mmm…that elvish pronunciation. My lambengolmo heart is very happy. Also: Maedhros’ moral decline only begins after Fingon’s death. The Second Kinslaying happens after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. Only a couple decades later (which is the blink of an eye for elves) Maedhros *proposes* an attack on a refugee camp. Everyone at the Havens of Sirion is fleeing for their lives from the ruin of Doriath, Nargothrond or Gondolin. This is easily among the worst acts ever committed by elves: right up there with Eöl murdering Aredhel, and Maeglin’s treason. Attacking refugees, I mean this was considered an atrocity back in the Bronze Age (when raping the enemy’s wives wasn’t). It’s among the oldest taboos of warfare. And to make matters worse, Maedhros knows many of these people: Duilin would have been at those feasts in Valinor, Celeborn is his cousin by marriage, his nephew Gil-galad is there etc. Elrond and Elros are Maedhros’ cousins twice removed: grandsons of Turgon. But it’s *Maglor* who pleads for their lives, when it was Maedhros who ended the Second Kinslaying by searching for Elured and Elurin. Maedhros falls to Morgoth’s influence only between the 2nd and 3rd Kinslayings. That means something kept it at bay for *centuries*: and the only possibility is his relationship with Fingon. Look at what happened to Húrin and then consider: that’s similar to what Maedhros was going through every day from the moment he was rescued. It took Melian going angel-mode to break through to Húrin. But it perhaps should not surprise us that Fingon’s affection would be this powerful: his reaction to Turgon showing up at the Nirnaeth Arnoediad is simultaneously the most badass and most adorable thing in the entire Legendarium. A dose of that daily, and anyone would be mentally healthy.
I think the Unbreakable Oath also had a hand in this. Maedhros and the other Sons of Feanor were not making any headway whatsoever against Morgoth and Maedhros could only see the Everlasting Darkness as their eventual fate - whatever that ended up to be.
@@gironda11 I doubt he was embarassing gothmog, it was never stated, but he wasnt loosing either. So unless the second balrog hadnt snuck up behind him, he could have had a fair chance of beating gothmog. Then again the alliance would have probably lost due to being outnumbered, but fingon being high king was a big deal. After the battle all factions splintered and uniting against morgoth was pretty much impossible, only the army of valinor was able to counterattack and eventually win against morgoth
Well met, my new friend! I'm glad to have met you and work alongside you for Tolkien Reading Day! This topic is an excellent choice as well, for Maedhros and Fingon depict that friendship can and should always blossom, even in the darkest of days. I might say that Fingon and Maglor were shining lights of hope and courage in Maedhros' life, and inspired him towards good, away from his evil nature (at least in part). Cheers, my friend, and here is to future collaborations!
Thank you for the nice welcome! I'm so glad to get to be a part of this Tolkien group. And yes, I agree that Fingon and Maglor are definitely forces for good in Maedhros's life. I'm looking forward to future activities in bringing Tolkien's works to TH-camland :-D
@@lfwinesroad3399 Some give Maglor too some flak for not looking for Maedhros, but he was the ruler (I think) for the time Maedhros was in captivity and had to wrangle the bat***t crazy band of brothers and the absolute s***show they daddy dearest started, which I think were usually big bro's duty and not his. He was probably just -barely- keeping his lid on with the dolts he called brothers. Damage Control.
@@DarialKuznetsova Great observation, and I agree! Can you imagine having to wrangle all those out of control younger brothers? It was definitely not the ideal situation for anyone. Damage control indeed :-)
So great to have met you through this Tolkien Reading Day collab! I love your choice of highlighting this friendship. Bonus: Maedhros is one of the most fun names to say in all of Tolkien. :)
Interesting despite Feanor's scorn for his stepmother & his brothers, Maedhros & his brothers bond with Aredhel & Fingon. Also, Nerdanel later was said to have befriended Indis herself
Fingon being beheaded by Gothmog is the scene is the second most emotional to me. (The first being the death of Finrod) Mostly because of the friendship he had with Maedhros. I always wanted Maedhros to be the one to slay Gothmog. I know it's not Tolkien's style for that kind of revenge poetry, but I wanted it nevertheless. Great topic in this video!
