Fingolfin
Fingon	Turgon	Aredhel
Ereinion Gil-galad

Eldest of Fingolfin's children, who inherited the Kingship of the Noldor after his father was slain by Morgoth. He is famed for rescuing Maedhros from Thangorodrim, and thereby healing the rift between the Houses of the Noldor. As High King, he commanded the assault upon Morgoth that became known as the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, the Unnumbered Tears, and in that assault he was himself slain by Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs.

Early Life in Valinor

Fingon was born in Valinor in the time when the Two Trees still shed their Light over the land of the Valar. He was the first child born to Fingolfin and Indis, and was thus the nephew² of Fëanor and the grandson of High King Finwë. Fingolfin and Indis would later have two other children, giving Fingon a younger brother, Turgon, and a sister, Aredhel.

Fingon lived in Valinor for long ages, though he would not in fact have been known as Fingon during this time. His 'true' Quenya name was probably Findecáno, in reference to the long golden-bound dark braids in which he wore his hair, and he only became known as Fingon when he later travelled to Middle-earth and dwelt in lands dominated by the Sindarin tongue. During his time in Valinor, Fingon was close in friendship with his cousins Angrod and Aegnor, the sons of his uncle Finarfin (and elder brothers to Galadriel).

In dress and heraldry, Fingon is associated with the colours white, silver and blue. He commonly clad himself in white and silver, and when he fought in the Wars of Beleriand he adopted a banner variously described as white, or silver and blue,³ emblazoned with the symbol of a golden winged Sun. In battle he carried arms of silver, and a blue shield mounted with a central crystal.

Journey to Middle-earth

During most of Fingon's life in Aman, Melkor had been imprisoned after his capture in the Battle of the Powers. After three ages of captivity, Manwë was moved to mercy, and released Melkor from his confinement. This led to disaster, as Melkor engineered the destruction of the Two Trees before fleeing into Middle-earth. Fingon's half-uncle Fëanor gathered the Noldor and urged them to follow him to Middle-earth, in pursuit Melkor and of the Silmarils that he had carried away with him. Though Fingon was by no means an ally of Fëanor, he was moved to join the exodus of his people, and he persuaded his father Fingolfin to join with Fëanor's march from Valinor.

As the Noldor set out from Valinor, Fingon played a part, albeit unwittingly, in the Kinslaying at Alqualondë. Fëanor and his people, marching ahead of the others, fell upon their fellow Elves, the Teleri, in order to take their vessels for the journey across the Sea. Fingon and his own followers knew little of this reasoning, and came across the battle without clearly understanding its cause. Imagining that the Teleri were attempting to prevent the Noldor from leaving, Fingon thus joined the battle on the side of Fëanor and his fellow Noldor, and so he and his people were stained with the blood of the innocent Sea-elves.

After these events, Fingon's uncle Finarfin abandoned the journey and returned to Valinor, but Fingon and his people were resolved to continue. Both Fingon and his brother Turgon were filled with determination to complete the crossing to Middle-earth, and perhaps⁴ also wished to avoid judgement for their part in the Kinslaying.

Fëanor and his followers had taken the ships of the Teleri and sailed northward along the coasts of Aman, while Fingon and the people of Fingolfin's House travelled the long road on foot. At last they reached the northern fringes of the world, where Aman and Middle-earth came close together. There Fingon and his people watched Fëanor's ships sail into the east, expecting the vessels to return to carry them across in turn, but instead they saw a low red light. Fëanor had landed and burned the ships, abandoning Fingon and his companions on the Western shore.

Undaunted, Fingon and his people began a treacherous crossing of the Helcaraxë, the crashing ice that formed a perilous bridge from Aman to Middle-earth. Many were lost on that crossing, including Elenwë, the wife of Fingon's brother Turgon. Fingon himself, and many of his people, survived the crossing the ice and finally set foot on the shores of Middle-earth.

