#and then the fall of gondolin begins. slay

[nyenyerle]

I think i posted about this before but one of the things i really love in CoH is that it’s full of rivers and there’s no sea. It’s a mannish tragedy in a war-torn elven world about doom and mortality and bondage, and it struggles against the tragedy. Could it have been different? A river is a water that can travel, but it can only travel a predetermined route. Does it mock Turin or is it trying to help? Is it the river’s fault for being a river and being there, or could things have changed if Turin’s attitude changed? Anyway this isn’t what this post is about. What I love very very dearly is that after the ending of CoH, there are no more rivers. Hurin goes where all rivers go, straight into the sea. There are no more questions, no more possibilities, just splish splash see you at the dagor dagorath

[elvain]

MK'S FIC MASTERPOST (tolkien edition)

hi all! as i venture into a new world of fanfic, i thought i would make a new reference post. here is my tolkien-themed ao3. please note that all my fics are locked and restricted to AO3 users only.

Chaptered Fics:

At The Heart of Time - ongoing for 42 chapters, Not Canon Compliant, Reincarnation AU, BilboThorin + focus on Durin family relationships. The fifty-seventh time that Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain, came back from the dead, he realized something. Something he had never thought or known or remembered or forgotten before. Regular updates.

Forged In Amber - ongoing for 28 chapters, Canon Divergent, Post-Battle of the Five Armies, FiliSigrid. Years after the slaying of Smaug and the Battle of the Five Armies, Sigrid of Dale wakes up in a world she does not know or recognize. They tell her that Lake-town is gone, that there are Dwarves in the Mountain again, that her father is a King. But there is something they are not telling her. Something important.

Sweet Like Summer - completed at 10.2k, Canon Divergent, FrodoSam, Post-War of the Ring. As the Shire begins to blossom and come back to life, Frodo enlists the help of a Took and a Brandybuck, and embarks on a new quest: telling Samwise Gamgee how he really feels.

All Those Who Wander - completed at 14.2k, Canon Compliant, Boromir & Aragorn, Boromir & Faramir. After Boromir's death, the Fellowship continues to hold true. And so does he. (Written for LOTR20).

One-Shots:

Ends Of The Earth - completed at 4.1k words, Canon Compliant, Thangorodrim Rescue, Married Couple, FingonMaedhros. Fingon comes for Maedhros upon the peaks of Thangorodrim.

The Taste Of Ink - completed at 4.3k words, Canon Divergent, Post-BOTFA AU, Explicit Sexual Content, PWP, FiliSigrid. When Sigrid gets an Elvish rune inked upon her, Fíli must grapple with how he feels about it.

Mutual In Divine Love - completed at 4.1k words, Canon Divergent, Yearning, Getting Together, ArwenÉowyn. As Middle Earth is ravaged and changed forevermore, Arwen finds herself embroiled in a battle to decide the fates of all - not just her own. Little does she know, there is another woman upon the Pelennor who has chosen to do the same.

Ride Out In The Country - completed at 2.4k words, Canon Compliant, Fluff & Humour, ÉomerLothíriel. Firefoot has had enough of Éomer and Lothíriel's bickering. So, he does something about it.

silver streams / golden hearts - completed at 2.5k words, Canon Compliant, Explicit Sexual Content, IdrilTuor. As the sea continues to call for Tuor of Gondolin, Idril Celebrindal calls him back.

Golden - completed at 4k words, Canon Divergent, Courting Rituals, BilboThorin. An insight into courting under the Mountain.

In The New Dawn - completed at 2.1k words, Canon Divergent, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Bathing, AragornÉomerImrahil. As dawn rises over Middle Earth, so must the King. But he is not alone.

My Lover's Eyes - completed at 2.6k, Canon Compliant, Bilbo & Frodo, Grief & Mourning, BilboThorin. Nobody really knew why Bilbo had taken Frodo in, in fact. But Bilbo did.

Between Two Lungs - completed at 2.7k words, Canon Compliant/Canon Non-Compliant, Hair Braiding, BilboThorin. On the road to recovery, Bilbo and Thorin discover a new path.

Just A Daydream Away - completed at 2.2k words, Canon Non-Compliant, Explicit Sexual Content, FiliSigrid. Even a Princess needs some time alone to unwind and Sigrid knows exactly what she wants to do. Or rather, whom.

the kinslayer in the woods - completed at 4.5k words, Canon Compliant, Daeron & Maglor. In his exile, Maglor has become wholly accustomed to silence. One day, that silence is broken.

The Fall of Finrod Felagund (or: The Rebuilding of Finrod Felagund) - completed at 1.4k, Canon Non-Compliant, AmariëFinrod. There is an intimacy in putting your partner back together. Bit by bit, piece by piece. Proving that you know every inch of them, broken and whole.

the lonely mountain (or, the grief of gimli) - completed at 2.1k words, Canon Compliant, GimliLegolas. After their terrors in the Mines of Moria, Gimli takes time to grieve. Legolas finds him.

one year older, one year better - completed at 4.5k words, Canon Divergent, BilboThorin. Bilbo's first birthday in Erebor does not go the way he expected. Then again, things so rarely go the way Bilbo Baggins expects them to.

[lamemaster]

A Deceitful Peace (Glorfindel x Reader)

Word Count: 1.3k

Summary: The submerged lands of Gondolin hold 16 graves. Tales do not mention them. Few of the living know of them leave for the Vala of death and one elleth. 

Warnings: Death, gore, violence

The last of the Orcs fell from your blade. Your fellow soldiers who had barely survived finally got a chance to breathe. The city had fallen. Gondolin was gone. Its lords, gone with it. Yet, a small party persevered. A party that stood as the last defense for the fleeing survivors.

Death was looming on the shoulder of those who finished slaying the last of the enemy’s host. Fighting a battle they had already lost but it was worth it for all those who had a chance for a better life.

Next to you soldiers collapse with their blades too heavy. A dozen bleeding wounds and staggering breaths betrayed how little life was left in their bodies. Maybe it was a small mercy from Mandos that they had survived this long. Beyond the tolerance of the elven body.

Smoke and ash make those last breaths painful. Your fellow soldiers cough miserably. Wet, uncontrollable coughing fits that lead to increased blood loss. The city is engulfed by flames. It is clear that your pyre was set by nature itself. 

However, you do not allow yourself the relief of a welcomed death like others. Your blade is no longer clutched in your arms and you take off your quiver that held a couple of arrows. With practiced motions, you take off your now knife-less bandolier. 

In a trance, you make your way through the bloodied fields that were once your home. Your carelessly untie your hair pulled back in tight braids. Particles of ash fall off as your hair frees into the air. Weaponless, unguarded, uncaring you walk. There is a possibility that there may be lingering enemies but with your end so close you do not care. You would rather die on this journey looking for him than spend your last breath weary of cursed ones.

On the way, you stumble as a face stares back at you. Your friend’s face. Beheaded. Speared. Rog stares at you. His body was nowhere to be seen. Even in the most gruesome scene, your dearest friend’s expression holds no fear.

With trembling hands, you struggle to pull off your friend’s head from the spear. Your hands slip with the blood that does not stop. Your tears make it hard to discern anything. Heavy sobs wreck your body and your knees start to buckle. Your friend…you close your eyes and a sharp wet squelch is followed by a new weight in your hands. Your feet stumble back with the sudden force and weight.

You find the nearest unmarred surface and take off your cloak. It is battered with blood and singed with fire in many places. You rest your friend’s head there. With a gentle hand, you close his eyes. As you close yours in a prayer.

“May the halls of Mandos give you peace my friend.” Your prayer is short. You fail to muster any grand words. Your throat hurts making it hard to swallow your sobs as you for the last time on Middle Earth, kiss Rog’s forehead. ‘I too shall follow you soon.’ you promise as you wrap his head. 

‘Wait for me here. There is someone else I need to find.’ You whisper to your friend’s dead body as you gather the courage to stand up.

So, you start again. Walking among the simmering fire of burning halls you had dined in. You walk until the Sun finds itself on the Western edge of the world. Darkening skies do not halt you. Blood flowing from your wounds does not stop you. 

The sight of an uneven cliff does.

You do not know how you know where he lies but you do. For all the pain in the world seems to have gathered under that one cliff. 

Forgoing the last remnants of your armor you feel a weird sense of numbness settle over you. A determination. Your last task on Middle Earth would soon free you. The last labor that you would fulfill even at the cost of denying Mandos.

The journey begins. You do not equip yourself with a torch. You do not need it. It would aid little for the dark that gathered around you. The climb down is easy. With all your sense of reservation gone, there is little to fear of jagged rocks.

Moon is up in the sky by the time you reach the bottom of the cliff. It reeks of blood and ash like the rest of the valley. Your steps don’t falter. For a moment your traitorous mind wonders. It wonders if by some miracle he survived.

But then you find him. And you are struck by the peace on his face. A calm you’ve never seen on the faces of any of the exiled. Moon shines on his golden hair the same way it did when Gondolin had been unstruck. When his smiles were still within the reach of a small joke.

Death was peaceful. It was deceitful. He looked as if he slept in the ways of men. A dream playing behind those closed eyes. But elves do not dream with their eyes closed. They do not sleep in the pool of their blood. 

You rush to him. You pause when your hands trying to cradle him feel a softness. A softness you realize to be his brain. Grappled with horror you sit there as you realize the truth. Death was deceiving. For all the peace it held. It also carried pain and so much of it. For once it felt more of a doom than a gift many called it to be.

Your beloved’s glorious golden head was dyed red. Bruises from his fall were now in your clear view. Scorched skin from his battle. 

Your chest feels hollow. It would be so much more easier to let go. To succumb to the summons of Mandos right here. You rest Glorfindel’s head in your lap. Your hand trying to caress his face stops. It is bloody. You clean your hands on your tunic as you allow yourself to touch your beloved.

“I’m sorry,” tears form in your eyes. “I’m sorry,” you plead but none answer. You do not know what you apologize for but your heart rips into pieces. You have wronged him. Somehow you wronged him. He should not be dead. You shouldn’t have let him die. 

His eyes remain closed. None of your apologies bring him back. 

Pulling out a solitary flask of water you carry, you wet the torn-off piece of your tunic. And then with light motions clean your lover’s face. You wipe away all the blood, ash, and dirt. You sit there and braid his hair for the last time. For a moment it is easy to fool your heart into thinking of it as an untainted night. 

Later in the early hours of the morning, you carry him on your back. All the way to the city, you trek with your lover. Denying death with the steep slope that felt so effortless on the way down. Your own injuries as flaring and your vision swims with each step.

Soon you find yourself crawling with one hand holding on to your beloved as the other holds on to the sharp jutting-out rocks. Scratches turn to blisters which turn into torn skin soon followed by bloodied fingers.

Dark of dawn stretches longer than ever as you struggle with the last of your trek. Your clean hand still holds on Glorfindel on your back. His body is cold. Colder than ever. Your own limbs start feeling an unrelenting chill that seeps into your bones.

“Rog awaits us.” You tell the unresponsive weight on your back. Maybe you were going crazy. 

Your knees give away as you finally pull yourself to the top. The city…you made it. A coughing fit racks your body as you struggle to carry Glorfindel to where Rog rests.

—-------------------------------------------------------------

The submerged lands of Gondolin hold 16 graves. Tales do not mention them. Few of the living know of them leave for the Vala of death and one elleth. 

They are dug by battered hands. A last resting place for the fallen. 16 before death claimed the creator of those graves. A creator whose body lies unsheltered in an unfinished grave.

[captain-peanut110]

I just had the saddest and the most painful idea ever

What if Erestor was in love with Celebrimbor before the fall of Eregion and all that.

Just imagine what he had to go trough after everything that Sauron did to Celebrimbor?

And then, after Glorfindel starts living in Imladris Erestor is absolutely terrible to him, because he is afraid of catching feelings again and having to go trough all of thaaaaat crap once over.

Glorfindel doesn’t understand anything and is deeply offended, until Celebrian tells him the truth and he is like: “holly fucking shit”

And absolutely makes it his mission to make Erestor happy again, whatever it takes.

Erestor being himself immediately figures out that he knows and at first thinks it’s because Glorfindel pities him and so gets even nastier.

But then Glorfindel tells him about how he loved and lost Ecthelion and pretty much everybody else he cared for and that he pretty much let the balrgo take him with it, when he knew he had manages to slay the foul thing.

He always intended to kill it and protect the retreat from Gondolin, but he never intended to survive.

He tells Erestor he admired him for being able to do what he couldn’t - live on amidst a carnage of horror, loss and pain.

Erestor’s frozen heart begins to melt, as he sees the golden hero’s eyes fill up with tears and hears him confess to being torn apart by his loss.

From there on its all awkward and traumatised attempts at romance, nightmares, midnight confessions, tears and hot stuff.

(And coming up with this idea absolutely made me cry. And procrastinate packing my suitcase, meeting my landlady and cleaning up my room. It just popped into my head, that Erestor needs more trauma in his life and so my evil self pushed him into one of the nastiest parts of canon there is. I’m sort of sorry, i guess. But also I am absolutely wring a long fic about this crap. Happy New Year! :)))))

[ceescedasticity]

I am sorry, this is Even More Terrible

[Seriously, all these are nasty and the third one is very nasty.]

(If he can hold the line for one more minute, one more second, let one more person get away—)

The orc called Chain is lucky.

He is only born once.

He's a half-grown orcling in the crèche, eating unspeakable things to quell the endless hunger of growing so fast, when Lúthien sings all of Angband to sleep.

He does not wake up.

Fully a tenth of the orcs in Angband neither wake up, and over half of those under a decade old. They aren't so very attached to these bodies that they can't seize an escape when it's offered. Nor do any return to the Crucible of Souls.

(Lúthien has done much of the work already, but in the Halls, with Angrod's consent, they shave off the entire decade since his death. He remembers nothing; he never will.)

(But… there might be a reason besides just fraternal affection that he stays so long alongside Aegnor's vigil. It's… safe, here.)

*

(He tries to follow the call, he does, but the whip still burns and he can't move, and then it's gone—)

The orc called Shaggy is born thrice.

His first life, he becomes a commander despite his young age; the troops listen to him. He dies in the taking of Gondolin — perhaps he froze at the wrong moment. Perhaps not.

("No no no no, Turvo, why didn't you run, not you too, no—")

His second life, he is again a commander. He leads troops valiantly against the Host of the West, and dies on their bright swords, and he almost, almost—

(The Sea. He just has to get to the Sea. Sea. As soon as there's any opportunity. Remember the Sea.)

The third time it is late in the war, and he is still young when the Great Lord's attention falters. He rallies the other young orcs to follow him — out the back ways of Angband, as far as they can stay from the shining hosts, to the Sea, which is far nearer than it should be. He's afraid of the Sea, but he's sure. He's sure. He runs out into the surf, and tries to swim out when he can run no farther, and the waves swallow him whole and scour him clean.

(He is Fingon again by the time he reaches the Halls, and falls on his face before the Judge, weeping. "I didn't mean to — I didn't mean to—")

(He asks, later, if it's possible to erase all the details but leave the knowledge that it happened. He thinks it's important that someone should know.)

*

(Fuck Námo, fuck his Call, he's never been of any use before, why would he now—?)

The first five times the orc called Sly is born— Well.

The first five times Curufinwë Atarinkë Fëanárion is born as an orc, he glimpses the light of his father's Silmarils, and his Oath rages to life in his heart, and he throws everything he has into attacking Morgoth, and he is slain. Twice he doesn't even get as far as remembering who he is, only that he must slay Morgoth for the jewels. The Dark Lord and his lieutenant laugh at how the "mighty" have fallen.

He is not otherwise very useful as an orc.

After the lord and his lieutenant become too harried for such amusements, he is in the Crucible of Souls for a long time.

(He sits in the fire and clings to his Oath, which is at least a familiar pain. From time to time, Something comes and laughs at him.)

The orc called Sly is born again when under Sauron's influence orcs begin multiplying in the Misty Mountains. He smiths weapons. He is killed in an argument.

He is born again. He smiths weapons. A wolf-rider finds him and brings all his memories screaming back with a few line of Quenya, for all there's no jewel in sight.

"Damn you," Sly hisses into a familiar-strange face, aware suddenly of the pain of bone spurs and misaligned joints and ingrown teeth that's been there most of this life.

Reckless laughs, and the greenish-gray skin and gnarled hands are new but the laugh is entirely unchanged from the last half-century before… before. "Why not? Maybe I missed you."

Sly doesn't ask what next. He can do the math better than Reckless can. An orc can't fight the dark lord. Two orcs can't fight the dark lord. No number of orcs can fight the dark lord. There's nothing next, except sometimes taking a moment to glare at whoever has taken a Silmaril into the sky and curse the line of Lúthien.

Time passes. Reckless dies, recklessly. Sly finds him as a newly blooded warrior and hustles him towards the wolf-pens, whispering finding keepeth or away casteth too quietly for anyone else to hear the hated elf-tongue. Reckless curses him and tries to punch him, but for the moment Sly is stronger. Time passes.

Sometimes Sly watches Reckless with the wolves and wonders if they make him feel less dead inside.

"A bunch of orcs ran into the Sea, at the end in Beleriand," Reckless says once, out of nowhere. "I haven't seen any of them since."

Sly doesn't say anything.

Reckless shrugs. "They say that stinking forest has a grey-elf for a king. Want to do something about that?"

They make names for themselves terrorizing the forest elves. The other orcs cheer them. But they never see the king, just a bunch of Avari, until the king comes with a larger force and kills them.

Sly is born in Mordor, because more orcs are needed there. The wolf-rider Reckless does not come find him, this time. Sly cannot remember why he expected otherwise. But he would have no time for idling with wolf-riders anyway, for he's put in one of the Master's special task forces and trained as a torturer.

He performs well and the Master is pleased with him. The Master sends for him specially when they take the elf city, to help with the interrogation of the elf lord. It is a long and difficult task but Sly works diligently.

After a while the elf lord sometimes tries to speak to Sly in the cursed elf-tongue, and weeps when Sly punishes him for it. "Atya, atya, iquista — ai, oiramorë naitië—"*

Later, an eternity later, after he has handed off the new battle-flag to the soldiers marching north, the Master smiles at him, and says, "Wake up, Atarinkë."

He—

He—

He cannot bring himself to attack Sauron.

He opens his own throat instead.

(Curufin will not come out of Ghâsh-bagronk after that. No matter how the fire burns, no matter how Something laughs at him, no matter how much pain he's in, he will not be an orc again. He finds the deepest, hottest corner he can, and curls up and hides, and no matter how they call he will not answer.)

[*: This is supposed to mean "Father, Father, please -- ai, everlasting darkness indeed--"]

[warrioreowynofrohan]

The Silmarillion as a TV/Netflix Show (Part 5)

Season 5 centres on Túrin, Tuor, and Dior - and, later, Elwing and Eärendil. The last two seasons have looked hopeful for a while but ended on tragic notes (the Bragollach and the Nirnaeth); this season is going to flip things by being almost unremittingly tragic but ending on a hopeful note.

There are a few key things to do here:

1) Draw out parallels and common threads between our main characters. At first I wanted to shift the timeline a little and have key events in Túrin and Tuor’s lives happening at the same time: Túrin as outlaw, Tuor as thrall and then outlaw; Túrin in Nargothrond, Tuor in Gondolin; Túrin and Finduilas, Tuor and Idril. But it felt like there were too many big events happening simultaneously, and it was hard to fit them all in. Still, the parallels between the cousins are present.

Dior needs more characterization in order to be able to hold his own, narratively speaking; we have very little on him in canon.

2) The Fëanorians will be very important in the last few episodes of the season, so they need to be worked into the storyline of at least some of the earlier episodes to keep them in view. I’m going to go with them being based on Amon Ereb for this period; it fits some of Tolkien’s versions, and having them in Ossiriand at the same time as Beren and Lúthien and Dior would feel like a massive Chekhov’s Gun that is never fired.

