https://tolkiengateway.net/w/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=TheblackfoewhoarisesinmightTolkien Gateway - User contributions [en]2026-06-17T04:37:23ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.41.1https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=E%C3%B6l&diff=437167Eöl2026-04-06T17:46:06Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>{{disambig-two|Eöl the Dark Elf|name of the Dark Elves as a whole|[[Moriquendi]]}}<br />
{{infobox character<br />
| people=[[Sindar|Sinda]]<br />
| name=Eöl<br />
| image=Elena Kukanova - Destiny.jpg<br />
| caption="Destiny" by [[Elena Kukanova]]<br />
| pronun=<br />
| othernames=Dark Elf<br />
| titles=<br />
| position=ruler of [[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
| location=East of the [[Misty Mountains]]<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br/>[[Forest of Region]]<br/>[[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
| affiliation=<br />
| language=[[Common Telerin]]<br />[[Sindarin]]<br />
| birth=Before {{YT|1115}}<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br />
| birthlocation=East of the [[Misty Mountains]]<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br />
| rule=<br />
| death={{FA|400}}<br />
| deathlocation=[[Caragdûr]] ([[Gondolin]])<br />
| age=at least c. 4,089<ref group="note">[[Years of the Sun]]. Each [[Years of the Trees|Year of the Trees]] is equal to 9.582 Years of the Sun, and the Years of the Trees ended in the [[Year of the Trees 1500|year 1500]].</ref><br />
| notablefor=Forging of [[Anglachel]] and [[Anguirel]]<br/>Inventing [[Galvorn]]<br>Being a night-rider<ref name=journeys>{{NM|P3ix}}</ref><br />
| house=<br />
| parentage=Unknown (Eöl was a kinsman of [[Thingol]]<ref name=Maeglin/><ref name="WJ|Editor">{{WJ|Editor}}, Note 33</ref>)<br />
| siblings=<br />
| spouse=[[Aredhel]]<br />
| children=[[Maeglin]]<br />
| gender=Male<br />
| height=Tall, but stooped by smithwork<br />
| hair=Dark-haired{{fact}}<br />
| eyes=<br />
| clothing=Clad in [[Galvorn]] whenever he went abroad<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
| weapons=[[Anguirel]] and a poisoned javelin <br />
| steed=<br />
}}<br />
<center>{{quote|You are of the house of Eöl, Maeglin, my son, and not of the Golodhrim. All this land is the land of the Teleri, and I will not deal nor have my son deal with the slayers of our kin, the invaders and usurpers of our homes. In this you shall obey me, or I will set you in bonds.|''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'', "[[Of Maeglin]]"}}</center><br />
<br />
'''Eöl''', known as the '''Dark Elf''', was the great smith who dwelled within [[Nan Elmoth]]. He was akin to [[Thingol]] of the [[Teleri]] of the [[First Age]].<ref name="Maeglin" /><ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><ref group="note">[[Christopher Tolkien]] mentions that his father elaborated further on this kinship in that "Eöl should not be one of [[Thingol|Thingol's]] kin, but one of the [[Teleri]] who refused to cross the [[Misty Mountains|Hithaeglir]]. But [later] he and a few others of like mood, averse to concourse of people, … [had] crossed the [Mts] long ago and come to [[Beleriand]]". Despite this statement, a small note was written against it in [[1971]] saying that "the relationship to Thingol would have point". It might be possible that the "few others of like mood" became the servants of his house, as they were described as being as "silent and secret as their master".</ref><br />
<br />
His face was noble yet grim, "and his eyes could see deep into shadows and dark places" because he was night-sighted<ref name="journeys" />. Eöl built up a friendship with the [[Dwarves of the Blue Mountains]]. That friendship gave him an insight into their craft, and he came to forge the swords [[Anguirel]] and [[Anglachel]], the latter of which became [[Túrin]]'s sword [[Gurthang]].<br />
<br />
In {{FA|316}}, [[Turgon]]'s sister, [[Aredhel]], strayed into his kingdom whom he took for his wife. Later, in {{FA|400}}, Aredhel and their son [[Maeglin]] fled Nan Elmoth for [[Gondolin]] but were pursued by Eöl. In Gondolin, he tried to kill Maeglin with a poisoned javelin, but instead killed Aredhel; for this crime he was executed by being thrown from the cliff of [[Caragdûr]]. The darkness in Eöl's heart was inherited by his son Maeglin and sowed the seeds for the [[Fall of Gondolin]].<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
===Early life===<br />
Eöl was of the kin of King [[Thingol|Elu Thingol]].<ref name="Maeglin" /><ref name="WJ|Editor">{{WJ|Editor}}, Note 33</ref> He was "restless and ill at ease in [[Doriath]]",<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> and when the [[Girdle of Melian]] was raised around the kingdom, he left his dwelling in the [[Forest of Region]] to dwell in the dark forest of [[Nan Elmoth]], east of Doriath, where he had a smithy, dim halls, and servants similar to himself.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> Eöl's house was located in the middle of Nan Elmoth around fifteen miles from the northernmost edge where the [[Celon]] River ran.<ref name="Maeglin" /> He had a preference for the land as it had been before the Sun, and "he loved the night and twilight under the stars". He had little love for the Noldor whom he blamed for the return of Morgoth.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
He was unique among the Elves of old in that he had befriended the [[Dwarves]]. Their travels into [[East Beleriand]] followed two roads, and the northern way would bring them close to Nan Elmoth. There he would meet with them. Eöl was interested in learning from them, and he shared a rare friendship with the [[Dwarves of the Blue Mountains]]. As a guest in the many mansions of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]], he developed his great skill in metalwork while they learned "much of what passed in the lands of the Eldar" from him.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> From this great skill, he devised [[Galvorn]], a jet-black metal that was "as hard as the steel of the Dwarves", yet extremely malleable to the point that it was thin and supple. It was from this metal that he forged armor of his own making which he wore whenever he went abroad from Nan Elmoth,<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> "and so escaped many wounds"<ref name="Maeglin" /> as the armor proved to be resistant to all darts and blades.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
Though Eöl was a skilled craftsman and a master sword-smith,<ref name="Quendi" /> among his greatest works were the two swords made from the iron of a meteorite, [[Anglachel]] and [[Anguirel]]. Anglachel he gave to Thingol as a begrudged payment for dwelling in Nan Elmoth,<ref>{{S|Turin}}</ref> and it would later become the sword borne by [[Beleg]], and after him, [[Túrin|Túrin Turambar]].<br />
<br />
===Of Eöl, Aredhel and their son===<br />
[[File:Elena Kukanova - Nan-Elmoth.jpg|left|thumb|295px|''Nan Elmoth'' by [[Elena Kukanova]]]]<br />
During the year {{FA|316|n}} of the First Age, Eöl saw [[Aredhel]], the sister of [[Turgon]] the King of [[Gondolin]], near the dim borders of Nan Elmoth. She was very fair and he desired her. Aredhel had become separated from her companions, and Eöl used his enchantments to draw her deeper into the woods and unable to find a way out, until she came, weary with wandering, to his home. He showed himself and welcomed her. She entered his home willingly and stayed. It was only then that he showed himself, to lead her into his home, taking her to wife, though Aredhel was not wholly unwilling. While Eöl forbade her to seek her [[Noldor]] kin and commanded that she shunned sunlight, "they wandered far together under the stars or by the light of the sickle moon", and he allowed her to even wander alone within the forest.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
During the year {{FA|320|n}} of the First Age, Aredhel bore him a son whom in her heart she named ''Lómion'' in the [[Quenya|forbidden tongue]] of the Noldor. Twelve years later, Eöl gave to his son the name of [[Maeglin]], perceiving that his son's eyes were more piercing than his own;<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> until that time, he only referred to Maeglin as "Iôn" ("son").<ref>{{WJ|Maeglin}}</ref><br />
<br />
When Maeglin reached adulthood, Eöl often took him along whenever he visited "the cities of the [[Dwarves]] in the east of [[Blue Mountains|Ered Lindon]]". Yet, unknown to Eöl, he loved his mother better as she told him tales of her kin, yet omitting how to get to them. When Maeglin told Eöl that he desired to see his mother's kin with his own eyes and speak to the [[Sons of Fëanor|sons]] of [[Fëanor]], Eöl forbade his request and became wrathful at the mere mention of the kinslayers, drilling into Maeglin that he was of the "house of Eöl" and threatening to set him in bonds should he disobey him. Though Maeglin obeyed the commands, the damage to their relationship was done, for now Eöl mistrusted him enough so much so that he no longer took him with him beyond Ered Lindon.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
===The escape of Aredhel and Maeglin===<br />
During the summer of the year {{FA|400}}, the Dwarves, as per their custom, invited Eöl to a midsummer [[Feast]]<ref name="journeys" /> at [[Nogrod]], and he rode straight away to [[Blue Mountains|Ered Lindon]] in order to be on time to attend.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> However, he suspected that in his absence, his wife and son may seek to visit the sons of Fëanor. As such, "he secretly ordered his servants to keep a close watch on his wife and son" and he posted a watchman by the stream of [[Celon]] at the north-eaves of Nan Elmoth.<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
[[File:Catherine Chmiel - Tales of Gondolin.jpg|right|thumb|300px|''Tales of Gondolin'' by [[Catherine Karina Chmiel|Catherine Chmiel]]]]<br />
During the first night of the three day feast, "a dark shadow of ill foreboding" came to Eöl in his sleep. As a consequence, he left Nogrod the next morning without ceremony, riding homeward with all speed. He returned home at nightfall of the next day, learning from his watchman that his wife and son had fled north less than two days earlier, passing into the [[Himlad]] towards the [[Pass of Aglon]]. Staying at his home only to mount a fresh horse, his swiftest steed, his wrath overcame him and he chased after them immediately.<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
<br />
Eöl regained control of his wrath as he entered into the Himlad, remembering the danger of [[Celegorm]] and [[Curufin]].<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> However, he was waylaid by the well-armed riders of Curufin before making it even halfway across the Himlad. The riders took Eöl by force with them to see their lord Curufin. It was around noon that day when the riders arrived at Curufin's camp where, with only a little courtesy, Eöl was greeted by Curufin.<ref name="Maeglin" /> When the son of Fëanor questioned him, Eöl told him that Aredhel and Maeglin left Nan Elmoth to visit him and that he wished to join them in that errand. While Curufin told Eöl that they would have been welcomed coldly if he did accompany them, Curufin revealed that they never intended to visit him, and that they were seen passing the [[Arossiach]] riding swiftly westward almost two days before. Curufin suggested then that either Eöl was trying to deceive him or that he himself had been deceived.<br />
<br />
After asking Curufin for his leave to depart the Himlad and to seek for the truth. Eöl thanked him, regarding him as kin by marriage. Curufin took offense to this since Aredhel's marriage was forced and he wished to have Eöl out of his sight ad he could not slay him according to the laws of the [[Eldar]].<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><ref group="note">[[Christopher Tolkien]] mentions that his father added a footnote to Curufin's line, explaining that "the [[Eldar]] (which included the [[Sindar]]) were forbidden to slay one another in revenge for any grievance however great. Also at this time Eöl had ridden towards [[Pass of Aglon|Aglon]] with no ill intent, and it was not unjust that he should seek news of [[Aredhel|Aredel]] and [[Maeglin]]".</ref><ref name="Maeglin" /> Yet despite this anger, Curufin instead counseled Eöl to return home, foreseeing that if Eöl continued his pursuit after those who do not love him anymore, he would never return to Nan Elmoth again. Eöl did not heed him as the hatred of all the Noldor drove him on pass the [[Arossiach]], and he perceived then that his wife and son were fleeing to [[Gondolin]],<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> realizing that Curufin's purpose was to specifically delay him.<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
<br />
Upon reaching the [[Ford of Brithiach]], Eöl spotted his wife and son due to the betrayal of their horses. Now seeing Aredhel Eöl followed them closely, marking their paths. Eventually, Eöl found his way to the [[Dry River]], and the secret way led him by stealth to the [[Orfalch Echor]] and the [[Seven Gates of Gondolin]]. There, Eöl revealed himself to the [[Dark Guard]] at the [[Gate of Wood|Dark Gate]] and claimed Aredhel as his wife, demanding to be brought before the [[Turgon|King]].<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
===Gondolin and Eöl's death===<br />
[[File:Ted Nasmith - Eöl is Led to the Walls.jpg|right|thumb|290px|''Eöl is led to the Walls'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]<br />
At Aredhel's request, [[Turgon]] at first welcomed Eöl as a kinsman, but under the King's law, one who had found the way to the [[Gondolin|Hidden City]] was not permitted to leave. Eöl refused to acknowledge the law or the right of the Noldor to "seize realms or to set bounds" and claimed the land as Teleri. He blamed the Noldor for bringing war to a peaceful land. He then stated that he was only in Gondolin to claim his son, though he did not claim his wife since Aredhel was just as much Turgon's sister as she was Eöl's wife.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> However, it is possible that because he mentioned he referred to Gondolin as a cage that Aredhel sickened in, that he was hoping that Aredhel may leave Gondolin again a second time eventually.<br />
<br />
Turgon pointed out that the borders of Eöl's own "sunless woods", Nan Elmoth, were defended by Noldor swords, and if it were not for their presence, he would be a thrall in the pits of Angband. Eöl was left with one choice only: abide in Gondolin or die in Gondolin. The same choice was left for his son.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
Enraged at the humiliation and the loss of his freedom, Eöl chose death, for himself and for his son, and after staring down Turgon, he cast a javelin, which he had hidden beneath his cloak, at Maeglin. Aredhel stepped in front of her son, and she was struck in the shoulder. Eöl was taken by many, cast in bonds, and led away. The wound was treated and seemed minor, and Aredhel and Idril moved Turgon to mercy. Yet no one knew the point of the javelin had been poisoned until it was too late, and after Aredhel's wound sickened in the evening, she died that night.<br />
<br />
Thus when Eöl came before Turgon he found no mercy, and was cast over the cliff of [[Caragdûr]] to his death. Before he was hurled over, he accused his son of forsaking his father and his kin, cursing him to fail at all his hopes and to share the same death as himself.<ref name="SilmMaeglin">{{S|Maeglin}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Etymology==<br />
{{pronounce|Sindarin - Eöl.mp3|Gilgamesh}}<br />
The meaning of the name ''Eöl'' is unknown, and also to which language it pertains. The word is neither [[Quenya]] nor [[Sindarin]], but "Another name from prim[itive] [[The Fall of Gondolin (chapter)|FG]] - meaningless then and now" since Tolkien concluded that not every name needed to have significance.<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
<br />
Usually the reference to a 'Dark Elf' (''Moredhel'' in Sindarin)<ref name="L297">{{L|297}}</ref><ref name="App">{{S|Appendix}}</ref> simply refers to an Elf who has not seen the light of Aman, but the concept of a darkened Elf would be one that may have been corrupted by Morgoth.<ref name="Maeglin" /> Tolkien liked this concept as an explanation for his superb and insidious smith-craft, which was written in a margin note of Eöl's story,<ref name="Maeglin">{{WJ|Maeglin}}</ref>{{rp|320}} but he chose instead to consider him more likely acquainted with the Dwarves.<ref name="Quendi" />{{rp|Note 9}}<br />
<br />
==Other names==<br />
In the early versions of the [[legendarium]] according to the linguistic materials related to ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', [[Tolkien]] considered the name ''Eöl'' (with variant spellings of ''Eol'' and ''Iol'') to be a [[Gnomish]] name, but without providing any etymology.<ref name="Iol">{{PE|15}}, ''[[Name-list to The Fall of Gondolin]]'', entry '''Eol or Iol''', p. 24</ref><br />
<br />
The [[Qenya]] cognate of ''Eol'' was ''Aiwala'',<ref name="Iol" /> or alternatively ''Aiwl''.<ref name="Iol" /><ref name="Aivala" /><br />
<br />
However, in an another text, the Qenya cognate of ''Eol'' was given as ''Aival'' instead - but the reading of the second letter in ''Aival'' was unclear,<ref name="Aivala">{{PE|13}}, ''[[Official Name List]]'', Note 48, p. 104</ref> which led [[Christopher Tolkien]] to conclude that it was actually ''A'''r'''val''.<ref>{{LT2|IIIn}}, ''§3 Miscellaneous Matters'', '''(vi) Isfin and Eöl''', p. 220</ref><br />
<br />
In '' Ælfwine’s translation of the Quenta into Old English; Old English equivalents of Elvish names'', he is called '''Éor''';<ref>{{SM|QA1}}</ref> Christopher Tolkien does not provide a translation.<br />
<br />
==Genealogy==<br />
{{familytree/start}}<br />
{{familytree| FNG |y| ANA | | | | | | | | | | | |FNG=[[Fingolfin]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1190}} - {{FA|456}}''</small>|ANA=[[Anairë]]<br /><small>''b. {{YT}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree| | | |!| | | |F|~|~|~|~|7| | | | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | |!| | | |:| | | | |:| | | | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | ARE |y| EOL | | | THI |y| MEL |ARE=[[Aredhel]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1362}} - {{FA|400}}''</small>|EOL='''EÖL'''<br /><small>''before {{YT|1115}} - {{FA|400}}''</small>|MEL=[[Melian]]<br /><small>''created<br />before [[Eä]]''</small>|THI=[[Thingol]]<br /><small>''d. {{FA|503}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree| | | | | |!| | | | | | | | |!| | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | | | MAE | | | | | | | LUT | | |MAE=[[Maeglin]]<br /><small>''{{FA|320}} - {{FA|510|n}}''</small>|LUT=[[Lúthien]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1200}} - {{FA|503}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree/end}}<br />
<br />
==Other versions of the legendarium==<br />
===''The Book of Lost Tales''===<br />
In the earliest version of the [[legendarium]] in ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', Eöl was said to have been an ill-favored leader of the Minors "of the [[House of the Mole|Mole-kin]] of the [[Gnomes]]" who had the favor of [[Finwë|Fingolma]]. [[Isfin]] hated him, though he loved her from afar. [[Christopher Tolkien]] notes several parallels with [[Maeglin]].<ref>{{LT2|IIIn}}, pp. 22-1</ref><br />
<br />
===Later legendarium===<br />
Tolkien does have other renditions of this character that include references to him as an [[Avar]] and even as a "darkened Elf".<ref>{{PM|Dwarves}}</ref>{{rp|62}} At one point it is hinted that he could be one of the [[Laegil]].<ref name="Maeglin" />{{rp|322}} In note 9 of Tolkien's essay ''[[Quendi and Eldar]]'', another draft of Eöl's story appears, dated as written between 1959-1960. In this version, he is an Avar who had once been of the second clan of Elves, the [[Tatyar]]. This was later contradicted by Tolkien in a very late essay, where he is called an Elda. It is unknown if Tolkien changed this or simply forgot, but it is possible to reconcile them by noting that, according to ''Quendi and Eldar'', any rare Avar that joins the Sindar becomes an Elda. Eöl's marriage is a little different in this story as well. He found "the sister of King Turgon, astray in the wild near his dwelling, and he took her to wife by force: a very wicked deed in the eyes of the Eldar".<ref name="Quendi">{{WJ|Quendi}}</ref>{{rp|409}}<br />
<br />
This incident is consistent with his late 1950s essay ''[[Laws and Customs Among the Eldar]]'', in which a Draft A footnote states that the rejection of bodily life applies strictly to the forced violation of another's spouse.<ref name="Laws">{{MR|Laws}}</ref>{{rp|Note 5}} Aredhel was unwed, and Tolkien's writing in ''Quendi and Eldar'' confirms Eöl took her "by force"—a surviving act of rape.<ref name="Quendi" />{{rp|409}} ''The Silmarillion'''s phrasing that she was "not wholly unwilling"<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> and that her life in Nan Elmoth was not "hateful to her for many years"<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> reflects the narrative tradition ascribed to Loremasters such as [[Pengoloð]], whereas this later note provides an explicit authorial clarification.<ref name="Quendi" />{{rp|409}}<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
<br />
This essay on the Eldar reflects a Draft A concept suggesting that Elven marriage is so spiritually absolute that a third party could not physically "force" a spouse.<ref name="Laws">{{MR|Laws}}</ref>{{rp|Note 5}} While this would theoretically mean Maeglin's desire for Idril was a futile pursuit of the impossible, it represents a narrow metaphysical ideal from the [[Ælfwine]] framework. This is contrasted by another brief tale circa 1958 in the actual history of Arda Marred, where the [[Ainu]] maiden [[Árië]] chose to release her spirit from [[Eä]] to escape [[Melkor]]'s attempt to ravish her,<ref>{{MR|Myths}}</ref>{{rp|381}} and the "very wicked deed" Eöl committed against Aredhel.<ref name="Quendi" /><br />
<br />
In a [[1959]] essay, Tolkien explored altering the metaphysics of the [[legendarium]].<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} One of these changes involved changing Eöl from a Telerin Elf to a Noldorin Elf who was born in [[Aman]].<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} Though he was a Noldo, he was among a select few who were "[[Avari]] at heart", yet joined the exiles because his people did.<ref group="note">Subsequently, Tolkien inserted next to this a vertical line, a check-mark, and a note saying "Keep this".</ref><ref name="Nature">{{NM|P1xi}}</ref>{{rp|Note 4}} Tolkien could not decide if Eöl already knew Isfin before the Noldor went to Aman and persuaded her to remain with him in [[Beleriand]], or if she also decided not to go to Aman at the last minute and wandered alone in Beleriand.<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} Tolkien, however, quickly decides that this was impossible since Isfin was born in Aman.<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} Tolkien also decided in that moment that Maeglin also needed to be born in Aman and that the three of them were extremely attracted to Melkor's lies, growing to dislike their kin and Aman, joining Fëanor's host, and becoming estranged from all of their immediate kin.<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} However, in most developed versions, Eöl remains an Elf of Middle-earth whose "wicked deed" remains a unique transgression in Elven history.<br />
<br />
{{references|notes}}<br />
<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eol}}<br />
<br />
{{seq-start}}<br />
{{seq-head<br />
|race=sindar<br />
|house=<br />
|born=Before {{YT|1115}}<br />
|died={{FA|400}}<br />
}}<br />
{{seq<br />
|pvac=None<br />
|prev=''[[Thingol]] as the overlord of all [[Beleriand]]''<br />
|list=Ruler of [[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
|dates=c. {{YT|1497}} – {{FA|400}}<br />
|next=Unknown (if any)<br />
}}<br />
{{seq-end}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Avari]]<br />
[[Category:Avarin words]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Book of Lost Tales]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Silmarillion]]<br />
[[Category:First Age characters]]<br />
[[Category:Gnomish names]]<br />
[[Category:Moriquendi]]<br />
[[Category:Nandor]]<br />
[[Category:Rulers in Beleriand]]<br />
[[Category:Sindar]]<br />
[[Category:Smiths]]<br />
[[Category:Tatyar]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Eol]]<br />
[[fr:encyclo/personnages/elfes/teleri/sindar/eol]]<br />
[[fi:Eöl]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Elven_life_cycle&diff=437161Elven life cycle2026-04-06T14:14:58Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{quote|[[Yén]]i ve lintë yuldar avánier [...] lisse [[miruvor|Miruvóreva]]<br>(The long years have passed like swift draughts of the sweet mead)|[[Namárië]]}}<br />
[[File:Ted Nasmith - The Dawn of the Firstborn Elves.jpg|thumb|300px|''The Dawn of the Firstborn Elves'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]<br />
Owing to their longevity, the [[Elves]] had a very different '''Life cycle''' than [[Men]]. Most of the following information strictly refers only to the [[Eldar]]—but much could probably be applied to the [[Avari]] as well.<br />
<br />
==Early life==<br />
[[File:Jenny Dolfen - Feanoreans - Family picture.jpg|thumb|left|''Family picture'' by [[Jenny Dolfen]]]]<br />
Elves are born about one year after their begetting.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}} The day of their begetting is remembered, not the actual birthday itself, because bringing forth children is an act of will, and it required a "greater share and strength of their being, in mind and in body" than takes place "in the making of mortal children."<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}} By their first year, Elf children can speak, walk, and dance, and their quicker onset of mental maturity makes young Elves seem older than they actually are.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|209–10}} <br />
Elves' bodies developed slower than those of Men, but their minds developed more swiftly.<ref name="Laws">{{MR|Laws}}</ref>{{rp|209–10}} In their twenties, they might still appear physically seven years old, though the Elf-child would have mature language and skill,<ref name="NotesB">{{MR|P3II3e}}</ref>{{rp|228}} whereas Men at the same age are already physically mature.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|210}}<br />
<br />
Physical puberty is generally complete by their fiftieth year (by age fifty they reach their adult height), but they are not considered full-grown until a hundred years have passed.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|210}}<br />
<br />
==Sexuality, marriage, and parenthood==<br />
[[File:Līga Kļaviņa - Love at First Sight.jpg|thumb|''Love at First Sight'' by [[:Category:Images by Līga Kļaviņa|Līga Kļaviņa]]]]<br />
Elves marry for love, or at least with free will from both parties, typically early in life. Monogamy is practised and adultery is unthinkable.<ref name="NotesB" />{{rp|229}} By their very nature, they are "seldom swayed by the desires of the body" or influenced by lust.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|211}} They marry only once for it was ruled by Manwë that, "'since the Elves are by nature permanent in life within Arda, so also is their unmarred marriage.'"<ref name="marriage">{{MR|P3II3d}}</ref>{{rp|225}} [[Finwë]], the [[King of the Noldor]], was an exception. After his [[Míriel|first wife]] died, from passing the majority of her life into [[Fëanor]],<ref name="LawsA">{{MR|P3II3f}}</ref>{{rp|237}} and refused to be re-embodied, Finwë was permitted to marry again. This was pronounced by [[Mandos|Námo]] as the '[[Statute of Finwë and Míriel]]'.<ref name="marriage" />{{rp|226}}<br />
<br />
Spouses may choose each other, in their youth, and be betrothed long before they are married. The betrothal is subject to parental approval from both houses unless the parties are of age and intend to marry soon. At which point, the betrothal is announced at a meeting of the two houses, during which the couple exchange silver rings. The betrothal lasts at least a year. A betrothal is revocable by a public return of the rings, which will then be molten, but revocation was rarely needed because "the Eldar do not err lightly" in the choice of their partner.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|211}} After their formal betrothal, the couple appoints a time for the wedding when at least a year has passed.<br />
<br />
Marriage is celebrated at a feast of the two houses. The spouses return their betrothal rings, which they keep, and receive "slender rings of gold" which are worn upon "the index of the right hand."<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|211}} In Noldor tradition, the bride’s mother gives the groom a jewel to be worn and the bridegroom's father gives a similar gift to the bride. These ceremonies and traditions were only a way for the parents to show their love and to mark a respectful recognition of the two houses which would be joined. While it was considered "ungracious and contemptuous of kin", in days of peace, "to forgo the ceremonies," it was completely lawful for a couple to be married without them.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}} The indissoluble union was completed solely by the "act of bodily union" which achieved marriage.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}} Technically, without ceremony or witnesses, only blessings exchanged between the bride and groom, including speaking of the name of [[Eru]], and consummation are required for marriage.<br />
<br />
[[File:Tuuliky - Lumen Melma.jpg|thumb|left|''Lumen Melma'' by [[:Category:Images by Tuuliky|Tuuliky]]]]<br />
The Elves view the sexual act as a "great delight and joy."<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|213}} While extra-marital sex is described as contrary to their nature, earlier drafts (Version A) explain that "marriage resides ultimately in the will of the fëa."<ref name="LawsA">{{MR|P3II3f}}</ref>{{rp|233}} This implies that a union without the consent of the spirit is not a true marriage. In that same draft layer, it is noted that a married Elf would reject bodily life if taken by force by someone other than their spouse.<ref name="NotesB" />{{rp|Note 5}} However, the revised Version B of the text moves away from these specific mechanics, stating more generally that "seldom is any tale told of deeds of lust among them."<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|210}} While "there is no record of any among the Elves that took another's spouse by force,"<ref name="NotesB" />{{rp|Note 5}} the attempt was made by [[Maeglin]] toward [[Idril]].<ref name="Gondolin">{{LT2|III}}</ref>{{rp|169}} <br />
<br />
Spouses can sometimes live separately for extended periods of time. Though united in body and spirit, they remain individuals with different gifts of mind and body to pursue.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|213}} However, a sundering during pregnancy or during the early years of parenthood, such as by war, would be so grievous to the couple, and hurtful to the child, that they prefer to have children in peaceful times.<ref name="Rebirth">{{MR|P3II3c}}</ref>{{rp|221}} <br />
<br />
Elves typically have four children or fewer. [[Fëanor]] and [[Nerdanel]], who had [[Sons of Fëanor|seven sons]], were a notable exception.<ref name="NotesB" />{{rp|Note 4}} Whenever the Eldar married, whether in youth or in later life, their children were produced within a relatively short time after their wedding. However, in mortal count, a century or two may pass before the begetting of the first child and even longer between child and child.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}} After their time of children, the desire to procreate soon ceases. They turn their powers of body and mind to other tasks and arts. Nonetheless, they cherish the days of bearing and raising children as the happiest times of their lives.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|213}}<br />
<br />
There are examples that appear to contradict this ideal. An example of extreme marital strife among the Eldar is the case of [[Eöl]] and [[Aredhel]], where Eöl tried to restrain his wife from living the life of her choice. As a result, Aredhel left Eöl without his knowing, and took their son, Maeglin, with her back to [[Gondolin]]. The end result was that Eöl sought revenge upon his own family, and while seeking to slay his rebellious son, slew his wife accidentally.<ref name="SilmMaeglin">{{S|Maeglin}}</ref> Another example of great discontent developed between Fëanor and Nerdanel after the theft of the [[Silmarils]]. Nerdanel did not wish to be parted from all her children nor did she wish to follow her husband against the [[Valar]]'s wishes. Fëanor's harsh response was that, if she would not follow him, she was an untrue wife for deserting both her husband and her children.<ref name="Feanor">{{PM|Feanor}}</ref>{{rp|354}} <br />
<br />
[[Celegorm]]'s pursuit of [[Lúthien]] and [[Maeglin]]'s attraction to [[Idril]] are cases of elves who sought disinterested partners. The desire for these unwilling wives was mixed with a desire for power. While unrequited love was known to happen, few of the Eldar responded so negatively to it.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|211}} [[Indis]] loved [[Finwë]] with secret admiration but remained contently unwed because he was married.<ref name="LawsA" />{{rp|238}} [[Turgon]], Idril's father, denied Maeglin's suit for Idril's hand because he believed that Maeglin sought power more than the love of his daughter.<ref name="Gondolin" />{{rp|165}} In Celegorm's case, he was motivated to claim Lúthien as his bride to force her father, [[Thingol]], to ally with the [[Fëanorians]] during the [[Siege of Angband]]. However, [[Huan]] and [[Beren]] defended Lúthien, against the attempted bride-stealing by Celegorm and the later attack by [[Curufin]].<ref name="Beren">{{S|Beren}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Daily life==<br />
Elves preoccupy themselves with various arts, such as: smithwork, sculpture, weaving, music, lore, and healing. Males and females have equal skill in all things, not concerned with the bringing forth of children; however, the females often specialize in the arts of healing while the men go to war.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|213}} This is because the Elves believe that taking life interferes with the ability to preserve life. Women who hunted would not specialize in healing, and men who healed would refrain from hunting and only fight when absolutely necessary, for "the virtue . . . in this matter [of healing] was due . . . to their abstaining from hunting or war."<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|213–4}}<br />
<br />
==Later life==<br />
[[File:Jef Murray - Cirdan.jpg|thumb|''[[Círdan]]'' by [[Jef Murray]]]]<br />
Eventually, if they did not die in battle or from some other cause, Elves, such as Noldor and [[Teleri]], of [[Middle-earth]] grew weary and desired to go to [[Valinor]], where the [[Valar]] sheltered their kind. This was known as the sea-longing.<ref>{{RK|Debate}}</ref> Those who wished to leave for the Undying Lands went by ships provided at the [[Grey Havens]], where [[Círdan]] the Shipwright dwelt with his folk. Those, of any Elven people, who did not perish through bodily death or depart from Middle-earth across the sea would eventually fade. Fading occurred when their ''[[fëar]]'' 'consumed' their bodies and the body became merely a memory of the ''fëa''. Elves in this faded state were completely invisible to mortal eyes, except for those among Men "into whose minds they may [[ósanwë|enter directly]]".<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}}<br />
<br />
=="Cycles of life" and ageing==<br />
The Elves distinguished between two distinct modes within their lifecycle: a period of growth (olmië) where they go from conception to physical maturity, and a period of life (coivië) where they live and acquire skill, knowledge, and wisdom.<ref>{{NM|P1xii}}, p. 88</ref><br />
<br />
Elves had no beards, at least until their "third cycle of life", like [[Círdan]]. [[Mahtan]] was an exception, and had a beard in his early "second cycle".<ref>{{VT|41b}}</ref>{{rp|9}} The Elvish beardlessness could also be observed in Mannish lines with an Elvish strain (as in the princely house of [[Dol Amroth]]), which lacked beards.<ref>{{UT|6}}, "Amroth and Nimrodel", p. 320 (HarperCollins paperback; 1998)</ref><br />
<br />
While the three cycles are not specifically defined, the first cycle is likely childhood and adolescence, which ended at the 100th year, the second is adulthood which could continue for Ages, and the third is for extremely old Elves; Círdan was the most ancient known Elf in Middle-earth. However, Elves who were not ancient could enter the third stage sooner due to tragic life events. When Lúthien wilfully released her spirit to follow Beren, her father saw her die, and "a winter, as it were the hoar age of mortal Men, fell upon Thingol."<ref name="Beren" /><br />
<br />
Apparently, beards, though rare, were the only sign of further natural physical ageing beyond maturity. <br />
<br />
Elves did not physically age after they reached maturity, but they did age in a different sense than Men. They became ever more weary of the world and burdened by its sorrows.<ref>{{S|9}}</ref><ref>{{S|Rings}}</ref> Círdan seemed to be aged himself since he is described as looking old, save for the stars in his eyes; this may be due to all the sorrows he had seen and lived through since the [[First Age]].<ref>{{RK|Havens}}</ref> He had been one of the Teleri on the [[Great Journey]] who tarried on the shores of Middle-earth for Thingol's sake, and at the [[Valar]]'s behest, though he had greatly wished to go to Aman.<ref name="last">{{PM|Last}}</ref>{{rp|385–6}} Another aged elf was [[Gwindor]], the people of [[Nargothrond]] had trouble recognizing him after he escaped from being a prisoner of [[Morgoth]] in the pits of [[Angband]] for fourteen years.<ref name="Gwindor">{{S|21}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Death and reincarnation==<br />
[[File:Anna Kulisz - Valar - Mandos.jpg|thumb|250px|left|''Valar - Mandos'' by [[:Category:Images by Anna Kulisz|Anna Kulisz]]]]<br />
Elves have "limitless serial longevity"<ref>{{L|208}}</ref> (often called [[immortal]]ity, but true immortality is beyond Eä); like the Ainur, they are bound to Arda until its End. Elves are immune to all diseases, and they can recover from wounds which would normally kill a mortal Man.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|218–9}} <br />
<br />
Nonetheless, Elves can be physically slain or die of grief and weariness. Death was unnatural for Elves; [[Ilúvatar]] intended for an Elf's spirit (''[[Fëa and hröa|fëa]]'') and body (''[[Fëa and hröa|hröa]]'') to remain united throughout the entire life of Arda, but this design was disrupted by evils of [[Melkor]].<ref>{{MR|P4g}}</ref>{{rp|330–331}} Should an Elf die, its spirit would be in a state "open to the direct instruction and command of the Valar", and would be summoned to the [[Halls of Mandos]] in Aman as soon as they were disembodied.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|219}} Elves could refuse the summons, but this would suggest that they were tainted. Elves who went to the Halls were, after a period of time, typically given the opportunity to be reincarnated into a body identical to the one that died.<ref name="P4i">{{MR|P4i}}</ref>{{rp|339}} If the Elf accepted the opportunity, the Valar would then create the new body for the Elf's spirit; Elven spirits had no power to build such bodies for themselves.<ref name="last">{{PM|Last}}</ref>{{rp|390–391}} But the Valar could, if an Elf committed evil acts and refused to repent or continued to feel ill-will towards others, delay the time of the reincarnation, impose conditions of an Elf's return, or refuse to re-embody an Elf altogether (as was done with Fëanor).<ref name="last" />{{rp|380, 389}}<ref name="P4i">{{MR|P4i}}</ref>{{rp|339}} An Elven spirit could also choose to remain disembodied; the Valar had no authority to force Elves to reincarnate.<ref name="P4i">{{MR|P4i}}</ref>{{rp|339}}<ref>{{PM|XI2}}</ref>{{rp|334}}<br />
<br />
Initially, Elves who died in Middle-earth and were re-embodied in Aman could return to Middle-earth if they wished,<ref name="last" />{{rp|378, 381–382}} but few Elves did so, as the journey was dangerous and they risked dying again. However, while the Noldor were exiled in the First Age, the Valar physically barred travel between Aman and Middle-earth; the only Elf who died and was allowed to return to Middle-earth during this period was [[Lúthien]], and through the grace of Ilúvatar, she returned as a mortal.<ref name="Beren" /><ref name="P4i" />{{rp|339–340}} After the Valar pardoned the exiled Noldor at the end of the First Age, travel from Aman to Middle-earth resumed. [[Glorfindel]], who died in the Fall of [[Gondolin]], was reincarnated and returned to Middle-earth, most likely in the Second Age by way of Númenor.<ref name="last" />{{rp|377–382}} After the [[Downfall of Númenor]] and the removal of Aman and Tol Eressëa from the Circles of the World near the end of the Second Age, Ilúvatar decreed that Elves were no longer permitted to travel to Middle-earth.<ref name="last" />{{rp|380–382}}<br />
<br />
{{references}}<br />
[[Category:Elves]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Elven_life_cycle&diff=437160Elven life cycle2026-04-06T13:44:46Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{quote|[[Yén]]i ve lintë yuldar avánier [...] lisse [[miruvor|Miruvóreva]]<br>(The long years have passed like swift draughts of the sweet mead)|[[Namárië]]}}<br />
[[File:Ted Nasmith - The Dawn of the Firstborn Elves.jpg|thumb|300px|''The Dawn of the Firstborn Elves'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]<br />
Owing to their longevity, the [[Elves]] had a very different '''Life cycle''' than [[Men]]. Most of the following information strictly refers only to the [[Eldar]]—but much could probably be applied to the [[Avari]] as well.<br />
<br />
==Early life==<br />
[[File:Jenny Dolfen - Feanoreans - Family picture.jpg|thumb|left|''Family picture'' by [[Jenny Dolfen]]]]<br />
Elves are born about one year after their begetting.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}} The day of their begetting is remembered, not the actual birthday itself, because bringing forth children is an act of will, and it required a "greater share and strength of their being, in mind and in body" than takes place "in the making of mortal children."<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}} By their first year, Elf children can speak, walk, and dance, and their quicker onset of mental maturity makes young Elves seem older than they actually are.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|209–10}} <br />
Elves' bodies developed slower than those of Men, but their minds developed more swiftly.<ref name="Laws">{{MR|Laws}}</ref>{{rp|209–10}} In their twenties, they might still appear physically seven years old, though the Elf-child would have mature language and skill,<ref name="NotesB">{{MR|P3II3e}}</ref>{{rp|228}} whereas Men at the same age are already physically mature.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|210}}<br />
<br />
Physical puberty is generally complete by their fiftieth year (by age fifty they reach their adult height), but they are not considered full-grown until a hundred years have passed.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|210}}<br />
<br />
==Sexuality, marriage, and parenthood==<br />
[[File:Līga Kļaviņa - Love at First Sight.jpg|thumb|''Love at First Sight'' by [[:Category:Images by Līga Kļaviņa|Līga Kļaviņa]]]]<br />
Elves marry for love, or at least with free will from both parties, typically early in life. Monogamy is practised and adultery is unthinkable.<ref name="NotesB" />{{rp|229}} By their very nature, they are "seldom swayed by the desires of the body" or influenced by lust.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|211}} They marry only once for it was ruled by Manwë that, "'since the Elves are by nature permanent in life within Arda, so also is their unmarred marriage.'"<ref name="marriage">{{MR|P3II3d}}</ref>{{rp|225}} [[Finwë]], the [[King of the Noldor]], was an exception. After his [[Míriel|first wife]] died, from passing the majority of her life into [[Fëanor]],<ref name="LawsA">{{MR|P3II3f}}</ref>{{rp|237}} and refused to be re-embodied, Finwë was permitted to marry again. This was pronounced by [[Mandos|Námo]] as the '[[Statute of Finwë and Míriel]]'.<ref name="marriage" />{{rp|226}}<br />
<br />
Spouses may choose each other, in their youth, and be betrothed long before they are married. The betrothal is subject to parental approval from both houses unless the parties are of age and intend to marry soon. At which point, the betrothal is announced at a meeting of the two houses, during which the couple exchange silver rings. The betrothal lasts at least a year. A betrothal is revocable by a public return of the rings, which will then be molten, but revocation was rarely needed because "the Eldar do not err lightly" in the choice of their partner.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|211}} After their formal betrothal, the couple appoints a time for the wedding when at least a year has passed.<br />
<br />
Marriage is celebrated at a feast of the two houses. The spouses return their betrothal rings, which they keep, and receive "slender rings of gold" which are worn upon "the index of the right hand."<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|211}} In Noldor tradition, the bride’s mother gives the groom a jewel to be worn and the bridegroom's father gives a similar gift to the bride. These ceremonies and traditions were only a way for the parents to show their love and to mark a respectful recognition of the two houses which would be joined. While it was considered "ungracious and contemptuous of kin", in days of peace, "to forgo the ceremonies," it was completely lawful for a couple to be married without them.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}} The indissoluble union was completed solely by the "act of bodily union" which achieved marriage.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}} Technically, without ceremony or witnesses, only blessings exchanged between the bride and groom, including speaking of the name of [[Eru]], and consummation are required for marriage.<br />
<br />
[[File:Tuuliky - Lumen Melma.jpg|thumb|left|''Lumen Melma'' by [[:Category:Images by Tuuliky|Tuuliky]]]]<br />
The Elves view the sexual act as a "great delight and joy."<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|213}} While extra-marital sex is described as contrary to their nature, earlier drafts (Version A) explain that "marriage resides ultimately in the will of the fëa."<ref name="LawsA">{{MR|P3II3f}}</ref>{{rp|233}} This implies that a union without the consent of the spirit is not a true marriage. In that same draft layer, it is noted that a married Elf would reject bodily life if taken by force by someone other than their spouse.<ref name="NotesB" />{{rp|Note 5}} However, the revised Version B of the text moves away from these specific mechanics, stating more generally that "seldom is any tale told of deeds of lust among them."<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|210}} While "there is no record of any among the Elves that took another's spouse by force; for this was wholly against their nature,"<ref name="NotesB" />{{rp|Note 5}} the attempt was made by [[Maeglin]] toward [[Idril]].<ref name="Gondolin">{{LT2|III}}</ref>{{rp|169}} <br />
<br />
Spouses can sometimes live separately for extended periods of time. Though united in body and spirit, they remain individuals with different gifts of mind and body to pursue.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|213}} However, a sundering during pregnancy or during the early years of parenthood, such as by war, would be so grievous to the couple, and hurtful to the child, that they prefer to have children in peaceful times.<ref name="Rebirth">{{MR|P3II3c}}</ref>{{rp|221}} <br />
<br />
Elves typically have four children or fewer. [[Fëanor]] and [[Nerdanel]], who had [[Sons of Fëanor|seven sons]], were a notable exception.<ref name="NotesB" />{{rp|Note 4}} Whenever the Eldar married, whether in youth or in later life, their children were produced within a relatively short time after their wedding. However, in mortal count, a century or two may pass before the begetting of the first child and even longer between child and child.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}} After their time of children, the desire to procreate soon ceases. They turn their powers of body and mind to other tasks and arts. Nonetheless, they cherish the days of bearing and raising children as the happiest times of their lives.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|213}}<br />
<br />
There are examples that appear to contradict this ideal. An example of extreme marital strife among the Eldar is the case of [[Eöl]] and [[Aredhel]], where Eöl tried to restrain his wife from living the life of her choice. As a result, Aredhel left Eöl without his knowing, and took their son, Maeglin, with her back to [[Gondolin]]. The end result was that Eöl sought revenge upon his own family, and while seeking to slay his rebellious son, slew his wife accidentally.<ref name="SilmMaeglin">{{S|Maeglin}}</ref> Another example of great discontent developed between Fëanor and Nerdanel after the theft of the [[Silmarils]]. Nerdanel did not wish to be parted from all her children nor did she wish to follow her husband against the [[Valar]]'s wishes. Fëanor's harsh response was that, if she would not follow him, she was an untrue wife for deserting both her husband and her children.<ref name="Feanor">{{PM|Feanor}}</ref>{{rp|354}} <br />
