- Eönwë
Eönwë is a supporting character in
J.R.R. Tolkien 's legendarium. He first appears in print in the posthumously published "The Silmarillion ", though his character had existed long before its original publication in1977 .Biography
Eönwë was the banner-bearer and the herald of
Manwë , and Chief of the Maiar along withIlmarë . In The SilmarillionChristopher Tolkien added a statement that Eönwë was the "greatest of arms inArda ," meaning that he was the best with weapons and the most skilled in warfare, to explain why this character would have been chosen to lead the armies of the Valar.When the appeal of
Eärendil reached the shores ofAman , it was Eönwë who first greeted him. When Manwë decided to heed the appeal, Eönwë was sent to Middle-earth to fight theWar of Wrath , leading theVanyar .When the evil Vala
Morgoth was defeated, Eönwë took the two remainingSilmaril s and held them for safekeeping. The two remainingSons of Fëanor took them and fled, yet Eönwë did not let them be slain.Concept and creation
In earlier conceptions of the legendarium, detailed in "
The History of Middle-earth ", Tolkien envisioned Eönwë, then called Fiönwë, as the son of Manwë, but as the concept of the Children of the Valar disappeared from the "Silmarillion" tradition he became Manwë's herald instead. There is a story written there known as the "Tale of Qorinomi" about the love between him and Urwen (Arien), though in the commentary it is said that Tolkien never got to writing it.
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