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Chapter 12
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Silmarillion, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Unity vs. Division
Fate, Doom, and Free Will
Pride and Arrogance
Greed, Jealousy, and Obsession
Inevitable Loss
Myth and Memory
Summary
Analysis
When Fëanor burns the ships, the flames are also seen by Morgoth’s spies. As the Noldor travel inland to the fields of Mithrim, Morgoth attacks, starting the second battle of the Wars of Beleriand. Though ambushed and outnumbered, the Noldor drive away the orcs and hunt them all the way to the Havens, where they also kill the orcs that besiege Círdan’s forces. The elves of Beleriand are amazed by the arrival and strength of the Noldor.
Even divided, the Noldor are powerful. Fëanor’s followers are zealous and enflamed by Fëanor’s purpose, eager to found new lands and take revenge on Morgoth. Their arrival also begins the effort to reunite Beleriand, which has been divided by Morgoth’s forces, by freeing Círdan’s people from the siege.
Themes
Though first dismayed by the loss of his troops, Morgoth becomes pleased as Fëanor runs ahead of the Noldor and follows the orcs back alone to attack him. Morgoth sends Balrogs to surround Fëanor, who is wounded by Gothmog (the Lord of Balrogs) and carried away by his sons. Fëanor tells them to stop—he’s dying from his wounds.
Fëanor has never understood the power of unity. Rather than joining with the elves of Beleriand or even waiting for his own forces, he runs ahead to attack Morgoth and is mortally wounded as a result, apprehended before he can even reach Morgoth’s fortress.
Themes
Looking at the mountains above Angband, Fëanor realizes that the Noldor can’t overthrow Morgoth alone, then curses Morgoth and warns his sons to keep their oaths. When he dies, the fire of his spirit immediately burns his body to ash. He’s never been seen again in Middle-earth, and his spirit has never left the Houses of the Dead.
Fëanor’s last act is to urge his sons to adhere to the oath that has led to his own violent death and (he knows from Mandos’s warning) will lead them also to ruin. Fëanor’s spirit is bright and fierce, enabling him to create the most beautiful jewels in Arda, but leading him only to disaster in the end.
Themes
Morgoth sends messengers to Fëanor’s sons, announcing his surrender and offering to give up a Silmaril for peace. Maedhros suggests that they pretend to make a treaty with Morgoth and then betray him. Both Morgoth and the Noldor bring armies to the meeting place, but Morgoth’s forces overpower the Noldor and take Maedhros captive in Angband. Morgoth offers to return him if the Noldor will leave Middle-earth, but they refuse, so he hangs Maedhros by his wrist from a precipice above Angband.
Neither Morgoth nor Maedhros have any intention of keeping their promise to meet peacefully. Morgoth would never give up the Silmarils so easily, nor would the sons of Fëanor waste an opportunity to take revenge for the deaths of their father and grandfather. Even to save Maedhros’s life, the Noldor won’t abandon Middle-earth, and the other sons of Fëanor won’t give up their oath.
Themes
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As the sun rises, Morgoth’s armies flee into Angband and Fingolfin leads his Noldor up to the gates of Angband unopposed. Maedhros calls out to them, but they can’t hear him over their own trumpets. Realizing that Angband is stronger than he’d assumed, Fingolfin turns back to find Fëanor’s sons in Mithrim. The reunion is tense; Fingolfin’s Noldor blame Fëanor’s followers for abandoning them. Morgoth laughs at their division and sends smoke to shield the land from the sun.
Though Morgoth didn’t cause it directly, the estrangement between the two factions of the Noldor is a result of his influence over the people of Valinor—the lies and suspicion that corrupted Fëanor. Now, that estrangement benefits him by making the Noldor less of a threat. Not even a greater external enemy (Morgoth himself) can reunite them.
Themes
Fingon, Fingolfin’s son, decides to resolve the feud so they can unite against Morgoth by seeking out Maedhros, who was once his close friend. Camouflaged by the shadows Morgoth created, he climbs the mountains above Angband looking for a way into the fortress. When he can’t find a way, he takes out his harp and sings a song about Valinor. Maedhros, hanging above him, begins singing along.
Fingon recognizes that the way to reunite his people isn’t by allying against a stronger enemy, but by healing within himself and rebuilding trust and friendship with others. He takes the first step by risking his life to seek out Maedhros, even though he doesn’t know Maedhros spoke out for him when Fëanor burned the ships.
