[Legendarium, The Silmarillion] – Background Information Lord of the Rings – History of the Legendarium Part 4 - First Kinslaying of the elves, Doom of Mandos and the Jewel Wars
Years of the Trees
Melkor’s dispute with Ungoliant
The Ungoliant after consuming the sap of the Two Trees of Valinor became a giant and possessed power that would even threaten Melkor. After crossing the Helcaraxe the narrow icy strip that used to link Aman and Middle Earth, the Ungoliant has constantly been demanding and eating the treasures that Melkor has stolen from the Noldor elves.
Ungoliant was suffering from gluttony and constantly demanded the jewels and treasures while it constantly grew and became more powerful.
Eventually, the Ungoliant started to demand the three silmarils that Melkor possessed. Melkor refused and Ungoliant attacks Melkor and wove him with her webs snatching the silmarils.
Melkor made a cry which awakened the Balrogs that have been sleeping while waiting for Melkor’s return.
Gothmog and the Balrogs have driven Ungoliant off and rescues Melkor. The Ungoliant would flee and breed with spiders leaving descendants such as Shelob. The Ungoliant is believed to have devoured itself by the endless thirst and gluttony.
First Kinslaying of the elves(Kinslaying at Alqualonde, Alqualondë)
Kinslaying refers to the slaying of one’s own race or kind. After Feanor pledged the Oath of Feanor by the name of Manwe and Iluvatar and dissed the Valars, Feanor and the Noldor elves would rush to the coastlines of Aman where the Falmari(Teleri elves) elves resided.
The Falmari elves were surprised that the Noldor elves would resist the will of the Valars and tried to stop the Noldor elves from crossing the Belegaer, the Great Sea to Middle Earth.
The Noldor elves were already in a frenzy and as the Falmari elves tried to stop the Noldor elves by force, the Noldor elves started to slay the Falmari elves and the one-sided genocide by the Noldor elves began. This was the first kinslaying by the Noldor elves where always the Teleri elves would be sacrificed.
The Noldor elves were already mad by the Oath of Feanor and was willing to pursue their goals with all cost. Even Noldor elves were shocked when they’ve heard of the first kinslaying of elves as the Noldor elves were separated in many groups.
Doom of Mandos
Already, the Valars were upset of Feanor’s diss on the Valars, however the first kinslaying of the elves where the Noldor elves massacred the Teleri(Falmari)elves only because they refused to borrow their boats shocked the Valars.
Manwe declared that the Valars would never aid the Noldor elf’s conquest on Morgoth, Melkor while Mandos the judge has set a curse or a prophecy of what he has saw by his visions.
This was also referred as the Doom of Mandos. By the Doom of Mandos, Mandos declares that the Oath of Feanor would strangle the Noldor elves themselves to the perish of the Noldors and the Noldor elves would eventually never obtain the Silmarils forever.
Also, once the Nodlor elves die during the battle, they shall be locked up in the Halls of Mandos for almost an eternity without any grace by Mandos. Noldors shall not set foot into Valinor until they’ve destroyed Morgoth and the House of Feanor would eventually crumble to ashes.
Mandos even declares that on Middle Earth, all elves would perish and shall be forgotten once the age of humans arrives.
Finarfin, the youngest child of the Noldor king Finwe has heard the declaration of the Doom of Mandos and Finarfin decided to return to Valinor and decided not to join the other Noldors to Middle Earth before he crossed the Helcaraxe.
Finarfin and his Noldor elf group asked for forgiveness and were pardoned by the Valars. Finarfin would become the king of the Noldor elves that remained in Valinor and Aman.
Melkor’s conquest of Middle Earth begins
Melkor or Morgoth arrives at Angband and makes Angband the new headquarters after Utumno which was destroyed by the War of the Powers.
Morgoth would create terrible beings for his army and starts the campaign to reign over Middle Earth. Morgoth would divide his troops and invade Beleriand where the Sindar elves, green elves resided.The dwarves that lived nearby were also invaded by the forces of Morgoth.
Denethor(Not the Stewart Denethor 2nd of Gondor) who led the Nandor elves, the green elves was killed in action while the Sindarin elves led by Cirdan at the coasts of Beleriand were surrounded.
Thingol’s elves had to retreat and by the Melian had to conceal Eglador by the Girdle of Melian. Since Eglador was concealed by the Girdle of Melian, the kingdom led by Thingol was called Doriath.
By the first Battle of Beleriand, the elf armies had to continuously retreat while they bearly held off the forces of Morgoth.
Feanor’s grudge against Fingolfin and the Crossing of the Helcaraxe
After the first kinslaying of the elves, Feanor and the Noldor elves that he led took the boats of the Teleri elves and crossed the Belegaer, the Great Sea and arrived at Middle Earth.
However, Feanor still held a grudge against his half-brother Fingolfin and instead of sending the boats back to ship the remaining waves of Noldor Elves that were at the Aman continent, Feanor has burnt all the ships at the coasts of Beleriand.
Feanor burnt all the ships as determination that Feanor and the Noldor elves shall never return to Aman and Valinor unless the fall of Morgoth and the retrieval of the three Silamrils and Feanor distrusted Fingolfin of his conquest and his place as king of the Noldor elves and didn’t want Fingolfin cross the Belegaer Sea.
Fingolfin realizes that he was betrayed by Feanor, but already the by the Doom of Mandos, Fingolfin thought he had no choice but cross the Helcaraxe.
As a result, the Noldor elves that were left at the Aman continent had to cross the narrow landstrip Helcaraxe north for their journey to Middle Earth.
During the Crossing of the Helcaraxe, the icy lands that even the Valars wouldn’t take, many Noldor elves have died. Galadriel was among the Noldor elves that crossed the Helcaraxe and managed to survive.
Galadriel held a grudge against Feanor as his rashness killed many Noldor elves, his own people and learned always to put her people into account by her experience of crossing the Helcaraxe.
Dagor-nuin-Gilliath, the Battle under the Stars – Start of the Jewel Wars
Right after the Noldor elves landed on the coasts of Beleriand, the Noldor elves faced the forces of Morogth that were on pursuit of the elves after the First Battle of Beleriand. This was called Dagor-nuin-Gilliath, the Battle under the Stars because still the Sun and Moon hasn’t been created while the Two Trees of Valinor were also dying.
The Noldor elves who have saw the light of the Two Trees of Valinor were more powerful than the elves that resided at Middle Earth and in an instance turned the tide against the forces of Morgoth.
The Noldor elves have relieved the siege of Cirdan and Doraith but Feanor and the Noldor elves have pursuit too deep into the battle lines of Morgoth. The lord of the Balrogs Gothmog took a fatal blow into Feanor.
