Between the arms of Gelion was the ward of Maglor, and here in one place the hills failed altogether; there it was that the Orcs came into East Beleriand before the Third Battle.
– The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion Chapter XIV Of Beleriand and its Realms
– ponderation:The green and red valley by Iñaki LarreaBetween the…
Barad Eithel (S. ’Tower of the Well’: barad ”tower” + eithel ”well, gen.”) was the mountain fortress of Fingolfin and his son Fingon, thus the seat (until the Nirnaeth Arnoediad) of the High Kings of the Noldor.
It was set in the eastern foothills of the Ered Wethrin, at the source of the River Sirion. It was here that the Battle of Unnumbered Tears took place, and where Fingon was slain, giving Morgoth the chance to take control over the chief stronghold of both Mithrim and Dor-lómin.
Art by ~Mohammad Ahmadvand | Dream Persian City
I can see this as the Barad Eithel in Chapter 20 “Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad”, of the Quenta Silmarillion.
Reader deep thought: No wonder this chapter trumped the one on Beren and Lúthien; the Lay of Leithian was also the shorter compared to the Narn i Hîn Húrin. After reading this chapter, it’s beginning to feel like proper measures and superb fortifications against depression are needed to attempt the actual book. Unsurprisingly, the Silmarils again asserted their glittering allure. Still, buried under all the melodrama must be the great wonder of Thingol’s about-face on a core tenant of his belief system.
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Reader deep thought: With the year it happened was everafter called “Year of Lamentation”, that surely was a mark of the abject horror among wars the Nirnaeth Arnoediad was. Unless one sat it out *cough*Doriath*cough*, everyone who signed up seemed to have died or suffered terrible fates in its aftermath. Even those who betrayed the allies were rewarded with just desserts, served cold and ironically bitter by the deceitful Morgoth. But truly, surviving Nirnaeth Arnoediad was really the raw deal to end all bad deals when you were Húrin.
Reader deep thought: When even the sons of Fëanor were less inclined to march on Angband than Fingolfin, the time the Noldor were having in Middle-earth must be fantastic. But the bigger wonder was the notion of futilty in their struggle against Morgoth did not cross the Elves’ minds. Nor did the Edain understand the magnitude, longevity of his grudge bearing. Escalation was a horrible thing to behold: Dagor Bragollach, number four in the Beleriand War Collection was more terrible, expansive, and devastating in its reach than the preceding three.
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Reader deep thought: Maeglin’s story seemed pitiable: grounded just for wanting to visit the (doing-better) relatives. And yet it also is disturbing he kept so much to himself so well. He was the crafty one, noting the enticing combo of Turgon’s lack of sons and one hot daughter so keenly from the get go. His impatience and need to have others bend to his will didn’t help his budding privileged entitlement complex. Turgon helped nurture it in fact. Prophetic plot development indeed.
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Reader deep thought: What an eventful time! The Noldor sure started their careers as Exiles with a bang, or three. And the Sun and the Moon sprung up in time to bear witness to the stuff of legends. Gothmog debuted, Fëanor passed, the Noldor-lords reunited willy-nilly, Noldor meets Sindar, and Thingol unhappy. But still, the Noldor prospered and there was diaspora, much thanks in part to Maedhros’ mellowing out, Finrod’s loyalty to their friendship, and the even-tempered EQ of Fingolfin. Everything happened. Even LOVE, blooming in Galadriel and Celeborn’s companionship in Menegroth (interestingly, both were Thingol’s kin). And yet, already two Wars of Beleriand before the end of the chapter, in the brief span of time right before the Sun first rose to her 60th anniversary, and the Silmarils were still in Morgoth’s ever scheming hands. Bummer. And what did the Noldor do? Siege Angband of course! Four hundred fifty years. Longevity hath its privileges.
Reader deep thought: So the only Calaquendi who saw the Two Trees but never lived in Valinor, ruled over his people, the Sindar (essentially the high-born of the Moriquendi), who also did not cross to the West. The intriguing question remains: was it really happenstance that kept Thingol in Middle-earth? With all that happened further down the road, and the connections that tie back ultimately to the Sindar or even Thingol himself, perhaps the Highest Power of them all agreed more strongly with Ulmo’s opinion than anyone realised, and had a plan that CANNOT.BE.DENIED, regardless of the Valar’s suppositions.
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Damyanti Biswas is an author, blogger, animal-lover, spiritualist. Her work is represented by Ed Wilson from the Johnson & Alcock agency. When not pottering about with her plants or her aquariums, you can find her nose deep in a book, or baking up a storm.
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