Ufedhin

Ufedhin
Elf
Biographical Information
Location	Artanor
Physical Description
Gender	Male
Gallery	Images of Ufedhin

Ufedhin was an Elf of the First Age notable for his treachery of Tinwelint, king of Artanor.

History

Ufedhin was a Gnome who abode in Artanor. He was very wealthy and when Úrin brought the treasure of Nargothrond before Tinwelint as a payment for his "fair keeping" of his wife and children, Tinwelint, on the advice of Gwendelin, wanted to throw the treasure into the river, but Ufedhin tried to convince him otherwise, and due to the curse of Mîm the Dwarf which lay upon the treasure, Tinwelint decided to keep it.

Again, on the advice of Ufedhin, who was very close in friendship with Indrafangs, the Dwarves of Nogrod, Tinwelint was convinced to ask their aid in the reshaping of the gold. So when the Indrafangs agreed to work for Tinwelint, he sent half of the gold to Nogrod as a loan, and kept the other half, which they were bidden to remake and reshape into many different objects.

However, Tinwelint, already blinded by greed, decided to take Ufedhin as a hostage, so that the Dwarves would not trick him. Because of this, Ufedhin was furious, and planned to take revenge on the king. After a time, when the Dwarves finished their work, including the Nauglafring, the Necklace of the Dwarves, Ufedhin convinced them to ask of the king an all but impossible price. At that, the king ordered Ufedhin and the Dwarves to be whipped and paid with a shamefully low price.

Later Naugladur, king of the Indrafangs, hearing the news of what had happened in Artanor, and also receiving a message from Bodruith, king of Belegost, of the death of Mîm and the true nature of the acquisition of Glorund's gold, was furious and decided to wage a war against Tinwelint.

Ufedhin offered to guide them through the Girdle around Artanor, and at that time another Elf, Narthseg, coming from Artanor revealed to Naugladur that Tinwelint would commemorate the Hunting of the Wolf with a great hunt in the woods near the borders of Artanor.

There, Tinwelint was slain by Naugladur, and the army of Nogrod ravaged Artanor. Coming to Menegroth, with Naugladur holding Tinwelint's head and bearing the Nauglafring around his neck, Ufedhin walked to the throne of Tinwelint and sat right next to Gwendelin his wife, who reprimanded him for his actions, and that memory never left Ufedhin.

On the way back to Nogrod, Ufedhin tried to slay Naugladur at sleep, lusting for the Nauglafring. But Bodruith, who also lusted after it, tried to kill Ufedhin in turn, but was slain by him. At that Naugladur awoke, but Ufedhin had already fled. While he was fleeing he was caught by the Green-elves led by Beren who had already heard about the sack of Artanor and Tinwelint's death by Gwendelin. However, he concealed his identity and told Beren where Naugladur and his host would pass on their way back to Nogrod.

In the end, when Beren's army annihilated the Dwarves, and Beren himself slew Naugladur, Ufedhin saw Gwendelin for the final time, and he could not endure the sight of her, and fled screaming in pain and terror, and none knew what had happened to him afterwards.

References

• The Book of Lost Tales II: The Nauglafring