Oath of Feanor - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Anguirel · 05-08-2007, 02:42 PM

Here's the version the Silmarillion film project I used to work with came up with. Not written by me, I just did minor editing...it's a bit uncanonical, but interesting for comparison, I hope...

[Deafening cry from the crowd. Many of them draw their own swords]
Fëanor: War he shall have, and hatred undying! And we will defeat him! We will conquer! We will regain the Silmarils, and then we and we alone shall be lords of the unsullied Light, and masters of the bliss and beauty of Arda. No other race shall oust us!
[Caranthir leaps up onto the steps beside his father, sword flickering red]
Caranthir: Be he elf, or orc, or demon foul of Morgoth Bauglir…
[Celegorm and Curufin leap up to join him]
Caranthir, Celegorm, Curufin: Be he Mortal dark that in after days on Earth shall dwell…
[Amrod and Amras step up to join them]
Caranthir, Celegorm, Curufin, Amrod, Amras: Shall no law, nor love, nor league of swords…
[Maedhros steps up to join them]
Sons of Fëanor except Maglor: No might, nor mercy…
[Maglor joins in from the crowd]
Sons of Fëanor: Not moveless fate, defend him forever from the fierce vengeance of the Sons of Fëanor, whoso seize, or steal, or finding keep the fair enchanted globes of crystal whose glory dies not, the Silmarils. We have sworn forever!
Amrod: In Eru's name we swear!
Amras: The Everlasting Dark be upon us if we keep not our oath!
Caranthir: Manwë and Varda we name in witness, on their hallowed mountain of Taniquetil!
Sons of Fëanor: The Silmarils are ours until the end of Time!

Celebdil · 05-08-2007, 04:05 PM

In that version, Feanor himself doesn't swear the oath!

Legate of Amon Lanc · 05-09-2007, 03:08 AM

I think it's logical, as you said, that they'd swear only after they heard it. If I were making a film, I'd probably use the oath you posted here (or similar) and then the Sons will just step in and in a soldier-like way say: "This we swear!" Or something like that

(in which way, Fëanor would probably first end his speech in words: "So I swear" and they'd echo it)

Macalaure · 05-09-2007, 05:41 AM

Ah! One of my favourite scenes of the Silmarillion.

I read it the same way Legate does. Feanor swears his oath, and then his sons leap to his side and repeat it.

However, this is a pivotal scene of the whole Silmarillion, and in a movie, it would need to be treated with great care, to make the audience aware of its significance. Ideally, it would be one of the most tense scene of the whole film, even though, in the end, it's just spoken words.

The repetition of the oath of course strongly works against the tension, I would say. I think I would use an option similar to what Celebdil suggest in 2). After finishing his speech, Feanor draws his sword and his sons leap to his side and do so as well. The red light of the torches is shown to be reflected in the blades and makes them look altogether red. Then Feanor starts speaking the oath, but without the interruptions needed so that his sons can repeat it one by one. I would use voiceover to "merge" the oath and its repetition, so that after Feanor says a line, his sons seem to quietly "echo" it (I would use a shortened version of the one you propose, Celebdil, I think it's a little too long to be effective on screen). It won't be an easy task for the director to capture the feelings of the seven while they say the words, which are very important. The last shot would be of Fingolfin grinding his teeth and being ready to speak against his half-brother in front of the crowd.

The unfortunate thing about the SFP's version is that, as Celebdil has pointed out already, it's not Feanor who speaks the oath. This takes away the initiative from Feanor, which I think is not a good thing to do.

Legate of Amon Lanc · 05-09-2007, 07:03 AM

Well, I think in the film, it would be nice to have, inspired by Mac, the Sons repeating the Oath and it echoing through, it would be that slow camera-rotation scene over the faces of all the Sons with each his own specific facial expression - this would be possibly the best scene for the audience to find each Son's personality in the vast flow of names they are otherwise - and all this merging of scenes, fading in of faces slowly repeating the oath at the same time, you know what I mean? We could now see the reluctance of Maedhros, a little pale face of Maglor, eagerness of Celegorm, passion of Curufin, dark, impenetrable look of Caranthir, the faces of the twins, reflecting the flame...

