Excerpt: In the last few weeks under the gentle warmth of the spring sun, Fingolfin had done his due diligence. He had reviewed the manifests back as far as a decade. He had spoken to everyone who might have even an inkling of a hint of a clue, particularly those whose families had been split up. He had sent out scouts, and gone tracking himself in search of a reliable trail, and set Lalwen on the hunt. And with all his investigation, he returned again and again to the same conclusion: Aredhel and Turgon had planned this.
This has been said by another anon, but you honestly have the best interpretation of the events in the Silmarillion, especially with Elwing's situation which I super super love (I had to unfollow and block other good blogs because of how borderline misogynistic their takes were on her). I wanna know, what is your reaction to Finwe joining Feanor in exile “because of the love that he bore Feanor” which basically makes Tirion kingless, showing his favoritism and cementing Fingolfin as a 'usurper' to most, especially in the fandom? For me, that was the moment I saw how he made such stupid-ass decisions. Like I'm trying to give him the benefit of the doubt with being considered a 'good' father and king but no way is my response to my oldest son pulling a knife on my younger son at some kind of meeting and getting exiled with 'ah well I’m siding with your brother who almost stabbed you'. He sucks so bad like y'all chose this dumbass over Thingol????
I said:
You’re too kind, anon (^///^)
Finwe choosing to join Feanor is one of those things that I think was objectively the wrong choice, but I see how he got there. To me, it was one of Finwe’s deeply flawed moments, which makes him a real character and not just an idealized Fantasy Elf King. It’s also one of those moments where I would love to have more detail, because we get almost nothing on what Finwe’s relationship with his later four children was like. Silm virtually only addresses his relationship with Feanor, so I understand why a lot of fans interpret this to mean Finwe showed favoritism towards Feanor/preferred him to his other kids, and the narrative does tell us Finwe paid particular attention to Feanor (however, given their family history, I don’t think this is a huge surprise–he has a lot of reason to be worried about how Feanor will handle the family growing). The result though is that we get basically nothing about how Finwe and Fingolfin addressed the “Feanor pulls weapons on his brother in public” incident between them.
However–and maybe you will feel this is splitting hairs–I don’t think Finwe chooses to go into exile because he thinks Feanor was in the right, but because he believed the Valar’s punishment was unfair. He only has one quote on it:
“Feanor came indeed, for him alone Manwe had commanded to come; but Finwe came not, nor any of the others of the Noldor of Formenos. For said Finwe: ‘While the ban lasts upon Feanor my son, that he may not go to Tirion, I hold myself unkinged, and I will not meet my people.’” (Of the Darkening of Valinor)
It’s not much, but it’s always suggested to me his issue was with the punishment imposed…and I find it hard to believe Tolkien held Finwe up intending him to be “good” and would then have him approve of one of his sons drawing a weapon on the other.
Furthermore, we know how highly Feanor values loyalty and how much he values Finwe’s attention, so Finwe would have to know what a significant gesture this would be to Feanor in the wake of his being publicly exposed as having been manipulated by Melkor, and exiled. There’s also the fact that Feanor’s behavior is increasingly erratic and extreme, which must be an additional concern.
By the other side of the coin though, he must also know how it will look to Fingolfin.
It’s true that at this time, Feanor and Fingolfin are both grown adults with families of their own. They aren’t little boys chasing after daddy, but clearly Finwe’s attention and affection still means something to him. And given Elves’ immortality, I’ve always found it easy to believe that Elven parents maintain a much stronger presence in their children’s esteem, simply because they never undergo the slow degradation of mind and body that mortal children expect to see in their parents as they age. But even setting that aside, it would be hard, I think, for Fingolfin not to be hurt by Finwe’s choice, even if he understands why it was made. If Fingolfin harbored no resentment about the choice, I’d say we should nominate him for sainthood.
We see that during Feanor’s “trial,” Fingolfin is already asserting a willingness to forgive him for what was done. I talked about that here, and why I don’t find “Fingolfin the usurper” a convincing take. It may be that Finwe and Fingolfin were not in disagreement that Finwe’s going with Feanor was best–it may be that even Fingolfin thought it was better to have Finwe there to try to constrain Feanor and make him see sense (This is what he was talking to Finwe about when Feanor originally bursts in with the sword) rather than leave him to fester in Formenos with only his sons, all of whom support him (In Morgoth’s Ring, even Nerdanel is not with him in Formenos, one of the few people he actually listened to; they’ve separated due to Feanor’s troubling recent behavior).
When it comes to fights between kids, parents are often reluctant to take sides. This can be true even where one child is obviously in the wrong, even repeatedly. There are any number of reasons Finwe didn’t want to see the rift between Feanor and Fingolfin as being that serious, not least of all because I’m sure he wanted them to get along and be brothers, and he loved both of them. When Melkor’s hand in Feanor’s unrest comes to light, this must have been deeply upsetting for Finwe. Thinking that his child had been targeted by Melkor and used by him to cause these problems among the Noldor would be alarming, and there would be a sense of violation there, probably especially for Feanor. Very possibly Finwe believes that the Valar are punishing Feanor for Melkor’s actions.
