Fin-Kedinn

Fin-Kedinn is one of the main heroes of Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series (which takes place six thousand years ago in stone-age Europe). He is the chieftain of the Raven Clan, Renn's uncle, a former best friend of Torak's father and eventually Torak's foster father.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Fin-Kedinn was born about 41 years before the beginning of Wolf Brother to the Raven Clan. He had an older brother who fathered Renn and
Hord with Seshru. Fin-Kedinn was eleven years old when he first met the nine-year-old Torak's father from the Wolf Clan and the eleven-year-old Tenris from the Seal Clan. He lived with the brothers as the Wolf Clan's foster for five months and became friends with them even though he did not study Magecraft like both of the brothers did. The trio remained as good friends for ten years, but when the eleventh year came, Torak's father became his clan's mage while Tenris did not. Embittered by this, Tenris left to wander, and Fin-Kedinn never saw him again. Somewhere along the line, Fin-Kedinn was chosen as the chieftain of his clan even though he did not desire that position and everyone though his brother would be chosen instead.
At some point, Fin-Kedinn and Torak's father were acquainted with an unnamed young woman from the Red Deer Clan. They both fell in love with her, but she chose Torak's father as her mate while she could love Fin-Kedinn only as a brother. That woman later became Torak's mother. Fin-Kedinn found one potential mate in a girl from the Wolf Clan, but they had to part ways because he still thought about Torak's mother. He is also known to have traveled many places, including the Far North and the High Mountains. He was also friends with the Otter Mage Narrander who would later be known as the insane hermit Walker.
When the Healers were formed, Torak's father joined them despite the warnings of Fin-Kedinn and Torak's mother. After Torak's father realized his mistake and shattered the Soul Eaters' power with the Great Fire, he and his mate came to Fin-Kedinn to ask him to help them escape. He turned them away because he was still angry at Torak's father for having the woman he loved. He regretted this the next day and tried to seek his friends out, but they had already fled to the Deep Forest, the home of the Red Deer Clan. He never saw them again. This happened thirteen years before Wolf Brother. However, he was aware that Narrander had survived the Great Fire and lost his sanity out of the grief of losing his son Narik. He swore to keep this a secret in order to protect his friend.
Fin-Kedinn's brother had been left by Seshru so that she could join the Healers, but she briefly returned to him just to gain a newborn child and use it to create her own tokoroth. Sauenn the Raven Mage foiled Seshru by rescuing the baby who was named Renn, but her father was unable to forget about Seshru even though Fin-Kedinn told him to. When Renn was seven years old, her father went on the ice river beyond Lake Axehead in search of Seshru and was killed by a snowfall. Fin-Kedinn then took Renn and Hord under his wing and told Renn the identity of her mother which was still mostly kept a secret.
===Role in the series===
Fin-Kedinn is first met in Wolf Brother when Torak is brought to the Raven Clan. He soon realizes the identity of the boy's father who has been killed by the demon bear. The boy is also identified as the prophecied Listener who would destroy the bear and the Soul Eaters. At first Fin-Kedinn appears to be antagonistic as he forces Torak to fight for his live in a duel and imprisons him and Wolf while he discusses with representatives of other clans what should be done about the boy and the bear. However, he reveals near the book's end that he purposefully appeared antagonistic towards Torak in order to find out how capable the Listener is. When the demon bear attacks the Raven Clan, it scars Fin-Kedinn's leg, forcing him to walk with a staff for the rest of his life. After the bear is destroyed, Torak is allowed to live with the Ravens.
In the following books, Fin-Kedinn tells Torak little by little more about the Soul Eaters, the boy's parents, and his own past. In Outcast, he is forced to brand Torak an outcast after the boy is revealed to have been forcefully tattooed with the Soul Eaters' symbol. However, when Torak has just saved the clans in Lake Axehead by warning them about a flood and they still want him dead, Fin-Kedinn bravely makes Torak his foster son in order to protect him. After Torak is accepted back by the clans, Fin-Kedinn alters his outcast tattoo to mark him as a member of all the clans.
When Torak swears in Oath Breaker to kill Thiazzi as revenge for the murder of Bale, Fin-Kedinn accompanies him, Renn and Wolf as they pursue the Oak Mage from the Seal Islands to the Deep Forest. However, when Torak recklessly triggers one of Thiazzi's traps, Fin-Kedinn is injured and forced to return to the Raven Clan. He then does his best to prevent the Open Forest Clans from attacking the Deep Forest Clans before Thiazzi is vanquished and the Oak Mage's manipulations are brought to light. When Torak leaves to confront Eostra in Ghost Hunter, Fin-Kedinn seeks out the Walker and convinces him to go to help his foster son. Following Eostra's death, he accepts Renn's decision to become Torak's mate and leave with him and their animal companions to wander the Forest.
