He is one of the sons of Feanor. He would follow his father and brothers in
many dark deeds of the First Age before becoming the foster-father to Elrond.
Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we cover the life of Maglor.
Like his six brothers, Maglor is born sometime between the Year of the Trees 1190 and 1362 in
Tirion - the city of the elves in Valinor. His father-fame is Kanafinwë, meaning “strong-voiced
Finwë”, and his mother-name is Makalaurë, generally interpreted to mean “Forging Gold”
a reference to his future skill of playing the harp, whose sound is described as Golden.
After Morgoth’s theft of the silmarils, Maglor and his brothers swear the dreadful
Oath of Feanor - swearing in Eru’s name that they would make war upon anyone,
friend or foe, who withheld the silmarils from them.
Maglor follows his father to the haven of Alqualonde,
where they take the ships of the Teleri by force in the terrible First Kinslaying of elves against
elves. The followers of Feanor sail to the western shore of Beleriand. There at Losgar,
Feanor orders the ships to be burned, leaving the host of Fingolfin stranded
and forced to take the frozen Helcaraxe. Among Feanor’s children, we are told his
eldest Maedhros was the only one who refused to participate in the burning of the ships.
After their arrival in Middle-earth, the Feanorians would fight the forces of Morgoth
in the Dagor-nuin-Giliath - the Battle under Stars, for it took place before the creation of
the Sun and Moon. While the elves were victorious, Feanor in his rage presses on with his sons toward
Angband. But as they come to the Dor Daedeloth, they are ambushed by a force of Balrogs.
Feanor fights mightily, but is eventually wounded by Gothmog, the lord of Balrogs.
Catching up to their father, the sons of Feanor come to his rescue, bearing him back toward
Mithrim. However, Feanor tells them to halt en route, for his wounds are mortal. And as he dies,
Feanor lays it upon his sons to hold on to their oath and to avenge their father.
Years later, after his brother Maedhros is rescued from the precipice of Thangorodrim and renounces
his claim to the kingship of the Noldor, Maglor and his brothers move to the eastern portion of
Beleriand. Maglor’s domain is the opening in the hills between two arms of the River Gelion. This
region, known afterward as Maglor’s Gap, was a natural route for attacks from the North,
so the Noldor would keep a strong presence of cavalry in the area.
While we don’t know his wife’s name, we do know that Maglor was married. We are
also told that Maglor was known for his poetry and singing. While we don’t know when exactly,
we know that Maglor composes a lament about the kinslaying at Alqualonde. It’s unknown how large
of a role Maglor took in the kinslaying itself, but his lament’s title gives us
a possible indication of his feelings. It is called Noldolante - The Fall of the Noldor.
It seems Tolkien never made it so far as to flesh out this lament, however. As Christopher notes in
The Shaping of Middle-earth, there is a handful of lines of something called “song of the Flight
of the Gnomes”, which may be what he would have considered the later Noldolante. Still,
this poem is fairly short, and ends at the Oath of Feanor, well before arriving at the kinslaying.
Maglor’s Gap would be held by the Feanorians for a period of 450 years. However, in 455 FA,
Morgoth launches the Dagor Bragollach - the Battle of Sudden Flame - sending forth rivers of fire and
the dragon Glaurung out from Angband. In addition to laying waste to Tar-nu-Fuin,
Glauring invades and wreaks havoc upon Maglor’s lands. Maglor is forced to flee,
retreating to the fortress of his brother Maedhros on the hill of Himring.
In 472 FA, the Sons of Feanor join with forces of dwarves of the blue mountains
and ally with men and elves under High King Fingon in the Union of Maedhros.
This alliance seeks to make a final great war upon Morgoth. Ultimately,
they are defeated - in part due to some failed strategy, and in large part due to
the treachery of one of the two Easterling lords in the alliance - Uldor the Accursed.
It is Maglor himself who kills Uldor, but he and all his brothers are wounded
in the disastrous battle - known after as the Nirnaeth Arnoediad - the Battle
of Unnumbered Tears. Retreating from the battle, the brothers come to Mount Dolmed,
but would soon after adapt a woodland life in the lands of Ossiriand.
