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! This content is considered pre-canon.
While the subject of this article is based on official information, it was replaced or emended in later stages of the legendarium.
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is a character of earlier versions of J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium.

History[]

Tû appeared in a fragmentary version of Tolkien's working notes for the Coming of Men, given in The Book of Lost Tales Part Two as "Gilfanon's Tale". Tolkien apparently decided not to incorporate the tale into his mythos, as it did not survive to become part of the chapter of The Silmarillion entitled "Of the Coming of Men into the West".

Tû is described as a "wizard" or "fay" who ruled the Dark Elves of the further east of Middle-earth, around Cuivienen, just before the making of the Sun. One of his subjects, Nuin "Father of Speech", came to a hidden valley of great loveliness and found there sleeping figures young but not children, boys and girls: the Fathers of Men. He told this to Tu, who fell into great fear of the One, and told Nuin that these were the Fathers of Men, who were to be undisturbed. Notes then tell that Nuin awoke two of the Sleepers, Ermon and Elmir, and taught them speech; that Tû and Nuin shepherded the Sleepers when they awoke with the Sun, and that Men split into factions in the years afterward. Tû grew to shun day and took to dwelling underground. A demon named Fankil, son of Melkor, arose and set Men at each other's throats, and especially against the Elves. The folk of Ermon stood with the Elves, but Tû came forth and destroyed Fankil, and was buried under falling hills.

What race or manner of being Tû was is unknown; he was described a great magician and a being of power, benevolent but testy, and afterwards came to have great hatred of Men for the deeds they did to his Elves.