Maedhros is one of my favorite of the Noldor, definitely my favorite of the house of Fëanor. He is the only one who truly regretted the oath. He was the only one to give a second thought to the rest of the Noldor before they left them to cross the Helcaraxe. After his father's death, he reconciled with them, and he rightfully gave the kingship back to Fingolfin. He genuinely was a good person who was forced to do awful things because of his father and siblings. Ultimately, his death is one of the saddest to me, because he deserved better.
The very fact he denounced his right to be a king for Noldor after years of fighting and being tortured speaks A LOOOT how demolished he was by that time. And after all that, the dark oath still drove him further down into the abyss.
Even though they aren't the best of people, I really like the sons of Feanor, especially Maedhros and Maglor. I've always loved the tragic quality of their story, very Shakespearian (even if Tolkien didn't care much for Shakespeare)
Yeah, the grey characters appear far more real then those who are entirely light or dark... which is why Boromir is one of the most interesting characters in LotR
"To evil end shall all things turn that they begin well;" Maeshros was likely one person whos actions were affected by this words of the Doom most. Mutch good did he do also and much more he tried to do.
Same can be said about The Hobbit. Elvenking is more then just one dimensional guy. Elrond also has his own faults and weaknesses. Eärendil for example is someone better left unspoken about in Rivendell.
@@adrianciobanu5856 Celebrian was Eldrond’s wife. Maeglin liked his cousin, Idril. Eol tried to kill Maeglin with a dart, and then cursed him with his dying screams.
@@racoonlittle1679 Feanor: "What, this milk is past it's expiration date!? I swear an oath of vengeance on the local Wal-Mart! I shall not rest until the bastards pay with blood!" Son: "We're with you, Pops!"
"And in all lands love is now mingled with grief" Oh man, this family 🤦🏻♂️ I always wonder what good they could've done together in the world had they not been so obsessed with those gems and made that dam oath. Guess every great tale needs a classic greek tragedy, and boy did these guys tragedies lol
@@RichardLeslieWhereat And what of Yavanna??? Who brought the light of The Two Trees into the World at the beginning, whose light she sought to gift to *ALL* that lived in the World, and not to but a single house!?!?
What about her? She and Nienna made the trees, but not the Silmarils. Their creation was destroyed, and they chose not to fight the one who did that. They let the destroyer of their work go on to torture the Moriquendi. If she wanted to stake a claim on the Silmarils, she could have, when Feanor wore them to festivals, or when Morgoth destroyed the trees, and carried them away to Beleriand. She chose not to. They did not create the Silmarils. It was Feanaro who put his heart and soul into the gems, not them.
It's not that every great tale has a great tragedy, but that LoTR reflects reality, & Tolkien's beliefs, that man (& elf) sin, and by breaking with God, tragedy follows.
@Aung Un'Rama I don't see pity as sympathy. And like OP, I've let my pride & my own 'oaths' get in the wY of doing what was right. I am happy you've avoided that.
@Aung Un'Rama You're entitled to your opinion. I just believe that Tolkien intended the Sons of Feanor to be tragic villains rather than simple dastards out to do evil. They made a terrible oath in anger and haste, and so doomed themselves and all they loved. It is a deeply tragic tale.
@@ANT96-x8d Interesting question. The elves "pray" to Elbereth (Varda) in a few instances in LotR I believe but in a different sense than we usually think of as praying. Men are mentioned to refer to the Valar as "gods" somewhere in the Silmarillion or so but no direct references to prayer that I can think of. Also the Numenoreans began worship of Melkor after they defeated Sauron and made the mistake of bringing him to their island and listening to him. I believe there are references in the Akallabeth to a temple where sacrifices were burned to him. Before this, if they worshipped, it is likely they would have worshipped Eru, not the Valar. I haven't read the Akkalabeth in too long. Worth a read if you have a copy!
"Maedhros therefore, being in anguish without hope, begged Fingon to shoot him with his bow; and Fingon strung an arrow, and bent his bow. And seeing no better hope he cried to Manwe, saying: 'O King to whom birds are dear, speed now this feathered shaft, and recall some pity for the Noldor in their need!'....Now, even as Fingon bent his bow, there flew down from the high airs Thorondor, King of Eagles, mightiest of all birds that have ever been, whose outstretched wings spanned thirty fathoms; and staying Fingon's hand he took him up, and bore him to the face of the rock where Maethros hung.” Despite what Maedhros had done following his father, Fingon still cared greatly for his cousin saving Maedhros from Angband.
This is noteworthy but underrated feat as not only Ulmo among the Valar cared for the Ñoldor even after the first kinslaying and subsequent exile but Manwe as well
Morgoth: As an act of goodwill, I'll even give you one of the Silmarils. How does that sound? Mythros: I don't trust it, we're sending our army out instead. *Morgoth comes out with an army as well.* Mythros: See, I told you guys!
@@Morgoth1889 Nothing, that is expected of you. But I would like to ask, how on Arda did you muster the army for the attempt of the conquest of Beleriand from Elwe Singolo, but also to begin the defence against the Noldor, while visiting the Men in the East and corrupting them. Also, tell me, what happened with your lieutenant Fankil, did ne return to you after his victory in the Battle of Palisor, or did he remain there as a governor of your Dominion there?
Paul Mayson I was able to raise a army great enough to do this because orcs breed like rabbits and grow up like cockroaches and my Lieutenant came back to me as he was needed elsewhere
I really love how Maedhros and Maglor has a soft side for Elrond and Elros. My fave part of the silmarillion was when Maglor met the Peredhil twins for the first time.
What I have always thought was interesting is how the fates of the Silmarils into air, fire and water was later echoed in the Elven Rings: Narya of fire; Nenya of water; and Vilya of air :-)
Maedhros was my favourite of the brothers and I think he was the only one that was truly aware of the fault of the oath he swore. He also was the only one to show any remorse for the atrocities that were committed.
Lovely, I've been reading Tolkien's works since a middle school teacher read The Hobbit to me and my classmates nearly fifty years ago. I have to say your analysis, interpretation and delivery are wonderful. You have certainly have reinvigorated my love of the subject as well. Thanks, mate!
@@penelopegreene they are only enticing to the Sons of Feanor because their oath binds them to recover the Silmarils at any and all costs. it's their curse
Very interesting, Yoystan! thanks! I agree that Celegorm was simply a villain, but I think Maglor and to a lesser extent Maedhros found themselves swept up in a situation that neither would have chosen for themselves, but through the bonds of brotherhood it lead them to their doom. The story of the seven sons is enthralling, harrowing at times and in the end just very sad.
Wash your beard with shampoo, conditioner, and then massage it with beard oil. It'll stop being itchy. You need to clean it properly like you would your hair.
An excellent, enjoyable, well laid out and comprehensive look into this long, difficult and tragic hunt for the Silmarils. Very enjoyable video, well done, well done indeed, loved it.
I wonder what would've happened if Feanor survived the first age into the second. The silmarls would be gone and the oath complete, would he create something else?
He would assist in the making of the rings of power or actually make them in the same form as he did with the silmarls. Or perhaps vow to find those lost jewels using the rings of power to seek them out.
Possible he could have turned into the next dark lord precluding Sauron, but with the Silmarils accounted for he probably has no particular malice toward anyone not named Melkor and would keep to himself, just another wizard fiddling with things in his tower. Would make a good place for Bilbo to investigate in the Hobbit.
