People of Middle-earth

Here's a master index for the names of those we've mentioned in this guide so far, as well as some other important people that you should know. If you have more questions on them, feel free to contact us, or just google the names. That works too. ;)

Anárion–Second son of Elendil.

Alatar- one of the Blue Wizards; disappeared into the East after his arrival on Middle-earth

Amrothos–Youngest son and third child of Prince Imrahil. Cousin to Boromir and Faramir.

Ancalagon- Looks like I got the Dragons. The first winged dragon, mentioned breifly in The Lord of the Rings. It can be assumed that he had the hottest fire of any dragon, as well as the father of the winged variety. He doesn't stay around long, he shows up in The Silmarillion and is killed pretty quickly by Eärendil, a deed for which Eärendil is renowned.

Aragorn- You should know him, Elendil's heir, the king that returns. He's the chief of the Dúnedain and knows Wilderland (a.k.a. Rhovanion) like nobody's business. He marries Arwen, as you doubtless know, and has a son named Eldarion, along with a few unnamed daughters.

Ar-Pharazôn–Last king of Númenor, decided in his pride that he should be the strongest king of the mortal lands, and decided to subjugate Sauron. Did so, but took Sauron back to Númenor, where he rose in favor, and ended up convincing Ar-Pharazôn to attack the blessed realm, which ended in the total destruction of Númenor. Smart guy. Really.

Arwen–Daughter of Lord Elrond, said to look like her foremother Luthien comeback to Middle-earth...and Luthien was the most beautiful child of Ilúvatar *ever* so that's saying something. Peredhel, she chose mortality, and followed her husband Aragorn beyond the circles of Arda.

Aulë- the Vala of all crafts and learning. His spouse is Yavanna, and, believe it or not, he spends a lot of time with the Noldor, who happen to be fond of those very things.

Bard–Bard the Bowman! Killed Smaug in the Hobbit.

Beorn–Skin-changer, he can turn into a big black bear. Also a character in the Hobbit.

Beren- total JERK! Crackers, no. She doesn't like him because he hurt her favorite elf. Ignore her. The son of Barahir, he married Luthien, and really managed to annoy Morgoth. And me! *sigh*

Celeborn- *rolls eyes* Galadriel's husband; Tolkien himself was unsure of this guy's background, but in the published Silmarillion we learn that the two met in the First Age kingdom of Doriath, where he was kin to the king He's the Lord of Lórien and father-in-law of Elrond. *Yay.

Celebrian–Daughter and only child of Celeborn and Galadriel. Wife of Elrond and mother of Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen. Sails to Valinor about 500 years before the book due to being tortured by Orcs.

Celebrimbor- talented smith and maker of the three elven Rings of Power; his father was Curufin son of Fëanor. Just as he was among the first to be deceived by Sauron at the time, he was also the first to recognize Sauron's betrayal. After being tortured to death by Sauron, his corpse was hung from a flagpole. Yeah.

Denethor–Steward of Gondor at the time of LotR. Again, you should know him.

Dior- Why do I get stuck with all of the First Age characters I hate? Anyway, Dior's Beren and Luthien's half-elven son. He takes up his grandfather Thingol's realm after Thingol meets his *cough*hardly untimely*cough* doom. She just hates him because he killed her favorite elf. In Dior's defense, he was attacked, and died too. Crackers is just biased. ;)

Eärendil–Son of Tuor and Idril, he convinced the Valar that they should come to the aid of those in Middle-earth and stop Morgoth, which lead to Morgoth being consigned to the Void, where he will remain until the end of Arda. Eärendil was married to Elwing, and they had twin sons, Elros and Elrond.

Ecthelion- in the ancient realm of Gondolin, Lord of the Fountains and one-time Warden of the Gates; slew the chief of the Balrogs: Gothmog.

Elendil–Founder and first High King of Gondor and Arnor. Killed in the War of the Last Alliance by Sauron.

Elladan- one of Elrond's identical twin sons; warrior and comrade of both Aragorn and his father; comes with his brother and many Dúnedain to Aragorn's aid at the Paths of the Dead.

Elphir–Oldest son of Prince Imrahil, and follows him as Prince of Dol Amroth. Cousin of Boromir and Faramir.

Elrohir- see Elladan: the two minor characters are very similar. As a note, they remain in Middle-earth after the passing of the Three Rings and are given a choice between mortal and elvish lifespans due to their half-elven nature.

