three houses of the edain ➴ house of haleth ➴ headcanon disclaimer
Hiril was the daughter of Halmir, and the sister of Haldir, Hundar, and Hareth. Alone of her siblings, she married within her House, wedding the Haladin hunter Enthor. Together they had one daughter, Meleth, who herself wed the warrior Agathor and bore him two sons, Hunthor and Manthor. Both Enthor and Agathor were slain in the Nírnaeth Arnœdiad, leaving Meleth to raise her children on her own. When Glaurung came to Brethil, the great warrior known as Turambar asked for volunteers to accompany him on a quest to slay the dragon. At first only Dorlas stepped forth, and seeing the others hold back, he scorned them and demanded to know if none would take the place of the diminished Chieftain Brandir the Lame so that the House of Haleth would not be put to shame. It was Hunthor who rebuked Dorlas for his cruelty and volunteered in Brandir’s stead, following Turambar into danger. Yet despite his harsh words, Dorlas soon proved cowardly and fled from the battle, leaving Hunthor and Turambar alone. They were nearing the belly of the beast when the heat and stench of the dragon caused Turambar to slip and nearly fall into the River Teiglin, but Hunthor seized him and saved his life. Turambar proclaimed him to be of great heart, but in that very moment a stone fell from the cliffside and struck Hunthor’s head, and he fell and was lost in the waters below. Hunthor’s death left his wife Himmeth a widow, and though his younger brother Manthor resolved to care for her, there was never love between them as there had been with her and Hunthor. As both Brandir and Turambar perished on the day the dragon came, the leadership of the Haladin was now uncertain. An election was held between the two remaining heirs of Halmir: Manthor and Hardang, the grandson of Hundar. Though Manthor was the more popular choice, his claim was weaker as he was descended from the youngest of Halmir’s children who was also a woman, and thus Hardang rose to the Chieftainship he had long desired. Not wishing to anger those of his folk who would have preferred Manthor as a leader, Hardang promoted him to Captain of the Guards at the Crossings of Teiglin, a move which appeased Manthor for the time being. Two years into Hardang’s rule, Manthor and his subordinates discovered Húrin Thalion at the Haudh-en-Elleth. Though there was some debate between them as to what they should do with the old man, Manthor woke him and offered him rest and food. When Húrin found he could not keep his food down, he agreed to go with the party to see the Chieftain. Hardang was ill-pleased to see Húrin, and did not rise to greet him nor to offer him a chair, forcing the old man to sit on the ground. Only after Manthor rebuked him did Hardang grudgingly offer Húrin food and rest, and his weak courtesy so offended Húrin that he threw a stool at Hardang, cutting his head. Avranc, one of Hardang’s lackeys and the son of Dorlas, arrested and imprisoned him and advocated for his execution. At this Manthor protested, having sympathy for Húrin, and quit Hardang’s service to summon the People of Haleth to a Folkmoot. That night he offered his aid to Húrin, winning his friendship, and discovered that Húrin’s food had been poisoned. The following morning, Húrin was put on trial for his assault of the Chieftain, but with Manthor’s support and counsel he won the Haladin over to his side. Yet instead of justice being served, a riot broke out between the followers of Hardang and the followers of Manthor, culminating in the burning of the Hall of Chieftains, in which Hardang perished. Amid the chaos, Avranc shot twice at Manthor and missed both times. Manthor and Húrin escaped the ruins of Obel Halad, but before they could flee entirely Avranc fired an arrow a third time, killing Manthor. Thus ended the last of the Chieftains of the Haladin, and the ruin of the House of Haleth was completed.