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Maedhros

From Tolkien Gateway

Maedhros
Noldo
Biographical information
Quenya name	fn Nelyafinwë (mn Maitimo; also Russandol)
Titles	Eldest of the Sons of Fëanor, the Tall
Date and place of birth	c. Y.T. 1234, Tirion
Realm	March of Maedhros
Death	F.A. 583
Age at death	3100+
Personal Information
Gender	Male
Parentage	Fëanor + Nerdanel
Spouse	None
Hair color	(Dark) red

Maedhros (S, pron. [ˈmaɛðros]) was one of the princes of the Noldor and was eldest of the Sons of Fëanor.

Contents 1 History 2 Etymology 3 Genealogy 4 Inflection 5 References 6 See Also

[edit] History

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.

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.

[edit] Etymology

Maedhros' father-name was Nelyafinwë, meaning "Finwë the Third", shorter form Nelyo, as his grandfather and father both shared the name Finwë. Nelya is a Quenya adjective that means "third". His mother-name was Maitimo, "Well-shaped One", for he was noted for his comeliness. His epessë was Russandol, "Copper-top", referring to the dark red hair he inherited from his grandfather Mahtan. It is derived from russa, a Quenya adjective meaning "red-haired". The name Maedhros is Sindarin, and is said to mean "Pale-glitter" in The Etymologies. It is formed by the adding up the "Noldorin" maidh, meaning "pale", "fallow" or "fawn" and archaic "Noldorin" form rhoss, which translates as "flash", "glitter of metal". However, in The Shibboleth of Fëanor, note# 65, the Sindarin form Maedhros is explained as having been derived from a contraction of his mother-name with his epessë (Mait- + Rus-).

[edit] Genealogy

Mahtan

Míriel

Finwë

Indis

Nerdanel

Fëanor

Findis

MAEDHROS

Fingolfin

Maglor

Celegorm

Irimë

Caranthir

Curufin

Finarfin

Amrod

Amras

Celebrimbor

[edit] Inflection

Quenya noun Nelyafinwë Case \ # Singular Nominative Nelyafinwë Accusative Nelyafinwé Genitive Nelyafinwëo Possessive Nelyafinweva Dative Nelyafinwen Locative Nelyafinwessë Allative Nelyafinwenna Ablative Nelyafinwello Instrumental Nelyafinwenen *Respective Nelyafinwes Asterisked forms are speculative. Chart may not be 100% canonical.	Quenya noun Nelyo Case \ # Singular Nominative Nelyo Accusative Nelyó Genitive Nelyo Possessive Nelyova Dative Nelyon Locative Nelyossë Allative Nelyonna Ablative Nelyollo Instrumental Nelyonen *Respective Nelyos Asterisked forms are speculative. Chart may not be 100% canonical.
Quenya noun Maitimo Case \ # Singular Nominative Maitimo Accusative Maitimó Genitive Maitimo Possessive Maitimóva Dative Maitimon Locative Maitimossë Allative Maitimonna Ablative Maitimollo Instrumental Maitimónen *Respective Maitimos Asterisked forms are speculative. Chart may not be 100% canonical.	Quenya noun Russandol Case \ # Singular Nominative Russandol Accusative Russandol Genitive Russandolo Possessive Russandolwa Dative Russandolen Locative Russandolessë Allative Russandolenna Ablative Russando(le)llo Instrumental Russandolenen *Respective Russandoles Asterisked forms are speculative. Chart may not be 100% canonical.
Sindarin noun Maedhros Mutation \ # Singular Mutation \ # Singular Basic Maedhros Mixed (en-) e-Maedhros Soft (i) i Vaedhros Stop (ed) e Maedhros Nasal (an) am Maedhros Liquid (or) or Vaedhros Chart may not be 100% canonical.

[edit] 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

[edit] See Also

• Images of Maedhros