Sons of Fëanor
Encyclopedia
In J. R. R. Tolkien
's world of Middle-earth
, the seven sons of Fëanor, the eldest prince of the Noldor
, led their people from Valinor
to rule over kingdoms in the Northeast of Beleriand
:
They and their father led the Noldor from Valinor to Beleriand
in pursuit of Morgoth
, who stole Fëanor
's greatest work, the Silmaril
s. Since Fëanor died in an early battle, his sons were the driving force behind the ensuing wars. Their heroism was great and they were mighty leaders and foes of Morgoth, but because of the Oath of Fëanor (which they all swore) their actions were also sometimes evil.
Only one survived the First Age
. Because of the nature of their Oath—that they would not permit anyone else to have the Silmarils, not even other Elves—their deaths were generally not in battle with Morgoth but rather in desperate, Oath-driven assaults on other Elves
. The only three not killed in such a manner were Maedhros, who killed himself at the very end of the First Age, and Maglor, who survived only to wander despondently alone along the shores of Middle-earth, and - in The Peoples of Middle-earth
- Amras, who perished at Losgar by a terrible accident. In The Silmarillion
, though, Amras is killed along with Amrod when they, along with Maedhros and Maglor, attack the refugee camp near the Mouths of Sirion.
Fëanor's only grandson, Celebrimbor
, played a role in creating the Rings of Power
. He refused to collaborate with Sauron
, Morgoth's servant, in making the Three Rings
, which were the greatest Rings except for Sauron's One
and which Celebrimbor forged alone in secret. But the Three were nonetheless subject to the authority of the One, which Sauron in his turn had forged alone in secret.
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's world of Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
, the seven sons of Fëanor, the eldest prince of the Noldor
Noldor
In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Noldor are Elves of the Second Clan who migrated to Valinor and lived in Eldamar. The Noldor are called Golodhrim or Gódhellim in Sindarin, and Goldoi by Teleri of Tol Eressëa. The singular form of the Quenya noun is Noldo and the adjective is Noldorin...
, led their people from Valinor
Valinor
Valinor is a fictional location in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the realm of the Valar in Aman. It was also known as the Undying Lands, along with Tol Eressëa and the outliers of Aman. This is something of a misnomer; only immortal beings were allowed to reside there, but the land itself,...
to rule over kingdoms in the Northeast of Beleriand
Beleriand
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
:
- MaedhrosMaedhrosMaedhros is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. First introduced in The Silmarillion and later mentioned in Unfinished Tales and The Children of Húrin, he is one of the most enduring characters in The Silmarillion, and has been the subject of paintings by artists such as Jenny...
the Tall, who ruled over the "March of Maedhros", from his base on the hill of Himring - MaglorMaglorIn J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Maglor is a fictional character, the second son of Fëanor and Nerdanel. He was the greatest poet and bard of the Noldor and was said to have inherited more of his mother's gentler temperament....
the Mighty Singer, who ruled over Maglor's Gap - CelegormCelegormCelegorm is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, appearing in The Silmarillion.He was the third son of Fëanor and Nerdanel, most closely associated with another brother, Curufin. Celegorm is described as "the fair," which could mean either that Celegorm had fairer...
the Fair, who ruled over Himlad with Curufin - CaranthirCaranthirIn J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Caranthir is a fictional character, the fourth of the sons of Fëanor, was also the harshest, and the quickest to anger; he was also called "Caranthir the Dark". His Quenya name was Morifinwë "The Dark Finwë"...
the Dark, who ruled over Thargelion - CurufinCurufinIn J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Curufin is a fictional character, a prince of the Noldor of the race of Elves, the fifth of the seven sons of Fëanor and Nerdanel...
the Crafty, who ruled over Himlad with Celegorm - AmrodAmrodIn J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Amrod is a fictional character, a twin of Amras youngest sons of Fëanor. From their mother Nerdanel they inherited red hair, instead of Fëanor's black....
and AmrasAmrasIn J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Amras is a fictional character, the twin brother of Amrod being the youngest sons of Fëanor and Nerdanel. Through their maternal grandfather Mahtan they inherited red hair , instead of Fëanor's black....
, also known as the Hunters.
They and their father led the Noldor from Valinor to Beleriand
Beleriand
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
in pursuit of Morgoth
Morgoth
Morgoth Bauglir is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium. He is the main antagonist of The Silmarillion, figures in The Children of Húrin, and is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings.Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur, but turned to darkness and became...
, who stole Fëanor
Fëanor
Fëanor is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium who plays an important part in The Silmarillion. He was the eldest son of Finwë, the High King of the Noldor, and his first wife Míriel Serindë...
's greatest work, the Silmaril
Silmaril
The Silmarils are three brilliant jewels which contained the unmarred light of the Two Trees in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. The Silmarils were made out of the crystalline substance silima by Fëanor, a Noldorin Elf, in Valinor during the Years of the Trees...
s. Since Fëanor died in an early battle, his sons were the driving force behind the ensuing wars. Their heroism was great and they were mighty leaders and foes of Morgoth, but because of the Oath of Fëanor (which they all swore) their actions were also sometimes evil.
Only one survived the First Age
First Age
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the First Age, or First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar is the heroic period in which most of Tolkien's early legends are set...
. Because of the nature of their Oath—that they would not permit anyone else to have the Silmarils, not even other Elves—their deaths were generally not in battle with Morgoth but rather in desperate, Oath-driven assaults on other Elves
Elf (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Elves are one of the races that inhabit a fictional Earth, often called Middle-earth, and set in the remote past. They appear in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings, but their complex history is described more fully in The Silmarillion...
. The only three not killed in such a manner were Maedhros, who killed himself at the very end of the First Age, and Maglor, who survived only to wander despondently alone along the shores of Middle-earth, and - in The Peoples of Middle-earth
The Peoples of Middle-earth
The Peoples of Middle-earth is the 12th and final volume of The History of Middle-earth, edited by Christopher Tolkien from the unpublished manuscripts of his father J. R. R. Tolkien. Some characters only appear here...
- Amras, who perished at Losgar by a terrible accident. In The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...
, though, Amras is killed along with Amrod when they, along with Maedhros and Maglor, attack the refugee camp near the Mouths of Sirion.
Fëanor's only grandson, Celebrimbor
Celebrimbor
Celebrimbor is a fictional character In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. His name means "silver fist" or "Hand of silver" in Sindarin ....
, played a role in creating the Rings of Power
Rings of Power
The Rings of Power in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium are magical rings created by Sauron or by the Elves of Eregion under Sauron's tutelage...
. He refused to collaborate with Sauron
Sauron
Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...
, Morgoth's servant, in making the Three Rings
Three Rings
In Tolkien's legendarium, the Three Rings are magical artifacts forged by the Elves of Eregion. After the One Ring, they are the most powerful of the twenty Rings of Power....
, which were the greatest Rings except for Sauron's One
One Ring
The One Ring is a fictional artifact that appears as the central plot element in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy novels. It is described in an earlier story, The Hobbit , as a magic ring of invisibility. The sequel The Lord of the Rings describes its powers as being more encompassing than...
and which Celebrimbor forged alone in secret. But the Three were nonetheless subject to the authority of the One, which Sauron in his turn had forged alone in secret.