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- "An honest hand and a true heart may hew amiss; and the harm may be harder to bear than the work of a foe."
- —Húrin about Sador in The Children of Húrin, "The Childhood of Túrin"
Sador Onefoot,[1] also known as Sadog[2] and Labadal,[3] was an old woodwright who served Húrin and Morwen[4] as a servant in Dor-lómin. He was also Túrin's friend during his childhood.[5]
Biography[]
Sador was one of the Drúedain who lived within the household of Húrin.[6] He became a woodman in his youth and learned how to carve and craft things out of wood. When the Dagor Bragollach broke out in the year 455, Sador was called upon from his tasks in the woods to fight. He came too late to the battle field however, only being able to bring back his fallen lord Hador on a bier. Afterwards, Sador become a soldier, thus being stationed at Eithel Sirion for many years with little to mark them. He was there in the year 462 defending Barad Eithel, when Galdor fell and Húrin took up his command, leading them to drive the Orcs back, never coming within sight of Eithel Sirion again. Sometime later, Sador grew tired of war, and obtained leave to return to the woods that he yearned for, becoming a woodman again. Yet tragedy struck when, by ill-luck, he mishandled his axe and accidentally severed his right foot, after which, Sador obtained a crutch and his footless leg had shrunken from a lack of use.[7]
In the years that followed, Sador became a retainer[2] and "house-man in the service of Húrin", working in the outbuildings and fixing things, usually of little importance, that were needed in the house, as he still "had some skill in the working of wood". During his time within Húrin's household, Sador was befriended by young Túrin, the eldest of the children of Húrin, who would often help Sador by fetching materials and tools to spare him from walking. Sometimes Túrin would bring gifts for him to use that he "found" lying around unwatched. As a result, Sador would smile and tell the boy to return them to their proper place, and taught him that he should "Give with a free hand, but give only your own". Despite this, Sador often rewarded Túrin's kindness, carving for him the figures of men and beasts, although it was Sador's tales that Túrin delighted the most.[7]
Sador was wise when sharing his tales with Túrin, incorporating many insights about life. When telling Túrin of his time as a soldier, he believed that he could have gotten his injury with more honor during the Dagor Bragollach, and remembered how fiery Húrin was at Eithel Sirion. He then reflected to Túrin that "a man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a short cut to meet it", as he had fled war only to get an injury during an accident. Túrin often called him Labadal in pity for his accident. As Túrin grew older, however, Sador began to find many of his questions difficult to answer. One such instance occurred after Urwen died from the Evil Breath when Túrin asked him about fate, the difference between Elves and Men, and the nature of death.[7]
On Túrin's eighth birthday in the month of Gwaeron according to the Edain reckoning, Húrin gave him an Elven knife of great worth.[7] Túrin pitied Sador and decided to give the gift to him.[7] Sador accepted the gift as it would be rude not to, but he knew he would be unable to repay Túrin for such a gift.[7] Túrin's mother, Morwen, was not fond of Sador and did not care for him, believing him to be "self-maimed by his own want of skill" and "slow with his tasks" as well as spending too "much time on trifles unbidden". Despite this, however, Túrin noted that his act of generosity resulted in Sador being treated more kindly. Around this time Sador set out to carve a great chair for the hall of Húrin.[8] He was possibly given this task by Húrin instead of choosing to do so of his own accord.[citation needed]
Before the Nírnaeth Arnoediad, Húrin left to go to war in the month of Lothron.[8] Sador was among "a few old men and women" who Morwen still kept as servants, and therefore was not one of the thralls Brodda forced to build his his wooden hall. Sador did not fight in the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, though he wished that he did and was dismayed that he could not do so, and "die a valiant death"[citation needed].[9] When Morwen first told Túrin that he was to go to Doriath, he hoped that Sador could go with him, only for Morwen to say he wouldn’t because it would be "a hard road" for him. The next morning, Túrin found Sador preparing to use the unfinished great chair of Húrin as firewood and tried to convince him that Húrin would return and be pleased with the chair. However, Sador explained that "false hopes" would not keep them warm in the coming winter. He nonetheless added that the true purpose of the chair was the joy of making it. Sador then talked with him about the necessity of his departure. Túrin was sad but understood. Sador also urged him to take back the Elven knife. Túrin refused, saying that he would get many things like it in Doriath.[10]
Sador stayed in the house of Morwen for a long while, but soon after Morwen and Niënor left to go to Doriath, he became a vagabond to avoid being enslaved by the Easterlings like the rest of the Men of Dor-lómin. Nonetheless, he was often given broth and a place by the fire in Brodda's hall because Aerin somehow forced Brodda to keep "some of the kindlier manners of old". Sador was among the vagabonds and servants who believed that Túrin had become "a king or a lord in some south country" and had summoned Morwen and Niënor from Dor-lómin.[9]
In the year 496 during the Fell Winter,[11] Sador was resting by the fire in Brodda's hall when a grief-stricken vagabond came to the hall and "was given a seat by the fire" and some broth before asking for news of Morwen, shocking Sador and the others by speaking "the old tongue". Sador warned him to speak quieter, deducing that he was of the House of Hador. He then revealed all he knew about Morwen, revealed his name, and reminisced on the years before the Nírnaeth Arnoediad. Upon learning that the other man was Túrin, Sador took him outside the hall and learned that he did not summon Morwen and Niënor. After Sador told him that Aerin might know of Morwen's whereabouts, Túrin re-entered the hall and received answers from Aerin. However, after realizing Glaurung's trickery in sending him there, he killed Brodda and three weaponless Easterlings, instigating a rebellion in the hall. Sador partook in this uprising, but was fatally wounded in the "great fighting" that followed. He was, however, able to say his final words to Túrin before perishing, warning him to flee before the Easterlings return with reinforcements.[9]
Etymology[]
Sador is a Sindarin noun used as a name meaning "steadfast, trusty, loyal".[12]
Sadog is a Drúadan name with an unknown meaning.[2]
Labadal is a Sindarin name meaning "hopafoot",[3] consisting of the unattested verb laba- ("to hop")[13] and a lenited variant of the noun tâl ("foot, end"),[14] derived from the root TAL.[15]
In other versions[]
In the earliest form of the legendarium published in The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, the predecessors of Sador included an unnamed passer-by who Turambar met outside Mavwin's abandoned house, and a Man of Hisilómë named Orlin, who was akin to Turambar himself through Mavwin. In the tale of Turambar and the Foalókë that was told to Eriol by Eltas, when Turambar came to Mavwin's house and discovered it empty, a person "who was passing on to other dwellings" encountered him and told him what happened before directing him to Brodda's hall. After Turambar entered the hall and murdered the lord in vengeance, Orlin was one of the few men present there who tried to seize Turambar, and was the only one killed. When Airin appeared and the people waited for her judgement, she explained that Turambar had indeed committed a grave crime by killing someone akin to his mother and in a hall of feast. However, since he killed Orlin in defense of himself, Túrin could only be condemned to exile.[16] Thus, Orlin's death caused Túrin to flee Hisilómë, just as Sador tells Túrin to flee as he died in the latest version.
