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Akallabêth
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
Morgoth convinces Sauron to join his side in the early days of Arda. Once Melkor is overthrown by the Valar, however, Sauron repents to Eönwë. Some believe that he wasn’t lying and actually resolved to change his ways, if only because he feared the Valar. Eönwë tells Sauron to go to Valinor and hear Manwë’s judgement, but Sauron refuses to face the humiliation and hides in Middle-earth.
It’s Sauron’s pride which ultimately prevents him from returning to the Valar’s side, if he ever intended to repent of his wrongdoings at all. He can’t bear the indignity of punishment, so he instead follows in Morgoth’s footsteps and hides in Middle-earth until the Valar depart.
Themes
During the Great Battle, the land of Beleriand is changed and a gulf forms in Ossiriand in a region called Lindon. Gil-galad decides to remain in Middle-earth and rule that land, where Elrond also lives. The elves set sail from Lindon’s port (the Grey Havens) to travel the Straight Road to Valinor. Other elves cross the Blue Mountains and establish kingdoms among the Silvan elves. The elven kingdom of Eregion forms a friendship with the nearby dwarven mansion Moria. Celebrimbor, the estranged son of Curufin, lives there and becomes the greatest of its jewel-smiths. Middle-earth is peaceful, though “savage and desolate” where the people of Beleriand don’t settle.
The world is fundamentally altered by the Great Battle—Morgoth is overthrown and the land itself is altered. This new land provides new opportunities, and the elves begin to rebuild after the destruction of the Wars of Beleriand. Rather than accompanying the Valar back to Valinor, some of the elves choose to stay longer in Middle-earth and spread around the continent, establishing new kingdoms, spreading their knowledge, and forging alliances.
Themes
Though Sauron find men easier to corrupt, he still travels, trying to persuade elves to join him in every kingdom except Lindon. He begins spreading rumors that Gil-galad doesn’t want to enrich the rest of Middle-earth beyond Lindon. He takes the name Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, and is usually welcomed by the elves, especially in Eregion.
Sauron adopts many of the tactics Morgoth used to unsettle and weaken the Noldor while corrupting the people of Middle-earth. Rather than attacking, he feigns civility and walks among them, spreading lies and division and provoking greed.
Themes
In Eregion, Sauron teaches the craftsmen and smiths, who create Rings of Power under his guidance. He secretly makes One Ring to rule the others. Sauron puts a lot of his own “strength and will” into the One Ring to make it powerful enough to control the elven rings. While he wears it, he can see everything done with the lesser rings and control the thoughts of their bearers.
Like Fëanor’s Silmarils, in which he seemed to put some of his spirit, the One Ring contains much of Sauron’s power, tying him irrevocably to it. With the Ring, Sauron makes a powerful weapon of control but also, theoretically, a powerful weakness. If the destruction of the Silmarils would kill Fëanor, the destruction of the Ring would likely harm Sauron.
Themes
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However, as soon as Sauron puts on the One Ring, the elves realize that he can see and control them, and they take off their own rings. When he finds out they discovered him, he goes to war with them to take the rings back. The elves flee with their three rings: Narya the ring of fire, Nenya the ring of water, and Vilya the ring of air. They’re the most powerful of all the rings besides the One Ring, with the ability to prevent the aging and weariness of their bearer. The rings are given to wise elves and hidden, and Sauron fails to find them. They remain “unsullied,” since Celebrimbor is their sole creator and Sauron never touches them.
When trickery fails, Sauron resorts to violence. Once again, though Sauron intends the rings to be weapons for him to control the elves, they ultimately become tools that the elves use against him. Through the rings, Sauron’s thoughtless power-seeking and desire for control are turned against him. The elven rings, in particular, though subject to the One Ring’s control, are not inherently malicious or cursed by Sauron’s influence—they are merely powerful (and dangerous) tools.
