Hurin's debt?

[Hot, crispy nice hobbit]

I was rereading the Silmarillion for the second time this week, and I still could not figure out why Hurin chose Nauglamír of all jewels to repay Thingol:

'Receive thou thy fee,' he cried, 'for thy fair keeping of my children and my wife! For this is the Nauglamír, whose name is known to many among Elves and Men; and I bring it to thee out of the darkness of Nargothrond, where Finrod thy kinsman left it behind him when he set forth with Beren son of Barahir to fulfil the errand of Thingol of Doriath!'

Was there really any significance behind that jewel? If Hurin is of darker nature, he might have dug up the Dragon-helm from the wastes of the Woodmen's dwellings: the Dragon-helm, at least, is directly related to the plight of his family. Why dig up a jewel that did not enter his story at all?

It puzzled me a great deal why Hurin chose the Nauglamír if he scorned Thingol and Melian so much at that time, and wanted to bring them something to remind them of their deeds.

[Findegil]

There we see again how dificult it is to invent some thing in addition to JRR Tolkiens story.

The chapter about the ruin of Doriath was in many parts an editorial invention by Christopher Tolkien. In the original the Nauglamír was made for Thingol in Menegroth by the Dwarves from the hord of Nargothrond that was brought to thingol completly by Húrin.

Of course Húrin needed some help for the transprot and it seems from what little JRR Tolkien had written about that ocassion, that he would have used Asgon and his outlaws of Hithlum as companiens of Húrin.

For the story as it is in the Silmarillion as published I would simply say: It was the most renowend singel trinket in the Dragon hord.

Respectfully
Findegil

P.S.: The Dragon-Helm was a heirloom of the house of Hador. Húrin would not have given it to anyone if he had have a chance to recover it. But there was no chance. The Helm does in the Story as it is dispear after the destruction of the Dor-Cúrathol. Tolkien planed to bring it farther on through the story and to let Túrin waer it when he meets Glaurung (in Nargothrond and in Brethil). But he did not write these versions of the story. And if he had done so I would imaging that either it would have been buried with Túrin or Mablung would have tacken it with him back to Doriath.

[Hot, crispy nice hobbit]

Ah, that clarify things a great deal. Thanks, I can now sleep easier.

Still, I like the fact that Prof T's work are in some form of fragments... just like ancient manuscribts... It give them a much more "historical" feel.