Thirty Day Character Challenge: Feanor by eris_of_imladris

Prompt 10

Prompt 10: What's in a Name? Research the meaning of your character's name. Think about how that name fits the character but also what the name might more subtly imply about your character.

Although I headcanon that he would prefer to be known exclusively by his mother-name, I think his personality is an interesting combination of both names.

“Curufinwë,” or “skilled Finwë,” is his father-name, and one that I think would bring Fëanor a great deal of pride as well as insecurity. He is definitely proud of his skills, both with languages and in the forge, and he is also proud to carry his father’s name. But when his half-brothers are born, and given the names Nolofinwë and Arafinwë – wise Finwë and noble Finwë respectively – he realizes that his own name speaks less to the skills of a king than his half-brothers. I headcanon that he is worried about his place, especially considering the love his father shows to Indis and her children, and the fact that kings are more often praised as wise or noble rather than skilled becomes a point of contention for him. He confronts his father about this in part 24 of this challenge, after trying to do what he can to make himself seem wise, and thus, worthy.

Fëanáró is a name that brings him great pride, considering it is one of the few relicts from his mother, and he identifies strongly with the name and prefers to use it to keep his mother’s memory alive. The name means “spirit of fire,” and in addition to referring to the fact that he is hot-headed and impulsive, and has a tendency to destroy rather than build, there are several other meanings behind fire that I find fascinating to explore. Fëanor’s fire is what drives him to work so hard. It shines without remorse, consuming and giving back light. It represents the creativity, passion and power that rule him, and it is all too easy for fire to lose control and bring pain and death. One particularly fascinating meaning that ties to Fëanor’s creation of the Silmarils is the connection that fire provides between the mortal and the divine, as the only one of the four elements (fire, earth, air, water) that humans can create. The Silmarils dance upon the line between the Eldar and those who are higher, and Fëanor himself dances on the line as well.

I find it quite interesting that his mother-name is his greatest strength, and his father-name is the weakness that corrupts his inner fire – namely, his self-doubt.