Assaults on Hithlum

F.A. 155-462
Assaults on Hithlum
Conflict	War of the Great Jewels
Place	Hithlum
Outcome	Victory for the Noldor
Combatants
Noldor, Elves of the Falas, Edain Orc armies
Commanders
* Finrod Galdor † Húrin Fingon Círdan * Morgoth
Strength
Men of Dor-lómin, Elves of Fingon, Elves of Círdan Orcs
Casualties
Galdor, both Elves and Men Unknown, suffered "heavy slaughter"

Morgoth's assaults on Hithlum were a series of minor battles in the War of the Great Jewels.

During the Siege of Angband

Knowing the vigilance of Maedhros, in F.A. 155 Morgoth endeavoured to take Fingolfin at unawares. He sent an army of Orcs north into the unguarded ice and snow behind Angband, where many of them perished, until they reached the outer end of the Iron Mountains where they then turned to the west until they came to the shores of the sea; from there they turned south, following the same route Fingolfin's host took after crossing the Helcaraxë, until they came to the costs of the Firth of Drengist. From here, the intention was to invade into the heart of Hithlum, from the rear.

This force was espied by the Eldar in time however, and a force led by Fingon took them into a trap among the hills at the head of firth. None of these Orcs returned to Morgoth, with most being driven into the sea.

This encounter was not considered to be among the great battles, as the Orcs were not in great number and only a part of the folk of Hithlum where involved. It was, however, the most dangerous of the many trials that Morgoth would continuously make against the leaguer. Following this battle, Morgoth perceived that Orcs alone, unless it were in numbers that he could not yet muster, would be no match against the Noldor. He thus started to consider new approaches, and came to the thought of dragons.

After Dagor Bragollach

Another attack occurred seven years after the Dagor Bragollach when Morgoth sent an invasion of Hithlum. It began with a bitter attack through the passes of the Ered Wethrin and a siege of Eithel Sirion. At the fortress Galdor fell, pierced by an arrow. Húrin replaced his father in command, and drove the Orcs from the mountains and across the sands of Anfauglith. However, an army also came from Angband into Hithlum from the north, leading to battle upon the plains. Initially King Fingon was outnumbered and hard-pressed until Círdan sent a task force up the Firth of Drengist which fell upon the Orcs from the west. This broke the Orc-host, which fled to the Iron Mountains.