Name: Beth Contact Info: Email: emaj88[at]gmail[dot]com AIM: elfwannabe88 DW: elfwannabe Plurk: elfwannabe Other Characters Played: NA Preferred Apartment: None
Character Name: Elves don’t have surnames. In Valinor, he would have likely gone by the name his father gave him (father-name), followed by the name is mother gave him (mother-name): “Findaráto Ingoldo.” In Middle-Earth, “Findaráto” was translated as “Finrod” and he was given the after-name “Felagund.” These days, he generally goes by “Finrod” or “Finrod Felagund.” Finally, among Men, he is also known as “Nóm.” Canon:The Silmarillion and related writings Canon Point: After his death, but before his spirit is able to return to the Halls of Mandos. Background/History:The Silmarillion on wiki and Finrod on the LOTR wikia Personality:
There are four traits that you have to keep in mind when thinking about Finrod: wisdom, loyalty, kindness, and bravery. I don't mean to imply that those are his only traits, but they are certainly the most important and the ones that he most highly values. Because of that, you can generally use these characteristics to predict and explain his actions.
Tolkien once states that all of the descendents of Finwë are bold and without fear and that certainly seems to be true in Finrod's case. Throughout The Silmarillion, Finrod is consistently shown doing great deeds and risking life and limb to help people who need it. Among the first deeds he performs in the text is one that Tolkien says "few [other deeds] surpassed [...] in hardihood or woe"- the crossing of the Helcaraxë, an icy wasteland between the Undying Lands and Middle Earth. He is mentioned, by name, as a leader in this venture. It takes a great amount of courage to even attempt something like this, never mind to tend to the needs of others as you do so. And, of course, one can point to his role in the battles of the time to mark his bravery.
Finrod fought in many, if not most, of the battles of the First Age, but perhaps the most dramatic display of his courage is also one of the best examples of the extreme loyalty that he can display: his involvement of the quest of Beren. To begin with, one has to know that Finrod already had earned the loyalty and love of the House of Bëor, one of the great Houses of Men, and for generations they had served as his allies. It so happened that in one of the great battles, Finrod nearly died but was saved by Barahir from the House of Bëor. In return, he swore an oath to give aid and friendship to all Barahir and all his kin. Flash forward several decades and Barahir's son Beren comes to him, asking for help in his quest to retrieve a Silmaril from Sauron himself. Several points need to be made about this. 1) This is very obviously a suicide mission. He's being asked to purposefully make his way into the stronghold of one of the strongest lieutenants of an Enemy that he's been fighting for hundreds of years. And this person is a Maia the same type of being as Gandalf and Melian, essentially a divine being (albeit fallen, in this case). 2) Finrod is, at this point, Lord of an extremely large area. He could have made the argument that his responsibilities prevented him from going himself and given some token amount of aid to keep from breaking his oath.
But that's not how Finrod rolls. Instead, he gathers with him any of his people who will go with him and sets out himself with the group. Of course, they are eventually captured and they are killed one by one. Sauron intended to hold Finrod until the last because he was obviously someone important, so he assumed that he'd know things. Things did not work out as Sauron planned. When the wolf that had killed the others came for Beren, Finrod broke through his chains and killed it with his hands and teeth, though, unfortunately, he himself was killed in the process. So, in the end, Finrod was brave enough to walk directly into danger and loyal enough to die to keep his word to a friend.
Of course, that wasn't the first time that his loyalty had shined through. Even his presence in Middle Earth could be taken as a sign of it; when the Noldor first begin to leave, he is repeatedly mentioned as looking back and regretting what he has to leave. But he goes, at least in part, because he would not be sundered from his siblings and from his cousins, particularly the children of Fingolfin, who were said to be as close as siblings to the children of Finarfin. And though, because he left, he was parted from the woman he loved, Amarië of the Vanyar, he never stopped loving her. It was partially because of her that he never married during his time in Middle Earth. Even when he is wronged, Finrod sometimes refuses to act against those he feels beholden to. At one point Thingol, the mightiest Sindarin King, charges him with the sins of the Kinslaying and blames him for keeping his silence on the matter. It's important to note that, in some versions of the story (and the ones I tend to go with), the children of Finarfin actually fought in defense of the Teleri and against their uncle Fëanor's forces. And yet, Finrod says nothing to defend himself because, in order to do so, he would have to lay charges against other lords of the Noldor, who were also his kin. It's a complicated situation, but it's clear that Finrod feels bound to both sides and has no desire to break his loyalties to either.
