The Silmarillion / Characters

Setting-wide: Peoples and Races, Sauron The Silmarillion: Eru and the Ainur, Enemies, First-Generation Elven Royalty, the House of Fëanor, the House of Fingolfin The Hobbit The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Free Men, the Elves, the Forces of Sauron, Other Characters

“Yeah Galadriel, I'm on to you, okay, how did you even say that with a straight face? Like have you completely wiped uncle Fëanor from memory? Immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings— I'll give him one out of three and it ain't wisest.”

— bandersnatchFTW's The Silmarillion for Noobs^note

This character sheet incorporates some information from Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, The History of Middle-earth, and The Children of Húrin. Conflicts between these works and The Silmarillion are noted where they occur.

This page is for the book ONLY. For the characters as they were portrayed in the Amazon's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, see here, which are set in a different continuity from Peter Jackson's film trilogy.

See also the character sheet for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, which are set in the same universe (and, indeed, feature some of the same characters).

As the original page was too long, it had to be split into several pages:

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Gondolin

Turgon

The second son of Fingolfin and Anairë, brother to Fingon, Aredhel, and Argon, and cousin to the Sons of Fëanor. Turgon initially ruled Nevrast south of Hithlum, but a message from Ulmo caused him to lead his people to found the the secret city of Gondolin, which lasted longest of all the elven realms in the war against Morgoth. Turgon took up the kingship of the Noldor after Fingon's death. Turgon died in the sack of Gondolin when his tower collapsed with him in it. His sword Glamdring was presumably taken by Orcs and, millennia later, was found by Gandalf.

Cassandra Truth: Despite being repeatedly told that his city won't last forever (by a Man sent by a Vala, no less), he refused to evacuate.
Dreaming of Things to Come: How Ulmo prompted him to found Gondolin, and led him to discover the hidden valley of Tumladen where he would build it.
Going Down with the Ship: Or City. Turgon refused to leave Gondolin even when his daughter Idril begged him to, and chose to stay in his tower until it collapsed and killed him.
Hidden Elf Village: He was the King of Gondolin, whose existence was unknown even to other groups of Elves. It only fell to Morgoth when Húrin unwittingly revealed which mountain range it resided in.
Horrible Judge of Character: For all that he was called "the Wise," he never figured out that something was up with Maeglin…
Knight Templar Big Brother: He was always very protective of Aredhel and only reluctantly allowed her to leave Gondolin with an escort. He later chucks his brother-in-law Eöl off a cliff after he inadvertently poisoned Aredhel, even though her dying wish was that he show Eöl mercy. Don't feel too sorry for him though - Eöl was pretty abusive to Aredhel and only accidentally murdered her because he was actually trying to kill their son.
Named Weapon: Glamdring, his sword, which would survive the Fall of Gondolin and thousands of years later be found by Thorin's Company on their journey to the Lonely Mountain, and become Gandalf's weapon. The sword's name originated in The Hobbit and was inserted into the older material later, thus a sort of Retcon.
Properly Paranoid: The valley of Gondolin has seven hidden and heavily fortified gates, and Turgon's policy is that no one who enters can ever leave alive. No one, even other elves, even knew the place existed before The Battle of Unnumbered Tears. He was right to be paranoid, too, considering that their greatest threat is directly to the North and all Morgoth needed to know was a rough estimate of its location to find it. And the two times he broke his policy of letting nobody leave didn't work out for him either - letting his fosterling Húrin leave ultimately led Morgoth to discover the general location of the city, and letting his sister Aredhel leave ultimately resulted in her death and her son Maeglin betraying the city to the Dark Lord.
Warrior Prince: Like most of the House of Finwë.
You Can't Go Home Again: Missed his home city of Tirion so much that he built his own city of Gondolin to look like a perfect replica of it.

Idril

The daughter of Turgon and Elenwë, and the princess of Gondolin. Both the mortal hero Tuor and her cousin Maeglin loved her, but she distrusted Maeglin and married Tuor. She became the mother of Eärendil and the grandmother of Elrond and Elros. Unlike her father, who ignored the warning Tuor brought from Ulmo, Idril prepared for the coming doom and managed to save many of her subjects.

Action Girl: In the earliest version, she wears armor and wields a sword during the fall of Gondolin and the ensuing retreat, trying to save survivors from being cut off by marauding Orcs and directing them to the hidden exit. The much-condensed version found in The Silmarillion doesn't go into such detail.
By the Hair: During the fall of Gondolin, Maeglin grabs her by the hair when he has her captive. She manages to fight back anyway.
Cassandra Truth: Downplayed. Few people believe her warning about the coming danger to Gondolin… save for her husband, who she persuaded to build a secret tunnel. This ends up saving many lives during the fall of Gondolin, though if only everyone else had listened…
Damsel in Distress: She is briefly held captive by Maeglin during the Fall of Gondolin. Fortunately, her husband rescues her. Downplayed, though, in that before Tuor turns up, she fights "like a tigress" against Maeglin in an attempt to get away and protect her son.
Dumb Blonde: Completely Averted. She was the only one in the whole doomed city who knew something had to be done, and thus urged Tuor to secretly build Idril's Secret Way, through which some of the citizens were able to escape when the attack finally came. Also the only one to realize that there was something wrong with Maeglin.
Everyone Loves Blondes: Described as having golden blonde hair, inherited from her Vanyarin mother.
Interspecies Romance: With Tuor. The only non-tragic example of this in Tolkien's legendarium: her father accepted the marriage, they were happy together and it was stated (at least in early writings) that in the end Tuor was allowed to become an elf and thus immortal.
Mama Bear: Fights "like a tigress" against Maeglin when he tries to murder her son. The Book of Lost Tales version makes it explicit that she armored herself and her son before the battle, and this saves Eärendil's life when Maeglin tries to stab him.
Missing Mom: Her mother Elenwë died during the perilous journey to Middle-earth.
Princess Classic: Kind, beautiful and wise, with golden hair and a heart to match.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: She was the one who urged Tuor to build a secret tunnel out of Gondolin in case of attack, thus saving many lives. Along with her husband, she led the survivors to safety.

Aredhel

The adventurous, willful daughter of Fingolfin and Anairë, sister to Fingon, Turgon, and Argon, and cousin to the Sons of Fëanor. She initially resided with Turgon in Gondolin before tiring of the kingdom's isolation. Her brother reluctantly allowed her to depart, leading to her capture by the Dark Elf Eöl, who coerced her into marriage and had a son with her, Maeglin.^* Aredhel and Maeglin escaped back to Gondolin, but Eöl followed them and killed Aredhel; Eöl was executed for his crimes.

Faux Action Girl: Although she does get points for crossing through a dangerous forest by herself. Though you could argue she wasn't even meant to be a real Action Girl in the modern sense, as she never joined any fight. She survived traveling around in wild country alone, and as Tolkien mentioned while discussing Lúthien, that wasn't something people expected of noblewomen in that era.
Love Martyr: To Eöl. Even after he imprisoned her for years and wounded her with a javelin meant for their son, she begged Idril to talk Turgon into showing clemency towards her husband. However, after the javelin turned out to be poisoned and killed Aredhel, her brother wasn't in a forgiving mood and had Eöl executed.
Person with the Clothing: Known as the White Lady of the Noldor, Aredhel was always arrayed in silver and white.
Platonic Life-Partners: With all of the Sons of Fëanor, while Celegorm seems to have been her favourite.
Plucky Girl: Finally decided to escape Eöl and take her son with her.
Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Said to be very beautiful, with pale skin and dark hair.
Rebellious Princess: Against the wishes of her brother and king, Aredhel left Gondolin and spent her days riding about in the wilds. This ends up being Deconstructed; as her actions ultimately contributed to Gondolin's downfall (albeit it wasnt directly her fault).
Stockholm Syndrome: Originally held captive by Eöl, she eventually fell in love with him. Eöl used trickery rather than force to kidnap her, so for a long time she wasn't aware that she was being held a captive. As far as she knew, Eöl was just a nice guy who invited her to live with him after she got hopelessly lost.
Taking the Bullet: Took a poisoned javelin thrown by Eöl that was meant for her son.
Tomboy: Aredhel spent much of her time riding, hunting, and spending her time with the Sons of Fëanor.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Aredhel was inadvertently and unknowingly one of the lynchpins of Gondolin's doom. Her son Maeglin, whom she had brought to Gondolin, ended up betraying them all to Morgoth. Her messed-up marriage to Maeglin's father and her death also probably didn't do wonders for Maeglin's psyche and view of love, especially given his later obsessive infatuation with Idril.

Maeglin

The son of Aredhel and Eöl. He learned smithcraft from his father and the dwarves, becoming one of the greatest smiths of the Noldor. After Eöl's death, Maeglin grew up in Gondolin and fell in love with his cousin, Idril, which was forbidden among the elves. When Tuor arrived and won Idril's heart, Maeglin's jealousy caused him to betray the city to Morgoth when he was captured by orcs. He was killed in the following battle by Tuor, while trying to murder Tuor and Eärendil.

Abhorrent Admirer: To Idril. She rejected him because of his dark personality (and because they were first cousins).
Animal Motifs: Moles. He is in charge of the house that primarily operates underground like a mole. There's also the play on words that he is secretly The Mole for Morgoth.
Being Tortured Makes You Evil: Captured by Morgoth and tortured (or threatened with torture) into betraying Gondolin, he then tried to murder Tuor and Eärendil, apparently so he could rape Idril.
The Blacksmith: And he was dark, moody, scheming, and morally questionable, too! Tolkien loved this character type.
Child Supplants Parent: Rebelled against his father, stole his sword, and ran away with his mother.
Curtains Match the Window: His black hair is matched by his piercing black eyes, in contrast to most Elf eyes which are grey.
Dark Is Evil: He takes a bit after his father the Dark Elf in temperament, color theming and ultimately morals. While he may not have dressed in black all the time, he still stole his father's black sword.
- Oddly, in the earliest version of the Gondolin story Tolkien described him as "swart", meaning dark, on top of having a grim and surly mood, to the point that the people of Gondolin thought he had Orc blood, despite the Elven narrator not knowing how this could be possible (his father Eöl, not called a Dark Elf yet, is here said to be from an ancient noble house of the Noldor like his mother, Turgon's sister - implying it's not hereditary). But in the latest version that made it into The Silmarillion he is the opposite, being pale and fitting the Raven Hair, Ivory Skin mold. No other elf is ever described as having darker skin in any version of the tales.
Didn't Think This Through: Maeglin apparently forgot that Elves are monogamous, meaning that since Idril had already given her heart to Tuor, any attempt to sway her otherwise by having her as a reward for being a Turn Coat was going to end badly.
Disney Villain Death: Is knocked over the edge of a cliff during the fall of Gondolin by Tuor… after he tried to push Tuor's son off it.
Enfant Terrible: Tries to hurl his cousin Eärendil from the walls of Gondolin when they are seven.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: He loved and respected Aredhel.
Evil Chancellor: To Turgon, whom he never warned about the coming invasion even though he knew of it.
Evil Nephew: Betrays Gondolin, leading to his uncle Turgon's death.
The Evil Prince: Said to be the only elf who ever directly aided Morgoth.
Fantastic Racism: He had a quite low opinion of mortal Men, even before Tuor married the girl he wanted.
- He was also on the receiving end, as many Gondolindrim looked down on him for his half-dark elf heritage — though the fact that his father had proved to be a murderous monster who killed his wife, their beloved princess, and cursed his own son with his dying words, probably didn't help.
Freudian Excuse: Considering the perverse family situation in which he grew up, it's not really a surprise that he had no clue how to healthily cope with love.
Generation Xerox: Like his father before him, Maeglin was known to be a great smith. Unfortunately, also like his father, he developed an unhealthy obsession with the woman he loved and tried to take her by force, tried to kill a family member and ended up being thrown to his death over a cliff… the same cliff to be exact. Eöl was known as 'the Dark Elf', whilst Maeglin himself is forever known as one of — if not the — only elves to have willingly helped Morgoth. Like father, like son, indeed.
Green-Eyed Monster: Towards Tuor, once he gained the king's favor and married Idril.
Karmic Death: Tries to kill Eärendil by throwing him from the walls of Gondolin. Eärendil's father Tuor kills Maeglin that way.
Kissing Cousins: The first Elf to desire a first cousin. Unfortunately for him, Idril didn't reciprocate his feelings.
Love Makes You Evil: His unrequited love/desire for Idril contributed to his betrayal, as he was promised her as a reward for him becoming a Turn Coat.
The Mole: Literally. He is the leader of the House of the Mole and he's the one to sell out Gondolin to Morgoth.
Native Rival: Played this role towards Tuor for Idril's love.
The Quisling: Though not a truly willing one, he's infamous for betraying Gondolin.
Stepford Smiler: Morgoth put a spell on him to make him ever fearful of the latter; he still feigned joy and mirth when he returned to Gondolin.
The Unfavorite: He was disliked by much of Gondolin for his father's heritage. His house was also the least popular of the twelve noble houses.
Villainous Incest: His falling in love with a first-cousin was even called unnatural and twisted.
Villain with Good Publicity: On account of his mining and smithing greatly helping Gondolin's defense.

Glorfindel

Glorfindel was a great elven warrior from the hidden elf city of Gondolin. When the city was attacked by Morgoth's armies and destroyed, Glorfindel died in a duel with a Balrog protecting the escaping survivors, including Idril and Eärendil. Later, he was allowed to reincarnate and leave the Halls of Mandos to live in Valinor. There he befriended Gandalf. He was then sent back into Middle-earth to help in the fight against Sauron. In The Lord of the Rings, Glorfindel lives in Rivendell, serving Elrond son of Eärendil, and came to rescue Aragorn and the Hobbits when they were chased by the Ringwraiths.

Back from the Dead: Elves returning to life after death isn't that unusual, but Glorfindel seems to be the only one who also returned to Middle-earth.
Came Back Strong: When Glorfindel returned to Middle-earth, he was even stronger and wiser than before.
Cool Horse: Asfaloth in The Lord of the Rings. (Stolen by Arwen in The Movie.)
Dying Moment of Awesome: Dying while taking a Balrog with you certainly counts.
Flower Motifs: Glorfindel of the Golden Flower. Although in this case the term is a poetic reference to the Sun (which, however, can be taken literally since the Sun was the last flower of the dying Tree of Gold, Laurelin).
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: His name means 'golden haired'. And just to drive this trope home, he is dragged off a mountain by his hair while single-handedly taking on a Balrog.
Heroic Sacrifice: His original slaying of a Balrog at the cost of his own life.
Incorruptible Pure Pureness: He died saving Idril and Tuor from a Balrog. The narration goes out of its way to point out that he would have done this for anyone in the Hidden City.
Interspecies Friendship: With Gandalf.
Loved by All: Glorfindel is 'most dearly beloved', to the point that when he dies defending fleeing refugees, they all stop running from the army that just destroyed their city long enough to give him a proper burial.
One-Steve Limit: Averted, then played straight. At first, Tolkien just reused the name Glorfindel in The Lord of the Rings. The Elder Days Glorfindel had died, and having him come back would be pretty strange for such a minor character (normally, coming back to Middle-earth from Valinor, after having died, would be a pretty major event, reserved for major characters). But then Tolkien later settled firmly on them being one and the same, and posited that he was sent back at the same time when the two Blue Wizards were sent, long before the other three Wizards. Apparently, while the Blue Wizards were sent east and south to strengthen the resistance of the humans there against Sauron, Glorfindel would have strengthened the elves in the West.
Taking You with Me: Glorfindel and the Balrog both fell down from the narrow mountain path they were fighting on into the depths. Interestingly, he was actually on the receiving end of it. He managed to stab the Balrog in the stomach, but the Balrog pulled him off the edge as it went down.

Ecthelion

Ecthelion was one of the twelve lords of Gondolin. He died in the Fall of Gondolin.

Death by Irony: He was the Lord of the Fountain, and he drowns in a fountain (as does Gothmog, the Balrog he stabbed before dying).
Dying Moment of Awesome: Like Glorfindel, he dies fighting a Balrog — multiple Balrogs, in early versions of the story.
Universally Beloved Leader: The exact quote is "[Glorfindel] led the Golden Flower and was the best beloved of the Gondolindrim, save it be Ecthelion, but who shall choose."
Weaponized Headgear: Stabs Gothmog with the spike on his helmet.

Rog

Another of the Twelve Lords, specifically he led the House of the Hammers of Wrath, a house consisting mainly of blacksmiths and other craftspeople. Appears in The Book of Lost Tales.

Counter-Attack: See Dying Moment of Awesome.
Dying Moment of Awesome: He led his House in an absolutely savage Counter-Attack against the forces of Morgoth during the fall of Gondolin, slaying uncounted hordes of orcs and even killing several balrogs. According to the Original Tale in The Fall of Gondolin, this was the first time balrogs had ever been slain by elves or men.
Fiery Redhead: Kazuki Mendou's artwork depict him with red hair.
Odd Name Out: Christopher Tolkien excised the specific mention of Rog and his death outside the city walls from the published Silmarillion, as he thought it extremely unlikely his father would have kept the name "Rog". In Tolkien's early Gnomish, it meant "doughty, strong", but in later Sindarin it means "demon", which Christopher judged an unlikely name for an Elvish lord.
Rousing Speech: Then said Rog in a great voice: 'Who now shall fear the Balrogs for all their terror? See before us the accursed ones who for ages have tormented the children of the Noldoli, and who now set fire at our backs with their shooting. Come ye of the Hammer of Wrath and we will smite them for their evil'

The House of Finarfin

Finarfin

The youngest son of Finwë and Indis, half-brother of Fëanor, and full brother of Fingolfin. Husband of Eärwen and father of Finrod, Angrod, Aegnor, and Galadriel. Taking after his Vanyarin mother, Finarfin was the wisest and kindest of the three, and tried to stay away from his brothers' quarrels. Instead, he preferred the company of the sea-loving Teleri, and married Eärwen, the daughter of Olwë, the king of Teleri in Valinor and the brother of Thingol. This put him into a very uncomfortable position during the unfortunate events that came. Finarfin didn't want to leave Valinor, and when most of the Noldor and his family — including all his children — went into exile, Finarfin turned back with some of the Noldor, becoming their High King in Tirion.

