The Silmarillion

Taniquetil, painted by Tolkien

Common Names

Warning: this section contains major spoilers.

These are the most frequent names you will encounter in the Silmarillion, along with counts of how many times they occur. Most of the names are of figures or places, but of course some are of beasts, peoples, and so on.

• 311 Morgoth — The dark enemy, the most powerful of the Valar who are like a pantheon or angels. Morgoth was called Melkor originally. Much of the book is about the battle with Morgoth.
• 299 Valar — The powers, beings who existed before the world. They created the world and sometimes take part in the affairs of the world.
• 281 Men — Human beings, people.
• 275 Noldor — The second clan of Elves to reach Valinor, around whom most of the Silmarillion revolves. Their kings were Finwë, Fëanor, Fingolfin, Finarfin, Fingon, Turgon, and Gil-galad.
• 270 Elves — The first children of Ilúvatar, i.e. the first children of God, compared to Men, the second children.
• 208 Fëanor — The son of Finwë, high king of the Noldor. Fëanor created the Silmarils, the three jewels of light after which the story gets its name.
• 192 Melkor — The original name of the fallen Valar, Morgoth.
• 179 Sauron — A Maiar or lesser power, who falls into league with Morgoth and becomes his captain.
• 162 Valinor — The land of the Vala, a domain ruled by Manwë. See also Aman.
• 160 Thingol — King of Doriath, married to Melian who is one of the Maia or lesser powers. His original name was Elwë. He was the leader of those of the Third Clan of elves who stayed behind and did not go into Valinor, those who became known as the Sindarin.
• 156 Túrin — Great human hero, who did many great deeds that turned against him. Was also known as Turambar. Túrin is the son of Húrin, and is descended from the houses of Hador and Bëor. Lived in Doriath, Nargothrond, and many other places. Slew the dragon Glaurung.
• 151 Ilúvatar — God, the creator of everything.
• 150 Eldar — The Eldar are all those elves who accepted the summons to Valinor.
• 145 Beren — Great human hero, the first to marry into the elven line. Beren was challenged to capture a Silmaril from Morgoth, and, with the help of Lúthien Tinúviel, whom he would wed, succeeded.
• 136 Manwë — The most powerful of the Valar or powers, after Morgoth, and the chief good Valar. He is the ruler of Valinor.
• 134 Lúthien — Lúthien Tinúviel is the elven daughter of Thingol of Doriath, king of the Sindar, and Melian the Maiar.
• 133 Doriath — Doriath is the land of the Sindar, whose king is Thingol, and queen Melian.
• 123 Beleriand — The lands of the Noldor and Sindar, on the west of Middle Earth next to the seas.
• 120 Orcs — An old corruption of the first elves to be captured by Morgoth, bred by him to fight as great armies against the rest of the elves. They evolved quickly to be very different to elves.
• 117 Húrin — Great human of the House of Hador. Lived in Brethil, visited Gondolin with his brother Huor, and married Morwen and had a son Túrin, and a daughter. Húrin and Huor fought in a great battle and saved Turgon of Gondolin. Was imprisoned by Morgoth and eventually freed.
• 113 Sirion — The greatest river of Middle Earth, running north to south through Beleriand, passing through the lands of Doriath between the forests of Brethil and Region.
• 112 Turgon — King of Gondolin, and subsequently King of the Noldor. The second son of Fingolfin after Fingon, he spent much of his reign sealed away inside Gondolin, but came forth to help when necessary.
• 103 Nargothrond — The great eastern region and city within Beleriand. Ruled by King Finrod Felagund, a son of the High King of the Noldor in Valinor, Finarfin.
• 101 Angband — The stronghold of Morgoth, in the north.
• 98 Fingolfin — High King of the Noldor after Fëanor, when Fëanor's son gave up his claim to the throne. Ruled in the lands to the north of Beleriand. Was slain in single combat with Morgoth. Succeeded by his son, Fingon.