And it's not without reason that he's called "Finrod the Wise," either. Finrod's judgement is shown to be fairly sound pretty early on in The Silmarillion when he speaks against the Oath of Fëanor and is hesitant to leave the Undying Lands. He does, of course, though he's consistently in the back of the group, looking behind him at what they are leaving, but the fact that he had second thoughts shows that he already was thinking more clearly than quite a few of the elves in the group. He is also the first and only one of the Noldor to send messengers to King Thingol, the major power in the area, and gain his friendship. This shows not only a desire to keep the peace with the locals, but also enough foresight to realize that he's going to need as many allies as he can get. And he's explicitly spoken of as wise in his interactions with Men. He's actually the first of the Eldar that humans meet and he greets them with song and harp music. Tolkien says that "wisdom was in the words of the Elven-king, and the hearts grew wiser that hearkened to him." Even after this first meeting, Finrod remained with the group for a time, teaching them. With his actions he earned his name among Men- Nóm, or "wisdom." Though he eventually leaves, Finrod never stops sharing his thoughts with Men, as is shown in the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, a philosophical conversation between Finrod and a human woman, Andreth, which takes place later in the timeline.
Finrod's wisdom is the gentle sort, always shaped by a desire to do good and to help others. As has been said, he was known as a friend to men and actively sought out and kept the friendship of King Thingol. He is also mentioned as having befriended the Grey-Elves, a rather skittish people, and been their ally throughout the rest of the war. He even uses these connections to help others, when he can. For example, the people of Haleth had lost their homeland and gone through great hardships. When Finrod heard of this, he gained permission from Thingol for them to live in Brethil, on the borders of Doriath, so long as they kept the crossings free from orcs. He was under no obligation to help Haleth and her people; he did not even know them personally. It just seemed to be the right thing to do- so he did it. As simple as that. And, on a personal level, the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth also has him offering words of comfort to his friend Andreth, who he knows loves his brother. He speaks softly and with compassion; it's clear that he very genuinely cares for her.
All of this is not to imply that he's only a big teddy bear, of course. He is a prince of the Noldor, lord over the largest realm of Noldor in Beleriand in his own right, and an experienced military commander. He is responsible for raising a great number of defensive structures in preparation for an attack by Morgoth. The last five hundred or so years of his life have been spent in more-or-less a constant state of war and it has affected his thinking deeply. Kind as he is, he is willing to order men into battle and to face it himself. He thinks as a strategist and as leader. As much as he would like it to be, it's not always about how he can help people. Sometimes it has to be about what needs to be done to survive. And, believe it or not, even Finrod isn't without a little bit of a temper. When his cousins, Celegorn and Curufin, start to speak against him when he decides to help Beren in his quest and he realizes that they have forsaken him and intend take his throne once he left, he throws his crown at his feet. While this is an understandable reaction, it probably was not the most helpful and it reads, admittedly, a little like a royal hissy-fit- or, at the very least, a little over-dramatic. Right afterwards, he does regain control and speaks eloquently, so it does seem that his little moment doesn't last long, but it was there, nonetheless.
Finrod is a kind, caring, loyal person, but he is also a prince and a military leader- with all the sternness, the tenacity, and the pride that that implies. He's good, but he's certainly not harmless and it would be a mistake to underestimate him.
Abilities/Powers:
Elf racial traits
Better than human eyesight and hearing
Light and fast of foot
Sleep is not strictly necessary; unlike humans, elves can meditate or fall into a “waking dream” and achieve the same amount of rest during the day
Magically disguising his form and the forms of others- when he, Beren, and their group go off to try to retrieve the Silmaril, Finrod was able to make them appear like orcs and other servants of Morgoth. It's never really specified how that he's able to do this, however.