“Now the unrest of the Noldor was not indeed hidden from the Valar…Then at last the root was laid bare, and the malice of Melkor revealed; and straightway Tulkas left the council to lay hands upon him and bring him to judgement. But Feanor was not held guiltless, for he it was that had broken the peace of Valinor and drawn his sword upon his kinsman…” (Of the Silmarils)
I’ve said this a lot about the situation of the House of Finwe, but it was complicated. Do I think Finwe made the right choice in exiling himself with Feanor? No, not really. Do I see how he thought it was necessary or would cause less damage? Yeah, I do. People often don’t see clearly when it comes to their kids, and I think Finwe has probably always harbored a lot of concern over Feanor because of what happened with Miriel, and possibly guilt over the fact that Feanor never reconciled himself to Finwe’s remarriage or his additional children. He may feel that he needs to show this loyalty to Feanor to make up for the other things, or he may feel that leaving Feanor alone at this time will only make his mental condition worse.
Or he may just love Feanor more than his other kids. But I don’t prefer that explanation.
Finwe is a flawed person. I certainly think it’s possible to characterized him as a little selfish, and willfully blind to his children’s conflict, and the scale of Feanor’s dislike for his step-mother and her kids. But he’d hardly be the first parent to do that. I don’t think there was ever any malice in it, and I don’t generally take to interpretations that he openly and heavily favored Feanor over his other children. I think it may have felt that way to Indis’ kids at times (although I don’t think Feanor ever saw it that way, since he never seems to have managed to feel secure about anyone’s affection), but I don’t think Finwe genuinely loved Feanor more or wanted better things for him than the other kids. I think he was trying to balance Feanor’s huge and volatile feelings with his own desires, and then with Indis’ needs and the needs and desires of their children, and he probably was excessively concerned with Feanor’s feelings–but Feanor also has a way of demanding people pay attention to his feelings.
In conclusion: Yeah I think Finwe made a subpar choice there, but I don’t hate him or think he was awful (although perhaps something of an oblivious father). I think he wanted very much to believe that everything could be fine and good in Aman, so much so that he downplayed actual conflicts among the Noldor and particularly among his children, on the hope that everything would work itself out eventually (And who’s to say? If not for Melkor, maybe it would have.) And in the end, he pays for those choices with his life.
Response to this ask for my thoughts on the fanon idea of Fingolfin as the "usurper" of Feanor's rightful place.
Fingolfin as a usuper is a fanon notion and it’s not one I buy into. I think it goes hand-in-hand with the take that Feanor and Fingolfin are both equally responsible for the state of their relationship, which is not true. Feanor began this, Feanor escalated it, and Feanor was the first to bring weapons and deadly threats into it. Even if Fingolfin at times retaliated or started squabbles of his own, I still see Feanor as the primary instigator of their “rivalry,” particularly considering it’s noted that he also doesn’t like Finarfin (it’s just that he sees Fingolfin, as Indis’ oldest son, as a greater threat, so Fingolfin gets more of his (negative) attention).
Going under a cut because as usual I rambled lol ( Read more... )
Was Fingolfin her responsibility? Only as much as she would be his, in a similar scenario, she reasoned. And where was he to go, otherwise? She doubted he would be welcomed in Valmar, even if Indis and Findis wished to offer him a place. So perhaps it was inevitable that he landed back in the same home he had resided in when he left.
I saw some other posts looking to spread fandom positivity so I thought I would do it also <3
1. Second Music of the Ainur. This fanart by navyinks is absolutely GORGEOUS. She now has my preferred Daeron design and the beauty and drama of this piece is just stunning. Fantastic work (along with her other stuff as well!)
2. Better a Holy Discord. Wonderful take on the Valar by clothono and such engaging prose! I've loved this author's work in the past (huge shout-out to The One With All the Birds, my favorite Elwing fic of all time!) and this one definitely does not disappoint.
3. Elwing's Worst Nightmare. Anattmar's works are always breathtaking and she captures so well the Doriathrin perspective on the Maedhros. This piece evokes such a visceral fear response, truly amazing work!
4. A King is He That Can Hold His Own. This fanfic by iddump is a response to a kink meme prompt and I am frankly astounded by what this author has managed to do with it. Maedhros/Thingol is not a ship that comes up much in this fandom, but this author makes it intensely compelling with plenty of hot sex too.
5. Thingol. I could honestly pick any of Noldorinpainter's Thingol artworks because they're all fabulous. And such a unique style!
6. Little Tenderness. Batshape is another author with generally excellent works, but I lose my shit over this Feanor/Nerdanel Formenos piece. It has all the love and angst and gender dynamics I could want out of Feanel and is one of the few fanfics I've re-read.
