Fëanor

History and context

Fëanor’s mother is Míriel, whose death and refusal to return to bodily life contribute to an unusual division in his family. His relationships with Finwë’s later children become increasingly strained. He creates the Silmarils, jewels preserving the light of the Two Trees, and comes to regard them as inseparable from his own identity. After Morgoth murders Finwë and takes the jewels, Fëanor and his seven sons swear an oath binding them to recover the Silmarils from anyone who withholds them. The rebellion leads to the attack on the Teleri at Alqualondë and the crossing to Middle-earth. Fëanor burns the ships at Losgar, abandoning those who expected to follow.

Literary context and distinctions

He dies early in the war in Beleriand after fighting Balrogs, but the oath outlives him and drives later violence among his sons. His story does not make artistic skill inherently corrupt. The distinction is between the goodness of making and the claim that a work justifies unlimited possession, coercion or revenge. Later texts complicate details of his household, including the fate of Amrod at the burning of the ships. Such variants should not be merged unannounced into the published Silmarillion’s account.

Primary references

• The Silmarillion, “Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor”, “Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor”, “Of the Flight of the Noldor” and “Of the Return of the Noldor”.
• The Peoples of Middle-earth, “The Shibboleth of Fëanor”.