He was the first High King  of the Noldor in Beleriand.  

Refusing to abandon his people, he would  lead them through one of the most perilous  

journeys in history. His story would come  to a dramatic conclusion when he challenges  

Morgoth to single combat - striking fear  into the very heart of the dark lord.

Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we cover  the life and travels of Fingolfin.

In the Year of the Trees 1190, Fingolfin  is born to Finwe, the King of the Noldor,  

and his second wife Indis, their second child  and first son. In Noldorin, the name Fingolfin  

is said to mean “Magical Skill.” With his  first wife, Finwe had another son, Feanor.  

While Fingolfin would be the strongest and most  valiant of Finwe’s sons, Feanor was the greatest  

of all the Noldor, unmatched in his craftsmanship.  He was also greatly favored by their father.

What began as a mere lack of a bond between the  brothers would become a heated rivalry. In the  

days of the two trees, as Melkor lives freely in  Valinor, he begins to sew lies among the Noldor.  

In addition to his lies to the elves in general  that the Valar were unjustly preventing them  

from traveling back to Middle-earth,  he also tells both Fingolfin and Feanor  

that the other was planning on driving  them from the elven city of Tirion.

As Feanor begins to speak against the Valar,  Finwe calls a meeting to address the issue.  

As Fingolfin is attempting to convince his father  to restrain Feanor, the elder brother arrives…

But even as Fingolfin spoke, Fëanor strode into  the chamber, and he was fully armed: his high  

helm upon his head, and at his side a mighty  sword.

Then turning upon Fingolfin he drew his sword,  crying: ‘Get thee gone, and take thy due place!’

Feanor threatens the unarmed  Fingolfin, who bows to his father  

and makes to leave, only to be pursued by Feanor.  

Once again, Feanor threatens his brother,  placing his sword to Fingolfin’s chest.

The valar attempt to make amends between the  brothers. While Fingolfin offers forgiveness  

for his brother, Feanor leaves without a word.  For his deeds, Feanor is banished to Formenos.  

Going with him are not only his family, but his  father as well. Thus Fingolfin rules over the  

Noldor remaining in Tirion during the coming  years. With the deception of Melkor revealed,  

the dark lord disappears from the realm -  traveling South to enlist the help of Ungoliant.

In 1495, the Valar seek once again  to reconcile the brothers, as well  

as settle the festering hostility between  the elves and valar which Melkor had sowed. 

he met Fingolfin before the throne of  Manwë, and was reconciled, in word;  

and Fingolfin set at naught the unsheathing of the  sword. For Fingolfin held forth his hand, saying:  

Then Fëanor took his  

hand in silence; but Fingolfin said: 

In an effort to maintain peace among his people,  Fingolfin acknowledges Feanor as the heir of the  

Noldor and eldest of their family. During this  very feast, Melkor and Ungoliant destroy the  

two trees and travel to Formenos, where the  dark lord kills Finwe and steals Feanor’s  

silmarils. As they escape to the lands of  Beleriand, Valinor is covered in darkness.

Hearing this news, Feanor gives an  impassioned speech, which reaps the lies  

Melkor had sewn - that the valar were holding them  back from lands of their own and that they should  

pursue Melkor across the world. The majority  of the Noldor are swayed by Feanor’s speech,  

and wish to cross the sea to Middle-earth.  Though Fingolfin believes this to be unwise,  

he also decides to leave - not out of a  desire to go, but rather for love of his  

people - for he would not abandon them  to the leadership and whims of Feanor.

Feanor and his group of Noldor come to the  haven of Alqualonde, where they demand the  

Teleri elves to give them their ships. When the  Teleri refuse, Feanor and his people attack.  

Thus began the first kinslaying of elves killing  their fellow elves. While Feanor’s Noldor  

and the Teleri were pretty evenly matched,  the host of Fingolfin arrive at the havens  

and, misinterpreting the situation,  join the fight on the side of Feanor.

With the Noldor having routed the Teleri,  Feanor and his people take the ships,  

sailing to Middle-earth, as Fingolfin’s host  waits for the ships to be returned for their use.  

Feanor’s eldest son Maedhros asks which  ships and rowers they would send back…

Then Fëanor laughed as one fey, and he cried: 

This greatly troubles Maedhros, as he was close  friends with Fingolfin’s son, Fingon. Because  

the world is flat at this time, Fingolfin’s host  sees the flames from the burning of the ships.  

They now realize they are stranded, and  if they are to make it to Middle-earth,  

they must cross the great land bridge at  the north of the world - the Helcaraxe.

Fingolfin takes on the leadership of this large  group of Noldor, which also includes his four  

children and the house of his younger brother  Finarfin, and his children Finrod, Angrod,  

Aegnor, and Galadriel. The journey  across the grinding ice was long  

and perilous. Many elves died in the passage,  including the wife of Fingolfin’s son Turgon.

In the midst of the journey, the Valar create  the sun and the moon. At their first sight of  

the moon, the Noldor are filled with hope.  Little did they realize that by this time,  

Feanor is dead at the hands of Morgoth’s  balrogs, and the kingship has passed to Medhros.

