Greatest of the Elves of Middle Earth

[BIGeyedBUG]

This seems a tad silly. I can appreciate the entertainment value in such a debate, but... isn't much of this a matter of strictly personal preference? A great deal of what made each figure so unique is... well, unique. Galadriel never exhibits Elrond's strength of purpose, but Elrond never demonstrates her heart-melting radiance.

It is an interesting conversation, but it all strikes me as a bit like trying to determine the loveliest star in the sky. Anyways, carry on.

"I can appreciate the entertainment value in such a debate" is all the reason one needs.

Loveliest star is Helluin, btw. :P

[Imladion]

Celebrimbor. >_>

[Aelin-uial]

I think the greatest of the Elves of Middle Earth are not mentioned by name anywhere. The vast majority of all the Elves mentioned in Tolkien's works are related to Elrond in some way and I believe there is some family favoritism involved. Here is a quote from Glorfindel in the Lord of the Rings, "There are few even in Rivendell that can ride openly against the Nine; but such as there were, Elrond sent out north, west and south." There was at least a handful or more Elves, without being named individually, who dwelt in Rivendell that could handle the nine Nazgul and make them flee, just as Glorfindel did.

Additionally, Tolkien's works revolve around Elrond's ancestors and cousins with the addition of a Hobbit and Dwarf family. It is full of stories that would be heard at any family reunion like, "my uncle fought Melkor", "my great, great, ... great grampa founded Khazad-dum" and "my cousin twice removed on my mother's side invented golf". But the history tells us that the Valar came to Middle Earth and told the Elves, "Come with us and live in peace in the West". Hence, the vast majority of the "great Elves" mentioned in Tokien's works took the easy way out. It was too difficult for them to stay in the East and continue the fight against Melkor, they became the first refugees in a long war while others decided to stay and continue the fight, which they eventually won later with the help of the Valar. When Melkor came back, you will note that he didn't go to the East, but settled in the West that was populated by the "mighty Elves" that had either fled Middle Earth and came back or had gotten far enough away from the fight to settle down and not go into the West. Melkor knew that the Elves of the eastern lands who are not mentioned by name in Tolkien's works had already defeated him, knew his ways and Melkor decided to establish a foothold near their weaker, ready to run and hide, cousins.

Therefore, the greatest of the Elves of Middle Earth, is likely never named in Tolkien's works. You must remember that long before the first sunrise, Melkor made orcs, trolls, werewolves, vampires and balrogs in the East. I'm sure if one was to venture to the east of the Sea of Rhun, and speak to the Elves that dwell there, they would hear of stories of many Elves who fought against Melkor at the very height of his power, when the world dwelt in perpetual darkness and the Elves who remained battled beneath the stars Elbereth had scattered about the heavens to give them hope. Melkor feared Elbereth more than any of the other Valar, not because of her battle prowess but her ability to take the hope of those who fought for their lands, their families and their way of life, to harness that hope, to empower that hope and to eventually prevail in all things. The "Great Elves" of Tolkien's works referred to those Elves in the East as the Avari, the refusers. But the great Elves of the east did not refuse anything, they simply decided to stay and fight for all that they held dear. I think that those who stand up and fight tyranny, in the face of danger and at great personal risk, are the greatest of all.

[Imladion]

Oooooo.

I think this thread has been won.

[Cutholen]

I think the greatest of the Elves of Middle Earth are not mentioned by name anywhere. The vast majority of all the Elves mentioned in Tolkien's works are related to Elrond in some way and I believe there is some family favoritism involved. Here is a quote from Glorfindel in the Lord of the Rings, "There are few even in Rivendell that can ride openly against the Nine; but such as there were, Elrond sent out north, west and south." There was at least a handful or more Elves, without being named individually, who dwelt in Rivendell that could handle the nine Nazgul and make them flee, just as Glorfindel did.

Aelin-uial, you raise some interesting points. However, I feel you are not considering all the facts.

