[Cúdae]

I can see what Eomer means by "over-rated" here. If you haven't read the Silmarillion and have only heard babbling on and on about this Feanor person, it's easy to think that he was some hero central to the story. Then, alas, you discover he was near being a raving madman. I wonder if Mandos has straight jackets... [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Anyway, I do like Feanor (even though I am one of the few, the proud, the Caranthir-obsessed) and regard him as both hero and villain. He was heroic in the light of his intentions. He wanted, I think, to do something good- or at least worthwhile in the long run- but unfortunately it backfired on him. I think that when he made the Oath, he had the best of intentions deep within him, if not apparent on the outside. Reading that section of the Sil, it seems to me that Feanor is more misguided in his judgements than evil. Meaning what he does to try to improve things reverse on him. And ultimately, they lead him to his death and to his sons deaths. On the subject of his sons deaths, I am sure he never meant for that to happen. He wasn't the best of parents, but I do firmly believe that he wanted the best for his children. And the best, in his eyes, may have been the Silmarils.

That was all just my speculation. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]