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THE ATANAMLI:

WOMEN OF THE FIRST AGE


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THE ATANATRI AND THE ATANAMLI


Atanatri is a term used by Tolkien several times in his writings
about the early men of Middle Earth. In Quenya, it translates as Fathers of Men. While its exact meaning is unclear, the term was used
by Tolkien to refer to the following groups:

glosses over some of the truly incredible women of the First Age. And
so, the Atanamli were born. In Quenya, this translates into Mothers
of Men, and is used in this guide to refer to the women of the Edain of
the First Age.

The Edain of the First Age (the Edain being the men and women
who lived in Beleriand and fought Morgoth alongside the elves.)

This guide is divided into three parts, each part focusing on one of the
houses of the Edain. While there are some women we know nothing
about, apart from their place in a family tree, there are plenty of
women with fascinating and inspiring stories that deserve more attention that they usually get. Ive also included a brief timeline of the First
Age, to help you put these womens lives into context.

The first generation of Edain (like Bor the Old, or Marach) who led
their people into Beleriand.
The ancestors of the Edain, meaning basically the first generations.
For the purposes of this guide, were subscribing to a combination of
the first two definitions.
While Tolkien never really specified, saying that the Atanatri only referred to men, the fact that its masculine-by-default, in my opinion,

None of the artwork included in this guide is mine. All the paintings
are by the wonderful Ted Nasmith, and the maps are excerpts from
Karen Wynn Fonstads Atlas of Middle Earth. If you have any questions, feel free to come find me at askmiddlearth.tumblr.com

TIMELINE OF THE FIRST AGE


This (very basic) timeline of the First Age is intended to help you put into context the lives of the women included in this guide. It focuses
mainly on the affairs of the Edain, as well as the major battles that affected their homelands.

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THE ATANAMLI: WOMEN OF THE FIRST AGE


PART I

THE HOUSE OF BOR


The House of Bor is known mainly for the heroics of its most
famous member: Beren, who stole a silmaril from Morgoths
crown and married Luthien Tinviel. However, it also boasts
some of the most courageous women of the First Age.
Here youll find pioneers, strong leaders, and wise-women
who all share a sense of dignity and an unstoppable drive.

MORWEN ELFSHEEN
Lived: 443 - 500 (age 57)
Parents: Baragund (f)
Husband: Hrin
Children: Trin
Morwen was born in Dorthonion, where the
rest of the House of Bor lived. However,
when she was twelve, Morgoth and his armies attacked in the Dagor Bragollach - the
Battle of Sudden Flame. Dorthonion was conquered in the battle, and so Morwen and the
others had to flee from their home and make
the long journey to Dor-lmin. While we dont
know anything about Morwens mother, we
do know that her father was one of the few
men to stay behind in Dorthonion. Baragund
was part of the group of outlaws that

served Barahir, and were eventually hunted


down and killed by Morgoths orcs. So at the
very least, she spent her teenage years without her father.
Morwen was described as tall and fair, with
a stern disposition. It was said she often
kept her thoughts to herself. But at age 21
she married Hrin, the Lord of Dor-lmin,
which made Morwen the Lady of Dor-lmin.
Together they had a son, Trin, and then a
daughter, Urwen (better known as Lalaith.)
However, Lalaith died of the plague when
she was only three years old.
Just another three years after that, Hrin
and the rest of the men go to fight in the
Nirnaeth Arnoediad. Hrin was captured in
the battle. And since Morgoth was victorious

in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, he gave control


of Dor-lmin to his allies, the Easterlings.
The people already living there were basically enslaved. However, the Easterlings
mostly left Morwen alone, since they afraid
of her (thinking she was a witch with elvish
friends.)
At the time, Morwen was pregnant with her
second daughter, Nienor. That and her pride
kept her from leaving her land, but she sent
her son, Trin, to live in safety with the elves
of Doriath.
After the tragedy of The Children of Hrin, in
which Morwen lost both her son and daughter to suicide, Morwen died of old age at her
childrens gravestones, after meeting her
husband one last time
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RAN
Lived: 450 - 472 (age 22)
Parents: Belegund (f)
Husband: Huor
Children: Tuor
Ran was born in Dorthonion, where the rest
of the House of Bor lived. However, when
she was five, Morgoth and his armies attacked in the Dagor Bragollach - the Battle
of Sudden Flame. Dorthonion was conquered in the battle, and so Ran and the
others had to flee from their home and make
the long journey to Dor-lmin. While we
dont know anything about Rans mother,
we do know that her father was one of the
few men to stay behind in Dorthonion. Belegund was part of the group of outlaws that
served Barahir, and were eventually hunted
down and killed by Morgoths orcs. So at
the very least, she grew up without her father.
Ran was said to be gentle-hearted, and a
lover of trees, wildflowers, and singing.
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When she was 22 years old she married


