The Battle of Unnumbered Tears went exactly as poorly as you might expect, given its name. Half of the human warriors on the elf side were secretly in league with Morgoth, who offered them the land they took from the … Continue reading →
Picture it: Fingolfin, high king of the Noldor, sharing a glass of wine with his esteemed colleague Thingol, high king of the Sindar. Suddenly a messenger bursts in. “Sires! Everything is on fire!” The kings exchange quizzical looks, and question … Continue reading →
Morgoth unleashed his very first dragon, a wingless wyrm named Glaurung, upon the Noldor with the intention of Glaurung laying waste to the whole of the Northlands. Either this was Morgoth’s idea or else it was Glaurung acting independently, I’m … Continue reading →
This is where we have to step back and remember that Tolkien was writing a history, rather than a novel. If Fëanor’s death comes across as an anticlimax, then remember that Alexander the Great drank himself to death, Stalin died … Continue reading →
The Noldor, led by Fëanor, marched into Middle Earth. While I’d love to say that they learned of the Coast Elves’ besiegement, and then Fëanor teamed up with Thingol and they rescued Cirdan and then the three of them led … Continue reading →
To explain what Fëanor and Fingolfin and Galadriel and all the other Noldor found, when they arrived in Middle Earth, we have to roll back the clock a ways, and tell the story of the Sindar. In the Years of … Continue reading →
Even with boats, traveling from Valinor to Middle Earth was fraught with peril. This was not an era of regular transoceanic crossings; the Teleri made the trip exactly once. It’s not 100% clear why they even kept the boats, although … Continue reading →
What happens next is pretty involved and complex, so I’m going to simplify and summarize. Fëanor had just given a rousing speech, spurring the Noldor of Tirion to march forth and invade Middle Earth. Everyone was pretty excited about it, … Continue reading →
As seen in the previous installment, Fëanor, prince of the Noldor and arguably the main character of elven history, had just gotten into a shouting match with the Valar. Morgoth and Ungoliant had stolen the silmarils. Unable to restore the … Continue reading →
(As per usual, I feel I should point out once again that IANATS (I Am Not A Tolkien Scholar) and I’m extrapolating based on my understanding of the Silmarillion, the Book of Lost Tales, Corey Olsen’s podcast, and a whole … Continue reading →
