Who exactly is Feanor and Celebrimbor?
 

i'm kinda new at this...so i was just wondering..urm...the simallarion talks about Feanor and Celebrimbor and it is kind of confusing for me? Who exactly is Feanor and Celebrimbor? i only know that Celebrimbor forged the 3 elven rings...i would really appreciate it. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Feanor is Celebrimbor's Grandfather. Feanor Forged the Silmarils the most prized jewels ever made and what most of the Silmarillion is about. Celebrimbor forged the three Elven rings with the help of Sauron who was disguissed at that time. Hope that helps.

[ March 16, 2002: Message edited by: Ahanarion ]

I just don't understand how people can read the silmarilion and so completely not get it.

There is a novices and newcomers board here.

Also, Celbrimor did not have the help of Sauron when forging the 3 Elven rings, they were never touched by Sauron.

Thanx so much...the book is kinda confusing...u have to read pages over again to understand it....

i have another question...at the back cover of the book in the simallarion it says that feanor is the greatest of the elves but if feanor forged the jewels then why is he considered as greatest of the elves?

does that mean that feanor and celebrimbor are bad elves or smthing? cuz they forged the rings and the jewels? i wuld really appreciate it if somebody wuld help me out cuz i have different resources and they all say something different...thanx [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Not at all, Feanor and Celebrimbor created wonderful things, sadly these wonderful things lead to great evils, but it really wasn't their fault. The fact that Feanor is considered the greatest of the elves isn't really connected to the Silmarils. He might not have been able to create them if he wasn't, but his strength is the cause, the jewels are the effect, not the other way around.

Another way I look at it though is, if it weren't for the Feanor forging the Silmarils many great things would not have come to pass in ME. Even the three elven Rings were made to aid the elves in "enhancing" (okay, I couldn't think of another description) Middle Earth.

(I actually loved the way the Sun and Moon were created because Feanor refuse to give the jewels to the Valar!)

Perhaps Iluvatar allowed all these things for a greater purpose (as He always did).

[img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

serenide - welcome!
here is a very helpful book for looking up references that you are unsure of as you read Tolkien:
"The Tolkien Companion" by J.E.A. Tyler

keep reading! - eventually all those facts will sort themselves out and stick in your mind in a recognizable way!

ok now im kinda confused...if they created many great things why did tolkien use the word "forged" in making the rings and the jewels...?

Forge (verb) - 1. to form (as metal) by heating and hammering 2. to form or bring into being especially by an expenditure of effort

A dictionary is a wonderful thing.

[ March 17, 2002: Message edited by: Bruce MacCulloch ]

Serenide,
there's an "encyclopedia" located in the Barrow-Downs welcome page... it'll really help you with the different characters (and certain topics) of the Silmarillion. There's also an index of names (I beleive) at the end of the book.

As for the words used... writers use elaborate words in their stories. Like Bruce says - a dictionary is a wonderful thing. I never read a book without my dictionary beside me.
[img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

What I ment by helped by Sauron was not direct help but didn't it say that Sauron taught the Elves the secret of forging the rings.

[ March 24, 2002: Message edited by: Ahanarion ]

What makes the Silmarillion confusing for many is the fact that it is in essence an unfinished work by Tolkien. Christopher Tolkien in publishing it posthoumously edited it very lightly, and took great pains to add nothing, and subtract little.

Alack and alas, had Tolkien been able to publish it with the The Lord of the Rings (as he intended) he would have polished it and fixed the narrative, which jumps oddly, gives away plotlines before the events even occur, and has limited dialogue - Tolkien's greatest strength - and unevenly fleshed out storylines. These make it a harder read than it would have been, I'm certain.

The Silm. is beautiful and powerful, but in a way it makes your heart ache to think what could have been if Tolkien had finished it and other of his stories.