Bëor
| Bëor the Old | |
|---|---|
| Adan | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Other names | Balan |
| Position | Vassal of Finrod |
| Location | Nargothrond |
| Birth | F.A. 262 East of the Blue Mountains |
| Death | F.A. 355 (aged 93) |
| Family | |
| House | House of Bëor |
| Children | Baran and Belen |
| Physical Description | |
| Gender | Male |
| Gallery | Images of Bëor the Old |
 | Beor.mp3 |
| By Ardamir. (Help; more articles) | |
Bëor the Old (F.A. 262 – 355, aged 93 years[1]) was the leader of the first Men to cross the Blue Mountains into Beleriand in the First Age. He was originally named Balan.[2]
History
The man once born as Balan (perhaps in Eriador) was one of the people who sought to reach the Gods in the West. With his sons Belen and Baran and his people, they met Dwarves and Avari before eventually crossing the Blue Mountains in F.A. 310.
One night as they slept in Ossiriand, Finrod Felagund came upon Balan and his people and enchanted them with his music as they woke up. Finrod quickly befriended the Men and advised them to settle in Estolad in the realm of Amrod.[2] In F.A. 402, Orcs attempted to break through the Pass of Aglon, but the people of Bëor helped Maedhros and Maglor throw back the invaders. This was the first time Men fought on behalf of the Eldar.
Sometime between F.A. 415 and F.A. 420, Balan left with Finrod for his kingdom of Nargothrond, where he served as his vassal until his death. Bëor's eldest son, Baran, ruled the people of Bëor in his stead. The friendship of Bëor and Baran with the Eldar led to the creation of the First House of the Edain, which produced some of the greatest heroes of the First Age.
Balan was called Bëor by the Nargothrondrim, which meant "vassal" in Taliska, the language of the the people of Bëor. When Bëor finally died at the age of 93 willingly, a very old age for men at that time, he was given the epithet the Old'.[2]
Genealogy
| BËOR THE OLD | |||||||||||||||||||
| Baran | Belen | ||||||||||||||||||
| Boron | Baranor | ||||||||||||||||||
Other Versions of the Legendarium
In the introduction to The Grey Annals, Christopher Tolkien stated that they were written in the 1930s.[3] This work was laid aside while J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings, after which he returned to his work on the elder days. In Tolkien's later writings the coming of the Edain over the Blue Mountains was relocated nearly a century earlier, which occasioned a large-scale overhaul of the chronology and genealogies.[4]
In the older Grey Annals, Bëor was born in F.A. 370[5], met Felagund in 400[6], and died in 450.[7] In the new version Bëor was born in F.A. 262, encountered Felagund in 310, and died at age 93 in 355.[8]
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Two. The Later Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Coming of Men into the West (Chapter 14)", (i) The House of Bëor, p. 231
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Coming of Men into the West"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part One. The Grey Annals", p, 3
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Two. The Later Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Coming of Men into the West (Chapter 14)", The new genealogies of the Edain, p. 229
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "The Grey Annals": §121
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "The Grey Annals": §124
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "The Grey Annals": §144
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Two. The Later Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Coming of Men into the West (Chapter 14)", (i) The House of Bëor, p. 229
| Bëor House of Bëor | ||
| None New position | First Head of the House of Bëor | Followed by: Baran |