So, with that in mind:

Episode 1: Túrin is going to take centre stage here, with the episode covering everything from his departure from Hithlum up to the death of Saeros and Túrin’s departure from Doriath. (And the episode will start with the Words of Húrin and Morgoth.) There will also be a few scenes from Tuor’s and Dior’s childhoods, which were comparatively more stable. Since Beren and Lúthien had such a large part in the last season it will be nice to see their experiences of parenthood. Lúthien, never having met mortal children, will be shocked at how fast Dior grows up. (He definitely ages on a Mannish scale - he’s married at 22, a king at 27, and dead at 30.)

Near the beginning, the episode will also include a scene where the Fëanorians attempt to invade Doriath and are turned back by the Girdle of Melian. It doesn’t function as a direct, physical barrier; it causes confusion and disorientation and strange visions and a loss of sense of direction, and you look around and find you’ve ended up outside Doriath again. This eerie, hallucinatory quality fits Melian’s background as a Maia of Lórien, Master of Dreams. (And hey, if you can work some subtle prophetic/ominous foreshadowing into the visions, all the better!) The purpose of the scene is to show that the Fëanorian’s aren’t idle; they do want pursue the Silmaril, but for the moment it is beyond their reach. The brothers will have varying levels of enthusiasm about the plan, with Celegorm and Curufin being the ringleaders.

Episode 2: Heavily focuses on Túrin’s time as an outlaw, from his first meeting with the bandits through to Dor-Cúarthol, the fall of Amon Rudh, and the death of Beleg. This is a lot of material - joining the bandits, becoming their leader, the first meeting with Beleg, finding Mîm and Amon Rudh, Dór-Cuarthol, and the fall of Amon Rudh and the death of Beleg. There may be a need to streamline it, with Beleg only finding the outlaws once they are at Amon Rudh, and staying with them then.

There’s a lot of good characters here, and a lot of good personality confllicts - it’s practically a short movie in itself. Particular care needs to be taken with Mîm, who cannot be allowed to become a caricature.

This episode introduces Anglachel, so it would be good to have a short Gondolin scene with Maeglin (bearer of Anguirel) to establish the symmetry. And also to keep Gondolin in the viewers’ minds. A short scene in Nargothrond showing their reaction to Dór-Cúarthol (positive: it is or was their realm, and he’s doing more to defend it that they are) will set up later events,

Episode 3: The focus splits between Túrin in Nargothrond - particularly his relationships with Gwindor and Finduilas, and his growing prominence, with him becoming de-facto in charge at the end of the episode - and Tuor as a thrall and later outlaw. Tuor’s personality really comes to the fore here: he’s patient, and steady, and kind. He puts up with considerable abuse an a thrall, escapes when there’s an opportune moment, and can’t be effectively pursued because he’s made friends with all of his captor’s hounds. (I especially like that last fact.) The episode ends with him leaving Dor-lómin by the Gate of the Noldor.

This is also a good time to build up the romance between Dior and Nimloth. Nimloth must be Laiquendi, as those are the only other people Beren and Lúthien would meet in Ossiriand; I rather like the idea of them being childhood friends, to offset some of the more love-at-first-sight romances. Dior is now in his late teens and - this is important - very, very good-looking, even by elf standards. He’s also very interested in his Doriathrin heritage, and asking his parents a lot of questions about his grandparents; that sets up his determination to be Eluchíl later on.

Episode 4: Tuor’s meeting with Ulmo and his coming to Gondolin, the Fall of Nargothond, and Túrin in Dórlomin. The fall of Nargothrond and deaths of Gwindor and Finduilas form a nice counterpoint/contrast with Tuor’s meetings with Voronwë and Idril and his arrival at Gondolin. Túrin’s impulsive actions in Dor-lómin contrast with Tuor’s approach in the prior episode as well.

Episode 5: Focus is on Túrin’s story. Journey of Morwen and Nienor to Nargothrond and its consequences, and Túrin in Brethil, through to his slaying of Glaurung and his and Nienor’s deaths.

For extra bonus irony points, parallel the wedding of Túrin and Níniel with the weddings of Idril and Tuor and of Dior and Nimloth.

Episode 6: Wanderings of Húrin through to the Sack of Doriath and Beren and Dior’s fight with the dwarf-army. (Dior isn’t mentioned as being part of this fight in the Silm, but it’s an excellent moment to include him here.) The Fëanorians reenter the scene, attempting to intercept the dwarf army carrying the Silmaril, but arriving too late. This is the best chance they’ve had st recovering a Silmaril yet - they’re not going to ignore it.

The line “while Lúthien held the Silmaril no elf would dare assail her” is typically read as it just being something no one would consider on a moral level - and that’s a valid reading - but I like the idea that the Fëanorians aren’t going after her because they’re freaking terrified of her. This is the woman who defeated Morgoth single-handedly! Holding one of the most powerful artifacts ever created! Who knows what she could do! (The Fëanorians absolutely make concessions to practicality when it comes to the Oath - otherwise they would have attacked Angband sometime in the 400 years of the Siege, or after the Nirnaeth as a way to die pursuing their oath in a decent way rather than slaughtering kin. It’s only the final attack by Maedhros and Maglor after the War of Wrath that they attempt in the face of impossibility, and by that time I think suicide-by-Valarin-army makes up a solid portion of their motivation.)

Episode 7: The refounding of Doriath, the Second Kinslaying, and the capture and treachery of Maeglin. Broad theme of the episode being Bad Elvish Behaviour all round, with elves doing Morgoth’s work either directly (Maeglin) or on their own initiative (the Fëanorians).

My idea on the refounding of Doriath, and on Dior’s title of Eluchíl (Thingol’s Heir) is that this quickly and breifly becomes the core of Elvendom in Beleriand. Dior, as Lúthuen’s son and Melian’s grandson, likely has some degree of ‘magical’ power beyond what is usual for elves. Not enough to reestablish the Girdle of Melian, but enough to provide some general deterrance against evil forces. Doriath is also, for the first time, open to all the other free peoples of Beleriand, and is the only true realm remaining aside from secret and mysterious Gondolin. Not only do the Doriathrin Sindar and some of the Laiquendi and the northern grey-elves unite around Doriath, various Noldor, remants of lost realms and destroyed armies, join them. Dior is becoming in truth what Thingol claimed to be: King of Beleriand. All the more so when the Silmaril comes to him and Doriath blossoms like a memory of Valinor in the Ages of the Trees.

