It's All in the Family: The Finweans - Page 8
© Michael Martinez
In the end, Finarfin proved to be the only son of Finwe with any real sense. He apparently never bought into the lies Melkor sowed among the Noldor. Whenever a great liar spreads confusion, there are usually a few people who stay above the discord, and Finarfin was that kind of individual. He, too, tried to persuade the Noldor not to follow Feanor into exile. And like Fingolfin he went along reluctantly mostly because his children wanted to try their luck in Middle-earth, and because he feared what might happen to the people if they were left to the mercies of Feanor's leadership. When the Noldor attacked Alqualonde and the Valar condemned them to a terrible fate, Finarfin quietly withdrew from the rebellion and sought the pardon of the Valar (and, hopefully, the Teleri, his kinsfolk by marriage). In the end, the kingship was bestowed upon Finarfin, whose hands were bloodless and whose heart had the least ambition among the sons of Finwe.
Other members of the Finwean family who have received virtually no attention through the years are Finwe's daughters by Indis. Finwe had daughters? Well, that is what "The Shibboleth of Feanor" tells us. Findis was, in fact, the first-born of the children of Finwe and Indis. She was apparently very much like her mother in temperament. Indis stayed in Tirion when Finwe joined Feanor at Formenos. She played no part in the governance of the Noldor, it would seem, and Findis seems to have stayed close to her mother. When news came of Finwe's death, both Indis and Findis departed and returned to the Vanyar.
Originally, Finwe was to have three daughters by Indis. Christopher Tolkien mentions that, from 1959 through 1968, this was the case in the several genealogies his father prepared for the Finweans. However, the second daughter, Faniel, is never mentioned in "The Shibboleth", and it may be that Tolkien intended to drop her from the family. As provided in the Shibboleth, Irien (originally called Irime, the third daughter) was born between Fingolfin and Finarfin. She was also called Lalwende, and it was this name which was Sindarinized into Lalwen. She and Fingolfin were very close and she accompanied him into exile. We hear nothing more of her, but some people have wondered if Aranwe, the father of Voronwe, might not be Lalwen's husband or son. Presumably, Lalwen settled in Hithlum and may have been slain or captured after the Nirnaeth. And since she was close to Fingolfin, she may have actively supported his claims to the kingship.
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