Fëa and hröa
Encyclopedia
In J. R. R. Tolkien
's legendarium
, fëa and hröa are words for "soul
" (or "spirit
") and "body". The plural form of fëa is fëar and the plural form of hröa is hröar . (The words are also spelt fea and hroa because the spellings ëa, öa, where they occur, are only meant to remind people used to English orthography that the two vowels should not be drawn together as in English "sea" or "load")
The Children of Ilúvatar (Elves
and Men
) are described as existing as two parts: they have a "spirit" or "soul" called fëa, and a body or hröa which is made out of the matter of Arda
(erma); for this reason hröar are Marred (or, using another expression by Tolkien himself, contain a "Melkoringredient"), and this explains also why it was easier for Melkor and his servants to seduce Men rather than Elves, because mannish fëar have much less control of their hröar. According to the Elves, the fëa is powerless without the hröa, and likewise the hröa would die without the fëa.
The Elves' fate is to live as long as Arda
exists; they are bound to the world and cannot leave it. Unlike Men, Elves do not die of disease or of old age. However, Elves may be slain or lose the will to live, for instance because of grief. When an Elf dies, the fëa leaves the hröa, which then "dies". The fëa is summoned to the Halls of Mandos, where it is judged; however as with death their free-will is not taken away, they could refuse the summons. If allowed by Mandos, the fëa may be re-embodied into a new body that is identical to the previous hröa (in earlier versions of the legendarium
it may also re-enter the incarnate world through child-birth.).
Glorfindel
died in battle during the First Age
, and is the only Elf known to have returned to Middle-earth (probably around 1600 Second Age
). This was remarkable not only because Elves after their re-embodiment were unlikely to leave Aman
and return to Middle-earth
, but also because he was a Noldo
under the Doom and Ban of Mandos.
A fëa may decide to stay in the Halls of Mandos, or it may be denied re-embodiment. This would normally only occur if it had done much evil (or those Noldor under the Doom of Mandos). In such a case the fëa might have to wait very long or might never be allowed to leave Mandos. One example of such an elf is the Noldorin leader Fëanor
(whose name, incidentally, means "fire-fëa").
The situation of Men is different: a Mannish fëa is only a visitor to Arda, and when the hröa dies, the fëa, after a brief stay in Mandos, leaves Arda completely. Originally men could
. Men able to surrender themselves were the Númenóreans in their first centuries, and Aragorn
.
For this reason it is said the Fates of Men and Elves are sundered.
The choice of the Half-elven
is one of the fëa, not of the hröa. Lúthien
is the only known elf to have been permitted to share the Fate of Men, and so her fëa passed out of Arda and was lost to her kin (together with her lover Beren
, the only known Man to have been permitted to be re-embodied and return to Middle-earth for a while). Tuor
son of Huor
is a similar (and for his race, unique) exception; he was permitted a spiritual "conversion" so that his fëa would be counted as one of the Elves.
Not only the Children of Ilúvatar
possessed fëar: they were also granted to the Ent
s and some animals, such as Huan the Hound and perhaps also the great Eagles
. When Ilúvatar adopted Aulë
's children, the Dwarves
, he granted them, too, fëar of their own.
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,...
's legendarium
Tolkien's legendarium
The phrase Tolkien's legendarium is used in the literary discipline of Tolkien studiesto refer to the part of J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy fiction being concerned with his Elven legends; that is, historic events that have become legendary from the perspective of the characters of The Lord of the...
, fëa and hröa are words for "soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
" (or "spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
") and "body". The plural form of fëa is fëar and the plural form of hröa is hröar . (The words are also spelt fea and hroa because the spellings ëa, öa, where they occur, are only meant to remind people used to English orthography that the two vowels should not be drawn together as in English "sea" or "load")
The Children of Ilúvatar (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...
and 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...
) are described as existing as two parts: they have a "spirit" or "soul" called fëa, and a body or hröa which is made out of the matter of Arda
Arda
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Arda is the name given to the Earth in a period of prehistory, wherein the places mentioned in The Lord of the Rings and related material once existed...
(erma); for this reason hröar are Marred (or, using another expression by Tolkien himself, contain a "Melkoringredient"), and this explains also why it was easier for Melkor and his servants to seduce Men rather than Elves, because mannish fëar have much less control of their hröar. According to the Elves, the fëa is powerless without the hröa, and likewise the hröa would die without the fëa.
