[Finwe]

I also think that Maedhros was definitely the bravest of Fëanor's sons. I just feel sorry for him because he was trapped into going along with his father and his brothers, when he probably didn't want to do most of the things that they did (i.e. Burning at Losgar). I can imagine Fëanor as a good blackmailer, and that was probably how he got Maedhros to go along with everything. I also wouldn't put it past either Curufin or Caranthir to do the same thing.

Of course, Maedhros had his moments as a silly git, especially when he managed to get himself captured by Morgoth. But he managed to hold on through that torment. Hanging by your wrist from a cliff is enough to undo just about anyone after 24 hours, and Maedhros probably hung in there (no pun intended!) from much longer than that. He refused to be broken, especially by Morgoth himself, and that takes courage of the highest kind.

Another event that showed Maedhros's greatness was when he handed over the High Kingship to Fingolfin. He could have pulled a Fëanor and insisted on being High King, but he was intelligent, and knew that he couldn't do it, and neither could his brothers. His torment would forever plague his heart, and the rest of his brothers were all too hot-headed. Maglor was the only one who had any hope of being a good High King, but Celegorm, Curufin, and Caranthir could probably push him around too much. He could have kept the crown, and Fingolfin wouldn't have done anything. He would have just walked back out. But Maedhros was smart, and that takes guts. He gave up the title that his father had longed for so much, that he had probably longed for.

Maedhros also put himself in danger many times, especially by the place that he chose for his dwelling. Himring was probably Morgoth's first target, especially once he knew that Maedhros was there.

I agree that what Maedhros later did was fairly despicable. Attacking Doriath and the Havens of Sirion weren't the actions of someone thinking rationally. I don't think that Maedhros was thinking very rationally. I don't think that he ever thought very rationally after his release from Thangorodrim. That torment probably skewed his mind a little (just a little [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] ). I think that he felt forced to recover the Silmarils. He was bound by the vow that he gave his father, upon Fëanor's deathbed (ok, it was on the ground, big deal!), and as we all know, keeping vows was important to the Eldar.

After the War of Wrath, Maedhros and Maglor were probably at a loss for what to do. If they stayed behind in Middle-earth, they would forever be hated and ridiculed by the Sindar, as being Kinslayers and Fëanorians. If they went back to Aman, the same thing would happen to them. They would be shunned by the Vanyar, who considered them traitors, and hated by the Teleri, because they slew their kin. They didn't have much of a life left to live either way. All they had left to do was fulfill their vow to their father, try to steal the Silmarils, and see what they could do from there.

After the theft, they both went crazy. Maglor did the smart thing, and threw his into the Sea. After that, he just wandered off. Maedhros was left all alone, the last of the sons of Fëanor (not counting Maglor). He was probably desperate to get rid of the burning of the jewel, and he knew that he had no right to it. He knew that stealing it was pointless. In that moment of desperation, while Beleriand was breaking apart, he found a fiery chasm, and in a dramatic moment, flung himself into it, taking his Silmaril to the bosom of the Earth. He had searched for peace, all those long years, and in the end, he finally found it.