A TALE OF NEVER-ENDING LOVE
THE COMPLETE STORY OF GLORFINDEL
told by Soledad Cartwright
Disclaimer:
The characters, the context and the main plot belong to Professor Tolkien, whom I greatly admire. I'm only trying to fill in the gaps he so graciously left for us, fanfic writers, to have some fun. Only the Lady Aquiel belongs to me.
Rating: PG - 13, for violence, character death and heavy angst stuff.
INTRODUCTION: WHY GLORFINDEL?
Now, I'm well aware of the fact that every self-respecting reader hates introductions. Me, too, actually. If an author can't explain her intentions *through* her story, introductions are usually little help.
And yet I ask you to stay with me in this particular case.
This is the story of ''Glorfindel who dwells in Elrond's house'', as Aragorn introduced him to the hobbits near the Ford of Bruinen. Have you ever asked just *why* he dwelt in Imladris and what exactly was he doing here? I have been wondering about it for twenty-odd years.
For me, he appeared so much more powerful than Elrond himself when I first read the books, with him being able to face all those Nazgúl and glowing white in the darkness all by himself; and so very wise, giving thoughtful counsel concerning the Ring during Elrond's Council, even if it couldn't be followed at the end.
I got very curious just who this Elf might be. Gandalf says of him that he is ''one of the mighty of the Firstborn. He is an Elf-Lord of a house of princes.'' There also are some hints that he might have returned from the Blessed Realm, and that this is what gives him such great power. So I decided that he must be very old, indeed, even in the terms of Elves.
Years later, reading first the Unfinished Tales and then the Silmarillion, I detected with surprise that there had been another Glorfindel during the First Age: in Gondolin, the hidden kingdom of Turgon. This other Glorfindel was the Head of the House of the Golden Flower - meaning, one of the most noble people of the city -, and fell with the city, in defense of Turgon's daughter, taking a Balrog with him to death.
Later even, I came to the Book of the Lost Tales, where - in Book 2 - the Fall of Gondolin and therefore the last battle of this first Glorfindel are described in great detail; so vivid and detailled, indeed, that I got completely hooked by this wonderful character.
There are different opinions among fanfic writers - or even researchers -, whether the Glorfindel of Gondolin and the Glorfindel of Imladris are one and the same, for Tolkien often used the same name for different characters (see: Ecthelion, Denethor and others), though they were usually ancient Elven names given to mortal Men, ages later. On the other hand, it is established in Tolkien's cosmology, that under *very* specific circumstances one might be relieved from Mandos' Halls. This, however, is extremely rare, and always contains an important and grave errand for the person in question.
When I decided to write about Glorfindel at all - which was a long-nurtured wish of mine -, I opted for the theory that the two were, indeed, one and the same - simply because a character with such a rich background and of such an extreme age offered more intriguing possibilities for me as a writer to work with. Which, of course, aroused again the question of old: What such an ancient, wise and powerful Elf was doing in Elrond's house? Why was he, who sacrificed himselt in order to save Elrond's *grandparents*, sent back from Mandos' Halls to serve their grandson? What might have been the ages-old connection between Glorfindel and Elrond's family?
Then, writing ''Of Snow and Stone and Wolves'', I stumbled upon the question of Elven bonding rituals, and realized that Elves bond themselves only once, and that this bond goes on ever beyond the Sea or beyond Mandos' Halls. So I created the one-sided bonding for the purpose of my story (which otherwise wouldn't have made any sense), postulating that some Elves would be ready to bond themselves, out of deep love, without receiving the same devotion from the one they had fallen for.
I made up this non-canon variety of the Elven marriage bond for Elladan, because I needed him to be utterly devoted to Minas Tirith's safety and prosperity. I was in the middle of writing that particular scene when realization hit me: I might just have found the very reason for Glorfindel's presence in Elrond's house!