Maedhros is the only son of Feänor worth of any praise. He endured and suffered enough, even if he caused harm like his family, he at least demonstrates he could go beyond his nature and doom from time to time, not in small part because of his friendship. Unlike his father, he could show humility. Maybe the Valar would have mercy on him, but his record is spotty.
@@lfwinesroad3399 Just wanted ta say, that I think, you're doing such a great thing on your channel, really... This world definitely needs more Tolkien, especially nowadays... And you're doing it in such a good format, so that it works for so many people of various ages and backgrounds, including children (for example, my 12 years old daughter was fascinated by this video, and she read Hobbit and LOTR long ago, but couldn't finish the Silmarillion back then, and now maybe she will, thanks to you). :) Also sharing such a marvelous art is a wonderful thing too, very inspiring... In short, as a long time fan of Tolkien, his work and his mission, I'm really so delighted to find your channel, thanks for your dedication and all the efforts, all the work... :) I've already told all my family about your channel and I'm going to recommend it both to the fans of Tolkien and to those who are new to his world... And I just love your style of narration!.. :)
@@izu2743 Wow! I'm so glad that your daughter might give The Silmarillion another try after watching some of my videos. That's wonderful 😀 And yes, there is so much amazing artwork out there by very talented people who also love Tolkien. I'm glad that I was able to find many different pieces to put in the videos. I hope you enjoy the rest 👍
Really fantastic and well narrated video that uncovers a lot of interesting details about those two legendary Elves. I love that you included the detail about the s and þ/θ ^^ Your channel is also criminally underrated!
Clicked for Maedhros and stayed for the very good narration ^^ I already know lots about the first age but I’d imagine even if you don’t this video is very easy to understand and follow so it helps a lot!
Feanor is my top Character in all Tolkien's work , i love his personality and courage . the second best one is Maedhros , clearly :) Thank you as always for great work .
Great Narration! Two of my favorite characters. The Silmarillion is one of my favorite books, I'll go a few months without thinking about it, stumble upon a video as great as yours and it's back on my mind for weeks and weeks! Thank you! It's so sad how much Maedhros deteriorates morally/mentally as soon as Fingon is killed. He could recover from 20 years of physical torment, but his best friend and savior dying utterly broke him. Really wish we had some direct dialogue between the two, must have been so much good natured admiration between them.
Thank you so much! That's a nice compliment :-) And I agree that it was great to participate with you and everyone else in this year's Tolkien Reading Day.
This channel is underrated. Your pronunciations are on point and your summary videos are excellent! I will be referring your channel to anyone who wants to get into The Silmarillion!
Thank you very much! What a nice compliment. I'm glad you enjoyed my videos, and thanks for saying that you'll tell others about my channel. I hope my videos can be of service to anyone who needs a little extra help in working their way through The Silmarillion.
I love this video so much!!! Their friendship makes me feel warm and fuzzy (and makes me cry) and it's just amazing to listen to half an hour of someone talking about some of the best elves ever!!
I found so many new Tolkien channels out of this years reading day can't wait to watch more of your content a long with the others love hearing different takes and ideas nothing better than Tolkien
I wonder why I hadn't found your channel before, since I consume everything Tolkien in YT. Instant sub. BTW, I love you care for pronunciation. Cheers from México.
I just want to say that I love hearing your summarization of these books/chapters. I have read most of all these books. I love the pictures you use to. ❤️❤️
Incredible channel. Your passion and storytelling is amazing. So much more than just regurgitating a wiki page. You do an awesome job bringing this to life!
