Feanor's Sons

[WarBringer]

Who is the bravest son of Feanor? Meadhros is my pick, as he braves the perils of angband...

[the real findorfin]

Although brave I believe that Maedhros would have been much braver if he were to forget the Oath and leave the Silmarils where they were.
Doing what is right is braver!

[Inderjit Sanghera]

Feanor was my favourite charcter in the Sil, though out his sosns, the one who I think is most valaint is Maedhros. The wisest probably would have been Maglor.

[Inderjit Sanghera]

Also, wasn't he the third most powerful elf in battle, behind Fingolfin and Feanor.

[Aule]

I would have to say Maedros was my favourite as well, as he risked his life to save his friend from Angband. Plus he was willing to kill his friend to put him out of any pain. That would have been a terrible choice for anyone to make. It shows the Noldor at there best.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Maedhros went down in my opinion towards the end. He was the eldest of the brothers and should have stayed the wisest but I think Maglor became better towards the end. It was, after all, Maedhros who persuaded Maglor to steal the Silmarils from the Valar.

[the phantom]

Maedhros had many good points.

First, when they burned the ships at Losgar, he stood by himself and had no part in it, wishing instead that a few should ferry the ships back on bear over the rest of the Noldor and especially his friend Fingon.

Second, he made peace with Fingolfin and his house. He passed the Kingship to him also, which I don't think I would've been able to do.

Third, he was quite a fighter. I recall a couple of instances where he was at his fortress on Himring fighting, and his enemies "fled before his face". In that same section it mentioned how he burned with a hot flame.

Fourth, one that really impressed me, is where he chose to dwell and why. It said in the Silmarilion that because of the wide open pass over there by the sources of the Gelion, that Melkor's heaviest blows would very likely fall there, and it said that Maedhros was willing to take this upon himself.

Fifth, the book said he was watchful and vigilant, and seemed to be a good strategist. He was, after all, the one who planned the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, and they would've won it if the men under his command wouldn't have rebelled. Also, I recall one time that Morgoth attempted to catch Fingolfin and Fingon by surprise. It said he went after them because "he knew of the vigilance of Maedhros".

Maedhros was a pretty cool guy!

[ December 12, 2002: Message edited by: the phantom ]

[Frodo Baggins]

Um Aule? Not to be rude but read The Silmarillion again....

Maedhros was the one bound with a chain to Angband. He was found by Fingon (who was later the father of Gil-Galad) and he begged Fingon to kill him to put him out of his misery. And Fingon was willing to kill him, ahd not the eagle coem so he could cut Maedhros hand of and thus save his life.

[Aule]

how very embarresing, thanks for pointing that out.
Well then my point for liking Maedros goes right out the window, funnily enough i am actually reading the silm again, so you would think that i would remember. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[the real findorfin]

Sldiding slightly but...why is Caranthir such a cruel, freakish elf. He must have got most of the worst parts of Feanor (bar Celegorm and Curufin).

[Maédhros]

It was, after all, Maedhros who persuaded Maglor to steal the Silmarils from the Valar.

Remember that Maedhros had taken an oath, and he had to follow it. Something that always stuck with me when I read the Published Silmarillion, is that the Ñoldorian princes, whenever they gave their words, they always followed them to the end. (Ex. Sons of Fëanor, Fingolfin, Finrod), and that they didn't lie. I think that if the great Maedhros would have not followed his oath, he would have lost his honor.
As mentioned by the phantom, Maedhros was the best of the sons of Fëanor IMO.
I don't see Caranthir as a freakish elf, I just see him as someone being very very harsh, in a way, very unelf-like.

[Telchar]

Who is the bravest son of Feanor? Meadhros is my pick, as he braves the perils of angband...

I'll take the liberty to answer with two possible questions:
1: Does a question like this belong in 'Books' ?
2: Who cares?

[ December 13, 2002: Message edited by: Telchar ]

[WarBringer]

I'll take the liberty to answer with two possible questions:
1: Does a question like this belong in 'Books' ?
2: Who cares?

First, it belongs in the books because it was in the silmarillion that the sons of Feanor predominantly were explained.
second,all who responded to my question obviously care. Don't start making generalizations about who does and doesn't care about this question. If you do not like the question, i would prefer that you didnt respond at all.(went on a rant there,didnt I?)

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Yes, yes, he took an oath but Maglor took the oath as well. Remember, "but less evil shall we do in the breaking" - Maglor.

Don't get me wrong though, I thought Maedhros was very cool and very tragic as well. I did really like Maglor as well though.

Didn't Caranthir change somewhat after his meeting with Haleth? I thought he became a bit better, a bit nicer after that.

Celegorm and Curufin were totally not cool though. The worst part of Feanor shining brightly.

