It's a trope as old as stories: the bad boy. The handsome, mysterious, charming rogue. He appears in many genres: epics, romances, adventure stories, mysteries, even horror. Every culture has some version of him, but his characteristics vary wildly. He can be a villain, background character, anti-hero, or even the hero. Two things however define him no matter where he appears: physical beauty, and a dark past. Oh, and he is nearly always male. Only a few female examples exist, and most of them are very very modern. In Tolkien's stories, there are a few such characters: but the first and most important of them is Maedhros. One thing instantly stands out about Maedhros however: he has no romantic plot whatsoever. Usually when this character appears, one of the female characters in the story will at least start to fall for him. But Tolkien eschews this. Maedhros is famous for his beauty, and he's the High King of the Noldor. By conventional thinking, he should have women falling over him. But, the elven princesses he might have wooed, Idril and Luthien, chase human men instead. This is a level of realism we don't expect in fantasy stories, and in particular in fantasy stories from this early era. The darkness in Maedhros is real, he has committed atrocities and is permanently marked by them. He is hot-headed, dangerous, and greedy: almost draconic.
But is he evil? this is Tolkien, things aren't that simple. He is genuinely modest and kind as a friend, brother, and ruler. Maedhros is a ferocious opponent of the big bad Morgoth: so much so that Morgoth considers him threat #1. Fingolfin actually wasn't the first elf to give Morgoth a huge amount of trouble: and Maedhros actually lives to tell the tale. Furthermore, Maedhros is philosophical and empathetic: fully understanding and demonstrating remorse for his atrocities. Maedhros has killed his own kin. He did it out of loyalty to his father Fëanor, and Fëanor can be assigned blame for forcing this choice on his son, but nevertheless Maedhros made the choice to draw his sword on a Telerin elf. He participated in burning the swan ships, beautiful works of Telerin art that are now lost forever: even if new ones have been created in their memory. Maedhros demonstrates his remorse for doing this. Yet, he also swears an unbreakable oath to recover the Silmarils, in memory of his father. But perhaps we can think Maedhros is simply overly devoted to his deeply flawed father right? well, nope.
Maedhros goes and draws his sword on elves once again: on the citizens of Doriath this time. He is driven by the oath that he made to recover the Silmaril: but this is a greater atrocity than the one before. The First Kinslaying was an act of desperation, the Valar's servants were coming to arrest Fëanor. While Fëanor should have submitted to and gone with them, Manwë's blind dogmatism makes Fëanor's actions understandable if not justifiable. Maedhros' role in it was also significantly more justified: he was being asked to choose between his father and his cousins, of course he chose to follow his father. The second time, he is not only attacking without any prompting for the sole purpose of recovering an item: he is also attacking a kingdom that is already in turmoil, coldly taking advantage of it's weakness. But here, Maedhros is a reluctant participant. His brothers Celegorm and Curufin are the instigators, and they strong-arm him into going since he is the best military commander among the Noldor. They use his empathetic nature to convince him to lead the armies: pointing out that with him in command, fewer of their soldiers will die. While he knows that his brothers are cruel and don't actually give a damn about their soldiers: he also knows that they are right. Maedhros is disgusted by the carnage of the battle, and in particular by the actions of Celegorm's servants: who took the princes of Doriath, Elured and Elurin, to starve in the woods. Maedhros goes to try to find them, breaking off the search for the Silmaril, but fails to find them. So, that was the end of it right? Maedhros, disgusted by the deeds he was being coerced into committing swore off trying to find the Silmarils right? Wrong.