Limited foresight- There are a few times in The Silmarilion when Finrod gets a glimpse of the future. For example, when Galadriel asks why he hasn't married, he tells her that he will make a vow that he will have to travel into danger to fulfill (and he must be free to do so) and that nothing will remain of his realm for a son to inherit. Later, he fulfills a life debt by traveling with Beren on his quest. He dies and, sure enough, later on Nargothrond falls. It's not foresight to the degree that Galadriel has it- full visions at will, etc, but he does have flashes of insight.
Limited telepathy- It's implied that almost all of the Eldar have some limited degree of telepathy and are able to talk mind-to-mind. Again, Finrod is nowhere near Galadriel's skill level, but he does have that basic level. He's explicitly able to use it to better understand the language of the first Men he meets.
Epic rap battle Magic of Song- Before Sauron captures and imprisons him, Finrod goes up against him in a battle of song. Again, the specifics are vague, but it's clear that, through some sort of magic, the songs/chants actually cause damage to the fighters. Link to a poem on the subject.
Elves do not need sleep as Men do and they are, by their nature, drawn to the stars, so it really isn't surprising that Finrod often chooses to spend his nights outside, walking a perimeter around the apartment block. It's entirely possible he worries too much; the dangers of Haven are not of the kind that he faced in Middle Earth, after all. Yet five hundred or so years of war make it difficult to relax completely.
So he walks and he watches. And every so often, when he glances up at the stars, he sings. He sings old songs, songs he has brought with him from the Undying Lands across the Sea, odes to the stars and to she who kindled them. His voice, deep and fair, carries with it the hope that had sustained him in the darkness of Angband- hope that one day the Darkness will be beaten back and the dawn will come again, bright and clear as it ever was. It's a hope needed in Haven as much as in Arda, he thinks. And, while he sings mostly for himself, it's a hope that he's glad to share with any who care to listen.
Finrod Felagund | The Silmarillion | not reserved
Contact Info: Email: emaj88[at]gmail[dot]com
AIM: elfwannabe88
DW:
Plurk:
Other Characters Played: NA
Preferred Apartment: None
Character Name: Elves don’t have surnames. In Valinor, he would have likely gone by the name his father gave him (father-name), followed by the name is mother gave him (mother-name): “Findaráto Ingoldo.” In Middle-Earth, “Findaráto” was translated as “Finrod” and he was given the after-name “Felagund.” These days, he generally goes by “Finrod” or “Finrod Felagund.” Finally, among Men, he is also known as “Nóm.”
Canon: The Silmarillion and related writings
Canon Point: After his death, but before his spirit is able to return to the Halls of Mandos.
Background/History: The Silmarillion on wiki and Finrod on the LOTR wikia
Personality:
There are four traits that you have to keep in mind when thinking about Finrod: wisdom, loyalty, kindness, and bravery. I don't mean to imply that those are his only traits, but they are certainly the most important and the ones that he most highly values. Because of that, you can generally use these characteristics to predict and explain his actions.
Tolkien once states that all of the descendents of Finwë are bold and without fear and that certainly seems to be true in Finrod's case. Throughout The Silmarillion, Finrod is consistently shown doing great deeds and risking life and limb to help people who need it. Among the first deeds he performs in the text is one that Tolkien says "few [other deeds] surpassed [...] in hardihood or woe"- the crossing of the Helcaraxë, an icy wasteland between the Undying Lands and Middle Earth. He is mentioned, by name, as a leader in this venture. It takes a great amount of courage to even attempt something like this, never mind to tend to the needs of others as you do so. And, of course, one can point to his role in the battles of the time to mark his bravery.