Themes
At the same time, Elrond founds the stronghold Rivendell. The war between Sauron and the elves continues; Eregion is destroyed and Celebrimbor is killed. Sauron collects the remaining Rings of Power and gives nine to men and seven to dwarves. The dwarves are stubborn and difficult for Sauron to control, but eventually their greed and wrath benefits Sauron. Each dwarf king who bears a ring creates a hoard that is eventually plundered and devoured by dragons. Men are much easier for Sauron to control. The bearers of the nine rings obtain glory, wealth, and seemingly unending life, but they all fall under Sauron’s control and become invisible to everyone but the bearer of the One Ring. They’re the Nazgûl, or the Ringwraiths, Sauron’s most dangerous servants.
The rings Sauron gives to men and dwarves are corrupted by his influence, and each of the ring-bearers among men and dwarves eventually come to grief because of their ring. Since Morgoth’s time and the fall of Númenor, it seems, men have become even less vigilant of the evils that threaten them and less resilient against Sauron’s control. The nine men receive everything the Númenoreans wanted—power and extended life—but at the cost of their free will and their physical forms.
Themes
Sauron plans to become the master of Middle-earth, destroy the elves, and cause the downfall of Númenor. He gathers all of Morgoth’s old servants and rules through “force and fear.” This is the beginning of the Black Years, when many elves are killed, and others flee Middle-earth. Gil-galad maintains control of Lindon with the help of the Númenoreans, but Sauron rules the east and south. Men build stone walls and revere Sauron as a king and god.
Sauron’s plans are much like Morgoth’s, but on a smaller scale—he’ll conquer Middle-earth first, rather than all of Arda as Morgoth planned to. Many of Morgoth’s servants survived the Wars of Beleriand and now, in Morgoth’s absence, they flock to Sauron. The Valar keep to themselves in Valinor, the elves of Beleriand defend their lands, and Middle-earth looks much as it did under Morgoth’s shadow.
Themes
Eventually, Sauron is challenged by Númenor and leaves Middle-earth as their hostage. There, he spreads corruption and plots Númenor’s downfall, but Ilúvatar’s intervention forces him out of his physical form and back to Mordor. There, he learns that Gil-galad’s kingdom has grown in his absence to encompass a large portion of the north and west of Middle-earth. Sauron withdraws his forces into Mordor and plans for war.
The narrator briefly summarizes the occurrences surrounding the fall of Númenor before continuing on to the aftermath in Middle-earth. In Sauron’s absence, the elves have regained control of a significant amount of land, meaning Sauron’s next attack must be with force rather than by the slow spread of rumor and corruption.
Themes
At that time, Elendil, whose ship comes ashore in Lindon, leads his people east and establishes a kingdom in Eriador named Arnor, where he raises cities and towers. The ships of Isildur and Anárion are driven south to the mouth of the river Anduin, and they settle there and establish the kingdom of Gondor. The brothers build the city of Osgiliath and other towers—Minas Ithil, Isildur’s house, and Minas Anor, Anárion’s house—then rule together.
Gondor and Arnor are the kingdoms that reestablish, in miniature, the might and righteousness of men after the fall of Númenor. Though the nations are founded separately, they are closely allied, ruled together by the three kings, and united under Elendil, the High King of all the Dúnedain.
Themes
They plant the descendant of the White Tree at Minas Ithil and spread the Seven Stones (magical objects from Númenor that show visions of things far away) between Gondor and Arnor to protect the land and watch their enemies. Elendil often visits the seeing stone in Emyn Beraid—towers in Arnor that face the sea—and it’s believed that he would sometimes see Tol Eressëa, where the Master-stone is. The stones were a gift from the elves to Amandil and are called the Palantíri.
The legacy of the White Tree lives on in Gondor, representing a new beginning after Númenor’s loss. Still, Elendil mourns the division of Middle-earth from Valinor and uses elven magic to catch a glimpse of it in the west. The narrator doesn’t indicate whose tradition (whether elves or men) believes Elendil actually saw Tol Eressëa and doesn’t know whether it’s really true.
Themes
Years after the founding of Arnor and Gondor, Sauron creates a “terrible” new shape for himself and gathers his servants, preparing for war against elves and men. Many of the Númenoreans who moved to Middle-earth before the great wave still follow him. Sauron conquers Minas Ithil and destroys the new White Tree, but Isildur escapes down the Anduin with his wife and sons, carrying a seedling from the tree. He tries to find Elendil as Anárion defends Osgiliath.
The Elf-friends who found Gondor and Arnor are not the only Númenoreans to survive Númenor’s drowning. Some of them, living already in Middle-earth among the people they conquered, now turn against the Elf-friends again and fight for Sauron. Once more, the White Tree is destroyed, signifying the end to the brief period of peace, but, once more, a seedling is saved, and the White Tree will grow again.
Themes
Elendil and Gil-galad decide to unite against Sauron, forming a group called the Last Alliance, and travel east to Rivendell with an army of elves and men. From Rivendell they march to meet Sauron on Dagorland, the plains that stretch in front of the Black Gates of Mordor. All the living creatures of Middle-earth are divided on different sides of the battle except for the elves, which all fight for Gil-galad. Gil-galad and Elendil take the victory—since the orcs fear Gil-galad’s spear and Elendil’s sword Narsil—and enter Mordor to surround Sauron’s tower Barad-dûr.
Sauron, like Morgoth, fundamentally creates division—the war splits every race in Middle-earth except the elves, who form a united whole for the first time since their awakening (though many others of their race are divided from them in Valinor). The name of the Last Alliance is apt; men and elves unite against a threat to Middle-earth for one final time, though why it is the final time is not yet clear.
Themes
The siege of Barad-dûr lasts seven years, and the Last Alliance suffers great losses, including the death of Anárion. Finally, Sauron leaves his tower and kills both Gil-galad and Elendil, whose sword breaks beneath him as he falls. However, Isildur cuts the One Ring from Sauron’s hand with the hilt-shard of Narsil. Beaten, Sauron abandons his physical form, and his spirit flees. He doesn’t take physical form again for many years.
The victory of the Last Alliance comes at a great cost and requires the sacrifice of the kings of both men and elves. Ultimately, the war isn’t won through the strength of armies, but by a lucky cut with a broken sword. Cutting the One Ring from Sauron’s hand severs him from much of his power stored within it, leaving him unable to maintain a physical form.
Themes
With Sauron’s defeat, the Third Age of the World begins. His servants are scattered, though not completely destroyed. Some men “turn from evil” and follow Elendil, while others continue to serve Sauron and hate the countries of the west. Sauron’s tower is destroyed, and the Númenoreans set a guard on the land of Mordor, though no one lives there because the ash of Mount Doom makes it uninhabitable. After the Last Alliance disperses, there is never another host like it, since men and elves grow estranged.
The reasoning behind the Last Alliance’s name is revealed—after Sauron’s defeat, though a period of relative peace begins in Middle-earth, men and elves grow apart, with men in particular becoming suspicious of other races. This is the effect of Morgoth’s lies still lingering in the world and driving people apart—another sign of the slow decline of the world into loss, division, and immorality.
Themes
The One Ring disappears. Isildur refuses to give it to Elrond and Círdan, who plan to throw it into the fires of Mount Doom to destroy it and consequently weaken Sauron. Isildur calls the Ring compensation for the loss of his father and brother. After planting the White Tree in Minas Anor and placing Meneldil, Anárion’s son, in command of Gondor, Isildur travels north to rule Arnor. On the way, he’s ambushed by a host of orcs, and most of his people, including his three eldest sons, are killed. His wife and youngest son, Valandil, are still safe in Rivendell.
The Ring has a will of its own and, as a creation of Sauron’s power, does as he does—it provokes greed, suspicion, and malice in those around it. When Isildur falls victim to its control, his greed and his unwillingness to destroy the Ring mean that Sauron’s power lives on in the world, and the threat of his return remains. Still, the White Tree is replanted, and the kingdoms of Middle-earth are rebuilt.
