Aredhel
Encyclopedia
Aredhel Ar-Feiniel (born and known in Quenya
as Írissë) is a fictional character
created by J. R. R. Tolkien
.
She is called Ar-Feiniel, the White Lady of the Noldor
. She is the daughter of Fingolfin
and Anairë
, sister of Fingon
, Turgon
and Argon
, and mother of Maeglin
. She was born and raised in Tirion
.
Aredhel is tall and strong, beautiful, extremely willful, adventurous and fickle, easily bored and restless, fond of hunting and riding in the forests:
Her skin is pale and her hair dark; she always wears silver and white. Though fond of the sons of Fëanor
, she never weds any one of them.
After arriving in Middle-earth
, Aredhel dwells in Nevrast with Turgon, and goes with him to Gondolin. But after two hundred years she tires of the city and longing for the forests and wide lands overcomes her. Aredhel asks leave to depart. Turgon is unwilling, fearing the exposure of the Hidden Kingdom, but eventually relents.
Riding with companions, they are denied safe passage through Doriath
because they seek the sons of Fëanor
. And so they travel the East Road along the North March of Doriath.
There Aredhel Ar-Feiniel is separated from her escort in the dangerous region of Nan Dungortheb. She reaches Himlad safely, and waits there to meet Celegorm
who is abroad. Ever restless, she wanders off and becomes lost in the forest of Nan Elmoth
.
Eöl
Mornedhel, the Dark Elf
is the lord of those woods. By his enchantments, they meet, and he leads her to his dark home near Gladuial. This was similar to Melian
's enchantment of Thingol
, but not as innocent on Eöl's part.
There they wed and she stays for many years. Aredhel gives birth to a son, Maeglin. Telling him of her former life and home, and weary of Nan Elmoth, Aredhel Ar-Feiniel desires to see them again. Without Eöl's leave, or knowledge, she departs Nan Elmoth with Maeglin while Eöl is away.
They reached the hidden entrance to Gondolin pursued by Eöl, and are received with rejoicing. Eöl is captured and brought before Turgon. Turgon will not allow Eöl to leave Gondolin, offering him only the choice to stay, or to die. Eöl refuses this judgement, choosing death for himself and his son. He attempts to kill his son with a javelin
. Aredhel steps in front of the dart to shield Maeglin. She saves her son, and begs Turgon to forgive her husband, but it is poisoned and she dies that night after Eöl is led away by Turgon's guards.
Eöl is executed by being cast down from the city walls. Maeglin becomes a mighty prince in Gondolin, later only to betray the city and become even more hated than his father.
Her name, at one point, in Quenya
is Írissë for Noldorin - Írith.
The original name from the original Fall of Gondolin
of 1916 and in most use into the 1950s is Isfin meaning snowlocks or exceedingly cunning.
Quenya
Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...
as Írissë) is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created by J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
.
She is called Ar-Feiniel, the White Lady of the Noldor
Noldor
In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Noldor are Elves of the Second Clan who migrated to Valinor and lived in Eldamar. The Noldor are called Golodhrim or Gódhellim in Sindarin, and Goldoi by Teleri of Tol Eressëa. The singular form of the Quenya noun is Noldo and the adjective is Noldorin...
. She is the daughter of Fingolfin
Fingolfin
Fingolfin is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, appearing in The Silmarillion.-Internal history:He was a High King of the Noldor in Beleriand, second eldest son of Finwë, full brother of Finarfin, and half-brother of Fëanor, who was the eldest of Finwë's sons. His mother was...
and Anairë
Anairë
Anairë is a fictional character of Middle-earth, created by J. R. R. Tolkien. She is the wife of Fingolfin. Little is known about her, except that she did not leave Aman and was friends with Eärwen, Finarfin's wife. They had four children, namely Fingon, Turgon, Aredhel, and Argon...
, sister of Fingon
Fingon
Fingon is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Silmarillion.-Character overview:...
, Turgon
Turgon
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Turgon "the Wise" is an Elven king of the Noldor, second son of Fingolfin, brother to Fingon, Aredhel and Argon, and ruler of the hidden city of Gondolin....
and Argon
Argon (Middle-earth)
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Argon was the fourth child of Fingolfin, High King of the Noldor in Beleriand.His mother was Anairë, and his brothers were Fingon, and Turgon. He had an older sister, Aredhel....
, and mother of Maeglin
Maeglin
Maeglin or Meglin is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured in The Silmarillion.He was an Elf, the son of Eöl the Dark Elf and Aredhel daughter of Fingolfin. He lived in the First Age of Middle-earth, and was a lord of Gondolin...
. She was born and raised in Tirion
Tirion
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Tirion upon Túna was the city of the Noldor in Valinor...
.
