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Revision as of 14:49, 10 June 2014

Finarfin
Noldo
Līga Kļaviņa - Royal Couple.jpg
Biographical Information
Other namesArafinwë (Q,fn),
Ingoldo (Q, mn)
TitlesHigh King of the Noldor
LocationTirion
LanguageQuenya
BirthY.T. 1230
Tirion
RuleY.T. 1495
Family
HouseHouse of Finwë
ParentageFinwë and Indis
SiblingsFëanor, Findis, Fingolfin and Írimë
SpouseEärwen
ChildrenFinrod, Angrod, Aegnor and Galadriel
Physical Description
GenderMale
Hair colorGolden
GalleryImages of Finarfin

Finarfin (S, pron. [fiˈnarfin]) was the youngest child and son of Finwë and Indis. After the Flight of the Noldor he remained in Tirion and became the High King of the Noldor (or at least the remnant remaining in Aman).[1]

History

Finarfin was born in Valinor in Y.T. 1230.[2] He was the youngest of the five children of Finwë, the High King of the Noldor. Finarfin's mother was Indis, Finwë's second wife.[3] Finarfin's full siblings were Findis, Fingolfin, and Írimë while his half-brother was the great Elf Lord Fëanor. Fëanor disapproved of his father's second marriage and had small love for Indis and her children.[4]

In Y.T. 1280 Finarfin married Eärwen, daughter of Olwë, King of the Teleri in Valinor.[5] They had four children: Finrod, Angrod, Aegnor and Galadriel.[note 1][6] Finarfin's mother was of the Vanyar, and he inherited her fair hair, which he passed on to his children.[7] All other Noldor had dark hair. Thus the Elves of theHouse of Finarfin were unique among their kin.

In Y.T. 1495.[8] Melkor destroyed the Two Trees,[9] slaughtered Finarfin's father Finwë, and stole the Silmarils of Fëanor. Enraged, Fëanor came to the city of Tirion upon Túna and convinced many of his kinsmen to leave Valinor for Middle-earth, to recover the Silmarils and defeat Morgoth. Fëanor was a charismatic speaker, but Fingolfin and Finarfin were unmoved. However they too followed their half-brother, more for their children who eagerly accepted his cause.

The Noldor followed Fëanor in groups, and Fingolfin and Finarfin led the last host. As such they did not participate in the First Kinslaying or know its true cause at the time. While they were travelling up the coast of Araman, the Vala Mandos appeared and pronounced the Doom of the Noldor. Finarfin, dismayed by the prophecy and already contemplating return because of the tragedy of the Kinslaying of his wife's people at Alqualondë, returned to Valinor with a small group of his people(his sons, though, would not forsake the sons of Fingolfin and went on).[10] He presumably still rules the few remaining Noldor in Valinor from Tirion upon Túna.

Etymology

Finarfin's father-name was Arafinwë (Q:"Noble [son of] Finwë", pron. N [ˌaraˈfinwe],V [ˌaraˈɸinwe]).[11] His mother-name was Ingoldo, changed from the earlier Ingalaurë ("Inga-gold", pron.[ˌiŋɡaˈla͡ʊre]).[12]

The name Finarfin is the Sindarin version of his father-name.

Finarfin is rare among the High Elves of the Undying Lands who did not leave and fall under the Doom of Mandos, in that he is known primarily by his name in Sindarin, a language indigenous to Middle-earth and not thought to have been known or studied in Aman until after the Exiles were allowed to return at the end of the First Age, save the possibility that Sindarin was learned from the Elves of Beleriand who died and went to sojourn in the Halls of Mandos. Other such Amanya High Elves who stayed behind are primarily known by their Quenya or Telerin names. But both of Finarfin's brothers went into Exile, with the result that both were largely remembered by Sindarin names, and also Finarfin's name is structured very similarly to that of his brother Fingolfin. It is probably unlikely that Fëanor and Amras had the time to learn Sindarin before they died so soon after reaching Beleriand, but they fell under the Doom of Mandos nevertheless, making Finarfin the only known Amanya never under the Doom whose name is primarily known in its Sindarin form.

Genealogy

Names in italics are females.

Míriel
 
Finwë
 
Indis
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fëanor
 
Findis
 
Fingolfin
 
Írimë
 
FINARFIN
 
Eärwen
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Finrod
 
Angrod
 
Aegnor
 
Galadriel

Other Versions of the Legendarium

Finarfin was called Finrod in earlier versions of the legendarium, and his son was named Inglor Felagund. As such he appears in the 1st edition of The Lord of the Rings as Finrod. This was changed in later editions, but not all references to Inglor were removed, since in the later version, it is probably the Sindarin version of Ingalaurë. (see Gildor Inglorion).

Preceded by:
Finwë
1st High King of the Noldor
(in Valinor)
c. YT 1495 - onwards
Followed by:
none; presumably living

Notes

  1. Orodreth appears as one of Finarfin's sons in The Silmarillion. In Tolkien's writings, however, he was clearly marked as Angrod's son. Christopher Tolkien, the editor of The Silmarillion, later admitted the mistake.

References

  1. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Index of Names", Finarfin
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "Part Two. The Annals of Aman: Fourth section of the Annals of Aman",p. 92
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië"
  4. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor"
  5. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "Part Two. The Annals of Aman: Fourth section of the Annals of Aman", p. 92
  6. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XI. The Shibboleth of Fëanor", "The parentage of Gil-galad",pp. 349-351
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XI. The Shibboleth of Fëanor", "The case of the Quenya change of Þ to s",p. 336
  8. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "Part Two. The Annals of Aman: Fourth section of the Annals of Aman", p. 100
  9. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Darkening of Valinor"
  10. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Flight of the Noldor"
  11. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XI. The Shibboleth of Fëanor", "The names of Finwë's descendants", p.344
  12. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XI. The Shibboleth of Fëanor", "The names of Finwë's descendants", note 30, p. 360