Big, Screwed-Up Family: Rightfully views his family as this and tries to distance himself from it to some extent.
Cain and Abel: Abel to Fëanor's Cain, though unlike Fingolfin, he tried to have nothing to do with the feud.
Cain and Abel and Seth: Seth to Fëanor's Cain and Fingolfin's Abel.
Conflicting Loyalty: Between his Noldorin and Telerin families.
The Dutiful Son: He was wiser than his brothers, and didn't get involved in their quarrels. After they went and got themselves killed, he became king.
Freudian Trio: With his brothers. He is the Superego, as the most patient, logical and cool-headed.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: He inherited the golden hair of his mother Indis, and all of his descendants (until the children of Elrond) inherited it from him. He and his children are the wisest and calmest of the Noldorin princes, and unlike the other Houses, none of them got caught up in the Kinslaying, even by mistake. See also The Wise Prince.
Outliving One's Offspring: Outlives his sons Finrod, Angrod and Aegnor, his grandson Orodreth, great-granddaughters Finduilas and Arwen and (depending on the writing) his great-grandson Gil-galad. And that's just his direct descendants...
The Wise Prince / Only Sane Man: Finarfin tried to have nothing to do with the feud between Fëanor and Fingolfin, spending a lot of his time among the Teleri instead of the Noldor. And unlike the other Noldorin princes, Finarfin was sensible enough to realize that the rebellion was a terrible mistake, and he quit to return to Valinor. He was willing to ask the Valar for pardon, which is why they made him king of the remaining Noldor in Tirion. He often gets branded as a wuss by the fans, but he's the one who led the non-rebel Noldor to battle against Morgoth's giant army in the final battle of Beleriand, so he was probably no slouch.
Youngest Child Wins: When Fëanor and Fingolfin argue which one should be the king and get themselves killed, Finarfin becomes the king instead.

Finrod Felagund

The oldest son of Finarfin and Eärwen of the Teleri, brother to Angrod, Aegnor, and Galadriel, and cousin to the Sons of Fëanor. His epessë ('after-name', or epithet) is Dwarvish (specifically Sindarinized Khuzdul) meaning "hewer of caves," and it was given to him by the dwarves he hired and worked with to build the underground city of Nargothrond, of which he was king. He was also the first of the Eldar to meet Men, the Younger Children of Ilúvatar, and he helped secure territory for them to live in from Thingol, King of Doriath. Also nicknamed "Nóm the Wise" by Men.

Appropriated Appellation: Instead of being from an Affectionate Nickname from dwarves, a much later etymology of "Felagund" has it being a mocking nickname from the sons of Fëanor, literally meaning "den-dweller" but referring to badgers. Apparently he took it in stride.
Back from the Dead: It's briefly mentioned that he was made incarnate again (making him and Glorfindel the only two we're explicitly told did so), and that he lives happily now with Amárië, and "walks with Finarfin his father beneath the trees in Eldamar".
Breakout Character: One of the characters most beloved by readers, because he's just so decent to everyone he ever meets, regardless of race or people.
Dreaming of Things to Come: How Ulmo prompted him to found Nargothrond in secret. He was also one of those elves who got prophetic dreams or insights periodically.
Dying Moment of Awesome: After Sauron imprisoned Finrod's party in Tol-in-Gaurhoth, he sent a werewolf to devour them one by one, until they revealed who they were and where they had come from. Sauron saved Finrod for last, because he could tell that Finrod was the one in charge. When the werewolf came for Beren, Finrod broke his bonds and killed it using nothing but his teeth and his bare hands, but he was mortally wounded during the fight.
Elves Versus Dwarves: Thoroughly averted. Finrod was a strong ally of the Dwarves and they shared much knowledge with each other. The Dwarves bestowed the name "Felak-gundu" (meaning "cave-hewer" and Sindarinized to "Felagund") upon him. In one telling, he was even friendly with the Petty-Dwarves (whom the regular dwarves despise), and they lived side-by-side in Nargothrond until their chieftain Mîm tried to kill him in his sleep.
A Father to His Men: And a Friend of Men in general.
First Contact: He was the first Elda to meet Men. (Not the first Elf, as Men had already encountered Dark Elves in their journey, but the first Elf who had been to Valinor and knew of the Valar in detail).
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Finrod was golden-haired, like his father and siblings. He was also one of the wisest, friendliest, and most level-headed of all the princes of the Noldor, and the one who most loved and befriended mortals. He was one of two princes (the other being Turgon) chosen by Ulmo to create the Hidden Elf Villages to preserve the Elves until the Valar came to battle Morgoth. See Nice Guy.
Heroic Sacrifice: Finrod agreed to help Beren recover a Silmaril from Angband in respect of his oath to Barahir and because he recognized the quest's importance to fate, though he foresaw that he himself would certainly die in the quest. In the dungeons of Tol-in-Gaurhoth, Felagund managed to break his bonds as a werewolf came to devour Beren (Sauron was saving Felagund for last, since he could tell this was someone important). He killed the werewolf barehanded but was mortally wounded during the fight.
Hidden Elf Village: Nargothrond, though not quite as hidden as Gondolin — Morgoth had some idea of the general geographical direction of Nargothrond (just not its actual location), whereas the location of Gondolin was completely unknown to him.
I Gave My Word: Nagrothrond's people defy his wish to help Beren thanks to Celegorm and Curufin's persuasion. Finrod responds by laying aside his crown to keep the vow he made to Barahir and aid his son. This act of loyalty shames the rest of them enough that they ask him to not resign his kingship and instead give Orodreth temporary stewardship.
I Have Many Names: Most Noldor get a name from each parent at or soon after birth, and those in Middle-earth have at least one Sindarin name. But admirers gave Finrod several flattering nicknames, because he was just that awesome.
- Findaráto (difficult to translate) in Telerin — Sindarized to Finrod
- Ingoldo, "The Noldo" in Quenya. (Ironically, his Noldorin father named him in Telerin, and his Telerin mother named him in Quenya.)
- Finrod the Fair
- Finrod the Faithful
- Felakgundu, "Hewer of Caves" in Dwarvish — Sindarized to Felagund
- Felagon, "Fair-Minded/Just/Generous Commander," a Sindarin wordplay on Felagund
- Edennil, "Friend of [Mortal] Men" in Sindarin — Atandil in Quenya
- Nóm, "Wisdom" in the tongue of Bëor's Folk
Intergenerational Friendship: With Andreth of the House of Bëor, and plenty of others of her kin.
I Owe You My Life: To Barahir son of Bregor, who saved him in a Big Damn Heroes moment in the Dagor Bragollach. Felagund gives him his ring, and he swears to come to the aid of Barahir, or any of his kin, in their time of need.
Kick the Dog: The caves of Nargothrond were originally inhabited by the Petty-Dwarves until they were expelled — though to be fair to the Elves the details are too vague to know how direct Finrod's role in their eviction was. Considering Morgoth's hordes swept through West Beleriand before the arrival of the Noldor, it's likely they had already fled. In the early tellings, he likely had no idea they were even there — the other Dwarves "despised" Petty-Dwarves and had "no compunctions" about taking (and selling) their land. In another telling found in ''The Nature of Middle-earth, they lived side-by-side in the caves until Mîm attempted to kill Finrod in his sleep, causing the Petty-Dwarves to be exiled from Nargothrond.
Luke Nounverber: Finrod Felagund (Cave-Hewer).
Magic Knight: A skilled warrior, telepath, and master of Magic Music.
Magic Music: Finrod is a master of magical songs, and he and Sauron duel each other with magic songs in Tol-in-Gaurhoth. Unfortunately Sauron prevails and Finrod, Beren, and their companions are subdued and thrown into the dungeons. [[note]]Tolkien's use of music and verse in his vague references to "magic" become Fridge Brilliance when you know that the Ainur sung the world into being. So if music can create the world, it stands to reason that it can also change it — especially given that it's always sung by either an Ainu (Sauron, Melian) or those taught by one (Felagund, Lúthien).
Memento MacGuffin: His ring, which he gave to Barahir (and which eventually found its way to Barahir's distant descendant, Aragorn).
Mentor: To Bëor and his followers; they named him Nóm, "Wisdom."
Mythology Gag: Originally, Tolkien referred to the Noldor as "Gnomes" due to the word's association with knowledge, but later decided against it due to the indelible association with the little bearded garden statues. However, Felagund was given the name "Nóm the Wise" by Men, probably an out-of-universe reference to gnomes.
Nice Guy: In a world where even the best of the Elf-lords tend to be arrogant, paranoid or dismissive of Men and Dwarves (one Elvish word for each was the "Sickly" and the "Stunted") Finrod was just exceptionally friendly, kind, and forgiving to literally everybody he meets, whether Man or Dwarf or Elf.
- He was such a nice guy that even when Thingol mistakenly accused him and his brothers of joining in the Kinslaying at Alqualondë (something none of the House of Finarfin did) and of slaughtering their mother's relatives, he said nothing in his own defense; he knew that he couldn't defend himself without bad-mouthing the Sons of Fëanor, and so refused to do so.
- Finrod got on so well with the Dwarves they named him "Felak-gundu", "cave-hewer". And when even the Dwarves admit you know how to build a good cave-mansion, you know you're good.
- Finrod even attempted to make amends to the Petty-Dwarves, living side-by-side with them in Nargothrond until their chieftain Mîm (who would never stop hating the Elves for being there at all) attempted to kill him in his sleep, resulting in their expulsion.
- When Finrod discovered the first Men in Beleriand while out hunting, he immediately fell in love with them as a people, learning Taliska, teaching them Sindarin and bonding over harp-playing. He intervened with the local Laiquendi to ensure peace between them and the Men, then got Thingol to grant them lands in the west of Beleriand.
- When Barahir saved his life at the Dagor Bragollach, Finrod gave him a ring and swore eternal friendship between himself and Barahir's descendants, and when he met Barahir's son Beren he immediately joined his virtually suicidal quest for the Silmaril, knowing quite well he might die, as indeed he did. (That ring, the Ring of Barahir, would eventually come down to Aragorn.)
Psychic Powers: Finrod had the greatest "mind-reading" powers of any known elf. He got an automatic mental translation of everything mortal Men said to him, making linguistic barriers a snap to overcome, although this power didn't work in conversations with fellow elves. The book itself says that he "could read in the minds of Men such thoughts as they wished to reveal in speech, so that their words were easily interpreted."
Reasonable Authority Figure: Immediately agreed to help Beren in his quest for a Silmaril.
Warrior Poet: Upon meeting Men for the first time, Finrod impressed them with his singing and harping.
The Wise Prince: Possibly the wisest prince among the Exiles, certainly one of the most level-headed, and also one of the nicest.

Angrod

The second son of Finarfin and Eärwen of the Teleri, brother to Finrod, Aegnor, and Galadriel, and cousin to the Sons of Fëanor. He and his younger brother Aegnor ruled the highlands of Dorthonion until defeated and killed by invading armies of Morgoth. In early versions, Orodreth is his brother, in later versions Orodreth is his son. Very little is said of him, otherwise.

One-Steve Limit: He and his brothers were all originally named Aráto. Finrod's name was then changed to Findaráto, Angrod's to Angaráto, and Aegnor's to Ambaráto. Thus, Finrod and Angrod in their Sindarized forms.^note
Those Two Guys: He and Aegnor often get overlooked by the fans, as opposed to their older brother and baby sister.
Warrior Prince: Like most of the House of Finwë.

Orodreth

In early versions, he is a son of Finarfin; in later versions he is the son of Angrod and therefore a grandchild to Finarfin. Originally granted lordship over Tol Sirion as a vassal to Finrod, when Sauron conquered it Orodreth retreated to Nargothrond, which he became lord of after Finrod's death. Killed by Glaurung in the sack of Nargothrond. Father of Finduilas. He's also supposed to be the father of Gil-galad, but Christopher Tolkien mistakenly made him the son of Fingon in the 1977 Silmarillion.

Horrible Judge of Character: Letting Túrin have the last word on all the important decisions in the realm led to its destruction.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Of all the princes of the Noldor, he had the most calm demeanor and was slow to go to war.

Finduilas

Daughter of Orodreth, friend of Túrin, and fiancée of Gwindor before the Nírnaeth Arnoediad. When Gwindor returns to Nargothrond fourteen years later, her feelings for him were no longer the same, and she was torn in heart as she fell for Túrin. She was captured by orcs in the sack of Nargothrond; when Túrin elected to save his mother and sister instead of her^note, Finduilas was murdered by the Orcs.

Barrier Maiden: According to Gwindor, Finduilas' survival was the only thing standing between Túrin and whatever horrible fate Morgoth intended for him, with her death sealing his fate.
Distressed Damsel: She was captured by Morgoth's army after the fall of Nargothrond.
The Gwen Stacy: Her death took an emotional toll on Túrin, leading to his second Heroic BSoD.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: How the Orcs killed her, just to stop the Men of Brethil from rescuing her.
Love Hurts: At the very least, love triangles involving your fiance and a guy from another species hurt.
Star-Crossed Lovers: With Túrin. In some versions (including the 1977 Silmarillion), the romantic interest is one-sided; in others, the feeling is mutual but unrequited.

Aegnor

The third son of Finarfin and Eärwen of the Teleri, brother to Finrod, Angrod, and Galadriel, and cousin to the Sons of Fëanor. He and his older brother Angrod ruled the highlands of Dorthonion until defeated and killed by invading armies of Morgoth. In The History of Middle-earth, Aegnor fell in love with the mortal woman Andreth, but didn't marry her for multiple reasons. Ironically, despite being from the longer-lived race, he died long before she did.

'80s Hair: He had golden hair like his father and siblings, but his was markedly "strong and stiff, rising upon his head like flames".
Interspecies Romance: With Andreth. Special points for being the only Interspecies Romance written by Tolkien where the female was the more mundane participant.
Love at First Sight: He first saw Andreth as a reflection in the water while she was kneeled down to look into the waters of the lake Aeluin.
The Mourning After: Aegnor, in spite of his physical death, technically continues to exist in the Halls of Mandos. It is said he will never voluntarily return from these Halls (though Elves are typically able to do so after some time) for the entire duration of the world’s existence as he mourns Andreth, whose mortal spirit will have left the world after death. Bear in mind the fate of never leaving Mandos is reserved only for some of the most extreme of cases (read: Fëanor) otherwise, and you begin to see the depth of his grief.
Star-Crossed Lovers: He was an immortal, she was a mortal. Even after death their fates were separated, as mortal souls leave the world altogether, journeying to an unknown destination, while the slain elves must remain in the Halls of Mandos until reincarnation.
Those Two Guys: Often overlooked by fans with his brother Angrod.
Unstoppable Rage: He was terribly furious in battle.
Warrior Prince: Like most of the House of Finwë.
Wartime Wedding: Elves avoid these, which was at least partially the reason he didn't marry Andreth.
Wild Hair: His hair was stiff and straight, sticking out of his head like golden flames.

Galadriel

The youngest child and only daughter of Finarfin and Eärwen of the Teleri, sister to Finrod, Angrod, and Aegnor, and cousin to the Sons of Fëanor. Galadriel was the wisest and most powerful of all Elven-women. Though she hated Fëanor, she took part in his rebellion out of a desire to rule her own kingdom in Middle-earth. In the 1977 Silmarillion she travelled into Middle-earth over the ice of Helcaraxë with the rest of the Noldor, and lived in Doriath where she met and married Celeborn. Later in The History of Middle-earth this was revised: she and Celeborn married already in Valinor and sailed to Middle-earth on their own. During the Second Age, Galadriel took up in Eregion under Celebrimbor, and after its fall, she became the White Lady of Lothlórien. See The Lord of the Rings character sheet for tropes that apply to her.

Gwindor

A prince of Nargothrond (vassal of the House of Finarfin but not related to them) and a friend of Túrin Turambar. Taken captive when he rushed out of cover impulsively in battle, he escaped from Morgoth's mines many years later and was rescued by Túrin. After Túrin's freakout upon killing Beleg, Gwindor took him to safety in Nargothrond. He was killed in Nargothrond's fall.

Age Without Youth: Although immortal, after decades of torture and forced labor under Morgoth's yoke, he was left scarred, maimed, and broken.
An Arm and a Leg: Lost a hand in his escape from Angband.
Combat Pragmatist: He advocated that Nargothrond continue to use stealth and guerilla tactics against Morgoth. Túrin disagreed.
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Gwindor's reaction when he found out that his betrothed, Finduilas, had fallen in love with Túrin. He did warn her, though, that Túrin had been cursed by Morgoth and had a dark destiny ahead of him, and that the Eldar and the Edain should not wed because of all the differences between them, save for a few exceptions Because Destiny Says So (he outright says "Túrin is not Beren"). Túrin, however, didn't reciprocate her feelings.
Leeroy Jenkins: He led the first charge in the Nírnaeth Arnoediad. A company of orcs marched before Fingon's host, where Gwindor was serving with the companies from Nargothrond, and to taunt them the Orcs brought forth a prisoner and cut him to pieces while he was still alive. That prisoner was Gwindor's brother Gelmir, and seeing this triggered a Roaring Rampage of Revenge from Gwindor, with many of Fingon's host following behind him, and they tore across Anfauglith right up to the doors of Angband, where they were finally overwhelmed and taken prisoner.
Made a Slave: After he was captured by Morgoth's forces, he was forced to labor in Angband's mines for years before he escaped.
Please, Don't Leave Me: Inverted when Gwindor, mortally wounded at the fall of Nargothrond, begs Túrin to leave him and try to save Finduilas, whom they both love (in different ways).
Shell-Shocked Veteran: His PTSD comes not from war, but from being a slave in Angband for fourteen years before finally escaping.
You Will Be Spared: As with many other Noldor, Gwindor was captured and put to work in the mines and forges of Angband, as a great many Noldor were skilled in smithcraft.

