The Return of the Noldor constituting the Chapter 13 Of Silmarillion. [77].
Summary: The Feanorians land at Losgar, in the Firth of Drengist. Here Feanor ordered the Telerian swan ships to be burned. The reek of the burning was not only seen by the folks of Fingolfin in Araman but also by the servants of Morgoth. We are not told about Morgoth’s reaction upon hearing about the arrival of Feanor; his greatest foe.
According to the published Silmarillion chronology, when the host of Feanor landed, the moon hadn’t yet risen and Beleriand lay in forgotten sleep under the star-lit sky.
The Feanorians entered the great land of Hithlum from the West, and abode near the north shore of Lake Mithrim in the reigon with the same name.
But the forces of Morgoth, alerted by the burning at Losgar attacked the Feanorian camp before it was fully established and wrought. The Feanorians were taken by surprise but soon regained composure and thus was fought the second Battle of Beleriand, Dagor-nuin-Giliath it is named, the Battle-under-Stars it was called. The Noldor were fresh and spirited and the Light of Aman [1] ‘wasn’t yet dimmed in their eyes’.
The Noldo albeit few were soon successful and drove the orc host with great slaughter into the plain of Ard-galen which lay North of Dorthonion. A southern company of the Morgothian host, troubling Círdan was caught by Celegorm, Feanor’s son and was destroyed and hunted in the fens of Search. [2] The battle lasted for ten days and the armies he had prepared for the conquest of Beleriand were destroyed save a select few. Morgoth was great dismayed.
Yet, Morgoth’s wasn’t completely successless for Feanor in his fury heedless pursued the fleeing companies till few were left around him and the van of his host was far behind. Seeing this the fleeing armies turned to him and Balrogs came forth from the impregnable dungeons of Angband [3] and assaulted Feanor. Feanor had known not of the great defence and the halls of Angband which Morgoth had conjured up, but had he known it, it wouldn’t have deterred him, for he possessed a spirit so fey as to be dettered by none, be it the Valar’s wrath or Morgoth’s armies.
But circumstances proved that this unplanned assault was a great fault on Feanor’s part, for at the ‘Confines of Dol-dedoreth’, Morgoth’s land Feanor faught on with the Orc host and the Balrogs. He fought for long but was finally smitten by Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs and only the timely arrival of his sons stopped the complete mutilation of his hroa.
1.
Just look at the majesty of this passage,
This shows to us that till his dying moment he still possessed the same enimity towards Morgoth and the same ferocity of character which he showed in Aman. The consumption of his spirit is also a singular example. It is an established fact that he was the ‘mightiest’ of the Noldor and it is explicitly mentioned that he would never be re-born.. But as they drew near to Eithel Sirion and were upon the upward path to the pass over the mountains, Fëanor bade them halt; for his wounds were mortal, and he knew that his hour was come. And looking out from the slopes of Ered Wethrin with his last sight he beheld far off the peaks of Thangorodrim, mightiest of the towers of Middle-earth, and knew with the foreknowledge of death that no power of the Noldor would ever overthrow them; but he cursed the name of Morgoth thrice, and laid it upon his sons to hold to their oath, and to avenge their father. Then he died; but he had neither burial nor tomb, for so fiery was his spirit that as it sped his body fell to ash, and was borne away like smoke; and his likeness has never again appeared in Arda, neither has his spirit left the halls of Mandos. Thus ended the mightiest of the Noldor, of whose deeds came both their greatest renown and their most grievous woe.
But the most amazing and puzzling thing is Meadhros’s ‘foresight’.
Does this mean that even at the moment, the fate of the Noldor was already sealed, and they were just fighting a hopeless fight? Was it pre-ordained? Was it some Kind of a Vision? Or was it only that at his dying moment Feanor had recollected his wits and through his wisdom had reached the conclusion that their defeat was evident. The last option doesn’t correspond with the implication of the text but I felt it necessary to explain it since it could have been a powerful motive.
