Ñoldor

The Noldor (also Tatyar, Aulendur, and Deep Elves) were the second Elven tribe. Noldor tribe originated from Tata, the Elf that awoke after Eru Iluvatar raised the first Elves near the bay of Cuivienen. The first set of elves were Imin and Iminyë, his wife. Near the couple, Tata awoke with his wife Tatie, and after his awakening came the Third tribe Enel and Enelye. When Tata and his wife awoke, they had 54 elves with them. The Noldor elves have dark hairs unless they have mixed blood with the Vanyarin. When Orome, who discovered the Elves when they first awoke at Cuivienen and gave them the name Eldar, entered Valinor he had Finwe with him. Finwe was the first Noldo to enter Valinor and therefore became the King of Noldor in Tirion.

The Noldor in Tirion, Aman, with him spoke Noldorin. When Dark Lord Melkor infiltrated the elves and turned their hearts against one another, Feanor confronted his brother Half-brother, Fingolfin, and the Valar banished him from Tirion. Feanor left and built Formenos which was north of Valinor and a stronghold for him and his sons. The King of Noldor in Tirion left with his son, Feanor, and a great number of the Noldor followed him into exile. The Ñoldor were reckoned as the most knowledgeable among the Eldars in war, lore, and craft. Fëanor was the most skilled of Noldor's craftsmen. When Finwë died from the evil of Melkor who had also stolen Feanor's Silmarils, Fëanor hated him and labeled him Morgoth. He swore to lead his clan to retrieve the Silmarils from him in Middle-earth (Endor). This event led to the War of Jewels.

While in Valinor, the Noldor are the most beloved to Aule as he taught them the knowledge of the craft and other valuable knowledge, earning them the name Aulendur (the students of Aule). Their first King was Finwe, for he was the first of their tribe in Valinor. Miriel was Finwe's wife, and she bore his only son named Feanor. When she died, FInwe was devastated, he lost his joy in Valinor and only had his son to remind him of life's happiness. Feanor grew to become his pride as he was the best of the Noldor in craftsmanship. He was everything that represented the Noldor heritage in speech and action.

In his prime, Feanor made the Silmarils. The jewel was forged from the inspiration of the Trees of Valinor. Finwe decided to marry again and took his wife from the Vanyar. He had four more children from his union to Indis. Feanor grew in dislike of his Half Siblings and that he would not be the only heir anymore. His pride became apparent, and his arrogance grew. He became hostile to his Half-brothers, Fingolfin and his younger brother, Finarfin (Ancestry of most Noldor with non-black hair because of his Vanyar mother). When Melkor gained freedom from captivity in the Halls of Mandos, after deceiving his brother Manwe. He went to Valinor full of hatred for the Noldor because of their enlightenment. He began to spread hatred and corruption among the elves.

Melkor found the tension in the house of Noldor and increased it with lies and deceit. He told the common elves that the Valar wanted to prevent them from power and taking control of the lands in Middle-earth by making them stay in Aman. With the influence of Melkor, Feanor confronted his half-brother Fingolfin with a sword and the Valar condemned his actions, sending him into exile. Many Noldor had already conceived that the Valar wanted to keep the dominion of Endor from their reach therefore they followed Feanor, and his father, King Finwe also followed him to exile.

After Melkor achieved the disunity in the House of the Noldor, he proceeded to seek the help of Ungolianth in destroying the trees that lit Valinor. He then fled to Endor after also killing the High King Finwe of the Noldor and taking his Silmarils. Feanor saw what Melkor had done, he hated that his father was killed and the Silmarils was stolen, and therefore swore to get back the Jewel from Melkor. He also incited his people to abandon Valar and go to take charge of the Kingdoms in Endor to rule by their will. He convinced the members with Royal Lines to aid his cause and stand against whoever hindered them from the aim. Fingolfin was wise and upheld the position of Feanor as the most senior son of Finwe Noldor. He didn't want to abandon his people, so he followed Feanor. Fingolfin relied on his wisdom and strength and was able to keep most of the Noldor on his side.

