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MAJOR SETTLEMENTS OF THE NOLDOR IN BELERIAND

"'But if any will come with me, I say to them: Is sorrow foreboded to you? But in Aman we have seen it. In Aman we have come through bliss to woe. The other now we will try: through sorrow to find joy; or freedom, at the least.’" - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, "Of the Flight of the Noldor"

[ID: seven banners showing different landscapes, most in shades of grey, white, and brown. Each has white text in the center; the top line in a larger, thin, swirly font stylized in all caps, and the bottom in a much smaller lowercase serif.

1: A sandy beach bounded by a tall cliff. The sky and sea are a soft grey. Text reads "Vinyamar" and "the new home" / 2: A lake or wetland surrounded by trees and tall grass. Mist rises from the placid grey water. Text reads "Mithrim" and "land of the grey host" / 3: The soaring roof of a cave, held up by natural columns of rock. Text reads "Nargothrond" and "the river fortress" / 4: Undulating hills covered in rock and orange scrub beneath an overcast sky. Snow dusts their sides. Text reads "Himring" and "the ever-cold" / 5: A still lake between mountains. White towers rise from an island in the center, and the sky is pink and purple with sunset or sunrise. Text reads "Minas Tirith" and "the tower of guard" / 6: Intricately carved columns of white stone. Text reads "Gondolin" and "the hidden rock" / 7: A mountain rising beside a lake, its shores ringed by pine trees. Mist drifts over the water. Text reads "Mount Rerir" and "caranthir's mountain" //End ID]

What if Caranthir didn’t fled south with Amrod and Amras during Dagor Bragollach and earned his name of « Caranthir », « red face » at that moment?

To begin with, I’ll come back to the etymology of the name of Caranthir is the sindarized version of the name « Carnistir » which mean « red face »and which is the mother-name of the character. (Elves have three names: the mother-name, the father-name and the chosen name (the name they chose when they turn 20 and by which they’re known)).

We can note that this is a rare case of reuse of the mother-name, as it usually the father-name that is kept and considered the most important.

Caranthir (‘s father-name is Morifinwë which mean « Dark Finwë and later he’s known as Caranthir the Dark.

We don’t know exactly why Nerdanel named him « red face »

He was red when he’s born because he cried a lot?

Got a lot of freckles (later in life because we’re not born with)?

Presence of an angioma on his face?

I’m currently drawing the last two hypotheses, but I’ll put them aside for a new one I had for this « What if? ».

During the Dagor Bragollach in F.A. 455 (« Battle of Sudden Flame »), the siege of Angbang is broken and the armies of Morgoth were able to invade and ruin the Northland (Dorthonion, Lothlann, Thargelion, etc.).

In Thargelion, Glaurung come and burned the lands at the foot of Ered Luin while the cohorts of Orcs move more far in the North and took Caranthir’s fortress in Mount Rerir. And when it happen, Caranthir fled South with his brothers.

BUT!!!

What if Caranthir earned his name at that moment?

Before being known as «Caranthir», he was known as Morifinwë or by another name he choose and Carnistir isn’t his mother-name.

In y mind, Glaurung lead the orcs to lake Helevorn where the abode of //Caranthir// is. As a Lord, he’s insured that his people unable to fight were able to flee before leaving with the soldiers in oder to fight the dragon and the orcs. Without sucess…

This bring me to the essential point of this « What if? »

During the battle between Morgoth’s forces and those of //Caranthir’s//, the latter found himself in direct confrontation with Glaurung. A fight in which the elf was badly burned in the face, leaving him with a severer burn later on, hence it’s name « Caranthir », « red face ».

Wounded, //Caranthir// was taken prisoner with some of his soldiers by Glaurung and the orcs, and then imprisoned in Angbang.

No one would have known what had happened to //Caranthir// since neither he nor his soldiers returned from Mount Rerir.

No one would have known that he was alive (albeit in a bad way) in Angbang's prisons and would have been considered dead.