Themes
Isildur escapes by putting on the One Ring and becoming invisible, but the orcs follow his smell until he jumps into the river to evade them. The Ring betrays him by slipping from his finger as he swims. Now visible, Isildur is shot by the orcs. Three of his people survive the ambush and bring the shards of Narsil to Valandil in Rivendell. Elrond foretells that the sword won’t be reforged until the One Ring is found again and Sauron returns.
The Ring is loyal to no one but Sauron. After it betrays Isildur, it becomes lost to the world for some time, waiting to be returned to its creator. Elrond’s foresight reveals that Sauron will return at some point to reclaim the Ring and finish his work of conquering Middle-earth. Until then, two great weapons—Narsil and the Ring—lie dormant.
Themes
Valandil becomes the king of Arnor, but there aren’t enough men and Númenoreans left after the war to maintain the cities Elendil built. In the time of the seventh king after Valandil, the men of Númenor become divided into groups and picked off by enemies until only a group of wanderers remain, forgotten everywhere except in Rivendell. Still, the line of Isildur continues and the shards of Narsil are passed down.
Though the Last Alliance wins the war, there are enough casualties that there’s no real way for Arnor to recover. Unable to maintain a unified kingdom, the Dúnedain become scattered and consequently vulnerable to attack. The remaining wanderers roam Middle-earth and won’t be unified until a new king of Arnor arrives to lead them.
Themes
Gondor grows to resemble the height of Númenor, then eventually wanes, and the line of Meneldil dies out in a plague. Gondor abandons Minas Ithil and the forts on the border when evil creeps in from Mordor. The Ringwraiths take over Minas Ithil to prepare for Sauron’s return and use it to wage war on Minas Anor, now renamed Minas Tirith, where the remnants of the Númenoreans protect the west.
Though Arnor fades, Gondor prospers for a time. But even with the righteousness and power of Númenor behind it, it eventually fades and declines. Gondor’s surveillance of Mordor goes lax, allowing the enemy to invade. Minas Ithil is corrupted and transformed from a defensive watchtower to the Ringwraith’s lair.
Themes
Minas Tirith survives after the death of Eärnur, the last king of Gondor, who fights a Ringwraith in single combat and is captured. The Stewards rule Gondor in the absence of kings, and the Rohirrim arrive to live in Rohan and aid Minas Tirith in the war. In the north, there are ancient enemies of Sauron that the men of Gondor don’t know much about, and the Ringwraiths don’t leave their city after Eärnur’s death.
Though Sauron’s servants are perilously close to Gondor, there are still allies to be found in Middle-earth, in the Rohirrim and even the elves, though the two races have grown estranged.
Themes
After Gil-galad’s death, Rivendell becomes “a refuge for the weary and oppressed.” The heirs of Isildur stay there, since Elrond knows that someone with an important fate will be born into their line. The Grey Havens also remains a refuge for elves, ruled by Círdan. The elves never speak of their three Rings of Power, and few know where they’re hidden. Vilya is with Elrond in Rivendell, Nenya is with Galadriel in Lothlórien, and no one but Elrond, Galadriel, and Círdan know where Narya is.
Scattered wanderers (such as the nationless heirs of Isildur) find a place of safety and unity in Rivendell. Despite the estrangement between men and elves, the leaders of the elves maintain their connections with each other and watch over Middle-earth while safe in their discrete kingdoms. Elrond, in particular, awaits Sauron’s return and the birth of Isildur’s fated heir.
Themes
After Sauron’s fall, the rings are put to work to preserve Rivendell and Lothlórien from “the griefs of time.” If Sauron ever finds the One Ring again, or if the One Ring is destroyed, the power of the elven rings will fail, and the lands will begin to fade. At that point, the power of the elves will diminish, and the Dominion of Men will begin in Middle-earth.