And this would fit with why the Fëanorians would regard Dior as ‘proud’, this would offend them more than anything, because what he’s achieving is exactly Fëanor once boasted that he would achieve, long ago in Tirion. This would fit with the sheer visciousness of the Second Kinslaying, with the abandonment of Dior’s young sons in the forest. Celegorm’s people aren’t even thinking in terms of hostages; they just want to destroy Dior’s entire family line, because his existence, his kingship, what he’s achieved are such an affront.

But Elwing escapes, and the Silmaril is still out of their hands.

(The attack is at Yule, whuch sets up a strong and deliberate parallel - Morgoth’s earlier attacks on the Lamps and the Trees were also at times of festival/celebration, so the Fëanorians’ actions are being deliberately equated with his.)

Episode 8: The Fall of Gondolin. This is your absolutely epic big battle scene. Balrogs! Dragons! Eagles! Maeglin acting like a cackling B-movie villain! (I have not read The Fall of Gondolin, but I’ve hear that Idril swordfights Maeglin in it, and this absolutely needs to happen.) Ecthelion kills a Gothmog! Glorfindel kills a balrog! It’s tragic, but it’s also extremely exciting television (unlike the kinslaying the previous week, which was mostly just really depressing and horrific.)

The episode ends with the survivors of Gondolin making their way to Sirion, where the survivors of Doriath have already settled. I think that the survivors of Nargothrond should also be there, to keep things simple and allow for some extra drama.

Episode 9: This one starts with a timeskip, so we can have adult Eärendil and Elwing. The episode is a quieter one, mainky setup for later events: the departure of Tuor and Idril, the marriage of Eärendil and Elwing, the birth of the twins, and Eärendil’s departure to seek the aid of the Valar. The voyage of Eärendil is dramatic and can take up some of the episode.

Episode 10: The Third Kinslaying, the destruction of the Fëanorian base on Amon Ereb, the voyage of Eärendil and Elwing to Valinor, and the Valar’s decision to go to war. The nain reason I wanted the Nargothrondim in Sirion is so that we can get Celebrimbor fighting against the Fëanorian forces here, because that just increases the level of emotional drama. The whole thing’s a traumatic mess. Fëanoruan solidiers throwing down their swords and surrendering. Fëanorian soldiers switching sides to defend the people of Sirion. It’s hard to overstate how teagic this is - here is almost the last remnant of elves in Beleriand, and they are being destroyed not by Morgoth (from whom they would be protected by Ulmo’s waters), but by their own people.

But at the end of the episode, Valinor is marshalling for war, and things are finally. finally, looking like they could get better.

[fairestfall]

Tolkien Verse Timeline ;; 

Pre-First Age/ Years of the Trees: 

Note: Valian years pre-first age are approximately 9.582 Sun Years. 

Y. T. 1087  -- A child is born to a captured elf in Utumno. Melkor names her Fëanehtar, the Spirit-Slayer, in the hopes that she will prove to be a weapon of great use against the Valar. After she is one sun year old, her mother is separated from her and corrupted, becoming Rukhash, the mother of orc-kind. 

Y. T. 1090-- To protect the Elves, the Valar embark on the War of the Powers against Melkor. 

Y. T. 1092-- The Valar arrive at Melkor’s stronghold, Utumno, and lay siege to it.

Y. T. 1094-- Seeing that he was overcome, Melkor has a small band of creatures under his command take Fëanehtar out of the Iron Mountains and to Angband. Young and afraid of what the other Valar might do to her, she remains Sauron’s charge. 

Y. T. 1099-- Melkor is finally defeated and captured. He is imprisoned in the Halls of Mandos for three ages. 

Y. T. 1400-- Melkor is set free from imprisonment in Valinor. Fëanehtar has worked with Sauron to oversee the growth of orc and troll hoards. 

Y. T. 1495-- Melkor destroys the Two Trees of Valinor, with the help of Ungoliant, the giant spider.

Y. T. 1497-- Melkor reunites with Sauron and Fëanehtar at Angband. Having but distant memories of Melkor, Fëanehtar attempts to rekindle a familial relationship, but such consists only of what she can provide her sire and the praise that he gives. Nonetheless, she clings to it because she has looked on the creatures of Angband and how they still have a sense of family and longed for a father of her own. 

Y. T. 1500-- The Valar create the Sun and the Moon from the remnants of the Two Trees; Middle Earth is no longer in darkness. Melkor is renamed Morgoth, “Black Foe of the World.” 

First Age: 

F. A. 1-- Men awaken in middle-earth. 

F. A. 50-- The war between Morgoth and the Noldor elves continues. Fëanehtar begins to have second thoughts about dwelling in the dark and laying waste to the other creatures of Middle-Earth. She loves it’s people, and she loves the green and good things. Morgoth becomes impatient and furthers his manipulation. 

F. A. 455-- Morgoth is finally able to overcome the Siege of Gondolin, in the battle known as Dagor Bragollach. Glaurung, the first dragon, attacks and destroys many Elves and Men. Fëanehtar, sickened over the slaughter, flees into the wilderness out of grief for her past sins. 

F. A. 467-- Beren and Lúthien succeed in their quest. 

F. A. 472-- Despite Fëanehtar’s, now Fáwë’s (Snow’s), strivings, Morgoth triumphs over both men and elves in the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. Fáwë is gravely wounded and once again imprisoned in Morgoth’s stronghold. 

F. A. 510-- Gondolin, the last Elf Kingdom, falls to Morgoth.

F. A. 533-- Fáwë attempts an escape from the Iron Mountains by seducing an uruk-hai chieftain. Sauron intercepts them and brings them both to Morgoth. Morgoth kills the uruk and dangles Fáwë in chains over fire for three sun years. Her child, as a result, dies. 

F. A. 536-- Fáwë emerges unscarred, in body at least. Intrigued by her lack of disfigurement, Morgoth begins his own experiments in order to see how he can best use her talents to defeat the Valar. 

F. A. 540-- During one such experiment, Fáwë grows so wounded that the pain and anger overpower her reason. All living creatures around her are shrouded in darkness so that their hearts freeze and stop within them, and she screams so that Morgoth is nearly grown mad. After coming out of her trance, she looks at the destruction and hears her sire’s weak laughter. She weeps, silently swearing never to use such a power again. 

F. A. 545-587-- The War of Wrath. The Valar finally defeat Morgoth. The two remaining Silmarils are lost forever. The Northern lands, including Beleriand, are drowned in the sea. Mordor rises from the sea. Many Elves return to Valinor, but some remain in Middle-earth. Fáwë begs the Valar for mercy. It is granted, but she is not permitted to enter Valinor until she has reversed all the damage Morgoth has wrought. 

F. A. 588-- Fáwë leads a host of orcs and goblins loyal to her to the hills and mountains west of the sea of Rhún. Her kingdom is established. 

