 | |
| Unknown | |
| Huan | |
|---|---|
| Biographical Information | |
| Other names | The Hound of Valinor |
| Location | Valinor, Himlad, Nargothrond, Doriath |
| Affiliation | Oromë, Celegorm; later Beren and Lúthien |
| Language | Sindarin |
| Death | F.A. 466[1][note 1] Neldoreth, Hunting of the Wolf |
| Notable for | aiding Beren and Lúthien in their quest to retrieve a Silmaril from Morgoth; defeating Sauron; killing Carcharoth |
| Physical Description | |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | As large as a small horse |
| Hair colour | Grey fur |
| Weaponry | Fangs |
| Gallery | Images of Huan |
But Huan the hound was true of heart.
Huan, the Hound of Valinor, was a great wolfhound, one of the hunting dogs of Oromë the Hunter.
Huan had been granted special powers by the Valar, he was as large as a small horse, immortal, tireless and sleepless, and was allowed to speak three times before he died. It was also prophesied that he could not be killed unless it was by the greatest wolf that ever lived; in this case a werewolf.
History
Huan was given by Oromë to his friend Celegorm, one of the Sons of Fëanor and accompanied him on his huntings in the regions of Valinor. When the Noldor under Fëanor rebelled, Huan went with his master to Middle-earth. Presumably he was with his master while he dwelt in Himlad, and then when he retreated to Nargothrond by the late 5th century after their arrival.
Huan was with Celegorm and Curufin who were hunting when he smelled Lúthien and captured and brought the maid before Celegorm. She had set out to rescue Beren, who had gone with Finrod Felagund to Angband but had been captured in Tol-in-Gaurhoth. Celegorm and Curufin did not reveal to her that they had sent Beren to his death by the hand of Sauron, and took her as a prisoner to Nargothrond, "for her own protection", secretly plotting to wed her to Celegorm and thereby force an alliance with Lúthien's father Thingol.
Huan felt pity for Lúthien, and sought her out and so he became involved with the Quest for the Silmaril. Speaking for the first time, he told her of a way to escape, and then accompanied her to Tol-in-Gaurhoth where, with the help of Lúthien's magic, he killed all of Sauron's Werewolves until Sauron himself came out, taking the shape of the greatest wolf that had ever lived. Huan nevertheless managed to defeat him, and Sauron was forced to flee. Huan went back to his master, while Lúthien and Beren went on their way back to Doriath. They came across Celegorm and Curufin, who had been exiled from Nargothrond by Orodreth when he learned of their deeds. Curufin tried to kill Lúthien, but Huan turned against his master, defending Beren and Lúthien.
Speaking for the second time, Huan told Beren and Lúthien of his plan to gain entrance to Angband, bringing them the skin of the werewolf Draugluin and the bat-skin of Sauron's messenger Thuringwethil. Using these skins as disguise Beren and Lúthien went to Angband, while Huan hunted in the wild.
After Beren and Lúthien had won the Silmaril but Beren had lost his hand to the werewolf Carcharoth, Huan joined Beren, Thingol, Beleg Cúthalion and Mablung in the Hunting of the Wolf. Huan and Beren managed to kill Carcharoth, but Huan was mortally wounded, as was Beren. Speaking for the third and last time, he wished Beren and Lúthien farewell, and died, with Beren's palm upon his head.[2]
Etymology
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File:Huan.mp3 |
| By Ardamir. (Media help) | |
Huan means "great dog, hound" in Sindarin[3] and Quenya.[4] See also root KHUG.
Origin and nature
In a c. 1959 essay on the nature of Orcs, Tolkien speculated on whether speaking creatures such as Huan and the Eagles could be of Maia[5] origin.
But true 'rational' creatures, 'speaking peoples', are all of human / 'humanoid' form. Only the Valar and Maiar are intelligences that can assume forms of Arda at will. Huan and Sorontar could be Maiar - emissaries of Manwe. But unfortunately in The Lord of the Rings Gwaihir and Landroval are said to be descendants of Sorontar.
In the same c. 1959 essay he would speculate that Huan and the Eagles may not possess fëar, but are instead beasts elevated by the Valar:
In summary: I think it must be assumed that 'talking' is not necessarily the sign of the possession of a 'rational soul' or fëa. (...) The same sort of thing may be said of Huan and the Eagles: they were taught language by the Valar, and raised to a higher level - but they still had no fëar
However, in a note written on the paper containing the essay, Tolkien includes Huan as an example of a Maia clad in beast form[6]:
...As the Valar would robe themselves like the Children, many of the Maiar robed themselves like other lesser living things, as trees, flowers, beasts. (Huan.)
A later text dating from c. 1970 would state that the Eagles were Maiar[7], leaving Huan's spiritual status inconclusive.
Portrayal in adaptations
_-_L%C3%BAthien_and_Huan.jpg)
2022: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 1
- In episode 1, A Shadow of the Past, a statue of Lúthien and Huan is seen among other statues of Elven heroes in a forest in Lindon.
Notes
- ↑ Beren died in the same year as Huan did
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part One. The Grey Annals": §186
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Beren and Lúthien"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Index of Names", entry "Huan"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies", entry "KHUGAN"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "Part Five. Myths Transformed", pp. 409-11
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "Part Five. Myths Transformed", "[Text] VIII", note 4
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Carl F. Hostetter (ed.), The Nature of Middle-earth, "Part Three. The World, its Lands, and its Inhabitants: VIII. Manwë's Ban", Footnote #3, p. 308