Maedhros

Maedhros is a fictitious character of the work of J.R.R. Tolkien. It is the elder one of the seven Fils of Fëanor.

After Fëanor had been banished of Tirion, it accompanied his father with Formenos. Following the murder of his grandfather Finwë and with the flight of the Silmaril S by Morgoth, he pronounced terrible the Serment of Fëanor, swearing to find the jewels.

This oath took along Maedhros, his/her father and his/her brothers until in Ground of the Medium at the beginning of the First Age, where they established kingdoms in exile, fought the armies of Morgoth and even of the Elves, and finally brought their House to the disaster.

Shortly after Dagor-nuin-Giliath, battles during which Fëanor was killed, Maedhros was captured by Morgoth and was suspended by its right wrist with a chasm on the Thangorodrim. In an act full with audacity, his/her cousin Fingon, helped by Thorondor, king of the Eagles, saved it his torture, but had to cut his right hand to release it. By gratitude, and for expier the abandonment of the partisans of Fingolfin on the ice of the Helcaraxë, Maedhros renonça with its right as a heir to Finwë, to become king of the Noldor, and made of his/her uncle Fingolfin, father of Fingon, the High-King. (What some of his/her brothers did not appreciate.)

Fearing confrontations between his/her brothers and the remainder of the house of Finwë, Maedhros left with them Hithlum and left for the hill Himring, from where it reigned on the grounds around, which took the name of Marche of Maedhros. Combined with Fingolfin, it gained the victory of Dagor Aglareb; thanks to its acts of value during the Dagor Bragollach, Himring resisted the attacks of Morgoth, while other kingdoms elfic fell.

Having had word of the exploits of Beren and Lúthien, it took again hope, it gathered his brothers and gathered the various houses of the Elfe S, of the Edain, as well as Nain S (whose Azaghal, lord of Belegost, that it had saved of a ambush, and who had consequently offered Heaume of the Dragon to him, that it then gave to its close friend, Fingon) in what was called the Union of Maedhros. Although Thingol, king of Doriath, and Orodreth, king of Nargothrond, refused to take part in its company (because of the acts of Celegorm and Curufin, brothers of Maedhros), Fingon and Maedhros decided to attack Morgoth. This battle showed a terrible defeat where many Elves, whose Fingon, Men and of Nains died, in particular because of the treason of vassal human of Caranthir, and the Nirnaeth Arnoediad was called (innumerable tears). The Union and the Head office of Angband ended and Himring and Hithlum fell.

Maedhros learned then that Dior, wire of Lúthien and Beren, preserved at Doriath Silmaril which he had inherited. Held by its oath, it was convinced by Celegorm to attack Doriath. Celegorm was killed by Dior (which was also killed); Curufin and Caranthir died during the battle. The wire of Dior, Elured and Elurin, still children, were captured and given up in the forest by being used as Celegorm. Maedhros regretted this act and sought lengthily them, but did not find them.

Having learned that Elwing, girl of Dior, had survived, Maedhros renonça a time with its Oath. Nevertheless, this one returned to torment it again, and it tried to convince Elwing to give him Silmaril; this one refusing, Maedhros and its brothers Maglor, Amrod and Amras attacked the survivors of Doriath, like those of Gondolin, which lived with the Havres of Sirion. They killed out of many Elves and captured wire of Elwing, Elrond and Elros (which they raised then), without success: Elwing was thrown in the sea with the jewel, was transformed into a bird, and could join her husband Eärendil, with whom it reached Valinor. After the War of the Great Anger, Maedhros and its last brother, Maglor, stole both Silmarils which the armies of Valinor had taken again in Morgoth. But because of the crimes which they had made to find the jewels, Silmarils burned the hands of the two brothers. Insane of anguish, pain and remorse, Maedhros was thrown, with its Silmaril, in a filled up crack of fire.

Names

Maedhros is named Nelyafinwë by his/her father, which means in Quenya “third Finwë”; and by his/her mother Maitimo , “well-formed”, “the gracious one”, its beauty being remarkable. Moreover, his/her brothers and the other members of his family call it Russandol , “head of copper”, in allusion to its châtain-russet-red hair, coming on the maternal side.

Genealogy

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