 | |
| Noble House | |
| House of Bëor | |
|---|---|
| General Information | |
| Other names | House: First House of the Edain Bar Bëora (S) People: Bëorians, Men of Dorthonion, People of Bëor |
| Founder | Bëor the Old |
| Leader | Briefly the Lords of Ladros |
| Locations | Estolad, Dorthonion (especially Ladros), Dor-Lómin, Brethil, later Númenor |
| Affiliation | House of Finarfin |
| Destroyed | Last formal leader of this people, Barahir, was slain in F.A. 460, but descendants of this people survived down into the Fourth Age |
| Language | Taliska, Sindarin |
| Members | Beren Erchamion, Dior Eluchíl, Elwing, Bregolas, Andreth |
| Physical Description | |
| Race | Edain |
| Hair colour | Dark or brown |
| Skin colour | Pale to swarthy |
| Heirlooms | Bow of Bregor, Ring of Barahir |
| Gallery | Images of Bëorians |
They were eager of mind, cunning-handed, swift in understanding, long in memory, and they were moved sooner to pity than to laughter.
The House of Bëor, also known as the First House of the Edain, was the name given to the first of the three Houses of the Edain to cross the Ered Luin into Beleriand after travelling west, driven forth by the terrors wrought by Morgoth in the east. From the House of Bëor would come many famous lords and heroes, most notably Beren Erchamion who claimed a Silmaril from Morgoth's Iron Crown.
The followers of Bëor and his descendants would become the Bëorians, Men of Dorthonion, and the People of Bëor.
Origin
The Men of the House of Bëor descended from the tribes of Men who abandoned Hildórien for the West. They were at war with the Men who fell under the Shadow, and were pursued by them.[1] They followed a road around northern Rhûn where they met some Dwarves.[2] At the shores of the Sea of Rhûn a small part was separated, which would later become the House of Bëor. The Greater Folk, the ancestors of the House of Marach, came later in the north-east woods near the shores. They crafted boats and could sail the inland Sea, and seemed to had been related to the ancestors of the Northmen.[3]
The Folk of Beor didn't have beasts of burden so they were hardened by toilsome journeys carrying great loads. A group of 2000 poor and ill-equipped adult men found a way to pass the Blue Mountains.[1]
History
Under the leadership of Balan (later called Bëor), they travailed the Blue Mountains into Ossiriand through a valley below the springs of Thalos.[4]:§2 in F.A. 310. There were discovered by the Noldorin King Finrod Felagund, eldest son of Finarfin, thus they were the first men to encounter one of the Eldar. Finrod befriended the House of Bëor (the First House of the Edain) and persuaded Thingol, overlord of Beleriand to grant the new arrivals lands which to inhabit. Thingol gave to them (and the other two Edain Houses that followed) land in the realm of the Noldorin Elf-lords Amrod and Amras, the youngest sons of Fëanor, of which this land was thereafter known as Estolad, the Encampment.
In 402, there was fighting in the northern marches of Beleriand where the Orcs attempted to break through the Pass of Aglon. They were repelled by forces from the House of Fëanor under Maedhros and Maglor, the House of Finarfin, and the House of Bëor, who become the first among Men to draw swords on behalf of the Eldar of Beleriand.[5] In 410, the region of Ladros in Dorthonion was granted to the House of Bëor, with their chief, Boromir, becoming the first Lord of Ladros.[6] This fiefdom was short-lived, however, as it was overtaken by Morgoth's forces during the Dagor Bragollach in 455; during this assault Bregolas, the third Lord of Ladros, was slain, leaving the leadership of the ruined house to his brother Barahir.
Barahir did what he could to ensure the House's survival, sending the women and children to safety under the leadership of his wife Emeldir. They went to the forest of Brethil where some merged with the Haladin, but others (including Rían and Morwen) continued on to Dor-lómin and joined with the people of Galdor. Meanwhile Barahir remained in Dorthonion with his son Beren, Bregolas' sons Baragund and Belegund, and a dwindling company of men. Pressed by Sauron from Tol-in-Gaurhoth this company was eventually betrayed by one of their members Gorlim the Unhappy, revealing Barahir's hideout at Tarn Aeluin. All the company were destroyed save Beren who was away scouting when the attack happened. None the less, from that point on the House of Bëor ceased to be an independent entity and its people joined the surviving Houses of Men.
