Speech of Fëanor

The Speech of Fëanor upon Túna was an oration by Fëanor where he called on the Noldor to leave Aman and return to Middle-earth, and when he and his sons swore their terrible Oath to recover the Silmarils. Following the speech there was lengthy debate, filled with fierce words and coming near to violence, but Fëanor ultimately prevailed, inflaming the Noldor and instigating their Exile.

History

Since their arrival in Aman following their Great Journey, the Noldor had been living in the Noontide of the Blessed Realm under the Kingship of Finwë. Finwë's first wife Míriel languished after begetting Fëanor, and ultimately died. Finwë, desiring more children, received permission to re-marry and then wed Indis. This was displeasing to Fëanor who had no great love for Indis or her eventual sons, his half-brothers Fingolfin and Finarfin.

After Melkor's release he stirred unrest amongst the Noldor, causing their houses to quarrel with one another and for them to murmur against the Valar. These lies especially snared Fëanor, and he began openly speaking against the Valar and of leading the Noldor back to Middle-earth. Melkor further exploited the jealousies between Fëanor and Fingolfin, with each hearing that the other meant to drive him out. Finwë, seeking to address the strife, summoned a council of his lords to which Fingolfin arrived early and urged for Fëanor to be restrained; Fëanor entered at that moment fully armed and retaliated by publicly threatening Fingolfin at sword-point. The Valar in response banished Fëanor from the Noldor city of Tirion and Finwë, because of the love he bore to Fëanor, went with him. In Finwë's place, Manwë committed rule of the Noldor to Fingolfin.

In an attempt to reconcile the rifts within the Noldor, Manwë commenced a great high feast to put aside the griefs between their princes. Fëanor came, as he read the invitation from Manwë as a command, but Finwë, Fëanor's sons, and the rest of Fëanor's house at Formenos declined. While at the feast, Fëanor and Fingolfin were reconciled, in word, with Fingolfin pledging to remember no grievance, and that Fëanor shall lead and he would follow. In that same hour, however, Melkor and Ungoliant destroyed the Two Trees and plunged Valinor into darkness. Fëanor was requested by the Valar to break the Silmarils in order to release their light and save the Trees, an act Fëanor refused on the claim that their creation was not an act he could replicate, and that breaking them would also break his heart, slaying him. Fëanor then learned that Melkor had further murdered Finwë and stolen the Silmarils, causing him to rename Melkor as "Morgoth", curse the summons of Manwë, and flee into the night. After this the Valar remained long seated in darkness in the Ring of Doom, and the Noldor for the most part returned to Tirion and mourned for the darkening of their fair city.

Fëanor, rebelling against his banishment, returned to Tirion and summoned all of the Noldor to the Great Square. A great multitude gathered swiftly to hear him, lighting the hill, stairs, and streets with the many torches that each bore in hand.

With Finwë dead, Fëanor claimed kingship of the Noldor, scorning the decrees of the Valar. With fierce and fell words, and echoing many of the lies of Melkor, he prevailed upon the Noldor to avenge the murder of Finwë, win freedom and great realms within the Great Lands instead of being ousted by Men, and to reclaim the Silmarils. He and his sons then proclaimed their terrible Oath.

Following this, three other coteries emerged. Speaking directly against Fëanor and his blasphemous Oath, with fierce words that nearly came to violence, were Fingolfin, his son Turgon, and Finrod. Urging for calm, and to carefully consider actions that could not be undone, was Finarfin and Orodreth. Moved by Fëanor's words on leaving and establishing new realms, but not loving Fëanor himself, were Galadriel, Fingon, Angrod, and Aegnor. After a long debate, Fëanor eventually prevailed and the Noldor chose to leave.

The speech

Several versions of Fëanor's speech are provided throughout the legendarium.

The Flight of the Noldoli from Valinor (c. 1925)

‘Lo! slain is my sire   by the sword of fiends,
his death he has drunk   at the doors of his hall
and deep fastness,   where darkly hidden
the Three were guarded,   the things unmatched
that Gnome and Elf   and the Nine Valar
can never remake   or renew on earth,
recarve or rekindle   by craft or magic,
not Fëanor Finn’s son   who fashioned them of yore –
the light is lost   whence he lit them first,
the fate of Faërie   hath found its hour

