Fingon: Difference between revisions
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== Genealogy == | == Genealogy == | ||
<div style="overflow-x: scroll; overflow-y: hidden; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA; padding: 3px; background: #EEEEEE;"> | <div style="overflow-x: scroll; overflow-y: hidden; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA; padding: 3px; background: #EEEEEE;"> | ||
{{familytree/start}} | {{familytree/start}} | ||
{{familytree| MIR |y| FIN |y| IND | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |FIN=[[Finwë]]</br><small>''d. {{YT|1495}}''</small>|IND=[[Indis]]</br><small>''b. {{YT}}''</small>|MIR=[[Míriel]]</br><small>''d. {{YT|1170}}''</small>}} | {{familytree| MIR |y| FIN |y| IND | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |FIN=[[Finwë]]</br><small>''d. {{YT|1495}}''</small>|IND=[[Indis]]</br><small>''b. {{YT}}''</small>|MIR=[[Míriel]]</br><small>''d. {{YT|1170}}''</small>}} | ||
Revision as of 21:23, 5 October 2015
| Fingon | |
|---|---|
| Noldo | |
 | |
| "Fingon the Valiant" by Maureval | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Other names | Findecáno (Q, fn) Fingon the Valiant |
| Titles | High King of the Noldor |
| Location | Tirion Dor-lómin |
| Language | Quenya Sindarin |
| Birth | between Y.T. 1190 and 1300 Tirion |
| Rule | F.A. 456 - 472 |
| Death | F.A. 472 Anfauglith |
| Family | |
| House | House of Fingolfin |
| Parentage | Fingolfin (father) Anairë (mother) |
| Siblings | Turgon (brother) Aredhel (sister) Argon (brother) |
| Physical Description | |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color | Dark |
| Weaponry | Bow |
| Gallery | Images of Fingon |
- "Maedros therefore, being in anguish without hope, begged Fingon to shoot him with his bow; and Fingon strung an arrow, and bent his bow. And seeing no better hope he cried to Manwë, saying: ‘O King to whom all birds are dear, speed now this feathered shaft, and recall some pity for the Noldor in their need!’"
- ― The Silmarillion, Of the Return of the Noldor
Fingon (S, pron. [ˈfiŋɡon]), called 'the Valiant' by Maedros, was a High King of the Noldor in Beleriand during the First Age. He was the eldest son of Fingolfin, and the elder brother of Turgon, Aredhel, and Argon.[note 1]
History
Life in Valinor
Fingon was the eldest son of Fingolfin and Anairë, born in Valinor some time before Y.T. 1300[1], the year of birth of his younger brother Turgon.
He was impetuous and a great warrior. While in Valinor he became a close friend to his first cousin Maedros son of Fëanor, despite the feud between their fathers.
The Darkening of Valinor
After the Darkening of Valinor in Y.T. 1495[2], his uncle Fëanor returned from Formenos where he had been exiled, to Tirion, claiming the Kingship of the Noldor after his father Finwë's death at the hands of Morgoth and speaking fiery words leading the Noldor to Middle-earth; while Fingon did not love him, he was influenced by his words, though his father Fingolfin and brother Turgon spoke fiercely against Fëanor.[3]
The First Kinslaying
Urged on by his son Fingon, Fingolfin chose to follow Fëanor when it became clear that nine-tenths of the people of Tirion would follow him, so as not to abandon his people, and Fingon led the vanguard of those following his father. Fingon and his people arrived at Alqualondë shortly after Fëanor began the First Kinslaying, and assuming that the Valar had ordered the Teleri to stop the Noldor from fleeing to Middle-earth, entered the battle.[3]
Fëanor, distrustful of the followers of his half-brothers, secretly left for Middle-earth in the stolen Telerin ships with his most trusted followers, disembarking at Losgar at the mouth of the Firth of Drengist, leaving them behind. His son Maedros thought that they would sail back for those they had left behind, asking his father who they would sail back for, specifically mentioning Fingon and calling him "the Valiant", but his father burned the ships while Maedros stood aside. When Fëanor's betrayal was discovered, Fingolfin's determination to reach Middle-earth increased, and he, with Finrod, Galadriel and his son Fingon, who was "bold and fiery of heart, and loath to abandon any task", led his people across the Helcaraxë.[3]
Life in Beleriand
The Rescue of Maedros
Soon after they arrived in Middle-earth in F.A. 1[4], they were assailed by Orcs in the Lammoth; Fingon's youngest brother Argon was slain in this battle.[5]
Fingolfin and his followers met the sons of Fëanor in Mithrim; there they found out that Maedros had been captured by Morgoth. Fingon decided to unite the Noldor before Morgoth was ready for battle, and remembering their friendship in Valinor, he went out to search for Maedros in F.A. 5[6]. He climbed onto Thangorodrim, but found no way to enter Angband. He then took out his harp and started singing; Maedros answered and Fingon found him hung by the wrist of his right hand upon Thangorodrim in great pain.[7]
Maedros begged his friend to end his torment by shooting him with his bow; however, with the help of Thorondor, Fingon freed him by cutting off Maedros' right hand. This daring rescue, along with Maedros' repentance for the desertion of Fingolfin's host in Araman and relinquishment of his claim as Finwë's heir to kingship over all the Noldor in favour of his uncle (which caused the Fëanorians to be known as "the Dispossessed"), did much to repair the ill feelings between the House of Fingolfin and the House of Fëanor. Maedros and his brothers then moved to East Beleriand after consulting with the Houses of Fingolfin and Finarfin.[7]
