The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Race
Division
Cultures
Family
Settlements
Primarily associated with Erebor, the Lonely Mountain
Pronunciation
fa'rin
Meaning
Uncertain2

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 14 March 2018
  • This entry is complete

Farin

Great-grandfather to Gimli

A descendant of the royal line of Durin's Folk, Farin was the son of Borin, and so the grandson of King Náin II. Through his elder son Fundin, Farin was the grandfather of Balin, the short-lived Lord of Moria. Through his younger son Gróin, Farin was also the great-grandfather of Gimli Elf-friend of the Company of the Ring. So, when Gimli discovered Balin's tomb in Moria, he was encountering a distant cousin: both Dwarves could trace their descent back to their common ancestor Farin.


Notes

1

Working on the assumption that Farin remained with the rulers of his house (an assumption borne out by the fact that his descendants were seen among the followers of Thorin) then his people would have settled in various places throughout his life. Farin would have been born in a time when Durin's Folk inhabited the Grey Mountains. While he was still a youth, Thrór led his people back to Erebor, and thus Farin would have been counted one of the Dwarves of Erebor for most of his long life. He would have seen - and evidently escaped - the descent of Smaug on the Lonely Mountain. After the loss of Erebor, Thrór's son Thráin and his people wandered until they eventually settled in the Blue Mountains. Farin would have been more than two centuries old at that point, so he may not have made the journey westward himself. However, we know that all his grandsons followed their King, and so on balance it seems likely that Farin also made his way to the dwellings of his people among the Mountains.

2

Many of the Dwarf names used by Tolkien come from the Dvergatal, the list of Dwarves in the Old Norse Vóluspá, but the name Farin does not appear in that source. Its structure is clearly patterned after the names in the old list, but it is unclear whether it is intended to carry a particular meaning of its own. It might possibly be connected to the Old Norse far, meaning 'travel': Farin would certainly have travelled far in his life, but no more so than many other members of his clan.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 14 March 2018
  • This entry is complete

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2005, 2015, 2018. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.
We're confident you won't find a better online DISC personality test, but find out what the experts think of Discus.
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry