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Chapter 17
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
With his own people growing strong, and with the aid of the houses of men, Fingolfin considers attacking Angband to destroy Morgoth’s threat to them. However, the Noldor aren’t eager to start a war during a period of peace. Before they can agree, Morgoth attacks suddenly in winter, sending Glaurung and the Balrogs to burn the plains of Ard-galen and killing many Noldor caught in the fire. This begins the fourth battle of the Wars of Beleriand. Armies of orcs follow, attacking the Noldor’s fortresses. The battle ends in the spring, but the war continues.
With men and elves united in Beleriand, Morgoth poses less of a threat to their safety. As the strength of the men and elves of Beleriand has grown, so have Morgoth’s armies. Beleriand can successfully defend its land against his orc armies, but not everyone believes they have the power to permanently end Morgoth’s power in Middle-earth. Their alliance is strong, but not strong enough.
Themes
Some of the elves of Beleriand seek shelter in fortresses and some flee altogether. Angrod and Aegnor are killed, along with Bregolas, the lord of the house of Bëor. Bregolas’ brother Barahir saves Finrod’s life when he’s surrounded by a company of orcs, and Finrod swears an oath of friendship to him and his family and gives him his ring. Fingolfin and Fingon, driven back into their fortresses, are unable to aid the sons of Finarfin. Hador and his son also fall protecting Fingolfin, and Hithlum remains unconquered.
As in the first battle of the Wars of Beleriand, Beleriand’s forces are scattered. They flock to different areas of safety, defensible cities and fortresses, and are forced to abandon the countryside to the enemy. During the battle, Finrod swears an oath to a man of the house of Bëor, possibly the oath that he mentioned would lead him into darkness and death. An oath of friendship is a powerful force among the people of Beleriand, who are cursed to betray each other.
Themes
The elves rally to Finrod and Maedhros, but the orcs take Maglor’s Gap and Glaurung burns the land. They manage to keep the orcs from entering Ossiriand and the wild lands of the south. When news arrives that the sons of Finarfin and Fëanor are overthrown, Fingolfin believes it means the ruin of the Noldor and rides alone to Angband, so enraged that his eyes shine like a Valar’s. He challenges Morgoth, who emerges in black armor, looming over Fingolfin. Fingolfin gleams under his shadow “like a star” with his silver armor and glittering sword.
In the face of the destruction of everything the Noldor have built, Fingolfin, their king, attempts to end the war through single combat. During the duel, he appears as Morgoth’s opposite, shining with starlight beneath Morgoth’s darkness and shadow. Though Fingolfin doesn’t actually have the capabilities of a Valar, his rage and Noldo stubbornness (as well as Morgoth’s underestimation of Fingolfin’s strength) give him power.
Themes
Morgoth swings Grond, the giant hammer, and it cleaves a hole in the earth when Fingolfin jumps aside. As Morgoth swings the hammer, Fingolfin wounds him seven times but eventually grows tired. Morgoth crushes Fingolfin to the ground with his shield, then steps on his neck. Fingolfin’s last act is to cut Morgoth’s foot with his sword.
Morgoth accepts Fingolfin’s challenge with arrogance, not believing Fingolfin is a threat to him. Now, though Morgoth wins the fight, he is left wounded. This is the only time he ever meets one of the elves in combat, and he never again voluntarily emerges from his tower to fight.
Themes
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The story is too sad for the elves to sing about, but it’s carried by the great eagles to Gondolin and Hithlum. Thorondor files down and scratches Morgoth’s face before rescuing Fingolfin’s body. The pain of Morgoth’s wounds can’t be healed, so he walks after that with half a foot and a scarred face. Fingon takes leadership of the Noldor and sends his young son Gil-galad away to the Havens.
The narrator claims that the elves don’t sing about Fingolfin’s death, but they clearly preserve the story in other ways. Fingolfin is one of the great heroes of elvish history, strong enough to strike lasting blows against Morgoth, Arda’s greatest enemy, whose wounds never heal. Fingolfin’s seven blows remain visible on Morgoth’s body and plague him constantly, like the burns on his hands from the Silmarils.