Huor, of the House of Hador (who also lived
in Dor-lmin.) Huor was the younger son of
the Lord of Dor-lmin, so Rans marriage
put her in a leadership position.
However, after only being married two
months, Huor and the rest of the men went
to fight in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, the great
battle known as the Unnumbered Tears.
Soon after her husband left, Ran realized
that she was pregnant with his child. But
when no news came back to her of Huors
fate in the great battle, Ran decided to go
find him herself, and left Dor-lmin. While
traveling alone in the wild, Ran gave birth
to a son, Tuor. Unable to travel with him, she
left him in the care of a group of elves, and
continued searching for her husband.
Rans journey came to an end at the Hill of
the Slain, the mound of bodies made by the
orcs of all the slain men and elves from the
Nirnaeth Arnoediad. When Ran realized
that her husband had fallen in the battle,
she died of grief.

EMELDIR THE MANHEARTED


Lived: 406 - after 455 (aged 49+)
Parents: Beren I (f)
Husband: Barahir
Children: Beren II (as in, Beren and Luthien)
Not much of Emeldirs early life is known,
other than that she grew up in Ladros, the
region of Dorthonion that belonged to the
House of Bor. She eventually married Bara-

hir, the Lord of Ladros (and the head of the


House of Bor.) This would have made
Emeldir the Lady of Ladros, an important
leadership position. With Barahir, Emeldir
raised a son, Beren.
When Emeldir was 49, Dorthonion was attacked during the Dagor Bragollach, the Battle of Sudden Flame. Badly outnumbered,
only Barahir, Beren, and a few other men
stayed behind to defend their land while the

rest of their people fled to safety. Though


she would have preferred to stay behind
and fight with her husband and son (earning
her the name The Manhearted), Emeldir
led her people (mostly women, children, and
the elderly) from their home in Dorthonion
and to safety in Brethil (some of the people
stayed there, while others continued on to
Dor-lmin), facing many hardships along the
way.

ANDRETH WISE-HEART
Lived: 361 - after 455 (aged 94+)
Parents: Boromir (f)
Husband: none
Children: none
Andreth was born in Dorthonion,
where the rest of the House of Bor
lived. Though we know that she had
a father and brother, its said that
Andreth actually grew up in the
house of her uncle Belmir and his
wife Adanel, who was a wisewoman of the House of Hador. From
Adanel, Andreth learned much of
the lore of both houses, and grew
to be one of the Wise of her people.
Andreth met Aegnor, one of the
princes of the Noldor, and the two
fell in love, However, because of
the different fates facing their two
races, they never married. Andreth
didnt marry anyone else either, and
never had any children.
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Andreth was a good friend of Finrod (another of the Noldorin


princes, and Aegnors brother), and
Finrod would often visit her while in
Dorthonion. During one of these visits, the two had the legendary philosophical debate, the Anthrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, in which they discussed the differences between
their two races. From Andreth Finrod learned much of the early history of men, and preserved it for
later generations.
We dont know when exactly Andreth died, but we do know that it
was after the Dagor Bragollach
(where Aegnor died, meaning Andreth outlived her immortal love.)
This means that Andreth probably
made the trip from Dorthonion to
Brethil or Dor-lmin along with
Emeldir and the others

OTHER WOMEN OF THE HOUSE OF BOR


Beldis
Lived 411 - after 465 (aged 54)
Daughter of Arachon (f) and Bregil (m)
Survived the Dagor Bragollach
and travelled to Brethil
Married Handir, chieftain of the
House of Haleth
Mother of Brandir the Lame
(who broke his leg in an accident as a child, but still went on
to lead his people.)
Beleth
Lived 417 - ?
Oldest child of Bregolas
Her fate is unknown,
but both her brothers
died in the Dagor Bragollach.
Beril
Lived 365 - ?
Daughter of Boromir,
first Lord of Ladros

Bregil
Lived 386 - after 411 (aged 25+)
Oldest child of Bregor, second
Lord of Ladros
Married Arachon of the House of
Bor
Mother of Brandir and Beldis

Eilinel
Married to Gorlim, one of Barahirs outlaws

She died during the Dagor Bragollach


Gilwen
Lived 397 - ?
Fourth child of Bregor, second
Lord of Ladros
Hirwen
Lived 389 - ?
Second chid of Bregor, second
Lord of Ladros

THE ATANAMLI: WOMEN OF THE FIRST AGE


PART II

THE HOUSE OF HADOR


The House of Hador is most famous for the tragedy of the
Children of Hrin. And while Nienor certainly remains the
most famous woman of her people, she is far from all they
have to offer.
Here youll find women who were willing - and more than capable - of starting their lives over again and again in order to
help their families and their people.

