The Royal Houses and Princes of the Eldalië

We have seen (briefly) how the Eldar of Eldamar flourished and how with the instruction of the Valar, they became the the most wonderful of all the people of the Earth, building high towers, quarrying in the hills for the earth-gems, carving out fair havens, building fair vessels, singing many songs and writing books of lore. Incidentally, it was Rúmil the Loremaster (of the kindred of the Noldor) who first achieved the craft of fitting characters for the recording of speech. Little is said of him in The Silmarillion, but if you wish to find out more, read The Book of Lost Tales - as presented in The Silmarillion, he little resembles the eccentric philologist of Mar Vanwa Tyaliéva!

And so now it is worth having a look at the Elven Royal Houses. Since the history of The Silmarillion deals chiefly with the Noldor, it is worth beginning with them (as the other Royal Houses are dealt with in the texts as relating to them rather than as separate peoples). I shall treat the Houses of the other Elven kindreds in separate posts. Finwë was king of the Noldor. Finwë had three sons, namely Curufinwë (Fëanor), Fingolfin and Finarfin. The mother of Fëanor was Míriel Serindë. The mother of Fingolfin and Finarfin was Indis of the kindred of the Vanyar (she is said to have been related to Ingwë, High King of all the Elves, but the relationship is not clear - some texts suggest that she is his sister (The Later Quenta Silmarillion II), others that she is his sister-daughter. That she is his sister seems to me to be more consonant with the rest of the Legendarium. Fëanor had to wife Nerdanel, and she bore to him Seven Sons: Maedhros, Maglor, Celegorm, Caranthir, Curufin, and the twins Amrod and Amras. Curufin's son was Celebrimbor, the greatest smith of Eregion (and one of the forgers of the Rings of Power).

Fingolfin's children were Fingon (later King of the Noldor in the North of the World), Turgon (King of Gondolin), and a sister (youngest in the years of the Eldar than her siblings) Aradhel Ar-Feiniel, the White-lady of the Noldor. Finarfin took to wife Eärwen of Alqualondë, Olwë's daughter, of the kindred of the Teleri; and she bore to him five children: Finrod the Beloved (later Felagund, Lord of Caves), Orodreth, Angrod, Aegnor, and most famously of all, a daughter, Galadriel, most beautiful of all the House of Finwë.