Telimektar

Early history

Telimektar is first mentioned in the Lost Tales in the story of the Chaining of Melko. There, he was "but just war-high" when he fought at his father's side against Melko in the war which ended with the captivity of the Enemy. In that story Telimektar had "a long sword girt about his waist by a silver girdle."

His next mention is during the Darkening of Valinor, where he was pursuing Melko along with the other Valar.

Later history

According to one text, when Melko broke free of his second imprisonment (after the March of Liberation), he went to Tol Eressëa in order to sow dissension between the Gnomes and the Solosimpi, who sent for help to Valinor. However, the only aid that came from the Valar was that of Tulkas, who in secret sent his son Telimektar to Tol Eressëa to aid them.

There, Telimektar, with the help of Ingil son of Inwë, surprised Melko and wounded him, and chased him up the Pine of Tavrobel all the way to Ilwë. However, Melko kept attacking the Sun and the stars, and in the end caused the death of Urwendi the steerer of the Sun-vessel.

Finally, the Valar decided to cut down the great Pine, which left Melko stranded out of the world.

However, Telimektar and Ingil had to remain in the sky, guarding ceaselessly until Melko's return in the Great End. There, Varda periodically gives him stars to replace the ones Melko destroys and to remind the world of the Valar's watch - and the constellation of Orion is afterwards seen as his image in the sky.

The name Telimektar is in Qenya. It is glossed as "Orion, literally Swordsman of Heaven" in the Qenya Lexicon, under the root TELE ("cover in"). The name is comprised of telimbo ("canopy, sky") + ektar ("swordsman").

The Gnomish cognate of Telimektar is Telumaithor, with the earlier forms of the name being Telumaithron and Telumaithweg.

One of his names was Mordo. It is a Gnomish word adopted into Qenya, being derived from mavar ("shepherd") through Gnomish mord - its meaning being a poetic one for "man, warrior" or otherwise possibly derived from the "warlike qualities of the shepherds". A similar name was Taimordo (Taimondo being a corrupt form of the name), with Daimort (changed from Daimord) being its Gnomish cognate.

Another late name for the character was Telmaithron.

In one of the later outlines, which might have formed the basis for The Book of Lost Tales, Telimektar was said to have a son called Lúthien.

The idea of Telimektar and Ingil (known to Men in later ages as Orion and Sirius respectively) guarding against Melko's eventual return was ultimately abandoned. In its place, the idea of Eärendel keeping the watch on the Door of Night through which Melko/Morgoth was thrust at the end of the War of Wrath, was adopted instead.

Of the name Telimektar remained only the mention of Telumehtar as a name of Orion in the Appendices to The Lord of the Rings.

1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 30/05/2026.