In The Grey Annals, which Tolkien wrote after writing about Túrin's friendship with Sador,[17] the character does not appear in the fight in Brodda's hall.[18] Despite this, Christopher Tolkien speculated that this was because of extreme condensation.[17][19]
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Amharic | ሳዶር |
| Arabic | صدر |
| Armenian | Սադոր |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Садор |
| Bengali | সদর |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Садор |
| Cambodian | សាដោរ ? |
| Georgian | სადორი |
| Greek | Σαδορ |
| Gujarati | સદોર |
| Hebrew | צאדור |
| Hindi | सदोर |
| Japanese | サドール |
| Kannada | ಸದೋರ್ |
| Kazakh | Садор (Cyrillic) Sador (Latin) |
| Korean | 사도르 |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Садор |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Садор |
| Marathi | षदोर |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Садор |
| Nepalese | षदोर |
| Pashto | صادور ? |
| Persian | صادور |
| Punjabi | ਸਾਦਰ |
| Russian | Садор |
| Sanskrit | षदोर् |
| Serbian | садор (Cyrillic) Sador (Latin) |
| Sinhalese | සාදෝර් |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Садор |
| Tamil | சடார் |
| Telugu | సడార్ |
| Thai | ษะดโร ? |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Садор |
| Urdu | ساڈور |
| Uzbek | Садор (Cyrillic) Sador (Latin) |
| Yiddish | סאַדאָר |
References[]
- ↑ The Children of Húrin, Narn i Chîn Húrin, The Tale of the Children of Húrin, Chapter XII: "The Return of Túrin to Dor-lómin", pg. 184
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The History of Middle-earth, vol. XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth, X: "Of Dwarves and Men", Notes, pgs. 309, 327 (note 52)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, Part One: The First Age, II: "Narn i Chîn Húrin" (The Tale of the Children of Húrin), pg. 60
- ↑ The Children of Húrin, Narn i Chîn Húrin, The Tale of the Children of Húrin, Introduction
- ↑ The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXI: "Of Túrin Turambar"
- ↑ Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, Part Four, I: "The Drúedain", pg. 386 (note 8)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 The Children of Húrin, Narn i Chîn Húrin, The Tale of the Children of Húrin, Chapter I: "The Childhood of Túrin", pgs. 41-4
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Children of Húrin, Narn i Chîn Húrin, The Tale of the Children of Húrin, Chapter I: "The Childhood of Túrin", pg. 48-50
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 The Children of Húrin, Narn i Chîn Húrin, The Tale of the Children of Húrin, Chapter XII: "The Return of Túrin to Dor-lómin", pg. 189
- ↑ The Children of Húrin, Narn i Chîn Húrin, The Tale of the Children of Húrin, Chapter IV: "The Departure of Túrin", pgs. 74-5
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, vol. XI: The War of the Jewels, Part Three: The Wanderings of Húrin and Other Writings not forming part of the Quenta Silmarillion, I: "The Wanderings of Húrin", pgs. 257, 300 (note 12)
- ↑ Parma Eldalamberon, issue XVII: Words, Phrases and Passages in various tongues in The Lord of the Rings, pg. 183
- ↑ "laba-" on eldamo.org
- ↑ Parma Eldalamberon, issue XXIII: The Feanorian Alphabet, Part 2 and Eldarin Pronouns, pg. 136
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, vol. V: The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies", entry "TAL"
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. II: The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, II: "Turambar and the Foalókë", pgs. 88-90
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 The History of Middle-earth, vol. XI: The War of the Jewels, Part One: The Grey Annals, note to §294, pgs. 145-6
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, vol. XI: The War of the Jewels, Part One: The Grey Annals, §294, pg. 90
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, vol. XI: The War of the Jewels, Part Three: The Wanderings of Húrin and Other Writings not forming part of the Quenta Silmarillion, II: "Ælfwine and Dírhaval", pg. 314