Resposta parcial apenas aqui; fora do topo da minha cabeça eu não sei de qualquer informação sobre a estrutura social dos elfos em Aman (além do fato de que os Vanyar foram considerados acima dos outros em algum caminho ), e eu realmente não tem tempo para vasculhar História da Terra-média agora. Mas eu posso responder suas outras perguntas.
Que papel para os Valar desempenham em Aman?
Eles são professores e governantes. De O Silmarillion sabemos que os elfos aprenderam muitas coisas com os Valar e os Maiar; para dar alguns exemplos:
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Os Vanyar aprendem música de Manwë:
Manwë has no thought for his own honour, and is not jealous of his power, but rules all to peace. The Vanyar he loved best of all the Elves, and of him they received song and poetry; for poetry is the delight of Manwë, and the song of words is his music.
The Silmarillion III Quenta Silmarillion Chapter 1: "Of the Beginning of Days"
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Os noldor aprenderam o smithcraft de Aulë:
Aulë it is who is named the Friend of the Noldor, for of him they learned much in after days, and they are the most skilled of the Elves; and in their own fashion, according to the gifts which Ilúvatar gave to them, they added much to his teaching, delighting to tongues and in scripts, and in the figures of broidery, of drawing, and of carving. The Noldor also it was who first achieved the making of gems; and the fairest of an gems were the Silmarils, and they are lost.
The Silmarillion III Quenta Silmarillion Chapter 1: "Of the Beginning of Days"
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Os Teleri aprenderam as naves marítimas e (mais tarde) a construção naval de Ossë, o Maia:
Long [the Teleri] remained by the coasts of the western sea, and Ossë and Uinen came to them and befriended them; and Ossë instructed them, sitting upon a rock near to the margin of the land, and of him they learned all manner of sea-lore and sea-music. Thus it came to be that the Teleri, who were from the beginning lovers of water, and the fairest singers of all the Elves, were after enamoured of the seas, and their songs were filled with the sound of waves upon the shore.
[...]
Therefore Ulmo, submitting to the will of the Valar, sent to [the Teleri] Ossë, their friend, and he though grieving taught them the craft of ship-building; and when their ships were built he brought them as his parting gift many strong-winged swans. Then the swans drew the white ships of the Teleri over the windless sea; and thus at last and latest they came to Aman and the shores of Eldamar.
The Silmarillion III Quenta Silmarillion Chapter 3: "Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië"
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Celegorm, filho de Fëanor, aprendeu com Oromë, o Caçador:
Celegorm went rather to the house of Oromë, and there he got great knowledge of birds and beasts, and all their tongues he knew. For all living things that are or have been in the Kingdom of Arda, save only the fell and evil creatures of Melkor, lived then in the land of Aman; and there also were many other creatures that have not been seen upon Middle-earth, and perhaps never now shall be, since the fashion of the world was changed.
The Silmarillion III Quenta Silmarillion Chapter 3: "Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië"
No entanto, os Valar (especialmente Manwë e Mandos) definem as leis que os Eldar devem seguir e arbitram disputas legais. Alguns exemplos disso são anotados na pergunta:
- Fëanor é banido de Tirion por ameaçar Fingolfin
- Manwë proíbe que os Noldor retornem a Aman
Mas há outros exemplos; o que me ocorre imediatamente é sobre Finwë, Míriel e Indis. Uma breve retrospectiva desta disputa é dada em O Silmarillion :
[I]n the bearing of her son Míriel was consumed in spirit and body; and after his birth she yearned for release from the labours of living. And when she had named him, she said to Finwë: 'Never again shall I bear child; for strength that would have nourished the life of many has gone forth into Fëanor.'
Then Finwë was grieved, for the Noldor were in me youth of their days, and he desired to bring forth many children into the Miss of Aman; and he said: 'Surely there is healing in Aman? Here all weariness can find rest.' But when Míriel languished still, Finwë sought the counsel of Manwë, and Manwë delivered her to the care of Irmo in Lórien. At their parting (for a little while as he thought) Finwë was sad, for it seemed an unhappy chance that the mother should depart and miss the beginning at least of the childhood days of her son.
‘It is indeed unhappy,’ said Míriel, 'and I would weep, if I were not so weary. But hold me blameless in this, and in all that may come after.’
She went then to the gardens of Lórien and lay down to sleep; but though she seemed to sleep, her spirit indeed departed from her body, and passed in silence to the halls of Mandos. The maidens of Estë tended the body of Míriel, and it remained unwithered; but she did not return.
The Silmarillion III Quenta Silmarillion Chapter 6: "Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor"
Após a morte de sua esposa, Finwë está um pouco chateado porque ele quer ter mais filhos, mas um Elfo só pode ter um cônjuge e a lei não leva em conta o cônjuge que morreu. O que aconteceu depois está em Anel de Morgoth , e é uma história muito longa que não vou reproduzir aqui; Eu discuti partes dele na minha resposta a Mandos tomou alguma decisão que não provou ser desastrosa? .
O que basicamente aconteceu foi que Mandos fez o julgamento de que, se Míriel decidisse que ela nunca desejaria retornar ao seu corpo, só então o casamento seria dissolvido e Finwë poderia ter outra esposa. Os Valar discutiram este Estatuto e, finalmente, acharam que era justo, e ele passou para as leis dos Eldar.Eu quero destacar uma coisa que Mandos diz nesta discussão, porque é altamente relevante para a questão:
O que eu tiro isso é que é principalmente dever dos Valar definir as leis. Isso combina com a evidência acima do Valar forçando a lei, porque em cada caso eles estão julgando a primeira instância de uma lei que precisa existir:'It is our part to rule Arda, and to counsel the Children, or to command them in things committed to our authority. Therefore it is our task to deal with Arda Marred, and to declare what is just within it.
History of Middle-earth X Morgoth's Ring Part 2: The Second Phase Chapter 3: "Laws and Customs of the Eldar" Of the Severance of Marriage
- Fëanor desembainhando sua espada em Fingolfin é a primeira vez que a paz de Valinor é quebrada
- A proibição da imigração é uma resposta ao primeiro parentesco 1
- Míriel é o primeiro elfo a morrer em Aman, então o Estatuto de Finwë e Míriel foi uma resposta à primeira ocorrência de precisar de tal estatuto
1 Esta resposta pode ser um pouco abrangente? Eu diria sim, já que muitos dos Noldor que eram inocentes no Fratricimento, no entanto, caíram sob essa proibição. Mas não estamos aqui para discutir se uma regra específica é justa ou não