I often think Fingon is overlooked and never really gets the attention he deserves (when compared to the likes of Feanor, Fingolfin or Finrod). But he wasn’t called Fingon the Valliant for nothing! This was a great analysis of his character.
I also wanted to get Phil to read "and he shouted aloud: 'Utúlie'n aurë! Aiya Eldalië ar Atanatári, utúlie'n aurë! The day has come! Behold, people of the Eldar and Fathers of Men, the day has come!' And all those who heard his great voice echo in the hills answered crying: 'Auta i lómë! The night is passing!'" but it couldn't be worked into the rescue of maedhros section. I should have just had him record it as an extra piece so I could work it into the video :D
I believe that Tolkien would have thoroughly enjoyed your essays and your insight about his works. This channel manages to understand that which is quite often overlooked about the Porfessor's themes.
Your channel is probably my greatest discovery on youtube in a long time. The fact that you are not only a lore-master, but also take a deep inside into authors internal thought process about the matter is something I truely admire. It is in my opinion a fresh, bright and in a good meaning provoking way of talking about Legendarium we love.
Thank you very much :D I'm happy you have found the channel. I try to have my channel stand out in some way, since there are many Tolkien channels, so it's nice to hear that feedback.
You mention that Fingon’s rescue of Maedhros was not attempted by his own brothers; they had not the courage - an excellent point I hadn’t even thought of. Superb video!
I'd probably look into this more and come to some conclusion about them caring about obtaining the Silmarils more than attempting to rescue him, which would be terrible. Attempting to rescue him could mean they all lose the opportunity to return the Silmarils - so...let's not try it. Another aspect of the Oath that shows how terrible it was.
In an age of larger than life heroes,with larger than life flaws, Fingon stands out as more valiant even his flaws are less, his participation in the kin slaying even manages to be less heinous. Thanks Steve and keep up the good work.
I think Tolkien did a good job of having Fingon not be perfect, still taking part in the kinslaying, but through a desire to help his own kin and not realising why they fought. It's a rash action but with a good motive. It feels more natural than the changes that were made to the figure of Galadriel - whom Tolkien seemed to struggle to explain how she took part but didn't then was there but didn't, etc. Feels like excuses to include a saint-like figure in an atrocity. Fingon would have later realised his mistake and mourned what had happened - growing from it.
Without a doubt, this is the best channel for covering the Legendarium that I’ve found, by a very large margin. I’m in awe. The presentation of the subject matter is incredible, from the choices of artwork, the music, the narration in such a pleasant and measured voice, the inserts of text information on the screen that don’t detract from or interrupt the flow of the story- to most importantly, the knowledge of and respect for the author and his work, which is evident from beginning to end. Thank you for the excellent work you’re doing here- I just discovered your channel, and within the first two minutes of watching, I subscribed. I can’t wait to search through your videos for my favorite tales (Túrin Turambar is my longtime favorite), and to watch the deep dive lore and explanation videos about subjects that I’m not as familiar with. This channel is a dragon’s hoard of video gems.
'Utúlie'n aurë! Aiya Eldalië ar Atanatári, utúlie'n aurë! The day has come! Behold, people of the Eldar and Fathers of Men, the day has come!' And all those who heard his great voice echo in the hills answered crying: 'Auta i lómë! The night is passing!'
@@TheRedBook There will always be things you wish you could do, but you can't at the moment, but the challenge is a great thing as long as you enjoy the process :) At least that's what I keep saying to myself, heh...))
Civil war among the Noldor would have been possible had it not been for Fingon's attempt to save Maedhros. Even this attempt alone has a quality that frustrates Melkor's efforts to schism among the Noldor and further reinforces these relations to the detriment of Melkor.
Interesting that Fingon must have been the first (along with Oromë and his Maiar) to use the Horse-archers tactic. He did this very well against Glaurung.
Thank you for shining a well-deserved spotlight on my favorite Tolkien character! That quote from the beginning of the video so perfectly sums up the heroism and the tragedy of his story. Made me tear up a little...
Definitely a parallel. Wish Tolkien had mentioned it in the story. He does mention Beren and the approach to Angband - with Sam realising that place would have been even worse than Mordor. A morsel of comfort in approaching a horrible place like Mordor. Hope at least!
Hello! Thanks to those who watched this latest Heroes of the First Age video. Let me know which deed you'd like to see be the focus of the next entry. I honestly haven't decided which.. Eärendil's? Beren & Lúthien and the Quest for the Silmaril? Turin's slaying of Glaurung? Finrod's Song of Power and Imprisonment with Beren? Hurin's Last Stand? Another choice? Support The Red Book - patreon.com/theredbook
I assume you'll cover all of these eventually, so I'm not too fussy about what order you do it in. I do hope that when you get to Beren and Luthien, you'll include the heroic deeds of Huan.