Themes
Morgoth hunts down Barahir’s men until the situation becomes so desperate that his wife Emeldir arms the women and children and leads them to Brethil. All the men they leave behind are killed until only 13 remain: Barahir, his son Beren, his two nephews, and nine others. They become outlaws and wander barren lands.
Morgoth’s push south into Beleriand means further separation for men and elves. Not only do communities become isolated, but individual families are divided and never reunited again in their lifetimes.
Themes
For two years the Noldor defend the western pass near the river Sirion until Sauron and another servant of Morgoth conquor Minas Tirith with sorcery. Many elves are kidnapped into Angband, and Morgoth spreads lies and jealousy among the Noldor, who fall victim to them because of their curse. At this time, the Swarthy men enter Beleriand and ally with Maedhros—some of them remain faithful to the elves and some betray them, as Morgoth intends.
Morgoth continues attacking the people of Beleriand both with his armies and with his lies. He finally succeeds in turning some of the groups of men into his allies and spies against the elves, and further exploits the doom of the Noldor to create suspicion and betrayal in their own ranks.
Themes
When the orcs finally invade the people of Haleth, Halmir their lord requests aid from Thingol, who sends Beleg Strongbow and his wardens to destroy the orcs. With Brethil’s protection, Nargothrond gathers its strength. Húrin and Huor, the grandsons of Hador, are fostered in Brethil by their uncle Haldir. While fighting orcs, they’re cut off from their company and protected by a mist from Ulmo before Thorondor carries them to safety in the city of Gondolin.
Each time the men and elves unite, they prove again that they are stronger together than apart. Allied, they are able to defend themselves from imminent attacks and gather their strength to fight another day. While he can defend his own people inside Doriath, Thingol must branch out and aid the people of Beleriand if he wants to create any true change.
Themes
They remain with Turgon for a year, and Húrin learns about elf-lore and kingship. They request to leave and return to the war, and Turgon allows it since they don’t know how to find the entrance to Gondolin. Maeglin is glad to see them leave but tells them they’re lucky to be allowed. The brothers swear to keep what they saw of Gondolin secret, and the eagles take them back to Dor-lómin. They refuse to tell their father Galdor where they’ve been, but Morgoth hears of their strange reappearance.
Turgon doesn’t usually allow the citizens of Gondolin to leave for good reason. Even if they don’t intend to, it would be easy for them to reveal the city’s location to Morgoth, who would certainly take the opportunity to destroy it. Though Húrin and Huor swear to keep Gondolin a secret and don’t even know its precise location, Morgoth’s awareness of their disappearance is troubling.
Themes
Turgon doesn’t believe it’s time yet to march to war and reveal Gondolin but builds ships in secret and sends them to Valinor to ask for the pardon and aid of the Valar. None of them ever reach Valinor, and Gondolin’s doom approaches. Morgoth sends more spies into Beleriand, but he can’t find either Turgon or Finrod. He recalls his orcs for a few years to prepare for a final blow against the elves and men.
Though Turgon isolates his people for their own protection, he recognizes that they can only defeat Morgoth as a strong united force. He protects himself with isolation but turns to the possibility of a united Arda for aid. Even while hiding away in Gondolin, he sends messages out, hoping to find allies in Valinor. He is unsuccessful, and the narrator alludes to Gondolin’s approaching destruction.
Themes
Seven years after the fourth battle of the Wars of Beleriand, Morgoth attacks again, killing Galdor. His son Húrin drives back the orcs and begins to rule the house of Bëor. Fingon struggles to hold back the orcs in Hithlum until Círdan sails to his aid from the west, winning the day. At that time, the remaining outlawed men of the house of Bëor are all killed except Beren.
Though Morgoth’s orcs are driven back from the important elven strongholds for now, the victory comes at a great cost. The orcs are still free to roam the land between the strongholds, isolating them, and nearly the entire House of Bëor is destroyed.
Themes
