Editing Finwë and Míriel (section)

=== Skill of mother and son ===

The [[Tolkien scholar]] [[Verlyn Flieger]]  comments that Míriel's death has deep-running consequences through her son Fëanor's "unchecked nature". She notes that his usual name means "Spirit of Fire", and that it is not his true name, which is Curufinwë ([[Quenya]]: ''Curu'', "Skill", and his father's name); in her view, the use of an epithet implies a strong emphasis on his fire element. The first thing his fire consumes is Míriel's body; ''The Silmarillion'' says she is "consumed in spirit and body".<!--Silm, p. 63-->{{sfn|Flieger|1983|pp=94-95}} The poet and essayist Melanie Rawls writes that Fëanor's consuming nature, always taking things in, is "a negative-feminine trait", implying a disharmony of the genders.{{sfn|Rawls|2015|p=112}} Flieger writes that his fire then drives his creativity, making the beautiful letters of the Fëanorian script, and jewels, including, fatefully, the Silmarils. She states that Tolkien, choosing his words very carefully, calls Fëanor two things. Firstly, he uses the word "subtle", by etymology from [[Latin]] ''sub-tela'', "under the warp (of a weaving)", hence the crosswise weft threads that go against the grain, a dangerous part of the fabric of life. Secondly, he applies the word "skilled", by etymology from [[Indo-European]] ''skel-'', "to cut", like the Noldor as a whole tending to cause division among the Elves. His choices, and the Silmarils, do in fact lead to division and war, to the [[Kinslaying]] of Elf by Elf, the theft of the Telerin Elves' ships in Aman, and in turn to further disasters across the sea in Beleriand.{{sfn|Flieger|1983|pp=95-107}}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto;"
|+ [[Verlyn Flieger]]'s analysis of Tolkien's choice of terms for Fëanor{{sfn|Flieger|1983|pp=95–107}}
|-
! Tolkien's terms !! [[Etymology]] !! Implications
|-
| "subtle" || Latin: ''sub-tela'', "under the [[Warp and weft|warp]]" of a weaving || A person who goes against the grain, dangerous
|-
| "skilled" || Indo-European ''skel-'', "to cut" || A divisive person, one who causes conflict
|}

Both [[Matthew T. Dickerson|Matthew Dickerson]] in ''[[The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia]]'' and [[Elizabeth Solopova]] in ''[[A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien]]'' note that ''The Silmarillion''<!--ch. 6--> emphasises Míriel's skill, naming her in early versions ''Byrde'', later ''Serindë'', "the [[Embroidery|broideress]]"; she passes on her "surpassing skill"<ref name="Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor" group=T/> in craftsmanship to her only son. Solopova suggests a possible link to Tolkien's study of the [[Middle English]] word ''burde'', conventionally meaning "lady, damsel"; he proposed that it derived from [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|borde}}, "embroidery" and pointed out that in Old Norse and Old English poetry, stock terms for "woman" included "weaver" and "embroideress".{{sfn|Solopova|2020|p=231}}{{sfn|Dickerson|2013|pp=212–213}}