Lúthien is my favourite character in all of Tolkien. But I'm actually really keen to hear your take on Eärendil. I feel like you'd have a lot to add to that story and the discussion around it. Especially since it's such a short chapter but has so much significance.
@@docopoper Unless people really wanted it sooner, I'd probably do the Beren & Luthien part last in this First Age series since I recently made a Beren & Luthien video for Tolkien Reading Day. As for Earendil, yes I am looking forward to making that one - highlighting the significance of his journey and what it meant for the future of Middle-earth :)
I watch several lotr channels but yours is my favorite. The topic of your videos is always very unique and interesting. Thank you for creating such great content.
Agreed! When I get recordings from him he tends to send 3 with very different styles. I can then pick out the best combinations or just one full reading when i am editing. Great to work with him.
Suggestion for a topic and/or question about: Barad Eithel, the capital city of the Noldor nation of Hithlum in the First Age and seat of the High Kings. It so much resembles Minas Tirith of Gondor it must have been inspiration for it... a fortified capital city on the eastern side of the mountains directly facing the HQ of the Enemy. It must have been of supreme importance as the primary Elven military installation and seat of Hithlum's administration (and the greater Noldor-sphere), but it gets very little love or attention when compared to the other Elven cities. Even its fall in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad is passed over. I suppose the implication is there were no survivors, or the reasoning being something like, "all of Hithlum fell, so of course Barad Eithel fell too." ;-)
PS, I realize that there certainly were unnamed cities within Hithlum, and specially around Lake Mithrim, that might have been the chief dwellings of the populace and possibly the administration, which brings up another question: was Barad Eithel the capital of Hithlum or just the main base of the army?
Another absolutely superb video. This channel is without doubt the best Tolkien channel of them all. Great delivery and brilliant analysis. Also no detectable shilling for Amazon which has ruined other channels.
Yes :D . Another comment also noted that reference too. Just like Sam mentioning Beren and the approach to Angband - the old tales can in some ways inspire hope in the later ages of Middle-earth.
Tbh, I don't think of Fingon as the real successor of Fingolfin as High-King, he was essentially a figurehead for Maedhros or at least the junior partner. That said, there's no shame to this, Fingon knew this and cooperated with Maedhros dividing the heavy duties of High-Kingship with him and operating very capably in uniting the Alliance that they brought together at the Arnoediad, and that this military and political apprenticeship of sorts would have left Fingon in an incredibly strong position were Maedhros to fall. In turn though, Fingon was the only one of the sons of Fingolfin who could measure up enough to be worthy of any kingship (harsh I know), and that the partnership between Fingon & Maedhros was to the benefit of all. Always imagined that Fingon's death crushed Maedhros and that it was as great a loss and shock to him as the loss in the Dagor Arnoediad. Only Fingon & Maedhros could keep the Noldor even remotely united even if only formally so, too bad they were undermined by Maedhros's brothers and the Easterlings.
I recall that Maedhros very publicly ceded his house's right to the kingship to the house of Fingolfin. That effectively nullifies any sort of regal authority any of the house of Feanor could wield. This is reinforced my Maedhros actions of moving his brothers and their followers away from the bulk of the rest of the nolder east to hold the east flank and reduce the risk of strife over regal title and authority.
In many ways the heroes of the Arda and the folks of the Bible are different yet very similar in many ways even if the nature of their situations in slightly different and have different roles. They are yet equally admirable in their own ways. I respect and admire that.
I think that is tied to the idea of redemption. They said they would hold him for "three ages" and they honoured that. To keep him longer would be to act like him and Tolkien explains that this is what sets the likes of Manwe and the rest of the Valar apart from Melkor. Not meeting his lies with their own lies. edit - spelling error!
Actually, that was not his mistake. While Námo Mandos agreed with the idea of Melkor being paroled after 3 Ages, he wanted the terms of that parole to be stricter. But those terms were decided by a council of the eight most powerful Valar, and five of them voted to give Melkor full freedom of movement. The four against were Námo, Ulmo, Tulkas and Aulë. Additionally, ultimate responsibility for the Darkening rests with Manwë: because he failed to see that Melkor was manipulating the Noldor. He did not want to believe that his brother was refusing the chance for redemption: which is understandable, if aggravating. I mean, really, the entire Silmarillion can more or less be summed up as "Nobody listens to Námo, and everyone suffers the consequences": since he also tried to tell the Noldor that going to Middle Earth on their own was not going to end well, and all of them except Finarfin blew him off.
Tell me about it. I'm not built at all for this weather - my skin is usually a pale shade of blue AND I have red hair...15 degrees C is tropical for me.
Very brutal. Especially the aftermath - which reminds me of what Morgoth was going to attempt with Fingolfin but the body was rescued. No such help for poor Fingon who would have been left in a bloody heap. Still, the white flame shot up - hope that it was his spirit that escaped what would be done to his body afterwards.
