Finarfin

From Tolkien Gateway
Finarfin
Noldo
Elena Kukanova - King of the Valinorian Noldor.jpg
"King of the Valinorian Noldor" by Elena Kukanova
Biographical Information
PronunciationS, [fiˈnarfin]
Other namesArafinwë (Q,fn),
Ingoldo (Q, mn)
TitlesKing of the Noldor in Aman
LocationTirion
LanguageQuenya
BirthY.T. 1230
Tirion
RuleFrom Y.T. 1496
Family
HouseHouse of Finwë, founded the House of Finarfin
ParentageFinwë and Indis
SiblingsFëanor (half-brother), Findis, Fingolfin and Írimë
SpouseEärwen
ChildrenFinrod, Angrod, Aegnor and Galadriel
Physical Description
GenderMale
Hair colorGolden
GalleryImages of Finarfin
"He was of his mother’s kind in mind and body, having the golden hair of the Vanyar, their noble and gentle temper, and their love of the Valar. As well as he could he kept aloof from the strife of his brothers and their estrangement from the Valar, and he often sought peace among the Teleri, whose language he learned."
The Peoples of Middle-earth, "Shibboleth of Fëanor"

Finarfin was the youngest child and son of Finwë and Indis and the third King of the Noldor in Valinor. After the Flight of the Noldor, he remained in Tirion and ruled the Noldor who remained in Aman.[1]

History[edit | edit source]

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 little love for Indis and her children, although Finarfin remained far from those disputes.[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] this trait of the House of Finarfin was unique among the normally dark haired Noldor.[8]

In Y.T. 1495.[9] Melkor destroyed the Two Trees,[10] slaughtered Finarfin's father Finwë, and stole the Silmarils of Fëanor. Enraged, Fëanor came to the city of Tirion upon Túna and, in a fiery speech, convinced many of his kinsmen to leave Valinor for Middle-earth, to recover the Silmarils and defeat Morgoth. Though Finarfin argued for calm and to avoid making a rash decision, the Noldor were persuaded by Fëanor and all but a tithe chose to leave Aman and return to Middle-earth.

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 and daughter, though, would not forsake the sons of Fingolfin and went on.[11]

The War of Wrath by Maureval

Eventually Finarfin came to Middle-earth, leading the Valinorean Noldor in the War of Wrath, near the end of the First Age.[12]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

The name Finarfin is the Sindarin version of his Quenya father-name Arafinwë. The direct equivalence is Arfin.[13] Like his brother Fingolfin, the Sindarized name of his father fin was added at the beginning.[14]

Finarfin's primary name being in Sindarin, a language indigenous to Middle-earth, was a unique occurrence among the High Elves who remained in the Undying Lands. Other such Amanya High Elves who stayed behind were primarily known by their Quenya or Telerin names. This Sindarin naming was a result of the special position his children had among the Exiles, especially by their being related to King Thingol, and their coming to be collectively known as Nost Finarfin ("the children of Finarfin").[15]

Other names[edit | edit source]

His father-name was Arafinwë, with the stem ara- ("noble") added to the name of his father.[16]

His mother-name was Ingoldo, meaning "the Noldo, one eminent in the kindred", which also became the mother-name of Finrod.[17]

In earlier texts Ingoldo was the mother-name of Fingolfin, whereas Finarfin's was Ingalaurë, given to him due his Vanyarin golden hair,[17] which was even more golden than the Vanyar.[18] See also Inglor, which is said to be the Sindarin version of this name.

Genealogy[edit | edit source]

Míriel
d. Y.T. 1170
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Finwë
d. Y.T. 1495
 
Indis
b. Y.T.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Olwë
b. Y.T.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fëanor
Y.T. 1169 - 1497
 
Findis
b. Y.T.
 
Fingolfin
Y.T. 1190 - F.A. 456
 
Írimë
b. Y.T.
 
FINARFIN
b. Y.T. 1230
 
 
 
 
 
Eärwen
b. Y.T.
 
unknown sons
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Finrod
Y.T. 1300 - F.A. 465
 
Angrod
d. F.A. 455
 
Eldalótë
b. Y.T.
 
Aegnor
d. F.A. 455
 
Galadriel
b. Y.T. 1362
 
Celeborn
b. F.A.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Orodreth
d. F.A. 495
 
 
 
 
 
Elrond
b. F.A. 532
 
Celebrían
b. S.A. 300
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FinduilasNB
F.A. 272 - 495
 
Gil-galad
d. S.A. 3441
 
Elladan
b. T.A. 130
 
Elrohir
b. T.A. 130
 
Arwen
T.A. 241 - Fo.A. 121
 

Other versions of the legendarium[edit | edit source]

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 (see Gildor Inglorion).

In some early works, his name is spelled Finarphin.[19] An early version of Appendix F, mentions the "royal house of Finarphir" which was corrected in later editions.[20]

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, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), Q noldo, p. 125
  9. 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
  10. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Darkening of Valinor"
  11. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Flight of the Noldor"
  12. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"
  13. 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
  14. David Salo (2004), A Gateway to Sindarin, p. 349
  15. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XI. The Shibboleth of Fëanor", "Notes", p. 360, note 31
  16. 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
  17. 17.0 17.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XI. The Shibboleth of Fëanor", "Notes", p. 360, note 30
  18. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings: Eldarin Roots and Stems", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 118
  19. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "Part Four. Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth"
  20. The form "Finarphir" has an entry in Robert Foster, The Complete Guide to Middle-earth
Finarfin
House of Finwë
Born: Y.T. 1230
Preceded by:
Fëanor & Fingolfin
3rd King of the Noldor
From Y.T. 1496
None
Incumbent