Reading JRR Tolkien The Lord of the Rings or watching Peter Jackson The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies can create the impression that all the Elves in LOTR They were good, but that’s not the case. The Silmarillion revealed a wide variety of complex Elves, some of which were horrible from start to finish. What is more, The Silmarillion It was no romance like LOTR but it was rather an elven historical document composed of myths and legends. Like many great kings in real-world history, some elven leaders in The Silmarillion They were liberators, pioneers and ruthless killers all at the same time.
In fantasy, villains tend to occupy a very defined role, opposing heroes and neglecting human rights through acts of cruelty or selfishness. In a job like The Silmarillionthe traditional roles of heroes and villains are complicated by default. In The Silmarillion and the broader Legendary, there were few clear villains among Lord of the Rings’ different types of Elves. Of all the elven factions, the Noldor were the most controversial. Fëanor and even the least offensive of his sons committed villain-worthy acts, but the most offensive could give most fantasy villains a run for their money, even despite the debatable redemption of some.
10
Maglor
The minstrel
Perhaps the least villainous of the Elves who could qualify for villainous status in Lord of the RingsMaglor, however, committed terrible atrocities. Maglor was a singer, poet and one of the seven Sons of Fëanora Noldor king who created shining jewels called Silmarils that burned away all evil and were stolen by Lord of the Rings’ tyrannical Morgoth. Becoming obsessed with the Silmarils, namesake of The Silmarillion, Fëanor led his sons in an oath to get them back no matter what. Although the exact terms of the magic at play were never clear, the oaths had terrible power in LotR.
Oaths typically appeared contractually binding, with significant consequences for anyone who broke them. In this sense, Maglor was both victim and perpetrator. And yet, he could have faced the consequences of breaking his oath long before he decided to do so. His oath carried him through all three Fëanorian family murders. – massacres of Elvenkind. Cursed by the Vala Mandos for only the first Fratricide, Maglor finally recovered a Silmaril, but his tainted soul could no longer bear its light. Poetically, he threw it into the sea and disappeared, and some say he threw himself into the sea along with it.
9
Maedhros
The high
From every controversial Elf in The Lord of the Rings and of all the elves who committed vile acts, Maedhros – Maglor’s brother – was the least guilty and the most noble. Maedhros is, in fact, one of the greatest Elves in The Lord of the Rings and probably one of the top 10 heroes in the Legendarium, immortalized in the Blind Guardian film Silmarillion concept album on the song “Blood Tears”. However, he killed thousands of innocent people and affected the lives of countless others throughout his time in Aman and Middle-earth.
Maedhros rallied the Union of Maedhros in a heroic and valiant attempt to unite the various races of Middle-earth against Morgoth, however disastrous its results. But Maedhros, like Maglor, carried out all three Fëanorean family murders before finally renouncing his father’s oath. Although he was subject to the Bane of Mandos like Maglor, it was a testament to his character that it could only mean suicide. Maedhros chose honor over other people’s lives and, eventually, his own.
8
Amrod
Amras’s twin
Amrod was one of Fëanor’s sons and accompanied him in his worst acts. He is rarely mentioned without Amras in The Silmarillionconfirming that these two twins were almost inseparable. Amrod was a Noldor prince who migrated from Middle-earth to Aman and back. Unfortunately, migrating from Aman to Middle-earth entailed the first murder of Fëanorian kin. Subject to Oath of Fëanor, Amrod spilled blood on his way to power.
Once in Middle-earth, Amrod settled with his twin brother in a land that would come to be known as Estolad. Amrod seemed like one of the less warlike Fëanorians. He participated in the Battles of Beleriand as needed, fighting Morgoth for land, power, and the Silmarils, but remained isolated most of the time. In both Valinor and Middle-earth, Amrod was a hunter and explorer, preferring the wild to the court. However, he ended up participating in all three Kinslayings.
7
Amras
Amrod’s twin
Like Amrod, Amras participated in all three family murders. Amrod and Amras don’t get much mention in The Silmarillion compared to Fëanor’s other sons, which probably reflects well on them. Like Amrod, Amras was a lover of nature and the unknown, exploring the outer regions of Aman during his time there. However, neither Amras nor Amrod were ever seen speaking out against the Oath of Fëanor.
The only reason Caranthir, Celegorm and Curufin did not participate in the three murders was because they died in the second.
Amrod and Amras seemed to prioritize knowledge over power, keeping them away from the kinds of treacherous scandals that some of their brothers were involved in. all the sons of Fëanor, including Amras, pursued the Silmarils and killed all who stood in his way, when the time came. The only reason Caranthir, Celegorm and Curufin did not participate in the three murders was because they died in the second.
6
Caranthir
The dark
Fëanor’s son Caranthir was bound by his oath to protect the Silmarils for his family. Caranthir participated in the first and second Kinslayings but died in the second. Neither as great as Maedhros nor as inhuman as Curufin, Caranthir was one of the lesser-known sons of Fëanor. He established a kingdom in Thargelion, creating a profitable relationship with the Dwarves.
Despite his loyalty, Caranthir disliked the Dwarves for their “lack of love,“demonstrating troublesome intolerance. Caranthir also despised the sons of Finarfin, a Noldor kinsman, provoking infighting and arguments among his people. Although he is a strong leader on the fields of battle and trade, and bound by a powerful oath, Caranthir ended up participating in two bloody massacres.
