Turambar and the Foalókë

The next tale in The Book of Lost Tales - Volume II is that of Turambar and the Foalókë. This is another very long tale and a central legend in the mythology. It was rewritten many times and most recently in 2007 as The Children of Húrin. As with the Tale of Tinúviel this earliest writing is impressive and the major plot points are (for the most part) present while the little details (names, place, transitions) that would undergo many re-writings. I'll highlight some interesting points based on Christopher Tolkien's commentary on the tale:

• The teller of Tale, Eltas, appears to be a man who tread Olórë Mallë
• In the earliest tale Túrin's sister was born before he departed for Thingol's court
• The character of Beleg (one of my favorites) was present in the beginning
• The slaying of Túrin's oppressor takes place within the halls of the King in the earliest draft
• Túrin's capture by Orcs, rescue by Beleg, and the death of Beleg appear virtually the same as the "finished" story (It should continually be noted that nothing outside of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings was ever finished.)
• The forerunner of Nargathrond is found in this Tale and Orodreth was there before Finrod Felegund.
• Essential elements remain: The secrecy of Orodreth's Elves and Túrin's change of that policy leading to their destruction.
• "Of great interest is the passage in which the nature of the dragons of Melko is defined: their evil wisdom, their love of lies and gold (which 'they many not use or enjoy'), and the knowledge of tongues that Men would say come from eating a dragon's heart (with evident reference to the legend in the Norse Edda of Sigurd Fafnisbane, who was enabled to understand, to his own great profit, the speech of birds when he ate the heart of the dragon Fafnir, roasting it on a spit)" (p. 125, The Book of Lost Tales - Volume II). 
• The oldest story declares suicide a sin (interesting a several fronts but particularly with how this Tale ends)
• Interesting that in the old tale Tinwelint (Thingol) sends a party to Nargothrond not out of love and hope for finding Túrin but rather he wants to gather the sacked gold for himself if possible. Characters and their motives definitely shift in Tolkien's many re-writings. 
• The dragon spell on Túrin's sister is not as explicit as in later versions (for example, no indication that she needed to learn how to speak again is in the Tale)
• In the final confrontation with the dragon Túrin had six (fainthearted) companions--later this would brome only two. 
• Mîm the Dwarf appears in the Tale. He is captain of the guard of Glorund (the dragon's) treasure hoard while the dragon is away.
• Perhaps the most eye-opening difference between the Tale and later writings is the fact that it is not written that Túrin and his sister conceived a child together being ignorant of their identities by the dragon's spell.
• Various notes after the Tale show that Tolkien was pondering how to link this Tale with another: 'The Necklace of the Dwarves'.