The War of Wrath, also called the Great Battle, was a clash of Elves, Men, and Valar against Morgoth marking both the end of the First Age and of Morgoth's rule in Middle-earth. It was the largest battle to ever occur in Arda. It resulted in the expulsion of Morgoth from Arda and the ruin of Thangorodrim, but the violence and tumult of the clashes between the forces of the Valar and of Morgoth shattered the northwestern portion of Middle-earth, Beleriand, causing it to sink beneath the ocean.
History
Background
By the early sixth century of the First Age, Morgoth's dominion was completely uncontested in Middle-earth. The effort of Elves, Men, and Dwarves to resist him had failed, and all the great Elven kingdoms had been overthrown. Morgoth was now master of nearly all of Beleriand, save for the havens in Arvernien, which he gave little heed to. To make matters worse, and to the great amusement of Morgoth, the Sons of Fëanor, seeking the Silmaril of Beren and Lúthien, had enacted two brutal Kinslayings that destroyed both Doriath and the Havens of Sirion. In this time of direst need, the mariner Eärendil, by the guidance of a Silmaril which he wore on his forehead, searched for and sailed to Valinor on behalf of Elves and Men. There, he begged the Valar to pardon and aid the overmatched peoples of Middle-earth.
The battle
Despite having pledged to leave the Ñoldor to reap the bitter harvest of their folly in pursuing Morgoth, Manwë was moved by Eärendil's plea. Along with the Vanyar and the remaining Ñoldor in Aman, the army of the Valar came to Middle-earth in the mightiest gathering of arms in the history of Arda. Though the Edain were known to have joined the Host of the Valar when it landed in Middle-earth, the remaining Ñoldor did not participate in the war. Why is not known, but with their numbers horrifically depleted by Morgoth's forces and by the Second and Third Kinslayings, they may simply not have been able to present any force worth noting. Likewise, there was no known participation from the Sindar still present in Middle-earth, possibly for similar reasons.
The Teleri of Alqualondë granted the use of their ships to ferry the warriors to Middle-earth, but they remembered the Kinslaying of their people long ago and still harbored much bitterness over it. As such, they sent only what mariners were needed to crew the ships, and none of them set foot on Middle-earth once they arrived. From there, the great force of Aman marched across Beleriand to the plains of Anfauglith. Morgoth himself had not foreseen the onslaught of the Valar, for he was by this point utterly devoid of mercy or compassion. As Manwë had so long ago been unable to comprehend the evil of Morgoth, so too was Morgoth now unable to comprehend the pity of the Valar. Morgoth marshaled the entirety of his forces, which had by this point grown so vast that Anfauglith could not contain their numbers, and the terrible contest began.
Though the war lasted for over forty years, the host of the Valar at last annihilated the Orc armies of Morgoth, as well as most of the Balrogs and his myriad other twisted abominations. Many Men from the East fought for Morgoth and were either destroyed or forced to flee back to the far eastern regions of Middle-earth. Facing final defeat, Morgoth released his ultimate weapon, the winged Dragons, which had never been seen before. Their terrible onslaught was accompanied by lightning storms and tempests of fire, and they drove the Valar back and nearly destroyed the Host of the West.
Arrival of the reinforcements, by DanPilla
Then, Eärendil arrived in his sky-ship Vingilot, along with the Eagles of Manwë led by Thorondor. In the skies above Angband, they confronted the dragons, and Eärendil himself slew their captain, the mighty Ancalagon the Black, who broke the towers of Thangorodrim in his fall. Angband was then leveled and Morgoth was finally captured in the deepest of his mines. He sued for peace and pardon, but he was bound again with the old chain Angainor and the two Silmarils still in his possession were taken by the Maia Eönwë, the herald of Manwë. Morgoth was taken to Aman and tried for his crimes. In the end, the Valar un-housed Morgoth by beheading him and "thrust him through the Door of Night", beyond the Walls of the World and into the Timeless Void. The Door is forever guarded by Eärendil.
Aftermath
The geographical wreckage of the war was immense. Most of the dry land west of the Blue Mountains was destroyed and sank beneath the ocean. Though it is not known exactly how many casualties the Host of the West endured, the war dragged on for decades before they managed to approach Angband, and the attack of Morgoth's winged dragons was said to have been nearly catastrophic for the forces of the Valar.
While Morgoth's hordes were utterly routed, the creatures that comprised them were not eradicated, and many (particularly Orcs) remained to trouble the world under the power of Sauron. Additionally, a few Balrogs fled the final battle and hid deep beneath the earth, though only one, known by the title of Durin's Bane, was ever noted by history to have appeared again. Some number of dragons, particularly Cold-drakes, also escaped and hid away in the mountains. These dragons bred over time and became particularly troublesome for the Dwarves in ages to come. Nearly all of the winged Fire-drakes were destroyed by Eärendil, Thorondor, and his Eagles, but two fled.[1]
The remaining Elves were bidden by Ëonwë to return with him to the lands of Aman. Most of the Elves went into the West, while others still refused the summons and rather journeyed eastward where they would become lords of the remaining Eldar or those Elves who still dwelt in the East. Gil-galad, Galadriel, Celeborn, and Elrond were chief among these.