My take on why Fingon isn't more remembered, is that despite his virtues, he isn't all that *interesting* as a personality. A hero, to be sure, but not a genius or a visionary, he is indeed faultlessly brave and well-meaning (although not perfect, as the Kinslaying shows), but he isn't particularly complex. More than anything else, he is a good soldier, and that doesn't always make for a compelling biography or an interesting character study.
Sorry to hear that. Might be your side as this is the first comment saying the music might be too loud. I think if I made it any quieter then it wouldn't be audible. I tend to test my audio through my speakers then headphones and it's not always perfect but it shouldn't be that bad.
Fingon has bad things happen to him every time he rushes into a fight. First he arrives in the middle of the kinslaying in Alqualonde and without asking questions rushes in and helps Feanor and his men. If he hadn't done that then Feanor could have failed and would never have been able to steal the Teleri swanships. Then, four a bit centuries later, in the run-up to the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, Fingon is leading the western half of an army of Elves and Men waiting to strike Angband. Some of Morgoth's Orcs display a captured Elf, Gelmir of Nargothrond, to provoke the Elves into prematurely attacking- and they sure do! And Fingon, realising he has lost control, decides to Leeroy Jenkins and charges with his army towards the gates of Angband. And we all know what happened there! You could say haste was Fingon's Achilles Heel.
@TheRedBook oh... i see. I wonder what is life like there, what happened to Feanor and his sons after their deaths... I love Maedhros so much... I feel so sorry for him...
@danielamckee5435 it seems that only Feanor is described as "never leaving" the halls even if he wanted to. Forgiveness can be offered, there is pity and mercy too. I like to think that the sons who realised through their pain that they were wrong would not be forced to dwell there forever. We don't know but the likes of Maedhros did good as well and he wasn't "evil" . Though many Elves do just remain in the halls as they find peace there.
@@danielamckee5435 he refused to wed his own kindred and remained alone. He had no reason to leave the halls and may have found some peace there in grief.
The sun and moon lit up Valinor and Middle Earth after the two trees died. After the sinking of numenor and the changing of the world, where was Valinor in relation to the sun and moon?
"Tilion had traversed the heaven seven times, and thus was in the furthest east, when the vessel of Arien was made ready. Then Anar arose in glory, and the first dawn of the Sun was like a great fire upon the towers of the Pelóri" The first sun rise was in the west but instead of moving from west to east and back (always being in the sky), the sun would actually descend into the distant western seas and then ascend in the east. The moon rose in the east to signal the First Age. The moon rose first but also passed beneath the world to rise in the east each night - tradition says Tilion was not as steady as Arien so sometimes the sun and moon appear in the sky at the same time.
@@TheRedBook Thank you! If I am understanding, then when Frodo went to Valinor, the sun and the moon would move in the sky the same way they do in Middle Earth? And the stars? I imagine Frodo would look up at the sky a lot.
@@planepantsgames1791 - I think the easiest way to think of the Blessed Realm is that it is just no long accessible 'naturally' but it's still present. They'd still see the light of the sun, stars, etc. But you just can't sail to it normally anymore. You need the authority to pass int oit.
Now I may be not up to date but weren't Finwe's descendants from his marriage to Indis supposed to be all blond? So any blond Noldo could be traced back to this line as the Noldor were dark-haired. Or has that lore from the Silmarillion been thrown out?
nope. The Silmarillion lore is that Findis and Finarfin were blond, while Fingolfin and Lalwen were dark-haired. It also says that the Noldor are usually dark-haired. What the Silmarillion does not say, and indeed I don't think any version of the text says, is that the marriage of Finwë to Indis was the *only* Noldo-Vanya union. Though the only other such union mentioned in the Silmarillion explicitly is that of Turgon and Elenwë, producing blonde Princess Idril and blonde Eärendil. So it would certainly be possible to have blond Noldor who were no relation to Finwë. That being said, the list of named blond Noldor is short and most of them are accounted for in the Silmarillion narrative: Finarfin, Finrod, Angrod, Aegnor, Orodreth, Galadriel, Finduilas, Idril, Glórfindel and Gildor. Of those, the only one whose parentage is entirely unknown is Glórfindel: LotR just says cryptically that he was "of a house of princes". Gildor's parentage is not entirely clear, but he is considered part of Finrod's house (and it is not made clear if he is royal or not). Gilgalad is sometimes added to the list of blonde Noldor, if he is envisioned as the son of Orodreth rather than of Fingon (as in the Silmarillion). All that being said though, there are also two schools of thought among fanartists about how to depict the hair color that Tolkien described with the word "silver". Some people draw it as platinum blond, while others draw it as grey. So if you see a blonde Celegorm, that's why. His hair is described as "silver" in the Silmarillion, like his grandmother Miriel's. At least in the eyes of the Noldor however, this is a separate color from what those with Vanyarin ancestry have. Either that can be chalked up to a cultural difference in color perception, or to elven genetics being slightly different. The text really doesn't say which it is, and Tolkien never drew one of the silver-haired elves.