The House of Thingol

Elu Thingol

Elvenking of Doriath and one of the most important monarchs of the First Age. He was one of the three ambassadors sent to Valinor, alongside Finwë and Ingwë. While leading his people, the Teleri, through Middle-earth on the way to Valinor, Elu Thingol (then known as Elwë Singollo, his Quenya name) met Melian in the woods of Nan Elmoth and fell in love with her. They stayed there enchanted by each other for centuries, and the greater part of the Teleri stayed in Middle-earth to search for him; they became the Sindar, or Grey-elves. When they finally reunited with Thingol's people, they founded the kingdom of Doriath. Together, they had a daughter, Lúthien Tinúviel.

Thingol was a wise but overly proud king, and when he learned of the Kinslaying, he forbid any Noldor from entering his kingdom save only the children of his niece Eärwen by Finarfin, who took no part in the massacre. Thingol had no love for Men, and when Beren fell in love with his daughter, he sent Beren on a suicide mission to take a Silmaril from Morgoth — at which he succeeded, which changed Thingol's opinion of Men. He later became the foster-father of Túrin. Thingol was murdered by the dwarves of Nogrod because of their mutual greed over the Silmaril.

Anti-Hero: Type IV.
Character Development: Started out with a strong dislike of the race of Men. Beren changed his mind (eventually) and he became a loving foster-father to Túrin.
Dropped a Bridge on Him: Apparently, Tolkien never came up with a way for Thingol to die that satisfied him. The story of his death in The Silmarillion was pretty anticlimatic for such an important character. It was actually improvised by Christopher Tolkien and Guy Gavriel Kay, since the elder Tolkien only wrote about it during the earliest stage of his universe-building — which was now totally inconsistent both in lore and prose style when the two assembled the complete work.
Elves vs. Dwarves: It has been hinted that he was the one who started it, albeit without meaning to. He hired a group of Dwarven smiths; once they completed their job, they demanded to keep the item he'd hired them to make (specifically, fitting a Silmaril into the Nauglamír). He tossed off a dismissive comment and, in response, they murdered him, starting a Cycle of Revenge.
Engagement Challenge: Initiated one of these as a way to get rid of Beren. It didn't work out as he'd hoped. (Some versions indicate that his condition of "get me a Silmaril" was a more elaborate way of saying "not in a million years, boy" and that he never expected that Beren would actually make the attempt.)
Fantastic Racism: Against the Noldor for the events of the First Kinslaying. Also against mortal Men at first when he refuses to let Beren marry his daughter. And finally, against dwarves, leading to his death. He gets over his prejudice against humans when Beren successfully retrieves the Silmaril and gives his life to protect him from Carcharoth. He later adopts human Túrin and loves his half-human grandson Dior.
Fatal Flaw: Pride early on, Greed near the end of his life, once he has the Silmaril and the Nauglamir.
Good is Not Nice: He had strong morals and adored his family more than anything, but boy… fortunately, this changed over time.
Happily Married: To Melian, a Maia.
Hidden Elf Village: He ruled a Hidden Elf Kingdom. It wasn't really hidden in the sense that most people didn't know where it was, but the Girdle of Melian made it impossible for anyone to actually enter Doriath without their leave. (Unless A Greater Power Says So, as with Beren). Also, Morgoth's gaze could not penetrate the barrier, so the goings-on in Doriath were 'hidden' from him.
In Name Only: He considers himself king of all Beleriand, and grants permission to the Noldor to settle all its lands save Doriath itself, but Maedhros scoffs at this:
Maedhros: A king is he that can hold his own, or else his title is vain. Thingol does but grant us lands where his power does not run! Indeed, Doriath alone would be his realm this day but for the coming of the Noldor.
Interspecies Romance: With Melian, a Maia (godlike angelic spirit).
I Owe You My Life: Beren saved his life during the Hunting of the Wolf.
Jerkass: He treated Beren, a famous hero in the war against Morgoth, like a piece of crap. He learned to think better of him (and of all Men), though.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He had become one by the time he fostered Túrin.
Knight Templar Parent: Imprisoned his daughter in a treehouse for her own good. Yes, any parent would be afraid if their daughter wanted to rush off into a very dangerous country to join a completely suicidal quest… but his treatment of Beren, his assuming the guy was in league with Morgoth, and his complete unwillingness to trust that his daughter was actually in love, really bolloxed things up.
Large and in Charge: He was the tallest of all the Children of Ilúvatar. No actual measurement is given, but considering that Elendil was just shy of eight feet, Thingol must have been a giant.
Love at First Sight: Mutually, with Melian again.
Meaningful Name: "Thingol" means "Greycloak", after his mane of silver hair.
Named Weapons: His sword was named Aranrúth, meaning "king's anger". It survived the fall of Doriath and eventually found its way to Númenor, where it became a royal heirloom and the King's (or Ruling Queen's) personal weapon, but was lost when the island sank.
Noble Bigot: Pretty much the only openly racist character who isn't an Anti-Hero or worse, though he changed after Beren proved his worth.
"Not So Different" Remark: With Beren, since he was the lesser being in an Interspecies Romance himself. The irony was lost on him.
Parental Marriage Veto: He thought he'd get one. He didn't.
Parental Substitute: To Túrin, apparently with great warmth.
Pet the Dog:
- After hearing the story of Beren's quest, he softens and grants his consent to Lúthien's marriage.
- In spite of Húrin's scorn, pity for the man's sufferings won out over his wrath.
Reasonable Authority Figure
- While infuriated to learn of the Kinslaying, he maintained friendship with Fingolfin and his people because they had repented of their involvement in the deed.
- He tried to be this for Túrin after Saeros' death, but Túrin ran off.
Royal Decree: When he heard about the Kinslaying, he was so horrified and furious that he immediately forbade Quenya to be spoken within Doriath and banned the House of Fëanor from ever entering his kingdom.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Rarely (if ever) left his kingdom, but still managed to have a lot of influence where he wished. Doriath was the most peaceful and prosperous realm in Beleriand until his death, because he had the sense not to join a hopeless war. He was the one who made the decisions, but it was Melian who protected the realm. He notably joined Beren, Beleg and Mablung in the Hunting of the Wolf.
Time Abyss: He was one of the oldest of the Elves, having been born at Cuiviénen during the Years of the Trees.
Took a Level in Kindness: “and no battle of wolf and hound has been like to it, for in the baying of Huan was heard the voice of the horns of Oromë and the wrath of the Valar, but in the howls of Carcharoth was the hate of Morgoth and malice crueller than teeth of steel; and the rocks were rent by their clamour and fell from on high and choked the falls of Esgalduin. There they fought to the death; but Thingol gave no heed, for he knelt by Beren, seeing that he was sorely hurt.”
Unscrupulous Hero: He was a good king and genuinely cared for his wife and Lúthien. It didn't stop him from sending Beren on a suicide mission and imprisoning his own daughter "for her own good."

Melian

One of the holy Maiar, Melian loved to stray from Valinor to the woods of Middle-earth, and there met Thingol. Together they founded the kingdom of Doriath, which Thingol ruled and she protected with the Girdle of Melian, an enchantment that bewildered any unbidden intruders. Melian gave birth to Lúthien, and after her husband and daughter's deaths, she left Doriath in grief and returned to Valinor. She was a friend and mentor to Galadriel.

Barrier Maiden: The Girdle of Melian, which she created and maintained, was the primary reason that Doriath managed to stay out of the conflict.
The Cassandra: Her good counsel such as urging Thingol to give the Silmaril to the sons of Fëanor to prevent conflict, warning Beleg that the sword he chose is filled with the malice of its maker, and advising Morwen to remain in Doriath while other investigate tends to be ignored to disasterous consequences(Doriath is ultimately sacked by the sons of Fëanor, Beleg is killed by his own sword, and Morwen is lost along with her daughter)
Dark Is Not Evil: Her area of expertise as a Maia includes darkness, shadows, and night.
Eternal Love: When she and Thingol met, they spent centuries just gazing into each other's eyes.
Fisher King: When she left Doriath, the Girdle failed and the woods lost their enchantment and protection. Cue invasion by dwarves.
Happily Married: She and Thingol were very happy together for centuries, and she only left Middle-Earth after his death.

Interspecies Romance: She was a Maia, an incarnate angelic spirit, who was married to an Elf.
Love at First Sight: She and Thingol fell in love the moment they met while both were wandering alone in the woods.
Our Angels Are Different: Maiar are essentially Christian angels who can incarnate into physical, living bodies.
Physical God: Roughly on par with Sauron, and had been known to hold her own against the likes of Ungoliant and her children just enough to keep them out of her husband's realm.
Place of Protection: By shutting out all enemies, her Girdle turned Doriath into one of these for its inhabitants and eventually a few outsiders.
Put on a Bus: Leaves Middle-earth and returns to Valinor after Thingol's death.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Her role was passive but also the only reason Doriath stayed intact for most of the War of the Jewels, while other kingdoms were conquered left and right.
Unfriendly Fire: If Beren is anything to go by, running into the Girdle is harrowing for anyone who hasn't been invited into Doriath, regardless of whether they're actually enemies.

Lúthien Tinúviel

Lúthien was the daughter of Thingol, the Elven-king of Doriath. Her mother was a Maia, one of those angelic, demiurgic spirits that helped create the universe. Her magical powers were essential in helping Beren achieve his quest. She chose to become mortal so that she could be with Beren forever, though it required an eternal separation from her beloved parents.

Action Girl: Though not much of a combatant, she's still an active female protagonist, and a pretty badass one.
Animorphism: She managed to sneak herself and Beren into Angband by using flayed skins to turn him into a werewolf and herself into some kind of giant vampire bat (what exactly she turned into is pretty vague).
Animal Motifs: She's associated with nightingales for the sweetness of her voice; the appelation Tinúviel itself means "nightingale."
Author Avatar: Author's Wife's Avatar because Tolkien based her on his wife, such as her beautiful grey eyes.
Back from the Dead: When Beren died, Lúthien died too out of sorrow, and her spirit went to the Halls of Mandos, where she managed to persuade Mandos into letting them both return to life — but only under the condition that she became a mortal and would die for real when Beren did.
Bookend: She was called "The Morningstar of the Elves" born to the Sindar during the days of their full glory, and gave birth to the line of Half-Elven. The line of Half-Elves was later reunited by Arwen, who was called "The Eveningstar of the Elves", as she marked the end of the Elven rule on Middle-earth.
Deader than Dead: The first elf and the only being with no human blood to receive the human gift of mortality and die in truth, her soul leaving the world of Ea along with that of Beren.
Determinator: Nothing in this world or the next — treacherous false friends, objecting parents, dangers and difficulties of the wilderness, on-going war, supernatural monsters, physical gods, laws of metaphysics or death itself — can stop her from getting the man she loves.
Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: In Thangorodrim before Morgoth's throne, her music first put the Orcs to sleep, then the Balrogs, until only Morgoth was left, and then…
The dark and mighty head was bowed;
like mountain-top beneath a cloud
the shoulders foundered, the vast form
crashed, as in overwhelming storm
huge cliffs in ruin slide and fall;
and prone lay Morgoth in his hall.
Divine Parentage: Her mother, Melian, was a Maia.
The Dreaded: After her father's death, she was given the Nauglamír set with the Silmaril. Fëanor's sons knew that she had it and was wearing it, but they didn't dare assail her and Beren's lands until she'd passed away and bequeathed the jewel to her son.
Earn Your Happy Ending: She had as much part in finishing the Quest as Beren, if not more and ultimately ends it together with him, in death.
Flower Motifs: Her dress was blue with golden flowers, and flowers grew out of her footstep when she sang.
Forced Sleep: She had the ability to cast almost any kind of creature into an enchanted sleep, including Elf guards, the giant wolf Carcharoth, Sauron (very briefly), and Morgoth and his entire court.
Friend to All Living Things: See Fertile Feet. She also befriended Huan, the hound who had never spoken before.
Heroic Sacrifice: She gave up her immortality to bring Beren back to life.
I Will Find You: She did this twice to Beren: first when he had left for his suicide mission of stealing a Silmaril from Morgoth's crown, and then when he was dying and Lúthien was determined to follow him into death to see him again. Both times she succeeded.
Magical Girl: Magical enough to put Melkor and his entire court to sleep.
Magic Music: Her music was magical. And by 'magical', we mean that she magically overpowered Middle-earth's resident God of Evil. ^note
Meaningful Name: Lúthien means Enchantress. Her singing and her dancing were magical; among other things she could enchant people into sleep with them. More concretely, she had the tendency to make men fall in love with her or lust after her.
Non-Human Humanoid Hybrid: Half-elven, half Physical God.
The Power of Love: Yep, it's even stronger than death.
Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: She was to some extent the "author avatar" for the author's wife, who had dark hair and light skin. This combination shows up in most elves (the most beautiful race in Arda) and is especially emphasized, with blacker-than-black hair, in the two most beautiful women ever born: Lúthien and her descendant Arwen.
Rebellious Princess: Defies Thingol's wishes and absconds from her imprisonment in Hírilorn, then meets up with Beren and aids him in his quest:
She wavered, and she stayed her song.
"The road," she said, "was wild and long,
but Thingol sent me not, nor knows
what way his rebellious daughter goes."
Spell My Name With An S: Russian translators just can't agree on an appropriate Cyrillic transliteration of her name, with at least eight in existence, and counting. The consensus spelling seems to be Лютиэн, but this is far from a settled issue. It doesn't help that a very popular translation of The Lord of the Rings from The '80s used the spelling Лучиэнь, which is not a pronunciation-accurate translation but instead an attempt at a poetic Woolseyism.
Star-Crossed Lovers: With Beren. Ultimately, the only way they could be together was in death — and she had to become an unique exception to the rules of metaphysics to even have that.
Tender Tears: In the Halls of Mandos, Lúthien cried these while singing a song about the pain of life so sad she managed to move Mandos's heart.
Together in Death: Ironically, her Heroic Sacrifice of giving up her immortality to enable Beren to return to life allowed them to finally be eternally together. As an elf, Lúthien would have been ultimately separated from him, as the souls of dead mortals pass out of the world, and the elves, even when their bodies die, must stay inside it until they reincarnate. But when she became a mortal, too; their souls would leave the world and face the unknown fate outside it together.
True Blue Femininity: She's wearing a sky-blue gown when Beren first meets her.
Blue was her raiment as the unclouded heaven, but her eyes were grey as the starlit evening; her mantle was sewn with golden flowers, but her hair was dark as the shadows of twilight.
What Beautiful Eyes!: Described as having grey eyes; in addition to having powerful magic, she is said to be the World's Most Beautiful Woman. Her real-life counterpart (Tolkien's wife) also had grey eyes.
World's Most Beautiful Woman: The most beautiful of all the elves, the most beautiful incarnates ever made by Eru.

Dior

The only son of Beren and Lúthien, husband of the Sindarin princess, Nimloth, and father of Elwing, Eluréd, and Elurín. Dior became the king of Doriath after Thingol's death, leading the realm into a new rise after all the tumultuous events. However, he was slain only four years after his coronation when the Sons of Fëanor assaulted Doriath in the Second Kinslaying, killing much of its inhabitants. The kingdom never recovered.

Either/Or Offspring: In a slightly older draft of the Silmarillion, Manwë declares that all descendants of elves and men will be Men unless he himself offers them a choice (as he later would with Ëarendil and Elwing's boys). Therefore Christopher notes that Dior was mortal.
Heinz Hybrid: Half Man, one quarter Elf, one quarter Maia.
Mutual Kill: He and Celegorm killed each other.
Pretty Boy: Dior the Fair. Incidentally, Celegorm also had the epithet "the Fair".
Warrior Prince: Fought in the Sack of Doriath against the invading Fëanorians.

Elwing

Oldest daughter of Dior and Nimloth, and sister of twins Eluréd and Elurín. Her family died in the attack by the Sons of Fëanor, but she escaped with the Silmaril and married Eärendil the Voyager, and gave birth to the twin sons Elrond and Elros. Once while Eärendil was on the sea, the Sons of Fëanor attacked and tried to take the Silmaril by force, but Elwing cast herself into the sea. Ulmo Lord of Waters then gave her the shape of a sea bird, and she flew till she found Eärendil's ship.

Animal Talk: She learned to speak with birds.
Animorphism: Ulmo temporarily gave her the form of a sea bird. Later, though she lacked her grandmother's ability to truly shapeshift, she "built" artificial wings and learned to fly among the sea birds, to meet Eärendil when he was returning back home from his voyages on the night sky.
Birds of a Feather: One of few half-elves (well, actually five-eights elf) in existence, she fell in love with and married another half-elf, Eärendil.
Driven to Suicide: When the sons of Fëanor cornered her, she leapt into the ocean with the Silmaril in hand to stop them from taking it.
Happily Failed Suicide: When she jumped into the sea to escape the Fëanorians, Ulmo saved her by turning her into a bird so she could fly to safety and take the Silmaril to her husband's ship.
Heinz Hybrid: 5/8 elven, 1/4 Man, 1/8 Maia. Married to another Half-Human Hybrid, Eärendil. In them, the two lineages of Half-Elves joined, only to be divided again into the lineages of Elrond and Elros (which would rejoin yet again through Aragorn and Arwen.)
I Will Wait for You: Elwing could be seen as the symbol of all women left on the shore waiting for their sailor husbands.
Last of His Kind: Last of the House of Thingol, after all her family were killed in the Second Kinslaying.
Mage Tower: While she wasn't a mage, Elwing was a person with distinctive magical powers (like… flying) and she ended up living in a lonely tower by the sea.
Meaningful Name: The woman who turned into a bird was named Elwing.
No Escape but Down: Cornered by the Fëanorians, she jumped off the cliffs into the sea.
Parental Abandonment: She tossed herself in the sea rather than giving up the Silmaril, resulting in her twin sons being raised by Maglor and Maedhros. Though in fairness to her, it's not clear if she knew they were even alive at that point - and given what had happened to her little brothers after the Second Kinslaying, she had every reason to believe otherwise (since she probably didn't know that a repentant Maedhros had searched for them after his servants abandoned them in the forest).

