I Hate Feanor

[Belegorn]

One thing that may have contributed to Fëanor's actions was the 2nd marriage of his father to Indis. Elves marry for life and taking a 2nd spouse was sort of unheard of. This marriage in the end condemned his mother to being discarnate forever. To Indis and her children he held a grudge therefore. There is also this thing with the language of the Noldor. He was a linguist and he believed that þ should be used rather than s and when Indis married his father and accepted the Noldor's use of s rather than þ he felt that was a rejection of Miriel, his mother, because she used þ and so did Finwe until Miriel died. He had a lot going on. He thought his position as heir was going to be usurped, he thought the Valar were plotting against him, he hated Morgoth, and his father was killed by Morgoth.

Fëanor means "spirit of fire". This was his nature. He was in the end very much deceived by the designs of Melkor so I cannot put all the blame on him. The Silmarils were his greatest creation. Even the Valar knew not how he came to create such a thing. These were his darlings, his babies, his crowning achievement.

"For the less even as for the greater there is some deed that he may accomplish but once only; and in that deed his heart shall rest. It may be that I can unlock my jewels, but never again shall I make their like; and if I must break them, I shall break my heart, and I shall be slain; first of all the Eldar in Aman." [sil, p. 87]

In his speech to the Noldor he basically rehashed Melkor all over. He wanted to go to Middle-earth and rule there because he believed that the Valar were holding them captive in Aman so that a lesser people, Men, could rule the wide world. He wanted revenge on Melkor for stealing his Silmarils. He was not the only one deceived, but in the end his folly ended up making the Noldor a legendary people in their deeds on Middle-earth and in Beleriand.

[Zigûr]

Like all of Professor Tolkien's "villainous" characters (although he's more of an anti-hero, wouldn't you say?) I find Fëanor to be an absolutely fascinating character. I think his crimes are an excellent representation of that consistent theme in Professor Tolkien's work that obsession enables dangerously absolutist behaviours and the rationalisation of any misdeed, especially as a risk for the gifted and exceptional.

I'm not sure how much sympathy I have for Fëanor, but despite the grandiosity of his deeds I do feel a great deal of empathy for him, because I think he encapsulates some very fundamental human themes, if in a rather exaggerated way.

[Galadriel55]

Firstly, let us not call Feanor a villain. Morgoth is a villain. Sauron is a villain. Gothmog, Glaurung, and etc are villains. Not Feanor. He is not an evil guy. He is not even a bad guy. He's just a mad one. Well, at least partially. And many geniuses of the real world are partially mad.

Originally Posted by Belegorn

Fëanor means "spirit of fire". This was his nature.

I agree with that. Feanor is no Finarfin. He was born with an unusual strength of spirit - that which gave him his charisma and also his feyness and rashness.

Originally Posted by Zigûr

Like all of Professor Tolkien's "villainous" characters (although he's more of an anti-hero, wouldn't you say?)

Yes, I think that anti-hero works better for classifying him.

Originally Posted by Zigur

I'm not sure how much sympathy I have for Fëanor, but despite the grandiosity of his deeds I do feel a great deal of empathy for him, because I think he encapsulates some very fundamental human themes, if in a rather exaggerated way.

I'm not particularly sympathetic towards him either, but I love him as a character. Because it's his fault, but it's not his fault. Because he is a figure that only comes once (and he really does, haha...). Because he is fey, and you know that, but how do you change that, since it's his nature to be so fiery? Because you can't not be awed by him and by his deeds. Wrong as they were, you cannot deny their greatness. I wish more stories had their own Feanor figures.

And, bottom line is, every Noldo chose for himself. If they went with Feanor, it was because they chose to. Yes, Feanor was charismatic and inspiring and even fearsome to an extent (which, by the way, just makes me respect and be in awe of Feanor even more). But the Noldor collectively made the choice to follow him.

[Pervinca Took]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

But the Noldor collectively made the choice to follow him.

They did, but "collectively" means that some went so as not to desert their fellows, not purely through their own desire.

However, otherwise I agree with what you said, Galadriel.

I think I feel too detached from Feanor to either hate or love him, although I too empathise with his losses.

He's the kind of character whose deeds make you uncomfortable, although you admire him, and that's why he's so powerful and memorable, I think. Perhaps Turin has some elements of this, too. The flawed and tragic hero that you can't forget but can't always wholly forgive either?

[Mithalwen]

Feanor is a tragic hero brought down by a flaw in his own character and digging him self deeper and deeper. I pity him and I think destroying the Silmarilli would have destroyed him. I dislike his sons more on the whole and it would be a very different history without him... He isn't evil in the way Melkor and Sauron are.

[Belegorn]

Reading some of the other things besides the Silmarillion regarding Fëanor it appears to me like a fire no longer contained, and out of control. In one version his mom lives while he grows up and she restrains him, but in any case, it would appear his mother name, "spirit of fire", blends into his actions during the rebellion. I do think the 2nd marriage of his father was really the thing that got things going. It seems the Valar themselves were worried about this. In the end some small part may be attributed to Melkor's influence in Arda, Morgoth's Ring.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

Feanor is a tragic hero brought down by a flaw in his own character and digging him self deeper and deeper. I pity him and I think destroying the Silmarilli would have destroyed him. I dislike his sons more on the whole and it would be a very different history without him...

Well said! Indeed, on the whole I dislike his sons more than him. Or, let's put it this way: I have reasons to like his sons sometimes but I have stronger reasons to dislike them at other times (I'm talking about al those switches back and forth that make you wonder who you're rooting for). I have reasons to disagree with Feanor, and lots of reasons to admire him and to empathize with him - but not to dislike him. He seems to be above such an unpassionate description.

On the other hand, though, I do not have pity for him in the sense that I think that he got what he deserved. Still, I am totally in awe with his character.

[Mithalwen]

Oh yes....I don't pity him that and I think Belegorn is right. He is an uncontainable force of nature anf was born thus. He is such an extreme character. His creativity is balanced by the destruction he wreaks. Hia possessiveness by his losses. Maybe his refusal to yield was triggered by his mother's refusal to try to cling to life.