Thus the witless wisdom   its reward hath earned
of the Gods’ jealousy,   who guard us here
to serve them, sing to them   in our sweet cages,
to contrive them gems   and jewelled trinkets,
their leisure to please   with our loveliness,
while they waste and squander   work of ages,
nor can Morgoth master   in their mansions sitting
at countless councils.   Now come ye all,
who have courage and hope!   My call harken
to flight, to freedom   in far places!
The woods of the world   whose wide mansions
yet in darkness dream   drowned in slumber,
the pathless plains   and perilous shores
no moon yet shines on   nor mounting dawn
in dew and daylight   hath drenched for ever,
far better were these   for bold footsteps
than gardens of the Gods   gloom-encircled
with idleness filled   and empty days.
Yea! though the light lit them   and the loveliness
beyond heart’s desire   that hath held us slaves
here long and long.   But that light is dead.
Our gems are gone,   our jewels ravished;
and the Three, my Three,   thrice-enchanted
globes of crystal   by gleam undying
illumined, lit   by living splendour
and all hues’ essence,   their eager flame –
Morgoth has them   in his monstrous hold,
my Silmarils.   I swear here oaths,
unbreakable bonds   to bind me ever,
by Timbrenting   and the timeless halls
of Bredhil the Blessed   that abides thereon –
may she hear and heed –   to hunt endlessly
unwearying unwavering   through world and sea,
through leaguered lands,   lonely mountains,
over fens and forest   and the fearful snows,
till I find those fair ones,   where the fate is hid
of the folk of Elfland   and their fortune locked,
where alone now lies   the light divine.’

The Annals of Aman (c. 1950)

In Morgoth's Ring, from which The Silmarillion uses a compressed version, it is as follows:

‘Why, O my people, why should we longer serve these jealous gods, who cannot keep us, nor their own realm even, secure from their Enemy? And though he be now their foe, are not they and he of one kin? Vengeance calls me hence, but even were it otherwise, I would not dwell longer in the same land with the kin of my father’s slayer and the thief of my treasure. Yet I am not the only valiant in this valiant people. And have ye not all lost your king? And what else have ye not lost, cooped here in a narrow land between the jealous mountains and the harvestless Sea? Here once was light, that the Valar begrudged to Middle-earth, but now dark levels all. Shall we mourn here deedless for ever, a shadow-folk, mist-haunting, dropping vain tears in the salt thankless Sea? Or shall we go home? In Cuiviénen sweet ran the waters under unclouded stars, and wide lands lay about where a free folk might walk. There they lie still and await us who in our folly forsook them. Come away! Let the cowards keep this city. But by the blood of Finwë! unless I dote, if the cowards only remain, then grass will grow in the streets. Nay, rot, mildew, and toadstool.’ ... ‘Fair shall the end be, though long and hard shall be the road! Say farewell to bondage! But say farewell also to ease! Say farewell to the weak! Say farewell to your treasures — more still shall we make! Journey light. But bring with you your swords! For we will go further than Tauros, endure longer than Tulkas: we will never turn back from pursuit. After Morgoth to the ends of the Earth! War shall he have and hatred undying. But when we have conquered and have regained the Silmarils that he stole, then behold! We, we alone, shall be the lords of the unsullied Light, and masters of the bliss and the beauty of Arda! No other race shall oust us!’

Of the Speech of Fëanor upon Túna, §§132-133

Other versions of the legendarium

The Book of Lost Tales

In The Book of Lost Tales Fëanor makes three separate speeches.

The first is after Melko steals the Silmarils and kills Fëanor's father (Bruithwir, who is not the king):

As cowards have the Valar become; but the hearts of the Eldar are not weak, and we will see what is our own, and if we may not get it by stealth we will do so by violence. There shall be war between the Children of Ilúvatar and Ainu Melko. What if we perish in our quest? The dark halls of Vê be little worse than this bright prison…

The Theft of Melko and the Darkening of Valinor, p. 191

The second is after the Noldoli petition Manwë to allow them to depart Valinor and return to Middle-earth; he forbids them to speak such words and tells them about the dangers in the world, the upcoming awakening of Men, and that he does not wish to see strife between the two races.

Lo, now do we know the reason of our transportation hither as it were cargoes of fair slaves! Now at length are we told to what end we are guarded here, robbed of our heritage in the world, ruling not the wide lands, lest perchance we yield them not to a race unborn. To these foresooth—a sad folk, beset with swift mortality, a race of burrowers in the dark, clumsy of hand, untuned to songs or musics, who shall dully labour at the soil with their rude tools, to these whom still he says are of Ilúvatar would Manwë Súlimo lordling of the Ainur give the world and all the wonders of its land, all its hidden substances—give it to these, that is our inheritance. Or what is this talk of the dangers of the world? A trick to deceive us; a mask of words! O all ye children of the Noldoli, whomso will no longer be house-thralls of the Gods however softly held, arise I bid ye and get you from Valinor, for now is the hour come and the world awaits.

The Theft of Melko and the Darkening of Valinor, p. 193

The third is after the destruction of the Two Trees:

If all your hearts be too faint to follow, behold I Fëanor go now alone into the wide and magic world to seek the gems that are my own, and perchance many great and strange adventures will there befall me more worthy of a child of Ilúvatar than a servant of the Gods.

The Flight of the Noldoli, p. 207

Other versions of events

In The Quenta, Finweg (Fingon) sides with Fingolfin; Felagund (Finrod) with his father; and Orodreth, Anrod (Angrod), and Egnor (Aegnor) side with the Sons of Fëanor.

External links

• "Hard shall be the road" (version 2): rendition of the Speech of Fëanor by voice actor Christopher Tester