Curufin the Crafty (a.k.a. the Abhorred?)
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silwritersguildTitle: Curufin the Crafty
Author: Nelyo@LJ / Maedhros@SWG Yahoo List
Rating: General
Warning: None
Genre: Essay
A short essay about Curufin; it came along with “That Night”.
They are mostly raving thoughts, but anyway... :)
Read and enjoy or criticize -- as always, if you have nothing better to do ;)
-oOo-
Curufin son of Fëanor is, doubtless, one of Tolkien’s most hated elves. He earned one of the first positions in Mandos’ “Wanted” Top List, being only surpassed by Eöl, Maeglin and Fëanor (and not necessarily in this order, each reader would keep his own opinion about), and along with Celegorm and Caranthir. Oddly, there are not “evil” or “wicked” elves in Tolkien’s universe as in other worlds or, at least, none of Tolkien’s elves was born evil, and yet, some of them became, shall we say, “misunderstood”? due the circumstances and their lives. No, I am not about to justify their deeds but, at least, I tried, through these years, to understand why they behaved as they did, as I might do with some events or persons In Real Life.
Now, and back to Curufin: How was he?. We know he was alike his father in body and mind, the closer to Fëanor. Certainly, his parents named him rightly, Curufinwë and Atarinkë.
* He was proud and self-confidant (as many noldor), and as time passed he grew arrogant and manipulative, disdainful and conceited.
* He fought in Alqualondë and became a kinslayer (again: as so many noldor).
* Betrayed his kin in Araman and did not stop his Father to set on fire the ships in Losgar (but who did?). He helped him, even (it occurs to me that surely Fëanor and Curufin were not the only to torch the swan-ships?).
* He forced Maedhros to attack Doriath (driven by the Oath, and don’t forget that, at the end, Maedhros and Maglor, the noblest of the brothers, didn’t hesitate to kill Eonwë’s guards to seize the last two Silmarils).
* Then we have the “Nargothrond’s episode”, all the stuff concerning Finrod and Orodreth, and Lúthien and Beren. But it is said in The Silmarillion, “But the curse of Mandos came upon the brothers, and dark thoughts arose in their hearts”. Mandos said: “Their Oath shall drive them, and yet betray them, and ever snatch away the very treasures that they have sworn to pursue. To evil end shall all things turn that they begin well; and by treason of kin unto kin, and the fear of treason, shall this come to pass.” Oh, yes, Curufin was hungry of power. Just because? No. Because it is said too that Celegorm and Curufin pursued to take over Doriath so they would have more land and men to rule. Why? To war Morgoth and recover the Silmarils. As Machiavelli would say: “Before all else, be armed” and “Politics have no relation to morals”. In short: “The Ends justify the Means.”
And yet, and always in my opinion, this hateful Noldo kept some virtues too:
* He was a devoted –and more than devoted- son (but considering the father, you might think that to be a devoted son of Fëanor is no virtue but a fault).
* There is a discarded quote, written by Tolkien (but Christopher did not include it when he edited The Silmarillion) where it is stated that Celegorm and Curufin were the best friends of Angrod and Aegnor. In a second note, it is stated that they (the fëanorians) brought them (the finarfinians) on the ships, so they would be saved to cross the Helcaraxë and would travel aboard the ships. Surprised?. No wonder they were neighbours, for Dorthonion’s closer neighbours were, precisely, Himladrim.
* Even after Araman’s betrayal Curufin (and Celegorm) kept Aredhel’s friendship –-- and considering her temper, I don’t think the lady would forgive easily an affront, but eventually she did and sought for their company even if it meant to defy Turgon.
* Curufin had a chance to kill Eöl and he did not, even if he had a cause to do it (to revenge Aredhel’s kidnapping) but, on the contrary, he counselled him to head back home. What would the laws of the Noldor mean to the wicked elf he became later?.
* Curufin ran into the battle to help Orodreth when he was besieged --- right in the moment that he was facing the ruin of his own realm and needed to save his life and his people’s (and surely Orodreth was not his favourite cousin).
* For a few years he lived quietly in Nargothrond and was a gift for Finrod and the nargothrondrim.
* He, as Fëanor his father, was a skilled smith and speaker but he was interested too in scholarship (again, as his father). For example, he was most interested in the language of the Dwarves, being the only Noldor to win their friendship and to learn Khuzdûl. Yes, Maedhros earned Azaghal’s respect and gratitude when he saved his life, but Curufin was the dwarves’ friend, especially Telchar’s.
-oOo-
Curufin became the most evil of the Sons of Fëanor while tried to keep his father’s Oath, and he is described as an elf “of devious cunning” and “being filled with shame and malice”. But in the end, and again in my opinion, I think he is but a victim, another example of how much Arda’s mar entered the Guarded Realm (and the first result of this mar, if you remember, was precisely Míriel’s death, what really started the Fall of the Noldor).
-oOo-
Author: Nelyo@LJ / Maedhros@SWG Yahoo List
Rating: General
Warning: None
Genre: Essay
A short essay about Curufin; it came along with “That Night”.
They are mostly raving thoughts, but anyway... :)
Read and enjoy or criticize -- as always, if you have nothing better to do ;)
Curufin son of Fëanor is, doubtless, one of Tolkien’s most hated elves. He earned one of the first positions in Mandos’ “Wanted” Top List, being only surpassed by Eöl, Maeglin and Fëanor (and not necessarily in this order, each reader would keep his own opinion about), and along with Celegorm and Caranthir. Oddly, there are not “evil” or “wicked” elves in Tolkien’s universe as in other worlds or, at least, none of Tolkien’s elves was born evil, and yet, some of them became, shall we say, “misunderstood”? due the circumstances and their lives. No, I am not about to justify their deeds but, at least, I tried, through these years, to understand why they behaved as they did, as I might do with some events or persons In Real Life.
Now, and back to Curufin: How was he?. We know he was alike his father in body and mind, the closer to Fëanor. Certainly, his parents named him rightly, Curufinwë and Atarinkë.
* He was proud and self-confidant (as many noldor), and as time passed he grew arrogant and manipulative, disdainful and conceited.
* He fought in Alqualondë and became a kinslayer (again: as so many noldor).
* Betrayed his kin in Araman and did not stop his Father to set on fire the ships in Losgar (but who did?). He helped him, even (it occurs to me that surely Fëanor and Curufin were not the only to torch the swan-ships?).
* He forced Maedhros to attack Doriath (driven by the Oath, and don’t forget that, at the end, Maedhros and Maglor, the noblest of the brothers, didn’t hesitate to kill Eonwë’s guards to seize the last two Silmarils).
* Then we have the “Nargothrond’s episode”, all the stuff concerning Finrod and Orodreth, and Lúthien and Beren. But it is said in The Silmarillion, “But the curse of Mandos came upon the brothers, and dark thoughts arose in their hearts”. Mandos said: “Their Oath shall drive them, and yet betray them, and ever snatch away the very treasures that they have sworn to pursue. To evil end shall all things turn that they begin well; and by treason of kin unto kin, and the fear of treason, shall this come to pass.” Oh, yes, Curufin was hungry of power. Just because? No. Because it is said too that Celegorm and Curufin pursued to take over Doriath so they would have more land and men to rule. Why? To war Morgoth and recover the Silmarils. As Machiavelli would say: “Before all else, be armed” and “Politics have no relation to morals”. In short: “The Ends justify the Means.”
And yet, and always in my opinion, this hateful Noldo kept some virtues too:
* He was a devoted –and more than devoted- son (but considering the father, you might think that to be a devoted son of Fëanor is no virtue but a fault).
* There is a discarded quote, written by Tolkien (but Christopher did not include it when he edited The Silmarillion) where it is stated that Celegorm and Curufin were the best friends of Angrod and Aegnor. In a second note, it is stated that they (the fëanorians) brought them (the finarfinians) on the ships, so they would be saved to cross the Helcaraxë and would travel aboard the ships. Surprised?. No wonder they were neighbours, for Dorthonion’s closer neighbours were, precisely, Himladrim.
* Even after Araman’s betrayal Curufin (and Celegorm) kept Aredhel’s friendship –-- and considering her temper, I don’t think the lady would forgive easily an affront, but eventually she did and sought for their company even if it meant to defy Turgon.
* Curufin had a chance to kill Eöl and he did not, even if he had a cause to do it (to revenge Aredhel’s kidnapping) but, on the contrary, he counselled him to head back home. What would the laws of the Noldor mean to the wicked elf he became later?.
* Curufin ran into the battle to help Orodreth when he was besieged --- right in the moment that he was facing the ruin of his own realm and needed to save his life and his people’s (and surely Orodreth was not his favourite cousin).
* For a few years he lived quietly in Nargothrond and was a gift for Finrod and the nargothrondrim.
* He, as Fëanor his father, was a skilled smith and speaker but he was interested too in scholarship (again, as his father). For example, he was most interested in the language of the Dwarves, being the only Noldor to win their friendship and to learn Khuzdûl. Yes, Maedhros earned Azaghal’s respect and gratitude when he saved his life, but Curufin was the dwarves’ friend, especially Telchar’s.