Now all I needed was to find the right person to be the subject of Glorfindel's undying love. It has to be someone from Elrond's lineage; and I decided to choose a female ancestor of him, for three reasons:
1. There are more than enough Glorfindel slash stories floating around (few of which managed to persuade me), and I only write about m/m interaction when I feel it necessary for character development - this was not the case;
2. I wanted someone who was closer to Glorfindel's age, to make the whole ''utter devotion'' thing more believable; and, most of all,
3. I always longed to write a story happening during the First Age, when the Elves were a lot more powerful and on the peak of their strength and wisdom.
So I chose Idril Celebrindal, the beautiful, strong-willed daughter of Turgon, King of Gondolin (who was, above all else, gifted with foresight, too), to be the subject of Glorfindel's unrequited love; for they would have made a glorious couple if not for Tuor, and she already had that ''Helen of Troy''-aspect in her, with Maeglin betraying his King and his own people to Morgoth, mostly for the possession of her that had been promised to him in exchange.
But when I was about to dive deep into the events of the Elder Days, I also decided to go back even further and write a complete biography on Glorfindel - much of what I have simply made up, for lack of any earlier data about him. I divided the story into chapters that tell about the different periods of his incredibly long life, starting with the Awakening of Elves at the waters of Cuiviénen and finishing the tale in Elrond's house, shortly after the Fellowship of the Ring left Rivendell. For I decided to make Glorfindel one of the very Firstborn that came to life under the light of stars and were found by the Vala Oromë the Great.
Those of you who know the Silmarillion very well, might detect slight discrepancies with the events described here. That's because I mostly followed the Unfinished Tales and the Book of Lost Tales - and other writings of Tolkien, that might contain even more ancient concepts of the Great Maker. But my main sources were the abovementioned books, especially concerning Gondolin and its fall, both of which are described there in great detail.
For the inner structure of this tale I chose a narrative form I've never tried before (so be merciful with me). Basically, it's about Glorfindel, sitting in the Hall of Fire in Imladris, telling a heartbroken Elladan the story of his life. Therefore - with the exception of the Prelude and the Epilogue (the latter of which will be happening after the death of King Elessar, therefore many decades later than the frame story itself) - this tale is told mainly from the POV of Glorfindel himself. Though there will be short interludes between chapters, where he discusses the events he has just told with Elladan.
This means that while the tale itself would reach through all Three Ages of Middle-earth, it shall be told in mere weeks, with Glorfindel and Elladan regularly meeting in the Hall of Fire for their storytelling sessions. Whether there will be other members of Elrond's household joining them, I have not yet decided, as I'm making up the frame story as I write on. But I might grant the Lady Aquiel a cameo appearance, for I'm very fond of her.
For the exact same reason, I cannot tell yet, just how long this whole tale might be at the end. The structure, as planned, should look like this:
Prelude: Why Are You here?
Chapter 1: The Making of Stars
Chapter 2: The Coming of Elves
Chapter 3: The Light of Aman
Chapter 4: The Journey of the Eldar
Chapter 5: The Great Jewels
Chapter 6: The White Ships of Alqualondë
Chapter 7: Crossing the Ice
Chapter 8: Nirnaeth Arneodiad - Tears Unnumbered
Chapter 9: The Fall of Gondolin
Chapter 10: Return, Unexpected
Epilogue: The Last Ship
Please remember, that this is only a rough plan how the individual stories in the tale might follow, and that there certainly will be alterations. I have a rather clear vision of what I want to tell, but there always might be new ideas and sudden inspirations, and I will follow them without hesitation. For it has been my experience that at the end those make the best stories.
Are we in agreement? Good. Now, for those who are not as well-versed in Tolkien's wonderful but extremely complex universe as the possessed elder people (of which I'm certainly one), here should stand an extended quote from ''The Lord of the Rings'', which I have chosen for the reason that it explains in a few short paragraphs just why Elrond's lineage plays such an all-important role in the history of Middle-earth.
''Fëanor was the greatest of the Eldar in arts and lore, but also the proudest and most self-willed. He wrought the Three Jewels, the *silmarilli*, and filled them with the radiance of the Two Trees, Telperion and Laurelin, that gave light to the land of the Valar.
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 Edain (Atani) were three peoples of Men who, coming first to the West of Middle-earth and the shores of the Great Sea, became allies of the Eldar against the Enemy.
