So, I finally started rereading the Silmarillion again. It's my favorite book and I usually read it once a year or so. There are a few key lines that I think people often forget about, and that would answer a lot of the debates I see on the various reddit pages. Arguments like the origin of Tom Bombadil, or the origins of Shelob?

The first passage comes when Eru is showing the Ainur the vision of their music before it comes into existence. "The Ainur know much of what was, and is, and is to come, and few things are unseen by them. Yet some things there are that they cannot see, neither alone nor taking counsel together; for to none but himself has Ilúvatar revealed all that he has in store, and in every age there come forth things that are new and have no foretelling, for they do not proceed from the past. And so it was that as this vision of the World was played before them, the Ainur saw that it contained things which they had not thought." It goes on to explain that the children of Ilúvatar, elves and men, were part of the things the Ainur didn't know would come into being and that they were amazed by them.

The second passage comes in the Valaquenta at the end of "Of the Valar." The final passage describes the greatness of the Valar and the Valier (an under used term for the female powers), and that among them there were eight greater than the others. The final sentence reads "Though Manwë is their King and holds their allegiance under Eru, in majesty they are peers, surpassing beyond compare all others, whether of the Valar or the Maiar, or of any other order that Ilúvatar has sent into Eä."

We often think that the Valar, the Maiar, the Elves, and mankind describe all the creatures and orders that were sent by Eru. Yet these two passages clearly describe a different image. Not only are there other creatures, there are different orders or groups of creatures the we have been told about. Of course the Valar brought into existence the Dwarves, the plants, and the animals. This means that there are "other things" in the Legendarium that are so out there. I assume that Bombadil is one of these things, and perhaps Shelob. I'd love to know what else is did Eru send into Eä?

I'm currently halfway through the twenty-first chapter of The Silmarillion, "Of Túrin Turambar", and I have reached the part where Túrin and his other outlaw companions accidentally find Mîm and two other Dwarves while roaming toward the land west of the River Sirion.

Mîm, as his ransom, led them to his cave upon Amon Rûdh, and it was while Túrin was chatting with Mîm that he learned:

"Mîm came of Dwarves that were banished in ancient days from the great Dwarf-cities of the east, and long before the return of Morgoth they wandered westward into Beleriand."

Here I pose my first question: Who banished the Dwarves from their home? How/why did he do that?

So, to find a plausible answer, I skimmed through many pages of my copy, and this is possibly the most relevant and reliable answer among all the information that I have gathered so far. I found it in the tenth chapter of the book, "Of the Sindar":

"But as the third age of captivity of Melkor drew on, the Dwarves became troubled, and they spoke to King Thingol, saying that the Valar had not rooted out utterly the evils of the North, and now the remnant, having long multiplied in the dark, were coming forth once more and roaming far and wide. 'There are fell beasts,' they said, 'in the land east of the mountains' "

Thus, here's my take on the paragraph: when the Valar captured Melkor and chained him in the Halls of Mandos, as the Dwarves reported to Thingol, his servants were not utterly destroyed, and they were still waiting for the return of their master. I believe the Dwarves fled because of them. Also, if you have any other opinion about this, I would eagerly listen to it.

"Then the Eagles of the Lords of the West came up up out of the dayfall, and they were arrayed as for battle, advancing in a line the end of which diminished beyond sight; and as they came their wings spread even wider, grasping the sky. But the West burned red behind them, and they glowed beneath, as though they were lit with a flame of great anger, so that all Numenor was illumined as with a smouldering fire; and men looked upon the faces of their fellows, and it seemed to them that they were red with wrath."

Passing coffee thought:

Why did Christopher Tolkien omit the small details about Idril’s actions during the fall of Gondolin in the published Silmarillion?

In the Book of Lost Tales she arrays herself and Earendil in chainmail at the onset of the attack.

She fights “like a tigress” against Maeglin when he takes her and Earendil captive.

She insists on waiting for Tuor with minimal guards while sending Earendil to safety through the Secret Way with the bulk of her guards.

And then she goes about the city rescuing elves and smiting bands of orcs with her small band “and could not be dissuaded from bearing a sword”.

In the Silmarillion I believe she is just rescued from Maeglin by Tuor and they then flee down the Secret Way. It’s not an egregious omission but it is curious. Including it wouldn’t contradict anything else in the published Silmarillion and would just add to her characterization.

Returning once more to The Lays of Beleriand, a though experiment occurred to me:

When Barahir and his faithful companions were pursued by Morgoth's sleepless hate would any have considered formally joining Finrod's service?

Was Nargothrond too secret and too distant? Was Barahir too proud?

Thoughts?

I have always been under the impression that for elves, creating beauty is a duty and a virtue, an interpretation that I believe is justified by the text: Eru Illúvatar has said that they “shall conceive and bring forth more beauty than all my Children” (The Silmarillion, chapter 1), and in his letter to Milton Waldman, Tolkien explicitly stated that elven magic is Art, and their fate is to “bring [the beauty of the world] to full flower”. And since following fate as intended by God is the correct thing to do, elven existence should serve the purpose of bringing more beauty to the world.

When looking at the elven characters in The Silmarillion, the creation of art and beauty is still a key part of their characterisation (especially the major characters), despite Dealing with Morgoth being a rather overwhelming priority: Finrod and Fingon are both noted for their musical prowess, Galadriel captures the Light of Ëarendil, basically every elf-maiden sings and dances, and Turgon, who would have qualified from building a stunningly beautiful city alone, have also “himself wrought with elven-craft” Glingal and Belthil, the gold and silver Trees of Gondolin  (Sil, chapter 15) .

Interestingly enough, this trait is not only reserved for the morally good elves. The best example to the contrary is, of course, Fëanor, who literally invented a new way to make pre-existing things more beautiful, as he “discovered how gems greater and brighter than those of the Earth might be made by skill” (Sil, chapter 6), not to mention his crowning achievements the Silmarils themselves. And while their crafting accomplishments are much less detailed in comparison, it’s easy to presume that Curufin and Maeglin have also made beautiful things. Other characters, like Maglor and Saeros, are skilled in song, and you can argue that even Celegorm had a craft, that being the art of hunting, which he used to improve the world by getting rid of evil with Oromë. 

Which finally brings me to the one notable exception: Maedhros. Sure, he is associated with beauty, but it is the shallowest form possible: his physical appearance. Unlike music or crafting or hunting, it is not a skill that he cultivates or puts any time and effort in (“well-made one”, not “well-dressed one” or “well-groomed one”, after all). Besides, he loses it fairly early on into the story. So, what skill did Maedhros invest in that will come to define him for the rest of his life? Well, we are told that he “lived to wield his sword with left hand more deadly than his right” (Sil, chapter 13). The only thing we’ve ever been told that he’s good at is fighting a weapon, the crafting of which just so happened to symbolize the darkening of the elves in Aman, and the beginning of their in-fighting.

Of course, the creation of beauty is just a very small detail of characterisation, but it is quite striking to me in my read-throughs of The Silmarillion. One of the things that sticks with me about Maedhros’ character is just how many good influences he had on his life: the calming effect of Nerdanel on his temperament, symbolized by his inheriting of red hair; his friendship with Fingon which had the latter risking everything for him; the fact that he is supernaturally powerful from seeing the two Trees, and that the Valar themselves intervened on his behalf during his rescue. And yet, despite it all, he committed the most evil acts out of any elf to ever exist, with some actions such as the attack on the Havens directly parelling Morgoth himself, and frankly his victims don’t deserve to live in fear knowing that one day he can come out of the Halls and haunt them again (oh, he’ll be redeemed by then? As judged by who? The Valar, who decided that letting Morgoth out was a bright idea? Yeah, right). Considering everything, I find it fitting that he alone has not been described with the ability to create beauty, and in fact the only thing he’s implied to be good at is destruction, specifically destruction against his own kin. If that’s not a sign of personified marring, I don’t know what is.

Which of the two can we say had a worse fate? Ar-Pharazon or the Witch King of Angmar? Both are Second Age characters and for that I thought I can post this here.

Undoubtedly both represent the worst of the worst of the Numenórean civilization, both reneged on the faith of their ancestors and literally sold their souls to the devil, with the expected results. Both usurpers of the rightful kings, Ar-Pharazon of the Throne of Númenor and the Witch-King of the Throne of Arnor in Fornost and the Throne of Isildur in Minas Ithil. Both committed the worst possible crimes and caused catastrophes whose consequences are still being felt millennia later.

We know that Eru the One sentenced Pharazon to spend eternity frozen in the Caves of the Dead in Aman, giving him the immortality Pharazon so desired, but without the power he wanted as well. In the case of the Witch King, we know that he finally died at the hands of Eowyn and the destruction of the One Ring sentenced his fate, which according to Gandalf the White, who at that time operated as direct messenger of Ilúvatar in Arda, will be eternal darkness, which probably means the Timeless Void, along with their masters Sauron and Melkor Morgoth

Who do you think he had the worst fate? Knowing that neither of them will have any chance of redemption.

