Thorondor
| Thorondor | |
|---|---|
| Eagle | |
 | |
| "Thorondor" by John Howe | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Other names | Sorontar (Q) |
| Titles | Lord of the Eagles, King of Eagles |
| Location | Taniquetil Thangorodrim Crissaegrim |
| Affiliation | Manwë |
| Language | Quenya, Sindarin |
| Notable for | helping Fingon rescue Maedhros; wounding Morgoth; rescuing Beren and Lúthien; rescuing the survivors of the Fall of Gondolin |
| Family | |
| Children | Unnamed; ancestor of Gwaihir and Landroval |
| Physical Description | |
| Gender | Male |
| Wingspan | thirty fathoms[1] (180 feet/55 meters) |
| Weaponry | Beak, claws |
| Gallery | Images of Thorondor |
Thorondor, the Lord of the Eagles, was the greatest of the Eagles of Manwë king of the Valar. It is said that Thorondor had a wingspan of thirty fathoms.[1]
History[edit]
Thorondor was sent by Manwë to watch over the Noldor after they arrived in Beleriand. The Eldar first encountered him when he helped Fingon rescue Maedhros from imprisonment from Thangorodrim.[2]
After that, Thorondor and the rest of the Eagles settled in the Crissaegrim.[3] When Gondolin was built, Thorondor became the ever vigilant guardian of the city. He rescued Fingolfin's body from defilement after Morgoth killed him, giving the Dark Lord a scar on his face.[4]
He and two of his vassals, Gwaihir and Landroval,[5] rescued Beren and Lúthien when Angband was aroused.[6] When Gondolin fell, Thorondor rescued the survivors.[7]
During the War of Wrath, Thorondor and Eärendil led the Eagles in battle with the Dragons, and may have fought with Ancalagon the Black.[8]
Thorondor is not mentioned after the War of Wrath, but his descendants played part in some events of the Third Age.[9]
Genealogy[edit]
| THORONDOR | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gwaihir | Landroval | ||||||||||||||||||
Etymology[edit]
Thorondor is Sindarin for "King of Eagles", being the combination of thoron ("eagle") + taur, -dor ("king"). The Quenya cognate is Sorontar.[10]
In earlier versions of the legendarium he was called Sorontur in Qenya, from the root SORO ("eagle") + tur ("king"). The Gnomish cognates were Thorndor and Throndor.[11] A discarded Qenya name was Ramandur/Ramandor ("Shouter").[12]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Shaping of Middle-earth, "III. The Quenta: [Section] 8", pp. 102-3 (also p. 173)
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Return of the Noldor"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Noldor in Beleriand"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part One. The Grey Annals" p. 68
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Beren and Lúthien"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Field of Cormallen", p. 948
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names", entry soron
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part One, Appendix: Names in the Lost Tales – Part I, entry "Sorontur"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part One, Appendix: Names in the Lost Tales – Part I, entries "Makar", "Ramandur"
| Named Eagles | |
| Thorondor · Gwaihir · Landroval · Meneldor | |
