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Nerdanel the Wise
Wife of Fëanor, Daughter of Mahtan

It would take someone very wise to keep someone like Fëanor in line, and apparently, Nerdanel was the only person who managed to make him listen to reason, if only some of the time. We're never told precisely what became of Nerdanel; we do know that by the time Fëanor went 'round the bend and swore his awful Oath, they were estranged, and she did not follow him into exile. Good sensible woman that she was, one might presume that she went back to live with her father, provided he didn't blame her for the fact that Fëanor was a talented but ultimately disappointing student. What else can you call a pupil who makes some of the greatest handiworks of all the Eldar, and then brings doom on his own kin because of his obsessive desire to keep them?

I can't recall if it's documented anywhere, but I've long suspected that if the red hair in Fëanor's sons wasn't merely a bit of symbolism, it came from their mother's side of the family. It's a bit of a cliche to make a strong-willed heroine red-haired, but for Nerdanel it seemed quite suitable. The daughter of the greatest of the Noldorin smiths before Fëanor, she certainly needed a fiery personality of her own to deal with a smith for a father, and for a husband! To reflect that, I wanted to give her an outfit that was both a little more practical and a little more daring than those of the other women in Fëanor's life. The shorter sleeves and skirt would have been better suited to life in a smithy, but the lavish embellishment and off-the-shoulder bodice would have indicated a person of means and status. The gold headband is embossed with an elaborate knotwork pattern (which, unfortunately, isn't very clearly visible, sigh), and is part of the body mesh, so that she won't wear it to bed, in the shower, or when swimming. (It also won't show up with her formal wear, alas.)