Nice pictures but inaccuracies and little depth. Why is Feanor the way his is? What happens to him that makes him vulnerable? Why does he dislike / hate his brothers? What do the Valar do to help him...or do they just not bother? Why do the Noldor fight with the Teleri? (In an early version it is the Teleri who fire the first shot.) Does he really listen to Melkor, or to the lies he has already spread among the Noldor? As I recall he tells Morgoth to get gone from his gate. YES, he does evil, it is a tragic outcome, but this is so one sided it perpetrates the stereotypical shallow understanding of a foundation tale.
I start at the end. The brightest light can cause the darkest shadow. Yes, this is obviously so. As CS Lewis points out, a 'fallen' good dog does not become as bad as a 'fallen' good Man, who is not as bad as a a fallen Angel. The more brightness and brilliance the greater the depth of evil if and when a being 'falls'. Morgoth, most powerful of the Ainur is the prime example. A mediocre Feanor could not have done as much damage as the brilliant one. Who can take issue with this? Not a problem.
Second, and a major point before any discussion, The Silmarillion had many edits, it is a take Professor Tolkien was working on for a very long time. The version we have was edited by his son, Christopher, and so what is accepted 'canon' can vary, interpretations being chosen to reinforce or dismiss a point. On this matter, and for those interested, I would recommend the book 'Arda Restored', by Douglas Charles Kane', where he suggests Christopher Tolkien reconstructed his Father's vision in the Silmarillion even more than he reconstructed other works. We have a long and laborious history of Tolkien's amazing vision edited, in The History of Middle Earth' books, which stretch as far as his later writings' including The Shibboleth of Feanor in HoME 12. Much is altered over time. For instance, HoME 10 tells us the youngest of the twins is slain, when Feanor, filled with malice, awakens Curufin and a few others to set fire to the ships. Unwittingly burning Amras, who is still asleep on one. (Or perhaps not unwittingly, as it is said Amras was thinking of sailing back to his mother.) This is significant information. It is usually not considered canon though, even though it is a later formulation. ) My point here is that to do justice to as complicated a character as Feanor something more than the same old surface skim is required. I have read what is included in the video from so many people, so many times. I was hoping this was really to be a deep dive.
To reinforce the choice of material in a comparatively insignificant point, I see in featured example pictures Finwe is fair, silver haired, while Miriel is dark haired. Both are of the Noldor, who are usually represented as being darker of hair, with the exception of the copper brown/ red hair of the people of the Smith Mahtan. I can understand may artists automatically portraying both with dark hair. The Golden hair colour belongs with the Vanya, and the Silver with some associated with the Royal Houses of the Teleri. Or so it seems. In the note 61 to The Shibboleth of Feanor it says of Mahtan 'His hair was not as dark or as black as was that of most of the Noldor, but brown, and had glints of coppery red in it.' Concerning Finwe, Caranthir is said to be black-haired as his grandfather (Finwe, not Mahtan), in 'The names of the sons of Feanor with the legend of the Fate of Amros in note 5. In note 19 it says Finwe had black hair but brilliant blue-grey eyes. On mother names in the same place it also says Maitimo (Maedhros) and the youngest two inherited the rare red-brown hair of Nerdanel's kin (Not of Nerdanel herself.) Of course the Silmarillion says of Feanor himself 'was tall and fair of face, and masterful,his eyes piercingly bright, and his hair raven-dark. Most illustrations hold very close to that image. Miriel's hair is sometimes portrayed as silver, and I have seen the reference but cant locate it offhan. Will add it when I do. So to the point, folk portray Finwe and Miriel from the Silmarillion alone may have them with blue or purple hair, but not copper-brown, as that belonged to Mahtan's kin, or probably gold, as that belonged to the Vanyar, or silver? (Miriel?) as that is a sign of Ingwe and Olwe and Celeborn and certain others of the Teleri.
@@highlandheather5438 Thanks for the detailed explanation and thoughtful comment! I really appreciate the depth you bring to Feanor’s character and the complexities of Tolkien's world. You're absolutely right-understanding Feanor means exploring his motivations, his relationships, and the nuanced choices of the Valar. Points like the tragic fate of Amras or the impact of Christopher Tolkien’s edits add a lot of layers to the story, and I’ll definitely keep these in mind for future videos. Your notes on the significance of hair color in Tolkien’s world are also really insightful. I can see how these details add depth to the portrayal of each character. Feedback like yours is invaluable; it helps me improve and dive deeper into the lore. Thank you again, and I hope to hear more of your thoughts in the future! 🙏
@@FellowshipoftheLore Thank you very much for your reply. I do understand this is a rather large topic to give any justice to, but as you made the effort to make the video I hope it can be opened further in discussion? I will answer my questions, but as already mentioned, the identification of 'canon' makes it no certain matter.