Finrod fought in many, if not most, of the battles of the First Age, but perhaps the most dramatic display of his courage is also one of the best examples of the extreme loyalty that he can display: his involvement of the quest of Beren. To begin with, one has to know that Finrod already had earned the loyalty and love of the House of Bëor, one of the great Houses of Men, and for generations they had served as his allies. It so happened that in one of the great battles, Finrod nearly died but was saved by Barahir from the House of Bëor. In return, he swore an oath to give aid and friendship to all Barahir and all his kin. Flash forward several decades and Barahir's son Beren comes to him, asking for help in his quest to retrieve a Silmaril from Sauron himself. Several points need to be made about this. 1) This is very obviously a suicide mission. He's being asked to purposefully make his way into the stronghold of one of the strongest lieutenants of an Enemy that he's been fighting for hundreds of years. And this person is a Maia the same type of being as Gandalf and Melian, essentially a divine being (albeit fallen, in this case). 2) Finrod is, at this point, Lord of an extremely large area. He could have made the argument that his responsibilities prevented him from going himself and given some token amount of aid to keep from breaking his oath.
But that's not how Finrod rolls. Instead, he gathers with him any of his people who will go with him and sets out himself with the group. Of course, they are eventually captured and they are killed one by one. Sauron intended to hold Finrod until the last because he was obviously someone important, so he assumed that he'd know things. Things did not work out as Sauron planned. When the wolf that had killed the others came for Beren, Finrod broke through his chains and killed it with his hands and teeth, though, unfortunately, he himself was killed in the process. So, in the end, Finrod was brave enough to walk directly into danger and loyal enough to die to keep his word to a friend.
Of course, that wasn't the first time that his loyalty had shined through. Even his presence in Middle Earth could be taken as a sign of it; when the Noldor first begin to leave, he is repeatedly mentioned as looking back and regretting what he has to leave. But he goes, at least in part, because he would not be sundered from his siblings and from his cousins, particularly the children of Fingolfin, who were said to be as close as siblings to the children of Finarfin. And though, because he left, he was parted from the woman he loved, Amarië of the Vanyar, he never stopped loving her. It was partially because of her that he never married during his time in Middle Earth. Even when he is wronged, Finrod sometimes refuses to act against those he feels beholden to. At one point Thingol, the mightiest Sindarin King, charges him with the sins of the Kinslaying and blames him for keeping his silence on the matter. It's important to note that, in some versions of the story (and the ones I tend to go with), the children of Finarfin actually fought in defense of the Teleri and against their uncle Fëanor's forces. And yet, Finrod says nothing to defend himself because, in order to do so, he would have to lay charges against other lords of the Noldor, who were also his kin. It's a complicated situation, but it's clear that Finrod feels bound to both sides and has no desire to break his loyalties to either.
And it's not without reason that he's called "Finrod the Wise," either. Finrod's judgement is shown to be fairly sound pretty early on in The Silmarillion when he speaks against the Oath of Fëanor and is hesitant to leave the Undying Lands. He does, of course, though he's consistently in the back of the group, looking behind him at what they are leaving, but the fact that he had second thoughts shows that he already was thinking more clearly than quite a few of the elves in the group. He is also the first and only one of the Noldor to send messengers to King Thingol, the major power in the area, and gain his friendship. This shows not only a desire to keep the peace with the locals, but also enough foresight to realize that he's going to need as many allies as he can get. And he's explicitly spoken of as wise in his interactions with Men. He's actually the first of the Eldar that humans meet and he greets them with song and harp music. Tolkien says that "wisdom was in the words of the Elven-king, and the hearts grew wiser that hearkened to him." Even after this first meeting, Finrod remained with the group for a time, teaching them. With his actions he earned his name among Men- Nóm, or "wisdom." Though he eventually leaves, Finrod never stops sharing his thoughts with Men, as is shown in the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, a philosophical conversation between Finrod and a human woman, Andreth, which takes place later in the timeline.
Finrod's wisdom is the gentle sort, always shaped by a desire to do good and to help others. As has been said, he was known as a friend to men and actively sought out and kept the friendship of King Thingol. He is also mentioned as having befriended the Grey-Elves, a rather skittish people, and been their ally throughout the rest of the war. He even uses these connections to help others, when he can. For example, the people of Haleth had lost their homeland and gone through great hardships. When Finrod heard of this, he gained permission from Thingol for them to live in Brethil, on the borders of Doriath, so long as they kept the crossings free from orcs. He was under no obligation to help Haleth and her people; he did not even know them personally. It just seemed to be the right thing to do- so he did it. As simple as that. And, on a personal level, the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth also has him offering words of comfort to his friend Andreth, who he knows loves his brother. He speaks softly and with compassion; it's clear that he very genuinely cares for her.