<br />
[[Celegorm]]'s pursuit of [[Lúthien]] and [[Maeglin]]'s attraction to [[Idril]] are cases of elves who sought disinterested partners. The desire for these unwilling wives was mixed with a desire for power. While unrequited love was known to happen, few of the Eldar responded so negatively to it.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|211}} [[Indis]] loved [[Finwë]] with secret admiration but remained contently unwed because he was married.<ref name="LawsA" />{{rp|238}} [[Turgon]], Idril's father, denied Maeglin's suit for Idril's hand because he believed that Maeglin sought power more than the love of his daughter.<ref name="Gondolin" />{{rp|165}} In Celegorm's case, he was motivated to claim Lúthien as his bride to force her father, [[Thingol]], to ally with the [[Fëanorians]] during the [[Siege of Angband]]. However, [[Huan]] and [[Beren]] defended Lúthien, against the attempted bride-stealing by Celegorm and the later attack by [[Curufin]].<ref name="Beren">{{S|Beren}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Daily life==<br />
Elves preoccupy themselves with various arts, such as: smithwork, sculpture, weaving, music, lore, and healing. Males and females have equal skill in all things, not concerned with the bringing forth of children; however, the females often specialize in the arts of healing while the men go to war.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|213}} This is because the Elves believe that taking life interferes with the ability to preserve life. Women who hunted would not specialize in healing, and men who healed would refrain from hunting and only fight when absolutely necessary, for "the virtue . . . in this matter [of healing] was due . . . to their abstaining from hunting or war."<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|213–4}}<br />
<br />
==Later life==<br />
[[File:Jef Murray - Cirdan.jpg|thumb|''[[Círdan]]'' by [[Jef Murray]]]]<br />
Eventually, if they did not die in battle or from some other cause, Elves, such as Noldor and [[Teleri]], of [[Middle-earth]] grew weary and desired to go to [[Valinor]], where the [[Valar]] sheltered their kind. This was known as the sea-longing.<ref>{{RK|Debate}}</ref> Those who wished to leave for the Undying Lands went by ships provided at the [[Grey Havens]], where [[Círdan]] the Shipwright dwelt with his folk. Those, of any Elven people, who did not perish through bodily death or depart from Middle-earth across the sea would eventually fade. Fading occurred when their ''[[fëar]]'' 'consumed' their bodies and the body became merely a memory of the ''fëa''. Elves in this faded state were completely invisible to mortal eyes, except for those among Men "into whose minds they may [[ósanwë|enter directly]]".<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}}<br />
<br />
=="Cycles of life" and ageing==<br />
The Elves distinguished between two distinct modes within their lifecycle: a period of growth (olmië) where they go from conception to physical maturity, and a period of life (coivië) where they live and acquire skill, knowledge, and wisdom.<ref>{{NM|P1xii}}, p. 88</ref><br />
<br />
Elves had no beards, at least until their "third cycle of life", like [[Círdan]]. [[Mahtan]] was an exception, and had a beard in his early "second cycle".<ref>{{VT|41b}}</ref>{{rp|9}} The Elvish beardlessness could also be observed in Mannish lines with an Elvish strain (as in the princely house of [[Dol Amroth]]), which lacked beards.<ref>{{UT|6}}, "Amroth and Nimrodel", p. 320 (HarperCollins paperback; 1998)</ref><br />
<br />
While the three cycles are not specifically defined, the first cycle is likely childhood and adolescence, which ended at the 100th year, the second is adulthood which could continue for Ages, and the third is for extremely old Elves; Círdan was the most ancient known Elf in Middle-earth. However, Elves who were not ancient could enter the third stage sooner due to tragic life events. When Lúthien wilfully released her spirit to follow Beren, her father saw her die, and "a winter, as it were the hoar age of mortal Men, fell upon Thingol."<ref name="Beren" /><br />
<br />
Apparently, beards, though rare, were the only sign of further natural physical ageing beyond maturity. <br />
<br />
Elves did not physically age after they reached maturity, but they did age in a different sense than Men. They became ever more weary of the world and burdened by its sorrows.<ref>{{S|9}}</ref><ref>{{S|Rings}}</ref> Círdan seemed to be aged himself since he is described as looking old, save for the stars in his eyes; this may be due to all the sorrows he had seen and lived through since the [[First Age]].<ref>{{RK|Havens}}</ref> He had been one of the Teleri on the [[Great Journey]] who tarried on the shores of Middle-earth for Thingol's sake, and at the [[Valar]]'s behest, though he had greatly wished to go to Aman.<ref name="last">{{PM|Last}}</ref>{{rp|385–6}} Another aged elf was [[Gwindor]], the people of [[Nargothrond]] had trouble recognizing him after he escaped from being a prisoner of [[Morgoth]] in the pits of [[Angband]] for fourteen years.<ref name="Gwindor">{{S|21}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Death and reincarnation==<br />
[[File:Anna Kulisz - Valar - Mandos.jpg|thumb|250px|left|''Valar - Mandos'' by [[:Category:Images by Anna Kulisz|Anna Kulisz]]]]<br />
Elves have "limitless serial longevity"<ref>{{L|208}}</ref> (often called [[immortal]]ity, but true immortality is beyond Eä); like the Ainur, they are bound to Arda until its End. Elves are immune to all diseases, and they can recover from wounds which would normally kill a mortal Man.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|218–9}} <br />
<br />
Nonetheless, Elves can be physically slain or die of grief and weariness. Death was unnatural for Elves; [[Ilúvatar]] intended for an Elf's spirit (''[[Fëa and hröa|fëa]]'') and body (''[[Fëa and hröa|hröa]]'') to remain united throughout the entire life of Arda, but this design was disrupted by evils of [[Melkor]].<ref>{{MR|P4g}}</ref>{{rp|330–331}} Should an Elf die, its spirit would be in a state "open to the direct instruction and command of the Valar", and would be summoned to the [[Halls of Mandos]] in Aman as soon as they were disembodied.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|219}} Elves could refuse the summons, but this would suggest that they were tainted. Elves who went to the Halls were, after a period of time, typically given the opportunity to be reincarnated into a body identical to the one that died.<ref name="P4i">{{MR|P4i}}</ref>{{rp|339}} If the Elf accepted the opportunity, the Valar would then create the new body for the Elf's spirit; Elven spirits had no power to build such bodies for themselves.<ref name="last">{{PM|Last}}</ref>{{rp|390–391}} But the Valar could, if an Elf committed evil acts and refused to repent or continued to feel ill-will towards others, delay the time of the reincarnation, impose conditions of an Elf's return, or refuse to re-embody an Elf altogether (as was done with Fëanor).<ref name="last" />{{rp|380, 389}}<ref name="P4i">{{MR|P4i}}</ref>{{rp|339}} An Elven spirit could also choose to remain disembodied; the Valar had no authority to force Elves to reincarnate.<ref name="P4i">{{MR|P4i}}</ref>{{rp|339}}<ref>{{PM|XI2}}</ref>{{rp|334}}<br />
<br />
Initially, Elves who died in Middle-earth and were re-embodied in Aman could return to Middle-earth if they wished,<ref name="last" />{{rp|378, 381–382}} but few Elves did so, as the journey was dangerous and they risked dying again. However, while the Noldor were exiled in the First Age, the Valar physically barred travel between Aman and Middle-earth; the only Elf who died and was allowed to return to Middle-earth during this period was [[Lúthien]], and through the grace of Ilúvatar, she returned as a mortal.<ref name="Beren" /><ref name="P4i" />{{rp|339–340}} After the Valar pardoned the exiled Noldor at the end of the First Age, travel from Aman to Middle-earth resumed. [[Glorfindel]], who died in the Fall of [[Gondolin]], was reincarnated and returned to Middle-earth, most likely in the Second Age by way of Númenor.<ref name="last" />{{rp|377–382}} After the [[Downfall of Númenor]] and the removal of Aman and Tol Eressëa from the Circles of the World near the end of the Second Age, Ilúvatar decreed that Elves were no longer permitted to travel to Middle-earth.<ref name="last" />{{rp|380–382}}<br />
<br />
{{references}}<br />
[[Category:Elves]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=E%C3%B6l&diff=437151Eöl2026-04-06T12:57:30Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{disambig-two|Eöl the Dark Elf|name of the Dark Elves as a whole|[[Moriquendi]]}}<br />
{{infobox character<br />
| people=[[Sindar|Sinda]]<br />
| name=Eöl<br />
| image=Elena Kukanova - Destiny.jpg<br />
| caption="Destiny" by [[Elena Kukanova]]<br />
| pronun=<br />
| othernames=Dark Elf<br />
| titles=<br />
| position=ruler of [[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
| location=East of the [[Misty Mountains]]<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br/>[[Forest of Region]]<br/>[[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
| affiliation=<br />
| language=[[Common Telerin]]<br />[[Sindarin]]<br />
| birth=Before {{YT|1115}}<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br />
| birthlocation=East of the [[Misty Mountains]]<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br />
| rule=<br />
| death={{FA|400}}<br />
| deathlocation=[[Caragdûr]] ([[Gondolin]])<br />
| age=at least c. 4,089<ref group="note">[[Years of the Sun]]. Each [[Years of the Trees|Year of the Trees]] is equal to 9.582 Years of the Sun, and the Years of the Trees ended in the [[Year of the Trees 1500|year 1500]].</ref><br />
| notablefor=Forging of [[Anglachel]] and [[Anguirel]]<br/>Inventing [[Galvorn]]<br>Being a night-rider<ref name=journeys>{{NM|P3ix}}</ref><br />
| house=<br />
| parentage=Unknown (Eöl was a kinsman of [[Thingol]]<ref name=Maeglin/><ref name="WJ|Editor">{{WJ|Editor}}, Note 33</ref>)<br />
| siblings=<br />
| spouse=[[Aredhel]]<br />
| children=[[Maeglin]]<br />
| gender=Male<br />
| height=Tall, but stooped by smithwork<br />
| hair=Dark-haired{{fact}}<br />
| eyes=<br />
| clothing=Clad in [[Galvorn]] whenever he went abroad<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
| weapons=[[Anguirel]] and a poisoned javelin <br />
| steed=<br />
}}<br />
<center>{{quote|You are of the house of Eöl, Maeglin, my son, and not of the Golodhrim. All this land is the land of the Teleri, and I will not deal nor have my son deal with the slayers of our kin, the invaders and usurpers of our homes. In this you shall obey me, or I will set you in bonds.|''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'', "[[Of Maeglin]]"}}</center><br />
<br />
'''Eöl''', known as the '''Dark Elf''', was the great smith who dwelled within [[Nan Elmoth]]. He was akin to [[Thingol]] of the [[Teleri]] of the [[First Age]].<ref name="Maeglin" /><ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><ref group="note">[[Christopher Tolkien]] mentions that his father elaborated further on this kinship in that "Eöl should not be one of [[Thingol|Thingol's]] kin, but one of the [[Teleri]] who refused to cross the [[Misty Mountains|Hithaeglir]]. But [later] he and a few others of like mood, averse to concourse of people, … [had] crossed the [Mts] long ago and come to [[Beleriand]]". Despite this statement, a small note was written against it in [[1971]] saying that "the relationship to Thingol would have point". It might be possible that the "few others of like mood" became the servants of his house, as they were described as being as "silent and secret as their master".</ref><br />
<br />
His face was noble yet grim, "and his eyes could see deep into shadows and dark places" because he was night-sighted<ref name="journeys" />. Eöl built up a friendship with the [[Dwarves of the Blue Mountains]]. That friendship gave him an insight into their craft, and he came to forge the swords [[Anguirel]] and [[Anglachel]], the latter of which became [[Túrin]]'s sword [[Gurthang]].<br />
<br />
In {{FA|316}}, [[Turgon]]'s sister, [[Aredhel]], strayed into his kingdom whom he took for his wife. Later, in {{FA|400}}, Aredhel and their son [[Maeglin]] fled Nan Elmoth for [[Gondolin]] but were pursued by Eöl. In Gondolin, he tried to kill Maeglin with a poisoned javelin, but instead killed Aredhel; for this crime he was executed by being thrown from the cliff of [[Caragdûr]]. The darkness in Eöl's heart was inherited by his son Maeglin and sowed the seeds for the [[Fall of Gondolin]].<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
===Early life===<br />
Eöl was of the kin of King [[Thingol|Elu Thingol]].<ref name="Maeglin" /><ref name="WJ|Editor">{{WJ|Editor}}, Note 33</ref> He was "restless and ill at ease in [[Doriath]]",<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> and when the [[Girdle of Melian]] was raised around the kingdom, he left his dwelling in the [[Forest of Region]] to dwell in the dark forest of [[Nan Elmoth]], east of Doriath, where he had a smithy, dim halls, and servants similar to himself.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> Eöl's house was located in the middle of Nan Elmoth around fifteen miles from the northernmost edge where the [[Celon]] River ran.<ref name="Maeglin" /> He had a preference for the land as it had been before the Sun, and "he loved the night and twilight under the stars". He had little love for the Noldor whom he blamed for the return of Morgoth.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
He was unique among the Elves of old in that he had befriended the [[Dwarves]]. Their travels into [[East Beleriand]] followed two roads, and the northern way would bring them close to Nan Elmoth. There he would meet with them. Eöl was interested in learning from them, and he shared a rare friendship with the [[Dwarves of the Blue Mountains]]. As a guest in the many mansions of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]], he developed his great skill in metalwork while they learned "much of what passed in the lands of the Eldar" from him.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> From this great skill, he devised [[Galvorn]], a jet-black metal that was "as hard as the steel of the Dwarves", yet extremely malleable to the point that it was thin and supple. It was from this metal that he forged armor of his own making which he wore whenever he went abroad from Nan Elmoth,<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> "and so escaped many wounds"<ref name="Maeglin" /> as the armor proved to be resistant to all darts and blades.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
Though Eöl was a skilled craftsman and a master sword-smith,<ref name="Quendi" /> among his greatest works were the two swords made from the iron of a meteorite, [[Anglachel]] and [[Anguirel]]. Anglachel he gave to Thingol as a begrudged payment for dwelling in Nan Elmoth,<ref>{{S|Turin}}</ref> and it would later become the sword borne by [[Beleg]], and after him, [[Túrin|Túrin Turambar]].<br />
<br />
===Of Eöl, Aredhel and their son===<br />
[[File:Elena Kukanova - Nan-Elmoth.jpg|left|thumb|295px|''Nan Elmoth'' by [[Elena Kukanova]]]]<br />
During the year {{FA|316|n}} of the First Age, Eöl saw [[Aredhel]], the sister of [[Turgon]] the King of [[Gondolin]], near the dim borders of Nan Elmoth. She was very fair and he desired her. Aredhel had become separated from her companions, and Eöl used his enchantments to draw her deeper into the woods and unable to find a way out, until she came, weary with wandering, to his home. He showed himself and welcomed her. She entered his home willingly and stayed. It was only then that he showed himself, to lead her into his home, taking her to wife, though Aredhel was not wholly unwilling. While Eöl forbade her to seek her [[Noldor]] kin and commanded that she shunned sunlight, "they wandered far together under the stars or by the light of the sickle moon", and he allowed her to even wander alone within the forest.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
During the year {{FA|320|n}} of the First Age, Aredhel bore him a son whom in her heart she named ''Lómion'' in the [[Quenya|forbidden tongue]] of the Noldor. Twelve years later, Eöl gave to his son the name of [[Maeglin]], perceiving that his son's eyes were more piercing than his own;<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> until that time, he only referred to Maeglin as "Iôn" ("son").<ref>{{WJ|Maeglin}}</ref><br />
<br />
When Maeglin reached adulthood, Eöl often took him along whenever he visited "the cities of the [[Dwarves]] in the east of [[Blue Mountains|Ered Lindon]]". Yet, unknown to Eöl, he loved his mother better as she told him tales of her kin, yet omitting how to get to them. When Maeglin told Eöl that he desired to see his mother's kin with his own eyes and speak to the [[Sons of Fëanor|sons]] of [[Fëanor]], Eöl forbade his request and became wrathful at the mere mention of the kinslayers, drilling into Maeglin that he was of the "house of Eöl" and threatening to set him in bonds should he disobey him. Though Maeglin obeyed the commands, the damage to their relationship was done, for now Eöl mistrusted him enough so much so that he no longer took him with him beyond Ered Lindon.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
===The escape of Aredhel and Maeglin===<br />
During the summer of the year {{FA|400}}, the Dwarves, as per their custom, invited Eöl to a midsummer [[Feast]]<ref name="journeys" /> at [[Nogrod]], and he rode straight away to [[Blue Mountains|Ered Lindon]] in order to be on time to attend.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> However, he suspected that in his absence, his wife and son may seek to visit the sons of Fëanor. As such, "he secretly ordered his servants to keep a close watch on his wife and son" and he posted a watchman by the stream of [[Celon]] at the north-eaves of Nan Elmoth.<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
[[File:Catherine Chmiel - Tales of Gondolin.jpg|right|thumb|300px|''Tales of Gondolin'' by [[Catherine Karina Chmiel|Catherine Chmiel]]]]<br />
During the first night of the three day feast, "a dark shadow of ill foreboding" came to Eöl in his sleep. As a consequence, he left Nogrod the next morning without ceremony, riding homeward with all speed. He returned home at nightfall of the next day, learning from his watchman that his wife and son had fled north less than two days earlier, passing into the [[Himlad]] towards the [[Pass of Aglon]]. Staying at his home only to mount a fresh horse, his swiftest steed, his wrath overcame him and he chased after them immediately.<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
<br />
Eöl regained control of his wrath as he entered into the Himlad, remembering the danger of [[Celegorm]] and [[Curufin]].<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> However, he was waylaid by the well-armed riders of Curufin before making it even halfway across the Himlad. The riders took Eöl by force with them to see their lord Curufin. It was around noon that day when the riders arrived at Curufin's camp where, with only a little courtesy, Eöl was greeted by Curufin.<ref name="Maeglin" /> When the son of Fëanor questioned him, Eöl told him that Aredhel and Maeglin left Nan Elmoth to visit him and that he wished to join them in that errand. While Curufin told Eöl that they would have been welcomed coldly if he did accompany them, Curufin revealed that they never intended to visit him, and that they were seen passing the [[Arossiach]] riding swiftly westward almost two days before. Curufin suggested then that either Eöl was trying to deceive him or that he himself had been deceived.<br />
<br />
After asking Curufin for his leave to depart the Himlad and to seek for the truth. Eöl thanked him, regarding him as kin by marriage. Curufin took offense to this since Aredhel's marriage was forced and he wished to have Eöl out of his sight ad he could not slay him according to the laws of the [[Eldar]].<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><ref group="note">[[Christopher Tolkien]] mentions that his father added a footnote to Curufin's line, explaining that "the [[Eldar]] (which included the [[Sindar]]) were forbidden to slay one another in revenge for any grievance however great. Also at this time Eöl had ridden towards [[Pass of Aglon|Aglon]] with no ill intent, and it was not unjust that he should seek news of [[Aredhel|Aredel]] and [[Maeglin]]".</ref><ref name="Maeglin" /> Yet despite this anger, Curufin instead counseled Eöl to return home, foreseeing that if Eöl continued his pursuit after those who do not love him anymore, he would never return to Nan Elmoth again. Eöl did not heed him as the hatred of all the Noldor drove him on pass the [[Arossiach]], and he perceived then that his wife and son were fleeing to [[Gondolin]],<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> realizing that Curufin's purpose was to specifically delay him.<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
<br />
Upon reaching the [[Ford of Brithiach]], Eöl spotted his wife and son due to the betrayal of their horses. Now seeing Aredhel Eöl followed them closely, marking their paths. Eventually, Eöl found his way to the [[Dry River]], and the secret way led him by stealth to the [[Orfalch Echor]] and the [[Seven Gates of Gondolin]]. There, Eöl revealed himself to the [[Dark Guard]] at the [[Gate of Wood|Dark Gate]] and claimed Aredhel as his wife, demanding to be brought before the [[Turgon|King]].<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
===Gondolin and Eöl's death===<br />
[[File:Ted Nasmith - Eöl is Led to the Walls.jpg|right|thumb|290px|''Eöl is led to the Walls'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]<br />
At Aredhel's request, [[Turgon]] at first welcomed Eöl as a kinsman, but under the King's law, one who had found the way to the [[Gondolin|Hidden City]] was not permitted to leave. Eöl refused to acknowledge the law or the right of the Noldor to "seize realms or to set bounds" and claimed the land as Teleri. He blamed the Noldor for bringing war to a peaceful land. He then stated that he was only in Gondolin to claim his son, though he did not claim his wife since Aredhel was just as much Turgon's sister as she was Eöl's wife.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> However, it is possible that because he mentioned he referred to Gondolin as a cage that Aredhel sickened in, that he was hoping that Aredhel may leave Gondolin again a second time eventually.<br />
<br />
Turgon pointed out that the borders of Eöl's own "sunless woods", Nan Elmoth, were defended by Noldor swords, and if it were not for their presence, he would be a thrall in the pits of Angband. Eöl was left with one choice only: abide in Gondolin or die in Gondolin. The same choice was left for his son.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
Enraged at the humiliation and the loss of his freedom, Eöl chose death, for himself and for his son, and after staring down Turgon, he cast a javelin, which he had hidden beneath his cloak, at Maeglin. Aredhel stepped in front of her son, and she was struck in the shoulder. Eöl was taken by many, cast in bonds, and led away. The wound was treated and seemed minor, and Aredhel and Idril moved Turgon to mercy. Yet no one knew the point of the javelin had been poisoned until it was too late, and after Aredhel's wound sickened in the evening, she died that night.<br />
<br />
Thus when Eöl came before Turgon he found no mercy, and was cast over the cliff of [[Caragdûr]] to his death. Before he was hurled over, he accused his son of forsaking his father and his kin, cursing him to fail at all his hopes and to share the same death as himself.<ref name="SilmMaeglin">{{S|Maeglin}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Etymology==<br />
{{pronounce|Sindarin - Eöl.mp3|Gilgamesh}}<br />
The meaning of the name ''Eöl'' is unknown, and also to which language it pertains. The word is neither [[Quenya]] nor [[Sindarin]], but "Another name from prim[itive] [[The Fall of Gondolin (chapter)|FG]] - meaningless then and now" since Tolkien concluded that not every name needed to have significance.<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
<br />
Usually the reference to a 'Dark Elf' (''Moredhel'' in Sindarin)<ref name="L297">{{L|297}}</ref><ref name="App">{{S|Appendix}}</ref> simply refers to an Elf who has not seen the light of Aman, but the concept of a darkened Elf would be one that may have been corrupted by Morgoth.<ref name="Maeglin" /> Tolkien liked this concept as an explanation for his superb and insidious smith-craft, which was written in a margin note of Eöl's story,<ref name="Maeglin">{{WJ|Maeglin}}</ref>{{rp|320}} but he chose instead to consider him more likely acquainted with the Dwarves.<ref name="Quendi" />{{rp|Note 9}}<br />
<br />
==Other names==<br />
In the early versions of the [[legendarium]] according to the linguistic materials related to ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', [[Tolkien]] considered the name ''Eöl'' (with variant spellings of ''Eol'' and ''Iol'') to be a [[Gnomish]] name, but without providing any etymology.<ref name="Iol">{{PE|15}}, ''[[Name-list to The Fall of Gondolin]]'', entry '''Eol or Iol''', p. 24</ref><br />
<br />
The [[Qenya]] cognate of ''Eol'' was ''Aiwala'',<ref name="Iol" /> or alternatively ''Aiwl''.<ref name="Iol" /><ref name="Aivala" /><br />
<br />
However, in an another text, the Qenya cognate of ''Eol'' was given as ''Aival'' instead - but the reading of the second letter in ''Aival'' was unclear,<ref name="Aivala">{{PE|13}}, ''[[Official Name List]]'', Note 48, p. 104</ref> which led [[Christopher Tolkien]] to conclude that it was actually ''A'''r'''val''.<ref>{{LT2|IIIn}}, ''§3 Miscellaneous Matters'', '''(vi) Isfin and Eöl''', p. 220</ref><br />
<br />
In '' Ælfwine’s translation of the Quenta into Old English; Old English equivalents of Elvish names'', he is called '''Éor''';<ref>{{SM|QA1}}</ref> Christopher Tolkien does not provide a translation.<br />
<br />
==Genealogy==<br />
{{familytree/start}}<br />
{{familytree| FNG |y| ANA | | | | | | | | | | | |FNG=[[Fingolfin]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1190}} - {{FA|456}}''</small>|ANA=[[Anairë]]<br /><small>''b. {{YT}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree| | | |!| | | |F|~|~|~|~|7| | | | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | |!| | | |:| | | | |:| | | | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | ARE |y| EOL | | | THI |y| MEL |ARE=[[Aredhel]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1362}} - {{FA|400}}''</small>|EOL='''EÖL'''<br /><small>''before {{YT|1115}} - {{FA|400}}''</small>|MEL=[[Melian]]<br /><small>''created<br />before [[Eä]]''</small>|THI=[[Thingol]]<br /><small>''d. {{FA|503}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree| | | | | |!| | | | | | | | |!| | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | | | MAE | | | | | | | LUT | | |MAE=[[Maeglin]]<br /><small>''{{FA|320}} - {{FA|510|n}}''</small>|LUT=[[Lúthien]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1200}} - {{FA|503}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree/end}}<br />
<br />
==Other versions of the legendarium==<br />
===''The Book of Lost Tales''===<br />
In the earliest version of the [[legendarium]] in ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', Eöl was said to have been an ill-favored leader of the Minors "of the [[House of the Mole|Mole-kin]] of the [[Gnomes]]" who had the favor of [[Finwë|Fingolma]]. [[Isfin]] hated him, though he loved her from afar. [[Christopher Tolkien]] notes several parallels with [[Maeglin]].<ref>{{LT2|IIIn}}, pp. 22-1</ref><br />
<br />
===Later legendarium===<br />
Tolkien does have other renditions of this character that include references to him as an [[Avar]] and even as a "darkened Elf".<ref>{{PM|Dwarves}}</ref>{{rp|62}} At one point it is hinted that he could be one of the [[Laegil]].<ref name="Maeglin" />{{rp|322}} In note 9 of Tolkien's essay ''[[Quendi and Eldar]]'', another draft of Eöl's story appears, dated as written between 1959-1960. In this version, he is an Avar who had once been of the second clan of Elves, the [[Tatyar]]. This was later contradicted by Tolkien in a very late essay, where he is called an Elda. It is unknown if Tolkien changed this or simply forgot, but it is possible to reconcile them by noting that, according to ''Quendi and Eldar'', any rare Avar that joins the Sindar becomes an Elda. Eöl's marriage is a little different in this story as well. He found "the sister of King Turgon, astray in the wild near his dwelling, and he took her to wife by force: a very wicked deed in the eyes of the Eldar".<ref name="Quendi">{{WJ|Quendi}}</ref>{{rp|409}}<br />
<br />
This incident is consistent with his late 1950s writing on the Eldar included in his essay ''[[Laws and Customs Among the Eldar]]'', in which the Draft A footnote regarding the concept that one so forced "rejected bodily life" applies strictly to the forced violation of another's spouse.<ref name="Laws">{{MR|Laws}}</ref>{{rp|Note 5}} Aredhel was unwed, and Tolkien's writing in ''Quendi and Eldar'' confirms Eöl took her "by force"—a surviving act of rape.<ref name="Quendi" />{{rp|409}} ''The Silmarillion'''s phrasing that she was "not wholly unwilling"<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> and that her life in Nan Elmoth was not "hateful to her for many years"<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> reflects the narrative tradition ascribed to Loremasters such as [[Pengoloð]], whereas this later note provides an explicit authorial clarification.<ref name="Quendi" />{{rp|409}}<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
<br />
This essay on the Eldar reflects a Draft A concept suggesting that Elven marriage is so spiritually absolute that a third party could not physically "force" a spouse.<ref name="Laws">{{MR|Laws}}</ref>{{rp|Note 5}} While this would theoretically mean Maeglin's desire for Idril was a futile pursuit of the impossible, it represents a narrow metaphysical ideal from the [[Ælfwine]] framework. This is contrasted by another brief tale circa 1958 in the actual history of Arda Marred, where the [[Ainu]] maiden [[Árië]] chose to release her spirit from [[Eä]] to escape [[Melkor]]'s attempt to ravish her,<ref>{{MR|Myths}}</ref>{{rp|381}} and the "very wicked deed" Eöl committed against Aredhel.<ref name="Quendi" /><br />
<br />
In a [[1959]] essay, Tolkien explored altering the metaphysics of the [[legendarium]].<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} One of these changes involved changing Eöl from a Telerin Elf to a Noldorin Elf who was born in [[Aman]].<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} Though he was a Noldo, he was among a select few who were "[[Avari]] at heart", yet joined the exiles because his people did.<ref group="note">Subsequently, Tolkien inserted next to this a vertical line, a check-mark, and a note saying "Keep this".</ref><ref name="Nature">{{NM|P1xi}}</ref>{{rp|Note 4}} Tolkien could not decide if Eöl already knew Isfin before the Noldor went to Aman and persuaded her to remain with him in [[Beleriand]], or if she also decided not to go to Aman at the last minute and wandered alone in Beleriand.<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} Tolkien, however, quickly decides that this was impossible since Isfin was born in Aman.<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} Tolkien also decided in that moment that Maeglin also needed to be born in Aman and that the three of them were extremely attracted to Melkor's lies, growing to dislike their kin and Aman, joining Fëanor's host, and becoming estranged from all of their immediate kin.<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} However, in most developed versions, Eöl remains an Elf of Middle-earth whose "wicked deed" remains a unique transgression in Elven history.<br />
<br />
{{references|notes}}<br />
<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eol}}<br />
<br />
{{seq-start}}<br />
{{seq-head<br />
|race=sindar<br />
|house=<br />
|born=Before {{YT|1115}}<br />
|died={{FA|400}}<br />
}}<br />
{{seq<br />
|pvac=None<br />
|prev=''[[Thingol]] as the overlord of all [[Beleriand]]''<br />
|list=Ruler of [[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
|dates=c. {{YT|1497}} – {{FA|400}}<br />
|next=Unknown (if any)<br />
}}<br />
{{seq-end}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Avari]]<br />
[[Category:Avarin words]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Book of Lost Tales]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Silmarillion]]<br />
[[Category:First Age characters]]<br />
[[Category:Gnomish names]]<br />
[[Category:Moriquendi]]<br />
[[Category:Nandor]]<br />
[[Category:Rulers in Beleriand]]<br />
[[Category:Sindar]]<br />
[[Category:Smiths]]<br />
[[Category:Tatyar]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Eol]]<br />
[[fr:encyclo/personnages/elfes/teleri/sindar/eol]]<br />
[[fi:Eöl]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=E%C3%B6l&diff=437150Eöl2026-04-06T12:56:14Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{disambig-two|Eöl the Dark Elf|name of the Dark Elves as a whole|[[Moriquendi]]}}<br />
{{infobox character<br />
| people=[[Sindar|Sinda]]<br />
| name=Eöl<br />
| image=Elena Kukanova - Destiny.jpg<br />
| caption="Destiny" by [[Elena Kukanova]]<br />
| pronun=<br />
| othernames=Dark Elf<br />
| titles=<br />
| position=ruler of [[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
| location=East of the [[Misty Mountains]]<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br/>[[Forest of Region]]<br/>[[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
| affiliation=<br />
| language=[[Common Telerin]]<br />[[Sindarin]]<br />
| birth=Before {{YT|1115}}<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br />
| birthlocation=East of the [[Misty Mountains]]<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br />
| rule=<br />
| death={{FA|400}}<br />
| deathlocation=[[Caragdûr]] ([[Gondolin]])<br />
| age=at least c. 4,089<ref group="note">[[Years of the Sun]]. Each [[Years of the Trees|Year of the Trees]] is equal to 9.582 Years of the Sun, and the Years of the Trees ended in the [[Year of the Trees 1500|year 1500]].</ref><br />
| notablefor=Forging of [[Anglachel]] and [[Anguirel]]<br/>Inventing [[Galvorn]]<br>Being a night-rider<ref name=journeys>{{NM|P3ix}}</ref><br />
| house=<br />
| parentage=Unknown (Eöl was a kinsman of [[Thingol]]<ref name=Maeglin/><ref name="WJ|Editor">{{WJ|Editor}}, Note 33</ref>)<br />
| siblings=<br />
| spouse=[[Aredhel]]<br />
| children=[[Maeglin]]<br />
| gender=Male<br />
| height=Tall, but stooped by smithwork<br />
| hair=Dark-haired{{fact}}<br />
| eyes=<br />
| clothing=Clad in [[Galvorn]] whenever he went abroad<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
| weapons=[[Anguirel]] and a poisoned javelin <br />
| steed=<br />
}}<br />
<center>{{quote|You are of the house of Eöl, Maeglin, my son, and not of the Golodhrim. All this land is the land of the Teleri, and I will not deal nor have my son deal with the slayers of our kin, the invaders and usurpers of our homes. In this you shall obey me, or I will set you in bonds.|''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'', "[[Of Maeglin]]"}}</center><br />
<br />
'''Eöl''', known as the '''Dark Elf''', was the great smith who dwelled within [[Nan Elmoth]]. He was akin to [[Thingol]] of the [[Teleri]] of the [[First Age]].<ref name="Maeglin" /><ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><ref group="note">[[Christopher Tolkien]] mentions that his father elaborated further on this kinship in that "Eöl should not be one of [[Thingol|Thingol's]] kin, but one of the [[Teleri]] who refused to cross the [[Misty Mountains|Hithaeglir]]. But [later] he and a few others of like mood, averse to concourse of people, … [had] crossed the [Mts] long ago and come to [[Beleriand]]". Despite this statement, a small note was written against it in [[1971]] saying that "the relationship to Thingol would have point". It might be possible that the "few others of like mood" became the servants of his house, as they were described as being as "silent and secret as their master".</ref><br />
<br />
His face was noble yet grim, "and his eyes could see deep into shadows and dark places" because he was night-sighted<ref name="journeys" />. Eöl built up a friendship with the [[Dwarves of the Blue Mountains]]. That friendship gave him an insight into their craft, and he came to forge the swords [[Anguirel]] and [[Anglachel]], the latter of which became [[Túrin]]'s sword [[Gurthang]].<br />
<br />
In {{FA|316}}, [[Turgon]]'s sister, [[Aredhel]], strayed into his kingdom whom he took for his wife. Later, in {{FA|400}}, Aredhel and their son [[Maeglin]] fled Nan Elmoth for [[Gondolin]] but were pursued by Eöl. In Gondolin, he tried to kill Maeglin with a poisoned javelin, but instead killed Aredhel; for this crime he was executed by being thrown from the cliff of [[Caragdûr]]. The darkness in Eöl's heart was inherited by his son Maeglin and sowed the seeds for the [[Fall of Gondolin]].<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
===Early life===<br />
Eöl was of the kin of King [[Thingol|Elu Thingol]].<ref name="Maeglin" /><ref name="WJ|Editor">{{WJ|Editor}}, Note 33</ref> He was "restless and ill at ease in [[Doriath]]",<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> and when the [[Girdle of Melian]] was raised around the kingdom, he left his dwelling in the [[Forest of Region]] to dwell in the dark forest of [[Nan Elmoth]], east of Doriath, where he had a smithy, dim halls, and servants similar to himself.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> Eöl's house was located in the middle of Nan Elmoth around fifteen miles from the northernmost edge where the [[Celon]] River ran.<ref name="Maeglin" /> He had a preference for the land as it had been before the Sun, and "he loved the night and twilight under the stars". He had little love for the Noldor whom he blamed for the return of Morgoth.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
He was unique among the Elves of old in that he had befriended the [[Dwarves]]. Their travels into [[East Beleriand]] followed two roads, and the northern way would bring them close to Nan Elmoth. There he would meet with them. Eöl was interested in learning from them, and he shared a rare friendship with the [[Dwarves of the Blue Mountains]]. As a guest in the many mansions of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]], he developed his great skill in metalwork while they learned "much of what passed in the lands of the Eldar" from him.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> From this great skill, he devised [[Galvorn]], a jet-black metal that was "as hard as the steel of the Dwarves", yet extremely malleable to the point that it was thin and supple. It was from this metal that he forged armor of his own making which he wore whenever he went abroad from Nan Elmoth,<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> "and so escaped many wounds"<ref name="Maeglin" /> as the armor proved to be resistant to all darts and blades.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
Though Eöl was a skilled craftsman and a master sword-smith,<ref name="Quendi" /> among his greatest works were the two swords made from the iron of a meteorite, [[Anglachel]] and [[Anguirel]]. Anglachel he gave to Thingol as a begrudged payment for dwelling in Nan Elmoth,<ref>{{S|Turin}}</ref> and it would later become the sword borne by [[Beleg]], and after him, [[Túrin|Túrin Turambar]].<br />
<br />
===Of Eöl, Aredhel and their son===<br />
[[File:Elena Kukanova - Nan-Elmoth.jpg|left|thumb|295px|''Nan Elmoth'' by [[Elena Kukanova]]]]<br />
During the year {{FA|316|n}} of the First Age, Eöl saw [[Aredhel]], the sister of [[Turgon]] the King of [[Gondolin]], near the dim borders of Nan Elmoth. She was very fair and he desired her. Aredhel had become separated from her companions, and Eöl used his enchantments to draw her deeper into the woods and unable to find a way out, until she came, weary with wandering, to his home. He showed himself and welcomed her. She entered his home willingly and stayed. It was only then that he showed himself, to lead her into his home, taking her to wife, though Aredhel was not wholly unwilling. While Eöl forbade her to seek her [[Noldor]] kin and commanded that she shunned sunlight, "they wandered far together under the stars or by the light of the sickle moon", and he allowed her to even wander alone within the forest.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
During the year {{FA|320|n}} of the First Age, Aredhel bore him a son whom in her heart she named ''Lómion'' in the [[Quenya|forbidden tongue]] of the Noldor. Twelve years later, Eöl gave to his son the name of [[Maeglin]], perceiving that his son's eyes were more piercing than his own;<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> until that time, he only referred to Maeglin as "Iôn" ("son").<ref>{{WJ|Maeglin}}</ref><br />
<br />
When Maeglin reached adulthood, Eöl often took him along whenever he visited "the cities of the [[Dwarves]] in the east of [[Blue Mountains|Ered Lindon]]". Yet, unknown to Eöl, he loved his mother better as she told him tales of her kin, yet omitting how to get to them. When Maeglin told Eöl that he desired to see his mother's kin with his own eyes and speak to the [[Sons of Fëanor|sons]] of [[Fëanor]], Eöl forbade his request and became wrathful at the mere mention of the kinslayers, drilling into Maeglin that he was of the "house of Eöl" and threatening to set him in bonds should he disobey him. Though Maeglin obeyed the commands, the damage to their relationship was done, for now Eöl mistrusted him enough so much so that he no longer took him with him beyond Ered Lindon.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
===The escape of Aredhel and Maeglin===<br />
During the summer of the year {{FA|400}}, the Dwarves, as per their custom, invited Eöl to a midsummer [[Feast]]<ref name="journeys" /> at [[Nogrod]], and he rode straight away to [[Blue Mountains|Ered Lindon]] in order to be on time to attend.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> However, he suspected that in his absence, his wife and son may seek to visit the sons of Fëanor. As such, "he secretly ordered his servants to keep a close watch on his wife and son" and he posted a watchman by the stream of [[Celon]] at the north-eaves of Nan Elmoth.<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
[[File:Catherine Chmiel - Tales of Gondolin.jpg|right|thumb|300px|''Tales of Gondolin'' by [[Catherine Karina Chmiel|Catherine Chmiel]]]]<br />
During the first night of the three day feast, "a dark shadow of ill foreboding" came to Eöl in his sleep. As a consequence, he left Nogrod the next morning without ceremony, riding homeward with all speed. He returned home at nightfall of the next day, learning from his watchman that his wife and son had fled north less than two days earlier, passing into the [[Himlad]] towards the [[Pass of Aglon]]. Staying at his home only to mount a fresh horse, his swiftest steed, his wrath overcame him and he chased after them immediately.<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
<br />
Eöl regained control of his wrath as he entered into the Himlad, remembering the danger of [[Celegorm]] and [[Curufin]].<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> However, he was waylaid by the well-armed riders of Curufin before making it even halfway across the Himlad. The riders took Eöl by force with them to see their lord Curufin. It was around noon that day when the riders arrived at Curufin's camp where, with only a little courtesy, Eöl was greeted by Curufin.<ref name="Maeglin" /> When the son of Fëanor questioned him, Eöl told him that Aredhel and Maeglin left Nan Elmoth to visit him and that he wished to join them in that errand. While Curufin told Eöl that they would have been welcomed coldly if he did accompany them, Curufin revealed that they never intended to visit him, and that they were seen passing the [[Arossiach]] riding swiftly westward almost two days before. Curufin suggested then that either Eöl was trying to deceive him or that he himself had been deceived.<br />
<br />
After asking Curufin for his leave to depart the Himlad and to seek for the truth. Eöl thanked him, regarding him as kin by marriage. Curufin took offense to this since Aredhel's marriage was forced and he wished to have Eöl out of his sight ad he could not slay him according to the laws of the [[Eldar]].<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><ref group="note">[[Christopher Tolkien]] mentions that his father added a footnote to Curufin's line, explaining that "the [[Eldar]] (which included the [[Sindar]]) were forbidden to slay one another in revenge for any grievance however great. Also at this time Eöl had ridden towards [[Pass of Aglon|Aglon]] with no ill intent, and it was not unjust that he should seek news of [[Aredhel|Aredel]] and [[Maeglin]]".</ref><ref name="Maeglin" /> Yet despite this anger, Curufin instead counseled Eöl to return home, foreseeing that if Eöl continued his pursuit after those who do not love him anymore, he would never return to Nan Elmoth again. Eöl did not heed him as the hatred of all the Noldor drove him on pass the [[Arossiach]], and he perceived then that his wife and son were fleeing to [[Gondolin]],<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> realizing that Curufin's purpose was to specifically delay him.<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
<br />
Upon reaching the [[Ford of Brithiach]], Eöl spotted his wife and son due to the betrayal of their horses. Now seeing Aredhel Eöl followed them closely, marking their paths. Eventually, Eöl found his way to the [[Dry River]], and the secret way led him by stealth to the [[Orfalch Echor]] and the [[Seven Gates of Gondolin]]. There, Eöl revealed himself to the [[Dark Guard]] at the [[Gate of Wood|Dark Gate]] and claimed Aredhel as his wife, demanding to be brought before the [[Turgon|King]].<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
===Gondolin and Eöl's death===<br />
[[File:Ted Nasmith - Eöl is Led to the Walls.jpg|right|thumb|290px|''Eöl is led to the Walls'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]<br />
At Aredhel's request, [[Turgon]] at first welcomed Eöl as a kinsman, but under the King's law, one who had found the way to the [[Gondolin|Hidden City]] was not permitted to leave. Eöl refused to acknowledge the law or the right of the Noldor to "seize realms or to set bounds" and claimed the land as Teleri. He blamed the Noldor for bringing war to a peaceful land. He then stated that he was only in Gondolin to claim his son, though he did not claim his wife since Aredhel was just as much Turgon's sister as she was Eöl's wife.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> However, it is possible that because he mentioned he referred to Gondolin as a cage that Aredhel sickened in, that he was hoping that Aredhel may leave Gondolin again a second time eventually.<br />
<br />
Turgon pointed out that the borders of Eöl's own "sunless woods", Nan Elmoth, were defended by Noldor swords, and if it were not for their presence, he would be a thrall in the pits of Angband. Eöl was left with one choice only: abide in Gondolin or die in Gondolin. The same choice was left for his son.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
Enraged at the humiliation and the loss of his freedom, Eöl chose death, for himself and for his son, and after staring down Turgon, he cast a javelin, which he had hidden beneath his cloak, at Maeglin. Aredhel stepped in front of her son, and she was struck in the shoulder. Eöl was taken by many, cast in bonds, and led away. The wound was treated and seemed minor, and Aredhel and Idril moved Turgon to mercy. Yet no one knew the point of the javelin had been poisoned until it was too late, and after Aredhel's wound sickened in the evening, she died that night.<br />
<br />
Thus when Eöl came before Turgon he found no mercy, and was cast over the cliff of [[Caragdûr]] to his death. Before he was hurled over, he accused his son of forsaking his father and his kin, cursing him to fail at all his hopes and to share the same death as himself.<ref name="SilmMaeglin">{{S|Maeglin}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Etymology==<br />
{{pronounce|Sindarin - Eöl.mp3|Gilgamesh}}<br />
The meaning of the name ''Eöl'' is unknown, and also to which language it pertains. The word is neither [[Quenya]] nor [[Sindarin]], but "Another name from prim[itive] [[The Fall of Gondolin (chapter)|FG]] - meaningless then and now" since Tolkien concluded that not every name needed to have significance.<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
<br />
Usually the reference to a 'Dark Elf' (''Moredhel'' in Sindarin)<ref name="L297">{{L|297}}</ref><ref name="App">{{S|Appendix}}</ref> simply refers to an Elf who has not seen the light of Aman, but the concept of a darkened Elf would be one that may have been corrupted by Morgoth.<ref name="Maeglin" /> Tolkien liked this concept as an explanation for his superb and insidious smith-craft, which was written in a margin note of Eöl's story,<ref name="Maeglin">{{WJ|Maeglin}}</ref>{{rp|320}} but he chose instead to consider him more likely acquainted with the Dwarves.<ref name="Quendi" />{{rp|Note 9}}<br />
<br />
==Other names==<br />
In the early versions of the [[legendarium]] according to the linguistic materials related to ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', [[Tolkien]] considered the name ''Eöl'' (with variant spellings of ''Eol'' and ''Iol'') to be a [[Gnomish]] name, but without providing any etymology.<ref name="Iol">{{PE|15}}, ''[[Name-list to The Fall of Gondolin]]'', entry '''Eol or Iol''', p. 24</ref><br />
<br />
The [[Qenya]] cognate of ''Eol'' was ''Aiwala'',<ref name="Iol" /> or alternatively ''Aiwl''.<ref name="Iol" /><ref name="Aivala" /><br />
<br />
