# What kind of a name is Fingolfin?



## Celebrochwen (Apr 15, 2003)

Does anyone else think that there is something ***** about this name? How did Tolkien think of Fingolfin? Fingon is fine, but Fingolfin? What do you think?


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## Elendil3119 (Apr 15, 2003)

Watch your language... I think Fingolfin is a cool name, and if you don't like it, I don't see how you can like some of the other "wierder" names he came up with.


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## Confusticated (Apr 15, 2003)

Nolofinwe was the name given to Fingolfin by his father, it ment something like _wise Finwe_. Fingolfin later stuck the name Finwe before it because of his claim to be chieftain of the Noldor (after Fingolfin's death, Finrod gave Finarfin the Fin prefix), making his name Finwe Nolofinwe. Fingolfin is just a sindarin-sounding version of that name. 

Nolo was changed to it's sindarin form of gol, and Finwe was just shortened to Fin in both cases, giving the name Fingolfin.

I am not especially impressed by the name Fingolfin, but I do not think it sounds bad. However, _Finwe Nolofinwe_ is a beautiful name.

This from is _The Names of Finwe's Descendants_, in Peoples of Middle-earth.


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## Elbereth (Apr 15, 2003)

I think you have to realize that all Tolkien names had meaning and significance. Each name had meaning and reflected either the character's appearance or personality. Therefore for your benefit I will give you the defintion below. 

According to _Ruth S. Noel's "The Languages of Tolkien's Middle Earth" _ the defintion of Fingolfin is the following: 

Fingolfin - (Cloak of Hair). A son of Finwe. *fin*=hair, *gollo* = cloak. Sindarin

I hope that helped


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## Confusticated (Apr 15, 2003)

Hmm... I don't remember reading that in PoMe, it may just be that Author's theory. When was it published? 

I guess it could be that the name was ment to have that meaning in Sindarin. I don't know.

I suppose a linguist will show up eventaully.


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## Elbereth (Apr 16, 2003)

> Ruth S. Noel is also known as Attanielle Annyn Noel. Copyright 1974, 1980 by Ruth S. Noel
> 
> ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
> 
> ...


_ 

I have included above the copyright page of the book, minus a few ISBN product numbers. If you have any other doubts about my sources you can take it up with the author Ruth S. Noel, the publishers of this book and/or the book stores who claimed that this book is...



A complete guide to all fourteen of the languages Tolkien invented.

Click to expand...

 If I am incorrect in putting my faith this source then I would appreciate sufficient proof so that I can in full faith go back to the store and demand my money back. 

The definitions in this book are very straightforward. I would in no way doubt your sources to be anything other than correct. But apparently the literal meaning (according to this book) was as I have shown above. I appologize if it contradicts what you have claimed. I am not trying to prove anyone wrong...I am merely quoting my sources._


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## Confusticated (Apr 16, 2003)

I didn't think you were trying to prove me wrong. We really gave different information, you the meaning and me the way the word came into being from his Quenya name.

I don't know anything about the languages and am in no place to judge the book, I just thought an older book would naturally have some incorrect information since there wasn't nearly as much of Tolkien's language writings published to work from. I wonder if Tolkien said anywhere that Fingolfin's name had that meaning in Sindarin or if it was a theory. This is not to say it is incorrect for someone to interpret the meaning based on their knowledge of the language, I am in no place to judge someone's work who does that.

Thanks for typing all of that out. I don't doubt it was what it claimed to be at the time it was published, but it may be a little obsolete in some areas now, which is why I asked when it was published.


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## Elbereth (Apr 16, 2003)

No problem... I just didn't want you to think I was pulling my sources out of thin air. 

I got the book to understand the languages because like you...I did not know the languages of Middle Earth. I was assured that this was a good and accurate source. 

However, ultimately I go back to my original point...Each Tolkien name has a meaning and significance...and Tolkien put a lot of time and energy into naming each character. You may not like the sound of the name or how it is spelled...but if you look into the actual meaning of the name...you may discover how wonderful and clever each name is.


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## Aiwendil2 (Apr 16, 2003)

Noel's book contains numerous errors and is generally not to be trusted. Her interpretation of "Fingolfin" would appear to be an example. According to "The Shibboleth of Feanor", "Fingolfin" is the Sindarinization of "Finwe Nolofinwe". "Finwe" comes, of course, from the name of his father and may have some "hair" related meaning, but if so it is somewhat obscure. "Nolo-" refers to knowledge and comes, I believe, from the same root as "Noldo". In the Sindarization "Finwe" becomes "Fin" and "Nolo" becomes "gol" (indicating, by the way, that the "n" is really in origin "ng" or as Tolkien frequently wrote it, "ñ"). In the absence of this evidence, the interpretation of "gol" as relating to "collo" might be reasonable, but now we know that it is false.