Early Years in Middle-earth

While Fingon and his people were making the crossing into Middle-earth, Fëanor and his followers had already fought a battle against Morgoth's forces. In that battle, the Dagor-nuin-giliath, the Elves had been victorious, but Fëanor himself had been slain, and his son Maedhros had been captured by the Dark Lord. After this battle, Fingolfin and Fingon led their host into the land of Mithrim, where they camped around the northern shores of Lake Mithrim, while Fëanor's people occupied the southern shore.

The burning of the ships and the hardships of the Grinding Ice had created a rift between the two camps of the Noldor, and Fingon resolved to heal that distrust. He set out alone into the North, seeking to rescue Fëanor's son Maedhros from his captivity. Fingon found Maedhros high in the mountains of Thangorodrim, fastened to a precipice by his wrist. Maedhros cried down for Fingon to end his agony, and the son of Fingolfin prepared to do so with an arrow, but the Eagle Thorondor intervened and bore him up to the height. Unable to release the shackle that bound Maedhros, and having no other way to release him, Fingon was forced to cut off his right hand. With Maedhros free but grievously wounded, the Great Eagle bore the two Elves back to the camps on the shores of Lake Mithrim.

Maedhros survived the loss of his hand, and Fingon's rescue of Fëanor's heir won him renown among all the Noldor. The rift between the followers of Fëanor and those of Fingolfin was thus eased, if not entirely healed. As Fëanor's eldest son, Maedhros was now by right High King of the Noldor but, ruing his people's actions on the journey into Middle-earth, he relinquished the title for himself and his house. So Fingon's father Fingolfin, Fëanor's half-brother, became High King, and Fingon in turn became the royal heir.

The new High King Fingolfin established his court in the mountain-walled land of Hithlum. There he built the fortress of Barad Eithel on its eastern borders at the springs of the river Sirion, looking out eastward and northward across the plain of Ard-galen towards distant Thangorodrim. Fingon dwelt in the royal tower with his father through the centuries of the Siege of Angband, during which the Noldor held Morgoth at bay in his deep northern fortress.

During the centuries of the Siege, Beleriand had relative peace, though the Dark Lord would occasionally send his forces to test the Elves. Fingon met these incursions and forced them back, most notably when a young Glaurung emerged from Angband. It was Fingon who led a force of archers against the Dragon - a beast of a kind that had not yet seen by the Elves - and drove it back to its master in the far North.

Over these years, Fingon maintained a friendship with Maedhros, and the two would regularly send gifts to one another, and one of these gifts was inspired by Fingon's defeat of Glaurung. Maedhros sent Fingon a treasure from the smithies of the Dwarves, a helm that bore a mocking likeness of the Dragon on its crest. Fingon would later give this gift to his vassal Galdor, and the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin (as it was known after that time) would become an important heirloom of the House of Hador.

High King of the Noldor

With only a few exceptions (such as the sudden appearance of Glaurung) the Elves long remained untroubled by the Dark Lord in Angband. While the Siege held Morgoth at bay, Fingolfin ruled in peace in Barad Eithel for 449 years with Fingon by his side. That peace was not to last. In the year I 455, Morgoth launched a devastating counterblow to his besiegers, sending out rivers of fire and vast armies of Orcs led by Balrogs. In the assault of this Dagor Bragollach or Battle of Sudden Flame, the Siege of Angband was utterly broken and the defenders swept away. Fingolfin and Fingon attempted to join the failing defence, but were driven back by the swarming Orcs. High King Fingolfin saw an end coming for his people, and took the desperate measure of riding to Angband and challenging the Dark Lord to single combat. Fingolfin fought valiantly, but he could not overcome the Dark Power of the North, and so he met his end.

With the loss of his father Fingolfin, Fingon became High King of the Noldor at a moment when his realm stood almost ready to fall. Orcs swarmed around Barad Eithel and invaded Hithlum itself, where Fingon met them in battle on the plains of that land. The new High King was outnumbered by his foes, but Círdan the Shipwright sailed down the Firth of Drengist and brought renewed strength to the army of the Elves. The Orcs were driven off, and so Fingon survived the first desperate test of his High Kingship. To ensure the preservation of his line, Fingon's son Ereinion (better known as Gil-galad) travelled to the Havens of Círdan⁵ where he remained safe, far from the dangers of the northern wars.

