[ Daily Tolkien ] A Tolkien Virgin: Of Feanor and the Unchaining of Melkor

Tolkien Online ^ | October 25, 1999 | Mark-Edmond

[JameRetief]

A Tolkien Virgin: Of Feanor and the Unchaining of Melkor
by Mark-Edmond

The Journey Continues

Feanor seems almost supernatural. Something is going to go down. It's going to be nasty. And Feanor is going to have his hand in it. That much is clear. But, is it just me, or is he supernatural? He's special. But the way his mother withers away and dies (as much as that is possible for an elf) after his birth, he would almost seem even greater (not in the "good" sense of great). We don't know why (his birth alone?), but we can tell he's an extraordinary figure.

Tolkien lays the foreshadowing on thick, here: first, before his mother dies, she says, "But hold me blameless in this and all that may come after." Next, Tolkien mentions that if his father had been content and not remarried perhaps "great evil" would have been avoided. And finally, Melkor is released here in this same chapter as Feanor is born. But since it's assumed that the reader (later generations of elves) will be familiar with what nastiness "comes to pass," all these references make perfect sense.

With the way this chapter is presented, I must say it will be interesting to see how the relationship between Feanor and Melkor plays out. They're both tragic figures. I wonder how many tragic figures there are in these elven legends.

Author: Mark-Edmond
Published on: October 25, 1999

The next Tolkien Virgin article continues with The Silmarillion: Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor

[JameRetief]

The Daily Tolkien articles by various authors	The Tolkien Virgin articles by Mark-Edmond
ARTICLES 1-10	1) Pre-amble and The Ainulindalë
ARTICLES 11-20	2) Ainulindalë/Valaquenta
ARTICLES 21-30	3) Of Aule and Yavanna
31) Model Languages: On Tolkien	4) Of The Coming of Elves and the Captivity of Melkor
32) Beyond The Movie: Author and History	5) Of Thingol and Melian
33) Beyond The Movie: Language and Culture	6) Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalie
34) Beyond The Movie: Myth and Storytelling	7) Of Feanor and the Unchaining of Melkor

[JameRetief]

Your Tolkien Virgin Ping!

Read along with a Tolkien Virgin as he discovers and comments on the history of Middle Earth as he reads it for the first time.  These articles start with The Silmarillion, journeys through The Hobbit, and finishes with the epic Lord Of The Rings.  At the pace of 2 articles per week (Mondays and Fridays) the articles will wrap up about the same time that the final movie of the Lord Of The Rings story is released. 

If anyone would like for me to ping them directly when I post the Tolkien Virgin articles or my Daily Tolkien articles let me know. I hope that you enjoy them!

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