However, in an another text, the Qenya cognate of ''Eol'' was given as ''Aival'' instead - but the reading of the second letter in ''Aival'' was unclear,<ref name="Aivala">{{PE|13}}, ''[[Official Name List]]'', Note 48, p. 104</ref> which led [[Christopher Tolkien]] to conclude that it was actually ''A'''r'''val''.<ref>{{LT2|IIIn}}, ''§3 Miscellaneous Matters'', '''(vi) Isfin and Eöl''', p. 220</ref><br />
<br />
In '' Ælfwine’s translation of the Quenta into Old English; Old English equivalents of Elvish names'', he is called '''Éor''';<ref>{{SM|QA1}}</ref> Christopher Tolkien does not provide a translation.<br />
<br />
==Genealogy==<br />
{{familytree/start}}<br />
{{familytree| FNG |y| ANA | | | | | | | | | | | |FNG=[[Fingolfin]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1190}} - {{FA|456}}''</small>|ANA=[[Anairë]]<br /><small>''b. {{YT}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree| | | |!| | | |F|~|~|~|~|7| | | | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | |!| | | |:| | | | |:| | | | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | ARE |y| EOL | | | THI |y| MEL |ARE=[[Aredhel]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1362}} - {{FA|400}}''</small>|EOL='''EÖL'''<br /><small>''before {{YT|1115}} - {{FA|400}}''</small>|MEL=[[Melian]]<br /><small>''created<br />before [[Eä]]''</small>|THI=[[Thingol]]<br /><small>''d. {{FA|503}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree| | | | | |!| | | | | | | | |!| | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | | | MAE | | | | | | | LUT | | |MAE=[[Maeglin]]<br /><small>''{{FA|320}} - {{FA|510|n}}''</small>|LUT=[[Lúthien]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1200}} - {{FA|503}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree/end}}<br />
<br />
==Other versions of the legendarium==<br />
===''The Book of Lost Tales''===<br />
In the earliest version of the [[legendarium]] in ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', Eöl was said to have been an ill-favored leader of the Minors "of the [[House of the Mole|Mole-kin]] of the [[Gnomes]]" who had the favor of [[Finwë|Fingolma]]. [[Isfin]] hated him, though he loved her from afar. [[Christopher Tolkien]] notes several parallels with [[Maeglin]].<ref>{{LT2|IIIn}}, pp. 22-1</ref><br />
<br />
===Later legendarium===<br />
Tolkien does have other renditions of this character that include references to him as an [[Avar]] and even as a "darkened Elf".<ref>{{PM|Dwarves}}</ref>{{rp|62}} At one point it is hinted that he could be one of the [[Laegil]].<ref name="Maeglin" />{{rp|322}} In note 9 of Tolkien's essay ''[[Quendi and Eldar]]'', another draft of Eöl's story appears, dated as written between 1959-1960. In this version, he is an Avar who had once been of the second clan of Elves, the [[Tatyar]]. This was later contradicted by Tolkien in a very late essay, where he is called an Elda. It is unknown if Tolkien changed this or simply forgot, but it is possible to reconcile them by noting that, according to ''Quendi and Eldar'', any rare Avar that joins the Sindar becomes an Elda. Eöl's marriage is a little different in this story as well. He found "the sister of King Turgon, astray in the wild near his dwelling, and he took her to wife by force: a very wicked deed in the eyes of the Eldar".<ref name="Quendi">{{WJ|Quendi}}</ref>{{rp|409}}<br />
<br />
This incident is consistent with his late 1950s writing on the Eldar included in his essay ''[[Laws and Customs Among the Eldar]],'' in which the Draft A footnote regarding the concept that one so forced "rejected bodily life" applies strictly to the forced violation of another's spouse.<ref name="Laws">{{MR|Laws}}</ref>{{rp|Note 5}} Aredhel was unwed, and Tolkien's writing in ''Quendi and Eldar'' confirms Eöl took her "by force"—a surviving act of rape.<ref name="Quendi" />{{rp|409}} ''The Silmarillion'''s phrasing that she was "not wholly unwilling"<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> and that her life in Nan Elmoth was not "hateful to her for many years"<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> reflects the narrative tradition ascribed to Loremasters such as [[Pengoloð]], whereas this later note provides an explicit authorial clarification.<ref name="Quendi" />{{rp|409}}<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
<br />
This essay on the Eldar reflects a Draft A concept suggesting that Elven marriage is so spiritually absolute that a third party could not physically "force" a spouse.<ref name="Laws">{{MR|Laws}}</ref>{{rp|Note 5}} While this would theoretically mean Maeglin's desire for Idril was a futile pursuit of the impossible, it represents a narrow metaphysical ideal from the [[Ælfwine]] framework. This is contrasted by another brief tale circa 1958 in the actual history of Arda Marred, where the [[Ainu]] maiden [[Árië]] chose to release her spirit from [[Eä]] to escape [[Melkor]]'s attempt to ravish her,<ref>{{MR|Myths}}</ref>{{rp|381}} and the "very wicked deed" Eöl committed against Aredhel.<ref name="Quendi" /><br />
<br />
In a [[1959]] essay, Tolkien explored altering the metaphysics of the [[legendarium]].<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} One of these changes involved changing Eöl from a Telerin Elf to a Noldorin Elf who was born in [[Aman]].<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} Though he was a Noldo, he was among a select few who were "[[Avari]] at heart", yet joined the exiles because his people did.<ref group="note">Subsequently, Tolkien inserted next to this a vertical line, a check-mark, and a note saying "Keep this".</ref><ref name="Nature">{{NM|P1xi}}</ref>{{rp|Note 4}} Tolkien could not decide if Eöl already knew Isfin before the Noldor went to Aman and persuaded her to remain with him in [[Beleriand]], or if she also decided not to go to Aman at the last minute and wandered alone in Beleriand.<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} Tolkien, however, quickly decides that this was impossible since Isfin was born in Aman.<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} Tolkien also decided in that moment that Maeglin also needed to be born in Aman and that the three of them were extremely attracted to Melkor's lies, growing to dislike their kin and Aman, joining Fëanor's host, and becoming estranged from all of their immediate kin.<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} However, in most developed versions, Eöl remains an Elf of Middle-earth whose "wicked deed" remains a unique transgression in Elven history.<br />
<br />
{{references|notes}}<br />
<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eol}}<br />
<br />
{{seq-start}}<br />
{{seq-head<br />
|race=sindar<br />
|house=<br />
|born=Before {{YT|1115}}<br />
|died={{FA|400}}<br />
}}<br />
{{seq<br />
|pvac=None<br />
|prev=''[[Thingol]] as the overlord of all [[Beleriand]]''<br />
|list=Ruler of [[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
|dates=c. {{YT|1497}} – {{FA|400}}<br />
|next=Unknown (if any)<br />
}}<br />
{{seq-end}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Avari]]<br />
[[Category:Avarin words]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Book of Lost Tales]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Silmarillion]]<br />
[[Category:First Age characters]]<br />
[[Category:Gnomish names]]<br />
[[Category:Moriquendi]]<br />
[[Category:Nandor]]<br />
[[Category:Rulers in Beleriand]]<br />
[[Category:Sindar]]<br />
[[Category:Smiths]]<br />
[[Category:Tatyar]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Eol]]<br />
[[fr:encyclo/personnages/elfes/teleri/sindar/eol]]<br />
[[fi:Eöl]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Elven_life_cycle&diff=437148Elven life cycle2026-04-06T12:45:43Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{quote|[[Yén]]i ve lintë yuldar avánier [...] lisse [[miruvor|Miruvóreva]]<br>(The long years have passed like swift draughts of the sweet mead)|[[Namárië]]}}<br />
[[File:Ted Nasmith - The Dawn of the Firstborn Elves.jpg|thumb|300px|''The Dawn of the Firstborn Elves'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]<br />
Owing to their longevity, the [[Elves]] had a very different '''Life cycle''' than [[Men]]. Most of the following information strictly refers only to the [[Eldar]]—but much could probably be applied to the [[Avari]] as well.<br />
<br />
==Early life==<br />
[[File:Jenny Dolfen - Feanoreans - Family picture.jpg|thumb|left|''Family picture'' by [[Jenny Dolfen]]]]<br />
Elves are born about one year after their begetting.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}} The day of their begetting is remembered, not the actual birthday itself, because bringing forth children is an act of will, and it required a "greater share and strength of their being, in mind and in body" than takes place "in the making of mortal children."<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}} By their first year, Elf children can speak, walk, and dance, and their quicker onset of mental maturity makes young Elves seem older than they actually are.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|209–10}} <br />
Elves' bodies developed slower than those of Men, but their minds developed more swiftly.<ref name="Laws">{{MR|Laws}}</ref>{{rp|209–10}} In their twenties, they might still appear physically seven years old, though the Elf-child would have mature language and skill,<ref name="NotesB">{{MR|P3II3e}}</ref>{{rp|228}} whereas Men at the same age are already physically mature.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|210}}<br />
<br />
Physical puberty is generally complete by their fiftieth year (by age fifty they reach their adult height), but they are not considered full-grown until a hundred years have passed.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|210}}<br />
<br />
==Sexuality, marriage, and parenthood==<br />
[[File:Līga Kļaviņa - Love at First Sight.jpg|thumb|''Love at First Sight'' by [[:Category:Images by Līga Kļaviņa|Līga Kļaviņa]]]]<br />
Elves marry for love, or at least with free will from both parties, typically early in life. Monogamy is practised and adultery is unthinkable.<ref name="NotesB" />{{rp|229}} By their very nature, they are "seldom swayed by the desires of the body" or influenced by lust.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|211}} They marry only once for it was ruled by Manwë that, "'since the Elves are by nature permanent in life within Arda, so also is their unmarred marriage.'"<ref name="marriage">{{MR|P3II3d}}</ref>{{rp|225}} [[Finwë]], the [[King of the Noldor]], was an exception. After his [[Míriel|first wife]] died, from passing the majority of her life into [[Fëanor]],<ref name="LawsA">{{MR|P3II3f}}</ref>{{rp|237}} and refused to be re-embodied, Finwë was permitted to marry again. This was pronounced by [[Mandos|Námo]] as the '[[Statute of Finwë and Míriel]]'.<ref name="marriage" />{{rp|226}}<br />
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Spouses may choose each other, in their youth, and be betrothed long before they are married. The betrothal is subject to parental approval from both houses unless the parties are of age and intend to marry soon. At which point, the betrothal is announced at a meeting of the two houses, during which the couple exchange silver rings. The betrothal lasts at least a year. A betrothal is revocable by a public return of the rings, which will then be molten, but revocation was rarely needed because "the Eldar do not err lightly" in the choice of their partner.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|211}} After their formal betrothal, the couple appoints a time for the wedding when at least a year has passed.<br />
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Marriage is celebrated at a feast of the two houses. The spouses return their betrothal rings, which they keep, and receive "slender rings of gold" which are worn upon "the index of the right hand."<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|211}} In Noldor tradition, the bride’s mother gives the groom a jewel to be worn and the bridegroom's father gives a similar gift to the bride. These ceremonies and traditions were only a way for the parents to show their love and to mark a respectful recognition of the two houses which would be joined. While it was considered "ungracious and contemptuous of kin", in days of peace, "to forgo the ceremonies," it was completely lawful for a couple to be married without them.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}} The indissoluble union was completed solely by the "act of bodily union" which achieved marriage.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}} Technically, without ceremony or witnesses, only blessings exchanged between the bride and groom, including speaking of the name of [[Eru]], and consummation are required for marriage.<br />
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[[File:Tuuliky - Lumen Melma.jpg|thumb|left|''Lumen Melma'' by [[:Category:Images by Tuuliky|Tuuliky]]]]<br />
The Elves view the sexual act as a "great delight and joy."<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|213}} While extra-marital sex is described as contrary to their nature, earlier drafts (Version A) explain that "marriage resides ultimately in the will of the fëa."<ref name="LawsA">{{MR|P3II3f}}</ref>{{rp|233}} This implies that a union without the consent of the spirit is not a true marriage. In that same draft layer, it is noted that a married Elf might "reject bodily life" if taken by force by someone other than their spouse.<ref name="NotesB" />{{rp|Note 5}} However, the revised Version B of the text moves away from these specific mechanics, stating more generally that "seldom is any tale told of deeds of lust among them."<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|210}} While "there is no record of any among the Elves that took another's spouse by force; for this was wholly against their nature,"<ref name="NotesB" />{{rp|Note 5}} the attempt was made by [[Maeglin]] toward [[Idril]].<ref name="Gondolin">{{LT2|III}}</ref>{{rp|169}} <br />
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Spouses can sometimes live separately for extended periods of time. Though united in body and spirit, they remain individuals with different gifts of mind and body to pursue.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|213}} However, a sundering during pregnancy or during the early years of parenthood, such as by war, would be so grievous to the couple, and hurtful to the child, that they prefer to have children in peaceful times.<ref name="Rebirth">{{MR|P3II3c}}</ref>{{rp|221}} <br />
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Elves typically have four children or fewer. [[Fëanor]] and [[Nerdanel]], who had [[Sons of Fëanor|seven sons]], were a notable exception.<ref name="NotesB" />{{rp|Note 4}} Whenever the Eldar married, whether in youth or in later life, their children were produced within a relatively short time after their wedding. However, in mortal count, a century or two may pass before the begetting of the first child and even longer between child and child.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}} After their time of children, the desire to procreate soon ceases. They turn their powers of body and mind to other tasks and arts. Nonetheless, they cherish the days of bearing and raising children as the happiest times of their lives.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|213}}<br />
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There are examples that appear to contradict this ideal. An example of extreme marital strife among the Eldar is the case of [[Eöl]] and [[Aredhel]], where Eöl tried to restrain his wife from living the life of her choice. As a result, Aredhel left Eöl without his knowing, and took their son, Maeglin, with her back to [[Gondolin]]. The end result was that Eöl sought revenge upon his own family, and while seeking to slay his rebellious son, slew his wife accidentally.<ref name="SilmMaeglin">{{S|Maeglin}}</ref> Another example of great discontent developed between Fëanor and Nerdanel after the theft of the [[Silmarils]]. Nerdanel did not wish to be parted from all her children nor did she wish to follow her husband against the [[Valar]]'s wishes. Fëanor's harsh response was that, if she would not follow him, she was an untrue wife for deserting both her husband and her children.<ref name="Feanor">{{PM|Feanor}}</ref>{{rp|354}} <br />
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[[Celegorm]]'s pursuit of [[Lúthien]] and [[Maeglin]]'s attraction to [[Idril]] are cases of elves who sought disinterested partners. The desire for these unwilling wives was mixed with a desire for power. While unrequited love was known to happen, few of the Eldar responded so negatively to it.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|211}} [[Indis]] loved [[Finwë]] with secret admiration but remained contently unwed because he was married.<ref name="LawsA" />{{rp|238}} [[Turgon]], Idril's father, denied Maeglin's suit for Idril's hand because he believed that Maeglin sought power more than the love of his daughter.<ref name="Gondolin" />{{rp|165}} In Celegorm's case, he was motivated to claim Lúthien as his bride to force her father, [[Thingol]], to ally with the [[Fëanorians]] during the [[Siege of Angband]]. However, [[Huan]] and [[Beren]] defended Lúthien, against the attempted bride-stealing by Celegorm and the later attack by [[Curufin]].<ref name="Beren">{{S|Beren}}</ref><br />
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==Daily life==<br />
Elves preoccupy themselves with various arts, such as: smithwork, sculpture, weaving, music, lore, and healing. Males and females have equal skill in all things, not concerned with the bringing forth of children; however, the females often specialize in the arts of healing while the men go to war.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|213}} This is because the Elves believe that taking life interferes with the ability to preserve life. Women who hunted would not specialize in healing, and men who healed would refrain from hunting and only fight when absolutely necessary, for "the virtue . . . in this matter [of healing] was due . . . to their abstaining from hunting or war."<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|213–4}}<br />
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==Later life==<br />
[[File:Jef Murray - Cirdan.jpg|thumb|''[[Círdan]]'' by [[Jef Murray]]]]<br />
Eventually, if they did not die in battle or from some other cause, Elves, such as Noldor and [[Teleri]], of [[Middle-earth]] grew weary and desired to go to [[Valinor]], where the [[Valar]] sheltered their kind. This was known as the sea-longing.<ref>{{RK|Debate}}</ref> Those who wished to leave for the Undying Lands went by ships provided at the [[Grey Havens]], where [[Círdan]] the Shipwright dwelt with his folk. Those, of any Elven people, who did not perish through bodily death or depart from Middle-earth across the sea would eventually fade. Fading occurred when their ''[[fëar]]'' 'consumed' their bodies and the body became merely a memory of the ''fëa''. Elves in this faded state were completely invisible to mortal eyes, except for those among Men "into whose minds they may [[ósanwë|enter directly]]".<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|212}}<br />
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=="Cycles of life" and ageing==<br />
The Elves distinguished between two distinct modes within their lifecycle: a period of growth (olmië) where they go from conception to physical maturity, and a period of life (coivië) where they live and acquire skill, knowledge, and wisdom.<ref>{{NM|P1xii}}, p. 88</ref><br />
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Elves had no beards, at least until their "third cycle of life", like [[Círdan]]. [[Mahtan]] was an exception, and had a beard in his early "second cycle".<ref>{{VT|41b}}</ref>{{rp|9}} The Elvish beardlessness could also be observed in Mannish lines with an Elvish strain (as in the princely house of [[Dol Amroth]]), which lacked beards.<ref>{{UT|6}}, "Amroth and Nimrodel", p. 320 (HarperCollins paperback; 1998)</ref><br />
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While the three cycles are not specifically defined, the first cycle is likely childhood and adolescence, which ended at the 100th year, the second is adulthood which could continue for Ages, and the third is for extremely old Elves; Círdan was the most ancient known Elf in Middle-earth. However, Elves who were not ancient could enter the third stage sooner due to tragic life events. When Lúthien wilfully released her spirit to follow Beren, her father saw her die, and "a winter, as it were the hoar age of mortal Men, fell upon Thingol."<ref name="Beren" /><br />
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Apparently, beards, though rare, were the only sign of further natural physical ageing beyond maturity. <br />
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Elves did not physically age after they reached maturity, but they did age in a different sense than Men. They became ever more weary of the world and burdened by its sorrows.<ref>{{S|9}}</ref><ref>{{S|Rings}}</ref> Círdan seemed to be aged himself since he is described as looking old, save for the stars in his eyes; this may be due to all the sorrows he had seen and lived through since the [[First Age]].<ref>{{RK|Havens}}</ref> He had been one of the Teleri on the [[Great Journey]] who tarried on the shores of Middle-earth for Thingol's sake, and at the [[Valar]]'s behest, though he had greatly wished to go to Aman.<ref name="last">{{PM|Last}}</ref>{{rp|385–6}} Another aged elf was [[Gwindor]], the people of [[Nargothrond]] had trouble recognizing him after he escaped from being a prisoner of [[Morgoth]] in the pits of [[Angband]] for fourteen years.<ref name="Gwindor">{{S|21}}</ref><br />
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==Death and reincarnation==<br />
[[File:Anna Kulisz - Valar - Mandos.jpg|thumb|250px|left|''Valar - Mandos'' by [[:Category:Images by Anna Kulisz|Anna Kulisz]]]]<br />
Elves have "limitless serial longevity"<ref>{{L|208}}</ref> (often called [[immortal]]ity, but true immortality is beyond Eä); like the Ainur, they are bound to Arda until its End. Elves are immune to all diseases, and they can recover from wounds which would normally kill a mortal Man.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|218–9}} <br />
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Nonetheless, Elves can be physically slain or die of grief and weariness. Death was unnatural for Elves; [[Ilúvatar]] intended for an Elf's spirit (''[[Fëa and hröa|fëa]]'') and body (''[[Fëa and hröa|hröa]]'') to remain united throughout the entire life of Arda, but this design was disrupted by evils of [[Melkor]].<ref>{{MR|P4g}}</ref>{{rp|330–331}} Should an Elf die, its spirit would be in a state "open to the direct instruction and command of the Valar", and would be summoned to the [[Halls of Mandos]] in Aman as soon as they were disembodied.<ref name="Laws" />{{rp|219}} Elves could refuse the summons, but this would suggest that they were tainted. Elves who went to the Halls were, after a period of time, typically given the opportunity to be reincarnated into a body identical to the one that died.<ref name="P4i">{{MR|P4i}}</ref>{{rp|339}} If the Elf accepted the opportunity, the Valar would then create the new body for the Elf's spirit; Elven spirits had no power to build such bodies for themselves.<ref name="last">{{PM|Last}}</ref>{{rp|390–391}} But the Valar could, if an Elf committed evil acts and refused to repent or continued to feel ill-will towards others, delay the time of the reincarnation, impose conditions of an Elf's return, or refuse to re-embody an Elf altogether (as was done with Fëanor).<ref name="last" />{{rp|380, 389}}<ref name="P4i">{{MR|P4i}}</ref>{{rp|339}} An Elven spirit could also choose to remain disembodied; the Valar had no authority to force Elves to reincarnate.<ref name="P4i">{{MR|P4i}}</ref>{{rp|339}}<ref>{{PM|XI2}}</ref>{{rp|334}}<br />
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Initially, Elves who died in Middle-earth and were re-embodied in Aman could return to Middle-earth if they wished,<ref name="last" />{{rp|378, 381–382}} but few Elves did so, as the journey was dangerous and they risked dying again. However, while the Noldor were exiled in the First Age, the Valar physically barred travel between Aman and Middle-earth; the only Elf who died and was allowed to return to Middle-earth during this period was [[Lúthien]], and through the grace of Ilúvatar, she returned as a mortal.<ref name="Beren" /><ref name="P4i" />{{rp|339–340}} After the Valar pardoned the exiled Noldor at the end of the First Age, travel from Aman to Middle-earth resumed. [[Glorfindel]], who died in the Fall of [[Gondolin]], was reincarnated and returned to Middle-earth, most likely in the Second Age by way of Númenor.<ref name="last" />{{rp|377–382}} After the [[Downfall of Númenor]] and the removal of Aman and Tol Eressëa from the Circles of the World near the end of the Second Age, Ilúvatar decreed that Elves were no longer permitted to travel to Middle-earth.<ref name="last" />{{rp|380–382}}<br />
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{{references}}<br />
[[Category:Elves]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=E%C3%B6l&diff=437129Eöl2026-04-06T11:53:38Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>{{disambig-two|Eöl the Dark Elf|name of the Dark Elves as a whole|[[Moriquendi]]}}<br />
{{infobox character<br />
| people=[[Sindar|Sinda]]<br />
| name=Eöl<br />
| image=Elena Kukanova - Destiny.jpg<br />
| caption="Destiny" by [[Elena Kukanova]]<br />
| pronun=<br />
| othernames=Dark Elf<br />
| titles=<br />
| position=ruler of [[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
| location=East of the [[Misty Mountains]]<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br/>[[Forest of Region]]<br/>[[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
| affiliation=<br />
| language=[[Common Telerin]]<br />[[Sindarin]]<br />
| birth=Before {{YT|1115}}<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br />
| birthlocation=East of the [[Misty Mountains]]<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br />
| rule=<br />
| death={{FA|400}}<br />
| deathlocation=[[Caragdûr]] ([[Gondolin]])<br />
| age=at least c. 4,089<ref group="note">[[Years of the Sun]]. Each [[Years of the Trees|Year of the Trees]] is equal to 9.582 Years of the Sun, and the Years of the Trees ended in the [[Year of the Trees 1500|year 1500]].</ref><br />
| notablefor=Forging of [[Anglachel]] and [[Anguirel]]<br/>Inventing [[Galvorn]]<br>Being a night-rider<ref name=journeys>{{NM|P3ix}}</ref><br />
| house=<br />
| parentage=Unknown (Eöl was a kinsman of [[Thingol]]<ref name=Maeglin/><ref name="WJ|Editor">{{WJ|Editor}}, Note 33</ref>)<br />
| siblings=<br />
| spouse=[[Aredhel]]<br />
| children=[[Maeglin]]<br />
| gender=Male<br />
| height=Tall, but stooped by smithwork<br />
| hair=Dark-haired{{fact}}<br />
| eyes=<br />
| clothing=Clad in [[Galvorn]] whenever he went abroad<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
| weapons=[[Anguirel]] and a poisoned javelin <br />
| steed=<br />
}}<br />
<center>{{quote|You are of the house of Eöl, Maeglin, my son, and not of the Golodhrim. All this land is the land of the Teleri, and I will not deal nor have my son deal with the slayers of our kin, the invaders and usurpers of our homes. In this you shall obey me, or I will set you in bonds.|''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'', "[[Of Maeglin]]"}}</center><br />
<br />
'''Eöl''', known as the '''Dark Elf''', was the great smith who dwelled within [[Nan Elmoth]]. He was akin to [[Thingol]] of the [[Teleri]] of the [[First Age]].<ref name="Maeglin" /><ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><ref group="note">[[Christopher Tolkien]] mentions that his father elaborated further on this kinship in that "Eöl should not be one of [[Thingol|Thingol's]] kin, but one of the [[Teleri]] who refused to cross the [[Misty Mountains|Hithaeglir]]. But [later] he and a few others of like mood, averse to concourse of people, … [had] crossed the [Mts] long ago and come to [[Beleriand]]". Despite this statement, a small note was written against it in [[1971]] saying that "the relationship to Thingol would have point". It might be possible that the "few others of like mood" became the servants of his house, as they were described as being as "silent and secret as their master".</ref><br />
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His face was noble yet grim, "and his eyes could see deep into shadows and dark places" because he was night-sighted<ref name="journeys" />. Eöl built up a friendship with the [[Dwarves of the Blue Mountains]]. That friendship gave him an insight into their craft, and he came to forge the swords [[Anguirel]] and [[Anglachel]], the latter of which became [[Túrin]]'s sword [[Gurthang]].<br />
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In {{FA|316}}, [[Turgon]]'s sister, [[Aredhel]], strayed into his kingdom whom he took for his wife. Later, in {{FA|400}}, Aredhel and their son [[Maeglin]] fled Nan Elmoth for [[Gondolin]] but were pursued by Eöl. In Gondolin, he tried to kill Maeglin with a poisoned javelin, but instead killed Aredhel; for this crime he was executed by being thrown from the cliff of [[Caragdûr]]. The darkness in Eöl's heart was inherited by his son Maeglin and sowed the seeds for the [[Fall of Gondolin]].<br />
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==History==<br />
===Early life===<br />
Eöl was of the kin of King [[Thingol|Elu Thingol]].<ref name="Maeglin" /><ref name="WJ|Editor">{{WJ|Editor}}, Note 33</ref> He was "restless and ill at ease in [[Doriath]]",<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> and when the [[Girdle of Melian]] was raised around the kingdom, he left his dwelling in the [[Forest of Region]] to dwell in the dark forest of [[Nan Elmoth]], east of Doriath, where he had a smithy, dim halls, and servants similar to himself.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> Eöl's house was located in the middle of Nan Elmoth around fifteen miles from the northernmost edge where the [[Celon]] River ran.<ref name="Maeglin" /> He had a preference for the land as it had been before the Sun, and "he loved the night and twilight under the stars". He had little love for the Noldor whom he blamed for the return of Morgoth.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
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He was unique among the Elves of old in that he had befriended the [[Dwarves]]. Their travels into [[East Beleriand]] followed two roads, and the northern way would bring them close to Nan Elmoth. There he would meet with them. Eöl was interested in learning from them, and he shared a rare friendship with the [[Dwarves of the Blue Mountains]]. As a guest in the many mansions of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]], he developed his great skill in metalwork while they learned "much of what passed in the lands of the Eldar" from him.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> From this great skill, he devised [[Galvorn]], a jet-black metal that was "as hard as the steel of the Dwarves", yet extremely malleable to the point that it was thin and supple. It was from this metal that he forged armor of his own making which he wore whenever he went abroad from Nan Elmoth,<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> "and so escaped many wounds"<ref name="Maeglin" /> as the armor proved to be resistant to all darts and blades.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
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Though Eöl was a skilled craftsman and a master sword-smith,<ref name="Quendi" /> among his greatest works were the two swords made from the iron of a meteorite, [[Anglachel]] and [[Anguirel]]. Anglachel he gave to Thingol as a begrudged payment for dwelling in Nan Elmoth,<ref>{{S|Turin}}</ref> and it would later become the sword borne by [[Beleg]], and after him, [[Túrin|Túrin Turambar]].<br />
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===Of Eöl, Aredhel and their son===<br />
[[File:Elena Kukanova - Nan-Elmoth.jpg|left|thumb|295px|''Nan Elmoth'' by [[Elena Kukanova]]]]<br />
During the year {{FA|316|n}} of the First Age, Eöl saw [[Aredhel]], the sister of [[Turgon]] the King of [[Gondolin]], near the dim borders of Nan Elmoth. She was very fair and he desired her. Aredhel had become separated from her companions, and Eöl used his enchantments to draw her deeper into the woods and unable to find a way out, until she came, weary with wandering, to his home. He showed himself and welcomed her. She entered his home willingly and stayed. It was only then that he showed himself, to lead her into his home, taking her to wife, though Aredhel was not wholly unwilling. While Eöl forbade her to seek her [[Noldor]] kin and commanded that she shunned sunlight, "they wandered far together under the stars or by the light of the sickle moon", and he allowed her to even wander alone within the forest.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
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During the year {{FA|320|n}} of the First Age, Aredhel bore him a son whom in her heart she named ''Lómion'' in the [[Quenya|forbidden tongue]] of the Noldor. Twelve years later, Eöl gave to his son the name of [[Maeglin]], perceiving that his son's eyes were more piercing than his own;<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> until that time, he only referred to Maeglin as "Iôn" ("son").<ref>{{WJ|Maeglin}}</ref><br />
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When Maeglin reached adulthood, Eöl often took him along whenever he visited "the cities of the [[Dwarves]] in the east of [[Blue Mountains|Ered Lindon]]". Yet, unknown to Eöl, he loved his mother better as she told him tales of her kin, yet omitting how to get to them. When Maeglin told Eöl that he desired to see his mother's kin with his own eyes and speak to the [[Sons of Fëanor|sons]] of [[Fëanor]], Eöl forbade his request and became wrathful at the mere mention of the kinslayers, drilling into Maeglin that he was of the "house of Eöl" and threatening to set him in bonds should he disobey him. Though Maeglin obeyed the commands, the damage to their relationship was done, for now Eöl mistrusted him enough so much so that he no longer took him with him beyond Ered Lindon.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
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===The escape of Aredhel and Maeglin===<br />
During the summer of the year {{FA|400}}, the Dwarves, as per their custom, invited Eöl to a midsummer [[Feast]]<ref name="journeys" /> at [[Nogrod]], and he rode straight away to [[Blue Mountains|Ered Lindon]] in order to be on time to attend.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> However, he suspected that in his absence, his wife and son may seek to visit the sons of Fëanor. As such, "he secretly ordered his servants to keep a close watch on his wife and son" and he posted a watchman by the stream of [[Celon]] at the north-eaves of Nan Elmoth.<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
[[File:Catherine Chmiel - Tales of Gondolin.jpg|right|thumb|300px|''Tales of Gondolin'' by [[Catherine Karina Chmiel|Catherine Chmiel]]]]<br />
During the first night of the three day feast, "a dark shadow of ill foreboding" came to Eöl in his sleep. As a consequence, he left Nogrod the next morning without ceremony, riding homeward with all speed. He returned home at nightfall of the next day, learning from his watchman that his wife and son had fled north less than two days earlier, passing into the [[Himlad]] towards the [[Pass of Aglon]]. Staying at his home only to mount a fresh horse, his swiftest steed, his wrath overcame him and he chased after them immediately.<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
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Eöl regained control of his wrath as he entered into the Himlad, remembering the danger of [[Celegorm]] and [[Curufin]].<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> However, he was waylaid by the well-armed riders of Curufin before making it even halfway across the Himlad. The riders took Eöl by force with them to see their lord Curufin. It was around noon that day when the riders arrived at Curufin's camp where, with only a little courtesy, Eöl was greeted by Curufin.<ref name="Maeglin" /> When the son of Fëanor questioned him, Eöl told him that Aredhel and Maeglin left Nan Elmoth to visit him and that he wished to join them in that errand. While Curufin told Eöl that they would have been welcomed coldly if he did accompany them, Curufin revealed that they never intended to visit him, and that they were seen passing the [[Arossiach]] riding swiftly westward almost two days before. Curufin suggested then that either Eöl was trying to deceive him or that he himself had been deceived.<br />
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After asking Curufin for his leave to depart the Himlad and to seek for the truth. Eöl thanked him, regarding him as kin by marriage. Curufin took offense to this since Aredhel's marriage was forced and he wished to have Eöl out of his sight ad he could not slay him according to the laws of the [[Eldar]].<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><ref group="note">[[Christopher Tolkien]] mentions that his father added a footnote to Curufin's line, explaining that "the [[Eldar]] (which included the [[Sindar]]) were forbidden to slay one another in revenge for any grievance however great. Also at this time Eöl had ridden towards [[Pass of Aglon|Aglon]] with no ill intent, and it was not unjust that he should seek news of [[Aredhel|Aredel]] and [[Maeglin]]".</ref><ref name="Maeglin" /> Yet despite this anger, Curufin instead counseled Eöl to return home, foreseeing that if Eöl continued his pursuit after those who do not love him anymore, he would never return to Nan Elmoth again. Eöl did not heed him as the hatred of all the Noldor drove him on pass the [[Arossiach]], and he perceived then that his wife and son were fleeing to [[Gondolin]],<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> realizing that Curufin's purpose was to specifically delay him.<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
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Upon reaching the [[Ford of Brithiach]], Eöl spotted his wife and son due to the betrayal of their horses. Now seeing Aredhel Eöl followed them closely, marking their paths. Eventually, Eöl found his way to the [[Dry River]], and the secret way led him by stealth to the [[Orfalch Echor]] and the [[Seven Gates of Gondolin]]. There, Eöl revealed himself to the [[Dark Guard]] at the [[Gate of Wood|Dark Gate]] and claimed Aredhel as his wife, demanding to be brought before the [[Turgon|King]].<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
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===Gondolin and Eöl's death===<br />
[[File:Ted Nasmith - Eöl is Led to the Walls.jpg|right|thumb|290px|''Eöl is led to the Walls'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]<br />
At Aredhel's request, [[Turgon]] at first welcomed Eöl as a kinsman, but under the King's law, one who had found the way to the [[Gondolin|Hidden City]] was not permitted to leave. Eöl refused to acknowledge the law or the right of the Noldor to "seize realms or to set bounds" and claimed the land as Teleri. He blamed the Noldor for bringing war to a peaceful land. He then stated that he was only in Gondolin to claim his son, though he did not claim his wife since Aredhel was just as much Turgon's sister as she was Eöl's wife.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> However, it is possible that because he mentioned he referred to Gondolin as a cage that Aredhel sickened in, that he was hoping that Aredhel may leave Gondolin again a second time eventually.<br />
<br />
Turgon pointed out that the borders of Eöl's own "sunless woods", Nan Elmoth, were defended by Noldor swords, and if it were not for their presence, he would be a thrall in the pits of Angband. Eöl was left with one choice only: abide in Gondolin or die in Gondolin. The same choice was left for his son.<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /><br />
<br />
Enraged at the humiliation and the loss of his freedom, Eöl chose death, for himself and for his son, and after staring down Turgon, he cast a javelin, which he had hidden beneath his cloak, at Maeglin. Aredhel stepped in front of her son, and she was struck in the shoulder. Eöl was taken by many, cast in bonds, and led away. The wound was treated and seemed minor, and Aredhel and Idril moved Turgon to mercy. Yet no one knew the point of the javelin had been poisoned until it was too late, and after Aredhel's wound sickened in the evening, she died that night.<br />
<br />
Thus when Eöl came before Turgon he found no mercy, and was cast over the cliff of [[Caragdûr]] to his death. Before he was hurled over, he accused his son of forsaking his father and his kin, cursing him to fail at all his hopes and to share the same death as himself.<ref name="SilmMaeglin">{{S|Maeglin}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Etymology==<br />
{{pronounce|Sindarin - Eöl.mp3|Gilgamesh}}<br />
The meaning of the name ''Eöl'' is unknown, and also to which language it pertains. The word is neither [[Quenya]] nor [[Sindarin]], but "Another name from prim[itive] [[The Fall of Gondolin (chapter)|FG]] - meaningless then and now" since Tolkien concluded that not every name needed to have significance.<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
<br />
Usually the reference to a 'Dark Elf' (''Moredhel'' in Sindarin)<ref name="L297">{{L|297}}</ref><ref name="App">{{S|Appendix}}</ref> simply refers to an Elf who has not seen the light of Aman, but the concept of a darkened Elf would be one that may have been corrupted by Morgoth.<ref name="Maeglin" /> Tolkien liked this concept as an explanation for his superb and insidious smith-craft, which was written in a margin note of Eöl's story,<ref name="Maeglin">{{WJ|Maeglin}}</ref>{{rp|320}} but he chose instead to consider him more likely acquainted with the Dwarves.<ref name="Quendi" />{{rp|Note 9}}<br />
<br />
==Other names==<br />
In the early versions of the [[legendarium]] according to the linguistic materials related to ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', [[Tolkien]] considered the name ''Eöl'' (with variant spellings of ''Eol'' and ''Iol'') to be a [[Gnomish]] name, but without providing any etymology.<ref name="Iol">{{PE|15}}, ''[[Name-list to The Fall of Gondolin]]'', entry '''Eol or Iol''', p. 24</ref><br />
<br />
The [[Qenya]] cognate of ''Eol'' was ''Aiwala'',<ref name="Iol" /> or alternatively ''Aiwl''.<ref name="Iol" /><ref name="Aivala" /><br />
<br />
However, in an another text, the Qenya cognate of ''Eol'' was given as ''Aival'' instead - but the reading of the second letter in ''Aival'' was unclear,<ref name="Aivala">{{PE|13}}, ''[[Official Name List]]'', Note 48, p. 104</ref> which led [[Christopher Tolkien]] to conclude that it was actually ''A'''r'''val''.<ref>{{LT2|IIIn}}, ''§3 Miscellaneous Matters'', '''(vi) Isfin and Eöl''', p. 220</ref><br />
<br />
In '' Ælfwine’s translation of the Quenta into Old English; Old English equivalents of Elvish names'', he is called '''Éor''';<ref>{{SM|QA1}}</ref> Christopher Tolkien does not provide a translation.<br />
<br />
==Genealogy==<br />
{{familytree/start}}<br />
{{familytree| FNG |y| ANA | | | | | | | | | | | |FNG=[[Fingolfin]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1190}} - {{FA|456}}''</small>|ANA=[[Anairë]]<br /><small>''b. {{YT}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree| | | |!| | | |F|~|~|~|~|7| | | | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | |!| | | |:| | | | |:| | | | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | ARE |y| EOL | | | THI |y| MEL |ARE=[[Aredhel]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1362}} - {{FA|400}}''</small>|EOL='''EÖL'''<br /><small>''before {{YT|1115}} - {{FA|400}}''</small>|MEL=[[Melian]]<br /><small>''created<br />before [[Eä]]''</small>|THI=[[Thingol]]<br /><small>''d. {{FA|503}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree| | | | | |!| | | | | | | | |!| | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | | | MAE | | | | | | | LUT | | |MAE=[[Maeglin]]<br /><small>''{{FA|320}} - {{FA|510|n}}''</small>|LUT=[[Lúthien]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1200}} - {{FA|503}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree/end}}<br />
<br />
==Other versions of the legendarium==<br />
===''The Book of Lost Tales''===<br />
In the earliest version of the [[legendarium]] in ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', Eöl was said to have been an ill-favored leader of the Minors "of the [[House of the Mole|Mole-kin]] of the [[Gnomes]]" who had the favor of [[Finwë|Fingolma]]. [[Isfin]] hated him, though he loved her from afar. [[Christopher Tolkien]] notes several parallels with [[Maeglin]].<ref>{{LT2|IIIn}}, pp. 22-1</ref><br />
<br />
===Later legendarium===<br />
Tolkien does have other renditions of this character that include references to him as an [[Avar]] and even as a "darkened Elf".<ref>{{PM|Dwarves}}</ref>{{rp|62}} At one point it is hinted that he could be one of the [[Laegil]].<ref name="Maeglin" />{{rp|322}} In note 9 of Tolkien's essay ''[[Quendi and Eldar]]'', another draft of Eöl's story appears, dated as written between 1959-1960. In this version, he is an Avar who had once been of the second clan of Elves, the [[Tatyar]]. This was later contradicted by Tolkien in a very late essay, where he is called an Elda. It is unknown if Tolkien changed this or simply forgot, but it is possible to reconcile them by noting that, according to ''Quendi and Eldar'', any rare Avar that joins the Sindar becomes an Elda. Eöl's marriage is a little different in this story as well. He found "the sister of King Turgon, astray in the wild near his dwelling, and he took her to wife by force: a very wicked deed in the eyes of the Eldar".<ref name="Quendi">{{WJ|Quendi}}</ref>{{rp|409}}<br />
<br />
This incident is consistent with his late 1950s writing on the Eldar included in his essay ''[[Laws and Customs Among the Eldar]]'' in which the Draft A footnote regarding the concept that one so forced "rejected bodily life" applies strictly to the forced violation of another's spouse.<ref name="Laws">{{MR|Laws}}</ref>{{rp|Note 5}} Aredhel was unwed, and Tolkien's writing in ''Quendi and Eldar'' confirms Eöl took her "by force"—a surviving act of rape.<ref name="Quendi" />{{rp|409}} ''The Silmarillion'''s phrasing that she was "not wholly unwilling"<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> and that her life in Nan Elmoth was not "hateful to her for many years"<ref name="SilmMaeglin" /> reflects the narrative tradition ascribed to Loremasters such as [[Pengoloð]], whereas this later note provides an explicit authorial clarification.<ref name="Quendi" />{{rp|409}}<ref name="Maeglin" /><br />
<br />
This essay on the Eldar reflects a Draft A concept suggesting that Elven marriage is so spiritually absolute that a third party could not physically "force" a spouse.<ref name="Laws">{{MR|Laws}}</ref>{{rp|Note 5}} While this would theoretically mean Maeglin's desire for Idril was a futile pursuit of the impossible, it represents a narrow metaphysical ideal from the [[Ælfwine]] framework. This is contrasted by another brief tale circa 1958 in the actual history of Arda Marred, where the [[Ainu]] maiden [[Árië]] chose to release her spirit from [[Eä]] to escape [[Melkor]]'s attempt to ravish her,<ref>{{MR|Myths}}</ref>{{rp|381}} and the "very wicked deed" Eöl committed against Aredhel.<ref name="Quendi" /><br />
<br />
In a [[1959]] essay, Tolkien explored altering the metaphysics of the [[legendarium]].<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} One of these changes involved changing Eöl from a Telerin Elf to a Noldorin Elf who was born in [[Aman]].<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} Though he was a Noldo, he was among a select few who were "[[Avari]] at heart", yet joined the exiles because his people did.<ref group="note">Subsequently, Tolkien inserted next to this a vertical line, a check-mark, and a note saying "Keep this".</ref><ref name="Nature">{{NM|P1xi}}</ref>{{rp|Note 4}} Tolkien could not decide if Eöl already knew Isfin before the Noldor went to Aman and persuaded her to remain with him in [[Beleriand]], or if she also decided not to go to Aman at the last minute and wandered alone in Beleriand.<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} Tolkien, however, quickly decides that this was impossible since Isfin was born in Aman.<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} Tolkien also decided in that moment that Maeglin also needed to be born in Aman and that the three of them were extremely attracted to Melkor's lies, growing to dislike their kin and Aman, joining Fëanor's host, and becoming estranged from all of their immediate kin.<ref name="Nature" />{{rp|76, 81}} However, in most developed versions, Eöl remains an Elf of Middle-earth whose "wicked deed" remains a unique transgression in Elven history.<br />
<br />
{{references|notes}}<br />
<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eol}}<br />
<br />
{{seq-start}}<br />
{{seq-head<br />
|race=sindar<br />
|house=<br />
|born=Before {{YT|1115}}<br />
|died={{FA|400}}<br />
}}<br />
{{seq<br />
|pvac=None<br />
|prev=''[[Thingol]] as the overlord of all [[Beleriand]]''<br />
|list=Ruler of [[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
|dates=c. {{YT|1497}} – {{FA|400}}<br />
|next=Unknown (if any)<br />
}}<br />
{{seq-end}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Avari]]<br />
[[Category:Avarin words]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Book of Lost Tales]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Silmarillion]]<br />
[[Category:First Age characters]]<br />
[[Category:Gnomish names]]<br />
[[Category:Moriquendi]]<br />
[[Category:Nandor]]<br />
[[Category:Rulers in Beleriand]]<br />
[[Category:Sindar]]<br />
[[Category:Smiths]]<br />
[[Category:Tatyar]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Eol]]<br />
[[fr:encyclo/personnages/elfes/teleri/sindar/eol]]<br />
