[HeartoftheNight]

Hey ya'll, me again with more questions. I know one of these days some one's gonna kill me for bugging them. Ah, well. Anyway, I've had this idea for a fic and Glorfindel has an appearance and I realize I know nothing of this dude. In a couple of fics, (can't remember if they were by the same author) its mentions that Glorfindel slew a Balrog. Is this true or false? And if it did happen, when? And I know he's pretty powerful, but how much is where I'm at a loss. Its also mentioned in another fic somewhere, (No, I'm not a pervy Glorfindel stalker) that he was the lord of something or other and it was destroyed? True? False?
And does he have a wife and/or kids? And any other Glorfindel tidbits that might help?


Umm, just have one more question, I think. This one is about Elrond. I know he had a brother, Elros, who chose the path of the mortal and started the line of Numenor(sp?). But where he and Elrond twins or just brothers?

I know I should really re-read the Sim again, it has all that useful information in it, but I just can't make myself. It was so tedious when I first read it. My sis still can't understand why I don't like it. Still get into light arguments over it.
Plus, its so much easier buggin' ya'll over here. **Dodges the numerous thrown missiles**

Thanks,


-Embrace the Night

[BittenBuggy]

I'm not one for Vanyar Elves, so I dont know a whole lot about Glorfindel, but I'll try to address at least the basic questions.

Glorifindel is a bit tricky to begin with because there are two of them - or one, depending on whether you think Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Rivendell are one in the same. I think the more widely accepted version is that they are. However, Glorfindel of Gondolin did slay a Balrog (catchily named 'The Balrog Slayer' - how origional) And it happened in the Fall of Gondolin (more origionality) around 511 or 512 of the First Age.

He was 'Chief of Gondolin’s House of the Golden Flower'
- his name meaning 'golden tresses' right? Wife and kids are never mentioned - though he does save Tuor and Idril and their son Earendil (Elrond/Elros's daddy) from being burned up

And Elrond and Elros were twins.

Goodness...

[sindohte]

In Vol XII of HoME, Tolkien clears up the whole is Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Imladris the same Elf. The answer would be yes, he did return to Arda after being slain by the Balrog during their fight to the death at Cirith Thoronath. The Peoples of Middle-earth, Last Writings chapter has a section on Glorfindel, where it talks about his re-embodiment and gives two versions of when he returned to Middle-earth.

One was that he came back in the Second Age to aid Elrond in the War against Sauron and played a 'notable and heroic part in the war', or that he came with Gandalf when he returned in 1000 Third Age. Tolkien says that the return in the Second Age 'seems far more likely'.

By being reincarnated, Glorfindel was taken back to the primitive innocence of the First-born, then lived in Valinor among the Elves who had not rebelled and the Maiar. This was why he was so powerful and why he was allowed to go back. You'd figure he was pretty powerful if he was just an Elf but he was being sent back in the same capacity as the other Maiar were being sent. Pretty impressive. In fact, Tolkien compared him to an "angelic being."

It also says that Glorfindel was one of the exiled Noldor but that Manwe more than likely pardoned him because of his sacrificing his life in fighting the Balrog. He also helped defeat the Witch-king in Angmar in the Third Age and foretold that the Witch-king would not die by the hand of any man.

And while Glorfindel did save Tuor and his family, it was not from the actual burning of Gondolin. Idril, Tuor's wife, was the responsible for ensuring that there would be an emergency escape route out of the hidden city if they were attacked. She and Tuor led the survivors out of the burning city. Morgoth had set watchers in the hills outside of the city to make sure no one would escape alive. That is where the Balrog shows up and Glorfindel engages in the epic battle that results in his death. As a result of this selfless act, Tuor and his family are able to make it to Nan-tathren. Thorondor retrieves Glorfindel's body from the abyss and he is buried under a mound of stones at the site where he was slain.

Oh and one final thing - Glorfindel was "Chief of the House of the Golden Flower of Gondolin" and he was of Noldo lineage. While there is the possibility he might have some Vanyar ancestor somewhere in the family tree, which is one possible explanation for his blond hair, it is by no means conclusive. Thranduil and Legolas were blonds, but they were Sindar in origin. So for all we know, Glorfindel's bright blond locks could simply be due to genetics.