House of Haleth
Encyclopedia
In the fiction
of J. R. R. Tolkien
, the House of Haleth or the Haladin were the family of Men
that ruled over the second of the Three Houses of the Edain
. They were the descendants of Haldad, but the house and the people were named after Haldad's daughter Haleth
, who led them from East Beleriand
to Brethil.
but "shorter and broader, sterner and less swift. They were less eager for lore, and used few words; for they did not love great concourse of men, and many among them delighted in solitude, wandering free in the greenwoods." They were a reclusive people and kept separate from the Edain of other Houses, for they were unrelated to the Bëorians and Hadorians and spoke a different language. However, they were always accompanied by an emigrant branch of the Drúedain
.
The ancestors of the Folk of Haleth travelled from the East of Middle-earth
separately from the great people of whom came the Houses of Bëor and Hador. Their first known settling-place was west of the later Gap of Rohan between the Misty Mountains and the White. Some remained there throughout the later ages, becoming the Dunlendings and the folk of Enedwaith and Minhiriath. Around the same time they became acquainted with the ancestors of the Drúedain, and profitable relationship was soon established. Together many of both people journeyed across Eriador
.
The Men of the Second House first appeared in Beleriand
in the Year of the Sun 312 of the First Age
, crossing the Ered Luin in small parties and hiding in the woods of Thargelion, since they were unwilling to settle in Estolad with the Bëorians and Marachians. They did not have any lords and lived in separate homesteads, with occasional strife between tribes. For a long while they dwelt there, unheeded by other Men and Elves
.
But in Y.S. 375 Morgoth
sent out an Orc-raid
that passed to the east of Ered Luin and entered Thargelion by the Dwarf-pass. The Men of the Second House were caught off-guard, and a great part of their people was wiped out. The remnant was gathered under one Haldad and his daughter Haleth and son Haldar; and they held out for days in a stockade until the Noldor
rescued them. Impressed by their virtue, Caranthir
offered them his lands to live in protected, but Haleth, with her father and brother slain, refused. Next year she led her people first to Estolad (which was already abandoned by the majority of other Edain) and after a time further westward, passing through Nan Dungortheb and coming in Y.S. 391 to the woods of Talath Dirnen. Later many removed to the forest of Brethil, which was a part of Doriath
outside the Girdle of Melian, but now was granted to them by Thingol
.
For the next century the Folk of Brethil mostly kept out of the wars. The companies of warriors they sent to battle beyond their borders were small, though formed of redoubtable warriors. They remained "a small people, chiefly concerned to protect their own woodlands, and they excelled in forest warfare". The Men of Brethil formed a loose alliance of clans rather than a strong nation as the other Edain, and were ruled by a 'Chieftain' or 'Halad' (see below). In the woods to the south of river Taeglin their kinsfolk dwelt in scattered homesteads; they "owned no lord, and they lived both by hunting and by husbandry, keeping swine in the mast-lands, and tilling clearings in the forest which were fenced from the wild".
The Folk of Brethil successfully managed to protect their borders after the fall of Tol Sirion, but the end of this relative peace came soon after the Nírnaeth Arnoediad
. First, the folk living to the south of Taeglin were worsened by the Orc-raids, so that the few that remained became wary and from now onwards "about the houses was a ditch and a stockade; and there were paths from stead to stead, and men could summon help at need by horn-calls." Their dwellings were finally sacked by Orcs in Y.S. 485, with most of men slain in battle, but women and children having fled to Brethil in time.
The Men of Brethil were themselves seriously assailed in Y.S. 495, and their lord Handir was slain. They retreated to the deeps of the forest and, according to some versions, "dwelt for the most part secretly within a stockade upon Amon Obel" (see also Obel Halad). The final ruin of Brethil was brought about by the Curse of Morgoth, when by the deeds of Túrin Turambar
and Húrin Thalion
the last descendants of Haldad perished. Moreover in Y.S. 501 Húrin caused a civil war during which a great part of the Folk of Haleth was slain or "fell back again to be more like their kinsmen in the open woods", and their strength was loosened.