The Tolkien heirs do a great disservices to the legacy of JR Tolkien by not licensing his work to movie companies since current generations would enjoy a big screen version of the Silmarillion.
I have to disagree with you completely. Look at the state of Hollywood today! Superheroes films, sequels, remakes, poorly-included diversity! We got very lucky with Peter Jackson and his original LOTR trilogy. The Hobbit films were chiefly the result of Warner Brothers' incessant meddling, Jackson even said the 4th and final movie (Battle Of 5 Armies) was not his movie! Amazon's Rings Of Power hasn't been very promising. It will have to pull off a miracle to get both fans and the Tolkien estate onboard for more cinematic adaptations.
Not The Silmarillion. Not even just the six middle chapters that are the "Quenta Silmarillion" proper. There isn't really an overarching narrative, a LOT of stuff happens, there's enough characters to fill an MMORPG, and the story covers an absurd length of time. Additionally, the Silmarillion is more or less just a list of events that happened: only very rarely does it offer any insight into *why* characters took the actions they took. For example, it tells us that Fingolfin and Maedhros wanted to attack Angband before the Dagor Bragollach: but none of the other lords of Beleriand wanted to. Infuriatingly however, it does not tell us *why*. Their motivations have to be inferred from other details that we know about these characters: for example that Finrod doesn't like violence, Curufin is over-cautious, etc. All that being said though, some of the most important parts of the Silmarillion are expanded upon elsewhere: the Lay of Leithian, the Children of Húrin and the Fall of Gondolin. These stories have self-contained narratives, a more manageable number of plot points, a far more manageable number of characters, and cover much more reasonable amounts of time. The Lay of Leithian takes place over the course of two years, the Children of Húrin covers twenty, and the Fall of Gondolin can't be more than a hundred. All three of those would make good movies, and I personally think that if no studio asks for the license to The Children of Húrin this year that will be a missed opportunity. I think the fact that House of the Dragon and The Witcher are doing well is a sign people are looking for grittier fantasy. The Children of Húrin fits into that much better than the Second Age material Amazon is failing at adapting.
I often think Fingon is overlooked and never really gets the attention he deserves (when compared to the likes of Feanor, Fingolfin or Finrod). But he wasn’t called Fingon the Valliant for nothing! This was a great analysis of his character.
Agreed Alice, he seems to get lost in the chaos of the House of Finwe. I love this story with Maedhros and the tragic end of Fingon too.
Thanks!
The moment when Fingon puts his helmet on and orders his host to charge, for me, is one of the most saddest moments of all the silmarillion
I also wanted to get Phil to read "and he shouted aloud: 'Utúlie'n aurë! Aiya Eldalië ar Atanatári, utúlie'n aurë! The day has come! Behold, people of the Eldar and Fathers of Men, the day has come!' And all those who heard his great voice echo in the hills answered crying: 'Auta i lómë! The night is passing!'" but it couldn't be worked into the rescue of maedhros section. I should have just had him record it as an extra piece so I could work it into the video :D
I believe that Tolkien would have thoroughly enjoyed your essays and your insight about his works. This channel manages to understand that which is quite often overlooked about the Porfessor's themes.
Your channel is probably my greatest discovery on youtube in a long time. The fact that you are not only a lore-master, but also take a deep inside into authors internal thought process about the matter is something I truely admire. It is in my opinion a fresh, bright and in a good meaning provoking way of talking about Legendarium we love.
Thank you very much :D I'm happy you have found the channel. I try to have my channel stand out in some way, since there are many Tolkien channels, so it's nice to hear that feedback.
You mention that Fingon’s rescue of Maedhros was not attempted by his own brothers; they had not the courage - an excellent point I hadn’t even thought of. Superb video!
I'd probably look into this more and come to some conclusion about them caring about obtaining the Silmarils more than attempting to rescue him, which would be terrible. Attempting to rescue him could mean they all lose the opportunity to return the Silmarils - so...let's not try it. Another aspect of the Oath that shows how terrible it was.
In an age of larger than life heroes,with larger than life flaws, Fingon stands out as more valiant even his flaws are less, his participation in the kin slaying even manages to be less heinous. Thanks Steve and keep up the good work.
I think Tolkien did a good job of having Fingon not be perfect, still taking part in the kinslaying, but through a desire to help his own kin and not realising why they fought. It's a rash action but with a good motive. It feels more natural than the changes that were made to the figure of Galadriel - whom Tolkien seemed to struggle to explain how she took part but didn't then was there but didn't, etc. Feels like excuses to include a saint-like figure in an atrocity. Fingon would have later realised his mistake and mourned what had happened - growing from it.
@@TheRedBook Human imperfection was something the professor was very interested in. He explores the theme beautifully with Fingon.
