Thirty Day Character Challenge: Feanor by eris_of_imladris

Prompt 11

Prompt 11: Drop Everything and Read, Part Two. Take at least a half-hour to read meta and scholarship written about your character. If you are working on a rare character about whom little has been written, you may substitute reading about a group of characters to whom your character belongs (e.g., Dwarves, female characters, commonfolk, craftspeople, etc.)

** A/N: Anything following an arrow (à) is my own question/observation/thought after reading.

Some interesting observations about Fëanor from scholarship about him, his family, and his Oath:

• Fëanor, like fire, tends to consume those closest to him, and not just his mother – his father also loses a great deal in life for being close to him, and eventually dies for him. Six of his sons also die to keep up his Oath. (Consuming Sons: The Nihilism of Fëanor and Denethor by Jonathan McIntosh) à His fiery spirit even consumed himself, much like how Ungoliant is said to have devoured herself in her greed for food.
• Fëanor’s attitude towards the Silmarils is somewhat like Ungoliant’s, because he wants to keep the light to himself and devour it, albeit not literally. (Hoarding Silmarils by Jonathan McIntosh)
• Fëanor would have been noble or heroic to avenge his father alone, but the evil comes in when he brings in his family and the other elves whose lives are ended on his account. (Minas Tirith forum discussions)
• Fëanor’s fall came from a combination of pride and possessiveness. (Minas Tirith forum discussions)
• Fëanor and his sons represent a very interesting question of “What causes someone to fall?” (We Are Fëanor? Thoughts on Reading Moral Ambiguity into the Characterizations of the Fëanorians by The Heretic Loremaster) à If people agree Fëanor fell, at what point did he fall?
• It can be frightening to see Fëanor as anything but a pure villain because it makes us look inward and realize that we too have the potential for greatness or destruction. (We Are Fëanor? Thoughts on Reading Moral Ambiguity into the Characterizations of the Fëanorians by The Heretic Loremaster)
• Fëanor and Melkor being alike in many ways. (Fëanor and Melkor: so different, so alike by Middle Earth Reflections) à highest height, farthest fall)