A Sense of History: Straight Road
The next in a series of articles about ships passing to and from the West, Simon uses "The Fall of Númenor" to attempt to arrive at Tolkien's reading of the exordium to "Beowulf."
Chapter 44
The disgraced Vala makes Fëanor's skin crawl. He cannot bear to be near him, despite Manwë's pardon of him. Melkor chooses to stay near the Noldor, sharing their fascination with creation and invention. Fëanor finds the Vala's attentions disturbing. Since the creation of the Silmarils, Melkor visits Fëanor more frequently, trying to engage him to reveal his method for creation of the gems. Again today, he drifts into the forge uninvited. Fëanor focuses on his work, his one-word answers and intermittent non-committal growls sure signs that Melkor is not welcome.