#War of the elves and sauron full
#War of the elves and sauron series

Within 100 years of the war the Dunedain began making permanent havens in Middle-earth: Lond Daer Ened, Pelargir, Umbar, and others now forgotten 5. Like Feanor before him, Celebrimbor led the Noldor down a path the end of which he never saw, and their tragic history was both enriched and diminished because of the choices he made.Д«ecause they aided Gil-galad during the War of the Elves and Sauron, the Dunedain became irrevocably enmeshed in the affairs of Middle-earth, earning SauronвЂ™s undying enmity. Although he came to understand his folly before the War of the Elves and Sauron, Celebrimbor perished when Sauron took Ost-in-Edhil 4. But perhaps he had inherited the great pride of his house, and as the last surviving heir of Feanor he rejected Gil-galadвЂ™s advice in an act of rebellion.Д¬elebrimbor did not live to see the fruition of the seeds he helped Sauron plant and nurture in the Rings of Power. In fact, most of the Elven lords refused to treat with Sauron, except for the smith Celebrimbor, whose reasons for rejecting the counsel of Gil-galad are not given. Galadriel did not trust him, claiming to have known no such Maia in Valinor 2, and Gil-galad mistrusted him, having long sensed that some evil power had arisen in Middle-earth 3. The seeds of the war were laid down millennia before when Sauron, in the guise of вЂњAulendilвЂќ (вЂњAnnatarвЂќ), began approaching the Elves in an effort to seduce them 1. The war represented SauronвЂ™s last desperate grasp for power in Middle-earth in his ancient campaign to gain control over the Elves and Men.

#War of the elves and sauron series

Although the Valar did not participate in this war, the conflict culminated a long and pendulous series of disputes between Sauron and the Elves and the Men of Numenor. The final war of the Second Age brought together many peoples on both sides for a cataclysmic engagement which rivaled the great War of Wrath at the end of the First Age of the Sun. Yet Tolkien sprinkled here and there pieces of information concerning this great war in which вЂњall living things were dividedвЂ¦save the Elves onlyвЂќ (The Silmarillion, p.

It cannot be otherwise for there are gaps in the record. Some of what follows is necessarily speculative. Who were the great princes and captains the memory of whose banners made Elrond pause and sigh at his council an Age later? Where did these armies come from, and what were their reasons for joining the Alliance? If we do not know their numbers, do we know anything at all of their battle order and progressions? Yet so many questions remain that one must wonder if Tolkien himself did not ask them of himself. Most of us are familiar with the outline of the war, and many can sketch out the events in a general progression from the first assault on Minas Ithil to the final combat on Orodruin. As with all aspects of his mythology, the few mentions of this great struggle imply a depth which draws the imagination toward a fuller account which surely must have existed in the authorвЂ™s mind, if not in any of his extant writings. The legend of Gil-galad and ElendilвЂ™s war against Sauron at the end of the Second Age of Middle-earth has been the subject of much research and speculation among TolkienвЂ™s fans. I am indebted to Rick House for reviewing the article at that time and offering suggestions and corrections. The material which follows has not been edited since mid-1996. Part three, the longest part, contains the end notes and source references. Parts one and two provide the narrative for the article. It remains, to my knowledge, the fullest treatment of the Last Alliance ever published. So, over the next few weeks, I will provide that article here. My present circumstances have made it nearly impossible for me to continue writing essays for Suite101 or to complete other projects.

#War of the elves and sauron full

I chose the war of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men as my topic because no one had really ever done a full treatment of the subject.

In 1996 the editor of the journal Arda asked me to contribute some of my research to a twelfth volume which has, to my knowledge, never been published.