[Inderjit Sanghera]

I don't think Caranthir was as bad as Celegorm. why was Celegorm called the 'fair'? Maedhros was the bets looking of all his sons and Maglor the nicest. Any info on Amrod and Amras?

[Legolas]

Read the Shibboleth of Feanor.

[Dark-Caranthir]

Caranthir is my fave son of Feanor, as you could have guessed by my nickname.

Mainly because he is freakish and evil, but then again so am I. I think it's also cool that he dies killing his own kind. Most of you would probably say that is a bad thing...

[doug*platypus]

I think in a way Celegorm was the bravest of Fëanor's sons. He bucked the system. Any Elf can be noble, valiant and beautiful. It takes sheer guts to be just plain bad. Kidnapping Luthien, risking the vengeance of Thingol, Melian, Beren, even his own superdog Huan! And trying to usurp the throne of Nargothrond. Come on, this guy had bollocks!

By the way, Telchar, there's plenty of worse, less original threads if you feel you need one to pick on.

[Dark-Caranthir]

Caranthir was my favourite because he was able to do things on his own, he wasn't a sheep, after King Thingol's messenger, Angrond, told the Sons of Feanor that Thingol would not give them lands, Caranthir was the first to stand up and went and forged his own kingdom in Thargelion. And the reasons Doug*Platypus mentioned that it takes bravery to be evil. And the reasons I mentioned before.

[WarBringer]

Curifin is also right up there in my book-Holder of the greatest knife in history, as well as a great leader and hero-although he met a bad end.

[doug*platypus]

I love that knife!! Imagine it cutting through the Iron Crown, that's an infomercial I'd like to see! Isn't it funny, though, how it seems like Curufin and Celegorm only really had Angrist and Huan so that Beren could take them and use them for himself? The Silmaril that Beren recovered could never be taken by the Sons of Fëanor, and their own stuff was used against them!

[WarBringer]

That enough is awesome-and your right, i never noticed that Beren only used them. I can see it now-lava lamps, pet rocks, and Angrists...

[StarJewel]

I think Maedhros was the best. He wasnt as inclined to be violent as his brothers, except maybe Maglor. He was tall, hot, and brave. He's a guy i would kill to date. As for Caranthir, i just think he had a perpetual case of male PMS. And now I'm gonna shut up before everyone thinks I've gone insane

[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.

[Legolas]

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.

This was totally not the case. Maedhros did what he did because of the Oath, and for allegiance to his family. There was no "blackmailing." He wasn't trapped - he did everything of his own freewill.

[ June 25, 2003: Message edited by: Legolas ]

[Lyta_Underhill]

I SO would not want to be one of Fëanor's children! I imagine they weren't brought up to have their own views of things. All the sons of Fëanor took the vow quickly, in solidarity. I hate to think what Fëanor might have done to a son of his that DIDN'T take the vow! But yes, I imagine they were at the center of a larger trend; otherwise, would Fëanor have been able to enlist the other sons of Finwë and their kin to leave if that hadn't been so? It seems inevitable that something had to happen to make the Elves long for a return to Middle Earth. Didn't Galadriel go just to have the chance to have her own realm to rule? Perhaps leaving Aman was like children leaving home in a sense.

Another thing I wondered about, and I don't know if I'm wandering from the topic too much: but Fëanor claimed his campaign to wreak his revenge on Morgoth was because of the murder of his father Finwë; but it turned out to be more a matter of regaining the Silmarils in the end for the Sons of Fëanor than a redress of Finwë's murder. One evil begets many more; thus the Silmarils would not suffer themselves to be held by Maedhros and Maglor.

Oh, by the way, I would have to also vote for Maedhros in the contest of bravest son of Fëanor, but I may be biased, having rather a thing for him! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Cheers,
Lyta

[Finwe]

That's true Legolas, but I still wouldn't put it past Fëanor to try to emotionally blackmail anyone of his sons who didn't take the Oath, into taking it, and going along with him. He just seems like the type of guy who would do that.

[the phantom]

Fëanor claimed his campaign to wreak his revenge on Morgoth was because of the murder of his father Finwë; but it turned out to be more a matter of regaining the Silmarils in the end for the Sons of Fëanor than a redress of Finwë's murder.

Not entirely true.

Feanor did claim his campaign was to get back at Morgoth, but it was always for both reasons, hand in hand, the murder of his father AND to get the Silmarils back.

Feanor always listed getting back the jewels as one of his three primary reasons for leaving Valinor (the third reason being that he felt the elves were suffocated in Valinor).

[Finwe]

I'm sure that if Finwë hadn't died, and Morgoth still stole the Silmarils, that Fëanor would have still led the Rebellion of the Noldor, and gone to Middle-earth. The fact that one of his reasons was to avenge the murder of his father probably won him more followers than if he had just wanted to get the Silmarils back.