There were three unions of the Eldar and the Edain: Lúthien and Beren; Idril and Tuor; Arwen and Aragorn. By the last, the long-sundered branches of the Half-elven were reunited and their line was restored.
Lúthien Tinúviel was the daughter of King Thingol Greycloak of Doriath in the First Age, but her mother was Melian of the Valar. Beren was the son of Barahir of the First House of the Edain. Together they wrested a *silmaril* from the Iron Crown of Morgoth. Lúthien became mortal and was lost to Elven-kind. Dior was her son. Elwing was his daughter and had in her keeping the *silmaril*.
Idril Celebrindal was the daughter of Turgon, king of the hidden city of Gondolin. Tuor was the son of Huor of the House of Hador, the Third House of the Edain and the most renowned in the wars with Morgoth. Eärendil the Mariner was their son.
Eärendil wedded Elwing, and with the power of the *silmaril* passed the Shadows and came to the Uttermost West, and speaking as ambassador of both Elves and Men obtained the help by which Morgoth was overthrown. Eärendil was not permitted to return to mortal lands, and his ship bearing the *silmaril* was set to sail in the heavens as a star, and a sign of hope to the dwellers of Middle-earth, oppressed by the Great Enemy or his servants. The *silmarilli* alone preserved the ancient light of the Two Trees of Valinor before Morgoth poisoned them; but the other two were lost at the end of the First Age [...]
The sons of Eärendil were Elros and Elrond, the *Peredhil* or Half-elven. In them alone the line of the heroic chieftains of the Edain in the First Age was preserved; and after the fall of Gil-galad, the lineage of the High-elven Kings was also in Middle-earth only represented by their descendants.
At the end of the First Age the Valar gave to the Half-elven an irrevocable choice to which kindred they would belong. Elrond chose to be of the Elven-kind and became a master of wisdom. To him therefore was granted the same grace as to those of the High Elves that still lingered in Middle-earth: that when weary at last of the mortal lands they could take ship from the Grey Havens and pass into the Uttermost West; and this grace continued after the change of the world.
But to the children of Elrond a choice was allso appointed: to pass with him from the circles of the world; or if they remained, to become mortal and die in Middle-earth. For elrond, therefore, all chances of the War of the Ring were fraught with sorrow.
Elros chose to be of Man-kind and remain with the Edain; but a great life-span was granted to him, many times of lesser men.
As a reward for their sufferings in the cause against Morgoth, the Valar, the Guardians of the World, granted the Edain a land to dwell in, removed from the dangers of Middle-earth. Most of them, therefore, set sail over Sea, westernmost of all Mortal lands. There they founded the realm of Númenor. [...]
Elros was the first King of Númenor, and was afterwards known by the High-elven name Tar-Minyatur. His descendants were long-lived but mortal. Later when they became powerful they begrudged the choice of their forefather, desiring the immortality within the life of the world that was the fate of the Eldar, and murmuring against the Ban.* In this way began their rebellion which, under the evil teaching of Sauron, brought about the Downfall of Númenor and the ruin of the ancient world.''
(Quoted from The Lord of the Rings III. Appendix A I. The Númenorean Kings, pp 380-382, with slight editions.)
Those who survived the Fall of Númenor, forged the Last Alliance of Elves and Men and had finally overthrown Sauron at the end of the Second Age, though to great costs: Gil-galad, the last High King of the Eldar in Middle-earth was slain, as was Elendil, the last King of all Númenorean people. Yet his eldest son, Isildur, cut the Ring of Power off Sauron's hand in the last battle upon Dagorlad and, instead of casting it into the fire of Orodruin, where it was made, kept it as a weregild for his father and his brother.
Which, of course, led to the events of the War of the Ring, that are well-known to all of us, even those who have only seen the movie.
Now that we have cleared the basics, I only ask you to bear with me for one short piece of information (there shall be notes to each chapter anyway, so there's no need to try explaining everything in advance, right?)