First, you make a good case that there were at least a handful of elves at Rivendell who were peers, or close to peers to Glorfindel in stature. But though amongst the mightiest of the third age, Glorfindel was not amongst the mightiest of the first. On the same day that he slew a Balrog, and died, Ecthelion, wounded and unarmed slew Gothmog, chief of the Balrogs and Tuor (a man, but Earendil's father) slew 40. So while many mighty elves go unnamed, it is not clear that the mightiest go unnamed.

Second, even though the Silmarilion concentrates of the extended family of Elrond, that is because that family was exceptionally extended. Elrond's great grandmother Elenwe, Turgon's wife, was of the Vanya, as indeed was Turgon's (and Galadriel's) grandmother. Elrond's mother was of the Sindar, and indeed great grand-daughter to Elwë (Thingol), one of the two rulers of the Teleri. So Elrond's family tree is sufficiently large as to include all elves of note as either relatives (at least as much relatives as Fëanor was) or close companions of relatives.

What is more, the highest accolades are not reserved for Elrond's close relatives. Indeed, some are reserved for those who where distinctly antagonistic to Elrond's closest relatives, such as Fëanor, or Maedhros.

What is more relevant is that many of the Vanyar and Teleri did not have opportunity for great deeds, or performed deeds unrecorded in the final defeat of Morgoth. So on that basis you may have a point. However, it is difficult to believe that any of the Vanyar on that day did more than Earendil who slew Ancalagon the Black, whose onset drove even the Valar back, and compared to whom, Smaug is as a kitten to a lion.

Finally, while the deeds of the Avari are not recorded, the performance of those few stragglers who did come late to Beleriand, the Laiquendi of Ossgiliath is recorded, and on that performance, the Avari have not claim to be amongst the mightiest. This is particularly true as Tolkien consistently draws a connection between high culture from contact with the Valar and prowess.

[Aelin-uial]

Aelin-uial, you raise some interesting points. However, I feel you are not considering all the facts.

My basic point is that we have to rely upon limited information to form our opinions and if you refuse to expand your thinking beyond the written works then nobody can consider all the facts. Tolkien borrowed from a variety of Western European epic tales and combined them into a story surrounding a small group of people and made a truely wonderful, lasting literary work. I have been a fan of Tolkien's works for 38 years now, ever since I first read The Hobbit and subsequently the rest of the published works. My entire statement is based off from my belief that greatness should be measured in someone's basic character, not by words written about them by a talented publicist.

[Ar-Feiniel]

Thought I would toss in my characters ancestor (some of this is my own creation btw) .... Ar-Feindir companion of the great Lenwë, Lord of the Nandor.

Little is known of Ar-Feindir and his family. Little was written and that which was put to scroll has been either lost or destroyed over the years of war and travel. It is known from orated tale that Ar-Feindir was an elf sire of the Teleri origin, a great warrior and hunter, and a lifelong friend to the great Lenwë, Lord of the Nandor. During the Age of Trees, he and many other Teleri answered the call and joined the great March of the Eldar, However, his friendship with Lenwë was strong and he thus accompanied Lenwë in the abandonment of the march upon reaching the Misty Mountains. Ar-Feindir then became known as Nenharma of Divine Sight and served Lenwë as his Captain at Arms and aided in the survival of those traveling south along the Great River Anduin helping to establish the elves to be known to posterity as the Nandor. As Lenwë was called 'Dan', Ar-Feindir was known as 'Nen' short for 'Nenharma of Divine Sight' as, it was told, he could see through stone to find any living creature. Nen settled in the Lamedon region south of the White Mountains between the rivers Ringlo and Ciril and lived there till the end of his days. - Nenharma Family Scrolls

Now it has been told, one Lenwë of the host of Olwë forsook the march of the eldar at that time when the Teleri were halted by the shores of the Great River upon the borders of the westlands of Middle-Earth. Little is known of the wanderings of the Nandor, whom he led away down Anduin: some, it is said, dwelt age-long in the woods of the Vale of the Great River, some came at last to its mouths and there dwelt by the sea, and yet others passing by Ered Nimrais, the White Mountains, came north again and entered the wilderness of Eriador between Ered Luin and the far Mountains of Mist......." -Silmarillion

