The Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin

[Findegil]

Here we go again. This is the first draft of the chapter. To garante that I can edit this I will split the chapter into its sub-chapters.

Our basis text is that of Quenta Silmarillion given in HoME volume 5; page 279-89. I have take up the §-numbers form that text for the easier identification of the changes form LQ. All additions and changes are makred with their source. The text is reduced to the parts we have to change.

There are 4 groups of changes, one for each sub-chapter:
RB-DB-xx for Ruin of Beleriand - Dagor Bargolach
RB-DF-xx for Ruin of Beleriand - Death of Fingolfin
RB-SE-xx for Ruin of Beleriand - Sige of Eithel Sirion
RB-SM-xx for Ruin of Beleriand - Swarthy Men

Beside that we have of course the general changes, but they are collected in a thread of their own.

Some conventions of my writing:
Normal Text is from the basic text that is mentioned above (when I change the basic-Text it will be mentioned)
Bold Text = source information, comments and remarks
{example} = text that should be deleted
[example] = normalised text, normaly only used for general changes
<source example> = additions with source information
example = text inserted for grammatical or metrical reason
/example/ = outline expansion
Normally if an inserted text includes the beginning of a new § these is indicated by a missing “>” at the end of the § and a missing “<” at the beginning of the next.

21 Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin
§132 Now Fingolfin, ... But because the land was fair and their kingdoms wide, most of the Noldor were grown content with things as they were, trusting them to last RB-DB-01 <GA and were slow to begin an assault in which many must surely perish, were it in victory or defeat>. Therefore they were little disposed to hearken to Fingolfin, and the sons of Fëanor at that time least of all. ... So the designs of Fingolfin RB-DB-02 {came to naught}<GA were delayed and came in the end to naught>, and the land had peace yet for a while.
§133 RB-DB-03 {But when the sons of the sons of the Fathers of Men were but newly come to manhood}<LQ2; Correction to QS But when the RB-DB-04 {fifth}[sixth] generation of Men after Bëor and Marach were not yet come to full manhood>, it being then four hundred years and five and fifty since the coming of Fingolfin, the evil befell that he had long dreaded, and yet more dire and sudden than his darkest fear. ... For Morgoth had long prepared his force in secret, while ever the malice of his heart grew greater, and his hatred of the {Gnomes}[Elves] more bitter; and he desired not only to end his foes but to destroy also and defile the lands that they had taken and made fair. And it is said that his hate overcame his counsel, so that if he had but endured to wait longer, until his designs were full, then the {Gnomes}[Elves] would have perished utterly. ...
§134 There came a time of winter, when night was dark and without moon; and the wide plain of {Bladorion}[Ard-galen] stretched dim beneath the cold stars from the hill-forts of the {Gnomes}[Noldor] to the feet of Thangorodrim. ... Then suddenly Morgoth sent forth great rivers of flame that poured, swifter than the cavalry of the Balrogs, over all the plain; and the Mountains of Iron belched forth RB-DB-05 {fires of many colours, and the fume stank upon the air}<LQ1 fires of many poisonous hues, and the fume thereof stank upon the air> and was deadly. Thus {Bladorion}[Ard-galen] perished, and fire devoured its grasses; and it became a burned and desolate waste, full of a choking dust, barren and lifefless; and its name was changed, and ever after was called {the Land of Thirst, Dor-na-Fauglith}[Dor-nu-Fauglith]<LQ2[Footnote: That is Land under Choking Ash]> in the RB-DB-06 {Gnomish}<LQ2 {Noldorin}[Sindarin]> tongue. Many charred bones had there their roofless grave. For many {Gnomes}[Elves] perished in that burning, who were caught by the running flame and could not fly to the hills. ... This was the Third of the great Battles, Dagor {Vreged-sir}[Bragollach], the Battle of Sudden {Fire}[Flame].