ZIMRAHIN MELDIS

Children: Adanel, Magor, and three others

the oldest son of the chieftain of the House


of Marach (later called the House of Hador.)
Malach had spent fourteen years serving
and learning from the elves of Hithlum, and
during that time had taken on the Sindarin
name Aradan. So, after marrying Malach,
Zimrahin also took a Sindarin name, Meldis.

Zimrahin was likely born in Estolad during


her peoples first few years in Beleriand. As
such, she would have grown up in a fairly
rustic setting. In 337 she married Malach,

Early in their marriage Zimrahin and Malach


led many of their people far from Estolad to
Hithlum, where they settled (eventually, this
land - Dor-lmin - would be given to their

Lived: before 337 (wedding date) - after


341
Parents: unknown
Husband: Malach Aradan

people by Fingon.) So, aside from leading


her people across the majority of the region
of Beleriand, she also helped establish an
entirely new settlement for them.
Zimrahin had five children, though two are
only mentioned by Tolkien. Adanel married a
man of the House of Bor and moved to live
with him in Dorthonion, and Magor led part
of their people further south to establish another settlement over the mountains.
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ADANEL
Lived: 339 - after 374 (aged 35+)
Parents: Malach Aradan (f) and Zimrahin Meldis (m)
Husband: Belemir
Children: Beren I (also implied that she raised Andreth)
Adanel was most likely born in Dor-lmin, soon after her parents led their people to live there. As the oldest child of the de facto leader of her people (the
chieftain, her grandfather, lived far away in Estolad), Adanel likely grew up
with many responsibilities. And while not much is known about her early life,
we can be sure that she spent a great deal of time learning from the elders of
her community, because she is recognized as one of the great Wise-women
of the Edain.
Adanel married Belemir of the House of Bor, and so moved away from her
home and people to live with him in Dorthonion. She then raised a son, Beren
(not that Beren), and its implied that she also raised her niece Andreth, since
were told that Andreth lived with Belemir and Adanel while young.
She shared her knowledge and her peoples history with Andreth, which was
incredibly important, since only the House of Hador (Adanels house) had remembered the story of Mans original sin (according to legend, just after
awakening, some men worshipped Morgoth instead of Ilvatar.) Adanel
passed this knowledge on to Andreth, who later shared it with Finrod.

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NIENOR TEAR-MAIDEN
Lived: 473 - 499 (aged 36)
Parents: Hrin (f) and Morwen (m)
Husband: Trin (did not realize he was her
brother)
Children: none (died while pregnant)
Nienor was born in Dor-lmin under unquestionably difficult circumstances. Her father
was captured in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad before her birth, and after the battle her homeland was controlled by Morgoths allies, the
Easterlings, and her people oppressed. She

grew up pretty well-protected thanks to her


mother, but she also never knew her brother
Trin, who saw sent to live in safety with the
elves of Doriath.
By the time she was 20, though, the situation
in Dor-lmin had gotten so bad that Morwen
and Nienor decided to travel to Doriath to live
with Trin. So the two set out with small company of elves for protection.
However, due to a set of circumstances that
honestly make no sense out of context, Nienor was cursed by a dragon during the journey, and lost her memory. Her traveling party

was attacked by orcs, and she was separated from Morwen.


Eventually, she was found by the men of Brethil (of the House of Haleth) and their new
companion Turambar (who was actually
Trin.) She was renamed Nniel (tearmaiden, because she was found crying in
the woods). She and Trin fell in love and
were married. When Nienor was pregnant
with their first child, though, the dragon returned Nienors memories. Realizing shed
married her brother, Nienor killed herself (and
was closely followed by Trin as well.
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AERIN
Lived: before 472 (marriage date) - 495
(aged 23+ - likely much older)
Parents: Indor (f)
Husband: Brodda
Children: none
We dont know much about Aerins youth, other
than that shes described as a kinswoman of
Hrin, which means she was probably raised as
some sort of nobility.
After the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, the men of Dor-lmin were defeated, and rule of the country was given to Morgoths allies, the Easterlings. During this time,
the people of Dor-lmin were oppressed and enslaved. The leader of the Easterlings in Dorlmin was Brodda. And, in order to get an heir,
Brodda forced Aerin to marry him.
For years Aerin lived with Brodda. She would try
to secretly help Morwen (who lived in great poverty under the Easterlings rule), and if she was
caught, Brodda would beat her. But Aerin didnt
give up, and managed to create a safe space
in her home, making it a shelter for beggars.
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When Trin finally returned to Dor-lmin, he also


found shelter in Aerins home. While there, Aerin
told him that his mother and sister had already
left Dor-lmin. When Trin realized hed been
tricked by Glaurung (long story), he led a rebellion of the servants (basically, the men of the
House of Hador that were forced to serve the
Easterlings), and even killed Brodda himself.
Aerin realized that she would certainly die now,
since the Easterlings would go to her for vengeance after Broddas death. Trin offered to take
her with him, away from Dor-lmin, but she said
she was too old to survive such a journey. Trin
considered her a coward, but another man of
Dor-lmin, Asgon, disagreed, saying Many a
man of arms misreads patience and quiet. She
did much good among us at much cost. Her
heart was not faint, and patience will break at
last.
As a final act of defiance, Aerin burned herself
alive inside the hall of Brodda built. So not only
did the Easterlings not have the opportunity to
kill her themselves, but she also destroyed the
headquarters of the Easterlings in Dor-lmin

