Beren Erchamion
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Beren Erchamion
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Other names, titles, and epithets
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(S.) Camlost, Erchamion;
"Lord of Ladros", "Lord of Tol Galen" |
Home(s)
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Language(s)
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People
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Time Period
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First Age: b. 432 - d. 466
reincarnated 467-503 |
Gender
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Male
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Parents
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Siblings
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none
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Spouse
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Children
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Elrond (to Frodo): “Though all the mighty elf-friends of old, Hador and Hurin, and Turin, and Beren himself were assembled together your seat should be among them.”[1]
Most noble son of Barahir the Fleet, and indeed of all the sons of the Edain in the First Age, Beren Erchamion (S. "Bold" and "One-handed") was an outcast, chieftain, and later lord of the First House of the Edain. He received the distinction of being the only Man ever to return from death.
Appearance[]
Beren Erchamion, a man of the House of Bëor, was a figure of indomitable spirit and unyielding resolve, known for his golden-brown hair, piercing grey eyes, and a stature that towered over most of his kin. Broad-shouldered and with limbs honed to unbreakable strength, he embodied the rugged endurance of his people, tempered by the fire of a warrior's courage. A lone wolf in the wilderness, he endured unspeakable trials, from the shadowed horrors of Morgoth's domain to the relentless pursuit of Sauron's servants, emerging each time bloodied but unbowed. His deeds were etched into legend not by brute force alone, but by a heart steadfast in love and defiance,
Beren Erchamion, the One-Handed, was a man of indomitable will and unyielding courage, forged in the fires of loss and trial. With golden-brown hair like the hues of autumn and storm-grey eyes that burned with a resolute light, he stood taller than most of his kin, his broad shoulders and powerful limbs a testament to his lineage in the House of Bëor. A warrior and a wanderer, he moved through the wilds with a wolf’s stealth and a lion’s ferocity, bearing the scars of countless battles. Though his mortal flesh was marred when he lost his hand in the jaws of Carcharoth, his spirit remained unbroken, a beacon of defiance against shadow. To face Beren was to meet an unrelenting force, driven by a love so profound that he dared to claim a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth himself and to stand unflinching before gods and demons alike.
History[]
When his father was betrayed and died at the hands of Gorgol the Butcher, Beren avenged the slaying and recovered the enchanted Ring of Barahir (Finrod Felagund's gift to his father) from the Orcs who had taken it. He was the only survivor of Barahir's outlaw band, but he continued to fight Morgoth's terror by carrying on in Dorthonion in a single-handed guerilla campaign that lasted four years. His head-price rivaled that of the Elf-king Fingon the Valiant by the time Sauron drove him out of Morgoth's territory. During his flight southward from Dorthonion, he crossed the Ered Gorgoroth and fought the foul Giant Spiders spawned by the Darkness of Ungoliant. He took refuge in the hidden Forest of Neldoreth in the Kingdom of Doriath, where he wandered for a time before meeting the Elf-maiden Lúthien Tinúviel.
Lúthien, the daughter of the Maia Melian and Elu Thingol, was the most beautiful of Eru's Children and Beren fell in love with her. She reciprocated, and the two pledged their love by the river Esgalduin. Sorrow, hardship, loyalty and enduring love marked their lives together. When Thingol discovered their love and angrily demanded a Silmaril as a bride-price for his daughter's hand, Beren began a hopeless (as it seemed) quest. Despite the aid of Finrod, he was captured by Sauron and imprisoned at Minas Tirith, but Lúthien (after escaping her father's imprisonment) and Huan, the Hound of the Valar, rescued him by drawing out and killing Sauron's Werewolves, and finally subduing Sauron himself. After disguising themselves – Beren with a wolf's hame and Lúthien with the vampire Thuringwethil's cloak – together they entered the most dangerous place in all of Middle-earth: Morgoth' s throne chamber. She danced for the Black Enemy, placing an enchantment upon him and his entire retinue that, together with the weight of the Iron Crown, put him to sleep. Saving Beren, the two recovered one of the three Silmarils set into the Crown. Beren hoped to it deliver to Lúthien's father, but tragedy intervened. As they made their escape, Carcharoth the Werewolf attacked Beren and consumed the hand that held the Silmaril. Beren and Lúthien escaped with the aid of the Great Eagles, but the Ranger was known thereafter as Erchamion, the "One-handed." Beren retrieved the Jewel during the Hunting of the Wolf. He and Huan engaged the deranged Carcharoth in Doriath and slew the fell creature. Carcaroth killed Huan and mortally wounded Beren, however, leaving the Adan with little time. Although he returned to the Court of Thingol and delivered the bride-price as he had pledged, he fell at the moment he completed the Quest of the Silmaril. Lúthien held Beren in her arms as he died. In her sorrow, Luthien followed her beloved in death. As an immortal (half Elf, half Maia), however, she went to the Halls of Mandos in farthest Aman, sundered from Beren. Her love was so strong that she petitioned Námo for mortality, so that she could join Beren. Eru granted her wish and the two became reborn as mortals by the Grace of the Valar. They lived their lives out quietly in Beleriand, raising a son, Dior Eluchil.
Despite the harshness of his early life, Beren remained a compassionate fellow. He was a great friend of animals and refused to partake of flesh.
Beren's principal items[]
- Barahir's Hand
- Bregor's Bow
- Curufin's Coat of Mail
- Grey Orc Helmet
- grey hauberk - made of Dwarvish craft in Nogrod
- Hide of Draugluin - Werewolf-hide
- Horn of Brethil
- Knife (Angrist) — (S. "Iron Cutter") black eog dagger made by Telchar of Nogrod. It cut iron easily (even Valinorean Iron, of which Morgoth's Crown was made). Originally in Curufin's possession, Beren took it and used it on his quest to secure the Jewels. The blade snapped when Beren attempted to cut a second Silmaril from the Iron Crown.
- Great orcish Spear
- Kitchen-Knife of Angband
- Sword (Dagmor) — ("Slayer of Darkness") ithilnaur (mithril alloy) Bastard Sword. Like many enchanted Elvish blades, it glowed near Morgoth's creations. Beautifully made, it had no other powers.
- wooden Club
Animal[]
Names and epithets[]
- Camlost (S.) "Empty-handed"
- Elmavoite
- Eramion
- Ercambo
- Erchammon
- Erchammui
- Erchamon
- Erchamron
- Erchamui
- Erhamion
- Ermabin
- Ermabrin
- Ermabwed
- Ermabweth
- Ermabuin
- Mablosgen
- Mablost
- Mablothren
- Nereb (in disguise among the Orcs)
Notes[]
- ↑ J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring II 1 "The Council of Elrond:"