§135 In the front of that fire came {Golmund}[Glaurung] the golden, the father of dragons, RB-DB-07 <GA now in his full might,> and in his train were Balrogs, and behind them came the black armies of the Orcs in multitudes such as the {Gnomes}[Elves] had never before seen or imagined. And they assaulted the fortresses of the {Gnomes}[Noldor], and broke the leaguer about Angband, and slew wherever they found them both the {Gnomes}[Noldor] and their allies, Dark-elves and Men. ... War ceased not wholly ever again in Beleriand; but the Battle of Sudden {Fire}[Flame] is held to have ended with the coming of spring, when the onset of Morgoth grew less. For he saw now that he had not assembled sufficient strength, nor rightly measured the valour of the {Gnomes}[Elves]. ...
§136 Thus ended the Siege of Angband; ...
§137 The sons of {Finrod}[Finarfin] bore most heavily the brunt of the assault, and Angrod and {Egnor}[Aegnor] were slain; and RB-DB-08 {Bregolas son of Bëor, who was lord of that house of Men after his father's death,}<LQ2 Bregolas, son of Bregor, who was lord of the house of Bëor after Boromir his father's death> RB-DB-09 <GA and a great part of the warriors of Bëor's folk> {was}were slain beside them. RB-DB-10 <GA But Barahir his brother was in the fighting further westward nigh the passes of Sirion. There>{In that battle} King {Inglor}[Finrod] Felagund RB-DB-11 <GA , hastening from the south, was defeated> {was}and cut off from his folk RB-Db-12 <GA with small company> and surrounded by the Orcs RB-DB-13 <LQ1 in the Fen of Serech betwixt Mithrim and Dorthonion>, and he would have been slain or taken, but Barahir son of {Bëor}[Bregor] came up with his men and rescued him, and made a wall of spears about him; and they cut their way out of the battle with great loss. Thus Felagund escaped RB-DB-14 {and went south to Nargothrond, his deep fortress prepared against the evil day}; but he swore an oath of abiding friendship and aid in every need unto Barahir and all his kin and seed, and in token of his vow he gave to Barahir his ring RB-DB-15 <GA , an heirloom of his house>. RB-DB-16 <GA Then {Inglor}[Finrod] went south to Nargothrond RB-DB-17 <QS , his deep fortress prepared against the evil day>, but Barahir returned to Dorthonion to save what he could of the people of Bëor.> RB-DB-18 <LQ2; Correction to QS But fearing now that all strong places were doomed to fall at last before the might of Morgoth, {he}[Orodreth] sent away his wife{ Meril} to her own folk in Eglorest, and with her went their son, yet an elvenchild, and Gilgalad Starlight he was called for the brightness of his eye.>
§138 Barahir was now by right lord of the remnant of the folk of Bëor; but most of these fled RB-DB-19 {now} <LQ1 away> from Dorthonion and took refuge among the people of Hador in the fastness of Hithlum. ... Therefore it was after called by the {Gnomes}[Elves] {Taur-na-Fuin}[Taur-nu-Fuin], which is Mirkwood, and Delduwath, Deadly Nightshade; ...
RB-DB-20 {§139 At length only twelve men remained to Barahir: ...
}§140 So great was the onslaught of Morgoth that Fingolfin and Fingon could not come to the succour of Felagund and his brethren; ... Hador the golden-haired, prince of Men, fell in battle before the walls defending the rearguard of his lord Fingolfin, being then sixty and six years of age, and with him fell Gundor his younger son RB-DB-21 <GA , pierced with many arrows>; and they were mourned by the Elves. But {Gumlin}[Galdor] took the lordship of his father. ...
[Here the picture 'Hringboga Heorte Gefysed' is added with its name as title]
§141 For the war had gone ill with the sons of Fëanor, and well nigh all the east marches were taken by assault. The pass of Aglon was forced, though with great cost to Morgoth RB-DB-22 {; and Celegorn and Curufin being defeated fled south and west by the marches of Doriath and came at last to Nargothrond, and sought harbour with RB-DB-23 {their friend}<LQ1 {Inglor}[Finrod] and> Orodreth. Thus it came to pass that the people of Celegorn swelled the strength of Felagund, but it would have been better, as after was seen, if they had remained in the East among their own kin.}. <GA Celegorn and Curufin held strong forces behind Aglon, and many horsed archers, but they were overthrown, and Celegorn and Curufin hardly escaped, and passed westward along the north borders of Doriath with such mounted following as they could save, and came thus at length to the vale of Sirion.> {Maidros}[Maeðros] the chief of Fëanor's sons did deeds of surpassing valour, and the Orcs could not endure the light of his face; ..., both of the folk of Dorthonion and of the east marches rallied there to {Maidros}[Maeðros]; and for a while he closed once more the pass of Aglon, so that the Orcs could not enter Beleriand by that road.