"....and they passed out of the knowledge of their kin until long years were past. Those were the Nandor; and they became a people apart, unlike their kin, save that they loved water, and dwelt most beside falls and running streams. Greater knowledge they had of living things, tree and herb, bird and beast, than all other Elves......." -Silmarillion



Ride Safe,

Calddir Lenion Ar-Feiniel Nenharma

[NoldorMan]

I would have to go with Feanor.
He may not have been the wisest, but he had the power to create the Silmarils, which truly only one other existent being could have done- that being Iluvatar (assuming he could've done anything). Also- he had combat skills that surpassed those of any of his time- though Fingolfin would be very close competition. I hate to ruin you Glorfindel fans but, Christopher Tolkien has stated that the appearance of Glorfindel in the Lord of the Rings was "somewhat random use" of a name of an elf from The Silmarillion, that probably would've been changed, had it been noticed sooner. We have to remember that had there been no Silmarils, the entire fate of Middle Earth could've been drastically different. Feanor is the only elf up for this honor that we can trace almost anything back to- Middle Earth would be irrelevant to the Noldor (the most studied and mentioned branch of the elves, in the Silmarillion at least), had it not been for Feanor. I would rank it:
1. Feanor
2. Fingolfin
3. Thingol
4. Galadriel
5. Elrond

[dragerslayer]

i think ther are only a couple contenders 4 this

1. Galadrial- whole elf lord thing
2. Elrond- elflord plus king's father in-law i mean how many other people scare aragon
3. Thranduil- lord of mirkwood
4.haldir- best elf name ever
5. gorfindel(personal fav)- A great hero united dwarves and elves, fought a nazgul shows no fear

[Stanimir]

I saw this in the Men's forum and being that Elves are better (hehe) I figured we should have one!
Who is the greatest of the Elves in Middle-Earth (In your opinion)?

Personally, I think this title belongs to none other than Lady Galadriel, I've always been fascinated with her. She seems to be one of the most powerful Elves, able to create and sustain a realm of Gold (Lothlorien).
She was also able to cast down the walls of Dol Guldur.

Gil-Galad is my vote hands down (historically). I like Gil-Galad because he united with Elendil (my favorite man) to defeat a greater evil. Gil-Galad's message transcends fiction to me. Fingolfin is also an awesome choice. He attempted to solo a raid boss!

As far as those who are alive, I would vote Elrond, being as he is both wise and kicked butt and took names on Dagorlad.

[Celebriniel]

Taking the premise of 'greatest' and perhaps understanding it from a differing angle, then I say Elrond. The fact he is still considered 'as kind as summer', is utterly remarkable. His pain must be so very great and yet he stays out of love for his brother (and thus his decedents), he stays in Middle Earth.

He has personally faced a lot of tragedy, but he can still be welcoming and kind. A most tremendous feat!

[hallasan]

Greatest being arbitrary I go with Cirdan (Nowe) who set aside his personal journey to Aman at the behest of the Valar and remained in Middle Earth into the Fourth Age.

Summary from the Tolkien Gateway (http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Cirdan)

''Círdan had a profound effect upon the course of Middle-earth history. He was a loyal servant and friend of Elwë, sacrificing his heart’s desire in search of him. This loyalty and sense of duty shows up numerous times over the course of history, including his second sacrifice in his submission to the Valar, and his sending of troubling and potentially destructive rumors to his overlord Thingol. He was also the most foresighted of the elves, a gift from the Valar. He conceivably saved Elven civilization with the founding of the havens at the Mouths of the Sirion, and with the fostering of both Gil-galad and Eärendil. His precious gift of Narya to Gandalf was also timely and valuable. He was clearly favored by Ulmo, seen by the number messages passed through him.''

[StickyPits]

Here are my thoughts on one of my favorite characters, and my #4 greatest elf of all time.

