Of the Flight of the Noldor
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Of the Flight of the Noldor is the ninth chapter of the Quenta Silmarillion section within The Silmarillion.
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| Of the Flight of the Noldor | |
| Chapter of The Silmarillion | |
| Number | 9 |
| Synopsis | |
| Event | Morgoth eludes Ungoliant and builds Angband. Fëanor leads the Noldor to Middle-earth. |
| Location | Tirion, Araman |
| Navigation | |
| < Of the Darkening of Valinor | |
| Of the Sindar > | |
Synopsis
In Valinor, there was no longer any light from the Trees after their poisoning by Melkor and Ungoliant. The only light in the sky was the stars of Varda, much like how it was in Middle-earth. Yavanna went to the Trees and finds they had been shriveled and ruined beyond her ability to heal. But if she had even a little bit of the former light of the Trees, she might have been able to bring the Trees back to life. The only light of the Trees now rested in the Silmarils of Fëanor.
The Valar asked Fëanor to give Yavanna the Silmarils so she could break them open and use the light within. But Fëanor, now fully desiring the Silmarils only for himself, refuseed to give them up. The lies of Melkor came back to his mind, so that he now saw the Valar and their followers as enemies.
But soon, even worse news soon came. Messengers arrived from Formenos, saying that the fortress had been attacked by Melkor and the Silmarils and other treasures stolen. Worst of all, Fëanor's father, Finwë, had been slain by Melkor. Enraged, Fëanor named Melkor by the name he is known by forever afterwards: Morgoth, dark enemy of the world. Fëanor believed that he could have stopped Morgoth had he been at Formenos, and he let his emotions get the better of him. He ran off from the Valar, who grieved for him and the for the horrible fate of the Trees.
Meanwhile, Morgoth and Ungoliant both fled to the northern wastes of Araman beyond the Pelori mountains. At first they fled the Valar, but as they crossed the Helcaraxë back into Middle Earth it soon became clear that Morgoth was fleeing Ungoliant, who became much bigger and more powerful after devouring the light of the trees. She cornered Morgoth and demanded the payment he promised. Morgoth grudgingly gave her the jewels of Formenos, but this caused her only to grow even bigger. Ungoliant then demanded that he give her the Silmarils as well, but he refused. She attacked Morgoth, causing him to scream in agony and the very hills of Lammoth to echo with his cries for long afterwards. But his cries reached the ruins of Angband and summoned the Balrogs that hid there. Using their flame whips, they drove Ungoliant off before she could take the Silmarils. She fled south toward Doriath, but the power of Melian forbade her entry. She settled in the valley beneath Ered Gorgoroth, which becomes known afterwards as Nan Dungortheb, the Valley of Dreadful Death.
Morgoth went back to Angband and began rebuilding it. He set the Silmarils into an iron crown which he wore at all times, even though their touch burned him. He raised the three peaks of Thangorodrim above his fortress and sent forth black clouds, smoke from his forges and his new armies. He himself rarely left Angband afterwards, preferring instead to let his servants do his biding from then on.
Back in Valinor, the Valar and Maiar and Elves sit in the darkness. Suddenly, Fëanor reappears in Tirion, calling upon all who would listen to come to him. He speaks of the supposed enslavement of the Noldor by the Valar, who he says have brought them to Valinor so that they could use the race of Men to rule Middle earth in their stead, for Men would be easier to control then Elves. He calls for the Noldor to return to Middle-earth and leave Valinor so they can set up their own realms in Middle-earth.
He and his sons soon swear the Oath of Fëanor, saying that no one, not Elf, Man, or even Vala, shall steal the Silmarils from them or keep them from the house of Fëanor. They name Manwe, Varda, and even Eru as witnessses, swearing the Void upon them if they fail. Fëanor's brothers unsuccessfully speak against him. Their own sons are on various sides of the spectrum, with some like Turgon and Finrod siding with Fingolfin, but others like Angrod and Aegnor and their sister Galadriel wishing to go to Middle-earth for themselves.
Fëanor prevails and drives his people northward, not letting them stop to fully consider their actions. Only one tenth of the Noldor stay and do not leave with Fëanor. The rest go with him towards an uncertain future. Yet even as the exiles leave Tirion, a messenger from Manwë appears, saying that the exiles will get no help from the Valar and that the quest is hopeless. Fëanor scoffs and sends the messenger away. The exiles leave Tirion forever, some less willingly than others.
The exiles go northwards until they reach the Great Sea of Belegaer. Fëanor realizes now that he has no boats to reach Middle-earth. However, the Teleri elves, master ship builders, do. He goes to them and tries to persuade them to give them boats. The Teleri, however, do not give him any help or boats, and try to persuade him and the rest of the exiles to abandon the quest before it is too late. Fëanor leaves the city in rage and broods until he decides that if the Teleri will not give the Noldor ships, then the Noldor will take them by force. The Noldor storm the docks and begin taking the ships. The Teleri resist, at first trying to avoid violence but before long, they start pushing the Noldor into the water. The situation escalates as the Noldor retaliate and use their weapons and armor to force the Teleri to retreat. Elven blood has now been shed by Elves in what is later known as the first Kinslaying.
The Noldor manage to get the boats moving, but as they finally begin to leave, a figure appears. Some say it is Mandos himself. There he gives the Doom of Mandos: a prophecy that the Noldor shall not succeed in their futile quest. The penalty for slaying the Teleri is great. The Noldor shall shed unnumbered tears and all of their works shall be destroyed. The house of Fëanor shall lose the high kingship of the Noldor. And even if they try to seek the aid of the Valar, the realm of Valinor shall be fenced against them and no help shall come.
Fëanor scoffs at this and rejects the message, but Finarfin relents and goes back to Valinor, taking some people with him. The exiles now set about the task of going to Middle-earth. There are not enough boats to take them all over, so Fëanor takes his sons and those who are most loyal and steals the boats so they can get over first. Upon arriving in Middle-earth, Fëanor orders the ships burned so that no one can follow them. The Noldor do this with the sole exception of Fëanor's son Maedhros.
Fingolfin sees the great burning of the ships and now knows that Fëanor has betrayed him. Yet at the same time, he does not go back to Valinor. He instead leads his people in a perilous journey across the Helcaraxë. Many perish in the crossing, but eventually they make it over. The last of the exiles have now arrived in Middle-earth, but little do they know of the terrors that await.