05-08-2007, 02:42 PM	#1
Anguirel Byronic Brand Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The 1590s Posts: 2,778	Here's the version the Silmarillion film project I used to work with came up with. Not written by me, I just did minor editing...it's a bit uncanonical, but interesting for comparison, I hope... [Deafening cry from the crowd. Many of them draw their own swords] Fëanor: War he shall have, and hatred undying! And we will defeat him! We will conquer! We will regain the Silmarils, and then we and we alone shall be lords of the unsullied Light, and masters of the bliss and beauty of Arda. No other race shall oust us! [Caranthir leaps up onto the steps beside his father, sword flickering red] Caranthir: Be he elf, or orc, or demon foul of Morgoth Bauglir… [Celegorm and Curufin leap up to join him] Caranthir, Celegorm, Curufin: Be he Mortal dark that in after days on Earth shall dwell… [Amrod and Amras step up to join them] Caranthir, Celegorm, Curufin, Amrod, Amras: Shall no law, nor love, nor league of swords… [Maedhros steps up to join them] Sons of Fëanor except Maglor: No might, nor mercy… [Maglor joins in from the crowd] Sons of Fëanor: Not moveless fate, defend him forever from the fierce vengeance of the Sons of Fëanor, whoso seize, or steal, or finding keep the fair enchanted globes of crystal whose glory dies not, the Silmarils. We have sworn forever! Amrod: In Eru's name we swear! Amras: The Everlasting Dark be upon us if we keep not our oath! Caranthir: Manwë and Varda we name in witness, on their hallowed mountain of Taniquetil! Sons of Fëanor: The Silmarils are ours until the end of Time! __________________ Among the friendly dead, being bad at games did not seem to matter -Il Lupo Fenriso

05-09-2007, 03:08 AM	#3
Legate of Amon Lanc A Voice That Gainsayeth Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: In that far land beyond the Sea Posts: 7,431	I think it's logical, as you said, that they'd swear only after they heard it. If I were making a film, I'd probably use the oath you posted here (or similar) and then the Sons will just step in and in a soldier-like way say: "This we swear!" Or something like that (in which way, Fëanor would probably first end his speech in words: "So I swear" and they'd echo it) __________________ "Should the story say 'he ate bread,' the dramatic producer can only show 'a piece of bread' according to his taste or fancy, but the hearer of the story will think of bread in general and picture it in some form of his own." -On Fairy-Stories

05-09-2007, 07:03 AM	#5
Legate of Amon Lanc A Voice That Gainsayeth Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: In that far land beyond the Sea Posts: 7,431	Well, I think in the film, it would be nice to have, inspired by Mac, the Sons repeating the Oath and it echoing through, it would be that slow camera-rotation scene over the faces of all the Sons with each his own specific facial expression - this would be possibly the best scene for the audience to find each Son's personality in the vast flow of names they are otherwise - and all this merging of scenes, fading in of faces slowly repeating the oath at the same time, you know what I mean? We could now see the reluctance of Maedhros, a little pale face of Maglor, eagerness of Celegorm, passion of Curufin, dark, impenetrable look of Caranthir, the faces of the twins, reflecting the flame... __________________ "Should the story say 'he ate bread,' the dramatic producer can only show 'a piece of bread' according to his taste or fancy, but the hearer of the story will think of bread in general and picture it in some form of his own." -On Fairy-Stories

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05-08-2007, 04:05 PM	#2
Celebdil Pile O'Bones Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 17	In that version, Feanor himself doesn't swear the oath!

05-09-2007, 05:41 AM	#4
Macalaure Fading Fëanorion Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: into the flood again Posts: 2,911	Ah! One of my favourite scenes of the Silmarillion. I read it the same way Legate does. Feanor swears his oath, and then his sons leap to his side and repeat it. However, this is a pivotal scene of the whole Silmarillion, and in a movie, it would need to be treated with great care, to make the audience aware of its significance. Ideally, it would be one of the most tense scene of the whole film, even though, in the end, it's just spoken words. The repetition of the oath of course strongly works against the tension, I would say. I think I would use an option similar to what Celebdil suggest in 2). After finishing his speech, Feanor draws his sword and his sons leap to his side and do so as well. The red light of the torches is shown to be reflected in the blades and makes them look altogether red. Then Feanor starts speaking the oath, but without the interruptions needed so that his sons can repeat it one by one. I would use voiceover to "merge" the oath and its repetition, so that after Feanor says a line, his sons seem to quietly "echo" it (I would use a shortened version of the one you propose, Celebdil, I think it's a little too long to be effective on screen). It won't be an easy task for the director to capture the feelings of the seven while they say the words, which are very important. The last shot would be of Fingolfin grinding his teeth and being ready to speak against his half-brother in front of the crowd. The unfortunate thing about the SFP's version is that, as Celebdil has pointed out already, it's not Feanor who speaks the oath. This takes away the initiative from Feanor, which I think is not a good thing to do.