Unpublished for more than 70 years, this early but significant work is published for the first time with Tolkien's "Corrigan" poems and other supporting material, including a foreword by Christopher Tolkien.

"The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun" is set "in the land beyond the seas of Britain" during the Age of Chivalry and tells the story of a childless Breton Lord and Lady ("Aotrou" and "Itroun") and the tragedy that befalls them when Aotrou seeks to rectify the situation with the help of a magical potion acquired from a corrigan, or malevolent fairy. When the potion proves successful and Itroun gives birth to twins, the corrigan returns seeking her reward, 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," along with the two shorter "Corrigan" poems that precede it and are also included, was the result of a relatively brief but intense period in Tolkien's life during which he was profoundly engaged with Celtic, and especially Breton, myth and legend.

Written in 1930, this early but pivotal work is an important addition to his non-Middle-earth bibliography, alongside other reinterpretations of myths and legends, such as "The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún," "The Fall of Arthur," and "The Story of Kullervo," a small but significant corpus of his ventures into "real" myths, each of which had a definitive influence on his own literary universe.

Pages: 128, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm