What if 🧝Feanor said yes?

[Ricardo]

When the trees were wounded, Yavanna said that she could only heal them with the light contained in the silmarils.

Feanor refused but that seemed inconsequential since Morgoth had taken them anyway.

But was it?

When the smaller host of the Noldor, led by Feanor and his sons landed in Middle Earth, they were attacked by orcs that were roaming freely in western Beleriand, but the Noldor destroyed them, killing nearly all of them.

If Feanor had said yes, regardless of the silmarils no longer being available, there would have been bad blood between the Valar and the Noldor.

With the perspective of saving the tree with the silmarils, the Valar could have organized an army to go after Morgoth and the silmarils. Not just a bunch of Noldor, all of the Noldor, the Vanyar and the Teleri, possibly led by Eonwe. And surely Thingol would have helped.

they would have easily destroyed the orcs and set siege at Angband, at that point, the Valar themselves (Tulkas) could have intervened to torn down Angband and capture Morgoth and the silmarils. Some of the Noldor could have stayed in Beleriand and establish kingdoms there.

A very different outcome out of a simple yes or no question.

 

[grendel]

This is kind of like the question, "Why didn't the Eagles take the Ring to Mordor?"

If Feanor had said yes, there would have been no story.

My question, since you bring it up, is: would he really have had to destroy all three? Couldn't the light from one Silmaril have re-animated the Trees?

 

[Ricardo]

This is kind of like the question, "Why didn't the Eagles take the Ring to Mordor?"

If Feanor had said yes, there would have been no story.

My question, since you bring it up, is: would he really have had to destroy all three? Couldn't the light from one Silmaril have re-animated the Trees?

I agree there would be no story if Morgoth is defeated at the beginning.

It's more an speculation on what could have happened according to what we know, it's by no means a suggestion that the story should have gone like this.

About your question. it's hard to answer that. They did get a silmaril at the end but didn't use it to revive the trees, I think it was more because it was too late, otherwise, if they needed the 3 silmarils for that the Valar could have easily recover them.

But there is more in the silmarils than that. They had the light of the trees, and were hallowed by Varda, but their power seems to transcend the Valar.

With the silmaril, Earendil was able to pass through all the Valar defenses, designed to keep Morgoth at bay. I wonder if when Varda hallowed them it was really the power of Iluvatar himself put in them.

 

[d4rk3lf]

This is kind of like the question, "Why didn't the Eagles take the Ring to Mordor?"

Nope.
And it's not stupid question at all.
It's actually one of the most important question in all the Silmarilion book, and in my mind, maybe most important.
And Tolkien replied... right after this question.

My answer to OP:
Yes.. if Feanor said yes (even the Silmarilis was stollen at that moment) all would be different.
There would not be curse on Noldors... Noldors wouldn't slaughter Teleri... etc...
It would be at the fate Illuvatar and Valars predicted (and wished), and eventually Silmarillis would be in Feanor hands... but Alas.. .he had different idea, and Valars and Illuvatar didn't want to interfere in his free will.... he is like us humans... he have stupid free will.. but free will