Everyone Dies (Except Galadriel)

Chapter 13: Of The Return of the Noldor (Part I)

Lol I have nothing to say for myself...

This chapter is dedicated to @golden_glorfi who appears to be new to the club. 

Lol, I updated for you <3 

I am currently using my small dog as an armrest because he didn't want to move his fat little self out of my way.

***

"It has been told that Fëanor and his sons came first of the Exiles to Middle-earth, and landed in the waste of Lammoth, the Great Echo, upon the outer shores of the Firth of Drengist And even as the Noldor set foot upon the strand their cries were taken up into the hills and multiplied, so that a clamour as of countless mighty voices filled all the coasts of the North; and the noise of the burning of the ships at Losgar went down the winds of the sea as a tumult of great wrath, and far away all who heard that sound were filled with wonder."

We start with some description that's dramatic (yahoo) that basically boils down to "everyone cried so loud that the whole world heard it" which is honestly a mood.

The gist of the first few paragraphs is pretty much that there was a ton of destruction that not only attracted the attention of like, Feanor's brother who he just left behind at the Helcaraxe, but also the attention of Melkor and his Orcs. 

Which is probably not a good thing. 

Honestly though, idgaf, I'm just glad to be back talking about people I care about. 

So, Melkor sent some people to terrorize Feanor and the Murder Crew™ but they were thwarted by the elves because, and I quote, "their swords were long and terrible."

As opposed to...swords that were small and had kitten stickers on them??????

Ok? Sure?

Then, we get this really confusing sentence:

"Evil indeed were the tidings that came at last to Angband, and Morgoth was dismayed. Ten days that battle lasted, and from it returned of all the hosts that he had prepared for the conquest of Beleriand no more than a handful of leaves."

I get that basically, the point is that Morgoth's peeps were decimated, but it appears to suggest that he sent leaves to fight, and they were the only ones to come back. 

Considering the way this book has treated trees and plants and whatever so far, it's really not too much of a stretch. 

Just saying.

Feanor was apparently laughing creepily whenever he fought against the orcs, and the Murder Crew™ didn't really stop to rest at all; instead, they kept pushing forward. 

Tolkien says that the dude's goal was to get to Morgoth himself which is understandable, but he tells us right from the start that this was good news for our pal the Dark Lord so. We can probably guess what's gonna happen. 

This chapter is hard to be funny about lmao. 

So...the fighting continues. Morgoth sends some Balrogs and, well...I'll let Tolkien tell the Next part. 

"There upon the confines of Dor Daedeloth, the land of Morgoth, Fëanor was surrounded, with few friends about him. Long he fought on, and undismayed, though he was wrapped in fire and wounded with many wounds; but at the last he was smitten to the ground by Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs, whom Ecthelion after slew in Gondolin. There he would have perished, had not his sons in that moment come up with force to his aid; and the Balrogs left him, and departed to Angband.

Then his sons raised up their father and bore him back towards Mithrim. But as they drew near to Eithel Sirion and were upon the upward path to the pass over the mountains, Fëanor bade them halt; for his wounds were mortal, and he knew that his hour was come. And looking out from the slopes of Ered Wethrin with his last sight he beheld far off the peaks of Thangorodrim, mightiest of the towers of Middle-earth, and knew with the foreknowledge of death that no power of the Noldor would ever overthrow them; but he cursed the name of Morgoth thrice, and laid it upon his sons to hold to their oath, and to avenge their father. Then he died; but he had neither burial nor tomb, for so fiery was his spirit that as it sped his body fell to ash, and was borne away like smoke; and his likeness has never again appeared in Arda, neither has his spirit left the halls of Mandos. Thus ended the mightiest of the Noldor, of whose deeds came both their greatest renown and their most grievous woe." 

And thus Feanor dies, slain by Gothmog, Lord of the Balrogs. Quite a somber scene if you ask me. 

Honestly, I feel like this final version of Feanor is a completely different character than the one we originally met. It's really hard for me to view them as the same person. I know we're probably supposed to like, appreciate the fact that he had a tragic backstory or something but also know he's evil...but I'm not feelin' it.

This evil version of Feanor is a complete 180 from the one we're introduced to. Maybe the change is too abrupt for me, maybe Tolkien is trying too hard to push the whole "Feanor bad, Valar good" thing.

Either way, the development sits weird with me. I was on board with his outbursts and stuff, the Kinslaying...eh, I guess I see it. But when we get to the burning of the ships, I fall off the wagon. Does he hate Morgoth or does he hate his brother? Because it would make more sense to me that he would want...the more the merrier.

I don't know. That's my two cents, I guess.

I do appreciate the way he went out, though. A fiery blaze of honor for such a fiery spirit. 

And...can I say that Feanor, for all of his actions, was still a victim? 

We wouldn't be here if the Valar had made better choices. The blame, the exile, the curse...mistakes, in my opinion. His soul is stuck in Elf Purgatory for eternity which is...unfair, if you ask me. Certainly, there is punishment to be dealt for the Kinslaying. But the rest? That was Morgoth and the Valar, 110%. 

Eternal punishment is just another slap in the face, I think. 

Fuck the Valar. 

Seriously. 

That's where I'll leave off for today.