Tag: OMFG

pearl-of-lys:

“Finrod Felagund lord of Nargothrond journeyed east of Sirion and went hunting with Maglor and Maedhros, sons of Fëanor” – “Of the Coming of Men into the West”, The Silmarillion

This hunting trip always baffles me. Though three hundred years had passed since the First Kinslaying and Fingolfin had tried to make amends amongst the Noldor, the fact Finrod went hunting with his Fëanorian cousins seems incredibly bizarre.

Maedhros and Maglor had attacked the city Finrod likely grew up in, likely killing some of his family and friends, and they’d refused to atone for it. Moreover, the Fëanorians and Arafinwëans rarely interacted during those three hundred years – that makes wounds hard to heal. How could any of the Arafinwëans voluntarily agree to amicable, unnecessary meetings like hunting trips?

There are lots of answers. Maybe they did get a good heart-to-heart, maybe Finrod’s really, really forgiving, etc. However, I have a different theory:

Finrod Felagund originally planned to murder Maedhros and Maglor on the trip as revenge for his Telerin family and for all of those who died crossing the Ice. He was willing to bear the same sin as the Fëanorians an attempt to give their victims some measure of closure. Of course, Finrod found that he couldn’t go through with it. They were still his cousins, still children of Ilúvatar. His leaving the hunt was as much a product of guilt as it was of weariness.

He couldn’t ever tell anyone. Even before leaving, his siblings had demanded to know why he’d go with them. After Finrod’s return, they were still furious with him and accused him of forgetting about Eärwen and her kin. Only Galadriel knew the truth–he was too mentally exhausted to keep it from her–and for the rest of his life, Finrod couldn’t tell whether she was disappointed in him for the attempt or for the failure. 

The Edain were discovered because Finrod genuinely planned to murder his cousins.