Who's King Now?

[Glirdan]

As the title suggests, this is about Kings. And I will get to my question shortly. First, however, I will give reasoning behind my question.

As I said previously, this thread is basically to find out who's the King. "King of what?" I hear you ask. Well, basically, it's to find out who would be the High King of the Noldor now. As we all know, before the final battle with the Valar against Morgoth, Turgon was the High King of the Noldor (Feanor dead, passed on to Fingolfin who died and now Turgon [I believe I forgot someone in there. Was it Thingol or Finrod? I can't remeber] is the High King). So, everything's all fine and dandy until Maeglin gets captured and betrays the whereabouts of the Hidden Kingdom to Morgoth and then they get attacked. Turgon is slain, yet Tuor and Idril escape down to Balfalas.

So, this is where my question comes into play. Is Tuor the new High King of the Noldor because he's married to Idril? Or does it pass on to someone else? Galadriel perhaps? If not, does this now mean the Elrond is the new High King of the Noldor?

[Formendacil]

Finwe, High King of the Noldor, was succeeded by his son Feanor, who's son Maedhros gave up the claim, which was subsequently passed on to Fingolfin, who was succeeded by Fingon, who was succeeded by Turgon. Turgon was succeeded by Gil-Galad.

Gil-Galad was the last High King of the Noldor in Middle-Earth. He was not, however, the last King of the Noldor, since the Noldor of Valinor were ruled from the departure of Feanor onwards by Finarfin son of Finwe.

A close reading of the Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales, not to mention the entire HoME, is in complete agreement here: Gil-Galad was High King of the Noldor following Turgon, and he was the last to bear that title.

The curiosity is where on the family tree Gil-galad lies. Christopher Tolkien, in the published Silm, placed him as the son of Fingon, Turgon's elder brother, and therefore the proper heir before him. However, Christopher Tolkien acknowedged later that this was an ephemeral idea, and shouldn't have been credited. Tolkien's ultimate decision, or LAST decision rather, was to make him the son of Orodreth, son of Angrod, son of Finarfin, son of Finwe, and so confusingly being made High King over the elder lines of descent represented by Idril and her descendents: Earendil and Elrond.

One might make the claim, of course, that the mortal blood of Earendil and Elrond negated their claims to the Noldorin throne. However, I seem to recall, somewhere in the back of my head, a statement in either Unfinished Tales or Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age that Elrond, after the death of Gil-galad, was the rightful High King of the Noldor, but refused to take the title due to a general lack of Noldor left to call a Kingdom.

Personally, I've always liked to toy with the idea that Gil-Galad was the son of Arakano (Argon), the third son of Fingolfin, only mentioned in passing in the Shibboleth of Feanor- but this is a completely uncanonical, unsubstantiated, and personal preference here.

The basic point is that Gil-galad was High King of the Noldor in Middle-Earth following the death of Turgon. He seems to have been the last male descendent of male lineage from Finwe (other than Celebrimbor who predeceased him anyway), so perhaps that is why he was also the last High King of the Noldor.

[A_Brandybuck]

The origin of Gil-galad may be a huge problem, because Tolkien made it in a very confusing way and Christopher took up an unsatisfying solution in the Silmarillion.

But I don't think, that this is the problem of the question "Who's King now" after Turgon has died. When Turgon died, Gil-galad was the only male descendant of Finwe in Beleriand besides the sons of Feanor, who had given up the title after Feanors death.
Fingolfin's line was dead: Fingolfin, Fingon and Turgon were no more.
Finarfin's line was also dead: Felagund, Orodreth, Angrod and Aegnor were no more.
That made Gil-galad automatically King of the Noldor in Beleriand. Earendil was too young and Elrond was born later.

That leads me to the question, could only Male claim the Kingship of the Noldor? Because there were also Galadriel, who is the daughter of Finarfin. But it seems to me, that she could not claim a kingship. Look, Galadriel and Aredhel were the only Women under the descendants of Finwe (not considering some other versions in HoME), but they couldn't claim their own kingdom in Beleriand or rather the Lands of the North like the male princes. Galadriel was somehow "attached" to her brothers and later to Doriath and Aredhel was "attached" to her brother Turgon.

When they are not allowed to or couldn't reign a realm, why could they claim the High Kingship of the Noldor in Beleriand?
Consequently, there was also Gil-galad to become High King of the Noldor.

Concerning the successor of Gil-galad, I agree here with Formendacil, that Elrond refused, because there was no 'real' Kingship more.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Reclaiming a Throne by The Perky Ent

Finwëans That Never Were by Inderjit Sanghera

Galadriel... High Queen of the Noldorin Elves by Iarhen

King Elrond? by the phantom

Authority of the High King by Maédhros

(Ugh, I feel old. )

Well, I might as well say something.

Could a Noldor High-King have changed the laws of succession? Let's look at how Tar-Aldarion changed the Númenórean system.

His only child is a daughter. He loves his daughter, so he changes the laws. The people weren't upset. Ergo, the changed rules remain.

Would that same series of events happen to a Elven King? Not yet, so the High-Kingship still passes through male lines. Gil-galad didn't change it in favour of Elrond, despite the fact that he's heirless, and he's going into battle.

Now that I think of it, if Elves pass Ruler-ship through female lines, then Galadriel, cousin of Turgon, would be ruler after Gil-galad. Not Elrond.


About the original question, I found this tidbit in the King Elrond? thread.

The title High-King of the Noldor would have been nominal after the Second Age. Eregion, the largest Noldorin region outside Lindon, is gone, along with almost all its population. The Noldor of Lindon continuously sail for Aman. Who's left to rule?

If you say "What about the other Elves?", well, they have their own rulers. (me--in Reclaiming a Throne)