Battles The Eldar are not a warlike people; yet often their history has been entangled with war. The following is a record of many of their greatest battles through the ages, both those where victory was achieved and those that brought sorrowful defeat, for few can say they have suffered as bitterly as the Elves have in all their history. It began with Morgoth, who put enmity amongst the Eldar themselves, and gave them cause for their first war, and the first battle. This was also the most horrific, for here Elf fought against Elf, shedding blood in the Undying Lands. It was the Kinslaying in Alqualondë, in the Elder Days, after the darkening of Valinor but before the Sun had risen. Needing the ships of the Teleri, the Noldor had decided to take them by force since the Teleri would not yield them. The Noldor were powerfully armed and despite heavy losses eventually won control of the harbours, seizing the ships. But even before they reached the shores of Middle-earth, another battle took place across the Sea, the first battle of Beleriand. Morgoth desired full control over these fair realms and thus relentlessly attacked the Sindar of Doriath, Cirdan and his Falathrim, and the Laiquendi who lived in the woods. Thingol came against the Orcs together with the Laiquendi and they caught the Orcs from both sides, destroying their host. However Denethor, lord of the Laiquendi, was slain, and many other of the lightly equipped Laiquendi fell before Thingol could reach them with his own force. After this battle Thingol withdrew his people to Doriath, and Melian wove the mighty enchantment called Melian’s Girdle, that protected the realm from the entry of any enemy. But beyond it, Morgoth’s armies ran unchecked and he prepared to wipe out both Círdan and the remaining Laiquendi. As Morgoth’s armies gathered in Beleriand, the fleet of the Noldor arrived. It was the smaller host under Fëanor rather than the greater following Fingolfin that were first to arrive, but the light of Aman shone in their eyes. Morgoth sent a great army against them, an army intended to ensure his dominion over Beleriand, and yet the Orcs fell before the swords of the Noldor as grass. The Orcs besieging Círdan came to join the battle, but were waylaid by Celegorm and annihilated as well, until all of Beleriand was cleansed of enemies. So many were slain that a mountain could be formed from their corpses, yet despite this defeat, Morgoth had cause to smile. For Fëanor pursued the Orcs ahead of the rest, and suddenly found himself beset by Balrogs. Gothmog, the lord of Balrogs himself, came upon Fëanor who, despite his might, could not resist so many terrible foes. Fëanor, mightiest of Elves, died as his sons reached him, with a curse towards Morgoth on his lips. Thus, after ten days, ended the second battle of Beleriand, Dagor-Nuin-Gilliath, the Battle under the Stars, for neither Sun nor Moon had yet risen. The third of the great battles of Beleriand came after the sun had risen, and it was called Dagor Aglareb, the Glorious Battle. For Morgoth, who had been besieged in Angband for many years, tried to test the vigilance of his besiegers. And the earth quaked and a cloud of smoke erupted as an army of Orcs moved down, some crossing into Beleriand to do what damage they could, while a great army marched against Maedhros. But he and Fingolfin were prepared, and when they had gathered their forces they came upon the Orcs, striking them down from both sides. So great was the victory that every last Orc was hunted down across the plains of Ard-galen and killed before the very gates of Angband. The victory was complete, and the battle justly named the Glorious Battle. A minor skirmish followed that is not counted among the great battles; but it deserves mention nonetheless. A small army of Orcs passed through the mountains north of Hithlum, the land of Fingolfin, and entered his realm through the west. But they had been detected, and so Fingolfin stood ready, annihilating them completely. It was but a small battle, but afterwards there was peace for many years. Still Morgoth worked to find new ways to defeat his enemies. And so in the next battle, his terrible designs came to fruition. Rivers of flame poured forth across the plain of Ard-galen, consuming many who could not escape the swift and dreadful burning death. The earth itself opened and fumed poison, and the destruction