The Unrest of the Noldor | Of Fëanor and the Silmarils : Silmarillion Explained - Part 2 of 6

What happens when the Dark Lord tries his hand at manipulating the Noldor's royal family? Nothing good. In this video we'll explore the mighty prince Fëanor and the troubles his half-brother Fingolfin. And none of it's going to end well for the Noldor. **Also stick around to the end for another Tolkien Fun Fact!**

Much love and many thanks to the artists who make the wonderful art. No Tolkien art is created by myself, and all credit goes to the individual artists. If an artist is not credited, it is because I cannot find the source of their image, but if any of your artwork is featured during this video, please drop a message or a comment and I can link your page in the description of my videos!

All content falls under fair use: any copying of copyrighted material done for a limited and “transformative” purpose, such as to comment upon, criticize, parody, or use a copyrighted work for educational purposes. Such uses can be done without permission from the copyright owner.

Thumbnail art credit goes to Rami For Verg.

Art credits in order of appearance:
Fëanor - Choistar
Finwë – Kimberly80
Indis – Marya Filatova
Fingolfin - Choistar
Finarfin - Choistar
Melkor - Rami Fon Verg
Noldor, Vanyar, & Teleri - Choistar
Laurelin & Telperion - Leliumoj
Sons of Fëanor: Maedhros - Choistar. The other 6 - Jenny Dolfen
Eönwë – Tuuliky
Manwë – Dymond Starr Illustrations [This is miscredited as Dymond Starr Registrations in the video]
Fingon - Choistar
Turgon - Choistar
Aredhel - Choistar
Swan Ship - Ted Nasmith
Eärwen - Līga Kļaviņa
Galadriel - Choistar
Nerdanel - Marya Filatova
"Get Thee Gone" - Jenny Dolfen
Eru Illuvatar - Enanoakd
Mahanaxar – Jacek Kopalski
Tulkas - Antonio Vinci
Varda – Tania Weil
Formenos – Nadegda Mihailova
High King FIngolfin - daLomacchi
Ulmo – Ted Nasmith
Oromë – Steamey
Nahar – Alexis Chaudouet
Avathar – Philip Straub
Ungoliant - Philip Straub

Extra special thanks to Choistar, Ted Nasmith, Jenny Dolfen, and Kimberly 80. Check out more of their art at:

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Much love, stay groovy, and navaer mellyn nin!

[OdderPZ]

The Ungoliant reveal gave me genuine goosebumps. You tell these stories so well.

[tomwardle]

I can totally understand why Finwe enabled Feanor so much. His grief and his pain at Miriels passing into the halls of Mandos was so strong . Feanor must have be a huge reminder of Miriel as so much of her power and spirit went into Feanor during his conception.

[mbvoelker]

You've actually hit on something that explains why, despite loving Tolkien and having read TLOTR annually since the late 70's, I've always gotten lost in the Silmarillion.

It's all those similar names.

I'm dyslexic and can't keep people straight when it's all Finwhatever and the like.

But I can keep your explanations straight with the illustrations. Thanks.

[davidthetraveler]

There's another interesting parallel I've come to realize between Feanor and Melkor. It could be said that Melkor's greatest "creation" (besides all the distrust, deception, and destruction he's wreaked upon Arda) would be his armies. But these aren't beings of his own creation. They were first formed by Iluvatar, either directly or indirectly, via the Secret Fire. Melkor just took them and encased them in formed shells that represented himself, but their truest essences came from a higher power. In the same way, Feanor's greatest creations, the Silmarils, are merely the light of the Trees of the Valar, captured and ensconced in gems of his own forging, but their true essence too is from a higher power.

Both tried to create, both struggled to craft masterpieces of their own design, but in the end their best work is still just taking someone greater's work and repackaging it to claim it as their own.

[muddlewait]

I’m not sure how you don’t have more subscribers. Your approach and style is
thorough and approachable, and your emphasis on the drama as well as the details makes you fun to listen to. You’ve become my favorite of the many wonderful middle-earth loremasters of youtube. Thank you!

[classics]

Nerdanel is so underrated. She never takes any of her husband’s crap and both times that he gets exiled, she’s like “good riddance, honey, I’m out” and refuses to participate in any of his insanity.

[davejob]

Tolkien’s works illuminate so much of the human condition. His lifelong dedication to his craft and creation is a great gift to us all.

[Therealmanticorejones]

I started watching your channel recently (kicked off by the 20th anniversary of the greatest cinematic trilogy of all time) and you do a fantastic job of “untangling” the deep and complex world of Tolkien. Thank you very much.

[gothngo]

I'm so incredibly glad I have stumbled onto this page. I have been a Tolkien nerd for 30 plus years now. I love everything he ever wrote and even took a college class all about Tolkien. After I got covid, my cognitive stuff got messed up and now when I read the books I have to go back and reread passages because they kind of scramble in my brain. It leaves me in tears because these books have been my friends for so so long. Your videos are helping me to put the words in the books back into my brain properly. I don't know how better to explain what is happening, but I promise I am an intelligent creature and do understand the bookss - it's just that my comprehension is not what it once was. Thank you so much for doing these.

[dennisaur]

I like that Melkor advises and these dark thoughts seep in. Sometimes I get these completely pessimistic “the universe should have never been” notions in my head and I feel that is Melkor’s true essence. It’s interesting that Melkor is the most powerful thought of Eru. Like the powerful part of it all is the worst of us.

[Sandbarfight]

Rainbow Dave I listen to your videos a couple hours a day since I found you. I'm even trying to get my young daughters interested you got the perfect voice thank you for all the hard work. Thank you from the Bay area in northern California.

[SableSunsets]

Wow the background music you use it’s just so perfect during the story telling !!!

[hfcriske]

After seeing some of your more recent content, I was really hoping you'd cover the Silmarillion, and having found these first videos I'm very happy. Reading the book about 20 years ago, I never quite was able to puzzle all the bloodlines and feuds together even remotely as well as you do. A+ content.

[davezdude]

So is it fair to say that the Silmarils were "precious" to Feanor?

[cyclone]

I am rereading large portions of Tolkien's legendarium. However, I find myself using your vids as a sort of "tutor" to make sure I am catching everything, lol. It really is deepening my understanding of everything Tolkien. Thank you!!

[Konuvis]

When I read that part I was trying really hard to remember all the names to makes sense of what was told and it is tough! Thanks to you I'm way more aware of what's what.

[MyrthexLatoya]

You explain everything so clearly, thanks! I'm going to the next video about Ungoliant next and I have severse arachnophobia xD

[donya]

so here i am rewatching your series from the beginning for hundred times XD i just couldn't find any other Tolkein related videos better than this <3 i can't wait untill you release the next video and untill next time much love

[Charmedsas]

Lmao. This is so sad, but it sounds like Melkor just sped up the process of the bothers clashing. They never liked each other in the first place. This was bound to happen on a smaller or bigger scale.

[JHNJRDAN]

Guys like Feanor, who grow up as the apple of their parent's eye, who can never do wrong, the golden child... Yeah, they usually have a somewhat warped view of themselves and their place in society 😂