A breakdown of Tolkien’s ‘Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor”, Chapter 6 in The Silmarillion. As usual I share a mini summary with my thoughts, 10 tidbits and 5 quotes!

A Mini Summary and Some Personal Thoughts

Reading Chapter 6 of The Silmarillion, I felt like the pieces were getting set up. As Gandalf would say, it’s ‘the deep breathe before the plunge’. The two main characters we learn about in this chapter are Fëanor and Melkor, two key players in the rest of the book.

We read about Fëanor’s birth, and the subsequent death of his mother – which was quite unusual for Elves, especially at this time. It feels almost like an anti-Cinderella story, with Fëanor’s father remarrying, but instead of an evil step-mother and ugly step-sisters we get the lovely Indis and her impressive sons Fingolfin and Finarfin. And then there’s Melkor, his chaining and then unchaining, and what he starts to do once he’s free.

Let’s get into the tidbits!

Ten Tidbits About ‘Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor’

1. Melkor’s in chains and the Noldor are doing great.

Given the chapter title it’s pretty clear that Melkor’s going to lose his chains at some point. But here at the beginning life is looking good for the Noldor. Melkor’s locked up, and the Blessed Realm is in ‘the fullness of its glory and its bliss … In those days the Eldar became full-grown in stature of body and of mind, and the Noldor advanced ever in skill and knowledge; and the long years were filled with their joyful labours, in which many new things fair and wonderful were devised.’

2. Rúmil of Tirion invents writing.

Of course Tolkien would make sure we know the exact name of the loremaster who first invented the writing of speech and song.

Interestingly, Fëanor later builds on this, ‘bettering the work of Rúmil. He devised those letters which bear his name, and which the Eldar used ever after.’

3. Fëanor is born and his mother Mirial dies.

In that time was born in Eldamar, in the house of the King in Tirion upon the crown of Túna, the eldest of the sons of Finwë, and the most beloved. Curufinwë was his name, but by his mother he was called Fëanor, Spirit of Fire; and thus he is remembered in all the tales of the Noldor.

Here we goooo. Fëanor’s birth feels like (another Gandalf quote incoming) ‘the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains’. And the stones are falling fast, cause right from the gate we get the death of Míriel.

But in the bearing of her son Míriel was consumed in spirit and body; and after his birth she yearned for release from the labour of living.

Manwë delivers Míriel to the care of Irmo in Lorien (remember him from the Valaquenta?) and the maids of Estë (Irmo’s wife, whose gift is rest – remember her?!) tended to her body after she departed to the halls of Mandos. Finwë clearly loved Míriel deeply, and grieved her death: ‘alone in all the Blessed Realm he was deprived of joy.’

4. Fëanor’s on Fire, though not literally. Yet…

With Míriel gone, Finwë gave all his love to Fëanor, and I get that it was a tragic horrible situation. But I think he may have spoiled Fëanor a bit too much…

At the start Fëanor really sounds like he was quite a catch. He was ‘tall, and fair of face, and masterful, his eyes piercingly bright and his hair raven-dark; in the pursuit of all his purposes eager and steadfast…He became of all the Noldor, then or after, the most subtle in mind and the most skilled in hand.’

He married Nerdanel, the daughter of a great smith named Mahtan, who was among those of the Noldor most dear to Aulë. From Mahtan, Fëanor learned much of the making of things in metal and in stone.

5. Fëanor’s living the opposite of a Cinderella story

Finwë remarries Indis the Fair and she’s about as far from a wicked stepmother as you can get. She was actually close kin of Ingwë (who was leader of the Vanyar Elves, and now considered the High King of all the Elves), golden-haired and tall, and in all ways unlike Míriel. ‘Finwë loved her greatly, and was glad again’ – which makes my heart glad as well!

But, the wedding of his father was not pleasing to Fëanor ‘and he had no great love for Indis, nor for Fingolfin and Finarfin, her sons.’ So it’s basically the opposite of Cinderella. Here he had a lovely stepmother and some fantastic stepbrothers, yet he didn’t like any of them. He lived alone (not in the basement) and kept himself busy with the things he loved to do (instead of doing lots of chores to serve others).

6. Fëanor will do awful things, but Indis’ children will do great things.

In those unhappy things which later came to pass, and in which Fëanor was the leader, many saw the effect of this breach within the house of Finwë, judging that if Finwë had endured his loss and been content with the fathering of his mighty son, the courses of Fëanor would have been otherwise, and great evil might have been prevented; for the sorrow and the strife in the house of Finwë is graven in the memory of the Noldorin Elves. But the children of Indis were great and glorious, and their children also; and if they had not lived the history of the Eldar would have been diminished.

So basically, there’s pros and cons to the whole situation.

7. Melkor sure hated a lot of things.

It’s been pretty clear from the beginning that Melkor isn’t a very happy go-lucky guy. But in this chapter, he seems to have pretty dark feelings towards a lot of things.

