Character analysis: Fëanor, Fingolfin.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

Do any of you think Feanors pursuit of the Silmarils can be compared to Saurons pursuit of the Ring. Both after their own creations, both waging war on any who tried to prevent them doing this instead of aiding them.

[Beren3000]

Interesting thought!
Here is my opinion:

-Both were pursuing their work, but for different reasons. Sauron made the Ring to be an object of POWER and DOMINION so he pursued it in order to force his will on others. It was a matter of POWER to him. Not so for Feanor, he made the Silmarils as objects of great beauty in the first place. He made them to be admired and wondered at. When they were stolen from him, he wasn't outstripped of any power or anything, he just felt that it was a blow for his ego. His PRIDE required he recover the Silmarils. This pride was fuelled by Morgoth in order to bring about the Oath of Feanor and the subsequent Curse of the Noldor, etc...
So while Sauron was evil from the get-go, Feanor had good intentions in mind that were corrupted by Morgoth into his own dark purposes.

[Artanis]

Yup Beren, but let's not forget that also Sauron was corrupted by Morgoth at the very beginning.

[Beren3000]

Yes but he made the Ring with an evil purpose in his mind. AND, by the time of the making of the One Ring, he was so evil and corrupt, he might as well have been so from the beginning. (Did I phrase that correctly?)
AND, remember that Melkor, too was not evil from the beginning.
Interesting side note:
On the importance of language to Tolkien
Another incidence of Tolkien's belief in the power of words: when Melkor is exposed to the Elves for the evil Vala that he is, the angelic name of Melkor has to be changed by the elves to the rather dark name of Morgoth. *shivers*

[Beren3000]

Here's a question that occured to me. What if Fëanor wasn't killed that quickly? What if he survived all the wars of Beleriand? Would he have been included in the forgiveness of the Valar or would he refuse it in pride like Galadriel did? I wonder what it would have been like if he lived up to the time of the War of the Ring ...hmmm

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

I think he would have refused it in pride but made much more of a bigger deal of than Galadriel.

[Artanis]

I can't really imagine Fëanor survive all the wars in Middle Earth - he was too hot-headed!
But IF - what would he have done? He would have turned mad, not being able to regain the last Silmaril from the skies.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

If he had does anyone think he might abandon the oath seeing what others (Sauron) who have pursued their own creation have done?

[Beren3000]

Come to think of it, I don't think he would EVER be able to retract his oath. He was simply too proud to take back something that he had so dramatically said. But it'd have been interesting to watch him fight in the Pelennor fields for example. Or (according to Arty), go mad for the light of Earendil and either try to fly or steal the phial of Galadriel from Frodo. Man! The guy needed extensive therapy!

[Artanis]

Originally Posted by Telcontar_Dunedain

If he had does anyone think he might abandon the oath seeing what others (Sauron) who have pursued their own creation have done?

He could not just abandon the oath, at least not without being tormented. And I don't think he would want to, I think he was too determined, too proud, too darn stubborn. According to the Shibboleth, one of his sons died in the burning of the ships at Losgar, for which Fëanor was directly responsible. That incident didn't make him more humble. At the moment of his death he realised that Morgoth would never be overthrown with the power of the Noldor alone, yet he made his sons renew their oath.

There is a reason why he was never allowed to leave the Halls of Mandos.

Edit: Haha, crosspost with Beren.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

Yet one of his sons walked away at the end surely the oath would have stopped him

[Artanis]

Originally Posted by Telcontar_Dunedain

Yet one of his sons walked away at the end surely the oath would have stopped him

What do you mean? Which son walked away?

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

I'm not sure but I read some thin in another thread about one of the sons of Feanor walking away from the oath and not pursueing the remaining Silmarils.

[Falagar]

You may say that Maglor, who threw away the Silmaril at the end and then left the memory of Elves, walked away; though he had more of his mother's gentle nature in him than the others.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

Maybe but shouldn't the oath have done something about that or influenced it.

[brownjenkins]

Originally Posted by Artanis

There is a reason why he was never allowed to leave the Halls of Mandos.

i don't remember the sil saying he was 'not allowed' to leave... just that he never did

[Beren3000]

Originally Posted by Telcontar Dunedain

Maybe but shouldn't the oath have done something about that or influenced it.

IIRC, the Oath bound them to recover the Silmarils at all costs and allow none else but themselves to have them. The Oath never mentioned what they should do with the Silmarils once they have acquired them.

[Radagast The Brown]

I don't think Feanor would've survived the First Age, even if he didn't die in a war. I believe he'd suicide, like Maedros did, after taking the Silmarils and discover they burn his hand. Do you think the Silmarils would hurt him, though? After all he was their creator.

[Beren3000]

I think the Silmarils burning Feanor's sons' hands is quite symbolic; after pursuing the Silmarils for so long and causing so many miseries over their Oath, the sons of Feanor are denied the pleasure of the Silmarils and all the hurts they caused are brought back on them by the Silmarils themselves. I don't think it would have been different for Feanor, if anything it'd be more hurtful for him because he caused the greater evil! *Homer Simpson voice* "Lousy, power-hungry elf...!"

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

I don't think that they would had burned Feanors hand because I think that in the Silmarillion it says something like that all others who take the Silmarils it would burn their hands.