• 95 Melian — One of the Maiar, the lesser powers, who wedded Thingol, King of the Sindar in Doriath. She put a magic barricade around Doriath, known as the Girdle of Melian. As one of the few Maiar to be so clearly involved in the affairs of Middle Earth, she often gave great counsel.
• 94 Arda — The earth, including Valinor and Middle Earth.
• 87 Ulmo — One of the powerful male Valar, in charge of the seas and waters of Arda.
• 83 Gondolin — The great secret elven city built by Turgon, who was to become High King of the Noldor.
• 79 Dwarves — A race of people separate from the elves and men, and who were created before them by Aulë, one of the Valar, but who remained dormant until the elves appeared. Tended not to get on so well with the elves, nor with men for that matter.
• 75 Maedhros — The eldest son of Fëanor. Gave up his right to be High King of the Noldor when Fingon, son of Fingolfin, rescued him. The High Kingship thus passed to Fingolfin, and thence to Fingon.
• 75 Aman — Those regions of Arda, the earth, to the west of Middle Earth.
• 70 Felagund — The surname of Finrod Felagund, son of the High King of the Noldor in Valinar, Finarfin. Finrod Felagund came with the Exiled Noldor to Middle Earth, and set up a realm in Nargothrond. Went with Beren to obtain a Silmaril, but was killed by a werewolf of Sauron.
• 66 Fingon — Son of Fingolfin, High King of the Noldor. Became himself a High King of the Noldor. Was slain by Gothmog, King of the Balrogs, whereon the kingship passed to his brother Turgon of Gondolin.
• 64 Eärendil — Son of Tuor, a man, and Idril, an elf who was the daughter of the High King of the Noldor, Turgon. Eärendil was raised in Gondolin, but always had a love for the sea and exploring. One of the Silmarils passed to him, and he pleaded to the Valar for the actions of elves and men.
• 63 Beleg — One of the household of Thingol of Doriath, King of the Sindar. Accompanied Túrin on his travels, but was accidentally slain by him.
• 60 Númenor — The great land of men west of the coast of Middle Earth, from which the Blessed Isle of the elves could be seen.
• 60 Glaurung — A great dragon created by Morgoth. Slain by the human Túrin Turambar, son of Húrin.
• 60 Ered — Meaning mountain range. Part of the name, for example, of the Ered Lindon or Ered Luin, the Blue Mountains to the east of Beleriand.
• 58 Yavanna — One of the female Valar, the great powers. She is Queen of the Earth, and is married to Aulë. She created the two trees of light in Valinor from which the light of the Silmarils came. Often called Yavanna Kementári.
• 57 Hithlum — A land to the north of Beleriand in which the High King of the Noldor Fingolfin settled. To the south of Hithlum was Dor-Lómin, where Fingolfin's son Fingon settled.
• 57 Aulë — One of the male Valar, the great powers. He is the husband of Yavanna Kementári, and he created the dwarves. He is the power in charge of the earth and substantive things.
• 53 Mandos — One of the male Valar, the great power in charge of doom and fate.
• 52 Silmarils — Great jewels of light created from the light of the two great trees of Valinor created by Yavanna Kementári. The Silmarils were captured by Morgoth, and house of Fëanor swore a terrible oath to regain them. Much of the story of the Silmarillion focusses on the events of trying to regain these jewels. One of them is captured by Beren and Lúthien Tinúviel, but the house of Fëanor never regain them.
• 52 Elf — The first children of Ilúvatar.
• 52 Ainur — The first spirits created by Ilúvatar, including the Valar and the Maiar, the greater and lesser powers.
• 51 Menegroth — The capital city of the langs of Doriath, ruled over by Thingol the High King of the Sindar, and his wife Melian the Maiar.
• 51 Finwë — High King of the Noldor in Valinor. Was slain by Morgoth. Was the father of Fëanor, who created the Silmarils, Fingolfin, and Finarfin, each of whom were High Kings of the Noldor too in some capacity.
• 51 Celegorm — One of the sons of Fëanor, High King of the Noldor.
• 50 Oromë — One of the male Valar or powers, the hunting power. He first found the elves in Cuiviénen.

Sections

Notes

Compare also the textual notes.

Written March 2011, by Sean B. Palmer

Updated 2011-05-23, 10:54 UTC