Battles of Beleriand

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Previous war: Battle of the Powers
Next war: War of the Elves and Sauron
Wars of Beleriand
Janka Latečková - Bloody storm.jpg
Beginning: Y.T. 1497End: F.A. 587
Place: Throughout Beleriand and the lands northward
Outcome: Victory for the Elves and allies
Major battles: First Battle, Dagor-nuin-Giliath, Dagor Aglareb, Dagor Bragollach, Nirnaeth Arnoediad, War of Wrath
Combatants

Host of the West
Noldor
Sindar
Nandor
Edain
Easterlings
Dwarves

Forces of Morgoth
Easterlings

Commanders

Eönwë
Eärendil
Ingwion
Thingol
Círdan
Denethor
Fëanor
Maedhros
Fingolfin
Fingon
Turgon
Finrod
Azaghâl

Morgoth
Sauron
Ancalagon
Gothmog
Glaurung
Ulfang

"The Jewels were coveted by Morgoth the Enemy, who stole them and, after destroying the Trees, took them to Middle-earth, and guarded them in his great fortress of Thangorodrim. Against the will of the Valar Fëanor forsook the Blessed Realm and went in exile to Middle-earth, leading with him a great part of his people; for in his pride he purposed to recover the Jewels from Morgoth by force. Thereafter followed the hopeless war of the Eldar and the Edain against Thangorodrim, in which they were at last utterly defeated."
The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Númenor"

The Wars of Beleriand, also known as the War of the Jewels or the War of the Great Jewels (as the Silmarilli led to most of them) and referred to by Elrond in The Hobbit as the Goblin-wars, were a series of great conflicts throughout the Elder Days pertaining of the vain attempts of the Noldor to reclaim the Silmarils from the Dark Lord Morgoth.

From his mighty fortress of Angband, Morgoth used this base from which to launch his attacks on the peoples of Beleriand. While the Noldor had some victories, the Doom of Mandos always hung over their efforts.

Major Battles[edit | edit source]

The following are the major battles listed chronologically:

  1. The First Battle was fought before the Noldor arrived, and was fought by the Sindar, Laiquendi, and Dwarves of the Blue Mountains.
  2. The Dagor-nuin-Giliath, or Battle-under-Stars, fought by the Noldor following Fëanor and his Seven Sons.
  3. The Dagor Aglareb, or Glorious Battle, which led to the Siege of Angband.
  4. The Dagor Bragollach, or Battle of Sudden Flame, in which Ard-galen burned and many Noldor, including King Fingolfin, were slain.
  5. The Nirnaeth Arnoediad or Battle of Unnumbered Tears, in which the Union of Maedhros was utterly broken by Morgoth.
  6. The War of Wrath, which defeated Morgoth, ended the First Age of Arda, and destroyed most of Beleriand.

See also[edit | edit source]

There were other parallel conflicts where Morgoth was not involved, but were directly or indirectly connected to the main War, and the Silmarilli:

Portrayal in adaptations[edit | edit source]

2022: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power:

1 September: A Shadow of the Past:
During Galadriel's summarization of the First Age, Finrod is seen fighting in the Wars of Beleriand against Orcs and other servants of Morgoth. During the war, Finrod shouted two Quenya phrases to his fellow Elves: "Valaron kalanen" ("By the light of the Valar!") and "Firuvantë" ("They will die!"). Galadriel mentions that he vowed to destroy "Morgoth's most devoted servant: a cruel and cunning sorcerer".
30 September: Udûn:
After the collapse of the Watchtower of Ostirith and before the defense of Tirharad, Arondir references the end of the Wars of Beleriand in his attempt to boast the morale of the Southlanders.


War of the Great Jewels
First Battle · Dagor-nuin-Giliath · Dagor Aglareb · Dagor Bragollach · Nirnaeth Arnoediad · War of Wrath