Before the Noldor who pledged to Feanor departed they requested the Falmari to aid them with their ships, but they declined. When Feanor and some Noldor saw their need for the ships, they fought and killed their kind from the Teleri tribe. Fingolfin left with his group after the group that followed Feanor, and found the Noldor fighting the Teleri, he thought the Teleri were trying to usurp the Noldor and joined in the fight. The group that left with Finarfin was late for the fight between the Noldor and Teleri, and unlike his brother, didn't take part in the fight. Feanor and his people had committed a great crime.

They were guilty of fratricide. The Mandos of Valar met with them for their crime and warned them to desist from such actions or meet their doom and grief as punishment. When the Noldor saw the threat from the Mandos, some of them including the brother of Fingolfin, Finarfin, who had followed Feanor to gain Endor, but had no hands in the fratricide returned to seek pardon from the Valar. The Valar accepted their apology and received them. The rest of the Ñoldor remained adamant on achieving the cause, to enter Endor for power. Among the other Noldor was the daughter of Finarfin, Galadriel.

When they reached the Undying Lands of Endor, Feanor was desperate to keep the Noldors in Endor, therefore, he destroyed the ships with fire. The Noldor felt bitter and departed with Fingolfin to the lands of the north. The Noldor reached the northernmost part of Belegaer with broken packs of ice called Helcaraxe. They must scale the Helcaraxe to proceed. Many of them didn't make it. The death the Fingolfin faction experienced in Helcaraxe further increased their hatred for the House of Feanor. The First Age began with the event of the Helcaraxe. [1]

It didn't take long before the group that remained with Feanor lost him as he was ambushed by the forces of Melkor, the Morgoth when he left his retinue. After the death of Feanor, Morgoth took his heir, Maedhros, hostage. Maedhros was a close friend to Fingon, the heir of Fingolfin. When Fingon heard of his situation, he rode to his rescue from the Thangorodrim within the Iron Mountains of Morgoth. Noldor realized the broken ties could be restored with the love between the grandsons of Finwe, and they ended their feud. Maedhros was due to take the position of his father, but he pledged allegiance and then gave his throne to his father's brother as gratitude to the house of Fingolfin for the rescue at Thangorodrim. Thus, Fingolfin became the third of the High King Noldor had. His brothers weren't pleased with this decision but couldn't do anything. They called themselves The Displaced because their right has been passed from them. All the same, Noldor grew as a nation and the realm of Beleriand was established. The Noldor began to see what Feanor had envisioned as a dominion of their own, as opposed to the subjugated elves they were at Valinor. The House of Feanor and his brother, Fingolfin, had no rancor for an extended period, although the Curse of Feanturi (Mandos) was upon the House of Feanor.

High King of Noldor, Fingolfin ruled Hithlum for a long period. His rule was known for its war against Morgoth. In F. A 75, Ñoldor beleaguered the mighty fortress of Morgoth in Angband. The siege remained for 380 years until Morgoth broke it. Fingolfin left his throne in frustration and went to Angband to challenge Morgoth to a duel. He fought a good fight and dealt seven wounds to Morgoth before he was killed. The Lord of Eagles, Thorondor [2] hit Morgoth on his face and carried Fingolfin's body. Fingon, the heir of Fingolfin, took over from him as King. The brother of Fingons, Turgon, created the hidden Gondolin. Maedhros the son of Feanor organized an attack of allied forces but failed, this battle resulted in Nirnaeth Arnoediad. An event that ended in disaster for Ñoldor. Fingon died and Turgon took over from him. Gil-galad, Fingon's heir, was protected from harm. Turgon became the new king but the title did not matter to him as he withdrew to his Secret Kingdom in Gondolin. He had intended to hide the city and himself from Morgoth.

Turgon lived in secrecy, despite being the High King of the Noldor for a long time until he met betrayal from Maeglin. Gondolin was attacked and its people fled to the south for safety. Turgon lost his life in the event, and he had no heir. The Kingship of Noldor returned to the line of his elder brother, Fingon. Gil-galad the son of Figon became King and the last king of Noldor. The Valar finally had enough of Morgoth's evil and descended to capture him. In F. A 583, the Great Battle took place. In the war, Morgoth was captured and exiled to the void. The region of Beleriand sank, except Ossiriand (later Lindon) and other Isles. In Endor, the Second Age began with the fall of Morgoth. The Valinor summoned Ñoldor and raised the Curse of Feanturi from them, they were offered hope of return but the people had different reactions. Some Noldor departed to ease their grief on Endor while others refused to leave due to pride and unwillingness to abandon their status in the lands on Endor. One of the most powerful elves that stayed behind was Galadriel. She stayed because of pride and that she felt she was more powerful in Endor.