First of all, I apologize if this question sounds dumb or stupid. Secondly, if I have said anything wrong, I would greatly appreciate your correction, if you could. Thirdly, I would gladly hear your opinions about this matter, if you have anything to add to this post.

Since the moment I learned about Durin's Bane (one of the Balrogs) while reading The Fellowship of the Ring, I have been interested in discussing the common attributes that Balrogs and Dragons (Urulóki) share, as well as their distinct traits or peculiarities.

Morgoth is an extremist Vala who loves fire and ice to the utmost extreme and uses freezing and burning as deadly weapons against his enemies. Obviously, he utilized Dragons and Balrogs as his most dreadful servants. So, Balrogs and Dragons are both associated with fire, and represent the fiery aspect of Morgoth's nature. So, here is what I think about them:

Similarities:

1- Balrogs and Dragons are both menacing creatures whose presence brings terror and dismay to the hearts of their enemies.

2- They both have a fiery nature and are capable of ruining almost everything by burning.

3- They are both subordinate only to the power and will of their master, Morgoth Bauglir. (As we have seen in the Lord of the Rings series, they wouldn't obey Sauron or anyone else.)

Differences:

1- The first and most recognizable difference is that Dragons are mortal, while Balrogs are immortal spirits. Many times, Balrogs have been referred to as the spirits of fire. We know that they are fallen or corrupted Maiar.

2- Unlike the Dragons, it seems that Balrogs don't have a specific form or definite shape.

3- Balrogs wield weapons. They are mostly portrayed as massive, blazing beings with a whip in one hand. But Dragons don't have any armor; however, their hide works like a shield.

4- Dragons seem to be potentially greedy and possessive of gold, gems, and other craftsmanship. In contrast, I have never read anything about Balrogs being interested in any kind of jewelry or valuable materials. I believe they are mainly concerned with carrying out the errand that their master has appointed for them.

There are certainly many other aspects and layers to discover and explore, and I would love to know more about the differences and similarities between these two.

Hi all, I am wanting to make a custom jigsaw puzzle of Christopher Tolkien's map of beleriand, coloured by H.E. Riddett, but I can't find anywhere to download a high resolution copy of it. Does anyone know where I can get this? Thanks

I thought some more experienced readers might find this funny about my first read through experience. I can’y pinpoint why I do this but reading about Thingol just reminds me of Thranduil.

Please no spoilers.

I just finished the chapter about Turin. Fall of Doriath next chapter.

Someone posted an adorable photo of their dog named after a Silm character so here’s my addition. Yes she does have a brother named Túrin but he’s buried in his hide right now so no photo.

This is part 2. Part 1 is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilmarillion/comments/1gwjo2b/of_framing_in_the_quenta_silmarillionor_of/

(2) Concepts: oaths 

Because unlike Maedhros, the Oath of Fëanor is framed, and quite heavily. 

This is what Pengolodh (who wasn’t born yet at the time) tells us about the Oath of Fëanor when it is sworn: 

“Then Fëanor swore a terrible oath. His seven sons leapt straightway to his side and took the selfsame vow together, and red as blood shone their drawn swords in the glare of the torches. They swore an oath which none shall break, and none should take, by the name even of Ilúvatar, calling the Everlasting Dark upon them if they kept it not; and Manwë they named in witness, and Varda, and the hallowed mountain of Taniquetil, vowing to pursue with vengeance and hatred to the ends of the World Vala, Demon, Elf or Man as yet unborn, or any creature, great or small, good or evil, that time should bring forth unto the end of days, whoso should hold or take or keep a Silmaril from their possession.
Thus spoke Maedhros and Maglor and Celegorm, Curufin and Caranthir, Amrod and Amras, princes of the Noldor; and many quailed to hear the dread words. For so sworn, good or evil, an oath may not be broken, and it shall pursue oathkeeper and oathbreaker to the world’s end.” (Sil, QS, ch. 9) 

“Terrible oath”, “an oath which none shall break, and none should take”, “the dread words”—Pengolodh is making it very, very clear that the Oath of Fëanor is inherently evil and should never have been sworn even in that moment, ex ante (as opposed to ex post, with hindsight). And Maedhros swears this oath, so from the very first, his character is framed as evil. 

And I do understand why the Noldor would think, ex post, that the Oath of Fëanor was a terrible idea (I mean, it definitely was, although again, the War of the Jewels was necessary, see HoME X, p. 402–403). But compare this to how Pengolodh frames other oaths in the Quenta Silmarillion, of which there are many (you’d think the Noldor would have learned from the Oath of Fëanor that swearing oaths in general is a bad idea—much like Elrond says to Gimli in LOTR). And the thing is—all other oaths are framed much more positively, no matter how idiotic and dangerous they are ex ante, and how destructive they and their consequences turn out to be ex post. 

(a) Finrod’s oath to Barahir 

Finrod’s oath to Barahir is a momentous event, so much so that Finrod foresees it centuries earlier: “Now King Finrod Felagund had no wife, and Galadriel asked him why this should be; but foresight came upon Felagund as she spoke, and he said: ‘An oath I too shall swear, and must be free to fulfil it, and go into darkness. Nor shall anything of my realm endure that a son should inherit.’” (Sil, QS, ch. 15) 

When Barahir, who is a descendant of Bëor, Finrod’s vassal, saves Finrod’s life, Finrod swears an oath to him: “Thus Felagund escaped, and returned to his deep fortress of Nargothrond; but he swore an oath of abiding friendship and aid in every need to Barahir and all his kin, and in token of his vow he gave to Barahir his ring.” (Sil, QS, ch. 18) This oath isn’t framed negatively at all; if anything, it’s treated like a logical consequence of the previous events and like a great act of grace on Finrod’s side, showing how honourable he is. But is it a good idea, really? The oath Finrod swears is completely open-ended—“aid in every need to Barahir and all his kin” could mean anything. As u/No_Effect_6428 says, “If Beren had wanted help killing his neighbor, I guess Finrod’s helping out.” (https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilmarillion/comments/1gtb2qu/comment/lxkzklb/) 

But sure, in the moment, ex ante, while open-ended and therefore stupid, it’s not immediately obvious that it’s dangerous, so let’s consider what this oath leads to, ex post. 

Beren, Barahir’s son, arrives in Nargothrond a few years later to redeem Finrod’s oath. Beren wants Finrod’s help to wrest a Silmaril of Fëanor from Morgoth’s crown, which would necessitate either defeating Morgoth militarily or somehow sneaking into Angband and defeating Morgoth in some other way. Why does he want this? Because he wants to marry Lúthien—and so he requests that Finrod and his people sacrifice themselves for his chance to get married.

Anyway, Finrod realises that Beren’s request means that he has to act: “But Felagund heard his tale in wonder and disquiet; and he knew that the oath he had sworn was come upon him for his death, as long before he had foretold to Galadriel.” (Sil, QS, ch. 19) 

And so Finrod attempts to make his people accede to Beren’s incredibly selfish request too: “Then King Felagund spoke before his people, recalling the deeds of Barahir, and his vow; and he declared that it was laid upon him to aid the son of Barahir in his need, and he sought the help of his chieftains.” (Sil, QS, ch. 19) 

The people of Nargothrond, unsurprisingly, turn against Finrod, presumably not wanting to die solely in order to facilitate the marriage between Beren and Lúthien—but Finrod nearly sacrificed his entire army to fulfil his oath. 

Anyway, what happens next because of Finrod’s oath and Beren’s selfishness is scarcely less destructive. Finrod and his companions end up getting killed and eaten by Sauron’s werewolves, achieving precisely nothing in the process: “In the pits of Sauron Beren and Felagund lay, and all their companions were now dead; but Sauron purposed to keep Felagund to the last, for he perceived that he was a Noldo of great might and wisdom, and he deemed that in him lay the secret of their errand. But when the wolf came for Beren, Felagund put forth all his power, and burst his bonds; and he wrestled with the werewolf, and slew it with his hands and teeth; yet he himself was wounded to the death. Then he spoke to Beren, saying: ‘I go now to my long rest in the timeless halls beyond the seas and the Mountains of Aman. It will be long ere I am seen among the Noldor again; and it may be that we shall not meet a second time in death or life, for the fates of our kindreds are apart. Farewell!’ He died then in the dark, in Tol-in-Gaurhoth, whose great tower he himself had built. Thus King Finrod Felagund, fairest and most beloved of the house of Finwë, redeemed his oath; but Beren mourned beside him in despair.” (Sil, QS, ch. 19) They didn’t even get anywhere near Angband. I repeat—Finrod’s own soldiers were eaten alive by werewolves because of Finrod’s oath. 

As for Nargothrond, Finrod put Orodreth in charge as his successor. Orodreth is aptly termed a “dullard slow” by Curufin (HoME III, p. 237), being so weak and incompetent that he’s quickly taken in completely by Túrin (Sil, QS, ch. 21). The policies of Orodreth and Túrin inevitably (and directly) lead to the fall of Nargothrond and the death at the hands of Orcs of all inhabitants who couldn’t flee. 

And Finrod knows all of this long before swearing his oath, as he tells Galadriel: “Nor shall anything of my realm endure that a son should inherit.” (Sil, QS, ch. 15) He knows that swearing that oath to Barahir will lead to the destruction of his realm and (presumably) the deaths of most of his people. So why on earth does he swear that oath anyway? But Finrod isn’t criticised at all in the fandom for this, and why? Because Pengolodh frames his oath as an act of honour and faith, and frames Finrod’s fulfilment of his oath as immensely honourable, rather than the act of dangerous idiocy and recipe for disaster that it is. 

(b) Thingol’s oath to Lúthien 

Thingol swears an oath to Lúthien, and immediately proceeds to try to break it: “Therefore he spoke in grief and amazement to Luthien; but she would reveal nothing, until he swore an oath to her that he would neither slay Beren nor imprison him. But he sent his servants to lay hands on him and lead him to Menegroth as a malefactor; and Luthien forestalling them led Beren herself before the throne of Thingol, as if he were an honoured guest.” (Sil, QS, ch. 19) But Thingol’s oath goes nowhere and isn’t really framed either way. Sure, we’re told that Thingol dooms Doriath through setting Beren the quest to wrest a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown, but that’s not because of his oath, but rather despite it: “Thus he wrought the doom of Doriath, and was ensnared within the curse of Mandos. And those that heard these words perceived that Thingol would save his oath, and yet send Beren to his death; for they knew that not all the power of the Noldor, before the Siege was broken, had availed even to see from afar the shining Silmarils of Fëanor. For they were set in the Iron Crown, and treasured in Angband above all wealth; and Balrogs were about them, and countless swords, and strong bars, and unassailable walls, and the dark majesty of Morgoth.” (Sil, QS, ch. 19) 

(Note, by the way, that Pengolodh, who has so much to say about how people he doesn’t like are “cruel” or “harsh”, doesn’t at all chastise Thingol for trying to break his oath in order to get his daughter’s boyfriend killed.) 

(c) Beren’s oath to Thingol 

Beren swears the following oath to Thingol: “But if this be your will, Thingol, I will perform it. And when we meet again my hand shall hold a Silmaril from the Iron Crown; for you have not looked the last upon Beren son of Barahir.” (Sil, QS, ch. 19) It’s not immediately obvious that it’s an oath, but Beren and Lúthien certainly treat it as one: 

• “Now it is told that Beren and Luthien came in their wandering into the Forest of Brethil, and drew near at last to the borders of Doriath. Then Beren took thought of his vow; and against his heart he resolved, when Luthien was come again within the safety of her own land, to set forth once more. But she was not willing to be parted from him again, saying: ‘You must choose, Beren, between these two: to relinquish the quest and your oath and seek a life of wandering upon the face of the earth; or to hold to your word and challenge the power of darkness upon its throne. But on either road I shall go with you, and our doom shall be alike.’” (Sil, QS, ch. 19) 
• “There Beren, being torn between his oath and his love, and knowing Luthien to be now safe, arose one morning before the sun, and committed her to the care of Huan; then in great anguish he departed while she yet slept upon the grass.” (Sil, QS, ch. 19) 
• “Thrice now I curse my oath to Thingol” (Sil, QS, ch. 19). 

This oath isn’t framed negatively either, no matter how obviously superfluous and stupid it is ex ante—Beren doesn’t need Thingol’s consent to marry Lúthien (the only requirements for a valid Eldarin marriage are the following: “it was at all times lawful for any of the Eldar, both being unwed, to marry thus of free consent one to another without ceremony or witness (save blessings exchanged and the naming of the Name); and the union so joined was alike indissoluble. In days of old, in times of trouble, in flight and exile and wandering, such marriages were often made.” (HoME X, p. 212))—or how selfish and destructive it turns out to be ex post. 

Anyway, in consequence of this entirely superfluous oath, Finrod and his loyal soldiers are killed (and eaten) by Sauron’s werewolves, Nargothrond gets Orodreth as king (leading to the fall of Nargothrond), and Doriath is destroyed because Thingol and Beren, very much against Melian’s advice, drag it into the scope of the Oath of Fëanor, which at this point everyone knows is dangerous. All because Beren wanted to marry Lúthien, but felt, for no reason, that he had to swear an oath to her father first. And Beren knows about the dangers of the Oath of Fëanor, at the very latest after Finrod tells him this: “For the Silmarils are cursed with an oath of hatred, and he that even names them in desire moves a great power from slumber; and the sons of Fëanor would lay all the Elf-kingdoms in ruin rather than suffer any other than themselves to win or possess a Silmaril, for the Oath drives them.” (Sil, QS, ch. 19) But Beren perseveres, because apparently, marrying Lúthien is more important that not causing the destruction of Nargothrond and Doriath. 

Now, I completely understand why Pengolodh would have a negative opinion of the Oath of Fëanor, given what happened as a direct or indirect result of it. But I do wonder why all the other oaths in the Quenta, no matter how much death and destruction they ended up causing, are not called “terrible” or “evil” or “dreadful”. Why does Finrod get a pass for his oath to Barahir, which led to disaster? He even knew that it would lead to the fall of his realm. And why does Beren get a pass for his oath to Thingol, which wasn’t necessary for him to marry Lúthien and which led to Finrod’s death and the ultimate destruction of both Nargothrond and Doriath—all in pursuit of Beren’s personal desire to marry Lúthien? 

(3) Events 

Framing, of course, is also apparent concerning events. Apart from the different oaths, there’s another example in the Quenta Silmarillion which shows really well that who is ultimately seen as good or evil by readers depends wholly on the framing by the narrator. How so? 

Morally, there certain actions that are rather similar, occurring in very similar scenarios, but are treated very differently by readers. 

I am, of course, talking about the Kinslayings. 

(A few short words on the term “kinslaying”: note which killings of Elves by other Elves are called Kinslayings, and which aren’t. That is, killings of Elves by other Elves that Pengolodh doesn’t care about or feels are justified don’t merit that term, clearly. Only consider how Eöl’s execution on Turgon’s orders is never called a kinslaying. Of course, I’d argue that Turgon was completely justified in executing his sister’s killer, but if anything, this sequence of events sounds like capital punishment is something the Elves do without much in the way of moral qualms.) 

First of all, let’s establish the sequence of events of the First Kinslaying and the Second Kinslaying. 

First Kinslaying

1. Fëanor decides “to persuade the Teleri, ever friends to the Noldor, to join with them” (Sil, QS, ch. 9); so “He hastened then to Alqualondë, and spoke to the Teleri as he had spoken before in Tirion” (Sil, QS, ch. 9). 

2. The Teleri are unconvinced, and also refuse to help Fëanor in his quest: “no ship would they lend, nor help in the building, against the will of the Valar” (Sil, QS, ch. 9) (The reference to “the will of the Valar” here is odd, and I have no idea what it refers to. Did the Valar intend to stop the Noldor or not? Especially because the war of the Noldor against Morgoth was necessary to save the peoples of Middle-earth, see only HoME X, p. 402–403.) 

3. Fëanor insults Olwë. 

4. Olwë again refuses to hand over the swan-ships, explicitly equating them with the Silmarils: “But as for our white ships: those you gave us not. We learned not that craft from the Noldor, but from the Lords of the Sea; and the white timbers we wrought with our own hands, and the white sails were woven by our wives and our daughters. Therefore we will neither give them nor sell them for any league or friendship. For I say to you, Fëanor son of Finwë, these are to us as are the gems of the Noldor: the work of our hearts, whose like we shall not make again.” (Sil, QS, ch. 9) 

5. Fëanor leaves. 

6. Fëanor returns with an army, goes to the haven of Alqualondë, “and began to man the ships that were anchored there and to take them away by force.” (Sil, QS, ch. 9) 

7. The Teleri respond with violence, “and cast many of the Noldor into the sea” (Sil, QS, ch. 9). 

8. The Noldor, in turn, also become violent: “Then swords were drawn, and a bitter fight was fought upon the ships, and about the lamplit quays and piers of the Haven” (Sil, QS, ch. 9). 

9. Fëanor’s Noldor are driven back three times. 

10. Fingon, seeing the battle, rushes in to join the fighting. 

11. The Teleri are defeated, and “a great part of their mariners that dwelt in Alqualondë were wickedly slain.” (Sil, QS, ch. 9) 

12. Fëanor takes full control of the ships: “Then the Noldor drew away their white ships and manned their oars as best they might, and rowed them north” (Sil, QS, ch. 9). 

13. Olwë calls on Ossë, who “came not, for it was not permitted by the Valar that the flight of the Noldor should be hindered by force. But Uinen wept for the mariners of the Teleri; and the sea rose in wrath against the slayers, so that many of the ships were wrecked and those in them drowned.” (Sil, QS, ch. 9) (Note the (framing) passive here, trying to redirect your attention away from the fact that Uinen directly killed these Noldor, and remember that the Valar have form in drowning Elves they don’t like—only consider how Ossë drowned all of Voronwë’s friends in UT, p. 47–48.)

Second Kinslaying

I am intentionally ignoring the version in the published Quenta Silmarillion, given that that was largely Christopher Tolkien’s work (https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienfans/comments/1ggl77b/of_the_history_of_the_second_kinslaying/), and will instead base this chronology on The Tale of Years, which was written by Pengolodh (HoME XI, p. 343). 

1. Decades earlier, before the Fifth Battle, the Sons of Fëanor demand the Silmaril from Thingol. “Melian counselled him to surrender it”, but Thingol refuses (Sil, QS, ch. 20). 

2. The Sons of Fëanor hear that the Silmaril is in Doriath again. 

3. Maedhros prevents a direct attack by his brothers, “but a message is sent to Dior demanding the Jewel.” (HoME XI, p. 351) 

4. Dior ignores the demand: “Dior returns no answer.” (HoME XI, p. 351) 

5. A year later, “Celegorn inflames the brethren, and they prepare an assault on Doriath. They come up at unawares in winter.” (HoME XI, p. 351) 

6. There is war “on the east marches of Doriath” (HoME XI, p. 351). Celegorm and Dior kill each other. 

7. The remaining Sons of Fëanor achieve a military victory, but Elwing escapes with the Silmaril to the Havens (HoME XI, p. 351).

Now, where are the similarities? Surely, the role and actions of the Sons of Fëanor in the Second Kinslaying are (morally) equivalent to Fëanor’s role in the First Kinslaying, just like the roles of Olwë and Dior are morally equivalent? 

I would argue that that’s not the case. Consider this: in both cases, there is a fight over property (the swan-ships, which to the Teleri are like the Silmarils to the Noldor; and the Silmaril). But, importantly, while in the First Kinslaying it’s Fëanor who has no right whatsoever to the ships, which belong to the Teleri/Olwë, in the Second Kinslaying, it’s Dior who is sitting on stolen property and refusing to give it back to its rightful owners. 

In the First Kinslaying, no-one would doubt that the Teleri have a right to defend their ships with violence, even starting the violence (by throwing the Noldor into the sea, which can be deadly, especially if the victims are wearing armour). Why? Because the ships are theirs, the Teleri made them, and the Noldor are trying to take them from their owners. 

But it’s the same in the Second Kinslaying. By any principles of law and logic (even Eönwë acknowledges this in Sil, QS, ch. 24), the Sons of Fëanor are the rightful owners of all three Silmarils (no matter what Eönwë later says about them losing their right to the Silmarils due to the Second and Third Kinslayings—that’s circular reasoning). Dior is an unjust possessor who knows that he has no right to the Silmaril (stealing from a thief, in this case Morgoth, doesn’t make you any less of a thief, or your possession justified). Going by the same logic that allowed the Teleri to defend their ships from the Noldor by starting the violence, the Sons of Fëanor have a right to retrieve their property with violence. 

Importantly, the fact that Dior currently has (unjust but) stable possession of the Silmaril, while Fëanor did not have stable possession of the ships, doesn’t change anything. In this case, arguing that violence is only justified when you defend your own property from being taken, but not when you want to retrieve your property that’s being kept from you, doesn’t work for several reasons. 

For one, while this idea generally applies in modern domestic criminal law (that is, A can legally use violence to defend herself from B trying to take her phone, but A will be convicted of breaking and entering if she breaks into B’s house two days later to retrieve her phone), it cannot logically apply in First Age Beleriand. The reason why there’s this rule in the first place is that states want their citizens to solve their conflicts via the court system, not through interpersonal violence. However, this doesn’t at all apply to the Sons of Fëanor. There are no courts in First Age Beleriand, no way to get legal recourse. Unlike you and I, the Sons of Fëanor can’t simply sue Dior in the next civil court. 

Moreover, neither the Sons of Fëanor nor Dior are citizens of a state. Both entities involved in the Second Kinslaying are essentially sovereign states themselves, and so, different considerations apply (see: https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienfans/comments/x6iqdt/concerning_the_kinslayings_under_the_just_war/). Given the context, I would apply the principles of public international law as they existed before the 20^(th) century, and more specifically, the just war doctrine. Under this doctrine, a sovereign is allowed to wage war to recover property stolen from it. Importantly, everyone in the Quenta assumes that Fëanor and later the Sons of Fëanor are justified in waging war against Morgoth in order to recover the Silmarils. This sounds very much like  the Elves had a concept similar to our just war doctrine. 

The other reason is more basic and less legalistic. In the First Kinslaying, the Noldor already had possession of (at least some of) the ships before the Teleri cast them from the ships into the sea. But why should the length of time of unjust possession matter? Where’s the cut-off where using violence to recover your property becomes unjustified? A minute, an hour, a day, a decade? 

Interestingly, there is another instance in the Legendarium where a thief achieves full possession of a jewel for nearly two centuries, but where fighting against this thief with violence is framed as entirely righteous and justified. In The Hobbit, Thorin certainly had a right to go to war against Smaug to regain Erebor and retrieve the Arkenstone. But just like any Elf, Smaug is a sentient, intelligent being capable of speech. I find it interesting that Thorin and his company, who want to reconquer their mountain and their Arkenstone from Smaug, a sentient being, are treated as justified and as heroes, and that the Sons of Fëanor, who want to reclaim their Silmaril from Thingol/Dior, are conversely treated as villains. And why? Because Bilbo, the narrator of The Hobbit, is on Thorin’s side, while Pengolodh is very much not on Maedhros’s side, and readers tend to end up on the side the narrator is on.  

Conclusion

The Sons of Fëanor definitely deserve criticism and being remembered negatively for a series of things, but then, so do all the other important Eldar in the Quenta Silmarillion. And yet, it’s only the Sons of Fëanor who are framed so deeply negatively, while pretty much every other important Elda is lavished with praise by the narrator. 

Now, why would Pengolodh have anything in particular against the Sons of Fëanor? Well, we need to recall who Pengolodh is and the context he’s writing in. For one, his king Turgon loathes the Sons of Fëanor because of his wife Elenwë’s death on the Helcaraxë: 

• “She perished in the crossing of the Ice; and Turgon was thereafter unappeasable in his enmity for Fëanor and his sons.” (HoME XII, p. 345) 
• “Turgon’s wife was lost and he had then only one daughter and no other heir. Turgon was nearly lost himself in attempts to rescue his wife — and he had less love for the Sons of Fëanor than any other.” (HoME X, p. 128) 

And then, of course, Pengolodh was at the Havens of Sirion when the Fëanorians attacked, which would only have made him hate them (and the Oath of Fëanor) even more. As for why Fëanor isn’t framed negatively, I think that Pengolodh is able to separate Fëanor from the Sons of Fëanor. Pengolodh was born only after Fëanor’s death, and being mixed Sinda-Noldo, he only exists because of Fëanor. I understand why he doesn’t have anything personal against Fëanor—but he definitely loathes the Sons of Fëanor. 

Conversely, why does Pengolodh frame Turgon and the children of Finarfin so positively? Turgon is his king, and Finrod is Turgon’s best friend (cf Sil, QS, ch. 9, 13). And why would Pengolodh’s writings be so biased in favour of Thingol? Two reasons: Thingol famously hated the Sons of Fëanor, and “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”; and Pengolodh fled to the Havens of Sirion and would have collected accounts of everything that happened in Doriath in the previous centuries there—from Sindar who survived the assault of the Sons of Fëanor on Doriath. It’s really not surprising that bias in favour of Thingol ended up in the Quenta—both because the surviving Sindar would have had an interest in depicting Thingol as greater than he was, and because depicting Thingol as good, noble, a great king etc would have been a convenient way to reduce and make the Sons of Fëanor appear worse by comparison. (The same applies to Finrod: the refugees of Nargothrond would have had an interest in putting Finrod on a pedestal while demonising the Sons of Fëanor, and not just in order to distract from their own less-than-glorious role in Finrod’s deposition.) 

The result of this reads a lot like damnatio memoriae. Even the number of times the Sons of Fëanor, both collectively and individually, are mentioned in the published Quenta Silmarillion in no way correlates to how important to the story they are. For example, before the last chapter, Maglor is mentioned only a dozen times in twenty-three chapters. Meanwhile, Maedhros, whose decisions throughout the War of the Jewels are what drives the plot forward, is only mentioned 74 times. Thingol, who spends the entire War of the Jewels doing precisely nothing in Menegroth, is mentioned 149 times, and even excluding mentions of Thingol in the two Great Tales chapters he’s involved in (chapters 19 (Beren and Lúthien) and 21 (Túrin), he is mentioned 96 times. Turgon, who spends most of the War of the Jewels cloistered in the safety of Gondolin, is mentioned 112 times. And there are other things involving the Sons of Fëanor that feel like damnatio memoriae too. For example, why do we know the names of the wives/lovers of Fingolfin, Turgon, Finrod and Angrod, even though they are mentioned once or twice at best and play no role in the story, but not the names of the wives of the three married Sons of Fëanor (HoME XII, p. 318)—not even the name of Celebrimbor’s mother?  

(Pengolodh conveniently glosses over a potential point of conflict here, by the way. Thingol hates the Sons of Fëanor because of the First Kinslaying, given that the Teleri of Alqualondë are from his clan, but Turgon hates them because he wasn’t allowed to exploit the fruits of the First Kinslaying! Turgon is furious because Elenwë drowned on the Helcaraxë, and the only thing the Fëanorians could have done to prevent that would have been allowing Turgon and Elenwë to use the ships they stole from the Teleri. If Turgon felt entitled to use the Swan-ships, I’d argue he didn’t have much of a moral problem with the First Kinslaying itself.) 

Sources 

The Silmarillion, JRR Tolkien, ed Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins, ebook edition February 2011, version 2019-01-09 [cited as: Sil]. 

Unfinished Tales of Númenor & Middle-earth, JRR Tolkien, ed Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2014 (softcover) [cited as: UT].

The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME II]. 

The Lays of Beleriand, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME III].

The Lost Road and Other Writings, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME V].

Morgoth’s Ring, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME X]. 

The War of the Jewels, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME XI].

The Peoples of Middle-earth, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME XII]. 

In-universe, the Quenta Silmarillion is not written by an omniscient, unbiased narrator, but rather by an in-world narrator, Pengolodh, leading to some very interesting questions about bias and framing. Pengolodh is a subject of Turgon with a “mixed Sindarin and Noldorin ancestry” who was born in Nevrast and “lived in Gondolin from its foundation” (HoME XI, p. 396). When Gondolin fell, he was among the refugees who made their way to the Mouths of Sirion, where he continued to collect material for his writings (HoME XI, p. 397). Note that by then, in addition to the survivors of Gondolin, there would have been many refugees, both Men and Elves, from Dor-lómin, Doriath and Nargothrond there (UT, p. 187).

And Pengolodh certainly doesn’t keep his biases and preferences to himself. In this essay, I’ll focus on Pengolodh’s framing in the Quenta Silmarillion concerning (1) characters, (2) concepts, and (3) events.

(1) Characters 

Characters (and peoples) in the Quenta Silmarillion broadly fall into three categories: (a) characters the narrator is biased in favour of (= positive framing), (b) characters the narrator is neutral about (these characters are generally lavished with praise, but deserved praise that fits their actual characters and actions), and (c) characters the narrator is biased against (= negative framing). To determine which category a character falls into, I’ll be comparing what the narrator tells us about them to what the text shows us about their choices and actions. 

I’ll show you what I mean. 

For example, we are told this about Beleg: “Thus ended Beleg Strongbow, truest of friends, greatest in skill of all that harboured in the woods of Beleriand in the Elder Days, at the hand of him whom he most loved; and that grief was graven on the face of Túrin and never faded.” (Sil, QS, ch. 21) This corresponds with what we are shown: a highly skilled warrior and selfless friend who would have done—and did—everything for Túrin. Therefore Beleg calls into category (b), characters the narrator is neutral about. 

Contrast this to how Angrod and Caranthir are described, and how they act. 

Angrod is introduced as a character by the narrator telling us that he is “true, and wisehearted” (Sil, QS, ch. 13). However, when you consider how he acts, he seems choleric, with even the narrator acknowledging that “Then Angrod spoke bitterly against the sons of Fëanor, telling of the blood at Alqualondë, and the Doom of Mandos, and the burning of the ships at Losgar. And he cried: ‘Where-fore should we that endured the Grinding Ice bear the name of kinslayers and traitors?’” (Sil, QS, ch. 15) Angrod, despite earlier (Sil, QS, ch. 13) keeping schtum about Alqualondë because he’s “true, and wisehearted”, now gets an outburst just about that. The outburst is understandable, but it doesn’t fit how his character had been presented earlier. 

Meanwhile, Caranthir, who has a similar outburst, is both said to be choleric and shown to be so: “But Caranthir, who loved not the sons of Finarfin, and was the harshest of the brothers and the most quick to anger, cried aloud: ‘Yea more! Let not the sons of Finarfin run hither and thither with their tales to this Dark Elf in his caves! Who made them our spokesmen to deal with him? And though they be come indeed to Beleriand, let them not so swiftly forget that their father is a lord of the Noldor, though their mother be of other kin.’” (Sil, QS, ch. 13) However, I’d say that calling Caranthir “the harshest of the brothers and the most quick to anger” is rather harsh itself, and an exaggeration, since Celegorm exists, whose name refers to his temper, meaning “‘hasty-riser’. Quenya tyelka ‘hasty’. Possibly in reference to his quick temper, and his habit of leaping up when suddenly angered.” (HoME XII, p. 353)

I find the difference in framing obvious—the narrator quite obviously likes Angrod a lot more than Caranthir—and would therefore put Angrod in category (a) and Caranthir, who I’d argue is less quick to anger than his brother Celegorm, in category (c).

(a) Positive framing 

Pengolodh is biased in favour of a series of major characters. These are: 

Thingol and the Sindar 

This is what the narrator tells us about Thingol: “after the death of Fëanor the overlordship of the Exiles (as shall be recounted) passed to Fingolfin, and he being of other mood than Fëanor acknowledged the high-kingship of Thingol and Menegroth, being indeed greatly in awe of that king, mightiest of the Eldar save Fëanor only, and of Melian no less.” (HoME XI, p. 21; see also p. 25) 

I find two elements here notable: first, the idea that Fingolfin was “in awe” of Thingol and acknowledged him as his overlord, neither of which fits Fingolfin’s character in the least or is in any way obvious from anything that happens in the actual plot. But more importantly, how Thingol is described, as “mightiest of the Eldar save Fëanor only”. This sounds preposterous. Not Fingolfin, who wounded Morgoth in single combat? Not Lúthien, who bewitched both Morgoth and Mandos? No, Thingol, whose wife protects his kingdom with her power, and who does practically nothing throughout the War of the Jewels apart from trying to get his daughter’s boyfriend killed, until he gets into a spat with some dwarves involving payment for work on two separate items of stolen property (the Silmaril and the Nauglamír) and gets himself killed as a result.

Moreover, we are told this about the Sindar: “and although they were Moriquendi, under the lordship of Thingol and the teaching of Melian they became the fairest and the most wise and skilful of all the Elves of Middle-earth.” (Sil, QS, ch. 10) The implication that being around Thingol makes people wise is…a bit odd, given that Thingol is anything but wise. I mean, he made this Saeros (who “was proud, dealing haughtily with those whom he deemed of lesser state and worth than himself” (UT, p. 100–101), and whose behaviour towards Túrin contains a most unpleasant mixture of adult physical aggression and kindergarten-levels of immature idiocy) his counsellor, for crying out loud! 

Manwë

The narrator clearly adores Manwë, telling us the following: “Manwë, who knows most of the mind of Ilúvatar” (Sil, QS, ch. 1), and “Manwë is dearest to Ilúvatar and understands most clearly his purposes” (Sil, Valaquenta). Of course, he also says that Manwë does not understand evil: “For Manwë was free from evil and could not comprehend it” (Sil, QS, ch. 6; see also HoME X, p. 186). However, Melkor’s evil is part of Eru’s plan: “Then Ilúvatar spoke, and he said: ‘Mighty are the Ainur, and mightiest among them is Melkor; but that he may know, and all the Ainur, that I am Ilúvatar, those things that ye have sung, I will show them forth, that ye may see what ye have done. And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.’” (Sil, Ainulindalë) 

So really, Manwë understands far less than what the narrator is implying, which becomes obvious when you look at his choices and actions, freeing Melkor from Mandos and not noticing at all that he spends the next decades (in Years of the Trees) spreading lies and manipulating the Noldor—right under Manwë’s very eyes. 

Galadriel 

It is clear that the narrator adores Galadriel: “Galadriel was the greatest of the Noldor, except Fëanor maybe, though she was wiser than he, and her wisdom increased with the long years. […] These two kinsfolk [Fëanor and Galadriel], the greatest of the Eldar of Valinor, were unfriends for ever.” (HoME XII, p. 337, fn omitted) 

Calling Galadriel greater than Fëanor is preposterous, especially since the idea is that she is already at this level in Valinor (in another text, “the commanding stature of Galadriel already in Valinor, the equal if unlike in endowments of Fëanor” is “emphasized”, UT, p. 299). We know nothing of what Galadriel achieves in Valinor, while Fëanor invents Tengwar, is involved in politics, and creates the Fëanorian lamps, the palantíri and the Silmarils, among other things. Even many millennia later, when Galadriel is much older than Fëanor ever got to be, her works are derivative of Fëanor’s and Melian’s: the Phial of Galadriel is derivative of the Silmarils, and she would have learned the magic to create her replica of the Girdle from Melian long after Fëanor’s death. (Meanwhile, I’ve seen brick walls wiser than Fëanor, so calling Galadriel wiser than him means nothing.) 

Or take this thing we’re told about Galadriel being incredibly insightful and yet merciful in her assessment of others: “From her earliest years she had a marvellous gift of insight into the minds of others, but judged them with mercy and understanding, and she withheld her good will from none save only Fëanor. In him she perceived a darkness that she hated and feared” (HoME XII, p. 338). Sounds good, right? Well, it’s followed up by: “though she did not perceive that the shadow of the same evil had fallen upon the minds of all the Noldor, and upon her own.” (HoME XII, p. 338) So really, what this passage is showing us is that Galadriel completely missed the darkness in the minds of everyone, including herself, apart from—totally coincidentally—the one Elf whom she happened to dislike anyway (due to the hair incident). 

Or take supposedly Galadriel’s advice concerning the war against Morgoth. Galadriel and Celeborn “did not join in the war against Angband, which they judged to be hopeless under the ban of the Valar and without their aid; and their counsel was to withdraw from Beleriand and to build up a power to the eastward (whence they feared that Morgoth would draw reinforcement), befriending and teaching the Dark Elves and Men of those regions.” (UT, p. 300).

Not only does this advice to Fingolfin, Maedhros and co, who’d been fighting the war on the front lines for centuries, come off as wildly condescending and detached from reality simply by virtue of the fact that Galadriel was imparting it from the safety of Doriath, it was also wrong. We know that the Siege of the Noldor was necessary to protect the rest of the world from Morgoth and allow Mankind to rise from the shadows: “If we consider the situation after the escape of Morgoth and the reëstablishment of his abode in Middle-earth, we shall see that the heroic Noldor were the best possible weapon with which to keep Morgoth at bay, virtually besieged, and at any rate fully occupied, on the northern fringe of Middle-earth, without provoking him to a frenzy of nihilistic destruction. And in the meanwhile, Men, or the best elements in Mankind, shaking off his shadow, came into contact with a people who had actually seen and experienced the Blessed Realm. […] Morgoth though locally triumphant had neglected most of Middle-earth during the war; and by it he had in fact been weakened: in power and prestige (he had lost and failed to recover one of the Silmarils), and above all in mind.” (HoME X, p. 402–403)

For more examples of show vs tell concerning Galadriel, see here: https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienfans/comments/ynp7m1/of_galadriel_and_celeborn_part_2/ 

Turgon 

Turgon, epithet the wise (Sil, QS, ch. 14), is King of Gondolin and as such, Pengolodh’s king. And you notice: Gondolin is described in a much more flowery tone than the other cities of the Noldor, and in much more detail, with a lot of compliments to Turgon and his family along the way. Only take this quote for example: “There shining fountains played, and in the courts of Turgon stood images of the Trees of old, which Turgon himself wrought with elven-craft; and the Tree which he made of gold was named Glingal, and the Tree whose flowers he made of silver was named Belthil. But fairer than all the wonders of Gondolin was Idril, Turgon’s daughter, she that was called Celebrindal, the Silver-foot, whose hair was as the gold of Laurelin before the coming of Melkor.” (Sil, QS, ch. 15) 

Or consider that up to and including chapter 22 of the published Quenta Silmarillion (that is, not even counting the chapter about the Fall of Gondolin), Barad Eithel/Eithel Sirion, the fortress of the High King of the Noldor, is mentioned nine times in total, and Himring, the fortress of Maedhros, is mentioned eleven times, while Gondolin is mentioned fifty-four times, and Gondolin is barely even involved in the War of the Jewels, which the Quenta Silmarillion is ostensibly about.

More specifically, concerning my comparison of tell vs show, I want to take a look at two statements the narrator makes about Turgon. 

First is the narrator attributing the following thought to Morgoth (!) after the Fifth Battle: “Now the thought of Morgoth dwelt ever upon Turgon; for Turgon had escaped him, of all his foes that one whom he most desired to take or to destroy. And that thought troubled him, and marred his victory, for Turgon of the mighty house of Fingolfin was now by right King of all the Noldor; and Morgoth feared and hated the house of Fingolfin, because they had the friendship of Ulmo his foe, and because of the wounds that Fingolfin gave him with his sword. And most of all his kin Morgoth feared Turgon; for of old in Valinor his eye had lighted upon him, and whenever he drew near a shadow had fallen on his spirit, foreboding that in some time that yet lay hidden, from Turgon ruin should come to him.” (Sil, QS, ch. 20) 

This passage is odd. Just how does Pengolodh know so exactly what Morgoth of all people is thinking? Why would Morgoth specifically have felt “a shadow […] on his spirit” concerning Turgon back in Valinor? (If he was having a foreboding about Eärendil, he should logically have felt like this around Fingolfin too.) And since when has the House of Fingolfin in particular had the friendship of Ulmo? (Ulmo appeared to both Turgon and Finrod, and not at all to Fingolfin, Fingon or Aredhel.) Really, the entire passage feels mostly like poetic licence that just so happens to compliment Pengolodh’s king. (Note in particular how Pengolodh slips in that Turgon is the rightful High King of the Noldor now!) 

The second statement is Turgon’s epithet the wise. To determine the measure of his wisdom, I’d like to examine his behaviour before and during the Fall of Gondolin. Turgon is barely mentioned in Sil, QS, ch. 23 (interestingly, one of the few times he is mentioned, we are told that “Turgon shut his ear to word of the woes without”, Sil, QS, ch. 23—not sure whether that is such a wise thing to do), but the text refers us to an earlier text, saying that, “Of the deeds of desperate valour there done, by the chieftains of the noble houses and their warriors, and not least by Tuor, much is told in The Fall of Gondolin: of the battle of Ecthelion of the Fountain with Gothmog Lord of Balrogs in the very square of the King, where each slew the other, and of the defence of the tower of Turgon by the people of his household, until the tower was overthrown; and mighty was its fall and the fall of Turgon in its ruin.” (Sil, QS, ch. 23) 

So, what does The Fall of Gondolin show us about Turgon’s character? 

Nothing good: Idril’s assessment years before the Fall is that Turgon “held with blind obstinacy to his belief in the impregnable might of the city and that Melko sought no more against it” (HoME II, p. 171). Maeglin is shown to be able to play Turgon like a fiddle, both in the years before the Fall (cf HoME II, p. 171) and even once the assault on Gondolin has begun: “Then [Maeglin] played upon the one weakness of Turgon, saying: ‘Lo! O King, the city of Gondolin contains a wealth of jewels and metals and stuffs and of things wrought by the hands of the Gnomes to surpassing beauty, and all these thy lords – more brave museums than wise – would abandon to the Foe. Even should victory be thine upon the plain thy city will be sacked and the Balrogs get hence with a measureless booty’; and and Turgon groaned, for Meglin had known his great love for the wealth and loveliness of that burg upon Amon Gwareth.” (HoME II, p. 175) So: it seems that Turgon isn’t actually wise, as Pengolodh tells us. What we are shown is that Maeglin very effectively uses flattery pretending that Turgon is wise to get what he (Maeglin) wants from Turgon. 

Finarfin 

We are told that among the three sons of Finwë, “Finarfin was the fairest, and the most wise of heart” (Sil, QS, ch. 5). 

But I have to doubt Finarfin’s wisdom too. Even though he doesn’t agree with it, Finarfin joins the exodus of the Noldor from Tirion. He’s at the back of the march and doesn’t appear to be involved in the fighting at Alqualondë, which happens in Y.T. 1495 (HoME X, p. 98, 115). However, even after the bloodshed where Noldor killed many of his wife’s people, Finarfin keeps going—until Y.T. 1496, when, upon being told by (presumably) Mandos that seeking the pardon of the Valar and returning to Tirion are still possible, he remembers “his kinship with Olwë of Alqualondë” (HoME X, p. 118). Really, making a principled stand this is not. 

Finrod

Oh, Finrod Felagund! The ubiquitous love for him really warrants its own post, so let’s try to keep it short-ish here. 

First, we are told that Finrod is the wisest of the Exiles: “Finrod (son of Finarfin, son of Finwë) was the wisest of the exiled Noldor” (HoME X, p. 305). But again, what we are shown differs. After Barahir saves Finrod’s life, “he swore an oath of abiding friendship and aid in every need to Barahir and all his kin” (Sil, QS, ch. 18). This is not presented as something negative, although I personally do not think that swearing a completely open-ended oath is a particularly wise thing to do. Anyway, the inevitable happens and Finrod dies on a hopeless quest, captured long before reaching Angband and achieving precisely nothing. (His plan involved his and Beren saying their names backwards to fool proto-Sauron about their identities, with as much success as can be imagined, see HoME III, p. 229.) 

Previously, Finrod had also decided to put Orodreth in charge of the frontline fortress of Minas Tirith, which he lost to Sauron; even after this, Finrod still chose Orodreth as his successor as King of Nargothrond. Curufin describes Orodreth as a “dullard slow” (HoME III, p. 237), and I agree: he must be a very weak king to bend so quickly to Túrin in Sil, QS, ch. 21 (note that Christopher Tolkien agrees: “It may be that the position imposed on him by the movements in the legend led to the conclusion that [Orodreth] cannot have been made of very stern stuff.” HoME III, p. 246)

Second, we are told that Finrod is the “fairest and most beloved of the house of Finwë” (Sil, QS, ch. 19). The “most beloved” part is interesting. Because it’s not at all what we are shown. Within a couple of years of his (recently militarily defeated) cousins Celegorm and Curufin moving to Nargothrond, Finrod gets usurped by them. Celegorm and Curufin are so persuasive that in the end, only ten Elves of Nargothrond decide to accompany Finrod, their king. This jars strongly with the statement that Finrod was the “most beloved”. 

(You could say that Finrod was simply unlucky and that the people of Nargothrond have a history changing their minds whichever way the wind is blowing, of course: https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienfans/comments/1d24f59/the\_fickle\_people\_of\_nargothrond/) 

(b) Neutral

Let’s move on to the characters where the way they’re described generally matches their choices and actions. Note here that the descriptions in question could also feature under positive framing, since they generally involve lavish praise of these Eldar—I am only putting these people under “neutral” because their actions mean that they mostly deserved said praise. 

Fingolfin 

Fingolfin, we are told, “was the strongest, the most steadfast, and the most valiant” of the sons of Finwë (Sil, QS, ch. 5), but we are equally told in other descriptions that Fingolfin was “proud” and “jealous” (Sil, QS, ch. 7; HoME XII, p. 336). Really, I think that this is a fair assessment. Fingolfin is certainly brave, strong and unwavering, as well as a capable High King, but he’s also arrogant, claiming the kingship even before Fëanor’s death (HoME XII, p. 344), prone to boasting, jealous of Fëanor, and very much just as responsible for his disastrous relationship with Fëanor as Fëanor himself was, as I have written about here https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienfans/comments/yv9iqu/of_fingolfin/ and here https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienfans/comments/1ee7gcn/fëanor_fingolfin_and_passiveaggressive/ . 

Fingon

We are told that Fingon is “bold and fiery of heart” (Sil, QS, ch. 9), and additionally, that “Of all the children of Finwë he is justly most renowned: for his valour was as a fire and yet as steadfast as the hills of stone; wise he was and skilled in voice and hand; troth and justice he loved and bore good will to all, both Elves and Men, hating Morgoth only; he sought not his own, neither power nor glory, and death was his reward.” (HoME V, p. 251)

From what we know about Fingon, epithet the valiant (Sil, QS, ch. 9, 13), this fits. He is endlessly brave, a great warrior, a skilled musician, a diplomat with friendships across the Houses of the Noldor, uninterested in power and generally unambitious (which I have written about here: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilmarillion/comments/yv1pp0/of\_fingons\_motivations/), and generally the exact opposite of unforgiving (just ask Maedhros). 

Lúthien

Lúthien is described as “the greatest of all the Eldar” (HoME XII, p. 357). While I’m not a fan of how she doesn’t do anything in the war against Morgoth until she’s dragged into it by her desire to marry Beren, nobody can doubt that what she ends up doing puts here up there. 

Idril 

Idril, we are told by Pengolodh, her father’s vassal, “was wise and far-seeing” (Sil, QS, ch. 23). This is not idle flattery. This is how it’s explained: “her heart misgave her, and foreboding crept upon her spirit as a cloud. Therefore in that time she let prepare a secret way, that should lead down from the city and passing out beneath the surface of the plain issue far beyond the walls, northward of Amon Gwareth; and she contrived it that the work was known but to few, and no whisper of it came to Maeglin’s ears.” (Sil, QS, ch. 23) That is, Idril became suspicious of Maeglin and what was going on, came up with a sensible plan to save a lot of people should the city be attacked, and executed it in perfect secrecy—“wise and far-seeing” fits. 

(She is also described as incredibly beautiful, of course: “But fairer than all the wonders of Gondolin was Idril, Turgon’s daughter, she that was called Celebrindal, the Silver-foot, whose hair was as the gold of Laurelin before the coming of Melkor.” (Sil, QS, ch. 15)) 

Fëanor 

Interestingly, Fëanor gets quite a few descriptions, and they are generally fair. We are told that “Fëanor was made the mightiest in all parts of body and mind, in valour, in endurance, in beauty, in understanding, in skill, in strength and in subtlety alike, of all the Children of Ilúvatar, and a bright flame was in him.” (Sil, QS, ch. 11) And that “Fëanor was the mightiest in skill of word and of hand, more learned than his brothers; his spirit burned as a flame.” (Sil, QS, ch. 5) This is very much what he is like: the greatest orator, the greatest linguist, the greatest inventor, the greatest smith, who created the Tengwar, the Fëanorian lamps, the palantíri and the Silmarils, and who catalysed the Noldor like no other. But, quite fairly, Pengolodh doesn’t frame Fëanor as exclusively positive. Consider his epitaph of Fëanor: “Thus ended the mightiest of the Noldor, of whose deeds came both their greatest renown and their most grievous woe.” (Sil, QS, ch. 13) This is a fair assessment. Fëanor is such a larger-than-life figure in the history of the Noldor that he caused both endless glory and untold pain. 

(c) Negative framing  

The only main characters who conspicuously do not get the kind of poetic laudations as everyone else from Thingol to Fëanor are the Sons of Fëanor. Here, I’ll focus on Maedhros, the chief of the Fëanorians. 

Maedhros, for being—as I have argued—the protagonist of the Quenta Silmarillion (https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienfans/comments/1dcuf1o/the\_protagonist\_of\_the\_quenta\_silmarillion/), gets remarkably little framing. Just consider his epithet, Maedhros the tall (Sil, QS, ch. 5), and compare this to Finrod the faithful (Sil, QS, ch. 5) or the beloved (Sil, QS, ch. 17), Fingon the valiant and Turgon the wise. “The tall” says nothing about Maedhros’s character. It’s fundamentally different from the other epithets I mentioned, which all say something (positive) about the characters of the Eldar in question. (It seems to be Maedhros’s fate to be remembered for his beautiful body—see also his mother-name, Maitimo, which means “well-shaped one”, HoME XII, p. 353—rather than for anything more substantial, like his strength and inner fire.)  

No, the two passages that come closest to framing in the published Quenta Silmarillion are these: 

• “There Maedhros in time was healed; for the fire of life was hot within him, and his strength was of the ancient world, such as those possessed who were nurtured in Valinor.” (Sil, QS, ch. 13) 
• “Maedhros did deeds of surpassing valour, and the Orcs fled before his face; for since his torment upon Thangorodrim his spirit burned like a white fire within, and he was as one that returns from the dead.” (Sil, QS, ch. 18) 

However, both passages are about his strength and his inner fire (which Maedhros clearly has heaps of), and neither really says anything about his character. No, it’s like Pengolodh studiously avoids saying anything about Maedhros’s character while lavishing praise on everyone else, and lets his framing of the Oath of Fëanor do the heavy lifting for the “tell” part of Maedhros’s characterisation—and all that Pengolodh tells us about the Oath of Fëanor is negative. 

Part 2 is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilmarillion/comments/1gwjotn/of_framing_in_the_quenta_silmarillionor_of/

Sources 

The Silmarillion, JRR Tolkien, ed Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins, ebook edition February 2011, version 2019-01-09 [cited as: Sil]. 

Unfinished Tales of Númenor & Middle-earth, JRR Tolkien, ed Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2014 (softcover) [cited as: UT].

The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME II]. 