Captain Cruise I don‘t think he would have turned dark! The Elves, especially the Noldor of the first age are pretty flawed in general and in some way more „human“ then in later Ages... but Feanor and his sons ALWAYS fought Morgoth and his foul and evil creatures! And out of the 3 kinslayings and Celegorm and Curufins behavior towards Beren & Luthien, you cannot say they did. other „evil“ or malice deeds 🤷🏻♂️ And their anger/fury/holy wrath towards Melkor is pretty understandable! I mean who the f would let two of his High Kings get killed, the family treasure stolen without retaliation 🤷🏻♂️
Please do a video on the sons and Finarfin. Of all the royal elven houses theirs was by far the most tragic. They were the first of princes to die at the hands of Morgoth. And lets not forget that the first ever tragic love story between elves and mortals started with them! A male elf and a mortal woman. That has to be worth a mension.
What if, get this, Olwe had loved his brother Elwe enough to help Feanaro get across to Middle Earth, and sent an army his own damned self, to help protect the Moriquyendi against Morgoth? Or if Elwe returned the stolen property that did not belong to him? Or if his son did, or if Dior's daughter did...
I always wonder what would have come of Maedhros had it not been for the Oath. He could have been the best of the Noldor, with the power and skill of his father and the wisdom of seeing how the pride of Fëanor was his downfall. Celegorm and Curufin can fuck right off though.
@@bobbob-yr4bh come to think of it, it would have been best. Then Elwë and his people would have been destroyed. And most likely, Melkor would have returned to Aman with dragons, to destroy the valar.
Another amazing video Yoysten! Thanks for the in-depth look into Fëanor and his sons and how their actions and oaths led to their consequences and downfall.
Because I'm not as material is most people if you gave somebody most secret of relics of Middle-earth I would not hesitate to part or destroy it. mostly because the road to power tends to be extremely lonely road when you've literally murdered everyone to get there. And Beauty can be the same way if you don't have a Beron to your Luthien
Could you do a video on city of Gondolin and it's amazing walls? One of my favorite reads was from The Lost Tales book, specifically where Tolkien describes in extreme detail the many gatehouses and walls of Gondolin before its fall.
Well, no wonder the elves had dwindled by the War of the Ring, they'd been engaged in fratrecidic war against each other and been getting smashed by Morgoth at the same time.
Another excellent video, Yoystan! Bravo. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have big places in my heart, but there's something truly special about The Silmarillion, the House of Finwe, and in particular, Feanor and his sons. I never tire of listening to the audiobook, and each time I do I always get something new out of it. Many other writers would have gotten lazy with the binding of the Oath upon 8 characters and left them very two-dimensional. Tolkien, however, developed each one of them in very complex ways. One can sympathize with Maedhros when Morgoth chains him to the mountain. One can cheer Huan when he finally has enough of Celegorm and turns on him. One can (almost) forgive Maglor for all the mayhem he caused when he adopts Elros and Elrond. Tolkien was a literary genius, and you handled the explication of the House of Feanor quite deftly! I look forward to the next installment from MOTW.
Maglor is my Favorite of these 7, because he helps raise and support 2 Future Important Characters!!! I dare Someone to do a ranking of these Sons From Malgor and Maedhros being the best to Celegorm *sorry he is* the Worst!!! I really wanted to know how do you say Maedhros' name and Thank You, Mellon, For That I Now Know!!! Thanks for this Very Sad Video on these Brothers, It's sad because I have Older Brothers...Until the End of the First Age...Marion Baggins Out!!! P.s Out of One to Ten: (One being the Shire and Ten being Mount Doom) How Exhausted are you of COVID19 Lockdown?!!!
My order of the sons: -Maedhros -Maglor -Caranthir -Amrod/Amras (well, they never appear or are characterized much at all) -... -still nothing -oh yes, there was Curufin -celegorm 🙈
Probably worth mentioning that Feanor’s mother “died” because too much of her strength went into him and she became weary of life. On a completely different note, and to be a shameless grammar nazi, there is a helpful Note of Pronunciation in the Silmarillion that specifies the pronunciation of “DH” in Elvish languages as a voiced th such as in “then” not as in “thin”. Maedhros’s name is listed as an example. Sorry.
Would it be possible to elaborate a bit more about the "then" and "thin" point, or perhaps link a video that shows an example? I've read about this before but tbh I can't really tell the difference
@@Gigglepud if you're a native speaker of English, put your fingers on your throat and say "then" and "thin". You should feel your vocal chords vibrating when you say "th" in "then" but not "thin". One is a voiced consonant and one is not. They use different IPA symbols but other than voicing they are the same sound. This video explains it too. ua-cam.com/video/3-4A5bXi2Dw/v-deo.html
It’s ironic because although these brothers deeds led to great tragedies they also led to many great things kinda like a paradox, and great video yoystan keep up the great work and namarie everyone where ever you are in middle earth.
Just started reading the Silmarillion and it is absolutely amazing. Your videos are really helpful for when the story becomes a bit difficult to understand, so keep on making them :).
Love how it brings a deeper meaning to this passage upon reread: 'The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On him alone is any charge laid: [...]. The others go with him as free companions, to help him on his way. You may tarry, or come back, or turn aside into other paths, as chance allows. The further you go, the less easy will it be to withdraw; yet no oath or bond is laid on you to go further than you will. For you do not yet know the strength of your hearts, and you cannot foresee what each may meet upon the road.' 'Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens,' said Gimli. 'Maybe,' said Elrond, 'but let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.' 'Yet sworn word may strengthen quaking heart,' said Gimli. 'Or break it,' said Elrond.
Gimli: maybe an oath would be a good idea Elrond, with a mental image of his dad in a star boat for eternity, his mom throwing herself into the ocean, his entire people being killed only for him and his brother to be “surprise adopted” by the people responsible for all of that, then watching as Maedhros yeets himself into lava and Maglor gets depressed and disappears: absolutely NOT
@@warriorcatskid003 Then many centuries later he loses his wife to the torment of the Orcs, and then his daughter when she chooses to become a mortal. Elrond really didn't have a good life; he had to endure so much trauma.
The tales involve so much & are so complex that doing them justice would be extremely difficult if not impossible. [That being said I would like to see more stories from Tolkien as well, if at least to show the public the vastness & quality of his world.]
Christopher Tolkien and now whoever in the family holds the rights was not ready to sell the rights on the Silmarillion (rather the first age), especially after he was disappointed by the lord of the rings and hobbits movies cause he felt PJ mistreated a lot of his fathers characters! So the only characters than can be used in any movie or series are those of the Hobbit, LotR or Amazon‘s rights on the Second Age!
Great video. If you think about it if Feanor hadn't been stubborn with his destructive pride he could have helped Yavanna to recreate the trees of light if he had freely handed her the Silmarils. But no instead he decided to defy the Valar, and with their terrible oath he and his sons took the path of ultimate annihilation that brought so much chaos and loss for not only them but to all of the Eldar and the Edain of Middle Earth. In the end destroying Beleriand beneath the waves. The saga of Feanor and his sons is so fascinating. Tolkien could have written a whole separate book about them.
Then Elendil would‘ve been ambushed and got killed! Do you really think he would have withstood?!? NOBODY really withstood! The more powerful (or craving for power) the person, the greater the chance the ring will get you!
@@michelmorio8026 Elendil might not have. He was very strong, but also had seen Sauron's manipulation on a level beyond that of any other humans. He may have been able to throw away the ring, or hand it to someone who could.
If even Gandalf nor Galadriel would trust THEMSELF to even TOUCH that thing, clearly knowing that it is Sauron‘s tool, I would argue Elendil too couldn‘t handle it... like I said, the more powerful the bearer, the stronger the seduction through the ring... and Elendil was very powerful, but not flawless Besides, it is long since I read the book... but is Elrond taking Isildur to Mount Doom canon or simply from the movie trilogy?!? 🤔 And remember, even Frodo, a Hoobit, and these folk weren‘t easy to influence cause they aren‘t after power, got in the end corrupted and couldn‘t bring himself to destroy the ring... I don‘t believe one of the most powerful humans/Dunedain out of perhaps Ar-Pharazon and Tar-Minyatur would be able to withstand that seduction 🤷🏻♂️
NatoHoro as wasn‘t Gandalf! Yet HE tells us in the books people IN POWER/POWERFUL PEOPLE are easily corrupted by him, cause they wanna use him to HELP OTHERS, with GOOD INTENTIONS! But still, the ring only uses these good intentions to get faster to them! Isildur wasn’t also after power and the ring got pretty fast to him...
I still can't believe that out of 7 kids, not one of them ended up being the outright blacksheep of the fam. If my dad told me that we're moving, ON FOOT, to the other side of the world in order to retrieve 3 gemstones from a Dark Lord of Incredible Power, especially in defiance of the wishes of the Valar........ Sorry Pops, Imma have to sit this family vacation out for SURVIVAL reasons. 😬
apparently oathbreaking is worst than kinslaying otherwise the last two wouldve quit the oath when they realized that they sacrificed everything for nothing.
the tragedy of the Sons of Feanor is that they can't break their oath. They're bound by its strength because the oath was sworn in the name of the one God, Iluvatar. Any one who broke their oath would be cursed forever. Little did they know that the oath itself was a curse.
They literally cannot break their oath. It’s said that Maedhros tried to forswear the Oath after Doriath but failed. Breaking an oath is like breaking the Laws of Physics - you can’t do it.
I've always wondered what would have happened had Finwë survived the encounter with Melkor and Ungoliant, or else not been at Formenos. Would he have been able to de-escalate the situation, or muster the Valar themselves to act against Melkor, I wonder. It's also very interesting to me that none of the Valar are immune to coveting the Silmarils. Melkor's greed we all know and is blatant, but even in the immediate aftermath of the destruction of the trees, the focus of the Valar is not on the perpetrator, and what his motives and next plans were - especially given his track record of doing this at every opportunity - and how then to protect the elves that they've taken into their stewardship and protection, as it were, but immediately to "surrender the Silmarils, and woe betide you question it". Even when they're not present, they erode the good and sense in anyone who has seen or come into contact with them. I'd be throwing the three little fuckers into the sea as well, I think. Sod that. 😂
Tulkas expecially was the problem. Yvanna asked nicely at least and Aule understood how big of a deal was for them to ask. Feanor was silent for a long time and maybe would have decided differently had Tulkas not tried to pressure him. And anyway Manwe should have spoken right after Yvanna and said they should not discuss the Trees right not but what to do with Morgoth and maybe they should find a new light solution to benefit all of Arda.
@@sarasamaletdin4574 Definitely! And you'd think Tulkas of all the Valar would be the one thinking about how to get hold of Melkor again. I think discussions of what "property" even was to both Valar and Eldar were long overdue too, as they clearly had VERY different conceptualisations of it. But I've always quietly suspected that the only one who could have bridged that gap in understanding between Valar and Eldar (and Men, by extension), and translated effectively for each side, at least in the beginning before they spent centuries learning each other, was Melkor. And he knew that perfectly well, and played them all as a result.
Wonder how different would the world of Arda be, had it been Feanor that died in Valinor instead of Finwe when Morgoth stole the Silmarils? Would Finwe want revenge on Morgoth for killing his firstborn son and for stealing the gems his now-dead son crafted? Would the Sons of Feanor want revenge for their father's death and reclaim the Silmarils without making such a dreadful oath?
Still can't tell the players without a program. But thank you for this and all your videos. Tolkien's messages come through them, & hopefully one day I'll be able to rattle off name & deeds like you.
It doesn't matter how great your skills, if you are rotten at the heart. Feanor could have let the Valar rekindle the Two Trees with his gems, but he loved his own deeds more than he loved the natural beauty and power from which they were made. So in the end, all were lost to the land, for his vanity drew the gaze of the equally sick vanity of Melkor. It was said that during his time in the Undying Lands, three times he asked his cousin Galadriel for a single strand of her hair, that he might turn its natural power into an artifact of his own devising. All three times she denied him, seeing in him his pride and unholy ambition. Then, ages later, when Galadriel asked the dwarf Gimli to name what gift he would have of the elves, what gold or gems as his folk were known to love, Gimli humbly said he wanted no more treasure, except to have met her himself. When she insisted, he said that if he must ask, then he would ask for a single strand of her hair, and all the elves gasped, for they remembered that Feanor had asked the same with his dark heart. But when she looked into Gimli's soul, she saw one that valued beauty and loyalty over power and pride, and so she gave him three, as if answering Gimli "yes" for each time she had told Feanor "no." Such was the insight and wisdom of Galadriel, which so contrasted the short-sighted self-destructiveness of Feanor with his Oath. Feanor had always done works to inflate his own ego. Gimli, however, did his works to help others. He stayed true to the Fellowship through all their battles, even though his own folk were far away. He reforged the gates of Minas Tirith to secure the city of others where he didn't even dwell himself. Finally, he helped refortify Helm's Deep, and fashioned the Glittering Caves that he would leave behind for others to experience wonder, even though his time on Middle-earth was drawing to a close. Thus we can also compare Feanor, born in Valinor, but who betrayed and abandoned the Elder Lands, leaving them stained in his wake, and never to return. Gimli however, was born and grew in the mortal lands of Middle-earth, but he showed such spirit, virtue and long-laboring for the good of others that he was, in the end, welcomed to the shores of Valinor itself. Thus, over the long course of ages, the Undying Lands traded away the worst of their citizens in exchange for one of the best. + + + + + PS: Of course, it could also be said that with the gifts to the Fellowship, Galadriel also learned to give her own personal powers to others, that they would continue on without her after she was gone; and with the glittering gold of her own hair, the Valar finally allowed that she was "...buying a Stairway To Heaven" and could return to them herself. Such are the circles of time in the great tales and songs.
The rest of the world watches Netflix to chill out and relax after a long day. Me: *goes to Yoystan's channel to binge on Men of the West UA-cam videos*
This was quite a good summary about the Feanor's line. It is short and condensed by it's very nature. Therefore one would be wise to look into each character more in depth in order to understand why they took the actions. that they did To call them all solely evil, because of the wost actions they have taken, is unwise indeed Doom of Mandos was not kind to the sons of Feanor. Maglor to some extent and Maedhros in particular felt the bitter words "...To evil end shall all things turn that they begin wel...l" Nerdanel did mutch for children. In his regard the alternative fate of the twins is even more tragic. (I'm happy with the video, but post this as a reminder for people that there is more to this story than meets the eye.)
Although I usually agree with everything you say in these wonderful videos that you make, I think I disagree with a small segment in this one. Maglor wondering the coasts lamenting in shame and misery I think should only be until Beleriand falls beneath the waves. In my mind (and how i've interpreted it) Maglor wanders around the sundered coast until he is taken beneath the waves with the broken lands where the fell deeds of Feanor's son were carried out. I think it's more fitting and i'm sure he'd have welcomed it towards the end.
This is quite an interesting family but unique in many ways I think from other elves just because of their deeds and atrocities in Middle Earth as always great narration put into great detail loved it thank you I really enjoy your channel I always learn something new in each video you post thank you!
I often wonder how the War of the Jewels would have turned out had the Oath of Feanor not been entered into by any of his sons (or if a few had taken the oath, what would have transpired if they'd been killed early on during the Wars)?
