Saeros

Orgol, also named Saeros, was an Elf of mixed heritage, being one of the Laegeldrim Guest-elves of Doriath, and a "kinsman of the royal house" of Thingol on his mother's side. In pride, he begrudged the esteem shown towards Túrin, the human foster-son of Thingol, and would speak contemptuously to him. One evening, in the dining hall of Menegroth, Orgol provoked Túrin to such a point that Túrin cast a drinking vessel at Orgol's face. Their escalating feud eventually led to Orgol's unintentional death.

His death caused Túrin to leave Doriath, imposing self-exile on himself.

In the process of publishing the The Children of Húrin, Christopher Tolkien noted that, it became clear to him that J.R.R. Tolkien had "rejected the name Saeros and replaced it by Orgol", but Christopher decided against changing the name, to keep accord with The Silmarillion.

Biography

Background

Orgol was one of the Guest-elves, those of the Laegeldrim of Amon Ereb who sought refuge in Doriath following the death of their lord, Denethor, in the First Battle of Beleriand. His father, Ithilbor, was chief of the Guest-elves, and had been given a permanent place as a high counsellor in King Thingol's court in Menegroth. Though the Guest-elves dwelt mostly in the small land of Arthórien under their own chief, Orgol had dwelt in Menegroth for a long time.

Orgol was great among the Iathrim, and had won the esteem of the King, being accounted by Thingol to be faithful and wise, and served as one of his counsellors. He further had been a friend of the minstrel Daeron because he was also skilled in song. Orgol had no love of Men, particularly those who had kinship with Beren, whom he held to have brought harm to Doriath.

Thus, Orgol begrudged Túrin, a foreigner to Doriath, and the love and esteem that he had as Thingol's foster-son. This grew as Túrin approached manhood, and Orgol spoke ill about Túrin where he could, though he hid his malice cunningly. If he met with Túrin alone however, he spoke haughtily and did not hide his contempt. While Túrin grew weary of him, he returned the ill words with silence, which displeased Orgol.

In the year 481, as Túrin approached manhood, he was permitted to join Thingol's marchwardens, and over the next few years he seldom returned to Menegroth, but won great renown for his strength and deeds of daring.

Quarrel at the table

One evening in the summer of 484, Orgol entered the dining hall late and found his accustomed seat among the elders occupied by an unlooked for Túrin, whose appearance was unkempt and weather-stained. Orgol was angered by this, assuming that Túrin did this in pride to affront him, and his anger only grew upon finding that Túrin was welcomed, rather than rebuked, by the other elders. As a consequence, Orgol feigned to be of like-mind, and sat across from Túrin, claiming he was glad to yield his seat if it meant "the chance to speak with him". Orgol then asked many questions to Túrin about "news from the borders, and his deeds in the wild", but the mockery in his voice was clear. When Túrin grew weary of this, he frowned and no longer answered Orgol. Believing the frown was aimed at him, Orgol no longer concealed his anger and tossed his golden comb, "a dear treasure", in front of Túrin, stating that while Túrin's ragged cloak may be excused, there was no need to for his hair to be as tangled "as a thicket of brambles", and perhaps he would hear better then. Túrin still said nothing, but gave Orgol a warning glare. Orgol returned his gaze with scorn however, and then asked, loud enough for everyone to hear, that if the men of Hithlum were so wild, did the women of Hithlum run naked and wild like deer?

Túrin snapped at this, and cast a heavy gold-coated drinking-vessel into Orgol's face, sending him reeling backwards. Túrin then drew his sword, and rushed at Orgol, but was restrained by Mablung, the chief captain of Thingol, who had been sitting at his side. Orgol then arose and, after spitting blood on the board from his broken mouth, asked how long they would continue to harbor "this woodwose"; he further proclaimed that for hurting a liege of Thingol, and then drawing a blade, the least doom would be exile. He then proclaimed that outside the hall, he could answer Túrin in like kind.

Túrin then released himself from Mablung's grasp and left without a word. Mablung then rebuked Orgol, holding him to blame for the evil that had occurred, and that the King's law may find that his broken mouth was punishment enough for his taunting. Orgol retorted that if Túrin had an issue he could take it up with the King, but there was no excuse for the drawing of sword, and that if he tried that outside the hall, Orgol would slay him. Mablung expressed his doubt that it would go as such, and heeded Orgol to not do the will of Morgoth, and to remember that he was of the Eldar.

Ambush of Túrin and death

The next morning, Túrin left Menegroth to return to Dimbar. Before got very far, however, Orgol waylaid him from behind, running with a shield and a drawn sword. Túrin had been trained for vigilance in the wild however, and saw Orgol's approach from the corner of his eye; he leapt aside as Orgol approached, and drew his own blade as he turned on Orgol. Declaring that he was going to make Orgol pay for insulting his mother, Túrin clove Orgol's shield and, after a swift duel, wounded Orgol's sword-arm.

With Orgol now at his mercy, Túrin recalled his words from the night before and threw him to the ground before stripping him of his clothing. Túrin then prompted Orgol to run naked in the wild, and that unless he was as swift as a deer, he would be pricked from behind. Túrin then set the point of his sword in Orgol's buttock, prompting him to flee wildly. As Orgol ran in terror, he called wildly for help, but Túrin pursued, and no matter how Saeros swerved, Túrin always remained behind him, egging him further on at sword-point.

