This weekend (Saturday November 21 at 6pm EST), Hall of Fire will be discussing the life and achievements of that most talented (and, perhaps, most-troubled) of elves, Fëanor.
Here once was light, that the Valar begrudged to Middle-earth, but now dark levels all. Shall we mourn here deedless for ever, a shadow-folk, mist-haunting, dropping vain tears in the thankless sea? Or shall we return to our home?
In Cuiviénen sweet ran the waters under unclouded stars, and wide lands lay about, where a free people might walk. There they lie still and await us who in our folly forsook them.
Come away! Let the cowards keep this city!
Fëanor, the Spirit of Fire
Fëanor, the mightiest of the children of Illuvatar. Blessed with unequalled talent, but also marred by a spirit that burned too hotly. Feanor created the greatest works of elven craftsmanship, but he also caused the greatest tragedies of the elves.
Fëanor and his followers pursued Morgoth to Middle-earth and drove towards Angband at once. In a fey charge Feanor was slain by Gothmog the Lord of the balrogs, his like never to be seen again in Middle-earth.
It is hard, if not impossible, to find a character who makes a greater impact in Tolkien’s mythology. The Oath of Fëanor shapes the destinies of elves and men from the First Age to the end of the Third Age. Who is he really this spirit of fire? What shaped him and drove him? How important were his mother’s premature death and his following estrangement of his father’s new family? What good came of his deeds and what evils?
Join us on Saturday November 21 at 6pm EST when we’ll be examining all this and more as we talk about Fëanor.
Upcoming discussions
Saturday November 21: Fëanor
Saturday November 28: The Rankin/Bass animated Hobbit
Fëanor by daLomacchi.Time zone conversions
Not sure what time the chat will be where you are? Check this little conversion table out for some help. Alternatively, check our handy Event Announcer over on Time and Date for the correct time in your area.
America:
6.00pm EST (New York)
5.00pm CST (Chicago)
4.00pm MST (Denver)
3.00pm PST (Los Angeles)
Europe:
11.00pm BST (London)
Midnight CST (Paris)
1am EEST (Helsinki)
Asia-Pacific
8.00am AEST (Sunday) Brisbane
9.00am AEDT (Sunday) Sydney, Melbourne
11.00am NZDT (Sunday) Wellington
How long do your topic chats go for?
Our chats usually last about an hour, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation! However, our main room, #theonering.net is open 24 hours a day. We don’t always talk Tolkien there, but if you have a burning question, you’ll usually find one or two of “the regulars” up for a chat!
Where — connection details
Chat happens on #thehalloffire on irc.theonering.net — the TORn IRC server. It is based on internet relay chat technology (that means it’s hella old skool). It’s a text-only, moderated chat room full of eccentric Tolkien fans. We’re open 24/7 (although some times are busier and more active than others).
There are many ways to connect to the chat server. However, the easiest is generally to use a browser-based client. We usually direct folks to Mibbit:
* TORn Mibbit Widget
* Mibbit direct (as opposed to the widget above, this allows you to see others joining and leaving)
If you’re more oldschool or technically adept, you can install one of the scores of standalone chat clients that available for desktop and mobile devices. Just plug in our server details (see bottom) into the client and connect.
* Xchat: http://xchat.org/ (Windoze PC and Linux. Free)
* mIRC: http://www.mirc.com/ (Windoze PC. 30-day trial)
* AndChat: http://www.andchat.net/ (Android app for mobile. Free)
* Colloquy: http://colloquy.info/ (Mac OS and Apple mobile devices. Free)
Our server details:
IRC server name: irc.theonering.net
Channel/room name: #theonering.net
Port: 6667 (6697 for SSL connections)
