30-08-2005, 18:58
Sur le choix entre les hypothèses, les HoMes (devinez lequel ? le X, of course !) nous donnent la réponse, il s'agit bien de la 2 :
In the Annals of Aman, written before the story of Míriel had arisen, Fëanor spoke before the Valar after the Death of the Trees (§§120-1, p. 107) :
"... Mayhayp I can unlock my jewels, but never again shall I make their like; and if they be broken, then broken will be my heart, and I shall die: first of all the Children of Eru."
"Not the first," quoth Mandos, but they understood not his word..."
Mandos knew that Morgoth had murdered Finwë at Formenos, "and spilled the first blood of the Children of Ilúvatar" (§122).
Against the words of Mandos my father afterwards noted on the AAm typescript (p. 127, §120): "This no longer fits even the Eldar of Valinor. Finwë Fëanor's father was first to be slain of the High-elves, Míriel Fëanor's mother the first to die", and on the text itself he changed Fëanor's "I shall die" to "I shall be slain". It might seem that a distinction is made here between "dying" and "being slain", but I do not think that this is the case. What is meant is simply that Míriel was the first to die, and Finwë was the second to die - but the first to be slain. After the story of Míriel had entered Fëanor could no longer say "I shall die: first of all the Children of Eru"; my father therefore, wishing to retain the pregnant words of Mandos "Not the first", altered Fëanor's to "I shall be slain".
Much later, this passage in AAm was used again in the new work on the Quenta Silmarillion (see p. 293), taking this form :
"... and I shall be slain, first of all the Children of Eru."
"Not the first," quoth Mandos, but they did not understand his words, thinking that he spoke of Míriel."
"... Mayhayp I can unlock my jewels, but never again shall I make their like; and if they be broken, then broken will be my heart, and I shall die: first of all the Children of Eru."
"Not the first," quoth Mandos, but they understood not his word..."
Mandos knew that Morgoth had murdered Finwë at Formenos, "and spilled the first blood of the Children of Ilúvatar" (§122).
Against the words of Mandos my father afterwards noted on the AAm typescript (p. 127, §120): "This no longer fits even the Eldar of Valinor. Finwë Fëanor's father was first to be slain of the High-elves, Míriel Fëanor's mother the first to die", and on the text itself he changed Fëanor's "I shall die" to "I shall be slain". It might seem that a distinction is made here between "dying" and "being slain", but I do not think that this is the case. What is meant is simply that Míriel was the first to die, and Finwë was the second to die - but the first to be slain. After the story of Míriel had entered Fëanor could no longer say "I shall die: first of all the Children of Eru"; my father therefore, wishing to retain the pregnant words of Mandos "Not the first", altered Fëanor's to "I shall be slain".
Much later, this passage in AAm was used again in the new work on the Quenta Silmarillion (see p. 293), taking this form :
"... and I shall be slain, first of all the Children of Eru."
"Not the first," quoth Mandos, but they did not understand his words, thinking that he spoke of Míriel."
HoMe X, The later Quenta Silmarillion (II), pp. 268-269.