Elrond- You know him, though you may not know his history- yet! For now, I'll suffice to say that he's the wise, half-elven lord of Rivendell. He's much kinder than the movies sometimes make him out to be. Yeah, the movie-verse line "Men are weak," makes me laugh every time, because he's related to some of the strongest men of the First Age. One of whom defied Morgoth for *40 years*. He's also the son of Eärendil and Elwing, and the husband of Celebrían, who is the daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn, and is the father of Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen. He's Eärendil's son, and also the only character to appear in the Silmarillion, the Lord of the Rings, and the Hobbit.

Elros–Elrond's twin brother. He chose Mortality at the end of the First Age, and was the first king of Númenor. Aragorn is descended from him.

Elwë–Also known as Elu Thingol, he was king of the Sindar of Beleriand. Married to Melian the Maia, his daughter was Luthien. He died when a group of Dwarves double-crossed him.

Elwing–Daughter of Dior, granddaughter of Beren and Luthien, she married Eärendil, and was the mother of Elros and Elrond. There's a lot more to her story, but we'll have to explain the Silmarils first.

Erchirion–Second son and child of Prince Imrahil. Cousin to Boromir and Faramir.

Erestor- counselor of Elrond; Despite his popularity in fanon, he is nothing more than a bit character. Nothing is known of his background or origins.

Estë–Lady of Rest and Healing, she is the spouse of Irmo.

Faramir–Second son of Denethor. You should know him too…

Fëanor- Oh, yeah! He's one of the two most powerful elves to walk the face of Arda. Maker of the Silmarils and mover of the Noldor to exile in Middle-earth, he was known for his "spirit of fire" (which is, coincidentally, the meaning of his name).

Finduilas–The name of two characters, one is an elven maiden who is infactuated with Turin, and the other is wife of Denethor, mother of Boromir and Faramir, and the sister to Prince Imrahil.

Galadriel–Born in Valinor, she returned to Middle-earth with others of the Noldor before the beginning of the First Age. Her father, known as Finarfin in Middle-earth, remained in Valinor, and became High King of the Noldor in Aman. She lived for a long time in Doriath, and was friendly with Melian, its Maiarin Queen. She married Celeborn, a Sindarin prince, and they had Celebrían, who married Elrond.

Gil-galad–"Gil-galad was an elven king/of him the harpers sadly sing/the last who's realm was fair and free/between the mountains and the sea." Last high-king of the Noldor in Middle-earth, died in the War of the Last Alliance fighting Sauron.

Glaurung- The first Dragon, caused considerable havoc in the first age before killed by Turin. Called the father of all Dragons.

Glorfindel- yet another guy from Gondolin! He's the Lord of the House of the Golden Flower (and basically superhero material), slew a Balrog, died, and came back from the Halls of Mandos to Middle-earth, where he wielded great power against the Nazgûl. (As Skye mentioned, for the record, he met Frodo before the crossing of Bruinen!)

Gwaihir- His name means 'wind lord' and that's what he is. One of the Great Eagles, he's the one who carried Gandalf around a lot in The Lord of the Rings.

Haldir–A marchwarden of Lothlorien, protects and shelters the Fellowship in the book, is rather dismissive of them and dies at Helm's Deep in the movie.

Idril–A princess of the Noldor, she married Tuor, a mortal. Their son was Eärendil.

Ilúvatar- simply put? God. He created Arda, along with everyone and everything in it. He composed the music that makes up the fabric of its history and is in complete control.

Imrahil–Prince of Dol Amroth during the Ring War. He also was the brother of Finduilas, wife of Denethor.

Irmo–Vala of dreams. He and his older brother Námo are known as the Fëanturi, the masters of spirits. Estë is his spouse, and Nienna and Námo are his older siblings.

Isildur–Oldest son of Elendil.

Legolas–You should really know him. Prince of the Greenwood, son of Thranduil.

Lothiriel–Youngest child and only daughter of Prince Imrahil. Married Eomer of Rohan.

Luthien–Daughter of Thingol and Melian, she was the most beautiful of the children of Ilúvatar. She fell in love with Beren, a mortal, and after fulfilling an impossible quest they married. Their son was Dior. She was granted permission by Manwë and Ilúvatar to follow Beren beyond the circles of Arda, and so she alone among the Elves has truly died and left the world.

Manwë–The Elder King. Vala of the Air, the great Eagles are his servants. Brother of Melkor, he is responsible for all with in Ea (the universe).

Melian–A Maia who fell in love and married Thingol. Their daughter was Luthien.

