House of Haleth

In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the House of Haleth or the Haladin were the second of the Three Houses of Men. They were the descendants of Haldad, but the house was named after Haldad's daughter Haleth, who led her people from East Beleriand to Brethil. They were a reclusive folk, dark-haired but smaller in stature than the Bëorians. They kept separate from the other Men. Their language was different from that used by the other Edain.

The Haladin first had settled in Thargelion after arriving in Beleriand, since they were unwilling to settle in Estolad with the Bëorians and Marachians. They were caught off-guard by an Orc-raid there, and a great part of their people was wiped out. The remnant, fighting under Haleth and her kin, held out for days in a stockade until the Ñoldor rescued them. Impressed by their virtue Caranthir offered them his lands to live in protected, but Haleth refused, and later got permission to settle in the forest of Brethil, part of Doriath but outside the Girdle of Melian. They mostly kept out of the wars.

The Haladin were ruled by a Haldad, a descendant of Haldar brother of Haleth, but they formed a lose alliance of clans rather than a strong nation as the other Edain. The Haldad was in charge of a council of elders, which took decisions for the entire people. The last Haldad of Haldar's line was Brandir the Lame, who was killed by Túrin Turambar.

Húrin Thalion wrought the final ruin of the Haladin when he came to Brethil. He caused a civil war which killed the last descendants of Haldad, and led a great part of the Haladin away south to Nargothrond. He abandoned them after delivering the treasure to Thingol of Doriath, and it seems this people returned home them.

After the fall of Doriath the Haladin were nearly completely wiped out, or at least they had disappeared as a separate people. The last Drúedain of Beleriand did go to Númenor, suggesting at least a few Haladin survived as well, as the Drûg formed a part of their people. They must have held out in Brethil forest or fled to the Mouths of Sirion with the other survivors.

Some of the Second and Third Age nations of Men, such as Dunlendings, were related to the Haladin, but were not recognised as Middle Men by the Númenoreans because their speech was too different, and they were hostile.