Recently found your channel and am slowly working my way through your videos. Love them a lot! This is minor and not meant as a harsh criticism but I was wondering if it would strenuously increase the labor involved if you could caption your videos. I am HoH and struggle sometimes to follow along, especially with twisty tolkien names. If possible it would make your videos more accessible to people who are hoh or struggle with auditory processing. Either way I really like your videos, your series on the silm has made a perfect companion for my reread :)
Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the vids! :-D You are absolutely right about the benefits of captions - and I have wondered about how people who are HoH will interact with my videos (I apologize in advance for some of the videos whose volumes are super low! For those ones, I definitely suggest you use headphones or ear buds if possible). The best I can do at this point in time is go through each video to make sure (if TH-cam will allow) that the automatic closed captions are available. Sometimes they are automatic I think, like for this video, but others it seems they are not automatic. The only bummer about the automatic CC is how small the text is :-/ My schedule is so hectic right now that I unfortunately cannot go through all the videos to create custom captions. But I might be able to do so for videos in the future. Thank you for bringing it to my attention! And have fun on your re-read! :-D
I do not mention it in this video, but I do mention it in another (th-cam.com/video/IEjAzxuH8Mc/w-d-xo.html ). Good point, though! That's a very significant gift 🙂
@@jerrywallace2063 The 'a' is like the 'a' in father. There's nothing wrong with the way I pronounced it. But I suppose we can't all be as perfect as you, Jerry.
Yes indeed, this story very well could be interpreted that way. Actually, I saw something online a while back that was rather amusing, which compared the plotline of the Beren and Lúthien story with this one. It gave me a chuckle because as I was reading through the list, I was like, "Wow, I didn't even THINK of that!" :-D Here's the link to it: piningbeleg.tumblr.com/post/159431574391/its-the-most-epic-romance-in-the-silmarillion
The preview of NoME actually goes into quite a bit of detail regarding sex among elves as well as gender! It is pretty much an open door to transgender and/or gay elves being a part of society. Maedhros and Fingon are certainly greatly implied to have been romantically involved.
"Let them sá-sí if they can speak no better"-best punchline ever
mmm…that elvish pronunciation. My lambengolmo heart is very happy.
Also: Maedhros’ moral decline only begins after Fingon’s death. The Second Kinslaying happens after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. Only a couple decades later (which is the blink of an eye for elves) Maedhros *proposes* an attack on a refugee camp. Everyone at the Havens of Sirion is fleeing for their lives from the ruin of Doriath, Nargothrond or Gondolin. This is easily among the worst acts ever committed by elves: right up there with Eöl murdering Aredhel, and Maeglin’s treason. Attacking refugees, I mean this was considered an atrocity back in the Bronze Age (when raping the enemy’s wives wasn’t). It’s among the oldest taboos of warfare. And to make matters worse, Maedhros knows many of these people: Duilin would have been at those feasts in Valinor, Celeborn is his cousin by marriage, his nephew Gil-galad is there etc. Elrond and Elros are Maedhros’ cousins twice removed: grandsons of Turgon. But it’s *Maglor* who pleads for their lives, when it was Maedhros who ended the Second Kinslaying by searching for Elured and Elurin. Maedhros falls to Morgoth’s influence only between the 2nd and 3rd Kinslayings. That means something kept it at bay for *centuries*: and the only possibility is his relationship with Fingon. Look at what happened to Húrin and then consider: that’s similar to what Maedhros was going through every day from the moment he was rescued. It took Melian going angel-mode to break through to Húrin. But it perhaps should not surprise us that Fingon’s affection would be this powerful: his reaction to Turgon showing up at the Nirnaeth Arnoediad is simultaneously the most badass and most adorable thing in the entire Legendarium. A dose of that daily, and anyone would be mentally healthy.
Thank you for sharing! You make some great observations here. These would certainly warrant a separate video :-D
I think the Unbreakable Oath also had a hand in this. Maedhros and the other Sons of Feanor were not making any headway whatsoever against Morgoth and Maedhros could only see the Everlasting Darkness as their eventual fate - whatever that ended up to be.
Fingon's out of all the deaths in the silmarillion will always be the one that will strike me the most.
What always upset me the most was he was embarrassing Gothmog in a 1vs1 battle and needed to play dirty to beat him. No honor among Balrogs.
