Silmarillion - Chapter 05 - Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalie

[Anguirel]

On Galadriel - I see her as very much a Noldorin character, but acting often for the cause of the Teleri - as in the late Tolkien revision where she fights for the Teleri at the Kinslaying.

Notable is the fact that, from the first, the Noldor and the Teleri are clearly supposed to be the best of friends, on the principle of of opposites attracting. "Ulmo hearkened to the prayers of the Noldor...who grieved at their long sundering from the Teleri". They really are each other's kin. It's as if the harmony or disharmony between Noldo and Teler signifies the health of Elven society in general. The Kinslaying is thus something of significance for all Elves, even I suppose the isolationist Vanyar, and we see its roots here in the very affection between the peoples.

The Teleri are more anarchic, it seems to me, than their fellow-Elves. "Teleri" becomes a label, in fact, with far less significance than "Noldor" because of the tendency of the tribe towards cultural fragmentation. This is a clan umbrella that extends over the efficiently organised and sophisticated Sindar, and the wild and unpredictable Laiquendi, for instance.

"Manwe and Varda loved most the Vanyar, the Fair Elves". You have to be astonished at their lack of taste! So shallow, they just go for pretty faces and blondes...

The Noldor, on the other hand. Well. Goodness. Posters above me have already commented on the lyrical beauty and tenderness of the description of the Teleri, but the Noldor still win out for me. Not because of their forges and their association with Aule, far from my favourite among the Valar. But because:

They were changeful in speech, for they had great love of words, and sought ever to find names more fit for all things that they knew or imagined.

The Teleri might be the greatest singers, but I'll bet that the Noldor and greater thinkers about singing; the better poets, more succinctly. Given that Tolkien is to set the Noldor up as his rebels, his fallen angels, maybe even his villains, it shows a remarkable sympathy with them that he allows them the attributes of philology, learning and verbal dexterity.

"They hoarded them [their creations] not, but gave them freely, and by their labour enriched all Valinor." Feanor is to break this rule of largesse, which does little credit to him, I must say.

The "telephone directory" section is actually wonderful in parts, and extremely useful if its epithets are recalled and compared to the later actions of the characters.

Feanor is the alpha-Noldo. Far more than his father, who is the ancestor-king and symbol of his people, the son exemplifies the salient characteristics of the Noldor in their sharpest form.

Fingolfin is the "most steadfast"; an interesting idea. We shall see whether it is borne out later. Certainly he is the "most valiant" of the three.

Now for the paragraph that is my gospel -

The seven sons of Fëanor were Maedhros the tall; Maglor the mighty singer, whose voice was heard far over land and sea; Celegorm the fair, and Caranthir the dark; Curufin the crafty, who inherited most his father's skill of hand; and the youngest Amrod and Amras, who were twin brothers, alike in mood and face.

Celegorm and Caranthir are arranged in a stock contrast. Celegorm is soon mentioned, with the twins, as a hunter. Maglor's epithet prefigures his mysterious fate; "was" could be "is" and still apply in "his voice was heard over land and sea".

Aredhel is linked to the sons of Feanor over her fondness for hunting, but "to none was her heart's love given" - a clause which implies that it could have been in principle, despite their close cousinage. Interseting.

By the end of the chapter, one noticeable aspect is that among the seven sons, if we follow the fairytale layout of one son standing out, that son is actually Celegorm - not an obvious choice as hero of the Silmarillion. But he does stand apart from and above his brothers.

Celegorm went rather to the house of Orome, and there he got great knowledge of all the birds and beasts, and all their tongues he knew.

The whole last paragraph emphasises this skill of Celegorm's, and links him ultimately to a future foe of his, another beast-tamer - Beren. But at this stage it looks like Celegorm is our fairytale protagonist, after his father anyway.