Lord of the Rings

Guest Post by Connor Headrick, ENTP

The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien

Dominant Introverted Feeling (Fi): Feanor’s fiery commitment to his own values and desires above all else is his single most defining characteristic. His name means “Spirit of Fire,” and he consistently displays this fiery spirit by showing blazing passion, arrogance, and wrath. Like typical ISFPs, Feanor is idealistic and unswerving from his inner moral compass. However, Feanor’s ideals are not altruistic; they are self-centred and prideful. This unhealthy Fi turns him into a wrathful, violent ISFP in order to get what he wants.

The Silmarillion says that few ever persuaded Feanor by reason, and none by force. Feanor consistently refuses to listen to good advice, instead following his own desires. When he feels that his power is threatened, Feanor draws his sword and threatens the life of his half-brother, committing the first assault in Aman (the equivalent of Paradise). He becomes obsessed with the Silmarils, the magical gems he crafted. He refuses to sacrifice these gems, even though using the light of the gems is the only way to restore the light of the dying Trees that illuminated the world. When the villain Morgoth steals the Silmarils, Feanor gives an impassioned speech and persuades the rest of the elves to rebel against the benevolent Valar and leave the Undying Lands to take revenge on Morgoth. Feanor then leads his seven sons in swearing a rash oath that calls down everlasting darkness upon them if they ever stop pursuing the Silmarils. When the Teleri, the Sea Elves, refuse to let Feanor take their ships to follow Morgoth to Middle Earth, Feanor attacks his kindred, slaughters them, and takes the ships. And when Feanor realizes there aren’t enough ships to carry all of his followers to Middle Earth, he abandons thousands of elves in the freezing Northern regions and sails away without them. To make matters even worse, Feanor burns the ships once he lands in Middle Earth. Finally, his wrath drives him to forge his way ahead of his army during his first great battle in Middle Earth, and he is isolated and killed by Balrogs. As his spirit departed from his body, it was so powerful that his body disintegrated into ash.

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Guest Post by E. J., INTJ

Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien

Dominant Introverted Feeling (Fi): Smeagol is primarily motivated by self-interest. He does think about some moral concepts, such as fairness and kindness, but mainly when they apply to himself in some way. If he breaks some aspect of this moral code, he finds a way of justifying it (e.g., claiming the Ring was his birthday present and that he is therefore the rightful owner). Smeagol, unlike his alter-ego Gollum, can feel personally responsible to people who have helped him (although not to people in general). Gollum does not even care about people who have helped him, reacting viciously toward anyone who stands in his way. Smeagol cannot empathize with other people unless they have had similar experiences–specifically in relation to the Ring. While he understands something of how Bilbo and Sam think because he is a Hobbit himself, he has little sympathy for either of them. On the other hand, he knows that Frodo has experienced something like his own struggle while staying wiser and retaining a strong moral code. Smeagol admires Frodo, but he betrays Frodo anyway because he cannot be loyal to Frodo while fulfilling his own desires.

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