F. A. 590-- The Valar cast Morgoth into The Void, which is the nothingness outside of Arda. Fáwë’s aid and friendship is rejected by the remaining Noldorians. 

The Second Age: 

S. A. 1000-- Sauron begins building the fortress of Barad-dûr in the land of Mordor. 

S. A. 1200-- Sauron tries to corrupt the leaders of Eregion. Gil-galad refuses to trust him at Fáwë’s behest. 

S. A. 1500-- Disguised as a friend called Annatar, Sauron deceives the Elves of Eregion into creating the Rings of Power.

S. A. 1550-- Sauron offers a ring of power to Fáwë but is refused. 

S. A. 1600-- With the forging of the One Ring of Power, all the rings are complete. 

S. A. 1697-- Sauron destroys Eregion, the elf kingdom. Elrond survives and leads his remaining army and the refugees of Eregion into a valley north of Eregion. Elrond establishes Rivendell, which is besieged by Sauron. Fáwë comes to the aide of the elves. 

S. A. 1700--  Sauron retreats. 

S. A. 3261-- The last king of Númenor, Ar-Pharazôn the Golden, lands at Umbar to capture Sauron, because he has been threatening Númenor. Fáwë offers her assistance but is treated cruelly by the king and his court. She leaves Ar-Pharazôn to his fate. 

S. A. 3262-- Ar-Pharazôn the Golden captures Sauron. Sauron arrives in Númenor as a prisoner, but uses his powers to begin corrupting the Númenoreans.

S. A. 3319-- The Valar drown Númenor after Ar-Pharazôn challenges them at Sauron’s behest. Survivors of Númenor who remained loyal to the Valar arrive in Middle-earth under the command of Elendil and his sons Isildur and Anárion. 

S. A. 3320-- Elendil, Isildur, and Anárion found Arnor and Gondor. Sauron returns to Barad-dûr in Mordor.

S. A. 3429-3441-- The War of the Last Alliance begins after Sauron attacks Gondor and conquers Minas Ithil. Isildur cuts the One Ring from Sauron’s finger. Sauron is defeated. Fáwë spends the next few decades scouring the wastes of Mordor, not entirely assured that he is gone, and guiding her clan to settlements in the Ered Mithrim, north of the Lonely Mountain. 

The Third Age: 

T. A. 2-- Isildur loses the One Ring. 

T. A. 1000-- The Wizards arrive in Middle-earth. Snow befriends Gandalf and Radagast. 

T. A. 1050-- Sauron’s spirit arrives in the forest of Mirkwood, in an area called Dol Guldur. Allied with Thranduil and the woodland elves, Snow fights by their side and uses magic to keep his influence at bay. 

T. A. 1300-- The Witch-king of Angmar destroys Rhudaur, Cardolan, and Arthedain. 

T. A. 1980-- Under the leadership of the Witch-king of Angmar, the Nazgûl return to Mordor. 

T. A. 2002-- Minas Ithil falls to the Nazgûl after a two-year siege. It is renamed Minas Morgul.

T. A. 2050-- The Witch-king of Angmar challenges King Eärnur of Gondor to single combat. The king accepts, rides out to Minas Morgul, and is never seen again. His steward takes over the rule of Gondor.

T. A. 2460-- Sauron returns to Dol Guldur, ending the Watchful Peace. Snow attempts to push him away from Middle-Earth, but is gravely wounded. Her vessel dies and is then found by a traveling group of dwarves. They place her in a coffin wrought of glass and watch over her until she is healed. She then returns to her clan in the Ered Mithrim. 

T. A. 2845-- Thráin II is imprisoned in Dol Guldur by Sauron. Sauron takes the last Ring of Power of the Dwarves from him. 

T.A. 2941-- Snow aids the dwarves led by Thorin II Oakenshield in taking back Erebor. Smaug is slain by Bard the Bowman, and she is forced to slay her grandson, Bolg, in battle. Her clan forms alliances with Dale and the dwarves of Erebor. Thorin remains King of Erebor, and Fíli and Kíli are spared. 

T. A. 2951-- Sauron arrives in Mordor, where the Nazgûl have been waiting for him. He starts rebuilding Barad-dûr.

T. A. 3014-- Saruman begins to influence Théoden, king of Rohan. Growing suspicious of the darkness over Rohan and the silence of Fangorn, she investigates Isengard. Seeing how he has been capturing women and forcing breeding with orcs in order to create a new creature-- the fighting uruk-hai-- she infiltrates the fortress and manages to free a score of women and orcs. As a result of his battle with her, Saruman and his forces are severely weakened. 

T. A. 3017-- Gollum is set free after being tortured for information about the One Ring by Sauron’s forces.

T. A. 3018-- During the War of the Ring, Snow musters forces from her clans to come to the aid of Rohan and Gondor. 

T. A. 3019-- The One Ring is destroyed. 

T. A. 3020-- Snow presents herself to Aragorn in order to advocate for freedom and protections for the orcs who wish for peace or who were never allied with the Eye. Such is granted, and she and her people aid in the rebuilding effort, before retiring in Mordor. Snow renames it Varnalond, and it soon becomes a green land of plenty and welcome. 

[ohmyarda]

Thesis on Morgoth and Sauron and their roles as Dark Lords (Part 1/4)

For my Tolkien project, I decided I was going to explore the dynamics of Morgoth and Sauron and see if I could make an estimate as to whether or not one was more effective as dark lord than the other. I did this in regard as I would not be able to debate whether or not one was more powerful (seeing as the Valar are higher beings then the Maiar, and seeing that Melkor was the eldest, he of course is indisputably stronger than Sauron).

However, just because you’re more powerful doesn’t always mean you’re more effective. We see this all throughout history in examples where generals themselves might not be very capable in battle but are able to gain mastery by being clever strategist. Therefore that inspired me to research if one could argue whether or not Morgoth or Sauron came closer to accomplishing their goal—dominion over Middle Earth (or Beleriand).

I did this by looking at a few key characteristics—longevity of rule (but more importantly, what was achieved), servants (those who served under them and attributed to their victories), their primary enemies (or the state of those they fought against), as well as their defeat (and what caused the finale fall). Then I concluded with their legacy and the impact they have throughout the legendarium.

  General Disclaimer

I am not at all an expert, just a very passionate individual in Tolkien’s lore. Therefore some of what is stated throughout this essay may be based upon faulted research and weighed heavily by personal interpretation and opinion. So please do keep such in mind. Most of the information here was found within The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Unfinished Tales, as well as Tolkien Gateway and Wikipedia.

  Longevity of rule

Important note to make here. Just because you are in power for a long majority of time doesn’t necessarily mean you used that time wisely. I’m sure most of us are very familiar with procrastination. Therefore I did not look simply at length of ‘reign’, but more so the accomplishments (and losses) experienced throughout the span of their rule.

