Fingon
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Fingon is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Silmarillion.
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[edit] Character overview
The song of Fingon Elves yet sing,
captain of armies, Gnomish king,
who fell at last in flame of swords
with his white banners and his lords.[1]
He was a Noldorin Elf, called "the valiant" in The Silmarillion,[2] the eldest son of Fingolfin, older brother of Turgon, Aredhel, and Argon. His name was a Sindarin form of his Quenya name Findekáno for which Tolkien gave differing interpretations: (Q. 'fin'=skill, 'káne'=hero) name="skilled hero"[3] and later: (Q. 'finde'=hair, 'káno'=commander, chieftain).[4]
[edit] Biography
Fingon went with his father and most other Noldor, who pursued Morgoth, from Aman to Middle-earth at the beginning of the First Age. He achieved renown soon after for his daring rescue of Maedhros, who had been captured and imprisoned by Morgoth in Thangorodrim. After this act of friendship, regretting the desertion of Fingolfin's host, Maedhros yielded his right for kingship to the house of Fingolfin. Fingolfin gave Fingon a domain in Dor-lómin, in the west of Hithlum, where he did good service during the Siege of Angband; defeating Orcs that attempted to go around to the north and attack Hithlum from the west. Fingon later led a cavalry of Noldorin horse archers[5] to fight against the dragon Glaurung when he first came forth from Angband. Surrounding Glaurung they wounded him with many arrows and he fled back to Angband.
Fingon became High King when Fingolfin died fighting Morgoth after the Dagor Bragollach. Seven years later, Morgoth's forces invaded Hithlum, and Fingon was hard-pressed and outnumbered, but rescued by Círdan and his people of the Falas, who came up the Firth of Drengist in their ships.
In the Battle of the Nírnaeth Arnoediad, Fingon was nearly victorious; but at the end he was killed by Gothmog Lord of Balrogs.
His brother Turgon by right became the High King of the Noldor, although after the battle he returned to the secrecy of Gondolin.
| Preceded by Fingolfin |
High King of the Noldor Y.S. 455 - Y.S. 472 |
Succeeded by Turgon |
[edit] Other versions of the legendarium
In the published Silmarillion, edited by Christopher Tolkien, Fingon is the father of Gil-galad. Argon does not appear in the published Silmarillion.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Tolkien, J. R. R. (1985), Christopher Tolkien, ed., The Lays of Beleriand, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, The Lay of Leithian p. 212, ISBN 0-395-39429-5
- ^ J.R.R.Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, editor,The Silmarillion, Houghton Mifflin, 1977,p.109
- ^ Tolkien, J. R. R. (1987), Christopher Tolkien, ed., The Lost Road and Other Writings, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, "The Etymologies", ISBN 0-395-45519-7
- ^ Tolkien, J. R. R. (1996), Christopher Tolkien, ed., The Peoples of Middle-earth, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, p. 344, ISBN 0-395-82760-4
- ^ Tolkien, J. R. R. (1994), Christopher Tolkien, ed., The War of the Jewels, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, The Grey Annals p.46, ISBN 0-395-71041-3
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