Tal-elmar

This article is about the character. For the chapter in The Peoples of Middle-earth, see Tal-Elmar (chapter).

"Those who had seen that fire called him Flint-eye, and respected him, wether they loved him or not."

― The Peoples of Middle-earth, Tal-Elmar

Tal-Elmar was a young man living in Agar during the Second Age, hero in the writing with the same name. He was the seventeenth child of Hazad Longbeard, and closest to his heart. Unlike his brothers and the rest of his town, he was tall and slender, fair skinned and had light hair. He was not prone to anger without reason, but when that happened, there was a fierce look in his eyes, for which the people of Agar called him "Flint-eye". He mostly stood aside from others, as if they were not the same kind, but showed reverence towards the elder people and proved to be hard working.

On a morning in Spring, while standing on top of a green hill above Agar with his father, Tal-Elmar was the first one to spot four Númenórean ships on the Great Sea. The two rushed towards the town-master to give him the news, for the "High Men of the Sea", as Númenóreans were called, were greatly feared. After a mocking speech, the town-master agreed to follow them on that hill and there he saw with his own eyes the threat coming their way. In an attempt to endanger Tal-Elmar he sent him towards the shore, as a scout. From the distance he observed the four ships, until he gained courage and marched their way.

The story of Tal-Elmar was not completed during the author's life, thus the fate of its hero remained unknown. As he reached the ships and came face to face with the Númenóreans, he was captured and interrogated by their captain, in their own tongue. How Tal-Elmar knew their language is not revealed. Only a mention is made that he heard it in "long dreams". The last words in the tale of Tal-Elmar are those of the captain, who reveals the Númenóreans' intentions: to occupy the lands of Agar and slay all those who would oppose them.

Genealogy

Buldar

Elmar

Hazad Longbeard

TAL-ELMAR

References

• The Peoples of Middle-earth, Tal-Elmar