was unimaginable. The green plain was gone and only ash remained, along with the charred bones of many Elves. Then came Morgoth’s most feared weapon: Dragons came through the gates of Angband, Glaurung leading them, along with Balrogs and a great horde of Orcs. All of Morgoth’s enemies were assaulted, and Angrod and Aegnor, sons of Finarfin, were both slain. In Hithlum, Fingolfin was hard pressed and though he defended his eastern fortresses until spring came and Morgoth’s assault lessened, his losses were heavy. And so enemies filled the lands between him and the sons of Fëanor. They had ill fortune, and lost nearly every possession, every castle they had. Only Maedhros’ castle upon Himring could not be taken; for he was a great and terrible warrior that the Orcs could not withstand, and his citadel was strong and able to resist any assault. But it was an oasis in a desert of enemies, for Glaurung and his minions killed or drove away all other Elves and their allies from those lands. This was the Dagor Bragollach, the Battle of the Sudden Flame, and with it the siege of Angband ended. Only Fingolfin remained any threat to Angband and from this time on, the Orcs could march directly into Beleriand threatening every realm in those fair lands. Many smaller battles and skirmishes then ensued in which the Orcs could strike at will. Orodreth, who defended the tower Minas Tirith on behalf of his brother Finrod, was driven away by Sauron himself, who then turned the tower into a terrible lair for werewolves. Hithlum was also assaulted, though the valour of Húrin and the aid of Cirdan and the Falathrim drove the Orcs back; and Fingon and Maedhros then thought of regaining what was lost after the Dagor Bragollach. They gathered all their forces and allies, Men and Dwarves, and marched to the plains before Angband upon the appointed day. Maedhros stood to the east, and was to lure the enemy out on the plains. Then Fingon would come down from the hills to the west, and the Orcs would be caught from both sides. Even Turgon arrived from the secret city of Gondolin with a proud host, and the trumpets of the Elves could be heard from hill to hill. Then began the fifth battle of Beleriand. Morgoth was prepared, and traitors amongst Maedhros’ host confused him with false warnings, so he did not attack. Instead Morgoth sent a great army towards the west, so that he could strike against Fingon before Maedhros might unite his forces with Fingon’s. The Elves could not contain their anger and spurred forth their horses, leading the host to attack even if Maedhros was still far away. Thus they came down upon the plain and swept Morgoth’s army away. However Morgoth unleashed an even greater strength and the army of Hithlum was pressed back and assailed on all sides. Finally Maedhros arrived and his vanguard engaged the Orcs. Morgoth sent forth his final strength: Balrogs and dragons. But even so the battle seemed to favour the Elves and their allies, and they might have won if treachery had not run deep in their ranks. The Easterlings then proved to be the servants of Morgoth, and some fled while others attacked Maedhros’ own soldiers. His army was broken and forced to flee, and then Morgoth could send all his strength against Fingon and Turgon. Fingon fought valiantly but against the Balrogs even he was outmatched, and Gothmog clove his helmet in two. The last of the Elves to stand was Turgon and his Gondolindrim, and they were only able to retreat through the courageous sacrifice of the Men of Hador. Gathering all their men around them, Húrin and Huor guarded Turgon’s escape and held the Orcs back until every soldier was dead. Huor was killed by an arrow, and at length Húrin was taken captive after having slain countless Orcs and seventy Trolls, the greatest deed in battle any Man has ever performed. Thus ended the Nirneath Arnoediad, the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. Following the Nirneath Arnoediad, the power of the Noldor was broken in Beleriand, and Morgoth concentrated on destroying their remaining cities. His curse upon Húrin’s kin and the curse upon the Silmarils soon helped him to bring two great realms to ruin. First, Nargothrond was betrayed through Túrin’s pride, for his sword defended Nargothrond and his fame soon reached Morgoth’s ears. But the secrecy of Nargothrond was betrayed, and the bridge across Narog revealed its