Hador

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Character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Legendarium
Name Hador
Other names Lórindol, the Golden-haired
Titles Lord of Dor-lómin
Race Men
Culture Edain, Third House
Date of birth Y.S. 390[1]
Date of death Y.S. 455
Realm Dor-lómin
Book(s) The Silmarillion,
The War of the Jewels,
Unfinished Tales
This article is about a Man of the First Age. For a Steward of Gondor, see Stewards during the Watchful Peace.

In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Hador was a Lord of Men during the First Age.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Hador, also called in Sindarin Lórindol ('Goldenhead', IPA: ˈhadɔr lɔːˈrindɔl) because he had fair blond hair, was the great-great-grandson of Marach, one of the leaders of the Atanatári, and ruled over the Folk of Marach which later became commonly known as the House of Hador. Hador wedded Gildis and had three children, Glóredhel, Galdor the Tall and Gundor. Galdor's sons were Húrin Thalion and Huor, and Húrin's son was Túrin Turambar who slew the Dragon Glaurung.

Hador entered the household of Fingolfin High King of the Noldor in his youth, and was well-liked by the king. Seeing that the Edain needed a country and lords of their own, Fingolfin now granted to Hador the lordship of land of Dor-lómin in Hithlum in the year 416 of the First Age,[2] where soon most of his folk migrated from their former dwellings by the sources of Taeglin. The Folk of Hador remained thereafter loyal to the House of Fingolfin and for his cause marched to war against Morgoth, though under their own Lord.

He also received the Dragon-helm of Telchar, a famed Dwarven-smith of Nogrod, at that time. Hador was given this helm because it was made for dwarven-heads, and none had the size to wear it in the land. He was one of the tallest Men in all Beleriand. All of his line wore the helm until it was lost in the time of his great-grandson Túrin, with the exception of Húrin who was of lesser stature than his fathers (though perhaps the mightiest warrior of mortal men).

Hador was slain during the Dagor Bragollach along with his son Gundor before the walls of Eithel Sirion, defending the rearguard of Fingolfin. The rule of Dor-lómin passed then to his elder son Galdor.

[edit] The House of Hador

 
 
 
 
 
 
 Marach
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Meldis
 
 Malach
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Adanel
 
 Magor
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Hathol
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Hador
 
 Gildis
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Glóredhel
 
 
 
 
 
 Galdor
 
 Hareth
 
 Gundor
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Handir
 
 Morwen
 
 Húrin
 
 Huor
 
 Rían
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brandir
 
 Túrin Lalaith Nienor
 
 Tuor
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Eärendil

[edit] Later version of the biography

One of J. R. R. Tolkien's intentions that never reached a finished state was placing Fingolfin's gift of the lordship of Dor-lómin to the times of the third lord of the Folk of Marach (Magor in the published Silmarillion); but he also wished to preserve the name 'House of Hador'. This entailed the reversal of Hador's and Magor's positions, and in a late genealogical table they appear as "Hador Lorindol, first lord of Dorlómin" (grandson of Marach) and simply "Magor Dagorlind" (great-great-grandson of Marach).[3]

According to this version, the Folk of Marach in c. Y.S. 380 migrated from Estolad directly to Dor-lómin, without settling temporarily by the sources of Taeglin. It is unclear was Hador to retain Gildis as his wife, or she remained the mother of Húrin and became the spouse of Magor. Of Hador's new biography only his birthyear (Y.S. 341) is known.

[edit] Earlier versions of the legendarium

Originally Tolkien conceived that it was Hador (spelt Hádor then), grandfather of Húrin, who led the second party of Men over the Ered Luin, with no generations of Men preceding him and no third party.[4] The Folk of Haleth was soon introduced, but the great expansion of the Houses of Men into elder generations was brought about only with the revisions made to the Quenta Silmarillion after writing The Lord of the Rings.

Hador's name 'Goldenhead' appears in various Sindarin forms such as Glórindol or Glorindal. The final form seems to be Lorindol (with no accent over the first o).

[edit] References

  1. ^ A common misconception is to give Hador's birthyear as 389, basing on the statement in The Silmarillion that he was 66 years at the time of his death in Dagor Bragollach. The statement is indeed erroneous; it is derived from mostly unrevised parts of the history, where the battle was stated to begin at the end of 455 and continue into the 456, when Hador was slain. However, Tolkien changed his mind and wrote later that the battle occurred in the beginning of 455 (which was included into the published Silmarillion), and stated in The Grey Annals that Hador was 65 at his death (which was not included). See J. R. R. Tolkien (1994), Christopher Tolkien, ed., The War of the Jewels, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, pp. 52, 124, ISBN 0-395-71041-3 
  2. ^ The War of the Jewels, p. 228. The date 423 in The Grey Annals (ibid. p. 51) was relevant only when Hador was still the leader of the House in their entering Beleriand.
  3. ^ The War of the Jewels: The Later Quenta Silmarillion, p. 235.
  4. ^ J. R. R. Tolkien (1986), Christopher Tolkien, ed., The Shaping of Middle-earth, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, The Quenta, p. 107, 175-6, ISBN 0-395-42501-8