Daeron

A loremaster, linguist and minstrel in Thingol's court. He was renowned as the greatest minstrel that ever lived, and he also invented the Cirth alphabet (the Norse-looking runes). In the original draft, Daeron was also Thingol's son and Lúthien's kid brother, but in later versions told in the 1977 Silmarillion, he was not related to the ruling family. Instead, he loved Lúthien and played music to her dancing, but she only saw him as a friend. He betrayed her trust twice out of jealousy (and/or distrust for Beren) by informing Thingol of her intentions. When she escaped Doriath to help Beren, Daeron sought but never found her, and finally went missing.

Dogged Nice Guy: It's never implied that there was anything wrong with him as a suitor before he was consumed by his jealousy of Beren.
False Friend: Played with. Originally a real friend, Daeron later used Lúthien's trust against her. He did this out of a misguided belief that he was doing what was best for her.
For Your Own Good: From Daeron's point of view, he was just protecting Lúthien from a silly, dangerous affair with a wild man who didn't deserve her.

Like Brother and Sister: How Lúthien viewed their relationship.
Love Makes You Evil: Or perhaps stupid, if not outright crazy.
Unrequited Love Lasts Forever: He kept wandering around the world, searching for Lúthien.
Walking the Earth: His eventual fate. Compare this to what happened to another great yet tragic Elven minstrel, Maglor.
What the Hell, Hero?: He meant well when he told Thingol about Beren, and later told him that Lúthien was planning to follow Beren. But his meddling only messed things up more than they needed to be, and slowed down Lúthien's attempt to rescue Beren.

Beleg Cúthalion

A captain in Thingol's army, Beleg was the greatest tracker among the Gray-elves. He aided Beren and Thingol in hunting the wolf Carcharoth, and years later became a dear friend and brother-in-arms to Túrin, whose band of raiders he joined. Beleg was grievously wounded when their hideout was discovered and Túrin captured, but he still risked his life to rescue his friend. Tragically, when Beleg undid Túrin's bindings, Túrin mistook him for an enemy and killed his friend.

Accidental Murder: The victim. When he rescued Túrin, he attempted to cut his bindings, but the blade slipped and cut him. Túrin awoke, thought Beleg was an Orc trying to torture him again, and killed him.
The Ace: A powerful archer, an unmatched tracker, and an all-around swell guy.
Ambiguously Gay: The text uses the word "love" to describe his fondness for Túrin about a half dozen times. When he meets Túrin along with the outlaws, he tells Túrin, "If I stayed beside you, love would lead me, not wisdom". In the abandoned poem "The Lay of the Children of Húrin", when he is reunited with Túrin for the first time, he gives Túrin a thank-you-for-rescuing-me kiss.
Artifact of Doom: His sword, Anglachel, a black blade forged by the dark elf Eöl. Melian warned him that this sword carried the malicious heart of its creator and would not be with him for long. Sadly, her words would prove to be true.
Bash Brothers: With Túrin.
Big Brother Mentor: Towards Túrin.
Bigger Is Better: His name, Beleg, means "great, large, mighty." Beleg was very tall and strong for a Sinda (not counting his near-gigantic monarch).
Bow and Sword in Accord: Wielded the bow Belthronding and the sword Anglachel, which he was gifted from King Thingol when he left Menegroth to search for Túrin.
Cold-Blooded Torture: Túrin's unsavory comrades inflicted this upon Beleg when he discovered their hideout. They tied him to a tree and denied him food and water for two days. They were just about to torture him with a hot brand before Túrin showed up and stopped them.
Cool Sword: Anglachel. It was forged from a meteorite, and its name means "iron of the flaming star".
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Túrin.
Lightning Reveal: He revealed his face seconds after he died.
The Magnificent: "Thalion" means "Strong" or "Steadfast".
Master Archer: Beleg is renowned as an exceptional archer, who was known for his strength and ability to fire arrows over great distances. His name "Cuthalion" even means "strongbow".
Mentor Occupational Hazard: Getting killed by your own student seems especially harsh, though.
They Call Him "Sword": His surname, Cúthalion, meant "Strongbow."

Mablung

Chief captain of Thingol. Unlike Beleg, who was almost always at Doriath's borders, Mablung was positioned in the capital Menegroth and was present at many important events, such as Beren's arrival in Menegroth and the hunt for Carcharoth. He was killed by the dwarves of Nogrod after they killed Thingol.

Due to the Dead: Buried Túrin and set up a stone to mark his burial mound.
Failure Hero: Poor Mablung ends up as this. All his best efforts to help the Children of Húrin fail thanks to forces outside his control. The trip to Nargothrong ends with Morwen lost in Glaurung's mist and Niënor under a dragon-spell, an orc raid separates him from the amnesiac Niënor, and he ends up unknowingly giving Túrin the confirmation of Brandir's words that drives him to kill himself. The guy bitterly lampshades it.

I also have been meshed in the doom of the Children of Húrin, and thus with words have slain one that I loved.

Glory Seeker: Perhaps, as he didn't want to be left out of the Union of Maedhros just because his king Thingol wouldn't join the Union due to personal reasons.
Last Stand: When the Dwarves attacked Doriath in the Battle of the Thousand Caves, Mablung defended the treasury where the Silmaril was locked until he was killed before its doors.^note
Must Make Amends: After losing Morwen and Niënor in the wilderness, Mablung tried in vain to recover them because of Thingol entrusting him as their guard.
My God, What Have I Done?: A subtle example. When Mablung finally found Túrin, he told him the news of his family, without knowing that the information he brought would cause Túrin to commit suicide. He lamented that he killed the man with his words. Yeah, nothing seemed to work right for this guy.
My Greatest Failure: He considered the disappearance of Morwen and Niënor to be this.
Red Baron: He is called, redundantly, "Mablung of the Heavy Hand" (Mablung means "heavy hand"). It's not entirely clear whether this was his father-name, his Amilessë (mother-name, which is sometimes prophetic) or his Epessë (epithet). In earlier versions, Mablung's name was implicitly his mother-name, because it "came true" when he cut the Silmaril (and Beren's hand!) from Carcharoth's belly, and the great weight of the Silmaril caused his hand to drop violently to the ground and fall open. This explanation never survived into the published Silmarillion, leaving it unclear what name it was, whether it referred to his fighting skill instead or even if it was an epithet he only gained after the Hunt for Carcharoth.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Mablung told Túrin about his sister, unaware that Túrin was suicidal and his words would lead the man over the edge.
You Are in Command Now: After the death of Thingol and the departure of Melian, he was the highest-ranking person left in Doriath, and so the defense of Doriath against the vengeful Dwarven host of Nogrod fell to him. Not that he would be in command for very long, though, as he was slain in a battle against dwarves just one year later.

Saeros

A Nandorin Elf and one of Thingol's councillors. Jealous of the favor Túrin enjoyed in Thingol's court, Saeros harassed the young Man, but Túrin took his abuse with grace. That is, until Saeros insulted the pride of both his people and his mother, whereupon Túrin hurled a goblet at his face and injured him. The next day, Saeros ambushed Túrin and tried to murder him, but Túrin got the better of him, stripped him naked, and drove him through the woods as payback — which ended in tragedy when Saeros fell into a ravine in his panic and died, causing Túrin to voluntarily exile himself in shame.

Accidental Murder: His fate, though it was a direct result of…
Asshole Victim: His racist attitude and petty attempt to kill Túrin result in his demise. It’s stated that Mandos would hold him for a very long time.
Bullying a Dragon: Yes, pick on Túrin and insult his ancestry. No way he'll flip out and physically assault you.
Fantastic Racism: Had a very low opinion of anyone who wasn't an Elf.
Hate Sink: Saeros is a racist Elf in King Thingol's court who resented the presence of Túrin as a ward of Thingol. One evening Saeros made insulting remarks about Túrin's people, causing Túrin to injure Saeros. The next morning, Saeros attempted to murder Túrin over the last night's events, provoking Túrin into stripping him and accidentally killing him by running him off a cliff. When Thingol heard of what Saeros had done, he pardoned Túrin, while it was stated that Saeros would be held in Mandos, the land of the dead, for a long time due to his misdeeds.
Jerkass: And his reaction to earning a broken mouth for the hurtful words that came out of it was to attempt murder by ambush. Nice guy!
Karmic Death: When Túrin made a return trip to Menegroth, Saeros mockingly asked if "[the women of Dor-Lomin] run like the deer clad only in their hair". Sure enough, when Saeros tries to kill Túrin the next day, Turin strips him and makes him run through the forest, leading to Saeros running off a cliff and dying.
Meaningful Name: "Saer" can be translated as "bitter."
The Resenter: Hated the fact that Túrin, a Man, was so high in favor with Thingol.

Celeborn

Great-nephew of Thingol and husband of Galadriel. See this character sheet for more details.

Men of the Edain

Haleth

Chieftainess of the Haladin, the second of the three tribes of the Edain. Haleth's father, Haldad, had led their people into Beleriand, where they settled on Caranthir's land. When orcs attacked their encampment, Haldad and his son Haldar were killed, but Haleth rallied the Haladin for seven days before Caranthir's forces arrived. Refusing to become Caranthir's vassal, she led the Haladin to the forest of Brethil.

Action Girl: With an Amazon Brigade in some versions.
Amazon Brigade: Had a hand-picked group of female bodyguards.
Deadpan Snarker: The only character in the whole book to crack a joke.
Determinator: She held her people together during the Orcs' assault, and got them to follow her through the Valley of Dreadful Death, through sheer force of will and personality.
Founder of the Kingdom: She led her people to the Forest of Brethil, which became their home for the rest of the First Age.
Humans Are Warriors: Haleth very aptly demonstrated this fact. She led one of the first three tribes of Men that the elves encountered.
Iron Lady: Chieftainess of the Haladin, and a fearsome one at that.
Maiden Aunt: She never married, leaving her nephew Haldan to inherit her position.
National Weapon: The signature weapon of her tribe were axes, as the Haladin were woodsmen. They were more lightly armed compared to the other Edain, and relying more on hit and run attacks in the woods against orcs, with few going to the great battles.
The Migration: She led it, right through the edge of Nan Dungortheb, the Valley of Dreadful Death.
Pintsized Powerhouse: The Haladin were the shortest of the three groups of the Edain, though their stature did not diminish their valor.
Screw You, Elves!: She had a particular taste for saying this.
Universally Beloved Leader: How beloved was she? Her people changed their name from the Haladin to the People of Haleth.
Virgin Power: She's the greatest female warrior of the First Age and never marries or has children.

Brandir

Chieftain of the Haladin some four generations after Haleth, he assumed leadership not long before Túrin's arrival in Brethil. His foot was wounded in childhood, leaving him disabled and unable to run or fight, so he became a healer instead. As with Túrin and most characters he crosses paths with, many details of Brandir's story are left out of the published Silmarillion and are instead to be found in Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth and The Children of Húrin.

Beware the Nice Ones: At the end of his rope after Niënor commits suicide, he gets into another argument with Dorlas, who tries to punch him. Brandir kills him with a single sword blow before Dorlas' attack can land.
The Cassandra: Even if partly motivated out by jealousy, he knows instinctively that Turambar has some kind of darkness tailing him and that Níniel marrying Turambar is a bad idea. This culminates in Túrin murdering him in a fit of denial after Brandir reveals to him that Túrin and Niënor were siblings.
Despair Event Horizon: With his own people largely having turned their backs on him, Niënor's death takes away his last reason for living.
Dogged Nice Guy: Even after Níniel effectively turns him down, he tries to help and protect her more than he does anyone else. His advice against her relationship with Turambar may be partly out of jealousy as well.
Hero Antagonist: A sensible leader, he quickly becomes Túrin's unwilling rival and tries to restrain the protagonist's dangerous hotbloodedness.
Inadequate Inheritor: He's regarded as this for being unable to live up to his predecessors' legacy of being a warrior-chieftain.
Last of His Kind: Never married or had children. According to The Children of Húrin, his death without an heir results in the remaining relatives of Haleth killing each other in a civil war.
Medical Monarch: Apparently not a tradition among the Haladin, which makes him unusual and doesn't earn as much respect as perhaps it deserves from people in their position.
Non-Action Guy: On top of the fact that he himself can't fight, he prefers that all his people keep their heads down so as to not become targets for marauding orcs.
The Resenter: He's pretty restrained, but he doesn't take it well when Turambar unintentionally takes over Brethil and marries Níniel, whom Brandir was in love with.
No-Respect Guy: His own people have mixed feelings toward him because he can't lead them in battle. After Túrin's arrival, most ignore Brandir entirely.
The So-Called Coward: Has enough courage under the right circumstances, but many of the Haladin, most vocally Dorlas, think of him as cowardly because he tries to get them to survive by stealth instead of open battle.

Andreth

A mortal wisewoman of the house of Bëor, eldest daughter and second child of Boromir (not that one), first Lord of Ladros. She was in love with the Elf Aegnor, though they never married for various reasons; in a tragic irony, she ended up outliving him. Appears in The History of Middle-earth.

Brainy Brunette: Said to have had dark hair (she’s often depicted as a brunette in art), and was very learned in the lore of Men and more than capable of keeping up with Elves in a debate. The Elves called her Saelind, meaning "wise-heart".
Interspecies Romance: With Aegnor. Notable for being the only recorded case of a human-Elf romance in Tolkien’s writing where it’s a male elf falling for a mortal woman, rather than the other way around. Sadly, they never got married, due to there being a war on (and Aegnor dying in battle).
Mayfly–December Romance: With Aegnor. Possibly one of the reasons they didn’t get together (besides there being a war and Elves being opposed to Wartime Wedding). Ironically, Andreth ended up outliving Aegnor.
Meaningful Name: Both her names. Saleind means “wise-heart”, whilst Andreth means “long-suffering”: she could never be with her One True Love Aegnor and never married nor had children, implying she never got over him.
Platonic Life-Partners: With Aegnor’s brother, King Finrod.
Starcrossed Lovers: With Aegnor. They couldn’t be together properly for various reasons, she outlived him, and because Elves and Men do not go to the same place after death, they’ll never see each other again.

Beren Erchamion

Beren was a mortal Man from the House of Bëor, son of Barahir and Emeldir, who fell in love with Lúthien, princess of the elven kingdom of Doriath. Her father, Thingol, was displeased and demanded a Silmaril in exchange for his daughter's hand in marriage. With the help of some elves and Lúthien herself, Beren accomplished this seemingly hopeless quest. Later, after Thingol was killed by dwarves, Beren led a counterattack on the dwarves and got the Silmaril back from them.