There were five great battles fought in Beleriand against Morgoth. Most writings of Tolkien are full of cross-references to them, but they are named either in Elvish or in English, which I myself found extremely confusing. So there you have them, numbered and labeled, with all their names (as far as they *did* have a name), for better identification.
THE BATTLES OF BELERIAND
1. The First Battle had no name. It was fought between King Thingol Greycloak (who was aided by the Nandor Elves of Ossiriand) and the army of Angband.
2. The Second Battle was called ''Battle-under-Stars'' or ''Dagor-nuin-Giliath'' and was fought in Mithrim, after the coming of Fëanor to Middle-earth.
3. The Third Battle was called the ''Glorious Battle'' or ''Dagor Aglareb''. For a change, it was a victorious one, due to the leadership of Fingolfin and Maedhros.
4. The Fourth Battle was called ''Battle of Sudden Flame'' or ''Dagor Bragollach'' (or, sometimes, simply ''the Bragollach''),. Named thus for the partaking of Glaurung the Dragon and the Balrogs. It ended with the total loss of Dorthonion and the death of Fingolfin.
5. The Fifth Battle was called the battle of ''Unnumbered Tears'' or ''Nirnaeth Arneodiad (also simply ''the Nirnaeth''). This was the most ruinous battle of all, where the Eldar were utterly defeated.
Finally, there was the Great Battle, of course (or the War of Wrath), when - thank Eärendil's plea - a host of the Valar came to Middle-earth and Morgoth was overthrown, chained and imprisoned for ever, and the ancient world was destroyed by the wrath of the Valar, and Beleriand was swallowed by the Sea, and the Sirion, the most beautiful and beloved river of the Elves was no more.
You still with me? How brave of you! For that you shall be rewarded - for this introduction has finally come to its and and the real story may begin.
Follow me to the Prelude, which will lead us to Elrond's house, where Elladan asks Glorfindel the crucial question: Why are you here?
* * * * * * * * *
End note: Now, for *that* you will have to wait at least one or two days. I know. I'm evil. But one can write just as much on a single day while doing all the research work along with the writing. I'll update, soon. I promise.
Soledad
* Which forbid them to sail to Valinor.
THE COMPLETE STORY OF GLORFINDEL
told by Soledad Cartwright
Disclaimer:
The characters, the context and the main plot belong to Professor Tolkien, whom I greatly admire. I'm only trying to fill in the gaps he so graciously left for us, fanfic writers, to have some fun. Only the Lady Aquiel belongs to me.
Rating: PG - 13, for violence, character death and heavy angst stuff.
INTRODUCTION: WHY GLORFINDEL?
Now, I'm well aware of the fact that every self-respecting reader hates introductions. Me, too, actually. If an author can't explain her intentions *through* her story, introductions are usually little help.
And yet I ask you to stay with me in this particular case.
This is the story of ''Glorfindel who dwells in Elrond's house'', as Aragorn introduced him to the hobbits near the Ford of Bruinen. Have you ever asked just *why* he dwelt in Imladris and what exactly was he doing here? I have been wondering about it for twenty-odd years.
For me, he appeared so much more powerful than Elrond himself when I first read the books, with him being able to face all those Nazgúl and glowing white in the darkness all by himself; and so very wise, giving thoughtful counsel concerning the Ring during Elrond's Council, even if it couldn't be followed at the end.
I got very curious just who this Elf might be. Gandalf says of him that he is ''one of the mighty of the Firstborn. He is an Elf-Lord of a house of princes.'' There also are some hints that he might have returned from the Blessed Realm, and that this is what gives him such great power. So I decided that he must be very old, indeed, even in the terms of Elves.
Years later, reading first the Unfinished Tales and then the Silmarillion, I detected with surprise that there had been another Glorfindel during the First Age: in Gondolin, the hidden kingdom of Turgon. This other Glorfindel was the Head of the House of the Golden Flower - meaning, one of the most noble people of the city -, and fell with the city, in defense of Turgon's daughter, taking a Balrog with him to death.
Later even, I came to the Book of the Lost Tales, where - in Book 2 - the Fall of Gondolin and therefore the last battle of this first Glorfindel are described in great detail; so vivid and detailled, indeed, that I got completely hooked by this wonderful character.