All of the greats face a test, a true measure of their worth that defines them and will either solidify them as a legend or outweigh all they have done and cast a shroud of mist over their deeds, even vilifying them in many cases. One such elf failed in his test, but if he had passed, I think it is arguable that he was in fact, the greatest elf that ever walked the lands of Middle Earth. This elf is Maedhros, eldest son of Feanor. Maedhros partook in the oath of his father, and this one great mistake that would forever hang over his head and eventually lead him to his demise. Some may disqualify him for the same reasons as they would dismiss his father, but his accomplishments are rather staggering and undeniably worthy of honor.

The highest and noblest of the Sons of Feanor, he was a shrewd politician, daily navigating the political quagmire the Oath of Feanor caused. Ever caught in the middle between his more hot-headed brothers and his allies, Maedhros was often able to keep him brothers' tempers in check and maintain a level of peace between the free peoples. Never is this demonstrated better than in his self sacrificial waive of his kingship to Fingolfin, which enabled a level of cooperation between the elves which resulted in the Siege of Angband. Had he remained king, the elves would have remained divided, and possibly ended up in direct opposition to one another.

He was a legendary warrior. To live through the wars of the first age while participating in almost every major battle is itself an amazing feat. While other may be able to claim lofty feats such as dueling Morgoth and slaying balrogs, the longevity and consistency of his contributions sets him apart from all else in the war against Morgoth. For an entire age, Maedhros and his forces were pitted against almost any conceiveable foe, and while not always escaping unscathed, Maedhros never failed to live to fight another day, showing the wisdom to retreat if necessary, a trait his father lacked.

He inspired great fear in his enemies. It is stated that during the Seige of Angband an orc army is sent out in secret to attack Fingolfin's lands, as Morgoth himself knew of the watchfulness of Maedhros. Possibly his greatest moments were during the Battle of Sudden Flame and the following war, as no one was able to stand before him, and his enemies fled from his face. In what was then the darkest hour of the elves, while other kingdoms collapsed or fled in ruin, his was able to stand and launch counterattacks that regained the lands his brothers had lost.

Other than Galadriel, who served in a non-military capacity, Maedhros was the highest ranking, mightiest elf to survive the first age. All this was done after he lost his stronger hand, forcing him to learn to fight with a new style and without the benefit of a shield to protect him. In fact, he was able to overcome this and become even deadlier before the loss of his hand. Enduring in both mind and body, he was unbroken by the tortures of Morgoth.

From an aesthetic standpoint, Maedhros was one of a incredibly small number of elves with red hair, making him instantly recognizeable. This would likely make things more dangerous on the battlefield, as enemies would be able to pick out his distinguishable hair.

His assembly of the free people's for the Battle of Unnumbered Tears was skillful, if not masterful. Unlike Fingolfin, who failed to rouse the Noldor to assail Morgoth during the Seige of Angband, Maedhros was able to muster an army of men, elves, and dwarves mighty enough that, if not for treachery, would have been able to overthrow Morgoth in one swift, decisive blow. Consequently, the Valar themselves are forced to wage a long, bloody war which eventually destroys all of Beleriand.

In the end, Maedhros failed because he was meant to fail. He was fighting a fight he could not win, as forseen by his father, and it could be that, after the armies of the Noldor were shattered beyond repair, Maedhros gave into despair. It is notable that while a silmaril was in the elvish realm of Doriath, Maedhros chooses instead to attempt to destroy Morgoth. Also, the kinslayings took place after it became apparent that the two silmarils held by Morgoth were impossible to attain. Maedhros had ever sought the downfall of Morgoth both out of hatred and as a means to obtain the silmarils, but slowly but surely these goals of Morgoth's defeat and the reclamation of the silmarils became mutually exclusive. And it is in these dire straits of mind that Maedhros commits the kinslayings as a means of holding to his oath.

Even after the second kinslaying takes place in Doriath, Maedhros personally spends many days in the wilderness, hopelessly searching for the granchildren of Luthien in an act of remorse and repentance. Maedhros was also completely innocent of the burning of the ships at Losgar, as he believed that the ships would be sent back for Fingolfin's people, and he took no part in setting the ships aflame.