I always thought the Sons of Fëanor were one of the most tragic (if not the most) family in all of Tolkien's works each son was filled with Valor,might, skill,bravery and even Love,mercy and great amounts of compassion like we see with Maedhros and Maglor who takes care of Elrond and Elros but it was there father's damn oath to the Gems the lead them to doing unspeakable and cruel acts that in the end proved to be worthless as the gems they sacrificed so much to Get back in the end burned them as much as they did Melkor himself
Feanor's strength of personality was practically a force of nature. And his spirit so strong that when he died his body burned to ashes as it left. It would take a very strong will and personality in return to oppose him or deny him. When you add to it that these were his sons it would be doubly difficult for them to resist. In general it was only the other elves of royal blood lines that were that strong. Galadriel in particular denied Feanor multiple times. Both in his desire to wed her, and his desire for some of her hair. Later some of the sons finally realized how wrong the oath was they swore, but they were still bound to it. It was not until the Silmarils rejected the last of them that they realized that their deeds had made them unworthy to posses them. You can not commit deeds of evil and be worthy to posses something holy. When you look at how much they managed to accomplish, even when they were opposing the will of the Valar and Eru, it does make you wonder as to what they could have done by remaining true. Bear in mind that we know that Feanor was not allowed to return to the world from the Halls of Mandos, and I find it unlikely his sons would have been allowed to return as well. At least not until the final battle.
I wonder if the absence of Feanor's mother immediately after his birth had some impact on his character.... especially since his Father was emotionallly absent for a while too.
Cause he uses several books/sources of Tolkien! He should only mention, that there are contradictory informations from time to time, like Orophers/Gil-Galads heritage or the time of Amrod/Amras‘ death
Awesome video as always...btw after Tulkas I think it's Ulmo's turn as an epic character video.Don't you miss seas and oceans and Vala of oceans,Ulmo Yoystan?🌊
Fun fact - you pronounced Maedhros’ name and I am now having a crisis over all my pronounciation as I realised I have been pronouncing everything wrong.
Not that the real world isn't full of examples, this is a story of how basically good people can turn to darkness or evil in a moment of weakness yet believe they are righteous... at least for a time. I am remind of the quote "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions".
As I commented under one of GeekZone's video. Why Thingol's descendants didn't give away Silmarils to Feanor's sons who was rightful owners. Every elf knew about this terrible Oath and how much bloodshed it did cost. Why not to just to give them to Feanorians so they would fulfill their Oath and be free of it? It's beyond any logical thinking.
Excellent video! I always enjoy your work. Have you answered in any of your videos yet the question of why the door to a dwarven kingdom (Moria) had an elvish password? Maybe it’s written somewhere but I don’t recall reading it. Given their general distaste for each other, it seems unlikely that dwarves were just slapping elvish words on stuff.
Hi I've commented on this before but you should do a clip about the fall of Numenor and the hiding of Valinor which to my understanding reshaped middle from flat to round. Luv ya work keep it up.
Not really, middle-earth changed a bit after the war against Morgoth, but the middle-Earth that we know is mostly like it was since the first age! If you take the map, Beleriand was just west of the Blue Mountains (the Mountains North and South of the Grey Havens) where now is the ocean
@@michelmorio8026 its just after the hiding of valinor when they talk about sailing there you take the hidden road and which drops away which to me sounds like valinor is up in the air and they describe after the destruction how all seas are now bent. I was just wondering had i misread interpreted this in the Silmarillon and the other books
"The family that slays together, stays together." -Incorrect Tolkien Quotes
This deserves all the likes 🤣
@@leonievw2466 hehe
And that’s on drag race quotes
Where there’s and oath, there’s a slay
Yes...yes
Poor Maglor 😭😭 He raised Elros&Elrond and that was probably the happiest time in his life.
Nice
"Elrond?"
@@nobelmassinaarben2467 Yes, Elrond
@@donpula6349 aragorn was not a direct descended though
Maedhros is one of my favorite of the Noldor, definitely my favorite of the house of Fëanor. He is the only one who truly regretted the oath. He was the only one to give a second thought to the rest of the Noldor before they left them to cross the Helcaraxe. After his father's death, he reconciled with them, and he rightfully gave the kingship back to Fingolfin. He genuinely was a good person who was forced to do awful things because of his father and siblings. Ultimately, his death is one of the saddest to me, because he deserved better.
He deserved what he got
@@doasido5757 For what?
@@doasido5757 So the honor of fulfilling their oath, reclaiming Silmaril and placing it out of reach of all until the end of the world. Yay!
А Маглор? Он тоже хороший
The very fact he denounced his right to be a king for Noldor after years of fighting and being tortured speaks A LOOOT how demolished he was by that time. And after all that, the dark oath still drove him further down into the abyss.
Even though they aren't the best of people, I really like the sons of Feanor, especially Maedhros and Maglor. I've always loved the tragic quality of their story, very Shakespearian (even if Tolkien didn't care much for Shakespeare)
Yeah, the grey characters appear far more real then those who are entirely light or dark... which is why Boromir is one of the most interesting characters in LotR
Maedhros and Maglor were definitely the best of their family, they honestly wanted to do some good and truly regretted their oath
"To evil end shall all things turn that they begin well;"
Maeshros was likely one person whos actions were affected by this words of the Doom most.
Mutch good did he do also and much more he tried to do.
Well Tolkien loved myths and sagas and Shakespeare is all about greek tragedies = greek sagas/myths. Both were inspired by the same source.
Really? I thought that my House was the most hated. Oh well.
Whenever someone tries to tell Tolkien elves are cookie-cutter stereotypical goodie-two-shoes show them this video.
Same can be said about The Hobbit. Elvenking is more then just one dimensional guy. Elrond also has his own faults and weaknesses. Eärendil for example is someone better left unspoken about in Rivendell.
Not to mention Eol the Dark Elf and the evil Elven spies of Morgoth.
@@FromAgonyToLight maeglin was bad not his father , bicose of love, hi loved Celebrian doter of Turgon
@@adrianciobanu5856 Celebrian was Eldrond’s wife. Maeglin liked his cousin, Idril. Eol tried to kill Maeglin with a dart, and then cursed him with his dying screams.
Okay but tolkien invented how we see elves today. So that point in itself shows they dont know shit about tolkiens work
Maedhros and Maglor both took in elrond and elros. Maedhros and Maglor were definitely the best of their family and met pretty sad ends
But dad said we should: The Book
What happens when the sons accompany their dad to buy some milk...
@@racoonlittle1679 Feanor: "What, this milk is past it's expiration date!? I swear an oath of vengeance on the local Wal-Mart! I shall not rest until the bastards pay with blood!"
Son: "We're with you, Pops!"
"And in all lands love is now mingled with grief"
Oh man, this family 🤦🏻♂️
I always wonder what good they could've done together in the world had they not been so obsessed with those gems and made that dam oath.
Guess every great tale needs a classic greek tragedy, and boy did these guys tragedies lol
Or if those thieving bastards, Beren, Elwe, Dior, and Elwing had returned the gems that in no way belonged to them.
@@RichardLeslieWhereat And what of Yavanna??? Who brought the light of The Two Trees into the World at the beginning, whose light she sought to gift to *ALL* that lived in the World, and not to but a single house!?!?
What about her? She and Nienna made the trees, but not the Silmarils. Their creation was destroyed, and they chose not to fight the one who did that. They let the destroyer of their work go on to torture the Moriquendi. If she wanted to stake a claim on the Silmarils, she could have, when Feanor wore them to festivals, or when Morgoth destroyed the trees, and carried them away to Beleriand.
She chose not to.
They did not create the Silmarils. It was Feanaro who put his heart and soul into the gems, not them.
It's not that every great tale has a great tragedy, but that LoTR reflects reality, & Tolkien's beliefs, that man (& elf) sin, and by breaking with God, tragedy follows.