Author Avatar: The name "Beren" is on J. R. R. Tolkien's tombstone.
An Arm and a Leg: The wolf Carcharoth bites off his right hand.
Back from the Dead: He was specifically pointed out as the only mortal who knew where their souls went after death, but he never spoke with another Man after coming back…
Badass Boast: Two of them in row, upon first meeting Thingol, who looks down on him, for being a mortal:
My fate, O King, led me hither, through perils such as few even of the Elves would dare. And here I have found what I sought not indeed, but finding I would possess forever. For it is above all gold and silver, and beyond all jewels. Neither rock, nor steel, nor the fires of Morgoth, nor all the powers of the Elf-kingdoms, shall keep me from the treasure that I desire. For Luthien your daughter is the fairest of all the Children of the World.
Badass Normal: When the price for your head that Satanic Archetype made is the same as that of high king of elves, you know you are one. He also crossed a valley when Ungoliant and her progeny took home. However, see Overshadowed by Awesome.
Battle Couple: With Luthien, and they are one of the most prominent ones, as you can read their descriptions.
Berserk Button: After Thingol threatened Beren with painful death, what annoyed Beren most was being called a servant of Morgoth.
"Death thou canst give unearned to me
but names I will not take from thee
of baseborn, spy, or Morgoth's thrall.
Are these the ways of Thingol's hall?"
- Also, when Lúthien is in danger. It doesn't happen too often, since she's a Determinator, but when it does look out!
Death Seeker: Between burying his father and meeting Lúthien.
As fearless Beren was renowned,
as man most hardy upon ground,
while Barahir yet lived and fought;
but sorrow now his soul had wrought
to dark despair, and robbed his life
of sweetness, that he longed for knife,
or shaft, or sword, to end his pain,
and dreaded only thraldom's chain.
Danger he sought and death pursued,
and thus escaped the fate he wooed…
Determinator: Alone in Taur-Nu-Fuin and hunted by Morgoth's army? He harried and harassed them for years. Valley of Dreadful Death? Girdle of Melian? They couldn't stop him. Love-Obstructing Parent? He wasn't intimidated. Impossible Task? He was on it. Ruthless elven princes, giant werewolves, and the armies of Angband? They couldn't stop him, either. The laws of metaphysics are against his marriage? He tried, anyway. Death? He came back. Beren Will Not Give Up.
Distressed Dude: For all his accomplishments, he had to be rescued by Luthien from Sauron's dungeons.
Dude, Where's My Respect?: He was a valiant vassal of Finrod Felagund and warrior against Morgoth. After the Fourth Battle, Beren lived alone as an outlaw in Taur-Nu-Fuin, once his homeland, which was now overrun with orcs and worse. He harried the forces of Morgoth until the price on his head was no less than the bounty on High King Fingon. And when things got bad enough he fled south through Ered Gorgoroth, "The Mountains of Terror," and Nan Dungortheb, "The Valley of Dreadful Death", a feat few elves had even attempted, much less survived. Then, when Beren was brought before Thingol, he was treated like the scum of the earth.
Earn Your Happy Ending: Boy, did he ever.
Engagement Challenge: He faced one. And succeeded, with some help from Lúthien.
Exact Words: How he fulfilled it. Hey, technically the Silmaril was still in his hand. Thingol never specified he had to bring it with him!
Friend to All Living Things: The animals that lived in Dorthonion weren't too happy with the land being taken over by Morgoth either, and they helped Beren survive when he was left alone after his father and their band of outlaws were killed by Sauron's forces. During this time, Beren ate no creature that was not in the service of the Enemy.
Handicapped Badass: After he lost his hand, Beren went on to fight the giant werewolf that bit it off.
The Hero: Possibly the greatest hero of the First Age. And that's really saying something.
Heroic Sacrifice: He died saving Thingol from Carcharoth.
Honor Before Reason: Multiple times Lúthien begs him to abandon the quest, saying she will simply run away with him. He refuses each time, swearing that he will fulfill his task.
Impossible Task: "Go to Hell and steal a Silmaril from Satan" was intended to just make him give up and go away, not as an actual bride price. Don't ever tell Beren to give up.
I Will Wait for You: When Beren lay dying, Lúthien begged him to wait for her. What she meant was the spirits of Men first go to the Halls of Mandos like those of Elves, but soon afterwards they set sail out of the world into an unknown destination. So Lúthien was begging him to wait in the Halls before passing out of the world, so when she died of grief she would get to see him one last time. He obliged.
Last of His Kind: After the Dagor Bragollach, Beren's mother Emeldir led the surviving women and children of the House of Bëor out of Dorthonion to the relative safety of Hithlum. Beren, his father Barahir, and ten companions chose to stay behind, becoming outlaws in their own land. One of their band was tricked and captured by Sauron, and after torment and further trickery he revealed the location of their hideout. Barahir and all the outlaws were killed, and Beren only survived because he had been sent on a scouting mission by his father.
Love at First Sight: With Lúthien.
The Magnificent: "Erchamion" means "One-handed".
Overshadowed by Awesome: He's by no means a weakiling, see Badass Normal above. It's just he had to stand against Morgoth, and Sauron, who are both Physical Gods, other great threats, and his bride (and later wife) is a princess whose mother is an angel and her father is one of the greatest kings of elves. He doesn't quit, though.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: After crossing a valley where Ungoliant made her home, and her power clashed with that of Sauron's and Melian's. Nothing could bring him to speak of the horrors in it.
Together in Death: He and Lúthien. Because she chose to become a mortal, when they died (for the second time) their souls went to the same destination.

Húrin Thalion

The heir of the House of Hador and Lord of Dor-Lómin. The elder son of Galdor and Hareth, Húrin stumbled upon Gondolin with his brother Huor as a youth and befriended Turgon; later, he became a hero in the Nírnaeth Arnoediad (Battle of Unnumbered Tears), covering Turgon's retreat and killing seventy orcs and trolls before being taken alive by Morgoth. Húrin defied the Dark Lord when tortured for the location of Gondolin, and so his family was cursed and Húrin forced to watch from afar as his wife Morwen and their children (Túrin and Niënor) suffered decades of horrific tragedy, ending with both of their suicides. Finally, Morgoth released Húrin as a tool of his malice, leading to the ruin of Doriath and Brethil and the discovery of Gondolin.

All for Nothing: Húrin fought desperately to protect Gondolin from Morgoth. In fact, the whole reason why Morgoth tortured Húrin's family was because of Húrin's refusal to give up the location of the hidden city. Yet, Húrin ended up accidentially giving away the location in the end.
Badass Normal: He was considered the greatest warrior of Man in the First Age, and in his last battle he killed no fewer than seventy of Morgoth's soldiers, many of them being trolls, without the skill or power of the Eldar.
Being Tortured Makes You Evil: Perhaps not evil per se, but the warped perspective he gets on his family's sufferings leaves him bitter toward everyone who ever interacted with them. After Morgoth releases him, he seeks "revenge" on Doriath and Brethil for nonexistent wrongs, which ultimately leads to the destruction of both countries.
Buried in a Pile of Corpses: At the end of the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, he was captured when he was grappled by numerous foes and fell under their weight.
Cold-Blooded Torture: Subjected to it for decades.
Driven to Suicide: It's speculated by the text that he threw himself into the Sea in his dispair.
Forced to Watch: Was forced to watch Morgoth's curse unfold and destroy his children while being immobile and seated on top of a mountain.
Jerkass Realization: After Melian calls Húrin out and breaks through his madness, he realizes just how much of an Unwitting Pawn he'd been and is shamed.
Last Stand: Pulls off a truly epic one standing alone against an entire army. He killed seventy orcs and trolls. The battle was so intense that his axe melted in his hands.
Little Big Brother: Húrin inherited the rather short stature of his mother's house, while his younger brother Huor was one of the tallest men of the Edain who ever lived.
Must Make Amends: When he arrived at Menegroth he threw the Nauglamír at Thingol's feet in scornful "thanks" for the aid he'd rendered his family. After his Jerkass Realization, Húrin takes the necklace up again to give it in humble sincerity as apology for his ealier behavior.
The Napoleon: Short and quick to anger.
Outliving One's Offspring: Húrin outlived all his children; Urwen died as a child and Túrin and Nienor committed suicide.
Pintsized Powerhouse: He was shorter than average Men, but he was also a complete powerhouse on the battlefield.
Pre-Mortem One-Liner: "Aure Entuluva!", which means "Day shall come again!"
Secret-Keeper: Of Gondolin's location alongside his brother. He ended up unwittingly leading Morgoth's forces there, anyway.
Sole Survivor: The only soldier of the House of Hador who survived the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.
Suicide by Sea: Went to the ocean to seek his own death after he realized that he had been unknowingly helping Morgoth and that he was never truly free.
Unwitting Pawn: After Morgoth released him, Húrin ended up causing the total destruction of Brethil and Doriath (which he may or may not have intended in revenge for wrongdoings Morgoth put in his head) and of Gondolin (which he definitely didn't intend).
Weapon-Based Characterization: Dropped his shield and wielded a battle axe two-handed to kill his enemies in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. In the Silmarllion version it's implied to be the same axe he's been using all along ("wielded his axe..."). In the version in Unfinished Tales and later The Children of Húrin, the axe wasn't actually his, it was just one he picked up from an orc-captain. Either way, dropping his shield to completely focus on offense brings to mind a berserker rage, and using an axe in particular just complements that due to cultural associations (as in, people like the Norse were known both for having berserkers and using axes), plus grabbing it off an enemy shows he's a Combat Pragmatist in desperate straits.
What the Hell, Hero?: Get this from Melian, calling him out for his false accusations against them and pointing out that he's speaking with the voice of Morgoth to his friends. It's enough to shock him back to reason.
You Shall Not Pass!: Pulled this off against the entire army of Morgoth alone so his allies could escape. He fought to the point where his axe melted on his hands and even then did not give up. All the while shouting: "Day shall come again!" Whether fortunately or unfortunately Morgoth ordered him taken alive; by the end he fell under the weight of at least seventy enemies he'd singlehandedly slain.

Morwen Eledhwen

The wife of Húrin and mother of Túrin and Niënor. The daughter of Baragund from the House of Bëor, the proud yet noble Morwen raised her children alone after Húrin was captured by Morgoth, and sent Túrin to Doriath for his protection. Out of stubbornness and pride for her homeland, she chose not to follow them to Doriath when invited. Years later, when it was again safe to do so, she and Niënor traveled to Doriath to reunite with Túrin but found he had departed. Hearing rumor of Túrin in Nargothrond, they set out to find him, but were ambushed by Glaurung. Morwen fled into the wild and never saw her children again. Two years later, broken and weary, Morwen found her children's grave and was herself found by Húrin, in whose arms she died. She was buried with her children, and the site of their grave, Tol Morwen, remained above the waves when Beleriand was drowned.

Determinator: Nothing kept her from searching for her son — including the sound advice of others.
Died in Your Arms Tonight: Passed in her husband's arms as they laid before the memorial to their children.
Ice Queen: Her demeanor and way of speaking cannot be called warm.
Iron Lady: She's proud, stubborn, and somewhat cold.
The Magnificent: "Eledwhen" literally means "Elf-maiden", but she's also called "Elfsheen", both due to her resemblance to one.
Outliving One's Offspring: First there was Lalaith, who died from plague as a child. Then it went From Bad to Worse; eventually she passed away at the grave of her two remaining children.
Pride: Though her homeland and her husband's homeland were conquered by orcs and their people enslaved by evil Men, she initially would not humble herself to go to Doriath as an exile. This was the first step of the tragedy of Túrin's life. Additionally she did not have a high opinion of Húrin's Haladin kinsmen and scoffs at the idea of going there should the coming battle go ill for the Eldar and the Edain (which it does), though Húrin tells her not to doubt their valour.
The Stoic: She was very disinclined to show sensitivity or deep emotions to others.
You Can't Go Home Again: She came to Dor-Lómin as a displaced refugee from Ladros.

Túrin Turambar

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alan_lee_the_children_of_hurin_cover_det.jpg

Illustration by Alan Lee

Túrin was a Man whose father, Húrin, had defied Morgoth. In retaliation, Morgoth cursed Húrin's family, and Túrin received the brunt of it. He ran away from his foster-father Thingol, accidentally killed his best friend, got caught in a love triangle, brought about the fall of the elven kingdom Nargothrond through bad advice, brought suffering upon his native people, and unknowingly married his sister, causing both of them to commit suicide upon the revelation. In spite of all this, he did manage to kill the most powerful dragon in Middle-earth at that time.

The Children of Húrin is primarily about his wretched life.

Accidental Murder: Of Saeros (described below) and Beleg. Túrin was captured by orcs at one point, and Beleg came to rescue him. When Beleg accidentally pricked him with his sword when cutting off his bonds, Túrin woke up and thought the Orcs had come to torture him again. In a state of panic, he grabbed Beleg's sword and killed him. He had a Heroic BSoD when he found out what he'd done.
Adaptational Heroism: The folk character he was based on, Kullervo from the The Kalevala of Finland, was quite a bit grayer than the already antiheroic Túrin. As in, he was a straight-up rapist. Túrin was written as much more sympathetic, as many of the misfortunes he faced were the results of accidents or misunderstandings rather than the cold-blooded murders Kullervo committed.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Kullervo was quite ugly, and Túrin has been described as one of the fairest men of the first age.
Ambiguously Bi: While he does like women, he also seemed to be especially close to his companion Beleg. At one point, the men in the Gaurwaith grew suspicious of the two spending time alone together and suspected a "tryst" between the two. In some versions, when Beleg died, Túrin gave him a farewell kiss, specifically mentioned to be on the mouth.
Anti-Hero: Type III — Type V.
Back from the Dead: If Mandos's prophecy (Arda's equivalent to Apocalyptic Literature) is canon^*, then Túrin will return from the dead at the end of the world and destroy Morgoth once and for all.
Badass Normal: If hadn't been proved before then, it certainly was when he finally killed Glaurung. In Dagor Dagorath, he is prophesied to fight alongside the host of the Valar as one of Tulkas’ right hand men and deal the killing blow to Morgoth. You heard that right, Túrin’s strength may actually be on par with that of a Vala.
Bash Brothers: With Beleg.
Berserk Button: Do not insult his family. Saeros found out the hard way what a bad idea this was. Brandir also got killed for trying to tell Túrin the truth about his wife, Níniel.
Black Swords Are Better: Gurthang, a black blade forged from a meteorite, which can cleave regular Earth-sourced iron and steel easily. It earns him the epithet Mormegil, "black sword".
Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: When he finally killed Glaurung, exposure to the dragon's blood and one final blast from its eyes almost killed him. Then Glaurung's final revelation lead to his actual death.
Brother–Sister Incest: But he didn't know she was his sister…
The Call Knows Where You Live: No matter what he did to flee the curse on his house, Morgoth's malice found him.
Captain Ersatz: Of Kullervo from The Kalevala.
Character Witness: Nellas, a Sindarin elf maiden who befriended Túrin when he first came to Doriath. She preferred the forest and was never comfortable in the caves of Menegroth, and as Túrin got older and spent more time there they grew apart, though she would secretly watch him whenever he ventured into the forest with Beleg. She witnessed what actually happened when Saeros died, and Beleg calls her to Menegroth to stand before Thingol, where she very nervously gave her testimony, exonerating Túrin.
The Chosen One: According to prophecy, Morgoth will one day die by his hand.
Chick Magnet: Nellas, Larnach's daughter, Finduilas, Nienor. And Beleg.
Cosmic Plaything: The entire universe is out to get him and he knows it.
Cynicism Catalyst: Túrin's slide into total cynical dysfunction started with the death of his little sister, Lalaith, who was killed in a plague while he himself was just a kid. And, oddly it ended, by suicide, just after the suicide of his other little sister, Niënor. Who he, in ignorance, had married and gotten pregnant.
Dark Is Not Evil: He wore black, had a sinister black sword, and had black hair (unlike the rest of his family). And still one of the good guys. Though, he was much more of an antihero than Tolkien's other protagonists.
Despair Event Horizon: Gets very close to it several times, and finally crosses it at the end.
Does Not Know His Own Strength: Is described as making for a poor artisan, because in trying to learn crafts his strength would lead him to breaking the materials he was working on.
Doom Magnet: His pride, despair, and misfortune led to the fall of four kingdoms, thanks to the curse of Morgoth. And possibly his own pride.
Driven to Suicide: Nienor's death and the realization that they had unknowingly been in an incestuous relationship finally drove him over the edge, and he fell on his sword in sorrow and shame. After the life he led, it's hard to blame him.
- In one early draft, Túrin wanted to kill himself after he accidentally killed Beleg. Gwindor talked him out of it.
Earn Your Happy Ending: If the prophecy is considered canon, he'll eventually come back to life and get his completely deserved revenge on Morgoth.
Empathic Weapon: Gurthang was some kind of weird talking sword, somehow. Or maybe Túrin was crazy and only imagined it. Nobody knows for sure.
Fantastic Racism: Túrin was a victim of it. During his time at Menegroth, he was often harassed by Saeros, a Nandorin Elf living in Menegroth and a counselor to Thingol, who insulted and disparaged Túrin at every opportunity. Finally, Saeros pushed too far, and Túrin hurled a drinking vessel at his face; Mablung commented that Saeros had earned a broken mouth for his abuse. This led to a confrontation that ended in Saeros' accidental death.
Fatal Flaw: His stubbornness, a trait inherited from his famously intractable father but played far more tragically. Turin doesn't quit even when it's hopeless, he doesn't give up his pride in his people or himself, and he doesn't submit when someone starts ordering him to do something outside his nature. This was virtuous in the case of his father, because his iron will was in the name of saving his family and his friends and was applied appropriately. Turin, meanwhile, is stubborn for no greater reason than his own ego, which leads to him refusing to give up even when it would be better for everyone, himself included, to do just that.
Foil: To Tuor. Both men lost their fathers in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, were raised partially by elves, spent time as a prisoner or outlaw, earned the love of an elven princess, and became a commander of one of the greatest Noldorin kingdoms. Unlike his much luckier cousin, Túrin would lose his elven admirer, accidentally end up in an incestuous relationship, and die by suicide at a rather young age.
General Failure: Thanks to Revenge Before Reason, he ends up leading armies into certain disaster multiple times. The ironic part is, he's actually very good at leading in a battle once he's committed to it, given his charisma, skill, and tactical knowledge—he's just terrible at recognizing that Morgoth was never going to be defeated by the strength of arms left in Middle-earth, and that proves a gigantic weak spot whenever he has to make command decisions.
Happily Adopted: Thingol and Melian took him in as their son and he stayed with them from ages 8 to 20. Túrin liked his foster parents and he was treated like an elven prince in their halls. That is, until one of Thingol's counselors pisses Túrin off, causing Túrin to shun Doriath and run from his foster parents.
Happily Married: After years of running away and losing people he loved, he finally found peace and happiness when he married Níniel. Not that it stays happy for long, though.
Heroic BSoD: After accidentally killing his longtime friend Beleg, he went into a BSOD that lasted several weeks.
- He went into a second one, that also lasted a long time, after he failed to save Finduilas.
Hero of Another Story: His cousin Tuor glimpses him while traveling, but has no idea who he is and doesn't even say a word to him.
Hunk: He is described to be as tall and handsome as those of Noldor Royalty, yet his Mannish blood gave him a more rugged apearance.
I Have Many Names: Even for a Tolkien character, Túrin had a lot… he wished to conceal his true name since his family was cursed and yet everywhere he went someone eventually spilled the beans, leading him to take up another one once he went somewhere new. Most of those he gave himself were rather… gloomy.
- Neithan, "The Wronged" (self-named)
- Agarwaen son of Úmarth, "Bloodstained son of Ill-fate" (self-named)
- Thuringud, "The Hidden Foe" (self-named)
- Adanedhel, "The Elf-Man" (bestowed by the Elves of Nargothrond)
- Mormegil, "Black Sword" (also given by the Elves of Nargothrond)
- Thurin, "The Secretive" (bestowed by Finduilas)
- "Wildman of the Woods" (self-named)
- Turambar, "Master of Fate" (self-named)
Jerkass: Rageful, proud, obstinate beyond all reason and very prone to self-pity, you'd be hard-pressed to find Túrin a pleasant person to be around. Any who involve himself with him suffer needlessly because of it.
Mr. Fanservice: Described as "tall, dark-haired and pale-skinned, with grey eyes, and his face more beautiful than any other among mortal men, in the Elder Days". He was so fair that some elves even mistook him for one of their own upon first glance. Naturally, he had quite a few admirers.
My God, What Have I Done?: Had quite a few of these. The big ones were when he committed his first murder on Saeros, when he accidentally killed Beleg, when he found Finduilas' grave, and when he realized he had unknowingly been in an incestuous relationship, which doomed his sister to her death.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: One has to wonder why the elves of Nargothrond would trust a man calling himself "the bloodstained son of ill-fate".
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Over and over, but especially in bringing about Nargothrond's downfall through his poor advice to the king.
Oblivious to Love: Is completely floored as to why Nellas would watch and follow him around. Beleg appears incredulous that he can't figure it out.
Outliving One's Offspring: Committed suicide after his unborn child with Nienor perished when Nienor threw herself from Cabed-en-Aras.
Overly Long Name: Try to fit Túrin Turambar Neithan Gorthol Agarwaen Úmarthion Thurin Adanedhel Dagnir Glaurunga on a Starbu:ks cup.
The Peter Principle: Turin goes through a recurring arc where he rises to the top of the ranks of a given group, then leads them into a horrible disaster. Turin is genuinely one of the best warriors of his age, and he's no slouch either as a tactician or a survivalist. However, he's an awful strategist, because his quest to avenge his father goes beyond any actual sense: the remaining free folk in Beleriand stand no chance against Morgoth in an open battle, and yet he pushes for measures that will ensure such a battle in the near future.
Pre-Mortem One-Liner: "Hail, Worm of Morgoth! Well met again! Die now and the darkness have you! Thus is Túrin son of Húrin avenged."
Pride: The reason he never accepted Thingol's pardon for Saeros' death and never returned to Doriath, despite the king and Beleg pleading with him to do so.
Revenge Before Reason: Turin wants to be the one to avenge his father upon Morgoth. At the time of his career, the surviving folk of the Free Peoples in Beleriand, even if they were all united under a single banner, could not do this—Morgoth soundly defeated their greatest army at the Nirnaeth, and he's only gotten stronger since then, while they've only gotten more scattered and distant. Both Beleg and Gwindor point out to Turin that even if he does win a battle here or there, he has no way to actually make those battles mean anything when the casualties he inflicts aren't even a rounding error to the Enemy. Turin's response can be roughly summed up as "I don't care."
Screw Destiny: Subverted. He couldn't. Brought to the point by Niënor's outcry: A Túrin Turambar turun ambartanen. "Oh Master of Doom by doom mastered."
Star-Crossed Lovers: With Finduilas (one-sided or unrequited) and Niënor (unknowingly his sister). Because he is just that unlucky.
Strong Family Resemblance: Túrin mostly inherited the looks of his mother Morwen: dark hair, grey (or blue) eyes, tall height. Contrast with his father Hurin who was short (inheriting the height of the Men of Brethil) and blond.
Supernaturally Marked Grave: The place where he (and his mother) are buried is called Tol Morwen, which forms the westernmost island off the coast of Forlindon, which was created when the War of Wrath destroyed Beleriand. It was once just a regular hill, but it was turned into an island during the sinking of Beleriand.
Sympathetic Sentient Weapon: Curiously, Gurthang his black sword. Slayed many enemies with it, including the dragon Glaurung. The blade spoke to his master and agreed to put Túrin out of his misery for his failures (specifically mentioning the slayings of Beleg and Brandir). Though, whether this really happened or was just a figment of Túrin’s emotionally unstable imagination is unknown. The blade broke when he cast himself upon it (implying it was indestructible and could not fail unless its master died). When Túrin returns at the last battle, Gurthang returns with him, to rid the universe of Melkor.
They Call Him "Sword": One of his various epithets was the Mormegil, the Black Sword, which he earned in Nargothrond for his prowess with his black sword Gurthang.
Tragic Hero: He tried so hard to be a great hero like his father, but his own pride and temper, and the malice of Morgoth, just ruined everything he tried to accomplish.
Trauma Conga Line: His whole freaking life.
Ungrateful Bastard: Shunned his foster-father purely because one of his councillors was a jerkass. He assumed Thingol would condemn him for accidentally causing Saeros' death, and then repeatedly refused to accept Thingol's pardon and pleas to come home.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: One of the first things noted about him in his childhood was his compassion to his father's handicapped servant.
The Usurper: He becomes this by accident when he takes refuge in Brethil, where the people prefer his leadership over that of their own lord.
You Can't Fight Fate: However, the text is explicit that Túrin did have opportunities in which he could have thrown off Morgoth's curse, or at least lessened the impact. Most significantly, he could have accepted Thingol's pardon and gone back to Doriath any time he wanted, but was too proud. Another major one was the matter of Finduilas, as accepting her love would have prevented the chain of events that led to the final fulfillment of the curse (specifically, her death at the hand of orcs was the one factor that sealed his fate).