location, and their might was defeated by Glaurung and his forces. Nargothrond was pillaged and destroyed, and its population killed or taken captive. Morgoth lost a Silmaril through the deed of Beren and Lûthien, but he had no cause to grieve its loss. It inflamed both the greed of Thingol as well as the Dwarves, and Thingol was killed. Melian departed from Menegroth, and removed her protection from Doriath. And so the Dwarves of Nogrod could claim their revenge, sacking the fair halls of Menegroth, killing and plundering at will. Yet they had little joy of their plunder; for Beren gathered the Elves of Ossiriand and they ambushed the Dwarves, and Beren killed the Lord of Nogrod himself, and those Dwarves who escaped were killed by Ents in the forest. However, the Silmaril brought still more ruin; for after a while Dior of Menegroth placed it around his neck, and he ruled over the remnants of the Sindar in Menegroth. Yet the Oath drew the sons of Fëanor to attack Menegroth, and thus the second of the terrible kinslayings took place. Dior and his family were slain, as well as Curufin and Caranthir; and Menegroth was utterly destroyed. And ever the curse was at work. Then came the fall of the last of the Elven cities in Beleriand. For long, Turgon had guarded the location of Gondolin, and the great Eagles had helped him. Unknowingly, Húrin revealed the location of Gondolin, and eventually Morgoth’s servants captured Maeglin, who had disobeyed Turgon’s orders and strayed beyond the city. Maeglin was promised rulership of Gondolin and Turgon’s daughter Idril as his wife, and he much desired revenge over Tuor, his rival. Thus, Maeglin willingly led Morgoth’s forces into the hidden valley and they assaulted the city. Ecthelion slew Gothmog, the lord of Balrogs, at the cost of his own life at the fountain in the square. The battle was long and hard; but Morgoth was too strong and treachery within made it impossible to defend the city. Turgon died as his tower crumbled upon him, and all would have been lost if Idril had not prepared a secret route for escape. Maeglin was slain by Tuor, and he gathered all the survivors he could. They fled into the mountains, yet even there they found no safety; for a band of Orcs and a Balrog had been placed there to guard it against those who would flee. But the Eagles came to the aid of the Elves, and destroyed the Orcs; and Glorfindel fought the Balrog, a long and valiant battle that ended with both joy and grief; for Glorfindel threw down the Balrog into a chasm, but the beloved golden warrior fell with the beast. Thus the last great city in Beleriand was destroyed, and the few survivors made their way to the mouths of Sirion where they mingled with the refugees from Menegroth. Even then the horror of kinslaying had not departed from the Elves, for the sons of Fëanor came yet again in search of the Silmaril and fell upon the unsuspecting survivors. But they found it not, for Elwing had escaped and reached her husband Eärendil upon the sea. They sailed west, and plead with the Valar for help, and thus came the last of the great battles of the First Age. The Elves of Aman gathered around Eönwë, herald of Manwë, and a great host sailed east. Morgoth gathered all his forces but nothing could avail him; though the host of the Valar faltered briefly when the winged dragons came forth. But the Eagles gathered around Eärendil, and he slew Ancalagon the Black himself, mightiest of Dragons, and Angband was assaulted. Morgoth himself was taken prisoner, his crown made into a chain, and he was cast into the Void. But all of fair Beleriand sank beneath the sea, and the Silmarils were taken by Maedhros and Maglor. One was thrown into a chasm, the other into the sea, and the third remains with Eärendil in the sky. *** The Second Age brought a long peace, but after 1600 years the Elves learned that Morgoth’s greatest servant, Sauron, had survived and had risen to power as the new Dark Lord. Having deceived the Elves into creating the Rings of Power, Sauron gathered his armies and made war upon the Elves. He came against Eregion, taking the capital and those Rings he could find; then he pursued the survivors who had joined a force under Elrond, sent out by Gil-galad. They escaped only through the aid of the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm and the Elves of Lothlórien. Sauron turned then upon his