@@RichardLeslieWhereat she might not have created the silmaril but she did give them the light of the trees and holled them and not Feanor
As someone whose angry words and hasty decisions have gotten into trouble, I sympathize with the sons of Feanor.
@Aung Un'Rama I don't see pity as sympathy. And like OP, I've let my pride & my own 'oaths' get in the wY of doing what was right. I am happy you've avoided that.
@Aung Un'Rama Angry words, hasty deeds, and more will than sense can ruin anyone. The sons of Feanor are villains to be sure, but _tragic_ villains.
@Aung Un'Rama You're entitled to your opinion. I just believe that Tolkien intended the Sons of Feanor to be tragic villains rather than simple dastards out to do evil. They made a terrible oath in anger and haste, and so doomed themselves and all they loved. It is a deeply tragic tale.
I got a question about Elves and Men. Do any of them pray to Eru or any of the Valar(or both)?
@@ANT96-x8d Interesting question. The elves "pray" to Elbereth (Varda) in a few instances in LotR I believe but in a different sense than we usually think of as praying. Men are mentioned to refer to the Valar as "gods" somewhere in the Silmarillion or so but no direct references to prayer that I can think of. Also the Numenoreans began worship of Melkor after they defeated Sauron and made the mistake of bringing him to their island and listening to him. I believe there are references in the Akallabeth to a temple where sacrifices were burned to him. Before this, if they worshipped, it is likely they would have worshipped Eru, not the Valar. I haven't read the Akkalabeth in too long. Worth a read if you have a copy!
"Maedhros therefore, being in anguish without hope, begged Fingon to shoot him with his bow; and Fingon strung an arrow, and bent his bow. And seeing no better hope he cried to Manwe, saying: 'O King to whom birds are dear, speed now this feathered shaft, and recall some pity for the Noldor in their need!'....Now, even as Fingon bent his bow, there flew down from the high airs Thorondor, King of Eagles, mightiest of all birds that have ever been, whose outstretched wings spanned thirty fathoms; and staying Fingon's hand he took him up, and bore him to the face of the rock where Maethros hung.” Despite what Maedhros had done following his father, Fingon still cared greatly for his cousin saving Maedhros from Angband.
This is noteworthy but underrated feat as not only Ulmo among the Valar cared for the Ñoldor even after the first kinslaying and subsequent exile but Manwe as well
Fingon and Fingolfin are such a great characters!
Morgoth: As an act of goodwill, I'll even give you one of the Silmarils. How does that sound?
Mythros: I don't trust it, we're sending our army out instead.
*Morgoth comes out with an army as well.*
Mythros: See, I told you guys!
Maedhros, also known as Nelyafinwë,
Maitimo and Russandol.
@@paulmayson3129 Apologies for the misspelling.
What do you expect from me
@@Morgoth1889
Nothing, that is expected of you. But I would like to ask, how on Arda did you muster the army for the attempt of the conquest of Beleriand from Elwe Singolo, but also to begin the defence against the Noldor, while visiting the Men in the East and corrupting them. Also, tell me, what happened with your lieutenant Fankil, did ne return to you after his victory in the Battle of Palisor, or did he remain there as a governor of your Dominion there?
Paul Mayson I was able to raise a army great enough to do this because orcs breed like rabbits and grow up like cockroaches and my Lieutenant came back to me as he was needed elsewhere
I really love how Maedhros and Maglor has a soft side for Elrond and Elros. My fave part of the silmarillion was when Maglor met the Peredhil twins for the first time.
Conclusion: If you wanna survive the silmarillion, don't be enemies with the sons of Fëanor. Or friend with Turin Turambar
You could be friends with maedhros and maglor, they truly regretted the oath but were powerless to stop it
If you wanna survive the Silmarillion, just stay in the east or south.
What I have always thought was interesting is how the fates of the Silmarils into air, fire and water was later echoed in the Elven Rings: Narya of fire; Nenya of water; and Vilya of air :-)
The House of Finwë was so big to begin with and all what was left at the end were Elrond and Galadriel.
aragorn and arwen also count(i think)
Maglor is still out there somewhere.
@@Nikita-vz5wj Also, if you are going to count Arwen and Aragorn, then Elladan and Elrohir (Arwen's brothers) should be counted too.
@@suchiuomizu He might as well be dead given the trauma he went through.
Finarfin is still in Valinor.
Maedhros was my favourite of the brothers and I think he was the only one that was truly aware of the fault of the oath he swore. He also was the only one to show any remorse for the atrocities that were committed.
They are the most famous family in middle earth in that time
Finwe's extended family in general
@Aung Un'Rama but, they were still famous for a lot of great things they did un Aman.
Just have to say, being on this channel helps me better visualize and understand Tolkien's works particularly The Silmarillion. Thanks for the effort.
Yes, this channel is excellent! I take a lot of inspiration from it.
Lovely, I've been reading Tolkien's works since a middle school teacher read The Hobbit to me and my classmates nearly fifty years ago. I have to say your analysis, interpretation and delivery are wonderful. You have certainly have reinvigorated my love of the subject as well. Thanks, mate!
I too read Tolkien since I as 13 years old! I love this type of channel so much that I decided to create my own. We need MORE Tolkien!!
The silmarilion had the most violent and long family vacations
I kind always have a soft spot of Maedhros as a follow leftie...
Brings new meaning to the words, "Let it go..."
Thanks for the haunting melody now... 🤮
The Silmarils? Finding them, is not the hard part. It's letting go
And what's funny, is explaining to non-fans exactly WHAT makes The Silmarils enticing, since they give no power over people like The One Ring... =P
@@penelopegreene they are only enticing to the Sons of Feanor because their oath binds them to recover the Silmarils at any and all costs. it's their curse
Elves are ambidextrous.
These guys are the reason I find rereading the Silmaril so difficult
Very interesting, Yoystan! thanks! I agree that Celegorm was simply a villain, but I think Maglor and to a lesser extent Maedhros found themselves swept up in a situation that neither would have chosen for themselves, but through the bonds of brotherhood it lead them to their doom. The story of the seven sons is enthralling, harrowing at times and in the end just very sad.
Maedhros and Maglor tried to do good but were chained to the oath
I always love how you end your videos. You relate it to genuine human emotions positively.
Perfect. Need to shave off all my annoying itchy quarantine beard, and this will be perfect to play while I do so.
TMI but meh
Wash your beard with shampoo, conditioner, and then massage it with beard oil. It'll stop being itchy. You need to clean it properly like you would your hair.
I grew one too. Now the wife says she likes it. Damn.
An excellent, enjoyable, well laid out and comprehensive look into this long, difficult and tragic hunt for the Silmarils. Very enjoyable video, well done, well done indeed, loved it.
I wonder what would've happened if Feanor survived the first age into the second. The silmarls would be gone and the oath complete, would he create something else?
He would assist in the making of the rings of power or actually make them in the same form as he did with the silmarls. Or perhaps vow to find those lost jewels using the rings of power to seek them out.
Technically, Feanor died BEFORE the first Age... it was still in the years of the tree (there was still no sun) when he died
@@michelmorio8026 you are correct, thank you. After the trees but before the moon and sun.
Possible he could have turned into the next dark lord precluding Sauron, but with the Silmarils accounted for he probably has no particular malice toward anyone not named Melkor and would keep to himself, just another wizard fiddling with things in his tower. Would make a good place for Bilbo to investigate in the Hobbit.
Captain Cruise I don‘t think he would have turned dark!
The Elves, especially the Noldor of the first age are pretty flawed in general and in some way more „human“ then in later Ages... but Feanor and his sons ALWAYS fought Morgoth and his foul and evil creatures!
