Siege of Angband
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Angband or "The Long Peace" in J. R. R. Tolkien
's Middle-earth
fictional universe was the siege of the Noldor
around the fortress of Morgoth
in the early centuries of the Years of the Sun, which began following the Dagor Aglareb
. For the most part, it was a time of plenitude, peace and happiness for Elves and Men. The Long Peace lasted hundreds of years, during which time Men arrived over the Blue Mountains and the skill and prowess of the Noldor reached its peak.
Fingolfin
and Fingon
kept watch from Hithlum
; Finrod
and Orodreth
from Tol Sirion; Angrod
and Aegnor from Dorthonion
; and the sons of Fëanor
from the eastern marches.
The siege was incomplete, as Morgoth was still capable of sending out forces through secret passages from the towers of Thangorodrim
to harass the Elves and to spy out Beleriand
.
In one of these attacks, the first dragon, Glaurung
, attacked. Immediately, the greater part of the Elven forces were driven back, and Lake Helevorn was defiled. However, the dragon was not yet fully grown, and his armour was still vulnerable. Fingon, leading a force of horse-borne archers, was able to drive the dragon back to Angband, winning great praise.
Afterwards, the Noldor grew strong, and sorties from Angband posed no significant threat. However, the Noldor and their allies possessed insufficient force to assault Angband directly. After nearly four hundred years, the siege was broken and the age of peace ended in the Dagor Bragollach
(Battle of Sudden Flame); an onslaught of fire and ash Morgoth issued from Thangorodrim
, providing cover for his advancing forces.
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
fictional universe was the siege of the Noldor
Noldor
In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Noldor are Elves of the Second Clan who migrated to Valinor and lived in Eldamar. The Noldor are called Golodhrim or Gódhellim in Sindarin, and Goldoi by Teleri of Tol Eressëa. The singular form of the Quenya noun is Noldo and the adjective is Noldorin...
around the fortress of Morgoth
Morgoth
Morgoth Bauglir is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium. He is the main antagonist of The Silmarillion, figures in The Children of Húrin, and is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings.Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur, but turned to darkness and became...
in the early centuries of the Years of the Sun, which began following the Dagor Aglareb
Dagor Aglareb
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, as told in the Silmarillion, the Dagor Aglareb was the third battle of the Wars of Beleriand during the First Age, known as the Glorious Battle....
. For the most part, it was a time of plenitude, peace and happiness for Elves and Men. The Long Peace lasted hundreds of years, during which time Men arrived over the Blue Mountains and the skill and prowess of the Noldor reached its peak.
Fingolfin
Fingolfin
Fingolfin is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, appearing in The Silmarillion.-Internal history:He was a High King of the Noldor in Beleriand, second eldest son of Finwë, full brother of Finarfin, and half-brother of Fëanor, who was the eldest of Finwë's sons. His mother was...
and Fingon
Fingon
Fingon is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Silmarillion.-Character overview:...
kept watch from Hithlum
Hithlum
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Hithlum is the region north of Beleriand near the Helcaraxë.Hithlum was separated from Beleriand proper by the Ered Wethrin mountain chain, and was named after the sea mists which formed there at times: Hithlum is Sindarin for "Mist-shadow";...
; Finrod
Finrod Felagund
Finrod Felagund is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. He appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian and the Grey Annals, as well as other material....
and Orodreth
Orodreth
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Orodreth was an Elf of the First Age, the son of Angrod and nephew of Finrod Felagund, and a ruler of Nargothrond....
from Tol Sirion; Angrod
Angrod
In J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth universe, Angrod was a son of Finarfin and lord of the Noldor.Angrod was the elder brother of Galadriel and Aegnor, and the younger brother of Finrod Felagund. He joined the Exile of the Noldor to Middle-earth, where together with Aegnor he held the highlands of...
and Aegnor from Dorthonion
Dorthonion
In the fictional world of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, Dorthonion , later Taur-nu-Fuin, was a highland region of the First Age, lying immediately to the north of Beleriand, and south of the plains of Ard-galen that extended north to Morgoth's stronghold of Thangorodrim...
; and the sons of Fëanor
Sons of Fëanor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth, the seven sons of Fëanor, the eldest prince of the Noldor, led their people from Valinor to rule over kingdoms in the Northeast of Beleriand:...
from the eastern marches.
The siege was incomplete, as Morgoth was still capable of sending out forces through secret passages from the towers of Thangorodrim
Thangorodrim
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Thangorodrim was a group of three volcanic mountains in the Iron Mountains in the north of Middle-earth during the First Age...
to harass the Elves and to spy out Beleriand
Beleriand
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
.
In one of these attacks, the first dragon, Glaurung
Glaurung
Glaurung is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Silmarillion as the first of the Dragons. He is also a major antagonist in The Children of Húrin. He was known as The Deceiver, The Golden, The Great Worm and the Worm of...
, attacked. Immediately, the greater part of the Elven forces were driven back, and Lake Helevorn was defiled. However, the dragon was not yet fully grown, and his armour was still vulnerable. Fingon, leading a force of horse-borne archers, was able to drive the dragon back to Angband, winning great praise.
Afterwards, the Noldor grew strong, and sorties from Angband posed no significant threat. However, the Noldor and their allies possessed insufficient force to assault Angband directly. After nearly four hundred years, the siege was broken and the age of peace ended in the Dagor Bragollach
Dagor Bragollach
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, the Dagor Bragollach was the fourth battle of the Wars of Beleriand...
(Battle of Sudden Flame); an onslaught of fire and ash Morgoth issued from Thangorodrim
Thangorodrim
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Thangorodrim was a group of three volcanic mountains in the Iron Mountains in the north of Middle-earth during the First Age...
, providing cover for his advancing forces.