There are different opinions among fanfic writers - or even researchers -, whether the Glorfindel of Gondolin and the Glorfindel of Imladris are one and the same, for Tolkien often used the same name for different characters (see: Ecthelion, Denethor and others), though they were usually ancient Elven names given to mortal Men, ages later. On the other hand, it is established in Tolkien's cosmology, that under *very* specific circumstances one might be relieved from Mandos' Halls. This, however, is extremely rare, and always contains an important and grave errand for the person in question.
When I decided to write about Glorfindel at all - which was a long-nurtured wish of mine -, I opted for the theory that the two were, indeed, one and the same - simply because a character with such a rich background and of such an extreme age offered more intriguing possibilities for me as a writer to work with. Which, of course, aroused again the question of old: What such an ancient, wise and powerful Elf was doing in Elrond's house? Why was he, who sacrificed himselt in order to save Elrond's *grandparents*, sent back from Mandos' Halls to serve their grandson? What might have been the ages-old connection between Glorfindel and Elrond's family?
Then, writing ''Of Snow and Stone and Wolves'', I stumbled upon the question of Elven bonding rituals, and realized that Elves bond themselves only once, and that this bond goes on ever beyond the Sea or beyond Mandos' Halls. So I created the one-sided bonding for the purpose of my story (which otherwise wouldn't have made any sense), postulating that some Elves would be ready to bond themselves, out of deep love, without receiving the same devotion from the one they had fallen for.
I made up this non-canon variety of the Elven marriage bond for Elladan, because I needed him to be utterly devoted to Minas Tirith's safety and prosperity. I was in the middle of writing that particular scene when realization hit me: I might just have found the very reason for Glorfindel's presence in Elrond's house!
Now all I needed was to find the right person to be the subject of Glorfindel's undying love. It has to be someone from Elrond's lineage; and I decided to choose a female ancestor of him, for three reasons:
1. There are more than enough Glorfindel slash stories floating around (few of which managed to persuade me), and I only write about m/m interaction when I feel it necessary for character development - this was not the case;
2. I wanted someone who was closer to Glorfindel's age, to make the whole ''utter devotion'' thing more believable; and, most of all,
3. I always longed to write a story happening during the First Age, when the Elves were a lot more powerful and on the peak of their strength and wisdom.
So I chose Idril Celebrindal, the beautiful, strong-willed daughter of Turgon, King of Gondolin (who was, above all else, gifted with foresight, too), to be the subject of Glorfindel's unrequited love; for they would have made a glorious couple if not for Tuor, and she already had that ''Helen of Troy''-aspect in her, with Maeglin betraying his King and his own people to Morgoth, mostly for the possession of her that had been promised to him in exchange.
But when I was about to dive deep into the events of the Elder Days, I also decided to go back even further and write a complete biography on Glorfindel - much of what I have simply made up, for lack of any earlier data about him. I divided the story into chapters that tell about the different periods of his incredibly long life, starting with the Awakening of Elves at the waters of Cuiviénen and finishing the tale in Elrond's house, shortly after the Fellowship of the Ring left Rivendell. For I decided to make Glorfindel one of the very Firstborn that came to life under the light of stars and were found by the Vala Oromë the Great.
Those of you who know the Silmarillion very well, might detect slight discrepancies with the events described here. That's because I mostly followed the Unfinished Tales and the Book of Lost Tales - and other writings of Tolkien, that might contain even more ancient concepts of the Great Maker. But my main sources were the abovementioned books, especially concerning Gondolin and its fall, both of which are described there in great detail.
For the inner structure of this tale I chose a narrative form I've never tried before (so be merciful with me). Basically, it's about Glorfindel, sitting in the Hall of Fire in Imladris, telling a heartbroken Elladan the story of his life. Therefore - with the exception of the Prelude and the Epilogue (the latter of which will be happening after the death of King Elessar, therefore many decades later than the frame story itself) - this tale is told mainly from the POV of Glorfindel himself. Though there will be short interludes between chapters, where he discusses the events he has just told with Elladan.
