Finarfin
Finarfin | |
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Noldo | |
File:Elena Kukanova - Kind of the Valinorian Noldor.jpg | |
"King of the Valinorian Noldor" by Elena Kukanova | |
Biographical Information | |
Pronunciation | S, [fiˈnarfin] |
Other names | Arafinwë (Q,fn), Ingoldo (Q, mn) |
Location | Tirion |
Affiliation | Host of Valinor |
Language | Quenya, Telerin[1] |
Birth | Y.T. 1230 Tirion |
Rule | From Y.T. 1496 |
Family | |
House | House of Finwë, founded the House of Finarfin |
Parentage | Finwë and Indis |
Siblings | Fëanor (half-brother), Findis, Fingolfin and Írimë |
Spouse | Eärwen |
Children | Finrod, Angrod, Aegnor and Galadriel |
Physical Description | |
Gender | Male |
Hair color | Golden |
Gallery | Images of Finarfin |
Finarfin was the youngest child and son of Finwë and Indis who after the Flight of the Noldor, remained in Tirion and ruled the Noldor who remained in Aman.[2] Of all the Noldorin lords and ladies, he and his descendants had golden hair, derived from his mother Indis, who was a Vanyarin Elf.[2]
Of the sons of Finwë, Finarfin was the fairest and wisest.[3] He resembled his mother's kin in mind and body, having the golden hair of the Vanyar, their noble and gentle temper, and their great love of the Valar.[1] As well as he could, he stayed away from the conflicts among his brothers and their estrangement from the Valar.[1] He often sought peace among the Falmari, whose language he learned, due to the conflicts of the Noldor.[1] Afterwards, he was a friend of the sons of Olwë, lord of the Teleri, and had to wife Eärwen, the swan-maiden of Alqualondë, Olwë's daughter.[3]
History
Finarfin was born in Valinor in Y.T. 1230.[4] He was the youngest of the five children of Finwë, the first 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.[5]
In 1280, Finarfin married Eärwen, daughter of Olwë, lord of the Teleri.[6] They had four children: Finrod, Angrod, Aegnor and Galadriel.[note 1][7]
In 1495,[8] Melkor destroyed the Two Trees,[9] murdered 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 Finarfin and his brother 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 tenth of all the Noldor; his children, though, would not forsake the sons of Fingolfin (with whom they had great friendship) and went on.[10]
Eventually, Finarfin came to Middle-earth, leading the Noldor of Aman in the War of Wrath, at the end of the First Age.[11]
Etymology
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Finarfin's father-name was Arafinwë (Q:"Noble [son of] Finwë", pron. EQ [ˌaraˈfinwe],V [ˌaraˈɸinwe]).[12] His mother-name was Ingoldo meaning "the Noldo, one eminent in the kindred", which also became the mother-name of Finrod; notice that in an earlier text "Ingoldo" was the mother-name of Fingolfin whereas Finarfin's was "Ingalaurë" ("Inga-gold", pron.[ˌiŋɡaˈlaʊ̯re]).[13][14]
The name Finarfin is the Sindarin version of his father-name.
Finarfin is rare among the High Elves who remained in the Undying Lands in that he is known primarily by his name in Sindarin, a language indigenous to Middle-earth. 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.
Genealogy
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 (see Gildor Inglorion). Ingalaurë was probably the Quenya version of Inglor.
In some early works, his name is spelled "Finarphin".[15] An early version of Appendix F, mentions the "royal house of Finarphir" which was corrected in later editions.[16]
Notes
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 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
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Index of Names", Finarfin
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië"
- ↑ 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
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor"
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 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
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Darkening of Valinor"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Flight of the Noldor"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"
- ↑ 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
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XI. The Shibboleth of Fëanor", "The names of Finwë's descendants", p. 360, note 30
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "Part Three. The Later Quenta Silmarillion: (II) The Second Phase: Laws and Customs among the Eldar, Notes [to Text B]" #22
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "Part Four. Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth"
- ↑ The form "Finarphir" has an entry in Robert Foster, The Complete Guide to Middle-earth
Finarfin House of Finwë | ||
Preceded by: Fëanor | King over the Noldor in Aman From Y.T. 1496 | None Incumbent |