OTHER WOMEN OF THE


HOUSE OF HADOR
Gildis
Lived 415 (birth of first child) - after 419 (birth of
last child)
Married Hador, first Lord of Dor-lmin (making
her the first Lady of Dor-lmin), who died in the
Dagor Bragollach.
Mother of Gloredhel, Galdor, and Gundor
Gloredhel
Lived 415 - 472 (aged 57)
Oldest child of Hador and Gildis
Married Haldir, who
became chieftain of
the House of Haleth;
she moved to Brethil
to live with him
Mother of Handir, and
also foster-mother of
her nephews Huor
and Hrin in their
youth. (Handir became the chieftain of
the House of Haleth,
while Hrin became
the Lord of Dorlmin.)
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After learning that her husband Haldir had fallen


in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, she died of grief.
Lalaith
Lived 466 - 469 (aged 3)
Second child of Hrin and Morwen
Originally named Urwen, but was given the
name Lalaith (laughter) because she was
such a cheerful child.
Died of plague at age 3

THE ATANAMLI: WOMEN OF THE FIRST AGE


PART III

THE HOUSE OF HALETH


Of the three houses of the Edain, Tolkien wrote the least
about the House of Haleth. But despite their mysterious nature, the the people of Haleth can still boast about the most
famous female leader of the Edain - Haleth the Hunter, the
Lady of Brethil.
Here youll find women who endured great tragedy, but absolutely refused to be humbled or defeated.

HALETH THE HUNTER


Lived: 341 - 420 (aged 79)
Parents: Haldad (f)
Husband: none
Children: none
Haleth was born in Thargelion, the land of the
Noldorin prince Caranthir, though they swore
no oath of allegiance to him.
When she was 34, however, the Haladin (what
the House of Haleth called themselves at the
time) were attacked by orcs. In the fight, both
Haleths father and twin brother were killed.
Haleth, who was described as being of great
heart and strength became the new chieftain
of the Haladin and kept her people alive for

seven hopeless days while orcs besieged


their new home. They were saved, in the end,
by the arrival of Caranthir and his soldiers.
Caranthir was so impressed with Haleths bravery that he offered her a part of his land, to
rule as his vassal, as well as the protection of
his soldiers. Proud and unwilling to be ruled
by another, Haleth refused. Instead, she led
her people west to the forest of Brethil. Their
journey took them through some of the most
dangerous parts of Beleriand, including Nan
Dungortheb, the Valley of Dreadful Death.
Once in Brethil, though, Haleth made a deal
with the elvish king Thingol that the Haladin
would live in the forest freely, as long as they
protected the river Taeglin.

Haleth ruled as chieftain for 45 years until her


death. She was so beloved by her people that
they erected a huge burial mound in her
honor, called Haudh-en-Arwen, the Ladybarrow. They also decided that, while Haldad
and Haleth had been chosen to lead by the
people, from that point on they would establish a ruling line from Haleths descendants
(which is ironic, since she didnt have any children. So technically leadership of the House
of Haleth reverted to her brothers line, since
hed had a son before dying.) Also, in honor
of her bravery (and probably, in the case of
outsiders, because of her fame), the Haladin
came to be known as the House of Haleth instead.
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OTHER WOMEN OF THE


HOUSE OF HALETH
Hareth
Lived 419 - after 442
Oldest daughter of Halmir, chieftain of
the House of Haleth
Married Galdor of the House of Hador,
and moved to live with him in Dor-lmin
She had two sons: Hrin and Huor,
who went missing for over a year after
the Dagor Bragollach when they were
only teenagers.
Hiril
Lived 423 - ?
Younger daughter of
Halmir, chieftain of
the House of Haleth
Married Enthor and
had one daughter,
Meleth
Hunleth
Lived 443 - ?
Daughter of Hundar,

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who died in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad


Meleth
Lived after 419 (mothers birth) - after
469
Daughter of Enthor (f) and Hiril (m)
Married Agathor and had two sons,
Hunthor (killed by the dragon Glaurung) and Manthor (killed in Brethils
civil war)

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