After the fall of Doriath the Men of Brethil were nearly completely wiped out, or at least they had disappeared as a separate people. The last of them, including some Drúedain, escaped to the Mouths of Sirion and later to the Isle of Balar. After the ruin of Beleriand they either journeyed to Númenor
or fled back to Eriador. Among the Númenóreans (in majority descendants of the Folk of Hador) communities of Bëorians and of Drúedain are known to have existed, but the descendants of the Men of Brethil are not mentioned.
From this time the Second House was ruled by the Chieftains or Haladin (singular Halad), which were elected by the full Moot of the Folk. By tradition they were chosen from the family of Haleth - descendants of her nephew Haldan, usually the eldest of the eldest male line.
All descendants of Haldan were slain during the civil war, and later Avranc
, son of Dorlas
, was elected the Chieftain by the majority of Folk, since he was from the beginning opposing Húrin, who had caused the kin-strife. Avranc had no such authority as previous Haladin, and some of the Folk refused to admit his rule and forsook Brethil. Further Chieftains of the Men of Brethil, if any existed, are unknown.
In the result only Hardang was of purely Halethin blood, and some wanted him to be elected Chieftain after Handir; other great-grandsons of Halmir took pride in their kinship with the House of Hador. By the law of the Folk of Brethil all of Brandir, Hardang, Túrin, Hunthor and Manthor had equal rights to become the Halad, but by tradition Brandir was chosen as of the eldest male line. After the coming of Turambar and revelation of his true name, fame and power, it was not surprising that he came to lead the Folk, if unofficially. However, when Brandir, Túrin and Hunthor were all slain in one day, the question of chieftainship arose again. This time Hardang was elected, but Manthor had nearly equal following. The shadow brought by Húrin he used to instigate a revolt, and in the end Hardang was slain. However, Manthor was not elected as Avranc killed him two days after.
and The Wanderings of Húrin.
, with the following meanings: Hundor 'heart-king', Handir 'intelligent man', Brandir 'noble man'; and also Haldir 'hidden hero', though at that stage it was the name of Orodreth
's son. Later, however, Tolkien stated that the names of the Haladin were given in their own language, with their meanings mostly unknown to later historians, and noted that "hal(a) = ... 'watch, guard'. Halad was a warden. (Haldad = watch-dog.)" Soon he changed the sense of the root: "Hal- in the old language of this people = head, chief", and proposed to introduce Halbar as both a term for 'Chieftain' and the name of older Haldar, but this was not introduced into any narrative.
The names with meanings known for certain are Hiril 'lady' and Meleth 'love', for they are the only names of the Haladin that were given in Sindarin
. Hareth's name presumably also means 'lady', but in the tongue of the Folk (the grave of Haleth, daughter of Haldad, is called both Ladybarrow and Tûr Haretha). Thus to both his daughters Halmir gave a name signifying 'lady', but in different contemporary languages.
, based primarily on The Later Quenta Silmarillion. But in later writings the meaning of Haladin was changed to Wardens or Chieftains, denoting only the family of Haleth. It is to be noted that neither after this change, nor before was the Second House of Men called the House of Haleth (unlike the Houses of Bëor and Hador, used to denote both the family and occasionally the people). They are always referred to as Folk of Haleth, Men of Brethil etc.
In even earlier versions of the legendarium, there were only two Houses of Men: of Bëor and Hador, the latter afterwards separated in two. The leader of the Second House became Haleth the Hunter (great-grandfather of Brandir), his people called both House of Haleth and Folk of Haleth (or Halethrim) and described as alike to the House of Hador rather than Bëor; and these conceptions were still present until the vast expansion into earlier generations took place after the writing of The Lord of the Rings
.
In the last writings of Tolkien on the subject of Edain, Of Dwarves and Men, he reverted the order of arrival of the Folks of Haleth and Marach in Beleriand. This was not incorporated into the published The Silmarillion, although most of the other changed conceptions from this work were included or implied, as for example making the People of Haleth unrelated to the other tribes.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
of J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
, the House of Haleth or the Haladin were the family of Men
Man (Middle-earth)
The race of Men in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth books, such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, refers to humanity and does not denote gender...
that ruled over the second of the Three Houses of the Edain
Edain
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Edain were men who made their way into Beleriand in the First Age, and were friendly to the Elves....
