Hador
Encyclopedia
In the fiction
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,...
, Hador was a Lord 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...
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...
.
Biography
Hador, also called 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....
Lórindol ('Goldenhead', ˈhadɔr, lɔːˈrindɔl) because he had fair blond hair, was the great-great-grandson of Marach
Marach
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, Marach was the leader of the Third House of the Edain in the First Age, called the Folk of Marach after him. He was the father of Malach and Imlach and ancestor of Túrin Turambar....
, one of the leaders of the Atanatári, and ruled over the Folk of Marach which later became commonly known as the House of Hador. Hador wedded Gildis and had three children, Glóredhel, Galdor the Tall and Gundor. Galdor's sons were 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...
and 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...
, and Húrin's son was 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...
who slew the Dragon Glaurung
Glaurung
Glaurung 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...
.
Hador entered the household of Fingolfin
Fingolfin
Fingolfin is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, appearing in The Silmarillion.-Internal history:He was a High King of the Noldor in Beleriand, second eldest son of Finwë, full brother of Finarfin, and half-brother of Fëanor, who was the eldest of Finwë's sons. His mother was...
High King of 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...
in his youth, and was well liked by the king. Seeing that 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....
needed a country and lords of their own, Fingolfin now granted to Hador the lordship of land of Dor-lómin in Hithlum
Hithlum
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Hithlum is the region north of Beleriand near the Helcaraxë.Hithlum was separated from Beleriand proper by the Ered Wethrin mountain chain, and was named after the sea mists which formed there at times: Hithlum is Sindarin for "Mist-shadow";...
in the year 416 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...
, where soon most of his folk migrated from their former dwellings by the sources of Taeglin. The Folk of Hador remained thereafter loyal to the House of Fingolfin and for his cause marched to war against 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...
, though under their own Lord.
He also received the Dragon-helm of Telchar, a famed Dwarven
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....
-smith of Nogrod, at that time. Hador was given this helm because it was made for dwarven-heads, and none had the size to wear it in the land. He was one of the tallest Men in all 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...
. All of his line wore the helm until it was lost in the time of his great-grandson Túrin, with the exception of Húrin who was of lesser stature than his fathers (though perhaps the mightiest warrior of mortal men).
Hador was slain during the Dagor Bragollach
Dagor Bragollach
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, the Dagor Bragollach was the fourth battle of the Wars of Beleriand...
along with his son Gundor before the walls of Eithel Sirion, defending the rearguard of Fingolfin. The rule of Dor-lómin passed then to his elder son Galdor.
The House of Hador
The House of Marach or House of Hador were the family of MenMan (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 the over the last 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....
in 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...
. They were the descendants of Marach
Marach
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, Marach was the leader of the Third House of the Edain in the First Age, called the Folk of Marach after him. He was the father of Malach and Imlach and ancestor of Túrin Turambar....
, but were usually named after his great-great-grandson Hador Lórindol, the first Lord of Dor-lómin.
Legends
The House of Hador was the greatest of the three houses of Men, having at the time of their coming to BeleriandBeleriand
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...
some six thousand full-grown men. "For the most part they were tall people, with flaxen or golden hair and blue-grey eyes, but there were not a few among them that had dark hair, though all were fair-skinned." The People of Marach were "quick to wrath and laughter, fierce in battle, generous to friend and to foe, swift in resolve, fast in loyalty, joyous in heart, 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....
in the youth of Mankind." They were akin to the House of Bëor
House 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:...
and spoke a closely related language, called Taliska
Taliska
Taliska is a constructed language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is one of the many fictional languages set in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Taliska was based on the Gothic language. Gothic was an early interest of Tolkien...
.
The vanguard of the Greater Folk, now led by one Marach
Marach
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, Marach was the leader of the Third House of the Edain in the First Age, called the Folk of Marach after him. He was the father of Malach and Imlach and ancestor of Túrin Turambar....
, were the first to reach the Ered Luin, but they were daunted by the heights and turned southward, seeking a way round the Mountains. Thus they came to 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...
from the south when the other Houses had already settled. Marach therefore led his people to the plains of Estolad, where they settled to the south-east of the Folk of Bëor.
Soon the Edain began to migrate from Estolad again, for the Kings of 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...
sent word that any who wished could come and dwell among their people. Malach, son of Marach lived in Hithlum
Hithlum
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Hithlum is the region north of Beleriand near the Helcaraxë.Hithlum was separated from Beleriand proper by the Ered Wethrin mountain chain, and was named after the sea mists which formed there at times: Hithlum is Sindarin for "Mist-shadow";...
for fourteen years, and soon he led some of his people there, and yet a greater part journeyed under his son Magor to the lands around the sources of Taeglin south of Ered Wethrin. But some regretted of their coming to Beleriand, having found themselves entangled in the wars with Morgoth whom they had fled. So after a council and assembly in Y.S. 369 a host of the Folk of Marach went back over the Ered Luin to 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...
, mingling with their old kinsmen there. And many men still remained in Estolad until the Ruin of Beleriand
Dagor Bragollach
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, the Dagor Bragollach was the fourth battle of the Wars of Beleriand...
