Manthor
Encyclopedia
In J. R. R. Tolkien
's Middle-earth
legendarium
, Manthor was a lord of Men
in the First Age
. He was a descendant of Halmir
of the House of Haleth
; his parents were Meleth and Agathor, and his brother was Hunthor who fell in the ravine of Taeglin.
Manthor was the Master of the North-march of Brethil, a part of the forest by the River Sirion nearest to the Ford of Brithiach. He was akin to the House of Hador and took pride in this, and so was a supporter of Túrin Turambar
. After the death of Brandir
childless many of the Folk of Brethil wanted Manthor to become the Halad, for he was of the senior line - but by a daughter, and so by tradition his second cousin Hardang
(of the male descent) was elected.
Hardang disliked Manthor and had no love for the House of Hador, so by his command Manthor became the Captain of the Guards at the Crossings of Taeglin. There the fear of the assault by Orcs
was the greatest, and Manthor moreover was "the doughtiest man" among the Folk of Haleth. Among "his strong company" at the Crossings were Forhend, Avranc
, and Sagroth. Manthor appointed his chief henchman Ebor to be the Captain of the Guards at Brithiach.
Nonetheless, Manthor desired Chieftainship, and when Húrin
returned to Brethil and found his wife Morwen
dying, the "shadow" of the Curse of Morgoth
that followed him awoke Manthor's dormant ambitions. He perceived that Húrin had come with no good intentions, but used the fear surrounding his appearance to overthrow Hardang. Cunningly using the laws of Brethil, he summoned the Folkmoot where he accused the Halad of dishonouring the guest. Although Manthor had "a great natural concern for 'courtesy' - sc. civilized behaviour and mercy", he now in eloquent words set the people against Hardang and his following, the chief of whom was Avranc. This resulted in the burning of the Hall of the Chieftains and slaying of Hardang; Manthor tried to stop the Folk, but his attempts were futile.
The Folk wanted to elect Manthor the Halad, but two days after he himself was shot to death by Avranc, and thus through the shadow of Húrin ended the House of the Haleth. A new wave of fighting in the Obel Halad followed, and in the end Avranc was chosen the Chieftain by the small remnants of the Folk of Brethil.
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 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....
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...
, Manthor 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...
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...
. He was a descendant of Halmir
Halmir
Halmir is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He is introduced in The Silmarillion as a Man of the Second House of the Edain in the First Age....
of the House of Haleth
House of Haleth
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the House of Haleth or the Haladin were the family of Men that ruled over the second of the Three Houses of the Edain...
; his parents were Meleth and Agathor, and his brother was Hunthor who fell in the ravine of Taeglin.
Manthor was the Master of the North-march of Brethil, a part of the forest by the River Sirion nearest to the Ford of Brithiach. He was akin to the House of Hador and took pride in this, and so was a supporter of 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...
. After the death of Brandir
Brandir
Brandir is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He was a Chieftain of the Folk of Haleth in the First Age. Brandir was the son of Handir of Brethil and was descended from the Houses of Haleth and Hador through his grandparents Haldir and Glóredhel...
childless many of the Folk of Brethil wanted Manthor to become the Halad, for he was of the senior line - but by a daughter, and so by tradition his second cousin Hardang
Hardang
Hardang is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The War of the Jewels as a Chieftain of the Men of Brethil in the First Age....
(of the male descent) was elected.
Hardang disliked Manthor and had no love for the House of Hador, so by his command Manthor became the Captain of the Guards at the Crossings of Taeglin. There the fear of the assault by Orcs
Orc (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings, Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings — Morgoth, Sauron and Saruman...
was the greatest, and Manthor moreover was "the doughtiest man" among the Folk of Haleth. Among "his strong company" at the Crossings were Forhend, Avranc
Avranc
Avranc is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He was a Man of the Second House of the Edain in the First Age, and son of Dorlas of Brethil....
, and Sagroth. Manthor appointed his chief henchman Ebor to be the Captain of the Guards at Brithiach.
Nonetheless, Manthor desired Chieftainship, and when 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...
returned to Brethil and found his wife Morwen
Morwen
Morwen is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. She is featured in The Silmarillion, The Children of Húrin and The Wanderings of Húrin.-Character overview:...
dying, the "shadow" of the Curse of 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...
that followed him awoke Manthor's dormant ambitions. He perceived that Húrin had come with no good intentions, but used the fear surrounding his appearance to overthrow Hardang. Cunningly using the laws of Brethil, he summoned the Folkmoot where he accused the Halad of dishonouring the guest. Although Manthor had "a great natural concern for 'courtesy' - sc. civilized behaviour and mercy", he now in eloquent words set the people against Hardang and his following, the chief of whom was Avranc. This resulted in the burning of the Hall of the Chieftains and slaying of Hardang; Manthor tried to stop the Folk, but his attempts were futile.
The Folk wanted to elect Manthor the Halad, but two days after he himself was shot to death by Avranc, and thus through the shadow of Húrin ended the House of the Haleth. A new wave of fighting in the Obel Halad followed, and in the end Avranc was chosen the Chieftain by the small remnants of the Folk of Brethil.