He was envious of the Valar, and hated the Children of Ilúvatar. He lusted after the wealth of bright gems, and had thoughts of vengeance. Plus, he hated the Eldar the most, ‘because they were fair and joyful and because in them he saw the reason for the arising of the Valar, and his own downfall.’ But he kept these thoughts hidden.

8. Melkor is unchained – bet you didn’t see that one coming.

Any this is why. tMelkor kept his horrible thoughts from the previous tidbits hidden because he wanted to be pardoned and let out of jail. When his sentence of three ages ended, and he was brought before Manwë, he ‘abased himself at the feet of Manwë and sued for pardon, vowing that if he might be made only the least of the free people of Valinor he would aid the Valar in all their works, and most of all in the healing of the many hurts that he had done to the world.’ This reminds me a lot of Adar’s words to Galadriel in the Rings of Power, of Sauron’s desire to heal the hurts of Middle-earth.

Nienna even helped Melkor make his plea, which I think must have gone a long way in aiding his cause. I would trust Nienna’s judgment. But Mandos stayed suspiciously silent, which I really think should have given people pause. Especially given that Mandos ‘knows all things that shall be, save only those that lie still in the freedom of Ilúvatar’.

But Manwë gives Melkor pardon, albeit under house arrest – at least within the gates of Valmar. ‘But fair-seeming were all the words and deeds of Melkor in that time, and both the Valar and the Eldar had profit from his aid and counsel, if they sought it; and therefore in a while he was given leave to go freely about the land, and it seemed to Manwë that the evil of Melkor was cured.’

9. Melkor is pretty tricksy.

Manwë was fooled, unfortunately. But Ulmo was not, and Tulkas was definitely raring for a fight. But they followed Manwë’s rule, which I find quite admirable.

Of the Elves, whom Melkor hated the most, he feigned love for them and offered them his service. The Vanyar were also suspicious, and Melkor didn’t pay attention to the Teleri. But the Noldor were captured in Melkor’s snare, and they ‘took delight in the hidden knowledge that [Melkor] could reveal to them; and some hearkened to words that it would have been better for them never to have heard.’

10. Melkor wanted people to think he and Fëanor were buddies, but actually Fëanor hated him the most.

One of the lies Melkor spun was that Fëanor actually learned a lot from him in secret, and that he even instructed Fëanor in his greatest works. But Melkor lied.

…in his lust and his envy, 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. For Fëanor was driven by the fire of his own heart only, working ever swiftly and alone; and he asked the aid and sought the counsel of none that dwelt in Aman, great or small, save only and for a little while of Nerdanel the wise, his wife.

5 Fav Quotes from ‘Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor’

‘It is indeed unhappy,’ said Míriel, ‘and I would weep, if I were not so weary. But hold me blameless in this, and in all that may come after.’ 

I find Míriel’s death so sad, and her parting almost feels like she knew some of the tragedy that was going to come as a result of Fëanor and his deeds.

Nerdanel also was firm of will, but more patient than Fëanor, desiring to understand minds rather than to master them, and at first she restrained him when the fire of his heart grew too hot; but his later deeds grieved her, and they became estranged.

I really like this description of Nerdanel, that she sought to understand minds rather than to master them. It shows how two people might share similar temperaments and maybe even actions (at least at first), but the vast difference one’s intentions and desires can make it outcomes.

For Manwë was free from evil and could not comprehend it, and he knew that in the beginning, in the thought of Ilúvatar, Melkor had been even as he; and he saw not to the depths of Melkor’s heart, and did not perceive that all love had departed from him for ever.

I truly have a soft spot for Manwë and this quote is just one of the reasons why! It’s important, I think, to remember that in the beginning Manwë and Melkor were brothers, and so I feel it’s understandable that Manwë would want to think well of his brother and not believe he would turn out as evil as he did.

But they obeyed the judgement of Manwë; for those who will defend authority against rebellion must not themselves rebel.

This is just such a powerful line.

To the Teleri he gave small heed, thinking them of little worth, tools too weak for his designs.

This reminds me a lot of how Sauron thought of Hobbits in the Third Age. He too believed Hobbits too small and unworthy of great designs like his own with the One Ring, and it turned out to be his downfall. You think Sauron might have learned from Melkor’s (his master’s) mistakes, but clearly not.

Further Study

I love listening to podcasts to gain more insights and thoughts on Tolkien’s works. Here a couple I listened to about this chapter:

• The Prancing Pony Podcast Episode 013 – The Blame Game
• The Tolkien Professor’s Silmarillion Seminars

The Silmarillion Second Breakfast Book Club

That’s Chapter 6, ‘Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor’! If you’ve missed any previous posts on The Silmarillion in our Second Breakfast Book Club, then check out the Reading Schedule. You can find updates on future chapters there as well. Next up, Chapter 7!