  Morgoth

Approximately 590 years (Years of the Sun)

Melkor is incredibly hard to estimate the exact length of time he was in power. This is because the majority of the Valian Years are left without date. The first primary experience of time is with the Years of the Trees, but even then how time is recorded will be drastically different when the Valar raise the sun and the moon

Therefore it is often argued as to whether or not the First Age is the longest or shortest of ages. If you try to make an assumption over the span of the Valian Years and couple it with the First Age, you are left with it being nearly 50,000 years in length. However, if you are to attribute the First Age with the rising of the sun to the defeat of Morgoth, it is around 590 years.

I took liberties here and for the sake of sanity, decided to account the beginning of Morgoth’s dominion in Beleriand being with the awakening of man and therefore the rising of the sun, equaling more so to the 590 years it would take until he is defeated. However, anyone can argue that his reign could be anywhere between 50,000 to 590 years, give or take a few.

Sauron

Approximately 6,462 years (Second to Third Age)

Sauron is easier to calculate in terms of authority than Melkor, seeing as recorded dates were more of a thing when he was around. However, it is still slightly difficult, as Sauron’s reign tended to act like that of a heartbeat; having its occasional rises and falls. Therefore to give one total of years in power is a little vaguer, seeing as he came and went throughout the second and third ages.

However, he was still present in Middle Earth for around 6,462 years (from the start of the second age to his eventual fall in the third age). Therefore that is the timeline I am going to associate with his rule. You could deduct 500 years, seeing as it wasn’t until S.A. 500 he began to rise in might in Middle Earth following the end of the First Age. You could also deduct years from the duration of his defeat in the Battle of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men as well as the time spent as being the Necromancer in The Hobbit.

But as I did so with Morgoth, I decided to take some liberties and simply to go with the start of the Second Age to his fall in the Third, seeing as he was still a threat for 6,462 years. However, this to can be reasonably debated and argued.

    Accomplishments and Losses

Like stated, longevity doesn’t accredit to a successful reign. Therefore it is important to understand what each individual did in the time that they were given. However, it is also important to note: Just because you accomplished a lot, didn’t mean these accomplishments had long lasting effects or were of any significance in the long run. Losses themselves may even outweigh what was accomplished in terms of being effective or attributing to the finale victory.

  Morgoth

Major Accomplishments

Destruction of Arda (V.Y. Unknown): Known also as the First War. Melkor assaults his brethren and disrupts the ordered symmetry they seek to build within Arda, causing cataclysmic events and shaping much of the geography

Destruction of the Two Lamps (Y.L. 3450): Melkor destroys the two lamps, ending the Spring of Arda

Destruction of the Two Trees (Y.T. 4995): Known also as the ‘Darkening of Valinor’ Manwe hosts a festival in Valimar to heal the feud of the Noldor. Melkor and Ungoliant destroy the Two Trees.

Capturing of the Silmarils (Y.T. 4995): Morgoth assaults and kills High King Finwe and steals the Silmarils. Feanor becomes High King and his sons swear an oath against Melkor and he is renamed Morgoth. The Noldor depart from Valinor, and the First Kinslaying occurs with the slaughtering of the Teleri and the sieging of their ships

Doom of Mandos (Y.T. 4996): Noldor are banished from Valinor and face great doom

Fall of Man (F.A. 60-c. 200): Morgoth is absent from Angband, after discovering Men. Persuaded by Melkor, Men stop worshiping Eru and turn to evil but some revolt. According to legend, Men now lose the gift to die at will as the result of divine punishment, and are doomed to lead short-life spans at the end of which death takes them by force.

Curse of the House of Hador  (F.A. 472-500): Morgoth chained Húrin to a chair on the slopes of Thangorodrim for not revealing the location of Gondolin, and from there-- through Morgoth's sorcery-- he could watch the tragedies that would befall his family and the curse destroy his children, Nienor and Túrin.

Fall of Gondolin (F.A. 510): Gondolin, the Great Hidden City of Turgon and the Noldor, was betrayed by Maeglin and sacked by Morgoth’s forces. Resulted in the deaths of Turgon and the Lords Glorfindel and Echelion, but the defeat of Gothmog as well. Tuor and Idril escape.

 Conclusion

Many of Morgoth’s accomplishments were ineffective in the longevity of Middle Earth. While Morgoth became close to victory after the Fall of Gondolin, much of what he achieved was often worked around.

When Melkor raised Arda, the Valar rebuilt it, when the lamps were destroyed, the Valar built the Trees, when the trees were destroyed, the Valar raised the sun and the moon. When the silmarils were stolen, only Feanor and his sons rallied an oath against him and such resulted in their own doom.

Morgoth’s curse and the fall of Hador had little impact in Morgoth’s overall goal of conquest. It was very much an issue of personal spite and achieved only the demise of one household.

However, the Fall of Man and Gondolin could very well be considered long lasting achievements. Men wouldn’t be restored until Numenor, and even then only a selected were given the longevity of lives. Gondolin allowed for Morgoth to draw close to a finale victory and was, in all terms; a success.

Therefore, only two of his eight achievements supported his overall goal.

 Major Losses

Intimidation of Tulkas (Y.L. 1500): Tulkas arrives, the last of the Valar to descend into Arda. Melkor flees from him and hides in the halls of Ea

Siege of Utumno (Y.T. 4590): The Valar march to war against Melkor on behalf of the Elves and lay siege to Utumno in 4592. Known as the War of the Powers

Chaining of Angainor (Y.T. 4599-900): Melkor is captured, and bound in the great chain Angainor, Utumno is destroyed. Melkor is taken to Valinor in chains and sentenced to serve a term in the Halls of Mandos for three ages and then later freed from his sentence by Manwe.

Betrayal of Ungoliant (Y.T. 4995?): Melkor withheld the Silmarils in his right hand, having desired them too greatly to allow the Great Spider to devour them. In response, an enraged Ungoliant wrapped Melkor in her webs, and poised to devour him as punishment for his perceived betrayal. Having grown far larger and stronger than before by absorbing the light of the Two Trees, the Gloomweaver would have killed Melkor had not his cry of desperation been heard by his Balrogs, who took flight and saved their master

Siege of Angband (F.A. 60-455): Battle of Dagor Aglareb, the Noldor defeat Morgoth’s forces and start the Siege of Angband. Known also as the “Long Peace” it lasted hundreds of years in the early expanse of the First Age when the Noldor sieged the fortress of Morgoth. It was a time of plentitude, peace and happiness for Elves and Men and was when the Noldor reached the peak of their power. However the siege was not complete and Morgoth was able to send out forces through secret passages from the towers of Thangorodrim.

