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Of the Silmarils
My Silmarillion reading proceeds apace and has overtaken my Iliad reading for now, since I finally got to the good part. Which is, of course, Fëanor. He's an elf I really enjoy reading about: intelligent, charismatic, arrogant, and scary as all hell.
I've noticed a theme of "the masterwork" running through this story. People make one great thing, after which, they can't or won't replicate it. Yavanna and the two trees, Fëanor and the Silmarils, the Teleri and their white ships ("the work of our hearts, whose like we shall not make again"), and even Míriel, Fëanor's mother. After having him, she basically faded away. "Never again shall I bear child; for strength that would have nourished the life of many has gone forth into Fëanor."
I haven't got all through the story of the Silmarils yet, though I know vaguely what happens, but it seems to me that it prefigures the story of the One Ring, in that they are so beautiful that they stir lust for their possession in the hearts of everyone and are the cause of many terrible deeds.
I think the real issue, though, is this:
Who would you cast to play Fëanor in a Silmarillion movie?
I confess, I'm at a loss.
Re:
Oh, I'm liking that image.
The Simarillion seems to be mainly about the act of creation, the joy of it, the overwhelming achievement of making something as perfect as you can, contrasted with the envy and malice which causes some people to want to ruin something of beauty because they can't create it.
Yes, good thoughts. One of my favourite parts, is the story of Aule making the dwarves -- out of admiration for creation and the desire to participate. Although I always thought that Illuvatar was a bit of a jerk there, saying that Aule shouldn't have done that.