"There are no Elves permitted to return to these lands, but we are Manwe's scouts, and as such we can fly wherever the wind takes us. It seems as though the wind brings us here, to your aid."
- Thorondor upon meeting his old friend Mageth once more.
Thorondor, also known as the King of the Eagles was the first Great Eagle to come into existence and the largest that ever did, with a wingspan equivalent to the height of a ten story building. He was one of the oldest creatures in existence, and also one of the most powerful.
Thorondor, King of All Eagles.
Origins[]
Thorondor was created as the King of the Great Eagles by Manwe Sulimo, before the Valar created the rest of Thorondor's kindred. He blessed Thorondor with wings that could outrun any wind, along with great wisdom and the ability to speak. Thorondor and his Eagles soon became great aids to Manwe, and served as his scouts in Middle-earth during the First Age.
Thorondor mostly lived in Middle-earth, although a few of his kindred remained in Valinor to protect the Valar from any harm with rapid speed. These Eagles befriended the Elf Vidril, one of the Vanyar who was fascinated with birds. Vidril leant the Eagle tongue from these creatures, and this would become useful many years later, when Vidril took the name Mageth and travelled to Beleriand among the Noldor.
Meeting Mageth[]
Thorondor later helped the Noldor prince Fingon rescue Maedhros, one of Feanor's sons from the peaks of Thangorodrim. When Thorondor returned to Hithlum bearing the two Elves, he was offered shelter by the Elves there, as his home in the north was too dangerous now. During this time, he was befriended by Mageth, who was a guard of Hithlum and soldier for the Noldor, despite his true Vanyarin identity. In secret, Mageth told Thorondor his real name and heritage, and Thorondor vowed to keep it a secret to all but the Valar and Illuvatar himself.
Thorondor later left Hithlum to settle in the mountains surrounding the hidden city of Gondolin. During this time, Morgoth pushed back the Elves from the north of Beleriand and started to gain ground. Mageth retreated south in the woodlands bordering the Sea, where he later discovered the precious black metal galvorn. Thorondor searched the abandoned encampments of Hithlum for Mageth, but to no avail. After the War of Wrath, Thorondor returned to Valinor, leaving Gwaihir in his place as the Lord of Eagles.
Return to Middle-earth[]
After the Fourth Age began, it looked as though the Valar had completely forgotten about Middle-earth. However, when the sorceress Kashaka started to take control of Middle-earth and threatened the Elf havens of Mithlond, the Valar were pushed into action. With the Elves unable to return to Middle-earth, Manwe instead sent the Eagles, led by Thorondor himself. The Eagles travelled as far east as possible, and came across Radagast the Brown along the way. He guided them to the Alliance, and Thorondor later reunited with Mageth in the Orocarni, along with his hatchling, Alca.
With Gwaihir by his side, Thorondor led the Eagles alongside the Alliance, doing the bidding of Manwe by helping Mageth and the Alliance to defeat Kashaka. Thorondor was the one who carried Mageth to Erebor and Mirkwood to gain the aid of the Dwarves and Elves, and later helped the Alliance during the Battle of the Dust, the first main victory for the Alliance in their war. Thorondor also investigated when Jeden, a rider from Rohan, came to Minas Tirith, which had recently been reclaimed by the Alliance.
Jeden revealed that King Eomer was alive and well, and was currently hiding alongside thirty other riders in Isengard, under the protection of Treebeard and the Ents. With this knowledge, Thorondor and the Eagles agreed to fly to Isengard during the night and rescue Eomer and his men. While they succeeded in their task, Treebeard had to be abandoned as Kashaka sent forces to Isengard, as he could not be carried. While Treebeard wished to fight Kashaka for what she had done to Middle-earth, Thorondor advised against it, and told him instead to flee into the mountains alongside the other Ents and Huorns.
Thorondor brought Eomer back to Minas Tirith, but the Alliance marched to Rohan the next day, and he joined them. It was one of Thorondor's scouts that revealed King Thorin III Stonehelm was marching west after refusing to earlier, and Thorondor also recieved a gift from Mageth and a group of Dwarf-smiths: armour. Galvorn was discovered inside Ered Nimrais, and many recieved armour and weapons made from the material, including the four Vorncollos, Chakin (an Easterling and Alliance general), the Blue Wizards and Thorondor himself, the black colour of the armour matching his jet-black feathers.
Personality and characteristics[]
Thorondor was a humongous creature, with a wingspan exceeding that of any other creature in Middle-earth save the Dragons. His feathers were jet black, a feature that allowed him to use stealth, even with his great size. He was also known to be very strong, taking many arrows during the Battle of the Dust but surviving through the battle. His talons were also very sharp and very big, being able to pick up two men in each foot. His claws were the size of swords, and he was able to use them to great effect during combat.
Thorondor was also incredibly wise, knowing Quenya, Sindarin and Westron as well as his native Eagle tongue. He was very wise with many things, including history and (obviously) geography. He was also very honourable, being the first of the Eagles to want to fly to the aid of Middle-earth after Kashaka's domination of the land, although this may have been promoted by his friendship with Mageth, who he still believed to be alive at the time.
Quotes[]
"I am sorry to tire you more, friend, but we must leave!"
"An Eagle never tires!"
- Mageth and Thorondor after learning of an ambush on the Alliance.
“Kashaka is a fearless foe, and she will not hesitate to burn every tree in Middle-earth if she has to.”
- Thorondor warning Treebeard of Kashaka's ruthlessness.