Caranthir
| Caranthir | |
|---|---|
| Noldo | |
 | |
| "Caranthir and Maedros" by Catherine Chmiel | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Other names | Morifinwë (Q, fn) Carnistir (Q, mn) Caranthir the Dark |
| Location | Tirion Formenos Talath Rhúnen Amon Ereb |
| Affiliation | Oath of Fëanor Union of Maedros |
| Language | Quenya Sindarin |
| Birth | after Y.T. 1190 Tirion |
| Death | F.A. 507 Doriath |
| Family | |
| House | House of Fëanor |
| Parentage | Fëanor (father) Nerdanel (mother) |
| Siblings | Maedros (brother) Maglor (brother) Celegorm (brother) Curufin (brother) Amros (brother) Amarthan (brother) |
| Spouse | Unnamed wife[1] |
| Physical Description | |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color | Dark |
| Gallery | Images of Caranthir |
- "‘Yea more! Let not the sons of Finarfin run hither and thither with their tales to this Dark Elf in his caves! Who made them our spokesmen to deal with him? And though they be come indeed to Beleriand, let them not so swiftly forget that their father is a lord of the Noldor, though their mother be of other kin.’"
- ― The Silmarillion, Of the Return of the Noldor
Caranthir, the fifth of the sons of Fëanor, was also the harshest and the quickest to anger. He was known as "Caranthir the Dark". As the other sons of Fëanor, Caranthir was bound by an oath to recover his father's Silmarils, which had been stolen by the Dark Lord Morgoth. This oath took the seven brothers to Middle-earth during the First Age, where they established realms in exile, waged war against the armies of Morgoth, fought their own Elven kind, and eventually brought ruin upon themselves.
History
Caranthir, Haleth, and Ulfang the Black
Caranthir's realm was in Talath Rhúnen, and was sometimes called Dor Caranthir ("Caranthir's Land"). His abode was on the shores of Lake Helevorn.[2]
The people of the Second House of the Edain settled in Talath Rhúnen, the land of the Elf Lord Caranthir. Though they dwelt in Caranthir's land, they did not swear allegiance to him and remained a free folk.[3]
In F.A. 375, after her father and her twin brother were slain in an Orc raid, Haleth, a woman of great courage and strength of will, became the Chieftain of the Haladin. She kept her people alive for seven days while the Orcs laid siege to the encampment, until Caranthir finally arrived with reinforcements.[3]
Impressed with her bravery, he offered her a fiefdom in his land and the protection of his soldiers. However Haleth, wanting her people to serve no lord, thanked him but removed to the Forest of Brethil.[3]
In F.A. 463, the Easterling Ulfang led his people over the Blue Mountains and swore allegiance to Caranthir. They were given land in Lothlann and became his subjects.[4]
However, in F.A. 472, the disaster of the Nirnaeth Arnoediad ("Battle of Unnumbered Tears") occurred, caused by the betrayal of the people of Ulfang. Caranthir lost his realm and was forced to retreat to Amon Ereb with his surviving brothers.[5]
The Second Kinslaying
In F.A. 507, he perished along with his brothers Celegorm and Curufin during the Second Kinslaying, the attack by the sons of Fëanor on Doriath to recover a Silmaril from King Dior Eluchíl.[6]
Etymology
Caranthir's father-name was Morifinwë, meaning "Dark Finwë", a reference to his dark hair. The Quenya word was formed using the noun more, meaning "blackness", "night" or "dark", which became mori- when added to his grandfather's name, Finwë. His mother-name was Carnistir, which can be translated as "Red-face". Carnë in Quenya means "red" or "scarlet". The name Caranthir is the Sindarin translation of his mother-name.[7]
Genealogy
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "X. Of Dwarves and Men", "Notes", p. 318 (note 7)
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Beleriand and its Realms"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 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 Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Ruin of Doriath"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XI. The Shibboleth of Fëanor"
