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{{Article for deletion/dated|page=Gil-galad|timestamp=20200111225742|year=2020|month=January|day=11|substed=yes}} |
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{{Rcat shell| |
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{{Infobox character |
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{{R to related topic}} |
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| name = Gil-galad |
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| series = ] |
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| aliases = Ereinion, Artanáro, Rodnor, Finellach,<br>High King of the ] |
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| race = ] |
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| lbl24 = Book(s) |
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| data24 = '']'' (1977) |
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}} |
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}} |
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'''Ereinion Gil-galad''' ({{IPA-art|eˈreɪnjon ˈɡilɡalad}}) is a fictional character in ]'s ] ]. He is mentioned in '']'' and '']''. |
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== Character overview == |
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Ereinion Gil-galad was the last High King of the ] in ]. |
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In early texts, Gil-galad was the son of Fingon the Valiant, son of ], son of ], first High King of the ]. It is through this descent that his High Kingship of the Noldor is explained, as all of them had previously held the title, and it also perhaps explains his original name Ereinion (which means "Scion of Kings"). |
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Other sources and versions of the text however, indicate that Gil-galad was the son of Orodreth of the House of Finarfin, and his name became '''Finellach Gil-galad'''. This would make him grandson of Angrod, the brother of ], Aegnor and ].<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130905021157/http://www.merp.com/essays/michael-martinez-1/michaelmartinezsuite101essay49 |date=2013-09-05 }} – an essay by ] on the life of Gil-galad</ref> |
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His name in Tolkien's invented languages of ] and ] was '''Artanáro''' and '''Rodnor''', respectively, but he was best known as '''Gil-galad''' ("Star of Radiance") and his honorary title '''Ereinion''', meaning "Scion of Kings". |
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== Appearances == |
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=== Literature === |
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{{quote|<poem>"Gil-galad was an Elven-king. |
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Of him the harpers sadly sing: |
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The last whose realm was fair and free |
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Between the mountains and the sea. |
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His sword was long, his lance was keen. |
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His shining helm afar was seen. |
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The countless stars of heaven's field |
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Were mirrored in his silver shield. |
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But long ago he rode away, |
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And where he dwelleth none can say. |
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For into darkness fell his star; |
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In ], where the shadows are."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Tolkien|first1=J.R.R.|title=The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring|date=1954|publisher=HarperCollinsPublishers|isbn=978-0-261-10235-4|pages=|edition=50th Anniversary|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/fellowshipofring00tolk_0/page/242}}</ref></poem>}} |
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Gil-galad was the last of the High Kings of the ]-in-Exile in Middle-earth. An Elf of the ], he was named High King of the Noldor-in-Exile in ] after the fall of ] and the death of the previous High King, Turgon. |
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The early history of Gil-galad is somewhat obscure, as Tolkien himself repeatedly changed his mind about who exactly Gil-galad was, and how to fit him into the already existing history of the First Age (see ], below). Gil-galad was certainly born in ] at some point during the First Age. He was perhaps at some point sent to live in the ] with Círdan the Shipwright, but this is unclear; certainly after the fall of ] he was living on the Isle of Balar with Círdan, and became the last High King of the Noldor following the ] and the death of Turgon. Gil-galad, despite his long life (he was born during the ] and lived through almost the entirety of the ]), was not known to have a wife, nor any children. Due to this, and the fact that there were few Noldor remaining in Middle-earth, the title of High King of the Noldor in Exile ended with his death. |
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After the ] and the end of the First Age, Gil-galad founded a realm in the coastal region of Lindon along the shores of ], the Great Sea. At its height, his realm extended eastward as far as the ], though most of the ] remained in Lindon and in Elrond's refuge of ]. |
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According to '']'', Gil-galad was the first of the Eldar to mistrust a stranger calling himself Annatar, and forbade him from entering Lindon. His mistrust was well founded, for it was soon learned that Annatar was in fact ]. After Sauron forged the ], Gil-galad was given one of the ]: ''Vilya'', the Ring of Air (and most probably also ''Narya'', the Ring of Fire). Just before Gil-galad's death, ] was given ''Vilya'' for safekeeping (and ''Narya'' was given to Círdan). |
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During most of the ], Gil-galad enjoyed the friendship of the ]. This proved very useful as during the War of the Elves and Sauron; a great Númenórean force under the command of their king Tar-Minastir helped Gil-galad destroy Sauron's armies. |