In the early years of the Second Age, Gil-galad established Lindonas as a new Kingdom. He had the longest rule of all High Kings from descendants of Finwe. Gil-galad ruled as the High King all through the Second Age. He was so powerful that the Noldor of Eregion accepted him as their King. By the time the Second Age ended, his powerful allies, The Numenoreans, lost the Land of Numenor. High King Elendil and his sons reached Endor and established the Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor. The elves of Noldor longed for the bliss in Valinor, despite the power and influence they had on Endor. They know that they can live in eternal bliss as opposed to the life of immortality in Endor that has hardship, grief, and worst of all the weariness of time.

When the Elves of Noldor began to show there desire for Valinor for its bliss, Sauron the servant of the Dark Lord Melkor disguised as Annatar the Lord of Gifts came to the elves claiming to be an emissary from Aule to present them with the gift that promised power and bliss. Gil-galad and Elrond, along with Galadriel who were elves with an innate knowledge of the Noldor had doubts about the mysterious being and his promise of gifts, therefore, they disregarded his offering. For the elves of Eregion under the rule of Celebrimbor, from the line of Feanor, it was a different event entirely. The Noldor were captivated by his methodology, and they held teachings dearly. When he saw the acceptance he received from the Noldor of Eregion, he began his plan. He offered to teach their leader the knowledge of the craft to make the ring of power. Annatar taught him the craftsmanship to make the Rings of Power.

Celebrimbor understood him because he inherited the skills of craftsmanship from his grandfather. Celebrimbor secretly made the three rings that were the greatest of rings made; Narya, Nenya, and Vilya. The rings had mysterious power that would guide and preserve the bearer against the effect and weariness caused by time. He made the rings to ease and help fulfill the elf lords' desires in good intention and free from evil. But Sauron had overridden him from the outset. The method he taught him would make the ring connected to his evil ring. He secretly gave out the rings to the High Elven Lords. Galadriel took Nenya, Vilya was given to Gil-galad, and Vilya and Círdan received Narya. The High Elven Lords didn't know that they were misled by Annatar. He taught Celebrimbor the skills with a different motive. Annatar had intended to create another ring to control the will of all other ring bearers.

Sauron secretly made another ring that would control the rest. He put it in his finger and the Elves due to their power and knowledge sensed that something was wrong with the ring and removed it. They gradually understood his intentions and kept the ring. Gil-galad had the most powerful ring of the elf lords, he kept it with Elrond, and he told Elrond to bear it on his hand if Sauron should fall. Sauron realized the elves had uncovered his plans, therefore, he declared war on them. He destroyed Eregion that he pretended to love and killed Celebrimbor, the best of the very few Noldor that knows the craftsmanship of Feanor and the one with the skill required to produce the ring. The Numenoreans captured Sauron and kept him captive.

Sauron stayed in Numenor and gradually achieved his deceitful ways after disguising to gain the trust of the leaders. He increased their greed with his gift and incited them to war against the Valar themselves. On the ship to execute their plans, Iluvatar intervened and Numenor drowned with his navy and Sauron. There Sauron lost his physical body but his spirit managed to return to Mordor. With the Numenoreans gone, Sauron thought he had the main force in Numenor destroyed and could attack the Noldor, but he was wrong, for in his absence Gil-galad grew in power. He attacked and was met with Alliance forces of Elendil and Gil-galad, both determined above all to end his confusion once and for all. These forces headed to Mordor and thwarted the forces of Sauron in Dagorlad and later during the beleaguering of Barad-dûr. Gil-galad was so powerful that he challenged Sauron to a duel.

Gil-galad fought Sauron with the help of Elendil's. Together they inflicted so many injuries on him that he lost his physical form. Gil-galad of Noldor didn't live to witness his victory. Sauron's hand burned him. Gil-galad had no heir, so the rule of the Noldor went to Valinor and was taken by Finarfin. Although Elrond was later seen as the leader of Noldor because he was a descendant of Tuor, the adopted son of Turgon who he gave his daughter Idril's hand in marriage, although his right to the Kingship was not entirely clear.

