Aegnor

	Finarfin		Eärwen
Finrod	Orodreth	Angrod	Aegnor	Galadriel

A son of Finarfin of the Noldor and Eärwen of the Teleri, Aegnor was the youngest of the four brothers of Galadriel. Born in Valinor during the Years of the Trees, he was named Ambaráto by his father Finarfin, but his mother Eärwen gave him the prophetic name Aikanáro,¹ 'fell fire', and he would later adopt a Sindarin version of that name to become known as Aegnor. Aegnor took his fiery name, at least in part, from his appearance: he was said to have a flashing fire in his glance, and his golden hair grew like flames from his head.

Aegnor grew to be gentle and generous in spirit, though he would prove to be a fierce warrior when his ire was kindled. In Valinor, Aegnor and his brother Angrod formed a fast friendship with their cousins Fingon and Turgon, the sons of Fingolfin. When Fëanor rebelled against the Valar, Aegnor and his friends were moved by his words and wished to follow him to Middle-earth, even against the will of their fathers. At last even Finarfin and Fingolfin were persuaded to make the perilous journey, and the family to set out to leave Aman, but Finarfin would later abandon the journey and return to Valinor. Thus Aegnor and his brothers, who chose to continue into Middle-earth, were separated from their father.

After they reached Beleriand, Aegnor and his brother Angrod served under their elder brother Finrod Felagund, the founder and Lord of Nargothrond. The two brothers dwelt in the northern land of Dorthonion, and they and their people held the watchtowers on the northern heights of that land, looking out over Ard-galen toward the towering mountains of Thangorodrim above Angband.

Aegnor and Angrod held their northern frontier for more than three centuries before Men came into Beleriand. Of these newly-arrived Men, the people of the House of Bëor served Aegnor's brother Finrod faithfully, and the King rewarded them with a land of their own, Ladros, in northeastern Dorthonion near to Aegnor's strongholds. Among these Men was a wise-woman, Andreth the daughter of Boromir, whom Aegnor came to love. Nonetheless, as an immortal Elf, he chose to conceal his love and turn away from the Mortal Andreth. Andreth would later discover the truth of this, but only after Aegnor had been lost.

It was said that Aegnor had been given a name meaning 'fell fire' prophetically, because of his fiery gaze or his ferocity in battle, but in the winter of the year I 455, another more tragic meaning for the name was revealed. At that time the Siege of Angband had held Morgoth at bay for centuries, but Aegnor was among those who doubted that it would hold indefinitely. It was in I 455 that he was proved right in his doubts, when the Dark Lord unleashed the Dagor Bragollach on Beleriand. Rivers of fire ran down from the North, charring the plain of Ard-galen to ash, and trailed by legions of Orcs. Aegnor and his brother Angrod were both slain in the fighting that followed, and so the Elf named 'fell fire' was lost in the burning of the Ruin of Beleriand.

Aegnor's appearances in The Silmarillion are few and far between, and that work provides only the briefest sketch of the main events of his life. The account above includes material drawn from sources in The History of Middle-earth, especially Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth in Volume X, Morgoth's Ring.