Niënor Níniel

The youngest daughter of Húrin and Morwen, and sister of Túrin and Lalaith. She grew up in the occupied region of Dor-Lómin with her mother before their escape to Doriath, where her brother Túrin was sent before her birth; however, he had long since departed. When word reached Doriath about his whereabouts, Niënor followed Morwen in the search for Túrin against her mother's wishes. The search party was ambushed and scattered by Glaurung, and the dragon inflicted Niënor with amnesia. She was discovered by Túrin in Brethil, and they were wed years later.

Broken Bird: Big time. Poor girl just wanted to find her brother, and ended up being mind raped by a dragon who took away her memories and identity. It only got worse from there.
Brother–Sister Incest: Married her own brother and became pregnant with his child. They were completely unaware of this though, due to her amnesia and the fact he'd never met her (he left home before she was even born), and when she realized the truth, she was so distraught she killed herself.
Damsel in Distress: After her encounter with Glaurung.
Driven to Suicide: When Glaurung revealed her identity to her and his death lifted the amnesia, she is horrified to realise she has fallen in love (and been impregnated by) her own brother and throws herself off a cliff.
Easy Amnesia: Due to a spell Glaurung placed on her, she completely forgets who she is. Unfortunately, this means she also forgets she and Túrin are siblings…
Florence Nightingale Effect: Túrin finds her alone and traumatized and takes her in and cares for her. They eventually fall in love and marry. Now, if only they weren't siblings...
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Blonde and innocent.
Happily Married: She finds happiness in her marriage to Turambar. Let's just say it doesn't exactly stay happy for long.
Heroic BSoD: After losing her memory and being attacked by orcs, she suffers a breakdown, tears off her clothes and runs through the woods, before collapsing to the ground.
Like Brother and Sister: Brandir had romantic feelings for her, but she only liked him platonically. This becomes ironic in hindsight when she unknowingly marries her actual brother.
Meaningful Name: Her name means "mourning" in Sindarin. Her other name, Níniel, means "maiden of tears" in Sindarin.
Mind Rape: By Glaurung, at least twice.
Someone to Remember Him By: Her mother Morwen was pregnant with her when Húrin marched to war, and she would never get to meet her father.
Spell My Name With An S: In the published Children of Húrin, her name is spelled Niënor. In The Silmarillion, her name is spelled Nienor without the umlauts.
Statuesque Stunner: Very tall. Elves are already quite a bit taller than mortal men, and when Nienor disguised herself as a ranger in Mablung’s group, she was "smaller only than the greatest among them". Holy heck, that's a tall girl.
Surprise Incest: Surprise! Your husband is your long-lost brother!
Sweet Polly Oliver: She disguised herself as a marchwarden of Doriath to join the search for her brother. It didn't end very well.
Trauma Conga Line: Gets attacked by a dragon who wipes her memories, attacked by orcs after being rescued and then gets lost in the woods following a breakdown. She later marries a nice guy and is expecting his baby, only to have her memories restored and realizes she's married her own brother, culminating in her suicide. Good grief.

Huor

The younger son of Galdor and Hareth and younger brother of Húrin. At a young age, Huor and his brother were brought to Gondolin and befriended the king Turgon. He married a woman named Rían and fathered Tuor, though he would not survive to see his son's birth, as he died fighting in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.

Big Little Brother: Was quite a bit taller than his elder brother. He was said to be one of the tallest men of the Edain in the first age.
Child Soldier: Fought alongside the Haladin to defeat a legion of invading orcs when he was only fourteen years old.
Eye Scream: Killed by a poisoned arrow straight through his eye.
Off with His Head!: After he was killed, his head was cut off and piled with the rest of the slain soldiers from the House of Hador.
Sibling Team: With his older brother Húrin, and they fought together until he was shot and killed by a poisoned arrow.

Tuor

The son of Huor and Rían, first cousin of Túrin (Huor was younger brother to Turin's father Hurin). Tuor was chosen by the Vala Ulmo to fulfill his prophecy of a messenger to warn Turgon of impending doom of Gondolin. Turgon ignored Ulmo's warning and Gondolin fell, but Tuor escaped and saved many survivors. While in Gondolin, he wedded Turgon's daughter Idril; their son was Eärendil. Tuor sailed over the sea, and is said in one text to be the only mortal Man to be granted immortality alongside the elves.

Badass Normal: He's just a normal human, but survived the fall of Gondolin and kicked Maeglin's ass. He also survived being Made a Slave and managed to escape. Possibly subverted, as it's said he was eventually granted immortality.
The Call Knows Where You Live: Ulmo gave Tuor a vague desire to find Turgon's hidden city, and for years after escaping from slavery he yearned to seek out the sea and Turgon. He kept procrastinating, but Ulmo doggedly kept poking him until he finally went to Vinyamar.
The Chosen One: Chosen by Ulmo to bring his message to Gondolin, and intended to lead Turgon and his people from the city to the Mouths of Sirion.
Foil: To his cousin Túrin. Both men lost their fathers in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, were raised partially by elves, spent time as a prisoner or outlaw, earned the love of an elven princess, and became a commander of one of the greatest Noldorin kingdoms. Tuor would overcome his obstacles, marry his elven lover, be blessed with elven immortality, and become the father of a great half-elven hero. Túrin was, to say the least, not so lucky.
Interspecies Romance: With Idril, elven daughter of Turgon.
Jumped at the Call: Though he briefly questioned Ulmo's judgment in making him his messenger, Tuor followed his instructions without hesitation.
Made a Slave: He was separated from his elven foster family as a teenager, captured, and made to serve Lorgan the Easterling for three years before escaping.
Named Weapons: Tuor's main weapon was an axe known as Dramborleg, which he favored over any sword. (The name is from a very early form of Tolkien's Elvish languages but he never wrote down what the updated form would be.) It eventually found its way to Númenor, where it became a royal heirloom, but was lost when the island sank.
Papa Wolf: When Maeglin tries to stab his son Eärendil he breaks their arm, then throws him off the walls of Gondolin.
Parental Abandonment: His father is killed in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad and his mother leaves him with the Sindar of Hithlum before going to the Haudh-en-Nirnaeth (a hill in the Anfauglith where all the dead are piled) and dying there.
Touched by Vorlons: Though born a mortal Man, he was raised by elves and learned their lore, and had bearing like them. In the end, Tuor was counted as an elf, a once-in-the-universe exception (like Lúthien becoming of the kindred of Men).

Eärendil

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jenny_dolfen___earendil_the_mariner.jpg

"Hail Eärendil, mightiest mariner of song!"

The son of Tuor and Idril, Eärendil was half Elf and half Man. During his time, all the Elven and Mannish kingdoms had been destroyed by Morgoth. He realized that the Valar would have to send aid to defeat Morgoth, so he set sail to Valinor. He was unable to reach it, because of the barriers the Valar had set up, until his wife gave him the Silmaril, which could cut through the darkness. Eärendil asked the Valar for pardon and aid for all the beseiged survivors in Beleriand, even the exiled Noldor, and they granted it. His ship, bearing the Silmaril, was put up into the sky as a star, as a sign of hope for all in Middle-earth. In the resulting war, Morgoth was overthrown and banished from the world.

Batman Can Breathe in Space: How exactly does Eärendil survive in the "starless voids" beyond the Door of Night in an open ship designed for the sea? The Valar made him totally immune to vacuum and took away his need for air? They attached a permanent air-bubble to Vingilot? (It's noted specifically that Elwing can't handle it out there, slightly suggesting the former.)
The Captain: The Mightiest Mariner of Song.
Cool Airship: Vingilot, his flying glowing ship, visible on Earth as a star (actually identified with the planet Venus).
Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: He killed Ancalagon, the greatest of all the winged dragons, while piloting his flying ship. In some versions of Eärendil's story, he also slew the Animalistic Abomination Ungoliant. Oh, and he's Morgoth's jailer.
The Dog Bites Back: When Maeglin tries to stab him Eärendil bites his hand, at the tender age of 7.
Epic Hail: He sailed through storm and shadow to reach Valinor, to beg the Valar to have mercy on Elves and Men, and to aid them in their plight. They refer to him as, among other things, 'bearer of light', 'splendour of the Children of Eru', and 'star in the darkness'. The full quote has to be seen to be believed.
Eönwë, the Herald of the Valar: Hail Eärendil, of mariners most renowned, the looked for that cometh at unawares, the longed for that cometh beyond hope! Hail Eärendil, bearer of light before the Sun and Moon! Splendour of the Children of Eru, star in the darkness, jewel in the sunset, radiant in the morning!::^note

He pleads his case before the Valar. And his prayer is answered.

This is a Shout-Out to what inspired his character: the Old English epic poem Crist that Tolkien loved, which goes "Hail, Earendel, brightest of angels, over Middle-earth to men sent".

Half-Human Hybrid: One of the few who was actually exactly half Man and half elven, instead of a Heinz Hybrid. Originally, he, and presumably the other few half-elves, was mortal. As a gift in recognition of his great feat of navigation (getting to the Undying Lands), Eru allowed half-elves to choose whether to be elves or men. Eärendil wanted to be a man, but his wife chose to be an elf, and so, for her sake, he chose to be an elf as well.
The Hero: The Last Hero of the Silmarillion and by large the most positively impactful, and a union of several different, important bloodlines.
Messianic Archetype: His voyage to Valinor, and his pleas to the Valar, finally led to their intervention and destruction of Angband.
Prophetic Names: Eärendil Ardamírë, He Who Loves the Sea, the Star of the World. He was born in a landlocked city far from the ocean, and his parents didn't (consciously) anticipate him becoming a renowned mariner, let alone the Morning Star.
Stellification: After the War of Wrath, he is made to sail the sky carrying a Silmaril upon his brow, and thus becomes the morning star.
What Beautiful Eyes!: In The Book of Lost Tales his eyes are described as being "of a green surpassing that of the meadows in the southern lands — greener than the emeralds of the raiment of Manwe."

Elrond

The son of Eärendil and Elwing, and twin brother of Elros. See the The Lord of the Rings character sheet.

Númenóreans

Elros Tar-Minyatur

The son of Eärendil and Elwing, and Elrond's twin brother, Elros chose to be counted among the Edain at the end of the First Age. He became the first king of Númenor (Tolkien's version of Atlantis) and established a royal line of long-lived Men that lasted for millennia. Ar-Pharazôn, Elendil, Isildur, and Aragorn are among his noteworthy descendants.

Founder of the Kingdom: Of Númenor.
Heinz Hybrid: 9/16 Elf, 3/8 Man, and 1/16 Maia.
Parental Abandonment: His parents were driven from the Havens of Sirion by the Third Kinslaying, leading to...
Theme Twin Naming: Elros and Elrond.
Who Wants to Live Forever?: Elros gave up his immortality because he identified more with the race of Men, much like his father (who chose to be an elf for his wife's sake, who also chose to be an elf).

Tar-Minastir

Tar-Minastir was the eleventh king of Númenor, succeeding his aunt Tar-Telperiën. During the war between the Elves and Sauron, he sent a great fleet to their aid that forced back Sauron's armies and ended the invasion of Eriador. Tar-Minastir was the last truly good king of Númenor before things started to go bad.

Continuity Snarl: There's a notably discrepancy between the dates given for his ascension to kingship in the Line of Elros (1731 SA) and the date of his expedition to Middle-earth (1700 SA) in all other sources which places it long before he took the throne. One possibility is that he masterminded the expedition during Tar-Telperiën's reign and later sources simply refer to him by his regnal name for convenience.
The Good King: One of the last to reign in Númenor, he helped the Elves defeat Sauron and free Eriador.
Green-Eyed Monster: Downplayed. He envied the Elves but also had great love for them and came to their aid against Sauron.
Meaningful Name: His name means roughly "watchtower" in Quenya and according to the Line of Elros, he received it for building a watchtower on the western shores to gaze towards Tol Eressëa and Aman in his youth.
Reluctant Retiree: He was pressured by his Jerkass son Cirytan into ceding the scepter earlier than he desired.

Inziladûn/Tar-Palantir

Tar-Palantir was the twenty-fourth and penultimate King of Númenor, and elder son of Ar-Gimilzôr and Inzilbêth. He repented of the rebellious ways of the previous Kings and tried to be friendly to the Valar and the Elves. Unfortunately, most of his people, including his own brother, did not share his feelings. Tar-Palantir had a daughter, Míriel, who should have become Ruling Queen. Instead, her cousin Pharazôn forced her to marry him, thereby usurping the throne.