Fingon in Hithlum
Fingolfin assigned Fingon to the lordship of Dor-lómin in western Hithlum; however, Fingon stayed with his father at the fortress of Eithel Sirion where they monitored Ard-galen during the Siege of Angband after the Dagor Aglareb in which the Noldor won a great victory and beleaguered Angband in F.A. 60. Morgoth once attempted to surprise them with an army of orcs, but Fingon fought them off; he also drove the dragon Glaurung back to Angband when he first came forth in F.A. 260.[8][7]
Dagor Bragollach
In F.A. 455[9], Morgoth broke the Siege of Angband in the battle known as the Dagor Bragollach, and scattered the sons of Fëanor and took Dorthonion from Angrod and Aegnor, the sons of Finarfin, who were slain. Fingolfin and Fingon were stuck in Hithlum and much of northern Beleriand was taken by Morgoth. Fingolfin received false report that his allies had been routed on all fronts and he became filled with wrath and despair, taking his horse Rochallor and sword Ringil and riding to Angband to challenge Morgoth in single combat. He gave Morgoth eight permanent wounds, but was eventually slain, while his body was brought by Thorondor to Gondolin, the hidden city where Turgon the brother of Fingon had moved to in F.A. 116[10]. Fingon then in sorrow took up the High Kingship of the Noldor.[11]
Nirnaeth Arnoediad
Taking hope upon hearing the deeds of Beren and Lúthien, Maedros gathered his brothers, and united with Fingon and the other Elven Houses to create the Union of Maedros in F.A. 468[12], an alliance of Elves, Men, and Dwarves to drive the Orcs from Beleriand and lay siege to Angband. Under Maedros' leadership, the Union won several battles and regained the territory lost in the Dagor Bragollach.[13]
Their next goal in F.A. 472 was to attack Angband in the battle that would become known as the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, Maedros from the east and Fingon from the west. On the day of battle, Maedros had been delayed by false rumours of a traitor in his army, and Fingon waited for him according to plan, despite the armies' anxiousness to start the attack. Morgoth then commanded that Fingon's army be drawn into a rash attack by any means; his captain brought Gelmir the brother of Gwindor of Nargothrond out from Angband, where he had been a prisoner since the Dagor Bragollach, and he was mutilated and killed in front of Fingon's army. Gwindor, who was present at the battle, charged forward and Fingon followed him.[13]
His brother Turgon reached him and on the third day Maedros finally arrived, attacking from behind, and Fingon was nearly victorious; but Morgoth sent forth his last resources. Gothmog, the Lord of the Balrogs, came and separated Fingon from Turgon, surrounding the former, before attacking Fingon. Fingon's guard was eventually killed and he fought Gothmog alone until another Balrog came behind him and surrounded him with his thong of fire, and Gothmog clove the head and helm of Fingon with his black axe.[13]
And thus fell the High King of the Noldor, and they beat him into the dust with their maces, and his banner, blue and silver, they trod into the mire of his blood.[13]
His brother Turgon by right became the High King of the Noldor, although after the battle he returned to the secrecy of his hidden city of Gondolin.[13]
Etymology
Fingon is the Sindarized version of his Quenya father-name, Findecáno. The latter consists of findë ("hair") + cáno ("commander").[14][15]
Other Versions of the Legendarium
In the published The Silmarillion Fingon was the father of Gil-galad, but this was an editorial mistake by Christopher Tolkien, and is said "to have no wife or children". Argon does not appear in the published Silmarillion at all.
Genealogy
Notes
- ↑ Argon only appears in very late writings by Tolkien as published in The History of Middle-earth, and is left out of the published The Silmarillion.
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "The Annals of Aman": Note on §85
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "The Annals of Aman": §107-128
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 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 War of the Jewels, "The Grey Annals": §55
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XI. The Shibboleth of Fëanor"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "The Grey Annals": §61
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Return of the Noldor"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "The Grey Annals": §260
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "The Grey Annals": §145
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "The Grey Annals": §111
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "The Grey Annals": §212
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XI. The Shibboleth of Fëanor", "The names of Finwë's descendants", p. 345
- ↑ 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), p. 113
| Fingon House of Fingolfin Born: during the Years of the Trees Died: F.A. 472 | ||
| Preceded by: Fingolfin | High King of the Noldor F.A. 456 – 472 | Followed by: Turgon |
