The younger son of Dior Eluchíl, Elurín was thus the grandson of Beren and Lúthien, and the great-grandson of King Elu Thingol of Doriath. Elurín took his name, which means 'remembrance of Elu' from his famous ancestor Thingol. He was born on the Green Isle of Tol Galen, and there he spent the early years of his life with his elder brother Eluréd and his sister Elwing.
When Elurín was perhaps seven years old, momentous events in Doriath took place. King Thingol was slain by Dwarves, and his Queen Melian departed, leaving the realm without a ruler. So Elurín's father Dior set out from the Green Isle with his family and removed to Doriath to take up the mantle of its King. He was warmly received by the people of the land, but his reign would not be a long one.
Elurín's grandmother Lúthien had borne a Silmaril on the Green Isle, but when she and Beren passed on a year later, that Silmaril came to Dior in Doriath. Soon afterward, the Sons of Fëanor began to demand the Jewel of their father, and in I 506 they invaded the kingdom. Dior was slain in the fighting that followed, but not before he himself slew Fëanor's third son Celegorm. Celegorm's servants captured Elurín and his brother Eluréd and took them out into the depths of the forest, where they were left to starve.
Not all of the Sons of Fëanor were as cruel as Celegorm's people, and the eldest son Maedhros did what he could to rescue the lost boys. He failed, and their fate was never discovered with certainty. It seems likely that Elurín and his brother Eluréd perished in the forest, although one tradition tells that they were saved by wild birds, and eventually made their way back to their old homeland of Ossiriand. If so, they make no further appearance in history.
Meanwhile, Dior's third child, Elurín's sister Elwing, survived the attack on Doriath and made her escape. She and the others who have lived through the assault found their way down the Vales of Sirion to the refuge at its Mouths. Thus the Silmaril of Lúthien was saved, though the Sons of Fëanor had left Doriath in ruins, and Elurín and his brother were abandoned in the depths of the forest.
Notes
1 |
Establishing dates for Elurín and his brother Eluréd is problematic: there are several sources, but none of these fully agree with the others. A date of birth of I 500 is given in The Tale of Years in volume XI of The History of Middle-earth, which also states that the brothers were twins. However, this was later amended, and in later sources the brothers are dated as being born three years apart, Eluréd in I 492 and Elurín in I 495.
The fall of Doriath, which led to the loss of Elurín and his brother, is also variously dated as I 507, I 509 and I 511. The value of I 506 given above seems to be the latest intended by Tolkien, though given all the variant possibilities, this is hard to state with certainty.
|
2 |
Elurín's main line of descent was from the Sindarin Elves of Doriath. His father Dior, however, was Half-elven, being the son of the Elf Lúthien and the Man Beren. Lúthien in turn was the daughter of Elu Thingol and Melian the Maia, so to a small extent Elurín also carried the blood of the Maiar in his veins.
|
3 |
The Elu- in Elurín's name is a reference to his great-grandfather Elu Thingol, who had been King of Doriath and Lord of Beleriand. It was common for the male descendants of this line to bear names recalling Thingol, so Elurín's father Dior was surnamed Eluchíl, 'Thingol's Heir', and his brother Eluréd had a name that also meant 'heir of Thingol'. Elurín's own name incorporates rín, from a root meaning 'recall', 'remember', and is interpreted 'remembrance of Elu'.
|
Indexes:
About this entry:
- Updated 8 September 2026
- This entry is complete
For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.
Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1997-2026. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.
SHARE