When a meteor known as the Thunderstar destroys a large portion of the Forest in Skin Taker, Fin-Kedinn takes charge as the survivors band together. After the Walker tells about the rite that is their only hope to bring the First Tree (the aurora borealis) back and save the Forest, Fin-Kedinn helps the new Raven Mage Dark craft the special arrows needed for the rite. After the Rite is performed, Fin-Kedinn rallies the clans to clear the Widewater of debris so that the greatest river of the Forest can provide them with salmon again by spring.
In Wolfbane, Fin-Kedinn's leg that was scarred by the demon bear five years earlier is getting worse. While Torak and Renn are searching for Wolf who is swept out to the Sea and pursued by Naiginn the ice demon, Fin-Kedinn has Dark seek out the Walker and ask for his help. The former Otter Mage ruthlessly tells Fin-Kedinn that there is nothing that can be done to the leg. Fin-Kedinn ponders both on this and another problem; since Naiginn is Torak's cousin and Renn's half-brother, they would become outcasts if they broke the ancient clan law and killed their blood relative. Though Dark creates a spear and a net to kill Naiginn and trap his demon souls before they can try to find a new host, Fin-Kedinn knows Dark does not have a killer's heart.
By the time Torak and Renn return to the Forest with Wolf, the Elk River, which has been blocked by ice, is starting to wake and cause a flood. After evacuating the Raven Clan to the high ground, Fin-Kedinn meets with Renn and Dark after Torak has left Renn behind to hunt down Naiginn. Fin-Kedinn seems to relent to Renn's decision to go with Dark and finish off Naiginn with Dark's tools, but he still uses a dog sled to chase after them. When he arrives at the final confrontation, Naiginn spots him and injures him with a thrown harpoon. Though mortally wounded, Fin-Kedinn manages to take from Dark the spear and use the last of his strength to throw it at Naiginn and impale the ice demon before the latter can try to eat Wolf's head. Renn then casts the net on Naiginn before he is claimed by floodwater. Though Fin-Kedinn is dragged clear of the flood, he dies in Renn's arms.
When Torak spirit walks in Wolf's lifeless body to summon his pack-brother's spirit back into it, he sees Fin-Kedinn's spirit walking instead of limping towards the First Tree, confirming that Fin-Kedinn no longer feels the pain his injured leg gave him. Dark is chosen as the Raven Clan's new chieftain, and many clans attend to Fin-Kedinn's funeral to show how respected he was. The Walker sings the Death Chant to help his friend to peace, and Fin-Kedinn's Death Platform is placed in a grove overlooking the Widewater which his efforts saved. Renn places his bones in the Raven Clan's bone-grounds three months later. People start saying during the following winters that when the First Tree shines particularly bright, Fin-Kedinn is stirring the branches and lightning the way for the hunters to come home.
==Personality==
Fin-Kedinn is one of the most respected men of the Forest, and not many dare to defy him. He was fiery in his youth, but now he rarely shows emotions, and he is in most situations stony calm. He is also very observant, reasonable and wise. His resolution and ability to focus on the big picture and acknowledge everyone's worth make him a great leader. Wolf respects him for being in his behavior more wolf-like than most of the other humans he knows. Under his stony exterior, Fin-Kedinn cares a lot about the well-being of Renn and Torak, even though he is often wary of the boy. He blames for the death of Torak's mother her mate for joining the Soul Eaters in the first place and himself for turning them away when they would have needed protection. It is for his deceased love's sake that he eventually fosters her son. Fin-Kedinn is also very dutybound and is sure not to openly defy the laws of the clans, but he is able to think of ways to help people without breaking the law.
==Powers and Abilities==
Fin-Kedinn is an experienced hunter and leader who knows a lot about the people and nature across the places the clans live in. He proves himself to be great at handling different people and lead several clans during the various crises that take place throughout the series. He is also skilled at making various weapons and tools that are both practical and effective. 
==Quotes==
==External Links==
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Category:Book Heroes
Category:Male
Category:Leaders
Category:Officials
Category:Mentors
Category:Nurturers
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Category:Wise
Category:In Love
Category:Friend of a Villain
Category:False Antagonist
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Category:Lawful Good
Category:Selfless
Category:Voice of Reason
Category:Charismatic
Category:Deceased