The Peoples of Middle-earth (61 page)

2. The only child of Miriel was afterwards usually called Feanor. His first name was Finwe (minya), afterwards enlarged when his talents developed to Kurufinwe. His mother-name was in Quenya, as given by Miriel, Feanaro 'spirit of fire'. Feanor is the form nearly always used in histories and legends, but is as it stands only half Sindarized: the genuine Sindarin form was Faenor; the form Feanor (the e is only a device of transcription, not needed in the original) probably arose through scribal confusion, especially in documents written in Quenya, in which ea was frequent but ae did not normally occur.(25)

3. Finwe had four children by Indis: a daughter Findis, a son, a daughter Irime, and a son.(26) Findis was made by combining the names of her parents. Little is said of her in The Silmarillion.

She did not go into exile, but went with her mother after the slaying of Finwe and they abode among the Vanyar in grief until such time as it seemed good to Manwe to restore Finwe to life.(27) His second daughter was named Irien (28) and her mother-name was Lalwende (laughing maiden). By this name, or in shortened form Lalwen, she was generally known. She went into exile with her brother Fingolfin, who was most dear to her of all her kin; but her name was not changed, since Lalwen fitted the style of Sindarin well enough.(29)

To his sons Finwe gave his own name as he had done to Feanor. This maybe was done to assert their claim to be his legitimate sons, equal in that respect to his eldest child Kurufinwe Fayanaro, but there was no intention of arousing discord among the brothers, since nothing in the judgement of the Valar in any way impaired Feanor's position and rights as his eldest son. Nothing indeed was ever done to impair them, except by Feanor himself; and in spite of all that later happened his eldest son remained nearest to Finwe's heart.

As with Feanor, Finwe later added prefixes to their name: the elder he called Nolofinwe, and the younger Arafinwe. Nolo was the stem of words referring to wisdom,(30) and Ara, ar- a prefixed form of the stem Ara- 'noble'. Feanor felt aggrieved both by the use of his father's name for his two younger brothers, and again by the prefixes that were added; for his pride was growing and clouding his reason: he thought himself not only the greatest master of Kurwe (which was true) but also of Nolme (which was not true, save in matters of language), and certainly the noblest of the children of Finwe (which might have proved true, if he had not become the proudest and most arrogant).

The Noldor in exile as a rule chose one only of their names to be given a Sindarin shape; this was the name, usually, which each preferred (for various reasons), though the ease of 'translation' and its fitting into Sindarin style was also considered.

On Feanor, Faenor see above. Nolofinwe (one of the first to be changed) was given the form Fingolfin, that is Finwe Nolofinwe was given a Sindarin style in sounds, and combined in one name. A most unusual procedure, and not imitated in any other name.(31) It was not a translation. The element Quenya nolo- was merely given its equivalent Sindarin form gol. Finwe was simply reduced to fin in both places; thus was produced a name very much in Sindarin style but without meaning in that language. (If Finwe had been treated as a word of this form would have been, had it occurred anciently in Sindarin, it would have been Finu - but in the Northern dialect Fim, as in Curu-fim.)(32) Fingolfin had prefixed the name Finwe to Nolofinwe before the Exiles reached Middle-earth. This was in pursuance of his claim to be the chieftain of all the Noldor after the death of Finwe, and so enraged Feanor (33) that it was no doubt one of the reasons for his treachery in abandoning Fingolfin and stealing away with all the ships. The prefixion in the case of Finarfin was made by Finrod only after the death of Fingolfin in single combat with Morgoth. The Noldor then became divided into separate kingships under Fingon son of Fingolfin, Turgon his younger brother, Maedros son of Feanor, and Finrod son of Arfin; and the following of Finrod had become the greatest.

4. The children of Fingolfin. Fingolfin's wife Anaire refused to leave Aman, largely because of her friendship with Earwen wife of Arafinwe (though she was a Noldo and not one of the Teleri).

But all her children went with their father: Findekano, Turukano, Arakano, and Irisse his daughter and third child; she was under the protection of Turukano who loved her dearly, and of Elenwe his wife.(34) Findekano had no wife or child;(35) neither had Arakano.