Without a doubt, this is the best channel for covering the Legendarium that I’ve found, by a very large margin. I’m in awe. The presentation of the subject matter is incredible, from the choices of artwork, the music, the narration in such a pleasant and measured voice, the inserts of text information on the screen that don’t detract from or interrupt the flow of the story- to most importantly, the knowledge of and respect for the author and his work, which is evident from beginning to end. Thank you for the excellent work you’re doing here- I just discovered your channel, and within the first two minutes of watching, I subscribed. I can’t wait to search through your videos for my favorite tales (Túrin Turambar is my longtime favorite), and to watch the deep dive lore and explanation videos about subjects that I’m not as familiar with. This channel is a dragon’s hoard of video gems.
'Utúlie'n aurë! Aiya Eldalië ar Atanatári, utúlie'n aurë! The day has come! Behold, people of the Eldar and Fathers of Men, the day has come!' And all those who heard his great voice echo in the hills answered crying: 'Auta i lómë! The night is passing!'
Finno is so underrated, he’s almost never even mentioned when searching online about Silmarillion related characters.
If I wanted a video adaptation of the Silmarillion, I'd want it to be done by The Red Book - no kidding. You give new life to Tolkien's writings!
Kind to say but I think my ambition doesn't quite match my video making skills 😅 but I'm still learning!
@@TheRedBook You're learning really fast, it's impressive to watch your skill grow!
There are some things I wish I could do but I'm pretty happy with it at the moment.
@@TheRedBook There will always be things you wish you could do, but you can't at the moment, but the challenge is a great thing as long as you enjoy the process :) At least that's what I keep saying to myself, heh...))
Great video. I listened to this twice on the way to work this morning and teared up both times during the narrated section. For Fingon!
Twice? :O honoured! And yes, Phil's work is incredible. I couldn't approach that section in any similar way at all!
A video for Maglor or Maedhros would also be great.
Civil war among the Noldor would have been possible had it not been for Fingon's attempt to save Maedhros. Even this attempt alone has a quality that frustrates Melkor's efforts to schism among the Noldor and further reinforces these relations to the detriment of Melkor.
Interesting that Fingon must have been the first (along with Oromë and his Maiar) to use the Horse-archers tactic. He did this very well against Glaurung.
Thank you for shining a well-deserved spotlight on my favorite Tolkien character! That quote from the beginning of the video so perfectly sums up the heroism and the tragedy of his story. Made me tear up a little...
I always loved the parallel between Fingon and Maedhros and Sam and Frodo. It was the song of Valinor ❤️
Definitely a parallel. Wish Tolkien had mentioned it in the story. He does mention Beren and the approach to Angband - with Sam realising that place would have been even worse than Mordor. A morsel of comfort in approaching a horrible place like Mordor. Hope at least!
Hello! Thanks to those who watched this latest Heroes of the First Age video. Let me know which deed you'd like to see be the focus of the next entry. I honestly haven't decided which..
Eärendil's? Beren & Lúthien and the Quest for the Silmaril? Turin's slaying of Glaurung? Finrod's Song of Power and Imprisonment with Beren? Hurin's Last Stand? Another choice?
Support The Red Book - patreon.com/theredbook
I assume you'll cover all of these eventually, so I'm not too fussy about what order you do it in. I do hope that when you get to Beren and Luthien, you'll include the heroic deeds of Huan.
Yeah, I want to make sure I don't leave anything out from the First Age before moving on. It's really a matter of which one I do first!
Many food choices man.
All gotta be covered anyway.
Go with your gut 👍😊
Lúthien is my favourite character in all of Tolkien. But I'm actually really keen to hear your take on Eärendil. I feel like you'd have a lot to add to that story and the discussion around it. Especially since it's such a short chapter but has so much significance.
@@docopoper Unless people really wanted it sooner, I'd probably do the Beren & Luthien part last in this First Age series since I recently made a Beren & Luthien video for Tolkien Reading Day.
As for Earendil, yes I am looking forward to making that one - highlighting the significance of his journey and what it meant for the future of Middle-earth :)
I watch several lotr channels but yours is my favorite. The topic of your videos is always very unique and interesting. Thank you for creating such great content.
Thanks, Alex :) appreciate such great support!
I think Fingon's stay in Mandos was short. Maybe in his return he could find love.
I have all the J.R.R. Tolkien audiobooks from Audible, but that Phil Dragash audio is something special.
I hope my cheesy effects don't ruin it :D his narration is good enough on its own but I like adding something for these videos!
Your videos are well beyond exceptional, and a gem I am happy to have discovered. Tolkien would be proud.
This was excellent. Beautifully done. Very enjoyable.
Thank you John!
I really need to listen to this audio book.
An expensive commission to record all of it but there will at least be more recordings like this throughout this series.
Truly magnificent narrations from Phil!
Agreed! When I get recordings from him he tends to send 3 with very different styles. I can then pick out the best combinations or just one full reading when i am editing. Great to work with him.
