Fingolfin is known in history as the High King of the Noldor and the King of the north. He founded the house of Fingolfin, who ruled the Ă‘oldor of Middle-earth. Fingolfin is known to be very fond of his steed, Rochallor, who was described as the most magnificent horse in the First Age.
Biography
Fingolfin is the eldest son of Finwë and Indis. He is considered to be the most courageous and the strongest among all the children of Finwë. Finwë sired a lot of children from different women. The siblings of Fingolfin are Findis, Írimë, Finarfin, and Fëanor. Fingolfin married Anairë, an elf maiden of Valinor. Anairë gave birth to four children: Argon, Aredhel, Turgon, and Fingon.
History
Fingolfin in Valinor
Fingolfin was born during the Noontide of Valinor, in Tirion, Valinor. Among the children of Finwë, the half brothers and sisters kept a distance from Fëanor, who was known to be scornful of their family situation. Despite this, they all lived in peace for many centuries. However, peace was broken when Melkor, the source of evil in Arda and considered the most powerful Valar, was released from imprisonment. Melkor’s malice had only grown while in prison.
He longed to set his revenge on the elves for causing his downfall. Among the three bands of elves dwelling in Aman, the Ă‘oldor were the only ones who welcomed him. They believed that Melkor had truly repented and had great respect for his knowledge as the wisest among the Valar. Melkor was able to gain the trust and confidence of the elves, and he started to slowly cause trouble by spreading half-truths and lies among them.
These lies and half-truths spread out among the Ñoldor and created rifts between the elves. Among these lies, Melkor spread that the Valar were restraining the Ñoldor from going to Middle-earth. With such rumors circulating, the Ñoldor eventually forgot that the most significant gift the Valar gave them was utter free will. As each day passes, more Ñoldor started to distrust and doubted the intentions of the Valar. Fëanor was one of the first who spoke out against the Valar. This caused Finwë to summon all the lords in his house.
Here, Fingolfin convinced Finwë to take measures to restrain Fëanor from speaking out against the Valar. It turned out that Fëanor was one of those most affected by Melkor’s malice. One of the lies being spread was that the sons of Ildis, the eldest of which is Fingolfin, planned to challenge Fëanor as the rightful heir of Finwë, and they also plotted to take the Silmarils for themselves. Fëanor already had a strained relationship with his half-siblings, so he had no trouble believing this rumor. When Fëanor arrived in Finwë’s chambers.
He overheard Fingolfin and threatened him with weapons he secretly forged. Fingolfin, who was unarmed, acknowledged Fëanor as his senior and left the chambers. Despite this, Fëanor still followed Fingolfin outside and threatened him again in public – a threat made in the main square, which was witnessed by a lot of the Ñoldor. Fëanor drew his sword and placed the pointed edge to Fingolfin’s breast. Fingolfin bore the public humiliation and walked away without a word. He did not want to cause any division in his father’s house or among the Ñoldor. When the Valar heard what Fëanor did to Fingolfin, they called on him and asked for an explanation. It was only then that the malicious lies of Melkor were discovered.
Despite this, FĂ«anor was still punished for threatening Fingolfin with violence. He was banished to the north and made to stay in the fortress of Formenos. [1] Twelve years later, FĂ«anor and Fingolfin reconciled when they saw each other during a festival in Valinor. However, FĂ«anor was hesitant to do so. Fingolfin publicly forgave FĂ«anor, and all was well. However, During the festival, Melkor and Ungoliant, a monstrous spider, attacked Valinor and killed the Two Trees of Valinor. This caused darkness all over Aman. The assault continued in the fortress of Formenos.
Here, Melkor was able to kill Finwë and get his hands on the Silmarils of Fëanor. Blinded by his grief, anger, and pride, Feanor wanted his revenge on Melkor, who was now renamed to Morgoth. He called on the rest of Ñoldor to help him get vengeance by convincing them to run after Morgoth in Middle-earth. He promised the elves who would help him glories and treasures. The Ñoldor were not convinced and turned to Fingolfin, who, they trusted more. Fingolfin swore earlier to uphold Fëanor’s place as the elder brother when they made up. Fingolfin also did not want to leave his people in the hands of Fëanor when they reach Middle-earth. So, despite not wanting to leave Valinor, he decided to accompany Fëanor to Middle-earth.