Following the defeat of Sauron, the elves believed they could use the ring as it is free from the influence of Sauron. The Elves created their enchanted Kingdoms with the ring in Rivendell and Lorien, but Cirdan didn't. He gave his ring to Gandalf to use in his activities. The two Elvish realms felt like Valinor with the power of the ring. However, in the Third Age, Ñoldor shrunk greatly, when the Third Age came to an end, all Ñoldor that remained on Endor lived in Rivendell, except for Galadriel in Lorien. The rings with the Elvish high lords were almost free from Sauron's evil because they were made by Celebrimbor and Sauron never saw them. But he taught Clebrimbor the same art he used for the One ring, so the rings are connected to it.

The consequence was that the ring's power faded with the destruction of the One Ring and the Elves, led by Galadriel, and Elrond left Endor for Valinor as they began to feel the weariness that comes with time once more. After the Fourth Age, Rivendell was all that was left of the Ñoldorin settlement on Middle Earth. Elrond had left the duo of Elladan and Elrohir, his two sons to Celebrian, to delay their choice between a mortal life in Endor and the immortality of Valinor. With the death of High King Gil-galad, the High Kingship of the Noldorin [3] ended in Endor. Although The Kings of Arnor later laid a claim to High Kingship this was in a less general sense. For instance, The High Kingship of Dunedain was no more than the King of Dunedain.

While Elrond was on Endor there weren't many elves, and it couldn't be ascertained if he had any right to it. Concerning the Silmarillion, Finarfin assumed kingship of the Ñoldor who sought pardon and stayed back in Aman during the periods of exile. It is uncertain if he was regarded as a "High King" at the periods of exile and after the War of Wrath or not. There is also another possibility that only Ingwe remained the High King in Aman. Although there are accounts that Miriel had forgone her right to re-embody which is strange because there is no basis for not doing so. Based on the Silmarillion, the dead elves can reincarnate. The confusion lies in who can lay claim to Kingship after the War of the Last Alliance, but there isn't an answer for it. Heir of Turgon, Earendil, and mariner could make a claim too. Tolkien based the principle of Inheritance of kingdoms and succession on the rule of firstborn, primogeniture.

Which makes a lot of sense for men due to their short life span. But the same method of inheritance can become complex when it comes to the elves. The elven life is immortal, they can reincarnate even if they died physically so Primogeniture wouldn't work for them. To support the perspective in the controversial event that occurred between the sons of Feanor, Maedhros, and Fingolfin. It can be seen that Maedhros gave up his birthright as the direct heir to High King when he could have easily become one of the strongest contenders for the position. Giving up the right to Kingship as the first son of the first son of Finwe would destroy hopes of Kingship for his brothers. Although from another perspective, by affirming that he willingly for-go his right to Kingship, he was making a sacrifice so that he would unite the Noldor under one recognized Household and finally remove the enmity within the Household of Fingolfin and Feanor.

Other versions of the legendarium showed that Tolkien most often referred to The Noldor when he was called Noldoli or Gnomes in the early editions of The Hobbit. Also, the Noldor were the people that used the Gnomish language [4] that was later called Sindarin. In the story of Beren and Luthien, the use of Gnome and Noldoli occurred in the complete tale. In subsequent writings, to refer to the Noldorin elves, the spelling "Ñoldor" was employed, rather than Noldor. Also, the earlier form of the word Ñoldo came from s more ancient Quendi origin Ngolodo which changed to Ngoldo (Ñoldo) in Quenya, and in Sindarin, Golodh. The Quenya as it was used in Endor during the Third Age involves the use of an "n" for "ng". Therefore, the pronunciation effectively became Noldor. The published Silmarillion made a few mistakes in the Family Tree. Some placements were wrong. The First was that the son of Fingolfin, Argon, who was the third, did not appear in the version of the Silmarillion that was published. Then in the representation of the Family Tree, the correct placement would have Orodreth as the son of Angrod and Orodreth as the father of Gil-galad. Therefore, Finarfin was the great-grandfather of Gil-galad and Angrod was his grandfather. From Finarfin to Angrod, to Orodreth, and then Gil-galad was the correct representation.

1. ^The Helcaraxë in the far North.
2. ^Thorondor, Lord of the Eagles.
3. ^The Elf-lords of the Noldor.
4. ^Gnomish Language.