Фингольфин: Герой Сильмариллиона Толкина

Fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium

Fingolfin is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, appearing in The Silmarillion. He was the son of Finwë, High King of the Noldor. He was threatened by his half brother Fëanor, who held him in contempt for not being a pure bred Noldor. Even so, when Fëanor stole ships and left Aman, Fingolfin chose to follow him back to Middle earth, taking the dangerous route over the ice of the Helcaraxë. On arrival, he challenged the Dark Lord Morgoth at the gates of his fortress, Angband, but Morgoth stayed inside. When his son Fingon rescued Maedhros, son of Fëanor, Maedhros gratefully renounced his claim to kingship, and Fingolfin became High King of the Noldor. He was victorious at the battle of Dagor Aglareb, and there was peace for some 400 years until Morgoth broke out and destroyed Beleriand in the Dagor Bragollach. Fingolfin, receiving false news, rode alone to Angband and challenged Morgoth to single combat. He wounded Morgoth several times, but grew weary and was killed by the immortal Vala. Fingolfin has inspired artists, musicians and video game designers to create depictions of his deeds.

Fingolfin was the second son of Finwë, High King of the Noldor, a division of the Elves lower than the Vanyar but higher than the Teleri. He was full brother of Finarfin, and half brother of Fëanor, who was the eldest of Finwë's sons. He founded the House of Fingolfin which ruled the Noldor in Middle earth. His wife was Anairë and his children were Fingon, Turgon, Aredhel and Argon. Fingolfin was said to be the strongest, most steadfast, and most valiant of Finwë's sons. His name in Quenya—one of Tolkien's fictional languages—was Nolofinwë, or "wise Finwë". This was his father name; his mother name was Aracáno, or "High Chieftain", the same name as his youngest son Argon.

Fingolfin's mother was Finwë's second wife, Indis, after Míriel died, as was Finarfin. While they lived in Aman, there was always strife between the sons of Indis and Míriel's son Fëanor, mostly due to Melkor's treachery. However, Fingolfin would seek to forge a better relationship with Fëanor at every chance. Even after Fëanor threatened him with a sword and was banished from Tirion, Fingolfin forgave him and tried to mend their relationship. This occurred very soon before destruction of the Two Trees and the Darkening of Valinor. After this event and Fëanor's decision to leave Aman, Fingolfin chose to follow him into exile, so as not to abandon his people.

Fingolfin led the largest host of the Noldor when they fled Aman for Middle earth, even though he thought this unwise; he did not want to abandon his people to Fëanor. His followers participated in the Kinslaying at the Havens, but only because they arrived after the battle was underway not knowing that Fëanor was the aggressor. He led them across the ice of the Helcaraxë, an epic and arduous journey lasting many months, on which many of the people perished. After defeating the Orcs in the Dagor Aglareb, Fingolfin maintained the Siege of Angband for nearly 400 years. The Siege was ended by Morgoth's sudden assaults in the Dagor Bragollach, the Battle of Sudden Flame, and many peoples of Beleriand fled. Fingolfin smote the gates of Angband and challenged Morgoth to single combat. Though Morgoth feared Fingolfin (of all the Valar, Morgoth was the only one to know fear), he had to accept the challenge—or face shame in the eyes of his servants. Seven times Fingolfin wounded Morgoth and seven times Morgoth cried in pain, and seven times the host of Morgoth wailed in anguish, but he could not be slain for he was one of the Valar. Catherine McIlwaine, who curated the Bodleian Library exhibition of his artwork, wrote that Tolkien liked to create decorative patterns, leading up to pattern based designs such as a carpet from Númenor. In her view, his creation of heraldic devices for characters in The Silmarillion was a more deliberate form of the same impulse. Among "the loveliest of these kaleidoscopic patterns", wrote McIlwaine, were the devices for Fingolfin and his brother Finarfin.

The family tree shows that Fingolfin is half Noldor, from his father Finwë, and half Vanyar, from his mother Indis. Among his descendants are Gil galad, Eärendil, and Elrond. His half brother Fëanor is pure Noldor, by Finwë's other wife Miriel.

The Tolkien scholar Megan Fontenot, on Tor. com, writes that mental images of Fingolfin are "unforgettable": his ride across Dor nu Fauglith to the gates of Morgoth's fortress of Angband, or the image of him "pounding upon the great gates of the dark fortress, blowing great blasts upon a silver horn, demanding that Morgoth show his face and join him in single combat." She notes that Fingolfin's origins are hard to trace through the complex history of Tolkien's legendarium. He is absent from the earliest Fëanor stories in The Book of Lost Tales, and that in Tolkien's many drafts, such as in The Lays of Beleriand, Fingolfin has several different fathers and siblings; further, his name is temporarily assigned to various other characters. Fontenot traces him to a character named Golfin, a prince of the "Gnomes" (Elves) in The Shaping of Middle earth, created before 1926. Not long afterwards, in The Lay of the Fall of Gondolin and The Lay of the Children of Húrin, he becomes the son of Finwë/Finn and the father of Turgon. It was not until the 1950s, however, that Tolkien finally made Fingolfin the half brother of Fëanor. The Tolkien scholar B. S. W. Barootes writes that in Tolkien's mythology, oaths are "a powerful form of performative language in Middle earth". He states that they consistently lead to "trouble, pain, and sorrow", giving as prime example the oath of Fëanor, but also mentioning Finrod's oath of service to Barahir's kin, Beren's oath to Thingol, and the broken oath of the Dead of Dunharrow, who are ultimately redeemed when they choose to serve Aragorn as he returns to claim his kingdom. Fingolfin's oath to follow Fëanor back to Middle earth means his own exile from the blessed realm of Valinor, and his own death.

Fingolfin has inspired musicians and artists to create materials about his actions. The song "Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill)", on the German power metal band Blind Guardian's 1998 album Nightfall in Middle Earth, tells the story of the fight between Morgoth and Fingolfin. Austin Gilkeson wrote that "So metal was Fingolfin’s challenge that Morgoth had no choice but to accept." The song (in Russian) "Do Not Ask Me To Praise Him" [Ты славить его меня не проси] by Aire and Saruman [Айрэ и Саруман] on their album "A Elberet[h] Gilt[h]oniel" [А Элберет Гилтониэль] is a lament for Fingolfin by his minstrel some time after that last battle: ' do not ask me to praise him, the day won't be brighter for a candle '. Fantasy artists have painted illustrations of Fingolfin's actions. Ted Nasmith and Jenny Dolfen have portrayed him leading his people across the ice of the Helcaraxë. Dolfen has illustrated various other scenes from his life, including Fëanor's threatening of Fingolfin, Fingolfin's ride to Angband, and his final fight with Morgoth. Artists including John Howe and Pete Amachree have depicted Fingolfin challenging Morgoth at the gates of Angband.