. They were the descendants of Haldad, but the house and the people were named after Haldad's daughter Haleth
Haleth
Haleth is a fictional character from J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. She was a leader of the Second House of the Edain, called the Folk of Haleth after her....
, who led them from East Beleriand
Beleriand
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
to Brethil.
The Folk of Haleth
The Folk of Haleth or the Men of Brethil were dark-haired and dark-eyed, resembling the House of BëorHouse of Bëor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, the House of Bëor were the family of Men who ruled over the eldest of the Three Houses of the Edain that had allied with the Elves in the First Age.-The Folk of Bëor:...
but "shorter and broader, sterner and less swift. They were less eager for lore, and used few words; for they did not love great concourse of men, and many among them delighted in solitude, wandering free in the greenwoods." They were a reclusive people and kept separate from the Edain of other Houses, for they were unrelated to the Bëorians and Hadorians and spoke a different language. However, they were always accompanied by an emigrant branch of the Drúedain
Drúedain
The Drúedain are a fictional race of Men which were counted amongst the Edain, who made their way into Beleriand in the First Age, and were friendly to the Elves. They are part of the Middle-earth legendarium, created by J. R. R. Tolkien....
.
The ancestors of the Folk of Haleth travelled from the East of Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
separately from the great people of whom came the Houses of Bëor and Hador. Their first known settling-place was west of the later Gap of Rohan between the Misty Mountains and the White. Some remained there throughout the later ages, becoming the Dunlendings and the folk of Enedwaith and Minhiriath. Around the same time they became acquainted with the ancestors of the Drúedain, and profitable relationship was soon established. Together many of both people journeyed across Eriador
Eriador
Eriador is a large region in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth. In the Second Age, and possibly much earlier, it was largely forested, but the Dúnedain felled most of the forests to build ships. Much of it was encompassed in the early Third Age by the kingdom of Arnor, which...
.
The Men of the Second House first appeared in Beleriand
Beleriand
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
in the Year of the Sun 312 of the First Age
First Age
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the First Age, or First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar is the heroic period in which most of Tolkien's early legends are set...
, crossing the Ered Luin in small parties and hiding in the woods of Thargelion, since they were unwilling to settle in Estolad with the Bëorians and Marachians. They did not have any lords and lived in separate homesteads, with occasional strife between tribes. For a long while they dwelt there, unheeded by other Men and Elves
Elf (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Elves are one of the races that inhabit a fictional Earth, often called Middle-earth, and set in the remote past. They appear in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings, but their complex history is described more fully in The Silmarillion...
.
But in Y.S. 375 Morgoth
Morgoth
Morgoth Bauglir is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium. He is the main antagonist of The Silmarillion, figures in The Children of Húrin, and is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings.Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur, but turned to darkness and became...
sent out an Orc-raid
Orc (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings, Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings — Morgoth, Sauron and Saruman...
that passed to the east of Ered Luin and entered Thargelion by the Dwarf-pass. The Men of the Second House were caught off-guard, and a great part of their people was wiped out. The remnant was gathered under one Haldad and his daughter Haleth and son Haldar; and they held out for days in a stockade until the Noldor
Noldor
In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Noldor are Elves of the Second Clan who migrated to Valinor and lived in Eldamar. The Noldor are called Golodhrim or Gódhellim in Sindarin, and Goldoi by Teleri of Tol Eressëa. The singular form of the Quenya noun is Noldo and the adjective is Noldorin...
rescued them. Impressed by their virtue, Caranthir
Caranthir
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Caranthir is a fictional character, the fourth of the sons of Fëanor, was also the harshest, and the quickest to anger; he was also called "Caranthir the Dark". His Quenya name was Morifinwë "The Dark Finwë"...
offered them his lands to live in protected, but Haleth, with her father and brother slain, refused. Next year she led her people first to Estolad (which was already abandoned by the majority of other Edain) and after a time further westward, passing through Nan Dungortheb and coming in Y.S. 391 to the woods of Talath Dirnen. Later many removed to the forest of Brethil, which was a part of Doriath
Doriath
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Doriath is the realm of the Sindar, the Grey Elves of King Thingol in Beleriand. Along with the other great forests of Tolkien's legendarium such as Mirkwood, Fangorn and Lothlórien it serves as the central stage in the theatre of its time, the First Age...
outside the Girdle of Melian, but now was granted to them by Thingol
Thingol
Elu Thingol is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Silmarillion, The Lays of Beleriand and Children of Húrin as well as in numerous stories in the many volumes of The History of Middle-earth...
