Inside Middle-earth — Fëanor (Part 1)

Considered the most splendid elf who ever lived, the figure of the king of the Noldor was the ultimate exponent of the hardships of his race and the fatal destiny of those who cross paths with Evil.

Alejandro Orradre
6 min readNov 15, 2022

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‘Fëanor and Silmarils’, by breath-art

The story of Fëanor is that of a character whose pride caused the misfortune of all his descendants. The elf, perhaps the greatest who ever lived, was a victim of his impulses and the fatal destiny he imposed on himself.

His story has all the elements of the classical literary tradition, such as a long journey, the pain of death, or the power of the destiny that we forge.

Without a doubt, Fëanor could have been a Homeric character since his misfortunes combined the themes born in that Greek tradition and later became the foundations of Western literature.

Born in Valinor, the land of the Valar, he was the son of Finwë, the High King of the Noldor. With such a lineage, he was predestined to have a life worthy of praise and to be remembered as one of the most extraordinary elves.

It was so partly because he was the most magnificent of all the Sons of Ilúvatar (Elves and Men), but that greatness brought with it some terrible counterparts.

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