Oh and Thongroduim, it seems, is the ‘mightiest’ of the towers of Middle-earth and an adjective for ‘Mightiest’ also is massive.
2.
But moving on, we are told about the presence of ‘Grey Elves’ in Mithrim, who were of the ‘folks of Beleriand’ who had wandered northwards. Apparantly Noldor met them with great gladness [Hehe, Elvish Reunion! These elves seem so different from the somber third age elves; more earthly and more vibrant.]
The words ‘Moriquendi’ and ‘K[c]aliquendi’ are introduced, and the discrimination between the ‘elves of light’ and the other elves is made. [More on this in Qendi and Eldar] From them the Noldor learn about the griddle of Melian and the Kingdom of Doriath, ruled by one Elu Thingol, formerly Elwe Singollo, King Greycloak and the wise Maia Queen Melian.
The reaction of the Sindar at the coming of the Noldor is aptly described,
Do you think that initially Noldor themselves helped in spread the Rumor’s that they came to ‘Beleriand’ for the help of their sundered kindered, because they felt ashamed of their acts, specially the Kinslaying effected at Olwe’s people?From the Elves of Mithrim the Noldor learned of the power of Elu Thingol, King in Doriath, and the girdle of enchantment that fenced his realm; and tidings of these great deeds in the north came south to Menegroth, and to the havens of Brithombar and Eglarest. Then all the Elves of Beleriand were filled with wonder and with hope at the coming of their mighty kindred, who thus returned unlocked-for from the West in the very hour of their need, believing indeed at first that they came as emissaries of the Valar to deliver them.
Next, the virtues of one infamous Mr. Meadhros are revealed.
Morgoth, King of deceit sent an embassy feigning defeat and surrender of as much as one Silmaril! A meeting was arranged and Mr. Meadhros persuaded his brothers to feign peace and meet the embassies.
Offcourse both sides cheated, but due to the aid of Balrog’s of Morgoth, the end result was the company of Meadhros was slaughtered and Meadhros captured.
Morgoth held Meadhros as hostage and promised to return him only if the Noldor either returned to Aman or forsook war against him and went to the far south. The rest of the sons of course refused and set up a great camp in Hithlum.
The time now is ripe for the arrival of the horns of Fingolfin and of mighty princes Finrod, Fingon and Turgon.
Morgoth’s treatment of Meadhros,
.. Therefore Morgoth took Maedhros and hung him from the face of a precipice upon Thangorodrim, and he was caught to the rock by the wrist of his right hand in a band of steel.
Fingolfin and co arrive and so do the sun and the moon,
Now Fingolfin too made his dwellings at the North end of the Lake of Mithrim and there was no love lost between his folks and the Feanorians. If things would have gone this way, a major fight was sure to be erupted and the ruin of the Noldor would have been sealed much earlier mainly due to their own petty quarrels.Now rumour came to the camp in Hithlum of the march of Fingolfin and those that followed him, who had crossed the Grinding Ice; and all the world lay then in wonder at the coming of the Moon. But as the host of Fingolfin marched into Mithrim the Sun rose flaming in the West; and Fingolfin unfurled his blue and silver banners, and blew his horns, and flowers sprang beneath his marching feet, and the ages of the stars were ended. At the uprising of the great light the servants of Morgoth fled into Angband, and Fingolfin passed unopposed through the fastness of Dor Daedeloth while his foes hid beneath the earth. Then the Elves smote upon the gates of Angband, and the challenge of their trumpets shook the towers of Thangorodrim; and Maedhros heard them amid his torment and cried aloud, but his voice was lost in the echoes of the stone.
But Fingon indeed performs an admirable deed, that of rescuring the tormented Meadhros which re-united both hosts and for the moment all the complaints are forgotten and vows are made to destroy Morgoth.
Meadhros surrenders the claim of Kingship to Fingolfin and the Feanorians are dispossessed, part of Prophecy of Mandos coming true.
Vital here is to mention Fingon’s prayer to Manwe asking for his blessing and help,
I am giving the whole event in some detail,
…..
[Continued]



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