And as the sun rises for the first time (in  the west), Fingolfin’s host comes to the gate  

of Angband, Morgoth’s great fortress.  However, Morgoth stays hidden inside.  

Realizing they could not defeat  the Dark Lord in this manner,  

they track back to the west, coming to  the northern shores of Lake Mithrim.

Learning that Maedhros had been captured by  Morgoth, Fingon sets out to rescue his cousin.  

With Thorondor, the lord of the great eagles,  they bear Maedhros from the place where he hung  

on the precipice of Thangorodrim. At a subsequent  council of the Noldor in Mithrim, and despite the  

objections of his brothers, Maedhros waives his  claim to the kingship. Thus Fingolfin becomes  

the first High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth.  He and his people settle in the lands of Hithlum,  

becoming a major force against  Morgoth in the north of Beleriand.

In 60 FA, Morgoth launches an offensive, hoping  to catch the elves off guard as they are still  

settling in their new lands. However, the  elves were far more vigilant than Morgoth’s  

spies were led to believe. Fingolfin attacks  from the west and Maedhros from the east,  

and the orcs of Morgoth are utterly destroyed  in the Dagor Aglareb - the Glorious Battle.

For the next 400 years of his rule, there would  be a great peace - the likes of which would never  

again come in the lands of Beleriand. In 422  FA, Fingolfin ponders a new assault upon Angband  

in effort to truly defeat Morgoth. However, most  of the Noldor, including the Sons of Feanor,  

were content with the state of siege and  hesitant about the cost of such an attack.

Then, one winter’s night in 455 SA,  Morgoth sends out rivers of flame,  

consuming the lands of Ar-galen. Elves stationed  throughout the great plain were killed as  

the flame and smoke causes mass confusion.  From Angband, Morgoth sends out his forces,  

led by the first dragon Glaurung, and the fearsome  balrogs. Dorthonion is overrun, Fingolfin’s  

nephews, and Galadriel’s brothers Angrod and  Aegnor are killed along with a great many elves.

Fingolfin and Finrod had marched with  a host to aid the elves of Dorthonion,  

but were driven back with heavy casualties.

Now news came to Hithlum that Dorthonion was  lost and the sons of Finarfin overthrown,  

and that the sons of Fëanor were driven from  their lands. Then Fingolfin beheld (as it  

seemed to him) the utter ruin of the Noldor, and  the defeat beyond redress of all their houses;  

and filled with wrath and despair he mounted upon  Rochallor his great horse and rode forth alone,  

and none might restrain him. He passed over  Dor-nu-Fauglith like a wind amid the dust,  

and all that beheld his onset fled in  amaze, thinking that Oromë himself was come:  

for a great madness of rage was upon him, so  that his eyes shone like the eyes of the Valar.  

Thus he came alone to Angband’s gates, and he  sounded his horn, and smote once more upon the  

brazen doors, and challenged Morgoth to come  forth to single combat. And Morgoth came.

Morgoth did not come willingly. He alone  of all the valar knew fear and this would  

be the last time he would issue forth from  his own gates. For he could not deny the  

challenge in front of his captains, and  is forced to answer Fingolfin’s call.

Therefore Morgoth... issued forth clad in black  armour; and he stood before the King like a tower,  

iron-crowned, and his vast shield, sable  unblazoned, cast a shadow over him like a  

stormcloud. But Fingolfin gleamed beneath it as  a star; for his mail was overlaid with silver,  

and his blue shield was set with crystals; and he  drew his sword Ringil, that glittered like ice.

Then Morgoth hurled aloft Grond, the Hammer of  the Underworld, and swung it down like a bolt of  

thunder. But Fingolfin sprang aside, and  Grond rent a mighty pit in the earth....  

Many times Morgoth essayed to smite him,  and each time Fingolfin leaped away...;  

and he wounded Morgoth with seven wounds, and  seven times Morgoth gave a cry of anguish,  

whereat the hosts of Angband fell upon their faces  in dismay, and the cries echoed in the Northlands.

But at the last the King grew weary, and  Morgoth bore down his shield upon him.  

Thrice he was crushed to his knees, and thrice  arose again and bore up his broken shield  

and stricken helm. But the earth was all...  pitted about him, and he stumbled and fell  

backward before the feet of Morgoth; and  Morgoth set his left foot upon his neck....  

Yet with his last and desperate stroke  Fingolfin hewed the foot with Ringil,  

and the blood gushed forth black and  smoking and filled the pits of Grond.

Thus died Fingolfin, High King of the Noldor,  

most proud and valiant of the Elven-kings of old.  The Orcs made no boast of that duel at the gate;  

neither do the Elves sing of it,  for their sorrow is too deep.

Fingolfin falls at the hands of the dark lord, yet  he would leave great wounds upon Morgoth’s foot  

that would never heal. From that day forward, the  dark lord would limp because of the High King.  

While Morgoth would surely have  desecrated the body of Fingolfin,  

he was not given the chance. Thorondor  comes again to the dark fortress,  

scratching Morgoth across the face  as he rescues Fingolfin’s body.

He bears the high king to the secret  city of his son Turgon. And there,  

upon a Mountaintop overlooking Gondolin,  

Turgon raises a cairn over the body of the  most valiant of the elven-kings of old. 

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