Hengest and Horsa

Early history

Hengest and Horsa were born during the 5th century AD in Heligoland, an island off the coast of the Great Lands, to Eriol and his wife Cwén.

While Hengest and Horsa were still children, their mother died, and their father went to seek Tol Eressëa, the island of the Elves in the West.

After the brothers grew up, they sought vengeance on their uncle Beorn for the murder of their grandfather Eoh, and afterwards became great chieftains among their people.

The Faring Forth

Following the Faring Forth, the disastrous attempt by the Elves of Tol Eressëa to save their kin in the Great Lands which resulted in their total defeat and eventual fading, evil Men invaded Tol Eressëa, which was now anchored near the coast of the Great Lands.

However, some time after, Hengest and Horsa (alongside their half-brother Heorrenda) invaded Tol Eressëa as well, which would in later days become known as England.

There, Hengest established his capital at what was once the city of Kortirion, which would later be known as Warwíc (in Old English), and eventually as Warwick; meanwhile Horsa established himself at what was once the town of Taruithorn, which would later be known as Oxenaford (in Old English), and eventually as Oxford.

Unlike all other Men that invaded the island, however, the sons of Eriol (Hengest, Horsa, and Heorrenda) were friendly to the Elves, and it is through them that the English people retained the "true tradition of the fairies".

The names Hengest and Horsa are in Old English, with Hengest meaning "stallion", and Horsa meaning "horse".

• The name of Hendwine's mother is not Naimi but Nelmir in the text on which the basis of his inclusion is founded upon - neither is her relation to Lindo and Vairë elaborated on.

The characters of Hengest and Horsa from The Book of Lost Tales were based on the legendary leaders of the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain in the 5th century AD.

1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 26/05/2026.