This means that while the tale itself would reach through all Three Ages of Middle-earth, it shall be told in mere weeks, with Glorfindel and Elladan regularly meeting in the Hall of Fire for their storytelling sessions. Whether there will be other members of Elrond's household joining them, I have not yet decided, as I'm making up the frame story as I write on. But I might grant the Lady Aquiel a cameo appearance, for I'm very fond of her.
For the exact same reason, I cannot tell yet, just how long this whole tale might be at the end. The structure, as planned, should look like this:
Prelude: Why Are You here?
Chapter 1: The Making of Stars
Chapter 2: The Coming of Elves
Chapter 3: The Light of Aman
Chapter 4: The Journey of the Eldar
Chapter 5: The Great Jewels
Chapter 6: The White Ships of Alqualondë
Chapter 7: Crossing the Ice
Chapter 8: Nirnaeth Arneodiad - Tears Unnumbered
Chapter 9: The Fall of Gondolin
Chapter 10: Return, Unexpected
Epilogue: The Last Ship
Please remember, that this is only a rough plan how the individual stories in the tale might follow, and that there certainly will be alterations. I have a rather clear vision of what I want to tell, but there always might be new ideas and sudden inspirations, and I will follow them without hesitation. For it has been my experience that at the end those make the best stories.
Are we in agreement? Good. Now, for those who are not as well-versed in Tolkien's wonderful but extremely complex universe as the possessed elder people (of which I'm certainly one), here should stand an extended quote from ''The Lord of the Rings'', which I have chosen for the reason that it explains in a few short paragraphs just why Elrond's lineage plays such an all-important role in the history of Middle-earth.
''Fëanor was the greatest of the Eldar in arts and lore, but also the proudest and most self-willed. He wrought the Three Jewels, the *silmarilli*, and filled them with the radiance of the Two Trees, Telperion and Laurelin, that gave light to the land of the Valar.
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 Edain (Atani) were three peoples of Men who, coming first to the West of Middle-earth and the shores of the Great Sea, became allies of the Eldar against the Enemy.
There were three unions of the Eldar and the Edain: Lúthien and Beren; Idril and Tuor; Arwen and Aragorn. By the last, the long-sundered branches of the Half-elven were reunited and their line was restored.
Lúthien Tinúviel was the daughter of King Thingol Greycloak of Doriath in the First Age, but her mother was Melian of the Valar. Beren was the son of Barahir of the First House of the Edain. Together they wrested a *silmaril* from the Iron Crown of Morgoth. Lúthien became mortal and was lost to Elven-kind. Dior was her son. Elwing was his daughter and had in her keeping the *silmaril*.
Idril Celebrindal was the daughter of Turgon, king of the hidden city of Gondolin. Tuor was the son of Huor of the House of Hador, the Third House of the Edain and the most renowned in the wars with Morgoth. Eärendil the Mariner was their son.
Eärendil wedded Elwing, and with the power of the *silmaril* passed the Shadows and came to the Uttermost West, and speaking as ambassador of both Elves and Men obtained the help by which Morgoth was overthrown. Eärendil was not permitted to return to mortal lands, and his ship bearing the *silmaril* was set to sail in the heavens as a star, and a sign of hope to the dwellers of Middle-earth, oppressed by the Great Enemy or his servants. The *silmarilli* alone preserved the ancient light of the Two Trees of Valinor before Morgoth poisoned them; but the other two were lost at the end of the First Age [...]
The sons of Eärendil were Elros and Elrond, the *Peredhil* or Half-elven. In them alone the line of the heroic chieftains of the Edain in the First Age was preserved; and after the fall of Gil-galad, the lineage of the High-elven Kings was also in Middle-earth only represented by their descendants.
At the end of the First Age the Valar gave to the Half-elven an irrevocable choice to which kindred they would belong. Elrond chose to be of the Elven-kind and became a master of wisdom. To him therefore was granted the same grace as to those of the High Elves that still lingered in Middle-earth: that when weary at last of the mortal lands they could take ship from the Grey Havens and pass into the Uttermost West; and this grace continued after the change of the world.