He longed to set his revenge on the elves for causing his downfall. Among the three bands of elves dwelling in Aman, the Ă‘oldor were the only ones who welcomed him. They believed that Melkor had truly repented and had great respect for his knowledge as the wisest among the Valar. Melkor was able to gain the trust and confidence of the elves, and he started to slowly cause trouble by spreading half-truths and lies among them.
These lies and half-truths spread out among the Ñoldor and created rifts between the elves. Among these lies, Melkor spread that the Valar were restraining the Ñoldor from going to Middle-earth. With such rumors circulating, the Ñoldor eventually forgot that the most significant gift the Valar gave them was utter free will. As each day passes, more Ñoldor started to distrust and doubted the intentions of the Valar. Fëanor was one of the first who spoke out against the Valar. This caused Finwë to summon all the lords in his house.
Here, Fingolfin convinced Finwë to take measures to restrain Fëanor from speaking out against the Valar. It turned out that Fëanor was one of those most affected by Melkor’s malice. One of the lies being spread was that the sons of Ildis, the eldest of which is Fingolfin, planned to challenge Fëanor as the rightful heir of Finwë, and they also plotted to take the Silmarils for themselves. Fëanor already had a strained relationship with his half-siblings, so he had no trouble believing this rumor. When Fëanor arrived in Finwë’s chambers.
He overheard Fingolfin and threatened him with weapons he secretly forged. Fingolfin, who was unarmed, acknowledged Fëanor as his senior and left the chambers. Despite this, Fëanor still followed Fingolfin outside and threatened him again in public – a threat made in the main square, which was witnessed by a lot of the Ñoldor. Fëanor drew his sword and placed the pointed edge to Fingolfin’s breast. Fingolfin bore the public humiliation and walked away without a word. He did not want to cause any division in his father’s house or among the Ñoldor. When the Valar heard what Fëanor did to Fingolfin, they called on him and asked for an explanation. It was only then that the malicious lies of Melkor were discovered.
Despite this, FĂ«anor was still punished for threatening Fingolfin with violence. He was banished to the north and made to stay in the fortress of Formenos. [1] Twelve years later, FĂ«anor and Fingolfin reconciled when they saw each other during a festival in Valinor. However, FĂ«anor was hesitant to do so. Fingolfin publicly forgave FĂ«anor, and all was well. However, During the festival, Melkor and Ungoliant, a monstrous spider, attacked Valinor and killed the Two Trees of Valinor. This caused darkness all over Aman. The assault continued in the fortress of Formenos.
Here, Melkor was able to kill Finwë and get his hands on the Silmarils of Fëanor. Blinded by his grief, anger, and pride, Feanor wanted his revenge on Melkor, who was now renamed to Morgoth. He called on the rest of Ñoldor to help him get vengeance by convincing them to run after Morgoth in Middle-earth. He promised the elves who would help him glories and treasures. The Ñoldor were not convinced and turned to Fingolfin, who, they trusted more. Fingolfin swore earlier to uphold Fëanor’s place as the elder brother when they made up. Fingolfin also did not want to leave his people in the hands of Fëanor when they reach Middle-earth. So, despite not wanting to leave Valinor, he decided to accompany Fëanor to Middle-earth.
Fingolfin in Middle-earth
Three Ñoldor hosts left Tirion and headed for Middle-earth. The first group was led by Fëanor, the second and largest group was headed by Fingolfin, and the third and smallest group was headed by Fingolfin’s brother, Finarfin. The group of Fingolfin took a while to leave since most of the group were still reluctant about leaving Valinor. This delay caused Fingolfin to make a mistake that resulted in the first insulating. [2] The kinslaying started when Fëanor tried to capture the fleet of seafaring Teleri elves. He believed owning the fleet will help them reach Middle-earth quickly and safely.
The Teleri resisted, and Fingolfin’s group came across this scene when they caught up with Fëanor. Seeing this, Fingolfin misinterpreted the battle and thought that the Teleri were sent by the Valar to stop the Ñoldor from reaching Middle-earth. With this assumption, Fingolfin and his group joined the fight against the Teleri. Elf slaughtered elf - this completed the first elven insulating. After the slaughter of the Teleri elves and the theft of the fleet.