Maedhros casts himself and his Silmaril into the earth
Maglor casts his Silmaril into the sea, by Ted Nasmith
Additionally, the victory was made even more bitter by the loss of the Silmarils. Maedhros and Maglor, the two surviving sons of Fëanor, were yet compelled by their oath to recover the gems. They petitioned Eönwë for them but were refused, for he judged that the crimes they had committed in their attempts to retrieve the Silmarils throughout the centuries had made the brothers unworthy to possess them. Both brothers were by this point sick at heart at the burden of their terrible pledge, and though the oath had been sworn in the name of Eru Ilúvatar himself, Maglor in particular was willing to break it and simply accept the consequences. Ultimately however, Maedhros persuaded his brother that they had no choice but to try, for he judged that it would be better to die in an attempt to fulfill such an oath than to break it.
Thus the brothers conspired to sneak into the camp of the victorious Host of the Valar, where they slew the guard around the Silmarils and took them. The camp was roused against them, and both brothers prepared to die defending their oath. However, Eönwë permitted them to depart without further resistance, and each brother took a single Silmaril and parted ways. But they soon discovered the truth of Eönwë's initial judgement. Due to the wicked deeds they had performed in recovering the jewels, chief amongst them the three Kinslayings, they could not hold the Silmarils without suffering terrible pain. And so Maedhros cast himself and the Silmaril he bore into a fiery pit, and Maglor threw his jewel into the Sea before wandering until he was lost to time.
For those men of the Edain who fought for the host of the Valar, the land of Númenor (in the full Quenya form Nùmenórë) was given to them. This land was neither of Aman nor of Middle-earth, but was closer to Aman.[2][3]
In other versions
In The Lost Road and Other Writings, the only elvish name for the battle, "Dagor Delothrin", is mentioned only in the "The List of Names" and the index as ‘Terrible Battle’, pointing to the Great Battle entry.[4]
In a prophecy told in Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, Ancalagon is killed by Túrin instead of by Eärendil.[5]
In earlier versions of the legendarium, the westward trip of Eärendel was in vain, and the Elves of Valinor discovered the enslavement of the Gnomes thanks to a bird that had escaped the Fall of Gondolin.[6] In order to liberate the Gnomes, the Elves of Kôr, led by Inwil son of Inwë, launched in the Great Lands an expedition against Melko and his army of Goblins, Gongs, Nauglath, and wicked Men, known as First Faring Forth or March of Liberation. However, the Elves were defeated in the Battle of Rôs and started to retreat to the region of Leithian, ruled by Ing, a man that was and Elf-friend. However, after the disappearance of Ing, his realm became an island and it was invaded by unfriendly Men, who defeated the Elves in the Battle of the Heath of the Sky-roof. Thus, most of the Elves in Leithian fled to Tol Eressëa. However, according to an Elvish prophecy, Ing will lead the Elves from Tol Eressëa back to Leithian during the Second Faring Forth.[7]
In another account, the Elves traveled to the Great Lands on Tol Eressëa, which was dragged by Uin, the whale servant of the Vala Ulmo. Thus, a magic bridge was cast between the island and the promontory of Rôs, in front of which it was anchored. However, the Vala Ossë was angered by the uprooting of the island he had placed in front of Valinor long before, and he tried to drag it back. This broke off the western portion of Tol Eressëa, forming as second smaller island. Thus, the larger island was renamed Leithian, while the smaller one became the Isle of Íverin. However, the Elves were utterly defeated and condemned to fade, and groups of evil Men invaded Leithian. In this account Ælfwine/Eriol witnessed the battle and in its aftermath, escaped from the battlefield through the valley of the Brook of Glass, but found the waters "fouled with the war of men and grime of strife". Afterwards, the sons of Ælfwine led their people to the reconquest of Leithian and established themselves in the lands of Tavrobel, Kortirion and Taruithorn.[7]
In a third version of the story, Eriol was filled with longing for his home and, against the will of Meril-i-Turinqi, he decided to leave Tol Eressëa, taking his son Heorrenda with him, hoping that his deeds would actually hasten the Faring Forth. However, this action actually doomed the Faring Forth, causing the fading of the Elves.[7]
