They say that, when he died, a white flame sprang up from his helm, as it was cloven.

I think not. Fingon never was a son of fire ; but of Earth, of stone and mountain, whose roots go deep. I never thought that he would fall ; he was - solid. He was - unlike us, creatures of fire, incoherent and wild. He had this strength of rock, hard in fëa and hröa. Nay, Fingon's soul did not burn ; it simply was, unwavering and unyielding : so I wondered.

I looked then into my brother's eyes and knew, whence that white flame had come.