House of Haleth: Difference between revisions

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==Physical characteristics==
==Physical characteristics==
Little information is given as to the physical characteristics of the House of Haleth, save for the fact that they were shorter in stature than those of the House of Bëor.<ref name=Druedain/> However, since the Men of Bree and the Dunlendings, descendants of the Haladin, were dark of hair,<ref>{{FR|Sign}}</ref><ref name=F/> it is likely that the Haladin themselves were dark-haired as well.
Little information is given as to the physical characteristics of the House of Haleth, save for the fact that they were shorter in stature than those of the House of Bëor.<ref name=Druedain/>


==Culture==
==Culture==

Revision as of 15:48, 7 December 2019

The House of Haleth, also known as the Haladin was the second House of the Edain to come over the Ered Luin into Beleriand and survived longest of all three houses, owing to their defensive strategy during the Wars of Beleriand.

Origins

Main article: Pre-Númenóreans

The ancestors of the Haladin moved from Hildórien to the West. During their migration they joined the Drúedain near the White Mountains and stayed with them on friendly terms.[1]

When the core of their team was pressed to wander on, some Drúedain accompanied them northwards[1], passing through the opening between the Misty Mountains and the White Mountains. Many stayed behind because of the dense forest covering the Minhiriath and the western half of Enedwaith between the Greyflood and the Isen and became herd-tenders. Their descendants were peoples in the forests of the shore-lands south of the Blue Mountains, especially in Minhiriath[2]

Their kin of the White Mountains apparently were later driven off (from the most part) by Men of Darkness during the Dark Years, removed to the southern dales of the Misty Mountains and thence some passed into the empty lands until the Barrow-downs, from whom came the Men of Bree.[3]

History

Steamey - Funeral of Haldad and Haldar

The Haladin entered Beleriand in F.A. 312.[4] They came secretly in small parties in the woods of Ossiriand, and were in strife among themselves. The Laegil were unfriendly to them. Their numbers are not known, but they were probably more than 2000.[5]

Unlike The House of Bëor before them and the House of Hador after, they did not advance to Estolad but instead dwelt without leave in the south of Caranthir's realm of Thargelion.[6] The Haladin had no overall leader and so settled in scattered groups in that region.

Morgoth already knew about the coming of hostile Men to Beleriand and sent his servants to afflict the Haladin.[5] So their style of living came to an end in F.A. 375 when a host of orcs assaulted their territory. In answer to this Haldad took command of the people, building a stockade between the angle of the rivers Gelion and Ascar south of Sarn Athrad. There he led the defence of his people until he and his son Haldar were slain whereupon his daughter Haleth took up the leadership of the house and held out for a week until Caranthir's army could relieve them.[6]

In honour of the valiance of Haleth, Caranthir offered the House of Haleth a feif in his lands but Haleth declined and instead led her people away passing through Estolad and Nan Dungortheb before temporarily inhabiting Talath Dirnen. King Thingol of Doriath granted to Haleth the Forest of Brethil on condition that she defended the Crossings of Teiglin. She led then her people (now known as the House of Haleth in her honour) and they settled as woodsmen centered around the capital of Amon Obel. For the following years they guarded the northern flank of Nargothrond.[6]

Eventually Haleth died but as she had produced no heirs the title of Chieftain of the Haladin returned to her brother Haldar's line and to his son Haldan who ruled for 31 years before dying leaving the leadership of the house to his son Halmir.

Four years after in F.A. 455, Morgoth broke the Siege of Angband in the Dagor Bragollach. The House of Haleth played no active part in the battle but fought the hosts of orcs that threatened their realm with the aid of the Sindar of Doriath under Beleg Cúthalion. Both Doriath and Brethil refused to play any great part in the war of the Ñoldor and their allies and only seldom did the Haladin march to war alongside them.

After the loss of Dorthonion, their numbers were joined by refugees from the First House.[6]

Of Halmir's four children, two married into the House of Hador; Haldir, his heir married Hador's daughter Glóredhel, while Hareth married Galdor producing the famed brothers Húrin and Huor, who, in the upheaval following the Bragollach were fostered for a while by Haldir in Brethil.

