Fifteen years ago this July, the SWG ran an event called Seven in '07 in honor of the House of Fëanor. As part of it, each member of the House was given a short biography "illustrated" with fanworks. This project was a precursor to our Character of the Month, which would begin just a few months later.

However, since the Fëanorians were done, we didn't include them in the Character of the Month column. As Oshun pushed the Character of the Month into more and more detailed territory, however, those original Seven in '07 biographies began to seem inadequate, especially for characters as influential in the texts—and the fandom—as the Fëanorians. We've been working to replace them, and this month, after almost fifteen years, Maedhros finally gets his moment in the spotlight.

Maedhros is one of the fandom's favorite—and most controversial—characters. Fan interpretations run the gamut from seeing him as an innocent victim of his circumstances to an evil architect of the horrors of the First Age. This month's biography is the first of two parts and looks at his early life, up to the turning point marked by his captivity by Melkor. During this time, he was pulled between two brilliant parents: the impetuous and rebellious Fëanor and the patient and thoughtful Nerdanel. As the eldest son, he was a leader in his house, and his choices in these early years show the influence of Fëanor and Nerdanel, the first driving him to the disastrous oath but the latter shaping how he would respond to political and familial conflicts across the centuries as the head of his house.

Oshun's biography of Maedhros covers his early life, until his captivity by Melkor: the influence of the oath, his parents, and the ultimate development of his leadership role among the Noldorin princes. Maedhros is the most popular character on the SWG archive. Check out the variety of fan interpretations of Maedhros from among the 774 fanworks about Maedhros (and growing!) on our archive.