The House of Feanor

[Finrod Felagund]

Do you think there is a Real Earth royal family that inspired Tolkien when he fleshed out the House of Feanor?

[Ereinion]

I'm re-reading some books of Alexander Dumas right now, and I was just notising some points of resemblance between his works and Tolkiens...Now that you mentioned it, the Feanoreans Celegorm and Curufin can be compared to the family of dukes de Guise of Lorraine, and the other Feanoreans to the royal french family of Valois.
I really hope I'm not offending any french or other folks with this comparison.

[Mirkgirl]

Any family of inherited goodies sooner or later reaches that state... and you have to admit that together with the bad stuff Feanor and his son did many things which have deserved their place in the songs.

For Feanor himself, he did an awful choice and took an awful oath but what would have happened if it wasn't for the Silmarili? Morgoth changed nothing but his skin - he would have found a way to build a great(er) army in ME while playing remorse in Valinor. One day he'd decide he's sick of Manwe & co (I don't blame him for Manwe) and take over ME. And there'll be the end. Who'll think of making Sun and Moon out of the trees? They'd have just build ticker and higher wall and give up ME till something happens. And that something would be the first stroke of destruction of Valinor. Eru wouldn't help the lousy Valar & co and it's Melkor's kingdom. How great.

The Silmarillion tells a bit tendious tale. Like every history it's told by the people who think that Feanor and his house are to blame for everything. So they get all the black points and hardly ever the good once. The awkard in the tale of Feanor and his sons is always vivid. The feats are somewhere in the narration. Typical history. That's why the Silm is so great. But that's also why the House of Feanor aren't monsters. At least not more than the rest.

What about the once who weren't of the house of feanor? Was Thingol the greatest and wisest ruler? Or was Turgon?

They took the oath. The divine/faith effect aside. They knew Middle-earth was their task and their property - and really, isn;t it their right? They risk a lot. They have to get the great price as well. They weren't some bored royalties. They were active in the war against the enemy. Maybe becuase he threatened their land, maybe because they took an oath, but they had to do it. They did some appaling things. But they were in a place from where it looked right. In Valinor they'd never be more than some low royalty. Feanor had other plans but was too busy with other stuff to prepare them for the task. Then all of them got land and power. And often enough took the wrong choices. No one is perfect.

Power corrupts. Power means you'll have to make choices all the time. And inherited power means that you're not the one who can do the job best, but the one who has to do the job. No one asks you if you can.

Anyway... I strayed a bit off topic. I don't think there is a royal family in which all the sons got that task in such situation... so I think any analogy is too far fetched. Of course I'm not an expert and maybe someone with more history knowledge will prove me wrong.

Power is responcibility. In extreme times most people fail. Was Denethor such a bad steward?

[David D]

Feanor was easily the 'greatest' elf ever in the meaning most people today would use the word. Feanor is an example of how the most brilliant things can we be ruined by Morgoth. Feanor could have created many wonders and been a great leader had not Morgoth corrupted him. I have an extensive knowledge of the British royal families and his house is like non that I am aware of. I think one of the saddest things in the Silmarillien is that Feanor is marred.

[Morgoth]

For Feanor himself, he did an awful choice and took an awful oath but what would have happened if it wasn't for the Silmarili?

I have to disagree with you. the oath was taken as a result of his father being slain by melkor

[Finrod Felagund]

These are somewhat OT but...

Morgoth: But Feanor's Father was slain because of Melkor's lust for the Silmarils. Murder commited during a robbery.

David D: I think it is deeper than that. I believe Morgoth merely nurtured the seed that was planted when the Valar allowed Finwe to remarry. Much of Feanor's ire revolved around Indis and his half brothers.

Mirk:
People are supposed to learn from their mistakes, it takes the House of Feanor 4 times to realize their oath to reclaim the Silmarils is evil. The fact that the Sils burn Maedhros and Maglor's hands is proof enough.
I have to disagree with you about the House of Feanor not being any worse than the Finarfin's or Fingolfin's. 4 Kinslayings (if you count the theft after the War of Wrath), burning the Ships, setting Dior's sons in the Wilderness (Maedhros gets a guilt spell too late), trying to usurp the throne of Nargothrond and all the fun stuff in that episode. They forsook the wellbeing of their entire RACE for their oath. Little good can come from singlemindedness of that degree. A parralell with our history is the amount of evil things that were and are done in the name of God, no matter what name you call him/her/it.

I believe you are right about the Valar forsaking ME though.

[Gil Galad]

its far to complicated to really get all the answers , but FF hit a good point, that morgoth merely nurtured the seed that was in Feanor already, but he also set some of his own and nurtured other aspects of feanor that wud never have come into the foldof his charactor had he not known the dark vala

as for the family thang i think most of the "great" families of the world wud be guilty of most of the crimes of the feanoreans so its posible that they were ment by Tolkien to represent this attribute of wickedness that is within all the "great" of this world