This weekend (Saturday December 12 at 6pm EST), Hall of Fire will be chatting about the Noldorin elf often often considered the antithesis of Fëanor — his half-brother, Fingolfin.

Fëanor was the mightiest in skill of word and of hand, more learned than his brothers; his spirit burned as a flame. Fingolfin was the strongest, the most steadfast, and the most valiant. Finarfin was the fairest, and the most wise of heart…

Fingolfin — High King of the Noldor

Fingolfin is a central figure in the history of the Noldor during the First Age. His rivalry with Fëanor provides fruitful ground for Melkor to stir up trouble. His promise to Fëanor is fateful, tying him and his kin in ways that none could have envisaged.

And his leadership is crucial in holding the Noldor both in crossing the Helcaraxë, and during the early years in Beleriand.

Yet his death may only be second to his elder brother’s in its folly.

Does that make him closer in thought and character to his brother than many acknowledge? In what ways is Fingolfin similar to his brother? And in what ways is he different?

Join us this Saturday at 6pm ET when we’ll examine these questions and more as we chat about Fingolfin, the High King of the Noldor.

fingolfin and morgothFingolfin and Morgoth by John Howe.

Time zone conversions

Not sure what time the chat will be where you are? Check this little conversion table out for some help. Alternatively, check our handy Event Announcer over on Time and Date for the correct time in your area.

America:
6.00pm EST (New York)
5.00pm CST (Chicago)
4.00pm MST (Denver)
3.00pm PST (Los Angeles)

Europe:
11.00pm BST (London)
Midnight CST (Paris)
1am EEST (Helsinki)

Asia-Pacific
8.00am AEST (Sunday) Brisbane
9.00am AEDT (Sunday) Sydney, Melbourne
11.00am NZDT (Sunday) Wellington

How long do your topic chats go for?

Our chats usually last about an hour, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation! However, our main room, #theonering.net is open 24 hours a day. We don’t always talk Tolkien there, but if you have a burning question, you’ll usually find one or two of “the regulars” up for a chat!

Where — connection details

Chat happens on #thehalloffire on irc.theonering.net — the TORn IRC server. It is based on internet relay chat technology (that means it’s hella old skool). It’s a text-only, moderated chat room full of eccentric Tolkien fans. We’re open 24/7 (although some times are busier and more active than others).

There are many ways to connect to the chat server. However, the easiest is generally to use a browser-based client. We usually direct folks to Mibbit:

* TORn Mibbit Widget
* Mibbit direct (as opposed to the widget above, this allows you to see others joining and leaving)

If you’re more oldschool or technically adept, you can install one of the scores of standalone chat clients that available for desktop and mobile devices. Just plug in our server details (see bottom) into the client and connect.

* Xchat: http://xchat.org/ (Windoze PC and Linux. Free)
* mIRC: http://www.mirc.com/ (Windoze PC. 30-day trial)
* AndChat: http://www.andchat.net/ (Android app for mobile. Free)
* Colloquy: http://colloquy.info/ (Mac OS and Apple mobile devices. Free)

Our server details:
IRC server name: irc.theonering.net
Channel/room name: #theonering.net
Port: 6667 (6697 for SSL connections)