[Legendarium, The Silmarillion] – Background Information Lord of the Rings – History of the Legendarium Part 2 – War of the Powers, Great Journey of the elves to Valinor
Years of the Trees
War of the Powers - Valars and the Ainur march for Middle Earth for Melkor
After Orome confirmed that Melkor has been harassing and attacking the elves, Manwe declares war against Melkor to protect the first children of Iluvatar.
This marks the War of the Valar, the War of the Powers. The Ainur army with Maiar and the Valars fought with Melkor, Gothmog who was the lord of the Balrogs and Sauron.
After the Valars landed on Middle Earth from Aman(Valinor), the army of the Valars were constantly victorious and pushed Melkor to his fortress Utumno.
The Valars have casted a shield to protect the elves from collateral damage of the War of the Powers at Cuivienen. The elves had to witness the thunder, fire and the might of the War of the Powers across the continent.
Siege of Utumno and the capture of Melkor
Eventually, the army of the Valars were able to ride off Melkor and his forces up to his fortress Utumno.
The battle during the siege of Utumno was so fierce that the Middle Earth’s terrain started to change where the continent started to crack and some land would sink to the bottom of the ocean.
The coast line of the Beleriand was formed that would divide Middle Earth and Aman(Valinor)with the Belegaer (sea). Tulkas, the strongest Valar and the mightiest warrior would infiltrate Utumno and captured Melkor.
Melkor was restrained with the chains Angainor and brought to Aman for judgement. Sauron and the remaining balrogs including Gothmog managed to escape and hide in the underground and await the return of their master.
Judgement of Melkor and Invitation of the elves to Valinor
The Valars decided to lock up Melkor in the Halls of Mandos for 300 years for his crimes of destroying the Two Lamps of the Valar and threatening the first children of Eru, the elves.
Still the Valars feared that Melkor would harm the elves, eventually decided to relocate all the elves to Aman, Valinor. Orome returned to the elves of the decisions by the Valars, however the elves were dreaded of the Valars as they were attacked by Melkor and saw the War of the Powers across the continent.
The elves feared that the Valar were beings that would harm them. Orome would accompany the three elf kings from each elf group, Ingwe, Finwe and Elwe to Valinor to Valinor to show them the beauties of Valinor and to assure them safety of the elves when they relocate to Valinor.
The three elf kings were fascinated by the beauty of Valinor and the generosity of the Valars. The elf kings return to the elves at the far east of Middle Earth and persuaded their people to start the journey to Valinor from Cuivienen. This is referred as the Great Journey of the Elves.
Great Journey of the Elves
Ingwe led the Vanyar elves while Finwe led the Noldor elves and Elwe(and Olwe) led the Lindar elves. Many of the Lindar elves decide to stay and become the Avari elves.
The fire and the smoke from the destruction of the land including the fortress of evil Utumno would also scare elves on their Great Journey.
While the elves arrived at the Anduin River, elves among the Lindar decided to head south instead of west and became the Nandor elves as they’ve gave up on the Great Journey after witnessing the might of the Misty Mountains.
Elves started to climb and pass through the Misty Mountains and head west to the lands of Beleriand. The Vanyar and the Noldor elves arrived first at Beleriand and arrived at Aman, Valinor first by the guidance of Olmo while the remaining Lindar elves arrived late at Beleriand. The Lindar elves that arrived at Beleriand were now called the Teleri.
Elwe(Thingol) the Sindar kingdom of Doriath(Eglador) and Cirdan
Only a handful of Teleri elves decided to head to Aman and these elves became the Falmari elves. During the Great Journey, Elwe who was leading the Teleri elves went missing as he was enchanted by the Maia Melian. Melian had the power to conceal and defend a whole kingdom which was called the Girdle of Melian.
Cirdan, was leading the Teleri elves as Elwe was missing and he eventually established city at the west coast of Beleriand and Cirdan served as the lord of the west coast of Beleriand. Cirdan would later become the protector of the Gray Havens.
Elwe after he was dispelled from Melian decided to marry Melian and rather than heading to Valinor he decided to remain at Beleriand. Elwe changed his name to Thingol and he returned to the remaining Teleri elves.
The remaining Teleri elves started to call themselves the Sindar elves and Elwe(Thingol) declared the construction of the elf kingdom Eglador.
Later, this kingdom would be called Doriath and after the dwarves awake, Thingol would ask the dwarves help to create the castles of Doriath and Doriath would become one of the kingdoms that was captured by the many events of Silmarillion.
The daughter of Thingol and Melian was Luthien and the death of Thingol caused the long conflict between the elves and the dwarves.
Awakening of the Dwarves, Birth of Feanor, Galadriel, Luthien
Between the Noldor king Finwe and his wife Miriel, Feanor, the dark anti-hero of the Silmarillion is born. Miriel becomes the first to die in Aman as her physical body was too weak to sustain the birth of Feanor. The soul of Miriel stays at the Halls of Mandos.
Finwe would later remarriage after the judgement by Mandos and many offsprings such as Fingolfin and Finarfin were born.
The son of Finwe Finarfin was the father of Galadriel. Thus the elf Galadriel was the granddaughter of the Noldor king Finwe, thus she was worshipped as a high figure during Lord of the Rings. In a similar time,
Durin the Deathless, the first dwarf of the Durin’s Folk and the king of Khazad-dum has awaken.
Durin the Deathless has built the dwarf kingdom Khzaddum in the Misty Mountains while other dwarves that awaken later built the kingdom of Belegost and Nogrod in the Blue Mountains.
First orc appearance on Middle-Earth
The dwarves of Belegost would visit Beleriand and they’ve encountered the Sindar elves of Elgador(Doriath) led by Thingol and Melian.
The orcs collaborated with the elves to build the castles and fortresses of Doriath. The first orcs also appeared in Beleriand, Elgador(Doriath) attacking the elves.
The dwarves of Belegost would also form an alliance with the Sindar elves and built weapons for the elves to defend Doriath from the orcs.
An elf named Denethor (This is not the Denethor the steward of Gondor) leading Nandor elves have been relocating with his people due to the attacks of the orcs.
Denethor and the Nandor elves encountered Thingol and the kingdom Doriath and decided to reside on the east of Beleriand.
Thingol welcomed Denethor and the elves and taught them Sindarin elf language. These Nandor elves led by Denethor would later become the green elves.
