Sitting in the shadow of the stone there was a woman, bent over her knees; and as Húrin stood there silent she cast back her tattered hood and lifted her face. Grey she was and old, but suddenly her eyes looked into his, and he knew her; for though they were wild and full of fear, that light still gleamed in them that long ago had earned for her the name Eledhwen, proudest and most beautiful of mortal women in the days of old.

--J.R.R.Tolkien, the reunion of Húrin and Morwen,
from The Silmarillion

The Mother of the Hero shawl is a crescent shaped shawl with a diamond patterned body worked in garter and stocking stitch and interspersed with lace leaves, increasing in frequency into a leaf lace border. Worked in a wool/alpaca blend worsted weight yarn, it is a warm wrap large enough to wear with the wings tied in front as a practical heart warmer, but shallow enough to wear around the neck and shoulders as a generous scarf.

Materials Needed:
- @600y worsted weight yarn in a wool/alpaca blend or other drapey fibre (solid, kettle dyed, or two-toned yarn where the tones are low contrast)
- 4.5mm (US 7) needles or size needed for a pleasing fabric
- @1.5 dozen stitch markers

Gauge: 20 sts x 26 rows in unblocked stocking stitch
Note that I do not consider gauge essential for shawls. Rather, I recommend getting a fabric you like and going from there. However, if you have a limited amount of yarn then matching the pattern gauge is more important.
Gauge is given for the unblocked fabric because the rate of blocking varies between people.