Maedhros once again drew his sword against elves: and this time was by far the worst morally speaking. This time, he drew his sword on Noldor. Maedhros is not just one of Fëanor's sons, he is the eldest. He was the High King of the Noldor, before being captured by Morgoth and giving up that title to his uncle Fingolfin voluntarily. Although it has been centuries since he had that role, that fact makes his assault on the Havens of Sirion particularly atrocious. You see, the Havens of Sirion are so called because this is a refugee camp. And among those refugees, are survivors from the fall of Gondolin: the city founded by Turgon, son of Fingolfin. While Maedhros comes seeking Elwing, a member of the Sindar: he kills Noldor and Sindar indiscriminately. He was not strong-armed into this, Celegorm and Curufin were dead. While it's true that the people of the Havens would never give Maedhros the Silmaril: he could have been content that it had passed into the hands of Idril's son Eärendil, with his wedding to Elwing. He could have considered the oath fulfilled, for Eärendil was of the Noldor. Or at the very least he could have been patient, for Eärendil felt a kinship with his father's human ancestors. He could have waited until the Silmaril passed into the hands of Elrond, Eärendil's son: and bargained with him.
Elves in Tolkien's stories do not truly die. If their bodies are not destroyed, they continue to exist forever. If they are "killed" their souls go to Mandos, where they wait to be reincarnated. Despite all the fighting Maedhros does, he has no particular need to fear this outcome. After Fëanor's demise, Maedhros managed to scare Morgoth so much that Morgoth felt the need to capture him through trickery. He withstood all of the torture which the evil Vala could dream up, and then survived an amputation without anaesthesia. He goes on to so ably defend the settlement at Himring, that it is one of the few elven strongholds to survive the terrible Battle of Sudden Flame. Both Curufin and Celegorm, his brothers, lose their homes in that battle. All this time I've been talking about him fighting, he's been fighting with his off hand. He's a skilled warrior with centuries of practice behind him. What Maedhros can't defeat with his sword, he can defeat with his mind. What Maedhros can't defeat, he can survive. He has no reason to believe that he would not live to see Eärendil's children grow up.
This is the darkness which permanently marked Maedhros, and makes him the ultimate bad boy of Tolkien's mythos. He is not evil, but he is dangerous. The name I've been calling him by, comes from his two Quenya names: Maitimo Russandol. The first is the name his mother gave him, and it means "well-shaped one". The Silmarillion specifically defines this word, and says "as he was noted for his comeliness". 'Comely' is an old and very British word, and this is the only time in all of Tolkien's stories that this word appears. When applied to a child it means 'cute', but when applied to an adult it means 'sexy'. The second is a nickname which means roughly 'carrot-top', for his red hair. As among humans, this was an unusual and remarkable trait: though particularly common in the lineage of Finwë. Maedhros is a dangerous exotic beauty. People who are dangerous are attractive for a good reason: we all face attacks, physical, mental or emotional every day. Someone who has shown that they are capable of killing can protect you from those attacks. He is a perfect example of this bad boy trope that I started this post talking about.
But, he has none of the characteristics that we so often see in these characters in fiction of today. In particular, I'm going to call out Twilight and it's fanfic turned bestseller 50 Shades of Grey. Christian Grey and Edward Cullen are also excellent examples of this bad boy trope: and on it's surface there's nothing particularly wrong with that. The problem is that in addition to being dangerous, they are abusive. Indeed, both books go out of their way to make men who question these male leads look bad. In particular, Twilight presents Jacob as a viable alternative to Edward for Bella. Bella's logic for choosing Edward over Jacob is...well...mind-boggling even from the perspective of a girl her age (I was 16 when I read Twilight, I kinda almost barfed when I read that bit). As leaders both Grey and Cullen are tyrannical: enforcing their will with brutality or the threat of it.
When Maedhros saw that his brothers were starting feuds with his uncle's followers: he gently used this authority as the eldest of Fëanor's sons, to separate the two groups. This shows wisdom and sensitivity to the needs of others. His brothers knew that he would ensure that few of their soldiers would die: they know he cares deeply for others, and does everything in his power to protect them. He is self-aware, and because of his self-awareness he doesn't judge others. It's hard to be friends with someone who has authority over you: but it can be done if that person is conscientious in how they use their authority. Fingon is Maedhros' vassal, and his close friend: who cares so deeply about him, that he's willing to risk imprisonment and torture by Morgoth. This, of course, mirrors Sam and Frodo in Lord of the Rings. Fingon, like Sam, would not care for someone who used his power in an abusive way.
