Maedhros: Difference between revisions

From Tolkien Gateway
(new family tree, claimed)
No edit summary
Line 50: Line 50:
{{familytree/end}}
{{familytree/end}}
<br>
<br>
== References ==
* ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', [[Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië]]
* ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', [[Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor]]
* ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', [[Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor]]
* ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', [[Of the Flight of the Noldor]]
* ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', [[Of the Return of the Noldor]]
* ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', [[Of Beleriand and Its Realms]]
* ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', [[Of the Noldor in Beleriand]]
* ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', [[Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin]]
* ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', [[Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad]]
* ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', [[Of the Ruin of Doriath]]
* ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', [[Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath]]
* ''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part 1]]'', [[Gilfanon's Tale: The Travail of the Noldoli and the Coming of Mankind]]
* ''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part 2]]'', [[The Nauglafring]]
* ''[[The Shaping of Middle-earth]]'', [[The Earliest Annals of Valinor]]
* ''[[The Shaping of Middle-earth]]'', [[The Earliest Annals of Beleriand]]
* ''[[The Lost Road and Other Writings]]'', [[The later Annals of Beleriand]]
* ''[[The Lost Road and Other Writings]]'', [[The later Annals of Valinor]]
* ''[[The Lost Road and Other Writings]]'', [[Quenta Silmarillion]]
* ''[[The Lost Road and Other Writings]]'', [[The Etymologies]]
* ''[[Morgoth's Ring]]'', [[The Annals of Aman]]
* ''[[Morgoth's Ring]]'', [[The Later Quenta Silmarillion]]
* ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'', [[The Grey Annals]]
* ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'', [[The Later Quenta Silmarillion]]
* ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'', [[The Shibboleth of Feanor]]


=== See Also ===
=== See Also ===

Revision as of 20:30, 5 August 2008

"I oughtn't to interrupt you, I know. [...] You are very busy, I'm sure." — Mr. Parish
User:Þelma is currently busy with major revisions to this article. Before editing, discuss your intentions on this article's talk page.


Maedhros
Noldo
Anna Lee - Maedhros.jpg
Biographical Information
TitlesEldest of the Sons of Fëanor, the Tall
Birthc. Y.T. 1234, Tirion
DeathF.A. 583 (aged 3100+)
Family
ParentageFëanor + Nerdanel
SpouseNone
Physical Description
GenderMale
Hair color(Dark) red
GalleryImages of Maedhros

Maedhros was one of the princes of the Noldor and was eldest of the Sons of Fëanor.

After the banishment of Fëanor from Tirion in Valinor he went with his father to Formenos. When Morgoth killed Finwë and stole Fëanor's beloved Silmarils, Maedhros was the first son to take the terrible Oath of Fëanor to recover the holy jewels.

The Oath took Maedhros, his father and his brothers to Middle-earth during the First Age where they established realms in exile, waged war against the armies of Morgoth, fought their own Elvish kind, and eventually brought ruin upon their House.

Maedhros Casts Himself into a Chasm by Ted Nasmith.

Shortly after the Dagor-nuin-Giliath in which Fëanor was killed, Maedhros was captured by Morgoth and hung by the wrist of his right hand upon the face of a precipice of Thangorodrim. In a daring rescue, his cousin Fingon, helped by Thorondor the King of Eagles, saved him from torment but he had to cut off Maedhros's hand to release him from the shackle. In gratitude for this, and in atonement for Feanor's desertion of Fingon's house, Maedhros relenquished all claim as the heir of Finwë and made his uncle Fingolfin, Fingon's father, High King of the Noldor, something his brothers did not like.

Seeing that his brothers were likely to cause feuds with their kinsmen, Maedhros moved them out of Hithlum, and later ruled the lands around the Hill of Himring, which became known as the March of Maedhros. Allied with Fingolfin, he won the battle of Dagor Aglareb, and, thanks to his daring deeds during the Dagor Bragollach, Himring stood while many other elven realms fell.

Hearing words of deeds of Beren and Lúthien, he took hope and gathered his brothers and united with other Elven Houses to create the Union of Maedhros, an alliance to lay siege to Morgoth's fortress of Angband. The Union and the siege was utterly broken after the defeat in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. Himring was garrisoned by Orcs.

Maedhros had learned that Elwing of Doriath, granddaughter of Lúthien and Beren, had inherited the Silmaril that they had recovered from Morgoth. Still driven by the Oath, he allowed his brother Celegorm to convince him to attack Doriath. Celegorm, Caranthir, and Curufin were slain by Beren's son, Dior Eluchíl, the King of Doriath, who was in-turn slain by them. Dior's sons, Eluréd and Elurín, were captured and abandoned by Celegorm's servants in the forest, leading Maedhros to search for the innocent youths. After learning that Elwing had survived, he and his surviving brothers descended with an army upon the remnants of the people of Doriath living in the Havens of Sirion. The Noldorin princes killed many Elves and captured Elwing's sons Elrond and Elros in the sack, but she and her husband Eärendil escaped to the West with the jewel.

After the War of Wrath, he and his last surviving brother, Maglor stole the two remaining Silmarils taken by the Valar from Morgoth. But because of the evil deeds committed by the brothers to regain the jewels, they burned in Maglor's and Maedhros's hands. Unable to bear the suffering, Maedhros cast himself and the Silmaril he carried into a fiery chasm in the Earth.

Etymology

Maedhros' father-name was Nelyafinwë ("Finwë the Third"; shorter form Nelyo), as his grandfather and father both shared the name Finwë. His mother-name was Maitimo ("Well-shaped One"), for he was noted for his comeliness. He was also called Russandol ("Copper-top"), referring to the dark red hair he inherited from his grandfather Mahtan. The name Maedhros is Sindarin, and is said to mean "Pale-glitter" in The Etymologies. In The Shibboleth of Fëanor, however, this Sindarin name is explained as having been derived from a contraction of his mother-name with his epessë (Mait-+Rus-).

Genealogy


 
 
 
 
 
 
Finwë
 
Míriel Serindë
 
 
 
Mahtan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fëanor
 
 
 
 
 
Nerdanel
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MAEDHROS
 
Maglor
 
Celegorm
 
Caranthir
 
Curufin
 
Amrod
 
Amras
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Celebrimbor
 


References

See Also