.
For the next century the Folk of Brethil mostly kept out of the wars. The companies of warriors they sent to battle beyond their borders were small, though formed of redoubtable warriors. They remained "a small people, chiefly concerned to protect their own woodlands, and they excelled in forest warfare". The Men of Brethil formed a loose alliance of clans rather than a strong nation as the other Edain, and were ruled by a 'Chieftain' or 'Halad' (see below). In the woods to the south of river Taeglin their kinsfolk dwelt in scattered homesteads; they "owned no lord, and they lived both by hunting and by husbandry, keeping swine in the mast-lands, and tilling clearings in the forest which were fenced from the wild".
The Folk of Brethil successfully managed to protect their borders after the fall of Tol Sirion, but the end of this relative peace came soon after the Nírnaeth Arnoediad
Nirnaeth Arnoediad
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium of Middle-earth, the Nírnaeth Arnoediad or Unnumbered Tears was the climactic Fifth Battle in the Wars of Beleriand.-The Fifth Battle as told in The Silmarillion:...
. First, the folk living to the south of Taeglin were worsened by the Orc-raids, so that the few that remained became wary and from now onwards "about the houses was a ditch and a stockade; and there were paths from stead to stead, and men could summon help at need by horn-calls." Their dwellings were finally sacked by Orcs in Y.S. 485, with most of men slain in battle, but women and children having fled to Brethil in time.
The Men of Brethil were themselves seriously assailed in Y.S. 495, and their lord Handir was slain. They retreated to the deeps of the forest and, according to some versions, "dwelt for the most part secretly within a stockade upon Amon Obel" (see also Obel Halad). The final ruin of Brethil was brought about by the Curse of Morgoth, when by the deeds of Túrin Turambar
Túrin Turambar
Túrin Turambar is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. "Turambar and the Foalókë", begun in 1917, is the first appearance of Túrin in the legendarium. J.R.R...
and Húrin Thalion
Húrin
Húrin is a fictional character in the Middle-earth legendarium of J. R. R. Tolkien. He is introduced in The Silmarillion as a hero of Men during the First Age, said to be the greatest warrior of both the Edain and all the other Men in Middle-earth...
the last descendants of Haldad perished. Moreover in Y.S. 501 Húrin caused a civil war during which a great part of the Folk of Haleth was slain or "fell back again to be more like their kinsmen in the open woods", and their strength was loosened.
After the fall of Doriath the Men of Brethil were nearly completely wiped out, or at least they had disappeared as a separate people. The last of them, including some Drúedain, escaped to the Mouths of Sirion and later to the Isle of Balar. After the ruin of Beleriand they either journeyed to Númenor
Númenor
Númenor is a fictional place in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. It was a huge island located in the Sundering Seas to the west of Middle-earth, the main setting of Tolkien's writings, and was known to be the greatest realm of Men...
or fled back to Eriador. Among the Númenóreans (in majority descendants of the Folk of Hador) communities of Bëorians and of Drúedain are known to have existed, but the descendants of the Men of Brethil are not mentioned.
The Haladin
The Men of the Second House were first united under Haldad (Y.S. 315-375), 'masterful and fearless', who gathered them behind a stockade in the angle between Ascar and Gelion during the Orc-raid. He was slain during a sortie, as was his son Haldar (341-375) while trying to protect his father's body from defilement by the Orcs. Haldar's twin sister Haleth was then chosen a chief, being "of great heart" and "no less in valour" than her kinsmen.From this time the Second House was ruled by the Chieftains or Haladin (singular Halad), which were elected by the full Moot of the Folk. By tradition they were chosen from the family of Haleth - descendants of her nephew Haldan, usually the eldest of the eldest male line.
- HalethHalethHaleth is a fictional character from J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. She was a leader of the Second House of the Edain, called the Folk of Haleth after her....
(341-420) Led her people from Thargelion to Brethil. - Haldan (366-451) Son of Haldar brother of Haleth.