One can only imagine what Maedhros's place in history would have been if he had returned to Aman to answer to the judgement of the Valar. A truly repentant Maedhros would have almost certainly be forgiven, for even Melkor himself was spared and given a second chance. One might well imagine that had Maedhros not attempted to seize the silmarils and remained in Middle Earth, he would have remained in Middle Earth and gone to war against Sauron. Quite probably he would have personally duelled with Sauron during the Last Alliance, and he, along with Gil-Galad and Elendil would have thrown Sauron down and destroyed the ring.

In closing, if Maedhros had been able to repent and waive his claim to the silmarils in the same way he had waived his claim to the crown almost an age earlier, then he very well might have turned out to be the greatest elf to ever walk middle earth.

For the record, here are my top 5 elves:

1. Feanor: when calm, the greatest craftsman in history, when wrathful, the greatest orator in history with an unmatched will to succeed, also a formidable warrior capable of slaying several balrogs at a time, a pawn of fate who stirred up events in history no one else had the power to do.

2. Luthien: the offspring of a divine, the most beautiful of all the elves, able to outwit Morgoth, capable of putting all of Morgoth's court to sleep, and probably the most virtuous of all the elves.

3. Fingolfin: the greatest and most noble warrior of all the Eldar, able to appear as a minor deity to the eyes of his enemies when in a great rage, able to single handedly cause all of Angband to tremble, but ultimately perished for the same reason as his brother, not being able to be patient and check his rage and proceeding alone to challenge Morgoth.

4. See massive amounts of pro-Maedhros propaganda listed above.

5. Galadriel: longest lasting of the greats of the line of Finwe, survived throughout the first three ages to return to Valinor, establishes and maintains Lothlorien as a bastion of the light of the elves, hurt by a lack of active participation in the First Age struggles against Morgoth.

Just my two copper coins (ok, maybe gold peices)...
Blessings,
Amrulas

[Hydranova]

Personally, while there are other lore-based sources, i believe it was a tie between Feanor and Fingolfin. While Lore says that some other elf was the second greatest (who was involved with beren's quest for a silmaril), Personally i feel that the most badass of all elves is one of the two mentioned. For Fingolfin, we have that he fought, in a one versus one combat, the Tolkein equivalent of Satan, or Morgoth, who is taller than giants even (depending on how you interpret his size). In combat, he wounded Morgoth seven times, all while not being hit once by Morgoth's hammer, which is said to leave CRATERS. Even when he died, he still managed to get one last hit on Morgoth, permanently giving him a limp. Feanor, meanwhile, fell in combat to a whole group of Balrogs, including Gothmog, who's equal to Sauron in rank at the time. HE also got corrupted by Morgoth, leading to many genocides. However, he did craft the Silmarils, which were said to be unique, and that not even Aule, the Vala that was the best at creating stuff (see the dwarves and two lamps) could recreate. As such, they're tied in my regards.

[CAL88]

Fingolfin hands down, no competition. He always tried to reconcile with his hot-headed brother. Didn't want to leave Valinor, but was unwilling to let his people suffer under Feanor's guidance. Guiltless in the kinslaying; by the time he showed up the fight was underway and he was just defending his kin. Didn't run back home crying like his younger brother Finfarin, when the Grim Reaper(Mandos) showed up to hex them. Instead, he Led the majority of his people through the grinding Ice, when Feanor burnt the boats. When he made it to ME he set up shop in Mithrim and pushed all the way to the gates of Angbad. Then put Angbad under siege for 400 years. He was also crowned High King of all the exiles (noldor) and built the first kingdom. He did all of this selflessly for the love of his people, not for loot, power, notoriety or Lordship over lands.