Cain and Abel: With his brother, Gimilkhâd. Their father, who hated the Valar and the Elves, married a woman who was a member of the Faithful party of Númenor. Tar-Palantir took after his mother, while Gimilkhâd followed his father. According to The Lord of the Rings Appendix B, there was actual civil war in Númenor during Tar-Palantir's reign, though the Akallabêth doesn't say anything about that.
The Cassandra: After he makes his prophecy about the White Tree, guess what his nephew Pharazôn does? Burns it.
The Good King: Deconstructed. He repented for his kingdom's sins and resolved to be this. Unfortunately, he was the only one who repented and things went completely to Hell once he was gone.
Heel–Face Door-Slam: Tar-Palantir repented of the rebellion of the Kings before him and tried to reopen relations with the Valar and Elves. Unfortunately, they did not acknowledge him, and most of his people did not repent.
Meaningful Name: His regnal name, Tar-Palantir, means 'the Farsighted' and refers to his powers of foresight. Also, he was the first King to take a Quenya name in many generations, since the rebellious Kings rejected the Elven-tongues.
Only Sane Man: Of the late Númenorian dynasty.
Royally Screwed Up: Tar-Palantir's father and mother grew to hate each other because they were on opposite sides of the political divide in Númenor. His brother Gimilkhâd led a rebellion against him. After Tar-Palantir died, the Sceptre should have gone to his daughter Míriel, but instead her first cousin Pharazôn (Gimilkhâd's son) usurped the throne by forcing her to marry him. Whew.
Seers: Has the gift of prophecy. He foresees that when the White Tree of Númenor (a symbol of the friendship of the Valar and the Elves) perishes, the Line of Kings will also perish.

Míriel/Ar-Zimraphel

Míriel was the only child of Tar-Palantir; she should have become Queen upon his death. Her cousin Pharazôn forcibly married her and usurped the Sceptre, becoming the last King of Númenor. She died during the Downfall.

Broken Bird: We don't get much information about Míriel's feelings from the extant texts, but given what she saw Ar-Pharazôn and Sauron do to the realm she should have ruled, she must have become this.
Meaningful Name: Miriel means Jewel-Daughter. If you want to read into it, a jewel is beautiful to show of, but has little practical use in a medieval society like Númenor, similarly to how Ar-Pharazôn made her a trophy wife to take the throne. Ar-Zimraphel presumably also has meaning, but Tolkien never detailed it.
Royally Screwed Up: Is a victim rather than a perpetrator, though.
Villainous Incest: Her first cousin Pharazôn forces her to marry him so he could be King.

Amandil

The eighteenth and last Lord of Andúnië (a harbor on the western side of Númenor), son of Númendil, and the father of Elendil. In their younger days, Amandil and Ar-Pharazôn were friends, and Amandil served on Ar-Pharazôn's Council for many years until being dismissed by Sauron. Amandil, like the rest of his family, was of the Faithful party, though he tried to keep his allegiance a secret so that he could influence the King. When Amandil heard that Ar-Pharazôn intended to attack Valinor, he sailed West to plead with the Valar to show mercy to the Númenóreans. His fate is unknown.

Godzilla Threshold: He actually breaks the Ban of the Valar before Ar-Pharazôn does, though his goal is not to gain immortality for himself, but to plead with the Valar to save the Faithful of Númenor and Middle-earth instead. Unfortunately, Númenor's corruption is so great that this is not enough.
The Good Chancellor: Like the other Lords of Andúnië before him, Amandil tried to be a good influence on the King. He might have succeeded, had Sauron not shown up.
Good Old Ways: Was the unofficial leader of the Faithful and the one they looked to for guidance during the very difficult days they were in at that point.
Intergenerational Friendship: Between him and Ar-Pharazôn, being much older than him.
Only Sane Man: When Sauron arrived and began poisoning the Númenóreans' minds, Amandil was the only Royal Councillor who did not turn toward him.
Opposed Mentors: Was presumably the voice of dissent on the King's Council, especially after they all turned to Sauron.
Standard Royal Court: Was a member for much of his life.
Uncertain Doom: Amandil's fate is left unrevealed by the narrative. Whether he did reach Valinor or perished in the attempt is left unknown.
We Used to Be Friends: With Ar-Pharazôn.

Ar-Pharazôn

The last King of Númenor, a descendant of Elros, son of Gimilkhâd. Ar-Pharazôn was extremely proud, and when he heard that Sauron had claimed the title of "King of Men," he decided to overthrow Sauron and claim that title for himself. Sauron surrendered to him, and Ar-Pharazôn took him to Númenor as a hostage. Sauron quickly used his powers to bewitch Ar-Pharazôn and win his freedom. From there he convinced Ar-Pharazôn and the Númenóreans to worship Melkor and attack the Valar. As a punishment, Númenor was destroyed, the world was made round so that Men could never get to Valinor again, and Ar-Pharazôn was buried under a landslide.

Acquired Situational Narcissism: Fame was one of the things that corrupted him.
Ambition Is Evil: Especially when your ambition is basically "Screw You, Elves!, I want to get immortal." And by the end, it had become less "Screw You, Elves!" and more "Screw You Gods."
- Sauron partially won Ar-Pharazôn over by promising that, if he worshipped Morgoth, Morgoth would create new worlds for him to conquer.
Be Careful What You Wish For: See Fate Worse than Death below. Hey, he wanted to learn how to become immortal…
The Captain and Colonel Badass: In his younger days.
The Emperor: Technically, Ar-Pharazôn was a King, but he was powerful enough to be this. He was mainly of the "President Charisma" type.
Fate Worse than Death: As soon as he stepped on the soil of Valinor, Eru Ilúvatar changed the world and in the ensuing upheaval, Ar-Pharazôn and his men were trapped in caves underground until the Dagor Dagorath. It's implied that this makes them immortal, so it's also an ironic karmic fate.
Four-Star Badass: Of the "Da Chief To The Rescue" variety. He saved the Númenórean settlements from the depredations of Sauron.
Green-Eyed Monster: Ar-Pharazôn and the Númenóreans in general deeply envied and desired the immortality of the Elves and the Valar.
Hate Sink: Ar-Pharazôn from the Akallabeth was the nephew of the King of Númenor, Tar-Palantir. When the king died, Ar-Pharazôn forced the king's daughter to marry him, considered an act of great evil, and usurped the throne of Númenor. When Sauron declared himself King of Men, Ar-Pharazôn took it as a challenge to his ego and resolved to make Sauron serve him, which backfired when Sauron charmed his way into Ar-Pharazôn's council, persuading Ar-Pharazôn to worship Morgoth, instituting a Religion of Evil which practiced Human Sacrifice. Sauron eventually persuaded Ar-Pharazôn to take Valinor, the land of the Gods, by force, and Ar-Pharazôn's choice to lay claim to Valinor doomed Númenor when Eru separated Valinor from the rest of the world and caused Númenor to be lost beneath the waves. While the rest of Númenor is mourned for its loss of a golden age, Ar-Pharazôn is not, and he is condemned to linger in the world until the end of time.
Immortality Immorality: Sauron convinces him that sacrificing Men to Melkor will gain him eternal life.
Immortality Seeker: When he was old, this was how Sauron tempted him. Although generations of Númenóreans had desired eternal life, Ar-Pharazôn was desperate enough to launch his Great Armament against Valinor to try and demand it by force from the Valar. This did not end well.
Intergenerational Friendship: With Amandil, the Lord of Andúnië.
Jerkass: Even before he instituted Morgoth-worship, he usurped the throne and persecuted the Faithful. Afterwards, he liked to have them arrested for "disloyalty" and used as human sacrifices.
Kissing Cousins: He forced his first cousin to marry him, but only so that he could become King.
Last of Its Kind: The last member of the Royal house of Númenor, at least of those who actually ruled the island, since the Lords of Andúnië (of whom Elendil and his descendants originated from) were distantly related to the royal family.
The Magnificent: Ar-Pharazôn the Golden^*. He was explicitly the greatest High King ever to rule the race of Men. And also the worst.
The Paragon Always Rebels: Good looks, fighting prowess, charisma, wealth, power, fame: Ar-Pharazôn had it all. Small wonder that when he began listening to Sauron and worshipping Melkor, "his people for the most part followed him".
Pride: And how. The Akallabêth makes it clear that the real reason he set foot on Valinor was ultimately not because he feared death, but because "pride was now his master."
Puppet King: He became the greatest tyrant seen in the world since Morgoth (!), but "Sauron ruled all from behind the throne."
Rage Against the Heavens: He went to war against the Valar (gods).
Religion of Evil: Complete with Human Sacrifice. Is a convert (or more precisely, a revert, since Melkor-worship was the original religion of Men).
Royally Screwed Up: Is the last of the Line of Elros, an increasingly rebellious and fractured family (his cousin and uncle were on the opposite side of the political divide of him and his father).
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Ar-Pharazôn did a lot of terrible things, but he did do things.
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: He won great riches in Middle-earth and gave them out freely. This, of course, increased his popularity, making his usurpation of the throne easier.
Slowly Slipping Into Evil: At first, he was a big-headed military commander, even a friend to the "good" characters. Then, he took over the Kingship and started persecuting the Faithful. After Sauron began corrupting him, he thought it would be a good idea to sacrifice many of the Faithful to Melkor. At this point, his troops mercilessly oppressed the Men of Middle-earth and he became a dreadful tyrant. Finally, he brought his nation to ruinous war against the Valar. This process took place over several decades and involved Sauron's influence.
Tragic Hero: Subverted. His story is that of a classic tragic hero, but he was such a megalomaniac dick to begin with that he doesn't count.
Unwitting Pawn: Inevitable, when you underestimate Sauron.
Villainous Incest: His forced marriage to his cousin makes him easily unlikeable.
Villain with Good Publicity: He was widely popular among his people.
We Used to Be Friends: With Amandil.

Elendil

While the kings of Númenor fell deeper into decadence and impiety, the Lords of Andúnië, descended from a prince of the royal house, led the Faithful, a faction who remained loyal to Ilúvatar, the Valar, and the friendship of the Eldar. The son of the last Lord, when Ar-Pharazôn came under Sauron's sway, was Elendil. When Ar-Pharazôn led his armada against the Valar, Elendil and the Faithful escaped to Middle-earth, where he and his sons founded the kingdoms of Arnor (which he ruled) and Gondor. Elendil led the surviving Faithful in the War of the Last Alliance and was killed by Sauron on Mount Doom.

Defector from Decadence: He led the Faithful of Númenor when the rest became corrupted by Sauron, fleeing the island before it was sunk into the sea.
Family Theme Naming: His name appears to include the word for "star", while his sons Anárion and Isildur (and his sword Narsil) have "sun" and "moon".
Famous Ancestor: As founder of Gondor and Arnor and the one who fought alongside Gil-Galad against Sauron personally, yeah he's pretty famous.
Founder of the Kingdom: He founded Arnor and his sons founded Gondor.
The Good King: Turns out that he was a more worthy successor to the throne than the royal family as he had the protection of the Free People as his priority and respected and included in that the other inhabitants of Middle-earth.
Heroes Prefer Swords: His sword Narsil.
It's Personal: Sauron accelerated his people's decay and urged them to their doom.
Large and in Charge: He was known as Elendil the Tall, and called this by other Númenóreans, who were themselves taller than most men. The man was eight feet tall.
Meaningful Name: "Elendil" can be interpreted as "Elf-friend" or "Star-friend".
Noble Fugitive: After The Fall of Númenor. His priority was to bring his people to a land where they could prosper and rule according to the ideals that his ex-kingdom had forsaken.
Old Soldier: Elendil was more than 300 years old during the War of the Last Alliance.
Outliving One's Offspring: He outlives his son Anárion, who was killed during the Siege of Barad-dûr, though he died at the end of it and didn't have to deal with the sorrow that a time of peace would bring about it.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: He did not sit on his throne in Middle-earth resting and instead he devoted the rest of his years into leading the way in the siege of Mordor and the defeat of Sauron.
Token Good Teammate: Of the later men of Númenor and as far as whole groups of people can qualify, the Faithful were this to the rest of Numenor of whom he was the leader as the Lord of Andúnië, the House that remained most un-corrupted by power.

Isildur

The eldest son of Elendil. Before the White Tree of Númenor was destroyed by Sauron, Isildur stole one of its fruits, keeping its line alive. After arriving in Middle-earth after the Downfall, Isildur and his brother Anárion founded the kingdom of Gondor. In the War of the Last Alliance, when Elendil was killed by Sauron, Isildur took the shards of his father's sword Narsil and cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. Rather than destroy the Ring and end Sauron's threat forever, Isildur was entranced by its beauty and claimed it as his own. When Isildur rode north to claim the kingship of Arnor, leaving Gondor in the care of his nephew Meneldil, he was attacked by orcs and fled into the River Anduin, invisible thanks to the Ring, but the Ring slipped from his finger and betrayed him to his death. Through his youngest and only surviving son Valandil, Isildur was the direct ancestor of Aragorn, one of the protagonists of The Lord of the Rings.

Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: After cutting the ring from a wounded Sauron's finger, he was hailed as the greatest hero of the forces of Men… until he decided to keep Sauron's Ring.
Broken Ace: A great warrior who founded one of the Númenorian successor kingdoms of Middle-earth and played a role in Sauron's first defeat. He is also remembered as the guy who kept the Ring rather than destroying it, dooming both himself and Middle-earth in the long run.
Characterization Marches On: Passages in The Silmarillion imply that Isildur died because he didn't bother to set a watch. It seems that over time, Tolkien found the idea of Isildur's death being a result of his own stupidity unappealing, as this bears no resemblance to the account in Unfinished Tales. His appearance there depicts him as a skilled commander and leader and every inch his father's son, and the disaster is credited not to his incompetence, but rather that he faced the orcs on the least favorable terms possible^note, and he still made them pay in blood for every inch of ground.
Defector from Decadence: Along with his father, from Númenor.
Dying as Yourself: When Isildur did finally let go of and lose the Ring, it was with an immense sense of relief, and he felt like he was himself again. Tragically, he only got to enjoy that feeling for a few moments before he was shot to death.
Made of Iron: Stole a fruit of the White Tree of Númenor before Sauron burned it as a sacrifice to Morgoth, and was gravely injured by Sauron's followers in the process. He got better, and the line of the White Tree was continued in Gondor.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: If he had only destroyed the One Ring…
Noble Fugitive: After the Fall of Númenor.
Outliving One's Offspring: His three eldest sons, Elendur, Aratan, and Ciryon, died in the same attack as him, with Ciryon at least confirmed to have died before him.
Tragic Hero: If he'd destroyed the Ring, Isildur would have been the greatest hero of his age. But because he succumbed to its lure, he was killed and Sauron was able to rise again. Further, he wasn't tempted by its power but was merely attracted to its beauty. He considered it wergild (blood-money) in compensation for—and a Tragic Keepsake of — his father and brother's deaths.
Warrior Prince: Like his father and brother.
Wound That Will Not Heal: His hand was seriously burned by the One Ring when he first handled it due to its absorbing Sauron's immense heat, and though it later cooled, the pain stayed with him until his death.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: The One Ring gives him this treatment when he uses it to try to escape the ambush at Gladden Fields, slipping off his finger long enough to float downriver and get him spotted and pin-cushioned by Orc archers.

Others

Huan

A great Hound of Oromë, given as a gift to Celegorm son of Fëanor. He followed his master into Middle-earth, and later befriended Lúthien and Beren there, helping them in their Quest for the Silmaril. He had a human level of intelligence, being able to understand speech, but he was destined to speak only thrice before his death — and he wouldn't die but fighting the greatest wolf ever "whelped in cave of stone."

The Ageless: A trait he shared with elves and all the wildlife of Valinor. Huan was at least 520 years old by the time he kicked Sauron's ass at Tol Sirion.
Big Friendly Dog: He may be huge and badass, but he is a good doggy. He turns on Celegorm when he repeatedly chooses evil and chooses to help Beren and Lúthien instead.
Canis Major: His exact size is vague, but he was large enough to carry Lúthien on his back like a horse.
A Dog Named "Dog": "Huan" is just Quenya for "hound." Pretty boring name when you consider just how special and unusual a dog he was.
Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: This dog beat the shit out of Sauron. There wasn't any fancy tactics or magic involved either.
Dulcinea Effect: Lúthien caused this in him, leading him to finally turn against Celegorm to help her.
Exact Words: Huan was fated to fight "the greatest wolf to ever live", or if you're looking at the Lay of Leithian details "before the mightiest he should fall/before the mightiest wolf alone/that ever was whelped in cave of stone". Sauron shape-shifted to be "the greatest wolf [currently] on earth" was still a shape-shift, not born in cave. There's a bit of a difference there, and in their fight Sauron lost soundly.
Heroes Love Dogs: His friendship was an indicator of the humanoid character's heroism: Celegorm lost it after kicking the dog by leaving Finrod and Beren to die to force Lúthien to marry him instead, and Lúthien and Beren gained it by their nobleness and goodness.
Heroic Sacrifice: He was destined to be killed by the greatest wolf ever, and he died in the wolf-hunt against Carcharoth to save Beren and recover the Silmaril. He may well have realized Carcharoth was that wolf.
Hypercompetent Sidekick: Supplies most of the muscle and physical prowess to aid Lúthien and Beren's trek into Morgoth's realm. Curbstomping Sauron was just one of many times Huan's strength came into play.
Mook–Face Turn: Turns against his cruel and petty original masters, and in turn becomes a loyal friend to Lúthien.
Mutual Kill: He and Carcharoth slay one another.
Mysterious Past: Was Huan an uplifted dog in a world where it is possible for living creatures can gain some kind of sapience, or was he some kind of spirit, given his intelligence and ability to speak against all the laws of anatomy?
No Man of Woman Born: As noted, he could only be killed by the greatest werewolf to ever live. Sauron tried to take advantage of by turning into the greatest werewolf alive, but it failed because the greatest werewolf to ever live (Carcharoth) hadn't come into his full power yet. This led to Huan stomping Sauron.
Talking Animal: He spoke thrice during his life, just as prophesied.