@@gironda11 I doubt he was embarassing gothmog, it was never stated, but he wasnt loosing either. So unless the second balrog hadnt snuck up behind him, he could have had a fair chance of beating gothmog. Then again the alliance would have probably lost due to being outnumbered, but fingon being high king was a big deal. After the battle all factions splintered and uniting against morgoth was pretty much impossible, only the army of valinor was able to counterattack and eventually win against morgoth
Well met, my new friend! I'm glad to have met you and work alongside you for Tolkien Reading Day! This topic is an excellent choice as well, for Maedhros and Fingon depict that friendship can and should always blossom, even in the darkest of days. I might say that Fingon and Maglor were shining lights of hope and courage in Maedhros' life, and inspired him towards good, away from his evil nature (at least in part). Cheers, my friend, and here is to future collaborations!
Thank you for the nice welcome! I'm so glad to get to be a part of this Tolkien group. And yes, I agree that Fingon and Maglor are definitely forces for good in Maedhros's life. I'm looking forward to future activities in bringing Tolkien's works to TH-camland :-D
@@lfwinesroad3399 Some give Maglor too some flak for not looking for Maedhros, but he was the ruler (I think) for the time Maedhros was in captivity and had to wrangle the bat***t crazy band of brothers and the absolute s***show they daddy dearest started, which I think were usually big bro's duty and not his. He was probably just -barely- keeping his lid on with the dolts he called brothers. Damage Control.
@@DarialKuznetsova Great observation, and I agree! Can you imagine having to wrangle all those out of control younger brothers? It was definitely not the ideal situation for anyone. Damage control indeed :-)
Awesome explication of one of the best bro-ships in Tolkien.
Thanks GirlNextGondor! Bro-ship is such a good way to put it! :-D
So great to have met you through this Tolkien Reading Day collab! I love your choice of highlighting this friendship. Bonus: Maedhros is one of the most fun names to say in all of Tolkien. :)
Thank you very much! Great to have met you, too! Agreed - Maedhros is definitely a great name to say :-D
27:25 this is a beautiful picture, and will be my phone wallpaper now. i love these two characters very much
Interesting despite Feanor's scorn for his stepmother & his brothers, Maedhros & his brothers bond
with Aredhel & Fingon. Also, Nerdanel later was said to have befriended Indis herself
That's a great observation! It really is so interesting how the character dynamics play out among these different personalities.
Fingon being beheaded by Gothmog is the scene is the second most emotional to me. (The first being the death of Finrod) Mostly because of the friendship he had with Maedhros. I always wanted Maedhros to be the one to slay Gothmog. I know it's not Tolkien's style for that kind of revenge poetry, but I wanted it nevertheless. Great topic in this video!
I agree - all the tragic deaths of these great Elves are so sad. They make the reading very impactful, I think. I'm glad you liked the topic!
"He hangs in torment like this for about 20 years btw"
EXCUSE ME?! I TOUGHT IT WAS LIKE HOURS-
I know! It's pretty mind-boggling 😵💫
I love the heart of Fingon!
Adding page numbers in the screen. You are a maiden of honor!
😄👍
Maedhros is the only son of Feänor worth of any praise. He endured and suffered enough, even if he caused harm like his family, he at least demonstrates he could go beyond his nature and doom from time to time, not in small part because of his friendship.
Unlike his father, he could show humility. Maybe the Valar would have mercy on him, but his record is spotty.
Great observations!
Thank you very much, it was wonderful and truly heartwarming... And the last phrase was just brilliant!.. :)
Thank you for the lovely comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the video 😊
@@lfwinesroad3399 Just wanted ta say, that I think, you're doing such a great thing on your channel, really... This world definitely needs more Tolkien, especially nowadays... And you're doing it in such a good format, so that it works for so many people of various ages and backgrounds, including children (for example, my 12 years old daughter was fascinated by this video, and she read Hobbit and LOTR long ago, but couldn't finish the Silmarillion back then, and now maybe she will, thanks to you). :) Also sharing such a marvelous art is a wonderful thing too, very inspiring... In short, as a long time fan of Tolkien, his work and his mission, I'm really so delighted to find your channel, thanks for your dedication and all the efforts, all the work... :) I've already told all my family about your channel and I'm going to recommend it both to the fans of Tolkien and to those who are new to his world... And I just love your style of narration!.. :)
@@izu2743 Wow! I'm so glad that your daughter might give The Silmarillion another try after watching some of my videos. That's wonderful 😀 And yes, there is so much amazing artwork out there by very talented people who also love Tolkien. I'm glad that I was able to find many different pieces to put in the videos. I hope you enjoy the rest 👍
Really fantastic and well narrated video that uncovers a lot of interesting details about those two legendary Elves. I love that you included the detail about the s and þ/θ ^^
Your channel is also criminally underrated!
