It never ceases to amaze me the number of the times Tolkien mentioned Finwe's love for Fëanor. I think there are no other fathers in the legendarium whose love for their son or daughter is as talked about as is Finwë's love for Fëanor.
In that time was born in Eldamar, in the house of the King in Tirion upon the crown of Tuna, the eldest of the sons of Finwe, and the most beloved. Curufinwe was his name, but by his mother he was called Feanor, Spirit of Fire; - The Silmarillion, Chapter 6, Of Fëanor and The Unchaining of Melkor
All his love he gave to his son; for Fëanaró was like his mother in voice and countenance, and Finwë was to him both father and mother, and there was a double bond of love upon their hearts. - Morgoth's Ring, The Later Quenta Silmarillion (II), Laws A
...Yet the shadow of Miriel did not depart from his heart, and Fëanaró always had the chief share of his thoughts. - Morgoth's Ring, The Later Quenta Silmarillion (II), Laws A
... And in spite of all that later happened his eldest son remained nearest to Finwë's heart. - The Peoples of Middle-earth, The Shibboleth of Fëanor
Thither also came Finwë the King, because of the love that he bore to Fëanor. - The Silmarillion, Chapter 7, Of The Silmarils and The Unrest Of The Noldor
There is a different version of the last quote in Morgoth's Ring which I personally prefer to the one we got in the published Silmarillion. The way it is worded gives a clear answer to the question why Finwë followed Fëanor in exile to Formenos.
With him went his sons, and Finwë his father, who would not be parted from him, in fault or guiltless. - - Morgoth's Ring, The Later Quenta Silmarillion (II), Later Chapter 6, Of The Silmarils and The Unrest Of The Noldor
Finwe did not follow Fëanor in exile because he felt like his authority as King of the Noldor was diminished by the Valar and they got involve in a situation that should have been Finwë's to handle.
He also did not follow Fëanor in exile because of some sort of guilt related to the fact that he is Fëanor's only parent and his son has nobody else left.
No.
Finwë willingly followed Fëanor in exile because he would not be parted from him, in fault or guiltless. It was never about Fëanor being right or wrong in this particular situation or any another. That is irrelevant to Finwë and it does not effect his decision. Finwë would follow Fëanor always regardless of whether his son was guilty of any transgression or not.
It's worth pointing out that Finwë did not hesitate to part from his kingship, from his people, from Indis, from his and Indis' children. But there is only one person Finwë never wants to be parted from and that is Fëanor.
... and I love that!
“If you have time to be on social media, you also have time for…” “If you have time to watch Netflix, you also have time for…” Yeah, but do I have the energy for it? Do I have the emotional and mental capacity for it? Am I pain-free enough for it? Can I focus on it? Can I do it without leaving my bed? Can I safely do it without risk of (physically or emotionally) injuring myself by pushing past my boundaries?
Here is the artwork for @silmarillionepistolary day 6, Loss and Betrayal.
It is dark in Valinor.
Finwë, still remaining in self-imposed exile with his son and grandsons, fears for himself and the people he abandoned - never has the world been this dark, not even in the first days at Cuivienen. Melkor betrayed them all, and is nowhere to be found, but the Two Trees are dead, still bleeding black venom from the attack. Fëanáro is gone, he was summoned by the Valar, who seem to think he can help right the wrong that was done here only weeks ago. Finwë worries that his son will be too bitter and too proud to listen.
He misses his family, the ones he left behind when he chose Fëanáro’s side - he knows that Nolofinwë was deeply hurt by this, but he still thinks his eldest son needs him more - and he prays they are all right. Formenos is silent, but not dark … the Silmarils, set into the wall above his son’s throne, cast light into every corner.
I worry for him, Finwë writes. He needs me. It is dark, but those gems…
He pauses, looking up at them, before he takes a deep breath and goes on: Valar forgiv-
Finwë does not get to finish the sentence. He does not even have time to react as the heavy iron doors of Formenos are blown right off their hinges by a single strike of a massive iron hammer. A pitch-dark form rushes forward, and before Finwë can even cry out, Melkor’s hammer swings into him, and the force of the blow sends him flying backwards. His body collides with the wall far behind, and the last thing he sees is Melkor prying his son’s coveted jewels from the wall.
'old bright songs of their childhood' - aka Maedhros and Maglor (Tiny Edition)
Inspired by a little moment in @thelordofgifs' the fairest stars where Maglor sings childhood songs to Maedhros and Maedhros believes himself to be back in Valinor for a moment.
@tolkiengenweek - another one for 'family' since their relationship is one of my favorite sibling relationships in Tolkien's legendarium 💗
Bonus sparkly 'Song' version that I wasn't really sure about under the cut:
The “getting it done in an unconventional way” method.
The “it’s not cheating to do it the easy way” method.
The “fuck what you’re supposed to do” method.
The “get stuff done while you wait” method.
The “you don’t have to do everything at once” method.
The “it doesn’t have to be permanent to be helpful” method.
The “break the task into smaller steps” method.
The “treat yourself like a pet” method.
The “it doesn’t have to be all or nothing” method.
The “put on a persona” method.
The “act like you’re filming a tutorial” method.
The “you don’t have to do it perfectly” method.
The “wait for a trigger” method.
The “do it for your future self” method.
The “might as well” method.
The “when self discipline doesn’t cut it” method.
The “taking care of yourself to take care of your pet” method.
The “make it easy” method.
The “junebugging” method.
The “just show up” method.
The “accept when you need help” method.
The “make it into a game” method.
The “everything worth doing is worth doing poorly” method.
The “trick yourself” method.
The “break it into even smaller steps” method.
The “let go of should” method.
The “your body is an animal you have to take care of” method.
The “fork theory” method.
The “effectivity over aesthetics” method.