The Ñoldor met a figure who proclaimed that a terrible doom would come upon them for the kinslaying. The figure was believed to be Mandos, a Vala responsible for judging the spirits of all dead elves. Upon hearing this and knowing that they did not participate in the kinslaying, Finarfin’s group retreated and returned to Tirion. The rest of the Ñoldor continued their journey north. As the journey started to become difficult and dangerous, a lot of the Ñoldor started voicing out how upset they were about the kinslaying and started to detest Fëanor for taking them away from their homes. Fëanor, in response, took those who remained loyal to him and departed one night with all of the Teleri ships, leaving behind Fingolfin and the rest of the Ñoldor.
When they reached Middle-earth, Fëanor burned the Teleri ships. The fires were seen by Fingolfin’s group, and they knew that Fëanor had betrayed them. With the ships gone, the only way to reach Middle-earth was to cross the Helcaraxë, a dangerous and icy wasteland. They could have the option of turning around and returning to Tirion in disgrace. They will have to face the punishment of the Valar for their participation in the kinslaying. Fingolfin opted to continue the journey to Middle-earth with the hopes that he will be able to confront his half-brother for his betrayal. As they crossed the Helcaraxë, most of Fingolfin’s group were unable to survive the journey. This increased the anger and bitterness the entire group felt for Fëanor’s group.
Fingolfin and his group came to Middle-earth at FA1 at sunrise. Upon their arrival, they were attacked by an orc army. Fingolfin’s group was able to survive the attack and destroy the orcs. However, Fingolfin also lost his youngest child during the battle. With the orc group gone, Fingolfin and his group were able to approach the doors of Angband, where Morgoth’s fortress stood. However, Morgoth and his servants stayed hidden inside because of the light of the new sun. Fingolfin and his group were able to pass through until they reached Lake Mithrim, where part of Fëanor’s group had stayed. It turned out that when Fëanor’s group arrived in Middle-earth, they had fought against the forces of Morgoth and had easily defeated them.
However, Morgoth was not actually in the battle himself. Fëanor’s pride and anger caused him to pursue Morgoth’s remaining forces with only a small group of elves with him. The rest of Fëanor’s group had withdrawn to the shores of Lake Mithrim. The small vanguard of elves encountered a few balrogs, and Fëanor died at the hands of Gothmog, the Lord of the balrogs. With the death of Fëanor, Morgoth sent a false parley to the Fëanor’s eldest son, Maedhros, who was now the new leader of Fëanor’s group. Both sides expected to be betrayed during the parley, so they both came with a greater force than what was agreed upon in the site of negotiation. The balrogs that came with Morgoth easily defeated the elves, and Maedhros was captured.
Maedhros was chained to a cliff by one hand, and Morgoth left him hanging there. When Fingon, the son of Fingolfin, heard of this, he immediately wanted to rescue Maedhros. Maedhros and Fingon have been good friends before in Valinor. Fingon was able to save Maedhros, and both returned to gather the two groups. Maedhros waived all claim to kingship to keep the Ă‘oldor united, and because of this, Fingolfin became the High King of Ă‘oldor. Fingolfin established great kingdoms in Beleriand, each strategically positioned that the attacks of Morgoth were easily repelled. After the victory of Dagor Aglareb, Fingolfin established the Siege of Angband. He then ruled in prosperity and peace in his palace in Hithlum. On FA 20, Fingolfin hosted the feast of Mereth Aderthad in Eithel Irvin. The banquet was famous in Middle-earth as all emissaries from all elves in Beleriand attended the gathering.
The Teleri resisted, and Fingolfin’s group came across this scene when they caught up with Fëanor. Seeing this, Fingolfin misinterpreted the battle and thought that the Teleri were sent by the Valar to stop the Ñoldor from reaching Middle-earth. With this assumption, Fingolfin and his group joined the fight against the Teleri. Elf slaughtered elf - this completed the first elven insulating. After the slaughter of the Teleri elves and the theft of the fleet.