Nice pictures but inaccuracies and little depth. Why is Feanor the way his is? What happens to him that makes him vulnerable? Why does he dislike / hate his brothers? What do the Valar do to help him...or do they just not bother? Why do the Noldor fight with the Teleri? (In an early version it is the Teleri who fire the first shot.) Does he really listen to Melkor, or to the lies he has already spread among the Noldor? As I recall he tells Morgoth to get gone from his gate. YES, he does evil, it is a tragic outcome, but this is so one sided it perpetrates the stereotypical shallow understanding of a foundation tale.
I start at the end. The brightest light can cause the darkest shadow. Yes, this is obviously so. As CS Lewis points out, a 'fallen' good dog does not become as bad as a 'fallen' good Man, who is not as bad as a a fallen Angel. The more brightness and brilliance the greater the depth of evil if and when a being 'falls'. Morgoth, most powerful of the Ainur is the prime example. A mediocre Feanor could not have done as much damage as the brilliant one. Who can take issue with this? Not a problem.
Second, and a major point before any discussion, The Silmarillion had many edits, it is a take Professor Tolkien was working on for a very long time. The version we have was edited by his son, Christopher, and so what is accepted 'canon' can vary, interpretations being chosen to reinforce or dismiss a point. On this matter, and for those interested, I would recommend the book 'Arda Restored', by Douglas Charles Kane', where he suggests Christopher Tolkien reconstructed his Father's vision in the Silmarillion even more than he reconstructed other works. We have a long and laborious history of Tolkien's amazing vision edited, in The History of Middle Earth' books, which stretch as far as his later writings' including The Shibboleth of Feanor in HoME 12. Much is altered over time. For instance, HoME 10 tells us the youngest of the twins is slain, when Feanor, filled with malice, awakens Curufin and a few others to set fire to the ships. Unwittingly burning Amras, who is still asleep on one. (Or perhaps not unwittingly, as it is said Amras was thinking of sailing back to his mother.) This is significant information. It is usually not considered canon though, even though it is a later formulation. ) My point here is that to do justice to as complicated a character as Feanor something more than the same old surface skim is required. I have read what is included in the video from so many people, so many times. I was hoping this was really to be a deep dive.
To reinforce the choice of material in a comparatively insignificant point, I see in featured example pictures Finwe is fair, silver haired, while Miriel is dark haired. Both are of the Noldor, who are usually represented as being darker of hair, with the exception of the copper brown/ red hair of the people of the Smith Mahtan. I can understand may artists automatically portraying both with dark hair. The Golden hair colour belongs with the Vanya, and the Silver with some associated with the Royal Houses of the Teleri. Or so it seems. In the note 61 to The Shibboleth of Feanor it says of Mahtan 'His hair was not as dark or as black as was that of most of the Noldor, but brown, and had glints of coppery red in it.' Concerning Finwe, Caranthir is said to be black-haired as his grandfather (Finwe, not Mahtan), in 'The names of the sons of Feanor with the legend of the Fate of Amros in note 5. In note 19 it says Finwe had black hair but brilliant blue-grey eyes. On mother names in the same place it also says Maitimo (Maedhros) and the youngest two inherited the rare red-brown hair of Nerdanel's kin (Not of Nerdanel herself.) Of course the Silmarillion says of Feanor himself 'was tall and fair of face, and masterful,his eyes piercingly bright, and his hair raven-dark. Most illustrations hold very close to that image. Miriel's hair is sometimes portrayed as silver, and I have seen the reference but cant locate it offhan. Will add it when I do. So to the point, folk portray Finwe and Miriel from the Silmarillion alone may have them with blue or purple hair, but not copper-brown, as that belonged to Mahtan's kin, or probably gold, as that belonged to the Vanyar, or silver? (Miriel?) as that is a sign of Ingwe and Olwe and Celeborn and certain others of the Teleri.
@@highlandheather5438 Thanks for the detailed explanation and thoughtful comment! I really appreciate the depth you bring to Feanor’s character and the complexities of Tolkien's world. You're absolutely right-understanding Feanor means exploring his motivations, his relationships, and the nuanced choices of the Valar. Points like the tragic fate of Amras or the impact of Christopher Tolkien’s edits add a lot of layers to the story, and I’ll definitely keep these in mind for future videos.
Your notes on the significance of hair color in Tolkien’s world are also really insightful. I can see how these details add depth to the portrayal of each character. Feedback like yours is invaluable; it helps me improve and dive deeper into the lore.
Thank you again, and I hope to hear more of your thoughts in the future! 🙏
@@FellowshipoftheLore Thank you very much for your reply. I do understand this is a rather large topic to give any justice to, but as you made the effort to make the video I hope it can be opened further in discussion? I will answer my questions, but as already mentioned, the identification of 'canon' makes it no certain matter.