- HalmirHalmirHalmir is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He is introduced in The Silmarillion as a Man of the Second House of the Edain in the First Age....
(390-471) Son of Haldan. Together with the SindarSindarIn the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the fictional Sindar are Elves of Telerin descent. They are also known as the Grey Elves. Their language is Sindarin...
of Doriath under BelegBelegIn the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Beleg is a major character who appears in numerous books, tales and poems about the First Age of Middle-earth such as The Silmarillion, The Lays of Beleriand and the Children of Húrin.-Name:...
defeated a great party of Orcs that came from the Pass of Sirion, and the Orcs dared not to approach Brethil for many years. When the Union of Maedhros was made, Halmir prepared his people for war, but died before the battle began. - Haldir (414-472) Elder son of Halmir. Led a small detachment of Brethil warriors to the Nírnaeth ArnoediadNirnaeth ArnoediadIn J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium of Middle-earth, the Nírnaeth Arnoediad or Unnumbered Tears was the climactic Fifth Battle in the Wars of Beleriand.-The Fifth Battle as told in The Silmarillion:...
, but nearly all fell in the rearguard of FingonFingonFingon is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Silmarillion.-Character overview:...
. - Handir (441-495) Son of Haldir. Shortly before the Sack of NargothrondNargothrondIn J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Nargothrond , called Nulukkhizdīn by the Dwarves, was the stronghold built by Finrod Felagund...
the Orcs again invaded Brethil, and the Folk of Haleth were driven into their woods with their lord slain in battle. - BrandirBrandirBrandir is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He was a Chieftain of the Folk of Haleth in the First Age. Brandir was the son of Handir of Brethil and was descended from the Houses of Haleth and Hador through his grandparents Haldir and Glóredhel...
(465-499) Called the Lame, son of Handir. His chieftainship was overshadowed by Túrin Turambar, who managed to raise the fortunes of Men of Brethil for a while, but later slew Brandir and himself. - HardangHardangHardang is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The War of the Jewels as a Chieftain of the Men of Brethil in the First Age....
(470-501) Grandson of Hundar Halmir's second son. Shortly ruled after childless Brandir until he was slain in the civil war caused by Húrin.
All descendants of Haldan were slain during the civil war, and later Avranc
Avranc
Avranc is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He was a Man of the Second House of the Edain in the First Age, and son of Dorlas of Brethil....
, son of Dorlas
Dorlas
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, Dorlas was a Man of the Folk of Haleth in the First Age. He was the father of Avranc.Dorlas was a close friend of Hardang of the Haladin, a pretender for the Chieftainship of Brethil...
, was elected the Chieftain by the majority of Folk, since he was from the beginning opposing Húrin, who had caused the kin-strife. Avranc had no such authority as previous Haladin, and some of the Folk refused to admit his rule and forsook Brethil. Further Chieftains of the Men of Brethil, if any existed, are unknown.
Descendants of Halmir
The third Chieftain Halmir had four children, and during the civil war of Brethil the resulting relationship was of great importance.- His elder son was Haldir (414-472), who married Glóredhel of the House of Marach and was the father of Handir (441-495) and grandfather of Brandir the Lame (465-499). On the proposed wife of Handir, Beldis of the House of Bëor, see Brandir.
- The elder daughter of Halmir was Hiril (b. c. 416). Her husband was Enthor, and their daughter Meleth, wedded to Agathor, was the mother of Hunthor (467-499) and ManthorManthorIn J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, Manthor was a lord of Men in the First Age. He was a descendant of Halmir of the House of Haleth; his parents were Meleth and Agathor, and his brother was Hunthor who fell in the ravine of Taeglin....
(469-501). Hunthor was the companion of Túrin in his attempt to slay GlaurungGlaurungGlaurung is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Silmarillion as the first of the Dragons. He is also a major antagonist in The Children of Húrin. He was known as The Deceiver, The Golden, The Great Worm and the Worm of...