Fingolfin logged back in one day and found the entire map was flipped red overnight. So he did what any other Super-Bad-Awesomesauce-epic-leet character would do in infinite rage. HE FORMED A RAID THAT CONSISTED SOLELY OF HIMSELF. Went to the toughest raid instance ever: Angbad. Didn't have to fight any trash-mobs because the all fled in terror. Didn't have to fight any minor (tough as hell) bosses because they all hid themselves. Challenged the most BAD-A#$#$ of all BAD-A!@#$ ever to a 1vs.1. Morgoth was reluctant and terrified to show up. Fingolfin is the only person that made a raid boss come out to meet him at the beggining of the instance, so he didn't have to run down any redundent stairs or long hallways for 10 minutes. He wounded Morgoth 7 times (8 in all) and was so epic, that once wounded by him, they were permanent (can't pot out of them) and without timers. The damage to Morgoth sustained benefited all other raids that formed after his, however the final raid boss in Angbad would never leave his throne room in the lowest dungeon after this beat down. Fingolfin didn't get weary, he ran out of power (in his haste he forgot to invite a LM). He didn't trip over a crater caused by grond; Turbine forgot to fix the bugs in the instance. While he was on the ground, for good measure, he stabbed Morgoth's foot causing a pemanent -50% run speed and thus making him a kiteable boss. Fingolfin never died; he went link-dead. Now he's stuck on the loading screen of Mandos.

Compared to Fingolfin:
Feanor-was just a crafting alt.
Cirdan-is just a stable master that uses boats instead of horses.
Elrond-is just a scholar with a nice house.
Galadrial-is just a lady that lives in a tree, hands out nice parting gifts and tore down a few walls.
Thingol-was just a coward that hid behind bushes.
Maedhros-was just a raid baby, who couldn't hack it by himself.
Luthien-was just a really hot chick that Morgoth ogled for too long.
Finrod Felagund-was just some guy that earned the "Hewer of Caves" title.
Turgon-was just another coward, but he favored mountains to bushes.
Gil-Galad-was just someone who couldn't solo Sauron, so he asked men to help him.
Celebrimbor-was just a jewel crafter at level 30, so he can't make the good jewelry.
Glorfindel-is just some guy who soloed an elite mob and logged back into vent to talk about it.

Fingolfin is elvish for AWESOME.

[Hydranova]

Fingolfin hands down, no competition. He always tried to reconcile with his hot-headed brother. Didn't want to leave Valinor, but was unwilling to let his people suffer under Feanor's guidance. Guiltless in the kinslaying; by the time he showed up the fight was underway and he was just defending his kin. Didn't run back home crying like his younger brother Finfarin, when the Grim Reaper(Mandos) showed up to hex them. Instead, he Led the majority of his people through the grinding Ice, when Feanor burnt the boats. When he made it to ME he set up shop in Mithrim and pushed all the way to the gates of Angbad. Then put Angbad under siege for 400 years. He was also crowned High King of all the exiles (noldor) and built the first kingdom. He did all of this selflessly for the love of his people, not for loot, power, notoriety or Lordship over lands.

Fingolfin logged back in one day and found the entire map was flipped red overnight. So he did what any other Super-Bad-Awesomesauce-epic-leet character would do in infinite rage. HE FORMED A RAID THAT CONSISTED SOLELY OF HIMSELF. Went to the toughest raid instance ever: Angbad. Didn't have to fight any trash-mobs because the all fled in terror. Didn't have to fight any minor (tough as hell) bosses because they all hid themselves. Challenged the most BAD-A#$#$ of all BAD-A!@#$ ever to a 1vs.1. Morgoth was reluctant and terrified to show up. Fingolfin is the only person that made a raid boss come out to meet him at the beggining of the instance, so he didn't have to run down any redundent stairs or long hallways for 10 minutes. He wounded Morgoth 7 times (8 in all) and was so epic, that once wounded by him, they were permanent (can't pot out of them) and without timers. The damage to Morgoth sustained benefited all other raids that formed after his, however the final raid boss in Angbad would never leave his throne room in the lowest dungeon after this beat down. Fingolfin didn't get weary, he ran out of power (in his haste he forgot to invite a LM). He didn't trip over a crater caused by grond; Turbine forgot to fix the bugs in the instance. While he was on the ground, for good measure, he stabbed Morgoth's foot causing a pemanent -50% run speed and thus making him a kiteable boss. Fingolfin never died; he went link-dead. Now he's stuck on the loading screen of Mandos.

