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 64
Fëanor cannot, despite his eloquence and passion, convince Olwë to give him ships. He invokes the age-long friendship of Olwë and Finwë but even that does not move the King of the Teleri. He brings Fëanor to a flaming rage when he dares compare his swan ships to Fëanor's Silmarils. Fëanor turns away, heading to the docks. He will ask no more. He will take what he is due. Once his men are on the large ships the Teleri cannot stop them. He has not anticipated their resistance to an armed host, nor has he realized how easily his armor-clad men drown in the harbor, as the Teleri arrows rain down on them.