Melkor- He's the Dark Lord to end all Dark Lords, the first big, bad tyrant of Middle-earth. He was nicknamed Morgoth (the Black Enemy) for his evil deeds and ruled in the First Age until he was tossed out into the Void for eternity. (And good riddance!)

Morwen–Another name with two characters. One is the mother of Turin, the other the wife of Thengel and mother of Theoden.

Námo–My favorite Vala. Yes, all you who know about him already are probably going, 'huh?' I have weird tastes, OK? He's the Doomsman of the Valar. Prescient, he sees all except what lies within the free will granted by Ilúvatar. He's also in charge of the fëa (spirits/souls) of the slain. His demesne is the Halls of Mandos, where the fëar of elves wait to be re-born. Also known as the Judge, he is considered stern and dispassionate. His spouse is Vairë, the Weaver. Nienna is his older sister, and Irmo is his younger brother.

Nessa–A Valië who enjoys dancing. She is the sister of Oromë, and the wife of Tulkas.

Nienna–The Lady of Pity, she weeps for the wounds of the world. She often goes to the Halls of Mandos, and the souls there cry to her, for she teaches compassion and hope in adversity. Older sister of Námo and Irmo, she is unwed.

Olórin–Gandalf. ;)

Olwë–Became King of the Teleri after his brother Elwë went missing.

Oromë–Vala of the hunt, he was the one to find the Elves when they awoke. He escorted them to Valinor. His spouse is Vána, and Nessa is his sister.

Pallando- Blue Wizard and Alatar's close friend; went M.I.A. after coming to the Hither Lands.

Radagast- The Brown Wizard, he was a Maia of Yavanna who had a great affinity for birds and other animals. He didn't exactly fail in his task, but more ignored it, focusing more on the wildlife than opposing Sauron.

Saruman- the White Wizard and head of the White Council; once a Maia of Aulë called Curumo; fell into evil late in the Third Age thanks to a certain Ring's allure

Sauron–My favorite Maia. I know, I'm weird. You should all know a good bit about him, but here's some more you may not have known. He first served Aulë, and retained his knowledge and put it to use when he served Morgoth. He was actually smarter than Morgoth, and was able to figure out how to many things Morgoth wanted to do that Morgoth himself couldn't figure out. A tactical genius, it's stated that his biggest mistake in the Ring War was that he didn't figure out where the Shire was fast enough–something he could not have known. He made no mistakes when he overthrew Númenor–Not even the Valar could stop him. It's just rather futile to try and take over the world when Ilúvatar is perfectly willing to stop you. ;)

Smaug- Dragon, and main antagonist of The Hobbit. He's my favorite character of that book, actually…I've always felt there should have been dragons in The Lord of the Rings.

Thengel–Theoden's father, and King of Rohan before him.

Theoden–Another character you should know, King of Rohan during the Ring War. Only son Theodred dies during it, and is succeeded by his nephew Eomer.

Treebeard- the first Ent and, at the time of LotR, the oldest living being in the Hither Lands; speaks veeeerrrrrryyyy sloooowwwwllyyy, his self-proclaimed motto being, "Don't be hasty."; has seven toes, for your information

Tulkas–the most warlike of the Valar, he hates Melkor fervently. He is impatient, and gives little thought to past or future. His wife is Nessa.

Túrin- son of Húrin and star of- you guessed it- "The Children of Húrin," which tells the tragic story of Morgoth's curse on that family. Poor guy, just poor, poor guy...

Tuor–A Mortal, he married the Noldorin princess Idril. Their son was Eärendil. His family managed to annoy Morgoth quite a bit. But that is yet another story...

Ulmo–Vala of the Seas. Closest in friendship to Men and Elves, and second only to Manwë.

Vairë–The Weaver. History is her domain, which makes her my second favorite Vala. She weaves the history of Arda onto giant tapestries, which hang in the Halls of Mandos. Námo is her spouse.

Valandil–Youngest and only surviving son of Isildur. Aragorn's many great-grandfather.

Vána- She's the Valië (that's female Vala.) of flowers. That's all she does, called the Ever-young, she's beautiful, and basically in charge of all things happy and spring-like. She's the spouse of

Oromë. Yavanna is her older sister.

Varda (Elbereth)–Spouse of Manwë, she is the Valië of the Stars. She is the most loved of the Valar by the Elves, who cry to her always. Her Sindarin name means Star-queen.

Yavanna–The Earth queen, she is the spouse of Aulë. Second only to Varda among the Valiër (female Valar), plants and animals are her creations. Vána is her little sister.