; he offered himself to go instead of Brandir and saved Túrin's life, but was slain by a falling stone, "not the least valiant of the House of Haleth". Hunthor is stated to have been married, but the story of the civil war implies that neither he nor Manthor had any children. - Halmir's second son was Hundar (418-472), who went to the Nírnaeth ArnoediadNirnaeth ArnoediadIn J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium of Middle-earth, the Nírnaeth Arnoediad or Unnumbered Tears was the climactic Fifth Battle in the Wars of Beleriand.-The Fifth Battle as told in The Silmarillion:...
with his brother and likewise was slain. His daughter was Hunleth (born 443) and his son Hundad (born 447), father of Hardang (470-501). - The last child of Halmir was his daughter Hareth (born 420), wedded to Galdor the Tall of the House of Hador. She was the mother of HúrinHúrinHúrin is a fictional character in the Middle-earth legendarium of J. R. R. Tolkien. He is introduced in The Silmarillion as a hero of Men during the First Age, said to be the greatest warrior of both the Edain and all the other Men in Middle-earth...
and HuorHuorHuor is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in The Silmarillion as a hero of Men during the First Age. Huor was a grandson of Hador of the Third House of Edain, and lived in the Hadorian fief of Dor-lómin in Hithlum. His father was Galdor the Tall and his mother Hareth...
and grandmother of Túrin TurambarTúrin TurambarTúrin Turambar is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. "Turambar and the Foalókë", begun in 1917, is the first appearance of Túrin in the legendarium. J.R.R...
and TuorTuorTuor is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is the grandfather of Elrond Half-elven and one of the most renowned ancestors of the Men of Númenor and of the King of the Reunited Kingdom Aragorn Elessar...
. Thus through Hareth Elros and ElrondElrondElrond Half-elven is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Hobbit, and plays a supporting role in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.-Character overview:...
were also descended from the Second House of the Edain.
In the result only Hardang was of purely Halethin blood, and some wanted him to be elected Chieftain after Handir; other great-grandsons of Halmir took pride in their kinship with the House of Hador. By the law of the Folk of Brethil all of Brandir, Hardang, Túrin, Hunthor and Manthor had equal rights to become the Halad, but by tradition Brandir was chosen as of the eldest male line. After the coming of Turambar and revelation of his true name, fame and power, it was not surprising that he came to lead the Folk, if unofficially. However, when Brandir, Túrin and Hunthor were all slain in one day, the question of chieftainship arose again. This time Hardang was elected, but Manthor had nearly equal following. The shadow brought by Húrin he used to instigate a revolt, and in the end Hardang was slain. However, Manthor was not elected as Avranc killed him two days after.
Family tree of the House of Haleth
Other Men of Brethil
Other Edain of the Second House are known from the stories of the Narn i Chîn HúrinNarn i Chîn Húrin
A portion of the Narn i Chîn Húrin or The Tale of the Children of Húrin is a part of the book Unfinished Tales by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It is a prose version of an earlier narrative poem called The Lay of the Children of Húrin...
and The Wanderings of Húrin.
- AvrancAvrancAvranc is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He was a Man of the Second House of the Edain in the First Age, and son of Dorlas of Brethil....
, a friend of Hardang who slew Manthor and became the Halad. - DorlasDorlasIn J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, Dorlas was a Man of the Folk of Haleth in the First Age. He was the father of Avranc.Dorlas was a close friend of Hardang of the Haladin, a pretender for the Chieftainship of Brethil...
, father of Avranc and faint-hearted companion of Túrin during the slaying of GlaurungGlaurungGlaurung is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Silmarillion as the first of the Dragons. He is also a major antagonist in The Children of Húrin. He was known as The Deceiver, The Golden, The Great Worm and the Worm of... - Ebor, the chief henchman of Manthor, later appointed by him as the Captain of the Guards at the Ford of Brithiach. Ebor revered his lord, and followed his example in spite of Hardang's command, as when he returned gear and weapons to Asgon's company.
- Forhend, one of the guards at the Crossings of Taeglin. When Húrin first appeared, Forhend was afraid and suggested to thrust him out of Brethil immediately.