Thank you so very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I, too, love the linguistic material :-D
Just discovered your chanel, and need to say my ears are in heaven when I hear the proper "r"🙂.
😉👍
Clicked for Maedhros and stayed for the very good narration ^^ I already know lots about the first age but I’d imagine even if you don’t this video is very easy to understand and follow so it helps a lot!
Your comment means a lot! Thank you very much. I do hope that my video helps people who are new to the story :-D
Feanor is my top Character in all Tolkien's work , i love his personality and courage . the second best one is Maedhros , clearly :)
Thank you as always for great work .
Yay Maedhros The Undead! I'm glad you enjoyed this video. Thank you, as always, for your continued viewership. I really appreciate it :-D
Happy Tolkien Reading Day! Great choice of topic. I love that you choose their friendship for the theme of Hope and Courage!
Happy Tolkien Reading Day! Thank you very much :-D
Great Narration!
Two of my favorite characters. The Silmarillion is one of my favorite books, I'll go a few months without thinking about it, stumble upon a video as great as yours and it's back on my mind for weeks and weeks! Thank you!
It's so sad how much Maedhros deteriorates morally/mentally as soon as Fingon is killed. He could recover from 20 years of physical torment, but his best friend and savior dying utterly broke him. Really wish we had some direct dialogue between the two, must have been so much good natured admiration between them.
What a great comment! Thank you, and I'm glad you enjoyed my video 😊
These pronunciations are so on point! Mine on the other hand... 😅
Either way, this was a great video and glad to collab with you and everyone else!
Thank you so much! That's a nice compliment :-) And I agree that it was great to participate with you and everyone else in this year's Tolkien Reading Day.
This channel is underrated. Your pronunciations are on point and your summary videos are excellent! I will be referring your channel to anyone who wants to get into The Silmarillion!
Thank you very much! What a nice compliment. I'm glad you enjoyed my videos, and thanks for saying that you'll tell others about my channel. I hope my videos can be of service to anyone who needs a little extra help in working their way through The Silmarillion.
I agree ☝️
I love the topic! It's great to meet you as well, and I'm glad you've joined the Tolkien TH-camr's community! Great video. :)
Thank you very much! :-D
I LOVED this video. It’s inspired me to do one of my own on a related topic. :)
Awesome! Thank you! I can't wait to see what video you'll make.
This is my favorite video that exists on the internet. Thank you!
Wow I'm honored! Thank you very much :-D
HOW DID I FOUND THIS VID JUST NOW? I'm crying I love my boys too much
Holy crap! You have the biggest Tolkien channels complimenting you. Good job! 👍
Thank you! :-D
I love this video so much!!! Their friendship makes me feel warm and fuzzy (and makes me cry) and it's just amazing to listen to half an hour of someone talking about some of the best elves ever!!
I'm glad you enjoyed my video! I agree - their friendship is pretty amazing :-)
I found so many new Tolkien channels out of this years reading day can't wait to watch more of your content a long with the others love hearing different takes and ideas nothing better than Tolkien
I'm glad you enjoyed! I agree that nothing's better than Tolkien :-)
Oof. That last line got me in the feelz 💚
I'm glad you liked my joke :-D
Great video on two underrated Elves! New to your channel, been binge watching your Silmarillion videos all day!
Awesome! Binge watching is the best :-D
auburn coppery hair... thank you. THAT question answered....
I wonder why I hadn't found your channel before, since I consume everything Tolkien in YT. Instant sub. BTW, I love you care for pronunciation. Cheers from México.
¡Muchas gracias! I'm really glad you liked my video :-D And thank you for the compliment about my pronunciation!
Great video, and happy Tolkien Reading Day!
Thank you!
