Glorfindel
| Glorfindel | |
|---|---|
| Tolkien's legendarium character | |
| Aliases | Lord of the House of the Golden Flower of Gondolin |
| Race | Elves |
| Book(s) |
The Fellowship of the Ring (1954) The Silmarillion (1977) Children of Húrin (2007) |
Glorfindel (IPA: [ɡlɔrˈfindɛl]) is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in various material relating to the First Age of Middle-earth, including The Silmarillion. The name is also used for a character in The Lord of the Rings, which takes place in Middle-earth's Third Age. In later writings, Tolkien states the two characters were one and the same, though this is not evident from The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings.
The character and his name (meaning "blond, golden-haired") were among the first created, when Tolkien first conceived of what would become his Middle-earth legendarium in 1916–17.
Glorfindel was born around the time of the Years of the Trees in Valinor. He was part of the host of Turgon, but only followed him because of his kinship. He took no part in the Kinslaying of the Alqualondë. After the Noldor's exile, his history became more obscure.
Glorfindel next appears in The Fall of Gondolin about the conquest of the Elven city Gondolin by the Dark Lord Morgoth. It was the first part of The Book of Lost Tales to be written, in 1916–17. As his ideas evolved, Tolkien wrote about this event various times, and it appears in compressed form in The Silmarillion; by the time he wrote Lord of the Rings, Tolkien had superseded or abandoned many of his original ideas.
From the beginning, Glorfindel appears as a noble lord, known as one of King Turgon's chief lieutenants. In the original Fall of Gondolin, he was called the chief of the House of the Golden Flower. After fighting in the city's defence, Glorfindel escaped together with Tuor, Idril, Eärendil and many others. The survivors passed through the Encircling Mountains above Gondolin. However, they were ambushed by enemies, including a Balrog. Glorfindel duelled and killed the Balrog, but was himself killed. His body was buried under a mound of stones, set there by the great eagle Thorondor, who lifted him up from the abyss. The Fall of Gondolin relates that "Glorfindel and the Balrog" became an Elven proverb to describe great skill and courage in battle.
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