Fin-Kedinn

Fin-Kedinn is one of the most important characters of Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series, (which takes place 6000 years ago in prehistoric Europe during the Stone Age). He's the chief of the Raven Clan, Renn's uncle, a former best friend of Torak's father and eventually Torak's foster father.

Before the series
Fin-Kedinn was born about thirty-eight years before the start of the series. He was christened as a Raven Clan member, and he had a brother who would became the father of Renn and Hord. Fin-Kedinn was eleven 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, living with the brothers five months as the Wolf Clan's foster. Fin-Kedinn's head was filled with hunting while the brothers lived for magecraft. The trio still remained as good friends for six years, but during the seventh year Torak's father became his clan's mage while Tenris didn't. Tenris went to live in isolation and Fin-Kedinn never saw him again. Somewhere along the line he became the chief of his clan.

At some point Fin-Kedinn and Torak's father were acquainted with an unnamed young woman from the Red Deer Clan. Fin-Kedinn fell in love with her, though she loved him like a brother instead of a mate like she did love Torak's father. That woman later became Torak's mother.

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 in the Great Fire, he and his mate shook refuge from Fin-Kedinn, who turned them away out of jealousy. He soon regretted this and tried to seek his friends out, but failed and never saw them again. This happened thirteen years before the start of the series.

After Fin-Kedinn's brother died while traveling in a glacier (five years before Wolf Brother), he fostered his niece and nephew. He was also aware of one of the former Soul Eaters, Narrander's survival of the Great Fire and kept it a secret until the final book. He also kept purposefully the identity of Renn's mother (Seshru) a secret with his brother and Saeunn the Raven Mage, telling it to Renn after her father's death.

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's 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 hard as he summons other Clans to discuss what should be done concerning the boy and the bear. But at the book's end he reveals himself to have purposefully appeared antagonistic towards Torak in order to find out how capable the Listener is. Fin-Kedinn also faces the bear off-screen and is injured, forcing him to use crutches for the rest of his life. After the bear is destroyed, Torak is fostered to live with the Ravens.

In the following books, Fin-Kedinn reveals Torak little by little more about the Soul Eaters, the boy's parents and his own past. In Outcast, he's forced to exile Torak due to receiving the Soul Eaters' mark on his chest and brand him an outcast. But at the end of the book, when Torak has just saved the Clans in Lake Axehead from a flood and is still about to be killed by them, Fin-Kedinn bravely makes Torak his foster son in order to protect him. After Torak is accepted back to the Clans, Fin-Kedinn alters his outcast tattoo to mark him as a member of all the Clans.

In Ghost Hunter, Fin-Kedinn seeks out Narrander (known as the Walker) and sends him to help Torak in the final fight against Eostra. In the end, he bids farewell to Torak and Renn as they leave to wander the Forest with their animal companions.

Personality
Fin-Kedinn is one of the most respected men of the Forest, and not many dare to defy him. Due to his past experiences, he rarely shows emotion and is in most situations gelid calm. He is also very observant, reasonable and wise. Wolf respects him for being in his behavior more wolf-like than most of the other humans shown in the series.

Under his stony exterior, Fin-Kedinn cares a lot about the well-being of Renn and Torak. He blames for the death of Torak's mother both her mate and himself, the former for joining the Soul Eaters in the first place and the latter for turning them away when they would have needed protection. It's for his deceased love's sake that he eventually fosters her son.