#first kinslaying

[sesamenom]

the swan-maiden and the swan-ships

read something about how swans, being gigantic and heavy as far as birds go, often fight by bludgeoning stuff with their wings, and it gave me the idea for earwen wielding a mace

[solmarillion]

sunk-cost fallacy: noldor edition

kinslayer badge ribbons have been ordered for otakon 2026 🗡🔥 i'll be handing these out at the meetup!

[drowninginmytbr]

hi silmarillion fandom do we know if finarfin knows that fingolfin crossed the ice

because he went back to tirion after(?) the kinslaying so im not sure if he’d have known that fëanors host took the boats, or if he’d just assume they all sailed

[rana-temporaria]

Thinking about like. The logistics of Valinor after the Darkening. Wtf was going on with the plants like what was the food situation until the sun rose. Or like the aftermath of the kinslaying. Im very incoherent but people need to eat, the dead need to be buried/burned/out of the streets, and the injured need medical attention; im absolutely fascinated by this stuff

[valacirya]

I think part of what I failed to say in my last post is that I find it fascinating that the Arafinweans (Finrod and Angrod, if we're being specific) essentially forgave the Kinslaying. Not just Feanor's abandonment, but the Kinslaying itself! I think there's enough evidence in the text to back that up. And there could be multiple reasons, all fun to explore! But what interests me most is their belief that they had a right to forgive, even though Namo told them very clearly that they were in the same boat as the kinslayers (pun intended).

Also, re: Finrod, tobermoriansass pointed out that in swearing loyalty to Beren and abdicating his kingship, he rejects the ideology that created the violence of the First Kinslaying. And I realized that's why I love the ending of the song duel so much, because it's the next step in his character arc; because Finrod matches Sauron's power until that violence is brought up, and he's faced with his own complicity. And Finrod fell before the throne. But his defeat completes his redemption, and then he becomes the first Exile to be re-embodied!

And what happens next is an empty space for us to fill with headcanons and fics!

[valacirya]

Is it just me, or does the narrative (whether that's Tolkien or Tolkien "through" Pengolodh) seem to almost trivialize the First Kinslaying? That's not the most accurate word, because it is portrayed as this act of uniquely horrific violence, the consequences of which reverberate throughout the Ages.

But I feel like the story after that simply doesn't treat the Kinslaying seriously beyond how it affects the Noldor, i.e. the Doom of Mandos. Manwe cries for the fall of Feanor, not the murder of the Teleri. The burning of the ships focuses on "treason of kin unto kin." The Helcaraxe is posited as atonement (even by Thingol). Throughout the book, the narrative/or inserts little opinions and judgments of the characters, but takes no issue with Finrod remaining friends with the Feanorians. The Arafinweans forgiving the Kinslaying and concealing the truth from the Sindar is portrayed as a good thing, as seen in the quote below:

"But being true, and wisehearted, and thinking all griefs now forgiven, he spoke no word concerning the kinslaying, nor of the manner of the exile of the Noldor and the oath of Fëanor."

And then we have the Book of Lost Tales, Part 1, which is not canon, but it is relevant because I'm discussing Tolkien's biases here (again, not the most fitting word, but my vocabulary is severely limited these days). In 'The Hiding of Valinor', after the Kinslaying, the Teleri (then called the Solosimpi) demand that Valinor be fenced against the Noldor. At various points, Manwe, Ulmo, and the narrative/or accuse them of listening to and spreading Morgoth's lies.

All of which is to say, I believe that the fandom's tendency to minimize the atrocity of the First Kinslaying is a reflection of the narrative itself. I will complicate my own argument by putting forth the possibility that Tolkien did this deliberately, specifically for Finrod, who got knocked out by "having all his worst hypocrisies flung in his face in six-eight time", as written in this brilliant fic.

But I wrote this at 1am so it could be a cold ass take, I don't know.

[silmarillion-ways-to-die]

[silmarillion-ways-to-die]