Known primarily as the author of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien also created a number of original illustrations for his works. Among these illustrations were heraldic devices for several of his characters. This device belongs to Finwë, an Elf of the Noldor clan and the first High King of that people.

According to the website Tolkien Gateway, these images appeared on calendars and book jackets in the 1970's, shortly after the author's death. Although the full symbolism behind many of them is unknown, certain details can be speculated upon: Finwë's device is a winged sun disk, and this symbol is also present - in varied forms - in the devices of his sons Fëanor and Fingolfin.

Finwë and his descendants, especially his eldest son, Fëanor, played major roles in the early days of Middle-Earth, and were involved in many significant events of the First Age. During the time of The Lord of the Rings (i.e. the Third Age), some of the Elves still present in Middle-Earth were also descendants of Finwë.