And out of the 3 kinslayings and Celegorm and Curufins behavior towards Beren & Luthien, you cannot say they did. other „evil“ or malice deeds 🤷🏻♂️
And their anger/fury/holy wrath towards Melkor is pretty understandable! I mean who the f would let two of his High Kings get killed, the family treasure stolen without retaliation 🤷🏻♂️
And I thought my family had issues.
I am still not sure what is the most complicated one if this or the jackson.
I've waited a long time for the Silmarils and the devastation of the Oath. Very well written. Thank You✴
Please do a video on the sons and Finarfin. Of all the royal elven houses theirs was by far the most tragic. They were the first of princes to die at the hands of Morgoth. And lets not forget that the first ever tragic love story between elves and mortals started with them! A male elf and a mortal woman. That has to be worth a mension.
Brilliantly written and crafted. Thank you, as always, for your generosity.
Ight this is perfect. What if they never took the oath
What if, get this, Olwe had loved his brother Elwe enough to help Feanaro get across to Middle Earth, and sent an army his own damned self, to help protect the Moriquyendi against Morgoth?
Or if Elwe returned the stolen property that did not belong to him? Or if his son did, or if Dior's daughter did...
I think that would make a great theory episode
I always wonder what would have come of Maedhros had it not been for the Oath. He could have been the best of the Noldor, with the power and skill of his father and the wisdom of seeing how the pride of Fëanor was his downfall. Celegorm and Curufin can fuck right off though.
The noldor wouldent have gone into beleriand
@@bobbob-yr4bh come to think of it, it would have been best. Then Elwë and his people would have been destroyed. And most likely, Melkor would have returned to Aman with dragons, to destroy the valar.
Another amazing video Yoysten! Thanks for the in-depth look into Fëanor and his sons and how their actions and oaths led to their consequences and downfall.
I got to play LEGO The Hobbit again
Thanks for making this video, it was pretty interesting
Because I'm not as material is most people if you gave somebody most secret of relics of Middle-earth I would not hesitate to part or destroy it. mostly because the road to power tends to be extremely lonely road when you've literally murdered everyone to get there. And Beauty can be the same way if you don't have a Beron to your Luthien
I would like to see a Maglor epic character history one day.
Could you do a video on city of Gondolin and it's amazing walls? One of my favorite reads was from The Lost Tales book, specifically where Tolkien describes in extreme detail the many gatehouses and walls of Gondolin before its fall.
The Sons of Feanor should've remembered the old quote "Before you seek revenge, first dig two graves"
@@dominicmarazita6058 Its incredible how Feanor damned his family with a single oath they would never recover from.
Well, no wonder the elves had dwindled by the War of the Ring, they'd been engaged in fratrecidic war against each other and been getting smashed by Morgoth at the same time.
Another excellent video, Yoystan! Bravo. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have big places in my heart, but there's something truly special about The Silmarillion, the House of Finwe, and in particular, Feanor and his sons. I never tire of listening to the audiobook, and each time I do I always get something new out of it. Many other writers would have gotten lazy with the binding of the Oath upon 8 characters and left them very two-dimensional. Tolkien, however, developed each one of them in very complex ways. One can sympathize with Maedhros when Morgoth chains him to the mountain. One can cheer Huan when he finally has enough of Celegorm and turns on him. One can (almost) forgive Maglor for all the mayhem he caused when he adopts Elros and Elrond. Tolkien was a literary genius, and you handled the explication of the House of Feanor quite deftly! I look forward to the next installment from MOTW.
Maglor is my Favorite of these 7, because he helps raise and support 2 Future Important Characters!!!
I dare Someone to do a ranking of these Sons From Malgor and Maedhros being the best to Celegorm *sorry he is* the Worst!!!
I really wanted to know how do you say Maedhros' name and Thank You, Mellon, For That I Now Know!!!
Thanks for this Very Sad Video on these Brothers, It's sad because I have Older Brothers...Until the End of the First Age...Marion Baggins Out!!!
P.s Out of One to Ten: (One being the Shire and Ten being Mount Doom) How Exhausted are you of COVID19 Lockdown?!!!
My order of the sons:
-Maedhros
-Maglor
-Caranthir
-Amrod/Amras (well, they never appear or are characterized much at all)
-...
-still nothing
-oh yes, there was Curufin
-celegorm 🙈
Anytime you want to take Luthien, lusting after her like Morgoth when she sang for him. You're a villain.
Probably worth mentioning that Feanor’s mother “died” because too much of her strength went into him and she became weary of life.
On a completely different note, and to be a shameless grammar nazi, there is a helpful Note of Pronunciation in the Silmarillion that specifies the pronunciation of “DH” in Elvish languages as a voiced th such as in “then” not as in “thin”. Maedhros’s name is listed as an example.
Sorry.
Would it be possible to elaborate a bit more about the "then" and "thin" point, or perhaps link a video that shows an example? I've read about this before but tbh I can't really tell the difference
@@Gigglepud if you're a native speaker of English, put your fingers on your throat and say "then" and "thin". You should feel your vocal chords vibrating when you say "th" in "then" but not "thin". One is a voiced consonant and one is not. They use different IPA symbols but other than voicing they are the same sound. This video explains it too.
ua-cam.com/video/3-4A5bXi2Dw/v-deo.html
It’s ironic because although these brothers deeds led to great tragedies they also led to many great things kinda like a paradox, and great video yoystan keep up the great work and namarie everyone where ever you are in middle earth.
Just started reading the Silmarillion and it is absolutely amazing. Your videos are really helpful for when the story becomes a bit difficult to understand, so keep on making them :).
Love how it brings a deeper meaning to this passage upon reread:
'The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On him alone is any charge laid: [...]. The others go with him as free companions, to help him on his way. You may tarry, or come back, or turn aside into other paths, as chance allows. The further you go, the less easy will it be to withdraw; yet no oath or bond is laid on you to go further than you will. For you do not yet know the strength of your hearts, and you cannot foresee what each may meet upon the road.'
'Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens,' said Gimli.
'Maybe,' said Elrond, 'but let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.'
'Yet sworn word may strengthen quaking heart,' said Gimli.
'Or break it,' said Elrond.
Gimli: maybe an oath would be a good idea
Elrond, with a mental image of his dad in a star boat for eternity, his mom throwing herself into the ocean, his entire people being killed only for him and his brother to be “surprise adopted” by the people responsible for all of that, then watching as Maedhros yeets himself into lava and Maglor gets depressed and disappears: absolutely NOT
@@warriorcatskid003 Then many centuries later he loses his wife to the torment of the Orcs, and then his daughter when she chooses to become a mortal. Elrond really didn't have a good life; he had to endure so much trauma.
@@tokyo_taxi7835 Thanks Fëanor.
Its incredible how one man caused so much pain and destruction
I don’t know why they Decide to make lords of rings show but there are so many Characters in the lord of rings movie they can make into movie
The Tolkien family won’t sell the rights.
@@richardrobertson1886 Given that the Numenorean show isn't going to represent the Numenoreans properly, I can understand why.
The tales involve so much & are so complex that doing them justice would be extremely difficult if not impossible.
[That being said I would like to see more stories from Tolkien as well, if at least to show the public the vastness & quality of his world.]
Christopher Tolkien and now whoever in the family holds the rights was not ready to sell the rights on the Silmarillion (rather the first age), especially after he was disappointed by the lord of the rings and hobbits movies cause he felt PJ mistreated a lot of his fathers characters!
So the only characters than can be used in any movie or series are those of the Hobbit, LotR or Amazon‘s rights on the Second Age!
Surprised to learn that the Ring-maker Celebrimbor is Feanor's descendant, if that isn't a cursed family I don't know what is.
