ëanor—Spirit of Fire— was the son of Finwë, King of the Noldor, the second tribe of the Elves to come to Aman from Middle-earth. Fëanor's mother was Míriel, the first wife of Finwë; he also had two half-brothers, sons of Indis of the Vanyar, of the first tribe of the Elves to come to Aman—Fingolfin and Finarfin. "Fëanor was the mightiest in skill or word and of hand, more learned than his brothers; his spirit burned as flame." 1 When he was born, his mother was so consumed in the fire of his spirit that she was too weary to live, and she lay herself down to sleep and her spirit left her body to dwell in the halls of Mandos.

The grief of Finwë was great, but he gave all his love to his son Fëanor who grew quickly with the fire that was in his spirit. Of all the Noldor he became the most subtle of mind and skilled of hand. When he was young, he devised a new lettering system, the Tengwar of Fëanor, and he learned that greater and brighter jewels than those found in the earth could be made by skill. "The first gems that Fëanor made were white and colourless, but being set under starlight they would blaze with blue with silver fires brighter than Helluin; and other crystals he made also, wherein things far away could be seen small but clear, as with the eyes of the eagles of Manwë." 2

Fëanor married Nerdanel, daughter of the great smith Mahtan, from whom he learned a lot about making things in metal and stone. Nerdanel bore him seven sons, Maedhros, Maglor, Celegorm, Caranthir, Curufin, Amrod and Amras the twins.

At this time, Melkor was released from his prison and allowed to live among the Elves and Valar in Aman. (You can read more about the unchaining of Melkor and the evil deeds that arose from that in the story of The Sun and the Moon in Stories of the Valar.) Melkor hated the Eldar because he saw in them the reason for his own downfall. Because of this hate, he feigned love and friendship and tried to get them to listen to his evil words. The Noldor, lovers of skills and craftsmanship, hearkened to the words of Melkor, planting the seed of strife that would grow in later days. Fëanor, however, hated Melkor above all others and would never listen to his words. He was the first to name him Morgoth, the Black Enemy.

In the time of Melkor's freedom, Fëanor created what would be the most beautiful and most renowned of all the works of the Elves: the Silmarils. Now being full grown, he began to think often on the light of the Trees and how that light could be preserved imperishable. "Then he began a long and secret labour, and he summoned all his lore, and his power, and his subtle skill; and at the end of all he made the Silmarils." 3 The Silmarils were as great jewels in form, but no one will ever know of what substance they were made. Like diamonds they appeared but they were hard as adamant and nothing could mar their perfection. But the jewels were just the vessels for the true beauty that was encased inside them: the light of the Two Trees mingled. Varda hallowed the Silmarils so that no mortal flesh or evil hands could touch them without being scorched and withered by them. Mandos rightly foretold that the fates of Arda, earth, sea, and air lay locked in the Silmarils.

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The creation of the Silmarils and the events that occurred after their creation are the main focus of The Silmarillion. When Mandos said that the fates of the world were locked within the Silmarils, he meant it. Everything that happened after sprang from the oath Fëanor made after Melkor stole the Silmarils after the darkening of Valinor. He swore that no one would have the Silmarils but he and his seven sons, and they would fight heaven and earth to regain the Silmarils from all other hands. They vowed to pursue to ends of the world Vala, Demon, Elf or Man who should take and keep a Silmaril from their possession. This oath caused them and many of their kin to leave Aman and return to Middle-earth to regain the Silmarils, beginning the kin-strife and the Doom of Mandos that lay on the kin of Fëanor for ever after.

One story that involves the fate of the Silmarils is that of Beren and Lúthien, whose lives became caught up in their fate, forcing them into the realms of Morgoth and facing great peril to seize a Silmaril.

 

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