The Fëanor

Most people have at least some awareness of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works. For many of us, it began with reading The Hobbit in childhood, and some would go on to read his epic, genre-defining high fantasy trilogy The Lord of the Rings. Many people in the last twenty years have been introduced to Tolkien through Peter Jackson’s film series, arguably one of the best translations of book series to film ever made. And who could forget the 1977 cartoon musical version of The Hobbit, which introduced a generation of children to Bilbo, Gandalf, Gollum, and the magic ring at the center of it all?

However, even people who have read the Lord of the Rings books may be completely unfamiliar with Tolkien’s originally unpublished work The Silmarillion. Which is a shame, as the vast majority of Middle-Earth’s lore – including background information relevant to the Lord of the Rings series – exists within its pages.

The Silmarillion has been called the “Old Testament” of Middle-Earth. It details Middle-Earth’s history from creation right up until the events of the Lord of the Rings. Many of the events in the Lord of the Rings seem to have deep historical meaning for the characters, but that meaning is not always revealed to the readers. In the Silmarillion these mysteries (some of them, anyway) are revealed as a rich and detailed history unfolds.

The creation of Middle-Earth at the hands of Iluvatar, the capital-G God of Tolkien’s world, is not just a singular event. Iluvatar recruits a number of his servants, the Valar (small-g gods), to assist him in managing different aspects of Middle-Earth’s formation and growth. These Valar are by and large benevolent beings, but one of them – Melkor – sees Middle-Earth as an opportunity to rule a world of his own. Melkor is the chief antagonist of the Silmarillion, and Sauron, antagonist of the Lord of the Rings, is his servant.

While the Valar struggle to contain Melkor and his machinations, the Elves – first of the Children of Iluvatar – are born into the world. From a desire to protect these new inhabitants of the world the Valar gather as many of the elves as will come and bring them safely to live in the West, an island called Valinor. In these days there was not yet a Sun and Moon in the world, and Valinor existed under the light of two enormous magical Trees (Laurelin and Telperion). The elves in Valinor were kept safe and separate from the darkness of Middle-Earth and Melkor’s evil.

One of the elves who lived in Valinor was Fëanor. Fëanor (“Spirit of Fire” in Sindarian, the language of the elves) was one of the Noldor, elves who were clever in the crafting of metal and jewls. He was such a mighty craftsman of jewels that he was able to place the light of the Trees into the three Silmarils, gems of such surpassing beauty that all who saw them coveted them deeply. Unfortunately, Fëanor became proud and jealous of his own works. He also listened to the whispers of Melkor convincing him that the Valar would one day ask him to hand over the gems he had created. This was proven to be true when Melkor slew Laurelin and Telperion, ending their light forever, and the Valar approached Fëanor in a last-ditch effort to use the Silmarils to resurrect the Trees. Fëanor denied them, and returned home only to discover that Melkor had attacked. The dark Valar had slain Fëanor’s beloved father and made off with the Silmarils himself.

Fëanor swore revenge, and many elves joined him. The first of the elves to create weapons of war, these weapons were tragically turned on their own kind in an event known as the Kinslaying. Fëanor and his followers

attacked the peaceful coast-dwelling elves, killing many, and stole their ships to return to Middle-Earth to make war upon Melkor for centuries afterward. Many great and terrible things resulted from the wars fought over the Silmarils, and these events changed the face of the world forever. While Fëanor was powerful and the greatest craftsman who ever lived, because of his deeds much evil entered into the world.

Despite the grim origins of the name, the Darksword Armory Fëanor sword is a bright and beautiful weapon. A long, leaf-shaped blade shows the Celtic influence incorporated into Tolkien’s elves, and when sharpened the blade rings with each cut as a sign of its solid construction. The attractive lines of the sweeping guard are perfectly proportioned to the blade, and the scent-stopper pommel provides the necessary balance to make this two-handed sword nimble in the hands. The 5160 blade is resilient and well-tempered, able to withstand the rigors of combat – even combat against the forces of Melkor. Constructed as a two-handed longsword, many European styles of swordplay would be appropriate with this weapon.

The Darksword Armory Fëanor sword is a perfect balance of beauty and functionality, and would look natural on the wall of your home or in the hands of an elf-lord. We trust you will wield it responsibly.