Compared to Fingolfin:
Feanor-was just a crafting alt.
Cirdan-is just a stable master that uses boats instead of horses.
Elrond-is just a scholar with a nice house.
Galadrial-is just a lady that lives in a tree, hands out nice parting gifts and tore down a few walls.
Thingol-was just a coward that hid behind bushes.
Maedhros-was just a raid baby, who couldn't hack it by himself.
Luthien-was just a really hot chick that Morgoth ogled for too long.
Finrod Felagund-was just some guy that earned the "Hewer of Caves" title.
Turgon-was just another coward, but he favored mountains to bushes.
Gil-Galad-was just someone who couldn't solo Sauron, so he asked men to help him.
Celebrimbor-was just a jewel crafter at level 30, so he can't make the good jewelry.
Glorfindel-is just some guy who soloed an elite mob and logged back into vent to talk about it.

Fingolfin is elvish for AWESOME.

Made of Win.

[Vanyaerunanethiel]

Curufinwë Fëanáro.

Regarding all of history, the greatest Elf is Fëanor. When his mother Míriel Þerindë bore him, she wearied of life in the Undying Lands themselves, saying, “Never again shall I bear child; for strength that would have nourished the life of many has gone forth into Fëanor.” His spirit was made of literal fire, hence his mother-name Fëanáro “Spirit of Fire”.

"For Fëanor was made the mightiest in all parts of body and mind, in valour, in endurance, in beauty, in understanding, in skill, in strength and in subtlety alike, of all the Children of Ilúvatar, and a bright flame was in him"

Source; The Silmarillion

For there are indeed great many reasons why Fëanor was considered to be greatest of the Eldar;

Let us begin , shall we? I am not getting very deep. I m going to state the core reasons.

The short statement ~

Power in Tolkien's mythos is about potency, to wit the capacity to effect one’s desires and impress. It's why Melkor was so overwhelming in the early years of Arda: he had the power to destroy whatever the Valar made and effect whatever he wished whimsically for thousands of years. Whilst Lúthien’s feats were incredible and her confrontation with Morgoth one of the greatest feats in Arda’s history, her list of achievement is smaller than Fëanor’s


~ Fëanor is said by Mandos to be the greatest of the Eldar in potency:
~ He was one of the greatest ever lore-masters, inventing the Tengwar and founding the Lambengolmor, a school of philologists, linguists, and historians.
~ He was the greatest ever Elven craftsman. He was the first to create gems greater than the earth’s, he invented the Palantíri and the Silmarils—the latter being the greatest ever inventions in Arda, inimitable by anyone, amazing even the Valar
~ He was the mightiest in skill of word. He gave a speech so great it inspired even those who disliked him to follow him into exile. When a herald of the Valar delivered him a message as he issued from the gates of Tirion, his response was so potent that the herald himself “bowed before him as one full-answered, and departed.”
He was equal at least if not greater in arms than his half-brother Fingolfin Nolofinwë ~ He fought long multiple Balrogs undismayed whilst “wrapped in fire and wounded with many wounds,” plus count countless amount of ~ Orcs and other vile fiends with only few Elves by his side which I find slightly more impressive than fighting severely weakened Morgoth who was afraid to even come out of his pit. Morgoth's power greatly diminished by the end of the first age. I find Feanor's clash with multiple Maia , the creatures who never knew fear and were masters of shadow and fire as well more remarkable.

Regarding all of history, the greatest Elf is Fëanor. When his mother Míriel Þerindë bore him, she wearied of life in the Undying Lands themselves, saying, “Never again shall I bear child; for strength that would have nourished the life of many has gone forth into Fëanor.” His spirit was made of literal fire, hence his mother-name Fëanáro “Spirit of Fire”.

Fëanor is said by Mandos to be the greatest of the Eldar in potency:

Aulë nameth Fëanor the greatest of the Eldar, and in potency that is true.

He was one of the greatest ever lore-masters, inventing the Tengwar and founding the Lambengolmor, a school of philologists, linguists, and historians.