Characteristics
The Bëorians were noted as being very akin to the Noldor in their appearance. They had dark or brown hair with grey or brown eyes, and some among them were fair-haired; their skin ranged from fair to even swarthy. Most were broad and of stocky build; those as tall as those of the Folk of Hador were rare.[1]:308[7]
They were eager, smart and quick in learning, cunning-handed and long in memory. They were moved sooner to pity than to laughter.[7] They are also described to be more steadfast even than the Folk of Hador, fortituously enduring hardships and sorrows, slow to cry and to laugh.[1]
Many of those descended from Bëorian stock had the traits most akin to those of the Noldor, such as Túrin Turambar whose mother Morwen Eledhwen was Bëorian. He was mistaken for one of the Noldor, inspiring his name Adanedhel, meaning 'Man-elf'.
Other names
Genealogy
Showing the descendants of Bëor, the First House of the Edain. All information in the tree is from The War of the Jewels, (i) The House of Bëor,[8] unless otherwise specified. The figures after the names are births and deaths where recorded (when only one figure is shown, marked as 'b.', it indicates a date of birth). All dates shown are from the First Age; when no dates are shown then that person was not of the House of Bëor. A dagger symbol '†' signifies those who did not die of old age. A name preceded by '#*' indicates a ruler of the house, with the number specifying the order. Names in italics indicate women.
In the tree the following colors are used: White - House of Bëor, Blue - House of Haleth, Yellow - House of Hador, Green - Elves, Turquoise - Half-elven, and Red - Later Houses of Men.
| 1* Balan Bëor the Old 262-355 [note 1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2* Baran 289-380 | Belen b. 292 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3* Boron 315-408 | Baranor b. 317 | Beldir b. 316 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4* Boromir 338-432 | Belegor b. 340 | Bereg b. 340 [note 2] | Belemir b. 339 | Adanel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5* Bregor 359-448 | Andreth b. 361 | Beril b. 365 | Beren b. 374 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arachon | Bregil b. 386 | Hirwen b. 389 | 6* Bregolas 393-455 † [note 3] | Gilwen b. 397 | 7* Barahir 400-460 † [note 4] | Two unnamed older children | Emeldir the Manhearted b. 406 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brandir b. 409 | Beldis b. 411 | Handir of Brethil | Beleth b. 417 [note 5] | Baragund 420-460 † [note 6] | Belegund 422-460 † [note 7] | 8* Beren Erchamion 432-465 †, 465-501 [note 8] | Lúthien Tinúviel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brandir the Lame † (Childless) | Húrin Thalion | Morwen Edhelwen 443-500 † [note 9] | Rían 450-472 † [note 10] | Huor | Dior 470-506 † [note 11] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Túrin Turambar † (Childless) | Idril | Tuor | Eluréd 500-506 † [note 12] | Elurín 500-506 † [note 13] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eärendil | Elwing b. 503 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elros | Elrond | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| House of Elros | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| House of Isildur | House of Anárion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aragorn | Arwen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes
- ↑ Balan became a vassal of King Felagund and took the name "Bëor", meaning "vassal". Later, since he lived to the age of 93, the epithet "the Old" was appended to his name.
- ↑ Bereg led a thousand followers out of Beleriand; his fate is unknown.
- ↑ Bregolas died in the Dagor Bragollach.
- ↑ Barahir was slain in the Massacre of Tarn Aeluin.
- ↑ Beleth's distant descendant in the Second Age was Beregar, the father of Queen Erendis of Númenor.
- ↑ Baragund was a member of Barahir's outlaw band in Dorthonion after the Dagor Bragollach and was slain by Orcs in the Massacre at Tarn Aeluin.
- ↑ Belegund was also a member of Barahir's outlaw band and was slain by Orcs in the Massacre at Tarn Aeluin.
- ↑ Beren died from wounds received from the bites of Carcharoth, the Wolf of Morgoth. However, he returned to Middle-earth and lived with Lúthien before dying again.
- ↑ Morwen, spent from years of wandering in the wilderness, died upon the mound that held her son Túrin, which was also a memorial to her daughter Nienor.
- ↑ Rían made her way to the Haudh-en-Nirnaeth after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad where she laid herself down and died.
- ↑ Dior died in Menegroth when the sons of Fëanor attacked to take the Silmaril that had been set in the Nauglamír.
- ↑ Eluréd was seized by Celegorm's servants during the Second Kinslaying and left in the forest to die of starvation. [In The Silmarillion, Eluréd was renamed from "Eldún".]
- ↑ Elurín was seized by Celegorm's servants during the Second Kinslaying and left in the forest to die of starvation. [In The Silmarillion, Elurín was renamed from "Elrún".]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "X. Of Dwarves and Men", "The Atani and their Languages"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Two. The Later Quenta Silmarillion: Concerning the Dwarves (Chapter 13)"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan"
- ↑ 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)"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part One. The Grey Annals"
- ↑ 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)", p. 228-9
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Men"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 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, pp. 229-232