Reading Brego's thread it brought to mind a question I always ask myself and have long wanted to ask you guys. Do you believe that Feanor's fate would have been different had his father not remarried? A further question, was it wise for the Valar to have called the Elves to Aman in the first place? I remember that when it was decided Mandos said "so it is doomed" rather than "so be it." I am unable to answer my own question, because I simply don't know. I did read the reasoning behind allowing Finwe to remarry in Morgoth's Ring, but I am still not sure that it was the wisest decision. It also seem's to me that bringing the Valar to Aman was done for selfish reasons. But again, I don't know and would like your thoughts on this.

I apologize if this has been previously discussed, but I did not see it.  Thanks.

We know that the wedding of Finwe to Indis displeased Feanor, and the Silmarillion narrator notes that: 'In those unhappy things which later came to pass, and in which Feanor was the leader, many saw the effect of this breach within the house of Finwe, judging that if Finwe had endured his loss and been content with the fathering of his mighty son, the courses of Feanor would have been otherwise, and great evil might have been prevented...'

No one can truly know how things would have turned out otherwise, but to my mind the author clearly wants to raise the idea in the mind of the reader that this rather notable circumstance [an Elf who had married twice] arguably, at least, had a notable effect.

As noted, had Finwe not remarried, we still have ingredients that could have led Feanor down a destructive path: he was still a master craftsman, and Melkor would have been released to sow his lies and cause strife. No half brothers for example, so it may have been more difficult to set Feanor upon this path, but the Silmarils would still exist, and Melkor knew how to twist things to his purposes.

That said, interestingly, in the 'latest known' version of this scenario [but not taken up into the constructed Silmarillion however], Tolkien changes things once again according to The Shibboleth of Feanor [The Peoples Of Middle-Earth].

In this account Miriel's '... death was a lasting grief to Feanor, and both directly and by its further consequence a main cause of his later disastrous influence on the history of the Noldor.'

And in this version (actually quite a late version) Miriel endured her weariness until Feanor was full grown. And when the matter of Finwe and Indis arose Feanor was 'disturbed and filled with anger and resentment' and when he learned that he could never again visit Miriel unless he himself should die, he was grieved '... and he grudged the happiness of Finwe and Indis, and was unfriendly to their children, even before they were born.'

So Tolkien, it seems to me, is setting up even more of a foundation for Feanor's later deeds, and here even the seemingly trivial pronunciation of þ becomes an issue: Feanor would call his mother þerinde, never Serinde like Indis might...

... and Feanor wasn't happy about even that 

I have thought much about these posts.  I completely agree that in the end, the downfall of Feanor was his pride and the devices of Melkor.  But Feanor did go through some bizarre circumstances by Elvish standards.  He did suffer the death of both of his parents.  And we know that the murder of Finwe contributed to his madness.  We know that he grew to love the Silmarils with a greedy love.  Perhaps, he loved his father that way as well?  After all, this was his initial frustration with Fingolfin.   He believed that Fingolfin was trying to unsurp his place and turn their father against him.

Although in the Silmarillion Feanor was too young to remember his mother, I believe her death did have an effect on him.  It created a stronger bond and more reliance on his father.  It seemed to have that effect on his father as well.  The author tells us "But the shadow of Miriel did not depart from the house of Finwe, nor from his heart; and of all whom he loved Feanor had ever the chief share of his thought. "  Maybe this bond between father and son grew to a jealous type of love, such as Feanor had for the Silmarils?  If this be the case, then I would think that Feanor would have perceived any remarriage as being a threat to his relationship with his father.  Maybe feeling as though he did not really fit in to Finwe's new family.  Would this have been enough to set Feanor on a path to destruction?  It is hard to say, but I believe it was a contributing factor.  These are my thoughts after having read all of your posts.

Galin, you have referred to "the Peoples of Middle Earth" many times.  I thank you for that. I have ordered the book and I am looking forward to reading this account.