He was the greatest ever Elven craftsman. He was the first to create gems greater than the earth’s, he invented the Palantíri and the Silmarils—the latter being the greatest ever inventions in Arda, inimitable by anyone, amazing even the Valar.

He was the mightiest in skill of word

~ Curufinwe was inevitably the most complex and to most readers incomprehensible and very difficult character, He fashioned thee perfect jewels for sublime substance Silma, a Secret only knew which went to Mandos along with him. The Silmarils in which he locked the very fate of Arda and even mightiest of Vala lusted for it {Melko}

~ He was still the only being in Arda able to create objects that were beyond the power of even the Valar.

~ Fëanor’s birth reinforces the suggestion that his might was decidedly intrinsic. Never before had an Elf, in the holy land of Valinor where all wounds could be healed, lost the will to live after her child sapped from her the requisite energy required to do so happily. Míriel proclaimed that she would never again bear child, as the “… strength that had nourished the lives of many has gone forth to Fëanor.”

~ Fëanor’s spirit was made of fire confirms that most of his might was intrinsic. It is neither stated nor implied that Finwë and Míriel had fiery spirits, so that their son came to have one bespeaks an immense innate power Fëanor had—not by inheriting might from his parents or by being in the presence of the Valar—but by virtue of merely being conceived.

~ He invented the alphabet, the palantíri, and the greatest objects in Arda. He managed to sway an entire people to leave paradise and go into exile to wage an unwinnable war, and when Mandos himself came before them to list the horrors that awaited them, only a fraction of the Noldor turned back. Regardless of the morality of such a deed, the power required to inspire in a people a lust for a futile war so unwavering that not only is the Doomsayer of the Valar unable to decisively affect said people, but also Fëanor’s subsequent abandonment of the main host is unable to deter them, is hard to quantify.

~ Mandos was, of course, right. As the Doomsayer of the Valar, he always is, which is why we should hearken to his words:

"Aulë nameth Fëanor the greatest of the Eldar, and in potency that is true"

~ Feanor fought multiple Balrogs{Demons of the Ancient World } for a long period of time, the most powerful and completely fearless beings of the Morgoth which is incredible feat. Undismayed whilst “wrapped in fire and wounded with many wounds,” The Balrogs who even rescued their master from the shadow and grip of Ungoliant, The Dreaded Valarukar who were considered to be one of the most feared and most lethal beings ever to come in existence of the world.

"Thus it was that he (Fëanor) drew far ahead of the van of his host; and seeing this the servants of Morgoth turned to bay, and there issued from Angband Balrogs to aid them. There upon the confines of Dor Daedeloth, the land of Morgoth, Fëanor was surrounded, with few friends about him. Long he fought on, and undismayed, though he was wrapped in fire and wounded with many wounds" ~ The Silmarillion.

~ Fëanor is the most powerful as it was his intrinsic power that enabled him to devise works beyond the intellect of his peers and beyond the power of the Valar, and to spin words with more potency than those of Mandos, words that dwarfed in severity the grief of impending doom.

~ Feanor’s creation of the Silmarils was so profound, it locked in the fate of domains ruled by the cheifest of the Aratar. He tapped into a recess of knowledge so arcane that it eluded the divine visions of the Ainur; a recess of knowledge so profound that its materialization trespassed on and decreed the fates of the divinely-sanctioned dominions of Manwë, Ulmo, Aulë, and Yavanna, thereby prevailing over their authority.

~ Feanor's Death ~ Then he died; but he had neither burial nor tomb, for so fiery was his spirit that as it sped his body fell to ash, and was borne away like smoke; and his likeness has never again appeared in Arda, neither has his spirit left the halls of Mandos. Thus ended the mightiest of the Noldor, of whose deeds came both their greatest renown and their most grievous woe.

Kind Regards,

Vanyalanthiriell

[ruimoreira25]

Can we really have a conclusion on that??? I mean, the information we have about the elves is not fair. We know a lot about some of them and so few about others....so I guess this is just not fair...


But still, from what I know about elves, my fav is with no doubt Cirdan!