Before the Numenoreans Came - Page 2
© Michael Martinez
The assault upon Morgoth thus had to begin with an assault upon Middle-earth itself, really. Morgoth would have been able to use the very land to fight the Host of Valinor. And the Valar would have had to destroy the land in order to diminish Morgoth's strength. So it makes sense that the Host of Valinor landed as far to the north as possible, as close to Angband as possible. They would be bypassing the greater part of Morgoth's disseminated strength. More importantly, they would be closer to Morgoth's physical incarnation, which was essentially the goal of their war.
The War of the Jewels for all intents and purposes ended with the assault upon Gondolin. The Elves never again mounted a campaign against Morgoth and he never again took direct action against them. With the fall of Gondolin the Elves were reduced to three relatively small and ineffectual enclaves: Ossiriand, where a few Feanorians had taken refuge with the Green-elves, Arvernien, where refuges from Doriath and Gondolin established a new colony with some of the Edain; and Balar, where refugees from Hithlum (Sindar such as Annael), Nargothrond, and the Falas had established a colony after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.
Many other Elves wandered through Beleriand, outcasts or Avari, or were enslaved in Angband. Some of these Elves, it may be supposed, eventually reached Arvernien, and from there made their way to Balar. But when the Feanorians destroyed Arvernien in the year 538, a significant number of Elves died. The free Elvish population of Beleriand was reduced to its smallest size. From the Feanorians, the Balarians, and the Ossiriandic Elves were eventually drawn the Eldar who established the realm of Lindon in the Second Age.
The Valar and Maiar, with their Amanic allies of Vanyar and Noldor, were aided by the Beorians and Marachians of Hithlum. By 545 these Edain had lived in slavery for more than 70 years, nearly three of their generations. Virtually no one should have been left alive who could remember the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. Absolutely no Men should have been left alive who would have had contact with the Edain of Estolad, those Beorians and Marachians who fled east over the mountains in or soon after the year 455, the year of the Dagor Bragollach, when Morgoth broke the Siege of Angband.
At least 90 years after Edainic refugees entered Eriador from the west carrying tales of the victories of Morgoth over the Eldar and Men of Beleriand, Edainic men rose up against their Easterling masters and joined the Host of Valinor. It was this service in the final war against Morgoth which ensured that the Edain of Hithlum (and whatever Edain from Brethil may have joined them) would be rewarded by the Valar with the gift of the island in the Sea that became Numenor. But it was also this service which would ensure that the western Edain would lose contact with their eastern cousins.
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