[[fi:Eöl]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Orcs&diff=436927Orcs2026-03-30T16:19:43Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{short description|Footsoldiers and Slaves to the Dark Lords}}<br />
{{rewrite}}<br />
{{sources}}<br />
{{race infobox<br />
| name=Orcs<br />
| image = John Howe - In Mordor.jpg<br />
| caption="In Mordor" by [[John Howe]]<br />
| pronun=<br />
| othernames=Goblins, Stonefaces,<ref name=monstersnote>{{MC|6}}, p. 220 (note 11)</ref> ''Orkor'' ([[Quenya|Q]]) or ''Yrch'' ([[Sindarin|S]]), ''[[Glamhoth]]'' ([[Sindarin|S]]), ''Rakhās'' ([[Khuzdul|K]])<br />
| origin=Disputed; ''see [[Orcs/Origin]]''<br />
| location=[[Utumno]], [[Angband]], [[Mordor]], [[Misty Mountains]], [[Angmar]], [[Mount Gundabad]], [[High Pass]], [[Dol Guldur]], [[Isengard]], [[Rhûn]]<br />
| affiliation=[[Morgoth]], [[Sauron]]<br />
| rivalry=[[Free peoples|Free Peoples of Middle-earth]]<br />
| language=[[Black Speech]]; numerous [[Orkish]] languages; corrupted [[Westron]]<br />
| people=[[Uruk-hai]], [[Goblin-men]], [[Half-orcs]], [[Hobgoblins]], [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains|Mountain Orcs]], [[Eastern Orcs]], [[Orcs of Mordor|Mordor Orcs]], [[Orcs of Isengard|Isengard Orcs]]<br />
| members=[[Othrod]], [[Azog]], [[Bolg]], [[Gorbag]], [[Great Goblin]], [[Grishnákh]]<br />
| lifespan=Compared to [[Men]] without a [[Númenóreans|Númenórean]] ancestry (some breeds, at least)<ref name="Myths_X"/>{{rp|418}}<br />
| distinctions=Evil footsoldiers of the [[Dark Lord|Enemy]]; preferred darkness<br />
| height=Short<ref>{{FR|II5}} The "huge" orc-chieftain is described as "almost man high"</ref><br />
| hair=<br />
| skin=Swart,<ref>{{FR|Bridge}}</ref> sallow,<ref name="L|210">{{L|210}}</ref> black<ref>{{RK|Shadow}}</ref><br />
| clothing=<br />
| weapons=<br />
}}<br />
{{Quote|You must dig swift and deep, if you wish to hide from Orcs.|[[Legolas]] to [[Pippin]] in ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', "[[Lothlórien (chapter)|Lothlórien]]"}}<br />
<br />
'''Orcs''' (or Orcses<ref name="Passage">{{TT|IV2}}</ref> ) were a race of humanoid creatures best known for their service as footsoldiers and slaves to the [[Dark Lord]]s of Middle-earth. Even when not in thralldom to an evil master, Orcs rarely if ever had non-violent interactions with [[Elves]], [[Men]], or [[Dwarves]]. They were known by many names by the various peoples of Middle-earth.<br />
<br />
Elves considered the Orcs as the [[Incarnate|Incarnate creatures]] just like themselves, Men, Dwarves,<ref name="Myths_X">{{MR|P5X}}</ref>{{rp|415}}<ref>{{WJ|Quendi}}</ref>{{rp|359}} and [[Ents]].<ref>{{NM|Impulse}}</ref><br />
<br />
==History==<br />
===First Age===<br />
{{Main|Orcs/Origin}}<br />
[[File:Anna Kulisz - The vilest deed of Melkor.jpg|thumb|left|''The vilest deed of Melkor'' by [[:Category:Images by Anna Kulisz|Anna Kulisz]]]]<br />
The true origin of the Orcs as a race of sentient creatures was a matter of heavy debate among the [[Wise]] and [[Lambengolmor|loremasters]] of [[Tol Eressëa|Eressëa]]. However, all agreed that they would not have come to be without the [[Arda Marred|corrupting]] influence of [[Morgoth]].<ref>{{App|Other}}, p. 1131</ref><br />
<br />
The first documented appearance of Orcs was in {{YT|1330}}, when the [[Sindar]] observed a variety of "evil creatures" roaming [[Beleriand]] that included Orcs, [[Wolves]], and "other fell beings of shadow." Small numbers of these evil creatures, thought to be scouting parties, had entered Beleriand over passes in the mountains as well as through the southern forests. In light of this new threat, [[Thingol]] commissioned the Dwarves of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]] to craft arms for the Sindar, which they used to drive away the evil creatures and restore the peace.<ref>{{GA|26-27}}</ref> Around this time the Dwarves told the Sindar that these "fell beasts" came from the ruins of [[Angband]], and that they could also be found east of the [[Blue Mountains]], where they troubled the Elves who dwelt there.<ref>{{GA|25}}</ref> <br />
<br />
When the first [[Dark Lord]] returned to Middle-earth in {{YT|1495}}, he rebuilt Angband from ruins and raised the triple peaks of [[Thangorodrim]] to defend it. At this time, Morgoth found fresh hosts readied by Sauron, for the Orcs had kept breeding under the command of his yet-devoted lieutenant.<ref name="Myths_X" />{{rp|415–422}} The Enemy's hordes of beasts, [[demons]], and Orcs left Angband in {{YT|1497}} to assault the Sindar in the [[First Battle of Beleriand]] and the Noldor in the [[Dagor-nuin-Giliath]]. The Elves were victorious in both battles, and few of the Orcs returned to Angband.<ref>{{S|Sindar}}</ref> The Orcs' other major engagement was the [[Battle of the Lammoth]], where they were also defeated by [[Fingolfin]] and his host.<ref>{{PM|Shibboleth}}, p. 345</ref><br />
<br />
During the last six centuries of the [[First Age]], as the core force of Morgoth, hundreds of thousands of Orcs were bred in [[Angband]] to participate in the [[Battles of Beleriand]] and thus fought in the [[Dagor Aglareb]], [[Dagor Bragollach]], [[Nirnaeth Arnoediad]], [[Fall of Nargothrond|Sack of Nargothrond]], [[Fall of Gondolin]], and finally in the [[War of Wrath]], where they were almost extinguished.<ref>{{S|Earendil}}</ref> Those that survived the defeat of Morgoth fled east of the Blue Mountains and hid probably in the northern reaches of the [[Misty Mountains|Hithaeglir]] near [[Angmar]] or the [[Grey Mountains]].<br />
[[File:John Howe - Orc Swordsman.jpg|thumb|''Orc Swordsman'' by [[John Howe]]]]<br />
Nonetheless, even before this time, the [[Eastern Orcs|Orcs living east]] remained outside Morgoth's reach ever since he made the fortress of Angband a seat of his power and thus ruled themselves, though they squabbled amongst themselves as much as they troubled both kinds of the [[Children of Ilúvatar]].<ref name="Cuv">{{NM|P3xviii}}, p. 370</ref><br />
<br />
===Second Age===<br />
After the [[War of Wrath]], numerous Orcs who formerly belonged to Morgoth and escaped Morgoth's vanquishment, were now leaderless and reckless, but still armed and cruel. They turned to [[Rhovanion]] to the East and started harassing the lands occupied by [[Dwarves]] and [[Northmen]].<ref>{{PM|XNotes}} #28</ref> To cope with this danger, the two formed the [[Alliance of Dwarves and Men]]<ref name="relations">{{PM|Relations}}</ref><br />
<br />
Around the year {{SA|1000}} Sauron reappeared, took the land of [[Mordor]] as his realm and started the construction of [[Barad-dûr]]. His servants among Orc-kind were at this time of northern stock. It was not only until later that he gathered all of their foul race under his command - as long as he went among the Elves in a fair visage, the long-autonomous [[Eastern Orcs]] resented him.<ref name="Cuv">{{NM|P3xviii}}, p. 370</ref> Still for a long time Sauron's minions did not play an important role, for the Dark Lord had chosen a more subtle way to bring the Free Peoples under his sway through guileful trickery, whose chief personification were the [[Rings of Power]].<br />
<br />
When Sauron invaded [[Eriador]] in {{SA|1695}}, hordes of Orcs invaded the mountains again. [[Gundabad]] was [[Fall of Mount Gundabad|taken]] and [[Ered Mithrin]] was raided. It was not only Orcs the Alliance fought but also other savage [[Easterlings]].<ref name="relations" /><br />
<br />
During the [[War of the Elves and Sauron]], in {{SA|1700}}, Orcs formed the main power of Sauron's host. Despite the immeasurable number of Orcs, the Dark Lord was defeated by the united hosts of Elves and [[Númenóreans]]. Still Sauron was powerful east of the [[Misty Mountains]] and the Orcs that inhabited the mountains and the eastern lands multiplied.<br />
<br />
When Sauron was finally driven back from Eriador in {{SA|1701}}, the Alliance ended. The Longbeards [[Dwarves of Moria|of Khazad-dûm]] and [[Dwarves of the Iron Hills|of the Iron Hills]] were cut off for some time since the Orcs now infested the Grey Mountains.<ref name="relations" /><ref>{{PM|Dwarves}}, p. 305</ref><br />
<br />
Finally, Orcs were the core force of the Dark Lord's legions during the [[War of the Last Alliance]], and fought in great battles such as the [[Battle of Dagorlad]] and the [[Siege of Barad-dûr]].<br />
<br />
===Third Age===<br />
[[File:Richard Sullivan - Orc.jpg|thumb|left|''Orc'' by [[:Category:Images by Richard Sullivan|Richard Sullivan]]]]<br />
During the [[Third Age]], Orcs were once more the standard troops of Sauron, both in [[Mordor]] and in [[Dol Guldur]]. The Enemy's great vassals- such as the [[Witch-king of Angmar]] and the corrupted [[Wizard]] [[Saruman]] in [[Isengard]] - made use of the Orcs as the backbone of their forces. <br />
<br />
In [[Angmar]], Orcs fought for the Witch-king in [[Angmar War|his campaign]] against the realm of [[Arnor]]. Years later, they invaded [[Eriador]] under the remote leadership of the Necromancer (Sauron). <br />
<br />
The Orcs of the Misty Mountains, one of the few Orkish societies who enjoyed more autonomy despite still paying homage to the Necromancer (Sauron), and their chieftain [[Azog]] started out the [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]], and after their vanquishment they retreated in their caves. They appeared again in {{TA|2941}}, when the [[Battle of Five Armies]] took place, suffering yet another terrible defeat with the loss of the spawn of Azog, [[Bolg]]. <br />
<br />
Both for the Dark Lord's war on [[Rohan]] and for his own interests regarding the [[Ring-bearer]], the Wizard Saruman began to assemble Orcs into his own army in [[Isengard]] - these troops were gathered from amidsts the tribes of the Misty Mountains, which were supplemented by others he bred, some being crossed with Men. The [[Orcs of Isengard]] fought in the early-mid battles of the [[War of the Ring]], such as the [[First Battle of the Fords of Isen|First]] and [[Second Battle of the Fords of Isen|Second Battles of the Fords of Isen]], but were crushed or scattered at the [[Battle of the Hornburg]]. <br />
<br />
The [[Orcs of Mordor]] fought in major battles during the War of the Ring, such as the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], but the majority of Mordor's forces were destroyed or scattered at the [[Battle of the Morannon]]. Sporadic fighting in the following weeks led to the Orcs finally being driven out of the western end of Mordor, though it is unclear how many Orcs the Dark Lord had in his armies, and it is also unclear how many survived after his defeat. <br />
<br />
The Orcs in [[Dol Guldur]] remained in [[Mirkwood]] until the [[Fall of Dol Guldur]], one of the last battles of the War of the Ring.<br />
<br />
===Later history===<br />
The fate of the Orcs after the Third Age is unknown. Though many of the Dark Lord's footsoldiers fought on and were slain in the weeks following the Battle of the Morannon, the true number of Sauron's hosts is unclear, as are the numbers of Orcs not within Mordor that may still inhabit the rest of Middle-earth. It is at least known that the Orcs of Moria either fled or were slain by the Fourth Age, as it is mentioned that the Dwarves managed to retake Moria and the mines within it.<br />
<br />
==Characteristics==<br />
===Culture===<br />
[[File:Jan Pospíšil - Orc Army.jpg|thumb|''Orc Army'' by [[Jan Pospíšil]]]]<br />
Orcs were pitiless and took pleasure in all kinds of cruel and wicked acts; they did evil deeds for their own amusement, purely for the sport of it. Their fractious and vicious natures made them unreliable servants – when outside their master's reach, Orcs would often disobey their commands or fight amongst themselves, to the detriment of their master's designs.<ref name="Myths_X" />{{rp|418}}<br />
<br />
In battle, Orcs fought with reckless ferocity and delighted in the slaughter and torture of their foes. However, many had a cowardly nature and were often regarded as inferior to the soldiers of Men, Elves, and Dwarves, though far more expendable.{{fact}} Orcs also proved themselves adept at taming and riding [[Wolves]] and [[Wargs]], an ability harnessed by the Dark Lords for their armies.<br />
<br />
The corruption inherent to Orc being made them virtually powerless to resist the domination of a greater will – at first, this was Morgoth's, later Sauron's. While under such domination, Orcs were reduced to an "ant-like life." This was most plainly seen under Sauron's tyranny, as he operated on a smaller scale than did Morgoth and his foes were far weaker than the Noldor of the Elder Days.<ref name="Myths_X" />{{rp|419}} The Orkish people thus cycled between periods of unity when they had a Dark Lord to unite them, and disunity when there was no Dark Lord. <br />
<br />
After the War of Wrath, the Orcs were confused and dismayed without Morgoth, and were easily scattered by their enemies. In the millennia after his defeat and banishment from Arda, they were without a leader and degenerated into small, quarrelsome tribes hiding in wild places, such as the [[Misty Mountains]] and the [[Mountains of Angmar]]. In this state, Orcs remained a threat to travelers and isolated settlements, and when united could pose a regional threat, but without a unifying will they could never become the menace they were under a Dark Lord.<br />
<br />
Even when united, the Orcs were consumed with petty rivalries and hatreds. Each time he rose as Dark Lord, Sauron had to contend with many tribes of "wild" Orcs who spoke many tongues and had become accustomed to independence. To meld these disparate, mutually despised groups into a coherent force and prevent them from slaying each other, Sauron had to keep their hatred focused on an outside enemy: the Men and Elves of the West. In this he was highly successful: the Orcs he pressed into his direct service in his trained armies were so completely dominated by his will that they would die for him on command without hesitation.<ref name="Myths_X" />{{rp|420}}<br />
<br />
===Lifespan===<br />
Orcs appear to have been by nature short-lived compared with the span of Men of higher race, such as the Edain. This was not well understood in the Elder Days however, as Morgoth had many immortal [[Maiar]] servants and those whose business it was to direct the Orcs would assume similar bodily shape, though greater and more terrible. That gave rise to histories which speak of Great Orcs, or Orc-captains which were not slain and reappeared in battle for years far longer than the lifespan of Men.<ref name="Myths_X" />{{rp|523}}<br />
<br />
There is, in any case, a hint for a long lifespan in the story of two of the most famous Orc-chieftains: Azog and Bolg. Bolg, being the son of Azog, was the chieftain of the Orcs who attacked Erebor in the Battle of Five Armies in {{TA|2941}}. Azog himself was killed in the Battle of Azanulbizar in {{TA|2799}}, so Bolg was at least 142 years old.<br />
<br />
===Appearance===<br />
Orcs were described as smaller in stature than Men on average, strong but crooked in frame and bow-legged. One "huge orc-chieftain" was described as "almost Man-high", but some must have been of a similar size to Hobbits (Frodo and Sam succeeded in disguising themselves as Orcs in Mordor). Their overall appearance varied: they had long arms and fanged mouths; Tolkien describes them as "swart" or "sallow", although one in Mordor is "black-skinned" and others are described generally as "black" (possibly not a reference to skin colour).<br />
<br />
Orkish blood's colour was probably black.<ref>{{H|Burst}}: "''The rocks were stained black with goblin blood.''"</ref><br />
<br />
===Abilities & Behavior===<br />
Orcs of the mountains would often not venture very far from their homes unless they had to look for new homes, went to war or went on raids to get food or slaves. In such raids they would often obtain the help of Wargs with whom they then shared the plunder.<ref name="Pan">{{H|Pan}}</ref><br />
<br />
Orcs made no works of beauty, but created many clever things. When they took the trouble they were capable at tunneling and mining, surpassed only by the most skilled Dwarves, but they were usually dirty and untidy.<ref>{{H|Hill}}</ref> Orcs were unafraid of fire<ref name="Pan" /> but shunned water and did not willingly go near the sea except in great need.<ref>{{S|Beleriand}}</ref><br />
<br />
===Kinds of Orcs===<br />
*[[Eastern Orcs]]<br />
*[[Snaga]]<br />
*[[Orc-hunters]]<br />
*[[Orcs of Mordor]]<br />
*[[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]]<br />
*[[Orcs of Isengard]]<br />
*[[Half-orcs]] (and [[Goblin-men]])<br />
*[[Uruk-hai]]<br />
*[[Hobgoblins]]<br />
<br />
===Orcs and goblins===<br />
[[File:Darek Zabrocki - Goblins.jpg|thumb|250px|''Goblins'' by [[:Category:Images by Darek Zabrocki|Darek Zabrocki]]]]<br />
The term ''goblin'' was used primarily in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' but also in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' where it is used synonymously with "Orc".<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 24</ref> It is said to be a translation of ''Orc'' in a note on languages and runic letters in ''[[The Hobbit]]''.<br />
{{blockquote|Orc is not an English word. It occurs in one or two places but is usually translated goblin|''[[The Hobbit]]''}}<br />
{{blockquote|There were four goblin-soldiers of greater stature [...] Upon their shields they bore [...] a small white hand in the centre of the black field|''[[The Two Towers]]'', "[[The Departure of Boromir]]"}}<br />
<br />
==Etymology==<br />
{{quote|The word as far as I am concerned actually derived from [[Old English]] ''orc'', demon, but only because of its phonetic suitability.|[[J.R.R. Tolkien]] in [[Letter 144]]}}<br />
===Orc===<br />
The word '''''Orc''''' is said to be the "''form of the name that other races had for this foul people as it was in the [[Rohanese|language of Rohan]]''".<ref name="App|F1iv" /><br />
<br />
In his late, post-''Lord of the Rings'' writings, Tolkien preferred the spelling '''''Ork'''''.<ref>{{HM|PM}}</ref><br />
<br />
It also is "supposed to be the CS[Common Speech] name of these creatures at that time".<ref name="Nomenclature">{{HM|N}}</ref><br />
<br />
The statement may be ambiguous due to Tolkien's use of the term Common Speech for both Westron and English. But Tolkien continued to say "It should therefore according to the system be translated into E[English]. or the LT[Language of Translation]. It was translated 'goblin' in The H.[Hobbit]".<ref name="Nomenclature" /> This may suggest it is a genuine Westron word, which Tolkien kept untranslated because he liked the sound of it: "In any case orc seemed to me, and seems, in sound a good name for these creatures. It should be retained."<ref name="Nomenclature" /><br />
<br />
Fictionally, it is then possibly derived from 'orch', the [[Sindarin]] word for Orc. The original sense of the word seems to be "bogey", "bogeyman", that is, something that provokes fear, as seen in the Quenya cognate ''urko'', pl. ''urqui''.<ref>{{HM|WJ}} Quendi and Eldar</ref><br />
<br />
Tolkien derived the word ''orc'' from [[Old English]] believing it refers to a kind of evil spirits,<ref name="L144" /> which in turn is thought to derive from Latin ''Orcus'' "Hades", although Tolkien doubted this etymology.<ref>{{LE|290a}}</ref> He also thought it survives in the modern language for sea-beasts,<ref>{{HM|N}}, p. 762</ref> such as the [[Wikipedia:Orca Whale|Orca Whale]].<br />
<br />
''Orc'' is an [[Old English]] word that refers mainly to a kind of metal cup (from Latin ''Urceus'').<ref group="note">The word ''Orc'' occurs twice in ''[[Beowulf (poem)|Beowulf]]''.</ref> However, in an 11th century glossary, this entry was conflated with another entry which refers to evil giants such as ''[[Wikipedia:Jötunn|þyrs]]'' and other monsters, also glossed in Latin as ''Orcus''. This merge of the two entries made many philologists of the previous centuries, like Tolkien, to believe that ''Orc'' was an actual Old English word that refers to any kind of evil creature from the underworld.<ref>Bosworth and Toller's ''An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary'' (1898), corrected in later editions</ref><br />
<br />
The word ''Orcnéas'' is once found only in ''[[Beowulf (poem)|Beowulf]]'' (lines 112-113) and is cited as an example of the word "Orc" in Old English text. Actually its meaning is not clear, and it is thought to refer to corpses (''néas'') from the Underworld.<br />
<br />
==="Orcs" in Tolkien's languages===<br />
Tolkien said that one of the reason of choosing "Orc" over "Goblin" was the similarity with his fictional languages.<ref name="WJAC">{{WJ|AC}}, pp. 389-91</ref> Indeed most [[Elvish]], [[Mannish]] and other words for Orc, are similar to the English word.<br />
<br />
The basic [[Primitive Quendian]] [[Sundocarme|root]], from which the words for Orc derive, is [[RUKU]] (said to refer to any "bogey" that scared the Elves):<ref name="WJAC" /><br />
<br />
*[[Quenya]] '''''orco'''''<ref name="PE17_47" /> (pl. '''''Orkor'''''<ref>{{GA|27}}, p. 12</ref><ref>{{HM|MR}}, pp. 74, 194</ref>); [[Exilic Quenya]] '''''urko''''' (pl. '''''orkor''''' and '''''orqui''''')<ref name="WJAC" /><br />
*[[Sindarin]]: '''''orch'''''/'''''Orch''''' (pl. '''''yrch'''''/'''''Yrch''''', class pl. '''''Orchoth'''''/'''''orchoth'''''<ref group="note">''Orchoth'' is likely a compound of ''orch'' + ''[[hoth]]''.</ref>);<ref name="App|F1iv" /><ref name="L144" /><ref name="WJAC" /><ref name="PE17_47" /><ref name="PE17_52-4" /> '''''[[glamhoth]]'''''<br />
*[[Nandorin]]: '''''ūriʃ'''''<ref name="PE17_52-4">{{PE|17}}, pp. 52-4</ref><br />
<br />
*[[Adûnaic]]: '''''urku''''', '''''urkhu'''''<ref name="WJAC" /><br />
*[[Westron]]: '''''orka''''',<ref name="PE17_47">{{PE|17}}, p. 47</ref> possibly '''orc''' <ref name="Nomenclature" /><br />
*[[Black Speech]]: '''''[[Uruk-hai#Etymology|uruk]]'''''<ref name="App|F1iv">{{App|F1iv}}</ref><ref name="L144">{{L|144}}</ref><ref name="WJAC" /><ref name="PE17_47" /><br />
*[[Khuzdul]]: '''''Rukhs''''' (pl. '''''Rakhās'''''), possibly derived from an unknown [[Avarin]] word of the same meaning<ref name="WJAC" /><ref group="note">''Rukhs'' appears to contain the radical R-Kh-S.<!-- this note needs to be clarified: what is a radical? add internal link to something? --></ref><br />
*[[Drúadan language]]: '''''gorgûn''''' ("orc-folk"; the form ''gorgûn'' is perhaps plural of an unknown singular form),<ref name="PE17_99">{{PE|17}}, p. 99</ref><ref>{{RK|V5}}</ref> which is possibly derived from the Elvish words<ref name="WJAC" /><br />
<br />
In the earliest versions of [[Qenya]], Tolkien had words such as "'''Ork (orq-)''' pl. '''Orqi''' and fem. "'''orqindi'''".<ref>{{Webcite|articlename=Ork|website=Parf Edhellen|accessed=24 July 2024|articleurl=https://www.elfdict.com/wt/505683}}</ref><br />
<br />
In [[Noldorin]], the earlier version of Sindarin, the word for Orc is the same: ''orch'' (pl ''yrch'').<ref name="LR379">{{LR|Etymologies}}, p. 379 (entry for ÓROK)</ref><ref>{{MR|P3I7}}, p. 195</ref><ref>{{MC|Secret}}, p. 217</ref> The [[Gnomish]] word for "one of a tribe of the orcs. a goblin" is said to be '''''Gong'''''.<ref name="PE|11">{{PE|11}}, p. 41</ref><br />
<br />
*''See also: [[Entish]] ''[[burárum]]<br />
<br />
===Goblin===<br />
''[[Wiktionary:goblin|Goblin]]'' is a folk word which according to ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English'' is probably derived from the Anglo-French ''[[Wiktionary:gobelin|gobelin]]'' a diminutive of ''gobel'' (cf. ''[[Wiktionary:kobold|kobold]]''). William D.B. Loos notes that ''goblin'' is a Romance-derived word, unlike other Germanic words preferred by [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]].<ref>William D.B. Loos, [http://tolkien.slimy.com/tfaq/EnemyMisc.html#Orcs Enemies and Miscellaneous: What was the relationship between Orcs and Goblins?] at [http://tolkien.slimy.com/tfaq/ The Tolkien Frequently Asked Questions List] (accessed 3 July 2011)</ref><br />
<br />
==="Goblin" in Tolkien's languages===<br />
In the [[The Etymologies|''Etymologies'']], the Elvish names used to translate "goblin" derive from root [[RUKU#Other versions|ÓROK]] and are:<ref name="LR379" /><br />
<br />
*[[Quenya]]: '''''orko''''' (pl. '''''orqi''''')<br />
*[[Noldorin]]: ''orch'' (pl ''yrch'', archaic ''yrchy''<ref>{{VT|46a}}, p. 7</ref>)<br />
*[[Nandorin|Danian]]: '''''urc''''' (pl. '''''yrc''''')<br />
*[[Doriathrin]]: '''''urch''''' (pl. '''''urchin''''')<br />
<br />
In an early linguistic writing, Tolkien translated the [[Gnomish]] word ''Gong'' as "one of a tribe of the orcs. a goblin."<ref name="PE|11" /><br />
<br />
==Other versions of the legendarium==<br />
{{Main|Orcs/Origin}}<br />
<br />
==Controversy==<br />
Tolkien's Orcs have been a subject of criticism of [[racism]]. Tolkien described Orcs as "squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes: in fact degraded and repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least lovely Mongol-types".<ref name="L|210">{{L|210}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Other writings==<br />
In ''[[The Father Christmas Letters]]'', goblins appear as the enemies of [[Father Christmas]] and the [[Red Elves]].<br />
<br />
==Portrayal in adaptations==<br />
===Orcs===<br />
===Orcs in adaptations===<br />
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="250px" heights="150px"><br />
File:The Lord of the Rings (1978 film) - Orcs.jpg|Orcs in [[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1978 film)]]<br />
File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Orcs.jpg|Orcs in [[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980 film)]]<br />
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Gothmog with troops.jpg|Orcs in ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film series)]]''<br />
File:The Lord of the Rings- The Treason of Isengard - Ork.jpg|Concept art of an orc in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Treason of Isengard]]''<br />
File:The Lord of the Rings War in the North - Orc3.jpg|An Orc in [[Fornost]] in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]''<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
'''2001-2003: [[Pán prsteňov (2001-2003 Slovak radio series)|''Pán prsteňov'' (2001-2003 Slovak radio series)]]:'''<br />
:Due to timing and certain legal issues, the radio series uses the term ''skirt'' (pron. "skeert") and ''skirti'' for an "orc" and "orcs" (a neologism derived from the Czech translation's ''skřet'', ''skřeti'', "goblins"). Some of the orc characters are credited, e.g. [[Grishnakh]] in ''The Two Towers'' is portrayed by Eduard Vitek, and in ''The Return of the King'', a Mordor orc commander whipping a disguised Frodo and Sam into shape is played by Jozef Šimonovič.<br />
<br />
'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''<br />
:Orc-kind is a genus that includes the species of Orcs, Goblins, [[Hobgoblins]], [[Half-orcs]], [[Boggarts]], [[Bugans]] and [[Uruk-hai]].<br />
<br />
:Orcs are very common in Middle-earth. They are about the size of a man with a hunchback, though some of the sub-races are of larger or smaller stature.<br />
<br />
'''2011: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]'':'''<br />
:Orcs are first seen in [[Fornost]], where they immediately attack [[Eradan (video game character)|Eradan]], [[Andriel]] and [[Farin (video game character)|Farin]] as they near the citadel.<ref name="Main">[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]], Chapter 1: Fornost, ''Main Gate''</ref> ''Orc warriors'' are stronger then normal Orcs. Some Orcs have been taught [[Magic|sorcery]] by [[Agandaûr]], these are known as ''Orc Sorcerers'''<br />
<br />
'''2022: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power]]'':'''<br />
:'''30 September: ''[[Udûn (episode)|Udûn]]'':'''<br />
::[[Adar (The Rings of Power)|Adar]] reveals to [[Galadriel]] that he was one of the [[Moriondor]] and that he supposedly "split open" [[Sauron]] for needlessly sacrificing his Uruk "children" in his pursuit of a power over flesh. During the interrogation, Galadriel and Adar philosophically debate on whether or not Orcs, or Uruks as Adar prefers, are worthy of life. The debate is left open-ended and Adar orchestrates the eruption of [[Mount Doom|Orodruin]], destroying [[Tirharad]] and turning the [[Mordor|Southlands into Mordor]] in order to give his "children" a home where they did not have to fear the [[Sun]].<br />
<br />
===Goblins===<br />
===Goblins in adaptations===<br />
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="250px" heights="150px"><br />
File:The Hobbit (1977 film) - Goblins.jpg|Goblins in [[The Hobbit (1977 film)|''The Hobbit'' (1977 film)]]<br />
File:The Lord of the Rings War in the North - Goblins1.jpg|Goblins in the pits of [[Fornost]] in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]''<br />
File:The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey - Goblins.jpg|Goblins in ''[[The Hobbit (film series)|''The Hobbit'' (film series)]]''<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
'''2003: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring]]'':'''<br />
:Goblins have been made clearly distinct from Orcs.<br />
<br />
'''2006: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''<br />
:Goblins have been made clearly distinct from Orcs.<br />
<br />
'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''<br />
:Goblins are a separate race and can be found in [[Evendim]], [[the Shire]], [[Ered Luin]], [[Bree-land]], [[Lone-lands]], [[North Downs]], [[Misty Mountains]], [[Angmar]] and [[Moria]]. They are small in stature; a little shorter than [[Hobbits]]. In contrast, Orcs are about the size of [[Men]]. Goblins are also weaker than the orcs.<br />
<br />
'''2011: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]'':'''<br />
:Goblins first appear in [[Fornost Erain]], where they attack [[Eradan (video game character)|Eradan]], [[Andriel]] and [[Farin (video game character)|Farin]] immediately when they reach the city.<ref name="Main" /> Goblins are weaker than Orcs.<br />
<br />
'''2012: ''[[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey]]'':'''<br />
:Goblins are again made clearly distinct from Orcs in the film series. They are lesser relatives of Orcs; they are smaller (the very large Great Goblin notwithstanding), less powerful, and generally have pale, diseased skin, riddled with warts.<br />
<br />
'''2014: ''[[The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies]]'':'''<br />
:A band of "Goblin mercenaries" appear on [[Ravenhill]] during the [[Battle of Five Armies]], but are taken care of by the Dwarves without much trouble.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
*[[Gongs]], evil beings obscurely related to Orcs that appeared within ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]''.<ref>{{LT2|Index}}, entry "Gongs"</ref><br />
*[[:Category:Images of Goblins|Images of Goblins]]<br />
<br />
{{references|note}}<br />
[[Category:Incarnates]]<br />
[[Category:Orcs| ]]<br />
[[Category:Races]]<br />
[[Category:Servants of Melkor]]<br />
[[Category:Servants of Saruman]]<br />
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]<br />
[[de:Orks]]<br />
[[fr:encyclo/peuples/orques/orques]]<br />
[[fi:Örkit]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:John_Howe_-_Warg_Rider.jpg&diff=436924File:John Howe - Warg Rider.jpg2026-03-30T15:36:32Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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[[Category:Images of Wargs]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:John_Howe_-_Wolf_Riders.jpg&diff=436923File:John Howe - Wolf Riders.jpg2026-03-30T15:36:03Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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[[Category:Images of wolves]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:John_Howe_-_Helm%27s_Deep.jpg&diff=436922File:John Howe - Helm's Deep.jpg2026-03-30T15:34:35Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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[[Category:Images by John Howe]]<br />
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[[Category:Images of Uruk-hai]]<br />
[[Category:Images of wolves]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Ted_Nasmith_-_Boromir%27s_Last_Stand.jpg&diff=436921File:Ted Nasmith - Boromir's Last Stand.jpg2026-03-30T15:22:49Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>{{Copyright-permission|[[Ted Nasmith]]|[http://www.tednasmith.com/ Ted Nasmith's website]|Ted Nasmith}}<br />
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[[Category:Images of Orcs]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Matt_Stewart_-_The_Horn_of_Boromir.jpg&diff=436920File:Matt Stewart - The Horn of Boromir.jpg2026-03-30T15:22:35Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>==Summary==<br />
"The Horn of Boromir" by Matt Stewart.<br />
==Licensing==<br />
{{Copyright-permission|Matt Stewart|[http://www.matthew-stewart.com/ Matt Stewart's website]|Matt Stewart}}<br />
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[[Category:Images of Orcs]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Matt_Stewart_-_The_Horn_of_Boromir.jpg&diff=436919File:Matt Stewart - The Horn of Boromir.jpg2026-03-30T15:21:52Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Summary==<br />
"The Horn of Boromir" by Matt Stewart.<br />
==Licensing==<br />
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[[Category:Images of Orcs]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Ted_Nasmith_-_Boromir%27s_Last_Stand.jpg&diff=436918File:Ted Nasmith - Boromir's Last Stand.jpg2026-03-30T15:20:29Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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[[Category:Images of Orcs]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Inger_Edelfeldt_-_Death_of_Boromir.jpg&diff=436917File:Inger Edelfeldt - Death of Boromir.jpg2026-03-30T15:16:59Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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[[Category:Images of Uruk-hai]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Ted_Nasmith_-_Finduilas_is_Led_Past_T%C3%BArin_at_the_Sack_of_Nargothrond.jpg&diff=436916File:Ted Nasmith - Finduilas is Led Past Túrin at the Sack of Nargothrond.jpg2026-03-30T15:13:34Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Summary==<br />
{{Information<br />
|description = First appeared in the illustrated edition of ''The Silmarillion'', and ''The Silmarillion Poster Collection'', published by HarperCollins in 1998.<br />
Also appeared in the 2000 Tolkien Calendar, published by HarperCollins. (painting for February) and ''The Silmarillion'' published by HarperCollins in 2004.<br />
|author = [[Ted Nasmith]]<br />
|source = ''The Silmarillion'' published by HarperCollins (2004)<br />
|date = <br />
|tolkienart=<br />
|license = <br />
}}<br />
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[[Category:Images of Túrin]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:The_Return_of_the_King_(1980_film)_-_Witch-King.jpg&diff=436915File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Witch-King.jpg2026-03-30T15:07:14Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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[[Category:Images of Meriadoc Brandybuck]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:The_Return_of_the_King_(1980_film)_-_Witch-King.jpg&diff=436914File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Witch-King.jpg2026-03-30T15:06:41Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>== Summary ==<br />
==Licensing==<br />
{{Copyright-permission|[[John Howe]]|[http://www.john-howe.com John Howe's website]|John Howe}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Images by John Howe]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Barad-dûr]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Fell beasts]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Nazgûl]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Orcs]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Alarie_-_Eowyn_and_the_Witchking_2.jpg&diff=436912File:Alarie - Eowyn and the Witchking 2.jpg2026-03-30T14:47:55Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>==Licensing==<br />
{{Copyright-permission|Alarie|[https://www.deviantart.com/alarie-tano Alarie's DeviantArt]}}.<br />
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[[Category:Images by Alarie]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Éowyn]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Éowyn and the Witch-king]]<br />
[[Category:Images of the Witch-king]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Fell beasts]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:David_Wyatt_-_Eowyn_and_the_Nazgul.jpg&diff=436911File:David Wyatt - Eowyn and the Nazgul.jpg2026-03-30T14:43:49Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Summary==<br />
''Eowyn and the Nazgûl'' (1999) by David Wyatt.<br />
==Licensing==<br />
{{Copyright-permission|David Wyatt|[http://www.david.wyatt.btinternet.co.uk/ David Wyatt's website]}}<br />
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[[Category:Images by David Wyatt]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Minas Tirith]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Éowyn and the Witch-king]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Fell beasts]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Abe_Papakhian_-_No_Man_Am_I.jpg&diff=436910File:Abe Papakhian - No Man Am I.jpg2026-03-30T14:41:04Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>==Licensing==<br />
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[[Category:Images by Abe Papakhian]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Éowyn]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Éowyn and the Witch-king]]<br />
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[[Category:Images of Fell beasts]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Minas Tirith]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Abe_Papakhian_-_No_Man_Am_I_(colour).jpg&diff=436909File:Abe Papakhian - No Man Am I (colour).jpg2026-03-30T14:40:54Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>==Licensing==<br />
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[[Category:Images by Abe Papakhian]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Éowyn]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Éowyn and the Witch-king]]<br />
[[Category:Images of the Witch-king]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Fell beasts]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Minas Tirith]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Abe_Papakhian_-_No_man_am_I.jpg&diff=436908File:Abe Papakhian - No man am I.jpg2026-03-30T14:40:43Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>==Licensing==<br />
{{Copyright-permission|Abe Papakhian|[http://abepapakhian.deviantart.com/ Abe Papakhian's website]|Abe Papakhian}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Images by Abe Papakhian]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Éowyn]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Éowyn and the Witch-king]]<br />
[[Category:Images of the Witch-king]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Fell beasts]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Minas Tirith]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Angus_McBride_-_Eowyn_against_Witch-king.gif&diff=436907File:Angus McBride - Eowyn against Witch-king.gif2026-03-30T14:34:26Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>==Licensing==<br />
{{Fairuse-ICE}}<br />
[[Category:Images by Angus McBride]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Éowyn and the Witch-king]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Fell beasts]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Peter_Xavier_Price_-_The_Witch_King_before_Eowyn.jpg&diff=436906File:Peter Xavier Price - The Witch King before Eowyn.jpg2026-03-30T14:33:19Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>==Licensing==<br />
{{Copyright-permission|[[Peter Xavier Price]]|[http://peet.deviantart.com/ peet.deviantart.com]|Peter Xavier Price}}<br />
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[[Category:Images by Peter Xavier Price]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Éowyn and the Witch-king]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Meriadoc Brandybuck]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Minas Tirith]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Fell beasts]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Ted_Nasmith_-_%C3%89owyn_and_the_Nazg%C3%BBl.jpg&diff=436905File:Ted Nasmith - Éowyn and the Nazgûl.jpg2026-03-30T14:32:45Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>{{Copyright-permission|[[Ted Nasmith]]|[http://www.tednasmith.com/ Ted Nasmith's website]|Ted Nasmith}}<br />
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[[Category:Images by Ted Nasmith]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Éowyn and the Witch-king]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Fell beasts]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Donato_Giancola_-_Eowyn_and_the_Lord_of_the_Nazgul.jpg&diff=436904File:Donato Giancola - Eowyn and the Lord of the Nazgul.jpg2026-03-30T14:30:58Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>==Licensing==<br />
{{Copyright-permission|[[Donato Giancola]]|[http://donatoart.com donatoart.com]|Donato Giancola}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Images by Donato Giancola]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Éowyn and the Witch-king]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Fell beasts]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Snowmane]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Alan_Lee_-_%C3%89owyn_and_the_Witch.jpg&diff=436903File:Alan Lee - Éowyn and the Witch.jpg2026-03-30T14:28:52Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Licensing==<br />
{{Copyright-permission|[[Alan Lee]]|Unavailable|Alan Lee}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Images by Alan Lee]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Minas Tirith]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Éowyn and the Witch-king]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Fell beasts]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Donato_Giancola_-_Nazgul.jpg&diff=436902File:Donato Giancola - Nazgul.jpg2026-03-30T14:27:36Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
==Licensing==<br />
{{Copyright-permission|[[Donato Giancola]]|[http://donatoart.com donatoart.com]|Donato Giancola}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Images by Donato Giancola]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Fell beasts]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Nazgûl]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Alan_Lee_-_Nazg%C3%BBl.jpg&diff=436901File:Alan Lee - Nazgûl.jpg2026-03-30T14:22:49Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>==Licensing==<br />
{{Copyright-permission|[[Alan Lee]]|Unavailable|Alan Lee}}<br />
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[[Category:Images by Alan Lee]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Fell beasts]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Nazgûl]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Alan_Lee_-_The_Siege_of_Gondor.jpg&diff=436900File:Alan Lee - The Siege of Gondor.jpg2026-03-30T14:18:24Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>==Licensing==<br />
{{Copyright-permission|[[Alan Lee]]|Unavailable|Alan Lee}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Images by Alan Lee]]<br />
[[Category:Images from The Lord of the Rings]]<br />
[[Category:Images of the Siege of Gondor]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Orcs]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Coliandre_-_Eowyn_%26_Witch_King_Angmar.jpg&diff=436899File:Coliandre - Eowyn & Witch King Angmar.jpg2026-03-30T14:16:25Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
==Licensing==<br />
{{Copyright-permission|Coliandre|[http://www.xaviercollette.art Official website]|Coliandre}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Images by Coliandre]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Éowyn]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Éowyn and the Witch-king]]<br />
[[Category:Images of the Witch-king]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Fell beasts]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Ted_Nasmith_-_Nazg%C3%BBl_at_the_Walls.jpg&diff=436898File:Ted Nasmith - Nazgûl at the Walls.jpg2026-03-30T14:10:43Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>{{Copyright-permission|[[Ted Nasmith]]|[http://www.tednasmith.com/ Ted Nasmith's website]|Ted Nasmith}}<br />
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[[Category:Images by Ted Nasmith]]<br />
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[[Category:Images of Nazgûl]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Shadowfax]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Fell beasts]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Siege_of_Gondor&diff=436874Siege of Gondor2026-03-29T13:35:58Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
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<div>{{disambig-more|Siege of Gondor|[[Siege of Gondor (disambiguation)]]}}<br />
{{battle<br />
| image = Stephen Hickman - Siege of Minas Tirith.jpg<br />
|name=Siege of Gondor<br />
|conflict=[[War of the Ring]]<br />
|date=[[13 March]] - [[14 March]] {{TA|3019}}<br />
|place=[[Minas Tirith]] and fields of [[Pelennor]], [[Gondor]]<br />
|result=Siege broken by Gondor and Rohan<br />
|side1=[[Gondor]], [[Rohan]]<br />
|side2=[[Mordor]], [[Harad]], [[Rhûn]], [[Khand]]<br />
|commanders1=*[[Denethor]]<br />
*[[Gandalf]]<br />
*[[Faramir]]<br />
*[[Forlong]]<br />
*[[Imrahil]]<br />
*[[Hirluin]]<br />
*[[Théoden]]<br />
*[[Grimbold]]<br />
*[[Éomer]]<br />
|commanders2=*The [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]]<br />
*[[Gothmog (Lieutenant of Morgul)|Gothmog]]<br />
|forces1=Unknown number engaged<br />
|forces2=Unknown number engaged<br />
|casual1=Heavy<br />
|casual2=Heavy<br />
}}<br />
{{wotr}}<br />
The '''Siege of Gondor''', also known as the '''Siege of Minas Tirith''' after [[Gondor]]'s chief city, was a series of battles waged by [[Sauron]] aimed at the capture of [[Minas Tirith]], as part of the [[War of the Ring]]. The siege was broken by the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]].<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
{{main|War of the Ring}}<br />
<br />
===Prelude===<br />
According to Sauron's plan to find his [[The One Ring|One Ring]] and conquer [[Gondor]], on [[20 June]] {{TA|3018|n}} he sent the [[Witch-king|Lord of the Nazgûl]] to [[Sauron's attack on Osgiliath|attack]] [[Osgiliath]].<ref name="Great">{{App|Great}}</ref> Although the chief and secret purpose of the battle was to release the Nazgûl for the hunt, it also served to test [[Denethor]]'s strength and to destroy the bridge across the river.<ref name="Hunt">{{UT|Hunt}}</ref><br />
<br />
For months thereafter Sauron continued to amass his forces in Mordor.<ref>{{TT|IV4}}</ref> However, the deliberate pace of his preparations was thrown into turmoil on [[6 March]] {{TA|3019|n}}<ref name="Great" /> when Aragorn looked into the [[Orthanc-stone]] and revealed himself, the heir of [[Isildur]], and [[Andúril]] to Sauron.<ref>{{RK|V2}}</ref> In response Sauron ordered all of his ready forces to immediately prepare to take the capital city of Gondor.<br />
<br />
[[Gandalf]] arrived with [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]] at Minas Tirith on [[9 March]].<ref name="Great" /> Most of the citizens were sent south and west, except those skilled in the arts of healing and boys who refused to leave. The same day, nearly 3,000 men from [[Belfalas]], [[Dol Amroth]] and other places arrived to assist the garrison. However, it was less than a tenth of what was needed. Many of those that were needed from [[Lebennin]] and Belfalas were holding off the [[Corsairs|Black Fleet]] of [[Umbar]]. As evening drew on darkness began flowing out of Mordor.<ref>{{RK|V1}}</ref><br />
<br />
On [[10 March]], the [[Dawnless Day]],<ref name="Great" /> Gandalf saved [[Faramir]] as he was pursued closely by the Nazgȗl. Denethor, upon hearing the report of his son on the doings in [[Ithilien]], and of his allowing the Ring-bearer to go free, reprimanded him for his decision. He also did not share his son's opinion that Osgiliath was a liability. Faramir accepted the dangerous, perhaps suicidal, charge of defending the ruined city and the [[Rammas Echor]], riding for Osgiliath.<ref name="Siege">{{RK|V4}}</ref> From the [[Morannon]] an army came forth, took [[Cair Andros]], and entered [[Anórien]]. In the evening a host issued from [[Minas Morgul]] and headed towards Osgiliath.<ref name="Great" /><br />
<br />
===Battles at Osgiliath and the Rammas Echor===<br />
On the morning of [[11 March]]<ref name="Great" /> the Lord of the Nazgûl led the assault upon the western side of Osgiliath. Many boats had been built in secret which allowed them to swiftly overwhelm the defenders, who despite their fierce defence, could only do minimal casualties to the forces arrayed against them. On [[12 March]]<ref name="Great" /> Faramir retreated to the Rammas Echor. The wall did not hold long as the invaders blasted many breaches through the defences. Gandalf, upon learning the Lord of the Nazgûl was on the field, went from the city to assist the beleaguered forces. On [[13 March]],<ref name="Great" /> as Faramir retired to the city he fell wounded while battling against an Easterling champion. Only a charge by Prince [[Imrahil]] and the Knights of [[Dol Amroth]] saved him. As the defenders retreated to the city, a sortie of cavalry sent out by Denethor scattered the pursuit and allowed them to come in safely. Denethor, upon seeing his son wounded and unconscious, lost his will to fight and gave no more thought to the defence of his city.<ref name="Siege" /><br />
<br />
===The Siege===<br />
The defenders of Minas Tirith watched all day on [[14 March]]<ref name="Great" /> as the hosts of Mordor dug pits and set up siege weapons beyond their range. At first they mocked the supposed foolishness. But, as the Nazgûl continued swooping near the city and uttering cries of death, their morale dropped. The Mordor host then used their siege engines to launch stones at the city, many of which burst into flame as they came crashing down. Then, the heads of all those that had been slain in battle were flung over the city. The whole first level was soon in flames.<br />
