The Lays of Beleriand, published in 1985, is the third volume of Christopher Tolkien's 12-volume book series, The History of Middle-earth, in which he analyzes the unpublished manuscripts of his father J. R. R.

Although Tolkien abandoned them before their respective ends, they are both long enough to occupy many stanzas, each of which can last for over ten pages.

David Langford reviewed The Lays of Beleriand for White Dwarf #70, stating that "A few gleams of humour come from C. S. Lewis's 15-page critique of an early draft: for the rest, poor old Tolkien lies entombed and fossilized in earnest commentary, like a set text for Eng Lit.

"[3] The fantasy novelist Suzannah Rowntree wrote that the book is a favourite of hers, and the only volume of the twelve that she had read in full and "[kept] coming back to for pleasure".

She describes this as "a red-blooded, grand poem, written in a richly ornamented style bordering (in places) on the baroque.