House of Fingolfin

Fingolfin was one of the noblest and heroic sons of Finwë. His half-brother Fëanor and he did not share a very close bond, and this absence of intimacy and affinity developed into a bitter rivalry between them. The seeds of this conflict were sown by Melkor, who reported to each of them that each was conniving to drive the other out of the Land of Tirion. [1] After the escape of Melkor from Valinor however, Fingolfin publicly forgave Fëanor and called him “Half-brother in blood, full brother in Heart”,

The House of Fingolfin involved the scions and adherents of Fingolfin, the Second Son of Finwë. He was the high King of Ñoldor and established the house of Fingolfin during the ‘Years of the Trees”. Fingolfin wed Anairë, and they brought into existence four children; Fingon, Turgon, Aredhel, and Argon. This family resided in Tirion until the entire household, except for Anairë, followed the house of Fëanor into exile.

Maedhros bestowed upon Fingolfin Kingship, following which he was declared as the High King of Noldor. In his initial years of exile, Fingolfin held lands to northwest Beleriand Hithlum, Nevrast, and Gondolin. In c. F.A. 510, Hithlum was invaded by Morgoth, the greatest of Ainur in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, where Fingon was assassinated. The rest of the House of Fingolfin, including Ereinion Gil-Galad, the son of Fingon, was succored by Cirdan in the Grey Havens. After Nirnaeth, Tuor, the son of Huor was sent as an emissary to Gondolin where he wed Idril, the daughter of Turgon. Tuor introduced to the House of Fingolfin ‘Men’, the sons of Ilúvatar who were identified as half-elven. This name grew out of the indecisiveness that centered around the identification of those who were half men and half-elves. Immediately after the collapse of Gondolin, the survivors of the house moved to and lived as exiles at the ‘Mouth of Sirion’ or in the ‘Falas’. This was their continued existence and state until Eärendil, a scion of Turgon, the second son of Fingolfin, sailed to the West to seek the aid of the Valar, who in the ‘War of Wrath’ in c. F.A 583, overthrew Morgoth. [2]

The name Fingolfin is a Sindarin form of the name Ñolofinwë which translates in English to ‘Wise Finwë’. In the Noldorin phase of the language, however, Fingolfin is translated as ‘Magic Skill’.

1. ^Character Biography: Fingolfin by Oshun.
2. ^Ask About Middle Earth — Names in the House of Fingolfin.