprisonment, Húrin insists that Morgoth cannot control everything. While Morgoth does not directly contradict this, he says he will spread a "cloud of Doom" on everyone Húrin loves, and "wherever they go, evil shall arise". Túrin lives a life of disaster, in which Freeh sees the hand of fate, which threatens to overwhelm Túrin's free will.^[6][7] Shippey comments that Morgoth is one of theValar, whose power in the world appears asluck, or chance, or fate. Terrible things in theNarn seem to be coincidences; but, writes Shippey, Tolkien oftengives double explanations of these events, one fate, one just accident.^[7]

• The Children of Húrin, a novel assembled by Christopher Tolkien from his father's fragmentary manuscripts
• The Lay of the Children of Húrin, an earlyalliterative poem telling of the tragic life of Húrin's sonTúrin.

• Shippey, Tom (2005) [1982].The Road to Middle-Earth: How J. R. R. Tolkien Created a New Mythology (Third ed.).HarperCollins.ISBN 978-0-261-10275-0.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1977).Christopher Tolkien (ed.).The Silmarillion. Boston:Houghton Mifflin.ISBN 978-0-395-25730-2.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1980).Christopher Tolkien (ed.).Unfinished Tales. Boston:Houghton Mifflin.ISBN 978-0-395-29917-3.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1994).Christopher Tolkien (ed.).The War of the Jewels. Boston:Houghton Mifflin.ISBN 0-395-71041-3.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (2007).Christopher Tolkien (ed.).The Children of Húrin. London:HarperCollins.ISBN 0-007-24622-6.