; but most of the Third House forsook that land by Y.S. 380 and in Y.S. 416 the land of Dor-lómin in Hithlum was officially granted to their lord Hador.
The House of Hador became the most renowned of the Edain, fighting for the people of Fingolfin
Fingolfin
Fingolfin is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, appearing in The Silmarillion.-Internal history:He was a High King of the Noldor in Beleriand, second eldest son of Finwë, full brother of Finarfin, and half-brother of Fëanor, who was the eldest of Finwë's sons. His mother was...
and Fingon
Fingon
Fingon is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Silmarillion.-Character overview:...
. They were moreover hardy to endure cold and feared not at times to go far into the north and there keep watch upon the movements of Morgoth's forces. Many of them fell when the Siege of Angband
Siege of Angband
The Siege of Angband or "The Long Peace" in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fictional universe was the siege of the Noldor around the fortress of Morgoth in the early centuries of the Years of the Sun, which began following the Dagor Aglareb. For the most part, it was a time of plenitude, peace and...
was broken in the Dagor Bragollach
Dagor Bragollach
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, the Dagor Bragollach was the fourth battle of the Wars of Beleriand...
, but still Hithlum was defended, and the Men of Hador guarded the tower of Barad Eithel. They fought valiantly under their lord Húrin
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...
during 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:...
, and "of all the deeds of war that the fathers of Men wrought on behalf of the Eldar, the last stand of the Men of Dor-lómin is most renowned." Their forces defended the retreating army of Turgon
Turgon
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Turgon "the Wise" is an Elven king of the Noldor, second son of Fingolfin, brother to Fingon, Aredhel and Argon, and ruler of the hidden city of Gondolin....
, holding at last by the Fens of Serech, and all were slain.
To Hithlum no news came of the battle, until Morgoth sent there the allied Easterlings
Easterlings (First Age)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Easterlings of the First Age were Men who lived in the east of Middle-earth, and mostly fought under Morgoth...
. The remnant of the House of Hador was then put to thraldom; those able to work were taken to mines of the north or laboured as slaves for the Incomers, and the old were killed or driven out to starve. A few indeed remained as beggars or outlaws, hiding in caves, or escaped to the southern havens at the Mouths of Sirion. By the Easterlings the Folk of Hador was called Strawheads.
Easterlings' lordship under Morgoth lasted nearly a century, until the Host of the Valar
Vala (Middle-earth)
The Valar are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. They are first mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, but The Silmarillion develops them into the Powers of Arda or the Powers of the World...
arrived in Beleriand and the War of Wrath
War of Wrath
The War of Wrath, or the Great Battle, is a key plot development in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium, portraying the final war against Morgoth at the end of the First Age....
began. The remnants of the Three Houses then fought on the side of the Valar, and after the defeat of Morgoth, they were granted the Isle of 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...
to dwell in. The descendants of the House of Hador composed the majority of its population, and their language became the chief tongue of the land, the Adûnaic
Adûnaic
Adûnaic is a fictional language in the fantasy works of J. R. R. Tolkien.One of the languages of Arda in Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, it was spoken by the Men of Númenor during the Second Age.-Fictional history:...
, and later from it spread the Common Tongue of the West. Most of the people of Gondor
Gondor
Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...
and Arnor
Arnor
Arnor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador in Middle-earth. The name probably means "Land of the King", from Sindarin Ara- + dor...
was thus also descended from either the House of Hador or those of their folk that never crossed the Blue Mountains.
Family tree
Later version of the biography
One of J. R. R. Tolkien's intentions that never reached a finished state was placing Fingolfin's gift of the lordship of Dor-lómin to the times of the third lord of the Folk of Marach (Magor in the published 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...
); but he also wished to preserve the name 'House of Hador'. This entailed the reversal of Hador's and Magor's positions, and in a late genealogical table they appear as "Hador Lorindol, first lord of Dorlómin" (grandson of Marach) and simply "Magor Dagorlind" (great-great-grandson of Marach).
According to this version, the Folk of Marach in c. Y.S. 380 migrated from Estolad directly to Dor-lómin, without settling temporarily by the sources of Taeglin. It is unclear was Hador to retain Gildis as his wife, or she remained the mother of Húrin and became the spouse of Magor. Of Hador's new biography only his birthyear (Y.S. 341) is known.
Earlier versions of the legendarium
Originally Tolkien conceived that it was Hador (spelt Hádor then), grandfather of Húrin, who led the second party of Men over the Ered Luin, with no generations of Men preceding him and no third party. The Folk of Haleth was soon introduced, but the great expansion of the Houses of Men into elder generations was brought about only with the revisions made to the Quenta SilmarillionQuenta Silmarillion
Quenta Silmarillion is a collection of fictional legends written by the high fantasy writer J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published after the author's death in The Silmarillion together with four shorter stories...
after writing 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...
.
Hador's name 'Goldenhead' appears in various Sindarin forms such as Glórindol or Glorindal. The final form seems to be Lorindol (with no accent over the first o).