§142 But they overwhelmed the riders of the folk of Fëanor upon Lothland, for {G1omund}[Glaurung] came thither, and passed through {Maglor}[Maelor]'s Gap, and destroyed all the land between the arms of {Gelion}[Duin Daer] RB-DB-24 <GA broke through{ upon either side, through Aglon and} between {Gelion}[Duin Daer] and {Celon}[Limhir]>. And the Orcs took the fortress upon the west slopes of Mount Rerir, and ravaged all {Thargelion}[Talath Rhúnen], the land of {Cranthir}[Caranthir]; and they defiled Lake Helevorn. Thence they passed over {Gelion}[Duin Daer] with fire and terror and came far into East Beleriand. {Maglor}[Maelor] joined {Maidros}[Maeðros] upon Himring; but {Cranthir}[Caranthir] fled and joined the remnant of his people to the scattered folk of the {hunters}hunter, {Damrod and Diriel}[Amrod], and they retreated and passed Rhamdal in the South. Upon Amon Ereb they maintained a watch and some strength of war, and they had aid of the Green-elves; and the Orcs came not yet into Ossiriand RB-DB-25 {or the wild of South Beleriand}<LQ1 nor to Taur-im-Duinath and the wilds of the south>.
[Here the picture 'Dragon with Warrior' is added with its name as title]
§143 For nearly two years the {Gnomes}[Noldor] still defended the west pass about the sources of Sirion, for the power of Ulmo was in that water, and {Golmund}[Glaurung] would not yet adventure that way, for the time of his full strength was not come; and {Minnastirith}[Minas Tirith] withstood the Orcs. But at length after the fall of Fingolfin, which is told hereafter, RB-DB-26 <GA Morgoth learning now of the defeat of the sons of {Finrod}[Finrafin], and the scattering of the people of Fëanor, hemmed RB-DB-27{Fingolfin}[Fingon] in Hithlum and sent a great force to attack the westward pass into the vales of Sirion>. Sauron came against Orodreth, the warden of the tower, with RB-DB-28 {a host of} Balrogs. RB-DB-29 {Sauron was the chief servant of the evil Vala, whom he had suborned to his service in Valinor from among the people of the Gods. He was become a wizard of dreadful power, master of necromancy,}<LQ1 Now Sauron, whom the RB-DB-30 {Noldor call Gorthu}<LQ2 Sindar called Gorthaur>, was the chief servant of Morgoth. RB-DB-31 {In Valinor he had dwelt among the people of the {gods}[Valar], but there Morgoth had drawn him to evil and to his service. }He was become now a sorcerer of dreadful power, master of shadows and of ghosts,> foul in wisdom, cruel in strength, mis-shaping what he touched, twisting what he ruled, lord of werewolves: his dominion was torment. RB-DB-32 <GA and his hosts broke through and besieged the fortress of {Inglor}[Finrod], {Minnas-tirith}[Minas-Tirith] upon Tolsirion.> He took {Minnastirith}[Minas Tirith] by assault, RB-DB-33 {the tower of {Inglor}[Finrod] upon the isle of Sirion,}<GA after bitter fighting> for a dark cloud of fear fell upon those that defended it; RB-DB-34 <GA and Orodreth the {brother of Inglor}[Steward of Finrod] who held it was driven out. There he would have been slain, but Celegorn and Curufin came up with their riders, and such other force as they could gather, and they fought fiercely, and stemmed the tide for a while; and thus Orodreth escaped and came to Nargothrond. Thither also at last before the might of Sauron fled Celegorn and Curufin with small following; and they were harboured in Nargothrond gratefully, and the griefs that lay between the houses of Finrod and Fëanor were for that time forgotten. RB-DB-35 <moved from aboveThus it came to pass that the people of Celegorn swelled the strength of Felagund, but it would have been better, as after was seen, if they had remained in the East among their own kin.>
§154 But Sauron took {Minnas-tirith}[Minas Tirith] and made it into a watch-tower for Morgoth, and filled it with evil; for he was a sorcerer and a master of phantoms and terror. And the fair isle of Tolsirion became accursed and was called Tol-in-Gaurhoth, Isle of Werewolves; for Sauron fed many of these evil things.> {and}And he made it a stronghold of evil, and a menace; {[Footnote to the text: And it became called {Tol-na-Gaurhoth}[Tol-in-Gaurhoth], the Isle of Werewolves.]} for no living creature could pass through that vale that he did not espy from the tower where he sat. And Morgoth held now also the western pass and his terror filled the fields and woods of Beleriand.

To be continued.