- Glirhuin, a seer and harp-player of Brethil. After the burial of MorwenMorwenMorwen is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. She is featured in The Silmarillion, The Children of Húrin and The Wanderings of Húrin.-Character overview:...
he made a prophetic song saying that "the Stone of the Hapless should not be defiled by Morgoth nor ever thrown down, not though the Sea should drown all the land." Later the Stone survived the Drowning of BeleriandBeleriandIn J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
upon the island of Tol Morwen. - Larnach, one of the woodmen akin to the Folk of Haleth that dwelt to the south of Taeglin. In Y.S. 485, his daughter while straying outside their fenced courtyard became pursued by the outlaws Forweg and AndrógAndrógIn J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, Andróg was a Man of the First Age featured in The Children of Húrin. He was the father of Andvír.-Appearance and history:...
, but was saved by Túrin. In an Orc-raid that followed in the summer the homesteads were destroyed; Larnach's fate is unknown, and he could well have been slain or captured, but his daughter supposedly reached Brethil in safety with other women. - Orleg, a member of the outlaw band Gaurwaith. He accompanied Túrin during a foray to spy upon the Orcs in Y.S. 485, but when they were discovered themselves, "Orleg was shot down by many arrows".
- Sagroth, one of the guards at the Crossings of Taeglin. When his Captain Manthor resigned to help Húrin, he left Sagroth in charge.
- Ulrad, a member of the outlaw band Gaurwaith. He was a friend of that man who was killed by Túrin at his first appearance among the outlaws; thus Ulrag opposed Túrin's joining the band, but was daunted by his strength. He earned the dislike of MîmMîmMîm is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth. He is introduced in The Silmarillion as the last of the Petty-dwarves....
the Petty-dwarf by doubting his faithfulness and putting bonds on him, so that the Dwarf promised to pass Ulrad over when dealing out 'earth-bread' and said that he was "one of the fools that spring would not mourn if [they] perished in winter".
Etymology of names
According to early writings of Tolkien, the names of the descendants of 'Haleth the Hunter' (see section below) were given in SindarinSindarin
Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....
, with the following meanings: Hundor 'heart-king', Handir 'intelligent man', Brandir 'noble man'; and also Haldir 'hidden hero', though at that stage it was the name of Orodreth
Orodreth
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Orodreth was an Elf of the First Age, the son of Angrod and nephew of Finrod Felagund, and a ruler of Nargothrond....
's son. Later, however, Tolkien stated that the names of the Haladin were given in their own language, with their meanings mostly unknown to later historians, and noted that "hal(a) = ... 'watch, guard'. Halad was a warden. (Haldad = watch-dog.)" Soon he changed the sense of the root: "Hal- in the old language of this people = head, chief", and proposed to introduce Halbar as both a term for 'Chieftain' and the name of older Haldar, but this was not introduced into any narrative.
The names with meanings known for certain are Hiril 'lady' and Meleth 'love', for they are the only names of the Haladin that were given in Sindarin
Sindarin
Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....
. Hareth's name presumably also means 'lady', but in the tongue of the Folk (the grave of Haleth, daughter of Haldad, is called both Ladybarrow and Tûr Haretha). Thus to both his daughters Halmir gave a name signifying 'lady', but in different contemporary languages.
Other versions of the legendarium
Tolkien originally proposed Haladin as the name of the whole Second House of the Edain, equivalent to Folk of Haleth. This conception was preserved into the published The SilmarillionThe Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...
, based primarily on The Later Quenta Silmarillion. But in later writings the meaning of Haladin was changed to Wardens or Chieftains, denoting only the family of Haleth. It is to be noted that neither after this change, nor before was the Second House of Men called the House of Haleth (unlike the Houses of Bëor and Hador, used to denote both the family and occasionally the people). They are always referred to as Folk of Haleth, Men of Brethil etc.
In even earlier versions of the legendarium, there were only two Houses of Men: of Bëor and Hador, the latter afterwards separated in two. The leader of the Second House became Haleth the Hunter (great-grandfather of Brandir), his people called both House of Haleth and Folk of Haleth (or Halethrim) and described as alike to the House of Hador rather than Bëor; and these conceptions were still present until the vast expansion into earlier generations took place after the writing of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
.
In the last writings of Tolkien on the subject of Edain, Of Dwarves and Men, he reverted the order of arrival of the Folks of Haleth and Marach in Beleriand. This was not incorporated into the published The Silmarillion, although most of the other changed conceptions from this work were included or implied, as for example making the People of Haleth unrelated to the other tribes.