Shortly afterward, Beren would recover the silmaril he had once stolen from Morgoth’s crown,
and taking it back to his dwelling near Tol Galen, Luthien would wear it the rest
of her mortal days. So long as it was in the possession of Luthien the fair,
even the sons of Feanor would not dare to stake their claim to the gem.
However, after Beren and Luthien die in 503 FA, the silmaril passes to their son Dior,
now King of his grandfather’s realm of Doriath. Their Oath awakened,
the sons of Feanor demand the gem be given to them. When refused, Maglor and his brothers
attack Doriath - and thus the second kinslaying of elves against elves came to pass. In addition
to Dior and his wife Nimloth, Maglor’s brothers Celegorm, Caranthir, and Curufin are all killed.
The silmaril escapes with Dior and Nimloth’s daughter Elwing,
who flees to the Mouths of Sirion. There, Elwing meets her future husband Earendil, who had lived
in Gondolin. Hearing news that the silmaril now dwelt at the Mouths of Sirion, Maglor, Maedhros,
Amrod and Amras launch an attack upon the havens, where dwelt the refugees of Doriath and Gondolin.
However, they are once again unsuccessful, as Elwing casts herself and the silmaril into the
sea. Amrod and Amras are killed in this third kingslaying. The two remaining Sons of Feanor,
Maedhros and Maglor, discover Earendil and Elwing’s twin
sons among the aftermath. And while they were captured as a result of the battle,
Maglor would come to adopt and care for the brothers Elrond and Elros.
We are told that love grew between the young elves and their foster-father,
and that Maglor’s heart grew sick with the Oath of Feanor. After the third kinslaying is behind them,
Maglor and Maedhros see for the first time a new star in the sky - instantly knowing it to be the
silmaril they sought. For Elwing had taken to Earendil the silmaril, and together they sailed
to Aman, moving the Valar into action against the great foe Morgoth. And the Valar hallowed
Earendil’s ship, and with the silmaril upon his brow, he would sail the skies as a great star.
And when this new star was seen at evening,
Maedhros spoke to Maglor his brother, and he said: “Surely that is a Silmaril
that shines now in the West?” And Maglor answered: “If it be
truly the Silmaril which we saw cast into the sea that rises again by the power of the Valar,
then let us be glad; for its glory is seen now by many, and it is yet secure from all evil.”
The Host of the Valar defeats Morgoth in the 40-year War of Wrath that ends
the First Age. After his downfall, the remaining two silmarils are taken from
Morgoth’s crown. With the silmarils held by the victorious army, Maedhros and Maglor
debate whether they must still pursue them. Maglor hopes that perhaps back in Valinor
they shall be forgiven for their previous misdeeds and in time find their own peace.
But Maedhros pushes back, saying their oath would remain and that
it would lead to war within the Blessed Realm itself. Maglor hopes that the oath
may be void should Manwe and Varda deny its fulfillment.
And Maedhros answered: ‘But how shall our voices reach to Ilúvatar beyond
the Circles of the World? And by Ilúvatar we swore in our madness,
and called the Everlasting Darkness upon us, if we kept not our word. Who shall release us?’
‘If none can release us,’ said Maglor, ‘then indeed the Everlasting Darkness shall be our lot,
whether we keep our oath or break it; but less evil shall we do in the breaking.’
But Maglor relents to the will of his brother, and they sneak into the camp of Eonwe,
killing the guards and stealing the silmarils. They are caught but Eonwe would not have them
slain and they flee, each taking a silmaril as they alone remain of Feanor’s sons.
But the brothers find that the silmarils burn their hands and know that Eonwe’s
previous words to be true - their right to the silmarils was void due to their many and
merciless deeds. In his despair, Maedhros casts himself into a fiery chasm with his silmaril.
And it is told of Maglor that he could not endure the pain with which the Silmaril tormented him;
and he cast it at last into the Sea, and thereafter he wandered ever upon the shores,
singing in pain and regret beside the waves.
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