These names were probably father-names, though Arakano had been the mother-name of Fingolfin. Kano meant in Quenya

'commander', usually as the title of a lesser chief, especially one acting as the deputy of one higher in rank.(36) The Sindarizing of these names as Fingon and Turgon shows knowledge of the sound-changes distinguishing Sindarin from Telerin, but dis-regards meaning. If these names had actually been ancient Sindarin names they would at the time of the coming of the Exiles have taken the forms Fingon and Turgon, but they would not have had their Quenya meanings, if interpretable at all.

Possibly they would have conveyed 'Hair-shout' and 'Master-shout' [see note 36]. But this did not matter much since old Sindarin names had by that time frequently become obscured by sound-changes and were taken as names and not analysed. With regard to Findekano / Fingon it may be noted that the first element was certainly Quenya finde 'hair' - a tress or plait of hair (37)(cf. findesse' a head of hair, a person's hair as a whole), but this is not conclusive proof that the name Finwe was or was thought to be derived from this stem. It would have been sufficient for Fingolfin to give to his eldest son a name beginning with fin- as an 'echo' of the ancestral name, and if this was also specially applicable it would have been approved as a good invention. In the case of Fingon it was suitable; he wore his long dark hair in great plaits braided with gold.

Arakano was the tallest of the brothers and the most impetuous, but his name was never changed to Sindarin form, for he perished in the first battle of Fingolfin's host with the Orks, the Battle of the Lammoth (but the Sindarin form Argon was often later given as a name by Noldor and Sindar in memory of his valour).(38)

Irisse who went ever with the people of Turgon was called Ireth,(39) by substitution of Sindarin -eth (< -itta) frequent in feminine names for Quenya -isse. Elenwe her mother had no Sindarin name, for she never reached Beleriand. She perished in the crossing of the Ice; and Turgon was thereafter unappeasable in his enmity for Feanor and his sons. He had himself come near to death in the bitter waters when he attempted to save her and his daughter Itaril, whom the breaking of treacherous ice had cast into the cruel sea. Itaril he saved;(40) but the body of Elenwe was covered in fallen ice.

Itaril, or in longer form Itarille, was the only child in the third generation from Finwe to go with the exiles, save only Arothir son of Angrod brother of Finrod.(41) Both have renown in the legends of the Silmarillion; but Itaril had a great destiny, for she was the mother of Ardamir. Earendil. Her name in Sindarin form was Idril, but this also was only an alteration of form, for neither of the Quenya stems that the name contains were found in Sindarin.(42)

5. The children of Finarfin. These were named: Findarato Ingoldo; Angarato; Aikanaro; and Nerwende Artanis, sur-named Alatariel. The wife of Angarato was named Eldalote, and his son Artaher. The most renowned of these were the first and the fourth (the only daughter), and only of these two are the mother-names remembered. The names of Sindarin form by which they were usually called in later song and legend were Finrod, Angrod (with wife Edellos and son Arothir), Aegnor, and Galadriel.

The names Findarato and Angarato were Telerin in form (for Finarfin spoke the language of his wife's people); and they proved easy to render into Sindarin in form and sense, because of the close relationship of the Telerin of Aman to the language of their kin, the Sindar of Beleriand, in spite of the great changes that it had undergone in Middle-earth. (Artafinde and Artanga would have been their more natural Quenya forms, arta- the equivalent of arata- preceding, as in Artanis and Artaher.)(43) The order of the elements in compounds, especially personal names, remained fairly free in all three Eldarin languages; but Quenya preferred the (older) order in which adjectival stems preceded, while in Telerin and Sindarin the adjectival elements often were placed second, especially in later-formed names, according to the usual placing of adjectives in the ordinary speech of those languages. In names however that ended in old words referring to status, rank, profession, race or kindred and so on the adjectival element still in Sindarin, following ancient models, might be placed first. Quenya Artaher (stem artaher-) 'noble lord' was correctly Sindarized as Arothir.

Edellos translated Eldalote according to sense: Elven-flower'. Angarato became naturally Angrod. It is probable that both brothers first received the name Arato, later differentiated.

The Find- in Findarato referred to hair, but in this case to the golden hair of this family derived from Indis. The Ang- in Angarato was from Common Eldarin anga iron (Quenya, Telerin anga, Sindarin ang). Angrod early developed hands of great strength and received the epesse Angamaite 'iron-handed', so that ang- was used by Finarfin as a differentiating prefix.