7. Fingolfin in Beleriand. This is my mental image of Fingolfin now and I will never change it.
Feanor had a complicated relationship with Indis’ children, but I do firmly believe it was that: complicated. Not cut-and-dry antagonism and opposition. Why? Because I think the story characterizes Feanor as someone to whom family is extremely important. I think in other circumstances (ie: if Miriel had been the one birthing his siblings), he might have been delighted to be a big brother.
Feanor is obsessed with his mother’s legacy, not just as it pertains to his own legitimacy, but for her sake; his grief over her loss is arguably a catalyst for much of his behavior. He adores his father ( “...his father was dearer to him than the Light of Valinor or the peerless works of his hands; and who among sons, of Elves or of Men, have held their fathers of greater worth?” Of the Flight of the Noldor; The Silmarillion). He married his wife in defiance of the expectations of the Noldor and hers was some of the only counsel he would take. He had seven children among a people who conceive only by choice, and named them all after Finwe.
Clearly family is really important to Feanor.
Therefore I do believe that despite his negative associations with his half-siblings, there was affection there. There were times they got along and he did things with/for them and maybe even times he would admit to enjoying having them around, but he could never get over his insecurity over what they represented (Indis’ attempted usurpation of his and his mother’s positions, in his mind) or his resentment about his father’s remarriage to have a more positive, less complicated relationship with them.
1. Turgon and Maeglin. What’s up with these two? Turgon took him in and accounted him among his house, and I can easily imagine putting a lot of effort into out of love and grief for Aredhel, even when it became apparent his own daughter did not get along with Maeglin. He even trusted Maeglin’s advice when shit started to go sideways for Gondolin--and Turgon’s not an idiot, so either Maeglin worked very hard to deceive Turgon as to his true intentions, or the job was easier because Turgon already trusted him. Did Maeglin feel guilty for what he did? Did he regret? Did Turgon feel he had failed his nephew if Maeglin had been turned to the service of Morgoth?
2. Finwe and the other grandkids. I’ve seen a fair bit of speculation of Finwe’s relationship with Maedhros and I tend to agree Maedhros takes a lot after him, but what about the others? Finwe’s whole thing with marrying Indis was out of a desire for more kids, so I have to assume he was a very involved grandfather. What did he talk about with Maglor? With Finrod? With Aredhel? I can totally see him as the type of grandparent to want to have a special little activity for each of his grandkids that was “their” thing, but then he ended up with 16 and started running out of time in the day lol
3. Fingolfin and Lalwen! We know almost nothing about Finwe’s daughters (they don’t even appear in The Silmarillion proper), but Tolkien elsewhere says that Lalwen went to Middle-earth because Fingolfin, her favorite brother, went. That’s a lot of love. Fingolfin and Feanor have the most prominent and explored relationship among Finwe’s kids, and not without cause, and we know that the Nolofinwean and Arafinwean families were very close, but please I really want to know more about Fingolfin and his little sister.
4. Fingon and Finrod. The text doesn’t give us much explicitly on their relationship, but we know the Nolofinweans and the Arafinweans are very close, and I firmly believe that even if these two were not particularly close back in Tirion (Fingon being closer with Maedhros, Aegnor, and Angrod, and Finrod being closer with Turgon), that changed on the Helcaraxe. I think the Helcaraxe changed the relationships for all of them, and made them far closer than they ever might have been otherwise, but for Finrod and Fingon, who both essentially operated as Fingolfin’s second-in-command, I think there would have been a particular sense of sharing responsibility. How did that impact their relationship and their interactions later on in Middle-earth? And what did they talk about on the Helcaraxe?
5. Tar-Miriel and Sauron. We can assume, I think, that Tar-Miriel does not get along with her husband Ar-Pharazon, but what was her take on Sauron? Did she also buy his claims of repentance and servitude? Did she think serving her husband a fitting fate for someone who had caused so much trouble in Middle-earth? Or was she skeptical of his intentions? We know she tried to flee the sinking of Numenor, and that her father had been devout, but we know very little about Tar-Miriel’s own beliefs. Did she follow her father’s path and resent Ar-Pharazon for his blasphemous acts? Or was she indifferent, merely seeing that as another part and parcel of Numenor’s cultural and intellectual decline? Did she foresee anything from Sauron’s arrival at court? Or was it just one more thing Ar-Pharazon did that she didn’t approve of? Did her opinion of him change over time--was there a moment she began to see him as a threat? Or did she overlook him until it was too late?
Summary: The Feanorians had not looked for their Exile kin, and had expected no reunion. When Nolofinwe arrives in Middle-earth, they must determine if he has come as friend or foe.
AN: Once again I @meadowlarkx for the inspiration on this. She has some great angsty Maglor headcanons and we had a fun talk about awkward Finwean family reunions.
Three sets of eyes stared uncomprehendingly at the messenger.
“What?” Celegorm said at last.
“It is Prince Nolofinwë Arakáno. Not Orcs.”
Caranthir looked over at Maglor, who had moved his gaze from the scouts to stare blankly at the center of the table as though in its irregular whorls he might divine some celestial guidance. Celegorm leaned his back against the wall, twisting the point of his pocket knife against the callous on his thumb.
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