<br />
Seeing that the defenders' will was already broken, near midnight the Lord of the Nazgûl launched his assault upon the city. Swathes of defenders fled to the higher levels, but enough stayed at their posts that many attackers were killed trying to reach the walls. Most of the siege towers were also destroyed as they rolled forward. These defenders were soon overrun, however, and either fled or were slaughtered. Breaching explosives were set upon the wall, and flashes of fire and deep rumbling roared in the night as the host of Mordor began blasting down the wall. The Witch-king moved in to conquer the first level himself.<br />
<br />
The hardest thrust was made against the [[Great Gate of Minas Tirith|Great Gate]]. The Witch-king rode beside the battering ram [[Grond (battering ram)|Grond]]. When it began to strike the gate, the Witch-King cried spells that reinforced it and weakened the gate; in only three strikes the gate was broken. All fled but Gandalf, who stood defiant. The Lord of the Nazgûl mocked him and drew his sword, flames coursing down the blade; however, at this moment the winds began to blow away the clouds Sauron had gathered over Gondor, a cock crowed and horns blown in the north heralded the coming of the Rohirrim. The Lord of the Nazgûl left to deal with the Riders of [[Rohan]] and the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields|Battle of Pelennor Fields]] ensued. The siege was broken during the battle.<ref name="Siege" /><br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
*[https://acoup.blog/2019/05/10/collections-the-siege-of-gondor/ Bret Devereaux, The Siege of Gondor]<br />
<br />
{{references}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Conflicts of the War of the Ring]]<br />
[[Category:Sieges]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Ambush_at_Fangorn_Forest&diff=436580Ambush at Fangorn Forest2026-03-19T21:20:57Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{sources|JR_Snow|17/02/24}}<br />
{{unnamed}}<br />
{{battle<br />
| name=Ambush at Fangorn Forest<br />
| image = Angus McBride - Rohirrim.gif<br />
| conflict=[[War of the Ring]]<br />
| date=[[29 February]], {{TA|3019}}<br />
| place=Edge of [[Fangorn Forest]]<br />
| result=[[Rohirrim]] Victory, Pippin and Merry Escape into Fangorn Forest<br />
| side1=*[[Rohan]] <br />
| side2=*[[Isengard]], <br />
*[[Mordor]], <br />
*[[Moria]]<br />
| commanders1=*[[Éomer]]<br />
| commanders2=*[[Grishnákh]]†, <br />
*[[Uglúk]]†<br />
| forces1=*120 [[Rohirrim]] Riders<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 3.02.165}}, "I led forth my éored, men of my own household"</ref><br />
| forces2=*At least 200 Orcs in the total company<ref name="Uruk">{{TT|III3}}</ref><br />
*"four score at least" of [[Uruk-hai]] from [[Isengard]]<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 3.03.071}}, "four score at least"</ref><br />
*"a couple of score" of [[Orcs of Mordor]]<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 3.03.074}}, "a couple of score"</ref><br />
*"over a hundred of" the [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] initially<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 3.03.071}}, "over a hundred of them"</ref><br />
| casual1=15 riders and 12 horses killed<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 3.02.165}}, "Fifteen of my men I lost, and twelve horses alas!"</ref><br />
| casual2=All Forces<br />
}}<br />
<br />
This '''ambush''' was conducted by a company of [[Rohirrim]] led by [[Éomer]] against a mixed force of [[Uruk-hai]] from [[Isengard]] and [[Orcs]] from [[Mordor]] and the [[Misty Mountains]]. It occurred in late February of {{TA|3019}}, near the edge of [[Fangorn Forest]].<ref name="Uruk">{{TT|III3}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
The [[Uruk-hai|Uruks]], who had been carrying two prisoners ([[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] and [[Peregrin Took]]) in tow, were anxiously attempting to reach Isengard as quickly as possible. However, they were joined by an [[Orcs of Mordor|Orc of Mordor]] named [[Grishnákh]], as well as a company of [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains|Orcs from the Mountains]]. Grishnákh was seeking [[the One Ring]] to deliver to his master [[Sauron]]'s [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]], and the latter group sought revenge against the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] for their previous intrusion in [[Moria]].<br />
<br />
This led to a series of disagreements with the Uruks that delayed their progress many times. During one of these conflicts, a few of the Mountain-Orcs were killed, leading to Grishnákh disappearing and returning with a squad of [[Mordor]] Orcs.<br />
<br />
By the time the three parties came to an agreement, the riders of [[Rohan]] had caught wind of the Orcs and Uruks (due to their failure to kill one of their scouts), and pursued them across Rohan. In a panic, most of the Mountain-Orcs fled ahead, but were debilitated by the bright sunlight and left for dead by the Isengarders as they reached the eaves of [[Fangorn Forest]].<br />
<br />
There, the Rohirrim launched their final attack and slaughtered all of the Orcs and Uruk-hai present. Éomer himself engaged in a duel with [[Uglúk]], the leader of the Isengarders, and slew him.<br />
<br />
==Aftermath==<br />
During the confusion, Merry and Pippin managed to escape their captors and avoid most of the conflict by disappearing into Fangorn Forest, where they would later meet [[Treebeard]]. The Rohirrim piled the corpses of the slain Uruks and Orcs on the battlefield and had them burned.<br />
<br />
The horses [[Hasufel]] and [[Arod]], whose riders had been killed in the skirmish, were lent to the [[Three Hunters]].<br />
<br />
==Portrayal in adaptations==<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'':'''<br />
:The circumstances of the battle are simplified. The force of Orcs consists of Uruk-hai, led by Uglúk, and Orcs, seemingly loyal to Grishnakh. When the Orcs start quarreling over whether or not they would eat one of the Hobbits, Uglúk decapitates one of the Mordor-Orcs and his Uruks began eating its corpse. At this point, Grishnakh catches Merry and Pippin attempting to escape, only to be shot by an arrow. Then, the Rohirrim arrive and launch their attack from out of the darkness. However, unlike the book, Grishnakh survives the battle and pursues Merry and Pippin into the forest where he is killed by Treebeard.<br />
<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (video game)]]'''''<br />
:Although omitted from the console versions, the GameBoy Advance version features another version of the ambush. The battle appeared to have occurred between the Uruks of Isengard and a group of Orcs from Mordor. The former seem to have been victorious, and drove the latter into the forest, where they are presumably killed by Huorns.<br />
<br />
{{references}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Conflicts of the War of the Ring]]<br />
__NOTOC__</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Ambush_at_Fangorn_Forest&diff=436579Ambush at Fangorn Forest2026-03-19T21:20:09Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{sources|JR_Snow|17/02/24}}<br />
{{unnamed}}<br />
{{battle<br />
| name=Ambush at Fangorn Forest<br />
| image = Angus McBride - Rohirrim.gif<br />
| conflict=[[War of the Ring]]<br />
| date=[[29 February]], {{TA|3019}}<br />
| place=Edge of [[Fangorn Forest]]<br />
| result=[[Rohirrim]] Victory, Pippin and Merry Escape into Fangorn Forest<br />
| side1=*[[Rohan]] <br />
| side2=*[[Isengard]], <br />
*[[Mordor]], <br />
*[[Moria]]<br />
| commanders1=*[[Éomer]]<br />
| commanders2=*[[Grishnákh]]†, <br />
*[[Uglúk]]†<br />
| forces1=*120 [[Rohirrim]] Riders<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 3.02.165}}, "I led forth my éored, men of my own household"</ref><br />
| forces2=*At least 200 Orcs in the total company<ref name="Uruk">{{TT|III3}}</ref><br />
*"four score at least" of [[Uruk-hai]] from [[Isengard]]<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 3.03.071}}, "four score at least"</ref><br />
*"a couple of score" of [[Orcs of Mordor]]<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 3.03.074}}, "a couple of score"</ref><br />
*"over a hundred of" the [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] initially<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 3.03.071}}, "over a hundred of them"</ref><br />
| casual1=15 riders and 12 horses killed <ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 3.02.165}}, "Fifteen of my men I lost, and twelve horses alas!"</ref><br />
| casual2=All Forces<br />
}}<br />
<br />
This '''ambush''' was conducted by a company of [[Rohirrim]] led by [[Éomer]] against a mixed force of [[Uruk-hai]] from [[Isengard]] and [[Orcs]] from [[Mordor]] and the [[Misty Mountains]]. It occurred in late February of {{TA|3019}}, near the edge of [[Fangorn Forest]].<ref name="Uruk">{{TT|III3}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
The [[Uruk-hai|Uruks]], who had been carrying two prisoners ([[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] and [[Peregrin Took]]) in tow, were anxiously attempting to reach Isengard as quickly as possible. However, they were joined by an [[Orcs of Mordor|Orc of Mordor]] named [[Grishnákh]], as well as a company of [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains|Orcs from the Mountains]]. Grishnákh was seeking [[the One Ring]] to deliver to his master [[Sauron]]'s [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]], and the latter group sought revenge against the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] for their previous intrusion in [[Moria]].<br />
<br />
This led to a series of disagreements with the Uruks that delayed their progress many times. During one of these conflicts, a few of the Mountain-Orcs were killed, leading to Grishnákh disappearing and returning with a squad of [[Mordor]] Orcs.<br />
<br />
By the time the three parties came to an agreement, the riders of [[Rohan]] had caught wind of the Orcs and Uruks (due to their failure to kill one of their scouts), and pursued them across Rohan. In a panic, most of the Mountain-Orcs fled ahead, but were debilitated by the bright sunlight and left for dead by the Isengarders as they reached the eaves of [[Fangorn Forest]].<br />
<br />
There, the Rohirrim launched their final attack and slaughtered all of the Orcs and Uruk-hai present. Éomer himself engaged in a duel with [[Uglúk]], the leader of the Isengarders, and slew him.<br />
<br />
==Aftermath==<br />
During the confusion, Merry and Pippin managed to escape their captors and avoid most of the conflict by disappearing into Fangorn Forest, where they would later meet [[Treebeard]]. The Rohirrim piled the corpses of the slain Uruks and Orcs on the battlefield and had them burned.<br />
<br />
The horses [[Hasufel]] and [[Arod]], whose riders had been killed in the skirmish, were lent to the [[Three Hunters]].<br />
<br />
==Portrayal in adaptations==<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'':'''<br />
:The circumstances of the battle are simplified. The force of Orcs consists of Uruk-hai, led by Uglúk, and Orcs, seemingly loyal to Grishnakh. When the Orcs start quarreling over whether or not they would eat one of the Hobbits, Uglúk decapitates one of the Mordor-Orcs and his Uruks began eating its corpse. At this point, Grishnakh catches Merry and Pippin attempting to escape, only to be shot by an arrow. Then, the Rohirrim arrive and launch their attack from out of the darkness. However, unlike the book, Grishnakh survives the battle and pursues Merry and Pippin into the forest where he is killed by Treebeard.<br />
<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (video game)]]'''''<br />
:Although omitted from the console versions, the GameBoy Advance version features another version of the ambush. The battle appeared to have occurred between the Uruks of Isengard and a group of Orcs from Mordor. The former seem to have been victorious, and drove the latter into the forest, where they are presumably killed by Huorns.<br />
<br />
{{references}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Conflicts of the War of the Ring]]<br />
__NOTOC__</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Angus_McBride_-_Rohirrim.gif&diff=436576File:Angus McBride - Rohirrim.gif2026-03-19T18:56:02Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Licensing==<br />
{{Fairuse-ICE}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Images of Rohirrim]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Orcs]]<br />
[[Category:Images by Angus McBride]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Ambush_at_Fangorn_Forest&diff=436575Ambush at Fangorn Forest2026-03-19T18:45:31Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: I replaced Legolas's headcount of the survivors (105) with Éomer's definition of the original company (an éored of 120). By substituting "there are one hundred and five" with "I led forth my eored, men of my own household," the text now identifies the group by its full starting strength before the fifteen casualties occurred.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{sources|JR_Snow|17/02/24}}<br />
{{unnamed}}<br />
{{battle<br />
| name=Ambush at Fangorn Forest<br />
| image = Angus McBride - Rohirrim.gif<br />
| conflict=[[War of the Ring]]<br />
| date=[[29 February]], {{TA|3019}}<br />
| place=Edge of [[Fangorn Forest]]<br />
| result=[[Rohirrim]] Victory, Pippin and Merry Escape into Fangorn Forest<br />
| side1=*[[Rohan]] <br />
| side2=*[[Isengard]], <br />
*[[Mordor]], <br />
*[[Moria]]<br />
| commanders1=*[[Éomer]]<br />
| commanders2=*[[Grishnákh]]†, <br />
*[[Uglúk]]†<br />
| forces1=*120 [[Rohirrim]] Riders<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 3.02.165}}, "I led forth my éored, men of my own household"</ref><br />
| forces2=*At least 200 Orcs in the total company<ref name="Uruk">{{TT|III3}}</ref><br />
*"four score at least" of [[Uruk-hai]] from [[Isengard]]<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 3.03.071}}, "four score at least"</ref><br />
*"a couple of score" of [[Orcs of Mordor]]<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 3.03.074}}, "a couple of score"</ref><br />
*"over a hundred of" the [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] initially<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 3.03.071}}, "over a hundred of them"</ref><br />
| casual1=15 riders and 12 horses <ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 3.02.165}}, "Fifteen of my men I lost, and twelve horses alas!"</ref><br />
| casual2=All Forces<br />
}}<br />
<br />
This '''ambush''' was conducted by a company of [[Rohirrim]] led by [[Éomer]] against a mixed force of [[Uruk-hai]] from [[Isengard]] and [[Orcs]] from [[Mordor]] and the [[Misty Mountains]]. It occurred in late February of {{TA|3019}}, near the edge of [[Fangorn Forest]].<ref name="Uruk">{{TT|III3}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
The [[Uruk-hai|Uruks]], who had been carrying two prisoners ([[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] and [[Peregrin Took]]) in tow, were anxiously attempting to reach Isengard as quickly as possible. However, they were joined by an [[Orcs of Mordor|Orc of Mordor]] named [[Grishnákh]], as well as a company of [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains|Orcs from the Mountains]]. Grishnákh was seeking [[the One Ring]] to deliver to his master [[Sauron]]'s [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]], and the latter group sought revenge against the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] for their previous intrusion in [[Moria]].<br />
<br />
This led to a series of disagreements with the Uruks that delayed their progress many times. During one of these conflicts, a few of the Mountain-Orcs were killed, leading to Grishnákh disappearing and returning with a squad of [[Mordor]] Orcs.<br />
<br />
By the time the three parties came to an agreement, the riders of [[Rohan]] had caught wind of the Orcs and Uruks (due to their failure to kill one of their scouts), and pursued them across Rohan. In a panic, most of the Mountain-Orcs fled ahead, but were debilitated by the bright sunlight and left for dead by the Isengarders as they reached the eaves of [[Fangorn Forest]].<br />
<br />
There, the Rohirrim launched their final attack and slaughtered all of the Orcs and Uruk-hai present. Éomer himself engaged in a duel with [[Uglúk]], the leader of the Isengarders, and slew him.<br />
<br />
==Aftermath==<br />
During the confusion, Merry and Pippin managed to escape their captors and avoid most of the conflict by disappearing into Fangorn Forest, where they would later meet [[Treebeard]]. The Rohirrim piled the corpses of the slain Uruks and Orcs on the battlefield and had them burned.<br />
<br />
The horses [[Hasufel]] and [[Arod]], whose riders had been killed in the skirmish, were lent to the [[Three Hunters]].<br />
<br />
==Portrayal in adaptations==<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'':'''<br />
:The circumstances of the battle are simplified. The force of Orcs consists of Uruk-hai, led by Uglúk, and Orcs, seemingly loyal to Grishnakh. When the Orcs start quarreling over whether or not they would eat one of the Hobbits, Uglúk decapitates one of the Mordor-Orcs and his Uruks began eating its corpse. At this point, Grishnakh catches Merry and Pippin attempting to escape, only to be shot by an arrow. Then, the Rohirrim arrive and launch their attack from out of the darkness. However, unlike the book, Grishnakh survives the battle and pursues Merry and Pippin into the forest where he is killed by Treebeard.<br />
<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (video game)]]'''''<br />
:Although omitted from the console versions, the GameBoy Advance version features another version of the ambush. The battle appeared to have occurred between the Uruks of Isengard and a group of Orcs from Mordor. The former seem to have been victorious, and drove the latter into the forest, where they are presumably killed by Huorns.<br />
<br />
{{references}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Conflicts of the War of the Ring]]<br />
__NOTOC__</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=E%C3%B6l&diff=433183Eöl2026-02-02T20:36:09Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{disambig-two|Eöl the Dark Elf|name of the Dark Elves as a whole|[[Moriquendi]]}}<br />
{{infobox character<br />
| people=[[Sindar|Sinda]]<br />
| name=Eöl<br />
| image=Elena Kukanova - Destiny.jpg<br />
| caption="Destiny" by [[Elena Kukanova]]<br />
| pronun=<br />
| othernames=Dark Elf<br />
| titles=<br />
| position=ruler of [[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
| location=East of the [[Misty Mountains]]<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br/>[[Forest of Region]]<br/>[[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
| affiliation=<br />
| language=[[Common Telerin]]<br />[[Sindarin]]<br />
| birth=Before {{YT|1115}}<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br />
| birthlocation=East of the [[Misty Mountains]]<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br />
| rule=<br />
| death={{FA|400}}<br />
| deathlocation=[[Caragdûr]] ([[Gondolin]])<br />
| age=at least c. 4,089<ref group="note">[[Years of the Sun]]. Each [[Years of the Trees|Year of the Trees]] is equal to 9.582 Years of the Sun, and the Years of the Trees ended in the [[Year of the Trees 1500|year 1500]].</ref><br />
| notablefor=Forging of [[Anglachel]] and [[Anguirel]]<br/>Inventing [[Galvorn]]<br>Being a night-rider<ref name=journeys>{{NM|P3ix}}</ref><br />
| house=<br />
| parentage=Unknown (Eöl was a kinsman of [[Thingol]]<ref name=Maeglin/><ref name="WJ|Editor">{{WJ|Editor}}, Note 33</ref>)<br />
| siblings=<br />
| spouse=[[Aredhel]]<br />
| children=[[Maeglin]]<br />
| gender=Male<br />
| height=Tall, but stooped by smithwork<br />
| hair=Dark-haired{{fact}}<br />
| eyes=<br />
| clothing=Clad in [[Galvorn]] whenever he went abroad<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
| weapons=[[Anguirel]] and a poisoned javelin <br />
| steed=<br />
}}<br />
<center>{{quote|You are of the house of Eöl, Maeglin, my son, and not of the Golodhrim. All this land is the land of the Teleri, and I will not deal nor have my son deal with the slayers of our kin, the invaders and usurpers of our homes. In this you shall obey me, or I will set you in bonds.|''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'', "[[Of Maeglin]]"}}</center><br />
<br />
'''Eöl''', known as the '''Dark Elf''', was the great smith who dwelled within [[Nan Elmoth]]. He was akin to [[Thingol]] of the [[Teleri]] of the [[First Age]].<ref name=Maeglin/><ref name=SilmMaeglin/><ref group=note>[[Christopher Tolkien]] mentions that his father elaborated further on this kinship in that "Eöl should not be one of [[Thingol|Thingol's]] kin, but one of the [[Teleri]] who refused to cross the [[Misty Mountains|Hithaeglir]]. But [later] he and a few others of like mood, averse to concourse of people, … [had] crossed the [Mts] long ago and come to [[Beleriand]]". Despite this statement, a small note was written against it in [[1971]] saying that "the relationship to Thingol would have point". It might be possible that the "few others of like mood" became the servants of his house, as they were described as being as "silent and secret as their master".</ref><br />
<br />
His face was noble yet grim, "and his eyes could see deep into shadows and dark places" because he was night-sighted<ref name=journeys/>. Eöl built up a friendship with the [[Dwarves of the Blue Mountains]]. That friendship gave him an insight into their craft, and he came to forge the swords [[Anguirel]] and [[Anglachel]], the latter of which became [[Túrin]]'s sword [[Gurthang]].<br />
<br />
In {{FA|316}}, [[Turgon]]'s sister, [[Aredhel]], strayed into his kingdom whom he took for his wife. Later, in {{FA|400}}, Aredhel and their son [[Maeglin]] fled Nan Elmoth for [[Gondolin]] but were pursued by Eöl. In Gondolin, he tried to kill Maeglin with a poisoned javelin, but instead killed Aredhel; for this crime he was executed by being thrown from the cliff of [[Caragdûr]]. The darkness in Eöl's heart was inherited by his son Maeglin and sowed the seeds for the [[Fall of Gondolin]].<br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
=== Early life ===<br />
Eöl was of the kin of King [[Thingol|Elu Thingol]].<ref name=Maeglin/><ref name="WJ|Editor">{{WJ|Editor}}, Note 33</ref> He was "restless and ill at ease in [[Doriath]]",<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> and when the [[Girdle of Melian]] was raised around the kingdom, he left his dwelling in the [[Forest of Region]] to dwell in the dark forest of [[Nan Elmoth]], east of Doriath, where he had a smithy, dim halls, and servants similar to himself.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> Eöl's house was located in the middle of Nan Elmoth around fifteen miles from the northernmost edge where the [[Celon]] River ran.<ref name=Maeglin/> He had a preference for the land as it had been before the Sun, and "he loved the night and twilight under the stars". He had little love for the Noldor whom he blamed for the return of Morgoth.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
<br />
He was unique among the Elves of old in that he had befriended the [[Dwarves]]. Their travels into [[East Beleriand]] followed two roads, and the northern way would bring them close to Nan Elmoth. There he would meet with them. Eöl was interested in learning from them, and he shared a rare friendship with the [[Dwarves of the Blue Mountains]]. As a guest in the many mansions of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]], he developed his great skill in metalwork while they learned "much of what passed in the lands of the Eldar" from him.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> From this great skill, he devised [[Galvorn]], a jet-black metal that was "as hard as the steel of the Dwarves", yet extremely malleable to the point that it was thin and supple. It was from this metal that he forged armor of his own making which he wore whenever he went abroad from Nan Elmoth,<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> "and so escaped many wounds"<ref name=Maeglin/> as the armor proved to be resistant to all darts and blades.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
<br />
Though Eöl was a skilled craftsman and a master sword-smith,<ref name=Quendi/> among his greatest works were the two swords made from the iron of a meteorite, [[Anglachel]] and [[Anguirel]]. Anglachel he gave to Thingol as a begrudged payment for dwelling in Nan Elmoth,<ref>{{S|Turin}}</ref> and it would later become the sword borne by [[Beleg]], and after him, [[Túrin|Túrin Turambar]].<br />
<br />
=== Of Eöl, Aredhel and their son ===<br />
[[File:Elena Kukanova - Nan-Elmoth.jpg|left|thumb|295px|''Nan Elmoth'' by [[Elena Kukanova]]]]<br />
During the year {{FA|316|n}} of the First Age, Eöl saw [[Aredhel]], the sister of [[Turgon]] the King of [[Gondolin]], near the dim borders of Nan Elmoth. She was very fair and he desired her. Aredhel had become separated from her companions, and Eöl used his enchantments to draw her deeper into the woods and unable to find a way out, until she came, weary with wandering, to his home. He showed himself and welcomed her. She entered his home willingly and stayed. It was only then that he showed himself, to lead her into his home, taking her to wife, though Aredhel was not wholly unwilling. While Eöl forbade her to seek her [[Noldor]] kin and commanded that she shunned sunlight, "they wandered far together under the stars or by the light of the sickle moon", and he allowed her to even wander alone within the forest.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
<br />
During the year {{FA|320|n}} of the First Age, Aredhel bore him a son whom in her heart she named ''Lómion'' in the [[Quenya|forbidden tongue]] of the Noldor. Twelve years later, Eöl gave to his son the name of [[Maeglin]], perceiving that his son's eyes were more piercing than his own;<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> until that time, he only referred to Maeglin as "Iôn" ("son").<ref>{{WJ|Maeglin}}</ref><br />
<br />
When Maeglin reached adulthood, Eöl often took him along whenever he visited "the cities of the [[Dwarves]] in the east of [[Blue Mountains|Ered Lindon]]". Yet, unknown to Eöl, he loved his mother better as she told him tales of her kin, yet omitting how to get to them. When Maeglin told Eöl that he desired to see his mother's kin with his own eyes and speak to the [[Sons of Fëanor|sons]] of [[Fëanor]], Eöl forbade his request and became wrathful at the mere mention of the kinslayers, drilling into Maeglin that he was of the "house of Eöl" and threatening to set him in bonds should he disobey him. Though Maeglin obeyed the commands, the damage to their relationship was done, for now Eöl mistrusted him enough so much so that he no longer took him with him beyond Ered Lindon.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
<br />
=== The escape of Aredhel and Maeglin ===<br />
During the summer of the year {{FA|400}}, the Dwarves, as per their custom, invited Eöl to a midsummer [[Feast]]<ref name=journeys/> at [[Nogrod]], and he rode straight away to [[Blue Mountains|Ered Lindon]] in order to be on time to attend.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> However, he suspected that in his absence, his wife and son may seek to visit the sons of Fëanor. As such, "he secretly ordered his servants to keep a close watch on his wife and son" and he posted a watchman by the stream of [[Celon]] at the north-eaves of Nan Elmoth.<ref name=Maeglin/><br />
[[File:Catherine Chmiel - Tales of Gondolin.jpg|right|thumb|300px|''Tales of Gondolin'' by [[Catherine Karina Chmiel|Catherine Chmiel]]]]<br />
During the first night of the three day feast, "a dark shadow of ill foreboding" came to Eöl in his sleep. As a consequence, he left Nogrod the next morning without ceremony, riding homeward with all speed. He returned home at nightfall of the next day, learning from his watchman that his wife and son had fled north less than two days earlier, passing into the [[Himlad]] towards the [[Pass of Aglon]]. Staying at his home only to mount a fresh horse, his swiftest steed, his wrath overcame him and he chased after them immediately.<ref name=Maeglin/><br />
<br />
Eöl regained control of his wrath as he entered into the Himlad, remembering the danger of [[Celegorm]] and [[Curufin]].<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> However, he was waylaid by the well-armed riders of Curufin before making it even halfway across the Himlad. The riders took Eöl by force with them to see their lord Curufin. It was around noon that day when the riders arrived at Curufin's camp where, with only a little courtesy, Eöl was greeted by Curufin.<ref name=Maeglin/> When the son of Fëanor questioned him, Eöl told him that Aredhel and Maeglin left Nan Elmoth to visit him and that he wished to join them in that errand. While Curufin told Eöl that they would have been welcomed coldly if he did accompany them, Curufin revealed that they never intended to visit him, and that they were seen passing the [[Arossiach]] riding swiftly westward almost two days before. Curufin suggested then that either Eöl was trying to deceive him or that he himself had been deceived.<br />
<br />
After asking Curufin for his leave to depart the Himlad and to seek for the truth. Eöl thanked him, regarding him as kin by marriage. Curufin took offense to this since Aredhel's marriage was forced and he wished to have Eöl out of his sight ad he could not slay him according to the laws of the [[Eldar]].<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><ref group=note>[[Christopher Tolkien]] mentions that his father added a footnote to Curufin's line, explaining that "the [[Eldar]] (which included the [[Sindar]]) were forbidden to slay one another in revenge for any grievance however great. Also at this time Eöl had ridden towards [[Pass of Aglon|Aglon]] with no ill intent, and it was not unjust that he should seek news of [[Aredhel|Aredel]] and [[Maeglin]]".</ref><ref name=Maeglin/> Yet despite this anger, Curufin instead counseled Eöl to return home, foreseeing that if Eöl continued his pursuit after those who do not love him anymore, he would never return to Nan Elmoth again. Eöl did not heed him as the hatred of all the Noldor drove him on pass the [[Arossiach]], and he perceived then that his wife and son were fleeing to [[Gondolin]],<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> realizing that Curufin's purpose was to specifically delay him.<ref name=Maeglin/><br />
<br />
Upon reaching the [[Ford of Brithiach]], Eöl spotted his wife and son due to the betrayal of their horses. Now seeing Aredhel Eöl followed them closely, marking their paths. Eventually, Eöl found his way to the [[Dry River]], and the secret way led him by stealth to the [[Orfalch Echor]] and the [[Seven Gates of Gondolin]]. There, Eöl revealed himself to the [[Dark Guard]] at the [[Gate of Wood|Dark Gate]] and claimed Aredhel as his wife, demanding to be brought before the [[Turgon|King]].<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
<br />
=== Gondolin and Eöl's death ===<br />
[[File:Ted Nasmith - Eöl is Led to the Walls.jpg|right|thumb|290px|''Eöl is led to the Walls'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]<br />
At Aredhel's request, [[Turgon]] at first welcomed Eöl as a kinsman, but under the King's law, one who had found the way to the [[Gondolin|Hidden City]] was not permitted to leave. Eöl refused to acknowledge the law or the right of the Noldor to "seize realms or to set bounds" and claimed the land as Teleri. He blamed the Noldor for bringing war to a peaceful land. He then stated that he was only in Gondolin to claim his son, though he did not claim his wife since Aredhel was just as much Turgon's sister as she was Eöl's wife.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> However, it is possible that because he mentioned he referred to Gondolin as a cage that Aredhel sickened in, that he was hoping that Aredhel may leave Gondolin again a second time eventually.<br />
<br />
Turgon pointed out that the borders of Eöl's own "sunless woods", Nan Elmoth, were defended by Noldor swords, and if it were not for their presence, he would be a thrall in the pits of Angband. Eöl was left with one choice only: abide in Gondolin or die in Gondolin. The same choice was left for his son.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
<br />
Enraged at the humiliation and the loss of his freedom, Eöl chose death, for himself and for his son, and after staring down Turgon, he cast a javelin, which he had hidden beneath his cloak, at Maeglin. Aredhel stepped in front of her son, and she was struck in the shoulder. Eöl was taken by many, cast in bonds, and led away. The wound was treated and seemed minor, and Aredhel and Idril moved Turgon to mercy. Yet no one knew the point of the javelin had been poisoned until it was too late, and after Aredhel's wound sickened in the evening, she died that night.<br />
<br />
Thus when Eöl came before Turgon he found no mercy, and was cast over the cliff of [[Caragdûr]] to his death. Before he was hurled over, he accused his son of forsaking his father and his kin, cursing him to fail at all his hopes and to share the same death as himself.<ref name=SilmMaeglin>{{S|Maeglin}}</ref><br />
<br />
== Etymology ==<br />
{{pronounce|Sindarin - Eöl.mp3|Gilgamesh}}<br />
The meaning of the name ''Eöl'' is unknown, and also to which language it pertains. The word is neither [[Quenya]] nor [[Sindarin]], but "Another name from prim[itive] [[The Fall of Gondolin (chapter)|FG]] - meaningless then and now" since Tolkien concluded that not every name needed to have significance.<ref name=Maeglin/><br />
<br />
Usually the reference to a 'Dark Elf' (''Moredhel'' in Sindarin)<ref name=L297>{{L|297}}</ref><ref name=App>{{S|Appendix}}</ref> simply refers to an Elf who has not seen the light of Aman, but the concept of a darkened Elf would be one that may have been corrupted by Morgoth.<ref name=Maeglin/> Tolkien liked this concept as an explanation for his superb and insidious smith-craft, which was written in a margin note of Eöl's story,<ref name=Maeglin>{{WJ|Maeglin}}</ref>{{rp|320}} but he chose instead to consider him more likely acquainted with the Dwarves.<ref name=Quendi/>{{rp|Note 9}}<br />
<br />
==Other names==<br />
In the early versions of the [[legendarium]] according to the linguistic materials related to ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', [[Tolkien]] considered the name ''Eöl'' (with variant spellings of ''Eol'' and ''Iol'') to be a [[Gnomish]] name, but without providing any etymology.<ref name=Iol>{{PE|15}}, ''[[Name-list to The Fall of Gondolin]]'', entry '''Eol or Iol''', p. 24</ref><br />
<br />
The [[Qenya]] cognate of ''Eol'' was ''Aiwala'',<ref name=Iol/> or alternatively ''Aiwl''.<ref name=Iol/><ref name=Aivala/><br />
<br />
However, in an another text, the Qenya cognate of ''Eol'' was given as ''Aival'' instead - but the reading of the second letter in ''Aival'' was unclear,<ref name=Aivala>{{PE|13}}, ''[[Official Name List]]'', Note 48, p. 104</ref> which led [[Christopher Tolkien]] to conclude that it was actually ''A'''r'''val''.<ref>{{LT2|IIIn}}, ''§3 Miscellaneous Matters'', '''(vi) Isfin and Eöl''', p. 220</ref><br />
<br />
In '' Ælfwine’s translation of the Quenta into Old English; Old English equivalents of Elvish names'', he is called '''Éor''';<ref>{{SM|QA1}}</ref> Christopher Tolkien does not provide a translation.<br />
<br />
== Genealogy ==<br />
{{familytree/start}}<br />
{{familytree| FNG |y| ANA | | | | | | | | | | | |FNG=[[Fingolfin]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1190}} - {{FA|456}}''</small>|ANA=[[Anairë]]<br /><small>''b. {{YT}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree| | | |!| | | |F|~|~|~|~|7| | | | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | |!| | | |:| | | | |:| | | | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | ARE |y| EOL | | | THI |y| MEL |ARE=[[Aredhel]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1362}} - {{FA|400}}''</small>|EOL='''EÖL'''<br /><small>''before {{YT|1115}} - {{FA|400}}''</small>|MEL=[[Melian]]<br /><small>''created<br />before [[Eä]]''</small>|THI=[[Thingol]]<br /><small>''d. {{FA|503}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree| | | | | |!| | | | | | | | |!| | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | | | MAE | | | | | | | LUT | | |MAE=[[Maeglin]]<br /><small>''{{FA|320}} - {{FA|510|n}}''</small>|LUT=[[Lúthien]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1200}} - {{FA|503}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree/end}}<br />
<br />
== Other versions of the legendarium ==<br />
=== ''The Book of Lost Tales'' ===<br />
In the earliest version of the [[legendarium]] in ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', Eöl was said to have been an ill-favored leader of the Minors "of the [[House of the Mole|Mole-kin]] of the [[Gnomes]]" who had the favor of [[Finwë|Fingolma]]. [[Isfin]] hated him, though he loved her from afar. [[Christopher Tolkien]] notes several parallels with [[Maeglin]].<ref>{{LT2|IIIn}}, pp. 22-1</ref><br />
<br />
=== Later legendarium ===<br />
Tolkien does have other renditions of this character that include references to him as an [[Avar]] and even as a "darkened Elf".<ref>{{PM|Dwarves}}</ref>{{rp|62}} At one point it is hinted that he could be one of the [[Laegil]].<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}} In note 9 of Tolkien's essay ''[[Quendi and Eldar]]'', another draft of Eöl's story appears, dated as written between 1959-1960. In this version, he is an Avar who had once been of the second clan of Elves, the [[Tatyar]]. This was later contradicted by Tolkien in a very late essay, where he is called an Elda. It is unknown if Tolkien changed this or simply forgot, but it is possible to reconcile them by noting that, according to ''Quendi and Eldar'', any rare Avar that joins the Sindar becomes an Elda. Eöl's marriage is a little different in this story as well. He found "the sister of King Turgon, astray in the wild near his dwelling, and he took her to wife by force: a very wicked deed in the eyes of the Eldar".<ref name=Quendi>{{WJ|Quendi}}</ref>{{rp|409}}<br />
<br />
This incident is consistent with his late 1950s writing on the Eldar included in his essay ''[[Laws and Customs Among the Eldar]]'' in which the Draft A footnote regarding "rejection of life" applies strictly to the forced violation of another's spouse.<ref name=Laws>{{MR|Laws}}</ref>{{rp|Note 5}} Aredhel was unwed, and Tolkien's writing in ''Quendi and Eldar'' confirms Eöl took her "by force"—a surviving act of rape.<ref name=Quendi/>{{rp|409}} ''The Silmarillion'''s phrasing that she was "not wholly unwilling"<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> and that her life in Nan Elmoth was not "hateful to her for many years"<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> reflects the narrative tradition ascribed to Loremasters such as [[Pengoloð]], whereas this later note provides an explicit authorial clarification.<ref name=Quendi/>{{rp|409}}<ref name=Maeglin/><br />
<br />
This essay on the Eldar reflects a Draft A concept suggesting that Elven marriage is so spiritually absolute that a third party could not physically "force" a spouse.<ref name=Laws>{{MR|Laws}}</ref>{{rp|Note 5}} While this would theoretically mean Maeglin's desire for Idril was a futile pursuit of the impossible, it represents a narrow metaphysical ideal from the [[Ælfwine]] framework. This is contrasted by another brief tale circa 1958 in the actual history of Arda Marred, where the [[Ainu]] maiden [[Árië]] chose to release her spirit from [[Eä]] to escape [[Melkor]]'s attempt to ravish her,<ref>{{MR|Myths}}</ref>{{rp|381}} and the "very wicked deed" Eöl committed against Aredhel.<ref name=Quendi/><br />
<br />
In a [[1959]] essay, Tolkien explored altering the metaphysics of the [[legendarium]].<ref name=Nature/>{{rp|76, 81}} One of these changes involved changing Eöl from a Telerin Elf to a Noldorin Elf who was born in [[Aman]].<ref name=Nature/>{{rp|76, 81}} Though he was a Noldo, he was among a select few who were "[[Avari]] at heart", yet joined the exiles because his people did.<ref group=note>Subsequently, Tolkien inserted next to this a vertical line, a check-mark, and a note saying "Keep this".</ref><ref name=Nature>{{NM|P1xi}}</ref>{{rp|Note 4}} Tolkien could not decide if Eöl already knew Isfin before the Noldor went to Aman and persuaded her to remain with him in [[Beleriand]], or if she also decided not to go to Aman at the last minute and wandered alone in Beleriand.<ref name=Nature/>{{rp|76, 81}} Tolkien, however, quickly decides that this was impossible since Isfin was born in Aman.<ref name=Nature/>{{rp|76, 81}} Tolkien also decided in that moment that Maeglin also needed to be born in Aman and that the three of them were extremely attracted to Melkor's lies, growing to dislike their kin and Aman, joining Fëanor's host, and becoming estranged from all of their immediate kin.<ref name=Nature/>{{rp|76, 81}} However, in most developed versions, Eöl remains an Elf of Middle-earth whose "wicked deed" remains a unique transgression in Elven history.<br />
<br />
{{references|notes}}<br />
<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eol}}<br />
<br />
{{seq-start}}<br />
{{seq-head<br />
|race=sindar<br />
|house=<br />
|born=Before {{YT|1115}}<br />
|died={{FA|400}}<br />
}}<br />
{{seq<br />
|pvac=None<br />
|prev=''[[Thingol]] as the overlord of all [[Beleriand]]''<br />
|list=Ruler of [[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
|dates=c. {{YT|1497}} – {{FA|400}}<br />
|next=Unknown (if any)<br />
}}<br />
{{seq-end}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Avari]]<br />
[[Category:Avarin words]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Book of Lost Tales]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Silmarillion]]<br />
[[Category:First Age characters]]<br />
[[Category:Gnomish names]]<br />
[[Category:Moriquendi]]<br />
[[Category:Nandor]]<br />
[[Category:Rulers in Beleriand]]<br />
[[Category:Sindar]]<br />
[[Category:Smiths]]<br />
[[Category:Tatyar]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Eol]]<br />
[[fr:encyclo/personnages/elfes/teleri/sindar/eol]]<br />
[[fi:Eöl]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=E%C3%B6l&diff=433179Eöl2026-02-02T19:45:46Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{disambig-two|Eöl the Dark Elf|name of the Dark Elves as a whole|[[Moriquendi]]}}<br />
{{infobox character<br />
| people=[[Sindar|Sinda]]<br />
| name=Eöl<br />
| image=Elena Kukanova - Destiny.jpg<br />
| caption="Destiny" by [[Elena Kukanova]]<br />
| pronun=<br />
| othernames=Dark Elf<br />
| titles=<br />
| position=ruler of [[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
| location=East of the [[Misty Mountains]]<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br/>[[Forest of Region]]<br/>[[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
| affiliation=<br />
| language=[[Common Telerin]]<br />[[Sindarin]]<br />
| birth=Before {{YT|1115}}<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br />
| birthlocation=East of the [[Misty Mountains]]<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}}<br />
| rule=<br />
| death={{FA|400}}<br />
| deathlocation=[[Caragdûr]] ([[Gondolin]])<br />
| age=at least c. 4,089<ref group="note">[[Years of the Sun]]. Each [[Years of the Trees|Year of the Trees]] is equal to 9.582 Years of the Sun, and the Years of the Trees ended in the [[Year of the Trees 1500|year 1500]].</ref><br />
| notablefor=Forging of [[Anglachel]] and [[Anguirel]]<br/>Inventing [[Galvorn]]<br>Being a night-rider<ref name=journeys>{{NM|P3ix}}</ref><br />
| house=<br />
| parentage=Unknown (Eöl was a kinsman of [[Thingol]]<ref name=Maeglin/><ref name="WJ|Editor">{{WJ|Editor}}, Note 33</ref>)<br />
| siblings=<br />
| spouse=[[Aredhel]]<br />
| children=[[Maeglin]]<br />
| gender=Male<br />
| height=Tall, but stooped by smithwork<br />
| hair=Dark-haired{{fact}}<br />
| eyes=<br />
| clothing=Clad in [[Galvorn]] whenever he went abroad<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
| weapons=[[Anguirel]] and a poisoned javelin <br />
| steed=<br />
}}<br />
<center>{{quote|You are of the house of Eöl, Maeglin, my son, and not of the Golodhrim. All this land is the land of the Teleri, and I will not deal nor have my son deal with the slayers of our kin, the invaders and usurpers of our homes. In this you shall obey me, or I will set you in bonds.|''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'', "[[Of Maeglin]]"}}</center><br />
<br />
'''Eöl''', known as the '''Dark Elf''', was the great smith who dwelled within [[Nan Elmoth]]. He was akin to [[Thingol]] of the [[Teleri]] of the [[First Age]].<ref name=Maeglin/><ref name=SilmMaeglin/><ref group=note>[[Christopher Tolkien]] mentions that his father elaborated further on this kinship in that "Eöl should not be one of [[Thingol|Thingol's]] kin, but one of the [[Teleri]] who refused to cross the [[Misty Mountains|Hithaeglir]]. But [later] he and a few others of like mood, averse to concourse of people, … [had] crossed the [Mts] long ago and come to [[Beleriand]]". Despite this statement, a small note was written against it in [[1971]] saying that "the relationship to Thingol would have point". It might be possible that the "few others of like mood" became the servants of his house, as they were described as being as "silent and secret as their master".</ref><br />
<br />
His face was noble yet grim, "and his eyes could see deep into shadows and dark places" because he was night-sighted<ref name=journeys/>. Eöl built up a friendship with the [[Dwarves of the Blue Mountains]]. That friendship gave him an insight into their craft, and he came to forge the swords [[Anguirel]] and [[Anglachel]], the latter of which became [[Túrin]]'s sword [[Gurthang]].<br />
<br />
In {{FA|316}}, [[Turgon]]'s sister, [[Aredhel]], strayed into his kingdom whom he took for his wife. Later, in {{FA|400}}, Aredhel and their son [[Maeglin]] fled Nan Elmoth for [[Gondolin]] but were pursued by Eöl. In Gondolin, he tried to kill Maeglin with a poisoned javelin, but instead killed Aredhel; for this crime he was executed by being thrown from the cliff of [[Caragdûr]]. The darkness in Eöl's heart was inherited by his son Maeglin and sowed the seeds for the [[Fall of Gondolin]].<br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
=== Early life ===<br />
Eöl was of the kin of King [[Thingol|Elu Thingol]].<ref name=Maeglin/><ref name="WJ|Editor">{{WJ|Editor}}, Note 33</ref> He was "restless and ill at ease in [[Doriath]]",<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> and when the [[Girdle of Melian]] was raised around the kingdom, he left his dwelling in the [[Forest of Region]] to dwell in the dark forest of [[Nan Elmoth]], east of Doriath, where he had a smithy, dim halls, and servants similar to himself.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> Eöl's house was located in the middle of Nan Elmoth around fifteen miles from the northernmost edge where the [[Celon]] River ran.<ref name=Maeglin/> He had a preference for the land as it had been before the Sun, and "he loved the night and twilight under the stars". He had little love for the Noldor whom he blamed for the return of Morgoth.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
<br />
He was unique among the Elves of old in that he had befriended the [[Dwarves]]. Their travels into [[East Beleriand]] followed two roads, and the northern way would bring them close to Nan Elmoth. There he would meet with them. Eöl was interested in learning from them, and he shared a rare friendship with the [[Dwarves of the Blue Mountains]]. As a guest in the many mansions of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]], he developed his great skill in metalwork while they learned "much of what passed in the lands of the Eldar" from him.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> From this great skill, he devised [[Galvorn]], a jet-black metal that was "as hard as the steel of the Dwarves", yet extremely malleable to the point that it was thin and supple. It was from this metal that he forged armor of his own making which he wore whenever he went abroad from Nan Elmoth,<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> "and so escaped many wounds"<ref name=Maeglin/> as the armor proved to be resistant to all darts and blades.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
<br />
Though Eöl was a skilled craftsman and a master sword-smith,<ref name=Quendi/> among his greatest works were the two swords made from the iron of a meteorite, [[Anglachel]] and [[Anguirel]]. Anglachel he gave to Thingol as a begrudged payment for dwelling in Nan Elmoth,<ref>{{S|Turin}}</ref> and it would later become the sword borne by [[Beleg]], and after him, [[Túrin|Túrin Turambar]].<br />
<br />
=== Of Eöl, Aredhel and their son ===<br />
[[File:Elena Kukanova - Nan-Elmoth.jpg|left|thumb|295px|''Nan Elmoth'' by [[Elena Kukanova]]]]<br />
During the year {{FA|316|n}} of the First Age, Eöl saw [[Aredhel]], the sister of [[Turgon]] the King of [[Gondolin]], near the dim borders of Nan Elmoth. She was very fair and he desired her. Aredhel had become separated from her companions, and Eöl used his enchantments to draw her deeper into the woods and unable to find a way out, until she came, weary with wandering, to his home. He showed himself and welcomed her. She entered his home willingly and stayed. It was only then that he showed himself, to lead her into his home, taking her to wife, though Aredhel was not wholly unwilling. While Eöl forbade her to seek her [[Noldor]] kin and commanded that she shunned sunlight, "they wandered far together under the stars or by the light of the sickle moon", and he allowed her to even wander alone within the forest.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
