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Ruled Hithlum from the fortress of Barad EithelPronunciation
fingo'lfin
Meaning
Perhaps ' Finwë, wise Finwë' 1Titles
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About this entry:
- Updated 3 April 1999
- Updates planned: 13
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Fingolfin
Second son and heir of Finwë
The second son of Finwë and half-brother to Fëanor. After Fëanor's death, his eldest son Maedhros should have become High King of the Noldor, but Maedhros repented his deeds at the Kinslaying and refused the title, which thus passed to Fingolfin.
He ruled the lands to the northwest of Beleriand with his elder son Fingon, and dwelt behind the mountain fences of Hithlum during the long Siege of Angband.
When Morgoth broke the Siege in the Dagor Bragollach, Fingolfin was prevented from sending immediate help to the other princes of the Noldor by the ferocity of the onslaught, but when he heard of the extent of their defeat, he rode in anger to the doors of Angband and demanded single combat with Morgoth. There they fought a mighty battle, but though Fingolfin wounded the Dark Lord, he could not prevail, and was finally crushed by Morgoth. His body was saved, though, by Thorondor, who bore it to a peak in the Encircling Mountains. Turgon came there and built a cairn over his father's remains.
Notes
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A possible derivation appears in The Peoples of Middle-earth (The History of Middle-earth volume XII): XI The Shibboleth of Fëanor. Here, Fingolfin is a contraction of Finwë Ñolofinwë adapted to the sounds of Sindarin. The meaning would be 'Finwë, wise Finwë' (according to this source, Finwë originally named each of his three sons after himself).
It should be noted, though, that The Shibboleth of Fëanor dates from the late 1960's, suggesting that Tolkien invented this derivation 'after the event' - it appears (though this cannot be stated certainly) that the name came first, and its derivation followed years later. |
See also...
Ar-Feiniel, Aradan, Aranwë, Aranwion, Barad Eithel, Barahir, Battle of the Bragollach, Battle of the Haven, Celegorm, Craven, Crissaegrim, Dagor Aglareb, Dagor Bragollach, Edain of the North, Eithel Sirion, [See the full list...]Eldar of Hithlum, Elf-kings, Elves of Beleriand, Elves of Gondolin, Elves of Mithrim, Essë, Fall of Fingolfin, Fëanor, Fëanorians, Fingon, Gasping Dust, Grey-elves of Mithrim, Grinding Ice, Grond, Grond, Gundor, Hador, Hammer of the Underworld, Hathol, Havens of the Shipwrights, Heir of the House of Hador, Helcaraxë, Hidden City, Hidden King, Hidden People, High King of the Noldor, Hísilómë, Hithlum, Horses, House of Fëanor, House of Fingolfin, Indis, King of Gondolin, King of the Eldar, King of the North, Lady of the Noldor, Lake Mithrim, Lord of Dor-lómin, Losgar, Magor, Máhanaxar, Malach Aradan, Men of Hador’s House, Men of Hithlum, Mereth Aderthad, Morgoth, Mountains of Turgon, Narrow Ice, Noldor of Gondolin, Ondolindë, People of Hador, Return of the Noldor, Ringil, Rochallor, Sindar of Nevrast, Taras-ness, The Dispossessed, The Easterling, The Fair, The Sheen, The Valiant, The Wise, Third Battle, Three Houses of the Edain, Three Jewels, Turgon, Union of Maedhros, Unrest of the Noldor, Vairë, Valmar, War of the Jewels, White Lady, White Lady of Gondolin, White Lady of the Noldor, Years of the Sun
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About this entry:
- Updated 3 April 1999
- Updates planned: 13
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