The Lays of Beleriand, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME III].

The Lost Road and Other Writings, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME V].

Morgoth’s Ring, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME X]. 

The War of the Jewels, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME XI].

The Peoples of Middle-earth, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME XII]. 

Here are some quotes from the nineteenth chapter of The Silmarillion, 'Of Beren and Lúthien', indicating that Sauron and Morgoth were aware of Huan's doom.

"Huan followed Celegorm into exile, and was faithful; and thus he too came under the doom of woe set upon the Noldor, and it was decreed that he should meet death."

"and as he (Draugluin) died he told his master (Sauron): 'Huan is there!' Now Sauron knew well, as did all in that land, the fate that was decreed for the hound of Valinor, and it came into his thought that he himself would accomplish it."

"ever down the aisles of the forest was heard the baying of Huan, the great hound of war, whom long ago the Valar unleashed. Then Morgoth recalled the doom of Huan."

When I was reading the chapter, I wondered how Morgoth and Sauron knew about the fate of the Hound of Valinor before even seeing him.

But today, while I was listening to the thirty-fourth episode of the Prancing Pony podcast, where they discuss the twentieth chapter of The Silmarillion, 'Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad', I found something interesting: when Melkor, also known as Morgoth, set Húrin on a chair of stone and spoke to him, he called himself 'master of the fates of Arda' -- whether rightfully or not.

*"Thou hast dared to mock me, and to question the power of Melkor, Master

of the fates of Arda."*

So, is it possible that Morgoth really was the master of the fates of Arda, and that this is why he or Sauron, his lieutenant, knew about the doom of Huan? I know that this title is technically assigned to Mandos, but I'm just asking. What do you think?

Who would you pick as a character that doesn't get the respect from the fanbase they deserve in line with their achievements? For me, Fingon

I'm working on a piece concerning narrator bias in the Quenta Silmarillion, and ended up trying to work out who's supposed to have written The Flight of The Noldoli (HoME III) in-universe. I can find no indication in Christopher Tolkien's commentary or the text itself. Does anyone here happen to know more?

When I was reading the chapter 'Of Beren and Lúthien', I was impressed and deeply moved by the chivalry of Finrod Felagund. There are many characters who have done many heroic feats in The Silmarillion. Take Fingolfin, for example: he was one of the High Kings of the Noldor, who challenged the mightiest of the Valar to a one-on-one battle in person, alone! There are many other great deeds among the Eldar as well, but in my humble opinion, Finrod accomplished one of the most outstanding ones.

He was one of the noblest princes of the Noldor, who established the stronghold of Nargothrond and was a pioneer in making an alliance with Men. But despite belonging to a royal bloodline, and unlike his cousins (Celegorm and Curufin), he forsook his throne to help a mortal man achieve his seemingly impossible quest. He left Nargothrond with a small group of his people and never turned back.

After finishing the chapter 'Of Beren and Lúthien', a vivid image of Finrod appears before my eyes whenever I think of him: a majestic Elven lord tearing off his chains to fight a monstrous wolf in a dim and creepy dungeon.

Do you remember the scene where Beren and Finrod were imprisoned by Sauron in the dungeons of Tol-in-Gaurhoth? It was terrifying. Every now and then a wolf would come to kill one of their companions. Eventually, when Sauron sent the last wolf to kill Beren, Finrod tore off his bonds and slew the wolf with his teeth and bare hands. Wow, what an image. He fulfilled his vow to Beren, and this is one of the most honorable deeds ever accomplished by an Elven king. I love Finrod.

He held to his words. This is what I praise about him, and above all virtues, I hold faithfulness to be the most honorable.

Just out of curiosity, what is everyones opinion on who was worse after melkor/morgoth slew finwe , stole his jewels and with ungoliant destroyed the trees,

the ainur of valinor led by manwe or melkor,

don't get me wrong melkor is evil but i find it is just as evil to sit by and let terrible things happen that you have the power to stop and should be stopping, only the valar or eru could defeat melkor (but they left it to elves and mortals), had they immediately gone after him and not stopped till they had him and all his followers, the oath of feanor would never have been sworn, the kinslayings would not have happened, the curse placed upon the oath by mandos would never have happened (which i thought was evil in the respect of, where was the curse for the valar on melkor??? He did much worse), many of the deaths in the first age and after could have been avoided maybe even beleriand could have survived, alot of evil could of been averted, had they taken responsibility for there problem, I just wanna see everyone else's opinion on the matter

First of all, I'm a new reader of the book, and one section I was very curious to read was the Beren and Lúthien story, as it's such a famous and respected tale. Obviously, in terms of the history of Middle Earth and events that took place afterwards, their story is extremely crucial. But aside from them masterfully capturing one of the silmarills from Morgoth, I had to reread the rest of their story so many times because I found myself switching off so much. In fact, I always find myself drawn to the beginning of Silmarillion, the music of the Ainur, the coming of the Elves etc. But by the time Gondolin is established, up until The War of Wrath and Akallabêth, I find this the most tedious section of the Silmarillion. I think the main issue with their story is the amount of focus on surrounding minor characters rather than on Beren and Lúthien themselves.

I felt like I never really got to know them as people and more like plot devices of a bigger story, in fact I think I learned more about Thingol, or at least how, as the book progressed, he seemed less like a good guy and more like a ticking time bomb of pride and paranoia. Maybe my expectations were too high and I'm being too harsh, but am I alone in this?

Oh and I can't even comment on the tales of Túrin and Tuor that came afterwards, arguably even more boring and difficult to read until the fall of Gondolin and Morgoth's defeat.

She’s our English Mastiff puppy and she just came home yesterday.

What do you imagine Valinor would be like by the Fourth Age? Among those killed, who would’ve graduated from the Halls of Mandos? Who’s now ruling, and can they keep the peace because potentially you have quite a few strong willed and naughty elves back from their adventures. I can’t remember reading much about it, but I spend an inordinate amount of time wondering, and I’m curious what you think and/or actually know from the sources.

Edit, to say I have come to learn that the word ‘respawned’ is viewed unfavorably in this community and I shan't use it again.

I'm pretty sure this topic has already been discussed thousands of times, but I just wanted to share my own speculations about it, and hear yours.

First of all, we all know that the Silmarils burned Morgoth's hand while he was fleeing with Ungoliant from Aman to Middle-earth.

"In his right hand Morgoth held close the Silmarils, and though they were locked in a crystal casket, they had begun to burn him, and his hand was clenched in pain".

But when Beren cut one of the Silmarils off Morgoth's Iron Crown with Curufin's knife, Angrist, and got hold of it, it didn't scorch him at all:

"As he closed it (the Silmaril) in his hand, the radiance welled through his living flesh, and his hand became as a shining lamp; but the jewel suffered his touch and hurt him not."

Additionally, as we read in the text:

"Varda hallowed the Silmarils, so that thereafter no mortal flesh, nor hands unclean, nor anything of evil will might touch them, but it was scorched and withered;"

It is plainly stated that "no mortal flesh" shall touch the Silmarils, and Beren was a mortal. However, his intention wasn't evil. I guess we can all agree that Beren was an exception. But let's go further and not get stuck there.

Regarding the above-mentioned situation, I believe either the Silmarils were sentient objects that had the ability to make decisions on their own (at least in Beren's case), or Eru Ilúvatar himself had given Beren the authority to touch a Silmaril without getting burned.

These are the only plausible explanations that I have come up with so far.

If it was Eru Ilúvatar's plan, and he had given this permission to Beren, then it's fine; there isn't much more to delve into. But if it was the Silmaril's own will that allowed Beren to hold it, then I have something important to reflect upon: Is there any similarity between the Silmarils and the One Ring?

They are both objects, created by the craftsmanship of their makers, and are potentially powerful. The Silmarils and the One Ring are technically the foundations of (at least) two of the most renowned works of Professor Tolkien. They both underpin many complex stories and profound concepts in the Legendarium.

The Ruling Ring could shrink by its own will, or maybe by its master's will. So, it could stealthily slip from the former bearer's hand to be found by a new bearer. The Ruling Ring's decision-making system is more comprehensible than that of the Silmarils because it has been plainly stated that Sauron had put a great part of his spirit into the very essence of the Ring. Thus, when the Ring changes its size or, by any means, causes some sort of mischief, it makes sense, and you have a good reason to explain it.

Now, do you think the Silmaril which Beren cleaved from Morgoth's Iron Crown worked in the same way as Sauron's Ring? I mean, do you think the Silmaril chose not to burn Beren, just as the One Ring would choose to shrink?

https://preview.redd.it/2gf272dmad0e1.jpg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d2fff695641ebb2fd69a7fe55f22471eb0064f4

https://preview.redd.it/ila4quj2bd0e1.jpg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5a81584c3b63482c2490b22e3ffaab33ece84e79