[Feanor of the Peredhil]

As I was flipping through all my old threads (there aren't many, so it went fast), I started to reread this one, and my brother pointed out one of the less obvious possible meanings of the quote I used. Here is my original thread-starting post, to make it easier:

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

I searched, and found no topics where my question was answered, although I may have over-looked something.

In Chapter 9 (Of the Flight of the Noldor) of the Silm, Feanor "cries bitterly" the following:

"...It may be that I can unlock my
jewels, but never again shall I make
their like; and if I must break them,
I shall break my heart, and I shall
be slain;first of all the Eldar in
Aman"

I am thoroughly confused as to precisely what Feanor means by the statement 'first'. To me, he could mean a number of things, two of which being:

1) that he would be the first to be slain
2) that he considers himself to be the first (best/highest) of the Eldar in Aman

And then Mandos says "Not the first." which could be him pointing out that he's not the first in Aman to die, or Mandos pointing out that Feanor is not the first of the Eldar.

I beg of you all, help me! I hate being confused and reading the Silm for the first time has got me a little messed up.

Fea

Here is my reason for bringing this ancient thread back to life:

By "First of all the Eldar in Aman", is it possible that Feanor is not implying self-importance at all, but rather that he was just the first of the immigrating Elves to set foot on Aman? Meaning... he is simply stating the obvious. He's... punctual. Always the first to do anything, whether setting foot on new land or making jewels of unsurpassed beauty.

My brother says he's the type of Elf who would shove other Elves out of the way just so he could be the first to set foot in Aman. I say my brother is a fool.

Fea