Feanor Self-Important?

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Welcome back to the thread, my phan-tasmic friend. I'd never heard this about Feanor's birth. Which volume of HoME is it in? Although that question is somewhat meaningless, as I [very ashamedly] will admit to not having read any of HoME. But I do plan on ordering them through my local library once I have some free time again...

Fea

[the phantom]

Which volume of HoME is it in?

It is in Volume X (Morgoth's Ring).

Although that question is somewhat meaningless, as I [very ashamedly] will admit to not having read any of HoME. But I do plan on ordering them through my local library once I have some free time again...

Well, if you manage to find the time (I never knew a teenage artist's schedule was so cramped) then you should read Volume X. It's definitely the best one (in my sometimes almost humble opinion).

But I'll give you a taste of the book real quick here. Tolkien wrote this at one time but crossed it out-

Here they dwelt for a year, and here Indis wife of Finwe bore him a son, eldest of all the second generation of the Eldar.

This was right before they crossed the Misty Mts (and you'll notice the name Indis was used instead of Miriel).

And then Chris Tolkien wrote this a bit later-

The two passages concerning Indis wife of Finwe...are notable as the first indications of what would become a major further development in the Valinorian legend, though the stories told here bear no relation to the later narrative. These briefly sketched ideas may have been merely passing, rejected as soon as jotted down; but they show my father's concern with Feanor, feeling that the greatness of his powers and formidable nature were related to a singularity of origin- he was the first-born of the Eldar: that is to say, he did not 'waken' by Kuivienen, but had a father and mother, and was born in Middle-Earth.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Well, if you manage to find the time (I never knew a teenage artist's schedule was so cramped) then you should read Volume X.

1) The Book: will do. It involves some special ordering and an unguessable wait in time, but I'll get it and read it some time soon.

2) The Schedule: You'd be surprised. You've got to keep in mind that this is an over-achieving teenage artist, about to start her senior year, who's dead exhausted and still hasn't managed to get her room cleaned (I've seriously been trying for over a week, but things keep coming up!).

I can't remember if the idea of Feanor being the first born stayed intact through this change in the story.

I'll assume that your memory is still foggy on this subject, but does anyone else know if Feanor retained his firstborn status in later versions?

Fea

[the phantom]

The Book: will do. It involves some special ordering and an unguessable wait in time

So, I guess there's not a Borders (or another similar bookstore) anyplace close to you? That's too bad. Send me enough money and I'll mail you my copy and just buy myself a new one tomorrow.

You've got to keep in mind that this is an over-achieving teenage artist, about to start her senior year, who's dead exhausted and still hasn't managed to get her room cleaned

Hee hee. My room doesn't get cleaned once football season starts.

And looking back, I've determined that I had more free time my senior year than any other year (well, except when I was four years old). Once you take your ACT/SAT all the work is over (if you scored well, that is). Then you can stop doing homework and let your grades take a plunge cause they don't care as long as you tested high and passed your senior classes.

Than again, I was a slacker (definition: figured out how to get a little work to go a long way, now a days corporations call this practice "working smarter, not harder"). I suppose if you're an "over-achieving" sort of person then you're going to be short of Tolkien time your entire life. Poor thing.

but does anyone else know if Feanor retained his firstborn status in later versions?

Sounds like a job for Maedhros, or one of the other Revised-Silmarillion people.

[Maédhros]

I'll assume that your memory is still foggy on this subject, but does anyone else know if Fëanor retained his firstborn status in later versions?

I'm not sure what do you mean. In some of the earliest versions, Fëanor was not the first but second son of Finwë. He was at first the son of Bruithwir.
In the later versions, he is the first son of Finwë and Míriel and he is born in Valinor.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

So, I guess there's not a Borders (or another similar bookstore) anyplace close to you?

Phantom, I live in the middle of nowhere. Not really, but the closest bookstore to me is a college one (one of my favorites, but I don't get to go there much) and that's at least 15 minutes in a direction that nobody I ride with ever goes in, and that I don't think carries Tolkien's work beyond the basics (Hobbit, LotR, Silm, and some general M.E. guides). The one bookstore around here that I'm generally certain has got it is just over 20 minutes away, in the opposite direction from the college one.

Once you take your ACT/SAT all the work is over (if you scored well, that is). Then you can stop doing homework and let your grades take a plunge cause they don't care as long as you tested high and passed your senior classes.

SATs are over and done with, with good enough scores that I can brag to any potential grandkids I might end up with , but no slacking off until I ship out college applications. After that? Calculus gets dropped (my counselor was being a jerk and managed to out-reason me on dropping it when I chatted with him Wednesday).

I'm not sure what do you mean.

As you say, Feanor was the first son of Finwe and Miriel. The Phantom also mentioned that Feanor was at one point (?) the FIRST of all the Children of Illuvatar to be born, as opposed to waking up. First conceived, first born, he was the first of the Elves in that sense. He was the oldest of his generation. My question is, did that (his being first of the generation) carry over to the most recent texts?

Fea

[the phantom]

In the later versions, he is the first son of Finwë and Míriel and he is born in Valinor.

Yes, but we would like to know if the later versions say anything about him being the first of the entire second generation (as Tolkien said at one time in the Annals of Aman).