greatest enemy, the last of the High Kings, Gil-galad, who ruled in Lindon. So great was Sauron’s army that Gil-galad was hard pressed as he defended the river Lhûn with his allies the Númenoreans. But then, in the year 1700, a great armada arrived from Númenor and overwhelmed Sauron’s forces. The Dark Lord’s army was utterly destroyed and Eriador was cleansed of all enemies. Alas, the cost of victory had been high. Celebrimbor, last of the great Elven craftsmen, had been tortured to death by Sauron and Eregion was no more. The remaining years of the Second Age were peaceful for the Elves and the other folk of Eriador, but Sauron was not idle, and after the destruction of Númenor he returned to Mordor. Sauron moved quickly to destroy the remaining Númenoreans, who had built the realms of Gondor and Arnor. Attacking Gondor swiftly, Elendil and his sons, Isildur and Anárion, realized they needed aid; and so they mustered their forces together with those of Gil-galad, Lothlórien and Mirkwood. It was the Last Alliance, the last great army that Elves and Men would ever gather. They marched against Mordor, and in a great and terrible battle on the plains before its gates they destroyed Sauron’s forces, though Amdir of Lothlórien fell as well. That plain was ever after called Dagorlad, battle-plain; forever haunted by the spirits of those fallen there. The Last Alliance marched into Mordor, taking its gates where Oropher of Mirkwood fell, and lay siege to Barad-dûr itself. Anárion was killed during the siege, but after seven years Sauron himself came forth, hoping perhaps to break the siege or kill his chief enemies. Elendil and Gil-galad fought with him, and all three perished in that great duel. At last victory was achieved and Isildur, the only surviving leader of those who had marched against Sauron, took the Ring. Thus ended the Second Age. *** In the Third Age, the power of the Elves was truly waning. Only in Lindon, Lothlórien and Mirkwood remained any cities or larger settlements of Elves. The Elves of Mirkwood suffered the most; for Sauron created a stronghold in the south of the forest, Dol Guldur, where he could regain his strength and gather his servants again. Lothlórien had the aid of Galadriel and her ring Nenya, though they were nevertheless forced to keep their soldiers prepared and their borders guarded. It did not come to open war however until the end, and only one greater battle took place before that. It was the Battle of Five Armies. Thranduil originally marched towards Erebor seeking its treasures along with his allies, the Men of Esgaroth, for they believed the dwarves had perished and left the treasure unclaimed. At first they came into conflict with Dain and his Dwarves, who would not give up their ancestral treasures to the Elves and Men; but the arrival of a large Orcish army changed everything. Quickly, Elves, Men and Dwarves aligned themselves together against this horde, yet it was so great that it is doubtful they would have won if further aid had not come. The Eagles arrived and with their help, victory was achieved, a victory with several important consequences. Though Thorin died from his wounds, Dain became the King under the Mountain, and he proved a wise ruler and faithful ally. He ruled until, at the age of 200, he perished defending his fallen friend, the King of Dale, during the War of the Ring. For after the death of the dragon Smaug and the defeat of the orc army, the kingdom of Dale was restored and the city of Esgaroth, also known as Lake-town, was rebuilt. Alliance endured between Dain of Erebor, Thranduil of Mirkwood and the Men of Dale. Thus during the War of the Ring Sauron’s forces were divided as they attacked Dale, Erebor, Mirkwood and Lothlórien. The folk of Dale and Erebor fought valiantly and took refuge in the Mountain where they were besieged. In Mirkwood the forest was badly damaged by fire, but Thranduil had the victory under the trees, and though Lothlórien was attacked no fewer than 3 times, they also were able to repel the invaders. And as the war drew to its end Celeborn attacked Dol Guldur, and Galadriel laid low the walls and foundations of that evil fortress. Then Thranduil met them in the midst of the forest and the darkness was driven out of the wood. That was the last battle that the Elves fought in the lands of Middle-earth. 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