The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Finrod was born in Valinor during the Years of the Trees, and was lost in I 465; Elves claiming allegiance to this House were still to be found in Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age
Race
Division
Culture
Settlements
Lords of Nargothrond in Beleriand before the end of the First Age
Pronunciation
Finrod is pronounced 'fi'nrod'
Meaning
Finrod means approximately 'mighty descendant of Finwë'
Other names
Possibly equivalent to the House of Finarfin (see text for more on this topic)

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 29 August 2013
  • This entry is complete

House of Finrod

The nobility of Nargothrond

Finarfin
Eärwen
Finrod
Orodreth
Angrod
Aegnor
Galadriel
Finduilas
Celebrían

The House of Finrod Felagund, showing Finrod's own descent from Finarfin, to whom the house's name may in fact refer (see the text for further explanation).

The family and followers of Finrod Felagund, the eldest son of Finarfin and the founder of the citadel of Nargothrond. Finrod himself died in the First Age and left no descendants, so when Gildor Inglorion claimed that he belonged to the House of Finrod in the late Third Age, he must mean that he came from a noble house connected with the King of Nargothrond, but not directly descended from him.

At least, that explanation fits the nomenclature laid out in the published Silmarillion. However, the writing of Gildor's passage in The Lord of the Rings predates a shift in names, so it seems that Gildor's 'Finrod' may not be the same character as the 'Finrod' of The Silmarillion, which postdates the name changes. According to the old scheme, 'Finrod' referred to the character now known as 'Finarfin', while that character's eldest son, later called 'Finrod', was originally named 'Inglor'. This is particularly interesting, because Gildor's surname Inglorion actually means 'son of Inglor'.

On that basis, it's possible that Gildor in fact meant that he belonged to the House of Finarfin, rather than that of Finrod, and that he himself was Finrod's son, not mentioned elsewhere. This is all open to question, though, because after the shift in names, Tolkien himself revised the text of The Lord of the Rings, but left Gildor's reference to the House of Finrod unchanged. Either this was a simple oversight, or he really did intend for the House's name to stand.


Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 29 August 2013
  • This entry is complete

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