Battle of Fingolfin (F.A. 456): Fingolfin challenges Morgoth to single combat and is slain but cripples Morgoth in response for the remainder of the First Age.

Quest of the Silmarils (F.A. 466): Beren and Luthien come to Angband and achieve the Quest of the Silmaril by gaining a silmaril from Morgoth’s iron crown. They return to Doriath but Carcharoth ravages the land.

Slaying of Glaurung (F.A. 499): The first worm of Morgoth is slain by Túrin though later results in the death of he and his sister Nienor.

War of Wrath (545-587): will be discussed in The Finale Defeat (stay tuned for section 4)

    Sauron

Major Accomplishments

Lieutenant of Angband (Y.T. 4599): Destruction of Utumno. Sauron escapes capture and remains in Angband, breeding orcs and trolls for Melkor

Corruption of Tol-in-Gaurhoth (F.A. 455-465): Finrod’s fortress of Minas Tirith is taken by the forces of Sauron; Tol Sirion is renamed Tol-in-Gaurhoth, “Isle of Werewolves”. Beren sets out for the Quest of the Silmaril. Receives the aid of Finrod Felagund. Here they are imprisoned in Tol-In-Gaurhoth following the duel or duelet of Finrod and Sauron. Finrod is slain by a werewolf but Beren is rescued by Luthien.

Creating the Rings of Power (S.A. 1200-1600): Sauron seduces and deceives the Noldor in Eregion in the guise of Annatar but Gil-Galad and Galadriel mistrust him. The Noldor under Celebrimbor are instructed by Sauron, and begin forging the Rings of Power. Sauron forges the One-Ring in secret and completes the building of his fortress Barad-dur. Celebrimbor begins fighting Sauron

Fall of Eregion (S.A. 1697): Eregion destroyed ending one of the last great elven strongholds in Middle Earth and Celebrimbor is slain, thus ending the line of Feanor. The doors of Moria are shut and Elrond establishes Rivendell in secret.

Fall of Númenor (S.A. 3255-3319): Ar-Pharazorn the Golden weds his first cousin Miriel, and seizes the throne of Numenor. Ar-Pharazorn sails to Middle Earth and takes Sauron captive. Sauron is taken prisoner to Numenor but begins corrupting the Numenoreans and becomes court advisor to Ar-Pharazorn. Sauron establishes himself as High Priest of Melkor, the Faithful are openly persecuted and sacrificed to Morgoth. Ar-Pharazorn sets foot on Aman.

Atheism in Númenor (S.A. 3300): Sauron convinces the Numenoreans that Eru was a lie created by the Valar to keep the children of Arda complicit. Melkor was then the giver of freedom, for he wished to empower man and not chain them as the Valar desire. Atheism = a disbelief in Eru as the Valar were not true ‘gods’

Recovery of the One-Ring (S.A. 3320): Gondor founded, Sauron returns to Mordor.

 Conclusion

Sauron’s accomplishments were dramatically more long lasting within the longevity of Middle Earth then that of Morgoth.

The creating of the Rings of Power would continue to cause numerous incidents of greed, war and temptation, lasting well into the Third Age until his finale defeat. Those that wore the rings were bound to them and twisted into creatures called Ringwraiths, whose fates would forever be depended upon them. Those that possessed the One-Ring would find themselves becoming mad on its power and some even had to take leave to Valinor in a hopes to recover from its taint

Eregion was considered one of the last great elven kingdoms in Middle Earth, alike to the glory of those in the First Age. Upon its fall, nothing of similar power would be created by the elves in Middle Earth beyond those of pocket realms held by lords and ladies.

Much of the same, Numenor was considered to be the greatest kingdom of man and nothing in its likeness would be found in Middle Earth again. Upon its fall, Valinor was removed from the earth and Arda itself became round and foreign.

Lastly the recovery of the One-Ring allowed for Sauron to grow in malice and might once more, and he would return twice again to lay siege to Middle Earth.

Therefore five of his seven accomplishments attributed to his succession towards domination and the former two allowed for Sauron to gain much needed experience before allowing his aggression to stretch outward.

  Major Losses

Humiliation of Huan (F.A. 465): Sauron takes the guise of a great wolf and attempts to overpower the hound Huan. However, he is gravely wounded and his forms stripped of him and he flees in the disguise of a bat and is not seen for the remainder of the First Age. This allows for Beren and Luthien to succeed in the Quest of the Silmarils (see Melkor’s Losses)

Rejection of Eönwë (F.A. 590?): After the War of Wrath, Sauron adopted a fair form and repented of his evil deeds in fear of the Valar. Eonwe then ordered Sauron to return to Valinor to receive judgement by Manwe. Sauron was not willing to suffer such humiliation and fled and hid himself in Middle Earth.

Forging of the Three Rings (S.A. 1590- T.A. 3021): Celebrimbor forges the Three Rings in secret. Would later be possessed by Elrond, Cirdan/Gandalf, and Galadriel. Known also as Narya (Ring of Fire), Nenya (Ring ofWater) and Vilya (Ring of Air)– preserved the beauty of Elven lands and would ward off Sauron’s power and influence throughout his return in the Third Age.

Minastir’s Navy (S.A.1700): Tar-Minastir (11th King of Numenor) sends a great navy to Lindon. Sauron is defeated and his forces retreat from the coasts of Middle Earth.

Fruit of Nimloth (S.A. 3280): The White Tree of Gondor is said to be tied into the fates of men and should it be burned or destroyed, their empires shall fall. Isildur steals a fruit from Nimloth, the white tree is burn in Sauron’s temple thereafter. Later given to Aragorn and replanted in the Third Age following Sauron’s defeat.

Drowning of Númenor (S.A. 3319): Ar-Pharazorn sets foot on Aman; the World is Changed. Aman and Tol Eressea are removed from Arda. Numenor is drowned and the world is made round. Elendil and his sons arrive on the shores of middle earth. Sauron is removed of his fair form.

the Last Alliance of Elves and Men (S.A. 3441): Elendil and Gil-Galad face Sauron in hand to hand combat. But they perish, though Isildur takes the shards of his father’s sword Narsil and cuts the One-Ring from Sauron’s finger. Sauron’s physical form is destroyed and Barad-dur is razed to the ground. Many elves depart to Valinor thereafter.

The Fellowship of the Ring (T.A. 3018-19): will be discussed in The Finale Defeat (stay tuned for section 4)

  Overall Conclusion

This is not at all a professional essay and therefore it may be founded upon faulted information and heavily weighed by personal opinion. However, in concerns of longevity of rule but more importantly, of accomplishments; Sauron succeeded more towards his goal of dominating Middle Earth and the free people found within. His achievements possessed greater impacts in the longevity of Middle Earth. For more on Sauron in the Third Age, please wait for section 4 which will discuss The Finale Defeat.