Bëor

Balan
Tolkien's legendarium character
Aliases	Bëor the Old Father of Men
Race	Men
Gender	male
Book(s)	The Silmarillion

Bëor the Old is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Silmarillion as the leader of the First House of the Edain in the First Age, which was called the Folk of Bëor after him. He was the father of Baran and Belen and ancestor of Beren Camlost.

Internal history

Bëor was the leader of the First House of Men during the final part of their westward march. Apparently under his guidance the majority of his people forsook Eriador and, crossing the Blue Mountains, came to the woods of Ossiriand in Y.S. 310. There they were found and befriended by the Elf-lord Finrod Felagund. He quickly mastered the speech of Men, and held a long converse with their lord. Bëor by his counsel then led his people to the plain of Estolad in Eastern Beleriand, but soon committed the rule to his elder son Baran, entering the service of Finrod and departing to Nargothrond. Bëor remained there until the end of his days, and participated in the warfare against the Orcs.^[1]

Bëor's 'true' name was Balan. He was called Bëor, which means 'Vassal' or 'Servant' in the tongue of his people, after he entered the service of Finrod Felagund; according to some traditions, this name was also born afterwards as a title by his descendants.^[2] He was called 'the Old' since he lived to the age of 93, when he willingly relinquished his life and died in peace. Bëor was also one of 'the Wise' among Edain; he had a great knowledge of their traditions and legends, though passed them only to a few of his descendants, unwilling to reveal their history even to Finrod. Much of this knowledge passed to Adanel and Andreth.^[3]

House of Bëor

Bëor
the Old

References

↑ Tolkien, J. R. R. (1994), Christopher Tolkien, ed., The War of the Jewels, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, The Grey Annals, pp. 48-49, ISBN 0-395-71041-3
↑ The War of the Jewels, pp. 217, 229.
↑ Tolkien, J. R. R. (1993), Christopher Tolkien, ed., Morgoth's Ring, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, p. 306, ISBN 0-395-68092-1

J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium

Writings

Principal works	The Silmarillion The Hobbit The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring The Two Towers The Return of the King

Other works	The Adventures of Tom Bombadil The Road Goes Ever On

Posthumous publications	Unfinished Tales The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien The History of Middle-earth (12 volumes) Bilbo's Last Song The Children of Húrin The History of The Hobbit

Fictional universe	Characters Peoples Individual Dwarves Individual Elves Individual Hobbits Hobbit families Individual Númenóreans Individual Orcs Kings of Arnor House of Isildur Rangers of the North Arvedui Aragorn Eldarion Kings of Dale Kings of Gondor House of Anárion Eärnil II Kings of Rohan Éomer Théoden Rulers of Númenor Realms Cosmology Ages or timeline Animals Plants Food and drink Objects Rings of Power One Ring Three Rings Palantír Silmarils Weapons and armour Sting Wars and battles Rivers Anduin Roads Languages Magic Hobbit Day

Secondary works and legacy	The Atlas of Middle-earth The Complete Guide to Middle-earth A Guide to Middle-earth The Individuated Hobbit J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia Journeys of Frodo The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion Images of Middle-Earth Related fiction Things named after Tolkien and his works Tolkien's Ring Tolkien: A Look Behind "The Lord of the Rings"

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, April 17, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.

Bëor

Internal history

House of Bëor

See also

References