After the fall of Minas Tirith, the Haladin were harassed by frequent Orc-raids in the Crossings from Tol-in-Gaurhoth.[6]

When the Union of Maedhros was formed, Halmir offered the aid of the House of Haleth and made preparations for war but a year prior to the Nirnaeth Arnoediad he died and the promise was left for his son Haldir to fulfill. Haldir took part in the battle where the Haladin covered the retreat of Fingon and suffered heavy losses on Anfauglith. Haldir was slain alongside his brother Hundar.[6]

The son of Haldir Handir took up the leadership but he himself was slain in one of the many orc raids on Brethil at that time and the position passed to his son Brandir. Their defeat allowed the forces of the enemy to access and sack Nargothrond.[6]

Later history

After the death of Handir the Haladin dwindled and became more reclusive but survived on. They remained in their woods, occasionally ambushing Orcs at the Crossings.[6]

It was during the reign of Brandir that Túrin Turambar son of Húrin came to Brethil and became in all but name its leader, leading them in warfare in much the same manner as he had the elves of Nargothrond. Túrin's presence brought the dragon Glaurung to Brethil and though Túrin succeeded in slaying the beast, he slew Brandir in a rage as the final threads sparing him from his doom unravelled. Túrin's suicide ended that period in the history of the Haladin.

But their dealings with Húrin and his cursed kin were not yet over for Húrin himself came among them after twenty eight years of captivity in Angband. Now a broken man he succeeded in sparking a civil war in the House of Haleth owing to his perception of the treatment of his wife whom he found at the grave of their children. Obel Halad was burnt and all potential heirs slain or driven away in the anarchy that followed. In that way did the House of Haleth cease to be in the year F.A. 500. The Drúedain who had dwelt in the forest of Brethil were reduced to a few families of mainly women and children, who fled to the Mouths of Sirion.[1]

Physical characteristics

Little information is given as to the physical characteristics of the House of Haleth, save for the fact that they were shorter in stature than those of the House of Bëor.[1]

Culture

The Haladin belonged to a different branch than the other Edain of the west, and differed in a number of ways. They spoke an unrelated dialect of Mannish,[6] and although some of them learned Sindarin to communicate with the Eldar and the other Edain, theywere not fluent in it.[5]

Their numbers were fewer[6] and their birth rates were slightly enough to compensate for their losses to the war; women were fewer than men, and many remained unwed.[5][7]

They were secretive and conservative, unwilling to adopt new things and customs, remaining apart, preferring solitude and to protect their woodlands instead of allying themselves with the Elves and participating to the greater events. They had their own customs and practices that seemed strange to the Elves and Edain alike, like their ancient practice of having women warriors and amazons (like Haleth, who had a picked bodyguard of women),[5] perhaps owing to their small numbers.[7]

Indeed, they excelled in forest warfare, and Orcs, even especially trained for this, dared not to cross their borders. They had a few dealings with the outsiders except their participation to the War where they proved loyal allies; reflecting their population, they sent small companies (rarely women[7]) beyond their borders, who were esteemed as redoubtable warriors.[5]

In battle they bore axes.[6]

Terminology

In the notes to the Wanderings of Húrin in History of Middle-earth XI, Christopher Tolkien points out an interesting usage of the term 'Haladin'. It would seem that Tolkien at some point intended 'Haladin' to refer only to the noble line of the House of Haleth and not the House of Haleth as a whole.

Whether this definition of 'Haladin' would have survived into the final intent is questionable. This article takes the more widely used definition of referring to the entire People of Haleth.

Family tree of the House of Haleth and descendants

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Haldad
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Haleth
 
Haldar
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Haldan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Halmir
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Galdor
 
Hareth
 
 
 
 
 
Haldir
 
Glóredhel
 
Hundar
 
Hiril
 
Enthor
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rían
 
Huor
 
Húrin
 
Morwen
 
 
 
Handir
 
Hunleth
 
Hundad
 
Meleth
 
Agathor
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Idril
 
Tuor
 
Túrin
 
Lalaith
 
Nienor
 
Brandir
 
 
 
 
 
Hardang
 
Hunthor
 
Manthor
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Eärendil
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

References