[Findegil]

RD-SL-10: So you think the § should simply read:

§20 (§291) RD-SL-09<TN Now were the Elves of the wood in turn displeased, who long had stood nigh gazing on the gold; but the wild folk[ among Húrin’s band] did as they were bid, and <editorial bridge all his men departed,> RD-SL-10<TN and none may say what was {his}their unhappy weird thereafter{; and little but a tortured heart got he from the Gold of Glorund}.>

I wonder if Maedhros will agree to that, but for me it is okay.

RD-EX-21: I at last would find it utterly starnge if the youth and upgrwoing of Húrin is told in the Narn but not the final end of the tragedy in which he still played a major part. In addition a chapter called the "Ruin of Doriath" that goes for half of its lenght through the ruin of Brethil will not work for me. If WH is not included in the Narn (however we would indicat that at all) then I think it must be still seperated from the "Ruin of Doriath" or better "Nauglamír". The insertion of the chapter heading was the point were I think the chapterbreak has to be.

RD-EX-28: The problem is, that when we remove the Silmaril from Thingols speech we must add something in Melains repley. In view of Thingol being over-concerned with the Silmaril, I don't think that Melian would have remebered him about it. It is much more naturall that Thingol him self make the comparision. What about are more radical editing:

§24a (§3) RD-EX-28<TN Now as he gazed {Tinwelint}[Thingol] said: ‘How glorious is this treasure! And I have {not a tithe thereof, and of the gems of Valinor none}[nothing to compare with it] save that Silmaril that Beren won from {Angamandi}[Angband].’ But {Gwenniel}[Melian] who stood by said: ‘And that were worth all that here lies, were it thrice as great.’>

RD-EX-37: Okay, if you think the superlativ most go then we change the passage to:

§28c (§8) RD-EX-37<TN A golden crown they made for {Tinwelint}[Thingol], who yet had worn nought but a wreath of scarlet leaves, and a helm too most glorious they fashioned; and a sword of {dwarfen}[dwarven] steel brought from afar was hilted with bright gold and damascened in gold and silver with strange figurings wherein was pictured clear the wolf-hunt of {Karkaras Knife-fang, father of} [Carcharoth, the Red Maw greatest of all] wolves. RD-EX-38{ That was a more wonderful sword than any Tinwelint had seen before, and outshone the sword in Ufedhin's belt the king had coveted. These things wereof Ufedhin's cunning, but} And the Dwarves made a coat of linked mail of steel and gold for {Tinwelint}[Thingol], and a belt of gold. ...

RD-EX-40: I think you misunderstood my attemp in the last post. I have abondend the second smithying, following your suggestion. What I tried was to hold the discription of the dwarves. It was given as to indicat what they wanted to do, but I changed it to discreib what they had done before they present the result. The addition of RD-EX-36.5 is not really needed, or it can be change. I wanted it in the text because I find the detail that Thingol was at the smithying should be mentioned. Christopher Tolkien used it in Sil77 and I think we should respect these at least were it does not contradict our understanding of the storyline.

RD-EX-42: Agreed.

RD-EX-22 & RD-EX-24: Agreed in principal, but you do not think that the treasure was clean when Húrin brought it out of the dragon hoard. Thus I think we can hold the washing of the treasure, now with the meaning that the Dragons stench was removed. The cruse by the blood we can simply remove:

§22 (§1) RD-EX-22<TN Now<editorial brigde when Húrin and his Band had departed from Menegroth> came {Gwenniel}[Melian] to {Tinwelint}[Thingol] and said: ‘Touch not this gold, for my heart tells me it is trebly cursed. Cursed indeed by the dragon's breath RD-EX-23 {, and cursed by thy lieges blood that moistens it, and the death of those they slew}; but some more bitter and more binding ill methinks hangs over it that I may not see.’

§23 (§2) RD-EX-24 TN Then, remembering the wisdom of {Gwenniel}[Melian] his wife, the king was minded to hearken , and he bade gather it up and cast it into the stream before the gates. Yet even so he might not shake off its spell, and he said to himself: ‘First will I gaze my last upon its loveliness ere I fling it from me for ever.’ Therefore he let wash it clean of its stains{ of blood} in clear waters, and display it before him. ...

§24b The summon to Belegost: Why should be the summon of Thingol restriced to Nogrod? Thingol called for best Smith the dwarven nations had and the Belegost dwarves left it for Smith of Nogrod. (For what ever reason, maybe they had have the last contract and it was simply this time the turne of Nogrod or they recongised that the smith of Nogord were beter for the special order Thingol had placed.) I don't see a forcing reason to skip the summon to both cities. We do restrict the answer to it on the Nogrod-dwarfes and that is sufficient for our purpose.

RD-EX-25 You remeber correctly this is the discription of the hoard after it was fashioned by the dwarves in TN. My reason to put it in was to compensat for the lake of discription the treassure other wise would get in our version. The hoard has a central part in the narative. Its overhelming beauty did even effect even Thingol the magnificant King of Beleriand (and that without someone to urge him, as it was needed for Tinwelint the simple and poor Woodlandking). For this the discription as given at the scene in TN is to scanty. The discription is in a way ambigious. If you root a big and rich kingdom like Nargothrond you will find such things. So I do not see why it can not be used here, with the given reason.

Respectfully
Findegil