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Dates
Born I 4171
Location
As a descendant of the House of Bëor, Beleth was likely raised in Ladros in Dorthonion2
Race
Division
Culture
Family
Pronunciation
be'leth
Meaning
Uncertain3
Other names
Called Bereth in some sources, apparently in error4

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 22 December 2021
  • This entry is complete

Beleth (Bereth)

A descendant of the line of Bëor

Bregolas
Beleth
Baragund
Belegund
Beregar
of Númenor

Beleth, also known as Bereth, was the daughter of Bregolas, and sister to Baragund and Belegund. She was therefore the aunt of both Morwen and Rían, and so a relation of Túrin and Tuor. Though there is no account of her in the tales of the Elder Days, it seems that she did continue a line of her own. In Númenor, in the following Age, Erendis could claim descent from Beleth, and through her from Bëor the Old himself.


Notes

1

The date of Beleth's birth (and indeed almost all information we have about her) comes from a genealogical chart reproduced in volume XI of The History of Middle-earth.

2

We have no real detail about Beleth's homeland, but as a member of the House of Bëor (and a direct relative of the lords of Dorthonion) she very likely dwelt in Ladros, the eastern part of Dorthonion under the lordship of Bëor's house. If Beleth married outside her house, she would presumably have moved away from the region, but no details of her marriage are recorded. If she did remain, she would have seen the invasion of Dorthonion in the Dagor Bragollach (in the year I 455, when she would have been just thirty-eight years old). If she survived, she would have been among the women and children led away from the fighting by Emeldir, and so she would have lived her remaining years in the Forest of Brethil with the other survivors.

3

Beleth's name is not explained, but in structure it seems intended to mirror that of others of her family. Her brother Belegund had a name incorporating beleg, meaning 'great' or 'strong', and Beleth may incorporate the same ultimate root, with the feminine ending -eth. In sum, the name may therefore mean something like 'strong woman', though this is somewhat speculative.

4

The character is mentioned briefly in Christopher's Tolkien's notes to Aldarion and Erendis in Unfinished Tales, where her name is spelt 'Bereth'. In volume XI of The History of Middle-earth, however, her name appears as 'Beleth', and Christopher Tolkien comments there that in his earlier notes he gave the name '...wrongly as "Bereth"'. It seems clear, therefore, that the correct spelling of this character's name is Beleth rather than Bereth.

See also...

Bregolas

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 22 December 2021
  • This entry is complete

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