Affiliations
War of the Great Jewels
| First Battle – Dagor-nuin-Giliath – Dagor Aglareb – Dagor Bragollach – Nírnaeth Arnoediad – War of Wrath |
Battles of Beleriand
| Battles of Beleriand |
|---|
| First Battle • Dagor-nuin-Giliath • Dagor Aglareb • Siege of Angband • Dagor Bragollach • Nírnaeth Arnoediad • War of Wrath |
Translations
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Afrikaans | Oorlog van Toorn |
| Albanian | Lufta e zemërimit |
| Amharic | ጦርነት የጭንቀት |
| Armenian | Ւար ոֆ Ւրատհ |
| Arabic | الحرب الغضب |
| Assamese | ক্ৰোধৰ যুদ্ধ |
| Azerbaijani | Qəzəb Müharibə |
| Basque | Haserrearen Gerra |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | вайна гневу |
| Bosnian | Rata Gnjeva |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | войната на гнева |
| Cambodian | សង្រ្គាមនៃកំហឹង |
| Catalan | Guerra de la Còlera |
| Cebuano | Gubat sa Kasuko |
| Chichewa | Nkhondo ya Mkwiyo |
| Chinese (Hong Kong) | 憤怒之戰 |
| Corsican | Guerra di Fureur |
| Croatian | Rat Gnjeva |
| Czech | Válka Hněvu |
| Danish | Vredens Fejde |
| Dari | جنگ خشم |
| Dutch | Oorlog van Gramschap |
| Esperanto | Milito de Kolero |
| Estonian | Sõja Viha |
| Filipino | Digmaan ng Poot |
| Finnish | Vihan Sota |
| French | Guerre de la Grande Colère |
| Galician | Guerra da ira |
| Georgian | რისხვის ომი |
| German | Krieg des Zorns |
| Greek | πόλεμος της οργής |
| Gujarati | ક્રોધ યુદ્ધ |
| Haiti Creole | Lagè nan kòlè |
| Hebrew | מלחמת החרון |
| Hindi | क्रोध का युद्ध |
| Hmong | Ua tsov ua rog ntawm txoj kev npau taws |
| Hungarian | Izzó Harag Háborúja |
| Indonesian | Perang murka |
| Italian | Guerra d'Ira |
| Irish Gaelic | Cogadh na Feirge |
| Japanese | 怒りの戦い |
| Javanese | Perang Bebendu |
| Kannada | ಕ್ರೋಧ ಯುದ್ಧ |
| Kazakh | Соғыс гнева (Cyrillic) Soğıs gneva (Latin) |
| Konkani | रागाचें झूज |
| Korean | 분노의 전쟁 |
| Kurdish | Şer ji Xezeba (Kurmanji) |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | согуш Каары |
| Latin | Bellum Irae |
| Latvian | Karš Dusmu |
| Laotian | ສົງຄາມຂອງພຣະພິໂລດ |
| Lithuanian | Karas Rūstybės |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | војна на гневот |
| Maithili | क्रोध के युद्ध |
| Malaysian | Perang Kemurkaan |
| Manx | Chaggey ny Ymmoose |
| Marathi | राग युद्ध |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Уур хилэнгээс дайн |
| Nepalese | क्रोध युद्ध |
| Norwegian | Vredens Krig |
| Pashto | د غلا جنګ |
| Persian | نبرد خشم |
| Polish | Wojna Gniewu |
| Portuguese | Guerra da Ira |
| Punjabi | ਗੁੱਸਾ ਯੁੱਧ |
| Romanian | Rrăzboi de Mânie |
| Russian | Война Гнева |
| Scottish Gaelic | Cogadh de Corraich |
| Serbian | Рат Гневa (Cyrillic) Rat Gneva (Latin) |
| Sinhalese | උදහස යුද්ධය |
| Sindhi | ڏمر جي جنگ |
| Slovak | Vojna Hnevu |
| Slovenian | Vojna Srda |
| Somali | Dagaalkii oo Cadaabka |
| Spanish | Guerra de la Cólera |
| Swahili | Vita ya Ghadhabu |
| Swedish | Vredens Krig |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Ҷанги ғазаб |
| Tamil | கோபத்திற்கு போர் |
| Telugu | ఆగ్రహం యుద్ధం |
| Thai | สงครามแห่งความโกรธา |
| Tigrinya | ኲናት ቁጥዐ |
| Turkish | Öfke Savaşı |
| Turkmen | Gahar Söweşi |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Війна Гніву |
| Uzbek | Ғазабкорлик уруши (Cyrillic) G'azabkorlik urush (Latin) |
| Urdu | غصہ جنگ |
| Vietnamese | Chiến tranh của cơn thịnh nộ |
| Welsh | Rhyfel o Ddigofaint |
| Xhosa | Kwimfazwe ye Ingqumbo |
| Yiddish | מלחמה פון צארן |
References
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XI: The War of the Jewels, “The Tale of Years”
- ↑ The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXIV: "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"
- ↑ The Atlas of Middle-earth, The First Age, The Elder Days, "The Battles of Beleriand"
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. V: The Lost Road and Other Writings, Appendix, III: "The List of Names"
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, vol. X: Morgoth's Ring, chapter IV: "Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth"
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. II: The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, chapter V: "The Tale of Eärendel"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 The History of Middle-earth, Vol. II: The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, chapter VI: "The History of Eriol or Ælfwine and the End of the Tales"