While the Valar reeled from the destruction of the Trees, Melkor assaulted Fëanor’s stronghold of Formenos. He slew Finwë, the High King of the Noldor, and plundered the treasury, stealing the three Silmarils. Melkor set the gems into a heavy iron crown, claiming them as his personal sovereignty, even though the holy jewels burned his flesh for eternity. The Oath of Fëanor
The theft, and the Valar's perceived inability to act, broke something in Fëanor. His pride turned to madness. In the public square of Tirion, the city of the Elves, he swore a terrible vow: a sacred and unbreakable oath, calling upon the void itself as a witness, that he and his seven sons would pursue any creature who dared to hold a Silmaril, be they Elf, Vala, or Morgoth himself, unto the ends of the world. silmaril
To the philologist Tolkien, the name Silmaril held deep meaning. The Quenya plural Silmarilli translates to "Radiance of Pure Light" and originates from the secret substance silima from which they were made. The word connects to the Quenya root sil , meaning "to shine with silver light," linking the jewels to the stars and the moon. While the Valar reeled from the destruction of
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