Eönwë
Encyclopedia
Eönwë is a supporting character in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium
. He first appears in print in the posthumously published The Silmarillion
, though his character had existed long before its original publication in 1977.
, and Chief of the Maiar
along with Ilmarë
. In The Silmarillion Christopher Tolkien
added a statement that Eönwë was the "greatest of arms in Arda
," meaning that he was the best with weapons and the most skilled in warfare, to explain why this character would have been chosen to lead the armies of the Valar.
When the appeal of Eärendil
reached the shores of Aman
, it was Eönwë who first greeted him. When Manwë decided to heed the appeal, Eönwë was sent to Middle-earth
to fight the War of Wrath
, leading the Vanyar
.
When the evil Vala
Morgoth
was defeated, Eönwë took the two remaining Silmaril
s and held them for safekeeping. The two remaining Sons of Fëanor
took them and fled, yet Eönwë did not let them be slain.
After the overthrow of Morgoth, Sauron
approached Eönwë, the former second-in-command of the Dark Lord having been shocked into (temporary) repentance. Sauron apparently hoped to secure some kind of "amnesty" from Eönwë, but the latter was not authorized to pardon a Maia like himself, so he ordered Sauron to return to Valinor
to be judged by the Valar. In the event, Sauron hid in Middle-earth when Eönwë departed.
, Tolkien envisioned Eönwë, then called Fionwë, as the son of Manwë, but as the concept of the Children of the Valar disappeared from the Silmarillion tradition he became Manwë's herald instead. There is a story written there known as the "Tale of Qorinómi" about the love between him and Urwen (Arien
), though in the commentary it is said that Tolkien never got to writing it.
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...
. He first appears in print in the posthumously published The Silmarillion
The 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...
, though his character had existed long before its original publication in 1977.
Biography
Eönwë is the banner-bearer and the herald of ManwëManwë
Manwë is a god or Vala of the Elven pantheon imagined by J. R. R. Tolkien. He is described in The Silmarillion.Manwë was the King of the Valar, husband of Varda Elentári, brother of the Dark Lord Melkor, and King of Arda. He lived atop Mount Taniquetil, the highest mountain of the world, in the...
, and Chief of the Maiar
Maia (Middle-earth)
The Maiar are beings from J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy legendarium. They are lesser Ainur who entered Eä in the beginning of time. Tolkien uses the term Valar to refer both to all the Ainur who entered Eä, and specifically to the greatest among them, the fourteen Lords and Queens of the Valar...
along with Ilmarë
Ilmarë
Ilmarë is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. Her name may come from the Elvish word for "starlight". It has been noted that her name closely resembles that of Ilmarinen which is a name shared by both an ancient Finnic sky-god and a character in the...
. In The Silmarillion Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Reuel Tolkien is the third and youngest son of the author J. R. R. Tolkien , and is best known as the editor of much of his father's posthumously published work. He drew the original maps for his father's The Lord of the Rings, which he signed C. J. R. T. The J...
added a statement that Eönwë was the "greatest of arms in 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...
," meaning that he was the best with weapons and the most skilled in warfare, to explain why this character would have been chosen to lead the armies of the Valar.
When the appeal of Eärendil
Eärendil
Eärendil the Mariner is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is depicted in The Silmarillion as a great seafarer who, on his brow, carried the morning star across the sky.-Etymology:...
reached the shores of Aman
Aman
-External links:*...
, it was Eönwë who first greeted him. When Manwë decided to heed the appeal, Eönwë was sent 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....
to fight 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....
, leading the Vanyar
Vanyar
In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Vanyar are the fairest and most noble of the High Elves. They are the smallest of the three clans of the Eldar, and were the first to arrive in Aman. According to legend, the clan was founded by Imin, the first Elf to awake at Cuiviénen, his wife Iminyë, and...
.
When the evil Vala
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...
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...
was defeated, Eönwë took the two remaining Silmaril
Silmaril
The Silmarils are three brilliant jewels which contained the unmarred light of the Two Trees in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. The Silmarils were made out of the crystalline substance silima by Fëanor, a Noldorin Elf, in Valinor during the Years of the Trees...
s and held them for safekeeping. The two remaining Sons of Fëanor
Sons of Fëanor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth, the seven sons of Fëanor, the eldest prince of the Noldor, led their people from Valinor to rule over kingdoms in the Northeast of Beleriand:...
took them and fled, yet Eönwë did not let them be slain.
After the overthrow of Morgoth, Sauron
Sauron
Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...
approached Eönwë, the former second-in-command of the Dark Lord having been shocked into (temporary) repentance. Sauron apparently hoped to secure some kind of "amnesty" from Eönwë, but the latter was not authorized to pardon a Maia like himself, so he ordered Sauron to return to Valinor
Valinor
Valinor is a fictional location in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the realm of the Valar in Aman. It was also known as the Undying Lands, along with Tol Eressëa and the outliers of Aman. This is something of a misnomer; only immortal beings were allowed to reside there, but the land itself,...
to be judged by the Valar. In the event, Sauron hid in Middle-earth when Eönwë departed.
Concept and creation
In earlier conceptions of the legendarium, detailed in The History of Middle-earthThe History of Middle-earth
The History of Middle-earth is a 12-volume series of books published from 1983 through to 1996 that collect and analyse material relating to the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, compiled and edited by his son, Christopher Tolkien. Some of the content consists of earlier versions of already published...
, Tolkien envisioned Eönwë, then called Fionwë, as the son of Manwë, but as the concept of the Children of the Valar disappeared from the Silmarillion tradition he became Manwë's herald instead. There is a story written there known as the "Tale of Qorinómi" about the love between him and Urwen (Arien
Arien
In J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy legendarium, Arien is the maiden whom the Valar chose from among the Maiar to guide the vessel of the Sun. In the Days of the Trees in Valinor, Arien had been the one to tend the tree of Laurelin...
), though in the commentary it is said that Tolkien never got to writing it.