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After the ] and the establishment by the ] of the ] kingdoms in exile, there was peace in Middle-earth. In the Age's closing years, however, Sauron reappeared with a newly formed army and a war against the kingdom of ], closest to his old home of ]. Gil-galad then formed the Last Alliance of Elves and Men with ], High King of the Dúnedain-in-Exile. The armies of Elves and ], victorious after the Battle of Dagorlad, entered Mordor and laid siege to ]. |
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At the end of the siege, Sauron finally came forth and fought hand-to hand against Gil-galad and Elendil on the slopes of Mount Doom, but the Dark Lord proved too strong and slew them both. A record left by ] in ] implies that Sauron himself slew Gil-galad with the heat of his bare hands. Recalling the encounter at the great ] at ] before the Fellowship took the One Ring south, Elrond said that only he and ] stood by Gil-galad in that last mortal contest. |
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Gil-galad's ] was named '''Aiglos''' or ''']''', meaning "snow-point" or "snow-thorn" or more commonly "icicle" (''aeg'': sharp, pointed; ''los'': snow) because when ] saw his spear, they would recognize it by its reputation to bring a cold death to them. Elrond said that at the battle of Dagorlad, "we had the mastery: for the Spear of Gil-galad and the Sword of Elendil, Aiglos and ], none could withstand." |
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=== Adaptations === |
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In the ''Lord of the Rings'' ] by ], Gil-galad is portrayed by actor ] and appears very briefly in '']'' during the opening prologue sequence, however for the most part Elrond is considered the Elves' commander as he is giving orders. Gil-galad is never mentioned by name in any of the films, although he is mentioned in the behind-the-scenes documentaries included with the Extended Edition ] of ''The Fellowship of the Ring'' and is also listed in the credits. He also appears as an unlockable character in the videogame ''Lego Lord of the Rings'', and is found in the vicinity of ]. In an interview with Ferguson and ] (Haldir), Ferguson stated that it had been planned for his death to be depicted onscreen as in the book, but it was considered too violent. |
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The ''Lay of Gil-galad'' was set to music in the 1981 ] dramatisation, '']'', composed by ]. |
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== Concept and creation == |
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Gil-galad was originally, and briefly, conceived as a descendant of ]. |
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Later, and through the writing of '']'', he was considered a son of ], until Tolkien decided that Felagund was unmarried and childless. |
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A marginal note by Tolkien from around this time (the late 1950s) suggested that Gil-galad might be the son of Fingon. This suggestion was taken up by Tolkien's son and literary executor ] in the published version of '']'', which states that Gil-galad is the son of Fingon. After the ] and the ruin of Beleriand which results in the death of his grandfather ], then High King of the Noldor, Fingon becomes the High King and sends a young Gil-galad to the Havens of the Falas under ]. This idea of Gil-galad being sent to the Havens was derived from material which the elder Tolkien had written at the time when he saw Gil-galad as the son of Finrod. After the disaster of the Nírnaeth Arnoediad, the title passes to Fingon's brother Turgon. ] assaults the Falathrim in great force after that battle but Círdan and Gil-galad manage to flee in their ships to the Isle of Balar. When tidings come to Balar about the sack of ] and the death of Turgon, Gil-galad becomes the King. Gil-galad's name in the chapter "Aldarion and Erendis" in the '']'' was also changed by the younger Tolkien in order to keep consistency with the published version of ''The Silmarillion''.<ref name="father">{{Me-ref|12|"The Shibboleth of Fëanor", pg 350-351}}</ref>—in the original version of that work he was noted as a son of Finrod. ] later stated in '']'' that this decision to make Gil-galad a son of Fingon was an editorial mistake on his part, and did not represent his father's conception of the character. He suggested that it would have been better to have left Gil-galad's parentage obscure. |
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Tolkien's final decision for Gil-galad's parentage appears to have been that he was a son of Orodreth, who was at the same time changed from being a son of Finarfin to a son of Angrod. This conception, however, was never incorporated into the written stories of ''The Silmarillion'', and aspects of it—notably the downgrading of Orodreth into a son of Angrod—would have required considerable reworking of the existing text. |
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== See also == |
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{{Portal|Speculative fiction}} |
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* ] |
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== References == |
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{{Reflist}} |
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== External links == |
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* at The Thain's Book |
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{{s-start}} |
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{{s-roy}} |
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{{s-bef|before = Turgon}} |
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{{s-ttl|title = High King of the ]|years = {{ME-date|YS|510}} – {{ME-date|SA|3441}}}} |
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{{s-aft|after = Finarfin (at ])}} |
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{{s-mil}} |
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{{s-vac|last=]|reason=Victory in the ]}} |
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{{s-ttl|title=Captain of the Host of the West|years=S.A. 3430–3441}} |
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{{s-vac|next=]|reason=Defeat of ]}} |
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{{s-end}} |
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{{Middle-earth}} |
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