Suggestion for a topic and/or question about: Barad Eithel, the capital city of the Noldor nation of Hithlum in the First Age and seat of the High Kings. It so much resembles Minas Tirith of Gondor it must have been inspiration for it... a fortified capital city on the eastern side of the mountains directly facing the HQ of the Enemy. It must have been of supreme importance as the primary Elven military installation and seat of Hithlum's administration (and the greater Noldor-sphere), but it gets very little love or attention when compared to the other Elven cities. Even its fall in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad is passed over. I suppose the implication is there were no survivors, or the reasoning being something like, "all of Hithlum fell, so of course Barad Eithel fell too." ;-)
PS, I realize that there certainly were unnamed cities within Hithlum, and specially around Lake Mithrim, that might have been the chief dwellings of the populace and possibly the administration, which brings up another question: was Barad Eithel the capital of Hithlum or just the main base of the army?
U r the best podcast n high intuitive intel close to source compared to others on UA-cam.
Good video, The Red Book!
I appreciate your videos overall. Their general mood, so to speak.
Thanks, Martin. I always appreciate the support!
Another absolutely superb video. This channel is without doubt the best Tolkien channel of them all. Great delivery and brilliant analysis. Also no detectable shilling for Amazon which has ruined other channels.
Thank you for making this beautiful video about my favorite character Fingon.
Keep up the great work Mellon. You always show the best qualities of characters. One of the best analyzers of Tolkien characters. ECTHELION!!!
Thank you. Great work as usual.
im late but this was bloody amazing, such good work really, hats off !!
My Lotro name is now Hasros Findekáno. I named it a few days ago after the Great Fingon. My favourite of the children of Fingolfin.
Thank you for this beautiful channel
Thanks to everyone watching :D
Excellent, as always
Wow, that was a cinematic experience :-)
Excellent video, bud!
Nice work dude thanks
The rescue sounds similar to Frodo's Journey through Mordor. Taking advantage of the shadows the dark lord had created.
Yes :D . Another comment also noted that reference too. Just like Sam mentioning Beren and the approach to Angband - the old tales can in some ways inspire hope in the later ages of Middle-earth.
Beautiful telling! Thanks
Excellent video ..thank you!
Tbh, I don't think of Fingon as the real successor of Fingolfin as High-King, he was essentially a figurehead for Maedhros or at least the junior partner.
That said, there's no shame to this, Fingon knew this and cooperated with Maedhros dividing the heavy duties of High-Kingship with him and operating very capably in uniting the Alliance that they brought together at the Arnoediad, and that this military and political apprenticeship of sorts would have left Fingon in an incredibly strong position were Maedhros to fall. In turn though, Fingon was the only one of the sons of Fingolfin who could measure up enough to be worthy of any kingship (harsh I know), and that the partnership between Fingon & Maedhros was to the benefit of all. Always imagined that Fingon's death crushed Maedhros and that it was as great a loss and shock to him as the loss in the Dagor Arnoediad.
Only Fingon & Maedhros could keep the Noldor even remotely united even if only formally so, too bad they were undermined by Maedhros's brothers and the Easterlings.
I recall that Maedhros very publicly ceded his house's right to the kingship to the house of Fingolfin. That effectively nullifies any sort of regal authority any of the house of Feanor could wield. This is reinforced my Maedhros actions of moving his brothers and their followers away from the bulk of the rest of the nolder east to hold the east flank and reduce the risk of strife over regal title and authority.
Really good video, very interesting to watch
Love your work brother
Thanks!
Wonderful and for the algorithm
Is there more narration from Phil Dragash! Loved it! 👏
These Heroes videos all have his narration - there are 3 so far but I have a 4th one planned for (hopefully) October.
The 400 year siege of Angband would make a great cartoon series. Untainted by todays social standards of course.
I think it proves the house of fingolfin was essential to the fate of middle earth
This is art. This is sub-creation for the love of creation!
In many ways the heroes of the Arda and the folks of the Bible are different yet very similar in many ways even if the nature of their situations in slightly different and have different roles. They are yet equally admirable in their own ways. I respect and admire that.
The day has come......
I tend to like finarfin and his son finrod. They tend to suffer least at what I like to call the arrogance and prideof the house of finwe.
"Fairest and wisest" of Finwe's house. I think staying in Tirion really showed that wisdom when it came to the Flight of the Noldor!
@@TheRedBook Its the Vanyar bloodline from the mother lol
"Fingon, the Valiant"
Mandos! Ironically the judger of souls, made the biggest mistake of all time: letting Melkor go
I think that is tied to the idea of redemption. They said they would hold him for "three ages" and they honoured that. To keep him longer would be to act like him and Tolkien explains that this is what sets the likes of Manwe and the rest of the Valar apart from Melkor. Not meeting his lies with their own lies.
edit - spelling error!
@@TheRedBook once again you make great points!