Aikanaro was called by his father Ambarato. The Sindarin form of this would have been Amrod; but to distinguish this from Angrod, and also because he preferred it, he used his mother-name (44) (which was however given in Quenya and not Telerin form). Aika-nar- meant 'fell fire'. It was in part a

'prophetic' name; for he was renowned as one of the most valiant of the warriors, greatly feared by the Orks: in wrath or battle the light of his eyes was like flame, though otherwise he was a generous and noble spirit. But in early youth the fiery light could be observed; while his hair was notable: golden like his brothers and sister, but strong and stiff, rising upon his head like flames. The Sindarin form Aegnor that he adopted was however not true Sindarin. There was no Sindarin adjective corresponding to Quenya aika 'fell, terrible, dire', though aeg would have been its form if it had occurred.(45)

Galadriel was chosen by Artanis ('noble woman') to be her Sindarin name; for it was the most beautiful of her names, and, though as an epesse, had been given to her by her lover, Teleporno of the Teleri, whom she wedded later in Beleriand.(46) As he gave it in Telerin form it was Alatariel(le). The Quenyarized form appears as Altariel, though its true form would have been Naltariel. It was euphoniously and correctly rendered in Sindarin Galadriel. The name was derived from the Common Eldarin stem NAL 'shine by reflection'; *nalata 'radiance, glittering reflection' (from jewels, glass or polished metals, or water) > Quenya nalta, Telerin alata, Sindarin galad, + the Common Eldarin stem RIG 'twine, wreathe', *riga 'wreath, garland'; Quenya, Telerin ria, Sindarin ri, Quenya, Telerin rielle,

-riel 'a maiden crowned with a festival garland'. The whole, =

'maiden crowned with a garland of bright radiance', was given in reference to Galadriel's hair. Galad occurs also in the epesse of Ereinion ('scion of kings') by which he was chiefly remembered in legend, Gil-galad 'star of radiance': he was the last king Of the Eldar in Middle-earth, and the last male descendant of Finwe (47) except Elrond the Half-elven. The epesse was given to him because his helm and mail, and his shield overlaid with silver and set with a device of white stars, shone from afar like a star in sunlight or moonlight and could be seen by Elvish eyes at a great distance if he stood upon a height.

There were other descendants of Finwe remembered in legend who may be noted here, though their names were given in Sindarin or in Quenya at later times when Sindarin was the daily language of the Noldor, and they do not offer the problems of translation or more formal adjustment which are presented by the Quenya names given before the Exile.

Itarilde (Idril) (48) daughter of Turgon was the mother of Earendil; but his father was a Man of the Atani, of the House of Hador: Tuor son of Huor.(49) Earendil was thus the second of the Pereldar (Half-elven),(50) the elder being Dior, son of Beren and Luthien Tinuviel daughter of King Elu Thingol. His names were, however, given in Quenya; for Turgon after his foundation of the secret city of Gondolin had re-established Quenya as the daily speech of his household. Earendil had this name as father-name, and as mother-name he was called Ardamire. In this case both names were 'prophetic'. Tuor in his long journey by the west shores of Beleriand, after his escape from captivity, had been visited by the great Vala Ulmo in person, and Ulmo had directed him to seek for Gondolin, foretelling that if he found it he would there beget a son ever afterwards renowned as a mariner.(51) Improbable as this seemed to Tuor, since neither the Atani nor the Noldor had any love of the sea or of ships, he named his son in Quenya 'sea-lover'. More purely prophetic was the name Ardamire 'Jewel of the World'; for Itarilde could not foresee in her waking mind the strange fate that brought at last the Silmaril into the possession of Earendil, and enabled his ship to pass through all the shadows and perils by which Aman was at that time defended from any approach from Middle-earth. These names were not given Sindarin forms in legend,(52) though Sindarin writers sometimes explained that they meant mir n'Ardon and Seron Aearon. By the marriage of Earendil to Elwing daughter of Dior son of Beren the lines of the Pereldar (Peredil) were united. Elros and Elrond were the sons of Earendil. Elros became the first king of Numenor (with the Quenya title Tar-Minyatur, 'high first-ruler'). Elrond was received into the company and life-span of the Eldar, and became esquire and banner-bearer of Ereinion Gil-galad. When in later days he wedded Celebrian, daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn, the two lines of descent from Finwe, from Fingolfin and Finarfin, were united and continued in Arwen their daughter.(53)