The three rings, intended by Sauron to entrap and control the elves, are used instead to preserve and protect their lands. Still, the elves’ time in Middle-earth is coming to an end. When the power of the rings is gone, there will be no place in Middle-earth left for them.
Themes
Since then, that has happened. The One Ring, the seven dwarven rings, and the nine rings of men are destroyed, and the three elven rings have left Middle-earth. Their departure ends the Third Age. The years before that time are the Fading Years, when elves, orcs, dragons, and dwarves still walk Middle-earth. As the Dominion of Men approaches, Sauron rises again in Mirkwood.
This period of Middle-earth’s history is marked by loss, as magic and memory begin to die away and leave the world. The narrator, who writes after the stories have come to pass, confirms that the elven realms have faded, and the elves have now left Middle-earth behind forever.
Themes
Though it was once called Greenwood the Great, the name of the forest is changed to Mirkwood when darkness and evil creatures creep in, though the king Thranduil and his people try to defend it. There, Sauron becomes known as the Sorcerer of Dol Guldur.
As Elrond feared and anticipated, since the Ring was not destroyed, Sauron regains enough power to return to Middle-earth. The land around him reveals his presence, becoming dark and twisted as Mordor did.
Themes
When Sauron appears in Mirkwood, the Istari (wizards) also appear in Middle-earth. Only Círdan, Elrond, and Galadriel know the wizards come from the West, but rumors later spread that they’re sent by the Valar to fight Sauron and inspire men and elves to do the same. They take the appearance of old men, yet age slowly, and have “many powers of mind and hand.” The first to arrive is Saruman, who speaks mostly to men. The next is Gandalf, a close counselor of Elrond and the elves. The next is Radagast, a friend of birds and beasts. Gandalf goes to Dol Guldur and frightens the Sorcerer away for a time, but he eventually returns.
Though only a few of the elves know it for certain, popular tradition gets it right: the wizards are Maiar who have taken on the form of the Children of Ilúvatar and traveled to Middle-earth to aid in the fight against Sauron. The Valar, though they are separated from Middle-earth by the curvature of the world, haven’t completely forsaken men and the remaining elves. As the Valar became Ilúvatar’s intermediaries in Arda, the Istari come as the Valar’s representatives.
Themes
At that time the White Council—made of Gandalf, Saruman, Galadriel, Elrond, Círdan, and the other elven lords—is founded, with Saruman as its leader. Galadriel wants Gandalf to lead it, but he refuses, since he doesn’t want to have allegiance to anyone but the Valar. Gandalf goes to Dol Guldur again and confirms that Sauron has taken shape and returned to search for the One Ring. He advises that they take swift action, but Saruman decides they should wait and watch first, since he doesn’t think the One Ring will ever be found. The Council is troubled, but they don’t realize that Saruman wants the Ring for himself and already has spies looking for it.
Even without the Ring, Sauron has managed to take on a physical form again, meaning his power is growing. Gandalf’s behavior during the White Council proves his steadfast righteousness and his careful vigilance. He’s right to urge swift action before Sauron becomes too powerful for them to fight alone. Saruman, however, has control of the Council and has already been corrupted by the idea of absolute power, another remainder of Morgoth’s influence in Middle-earth.
Themes
Sauron’s power grows in Dol Guldur and Gandalf again urges the White Council to act, since Sauron will have hope and amass power as long as the One Ring still exists, even if it’s lost. This time, Saruman agrees, and they drive Sauron from Mirkwood. However, their attack is too late, since the Ringwraiths have already prepared for him to return to Mordor and rebuild Barad-dûr.
Because of Saruman’s greed and arrogance, the White Council is too late to stop Sauron from regaining power. Sauron’s servants have been waiting for him, harassing Gondor and driving their scouts from Mordor. While there is even the slightest chance of victory, the forces of evil will never stop seeking power in the world.