Curufin became the most evil of the Sons of Fëanor while tried to keep his father’s Oath, and he is described as an elf “of devious cunning” and “being filled with shame and malice”. But in the end, and again in my opinion, I think he is but a victim, another example of how much Arda’s mar entered the Guarded Realm (and the first result of this mar, if you remember, was precisely Míriel’s death, what really started the Fall of the Noldor).
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no subject
Date: 2005-08-18 08:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-18 09:06 pm (UTC)All we need is to dig a bit to know of them.
Thanks for reading! :D
no subject
Date: 2005-08-18 09:59 pm (UTC)The reading was a pleasure, thanks for writing!
no subject
Date: 2005-08-18 01:05 pm (UTC)No one ever gives any attention to poor Curufin except to dismiss him as evil. IMO, this attitude has always been to me rather shallow. (People who call Maedhros and Feanor as "evil," plain and simple, tend to make me pull out my hair in large clumps.) Certainly, this notion of "evil" is easier to defend in Curufin, as it seems that there is very little positive to say about him. But, as you point out, no Elves were born evil, and I think that people tend to forget that.
But I know that I am preaching to the proverbial choir on this one :)
There is a discarded quote, written by Tolkien (but Christopher did not include it when he edited The Silmarillion) where it is stated that Celegorm and Curufin were the best friends of Angrod and Aegnor.
Goodness! I missed that one! See, that is why I say that you know more about canon than I :)
Angrod and Aegnor--for all of my love of Felagund and Arafinwe--have always eluded me, but this detail, this connection to characters who are more than happy to talk, might be of help.
It is a commendable task, indeed, to be able to defend Curufin: Are you sure you are not a defense lawyer in real life? :)
no subject
Date: 2005-08-18 09:16 pm (UTC)And no, I'm no lawyer (my dad was, though), but I have been defending the fëanorians for many a year. It's so easy to attack them, just because, using the evident arguments! I know you might get shocked at this, but once I was named "nazi" (and they did it seriously) because I liked them (Fëanorians, of course, not nazis!); some persons established a very odd parallelism between fëanorians-nazis and teleri/sindar-jews. Go figure. And all because the two "fëanorians" around the email list were a german guy and I (I am spanish, but I was born in Germany by accident. The accident, if you wonder, was that I decided to come to the world 5 weeks before time. Didn't I tell you that I am nosy?).
I must to say I'm SO much delighted to have found so many people fond of the family! ;D
no subject
Date: 2005-08-18 10:48 pm (UTC)Excuse me. I am about to have a conniption....
WHA--!?! They called you a Nazi!?! WTF?!? Someone actually called you a Nazi for attempting to like a character with depth beyond "I do what I am told to do and always look *so* pretty while doing it?!?!" Argh!! This is beyond any absurdity I have ever read. And here I was upset because I read a filk one time that named "Maedhros as the true villain in the Silmarillion." Here I thought *that* was conniption-worthy!
Actually, it made me start a certain novel about the Feanorians, after having said conniption of course ;)
/conniption
must to say I'm SO much delighted to have found so many people fond of the family!
Me too :) Here I felt so alone.... Seriously, I was beginning to wonder if *I* was the mad one for thinking Feanor & Family not innately evil and deserving of our total disregard.
(BTW, Arandil, who commented below me, has officially been crowned Feanor's #1 Fangurl. And I think I'm slowly converting her to Maedhros too! ;D)
no subject
Date: 2005-08-18 02:36 pm (UTC)Here is my literary theory on Curufin. Tolkien knew he had to kill Feanor early on, because having that powerful and angry an elf running around Middle Earth after vengeance would have wreaked all kinds of havoc on his story. Or perhaps he wanted to kill Feanor because he just didn't like him. (As is evidenced by all the Assy things he says about Feanor.) At any rate, enter Curufin - who has the same name - and we can watch what Feanor would become had he remained alive.
Ok, that seemed like a much better theory before I had it typed out.
/rambling
no subject
Date: 2005-08-18 09:25 pm (UTC)*laughs!!!*
Or perhaps he wanted to kill Feanor because he just didn't like him.
On the contrary, he liked him a huge lot :) Tom Shippey says in one of his books (I can't recall which one) how much Tolkien loved Fëanor and Saruman because, in Tolkien's words, "they are creators as I am". It was only that they lost their path, what happens many times to brilliant people, the higher you are, the lower you fall. In fact, as you know, were not for Fëanor and we would have no Silmarillion, no Hobbit and no LOTR to drool about ;) And it will be he the one to close the whole tale when, after the Dagor Dagorath, he gives the Silmarils to Yavanna to break them and thus to heal the mar of Arda :)
Thanks for the review! :D
no subject
Date: 2005-08-25 05:45 pm (UTC)