I just want to say that I love hearing your summarization of these books/chapters. I have read most of all these books. I love the pictures you use to. ❤️❤️
Thank you! I love the pictures, too. There are so many talented artists out there in Tolkienland :-D
Yes there are. 🥰
Yay. Happy Tolkien reading day
Happy Tolkien Reading Day Leslie :-D
Thanks great topic , just found your channel on the play list , nice narration
Thank you!
Found this through the Reading Day Playlist and I really like your style/humor, I will definitely check out your other videos :)
I'm so glad you enjoyed! I hope you enjoy my other videos, too :-)
Wonderfully informative and humorous presentation, thank you so much for posting! Subscribed ✌️
That's great! I'm glad you enjoyed it :-D
Incredible channel. Your passion and storytelling is amazing. So much more than just regurgitating a wiki page. You do an awesome job bringing this to life!
Thank you so much! This is such a nice comment 😀
I listen to the audiobook of the Simarillion every night.
That's great! I hope you're enjoying!
Russingon ❤️
:-D
Oh I'm looking forward to watching your previous videos , thanks
I hope you enjoy them!
@@lfwinesroad3399 thank you I'm sure I will I enjoyed this video very much , well done
Great choice of fanarts!!!
Thanks! There are so many talented Tolkien artists out there :-)
Completely captivating series.
Thank you! :-)
Recently found your channel and am slowly working my way through your videos. Love them a lot! This is minor and not meant as a harsh criticism but I was wondering if it would strenuously increase the labor involved if you could caption your videos. I am HoH and struggle sometimes to follow along, especially with twisty tolkien names. If possible it would make your videos more accessible to people who are hoh or struggle with auditory processing. Either way I really like your videos, your series on the silm has made a perfect companion for my reread :)
Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the vids! :-D You are absolutely right about the benefits of captions - and I have wondered about how people who are HoH will interact with my videos (I apologize in advance for some of the videos whose volumes are super low! For those ones, I definitely suggest you use headphones or ear buds if possible). The best I can do at this point in time is go through each video to make sure (if TH-cam will allow) that the automatic closed captions are available. Sometimes they are automatic I think, like for this video, but others it seems they are not automatic. The only bummer about the automatic CC is how small the text is :-/ My schedule is so hectic right now that I unfortunately cannot go through all the videos to create custom captions. But I might be able to do so for videos in the future. Thank you for bringing it to my attention! And have fun on your re-read! :-D
A great Tolken story. Someone should have purchased and maid into 2 film movie. Trust in great friendship
Indeed!
Did you mention that Maedhros gives Fingon "The Dragon Helm" as a gift - since Fingon was the first one to beat back the Dragon "Glaurung"?
I do not mention it in this video, but I do mention it in another (th-cam.com/video/IEjAzxuH8Mc/w-d-xo.html ). Good point, though! That's a very significant gift 🙂
Nice one!
Thank you!
Where, exactly, is Ongbond?
Angband is in the north of Beleriand🏔
@@lfwinesroad3399 Yes, Angband is. My question was, where is ONGBOND as you didn't say ANGBAND. Professor Tolkien gave us a pronunciation guide.
@@jerrywallace2063 The 'a' is like the 'a' in father. There's nothing wrong with the way I pronounced it. But I suppose we can't all be as perfect as you, Jerry.
But ‘mellon’ is Sindarin... 😉
Haha! Yes, so true! But when in Beleriand, do as the Sindar do ;-)
"friends", sure... ;)
This is the only story in the Legendarium, where I think Tolkien might allude to homosexuality.
Yes indeed, this story very well could be interpreted that way. Actually, I saw something online a while back that was rather amusing, which compared the plotline of the Beren and Lúthien story with this one. It gave me a chuckle because as I was reading through the list, I was like, "Wow, I didn't even THINK of that!" :-D Here's the link to it: piningbeleg.tumblr.com/post/159431574391/its-the-most-epic-romance-in-the-silmarillion
The preview of NoME actually goes into quite a bit of detail regarding sex among elves as well as gender! It is pretty much an open door to transgender and/or gay elves being a part of society. Maedhros and Fingon are certainly greatly implied to have been romantically involved.
Never in Tolkiens world. You do not understand true friendship. It does not justify going against Christian values.