Feanor

Justin M. Fitzpatrick
dlf@cris.com

Finwe then begot a child by Miriel, also called Serinde, 'the Broideress,' and they called him Curufinwe, though in later days and in the lore of Middle-earth he is called Feanor, 'Spirit of Fire.' After the birth of Feanor, however, the spirit of Miriel was tired from the birth of such a one (for Feanor is, indeed, among the greatest of the Eldar, though his story be of the most sorrow) and she left her body in Lorien and dwelt ever after in the halls of Mandos.

Feanor grew and became the greatest craftsman in all the days of the world under the tutelage of Aule, the Smith and he wrought the Silmarilli, which held in them the light of the two trees of Aman, Telperion and Laurelin as well as the 'Palantiri,'the great 'seeing stones'. He also perfected the Tengwar, the Alphabet of Feanor, which was but a bettering of the works of Rumil of Tirion, who first developed a method for the recording of words and song. Feanor had seven children in the time of his dwelling in Aman. They are: Maedhros, the tall; Maglor, the mighty singer; Celegorm, the fair; Caranthir, the dark; Curufin, the crafty; and the twins Amrod and Amras.

Melkor was unchained after one age of imprisonment in the halls of Mandos from which none escape, and he walked about Aman in seeming friendship with the Eldar, though he hated them in his heart. In that time he spread among the Noldor seeds of hatred, and discord arose amongst the Noldor. Feanor was the leader of this uprising (though in words only) against the Valar and upon the baring of a blade on his half-brother Fingolfin he was banished from Tirion upon Tuna and with his father and sons dwelt in Formenos, the 'Northern Fortress,' where he hoarded his wealth of fine jewels including the precious Silmarils.

When the secret meddling of Melkor was discovered, he fled from the Valar and came to Avathar and enlisted the help of Ungoliant with whom he returned to Valinor and extinguished the light of the trees upon Ezellohar. The Valar asked Feanor if he would surrender the Silmarils, for only with the light trapped in these could the trees be saved, but he refused; however, Melkor came in his flight to Formenos where he slew the king Finwe and stole the jewels of Feanor, including the Silmarils. When Feanor heard of this, he was distraught and swore the Oath of the 'Feanoreans' with his sons in the year 2991.

Thus, the Noldor fled from Aman after Melkor, who was named by Feanor as he was forever after called Morgoth, 'the Dark Enemy of the World.' However as there was no way for the Noldor to escape Aman and come to Middle Earth, they went to the isle of Tol Eressea and the city of Alqualande where the Teleri dwelt to seek ships by which to travel there. The Teleri, however, would not give up their ships and so blood was spilt between the Noldor and the Teleri and this was called the Kinslaying and is counted among the most vile acts of the Noldor. Indeed, as the Noldor sailed into the East, a great shadow was raised behind them that blocked forever their return to the Blessed Realm. And when they arrived on the shores of Middle-earth, it is said that Ulmo himself laid a doom upon the Noldor that their lives would be plaugued by blood and toment and grief as they had given to their kin at Alqualande and only evil would come of their works. The house of Feanor was forever in the wrath of the Valar and it would be called 'the Dispossessed'. This was the doom handed down from the Valar, what is called 'the Doom of the Noldor.'

After a long journey which included further vile deeds on the part of Feanor and his sons which included the abandoning of Fingolfin in Araman, Feanor and his sons reached the Firth of Drengist and Lammoth where they burnt the ships of the Teleri at Losgar.

Feanor was slain soon after this by Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs during 'Dagor-nuin-Giliath', the 'Battle Under the Stars.'

See also:
Finwe
Fingolfin
Finarfin

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