Actually, that was not his mistake. While Námo Mandos agreed with the idea of Melkor being paroled after 3 Ages, he wanted the terms of that parole to be stricter. But those terms were decided by a council of the eight most powerful Valar, and five of them voted to give Melkor full freedom of movement. The four against were Námo, Ulmo, Tulkas and Aulë. Additionally, ultimate responsibility for the Darkening rests with Manwë: because he failed to see that Melkor was manipulating the Noldor. He did not want to believe that his brother was refusing the chance for redemption: which is understandable, if aggravating. I mean, really, the entire Silmarillion can more or less be summed up as "Nobody listens to Námo, and everyone suffers the consequences": since he also tried to tell the Noldor that going to Middle Earth on their own was not going to end well, and all of them except Finarfin blew him off.
What editing software do you use because it is very smooth?
I will try to catch these premier.
It's just so hot 😂🔥
Tell me about it. I'm not built at all for this weather - my skin is usually a pale shade of blue AND I have red hair...15 degrees C is tropical for me.
the death of Fingon is realy one of the most horrible descriptions Tolkien provide us with...they litterly beat him to pieces like a splatter movie :(
Very brutal. Especially the aftermath - which reminds me of what Morgoth was going to attempt with Fingolfin but the body was rescued. No such help for poor Fingon who would have been left in a bloody heap. Still, the white flame shot up - hope that it was his spirit that escaped what would be done to his body afterwards.
Cheers
My take on why Fingon isn't more remembered, is that despite his virtues, he isn't all that *interesting* as a personality. A hero, to be sure, but not a genius or a visionary, he is indeed faultlessly brave and well-meaning (although not perfect, as the Kinslaying shows), but he isn't particularly complex. More than anything else, he is a good soldier, and that doesn't always make for a compelling biography or an interesting character study.
Well-made video, but either my headphones aren‘t on top of their game or the background sound / music is too loud to understand you well sometimes.
Sorry to hear that. Might be your side as this is the first comment saying the music might be too loud. I think if I made it any quieter then it wouldn't be audible. I tend to test my audio through my speakers then headphones and it's not always perfect but it shouldn't be that bad.
@@TheRedBook No prob, thanks a lot for the response. Guess it‘s time I got some new mobile headphones. Cheers
Fingon has bad things happen to him every time he rushes into a fight.
First he arrives in the middle of the kinslaying in Alqualonde and without asking questions rushes in and helps Feanor and his men. If he hadn't done that then Feanor could have failed and would never have been able to steal the Teleri swanships.
Then, four a bit centuries later, in the run-up to the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, Fingon is leading the western half of an army of Elves and Men waiting to strike Angband. Some of Morgoth's Orcs display a captured Elf, Gelmir of Nargothrond, to provoke the Elves into prematurely attacking- and they sure do! And Fingon, realising he has lost control, decides to Leeroy Jenkins and charges with his army towards the gates of Angband.
And we all know what happened there!
You could say haste was Fingon's Achilles Heel.
Googling Leeroy Jenkins, brb!
hype
Was Maedhros and Fingon ever released from the Halls of Mando?
@@danielamckee5435 that is something we are never told
@TheRedBook oh... i see. I wonder what is life like there, what happened to Feanor and his sons after their deaths... I love Maedhros so much... I feel so sorry for him...
@danielamckee5435 it seems that only Feanor is described as "never leaving" the halls even if he wanted to. Forgiveness can be offered, there is pity and mercy too. I like to think that the sons who realised through their pain that they were wrong would not be forced to dwell there forever. We don't know but the likes of Maedhros did good as well and he wasn't "evil" . Though many Elves do just remain in the halls as they find peace there.
@TheRedBook so this is why Aegnor refused to leave? Because he found piece in the Halls of Mandos since he could not be with the one he loved?
@@danielamckee5435 he refused to wed his own kindred and remained alone. He had no reason to leave the halls and may have found some peace there in grief.
How big is Ancalagon the Black if he was listed in feet?
I made a video about Ancalagon's size before - ua-cam.com/video/alGw979AYh0/v-deo.html
Would you rather see Fingon, Feanor, Durin the Deathless, Fingolfin, or King Thingol the most?
(Leaves out his slaughter to acquire them boats to go West)😭💀
The sun and moon lit up Valinor and Middle Earth after the two trees died. After the sinking of numenor and the changing of the world, where was Valinor in relation to the sun and moon?
"Tilion had traversed the heaven seven times, and thus was in the furthest east, when the vessel of Arien was made ready. Then Anar arose in glory, and the first dawn of the Sun was like a great fire upon the towers of the Pelóri"
The first sun rise was in the west but instead of moving from west to east and back (always being in the sky), the sun would actually descend into the distant western seas and then ascend in the east.
The moon rose in the east to signal the First Age. The moon rose first but also passed beneath the world to rise in the east each night - tradition says Tilion was not as steady as Arien so sometimes the sun and moon appear in the sky at the same time.
