Curufin

Curufin was a prince of the Ñoldor of the race of Elves, the fifth of the seven sons of Fëanor and Nerdanel. Curufin is the father of Celebrimbor, master jewel-smith of Eregion who forged the three Elvish Rings of Power. His name means "Skilled (son of) Finwë" in Quenya.

His father name &mdash; the traditional name given by an Elvish father to his offspring &mdash; was Curufinwë, which was also Fëanor's original name. This was because Curufin was most like his father both in appearance, temperament and skill. He was also Fëanor's favorite. (Finwë was a common family name among his House, it being the name of his grandfather Finwë, patriarch of the House and the High King of the Ñoldor.) Nerdanel gave him the mother name Atarinkë, which means "Little Father" in Quenya, because of Curufin's physical resemblance to Fëanor. His Old English name (see The History of Middle-Earth, vol IV, The Shaping of Middle-Earth) was Cyrefinn Fácensearo, from O.E cyre 'choice', fácen 'deceit, guile, wickedness', searu 'skill, cunning', also fácensaeru 'treachery'.

As with the other Sons of Fëanor, Curufin was bound by an oath to recover his father's Silmarils, which had been stolen by the Dark Lord Morgoth. His oath took him and his brothers to Middle-earth during the First Age where they established realms in exile, waged war against the armies of Morgoth, fought their own Elvish kind, and eventually brought ruin upon themselves.

He lived with his brother Celegorm in Himlad, east of his brother Maedhros' fortress Himring and south of Aglon, a Pass between Himring and Dorthonion, leading into Doriath, which the two brothers fortified with great strength and held till Dagor Bragollach, by which time it was forced. However, following the battle of Dagor Bragollach, the two brothers were defeated and had to flee with their people to Nargothrond, where Finrod welcomed them.

Shortly after, Beren also came to Nargothrond to remind Finrod of the oath he had sworn, and claim his help. Finrod decided to help Beren, but Celegorm and Curufin, remembering their Oath, persuaded the people of Nargothrond not to follow him, and not to wage open war against Morgoth, making them fearful. Finrod therefore had to leave with a handful of warriors, including Beren, and later died. His nephew Orodreth was made to rule in his stead.

His brother and he, hunting with Celegorm's hound Huan, then found Lúthien, daughter of Thingol, as she fled to find Beren. Feigning to help her, they took her captive and brought her to Nargothrond, for Celegorm had become enamoured and would have Thingol give him her hand. However, Huan helped Lúthien to flee, and they freed Beren and other thralls from Sauron. As these thralls returned, the people of Nargothrond perceived the two brother's treachery, and though Orodreth would not let them be slain, he cast them from Nargothrond.

The two brothers met Lúthien and Beren as they fled, and Curufin fought with the Man. Defeated, he had to flee with Celegorm, but sought to slay Lúthien even as he did, and shot Beren instead.

Finally, thanks to Celegorm and Curufin's deeds, Thingol and Orodreth would lend no aid to Maedhros as he sought to unite Elves, Dwarves and Men in what was called the Union of Maedhros.

Curufin fell in the Second Kinslaying, when the Sons of Fëanor attacked Doriath to seize a Silmaril in the possession of the Elvish King Dior the Beautiful. His brother Celegorm died with him during the assault.