The Captains Crazy of Middle-earth

and the northern heights of Dorthonion. The Siege of Angband thus established lasted for about 450 years. Finrod eventually extended his kingdom south to include much of west Beleriand, and his kingdom became the largest in all Beleriand. But the principal fighting was handled by Hithlum, whose cavalry became legendary. They established strong patrols over Ard-galen, the plain between Angband and Hithlum and Dorthonion. Morgoth eventually broke the siege in the Dagor Bragollach, the Battle of Sudden Flame. He sent rivers of fire out to engulf Ard-galen, and Hithlum's cavalry was caught by surprise. A great part of Hithlum's standing army seems to have perished in the initial onslaught. By this time, however, the Edain had entered Beleriand and many Marachians had settled in Hithlum. The Beorians had established themselves in Dorthonion, but they and the Noldor under Angrod and Aegnor were unable to withstand the assault from Angband. Angrod and Aegnor both fell in battle, along with Bregolas the lord of the Beorians. Finrod rushed north to help but he arrived too late and was defeated in battle. Barahir brought the only help left, a part of the Beorian army, and extricated Finrod from the battle, but the Elven king forsook the north and fled back to Nargothrond. The Sindar in Dorthonion and the March of Maedhros either fled to Doriath or east over the Ered Luin to Eriador. Barahir had no one left but a remnant of his people. Most of the surviving Beorians fled west to Dor-lomin in Hithlum. Why did Barahir stay in Dorthonion? His love of his homeland was great, but he ended up getting all his men slaughtered. However few were left to him, he still had a small army or large company, and he fought a slow retreating battle until things became so desperate that his wife Emeldir gathered up all the women and children and took them south over the Mountains of Horror. Emeldir was remembered proudly for that decision, but it is fair to ask if she didn't disapprove of Barahir's stubborness. What was the point of staying in Dorthonion? He had no hope of recovering what had been lost, and he didn't have the men he needed to mount any real campaign against Morgoth. Barahir's single-minded devotion to the homeland was thus nearly as suicidal as Feanor's pursuit of the Orcs into Ard-galen. Westward in Hithlum the war hadn't gone so badly. Hithlum no longer had the

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