@@TheRedBook Thank you! If I am understanding, then when Frodo went to Valinor, the sun and the moon would move in the sky the same way they do in Middle Earth? And the stars? I imagine Frodo would look up at the sky a lot.
@@planepantsgames1791 - I think the easiest way to think of the Blessed Realm is that it is just no long accessible 'naturally' but it's still present. They'd still see the light of the sun, stars, etc. But you just can't sail to it normally anymore. You need the authority to pass int oit.
One of your best yet? 😉
Now I may be not up to date but weren't Finwe's descendants from his marriage to Indis supposed to be all blond? So any blond Noldo could be traced back to this line as the Noldor were dark-haired. Or has that lore from the Silmarillion been thrown out?
nope. The Silmarillion lore is that Findis and Finarfin were blond, while Fingolfin and Lalwen were dark-haired. It also says that the Noldor are usually dark-haired. What the Silmarillion does not say, and indeed I don't think any version of the text says, is that the marriage of Finwë to Indis was the *only* Noldo-Vanya union. Though the only other such union mentioned in the Silmarillion explicitly is that of Turgon and Elenwë, producing blonde Princess Idril and blonde Eärendil. So it would certainly be possible to have blond Noldor who were no relation to Finwë. That being said, the list of named blond Noldor is short and most of them are accounted for in the Silmarillion narrative: Finarfin, Finrod, Angrod, Aegnor, Orodreth, Galadriel, Finduilas, Idril, Glórfindel and Gildor. Of those, the only one whose parentage is entirely unknown is Glórfindel: LotR just says cryptically that he was "of a house of princes". Gildor's parentage is not entirely clear, but he is considered part of Finrod's house (and it is not made clear if he is royal or not). Gilgalad is sometimes added to the list of blonde Noldor, if he is envisioned as the son of Orodreth rather than of Fingon (as in the Silmarillion).
All that being said though, there are also two schools of thought among fanartists about how to depict the hair color that Tolkien described with the word "silver". Some people draw it as platinum blond, while others draw it as grey. So if you see a blonde Celegorm, that's why. His hair is described as "silver" in the Silmarillion, like his grandmother Miriel's. At least in the eyes of the Noldor however, this is a separate color from what those with Vanyarin ancestry have. Either that can be chalked up to a cultural difference in color perception, or to elven genetics being slightly different. The text really doesn't say which it is, and Tolkien never drew one of the silver-haired elves.
damn i,d rather see a movie based on some part of the 1st age ,even CGI over the amazon 2nd age show
The Tolkien heirs do a great disservices to the legacy of JR Tolkien by not licensing his work to movie companies since current generations would enjoy a big screen version of the Silmarillion.
Bollox Amazon are about to make a mockery of it
I have to disagree with you completely. Look at the state of Hollywood today! Superheroes films, sequels, remakes, poorly-included diversity! We got very lucky with Peter Jackson and his original LOTR trilogy. The Hobbit films were chiefly the result of Warner Brothers' incessant meddling, Jackson even said the 4th and final movie (Battle Of 5 Armies) was not his movie!
Amazon's Rings Of Power hasn't been very promising. It will have to pull off a miracle to get both fans and the Tolkien estate onboard for more cinematic adaptations.
Not The Silmarillion. Not even just the six middle chapters that are the "Quenta Silmarillion" proper. There isn't really an overarching narrative, a LOT of stuff happens, there's enough characters to fill an MMORPG, and the story covers an absurd length of time. Additionally, the Silmarillion is more or less just a list of events that happened: only very rarely does it offer any insight into *why* characters took the actions they took. For example, it tells us that Fingolfin and Maedhros wanted to attack Angband before the Dagor Bragollach: but none of the other lords of Beleriand wanted to. Infuriatingly however, it does not tell us *why*. Their motivations have to be inferred from other details that we know about these characters: for example that Finrod doesn't like violence, Curufin is over-cautious, etc.
All that being said though, some of the most important parts of the Silmarillion are expanded upon elsewhere: the Lay of Leithian, the Children of Húrin and the Fall of Gondolin. These stories have self-contained narratives, a more manageable number of plot points, a far more manageable number of characters, and cover much more reasonable amounts of time. The Lay of Leithian takes place over the course of two years, the Children of Húrin covers twenty, and the Fall of Gondolin can't be more than a hundred. All three of those would make good movies, and I personally think that if no studio asks for the license to The Children of Húrin this year that will be a missed opportunity. I think the fact that House of the Dragon and The Witcher are doing well is a sign people are looking for grittier fantasy. The Children of Húrin fits into that much better than the Second Age material Amazon is failing at adapting.
Faenor was a really terrible leader
I certainly wouldn't put leadership as one of his qualities. He wasn't great at leading and didn't like to be led.
@@TheRedBook yes, I agree. He was head strong and didn't care who or what he sacrificed to get his way.