5
Feanor
King of the Noldor
King, inventor, warrior, and blacksmith, Fëanor is both a Noldor hero and a Teleri villain. JRR Tolkien said that “Galadriel was the greatest of the Noldor, except Fëanor perhaps”, confirming its complexity. Forger of Lord of the Rings‘ legendary but disastrous Silmarils, Fëanor would not hand them over to Morgoth after their theft. Fëanor’s oath to reclaim the Silmarils placed legions of Arda’s innocents under the control of his jealousy. and possessiveness, especially your children. Perhaps the most revealing of Fëanor’s acts was the involvement of all seven of his sons in his lethal oath to conquer the Silmarils.
Both Gimli and Fëanor asked Galadriel for her hair and, tellingly, she just gave it to Gimli.
This oath started the War of the Jewels and effectively ensured that the entire LOTR The world was kept at war throughout the First Age. But more specifically, it illustrated Fëanor’s cruelty, neglect, and selfishness, showing that he valued the abstract notion of the Noldor name above his own family. When the Teleri did not lend Fëanor ships to pursue Morgoth, he led his people to kill them. and stealing their ships in the first Kinslaying, which caused all Noldor to be cursed and exiled by the Valar – Tolkien’s demigods. Both Gimli and Fëanor asked Galadriel for her hair and, tellingly, she just gave it to Gimli.
4
Curufin
The cunning
Curufin the Cunning was one of Fëanor’s sons, thus subject to Fëanor’s devastating oath, but he was more mercenary and traitorous than Maglor and Maedhros. Curufin doesn’t have heroics like Maedhros to work in his favor in a reckoning Lord of the Rings’ Worst Elves. He also lacks the relative gentleness of Maglor, who would rather sing than kill. Curufin participated in the first Kinslaying and, after much war and conflict, ended up anchored in Nargothrond, one of the most difficult strongholds in Lord of the Ringsby his cousin, Finrod. He proved to be an ungrateful guest.
Barahir saved Lord of the Rings Elf Finrod in battle, so Finrod swore to aid Barahir’s son Beren in his quest to claim a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown as Lúthien’s bride price. This clashed, of course, with Curufin’s oath, so Curufin plotted against his cousin. But one Silmaril was not enough for Curufinwho sought more power. Promising help to Lúthien, he lured her to Nargothrond, where he imprisoned her and planned to marry her, against her will, to his brother, Celegorm. When Lúthien escaped, Curufin chased her and tried to kill her when she almost ran away. Curufin had a fitting end to his next Kinslaying.
3
Celegorm
The Fair
The only good thing Celegorm was famous for was his appearance. He was a good hunter and friend of the Valar hunter Oromë, who gave him a hunting dog named Huan. But Huan soon switched his allegiance to the much more sympathetic Lúthien, suggesting Celegorm’s lack of scruples.. If Maedhros was Fëanor’s most infamous son, Celegorm the Fair may have been Fëanor’s most inglorious son.
A traitor and tyrannical nobleman, Celegorm participated in the first and second Kinslayings along with his brothers, Maglor, Maedhros, Curufin, Amrod, Amras and Caranthir. He died before he could enact the third Fratricide, dead in the second. It was Celegorm, in fact, who incited his brothers to plan and implement Second Kinslaying. He also participated in the same Machiavellian conspiracy as his brother, Curufin.
2
Maeglin
Traitor of Gondolin
The crimes of Maeglin and her father, Eöl, were so heinous that they managed to reach the Blind Guardian’s home. Dusk in Middle Earth. Maeglin’s betrayal was so great which is sung in Middle-earth and the real world. Maeglin’s mother was essentially kidnapped by her father, setting a poor example for young Maeglin. Maeglin ended up in the great city of Gondolin, but it would be his undoing.
Falling in love with Idril, Maeglin saw that her love was unrequited and turned to Morgoth despite spite, despair, and jealousy. Maeglin’s travels brought him within Morgoth’s reach, and he accepted Morgoth’s deal. Maeglin betrayed the location of the top-secret Gondolinthinking that Morgoth would subdue the city and force Idril to be his wife. In a general tragedy, the city was destroyed by Morgoth’s forces and Maeglin was killed by Tuor, Idril’s husband.
1
Eöl
The Dark Elf
The Fall of Gondolin dates back to Eölthe Dark Elf. The Fall of Gondolin is one of the The Lord of the Rings’ best stories, told in a Silmarillion chapter and later expanded in his book. Referred to as one of Morgoth’s worst crimes, along with the creation of the Orcs, the sack of this city led to the end of what may have been the most beautiful city in Middle Earth.
Forcing Aredhel to be his wife, Eöl fathered Maeglin. When Aredhel and Maeglin finally escaped to Gondolin, Aredhel’s top-secret home, Eöl followed them and demanded they return. When offered death or accommodation in the secret city, he chose death, attempting the revengeful murder of his son and failing. In its execution, Eöl cursed his son with his last breath. Like oaths, curses were often obligatory in The Lord of the Rings. Eöl cursed and influenced Maeglin to destroy Gondolin, cementing his status as the most evil of the Elves of Middle Earth.