Thingol
Elu Thingol (died Y.S. 502) 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. He is notably a major character in many of the stories about the First Age of Tolkien's Middle-earth[1] and he is an essential part of the ancestral backgrounding of the romance between Aragorn and Arwen in The Lord of the Rings.
Thingol | |
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Tolkien character | |
The Fight between Thingol and Boldog illustration by Tom Loback | |
In-universe information | |
Aliases | Elwë Singollo, Elu Thingol, King of Doriath, King of the Sindar, King of the Teleri, High-king and Lord of Beleriand, |
Race | Elves |
Gender | Male |
Book(s) | The Silmarillion, The Children of Húrin, The Lays of Beleriand, Beren & Lúthien |
Thingol is introduced as the King of Doriath, King of the Sindar, High-king[2] and Lord of Beleriand. He is said to be "the tallest of all the Children of Ilúvatar" and the "mightiest of the Eldar save Fëanor only".[3]
Fictional role
In The Silmarillion he is one of the three chieftains of the Elves who depart from Cuiviénen with Oromë as ambassadors of Valinor and later become Kings. Upon his return, he persuades many of his kindred, the Nelyar, to follow him back to Valinor. This host becomes known as the Teleri. He later encounters Melian the Maia and fell in love with her. He had a daughter, Luthien, who married Beren. He fought numerous wars with Morgoth and Feanor, before being killed in a war with the Dwarves. Thingol was the one who set numerous quests deemed impossible for Beren in order to prevent him from marrying Luthien.
Etymology
- Thingol is, in Tolkien's fictional language of Sindarin, a form of an epithet of Elu. Elu is from Elwë, Star-man (man in the sense male, not human). Thingol comes from sindacollo – grey cloak, possibly derived from his family trait of long silver hair. The Quenya form of the same name is Elwë Singollo, Singollo meaning Greycloak.
- Aranrúth – King's Ire, Thingol's sword. In History of Middle-earth, Vol. XII, p. 376 a stem, RUTH, is given with the sense "scar, score, furrow" It is worth noting that this was also the sword of the Kings of Númenor and very likely Ar-Pharazôn had it with him when he assaulted Valinor, where it was presumably buried with him.
- List Melian – Doriathrin Sindarin for Girdle of Melian.
The House of Thingol, Elmo, and Olwë
Melian | THINGOL d. First Age 502 | Elmo unknown | Olwë b. YT | Círdan b. YT | Eöl d. FA 400 | Aredhel d. FA 400 | unknown mother | Aranwë unknown | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Galadhon | Eärwen | Finarfin | Maeglin | Voronwë | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lúthien YT 1200 – FA 503 | Galathil | Celeborn | Galadriel b. YT 1362 | Angrod d. FA 455 | Eldalótë | Finrod YT 1300 – FA 465 | Aegnor d. FA 455 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dior d. FA 506 | Nimloth d. FA 506 | Orodreth d. FA 495 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eluréd FA 500 – FA 506 | Elurín FA 500 – FA 506 | Elwing b. FA 503 | Gil-galad d. SA 3441 | Finduilas d. FA 495 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Elros FA 532 – SA 442 | Elrond b. FA 532 | Celebrían | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tar-Elendil SA 350 – SA 751 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Silmariën b. SA 521 | Tar-Meneldur SA 543 – SA 942 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Elendil SA 3119 – SA 3441 | Ar-Pharazôn SA 3118 – SA 3319 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Isildur SA 3209 – TA 2 | Anárion SA 3219 – SA 3440 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arvedui TA 1864 – TA 1975 | Fíriel b. TA 1896 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Aranarth TA 1941 – TA 2106 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Aragorn TA 2931 – FA 120 | Arwen TA 241 – FA 121 | Elladan b. TA 130 | Elrohir b. TA 130 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eldarion | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
- Quenta Silmarillion
References
- Michael D.C. Drout (6 November 2006). J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. Routledge. p. 646. ISBN 978-1-135-88033-0.
- J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien editor, History of Middle-earth, Vol.XI, (1994), p.21, "Fingolfin...acknowledged the high-kingship of Thingol"; p.380, Thingol is also acknowledged high-king by Círdan and his following: p.410, the Grey-elves of Mithrim acknowledged Thingol as high-king.
- J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien editor, History of Middle-earth, Vol.XI, (1994), p.21, p.25.