Great video. If you think about it if Feanor hadn't been stubborn with his destructive pride he could have helped Yavanna to recreate the trees of light if he had freely handed her the Silmarils. But no instead he decided to defy the Valar, and with their terrible oath he and his sons took the path of ultimate annihilation that brought so much chaos and loss for not only them but to all of the Eldar and the Edain of Middle Earth. In the end destroying Beleriand beneath the waves. The saga of Feanor and his sons is so fascinating. Tolkien could have written a whole separate book about them.
Wow! That was amazing!
Men of West, great video! Enjoy your Sunday!💯🙏👐
This is such a rich story and you did it great justice!
Video idea, what if Gil-Galad or Elendil (or both) had lived? What if Isildor had died and Elendil lived?
Then Elendil would‘ve been ambushed and got killed! Do you really think he would have withstood?!? NOBODY really withstood! The more powerful (or craving for power) the person, the greater the chance the ring will get you!
@@michelmorio8026 Elendil might not have. He was very strong, but also had seen Sauron's manipulation on a level beyond that of any other humans. He may have been able to throw away the ring, or hand it to someone who could.
If even Gandalf nor Galadriel would trust THEMSELF to even TOUCH that thing, clearly knowing that it is Sauron‘s tool, I would argue Elendil too couldn‘t handle it... like I said, the more powerful the bearer, the stronger the seduction through the ring... and Elendil was very powerful, but not flawless
Besides, it is long since I read the book... but is Elrond taking Isildur to Mount Doom canon or simply from the movie trilogy?!? 🤔
And remember, even Frodo, a Hoobit, and these folk weren‘t easy to influence cause they aren‘t after power, got in the end corrupted and couldn‘t bring himself to destroy the ring...
I don‘t believe one of the most powerful humans/Dunedain out of perhaps Ar-Pharazon and Tar-Minyatur would be able to withstand that seduction 🤷🏻♂️
NatoHoro as wasn‘t Gandalf! Yet HE tells us in the books people IN POWER/POWERFUL PEOPLE are easily corrupted by him, cause they wanna use him to HELP OTHERS, with GOOD INTENTIONS! But still, the ring only uses these good intentions to get faster to them!
Isildur wasn’t also after power and the ring got pretty fast to him...
Or what if Feanor had lived to fit the theme of the video more?
The Silmarils go to Sky, Earth, and Sea while Faenor himself is a spirit of Fire that burns itself up just like a flame.
I still can't believe that out of 7 kids, not one of them ended up being the outright blacksheep of the fam. If my dad told me that we're moving, ON FOOT, to the other side of the world in order to retrieve 3 gemstones from a Dark Lord of Incredible Power, especially in defiance of the wishes of the Valar........
Sorry Pops, Imma have to sit this family vacation out for SURVIVAL reasons. 😬
The desire to make one's father proud can surpass any and all reason and rationality.
I think they were somewhat afraid of dad, Fëanor threatened his brother in front of everyone including the Valar.
Can you make a video about azaghal the dwarf
I hope you do the children of Fingolfin and Finarfin next!
You are surely so tall, a mighty singer, so fair, so dark, so everything. More than all of all the sons, just wonderful
apparently oathbreaking is worst than kinslaying otherwise the last two wouldve quit the oath when they realized that they sacrificed everything for nothing.
the tragedy of the Sons of Feanor is that they can't break their oath. They're bound by its strength because the oath was sworn in the name of the one God, Iluvatar. Any one who broke their oath would be cursed forever. Little did they know that the oath itself was a curse.
@@InTecknicolour they did way too much for 3 paperweights
@@InTecknicolour also Manwe and his wife as a witness.
Their oath is not light.
They literally cannot break their oath. It’s said that Maedhros tried to forswear the Oath after Doriath but failed. Breaking an oath is like breaking the Laws of Physics - you can’t do it.
@@therealelderking5830 I guess GRRM shouldve looked into that when he wrote Jaime's character in ASOIAF
Can you do a video talking only about maedhros?
Love your content!❤️
Yes my boy
O, those sons of Fëanor. Always up to no good!
The lore before lord of the rings is far more rich and interesting
Rest In Peace Sir Ian Holm
Great video!
I've always wondered what would have happened had Finwë survived the encounter with Melkor and Ungoliant, or else not been at Formenos. Would he have been able to de-escalate the situation, or muster the Valar themselves to act against Melkor, I wonder.
It's also very interesting to me that none of the Valar are immune to coveting the Silmarils. Melkor's greed we all know and is blatant, but even in the immediate aftermath of the destruction of the trees, the focus of the Valar is not on the perpetrator, and what his motives and next plans were - especially given his track record of doing this at every opportunity - and how then to protect the elves that they've taken into their stewardship and protection, as it were, but immediately to "surrender the Silmarils, and woe betide you question it". Even when they're not present, they erode the good and sense in anyone who has seen or come into contact with them.
I'd be throwing the three little fuckers into the sea as well, I think. Sod that. 😂
Tulkas expecially was the problem. Yvanna asked nicely at least and Aule understood how big of a deal was for them to ask. Feanor was silent for a long time and maybe would have decided differently had Tulkas not tried to pressure him. And anyway Manwe should have spoken right after Yvanna and said they should not discuss the Trees right not but what to do with Morgoth and maybe they should find a new light solution to benefit all of Arda.
@@sarasamaletdin4574 Definitely! And you'd think Tulkas of all the Valar would be the one thinking about how to get hold of Melkor again. I think discussions of what "property" even was to both Valar and Eldar were long overdue too, as they clearly had VERY different conceptualisations of it.
But I've always quietly suspected that the only one who could have bridged that gap in understanding between Valar and Eldar (and Men, by extension), and translated effectively for each side, at least in the beginning before they spent centuries learning each other, was Melkor. And he knew that perfectly well, and played them all as a result.
@@curiouscatalyst The highest and brightest of stars falls the lowest.
Wonder how different would the world of Arda be, had it been Feanor that died in Valinor instead of Finwe when Morgoth stole the Silmarils?
Would Finwe want revenge on Morgoth for killing his firstborn son and for stealing the gems his now-dead son crafted?
Would the Sons of Feanor want revenge for their father's death and reclaim the Silmarils without making such a dreadful oath?
Still can't tell the players without a program. But thank you for this and all your videos. Tolkien's messages come through them, & hopefully one day I'll be able to rattle off name & deeds like you.
It doesn't matter how great your skills, if you are rotten at the heart. Feanor could have let the Valar rekindle the Two Trees with his gems, but he loved his own deeds more than he loved the natural beauty and power from which they were made. So in the end, all were lost to the land, for his vanity drew the gaze of the equally sick vanity of Melkor.
It was said that during his time in the Undying Lands, three times he asked his cousin Galadriel for a single strand of her hair, that he might turn its natural power into an artifact of his own devising. All three times she denied him, seeing in him his pride and unholy ambition.
Then, ages later, when Galadriel asked the dwarf Gimli to name what gift he would have of the elves, what gold or gems as his folk were known to love, Gimli humbly said he wanted no more treasure, except to have met her himself. When she insisted, he said that if he must ask, then he would ask for a single strand of her hair, and all the elves gasped, for they remembered that Feanor had asked the same with his dark heart.
But when she looked into Gimli's soul, she saw one that valued beauty and loyalty over power and pride, and so she gave him three, as if answering Gimli "yes" for each time she had told Feanor "no." Such was the insight and wisdom of Galadriel, which so contrasted the short-sighted self-destructiveness of Feanor with his Oath.