Aredhel is tall and strong, beautiful, extremely willful, adventurous and fickle, easily bored and restless, fond of hunting and riding in the forests:
"I am your sister and not your servant, and beyond your bounds I will go as seems good to me."
Her skin is pale and her hair dark; she always wears silver and white. Though fond of the sons of Fëanor
Fëanor
Fëanor is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium who plays an important part in The Silmarillion. He was the eldest son of Finwë, the High King of the Noldor, and his first wife Míriel Serindë...
, she never weds any one of them.
After arriving in Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
, Aredhel dwells in Nevrast with Turgon, and goes with him to Gondolin. But after two hundred years she tires of the city and longing for the forests and wide lands overcomes her. Aredhel asks leave to depart. Turgon is unwilling, fearing the exposure of the Hidden Kingdom, but eventually relents.
Riding with companions, they are denied safe passage through Doriath
Doriath
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Doriath is the realm of the Sindar, the Grey Elves of King Thingol in Beleriand. Along with the other great forests of Tolkien's legendarium such as Mirkwood, Fangorn and Lothlórien it serves as the central stage in the theatre of its time, the First Age...
because they seek the sons of Fëanor
Sons of Fëanor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth, the seven sons of Fëanor, the eldest prince of the Noldor, led their people from Valinor to rule over kingdoms in the Northeast of Beleriand:...
. And so they travel the East Road along the North March of Doriath.
There Aredhel Ar-Feiniel is separated from her escort in the dangerous region of Nan Dungortheb. She reaches Himlad safely, and waits there to meet Celegorm
Celegorm
Celegorm is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, appearing in The Silmarillion.He was the third son of Fëanor and Nerdanel, most closely associated with another brother, Curufin. Celegorm is described as "the fair," which could mean either that Celegorm had fairer...
who is abroad. Ever restless, she wanders off and becomes lost in the forest of Nan Elmoth
Nan Elmoth
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Nan Elmoth was the forest in Beleriand east of Doriath and southeast of the River Celon. In Tolkien's legendarium it is the archetype for all the other enchanted forests such as the Old Forest, Mirkwood, Lothlórien and Fangorn.- History in the Tales :Melian and...
.
Eöl
Eöl
Eöl, called the Dark Elf, is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Silmarillion as an Elf of Beleriand and is a character existing in some form from the earliest to the latest writings....
Mornedhel, the Dark Elf
Avari (Middle-earth)
In the fictional works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Avari are an ethnic group of the Elves.- History of the Avari:Avari is a Quenya word meaning 'Refusers' or 'Recusants'. When the vala Oromë found the Elves who had awakened in Cuiviénen , he asked them to come with him to Valinor...
is the lord of those woods. By his enchantments, they meet, and he leads her to his dark home near Gladuial. This was similar to Melian
Melian
Melian the Maia is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. She appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian, The Children of Húrin, the Annals of Aman and the Grey Annals....
's enchantment of Thingol
Thingol
Elu Thingol is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Silmarillion, The Lays of Beleriand and Children of Húrin as well as in numerous stories in the many volumes of The History of Middle-earth...
, but not as innocent on Eöl's part.
There they wed and she stays for many years. Aredhel gives birth to a son, Maeglin. Telling him of her former life and home, and weary of Nan Elmoth, Aredhel Ar-Feiniel desires to see them again. Without Eöl's leave, or knowledge, she departs Nan Elmoth with Maeglin while Eöl is away.
They reached the hidden entrance to Gondolin pursued by Eöl, and are received with rejoicing. Eöl is captured and brought before Turgon. Turgon will not allow Eöl to leave Gondolin, offering him only the choice to stay, or to die. Eöl refuses this judgement, choosing death for himself and his son. He attempts to kill his son with a javelin
Pilum
The pilum was a javelin commonly used by the Roman army in ancient times. It was generally about two metres long overall, consisting of an iron shank about 7 mm in diameter and 60 cm long with pyramidal head...
. Aredhel steps in front of the dart to shield Maeglin. She saves her son, and begs Turgon to forgive her husband, but it is poisoned and she dies that night after Eöl is led away by Turgon's guards.
Eöl is executed by being cast down from the city walls. Maeglin becomes a mighty prince in Gondolin, later only to betray the city and become even more hated than his father.
Etymology
The names, Aredhel - noble Elf and Ar-Feiniel - noble white lady, were both originally intended to stand alone replacing Isfin.Her name, at one point, in Quenya
Quenya
Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...
is Írissë for Noldorin - Írith.
The original name from the original Fall of Gondolin
Fall of Gondolin
In the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, the "Fall of Gondolin" is the name of one of the original Lost Tales which formed the basis for a section in his later work, The Silmarillion....
of 1916 and in most use into the 1950s is Isfin meaning snowlocks or exceedingly cunning.