Finduilas


 * For other uses of Finduilas see also: Finduilas (disambiguation)

Finduilas is a Ñoldor elf princess of the First Age, the daughter of Orodreth, ruler of the hidden realm of Nargothrond.

History
Finduilas' birth or birthplace is unknown but being the child of Orodreth she had both the blood of the Ñoldor and the Falmari, the Teleri of Aman and belonged to both the House of Finarfin and the House of Olwë. In Middle-earth, she lived in Nargothrond with her father Orodreth under the rule of Finrod Felagund. She was betrothed to Gwindor, who named her Faelivrin, which meant 'Gleam of the Sun in the pools of Ivrin'. She was a very beautiful and a high princess of the Ñoldor and the grandniece of Galadriel.

When Gwindor was captured in 473 of the First Age during the Nírnaeth Arnoediad (Battle of Unnumbered Tears) by Morgoth, but he returned in FA 490 with a companion who called himself Agarwaen son of Umarth (the Bloodstained, son of the Cursed). Unknown to Finduilas this was actually Túrin son of Húrin.

Despite her old feelings for Gwindor, Finduilas fell in love with Túrin, but Túrin refused her in respect for his friend. Gwindor realized this, and revealed Túrin's name to Finduilas, and tried to let Túrin fall in love with Finduilas, since he realized Finduilas loved Túrin instead of him.

After the failure of the Battle of Tumhalad, Glaurung and an army of orcs sacked Nargothrond. Gwindor was slain and when Túrin returned to Nargothrond he was caught up in a trance by the dragon who spoke to him of his kin in Hithlum, and therefore he could not hear the cries of Finduilas as a party of orcs as a captive intended for Angband was dragging her past him.

Glaurung's deceit caused Túrin to abandoned Finduilas and instead went to Hithlum in search for his kin, and by the time he finally went after her she had been killed: when the orcs were waylaid by the Haladin of Brethil at the Crossings of Taeglin. Before their defeat, the orcs killed all their captives, nailing Finduilas to a tree with a spear. The people of Haladin buried her in a mound they called Haudh-en-Elleth, Mound of the Elf Maiden.