The Ñoldor met a figure who proclaimed that a terrible doom would come upon them for the kinslaying. The figure was believed to be Mandos, a Vala responsible for judging the spirits of all dead elves. Upon hearing this and knowing that they did not participate in the kinslaying, Finarfin’s group retreated and returned to Tirion. The rest of the Ñoldor continued their journey north. As the journey started to become difficult and dangerous, a lot of the Ñoldor started voicing out how upset they were about the kinslaying and started to detest Fëanor for taking them away from their homes. Fëanor, in response, took those who remained loyal to him and departed one night with all of the Teleri ships, leaving behind Fingolfin and the rest of the Ñoldor.
When they reached Middle-earth, Fëanor burned the Teleri ships. The fires were seen by Fingolfin’s group, and they knew that Fëanor had betrayed them. With the ships gone, the only way to reach Middle-earth was to cross the Helcaraxë, a dangerous and icy wasteland. They could have the option of turning around and returning to Tirion in disgrace. They will have to face the punishment of the Valar for their participation in the kinslaying. Fingolfin opted to continue the journey to Middle-earth with the hopes that he will be able to confront his half-brother for his betrayal. As they crossed the Helcaraxë, most of Fingolfin’s group were unable to survive the journey. This increased the anger and bitterness the entire group felt for Fëanor’s group.
Fingolfin and his group came to Middle-earth at FA1 at sunrise. Upon their arrival, they were attacked by an orc army. Fingolfin’s group was able to survive the attack and destroy the orcs. However, Fingolfin also lost his youngest child during the battle. With the orc group gone, Fingolfin and his group were able to approach the doors of Angband, where Morgoth’s fortress stood. However, Morgoth and his servants stayed hidden inside because of the light of the new sun. Fingolfin and his group were able to pass through until they reached Lake Mithrim, where part of Fëanor’s group had stayed. It turned out that when Fëanor’s group arrived in Middle-earth, they had fought against the forces of Morgoth and had easily defeated them.
However, Morgoth was not actually in the battle himself. Fëanor’s pride and anger caused him to pursue Morgoth’s remaining forces with only a small group of elves with him. The rest of Fëanor’s group had withdrawn to the shores of Lake Mithrim. The small vanguard of elves encountered a few balrogs, and Fëanor died at the hands of Gothmog, the Lord of the balrogs. With the death of Fëanor, Morgoth sent a false parley to the Fëanor’s eldest son, Maedhros, who was now the new leader of Fëanor’s group. Both sides expected to be betrayed during the parley, so they both came with a greater force than what was agreed upon in the site of negotiation. The balrogs that came with Morgoth easily defeated the elves, and Maedhros was captured.
Maedhros was chained to a cliff by one hand, and Morgoth left him hanging there. When Fingon, the son of Fingolfin, heard of this, he immediately wanted to rescue Maedhros. Maedhros and Fingon have been good friends before in Valinor. Fingon was able to save Maedhros, and both returned to gather the two groups. Maedhros waived all claim to kingship to keep the Ă‘oldor united, and because of this, Fingolfin became the High King of Ă‘oldor. Fingolfin established great kingdoms in Beleriand, each strategically positioned that the attacks of Morgoth were easily repelled. After the victory of Dagor Aglareb, Fingolfin established the Siege of Angband. He then ruled in prosperity and peace in his palace in Hithlum. On FA 20, Fingolfin hosted the feast of Mereth Aderthad in Eithel Irvin. The banquet was famous in Middle-earth as all emissaries from all elves in Beleriand attended the gathering.
The Duel of Fingolfin and Morgoth
Although the elves had no problem dealing with Morgoth’s orc forces, they still were not strong enough to take down Angband and overthrow Morgoth. Morgoth himself had spent time increasing his forces and trying to create new creatures that were deadlier than the orcs. Four hundred years had passed when the Dagor Bragollahc started. Morgoth believed that he had enough soldiers and creatures to assure his victory, so they attacked Beleriand.
Morgoth’s army of orcs, balrogs, and Glaurung, the first fire-breathing dragon, immediately overran the elves’ defenses. The volcanoes around Beleriand started having massive eruptions, and the flame and magma added more damage to the elven kingdom. The loss of so many elves and kingdoms were mourned by Fingolfin. He felt great despair and wrath towards Morgoth. Because of this, he decided to march to Angband and challenge Morgoth to single combat. People who have seen him riding his steed, Rochallor, to Angband have mistaken him for the Vala Oromë, the Great Rider who hunted Middle-earth.