The Elves' fate is to live as long as Arda
Arda
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Arda is the name given to the Earth in a period of prehistory, wherein the places mentioned in The Lord of the Rings and related material once existed...
exists; they are bound to the world and cannot leave it. Unlike Men, Elves do not die of disease or of old age. However, Elves may be slain or lose the will to live, for instance because of grief. When an Elf dies, the fëa leaves the hröa, which then "dies". The fëa is summoned to the Halls of Mandos, where it is judged; however as with death their free-will is not taken away, they could refuse the summons. If allowed by Mandos, the fëa may be re-embodied into a new body that is identical to the previous hröa (in earlier versions of the legendarium
Legendarium
Legendary may refer to:*A hagiography, or study of the lives of saints and other religious figures**The South English Legendary, a Middle English legendary*A legend-Entertainment:*Legendary, an album by Kaysha*Legendary...
it may also re-enter the incarnate world through child-birth.).
Glorfindel
Glorfindel
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Glorfindel is a name used twice for an Elf appearing in the tales of Middle-earth. He is introduced in various material relating to the First Age of Middle-earth, including The Silmarillion. The second instance is for a character of The Lord of the Rings, which...
died in battle during 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...
, and is the only Elf known to have returned to Middle-earth (probably around 1600 Second Age
Second Age
The Second Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. Tolkien intended for the history of Middle-earth to be considered fictionally as a precursor to the history of the real Earth....
). This was remarkable not only because Elves after their re-embodiment were unlikely to leave Aman
Aman
-External links:*...
and return to 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....
, but also because he was a Noldo
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...
under the Doom and Ban of Mandos.
A fëa may decide to stay in the Halls of Mandos, or it may be denied re-embodiment. This would normally only occur if it had done much evil (or those Noldor under the Doom of Mandos). In such a case the fëa might have to wait very long or might never be allowed to leave Mandos. One example of such an elf is the Noldorin leader Fëanor
Fëanor
Fëanor is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium who plays an important part in The Silmarillion. He was the eldest son of Finwë, the High King of the Noldor, and his first wife Míriel Serindë...
(whose name, incidentally, means "fire-fëa").
The situation of Men is different: a Mannish fëa is only a visitor to Arda, and when the hröa dies, the fëa, after a brief stay in Mandos, leaves Arda completely. Originally men could
surrender themselves: die of free will, and even of desire, in estelbut Melkor made Men fear death, instead of accept with joy the Gift of Eru
Gift of Men
The Gift of Men in Middle-earth refers to a gift of Ilúvatar to his Younger Children, which remains a source of some confusion for Tolkien enthusiasts. The concept includes both mortality and free will...
. Men able to surrender themselves were the Númenóreans in their first centuries, and Aragorn
Aragorn
Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...
.
For this reason it is said the Fates of Men and Elves are sundered.
The choice of the Half-elven
Half-elven
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Half-elven are the children of the union of Elves and Men. The Half-elven are not a distinct race from Elves and Men, and must ultimately choose to which race they belong...
is one of the fëa, not of the hröa. Lúthien
Lúthien
Lúthien Tinúviel is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. She appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian, The Lord of the Rings and the Grey Annals, as well as in other material.-Character overview:Lúthien is a Telerin ...
is the only known elf to have been permitted to share the Fate of Men, and so her fëa passed out of Arda and was lost to her kin (together with her lover Beren
Beren
Beren is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Silmarillion. Huan spoke to him.-Character overview:...
, the only known Man to have been permitted to be re-embodied and return to Middle-earth for a while). Tuor
Tuor
Tuor 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...
son of Huor
Huor
Huor 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...
is a similar (and for his race, unique) exception; he was permitted a spiritual "conversion" so that his fëa would be counted as one of the Elves.
Not only the Children of Ilúvatar
Children of Ilúvatar
The Children of Ilúvatar is the name given to the two races of Elves and Men in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium because they were created by Ilúvatar, the One God, without the help of the Ainur....
possessed fëar: they were also granted to the Ent
Ent
Ents are a race of beings in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy world Middle-earth who closely resemble trees. They are similar to the talking trees in folklore around the world. Their name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for giant....
s and some animals, such as Huan the Hound and perhaps also the great Eagles
Eagle (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the eagles were immense flying birds that were sapient and could speak. Often emphatically referred to as the Great Eagles, they appear, usually and intentionally serving as agents of deus ex machina , in various parts of his legendarium,...
. When Ilúvatar adopted Aulë
Aulë
Aulë is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, who is primarily discussed in The Silmarillion, but appears also in Tolkien's other works. In Tolkien's pantheon of Middle-earth, Aulë is a knowledge deity, sometimes worshipped as a god by men, representing skill and craftsmanship,...
's children, the Dwarves
Dwarf (Middle-earth)
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Dwarves are a race inhabiting the world of Arda, a fictional prehistoric Earth which includes the continent Middle-earth....
, he granted them, too, fëar of their own.