Alqualonde

[Narwen Mithwing]

Did Finrod fight in the battle at Alqualonde? I know he didn't fight against the Teleri, but did he fight in defence of them? I've run across several references to Finrod and Galadriel "fighting valiantly in defence of Alqualonde". But I was just wondering what you all thought and if anyone knew anything morea about it.

[Sister Golden Hair]

Originally posted by Narwen Mithwing
Did Finrod fight in the battle at Alqualonde? I know he didn't fight against the Teleri, but did he fight in defence of them? I've run across several references to Finrod and Galadriel "fighting valiantly in defence of Alqualonde". But I was just wondering what you all thought and if anyone knew anything morea about it.

It does say in Unfinished Tales that Finrod and Galadriel fought Valiantly in defense of their mother's kin. However, it does not say anywhere that I know of, that they killed anyone. I think it may have been more of an effort on their parts to drive back the hosts of Feanor, that would have meant the hosts of Fingolfin as well. But, of course Feanor prevailed.

[Ñólendil]

But you're not going to drive back hosts with mega phones and mace, they must have been fighting at one point, with swords or bows, weapons. It is hard not to kill anyone in a battle, afterall.

[Sister Golden Hair]

Originally posted by Inoldonil
But you're not going to drive back hosts with mega phones and mace, they must have been fighting at one point, with swords or bows, weapons. It is hard not to kill anyone in a battle, afterall.

Inoldonil, I know they were useing swords. I didn't say they didn't kill anyone. I said that I did not recall anywhere where it said that they killed anyone. So, it would be an assumption.

[Ñólendil]

Wanna fight about it? I'll fight valiantly against you with a sword, and we'll see what happens!

I must emphasize:

[Michael Martinez]

Originally posted by Sister Golden Hair
It does say in Unfinished Tales that Finrod and Galadriel fought Valiantly in defense of their mother's kin. However, it does not say anywhere that I know of, that they killed anyone. I think it may have been more of an effort on their parts to drive back the hosts of Feanor, that would have meant the hosts of Fingolfin as well. But, of course Feanor prevailed.

I believe you're thinking of the passage where Christopher summarizes a very late account of the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, and it is Celeborn who fights beside Galadriel at Alqualnode against the Noldor.

Finrod did not participate in the battle.

[Narwen Mithwing]

In Morgoth's Ring, it states that both Finrod and Galadriel fought. Though I know what you're talking about in Unfinished Tales, and that was one of the things that I was wondering about. Do you know which was the last written? Was it the one in Unfinished Tales?

[Sister Golden Hair]

You know, it kind of doesn't make sense that Finrod or Galadriel fought. The Sil. says that the battle was well underway when Fingon and company joined in. Fingon was at the head of the huge host leading the Exiles. Galadriel and Finrod lead the host from the rear. So I would think that the battle would have been near the end by the time they reached it.

[Michael Martinez]

Originally posted by Narwen Mithwing
In Morgoth's Ring, it states that both Finrod and Galadriel fought. Though I know what you're talking about in Unfinished Tales, and that was one of the things that I was wondering about. Do you know which was the last written? Was it the one in Unfinished Tales?

Morgoth's Ring records a marginal note that Tolkien wrote in 1973 (within a year of when he revised Celeborn's history to make him a Telerin Elf of Alqualonde). These changes to Celeborn's character and to the history of Galadriel and Finrod are inconsistent with material which, though unpublished at the time, formed the basis of The Silmarillion chronology.

Tolkien was in the process of completely rethinking the cosmology and history and would have introduced radical changes to everything. There is no way that Finrod could have fought at Alqualonde in the mythology which The Silmarillion represents. Tolkien would have had to change the events which preceded the battle as well as the order of march for the Noldor. He never did that, and even if that had been his intention, he would have run into other obstacles, such as the fact that Celeborn would have been Galadriel's first cousin -- and Tolkien had written that first cousins did not wed among the Eldar in more than one place.

[Ñólendil]

Also Celeborn is said to be a Sindarin Elf of Doriath in the Lord of the Rings and The Road Goes Ever On.

[Michael Martinez]

The 2nd edition of LoTR says Celeborn was a Sinda. In the 1st edition, he was a Wood Elf.

[Narwen Mithwing]

So then Finrod, Finarfin, and their people got to Alqualonde after all the fighting was done? And saw this horrible scene of the finnished battle? And they still went on. I couldn't immagine doing that But I guess that's the point

[Michael Martinez]

Originally posted by Narwen Mithwing
So then Finrod, Finarfin, and their people got to Alqualonde after all the fighting was done? And saw this horrible scene of the finnished battle? And they still went on. I couldn't immagine doing that But I guess that's the point

Ever hear the expression, "In for a penny, in for a pound"?