<br />
During the year {{FA|320|n}} of the First Age, Aredhel bore him a son whom in her heart she named ''Lómion'' in the [[Quenya|forbidden tongue]] of the Noldor. Twelve years later, Eöl gave to his son the name of [[Maeglin]], perceiving that his son's eyes were more piercing than his own;<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> until that time, he only referred to Maeglin as "Iôn" ("son").<ref>{{WJ|Maeglin}}</ref><br />
<br />
When Maeglin reached adulthood, Eöl often took him along whenever he visited "the cities of the [[Dwarves]] in the east of [[Blue Mountains|Ered Lindon]]". Yet, unknown to Eöl, he loved his mother better as she told him tales of her kin, yet omitting how to get to them. When Maeglin told Eöl that he desired to see his mother's kin with his own eyes and speak to the [[Sons of Fëanor|sons]] of [[Fëanor]], Eöl forbade his request and became wrathful at the mere mention of the kinslayers, drilling into Maeglin that he was of the "house of Eöl" and threatening to set him in bonds should he disobey him. Though Maeglin obeyed the commands, the damage to their relationship was done, for now Eöl mistrusted him enough so much so that he no longer took him with him beyond Ered Lindon.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
<br />
=== The escape of Aredhel and Maeglin ===<br />
During the summer of the year {{FA|400}}, the Dwarves, as per their custom, invited Eöl to a midsummer [[Feast]]<ref name=journeys/> at [[Nogrod]], and he rode straight away to [[Blue Mountains|Ered Lindon]] in order to be on time to attend.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> However, he suspected that in his absence, his wife and son may seek to visit the sons of Fëanor. As such, "he secretly ordered his servants to keep a close watch on his wife and son" and he posted a watchman by the stream of [[Celon]] at the north-eaves of Nan Elmoth.<ref name=Maeglin/><br />
[[File:Catherine Chmiel - Tales of Gondolin.jpg|right|thumb|300px|''Tales of Gondolin'' by [[Catherine Karina Chmiel|Catherine Chmiel]]]]<br />
During the first night of the three day feast, "a dark shadow of ill foreboding" came to Eöl in his sleep. As a consequence, he left Nogrod the next morning without ceremony, riding homeward with all speed. He returned home at nightfall of the next day, learning from his watchman that his wife and son had fled north less than two days earlier, passing into the [[Himlad]] towards the [[Pass of Aglon]]. Staying at his home only to mount a fresh horse, his swiftest steed, his wrath overcame him and he chased after them immediately.<ref name=Maeglin/><br />
<br />
Eöl regained control of his wrath as he entered into the Himlad, remembering the danger of [[Celegorm]] and [[Curufin]].<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> However, he was waylaid by the well-armed riders of Curufin before making it even halfway across the Himlad. The riders took Eöl by force with them to see their lord Curufin. It was around noon that day when the riders arrived at Curufin's camp where, with only a little courtesy, Eöl was greeted by Curufin.<ref name=Maeglin/> When the son of Fëanor questioned him, Eöl told him that Aredhel and Maeglin left Nan Elmoth to visit him and that he wished to join them in that errand. While Curufin told Eöl that they would have been welcomed coldly if he did accompany them, Curufin revealed that they never intended to visit him, and that they were seen passing the [[Arossiach]] riding swiftly westward almost two days before. Curufin suggested then that either Eöl was trying to deceive him or that he himself had been deceived.<br />
<br />
After asking Curufin for his leave to depart the Himlad and to seek for the truth. Eöl thanked him, regarding him as kin by marriage. Curufin took offense to this since Aredhel's marriage was forced and he wished to have Eöl out of his sight ad he could not slay him according to the laws of the [[Eldar]].<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><ref group=note>[[Christopher Tolkien]] mentions that his father added a footnote to Curufin's line, explaining that "the [[Eldar]] (which included the [[Sindar]]) were forbidden to slay one another in revenge for any grievance however great. Also at this time Eöl had ridden towards [[Pass of Aglon|Aglon]] with no ill intent, and it was not unjust that he should seek news of [[Aredhel|Aredel]] and [[Maeglin]]".</ref><ref name=Maeglin/> Yet despite this anger, Curufin instead counseled Eöl to return home, foreseeing that if Eöl continued his pursuit after those who do not love him anymore, he would never return to Nan Elmoth again. Eöl did not heed him as the hatred of all the Noldor drove him on pass the [[Arossiach]], and he perceived then that his wife and son were fleeing to [[Gondolin]],<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> realizing that Curufin's purpose was to specifically delay him.<ref name=Maeglin/><br />
<br />
Upon reaching the [[Ford of Brithiach]], Eöl spotted his wife and son due to the betrayal of their horses. Now seeing Aredhel Eöl followed them closely, marking their paths. Eventually, Eöl found his way to the [[Dry River]], and the secret way led him by stealth to the [[Orfalch Echor]] and the [[Seven Gates of Gondolin]]. There, Eöl revealed himself to the [[Dark Guard]] at the [[Gate of Wood|Dark Gate]] and claimed Aredhel as his wife, demanding to be brought before the [[Turgon|King]].<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
<br />
=== Gondolin and Eöl's death ===<br />
[[File:Ted Nasmith - Eöl is Led to the Walls.jpg|right|thumb|290px|''Eöl is led to the Walls'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]<br />
At Aredhel's request, [[Turgon]] at first welcomed Eöl as a kinsman, but under the King's law, one who had found the way to the [[Gondolin|Hidden City]] was not permitted to leave. Eöl refused to acknowledge the law or the right of the Noldor to "seize realms or to set bounds" and claimed the land as Teleri. He blamed the Noldor for bringing war to a peaceful land. He then stated that he was only in Gondolin to claim his son, though he did not claim his wife since Aredhel was just as much Turgon's sister as she was Eöl's wife.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/> However, it is possible that because he mentioned he referred to Gondolin as a cage that Aredhel sickened in, that he was hoping that Aredhel may leave Gondolin again a second time eventually.<br />
<br />
Turgon pointed out that the borders of Eöl's own "sunless woods", Nan Elmoth, were defended by Noldor swords, and if it were not for their presence, he would be a thrall in the pits of Angband. Eöl was left with one choice only: abide in Gondolin or die in Gondolin. The same choice was left for his son.<ref name=SilmMaeglin/><br />
<br />
Enraged at the humiliation and the loss of his freedom, Eöl chose death, for himself and for his son, and after staring down Turgon, he cast a javelin, which he had hidden beneath his cloak, at Maeglin. Aredhel stepped in front of her son, and she was struck in the shoulder. Eöl was taken by many, cast in bonds, and led away. The wound was treated and seemed minor, and Aredhel and Idril moved Turgon to mercy. Yet no one knew the point of the javelin had been poisoned until it was too late, and after Aredhel's wound sickened in the evening, she died that night.<br />
<br />
Thus when Eöl came before Turgon he found no mercy, and was cast over the cliff of [[Caragdûr]] to his death. Before he was hurled over, he accused his son of forsaking his father and his kin, cursing him to fail at all his hopes and to share the same death as himself.<ref name=SilmMaeglin>{{S|Maeglin}}</ref><br />
<br />
== Etymology ==<br />
{{pronounce|Sindarin - Eöl.mp3|Gilgamesh}}<br />
The meaning of the name ''Eöl'' is unknown, and also to which language it pertains. The word is neither [[Quenya]] nor [[Sindarin]], but "Another name from prim[itive] [[The Fall of Gondolin (chapter)|FG]] - meaningless then and now" since Tolkien concluded that not every name needed to have significance.<ref name=Maeglin/><br />
<br />
Usually the reference to a 'Dark Elf' (''Moredhel'' in Sindarin)<ref name=L297>{{L|297}}</ref><ref name=App>{{S|Appendix}}</ref> simply refers to an Elf who has not seen the light of Aman, but the concept of a darkened Elf would be one that may have been corrupted by Morgoth.<ref name=Maeglin/> Tolkien liked this concept as an explanation for his superb and insidious smith-craft, which was written in a margin note of Eöl's story,<ref name=Maeglin>{{WJ|Maeglin}}</ref>{{rp|320}} but he chose instead to consider him more likely acquainted with the Dwarves.<ref name=Quendi/>{{rp|Note 9}}<br />
<br />
==Other names==<br />
In the early versions of the [[legendarium]] according to the linguistic materials related to ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', [[Tolkien]] considered the name ''Eöl'' (with variant spellings of ''Eol'' and ''Iol'') to be a [[Gnomish]] name, but without providing any etymology.<ref name=Iol>{{PE|15}}, ''[[Name-list to The Fall of Gondolin]]'', entry '''Eol or Iol''', p. 24</ref><br />
<br />
The [[Qenya]] cognate of ''Eol'' was ''Aiwala'',<ref name=Iol/> or alternatively ''Aiwl''.<ref name=Iol/><ref name=Aivala/><br />
<br />
However, in an another text, the Qenya cognate of ''Eol'' was given as ''Aival'' instead - but the reading of the second letter in ''Aival'' was unclear,<ref name=Aivala>{{PE|13}}, ''[[Official Name List]]'', Note 48, p. 104</ref> which led [[Christopher Tolkien]] to conclude that it was actually ''A'''r'''val''.<ref>{{LT2|IIIn}}, ''§3 Miscellaneous Matters'', '''(vi) Isfin and Eöl''', p. 220</ref><br />
<br />
In '' Ælfwine’s translation of the Quenta into Old English; Old English equivalents of Elvish names'', he is called '''Éor''';<ref>{{SM|QA1}}</ref> Christopher Tolkien does not provide a translation.<br />
<br />
== Genealogy ==<br />
{{familytree/start}}<br />
{{familytree| FNG |y| ANA | | | | | | | | | | | |FNG=[[Fingolfin]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1190}} - {{FA|456}}''</small>|ANA=[[Anairë]]<br /><small>''b. {{YT}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree| | | |!| | | |F|~|~|~|~|7| | | | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | |!| | | |:| | | | |:| | | | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | ARE |y| EOL | | | THI |y| MEL |ARE=[[Aredhel]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1362}} - {{FA|400}}''</small>|EOL='''EÖL'''<br /><small>''before {{YT|1115}} - {{FA|400}}''</small>|MEL=[[Melian]]<br /><small>''created<br />before [[Eä]]''</small>|THI=[[Thingol]]<br /><small>''d. {{FA|503}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree| | | | | |!| | | | | | | | |!| | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | | | MAE | | | | | | | LUT | | |MAE=[[Maeglin]]<br /><small>''{{FA|320}} - {{FA|510|n}}''</small>|LUT=[[Lúthien]]<br /><small>''{{YT|1200}} - {{FA|503}}''</small>}}<br />
{{familytree/end}}<br />
<br />
== Other versions of the legendarium ==<br />
=== ''The Book of Lost Tales'' ===<br />
In the earliest version of the [[legendarium]] in ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', Eöl was said to have been an ill-favored leader of the Minors "of the [[House of the Mole|Mole-kin]] of the [[Gnomes]]" who had the favor of [[Finwë|Fingolma]]. [[Isfin]] hated him, though he loved her from afar. [[Christopher Tolkien]] notes several parallels with [[Maeglin]].<ref>{{LT2|IIIn}}, pp. 22-1</ref><br />
<br />
=== Later legendarium ===<br />
Tolkien does have other renditions of this character that include references to him as an [[Avar]] and even as a "darkened Elf".<ref>{{PM|Dwarves}}</ref>{{rp|62}} At one point it is hinted that he could be one of the [[Laegil]].<ref name=Maeglin/>{{rp|322}} In note 9 of Tolkien's essay ''[[Quendi and Eldar]]'', another draft of Eöl's story appears: he is an Avar of the [[Tatyar]] who found "the sister of King Turgon, astray in the wild near his dwelling, and he took her to wife by force: a very wicked deed in the eyes of the Eldar".<ref name=Quendi>{{WJ|Quendi}}</ref>{{rp|409}}<br />
<br />
This incident is consistent with ''[[Laws and Customs Among the Eldar]]'', as the Draft A footnote regarding "rejection of life" applies strictly to the forced violation of another's spouse.<ref name=Laws>{{MR|Laws}}</ref>{{rp|Note 5}} Aredhel was unwed, and Tolkien's writing in ''Quendi and Eldar'' confirms Eöl took her "by force"—a surviving act of rape.<ref name=Quendi/>{{rp|409}} The ''Silmarillion’s'' phrasing that she was "not wholly unwilling" reflects the narrative tradition ascribed to Loremasters such as [[Pengoloð]], whereas this later note provides an explicit authorial clarification.<ref name=Quendi/>{{rp|409}}<ref name=Maeglin/><br />
<br />
This essay on the Eldar reflects a Draft A concept suggesting that Elven marriage is so spiritually absolute that a third party could not physically "possess" a spouse.<ref name=Laws/> While this would theoretically mean Maeglin’s desire for Idril was a futile pursuit of the impossible, it represents a narrow metaphysical ideal from the [[Ælfwine]] framework. This is contrasted by the actual history of Arda Marred, where the [[Ainu]] maiden [[Árië]] chose to release her spirit from [[Eä]] to escape [[Melkor]],<ref>{{MR|Myths}}</ref>{{rp|381}} and the "very wicked deed" Eöl committed against Aredhel.<ref name=Quendi/><br />
<br />
In a [[1959]] essay, Tolkien explored altering the metaphysics of the story, briefly considering changing Eöl and Aredhel (Isfin) into Noldor born in [[Aman]] who were "[[Avari]] at heart". In this version, the family was attracted to Melkor's lies and became estranged from their kin before the flight of the Noldor.<ref name=Nature>{{NM|P1xi}}</ref>{{rp|76, 81}} However, in most developed versions, Eöl remains an Elf of Middle-earth whose "wicked deed" remains a unique transgression in Elven history.<br />
<br />
{{references|notes}}<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eol}}<br />
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{{seq-start}}<br />
{{seq-head<br />
|race=sindar<br />
|house=<br />
|born=Before {{YT|1115}}<br />
|died={{FA|400}}<br />
}}<br />
{{seq<br />
|pvac=None<br />
|prev=''[[Thingol]] as the overlord of all [[Beleriand]]''<br />
|list=Ruler of [[Nan Elmoth]]<br />
|dates=c. {{YT|1497}} – {{FA|400}}<br />
|next=Unknown (if any)<br />
}}<br />
{{seq-end}}<br />
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[[Category:Avari]]<br />
[[Category:Avarin words]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Book of Lost Tales]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Silmarillion]]<br />
[[Category:First Age characters]]<br />
[[Category:Gnomish names]]<br />
[[Category:Moriquendi]]<br />
[[Category:Nandor]]<br />
[[Category:Rulers in Beleriand]]<br />
[[Category:Sindar]]<br />
[[Category:Smiths]]<br />
[[Category:Tatyar]]<br />
[[de:Eol]]<br />
[[fr:encyclo/personnages/elfes/teleri/sindar/eol]]<br />
[[fi:Eöl]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight&diff=433178User talk:Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight2026-02-02T19:39:37Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: /* Haradrim */ Reply</p>
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==Ambush at Fangorn Forest==<br />
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Thanks for your recent contributions! Can you add the references for the recent information added to the article so the visitors know where those numbers come from? Thanks so much! [[Help:References]] [[User:Hyarion|Hyarion]] ([[User talk:Hyarion|talk]]) 16:38, 1 February 2026 (UTC)<br />
:I checked The Lord of the Rings and was able to find some statements that supports the numbers that were added. I added references for those statements where I could find the sources in a reasonable amount of time. --[[User:Akhorahil|Akhôrahil]] ([[User talk:Akhorahil|talk]]) 16:26, 2 February 2026 (UTC)<br />
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==Haradrim==<br />
<br />
Hi there! I noticed you removed "Black Breath" from the infobox, can you verify the following statement in the article is also not correct then? "The Haradrim had seemingly weaponised aspects of the Nazgûl's Black Breath, or at least tipped it upon arrows and darts during the last retreat before the city of Minas Tirith was besieged."? Thanks for your contributions! [[User:Hyarion|Hyarion]] ([[User talk:Hyarion|talk]]) 18:00, 1 February 2026 (UTC)<br />
:I checked The Lord of the Rings. There are no statements that support the statements that the Haradrim used poisened arrows or darts and or that there used of such arrows specifically coincided with the actions of the Nazgûl and what the intent of the Haradrim was with those attacks. I deleted those speculative statements. --[[User:Akhorahil|Akhôrahil]] ([[User talk:Akhorahil|talk]]) 16:26, 2 February 2026 (UTC)<br />
::"‘He is nearly spent,’ said Aragorn turning to Gandalf. ‘But this comes not from the wound. See! that is healing. Had he been smitten by some dart of the Nazgûl, as you thought, he would have died that night. This hurt was given by some Southron arrow, I would guess. Who drew it forth? Was it kept?’ ‘I drew it forth,’ said Imrahil, ‘and staunched the wound. But I did not keep the arrow, for we had much to do. It was, as I remember, just such a dart as the Southrons use. Yet I believed that it came from the Shadows above, for else his fever and sickness were not to be understood; since the wound was not deep or vital. How then do you read the matter?’"<br />
::— The Houses of Healing TheBlackFoewhoarisesinMight 19:39, 2 February 2026 (UTC)</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Haradrim&diff=433094Haradrim2026-02-01T19:22:41Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{people infobox<br />
| name=Haradrim<br />
| image = John_Howe - Southrons.jpg<br />
| caption="[[:File:John_Howe - Southrons.jpg|Southrons]]" by [[John Howe]]<br />
| pronun={{respell|ha|rad|rim}}<br />
| othernames=''Haradrim'' ([[Sindarin|S]]), ''Haradwaith'' (S), ''[[Swertings]]'' ([[Hobbitish|H]]), ''Southrons'' ([[Westron|W]]), ''[[Men of Darkness]]'' (W), ''[[Swarthy Men]]'' (W), ''Southerns'' (W), ''Men of Harad'' (W), ''Men of the South'' (W)<br />
| origin= [[Awakening of Men]]<br />
| location=[[Harad]], including [[Umbar]], [[Near Harad]] and [[Far Harad]]<br />
| affiliation=[[Blue Wizards]], [[Númenóreans]], [[Sauron]], [[Black Númenóreans]]<br />
| rivalry=[[Exiles of Númenor]], [[Gondorians]]<br />
| language=Presumably numerous Haradric languages, different from [[Common Speech]]; [[Adûnaic]]; [[Westron]]; and the [[Drúadan language]] (at least formerly)<ref group=note>Due to the suggestion of [[Gondorian]] historians that the group originally came from Harad.</ref><br />
| members=<br />
| lifespan=Shorter than [[Númenóreans]]<ref group=note>[[Castamir]] of [[House of Anárion]] lived to the age of 188, and another great-grandson of [[Calmacil (King of Gondor)|Calmacil]], [[Eldacar (King of Gondor)|Eldacar]], lived to the age of 235. Eldcar's children and grandchildren, [[Ornendil]], [[Aldamir]] and [[Hyarmendacil II]] lived for an average of 187 years. The same could theoretically be said for the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Castamir in Harad, and in point of fact these ages correspond to the general ages of Númenóreans during the period of [[Ar-Adûnakhôr]]'s reign in Númenór.</ref><br />
| distinctions=[[Gift of Ilúvatar]]<br />
| height=Tall<br />
| hair=Dark<br />
| skin=Black, brown, dark, swarthy<br />
| clothing=<br />
| weapons=[[Oliphaunts]];<br/>[[Scimitar|Scimitars]]}}<br />
<br />
<center>{{quote|West, North, and South the children of Men spread and wandered, and their joy was the joy of the morning before the dew is dry, when every leaf is green.|''[[The Silmarillion]]'', [[Of Men]]}}</center><br />
<br />
'''Haradrim''' or the '''Southrons''' were the [[Men]] of [[Harad]], descendants of the Men who [[Awakening of Men|woke]] in the far eastern land of [[Hildórien]] near the end of the [[First Age]].<ref name="Uttermost">{{PM|Dwarves}}, p. 306</ref> They are the proud, doughty and warlike people of the Harad, in the south of [[Middle-earth]].<ref>{{webcite|author=Mark Fisher|articleurl=https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/m/menofharad.php|articlename=Men of Harad|dated=17 December 2015|website=[https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/ Encyclopedia of Arda]|accessed=19 September 2021}}</ref> Ancient enemies of [[Gondor]],<ref>{{webcite|author=Mark Fisher|articleurl=https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/s/southrons.html|articlename=Southrons|dated=17 December 2015|website=[https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/ Encyclopedia of Arda]|accessed=2 October 2021}}</ref> they allied with [[Sauron]] during the [[War of the Elves and Sauron]] and [[War of the Ring]].<ref>{{S|V}}, p. 353</ref><ref group="note">In ''[[The Nature of Middle-earth]]'', with reference to the [[Blue Wizards]] in 'Note on the Delay of Gil-galad and the Númenóreans', it is said that [[Sauron]] took a long time to attack [[Eregion]], for his dominance and recruiting of forces was not entirely successful, and this was due to the actions of his powerful enemies in [[Rhûn]] and [[Harad]] that he hadn't paid much attention until then; ergo, Tolkien suggesting that certain denizens of both those lands played a role during the [[War of the Elves and Sauron]].</ref> Eventually, many turned against Sauron, when [[Manwë]] sent the [[Wizards]] to the southern lands of Middle-earth.<ref name="PMLast">{{PM|Last}}, pp. 384-5</ref><br />
<br />
==Origins==<br />
The ancestors of the Haradrim were the Men who awoke in Hildórien during the [[Years of the Sun|age of the Sun]],<ref name="S12">{{S|12}}</ref> but stayed to the [[East]] of Middle-earth, not joining the migration of the [[Edain]] to the [[Uttermost West]]<ref name="Uttermost" /> after [[Morgoth]], the original [[Dark Lord]], came to corrupt them to his service whilst tricking them to abandon [[Ilúvatar]].<ref>{{MR|P4e}}, p. 346-349</ref> A [[Shadow]] ever after lay over all of humanity, even the Edain, wherein portions of the ancestors of [[Harad]] later began migrating after coming into conflict with other men that fell under the Shadow.<ref name="S17">{{S|17}}</ref> Still some went West in search of the [[Light of Valinor]] and servants of Morgoth hunted them, but the majority of mankind refused alike the summons of the [[Valar]] and of Morgoth.<ref name="S17">{{S|17}}</ref><br />
<br />
The different peoples who moved to Harad, where the Sun is fierce because there are barely any clouds,<ref name="Gate">{{TT|IV3}}</ref> played no role in the tales of the First Age.<ref name="S12" /><ref>{{L|229}}</ref> However, this sundering bereft them of the enlightenment and crafts that the Elves may have taught them,<ref>{{PE|17}}</ref><ref>{{MR|P3II7}}</ref> which made them vulnerable to their two later woes: [[Sauron]] and the [[Dúnedain]].<ref>{{MR|P4e}}, p. 310-3011</ref> Historians of [[Gondor]] believed that the [[Drúedain]] came from lands south of [[Mordor]], that they turned north into [[Ithilien]] before they reached the coasts of Harad and were the first Men to cross the [[Anduin]], possibly near [[Cair Andros]].<ref>{{UT|12b}}, pp. 339-40</ref><br />
<br />
==History==<br />
===Second Age===<br />
At first, for many centuries, the Haradrim were independent peoples, generally isolated from the rest of the world. However, in the Second Age they became increasingly caught between the ambitions of two great powers — namely [[Sauron]] and the [[Númenóreans]] — a circumstance which lasted thousands of years.<ref name="Rings">{{S|Rings}}</ref><ref name="Coasts">{{PM|Dwarves}}, p. 304</ref> Sailing East, the Númenóreans explored the coasts of [[Middle-earth]], including the coast lands of Harad.<ref name="Coasts" /> The Númenóreans initially benefited the natives they contacted, by teaching them many things about agriculture and craftsmanship<ref name="Akallabeth">{{S|Akallabeth}}</ref><ref>{{App|Numenor}}, entry for the time after Minastir</ref> and later made settlements on the southern coasts, including the construction of the great city of [[Umbar]].<ref>{{TI|Riders}}</ref><br />
<br />
After the reign of [[Tar-Ciryatan]], the Númenóreans began to set themselves up as lords in Middle-earth as they demanded tribute of goods and wealth, causing the oppression of the Haradrim<ref name="SA">{{App|SA}}</ref><ref>{{PM|Second}}</ref> as with many other peoples whose lands included a coastline.<ref>{{PM|Akallabeth}}, §28</ref> Often Haradrim were killed or sold into slavery.<ref>{{PM|Elmar}}</ref> At first, Sauron didn't dare to challenge the Númenóreans as they expanded their control over Harad, until after the forging of the [[Rings of Power]] and the emergence of the [[Nazgûl]].<ref name="Akallabeth" /> Then, Sauron came as a ruler of almost all men east and south of the [[Ered Luin]], as both their king and their god.<ref name="Rings" /> These men grew strong and built many towns and walls made from stone and they were fierce in war and armed with iron.<ref name="Rings" /> However, those of Harad who sought freedom and rejected Sauron would venture to the woods or mountains in fear of being pursued by him.<ref name="Rings" /><ref>{{HM|SD}}, p. 345</ref><br />
<br />
In c. {{SA|1600}}, [[Manwë]] sent two [[Wizards]] to the southern and eastern lands of Middle-earth.<ref name="PMLast" /> The Valar suspected there was a rebellion of good Haradrim but no leadership — ultimately they were very successful there in Harad. They arrived before Sauron's first [[War of the Elves and Sauron|war against the Elves]] and even on this war the Wizards had some influence.<ref name="NM3">{{NM|P3xviii}}</ref> They became known as [[Morinehtar]] and [[Rómestámo]].<ref name="PMLast" /> Because of their influence among the Haradrim, Sauron took a long time to [[Sack of Eregion|attack Eregion]], for his dominance and recruiting of forces was not entirely successful.<ref name="NM3" /> <br />
<br />
In {{SA|3261}}, [[Ar-Pharazôn]], the [[King of Númenor]], landed at Umbar with a great fleet and the people on the coasts fled before them.<ref name="SA" /> Ar-Pharazôn and his host marched through Harad to meet Sauron's forces, but they fled from the Númenóreans and Sauron allowed himself to be taken to Númenor where he corrupted the King and his followers.<ref name="Influence">{{RK|V10}}</ref> Under Sauron's influence, the Númenóreans became even more ruthless to the locals of Harad, enslaving them and using them for human sacrifices.<ref name="Akallabeth" /><br />
<br />
In the following centuries the Haradrim were influenced by Sauron and [[Black Númenóreans]], those evil High Men who stayed in Harad and survived the [[Downfall of Númenor]].<ref name="Influence" /> The Haradrim became enemies of [[Gondor]], as the Kingdom's southern borders were close to their lands.<ref>{{TT|Herbs}}, p. 659-660</ref> Shortly before the end of the Age, two Númenórean lords, [[Herumor]] and [[Fuinur]], rose to great power amongst the Haradrim.<ref name="Rings" /> <br />
<br />
However around the same time, the two Wizards, always operating in the East and the South, were able to hinder Sauron's operations, leading to his defeat in the [[War of the Last Alliance]].<ref name="PMLast" /> When Sauron's dominions of the Second Age fell with his demise in the War of the Last Alliance the Haradrim were freed from his direct control but not free of the effects of his long work on them, to which evil and darkness for the West had set in their hearts.<ref name="UT|6a">{{UT|6a}}</ref><ref>{{UT|6b}}</ref> Additionally, some of the Haradrim, and the other servants of Sauron, turned from evil and became subject to the heirs of [[Elendil]].<ref name="Rings" /><br />
<br />
===Third Age===<br />
The great cape and land-locked firth of Umbar had been Númenórean land since days of old; but it was a stronghold of the [[King's Men]], who were afterwards called the Black Númenoreans, corrupted by Sauron, and who hated above all the followers of Elendil.<ref name="Gondor">{{App|A1iv}}</ref> After the fall of Sauron their race swiftly dwindled or became merged with the Men of Middle-earth, including those of Harad.<ref name="Gondor" /> There was even intermarriage: [[Tarannon Falastur]], [[King of Gondor]], married a high-born Black Númenórean lady from an inland city in Harad; she is remembered as [[Queen Berúthiel]].<ref>{{webcite|author=[[Daphne Castell]]|articleurl=https://fantasticmetropolis.com/i/tolkien|articlename=The Realms of Tolkien|dated=2 November 1966|website=[https://fantasticmetropolis.com/i/tolkien ''The Realms of Tolkien'']|accessed=30 September 2021}}.</ref> However, most Black Númenórean intermarriage was with the Haradrim, and they became increasingly indistinguishable from the indigenous peoples.<ref name="annals" /> The Haradrim did not trouble the [[Realms in Exile]] for many centuries.<ref name="herbs">{{TT|Herbs}}</ref><br />
<br />
When Gondor took the haven of Umbar from the Black Númenóreans, in the year {{TA|1015}} they followed the Black Númenóreans against Umbar to recapture it.<ref name="Gondor" /> Their great power was not enough against the sea-power of Gondor.<ref name="Gondor" /> The attempts lasted for 35 years until, in {{TA|1050}}, [[Ciryaher]] defeated the Haradrim force by sending troops by land.<ref name="Gondor" /> They acknowledged the overlordship of Gondor; the kings of Harad did homage and their sons were given as hostages in the court of the [[Kings of Gondor|King of Gondor]].<ref name="annals">{{App|Gondor}}</ref><ref name="AppA">{{App|South}}</ref> The sons of [[Castamir]] and others of his kin, having fled from Gondor in 1447, set up a small kingdom in Umbar, and there made a fortified haven and later called themselves the [[Corsairs of Umbar]].<ref name="Blood">{{PM|Elendil}}</ref> The Corsairs of Umbar continued to make war upon Gondor, attacking its ships and coasts when they had opportunity.<ref name="Blood" /> Additionally, Castamir's progeny married women of the Harad - continuing the Numenorean [[Line of Elros]], though of which was spent after three generations.<ref name="Blood" /><ref>{{webcite|author=David Seuferer|articleurl=http://tolkien.cro.net/humans/elrostre.html|articlename=Line of Elros|dated=8 February 1998|website=[https://tolkien.cro.net/ The Grey Havens]|accessed=27 September 2021}}</ref><ref group="note">The bloodline of Elros is spread amongst the Haradrim in Harad via [[Castamir]]'s children and grandchildren who later mate with the women of Harad, with the last known descendants of Elros within that region of Endor being [[Angamaitë]] and [[Sangahyando]].</ref><br />
<br />
Later, however, kings of Harad who were in league with Umbar rebelled against Gondor.<ref name="annals" /> In {{TA|1634}}, [[Minardil]] was slain at Pelargir by the Corsairs of Umbar, who were led by the great-grandsons of Castamir: [[Angamaitë]] and [[Sangahyando]].<ref name="Gondor" /> [[Telumehtar]] who raided his coasts even as far as the [[Anfalas]], gathered his forces and in 1810 took Umbar by storm.<ref name="annals" /> In that war the last descendants of Castamir perished, and Umbar was again held for a while by the kings, however, the [[Battle of the Plains]] that befell Gondor resulted in Umbar being lost again, wherein it fell into the hands of the Men of the Harad.<ref name="annals" /><br />
<br />
The Haradrim later were allied with the [[Wainriders]], a confederation of [[Easterlings]], and the Men of [[Khand]].<ref name="annals" /> During that time they conquered Umbar.<ref name="annals" /> The simultaneous assaults from the north and the south brought the South-kingdom close to destruction.<ref name="annals" /> The Haradrim crossed the river [[Poros]] into [[South Ithilien]], but the [[Southern Army]], destroyed them.<ref name="annals" /> In the later years three great fleets were prepared in Umbar and Harad.<ref name="stew">{{App|Stewards}}</ref> Around the [[Long Winter]] they assailed the [[Southern Fiefs|coasts]] of Gondor, even [[Rohan]].<ref name="stew" /> The Haradrim occupied the fief [[South Gondor]] and there was a long fight along the Poros.<ref name="stew" /> Stirred by emissaries of Sauron, they attempted once more to invade into [[Ithilien]] ({{TA|2885}}) but a combined force of Gondorians and [[Rohirrim]] defeated them at the [[Crossings of Poros|Crossing of Poros]].<ref name="TA" /><ref>{{App|Mark}}</ref><br />
<br />
In the meantime, it was said that the two Wizards, Morinehtar and Rómestámo ensured that the forces of the East and the South did not outnumber the West, thus helping secure victory for the [[Free peoples]] in the subsequent War of the Ring.<ref name="PMLast" /> At some time before the War, Gandalf also wandered in the South, for unspecified errands, and he became known as ''Inkā-nūs'' among the suspicious Haradrim, who saw him as a spy from [[Gondor|the North]].<ref name="Incanus" /><br />
<br />
At the time of that War, the Haradrim were in league with Sauron and fought alongside his [[Orcs|Orc]] army. The Haradrim were among the forces led by the [[Witch-king]] that attacked [[Osgiliath]] on [[20 June]], {{TA|3018}}, at the beginning of the War.<ref name="Great">{{App|Great}}</ref> More Haradrim continued to come up the [[Harad Road]] to Mordor.<ref name="herbs" /> Regiments of Haradrim joined the host from [[Minas Morgul]] marching to the [[Pelennor Fields]].<ref name="MinasTirith">{{RK|V1}}</ref> Sauron's forces besieged [[Minas Tirith]], and the Mûmakil of Harad were used to bring forward war-towers and siege-engines to test the City's defences.<ref name="MinasTirith" /> During the battle, the chief leader of the Haradrim army bore a standard of a [[Black Serpent]] on a red field; he was slain by King [[Théoden]] of [[Rohan]].<ref name="Great" /><ref name="fields">{{RK|V6}}</ref><br />
<br />
The Haradrim rallied around their [[Oliphaunts|Mûmakil]] which the horses of the Rohirrim feared to approach. As the battle wore on, more Haradrim including Men from Far Harad were sent onto the field by [[Gothmog (Lieutenant of Morgul)|Gothmog]].<ref name="fields" /> The Corsairs were prevented from reaching the battle, having been defeated by [[Aragorn]] and the [[Dead Men of Dunharrow]].<ref>{{RK|V9}}</ref> Haradrim also fought at the [[Battle of the Morannon]] on March 25.<ref name="Influence" /> Sauron's army of Men, Orcs and Trolls outnumbered the Men of the West by more than ten to one, but the battle ended once the [[One Ring]] was destroyed in [[Mount Doom]] and Sauron was vanquished.<ref>{{RK|VI3}}</ref> The Haradrim held out long and were among the last of Sauron's forces to be defeated.<ref name="fields" /> Some of the Haradrim fled or surrendered, though others banded together in their hatred and fought on stalwartly.<ref>{{RK|VI4}}</ref><br />
<br />
===Fourth Age===<br />
After the War of the Ring the newly crowned king of the [[Reunited Kingdom]], Elessar, made peace with the Men of Harad and completely subdued Umbar.<ref name="Gondor" /><ref name="Éomer">{{App|Mark}}, Third Line, entry for King Éomer</ref> Embassies travelled from Harad to Aragorn's court, and although Aragorn's reign was largely one of peace, it was occasionally necessary for him and [[Éomer]], [[Kings of Rohan|King]] of [[Rohan]], to travel to the southlands to maintain peace with Harad.<ref>{{RK|Steward}}, p. 968</ref><br />
<br />
It is possible that later generations of Haradrim, having the memory of the two Wizards who wandered among them, followed [[magic]] "cults" that lasted long into the Fourth Age or later.<ref name="Letter211" /><br />
<br />
==Traits and culture==<br />
[[File:Alan Lee - Oliphaunt.jpg|thumb|left|"Oliphaunt" by [[Alan Lee]]]]<br />
The "fierce dark men of the South."<ref>{{TI|Fangorn}}, pp. 434-5</ref> are of various ethnicities and cultures; some are organized into kingdoms.<ref name="Gondor" /><ref name="herbs" /> The Haradrim were described by a messenger as "cruel and tall.",<ref name="Siege" /> "a grim folk, and not easily daunted by shade or blade."<ref>{{WR|XII}}, p. 416</ref> Some of the Men in the south had weapons of iron.<ref>{{S|V}}, p. 349</ref> At the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], the Haradrim bore scimitars that glittered like stars.<ref name="fields" /> Those of Harad had tamed the massive ''[[Oliphaunts|Mûmakil]]'' beasts and used them in warfare and, like their masters, were decorated with scarlet and gold. They even strapped towers on their backs, used by Haradrim archers and spearmen.<ref name="herbs" /> The Haradrim frequently utilized poisoned arrows and darts in combat. During the siege of Minas Tirith, their physical attacks often coincided with the psychological [[Black Breath]] radiated by the [[Nazgûl]] overhead; while the two forces worked in tandem to demoralize and slay Gondor’s defenders, the Black Breath remained a supernatural power unique to the Ringwraiths and was not a substance used by Haradrim warriors.<ref name="Siege" /><ref>{{RK|Houses}}</ref><br />
<br />
The people of [[Far Harad]] are described as black-skinned, but there is also a group of them described as "black men like [[half-trolls]] with white eyes and red tongues" and "troll-men".<ref name="fields" /> It is unclear whether these were just large Men who are being compared to Trolls or an implication of crossbreeding between the two races.<ref>{{webcite|author=Mark Fisher|articleurl=https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/h/halftrolls.php|articlename=Half-trolls|dated=17 December 2015|website=[https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/ Encyclopedia of Arda]|accessed=1 October 2021}}</ref> The Haradrim from [[Near Harad]] were those most familiar and most closely encountered during the War of the Ring:<ref name="Scarlet">{{TT|Herbs}}, pp. 660-1</ref> when [[Faramir]] ambushed a company of Haradrim on the [[North Road]], Frodo and Sam witnessed a Harad warrior crashing at their feet, a man with "brown skin", with black plaits of hair braided with gold,<ref name="Scarlet" /> a scarlet tunic, as do the other Haradrim, and a gold collar.<ref name="Gate" /> He was armed with a scimitar and garbed with a corslet of brazen scales. Their standards are scarlet, and their great beasts, the ''Mûmakil'', have scarlet and gold trappings.<ref name="Scarlet" /> They carry round spiked shields, painted yellow and black.<ref name="herbs" /> One of the great chieftains of the Haradrim also bore a [[Black Serpent]] as his emblem, against a field of red.<ref>{{webcite|author=Mark Fisher|articleurl=https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/s/serpents.html|articlename=Serpents|dated=17 December 2015|website=[https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/ Encyclopedia of Arda]|accessed=19 September 2021}}</ref> <br />
<br />
===Languages===<br />
Very little is known about the language(s) of Harad though the word "Mûmak", the name of the great war-[[oliphaunt]]s of Harad, is stated to come directly from a language of Harad.<ref name="Language">{{webcite|author=J E a Tyler|articleurl=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=J-WWMtIVl_gC&pg|articlename=The Complete Tolkien Companion|dated=2 October 2012|website=[https://books.google.com/ M - Page 446]|accessed=20 September 2021}}</ref> To the [[Gondorians]] the voices of the Haradrim sounded harsh, like shouts of beasts.<ref name="Siege">{{RK|Siege}}</ref> Albeit having a meaning in [[Quenya]] ("fate"), the name ''[[Umbar (word)|umbar]]'' is said to be adapted from the indigenous languages of Harad and not from an [[Elvish]] or [[Adûnaic]] tongue.<ref>{{webcite|author=[[Verlyn Flieger]]|articleurl=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/266269|articlename=The Music and the Task: Fate and Free Will in Middle-earth|dated=14 June 2009|website=[https://muse.jhu.edu/ Project MUSE]|accessed=20 September 2021}}</ref><ref name="AppendixF">{{App|Men}}</ref><ref name="Names">{{App|Letters}}, Note, ''The names of the letters''</ref> <br />
<br />
[[Gandalf]] stated that his name in "the south" is ''Incánus'', which is apparently "alien", that is neither [[Westron]], nor [[Elvish]], nor explicable by the surviving tongues of Northern Men. A note in the [[Thain's Book]] states that it is a form adapted to Quenya of a word in the tongue of the Haradrim thought ''Inkā-nūsh'' (or possibly ''Inkā-nūs''), meaning "North-spy".<ref name="Incanus">{{UT|Istari}}, pp. 382-4</ref><br />
<br />
==Etymology==<br />
''Haradrim'' is a [[Sindarin]] name, consisting of the elements ''[[harad]]'' ("south") + ''[[rim]]'' ("host") thus meaning "South-people".<ref>{{L|144}}, p. 178</ref> Additionally, the [[Elves]] named the land and its people ''Haradwaith'', "South-folk", from the Sindarin ''harad'' ("south") and ''gwaith'' ("people").<ref name="Language" /> The [[Hobbits]] called the area the ''Sunlands'', and the people ''[[Swertings]]''.<ref name="Gate" /><br />
<br />
''Barangils'' is a [[Gondorian]] term for the people of Harad; 'swerting' derives from ''swart'' ("swarthy").<ref>[[Wayne G. Hammond]], "Page 764", in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion]]'', ed. by Wayne G. Hammond and [[Christina Scull]] (Houghton Mifflin, 2005)</ref> The Elvish name seems to contain '''baran''' ("dark, swart, dark-brown") (BARÁN) and possibly the suffix '''-il''' also seen in '''ernil''' ("prince").<ref name="UT|6a" /> <br />
<br />
==Other versions of the legendarium==<br />
Early variant names for this people were the ''Barangils'', the ''Haradwaith'', and ''Haradrians''.<ref>{{WR|2|IV}}</ref><ref>{{SD|Mordor}}, pp. 16-7</ref> In early drafts of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', anglicized names for the Haradrim in the text, were ''Silharrows'' and ''Harwan'', which according to [[Christopher Tolkien]] were derived from the name for the Aethiopians.<ref name="Fangorn">{{TI|Fangorn}}, Note 4, p. 439</ref> "Men of Sunharrowland" (or "of Harrowland") are other two anglicized names.<ref name="Harrowland">{{TI|Fangorn}}, p. 435</ref> In early drafts of ''The Lord of the Rings'', ''Harns'' was a Sindarin equivalent for the term Haradrim.<ref>{{WR|XII}}, p. 253</ref> It's based on [[harn]] ’southern’ (KHYAR-) and is an English plural.<ref>{{webcite|author=[[Roman Rausch]]|articleurl=http://www.sindanoorie.net/art/RS_TI_WR_Harns.html#Harns|articlename=Harns|dated=2 July 2016|website=[http://www.sindanoorie.net/ Sindanórië]|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{webcite|author=Paul Strack|articleurl=https://www.eldamo.org/content/words/word-3643936511.html|articlename=Harn|dated=16 April 2021|website=[https://www.eldamo.org/ Eldamo - An Elvish Lexicon|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref> Additionally, Haradwaith has the anglicized name ''(Sun)Harrowland''.<ref name="Fangorn" /> For more explanation on those names, see [[#The "Sigelwaran"|below]].<br />
<br />
In the earliest narrative of the legendarium in ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', Tolkien mentioned the movement of Men, after the [[Palisor|War of Palisor]]. After [[Nuin]] died at the bands of the Goblins through the treachery of Men, many kindreds of Men were driven to the eastern deserts and the southern forests, whence came dark and savage peoples.<ref name="Palisor">{{LT1|X}}, p. 336</ref><br />
<br />
Additionally, it was revealed that Manwë was unaware of where the beginning of Men should be, whether the north, south or east.<ref>{{LT1|IX}}, p. 317</ref> In ''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part Two]]'', [[Eärendil]] and [[Voronwe]]'s voyage on [[Vingilótë]] to southern Haradwaith where there is mention of Tree-men and Pygmies.<ref>{{LT2|V}}</ref><ref group="note">The habited land in question featuring "Dark regions, Fire mountains, Tree-men, Pygmies, and Sarqindi or cannibal-ogres" is definitely southern Haradwaith rather than the [[Dark Lands]], due to another note mentioning some southern Isles beyond that region, and these can only be the hills that became islands mentioning in ''[[The Chaining of Melko]]'', which must have been a product of the tumults that lead to the formation of the [[Inner Seas]], when the [[Belegaer]] and [[Eastern Sea]] flowed into the [[Sea of Ringil]]. And as we know, it was South of the Inner Seas that the South Lands were located. Ergo, Eärendil simply visited areas that would later be part of the [[Black Númenórean]] southern realms, beyond the realm of [[Umbar]].</ref><br />
<br />
===Earlier account of the Two Wizards===<br />
In the published works, all the Wizards were originally sent in the year {{TA|1000}} as emissaries to Middle-earth along with [[Gandalf]], [[Saruman]] and [[Radagast]].<ref name="TA">{{App|TA}}</ref> The above article gives information based on a late essay by Tolkien concerning the two Wizards, published in ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]''.<br />
<br />
However in some earlier time, when asked about the other two Wizards, Tolkien speculated that they went to the distant regions, including the lands of Harad, far out of Númenórean range. Whether together or independent of each other, the two may have fallen from their appointed task, wherein they may have founded 'magic' cults amongst the peoples of the East and South, which existed beyond the downfall of the [[Sauron|Lord of the Rings]].<ref name="Letter211">{{L|211}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Inspiration==<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] linked the Haradrim with ancient Aethiopians.<ref name="Fangorn" /><ref name="Harrowland" /> In an interview from 1966, Tolkien likened [[Berúthiel]] to the giantess [[Wikipedia:Skaði|Skaði]] of Norse mythology, since they both shared a dislike for "seaside life".<ref name="Interview">{{webcite|author=[[Daphne Castell]]|articleurl=https://fantasticmetropolis.com/i/tolkien|articlename=The Realms of Tolkien|dated=|website=[https://fantasticmetropolis.com/i/tolkien ''The Realms of Tolkien'']|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><ref>[[Humphrey Carpenter]], ''[[The Inklings (book)|The Inklings]]'', "Thursday evenings", pp. 137-8</ref> Additionally, Tolkien scholar [[Tom Shippey]] stated in reference to the 'black men like half-trolls' passage from ''[[The Return of the King]]'' that Tolkien was attempting to write like a medieval chronicler in describing the [[Rohirrim]]'s encounter with a Haradrim: "[...] and when medieval Europeans first encountered sub-Saharan Africans, they were genuinely confused about them, and rather frightened."<ref name="African">{{webcite|author=[[Tom Shippey]]|articleurl=http://www.tolkien.co.uk/jrrtolkien/interviews_shippey.asp|articlename=An Interview with Tom Shippey - Questions and answers with Tom Shippey|dated=17 October 2001|website=[https://www.harpercollins.com/ Harper Collins]|accessed=19 September 2021}}</ref> He noted that Tolkien had pointed out in his early scholarly works "the ancient English seemed to have a belief in fire-demons, who naturally enough had skin like soot – their word for them, ‘harwan’, is related to Latin ‘carbo’, ‘soot,’ or carbon."<ref name="African" /><ref>{{webcite|author=[[Dimitra Fimi]]|articleurl=http://dimitrafimi.com/2018/12/02/revisiting-race-in-tolkiens-legendarium-constructing-cultures-and-ideologies-in-an-imaginacry-world/|articlename=Revisiting Race in Tolkien’s Legendarium: Constructing Cultures and Ideologies in an Imaginary World|dated=2 December 2018|website=[http://www.dimitrafimi.com/ Dimitra Fimi]|accessed=19 September 2021}}</ref> Shippey concluded by remarking that, "An Anglo-Saxon meeting an African for the first time might then really wonder - for a moment, from a distance - whether this was a demon from his own mythology. This doesn't mean that Tolkien shared the mythology, or the mistake."<ref>{{webcite|author=Leslie A. Donovan|articleurl=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=BnCADwAAQBAJ&pg|articlename=Approaches to Teaching Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and Other Works|dated=1 October 2015|website=[https://books.google.com/ Tolkien's Haradrim]|accessed=19 September 2021}}</ref><br />
<br />
===The "Sigelwaran"===<br />
Much of Tolkien's influence for Harad and the Haradrim came about from his essay ''[[Sigelwara Land]]'', in which he examined the etymology of ''Sigelwaran'' (and the more usual form ''Sigelhearwan'') — the [[Old English]] word for Ethiopians.<ref name="CG" /><ref name="TB1">[http://www.tolkienbooks.net/php/details.php?reference=13590 Medium Aevum. 1932], [http://www.tolkienbooks.net/php/details.php?reference=13710 Medium Aevum. 1934], at [http://www.tolkienbooks.net/ TolkienBooks.net] (accessed 2 February 2013)</ref> The essay was originally published in two parts: part one appeared in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 1, No. 3) in [[1932]], and part two appeared in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 3, No. 2) in [[1934]].<ref name="TB1" /> The article investigated why there was a distinct and several times attested [[Old English]] name for the Ethiopians (namely '''Sigelwaran, Sigelhearwan''')<ref name="CG">{{CG|RG}}, pp. 889-90</ref> as actual biblical names were usually adapted, not translated.<ref>{{webcite|author=[[Roman Rausch]]|articleurl=http://www.sindanoorie.net/art/RS_TI_WR_Barangils.html|articlename=Barangils|dated=2 July 2016|website=[http://www.sindanoorie.net/ Sindanórië]|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref> <br />
<br />
