Fëanor - the Greatest of the Noldor Quiz

Answer: Finwë

Finwë awoke at the waters of Cuiviénen and was one of the first three Eldar ambassadors to Valinor. He led the march of the Noldor to Aman, and settled at Tirion, where Fëanor, his first son, was born. Fëanor inherited the title of High King of the Noldor upon Finwë's death at the hands of Melkor. His reign was tragically short-lived.

Answer: spirit of fire

Fëanor's name comes directly from the Quenya version of his name - Fëanáro, which literally means 'spirit of fire'. This name fits in perfectly with Fëanor's personality, as he was always fiery and impulsive, with a fierce sense of loyalty and honour. He stood up for his own rights even if it meant defying the Valar, and was the first to name Melkor "Morgoth".

So fiery was Fëanor's spirit that when he died, his body was consumed by flames and nothing remained but ashes.

Answer: Aulë

Aulë the Smith was the Ainu who created Adra. He was most connected with the substance of the earth, and his lore ran deep. The Noldor studied long under Aulë, but none more than Fëanor, especially through his father-in-law Mahtan. Fëanor learned more than wisdom as Aulë's student, he learned the secrets of substance, and thus was able to create the Silmarils.

Answer: Maglor

Maglor was the gentlest of all of Fëanor's sons, and was known far and wide as a bard and as a poet. He was the last of all of Fëanor's kin to take the terrible Oath, and he was also the last to endure its doom. Maglor ended up with one of the two remaining Silmarils from the Iron Crown, but seeing as it scorched his hand, he cast it into the abyss of the sea, and wanders the shores of the Middle-earth to this very day singing laments for his deeds.

Answer: Fingolfin

Fëanor never liked his half-brother Fingolfin, and suspected Fingolfin of trying to mar their father's great love for Fëanor. After Míriel's death, Finwë gave himself body and soul to Fëanor, and even though Finwë remarried, neither Indis nor Fëanor's two half-brothers (Fingolfin and Finarfin) received even a fraction of the love Finwë held for Fëanor.

Nevertheless, Fëanor was more than slightly insecure about this. Hearing dark words from Melkor did much to poison his opinion of both Fingolfin and Finarfin. Since Fingolfin was also somewhat of an impetuous elf, the two clashed, and Fëanor said some words in front of all the Eldar that could not be taken back. Manwë exiled Fëanor from Tirion for a while, and with him into exile went many of the Noldor, and also Finwë as well.

Answer: Rúmil

The first to invent writing was Rúmil, who brought the idea forth in 1179 in the Years of the Trees. Rúmil's characters caught on for the elves of Tirion, but Fëanor's characters outdid Rúmil's. Fëanor devised his system in 1250 of the Years of the Trees, and originally, his script was intended solely for the writing of the Quenya language. Gradually, Sindarin also adopted Fëanorian script, and with the colonization of the Middle-earth, most languages adopted the Fëanorian script, more commonly known as Tengwar.

Just a note, Daeron was the one who devised the Cirth (runes), the cutting of the letters onto a surface, and used Fëanorian script letters.

Answer: nobody knows

The three Silmarlis, which captured in their heart the light of the Two Trees, Laurelin and Telperion, were truly Fëanor's greatest creation. Not only were they beautiful to behold and handle, but they showed Fëanor's foresightedness, as Melkor and Ungoliant were quick to destroy the Two Trees, and attempted to cast Arda into darkness.

Nevertheless, not until the three Silmarils will be unmade will we ever discover what they are made of. They are made of silima, a substance Fëanor invented. It seems to be a clear substance, harder than diamonds, clearer than crystal, wrought out of all of Fëanor's skill, wisdom and love.

Answer: True

"for none of the Eldalië ever hated Melkor more than Fëanor son of Finwë, who first named him Morgoth; and snared though he was in the webs of Melkor's malice against the Valar, he held no converse with him and took no counsel from him..." Quenta Silmarillion Ch. 6

Fëanor, perhaps in pride, perhaps in foresight, would not take any counsel with Melkor. Melkor lusted after the Silmarils, and came to Fëanor with fair words and fair deeds, but Fëanor would not suffer Melkor's presence. Fëanor alone of the Eldar and Tulkas and Ulmo alone of the Valar saw through Melkor's lies and deceits. Unfortunately, Melkor found other ears willing to listen, and through other Noldor he managed to poison Fëanor's mind and fill it with animosity towards the Valar.