Eöl

A Dark Elf living in the woods of Nan Elmoth near Doriath. He hated the Noldor and was a friend of the Dwarves. Yet when Aredhel daughter of Fingolfin wandered into his woods, he used his magic to make her lose the way so he could appear as her rescuer. He took her in and married her^note. They had a son, Maeglin. However, Eöl forbade his wife and son from ever leaving his forest or going to see their family, causing them to rebel and run away. He followed them into Gondolin, where he threw a poisoned spear at Maeglin, accidentally killing Aredhel instead when she interposed herself. He was executed by being thrown off the cliffs of Gondolin. Instead of showing the slightest remorse, he spent his last moments wishing his son would die young.

The Blacksmith: He was a very skilled smith, having learned the craft from his dwarven friends. In swordsmithing, Eöl was said to be even better than most Noldor, and he was the only character known to have forged weapons from Thunderbolt Iron. They were impressive swords and apparently could talk.
Black Swords Are Better: He made two black swords called Anglachel and Anguirel from the same meteorite, and since they were Thunderbolt Iron they were superior to weapons and armor made from mined metals. He gave Anglachel (to his annoyance) to Thingol who considered it payment for letting him live on his land. The sword later passed to Beleg and then to Túrin, who renamed it Gurthang. Maeglin stole the other sword Anguirel and took it with him to Gondolin, but no more is said about it.
Boomerang Bigot: According to one version of his lineage proposed by Tolkien, he was of the same Elven tribe as the Noldor, but from the part that did not go to Valinor, thus being considered a Dark Elf. Therefore, he was related to the Noldor.
Dark Is Evil: His epithet "The Dark Elf" is earned several times over. In the loosest sense it refers to his not seeing the light of the Trees of Valinor; all such elves were Dark Elves (Moriquendi). He has dark hair and likely pale skin, in itself not so notable due to all the elves with similar looks. But in his case, his grim face, his implied dark eyes which he passes to his son, his dislike of sunlight, instead only going out at night and living in a dark shadowy forest and underground caverns below it, his habit of dressing in black, and his forging and wearing black swords and armor (from a metal alloy he invented) all just go along with his general nastiness, making him the Dark Elf.
Domestic Abuser: Of the overly controlling variety, and in the fact that his wife was a woman he found in the woods and kept prisoner. In The Silmarillion, he manipulated/tricked her into marriage, while in "Quendi and Eldar" he actually raped her.
Fantastic Racism: Towards the Noldor, accusing them of stealing land from the Sindar (which actually even the Sons of Fëanor didn't do). It doesn't stop him from marrying one, though.
Interspecies Friendship: With the dwarves.
Irony: For all his dislike of the Noldor, his blacksmithing skills and close friendship with the Dwarves are very much akin to the Noldor, specifically those of Eregion.
Jerkass: Dubcon, domestic abuse, murdering his closest family with poison… he was probably a giant jerk even before that, considering how the other Sindar avoided him.
Jerkass Has a Point: His dislike of the Noldor also stems from the Kinslaying at Alqualondë, which saw his fellow Teleri (at least in one version) slain for their swan-ships. It's not hard to see where he's coming from on that front, even if it doesn't come close to justifying his actions.
Mithril: Invented his own metal alloy called galvorn. It was shining jet black and he made his own armor out of it.
Murder by Mistake: Tries to kill Maeglin, but Aredhel interposed herself between them.
Offing the Offspring: Tried to do this to Maeglin.
Red Baron: He's always singled out as "The Dark Elf" likely in-universe due to his dark deeds as well as being "a" Dark Elf. Note that no other Dark Elf is ever portrayed so negatively.
Rewrite: Originally, and in the 1977 Silmarillion, Eöl was a Sindarin elf. Tolkien later changed him into one of the few Avarin elf characters, and then later changed him back to a Sindar.

Círdan

The Shipwright, one of the oldest and wisest known elves in existence — so old by the time The Lord of the Rings takes place that he had a long silver beard, a trait unknown in any other Elf in the mythos. Círdan was one of the Teleri who stayed behind to search for Thingol and later became the lord of the Sindar on Beleriand's coast, whom he ruled as Thingol's vassal. He built the ship in which Eärendil sailed to Valinor.

In the Second Age, Círdan founded the Grey Havens in the west of Middle-earth and was entrusted with Narya, one of the Three Rings of the elves, by Gil-galad. He fought alongside Gil-galad in the War of the Last Alliance and stood with Elrond in futilly urging Isildur to destroy the One Ring. He greeted the wizards when they arrived in the Third Age, and sensing Gandalf's wisdom and power, gave Narya over to him. In The Lord of the Rings, Círdan built the ship that bore Galadriel, Elrond, Gandalf, Bilbo, and Frodo to Eressëa.

Big Damn Heroes: He saved Fingon's army from an orc invasion through a surprise attack from the sea.
Cassandra Truth: He was given a warning about Nargothrond's imminent fall by Ulmo and delivered it to Orodreth, but the warning went unheeded.
The Chosen One: Not in the traditional sense. Instead, he was charged by Ulmo to aid and abet the forces of good throughout the ages, though he himself never took center stage. To do this, he had to forsake his greatest desire — to see the Undying Lands — for more than three ages of the world.
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": "Círdan" is just his nickname — it means "shipwright." Even in the First Age everybody called him that, though there was in-universe speculation that his real name was Nōwē.
Excellent Judge of Character: Among all the arriving Istari, he chose to give Narya to Olórin, who was apparently the weaker Istari. Eventually, Gandalf would be the only wizard to follow their original mission to provide help against Sauron, becoming the Big Good during the War of the Ring.
Intergenerational Friendship: With Eärendil, Gil-galad, and several princes of Númenor.
Minor Major Character: Despite being the oldest elf in Middle-Earth and possibly one of the oldest elves overall, as well as a great leader for their people and lord of one of the last three major elven havens in Middle-Earth, Cirdan only shows up briefly in The Lord Of The Rings.
The Older Immortal: Círdan is by far one of the, possibly even the oldest elf in Middle-earth. It's not impossible that he was one of the very first elves who awakened at the shores of Cuiviénen.
Parental Substitute: For Gil-galad, possibly. Gil-galad's history (and parentage) are pretty vague, but it appears that his father sent him to the Havens as a child to keep him safe.
Supporting Leader: He was a very important personage among the elves of Middle-earth, but always stayed in the background of the stories.
Time Abyss: He is possibly one of the original generation of elves and thus among the oldest of the Free Peoples known to exist. At the time of The Lord of the Rings, he may be over 15,000 years old — the equivalent of someone today born in the late Stone Age.
Wizard Beard: He's not literally a wizard, but his beard does signify his exceptional age and wisdom. Tolkien was elsewhere explicit that elves do not have beards for most of their lives, but may have them in their "third stage of life", which for an elf means many, many thousands of years old, an age which only the original generation of elves were even approaching in the First Age.

Thorondor

The greatest of the Great Eagles created by Manwë to keep watch over the mountains of Middle-earth to bring news to him in Valinor. Thorondor helped Fingon rescue Maedhros from his torture on Thangorodrim and later led his people in keeping watch over the hidden city of Gondolin. When Morgoth slew Fingolfin, Thorondor swooped down, scarred the Dark Lord's face with his talons, and bore Fingolfin's body to his place of burial on a mountain above Gondolin.

Big Damn Heroes: Aside from retrieving Fingolfin's body, he sends his eagles to save Húrin and Huor from starving in the wilderness, and help the survivors of Gondolin escape unnoticed by Morgoth.
Giant Flyer: He had a wingspan of thirty fathoms (180 feet or 55 m) from tip to tip. For those having a difficult time envisioning the sheer enormousness of this, 55 m is exactly half the length of a regulation American football field. Thorondor's wings would have stretched from center field to one of the goal posts. Or to put it in aviation-related terms: the wingspan of a B52 bomber is 185ft. Thorondor was a kind of biological B52.
Noble Bird of Prey: He was a gigantic eagle who was always willing to aid both Elves and Men.
Rent-a-Zilla: A giant monster of the benevolent variety.
Talking Animal: Sort of. As with Huan, Tolkien couldn't quite decide whether the Giant Eagles were mundane animals that just happened to be gigantic, sapient, and able to talk, or if they should be Maiar spirits sent to help the peoples of Middle-earth. But given his immense size, Thorondor himself could hardly be a mere animal, even if he wasn't a Maia.

Azaghâl

Lord of Belegost and King of the Broadbeams, a proud Dwarven kingdom. Azaghâl's people were renowned for their almost unrivaled smithing and sturdiness in battle. Azaghâl eventually forged a friendship with Maedhros after the latter saved him from an Orc ambush. Azaghâl and his people marched with Maedhros against Morgoth, and later played a crucial role in the disastrous Battle of Unnumbered Tears when Azaghâl made a stand against Glaurung's dragon host and kept it from wreaking havoc upon Noldor and the fleeing troops.

Armor of Invincibility: He had a helm of invincibility, but he gave it as a gift to Maedhros. Which probably ensured his doom. His own armor is also surprisingly sturdy against dragonfire (keeping in mind dragonfire can melt rings of power).
David Versus Goliath: A bunch of Dwarves vs a battalion of gigantic firebreathing dragons, encapsulated by King Azaghâl vs Glaurung the Deceiver (the respective leaders of each host). The Dwarves win (at a cost), sending the dragons on a full retreat.
Defiant to the End: Sticking a dagger in a dragon with his last breath is worthy of some props.
The Dragonslayer: Almost. His battle with Glaurung left the latter's life hanging by a thread, but he sadly escaped and managed to recover. Still, his reputation of nearly dragon-slayer echoes as far as the time of The Hobbit.
Dramatic Irony: If he had kept the Dragon-Helm (which makes its user magically immune to all wounds), he'd have survived his bout with Glaurung. But sadly he gave it as a gift to the very people whose escapes from the battlefield he covers with his Last Stand. It's almost like Maedhros led him to his death.
Due to the Dead: After his death, his dwarves carried his body across the battlefield in a dirge so solemn that even Morgoth's forces didn't a lift a finger to attack the procession.
Dying Moment of Awesome: Glaurung fatally wounds him, but before succumbing, he buries a dagger so deep in Glaurung's chest that he nearly kills him and sends him running back with his tail between his legs alongside all of his brood.
Heroic Sacrifice: His death saves the sons of Féanor and probably the rest of the Noldor from being scorched by dragonfire.
Last Breath Bullet: His final act of stabbing Glaurung.
Last Stand: Azaghâl stands against Glaurung's dragon host and doesn't retreat until the bitter end.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Azaghâl likely derives from Azgara, which means "to wage war".
National Weapon: Described as wielding an axe, same as his troops. Noteworthy that the axes were somehow strong enough to pierce dragon-hide, causing Glaurung and his brood great pain.
Out of the Inferno: The narration observes Azaghâl and his Dwarves faced a raging hellfire of dragon breath, but their armors were so divinely crafted they could withstand the fire.
Shut Up, Hannibal!: Glaurung stands over him to gloat, as he tends to do. Azaghâl's answer is to rip through the dragon's chest with a dagger.
Small Role, Big Impact: Pretty much only shows up in the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, but his sacrifice saves several crucial characters and it's hinted his wounding of Glaurung may have contributed to the latter's death. His helm, which he gave as a gift to Maedhros, also ends up being crucial during Children of Húrin.
Token Good Teammate: In broad terms, he's the only Dwarven character (and one of the few characters period) in the Silmarilion who's 100% heroic.
You Shall Not Pass!: The only thing standing between Glaurung and a barbecue of Elves is Azaghâl himself and his Dwarves. He does not pass.

Mîm

An aged dwarf whose dwelling Túrin took over after one of his men killed Mîm's son. Though he bonded with Túrin, Mîm's resentment over his son's death and the appearance of the elf Beleg stoked his resentment, and eventually he betrayed Túrin to orcs. Mîm's second son was killed in the fight, but he escaped, and after the death of Glaurung he claimed the dragon's treasure for himself. Here Mîm was found and slain by Húrin, but the dwarf cursed the treasure, leading to the downfall of King Thingol.

All for Nothing: His actions are all to ensure the survival of his last son and himself, the last of the Petty Dwarves. He also plans on getting some Revenge by Proxy upon an Elf. In the end his last son dies in a harsh winter and he dies shortly thereafter, ending the Petty Dwarves, and the Elf he sought to avenge himself upon survives.
Anti-Villain: Type II.
Characterization Marches On: In the earlier versions of the Silmarillion, Mîm was a much more antagonistic, greedy and psychotic character, but as Tolkien developed the Dwarves more and made them more heroic, Mîm became much more tragic and well developed.
Curse: In some versions, Mîm's main threat value is laying curse upon things. He curses his son's killer to die if he ever uses a bow again (as he killed his son using a bow) and also the treasures of Nargothrond. Both curses end up fulfilled, the second directly leading to the Second Kinslaying.
Fantastic Racism: His hatred of elves (which seems to be a common thing among Petty-dwarves). It stemmed from the fact that, long before the dwarves of Nogrod and Belegost came to Beleriand, the exiles who would become the Petty-dwarves (from whom Mîm was descended) entered the land and were hunted by the Sindar. The Sindar did not know what they were, and when the rest of the dwarves settled in Ered Luin, they realized their mistake and left the Petty-dwarves alone. Mîm and his people hated the Noldor even more, however, as they claimed the Noldor drove them from their dwellings when they arrived. To the point that part of the reason he betrayed Túrin's group, was because the Elf Beleg was in it.
Last of His Kind: He was the last of the Petty-dwarves, the stunted outcasts of the great dwarven cities.
Morality Pet: His son Ibun whom he cares for. After his death he's well and gone beyond any reason.
Odd Friendship: Mîm seemed to legitimately enjoy Túrin's company.
Our Dwarves Are All the Same: Averted. He and his sons were actually different from the other dwarves of Middle-earth and most stock fantasy dwarves. They were descendants of exiles from the dwarven cities east of Ered Luin who eventually wandered west into Beleriand. They dwindled in stature and in their knowledge of smithcraft, becoming a stealthy and secretive people. By the time The Silmarillion took place, only Mîm and his two sons remained.
Papa Wolf: Avenging the death of his son Khím and looking out for his remaining son Ibun is his key motivation.
Pet the Dog: He valued Túrin's companionship and legitimately tries to spare him from Morgoth's wrath.
Revenge Before Reason: The moment an Elf becomes involved in the situation he becomes consumed by vengeance.
Tragic Villain: Mîm's bitterness that drives him to evil is ultimately brought by (justified to an extent) anger over the destruction of his race and the death of his children at the hands of the Elves and Túrin's companions, respectively.
Turn Coat: Against Túrin's band of outlaws, though Tolkien's writings are inconsistent about whether he willingly went to Morgoth or was captured. He did want Túrin to be spared, but that didn't work out well.

Naugladûr

The Lord of the Dwarves of Nogrod, he leads the his Dwarves into a war against Doriath after a series of misunderstandings leads him astray. This incident is the primary cause of the everlasting rift between Elves and Dwarves that lasts up until the War of the Ring, several centuries after. It also leads to the destruction of both Nogrod and Doriath.

All There in the Manual: Most of the information about him is on The Book of Lost Tales.
Anti-Villain: Naugladûr just horribly misunderstood the situation and acted rashly, but he wasn't malicious. From his perspective, he's defending his Dwarves from Elven aggression.
Curse: In some versions, Naugladûr uses his dying words to curse the treasure of Doriath and the Nauglimir (and the Silmarillion with it) itself. Beren, who listens to his curse, tries to stop it by dumping most of the treasure on the river, but since he keeps the Nauglimir, the curse still ends up fulfilled in the Second Kinslaying.
Defiant to the End: Despite being mortally wounded, he uses his final words to curse Beren and Doriath.
Elves Versus Dwarves: Effectively the Trope Maker chronologically speaking. This entire incident of Nogrod versus Doriath is what causes the mutual mistrust between Elves and Dwarves for millennia to come.
Hero Killer: He slays Mablung, iron hand, one of the most legendary warriors of Doriath.
Horrible Judge of Character: Two of his Dwarves come back to him, wounded, and tell him the Elves refused to pay their just rewards for services rendered and then decided to kill them all. Naugladûr believes them and goes to war over this. In reality, the Dwarves were lying and they had killed Thingol in an attempt to take the Silmaril for themselves.
Hot-Blooded: The rage over the death of his kinsmen is likely what blinded him to the truth.
No Name Given: "Naugladûr" just means "King of the Dwarves".
Poor Communication Kills: Really, the entire situation could have been sorted out if Naugladûr had just talked to the Elves to check the facts of the story his Dwarves told him before attacking them.
Rank Scales with Asskicking: He's Lord of Nogrod and he manages to match Beren (probably one of the greatest warriors of Beleriand) blow-for-blow in battle, almost killing him.
Revenge Before Reason: His decision to avenge the death of his kinsmen leads him astray.
Small Role, Big Impact: Naugladûr is barely a character in Silmarillion (most of his info coming from the Book of Lost Tales), but the Nogrod-Doriath war is one of the most important events of the entire history of Middle-earth, leading to the Second and Third Kinslaying and the eternal Dwarven-Elven distrust.

Characters / The Silmarillion

Setting-wide: Peoples and Races, Sauron The Silmarillion: Eru and the Ainur, Enemies, First-Generation Elven Royalty, the House of Fëanor, the House of Fingolfin The Hobbit The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Free Men, the Elves, the Forces of Sauron, Other Characters

Gondolin

The House of Finarfin

The House of Thingol

Men of the Edain

Númenóreans

Others

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Index

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Characters / The Silmarillion

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Setting-wide: Peoples and Races, Sauron The Silmarillion: Eru and the Ainur, Enemies, First-Generation Elven Royalty, the House of Fëanor, the House of Fingolfin The Hobbit The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Free Men, the Elves, the Forces of Sauron, Other Characters

Gondolin

The House of Finarfin

The House of Thingol

Men of the Edain

Númenóreans

Others

Previous

Index

Next