Finwë

As the first High King of the Ñoldor, [1] Finwë led his army through Middle-Earth to Valinor in the divine kingdom of Aman. Finwë and Elu Thingol, the King of Doriath, were best of friends. He had children named Fëanor, Fingolfin, Finarfin, Írimë, and Findis. He established the House of Finwë. Finwë, together with his two wives, were the ancestors of the three honorable settlements of Fëanor, Fingolfin, Finarfin. His three children reigned over the vast kingdoms of Middle-Earth and superseded him in Aman. Finwë also had a lineage akin to Men. Finwë was possibly among the newborn Elves, who was raised in Cuiviénen. He was specially made by Eru Ilúvatar.

Finwë was given birth or possibly raised in Middle-Earth in the far land of the east of Cuiviénen at the time of the Years of the Trees. When the Vala Oromë discovered the Elves while having a trip in Middle-Earth, Oromë took care of them. He convinced them to accompany him to Valinor to experience seeing its breathtaking scenery. But the Elves were doubtful of Oromë and became frightened. Hence, Oromë appointed ambassadors to embody the three kinships of Elves: the Vanyar, the Ñoldor, and the Teleri. They embodied their kinships and were administered to observe and note particular details of what they encountered. Among them was Finwë, who was with Ingwë and Elwë. They traveled to the divine kingdom along with Oromë.

When they came back, they finally persuaded the Elves to go to the Great Journey to the distant west. The bond between Finwë of the Ñoldor and Elwë of the Teleri was unbreakable. They soon became the next leaders of the kinships of the Elves. Then, Finwë was appointed as the Lord of the Ñoldor. He guided his fellows to the Great Journey. Later on, Finwë and his fellows, the Ñoldor, reached Valinor right at the back of the Vanyar.

Finwë and his fellows stayed there, and he became the First High King of the Ñoldor. Soon after, Finwë fell in love with Míriel Serindë and married her. Míriel Serindë also went with her dwellers, the Ñoldor, to Aman. She gave birth to a son named Fëanor, but she suffered right after giving birth. This made her so sick, and sadly, she passed away. Finwë mourned so deeply to the loss of his beloved wife. Then he met Indis of the Vanyar. They decided to get married, and Indis gave birth to four kids, namely Fingolfin, Finarfin, Findis, and Irimë. This time Melkor was set free from the Halls of Mandos.

He started nasty rumors about the Ñoldor and tried to defraud them. Finwë slowly led his nation to go back to the Valar. But to no avail, the Ñoldor started to make plans and new territories they could have created in Middle-Earth, and they were so pleased with it. But, Fëanor was suspicious of the Valar and began to believe the deceits. He gathered all his fortunes and would only permit his father or his sons to look into the Silmarils. He also started to doubt his half-brother, who tried to attack him, believing that he was the chosen son. He made a mess in Tirion by taking out his sword on Fingolin.

Because of this, he was ordered to leave the city. Finwë adored his son so much that he decided to help him carry his burden. They went far away to the northward and created the kingdom of Formenos. [2] Finwë, his son, and his grandchildren lived in the kingdom of Formenos. Afterward, when Fëanor was called upon to Valmar to make amends with his brother, Finwë put off his anger just because of the banishment of his son. Also, he did not want to see all of his people, for he was not anymore their leader. Finwë was soon killed in Valinor when Melkor encountered him at the entrance of Formenos looking for the Silmarils. This was the cause of the Revolt of the Ñoldor.

The name Finwë is not completely defined. In the Silmarillion, glossary Fin is defined as “hair,” while some references claimed that it is “skill.”

Míriel and Finwë had one son named Fëanor. Finwë and Indis had four children named Findis, Fingolfin, Irimë, and Finarfin. Fëanor married Nerdanel, and they had seven children, namely Maedhros, Maglor, Celegorm, Caranthir, Curufin, Amrod, and Amras. Fingolfin married Anairë and had four children, namely Fingon, Turgon, Aredhel, and Argon. Finarfin wedded Eärwen and had four children, namely, Finrod, Angrod, Aegnor, and Galadriel. Curufin was the father of Celebrimbor, and Angrod was the father of Orodreth.

Some early sketches of the ancestry, Finwë, only had four children. The youngest son was Finrun, but he was eliminated thereafter. Then Finrod, soon called Finarfin, became the youngest child of Finwë later on. This time, in the recent adaptation of the legendarium, Finwë had three lovely daughters from Indis. Findis was their first child, Faniel, their third child, and Finvain was their youngest daughter. In the latest adaptations, Faniel was excluded, while the others, Findis and Fincain, remained. Finvain, who changed her name to Irimë, was banished after Fingolfin, making Finarfin the youngest daughter of Finwë once more.

1. ^High King of the Noldor.
2. ^Formenos.