Themes
Fingon climbs up as far as he can go, but cries when he can’t reach Maedhros. With no hope of escape, Maedhros asks Fingon to kill him. Fingon strings an arrow and prays to Manwë to take pity on them. Manwë has great eagles stationed in the mountains to watch over the Noldor, and Thorondor, their king, grabs Fingon and flies him up to Maedhros. Fingon can’t break the chain around Maedhros’s wrist, so he cuts off Maedhros’s hand, freeing him, and Thorondor carries them back to Mithrim.
Though the Noldor have forsaken Valinor and no longer accept the rule of the Valar, Fingon still thinks of them in his moment of need, and they still aid him. The Valar have closed themselves off from Middle-earth and the Noldor, but they haven’t entirely abandoned them to Morgoth. Fingon’s prayer to Manwë saves Maedhros’s life and aids in the Noldor’s reunion.
Themes
Maedhros heals and Fingon is praised for his heroism—through their friendship, the Noldor are reunited. Maedhros begs forgiveness for abandoning Fingolfin’s followers and supports Fingolfin’s claim to kingship, though not all of his brothers approve. As Mandos foretold, the pursuit of the Silmarils causes Fëanor’s sons loss—the loss of their father and the loss of their kingship over the Noldor.
Fingon’s quest is successful—Maedhros is alive, and the Noldor are reunited through their friendship. Though Mandos was right that the Noldor betray each other and suffer loss because of the Silmarils, Maedhros’s return is a brief moment of unity and generosity amid the chaos.
Themes
Thingol doesn’t welcome all of the Noldor into Doriath, and only allows Finarfin’s sons through the Girdle because their mother was Thingol’s niece. Angrod brings Thingol’s message—that they can inhabit the lands of Dorthonion—to the Noldor, and Caranthir starts a violent argument. The Noldor fear the quick anger of Fëanor’s sons, so Maedhros leads his brothers away to live apart from the rest of the Noldor. There, Caranthir’s people ally with the dwarves against Morgoth, despite their mutual dislike. Maedhros remains friendly with the houses of Fingolfin and Finarfin but doesn’t forget his oath.
Though Thingol once unified all of Beleriand, he is now extremely selective about who he allows within the boundaries of Doriath, closing himself and his people off from the rest of Middle-earth. Meanwhile, the reunion of the Noldor is short-lived. Many of Fëanor’s sons are too volatile to live peacefully with the rest of their people, and Maedhros separates them for everyone’s good. On their own, they forge new alliances and maintain their connection to the other Noldor.
Themes
Thirty peaceful years after the first sunrise, Turgon and Finrod, traveling together, receive a vision from Ulmo urging them to prepare for Morgoth’s attack. While a guest of Thingol, Finrod has the idea to build a similar underground fortress, which he constructs in the Caverns of Narog, aided by the dwarves. Galadriel, who falls in love with a relative of Thingol’s named Celeborn, remains in Doriath and learns lore from Melian. Ulmo appears to Turgon again and leads him to a hidden valley where Turgon plans to build a city.
The longer the Noldor live in Beleriand, the more they spread and grow around the land. Many of the grandsons of Finwë decide to build their own fortresses and rule their own people to prepare for future battles with Morgoth. Beleriand never regains its former unity under Thingol; instead, smaller realms appear.
Themes
Morgoth attacks suddenly, believing that the elves aren’t prepared, but Maedhros and Fingolfin drive them back. Still, the elves can’t breach Angband or take back the Silmarils. Morgoth begins kidnapping and corrupting elves, using them as his servants and spies. Morgoth tries again to attack from a different direction, but Fingon spots the orcs and drives them into the sea. Morgoth then sends out Glaurung, the first of the dragons, to terrorize the elves, but Fingon surrounds him with archers and drives him back into Angband. Two hundred peaceful years follow.
Though the elves of Beleriand are prepared to defend themselves against an attack from Morgoth, they don’t have the power to fulfill Fëanor’s oath and reclaim the Silmarils. When Morgoth’s direct attacks are repeatedly rebuffed, he returns to his old tactics of corrupting minds and turning the elves against each other, further weakening them and deepening their suspicion.
Themes
