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The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun together with The Corrigan Poems

by J. R. R. Tolkien

Other authors: Verlyn Flieger (Editor), Christopher Tolkien (Preface)

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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3511274,005 (4.07)11
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.… (more)
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» See also 11 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 12 (next | show all)
This book includes the three poems written by Tolkien about the folklore of Brittany. It was a pleasure to read, and the explanatory material added by Christopher Tolkien and Verlyn Flieger were helpful and interesting. ( )
  MrsLee | Nov 26, 2023 |
A well presented and organized treatment of Tolkien's translation of these early tales. Though academic in nature, the tales & presentations are enjoyable in their own right. ( )
  Osbaldistone | Nov 18, 2023 |
This was a very interesting book, not only because of the tale itself but also because I'm so used to Tolkien writing Middle-earth poetry that it's almost strange to see him write about un-Middle-earthean characters in an un-Middle-earthean world, if I may say so. However, te Lay of Aotrou and Itroun was something both different and similar to Middle-earth - different in that the story, of course, doesn't take place in Arda, and similar in that the "feel" of both "worlds" is one of fantastical and mythological depth and beauty. ( )
  BooksbyStarlight | Oct 25, 2022 |
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3819584.html

This is minor Tolkieniana, to be honest. It's a poem published in 1930 about a Breton lord who buys a magic potion for his wife; and it all goes horribly wrong. Verlyn Flieger, who is one of the most prolific and interesting Tolkien scholars out there, has done a great job of presenting the poem itself and three earlier goes (a draft and two other poems on closely related themes). But even the completist can rest easy without this on their shelves. ( )
  nwhyte | Dec 11, 2021 |
Sometimes I wonder how many more fragments of works the Tolkien estate will produce, but like many others, I will continue to buy them.
What I liked about this - beyond Tolkien’s poetry which I love (and I think it’s inclusion in the Hobbit and LOTR provides a richness and depth to his story, world building, and development of languages) - is reading how the piece developed from the early Corrigan forms to the finished work.
But beyond this, it seems what’s available here is a little on the thin side for producing a separate book ( )
  jimgosailing | Nov 18, 2021 |
Showing 1-5 of 12 (next | show all)
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
J. R. R. Tolkienprimary authorall editionscalculated
Flieger, VerlynEditorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Tolkien, ChristopherPrefacesecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Allden, AlexandraCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
'The fear of the beautiful fay that ran through
the elder ages almost eludes our grasp.'

J. R. R. Tolkien 'On Fairy-stories'
Dedication
First words
NOTE ON THE TEXT [by Christopher Tolkien]
The Lay of Aoutrou and Itroun was once previously printed, in The Welsh Review, Vol. IV, no. 4, December 1945.
INTRODUCTION
Coming from the darker side of J.R. R. Tolkien's imagination, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, as well as the two shorter poems that precede and lead up to it, are important additions to the non-Middle-earth portions of his canon and should be set alongside his other retellings of existing myth and legend, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, The Fall of Arthur and The Story of Kullervo.
In Britain's land beyond the seas
the wind blows ever through the trees;
in Britain's land beyond the waves
are stony shores and stony caves.
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Disambiguation notice
Distinct from the 2002 version which did not include the Corrigan poems
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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.

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