Favourite Female Tolkien Character Poll - Round 2, Match 2
Pick your favourite!
Haleth
Adanel
Haleth
When Orcs attacked and besieged her people in Thargelion and killed her father and brother, she took up the leadership of her people and held them together. She refused Carathir’s offer for them to settle farther to the north in that region, and instead led them west through the dreadful valley of Nan Dungortheb to the Forest of Brethil. This forest was part of Doriath, though not within the Girdle of Melian, but Finrod Felagund obtained Thingol’s permission for them to dwell there if they guarded the Crossings of Teiglin against Orcs. To this Haleth replied: “Where are Haldad my father, and Haldar my brother? If the King of Doriath fears an alliance between Haleth and those who have devoured her kin, then the thoughts of the Eldar are strange to Men.” And her people lived there and took her name, calling themselves the Haladin.
Adanel
A wise-woman of the people of Marach in First Age Beleriand. Daughter of Malach Aradan, married to Belemir, and friend/mentor of Andreth. Andreth lived with her and Belemir for many years, and was either living or visiting there at the time of the Athrabeth. She is the one who tells Andreth of the lore that Men were originally created to be immortal, and their mortality is the result of some evil or corruption of Morgoth (which, in the Tale of Adanel within the “Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth”, is given as an account of the Fall that closely parallels the later corruption of Númenor, and also has some similar notes to the events in Sauron’s deception of the Elves of Eregion).
Of the Wise some were women, and they were greatly esteemed among Men, especially for their knowledge of the legends of ancient days. Another Wise-woman was Adanel…of the People of Marach, whose lore and traditions, and their language also, were different from those of the People of Bëor. But Adanel was married to a kinsman of Andreth, Belemir of the House of Bëor: he was grandsire of Emeldir, mother of Beren. In her youth Andreth had dwelt long in Belemir’s house, and so had learned from Adanel much of the lore of the People of Marach, besides the lore of her own folk.