But to the children of Elrond a choice was allso appointed: to pass with him from the circles of the world; or if they remained, to become mortal and die in Middle-earth. For elrond, therefore, all chances of the War of the Ring were fraught with sorrow.
Elros chose to be of Man-kind and remain with the Edain; but a great life-span was granted to him, many times of lesser men.
As a reward for their sufferings in the cause against Morgoth, the Valar, the Guardians of the World, granted the Edain a land to dwell in, removed from the dangers of Middle-earth. Most of them, therefore, set sail over Sea, westernmost of all Mortal lands. There they founded the realm of Númenor. [...]
Elros was the first King of Númenor, and was afterwards known by the High-elven name Tar-Minyatur. His descendants were long-lived but mortal. Later when they became powerful they begrudged the choice of their forefather, desiring the immortality within the life of the world that was the fate of the Eldar, and murmuring against the Ban.* In this way began their rebellion which, under the evil teaching of Sauron, brought about the Downfall of Númenor and the ruin of the ancient world.''
(Quoted from The Lord of the Rings III. Appendix A I. The Númenorean Kings, pp 380-382, with slight editions.)
Those who survived the Fall of Númenor, forged the Last Alliance of Elves and Men and had finally overthrown Sauron at the end of the Second Age, though to great costs: Gil-galad, the last High King of the Eldar in Middle-earth was slain, as was Elendil, the last King of all Númenorean people. Yet his eldest son, Isildur, cut the Ring of Power off Sauron's hand in the last battle upon Dagorlad and, instead of casting it into the fire of Orodruin, where it was made, kept it as a weregild for his father and his brother.
Which, of course, led to the events of the War of the Ring, that are well-known to all of us, even those who have only seen the movie.
Now that we have cleared the basics, I only ask you to bear with me for one short piece of information (there shall be notes to each chapter anyway, so there's no need to try explaining everything in advance, right?)
There were five great battles fought in Beleriand against Morgoth. Most writings of Tolkien are full of cross-references to them, but they are named either in Elvish or in English, which I myself found extremely confusing. So there you have them, numbered and labeled, with all their names (as far as they *did* have a name), for better identification.
THE BATTLES OF BELERIAND
1. The First Battle had no name. It was fought between King Thingol Greycloak (who was aided by the Nandor Elves of Ossiriand) and the army of Angband.
2. The Second Battle was called ''Battle-under-Stars'' or ''Dagor-nuin-Giliath'' and was fought in Mithrim, after the coming of Fëanor to Middle-earth.
3. The Third Battle was called the ''Glorious Battle'' or ''Dagor Aglareb''. For a change, it was a victorious one, due to the leadership of Fingolfin and Maedhros.
4. The Fourth Battle was called ''Battle of Sudden Flame'' or ''Dagor Bragollach'' (or, sometimes, simply ''the Bragollach''),. Named thus for the partaking of Glaurung the Dragon and the Balrogs. It ended with the total loss of Dorthonion and the death of Fingolfin.
5. The Fifth Battle was called the battle of ''Unnumbered Tears'' or ''Nirnaeth Arneodiad (also simply ''the Nirnaeth''). This was the most ruinous battle of all, where the Eldar were utterly defeated.
Finally, there was the Great Battle, of course (or the War of Wrath), when - thank Eärendil's plea - a host of the Valar came to Middle-earth and Morgoth was overthrown, chained and imprisoned for ever, and the ancient world was destroyed by the wrath of the Valar, and Beleriand was swallowed by the Sea, and the Sirion, the most beautiful and beloved river of the Elves was no more.
You still with me? How brave of you! For that you shall be rewarded - for this introduction has finally come to its and and the real story may begin.
Follow me to the Prelude, which will lead us to Elrond's house, where Elladan asks Glorfindel the crucial question: Why are you here?
* * * * * * * * *
End note: Now, for *that* you will have to wait at least one or two days. I know. I'm evil. But one can write just as much on a single day while doing all the research work along with the writing. I'll update, soon. I promise.
Soledad
* Which forbid them to sail to Valinor.