Grey and Cullen, isolate themselves and the women they love from others: and they are generally regarded with hostility or even fear by others. Maedhros could not be more different. He was a consummate diplomat. After Morgoth destroyed many of the elven lands, including the strongholds of Curufin and Celegorm, it was Maedhros who gathered the survivors to lead a counterattack. This, in a time when most elves did not treat with either humans or dwarves: and indeed spoke of them with barely disguised contempt. This speaks to his empathetic nature, as empathy is the only possible way to bridge such a species divide. It was also despite the hatred which King Thingol of the Sindar had for him and his brothers due to their actions during the First Kinslaying. Still, Maedhros received assistance from Thingol's own herald Mablung. This speaks to both his charm and his genuine repentance for his actions. Maedhros never sought power, he never had to. Power was given to him because he deserved to have it: and when he felt he did not, he gave it up.
Maedhros' flaws were the same as his father's: greed, and stubbornness. But, in many ways he was different. He was smarter, a master tactician and tactful diplomat. He was more self-aware: and because of his self-awareness, non-judgemental. Fëanor was purposely blind to his flaws, and used violence against people who had the temerity to point them out. Maedhros could be passionately angry, but never directed his anger at people who criticized his character or his ideas. It's this last characteristic that especially makes him stand out from other examples of the archetype. Very often, the reason why these "bad boy" types are loners, is because they are abusive. They are toxic, tyrannical, enforcing their will through brutality. Their lack of adherence to social codes is attractive, but it hides an abusive personality. Maedhros is none of these things. If he were, Thorondor the Lord of the Eagles, would not have helped Fingon to save him. If he were, Mablung would not have shown up ready to take his orders. No, Maedhros isn't a loner because he is abusive. He's a loner because he refuses to taint anyone else with his sins.
Maedhros represents, I think, Tolkien meditating on the idea of guilt: and ultimately his rejection of guilt as useless. Maedhros feels guilty, yet keeps committing the same sin over and over again. His guilt is totally useless in modifying his behavior. Changing your behavior requires revising your understanding of who you are. Maedhros refuses to define himself as anything other than Fëanor's son, and so he continues to pursue Fëanor's ridiculous quest for the Silmaril. A surprising message coming from a devout Catholic such as Tolkien. But, perhaps not so surprising. While there was always a slightly unhealthy amount of guilt-tripping in the Catholic tradition: it has increased since the time when Tolkien was a child (back in the Edwardian era!) As the Catholic church has lost power, it has been tempting for many in it to double-down on this guilt-tripping. Tolkien must have noticed this trend, and I think he is perhaps warning against it. Like most of his warnings, it went unheeded.
Yet, Maedhros is also a send-up of the belief that empathy alone can create solidarity. The difficult truth of activism is that it cannot. Maedhros feels passionately, deeply, for the Sindar. Yet, he attacks them again and again. He feels for them, yet takes advantage of their suffering. Why? he does not question the forces that are larger than himself which push him into conflict with the Sindar again and again. He refuses to renege on the oath he made to recover the Silmarils, even though he is fully aware of how horrible the atrocities he has committed in the pursuit of this goal are. He has empathy for the Sindar, but does not feel solidarity with them. They stand in the way of his goals, and he is unwilling to give up or even question those goals because of his empathy. It takes something more than empathy to create solidarity. Solidarity is believing that working for someone else's cause benefits your own. As much as Maedhros feels bad for what he's doing to the Sindar, he cannot see how leaving them alone or even working with them could benefit his cause. Eärendil is wiser. When he learns that Elwing has the Silmaril, he cooks up a scheme with her to get it to Valinor. He understands that working with her is better than working against her.
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