Tolkien remarked that the word includes elements not current in Old English and argues from there on that it must be older and preserved at least a name, "if no more, from the vanished native mythology or its borderland of half-mythical geography."<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Sigelwara Land Part 1", in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 1, No. 3), p. 192</ref> As the initial element '''Sigel''' ’Sun’ comes into question, which is attested in ''[[Beowulf (poem)|Beowulf]]'' and has furthermore cognates in other languages, as e.g. the name of the s-rune.<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Sigelwara Land Part 2", in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 3, No. 2), p. 98</ref> Another candidate is '''sigel''', '''sigle''' describing "a round jewel or golden ornament",<ref name="Gimm">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Sigelwara Land Part 2", in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 3, No. 2), p. 104</ref> originating from Latin '''sigillum''', which in its turn refers to "a small image or figure, the impress of a stamp or seal."<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Sigelwara Land Part 2", in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 3, No. 2), p. 102</ref> Tolkien then suggested that the two words had mutual influence on each other; and he remarks on the usage of ''gimm'' ’precious stone, jewel’ for the sun.<ref name="Gimm" /> For the second element '''hearwa''' he discusses several primitive candidates all having to do with the colour ’black’, so that the name may mean something akin to ’those who were made black by the sun’.<ref name="Vol. 3 p. 110">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Sigelwara Land Part 2", in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 3, No. 2), p. 110</ref><ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Sigelwara Land Part 2", in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 3, No. 2), p. 109</ref> As he concluded, "such guesswork is naturally inconclusive [...] giving insight into English and northern tradition and imagination."<ref name="Vol. 3 p. 110" /><ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Sigelwara Land Part 2", in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 3, No. 2), p. 111</ref><br />
<br />
==Portrayal in adaptations==<br />
===Films===<br />
'''2001-03: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:'''<br />
:The Haradrim appear briefly in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers|The Two Towers]]'' when Frodo and [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]] witness a raid on one of their columns by [[Faramir|Faramir's]] rangers. They are featured more prominently in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]'', in which the battle between the [[Rohirrim]] and the [[Oliphaunts|Mûmakil]] is a major action sequence. While the ''[[The Return of the King|book]]'' depicts the Southron army as primarily cavalry armed with scimitars, we see no horsemen in the movie: the Haradrim fight almost exclusively from platforms mounted on the backs of their monstrous [[Oliphaunts]]. They have also adorned the animals' tusks with spikes and shafts that crush and impale numerous enemy horsemen. The costumes of the Haradrim in the movie are Middle Eastern in style and dark brown or black in colour, while a companion book, ''Lord of the Rings: Creatures'', stated that the Haradrim were based on 12th century Saracens.<ref>{{webcite|author=HarperCollins|articleurl=https://archive.org/details/lordofringstwoto00braw/mode/2up|articlename=The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers - Creatures|dated=6 November 2002|website=[[HarperCollins]]|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><br />
<br />
'''2012-14: [[The Hobbit (film series)|''The Hobbit'' (film series)]]:'''<br />
:The Ringwraith of Harad, also known as the Dark Headsman was a [[Nazgûl]] who was revived by [[Sauron]] and summoned to [[Dol Guldur]].<ref>{{webcite|author=Weta Workshop Editors|articleurl=https://www.wetanz.com/us/helm-of-the-ringwraith-of-harad|articlename=HELM OF THE RINGWRAITH OF HARAD|dated=6 November 2012|website=[[Weta Workshop]]|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref> He was once a King of the Haradrim that was given a [[Ring of Power]] by Sauron the deceiver and was corrupted to serve him. The Witch-king and the other Ringwraiths were buried in a dungeon in the [[High Fells of Rhudaur]] after the [[Battle of Fornost|fall]] of Angmar. Later, Gandalf, following [[Galadriel]]'s advice, visits the High Fells and discovers that the Nazgûl's cells were empty, broken open from the inside. Through this investigation, he is convinced that the Necromancer in Dol Guldur is indeed [[Sauron]]. In the [[Attack on Dol Guldur]], The Witch-King, along with the other Nazgûl, participates by fighting [[Saruman]] and [[Elrond]], members of the [[White Council]]. In the end, he and the other Nine are driven back to [[Mordor]] by Galadriel and her [[Phial of Galadriel|phial]], his master also eventually following suit.<br />
<br />
===Radio series===<br />
'''1981: [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1981 radio series)]]:'''<br />
:[[Éowyn|Dernhelm]] warns [[Théoden]] of the coming of the chieftain. He kills the chieftain, but is killed by the [[Witch-king]] almost immediately after.<br />
<br />
===Video games===<br />
'''2003: [[The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring]]:'''<br />
:The Haradrim appeared and are known as the 'Haradrim Slayers'.<ref>{{webcite|author=Eressior|articleurl=https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/06/14/the-lord-of-the-rings-war-of-the-ring-perfect-walkthrough-1110162|articlename=Perfect Walkthrough|dated=14 June 2011|website=IGN|accessed=2 October 2021}}</ref><br />
<br />
'''2006: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]:'''<br />
:The Haradrim and the Corsairs of Umbar appear in much merchandise for the film trilogy, such as toys. The Corsairs are from the Mordor faction, and are equipped with knives and fire-bombs.<ref>{{webcite|author=Games and Grub Editors|articleurl=http://gamesandgrub.blogspot.com/2011/04/battle-for-middle-earth-2-good-campaign_1.html|articlename=Battle for Middle Earth 2 - Good Campaign - Mission 7 - Erebor|dated=1 April 2011|website=[RPGnet|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><br />
<br />
'''2007: [[The Lord of the Rings Online]]:'''<br />
:Three of the [[Nazgûl]] are said to be Haradrim, and their titles are given as "The Grim Southron", "The High Sorcerer of Harad", and "The Forsaken Reaver", the latter being from Umbar. During the War of the Ring, the Corsairs invading Gondor were led by four brothers who falsely call themselves the "Heirs of Castamir". These were "Azruthor", "Dolgimil", "Azgarzôr", and the eldest "Balakhôr the Scourge". The player negotiated with a Corsair named "Jajax", who ended up siding with the player against the Heirs and their followers.<br />
:Early in the reign of [[King of Gondor|King]] [[Aragorn|Elessar]] and [[Queen of Gondor|Queen]] [[Arwen]], the faction of Haradrim that occupied Umbar and invaded Gondor alongside the Heirs of Castamir is revealed to be called the "Empire of Ordâkh". After the War, the "Ordâkhai" were overthrown by the local "Umbari" and expelled from the City of the Corsairs.<br />
<br />
'''2017: [[Middle-earth: Shadow of War]]:'''<br />
:Suladân is an antagonist who, before his fall, was a noble Númenóreans King who ruled the nation of Harad during the Second Age. During his rule, he sought to go up against Sauron where he led an army of Númenórean soldiers to lay siege on the Dark Lord's fortress in Mordor. Before he sought to engage him, he was surprised that the Dark Lord surrendered and offered a Ring of Power to him. The temptation was too great, and Suladân eventually moved Sauron from the position of enemy to advisor. As Suladân's power grew, so did Sauron's influence over him. He eventually fell completely under the Dark Lord's power to become one of the nine Nazgûl. Additionally, Baranor is a playable character who is a captain in Gondor's guard, originally from Harad, before being adopted by the wealthy Gondorian family.<ref>{{webcite|author=David Smith|articleurl=https://www.theaureview.com/games/games-review-middle-earth-shadow-of-war-the-desolation-of-mordor-xbox-one-2018/|articlename=Games Review: Middle-earth: Shadow of War – The Desolation of Mordor (Xbox One, 2018)|dated=18 May 2018|website=[RPGnet|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><br />
<br />
===Other===<br />
'''1982: [[Middle-earth Role Playing]]:'''<br />
:[[Iron Crown Enterprises]] produced a series of books for their tabletop roleplaying game ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'' containing information about Harad and content allowing games to be set there. Additionally, Herumor is given an extended history, and Fuinur is revealed as his older brother. Key publications included the setting books ''[[Umbar: Haven of the Corsairs]]'' (1982),<ref>{{webcite|author=Brenda Gates Spielman|articleurl=https://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2534|articlename=Umbar: Haven of the Corsairs|dated=16 April 1982|website=RPGnet|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref> ''[[Far Harad: The Scorched Land]]'' (1988),<ref>{{webcite|author=Charles Crutchfield|articleurl=https://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2555|articlename=Far Harad: The Scorched Land|dated=16 April 1988|website=RPGnet|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref> ''[[Forest of Tears]]'' (1990),<ref>{{webcite|author=Charles Crutchfield|articleurl=https://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2511|articlename=Forest of Tears|dated=16 April 1990|website=RPGnet|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref> as well as the adventure books ''[[Warlords of the Desert]]'' (1989),<ref>{{webcite|author=Charles Crutchfield|articleurl=https://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2505|articlename=Warlords of the Desert|dated=16 April 1989|website=RPGnet|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref> ''[[Hazards of the Harad Wood]]'' (1989),<ref>{{webcite|author=John Crowdis|articleurl=https://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2529|articlename=Hazards of the Harad Wood|dated=16 April 1989|website=RPGnet|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref> and ''[[Greater Harad]] (1990).<ref>{{webcite|author=William E. Wilson|articleurl=https://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2560|articlename=Greater Harad|dated=16 April 1990|website=[RPGnet|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref>''<br />
<br />
'''1994: [[The Two Towers MUD]]:'''<br />
:The Haradrim are featured alongside the [[Uruk-hai]], [[Easterlings]], [[Númenóreans]], and [[Variag]].<br />
<br />
'''2001: [[The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game]]:'''<br />
:The Haradrim and the Corsairs of Umbar appear in much merchandise for the film trilogy, such as toys and card sets within the TCG.<br />
<br />
'''2001: [[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]:'''<br />
:Suladân, the "Serpent Lord", is the name of the chieftain Haradrim leader who King Théoden kills, and is who players often refer to as the "[[Black Serpent]]" after his standard.<ref>{{webcite|author=Tell Me A Tale, Great Or Small Editors|articleurl=https://tellmeatalegreatorsmall.blogspot.com/2019/09/armies-of-middle-earth-sbg-serpent.html|articlename=Armies of Middle-Earth SBG: The Serpent Horde in the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game|dated=25 September 2019|website=Tell Me A Tale, Great Or Small|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="Hasharin">{{webcite|author=Simmuskhan|articleurl=http://simbattleboard.blogspot.com/2020/04/golden-king-of-abrakhan-and-entourage.html|articlename=Golden King of Abrakhan and Entourage|dated=23 April 2020|website=Simmuskhan's Battle Blog|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref> Some of the Haradrim are assassins called 'Hasharin', wherein there are characters such as "The Golden King" and "Dalamyr".<ref name="Hasharin" /> Additionally, ''Half Trolls'' are "Mahûd men" of Far Harad who were altered to the size and strength of the Olog-hai of Sauron.<ref>{{webcite|author=Simmuskhan|articleurl=http://simbattleboard.blogspot.com/2019/09/for-fathers-day-this-year-i-requested.html|articlename=Far Harad|dated=11 September 2019|website=Simmuskhan's Battle Blog|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref> Units include "Half Troll Warband" and "Half Troll of Far Harad".<ref>{{webcite|author=Simmuskhan|articleurl=http://simbattleboard.blogspot.com/2012/02/battle-report-dwarves-vs-haradrim.html|articlename=Battle Report - Dwarves vs Haradrim - Contest of Champions|dated=24 February 2012|website=Simmuskhan's Battle Blog|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref> [[Games Workshop]] had produced miniatures and rules relating to Harad, including for Mûmak, The Golden King of Abrakhân, Half Trolls, Haradrim Warriors and Corsairs of Umbar.<ref>{{webcite|author=Games Workshop Editors|articleurl=https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/War-Mumak-Of-Harad-2018|articlename=War Mûmak™ Of Harad™|dated=24 February 2019|website=[[Games Workshop]]|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{webcite|author=Games Workshop Editors|articleurl=https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/The-Golden-King-of-Harad|articlename=The Golden King of Abrakhân|dated=24 February 2019|website=[[Games Workshop]]|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{webcite|author=Games Workshop Editors|articleurl=https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Half-Trolls|articlename=Half Trolls|dated=24 February 2019|website=[[Games Workshop]]|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{webcite|author=Games Workshop Editors|articleurl=https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Haradrim-Warriors-2018|articlename=Haradrim™ Warriors|dated=24 February 2019|website=[[Games Workshop]]|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{webcite|author=Games Workshop Editors|articleurl=https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Corsairs-Of-Umbar-2018|articlename=Corsairs of Umbar™|dated=4 July 2018|website=[[Games Workshop]]|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref> In order to maintain their rule over the lands of Harad, the lords of Umbar installed client kings, chieftains who had submitted to their will. Any chieftain who opposed their rule was quickly slain. In order to facilitate their rule, the lords of Umbar established the order of the Hásharii.<br />
<br />
'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]:'''<br />
:The Haradrim are featured amongst the [[Men of Darkness]].<ref>{{webcite|author=Davenport|articleurl=https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/9/9342.phtml|articlename=REVIEW OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS ROLEPLAYING GAME CORE BOOK|dated=16 December 2002|website=RPGnet|accessed=2 October 2021}}</ref><br />
<br />
'''2011: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game]]:'''<br />
:The Haradrim are featured amongst a variety of sets, including ''The Sands of Harad''.<ref>{{webcite|author=Neil Shuck|articleurl=https://meeples.wordpress.com/2017/09/20/knowing-your-angmar-from-your-erebor-getting-started-with-lord-of-the-rings-the-card-game/|articlename=Knowing your Angmar from your Erebor: Getting started with Lord of the Rin|dated=20 September 2017|website=Meeples and Miniatures Podcast|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><br />
<br />
{{references|note}}<br />
[[Category:Haradrim]]<br />
[[Category:Men]]<br />
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]<br />
[[Category:Sindarin demonyms]]<br />
[[de:Haradrim]]<br />
[[fr:encyclo/peuples/hommes/haradrim]]<br />
[[fi:Haradrim]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Haradrim&diff=433087Haradrim2026-02-01T17:53:52Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: The Nazgûl use Black Breath, not the Haradrim.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{people infobox<br />
| name=Haradrim<br />
| image = John_Howe - Southrons.jpg<br />
| caption="[[:File:John_Howe - Southrons.jpg|Southrons]]" by [[John Howe]]<br />
| pronun={{respell|ha|rad|rim}}<br />
| othernames=''Haradrim'' ([[Sindarin|S]]), ''Haradwaith'' (S), ''[[Swertings]]'' ([[Hobbitish|H]]), ''Southrons'' ([[Westron|W]]), ''[[Men of Darkness]]'' (W), ''[[Swarthy Men]]'' (W), ''Southerns'' (W), ''Men of Harad'' (W), ''Men of the South'' (W)<br />
| origin= [[Awakening of Men]]<br />
| location=[[Harad]], including [[Umbar]], [[Near Harad]] and [[Far Harad]]<br />
| affiliation=[[Blue Wizards]], [[Númenóreans]], [[Sauron]], [[Black Númenóreans]]<br />
| rivalry=[[Exiles of Númenor]], [[Gondorians]]<br />
| language=Presumably numerous Haradric languages, different from [[Common Speech]]; [[Adûnaic]]; [[Westron]]; and the [[Drúadan language]] (at least formerly)<ref group=note>Due to the suggestion of [[Gondorian]] historians that the group originally came from Harad.</ref><br />
| members=<br />
| lifespan=Shorter than [[Númenóreans]]<ref group=note>[[Castamir]] of [[House of Anárion]] lived to the age of 188, and another great-grandson of [[Calmacil (King of Gondor)|Calmacil]], [[Eldacar (King of Gondor)|Eldacar]], lived to the age of 235. Eldcar's children and grandchildren, [[Ornendil]], [[Aldamir]] and [[Hyarmendacil II]] lived for an average of 187 years. The same could theoretically be said for the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Castamir in Harad, and in point of fact these ages correspond to the general ages of Númenóreans during the period of [[Ar-Adûnakhôr]]'s reign in Númenór.</ref><br />
| distinctions=[[Gift of Ilúvatar]]<br />
| height=Tall<br />
| hair=Dark<br />
| skin=Black, brown, dark, swarthy<br />
| clothing=<br />
| weapons=[[Oliphaunts]];<br/>[[Scimitar|Scimitars]]}}<br />
<br />
<center>{{quote|West, North, and South the children of Men spread and wandered, and their joy was the joy of the morning before the dew is dry, when every leaf is green.|''[[The Silmarillion]]'', [[Of Men]]}}</center><br />
<br />
'''Haradrim''' or the '''Southrons''' were the [[Men]] of [[Harad]], descendants of the Men who [[Awakening of Men|woke]] in the far eastern land of [[Hildórien]] near the end of the [[First Age]].<ref name="Uttermost">{{PM|Dwarves}}, p. 306</ref> They are the proud, doughty and warlike people of the Harad, in the south of [[Middle-earth]].<ref>{{webcite|author=Mark Fisher|articleurl=https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/m/menofharad.php|articlename=Men of Harad|dated=17 December 2015|website=[https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/ Encyclopedia of Arda]|accessed=19 September 2021}}</ref> Ancient enemies of [[Gondor]],<ref>{{webcite|author=Mark Fisher|articleurl=https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/s/southrons.html|articlename=Southrons|dated=17 December 2015|website=[https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/ Encyclopedia of Arda]|accessed=2 October 2021}}</ref> they allied with [[Sauron]] during the [[War of the Elves and Sauron]] and [[War of the Ring]].<ref>{{S|V}}, p. 353</ref><ref group="note">In ''[[The Nature of Middle-earth]]'', with reference to the [[Blue Wizards]] in 'Note on the Delay of Gil-galad and the Númenóreans', it is said that [[Sauron]] took a long time to attack [[Eregion]], for his dominance and recruiting of forces was not entirely successful, and this was due to the actions of his powerful enemies in [[Rhûn]] and [[Harad]] that he hadn't paid much attention until then; ergo, Tolkien suggesting that certain denizens of both those lands played a role during the [[War of the Elves and Sauron]].</ref> Eventually, many turned against Sauron, when [[Manwë]] sent the [[Wizards]] to the southern lands of Middle-earth.<ref name="PMLast">{{PM|Last}}, pp. 384-5</ref><br />
<br />
==Origins==<br />
The ancestors of the Haradrim were the Men who awoke in Hildórien during the [[Years of the Sun|age of the Sun]],<ref name="S12">{{S|12}}</ref> but stayed to the [[East]] of Middle-earth, not joining the migration of the [[Edain]] to the [[Uttermost West]]<ref name="Uttermost" /> after [[Morgoth]], the original [[Dark Lord]], came to corrupt them to his service whilst tricking them to abandon [[Ilúvatar]].<ref>{{MR|P4e}}, p. 346-349</ref> A [[Shadow]] ever after lay over all of humanity, even the Edain, wherein portions of the ancestors of [[Harad]] later began migrating after coming into conflict with other men that fell under the Shadow.<ref name="S17">{{S|17}}</ref> Still some went West in search of the [[Light of Valinor]] and servants of Morgoth hunted them, but the majority of mankind refused alike the summons of the [[Valar]] and of Morgoth.<ref name="S17">{{S|17}}</ref><br />
<br />
The different peoples who moved to Harad, where the Sun is fierce because there are barely any clouds,<ref name="Gate">{{TT|IV3}}</ref> played no role in the tales of the First Age.<ref name="S12" /><ref>{{L|229}}</ref> However, this sundering bereft them of the enlightenment and crafts that the Elves may have taught them,<ref>{{PE|17}}</ref><ref>{{MR|P3II7}}</ref> which made them vulnerable to their two later woes: [[Sauron]] and the [[Dúnedain]].<ref>{{MR|P4e}}, p. 310-3011</ref> Historians of [[Gondor]] believed that the [[Drúedain]] came from lands south of [[Mordor]], that they turned north into [[Ithilien]] before they reached the coasts of Harad and were the first Men to cross the [[Anduin]], possibly near [[Cair Andros]].<ref>{{UT|12b}}, pp. 339-40</ref><br />
<br />
==History==<br />
===Second Age===<br />
At first, for many centuries, the Haradrim were independent peoples, generally isolated from the rest of the world. However, in the Second Age they became increasingly caught between the ambitions of two great powers — namely [[Sauron]] and the [[Númenóreans]] — a circumstance which lasted thousands of years.<ref name="Rings">{{S|Rings}}</ref><ref name="Coasts">{{PM|Dwarves}}, p. 304</ref> Sailing East, the Númenóreans explored the coasts of [[Middle-earth]], including the coast lands of Harad.<ref name="Coasts" /> The Númenóreans initially benefited the natives they contacted, by teaching them many things about agriculture and craftsmanship<ref name="Akallabeth">{{S|Akallabeth}}</ref><ref>{{App|Numenor}}, entry for the time after Minastir</ref> and later made settlements on the southern coasts, including the construction of the great city of [[Umbar]].<ref>{{TI|Riders}}</ref><br />
<br />
After the reign of [[Tar-Ciryatan]], the Númenóreans began to set themselves up as lords in Middle-earth as they demanded tribute of goods and wealth, causing the oppression of the Haradrim<ref name="SA">{{App|SA}}</ref><ref>{{PM|Second}}</ref> as with many other peoples whose lands included a coastline.<ref>{{PM|Akallabeth}}, §28</ref> Often Haradrim were killed or sold into slavery.<ref>{{PM|Elmar}}</ref> At first, Sauron didn't dare to challenge the Númenóreans as they expanded their control over Harad, until after the forging of the [[Rings of Power]] and the emergence of the [[Nazgûl]].<ref name="Akallabeth" /> Then, Sauron came as a ruler of almost all men east and south of the [[Ered Luin]], as both their king and their god.<ref name="Rings" /> These men grew strong and built many towns and walls made from stone and they were fierce in war and armed with iron.<ref name="Rings" /> However, those of Harad who sought freedom and rejected Sauron would venture to the woods or mountains in fear of being pursued by him.<ref name="Rings" /><ref>{{HM|SD}}, p. 345</ref><br />
<br />
In c. {{SA|1600}}, [[Manwë]] sent two [[Wizards]] to the southern and eastern lands of Middle-earth.<ref name="PMLast" /> The Valar suspected there was a rebellion of good Haradrim but no leadership — ultimately they were very successful there in Harad. They arrived before Sauron's first [[War of the Elves and Sauron|war against the Elves]] and even on this war the Wizards had some influence.<ref name="NM3">{{NM|P3xviii}}</ref> They became known as [[Morinehtar]] and [[Rómestámo]].<ref name="PMLast" /> Because of their influence among the Haradrim, Sauron took a long time to [[Sack of Eregion|attack Eregion]], for his dominance and recruiting of forces was not entirely successful.<ref name="NM3" /> <br />
<br />
In {{SA|3261}}, [[Ar-Pharazôn]], the [[King of Númenor]], landed at Umbar with a great fleet and the people on the coasts fled before them.<ref name="SA" /> Ar-Pharazôn and his host marched through Harad to meet Sauron's forces, but they fled from the Númenóreans and Sauron allowed himself to be taken to Númenor where he corrupted the King and his followers.<ref name="Influence">{{RK|V10}}</ref> Under Sauron's influence, the Númenóreans became even more ruthless to the locals of Harad, enslaving them and using them for human sacrifices.<ref name="Akallabeth" /><br />
<br />
In the following centuries the Haradrim were influenced by Sauron and [[Black Númenóreans]], those evil High Men who stayed in Harad and survived the [[Downfall of Númenor]].<ref name="Influence" /> The Haradrim became enemies of [[Gondor]], as the Kingdom's southern borders were close to their lands.<ref>{{TT|Herbs}}, p. 659-660</ref> Shortly before the end of the Age, two Númenórean lords, [[Herumor]] and [[Fuinur]], rose to great power amongst the Haradrim.<ref name="Rings" /> <br />
<br />
However around the same time, the two Wizards, always operating in the East and the South, were able to hinder Sauron's operations, leading to his defeat in the [[War of the Last Alliance]].<ref name="PMLast" /> When Sauron's dominions of the Second Age fell with his demise in the War of the Last Alliance the Haradrim were freed from his direct control but not free of the effects of his long work on them, to which evil and darkness for the West had set in their hearts.<ref name="UT|6a">{{UT|6a}}</ref><ref>{{UT|6b}}</ref> Additionally, some of the Haradrim, and the other servants of Sauron, turned from evil and became subject to the heirs of [[Elendil]].<ref name="Rings" /><br />
<br />
===Third Age===<br />
The great cape and land-locked firth of Umbar had been Númenórean land since days of old; but it was a stronghold of the [[King's Men]], who were afterwards called the Black Númenoreans, corrupted by Sauron, and who hated above all the followers of Elendil.<ref name="Gondor">{{App|A1iv}}</ref> After the fall of Sauron their race swiftly dwindled or became merged with the Men of Middle-earth, including those of Harad.<ref name="Gondor" /> There was even intermarriage: [[Tarannon Falastur]], [[King of Gondor]], married a high-born Black Númenórean lady from an inland city in Harad; she is remembered as [[Queen Berúthiel]].<ref>{{webcite|author=[[Daphne Castell]]|articleurl=https://fantasticmetropolis.com/i/tolkien|articlename=The Realms of Tolkien|dated=2 November 1966|website=[https://fantasticmetropolis.com/i/tolkien ''The Realms of Tolkien'']|accessed=30 September 2021}}.</ref> However, most Black Númenórean intermarriage was with the Haradrim, and they became increasingly indistinguishable from the indigenous peoples.<ref name="annals" /> The Haradrim did not trouble the [[Realms in Exile]] for many centuries.<ref name="herbs">{{TT|Herbs}}</ref><br />
<br />
When Gondor took the haven of Umbar from the Black Númenóreans, in the year {{TA|1015}} they followed the Black Númenóreans against Umbar to recapture it.<ref name="Gondor" /> Their great power was not enough against the sea-power of Gondor.<ref name="Gondor" /> The attempts lasted for 35 years until, in {{TA|1050}}, [[Ciryaher]] defeated the Haradrim force by sending troops by land.<ref name="Gondor" /> They acknowledged the overlordship of Gondor; the kings of Harad did homage and their sons were given as hostages in the court of the [[Kings of Gondor|King of Gondor]].<ref name="annals">{{App|Gondor}}</ref><ref name="AppA">{{App|South}}</ref> The sons of [[Castamir]] and others of his kin, having fled from Gondor in 1447, set up a small kingdom in Umbar, and there made a fortified haven and later called themselves the [[Corsairs of Umbar]].<ref name="Blood">{{PM|Elendil}}</ref> The Corsairs of Umbar continued to make war upon Gondor, attacking its ships and coasts when they had opportunity.<ref name="Blood" /> Additionally, Castamir's progeny married women of the Harad - continuing the Numenorean [[Line of Elros]], though of which was spent after three generations.<ref name="Blood" /><ref>{{webcite|author=David Seuferer|articleurl=http://tolkien.cro.net/humans/elrostre.html|articlename=Line of Elros|dated=8 February 1998|website=[https://tolkien.cro.net/ The Grey Havens]|accessed=27 September 2021}}</ref><ref group="note">The bloodline of Elros is spread amongst the Haradrim in Harad via [[Castamir]]'s children and grandchildren who later mate with the women of Harad, with the last known descendants of Elros within that region of Endor being [[Angamaitë]] and [[Sangahyando]].</ref><br />
<br />
Later, however, kings of Harad who were in league with Umbar rebelled against Gondor.<ref name="annals" /> In {{TA|1634}}, [[Minardil]] was slain at Pelargir by the Corsairs of Umbar, who were led by the great-grandsons of Castamir: [[Angamaitë]] and [[Sangahyando]].<ref name="Gondor" /> [[Telumehtar]] who raided his coasts even as far as the [[Anfalas]], gathered his forces and in 1810 took Umbar by storm.<ref name="annals" /> In that war the last descendants of Castamir perished, and Umbar was again held for a while by the kings, however, the [[Battle of the Plains]] that befell Gondor resulted in Umbar being lost again, wherein it fell into the hands of the Men of the Harad.<ref name="annals" /><br />
<br />
The Haradrim later were allied with the [[Wainriders]], a confederation of [[Easterlings]], and the Men of [[Khand]].<ref name="annals" /> During that time they conquered Umbar.<ref name="annals" /> The simultaneous assaults from the north and the south brought the South-kingdom close to destruction.<ref name="annals" /> The Haradrim crossed the river [[Poros]] into [[South Ithilien]], but the [[Southern Army]], destroyed them.<ref name="annals" /> In the later years three great fleets were prepared in Umbar and Harad.<ref name="stew">{{App|Stewards}}</ref> Around the [[Long Winter]] they assailed the [[Southern Fiefs|coasts]] of Gondor, even [[Rohan]].<ref name="stew" /> The Haradrim occupied the fief [[South Gondor]] and there was a long fight along the Poros.<ref name="stew" /> Stirred by emissaries of Sauron, they attempted once more to invade into [[Ithilien]] ({{TA|2885}}) but a combined force of Gondorians and [[Rohirrim]] defeated them at the [[Crossings of Poros|Crossing of Poros]].<ref name="TA" /><ref>{{App|Mark}}</ref><br />
<br />
In the meantime, it was said that the two Wizards, Morinehtar and Rómestámo ensured that the forces of the East and the South did not outnumber the West, thus helping secure victory for the [[Free peoples]] in the subsequent War of the Ring.<ref name="PMLast" /> At some time before the War, Gandalf also wandered in the South, for unspecified errands, and he became known as ''Inkā-nūs'' among the suspicious Haradrim, who saw him as a spy from [[Gondor|the North]].<ref name="Incanus" /><br />
<br />
At the time of that War, the Haradrim were in league with Sauron and fought alongside his [[Orcs|Orc]] army. The Haradrim were among the forces led by the [[Witch-king]] that attacked [[Osgiliath]] on [[20 June]], {{TA|3018}}, at the beginning of the War.<ref name="Great">{{App|Great}}</ref> More Haradrim continued to come up the [[Harad Road]] to Mordor.<ref name="herbs" /> Regiments of Haradrim joined the host from [[Minas Morgul]] marching to the [[Pelennor Fields]].<ref name="MinasTirith">{{RK|V1}}</ref> Sauron's forces besieged [[Minas Tirith]], and the Mûmakil of Harad were used to bring forward war-towers and siege-engines to test the City's defences.<ref name="MinasTirith" /> During the battle, the chief leader of the Haradrim army bore a standard of a [[Black Serpent]] on a red field; he was slain by King [[Théoden]] of [[Rohan]].<ref name="Great" /><ref name="fields">{{RK|V6}}</ref><br />
<br />
The Haradrim rallied around their [[Oliphaunts|Mûmakil]] which the horses of the Rohirrim feared to approach. As the battle wore on, more Haradrim including Men from Far Harad were sent onto the field by [[Gothmog (Lieutenant of Morgul)|Gothmog]].<ref name="fields" /> The Corsairs were prevented from reaching the battle, having been defeated by [[Aragorn]] and the [[Dead Men of Dunharrow]].<ref>{{RK|V9}}</ref> Haradrim also fought at the [[Battle of the Morannon]] on March 25.<ref name="Influence" /> Sauron's army of Men, Orcs and Trolls outnumbered the Men of the West by more than ten to one, but the battle ended once the [[One Ring]] was destroyed in [[Mount Doom]] and Sauron was vanquished.<ref>{{RK|VI3}}</ref> The Haradrim held out long and were among the last of Sauron's forces to be defeated.<ref name="fields" /> Some of the Haradrim fled or surrendered, though others banded together in their hatred and fought on stalwartly.<ref>{{RK|VI4}}</ref><br />
<br />
===Fourth Age===<br />
After the War of the Ring the newly crowned king of the [[Reunited Kingdom]], Elessar, made peace with the Men of Harad and completely subdued Umbar.<ref name="Gondor" /><ref name="Éomer">{{App|Mark}}, Third Line, entry for King Éomer</ref> Embassies travelled from Harad to Aragorn's court, and although Aragorn's reign was largely one of peace, it was occasionally necessary for him and [[Éomer]], [[Kings of Rohan|King]] of [[Rohan]], to travel to the southlands to maintain peace with Harad.<ref>{{RK|Steward}}, p. 968</ref><br />
<br />
It is possible that later generations of Haradrim, having the memory of the two Wizards who wandered among them, followed [[magic]] "cults" that lasted long into the Fourth Age or later.<ref name="Letter211" /><br />
<br />
==Traits and culture==<br />
[[File:Alan Lee - Oliphaunt.jpg|thumb|left|"Oliphaunt" by [[Alan Lee]]]]<br />
The "fierce dark men of the South."<ref>{{TI|Fangorn}}, pp. 434-5</ref> are of various ethnicities and cultures; some are organized into kingdoms.<ref name="Gondor" /><ref name="herbs" /> The Haradrim were described by a messenger as "cruel and tall.",<ref name="Siege" /> "a grim folk, and not easily daunted by shade or blade."<ref>{{WR|XII}}, p. 416</ref> Some of the Men in the south had weapons of iron.<ref>{{S|V}}, p. 349</ref> At the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], the Haradrim bore scimitars that glittered like stars.<ref name="fields" /> Those of Harad had tamed the massive ''[[Oliphaunts|Mûmakil]]'' beasts and used them in warfare and, like their masters, were decorated with scarlet and gold. They even strapped towers on their backs, used by Haradrim archers and spearmen.<ref name="herbs" /> The Haradrim had seemingly weaponised aspects of the [[Nazgûl]]'s [[Black Breath]], or at least tipped it upon arrows and darts during the last retreat before the city of Minas Tirith was besieged.<ref name="Siege" /><ref>{{RK|Houses}}</ref><br />
<br />
The people of [[Far Harad]] are described as black-skinned, but there is also a group of them described as "black men like [[half-trolls]] with white eyes and red tongues" and "troll-men".<ref name="fields" /> It is unclear whether these were just large Men who are being compared to Trolls or an implication of crossbreeding between the two races.<ref>{{webcite|author=Mark Fisher|articleurl=https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/h/halftrolls.php|articlename=Half-trolls|dated=17 December 2015|website=[https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/ Encyclopedia of Arda]|accessed=1 October 2021}}</ref> The Haradrim from [[Near Harad]] were those most familiar and most closely encountered during the War of the Ring:<ref name="Scarlet">{{TT|Herbs}}, pp. 660-1</ref> when [[Faramir]] ambushed a company of Haradrim on the [[North Road]], Frodo and Sam witnessed a Harad warrior crashing at their feet, a man with "brown skin", with black plaits of hair braided with gold,<ref name="Scarlet" /> a scarlet tunic, as do the other Haradrim, and a gold collar.<ref name="Gate" /> He was armed with a scimitar and garbed with a corslet of brazen scales. Their standards are scarlet, and their great beasts, the ''Mûmakil'', have scarlet and gold trappings.<ref name="Scarlet" /> They carry round spiked shields, painted yellow and black.<ref name="herbs" /> One of the great chieftains of the Haradrim also bore a [[Black Serpent]] as his emblem, against a field of red.<ref>{{webcite|author=Mark Fisher|articleurl=https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/s/serpents.html|articlename=Serpents|dated=17 December 2015|website=[https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/ Encyclopedia of Arda]|accessed=19 September 2021}}</ref> <br />
<br />
===Languages===<br />
Very little is known about the language(s) of Harad though the word "Mûmak", the name of the great war-[[oliphaunt]]s of Harad, is stated to come directly from a language of Harad.<ref name="Language">{{webcite|author=J E a Tyler|articleurl=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=J-WWMtIVl_gC&pg|articlename=The Complete Tolkien Companion|dated=2 October 2012|website=[https://books.google.com/ M - Page 446]|accessed=20 September 2021}}</ref> To the [[Gondorians]] the voices of the Haradrim sounded harsh, like shouts of beasts.<ref name="Siege">{{RK|Siege}}</ref> Albeit having a meaning in [[Quenya]] ("fate"), the name ''[[Umbar (word)|umbar]]'' is said to be adapted from the indigenous languages of Harad and not from an [[Elvish]] or [[Adûnaic]] tongue.<ref>{{webcite|author=[[Verlyn Flieger]]|articleurl=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/266269|articlename=The Music and the Task: Fate and Free Will in Middle-earth|dated=14 June 2009|website=[https://muse.jhu.edu/ Project MUSE]|accessed=20 September 2021}}</ref><ref name="AppendixF">{{App|Men}}</ref><ref name="Names">{{App|Letters}}, Note, ''The names of the letters''</ref> <br />
<br />
[[Gandalf]] stated that his name in "the south" is ''Incánus'', which is apparently "alien", that is neither [[Westron]], nor [[Elvish]], nor explicable by the surviving tongues of Northern Men. A note in the [[Thain's Book]] states that it is a form adapted to Quenya of a word in the tongue of the Haradrim thought ''Inkā-nūsh'' (or possibly ''Inkā-nūs''), meaning "North-spy".<ref name="Incanus">{{UT|Istari}}, pp. 382-4</ref><br />
<br />
==Etymology==<br />
''Haradrim'' is a [[Sindarin]] name, consisting of the elements ''[[harad]]'' ("south") + ''[[rim]]'' ("host") thus meaning "South-people".<ref>{{L|144}}, p. 178</ref> Additionally, the [[Elves]] named the land and its people ''Haradwaith'', "South-folk", from the Sindarin ''harad'' ("south") and ''gwaith'' ("people").<ref name="Language" /> The [[Hobbits]] called the area the ''Sunlands'', and the people ''[[Swertings]]''.<ref name="Gate" /><br />
<br />
''Barangils'' is a [[Gondorian]] term for the people of Harad; 'swerting' derives from ''swart'' ("swarthy").<ref>[[Wayne G. Hammond]], "Page 764", in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion]]'', ed. by Wayne G. Hammond and [[Christina Scull]] (Houghton Mifflin, 2005)</ref> The Elvish name seems to contain '''baran''' ("dark, swart, dark-brown") (BARÁN) and possibly the suffix '''-il''' also seen in '''ernil''' ("prince").<ref name="UT|6a" /> <br />
<br />
==Other versions of the legendarium==<br />
Early variant names for this people were the ''Barangils'', the ''Haradwaith'', and ''Haradrians''.<ref>{{WR|2|IV}}</ref><ref>{{SD|Mordor}}, pp. 16-7</ref> In early drafts of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', anglicized names for the Haradrim in the text, were ''Silharrows'' and ''Harwan'', which according to [[Christopher Tolkien]] were derived from the name for the Aethiopians.<ref name="Fangorn">{{TI|Fangorn}}, Note 4, p. 439</ref> "Men of Sunharrowland" (or "of Harrowland") are other two anglicized names.<ref name="Harrowland">{{TI|Fangorn}}, p. 435</ref> In early drafts of ''The Lord of the Rings'', ''Harns'' was a Sindarin equivalent for the term Haradrim.<ref>{{WR|XII}}, p. 253</ref> It's based on [[harn]] ’southern’ (KHYAR-) and is an English plural.<ref>{{webcite|author=[[Roman Rausch]]|articleurl=http://www.sindanoorie.net/art/RS_TI_WR_Harns.html#Harns|articlename=Harns|dated=2 July 2016|website=[http://www.sindanoorie.net/ Sindanórië]|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{webcite|author=Paul Strack|articleurl=https://www.eldamo.org/content/words/word-3643936511.html|articlename=Harn|dated=16 April 2021|website=[https://www.eldamo.org/ Eldamo - An Elvish Lexicon|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref> Additionally, Haradwaith has the anglicized name ''(Sun)Harrowland''.<ref name="Fangorn" /> For more explanation on those names, see [[#The "Sigelwaran"|below]].<br />
<br />
In the earliest narrative of the legendarium in ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', Tolkien mentioned the movement of Men, after the [[Palisor|War of Palisor]]. After [[Nuin]] died at the bands of the Goblins through the treachery of Men, many kindreds of Men were driven to the eastern deserts and the southern forests, whence came dark and savage peoples.<ref name="Palisor">{{LT1|X}}, p. 336</ref><br />
<br />
Additionally, it was revealed that Manwë was unaware of where the beginning of Men should be, whether the north, south or east.<ref>{{LT1|IX}}, p. 317</ref> In ''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part Two]]'', [[Eärendil]] and [[Voronwe]]'s voyage on [[Vingilótë]] to southern Haradwaith where there is mention of Tree-men and Pygmies.<ref>{{LT2|V}}</ref><ref group="note">The habited land in question featuring "Dark regions, Fire mountains, Tree-men, Pygmies, and Sarqindi or cannibal-ogres" is definitely southern Haradwaith rather than the [[Dark Lands]], due to another note mentioning some southern Isles beyond that region, and these can only be the hills that became islands mentioning in ''[[The Chaining of Melko]]'', which must have been a product of the tumults that lead to the formation of the [[Inner Seas]], when the [[Belegaer]] and [[Eastern Sea]] flowed into the [[Sea of Ringil]]. And as we know, it was South of the Inner Seas that the South Lands were located. Ergo, Eärendil simply visited areas that would later be part of the [[Black Númenórean]] southern realms, beyond the realm of [[Umbar]].</ref><br />
<br />
===Earlier account of the Two Wizards===<br />
In the published works, all the Wizards were originally sent in the year {{TA|1000}} as emissaries to Middle-earth along with [[Gandalf]], [[Saruman]] and [[Radagast]].<ref name="TA">{{App|TA}}</ref> The above article gives information based on a late essay by Tolkien concerning the two Wizards, published in ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]''.<br />
<br />
However in some earlier time, when asked about the other two Wizards, Tolkien speculated that they went to the distant regions, including the lands of Harad, far out of Númenórean range. Whether together or independent of each other, the two may have fallen from their appointed task, wherein they may have founded 'magic' cults amongst the peoples of the East and South, which existed beyond the downfall of the [[Sauron|Lord of the Rings]].<ref name="Letter211">{{L|211}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Inspiration==<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] linked the Haradrim with ancient Aethiopians.<ref name="Fangorn" /><ref name="Harrowland" /> In an interview from 1966, Tolkien likened [[Berúthiel]] to the giantess [[Wikipedia:Skaði|Skaði]] of Norse mythology, since they both shared a dislike for "seaside life".<ref name="Interview">{{webcite|author=[[Daphne Castell]]|articleurl=https://fantasticmetropolis.com/i/tolkien|articlename=The Realms of Tolkien|dated=|website=[https://fantasticmetropolis.com/i/tolkien ''The Realms of Tolkien'']|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><ref>[[Humphrey Carpenter]], ''[[The Inklings (book)|The Inklings]]'', "Thursday evenings", pp. 137-8</ref> Additionally, Tolkien scholar [[Tom Shippey]] stated in reference to the 'black men like half-trolls' passage from ''[[The Return of the King]]'' that Tolkien was attempting to write like a medieval chronicler in describing the [[Rohirrim]]'s encounter with a Haradrim: "[...] and when medieval Europeans first encountered sub-Saharan Africans, they were genuinely confused about them, and rather frightened."<ref name="African">{{webcite|author=[[Tom Shippey]]|articleurl=http://www.tolkien.co.uk/jrrtolkien/interviews_shippey.asp|articlename=An Interview with Tom Shippey - Questions and answers with Tom Shippey|dated=17 October 2001|website=[https://www.harpercollins.com/ Harper Collins]|accessed=19 September 2021}}</ref> He noted that Tolkien had pointed out in his early scholarly works "the ancient English seemed to have a belief in fire-demons, who naturally enough had skin like soot – their word for them, ‘harwan’, is related to Latin ‘carbo’, ‘soot,’ or carbon."<ref name="African" /><ref>{{webcite|author=[[Dimitra Fimi]]|articleurl=http://dimitrafimi.com/2018/12/02/revisiting-race-in-tolkiens-legendarium-constructing-cultures-and-ideologies-in-an-imaginacry-world/|articlename=Revisiting Race in Tolkien’s Legendarium: Constructing Cultures and Ideologies in an Imaginary World|dated=2 December 2018|website=[http://www.dimitrafimi.com/ Dimitra Fimi]|accessed=19 September 2021}}</ref> Shippey concluded by remarking that, "An Anglo-Saxon meeting an African for the first time might then really wonder - for a moment, from a distance - whether this was a demon from his own mythology. This doesn't mean that Tolkien shared the mythology, or the mistake."<ref>{{webcite|author=Leslie A. Donovan|articleurl=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=BnCADwAAQBAJ&pg|articlename=Approaches to Teaching Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and Other Works|dated=1 October 2015|website=[https://books.google.com/ Tolkien's Haradrim]|accessed=19 September 2021}}</ref><br />
<br />
===The "Sigelwaran"===<br />
Much of Tolkien's influence for Harad and the Haradrim came about from his essay ''[[Sigelwara Land]]'', in which he examined the etymology of ''Sigelwaran'' (and the more usual form ''Sigelhearwan'') — the [[Old English]] word for Ethiopians.<ref name="CG" /><ref name="TB1">[http://www.tolkienbooks.net/php/details.php?reference=13590 Medium Aevum. 1932], [http://www.tolkienbooks.net/php/details.php?reference=13710 Medium Aevum. 1934], at [http://www.tolkienbooks.net/ TolkienBooks.net] (accessed 2 February 2013)</ref> The essay was originally published in two parts: part one appeared in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 1, No. 3) in [[1932]], and part two appeared in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 3, No. 2) in [[1934]].<ref name="TB1" /> The article investigated why there was a distinct and several times attested [[Old English]] name for the Ethiopians (namely '''Sigelwaran, Sigelhearwan''')<ref name="CG">{{CG|RG}}, pp. 889-90</ref> as actual biblical names were usually adapted, not translated.<ref>{{webcite|author=[[Roman Rausch]]|articleurl=http://www.sindanoorie.net/art/RS_TI_WR_Barangils.html|articlename=Barangils|dated=2 July 2016|website=[http://www.sindanoorie.net/ Sindanórië]|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref> <br />
<br />
Tolkien remarked that the word includes elements not current in Old English and argues from there on that it must be older and preserved at least a name, "if no more, from the vanished native mythology or its borderland of half-mythical geography."<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Sigelwara Land Part 1", in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 1, No. 3), p. 192</ref> As the initial element '''Sigel''' ’Sun’ comes into question, which is attested in ''[[Beowulf (poem)|Beowulf]]'' and has furthermore cognates in other languages, as e.g. the name of the s-rune.<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Sigelwara Land Part 2", in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 3, No. 2), p. 98</ref> Another candidate is '''sigel''', '''sigle''' describing "a round jewel or golden ornament",<ref name="Gimm">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Sigelwara Land Part 2", in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 3, No. 2), p. 104</ref> originating from Latin '''sigillum''', which in its turn refers to "a small image or figure, the impress of a stamp or seal."<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Sigelwara Land Part 2", in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 3, No. 2), p. 102</ref> Tolkien then suggested that the two words had mutual influence on each other; and he remarks on the usage of ''gimm'' ’precious stone, jewel’ for the sun.<ref name="Gimm" /> For the second element '''hearwa''' he discusses several primitive candidates all having to do with the colour ’black’, so that the name may mean something akin to ’those who were made black by the sun’.<ref name="Vol. 3 p. 110">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Sigelwara Land Part 2", in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 3, No. 2), p. 110</ref><ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Sigelwara Land Part 2", in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 3, No. 2), p. 109</ref> As he concluded, "such guesswork is naturally inconclusive [...] giving insight into English and northern tradition and imagination."<ref name="Vol. 3 p. 110" /><ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Sigelwara Land Part 2", in ''Medium Ævum'' (Vol. 3, No. 2), p. 111</ref><br />
<br />
==Portrayal in adaptations==<br />
===Films===<br />
'''2001-03: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:'''<br />
:The Haradrim appear briefly in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers|The Two Towers]]'' when Frodo and [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]] witness a raid on one of their columns by [[Faramir|Faramir's]] rangers. They are featured more prominently in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]'', in which the battle between the [[Rohirrim]] and the [[Oliphaunts|Mûmakil]] is a major action sequence. While the ''[[The Return of the King|book]]'' depicts the Southron army as primarily cavalry armed with scimitars, we see no horsemen in the movie: the Haradrim fight almost exclusively from platforms mounted on the backs of their monstrous [[Oliphaunts]]. They have also adorned the animals' tusks with spikes and shafts that crush and impale numerous enemy horsemen. The costumes of the Haradrim in the movie are Middle Eastern in style and dark brown or black in colour, while a companion book, ''Lord of the Rings: Creatures'', stated that the Haradrim were based on 12th century Saracens.<ref>{{webcite|author=HarperCollins|articleurl=https://archive.org/details/lordofringstwoto00braw/mode/2up|articlename=The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers - Creatures|dated=6 November 2002|website=[[HarperCollins]]|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><br />