Themes
The One Ring is found again. It was taken from the Anduin long ago by “one of the small fisher-folk” that lived there and hidden under a mountain. It stays there until it’s found by a traveler and carried into the land of the Halflings in western Eriador, whom the elves and men hadn’t considered important until then. By chance, Gandalf learns of the Ring’s whereabouts before Sauron does, but he doesn’t know what to do with it, since it can’t be used, can’t be destroyed by the elves, and can’t be hidden forever. Sauron learns its location soon and sends the Ringwraiths to take it.
The Ring’s return is inevitable—it wants to be found and return to Sauron. Gandalf finds it somewhere no one else thinks to look—the Halflings keep primarily to themselves, and their land is largely cut off from the dealings of men and elves. Sauron learns of it soon enough, however. His recovery of the Ring (and his full power with it) would be catastrophic for Middle-earth, already ill-equipped to fight his armies.
Themes
The shards of Narsil are reforged in Rivendell and given to the heir of Isildur, Aragorn, who is very like Elendil. Saruman is overthrown in Isengard, and a great battle is fought outside of Minas Tirith, where the Wraith-king is killed. Aragorn leads the armies of the west, the Dúnedain, the lords of Gondor, the king of Rohan, and their allies to the Black Gates of Mordor. They face defeat—Sauron and his armies are too strong.
Aragorn is the fated heir of Isildur that Elrond has been waiting for. The shards of Narsil, now reforged, are symbolic of the new alliance that gathers behind Aragorn to oppose Sauron. Though the elves don’t send their armies, they aid the unified kingdoms of men from the sidelines. Without their military support, however, Aragorn’s force isn’t enough to defeat Sauron’s armies.
Themes
At that time, Gandalf is proven right, and help comes “from the hands of the weak when the Wise faltered.” Frodo the Halfling travels to Mount Doom with his servant and throws the One Ring into its fires, destroying it. Sauron is defeated; his physical form is destroyed, and his spirit becomes powerless.
Once again, it isn’t the might of armies that defeats Sauron, but the bravery of one person—this time, a Halfling who is able to achieve what Isildur couldn’t and destroy the Ring. Though Sauron can’t be killed, he loses the ability to take on a physical form and interact at all with the physical world, rendering him completely harmless.
Themes
There is a new era of peace in Middle-earth as Aragorn is crowned king of Gondor and Arnor. The glory of the Dúnedain is restored, and the White Tree flowers again. While it lives, the kings of Gondor don’t forget the past of the world.
With Aragorn as king, Gondor and Arnor are united again. Though men’s lives and memories are short, the White Tree (emblematic of growth and rebirth) will last beyond individual lifetimes and preserve Gondor’s history for future generations.
Themes
The west achieves victory primarily due to Gandalf’s planning, and he’s revealed to be the bearer of Narya, the elven ring of fire. It was originally entrusted to Círdan, who gave it to Gandalf to protect him from weariness. Círdan plans to guard the Grey Havens until the last ship leaves for Valinor and Tol Eressëa. When the power of the elven rings fades after the One Ring’s destruction, the world becomes “cold and grey” to the elves. The last of the Noldor leave Middle-earth forever. The bearers of the three elven rings follow them, sailing away from the Grey Havens in Círdan’s ship until the Bent World falls away, and they arrive in the ancient west.
The final separation of men and elves comes to pass. The elves, weary in the world now that their protected realms have faded, pass away to Valinor, an immortal land where they can find rest and respite. Their departure is a loss both for the elves themselves (who must leave the land where they first awoke) and Middle-earth, which loses their wisdom and beauty. With the end of the Third Age and the departure of the elves comes the Dominion of Men that Ilúvatar foretold, when time passes beyond what the Music of the Ainur conceived of and men are free to create their own fates. Still, the loss of the elves is another step in the decline of Arda towards an eventual end. And, though it will end, it will also be remade in the second Music of the Ainur, when men and elves will be reunited at last.
Themes