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## Celebrochwen (Apr 16, 2003)

I am really confused. All I wanted to do was start a thread,and I got a bunch of negative answers. I didn't think Fingolfin was a bad name. I thought it was cool. I was just wondering if anyone else thought it was cool.


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## Celebrochwen (Apr 16, 2003)

Elendil3119 you are mean.


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## e.Blackstar (Apr 18, 2003)

Yes, Fingolfin is a very weird name. however, I'm sure his parents and Tolkien had justification. In STAR WARS, there is a person named Mon, one named Garm, and another called Talon. Hehe


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## Elthir (Jul 19, 2020)

Celebrochwen said:


> Fingolfin? Fingon is fine, but Fingolfin?




First off, for me, the professor's fabricated _Fingolfin_ is fabulous.



> Elendil3119 you are mean.




But Elendil thirty one nineteen kept it clean . . .
while you put ***** on the screen.



The early form was _*Golfin*,_ and by the time the text _Etymologies_ rolled around, the Noldorin name _*Fingolfin*_ held the semantic ingredients for *"magic skill"* [see The Lost Road, Etymologies, base PHIN- nimbleness, skill].

Decades later -- well after Tolkien had revised the history of the languages as they were conceived in _Etymologies_ -- this character had a Quenya name *Finwe Nolofinwe, *Sindarized as *Fingolfin* -- _as already noted above_. In this case, _Finwe Nolofinwe_ was given a Sindarin style in sounds, and combined, producing *"a name very much in Sindarin style but without meaning in that language."*

And with respect to the names_ Ingwe, Finwe, Elwe,_ and _Olwe_, Tolkien noted that the first elements were often "later" explained as related to Quenya _inga_ "top, highest point", to Common Eldarin PHIN "hair" and to the stem _el, elen_ "star" ( . . .), yet . . .

*"Of these the most probable is the relation to inga ( . . . ) . The others are doubtful. All the Eldar had beautiful hair (and were especially attracted by hair of exceptional loveliness), but the Noldor were not especially remarkable in this respect, and there is no reference to Finwe as having had hair of exceptional length, abundance, or beauty beyond the measure of his people."* author's footnote: *"he had black hair, but brilliant grey-blue eyes." *

JRRT, The Shibboleth of Feanor


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## Erestor Arcamen (Jul 19, 2020)




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## Olorgando (Jul 19, 2020)

Perhaps we need to expand this discussion to include Nolofinwë's younger brother, Arafinwë.
Since he did not join the rebellion of Fëanor - or turned back after the slaughter of the Teleri at Alqualondë? Or after the Prophecy of Mandos? - anyway, he did not leave Valinor, how could his name have become Sindarized to Finarfin?

And as languages are definitely my blind spot, does the middle syllable "arf" have anything to do with Huan? 🤔
Especially as the Quenya form "Ara" evokes a parrot more than a mammal ...🤔


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## Elthir (Jul 19, 2020)

Olorgando said:


> Perhaps we need to expand this discussion to include Nolofinwë's younger brother, Arafinwë. ( . . . ) anyway, he did not leave Valinor, how could his name have become Sindarized to Finarfin?




*"( . . . ) This was because Arafinwe's children had a special position among the exiles, especially in relationship to King Thingol of Doriath, their kinsman, and were often referred to collectively by the Sindar as "the children of Finarfin" or the Nost Finarfin, "the house/family of Finarfin". *Author's note, note 31, _The Shibboleth of Feanor_

🐾


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## Olorgando (Jul 20, 2020)

OK.
Which raises another question in my mind: did Finwë Arafinwë, back in Valinor, know about this Sindarization of his name? Would he have approved of it? If not, would it have led him to disinherit Finrod, Orodreth, Angrod, Aegnor, and Galadriel?
Had the parasitic profession of lawyers arisen in the first Three Ages of Middle-earth? 🤔


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## Elthir (Jul 20, 2020)

In _Morgoth's Ring_ Tolkien noted that during the period of the Exile of the Noldor, the Valar had for the time being cut all communications (by physical means) between Aman and Middle-earth [see author's note three, author's notes on the Commentary, _Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth_].

But whatever one makes of that, in any case, I doubt Arafinwe would have minded the change, as it was the Exiles themselves who altered their names, because . . .

*"This was done because of the sensitiveness of the Eldar to languages and styles. They felt it absurd and distasteful to call living persons who spoke Sindarin in daily life by names in quite a different linguistic mode."*  [exceptions are noted in note 21]
JRRT The Shibboleth of Feanor


Aside: according to _Word, Phrases and Passages_, Tolkien noted that _Finrod_ should not have a Sindarin name since he remained in Aman -- and we see that the name Finrod is given to Inglor Felagund rather, and Finarfin becomes the Elf who stayed in Aman . . .

. . . and years later, _Finarfin_ is characterized as Sindarin anyway!


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