Answer: Eru

Fëanor and his sons all swore to never rest until the Silmarils were back in their possession, and to make war upon whoever held them.

"They swore an oath which none shall break, and none should take, by the name even of Ilúvatar, calling the Everlasting Dark upon them if they kept it not;..." Quenta Silmarillion Ch. 9

Many years later this led to a second kinslaying, when Dior held the Silmaril that Beren rescued, but would not yield it to Maedhros, Fëanor's eldest son. Fëanor's sons then assailed Dior's stronghold in Doriath and slew him, though could not recover the Silmaril which Elwing bore when she escaped. Celegorm, Caranthir and Curufin lost their lives in that assault.

Answer: Formenos

Fëanor built his fortress outside of Tirion, far in the north of Valinor, mostly to keep out of the eyes of the Valar. Fëanor felt that the Valar were trying to hinder him in his works, and wanted to be free to smith and create without having their unasked-for criticism. In the heart of Formenos, Fëanor stored the Silmarils, hoarding them so that nobody could see or touch them.

It was to Formenos that Fëanor removed himself when he was exiled from Tirion.

Answer: Alqualondë

Fëanor was eager to reach the Middle-earth and to get at Morgoth and fulfill his vow. The fastest and least perilous route was by sea, and the Noldor hastened to Alqualondë to enlist the aid of the Teleri. Despite long years of brotherhood and camaraderie, the Teleri refused the Noldor.

Enraged, Fëanor decided to man the ships without the blessing of the Teleri, but the Teleri guards began to throw the Noldor off of their beloved white ships. Swords were drawn, and Eldar killed Eldar on the shores of Alqualondë.

Answer: False

The statement is wrong for two reasons: first of all, as Finarfin's daughter, Galadriel marched with Fingolfin's host. After Fëanor crossed the sea to the Middle-earth, he burned the ships of the Teleri so that he wouldn't have to go back and bring over Fingolfin's people. Fingolfin, realizing he was betrayed but too proud to turn back towards Valinor, was forced to take the dangerous route through the Grinding Ice, the Helcaraxë.

Secondly, Galadriel had no love lost for Fëanor. First of all, back in Valinor he had asked Galadriel for a lock of her hair three times, and three times she refused him (ironically, Gimli the dwarf asked but once, and received three locks of hair). Galadriel was enraged at the slaughter of her kinsmen at Alqualondë, especially since these were her own relatives by her mother's side. She sought to thwart Fëanor, not aid him.

Answer: Dagor-nuin-Giliath

Morgoth sought to strengthen his hold on the Middle-earth by driving the Eldar out. The first battle of Beleriand was barely thrown back by Círdan and Thingol. The second battle was fought on the north bank of Lake Mithrim, soon after Fëanor built his encampment there. It was called the Dagor-nuin-Giliath because the Moon had not yet had time to rise for the first time, and the battle was fought by starlight.

Fëanor's host had not yet set up any defences, was still weary from the crossing of the sea, and they were caught unaware. Despite these drawbacks, the Noldor were able to defend against the large host of Orcs, and sent them running back to Angband, closely followed by Fëanor and a small host.

Answer: Gothmog

After defeating Morgoth's Orcs in the Dagor-nuin-Giliath, Fëanor sought to use his momentum to bring victory to the Noldor by defeating Morgoth, who was holed up in Angband at the time. Fëanor did not know of the defences of the mighty fortress, and, consumed by his own anger and fury, fought his way far ahead of the vanguard of his own host.

Morgoth saw the weakness of Fëanor's small host, and unleashed upon them the Balrogs, which had been kept as a reserve up until that moment. Fëanor was wounded gravely by Gothmog, Lord of the Balrogs, and would probably have been killed had not his sons caught up to Fëanor's broken body.

Answer: he wasn't

The fiery passion of Fëanor's spirit consumed his body. He was turned into ash, which the wind swiftly bore away. Before passing away, Fëanor held his sons to their oath, binding them to their solemn and grave duty to find the stolen Silmarils. He cursed Morgoth's name three times, though in his foresight, he knew that the Noldor would not be the ones to overthrow the towers of Thangorodrim.

Thus passed Fëanor, the mightiest of the Noldor. His spirit waits in the halls of Mandos, until the day when he will redeem himself - in the final battle of Arda.