Sometimes, all roads lead to trouble. They did for Fëanor, first-born prince of the Noldor, a singular Elf in terms of strength, courage, and creativity. After journeying across the whole world to join the gods—the Valar—on a continent named Aman, the so-called promised land proved to hold nothing but disaster for Fëanor and his people. J. R. R. Tolkien’s Silmarillion relates the tale.
First, a renegade Vala, the dark lord Morgoth, steals the Silmarils, three gems of unparalleled beauty and power crafted by Fëanor. Next, he destroys the light-giving trees that used to make Aman the paradise it once was. And finally, he kills Fëanor’s father, Finwë, the king of all Ñoldorin Elves. To Fëanor, the response to this disaster is clear: He must journey back to Middle Earth where he came from, retrieve the Silmarils, and avenge his father in the process. Fëanor rallies many of his fellow Elves and sets off.
Just before the great host bound for war can leave the shores of Aman, however, the Valar send a messenger: “Don’t go, Fëanor!” he pleads. “Where you are headed, far more tragedy awaits you still.” But Fëanor has seen all he needs to see. He won’t be swayed—and to ensure his kin won’t either, he addresses them with few but swaying words:
“If any will come with me, I say to them: Is sorrow foreboded to you? But in Aman we have seen it. In Aman we have come through bliss to woe. The other now we will try: through sorrow to find joy; or freedom, at the least.”
Convincing as it is, Fëanor’s speech will indeed spur on the Elves to continue their quest—a quest that shall end in pain and suffering regardless but that, if nothing else, was a quest they chose for themselves. That’s the thing about all roads leading to trouble: You can’t know until you’ve ventured down every single one of them.
There’s a limit to how much each of us can carry. Whenever you reach that breaking point, know that though new might only be different, it is a valid reaction to decide: “The other now we will try.” How long must you trudge through sorrow to find joy? Nobody knows, but in the meantime, it can be a great comfort to rest assured that, at the least, you are walking the path of freedom.