Chapter 6
Of Feanor and the Unchaining of Melkor
Things were pretty swell, now that the three groups of Elves were all living around Valinor and Melkor was in jail. This was the height of things in the Blessed Realm, long in years but too quickly passing into memory. But for the moment, things were good.
It was during this time of goodness that Finwe's eldest son, Feanor, was born. This name, given by his mother, meant Spirit of Fire, and it would prove a very apt description in later years.
The first to be burned by Feanor was his mother, Miriel. Shortly after having him, she told her husband, "I don't think I can have any more kids after this. I feel like the strength that should have nourished many has gone into Feanor alone."
Finwe, a bit disappointed since he had wanted to have more kids, said, "Surely you just need some time to recover. If there's anywhere you can find rest, it's here in the Blessed Realm." But still Miriel languished, so Finwe brought her to the gardens of Lorien, the most stress-relieving place in all the continent of Aman. As they parted (for a little while, he hoped), he remarked how unfortunate it was that his wife would miss the early childhood of their son.
"It is indeed unfortunate," she replied, "and I would weep, were I not so weary. But please know that whatever happens with Feanor, it isn't my fault."
And thus Miriel, with that last burst of foresight, died.
Finwe, having lost his wife, now gave all his love to his son. Feanor grew swiftly, becoming a dark-haired young Elf, steadfast and eager and nigh impossible to convince of changing something once he'd put his mind to it. He grew in skill as well, with some of his early accomplishments being the improvement of the Elvish alphabet and the creation of the palantir. Seldom were his hands or mind at rest.
Feanor soon married another Noldo named Nerdanel, who deserves several awards for putting up with this guy. She was steadfast like her husband, but more patient, and would prefer to understand others rather than master them. In the beginning, she was one of the few people Feanor would listen to, but eventually even she couldn't stand him and they became estranged. They had seven sons together, for which she deserves another reward, especially since most of them turned out just as stubborn as their father.
Around this time, Finwe remarried. His second wife, Indis, was one of the Vanyar, and in all ways unlike Miriel. Finwe loved her, but their marriage was complicated.
For one thing, Feanor didn't like the idea of his father remarrying. He did not like Indis, and this feeling also extended toward her two sons, Fingolfin and Finarfin. It didn't help matters that Finwe made it clear that Feanor was his favorite son. It was not the happiest family.
It was with this backdrop that Melkor finished his jail sentence. The rest of the Valar decided he'd had enough time to think about his actions and could go free, provided that he stayed in Valinor under their close observation. And indeed, Melkor was happy to play at being good for the moment, sure that it would drop the suspicion on him and allow him to return to his conquest of Middle-earth. Ulmo and Tulkas weren't fooled, but Manwe, being so good he literally couldn't comprehend evil, was happy to give Melkor a second chance.
Immediately upon being set free, Melkor started planning how to corrupt the Elves, seeing as it was 100% their fault for getting the Valar to attack him (at least, in his opinion it was). Melkor decided the best way to get to the Elves was to earn their trust by offering them help and advice, both of which he had in spades. The Vanyar were too pure to want anything to do with him and he thought the Teleri were too weak to waste much effort on, but the Noldor were eager to hear the hidden knowledge that this ancient and powerful being had to offer. In later years, Melkor would boast that Feanor owed many of his skills to Melkor's teachings, but this was a lie. The truth was that although Feanor was ensnared in Melkor's plans, he hated Melkor more than anyone and never learned any skills from his hidden knowledge. Feanor was driven by the fire in his heart alone and never listened to anyone except his wife. Eventually he even stopped listening to her.