The Captains Crazy of Middle-earth

cunning gambit. Fingolfin simply lost it, like Feanor before him. He challenged Morgoth to single combat and induced him by slurs and insults to come forth, but once Morgoth showed up -- a giant clad in black armor -- Fingolfin must have realized he was in for it. What was the point, except to get an early trip back to Aman? Fingon proved to be less of a leader than his father. He tried to move the Noldor and Sindar to some action against Angband but no one other than Cirdan listened to him. Nonetheless, after Beren and Luthien retrieved a Silmaril from Angband, Maedhros realized that Morgoth could possibly still be beaten (in terms that he, an Elf, understood -- in fact, Morgoth could never have been defeated by the Elves, because he would only just raise new forces to replace those he lost). When Maedhros formed his Union Fingon joined gladly for friendship's sake and because he, too, believed Angband could be defeated once and for all (or at least that the Siege could be restored). Although Tolkien says that Maehdros struck too soon, taking back lands which had been lost, and thus alerting Morgoth to the impending counter-assault, it seems that the Elves' strategy was in fact to draw Morgoth out into the open again. Not Morgoth personally, but the main part of his armies. When the Elves fought the Orcs and other evil creatures on open ground, the Elves tended to win. And now Maedhros was counting on the support of the Dwarves as well as the Edain, and he had recruited yet more tribes of Men from the east. Despite the major defeats and losses nearly 20 years before, Maedhros probably had more soldiers in his Union than had fought in the Dagor Bragollach. The allies had time to call up forces, stockpile resources, and build up their armies. So even Nargothrond's refusal to aid in the war (because of the ill will between Orodreth, Finrod's successor, and the Feanorians) had little effect on the full course of Maedhros' plan. He really had the troops he needed to achieve his goal: the destruction of Morgoth's power to make war. The day of judgement finally came, and Fingon assembled his armies on the eastern slopes of the Ered Wethrin, the mountains between Hithlum and Anfauglith. There stood the flower of Noldorin soldiery, and beside them were the Edain -- even the Men

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