<br />
'''2012-14: [[The Hobbit (film series)|''The Hobbit'' (film series)]]:'''<br />
:The Ringwraith of Harad, also known as the Dark Headsman was a [[Nazgûl]] who was revived by [[Sauron]] and summoned to [[Dol Guldur]].<ref>{{webcite|author=Weta Workshop Editors|articleurl=https://www.wetanz.com/us/helm-of-the-ringwraith-of-harad|articlename=HELM OF THE RINGWRAITH OF HARAD|dated=6 November 2012|website=[[Weta Workshop]]|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref> He was once a King of the Haradrim that was given a [[Ring of Power]] by Sauron the deceiver and was corrupted to serve him. The Witch-king and the other Ringwraiths were buried in a dungeon in the [[High Fells of Rhudaur]] after the [[Battle of Fornost|fall]] of Angmar. Later, Gandalf, following [[Galadriel]]'s advice, visits the High Fells and discovers that the Nazgûl's cells were empty, broken open from the inside. Through this investigation, he is convinced that the Necromancer in Dol Guldur is indeed [[Sauron]]. In the [[Attack on Dol Guldur]], The Witch-King, along with the other Nazgûl, participates by fighting [[Saruman]] and [[Elrond]], members of the [[White Council]]. In the end, he and the other Nine are driven back to [[Mordor]] by Galadriel and her [[Phial of Galadriel|phial]], his master also eventually following suit.<br />
<br />
===Radio series===<br />
'''1981: [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1981 radio series)]]:'''<br />
:[[Éowyn|Dernhelm]] warns [[Théoden]] of the coming of the chieftain. He kills the chieftain, but is killed by the [[Witch-king]] almost immediately after.<br />
<br />
===Video games===<br />
'''2003: [[The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring]]:'''<br />
:The Haradrim appeared and are known as the 'Haradrim Slayers'.<ref>{{webcite|author=Eressior|articleurl=https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/06/14/the-lord-of-the-rings-war-of-the-ring-perfect-walkthrough-1110162|articlename=Perfect Walkthrough|dated=14 June 2011|website=IGN|accessed=2 October 2021}}</ref><br />
<br />
'''2006: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]:'''<br />
:The Haradrim and the Corsairs of Umbar appear in much merchandise for the film trilogy, such as toys. The Corsairs are from the Mordor faction, and are equipped with knives and fire-bombs.<ref>{{webcite|author=Games and Grub Editors|articleurl=http://gamesandgrub.blogspot.com/2011/04/battle-for-middle-earth-2-good-campaign_1.html|articlename=Battle for Middle Earth 2 - Good Campaign - Mission 7 - Erebor|dated=1 April 2011|website=[RPGnet|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><br />
<br />
'''2007: [[The Lord of the Rings Online]]:'''<br />
:Three of the [[Nazgûl]] are said to be Haradrim, and their titles are given as "The Grim Southron", "The High Sorcerer of Harad", and "The Forsaken Reaver", the latter being from Umbar. During the War of the Ring, the Corsairs invading Gondor were led by four brothers who falsely call themselves the "Heirs of Castamir". These were "Azruthor", "Dolgimil", "Azgarzôr", and the eldest "Balakhôr the Scourge". The player negotiated with a Corsair named "Jajax", who ended up siding with the player against the Heirs and their followers.<br />
:Early in the reign of [[King of Gondor|King]] [[Aragorn|Elessar]] and [[Queen of Gondor|Queen]] [[Arwen]], the faction of Haradrim that occupied Umbar and invaded Gondor alongside the Heirs of Castamir is revealed to be called the "Empire of Ordâkh". After the War, the "Ordâkhai" were overthrown by the local "Umbari" and expelled from the City of the Corsairs.<br />
<br />
'''2017: [[Middle-earth: Shadow of War]]:'''<br />
:Suladân is an antagonist who, before his fall, was a noble Númenóreans King who ruled the nation of Harad during the Second Age. During his rule, he sought to go up against Sauron where he led an army of Númenórean soldiers to lay siege on the Dark Lord's fortress in Mordor. Before he sought to engage him, he was surprised that the Dark Lord surrendered and offered a Ring of Power to him. The temptation was too great, and Suladân eventually moved Sauron from the position of enemy to advisor. As Suladân's power grew, so did Sauron's influence over him. He eventually fell completely under the Dark Lord's power to become one of the nine Nazgûl. Additionally, Baranor is a playable character who is a captain in Gondor's guard, originally from Harad, before being adopted by the wealthy Gondorian family.<ref>{{webcite|author=David Smith|articleurl=https://www.theaureview.com/games/games-review-middle-earth-shadow-of-war-the-desolation-of-mordor-xbox-one-2018/|articlename=Games Review: Middle-earth: Shadow of War – The Desolation of Mordor (Xbox One, 2018)|dated=18 May 2018|website=[RPGnet|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><br />
<br />
===Other===<br />
'''1982: [[Middle-earth Role Playing]]:'''<br />
:[[Iron Crown Enterprises]] produced a series of books for their tabletop roleplaying game ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'' containing information about Harad and content allowing games to be set there. Additionally, Herumor is given an extended history, and Fuinur is revealed as his older brother. Key publications included the setting books ''[[Umbar: Haven of the Corsairs]]'' (1982),<ref>{{webcite|author=Brenda Gates Spielman|articleurl=https://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2534|articlename=Umbar: Haven of the Corsairs|dated=16 April 1982|website=RPGnet|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref> ''[[Far Harad: The Scorched Land]]'' (1988),<ref>{{webcite|author=Charles Crutchfield|articleurl=https://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2555|articlename=Far Harad: The Scorched Land|dated=16 April 1988|website=RPGnet|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref> ''[[Forest of Tears]]'' (1990),<ref>{{webcite|author=Charles Crutchfield|articleurl=https://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2511|articlename=Forest of Tears|dated=16 April 1990|website=RPGnet|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref> as well as the adventure books ''[[Warlords of the Desert]]'' (1989),<ref>{{webcite|author=Charles Crutchfield|articleurl=https://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2505|articlename=Warlords of the Desert|dated=16 April 1989|website=RPGnet|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref> ''[[Hazards of the Harad Wood]]'' (1989),<ref>{{webcite|author=John Crowdis|articleurl=https://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2529|articlename=Hazards of the Harad Wood|dated=16 April 1989|website=RPGnet|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref> and ''[[Greater Harad]] (1990).<ref>{{webcite|author=William E. Wilson|articleurl=https://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2560|articlename=Greater Harad|dated=16 April 1990|website=[RPGnet|accessed=26 September 2021}}</ref>''<br />
<br />
'''1994: [[The Two Towers MUD]]:'''<br />
:The Haradrim are featured alongside the [[Uruk-hai]], [[Easterlings]], [[Númenóreans]], and [[Variag]].<br />
<br />
'''2001: [[The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game]]:'''<br />
:The Haradrim and the Corsairs of Umbar appear in much merchandise for the film trilogy, such as toys and card sets within the TCG.<br />
<br />
'''2001: [[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]:'''<br />
:Suladân, the "Serpent Lord", is the name of the chieftain Haradrim leader who King Théoden kills, and is who players often refer to as the "[[Black Serpent]]" after his standard.<ref>{{webcite|author=Tell Me A Tale, Great Or Small Editors|articleurl=https://tellmeatalegreatorsmall.blogspot.com/2019/09/armies-of-middle-earth-sbg-serpent.html|articlename=Armies of Middle-Earth SBG: The Serpent Horde in the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game|dated=25 September 2019|website=Tell Me A Tale, Great Or Small|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="Hasharin">{{webcite|author=Simmuskhan|articleurl=http://simbattleboard.blogspot.com/2020/04/golden-king-of-abrakhan-and-entourage.html|articlename=Golden King of Abrakhan and Entourage|dated=23 April 2020|website=Simmuskhan's Battle Blog|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref> Some of the Haradrim are assassins called 'Hasharin', wherein there are characters such as "The Golden King" and "Dalamyr".<ref name="Hasharin" /> Additionally, ''Half Trolls'' are "Mahûd men" of Far Harad who were altered to the size and strength of the Olog-hai of Sauron.<ref>{{webcite|author=Simmuskhan|articleurl=http://simbattleboard.blogspot.com/2019/09/for-fathers-day-this-year-i-requested.html|articlename=Far Harad|dated=11 September 2019|website=Simmuskhan's Battle Blog|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref> Units include "Half Troll Warband" and "Half Troll of Far Harad".<ref>{{webcite|author=Simmuskhan|articleurl=http://simbattleboard.blogspot.com/2012/02/battle-report-dwarves-vs-haradrim.html|articlename=Battle Report - Dwarves vs Haradrim - Contest of Champions|dated=24 February 2012|website=Simmuskhan's Battle Blog|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref> [[Games Workshop]] had produced miniatures and rules relating to Harad, including for Mûmak, The Golden King of Abrakhân, Half Trolls, Haradrim Warriors and Corsairs of Umbar.<ref>{{webcite|author=Games Workshop Editors|articleurl=https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/War-Mumak-Of-Harad-2018|articlename=War Mûmak™ Of Harad™|dated=24 February 2019|website=[[Games Workshop]]|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{webcite|author=Games Workshop Editors|articleurl=https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/The-Golden-King-of-Harad|articlename=The Golden King of Abrakhân|dated=24 February 2019|website=[[Games Workshop]]|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{webcite|author=Games Workshop Editors|articleurl=https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Half-Trolls|articlename=Half Trolls|dated=24 February 2019|website=[[Games Workshop]]|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{webcite|author=Games Workshop Editors|articleurl=https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Haradrim-Warriors-2018|articlename=Haradrim™ Warriors|dated=24 February 2019|website=[[Games Workshop]]|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{webcite|author=Games Workshop Editors|articleurl=https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Corsairs-Of-Umbar-2018|articlename=Corsairs of Umbar™|dated=4 July 2018|website=[[Games Workshop]]|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref> In order to maintain their rule over the lands of Harad, the lords of Umbar installed client kings, chieftains who had submitted to their will. Any chieftain who opposed their rule was quickly slain. In order to facilitate their rule, the lords of Umbar established the order of the Hásharii.<br />
<br />
'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]:'''<br />
:The Haradrim are featured amongst the [[Men of Darkness]].<ref>{{webcite|author=Davenport|articleurl=https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/9/9342.phtml|articlename=REVIEW OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS ROLEPLAYING GAME CORE BOOK|dated=16 December 2002|website=RPGnet|accessed=2 October 2021}}</ref><br />
<br />
'''2011: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game]]:'''<br />
:The Haradrim are featured amongst a variety of sets, including ''The Sands of Harad''.<ref>{{webcite|author=Neil Shuck|articleurl=https://meeples.wordpress.com/2017/09/20/knowing-your-angmar-from-your-erebor-getting-started-with-lord-of-the-rings-the-card-game/|articlename=Knowing your Angmar from your Erebor: Getting started with Lord of the Rin|dated=20 September 2017|website=Meeples and Miniatures Podcast|accessed=3 October 2021}}</ref><br />
<br />
{{references|note}}<br />
[[Category:Haradrim]]<br />
[[Category:Men]]<br />
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]<br />
[[Category:Sindarin demonyms]]<br />
[[de:Haradrim]]<br />
[[fr:encyclo/peuples/hommes/haradrim]]<br />
[[fi:Haradrim]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Uruk-hai&diff=433086Uruk-hai2026-02-01T17:41:22Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{people infobox<br />
| name=Uruk-hai<br />
| image = John Howe - The Uruk-hai.jpg<br />
| caption="[[:File:John Howe - The Uruk-hai.jpg|The Uruk-hai]]" by [[John Howe]]<br />
| pronun=<br />
| othernames=(Black) Uruks, Great Orcs, Goblin-soldiers<br />
| origin=Originally bred in [[Mordor]] in the late [[Third Age]]<ref name="Heirs"/><ref name="Denethor"/><br/>Possibly later 'refined' by [[Saruman]] in [[Isengard]]<br />
| location=[[Mordor]], the [[Misty Mountains|Hitheglir]] and [[Moria]], [[Isengard]] and the Northern [[Rohan]], possibly [[Dol Guldur]]<br />
| affiliation=[[Sauron]] (in Mordor)<br/>[[Saruman]] (in Isengard)<br />
| rivalry=[[Free peoples|Free Peoples]]<br />
| language=Corrupted [[Westron]] and various dialects of the [[Orkish]] with some elements of the [[Black Speech]]<br />
| members=[[Uglúk]], [[Mauhúr]], [[Shagrat]]<br />
| lifespan=<br />
| distinctions=Stronger, smarter, and of greater stature than lesser Orcs (Uruks of Mordor)<br/>Also resistant to sunlight (Uruks of Isengard)<br />
| height=Shorter than [[Men]]<br />
| hair=<br />
| skin=Swart<br />
| clothing=<br />
| weapons=Orkish [[scimitar|scimitars]], spears, shields, knives (in Mordor)<br/>Short broad-bladed swords, yew bows, shields, knives (in Isengard)<br />
}}<br />
{{quote|We are the Uruk-hai: we do not stop the fight for night or day, for fair weather or for storm. We come to kill, by sun or moon. What of the dawn?|The Two Towers'', "Helm's Deep"}}<br />
<br />
'''Uruk-hai''' is a [[Black Speech]] term meaning "Orc-folk."<ref name=":0">{{PE|17}}, entry B '''Urukhai''', p. 136</ref><ref name=":1">{{PE|17}}, entry B '''krimp-''', pp. 11</ref> The word "Uruk" can refer generically to any [[Orcs|Orc]], but there are certain larger, stronger breeds of Orc that are specifically referred to as "Uruks."<ref>{{App|Other}}, p. 1131</ref><ref>{{WJ|AC}}, p. 390</ref> The term "Uruk-hai" was most notably used by the Uruks of [[Saruman|Saruman's]] army to describe themselves during the [[War of the Ring]].<ref name="Uruk">{{TT|Uruk}}, p. 446</ref><ref name="Deep">{{TT|Deep}}, pp. 539-40</ref><br />
<br />
==Characteristics==<br />
Four dead Uruk-hai in the employ of [[Orthanc]] that lay near [[Boromir]] had a greater stature than the surrounding dead Orcs. They were swart, slant-eyed, and had thick legs and large hands. An "''S"'' [[Cirth|elf-rune]] was wrought in white metal on the front of their iron helms. [[Aragorn]] guessed that this "S" stood for Saruman, as their shields were emblazoned with a small [[White Hand]] in the centre of a black field. This stood out in contrast to the Orcs in the service of [[Barad-dûr]], the folk of [[Mordor]], who used the symbol of the Red [[Eye of Sauron]]. Aragorn commented that the four dead Uruk-hai's gear "''is not after the manner of Orcs at all.''" Instead of curved scimitars that were usually used by Orcs, they had short, broad-bladed swords. Their [[bows]] were made of yew wood, in length and shape as those of Men.<ref>{{TT|Departure}}, pp. 415-16</ref><br />
<br />
==History==<br />
===Origins of Uruks===<br />
{{Expansion}}<br />
The race of Uruks, described as 'black orcs of great strength', first appeared out of [[Mordor]] in the last years of the [[Ruling Stewards|Stewardship]] of [[Denethor I]], possibly being secretly bred in Mordor by the [[Nazgûl|Morgul-lords]] at the behest of their master [[Sauron]].<ref name"Heirs">{{PM|Elendil}}, pp. 204-5</ref> In {{TA|2475}}, these creatures conquered [[Ithilien]] and destroyed the ancient city of [[Osgiliath]], but they were eventually defeated and repelled by [[Boromir (Steward of Gondor)|Boromir]], the son of Denethor I.<ref name="Denethor">{{App|Stewards}}, entry for Steward Denethor I, p. 1053</ref>. After about five years (c. {{TA|2480}}) since their first appearance, Sauron started to populate [[Moria]] with his creatures and Orcs built secret strongholds in the [[Misty Mountains]] to block all the passes into [[Eriador]].<ref>{{App|TA}}, entry for the year ''c.'' 2480, p. 1087</ref> In {{TA|2901}} most of the remaining inhabitants deserted Ithilien, because of attacks by Uruks of Mordor.<ref>{{App|TA}}, entry for the year 2901, p. 1088</ref><br />
<br />
The Uruks in the service of [[Barad-dûr]], the folk of Mordor, used the symbol of the [[Eye of Sauron|Red Eye of Sauron]] on their livery.<ref>{{RK|Tower}}, p. 903</ref><ref name="Shadow">{{RK|Shadow}}, p. 924-5</ref><br />
<br />
===War of the Ring===<br />
Around [[Third Age 2990|T.A. 2990]], the corrupted [[Wizard]] [[Saruman]] began to use and possibly breed Orcs in [[Isengard]]. As the [[Shadow]] of the [[Dark Lord|Enemy]] fell over [[Rohan]], Uruk-hai out of Isengard joined raiding parties of [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] against the [[Rohirrim]].<ref>{{App|Mark}}, ''Third Line'', p. 1070</ref><br />
[[File:John_Howe_-_The_Charge_of_the_Rohirrim_at_Helm's_Deep.jpg|thumb|Uruk-hai face the Charge of the Rohirrim at Helm's Deep, Art by [[John Howe]]|367x367px]]<br />
The Uruk-hai (Uruks) of Isengard made up the core of a ten-thousand strong army, mustered by the Wizard Saruman both in service to and in tacit competition with his Lord Sauron. On [[25 February]] [[Third Age 3019|T.A. 3019]], joined by [[Dunlendings]] and the common [[Orcs of Isengard]], they fought against the Rohirrim in the [[First Battle of the Fords of Isen|First Battle of the fords of Isen]], in which Prince [[Théodred]] was slain by a great orc-man.<ref>{{UT|Isen}}</ref> It is possible that this "great orc-man" was one of the Orcs who referred to themselves as the Uruk-hai,<ref>{{UT|Index}}, entry ''Orcs Passim''</ref> but it is also possible that he was a [[Half-orc]].<br />
<br />
On [[26 February]] T.A. 3019, Saruman went behind Sauron's back and sent a smaller troop to capture the [[Ring-bearer]] for his own ends. Led by [[Uglúk]], these Uruk-hai ambushed the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] at [[Amon Hen]], slaying [[Boromir]] and capturing [[Merry]] and [[Pippin]].<ref name=":2">{{TT|Departure}}, p. 415</ref> Though quarreling with Orcs from the north and [[Grishnákh]]'s Mordor-orcs who had joined them, the Uruk-hai imposed Isengard as the destination for the captive [[Hobbits]]. Aragorn, [[Gimli]], and [[Legolas]] would follow the Uruk-hai troop and the other two Orc warbands until the Orcs and Uruk-hai were slain to the last on the eaves of [[Fangorn]] by [[Third Marshal of the Riddermark]] [[Éomer]] and his riders on [[27 February]] T.A. 3019.<ref>{{TT|Uruk}}, p. 459-60</ref><br />
<br />
On [[29 February]] T.A. 3019<ref>{{App|Great}}, entry for the year 3019, February 29, p. 1092</ref>, [[Treebeard]] was likely referring to the Uruk-hai when he said to [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] and [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]] that Saruman had done something dangerous to the Orcs and that the Orcs of Saruman were more like wicked Men, because they could tolerate sunlight although they hated it. He openly wondered if they were Men that Saruman had "ruined" or if he had "[[Half-orcs|blended]]" Orcs and Men, an act which he considered to be "a black evil."<ref>{{TT|Treebeard}}, p. 473</ref><br />
<br />
The Uruk-hai fought the Rohirrim again on [[2 March]] T.A. 3019 at [[Second Battle of the Fords of Isen]], where they defeated and scattered the Rohirrim who were under the command of [[Grimbold]]. The fortunes of the Uruk-hai would turn for the worst when their army was then sent against [[Kings of Rohan|King]] [[Théoden]] and his people at [[Helm's Deep]], where they faced utter defeat in the [[Battle of the Hornburg]] on [[3 March|3]]-[[4 March]] T.A. 3019.<ref>{{TT|Deep}}, pp. 531-42</ref><br />
<br />
On [[15 March]] T.A. 3019 [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] and [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]] escaped [[Cirith Ungol]] and narrowly avoided two Orcs of Mordor who were searching for them. The Orcs speculated on exactly what it was they were searching for, with one of them saying that he had been told that it "''must be a pack of rebel Uruk-hai''".<ref name="Shadow"/><br />
<br />
==Etymology==<br />
''Uruk-hai'' is a name in the [[Black Speech]], which means "Orc-folk".<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> It is a combination of the elements ''Uruk'' ("orc")<ref>{{PE|17}}, entry B '''uruk''', p. 47</ref> and ''hai'' ("folk")<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />.<br />
<br />
''Uruks'' is the anglicized form of ''Uruk-hai''.<ref>{{UT|Index}}, entry ''Uruks''</ref> [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] himself used these forms interchangeably.<ref>{{L|78}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Usage of the word Uruk-hai among Orcs==<br />
[[Uglúk]], the commander of a group of [[Orcs of Isengard]], referred to the Orcs under his command as "the fighting Uruk-hai" when he argued with [[Grishnákh]], an [[Orcs of Mordor|Orc of Mordor]], about the fate of the captive [[Hobbits]], [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] and [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]]<ref name="Uruk" />. He also used the phrase "fighting Uruk-hai" when he ordered a group of Orcs from the north to leave the two Hobbits with him when the northern Orcs wished to flee from the riders of the [[Rohirrim]]<ref>{{TT|Uruk}}, p. 451</ref>. He later referred to the Orcs under his command as "the Uruk-hai of Isengard" when he talked to Grishnákh after Grishnákh's group had returned<ref>{{TT|Uruk}}, p. 452</ref>. Later, during the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], the Orcs of Isengard gathered before the great gates of the Hornburg and referred to themselves twice as "the fighting Uruk-hai" and once simply as "the Uruk-hai" when Aragorn spoke to them from above the gates.<ref name="Deep" /><br />
<br />
A large soldier Orc of Mordor bearing the token of the Eye told a small tracker Orc from Mordor that those "Higher Up" had eventually said that it must be "a pack of rebel Uruk-hai" whose scent they were following when they were tracking [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] and [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]] after their escape from the [[Tower of Cirith Ungol]].<ref name="Shadow" /><br />
<br />
==Portrayal in adaptations==<br />
1988: ''[[J.R.R. Tolkien's War in Middle Earth]]'':<br />
<br />
:The Uruk-hai are portrayed as figures with purple armor and a shield.<br />
<br />
[[File:The_Lord_of_the_Rings_(film_series)_-_Lurtz.jpg|thumb|319x319px|The Uruk-hai captain Lurtz in film ''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.'']]<br />
2001-03: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:<br />
<br />
:[[Peter Jackson|Peter Jackson's]] ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy makes a more explicit distinction between Uruk-hai and lesser Orcs and Goblins. Uruk-hai are described as a crossbreed between "Orcs and [[Goblin-men]];" referencing the creatures mentioned by [[Gamling]] in the novel that blend the traits of Orcs and Men.<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Two Towers]]'', "[[Helm's Deep (chapter)|Helm's Deep]]," p. 536</ref> In a scene in Isengard, they are shown as being released from a kind of membrane in the mud deep under Isengard. Special commentary on the DVD edition explained that they were trying to base the scene on an early description<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Christopher Tolkien]] (ed.), ''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part Two]]'', "III. [[The Fall of Gondolin (chapter)|The Fall of Gondolin]]", p. 159</ref> of Tolkien's that Orcs "worm their way out of the ground like maggots." During ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]],'' these Uruk-hai are sent after the Fellowship and are led by their captain [[Lurtz]], a movie-only character.<br />
<br />
:In [[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers|''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'']], Uruk-hai forces included Pikemen (who carry long pikes) Swordsmen (who carry single-edged, hook-tipped swords), Archers (who carry [[Cross-bows|crossbows]]), and [[Berserker|Berserkers]]. They also use bladed shields as seen in [[Amon Hen]] during [[Aragorn]]'s fight against Lurtz. During the Battle of the Hornburg, all Uruk-hai (save for Berserkers) are equipped with heavy armor that covers everything other than their elbows and knees. The foot-soldiers' helmets bear crests that spread laterally across the top of helmet. Uruk-hai in the films are also depicted using siege equipment to great effect at Helm's Deep.<br />
<br />
2002: ''[[EA's The Two Towers]]'':<br />
<br />
:Uruk-hai appear as enemies in the "Battle of Helm's Deep" and "Fangorn Forest" missions, retaining the movie appearance.<br />
<br />
2004: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring]]'':<br />
<br />
:Uruk-hai become available after a storyline mission in which Saruman manages to perfect his creation.<br />
<br />
2004: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth]]'':<br />
<br />
:Uruk-hai compose most of the units of Isengard faction: swordsmen, pikemen, crossbowmen, in addition to Uruk-hai operating siege engines are available, following the movie appearance.<br />
<br />
2006: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':<br />
<br />
:Uruk-hai units from the first game return with little if any changes in behavior.<br />
<br />
2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':<br />
<br />
:''Uruk-hai'' are found in the Marton Farmlands and the surrounding plains in the Westfold in West Rohan.<br />
<br />
2009: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Conquest]]'':<br />
<br />
:Uruk-hai appear as enemies during the Battle of Helm's Deep.<br />
<br />
2014: ''[[Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor]]'':<br />
<br />
:Uruk-hai are mentioned in a Coded Journal entry.<br />
<br />
:<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
*[[Olog-hai]]<br />
<br />
{{references}}<br />
[[Category:Black Speech words]]<br />
[[Category:Uruk-hai| ]]<br />
[[Category:Servants of Saruman]]<br />
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]<br />
[[de:Uruk-hai]]<br />
[[fr:encyclo/peuples/orques/uruk-hai]]<br />
[[fi:Uruk-hai]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Ambush_at_Fangorn_Forest&diff=433074Ambush at Fangorn Forest2026-02-01T17:00:34Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{sources|JR_Snow|17/02/24}}<br />
{{unnamed}}<br />
{{battle<br />
| name=Ambush At Fangorn Forest<br />
| image = Angus McBride - Rohirrim.gif<br />
| conflict=[[War of the Ring]]<br />
| date=[[29 February]], {{TA|3019}}<br />
| place=Edge of [[Fangorn Forest]]<br />
| result=[[Rohirrim]] Victory, Pippin and Merry Escape into Fangorn Forest<br />
| side1=*[[Rohan]] <br />
| side2=*[[Isengard]], <br />
*[[Mordor]], <br />
*[[Moria]]<br />
| commanders1=*[[Éomer]]<br />
| commanders2=*[[Grishnákh]]†, <br />
*[[Uglúk]]†<br />
| forces1=*120 [[Rohirrim]] Riders<ref name="Riders">{{TT|Riders}}</ref><br />
| forces2=*At least 200 Orcs in the total company<ref name="Uruk">{{TT|III3}}</ref><br />
*Four score at least of [[Uruk-hai]] from [[Isengard]]<br />
*A couple of score of [[Orcs of Mordor]]<br />
*Over one hundred of the [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] initially<br />
| casual1=15 riders and 12 horses killed<br />
| casual2=All Forces<br />
}}<br />
<br />
This '''ambush''' was conducted by a company of [[Rohirrim]] led by [[Éomer]] against a mixed force of [[Uruk-hai]] from [[Isengard]] and [[Orcs]] from [[Mordor]] and the [[Misty Mountains]]. It occurred in late February of {{TA|3019}}, near the edge of [[Fangorn Forest]].<ref name="Uruk">{{TT|III3}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
The [[Uruk-hai|Uruks]], who had been carrying two prisoners ([[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] and [[Peregrin Took]]) in tow, were anxiously attempting to reach Isengard as quickly as possible. However, they were joined by an [[Orcs of Mordor|Orc of Mordor]] named [[Grishnákh]], as well as a company of [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains|Orcs from the Mountains]]. Grishnákh was seeking [[the One Ring]] to deliver to his master [[Sauron]]'s [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]], and the latter group sought revenge against the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] for their previous intrusion in [[Moria]].<br />
<br />
This led to a series of disagreements with the Uruks that delayed their progress many times. During one of these conflicts, a few of the Mountain-Orcs were killed, leading to Grishnákh disappearing and returning with a squad of [[Mordor]] Orcs.<br />
<br />
By the time the three parties came to an agreement, the riders of [[Rohan]] had caught wind of the Orcs and Uruks (due to their failure to kill one of their scouts), and pursued them across Rohan. In a panic, most of the Mountain-Orcs fled ahead, but were debilitated by the bright sunlight and left for dead by the Isengarders as they reached the eaves of [[Fangorn Forest]].<br />
<br />
There, the Rohirrim launched their final attack and slaughtered all of the Orcs and Uruk-hai present. Éomer himself engaged in a duel with [[Uglúk]], the leader of the Isengarders, and slew him.<br />
<br />
==Aftermath==<br />
During the confusion, Merry and Pippin managed to escape their captors and avoid most of the conflict by disappearing into Fangorn Forest, where they would later meet [[Treebeard]]. The Rohirrim piled the corpses of the slain Uruks and Orcs on the battlefield and had them burned.<br />
<br />
The horses [[Hasufel]] and [[Arod]], whose riders had been killed in the skirmish, were lent to the [[Three Hunters]].<br />
<br />
==Portrayal in adaptations==<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'':'''<br />
:The circumstances of the battle are simplified. The force of Orcs consists of Uruk-hai, led by Uglúk, and Orcs, seemingly loyal to Grishnakh. When the Orcs start quarreling over whether or not they would eat one of the Hobbits, Uglúk decapitates one of the Mordor-Orcs and his Uruks began eating its corpse. At this point, Grishnakh catches Merry and Pippin attempting to escape, only to be shot by an arrow. Then, the Rohirrim arrive and launch their attack from out of the darkness. However, unlike the book, Grishnakh survives the battle and pursues Merry and Pippin into the forest where he is killed by Treebeard.<br />
<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (video game)]]'''''<br />
:Although omitted from the console versions, the GameBoy Advance version features another version of the ambush. The battle appeared to have occurred between the Uruks of Isengard and a group of Orcs from Mordor. The former seem to have been victorious, and drove the latter into the forest, where they are presumably killed by Huorns.<br />
{{references}}<br />
[[Category:Conflicts of the War of the Ring]]<br />
__NOTOC__</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Ambush_at_Fangorn_Forest&diff=433071Ambush at Fangorn Forest2026-02-01T16:38:08Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{sources|JR_Snow|17/02/24}}<br />
{{unnamed}}<br />
{{battle<br />
| name=Ambush At Fangorn Forest<br />
| image = Angus McBride - Rohirrim.gif<br />
| conflict=[[War of the Ring]]<br />
| date=[[29 February]], {{TA|3019}}<br />
| place=Edge of [[Fangorn Forest]]<br />
| result=[[Rohirrim]] Victory, Pippin and Merry Escape into Fangorn Forest<br />
| side1=*[[Rohan]] <br />
| side2=*[[Isengard]], <br />
*[[Mordor]], <br />
*[[Moria]]<br />
| commanders1=*[[Éomer]]<br />
| commanders2=*[[Grishnákh]]†, <br />
*[[Uglúk]]†<br />
| forces1=*120 [[Rohirrim]] Riders<br />
| forces2=*At least 200 Orcs in the total company<br />
*Four score at least of [[Uruk-hai]] from [[Isengard]]<br />
*A couple of score of [[Orcs of Mordor]]<br />
*Over one hundred of the [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] initially<br />
| casual1=15 riders and 12 horses killed<br />
| casual2=All Forces<br />
}}<br />
<br />
This '''ambush''' was conducted by a company of [[Rohirrim]] led by [[Éomer]] against a mixed force of [[Uruk-hai]] from [[Isengard]] and [[Orcs]] from [[Mordor]] and the [[Misty Mountains]]. It occurred in late February of {{TA|3019}}, near the edge of [[Fangorn Forest]].<ref name="Uruk">{{TT|III3}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
The [[Uruk-hai|Uruks]], who had been carrying two prisoners ([[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] and [[Peregrin Took]]) in tow, were anxiously attempting to reach Isengard as quickly as possible. However, they were joined by an [[Orcs of Mordor|Orc of Mordor]] named [[Grishnákh]], as well as a company of [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains|Orcs from the Mountains]]. Grishnákh was seeking [[the One Ring]] to deliver to his master [[Sauron]]'s [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]], and the latter group sought revenge against the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] for their previous intrusion in [[Moria]].<br />
<br />
This led to a series of disagreements with the Uruks that delayed their progress many times. During one of these conflicts, a few of the Mountain-Orcs were killed, leading to Grishnákh disappearing and returning with a squad of [[Mordor]] Orcs.<br />
<br />
By the time the three parties came to an agreement, the riders of [[Rohan]] had caught wind of the Orcs and Uruks (due to their failure to kill one of their scouts), and pursued them across Rohan. In a panic, most of the Mountain-Orcs fled ahead, but were debilitated by the bright sunlight and left for dead by the Isengarders as they reached the eaves of [[Fangorn Forest]].<br />
<br />
There, the Rohirrim launched their final attack and slaughtered all of the Orcs and Uruk-hai present. Éomer himself engaged in a duel with [[Uglúk]], the leader of the Isengarders, and slew him.<br />
<br />
==Aftermath==<br />
During the confusion, Merry and Pippin managed to escape their captors and avoid most of the conflict by disappearing into Fangorn Forest, where they would later meet [[Treebeard]]. The Rohirrim piled the corpses of the slain Uruks and Orcs on the battlefield and had them burned.<br />
<br />
The horses [[Hasufel]] and [[Arod]], whose riders had been killed in the skirmish, were lent to the [[Three Hunters]].<br />
<br />
==Portrayal in adaptations==<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'':'''<br />
:The circumstances of the battle are simplified. The force of Orcs consists of Uruk-hai, led by Uglúk, and Orcs, seemingly loyal to Grishnakh. When the Orcs start quarreling over whether or not they would eat one of the Hobbits, Uglúk decapitates one of the Mordor-Orcs and his Uruks began eating its corpse. At this point, Grishnakh catches Merry and Pippin attempting to escape, only to be shot by an arrow. Then, the Rohirrim arrive and launch their attack from out of the darkness. However, unlike the book, Grishnakh survives the battle and pursues Merry and Pippin into the forest where he is killed by Treebeard.<br />
<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (video game)]]'''''<br />
:Although omitted from the console versions, the GameBoy Advance version features another version of the ambush. The battle appeared to have occurred between the Uruks of Isengard and a group of Orcs from Mordor. The former seem to have been victorious, and drove the latter into the forest, where they are presumably killed by Huorns.<br />
{{references}}<br />
[[Category:Conflicts of the War of the Ring]]<br />
__NOTOC__</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Disaster_of_the_Gladden_Fields&diff=433070Disaster of the Gladden Fields2026-02-01T16:36:13Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{disambig-two|the actual event|chapter in ''[[Unfinished Tales]]''|[[The Disaster of the Gladden Fields]]}}<br />
{{battle<br />
| image = Anke Eißmann - The Death of Isildur.jpg<br />
| name=Disaster of the Gladden Fields<br />
| conflict=Post-[[War of the Last Alliance|Alliance War]]<br />
| date={{TA|2}}<br />
| result=Death of Isildur, loss of [[the One Ring]]<br />
| place=[[Gladden Fields]]<br />
| side1=*Isildur's Guard<br />
| side2=*[[Orcs|Orc]]s<br />
| commanders1=*[[Isildur]]<br />
| commanders2=*Unknown<br />
| forces1=*[[Isildur]]<br />
*Isildur's three sons, [[Elendur (son of Isildur)|Elendur]], [[Aratan]] and [[Ciryon]]<br />
*200 Knights and Soldiers<br />
*No more than 20 Archers<ref>{{UT|7a}}, note 22</ref><br />
| forces2=*Up to ten times the number of the Númenóreans<br />
| casual1=*Isildur<br />
*Entire escort save three<br />
| casual2=*About half their forces<br />
}}<br />
{{quote|[[Isildur|My King]], [[Ciryon]] is dead and [[Aratan]] is dying. Your last counselor must advise you, nay command you, as you commanded [[Ohtar]]. Go! Take your burden, and at all costs bring it to the Keepers: even at the cost of abandoning your men and me!|[[Elendur (son of Isildur)|Elendur]] in ''[[Unfinished Tales]]'', "[[The Disaster of the Gladden Fields]]"}}<br />
<br />
The '''Disaster of the Gladden Fields''', also referred to as the '''Battle of the Gladden Fields''', was an ambush on [[Isildur]] and his personal guard at the beginning of the [[Third Age]]. <br />
<br />
==Background==<br />
After the defeat of [[Sauron]] by the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men|Last Alliance]], Isildur, son and heir of [[Elendil]], returned to [[Gondor]]. There he assumed the [[Elendilmir]] as [[King of Arnor|King]] of [[Arnor]]. He stayed for a year, restoring its order and defining its bounds, but the greater part of the army of Arnor returned to [[Eriador]] by the [[Númenóreans|Númenórean]] road from the fords of [[Isen]] to [[Fornost Erain|Fornost]]. When at last he decided to return to his own realm he was in haste, for he wished to go first to [[Rivendell]] and find his wife and youngest son [[Valandil (King of Arnor)|Valandil]]. Therefore he took the shortest route, making his way north from [[Osgiliath]] up the [[Vales of Anduin]] to [[High Pass|Cirith Forn en Andrath]], the high-climbing pass that led down to [[Rivendell|Imladris]]. With him were his three sons, [[Elendur (son of Isildur)|Elendur]], [[Aratan]] and [[Ciryon]], and his guard of two hundred knights and soldiers, stern, war-hardened men of Arnor.<ref name="Gladden">{{UT|Gladden}}</ref><br />
<br />
On the twentieth day of their journey, under heavy rain, they came within sight of the distant forest crowning the highlands. Anduin had swollen with swift water and they sought the ancient paths of the [[Silvan Elves]] that ran near the eaves of the forest by the entrance of the vales between [[Lothlórien]] and [[Amon Lanc]].<ref name="Gladden" /><br />
<br />
===Prelude===<br />
Late in the afternoon of the thirtieth day of their journey ([[4 October]]<ref>{{UT|7a}}, note 9</ref><ref>{{App|Calendars}}, p. 1107</ref><ref group="note">The attack occurred on the thirtieth day of their journey from Osgiliath from which they departed on 5 September. Every month in the Númenórean 'King's Reckoning' consisted of thirty days.</ref> of {{TA|2}}<ref>{{App|TA}}, entry for the year 2, p. 1085</ref>), they were passing the north borders of the [[Gladden Fields]], with the [[Mirkwood|forest]] looming on their right, and clouds gathering above the distant mountains. They were singing, because their day's march was near its end. As the sun plunged into a cloud, they saw [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains|Orcs]] issuing from the forest and moving down the slopes yelling their war-cries.<ref name="Gladden" /><br />
<br />
The [[Dúnedain]] saw the Orcs but in the dim light their number could not be guessed, but it was clear the Orcs outnumbered them, and were possibly as many as ten times their number. Isildur realized that they were on their own: [[Moria]] and Lothlórien were far behind and [[Thranduil]] was four days' march ahead.<ref name="Gladden" /><br />
<br />
===The Battle===<br />
Since the land was not flat enough, and the slope was not in his favour, Isildur was unable to form his company into a [[Dirnaith]]. He commanded a [[Thangail]] to be drawn up, hoping to cleave a way through them and scatter them in dismay.<ref name="Gladden" /><br />
<br />
Isildur ordered [[Ohtar]] his esquire to take the [[Shards of Narsil]] and flee, and to save the Shards from capture at all costs.<ref name="Gladden" /><br />
<br />
The Orcs let fly a hail of arrows, then hurled a great mass of their chief warriors down the slope against the Dúnedain, hoping to break the shield-wall, but it stood firm. The arrows had little effect on the Númenórean armour. After the initial attack the Orcs faltered, and it seemed that they were withdrawing. The Dúnedain had slain many of them. Isildur ordered the men to resume the march at once, believing his enemies had been shaken enough by their losses, but he was mistaken.<ref name="Gladden" /><br />
<br />
The Dúnedain had gone scarcely a mile when the Orcs attacked again. This time they attacked on a wide front, which bent into a crescent and soon closed into an unbroken ring about the Dúnedain, who had too few archers, and even their dreaded Númenorean [[Bows#Bows_by_faction|steel-bows]] could not reach at the distance the Orcs stood.<ref name="Gladden" /><br />
<br />
The Orcs closed in on all sides, flinging themselves on the Dúnedain with reckless ferocity. Some of the greater Orcs leaped two at a time, and with their weight, dead or alive, bore down a [[Dúnedain|Dúnadan]] so that others might drag him out and slay him. The Orcs may have paid five to one in this exchange, but for them it was cheap. Ciryon was slain in this way, and Aratan was mortally wounded while trying to save him.<ref name="Gladden" /><br />
<br />
===Isildur's Fall===<br />
[[File:Alan Lee - The Disaster of the Gladden Fields.jpg|thumb|''The Disaster of the Gladden Fields'' by [[Alan Lee]]]]<br />
As the battle progressed, it became clear that defeat was imminent. Isildur was rallying men on the east side where the assault was heaviest. He considered attempting to escape with the help of the [[The One Ring|One Ring]], but he delayed because of the pain it caused, and because he would not leave his son. But Elendur sought out Isildur, and commanded him to take the Ring and flee. Asking Elendur to forgive him, Isildur put on the Ring, and although he was turned invisible, the [[Star of Elendil|Elendilmir]] of the West he bore on his brow, which could not be quenched, blazed forth. Men and Orcs gave way in fear. Isildur, pulling his cloak over his head, vanished into the night and was never seen again.<ref name="Gladden" /><br />
<br />
He fled a great distance, and upon reaching the Anduin he tried in despair to swim across it. Despite his strength, the current swept him down toward the Gladden Fields again, and the Ring betrayed him and slipped off his finger as he swam. In his dismay he nearly gave up and drowned, but the mood passed and he found himself free from his long burden. He reached an islet near the western bank, but as he rose out of the water in the moonlight, prowling Orcs spotted him. Fearing his great height and the piercing light of the Elendilmir, they shot him with arrows. His corpse was never found, believed to have been lost to the river's current.<ref name="Gladden" /><br />
<br />
===Aftermath===<br />
Of the two hundred Númenórean knights, only three survived. Two of them were [[Ohtar]] and his companion, who brought the Shards of Narsil to Rivendell. The third was [[Estelmo]], Elendur's esquire, one of the last to fall. He had been stunned by a club and not slain, and was later found alive beneath Elendur's body.<ref name="Gladden" /><br />
<br />
The disaster marked the death of [[High King (Dúnedain)|High King]] Isildur, and a change in the ''status quo'' of the two [[Realms in Exile]]. It also marked the loss of the Ring for almost two and a half thousand years.<br />
<br />
==Order of battle== <br />
The [[Dúnedain]] were outnumbered by as many as ten to one. The great [[Númenóreans|Men of Númenor]] towered above the tallest Orcs, and their swords and spears far outreached the weapons of their enemies, but they were stiffened and commanded by grim servants of [[Barad-dûr]] and there was cunning and a relentless hatred in their attacks. Slowly but steadily the Orcs achieved the upper hand.<ref name="Gladden" /><br />
<br />
Isildur was a man of such strength and endurance as few even of the Dúnedain of that age could equal, and he was protected by the [[Elendilmir]] that he bore on his brow, as the Orcs feared it.<ref name="Gladden" /><br />
<br />
==Other versions of the legendarium==<br />
In the essay [[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]], Isildur and his troops had already set up their camp between the Greenwood and the river Anduin close to the Gladden Fields, and were surprised in their camp by the attack of the Orcs, because Isildur had not ordered soldiers to guard the camp, since he thought that all their enemies had been overthrown.<ref>{{S|Rings}}</ref><br />
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{{references}}<br />
[[Category:Conflicts of the Third Age]]<br />
[[de:Verhängnis auf den Schwertelfeldern]]<br />
[[fr:encyclo:evenements:3a:guerres:bataille des champs d iris]]<br />
[[fi:Kurjenmiekkakenttien murhenäytelmä (KTK)]]</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmighthttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Ambush_at_Fangorn_Forest&diff=433069Ambush at Fangorn Forest2026-02-01T16:34:40Z<p>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{sources|JR_Snow|17/02/24}}<br />
{{unnamed}}<br />
{{battle<br />
| name=Ambush At Fangorn Forest<br />
| image = Angus McBride - Rohirrim.gif<br />
| conflict=[[War of the Ring]]<br />
| date=[[29 February]], {{TA|3019}}<br />
| place=Edge of [[Fangorn Forest]]<br />
| result=[[Rohirrim]] Victory, Pippin and Merry Escape into Fangorn Forest<br />
| side1=*[[Rohan]] <br />
| side2=*[[Isengard]], <br />
*[[Mordor]], <br />
*[[Moria]]<br />
| commanders1=*[[Éomer]]<br />
| commanders2=*[[Grishnákh]]†, <br />
*[[Uglúk]]†<br />
| forces1=*120 [[Rohirrim]] Riders<br />
| forces2=*At least 200 Orcs in the total company<br />
*Four score at least of [[Uruk-hai]] From [[Isengard]]<br />
*A couple of score of [[Orcs of Mordor]]<br />
*Over one hundred of the [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] initially<br />
| casual1=15 riders and 12 horses killed<br />
| casual2=All Forces<br />
}}<br />
<br />
This '''ambush''' was conducted by a company of [[Rohirrim]] led by [[Éomer]] against a mixed force of [[Uruk-hai]] from [[Isengard]] and [[Orcs]] from [[Mordor]] and the [[Misty Mountains]]. It occurred in late February of {{TA|3019}}, near the edge of [[Fangorn Forest]].<ref name="Uruk">{{TT|III3}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
The [[Uruk-hai|Uruks]], who had been carrying two prisoners ([[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] and [[Peregrin Took]]) in tow, were anxiously attempting to reach Isengard as quickly as possible. However, they were joined by an [[Orcs of Mordor|Orc of Mordor]] named [[Grishnákh]], as well as a company of [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains|Orcs from the Mountains]]. Grishnákh was seeking [[the One Ring]] to deliver to his master [[Sauron]]'s [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]], and the latter group sought revenge against the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] for their previous intrusion in [[Moria]].<br />
<br />
This led to a series of disagreements with the Uruks that delayed their progress many times. During one of these conflicts, a few of the Mountain-Orcs were killed, leading to Grishnákh disappearing and returning with a squad of [[Mordor]] Orcs.<br />
<br />
By the time the three parties came to an agreement, the riders of [[Rohan]] had caught wind of the Orcs and Uruks (due to their failure to kill one of their scouts), and pursued them across Rohan. In a panic, most of the Mountain-Orcs fled ahead, but were debilitated by the bright sunlight and left for dead by the Isengarders as they reached the eaves of [[Fangorn Forest]].<br />
<br />
There, the Rohirrim launched their final attack and slaughtered all of the Orcs and Uruk-hai present. Éomer himself engaged in a duel with [[Uglúk]], the leader of the Isengarders, and slew him.<br />
<br />
==Aftermath==<br />
During the confusion, Merry and Pippin managed to escape their captors and avoid most of the conflict by disappearing into Fangorn Forest, where they would later meet [[Treebeard]]. The Rohirrim piled the corpses of the slain Uruks and Orcs on the battlefield and had them burned.<br />
<br />
The horses [[Hasufel]] and [[Arod]], whose riders had been killed in the skirmish, were lent to the [[Three Hunters]].<br />
<br />
==Portrayal in adaptations==<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'':'''<br />
:The circumstances of the battle are simplified. The force of Orcs consists of Uruk-hai, led by Uglúk, and Orcs, seemingly loyal to Grishnakh. When the Orcs start quarreling over whether or not they would eat one of the Hobbits, Uglúk decapitates one of the Mordor-Orcs and his Uruks began eating its corpse. At this point, Grishnakh catches Merry and Pippin attempting to escape, only to be shot by an arrow. Then, the Rohirrim arrive and launch their attack from out of the darkness. However, unlike the book, Grishnakh survives the battle and pursues Merry and Pippin into the forest where he is killed by Treebeard.<br />
<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (video game)]]'''''<br />
:Although omitted from the console versions, the GameBoy Advance version features another version of the ambush. The battle appeared to have occurred between the Uruks of Isengard and a group of Orcs from Mordor. The former seem to have been victorious, and drove the latter into the forest, where they are presumably killed by Huorns.<br />
{{references}}<br />
[[Category:Conflicts of the War of the Ring]]<br />
__NOTOC__</div>Theblackfoewhoarisesinmight