Seeing that Fingolfin was alone, Morgoth’s guards did not stop him from reaching the gates of Angband. At the gates, Fingolfin shouted his challenge to Morgoth and insulting him for not facing him right away. Although powerful, Morgoth was reluctant to face Fingolfin in combat. Unlike the other Valar, Morgoth knew fear. However, Fingolfin’s insults were already demeaning, and Morgoth was starting to lose face before his captains and soldiers.
So, Morgoth wore his black armor and got his great mace. When Morgoth got out of the gates, Fingolfin drew out Ringil, his sword. The combat immediately began. Fingolfin was able to dodge Morgoth’s blows and had managed to wound the Dark Lord a couple of times. But after a time, Fingolfin started to grow tired. Morgoth used this opportunity to beat him to the ground, reminding him that no elf could beat a Vala. Eventually, Fingolfin stumbled backward, and Morgoth stepped into his neck and killed him.
Before he died, Fingolfin managed to make a last attempt to hurt Morgoth by stabbing Ringil into his heel. Morgoth broke Fingolfin’s body, intended to feed the carcass to his wolves. But before he could do so, King of Eagles, Thorondor, swooped down and used his talons to cut Morgoth’s face. Morgoth was surprised by the attack. As he was trying to recover from it, Thorondor got Fingolfin’s body and brought it to a mountaintop. There, Turgon, the second son of Fingolfin, built a cairn over his father’s remains. Fingon took over Fingolfin’s position as High King of the Ñoldor. It was said that the orcs never made any song to boast about this victory because the battle had a permanent effect on Morgoth. He was known to walk with a limp after the duel, caused by Fingolfin’s last move to stab him in the heel. The elves did not make songs out of it as well for their sorrow over the loss of a heroic king was too great.
Morgoth’s army of orcs, balrogs, and Glaurung, the first fire-breathing dragon, immediately overran the elves’ defenses. The volcanoes around Beleriand started having massive eruptions, and the flame and magma added more damage to the elven kingdom. The loss of so many elves and kingdoms were mourned by Fingolfin. He felt great despair and wrath towards Morgoth. Because of this, he decided to march to Angband and challenge Morgoth to single combat. People who have seen him riding his steed, Rochallor, to Angband have mistaken him for the Vala Oromë, the Great Rider who hunted Middle-earth.
Seeing that Fingolfin was alone, Morgoth’s guards did not stop him from reaching the gates of Angband. At the gates, Fingolfin shouted his challenge to Morgoth and insulting him for not facing him right away. Although powerful, Morgoth was reluctant to face Fingolfin in combat. Unlike the other Valar, Morgoth knew fear. However, Fingolfin’s insults were already demeaning, and Morgoth was starting to lose face before his captains and soldiers.
So, Morgoth wore his black armor and got his great mace. When Morgoth got out of the gates, Fingolfin drew out Ringil, his sword. The combat immediately began. Fingolfin was able to dodge Morgoth’s blows and had managed to wound the Dark Lord a couple of times. But after a time, Fingolfin started to grow tired. Morgoth used this opportunity to beat him to the ground, reminding him that no elf could beat a Vala. Eventually, Fingolfin stumbled backward, and Morgoth stepped into his neck and killed him.
Before he died, Fingolfin managed to make a last attempt to hurt Morgoth by stabbing Ringil into his heel. Morgoth broke Fingolfin’s body, intended to feed the carcass to his wolves. But before he could do so, King of Eagles, Thorondor, swooped down and used his talons to cut Morgoth’s face. Morgoth was surprised by the attack. As he was trying to recover from it, Thorondor got Fingolfin’s body and brought it to a mountaintop. There, Turgon, the second son of Fingolfin, built a cairn over his father’s remains. Fingon took over Fingolfin’s position as High King of the Ñoldor. It was said that the orcs never made any song to boast about this victory because the battle had a permanent effect on Morgoth. He was known to walk with a limp after the duel, caused by Fingolfin’s last move to stab him in the heel. The elves did not make songs out of it as well for their sorrow over the loss of a heroic king was too great.
