The Dispossessed

		Fëanor		Nerdanel
Maedhros	Maglor	Celegorm	Caranthir	Curufin	Amrod	Amras
				Celebrimbor

A name given to the House of Fëanor, and especially his seven sons, after they led the greater part of the Noldor out of Aman and back into Middle-earth. Fëanor, the maker of the Silmarils, was the eldest son of Finwë, the original leader of the Noldor. Finwë was slain by Melkor, who also stole the Silmarils, and indeed this was a great part of Fëanor's fierce drive to depart from Valinor. At the time of his rebellion, Fëanor and his sons swore the dreadful unbreakable Oath of Fëanor, claiming the three Silmarils for themselves against any who would withhold them.

As Finwë's eldest son, Fëanor was now by right the leader of the Noldor, and his fury against Melkor caused him to lead his people into dire actions. The worst of these acts was the Kinslaying at Alqualondë, in which Fëanor and his followers set upon the Teleri and stole their ships so that they could make the crossing back to Middle-earth. By ship and by land, a great part of the Noldor followed Fëanor as he made his way northwards along the coasts of Aman, seeking the straits in the far north.

As they approached the northern ice, the Noldor encountered the figure of Mandos¹ awaiting them. Mandos pronounced a dreadful Doom on the Noldor. Among the curses he laid upon them, he declared that the House of Fëanor would be forever the Dispossessed. The meaning of this prophecy was unclear at the time, though Fëanor and his Sons had already been dispossessed of the Silmarils, and perhaps they imagined that this was all that Mandos' prophecy meant. If so, they were wrong.

One of the first consequences of the chilling prophecy was that a group of the Noldor who had followed Fëanor so far chose to abandon the journey. These were led by Fëanor's half-brother Finarfin, who led them back southwards along the coasts of Aman. The Valar received them back into Valinor and pardoned them, placing Finarfin as their chief. Thus a part of the prophecy was fulfilled: the elder line of Fëanor was Dispossessed of their birthright as leaders of the Noldor in the Blessed Realm.

Fëanor and his followers continued their journey into Middle-earth, abandoning the people of Fingolfin on the icy western shore. Fingolfin's followers were forced to make a treacherous crossing of the Grinding Ice of the north. Once in Middle-earth, the Elves soon found themselves in battle with the Orcs of Morgoth. That battle, the Dagor-nuin-Giliath or Battle-under-Stars, was largely a success for the Elves, but with one major loss: that of Fëanor himself. Filled with fury, and burning for revenge against Morgoth, Fëanor had pursued the enemy far ahead of his main force. Protected only by a small bodyguard, he was ambushed by Balrogs and fatally wounded.

Fëanor succumbed to his wounds soon afterward, and by right the rule of the Noldor would have passed to his elder son Maedhros. Maedhros, however, repented the actions of his people on the journey, especially the Kinslaying and the abandonment of Fingolfin. He refused the right of his House to the High Kingship of the Noldor, and it passed from Fëanor's line to that of his half-brother Fingolfin, whose descendants would go on to rule the Noldor until the end of the Second Age. Thus the House of Fëanor was Dispossessed as Mandos had foretold, both in Aman (where Finarfin ruled the Noldor) and in Middle-earth (where Fingolfin and his heirs took up the Kingship).