Feanor had always done works to inflate his own ego. Gimli, however, did his works to help others. He stayed true to the Fellowship through all their battles, even though his own folk were far away. He reforged the gates of Minas Tirith to secure the city of others where he didn't even dwell himself. Finally, he helped refortify Helm's Deep, and fashioned the Glittering Caves that he would leave behind for others to experience wonder, even though his time on Middle-earth was drawing to a close.
Thus we can also compare Feanor, born in Valinor, but who betrayed and abandoned the Elder Lands, leaving them stained in his wake, and never to return. Gimli however, was born and grew in the mortal lands of Middle-earth, but he showed such spirit, virtue and long-laboring for the good of others that he was, in the end, welcomed to the shores of Valinor itself.
Thus, over the long course of ages, the Undying Lands traded away the worst of their citizens in exchange for one of the best.
+ + + + +
PS: Of course, it could also be said that with the gifts to the Fellowship, Galadriel also learned to give her own personal powers to others, that they would continue on without her after she was gone; and with the glittering gold of her own hair, the Valar finally allowed that she was "...buying a Stairway To Heaven" and could return to them herself.
Such are the circles of time in the great tales and songs.
I had never made the connection between the requests of Fëanor and those of Gimli - thanks for that!
Ironic how the greatest among Eru's firstborn children would be overshadowed by one from his adopted child.
The rest of the world watches Netflix to chill out and relax after a long day.
Me: *goes to Yoystan's channel to binge on Men of the West UA-cam videos*
This was quite a good summary about the Feanor's line. It is short and condensed by it's very nature.
Therefore one would be wise to look into each character more in depth in order to understand why they took the actions. that they did
To call them all solely evil, because of the wost actions they have taken, is unwise indeed
Doom of Mandos was not kind to the sons of Feanor. Maglor to some extent and Maedhros in particular felt the bitter words "...To evil end shall all things turn that they begin wel...l"
Nerdanel did mutch for children. In his regard the alternative fate of the twins is even more tragic.
(I'm happy with the video, but post this as a reminder for people that there is more to this story than meets the eye.)
Although I usually agree with everything you say in these wonderful videos that you make, I think I disagree with a small segment in this one. Maglor wondering the coasts lamenting in shame and misery I think should only be until Beleriand falls beneath the waves. In my mind (and how i've interpreted it) Maglor wanders around the sundered coast until he is taken beneath the waves with the broken lands where the fell deeds of Feanor's son were carried out. I think it's more fitting and i'm sure he'd have welcomed it towards the end.
I love the concept of this series. Fantastic video as always my friend
This is quite an interesting family but unique in many ways I think from other elves just because of their deeds and atrocities in Middle Earth as always great narration put into great detail loved it thank you I really enjoy your channel I always learn something new in each video you post thank you!
When you literally die for 3 shiny rocks...
It's a bit of stretch, but arguably: when you break an entire continent for 3 shiny rocks ...
They weren’t just 3 shiny rocks.... they were 3 VERY shiny rocks.
Makes all the difference.
Someone stole my property I would make my sons and I oath bound to take back a ancestral claim.
The Simarils are more than "shiny rocks" they are very precious and shiny.
Oh boy.....
I often wonder how the War of the Jewels would have turned out had the Oath of Feanor not been entered into by any of his sons (or if a few had taken the oath, what would have transpired if they'd been killed early on during the Wars)?
The war probably wouldn’t have changed much unless maedhros and maglor were killed earlier, then morgoth probably would’ve won sooner
I always thought the Sons of Fëanor were one of the most tragic (if not the most) family in all of Tolkien's works each son was filled with Valor,might, skill,bravery and even Love,mercy and great amounts of compassion like we see with Maedhros and Maglor who takes care of Elrond and Elros but it was there father's damn oath to the Gems the lead them to doing unspeakable and cruel acts that in the end proved to be worthless as the gems they sacrificed so much to Get back in the end burned them as much as they did Melkor himself
Feanor's strength of personality was practically a force of nature. And his spirit so strong that when he died his body burned to ashes as it left. It would take a very strong will and personality in return to oppose him or deny him. When you add to it that these were his sons it would be doubly difficult for them to resist. In general it was only the other elves of royal blood lines that were that strong. Galadriel in particular denied Feanor multiple times. Both in his desire to wed her, and his desire for some of her hair. Later some of the sons finally realized how wrong the oath was they swore, but they were still bound to it. It was not until the Silmarils rejected the last of them that they realized that their deeds had made them unworthy to posses them. You can not commit deeds of evil and be worthy to posses something holy. When you look at how much they managed to accomplish, even when they were opposing the will of the Valar and Eru, it does make you wonder as to what they could have done by remaining true. Bear in mind that we know that Feanor was not allowed to return to the world from the Halls of Mandos, and I find it unlikely his sons would have been allowed to return as well. At least not until the final battle.
Betrayal, blackmail, kidnapping, kinslaying... elves from first age knew how to have fun.
A very extremely great second video as always Men of the West.
Great work! Congrats! I admire the courage of fenor to challange the valar, still the curse seem to made most very evil!
Goddamn, Feanor was one fertile bastard! Those are some Mormon caliber numbers. I'd know, my grandfather was the last of thirteen children.
I wonder if the absence of Feanor's mother immediately after his birth had some impact on his character.... especially since his Father was emotionallly absent for a while too.
Keeping Up with the Feanorians
The other elves knew about their oath and still withheld the silmarils from them. So I can't really blame the sons for the kinslaying.
So intresting !
Awesome 👍🏻
Love you 💜💙♥️
this is cool stuff! these video's have way more info inside them than the silmarilion!
Cause he uses several books/sources of Tolkien!
He should only mention, that there are contradictory informations from time to time, like Orophers/Gil-Galads heritage or the time of Amrod/Amras‘ death
Awesome video as always...btw after Tulkas I think it's Ulmo's turn as an epic character video.Don't you miss seas and oceans and Vala of oceans,Ulmo Yoystan?🌊
Jolly good fun! 👍🏻
A good overview, and I liked the artwork ... but one minor nit is that you didnt even mention the forging of the silmarils - only their theft.
Fun fact - you pronounced Maedhros’ name and I am now having a crisis over all my pronounciation as I realised I have been pronouncing everything wrong.
Another great video yoystan!
"Took" me by surprise
Not that the real world isn't full of examples, this is a story of how basically good people can turn to darkness or evil in a moment of weakness yet believe they are righteous... at least for a time. I am remind of the quote "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions".
I would like to see more of these family videos, I hope more are in the queue.
As I commented under one of GeekZone's video. Why Thingol's descendants didn't give away Silmarils to Feanor's sons who was rightful owners. Every elf knew about this terrible Oath and how much bloodshed it did cost. Why not to just to give them to Feanorians so they would fulfill their Oath and be free of it? It's beyond any logical thinking.
If you set out for revenge, always dig two graves. Completely different from justice.
Excellent video! I always enjoy your work.
Have you answered in any of your videos yet the question of why the door to a dwarven kingdom (Moria) had an elvish password? Maybe it’s written somewhere but I don’t recall reading it. Given their general distaste for each other, it seems unlikely that dwarves were just slapping elvish words on stuff.
Hi I've commented on this before but you should do a clip about the fall of Numenor and the hiding of Valinor which to my understanding reshaped middle from flat to round. Luv ya work keep it up.
Not really, middle-earth changed a bit after the war against Morgoth, but the middle-Earth that we know is mostly like it was since the first age! If you take the map, Beleriand was just west of the Blue Mountains (the Mountains North and South of the Grey Havens) where now is the ocean
@@michelmorio8026 its just after the hiding of valinor when they talk about sailing there you take the hidden road and which drops away which to me sounds like valinor is up in the air and they describe after the destruction how all seas are now bent. I was just wondering had i misread interpreted this in the Silmarillon and the other books