All of this is not to imply that he's only a big teddy bear, of course. He is a prince of the Noldor, lord over the largest realm of Noldor in Beleriand in his own right, and an experienced military commander. He is responsible for raising a great number of defensive structures in preparation for an attack by Morgoth. The last five hundred or so years of his life have been spent in more-or-less a constant state of war and it has affected his thinking deeply. Kind as he is, he is willing to order men into battle and to face it himself. He thinks as a strategist and as leader. As much as he would like it to be, it's not always about how he can help people. Sometimes it has to be about what needs to be done to survive. And, believe it or not, even Finrod isn't without a little bit of a temper. When his cousins, Celegorn and Curufin, start to speak against him when he decides to help Beren in his quest and he realizes that they have forsaken him and intend take his throne once he left, he throws his crown at his feet. While this is an understandable reaction, it probably was not the most helpful and it reads, admittedly, a little like a royal hissy-fit- or, at the very least, a little over-dramatic. Right afterwards, he does regain control and speaks eloquently, so it does seem that his little moment doesn't last long, but it was there, nonetheless.
Finrod is a kind, caring, loyal person, but he is also a prince and a military leader- with all the sternness, the tenacity, and the pride that that implies. He's good, but he's certainly not harmless and it would be a mistake to underestimate him.
Abilities/Powers:
- Elf racial traits
- Better than human eyesight and hearing
- Light and fast of foot
- Sleep is not strictly necessary; unlike humans, elves can meditate or fall into a “waking dream” and achieve the same amount of rest during the day
- Magically disguising his form and the forms of others- when he, Beren, and their group go off to try to retrieve the Silmaril, Finrod was able to make them appear like orcs and other servants of Morgoth. It's never really specified how that he's able to do this, however.
- Limited foresight- There are a few times in The Silmarilion when Finrod gets a glimpse of the future. For example, when Galadriel asks why he hasn't married, he tells her that he will make a vow that he will have to travel into danger to fulfill (and he must be free to do so) and that nothing will remain of his realm for a son to inherit. Later, he fulfills a life debt by traveling with Beren on his quest. He dies and, sure enough, later on Nargothrond falls. It's not foresight to the degree that Galadriel has it- full visions at will, etc, but he does have flashes of insight.
- Limited telepathy- It's implied that almost all of the Eldar have some limited degree of telepathy and are able to talk mind-to-mind. Again, Finrod is nowhere near Galadriel's skill level, but he does have that basic level. He's explicitly able to use it to better understand the language of the first Men he meets.
Items/Weapons:Epic rap battleMagic of Song- Before Sauron captures and imprisons him, Finrod goes up against him in a battle of song. Again, the specifics are vague, but it's clear that, through some sort of magic, the songs/chants actually cause damage to the fighters. Link to a poem on the subject.-sword
-armor
-one set of dress robes
Sample Entry: A Dear_Mun entry Haven testdrive post
Sample Entry Two:
Elves do not need sleep as Men do and they are, by their nature, drawn to the stars, so it really isn't surprising that Finrod often chooses to spend his nights outside, walking a perimeter around the apartment block. It's entirely possible he worries too much; the dangers of Haven are not of the kind that he faced in Middle Earth, after all. Yet five hundred or so years of war make it difficult to relax completely.
So he walks and he watches. And every so often, when he glances up at the stars, he sings. He sings old songs, songs he has brought with him from the Undying Lands across the Sea, odes to the stars and to she who kindled them. His voice, deep and fair, carries with it the hope that had sustained him in the darkness of Angband- hope that one day the Darkness will be beaten back and the dawn will come again, bright and clear as it ever was. It's a hope needed in Haven as much as in Arda, he thinks. And, while he sings mostly for himself, it's a hope that he's glad to share with any who care to listen.