After the disaster of the Dagor Bragollach, The new High King Fingon held the bulwark of Ered Wethrin against the Orcs of Morgoth. At times, though rarely, he would ride through the fiefdoms of his allies (as a child, Túrin had seen Fingon ride through Dor-lómin, though only on a single occasion). After some sixteen years, Fingon received a proposal from his friend Maedhros, who was planning a Union of the Elves and Edain to finally confront and overcome the power of the Dark Lord. To this Fingon readily agreed.

Nirnaeth Arnoediad: Fingon's End

Fingon now prepared for war, gathering his armies in Hithlum. News of the impending battle had spread far and wide, and the High King was joined by forces of Eldar and Edain from across Beleriand. Out of Nargothrond came a small company led by Gwindor, and even from Doriath, despite the ill-will between Maedhros and Thingol, the heroes Mablung and Beleg joined the effort. Of the Edain, Fingon's ally Húrin brought the Men of Dor-lómin, and they were joined by the Men of Brethil led by Haldir. Unforeseen by any, Fingon's brother Turgon appeared from his Hidden City of Gondolin, leading ten thousand armoured Elves ready to join the war against Morgoth. In this moment, the forces of the Eldar and Edain drawn up against the Dark Lord seemed to be unstoppable (Utúlie'n aurë!, Fingon cried as they assembled, 'the day has come!')⁶

The battle plan drawn up by the Elves involved two armies: a western army commanded by Fingon, and an eastern force led by Maedhros. Maedhros' eastern forces were to draw out the Dark Lord's Orcs, while Fingon was to hold his warriors as a concealed reserve, striking from the west after Morgoth's army had engaged its eastern foe.

This battle plan quickly unravelled. Maedhros' eastern force was late entering the field, and as Fingon watched from the walls of Barad Eithel, the enemy approached his westward position across the sands of Anfauglith. They had with them the Elf Gelmir, captured during the Dagor Bragollach, and they slew him in sight of the watching army of the Elves. Gelmir's brother Gwindor was part of that army, and at the sight of his brother's cruel death, he could not restrain himself. Gwindor abandoned his position to charge the Orcs, and many of his companions forgot their orders and joined the attack against the enemy.

Seeing that his forces were committing themselves, Fingon donned his helm and ordered a full charge. Though it had been Morgoth's intention to draw out this western force, he was unprepared for their ferocity, as the Elves and Men drove through the ranks of waiting Orcs and pushed on across the desert to reach the walls of Angband itself. But Morgoth held many warriors in reserve, and released a force three times greater than Fingon's armies, driving him back from Angband.

As they retreated across the sands, Fingon was reinforced by his brother Turgon. They attempted to fight their way back towards the safety of the Mountains of Shadow, but the opposing force was overwhelming, and was itself reinforced, by an army that had treacherously defeated Maedhros to the east. The Orcs drove Fingon apart from Turgon, and left him isolated on the field with only his bodyguard to support him. Against this small force came a dreadful enemy: a pair of Balrogs led by Gothmog, the greatest of those demons. One by one the Balrogs slew Fingon's defenders, and then fought the High King himself. While Fingon was trapped within a band of fire, Gothmog brought down his great black axe on Fingon's helm, and so slew him. It was said that, as Fingon's life left him, a brilliant white flame was seen leaping from his broken helm.

The Legacy of Fingon

At the time of his death, Fingon had ruled as High King of the Noldor for just sixteen years. He was not succeeded directly by his young son Ereinion. Instead the High Kingship fell to Fingon's younger brother Turgon, who had survived the battle and escaped back to his Hidden City of Gondolin. Just thirty-eight years later, in I 510, Gondolin was itself overwhelmed by Morgoth and Turgon slain, and so Ereinion Gil-galad in turn became High King of the Noldor. Through Gil-galad, Fingon's line survived into the Second Age until the War of the Last Alliance, a period of no less than 3,514 years. Gil-galad was slain in that war, and so the royal line of Fingon the Valiant came to an end in Middle-earth.