Orgol's cries were heard by others who then joined the chase, "but only the swiftest could keep up", and Mablung was at the head of these. Mablung called on Túrin to hold his pursuit, but Túrin persisted, and sprang again on Orgol. In despair, Orgol, wildly ran to a deep cleft where stream that fed the Esgalduin passed through. Orgol attempted to make the wide leap across it, but he lost his footing on the other side, and broke his neck on impact with a great rock in the water.

Legacy

Upon being wrongfully confronted by Mablung, Túrin states that he hopes Orgol would be wiser after being judged by Mandos. Assuming he would incur Thingol's wrath, Túrin held himself in exile and left Doriath. When Thingol eventually returned to Menegroth at the end of summer, he held a trial around these events and was initially going to decide that, while Orgol was to blame for everything, Túrin was at fault for his shaming and death. However, Beleg brought in Nellas, a childhood friend of Túrin, who revealed that, unknown to both Túrin and Orgol, she witnessed the entire encounter as she had been sitting in a tree to look upon Túrin as he left. Based on the testimony from Nellas, Thingol determined that Túrin was wronged and provoked by Orgol and therefore was not at fault.

After pardoning Túrin, Thingol declared that upon reaching the Halls of Mandos, Orgol should ponder his role there for three thousand years before returning to life. Thingol also gave a weregild "of gold and gems" to Orgol's sons to convince them to forgive Túrin.

Etymology

Orgol is a Sindarin name with an untold meaning, though it coincidentally coincides with orgol, orgel ("pride") in Old English.

Saeros is not given a direct translation, but may possibly contain the Noldorin adjective sear ("bitter"), the Sindarin noun ross ("rain; spindrift, spray; foam"), or the Sindarin element -os ("augmentative suffix").

In other versions

The Book of Lost Tales

In "Turambar and the Foalókë", from The Book of Lost Tales, Orgof "is explicitly a fop and a fool". He was an Elf of mixed Ilkorin and Gnome heritage. He was in some favor, as he was a good hunter and an Elf of prowess, but was loose with his tongue, and overconfident due to his standing with the king. He was extremely fond of fine garments, jewels, gold, and silver, and clad himself extravagantly. Orgof was jealous of the esteem shown to Túrin, and would thus frequently jest with barbed words whenever they sat together at the king's board, especially about Túrin's rough appearance; Túrin never responded however, and gave no heed to him.

At a dinner party celebrating the twelfth anniversary of when he had last seen his mother, Mavwin, Túrin was extra grim, speaking curt answers to those who sat near him. A drunken Orgof made a laugh of Túrin, and daintily offered him a comb of gold. When Túrin pretended to not notice him, Orgof stated that Túrin didn't know how to use it, and that he should return to his mother for her to teach him, unless the women of Hithlum were as ugly and unkempt as their sons. Túrin snapped at this, and he fiercely cast a heavy drinking vessel into Orgof's face, calling him a fool and telling him to fill his mouth with it rather continue his drunken, witless prate. Orgof's face was broken, and he died when he hit his head hard on the stone floor.

Half of those of Orgof's kin who were present drew their weapons, but none struck as the king gave no sign but to stare stonily at Orgof's body. After Túrin had departed, Tinwelint pardoned him in absence, and most of the folk were in agreement as it was known that Túrin had long held his peace against Orgof's folly. Orgof's kinsmen were constrained from retaliation both by fear of Tinwelint, and by the many gifts he gave them to accept his judgement.

The Lays of Beleriand

In The Lay of the Children of Húrin, Orgof changed only in minor details: he was now directly stated as being envious of anyone who was favored over him. Orgof's insult also remained essentially the same, though there was an additional closing remark of the women of Hithlum being as uncouth and unkempt "as their cast-off sons".

The insulting of Morwen

In the essay Essekenta Eldarinwa, the Sindarin terms "Calben" and "Morben" were introduced, along a complicated history. In brief, originally, before the discovery of other races, "Calben" ("light-person") was synonymous with "Eldar", and "Morben" ("dark-person") with "Avari". These terms then evolved, with Calben narrowing to refer only to the Sindar within Beleriand, and Morben expanding to include other Incarnates and Elves who later arrived in Beleriand, such as the Nandor; when the Nandor were recognized to be kinsfolk, they were received into the class of Calben. Eventually these terms shifted again to Calben becoming practically equivalent to "peoples in alliance in the War against Morgoth", and Morben to be everyone else, including those of the Avari who had crept into Beleriand, but remained secretive and hostile to the Eldar.

The implication then became that Morben were either allies of Morgoth, or at least of dubious loyalty and weaker in resistance to his pressure and lies. It thus became one of Orgol's worst insults to refer to Túrin's mother "Morwen" as "Morben", and a reason for Túrin to smote him.

Other later versions

In The Grey Annals, when describing how some of the Green-elves took shelter in Doriath, the names Orgol and Orgoph as well as the phrase "of the Guest-elves in Arthórien" was written in the margin, marked with carets indicating something should be done with them.

Within the Narn i Hîn Húrin, Orgol is called Saeros and is described in one draft as Daeron's kinsman, and in another as his brother.

External links

• Andrew Higgins, "Be Very Qwiet, I am Hunting Tolkienian Woodwoses" on "Dr. Wotan's Musings", October 9, 2011

Translations

References