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A History of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Part 1 - Page 4

© Michael Martinez

Although Sauron was a Maia of great power and wisdom, he seems to have underestimated the resolve and skill of his foes. Gil-galad, born in Beleriand in the First Age¹⁹, was a native son of Middle-earth, ruling his people in the last remnant of Beleriand itself, now called Lindon. He may have seemed weak to Sauron, having taken no action against Morgoth in the First Age, and unable or unwilling to defeat Sauron's own armies in Eriador without the aid the Dunedain. But the strategy the Eldar had used in their war with Sauron was Gil-galad's, who led the victorious army of Lindon and Numenor in sweeping Sauron's forces from the north. As High King of the Elves of the West, he sent Elrond against Sauron in the early years of the War of the Elves and Sauron²⁰. Beside Gil-galad stood Cirdan, most ancient of the Elven lords and wise with the bitter lessons learned in the long war against Morgoth. Cirdan had been the only Sindarin lord to ally himself with the Noldor against Morgoth in the War of the Jewels²¹. Since Gil-galad had dwelt with Cirdan from an early age, the Noldorin king must have been greatly influenced by Cirdan, who was as brave and valiant as any Elven king. In the Second Age he befriended the Dunedain, teaching them how to build and sail ships, and how to manage the harbors they made in Middle-earth²². Cirdan, too, saw deep into the hearts of others, and he never refrained from the necessity of opposing either Morgoth or Sauron. Cirdan must have seemed a formidable opponent to Sauron. Elrond, being half-Elven, did not forget his ties to the Dunedain. He had marched with their fathers against Thangorodrim in the War of Wrath²³, and he was in Lindon when Veantur first sailed to Middle-earth. He would have known Aldarion in his youth, the great mariner King of Numenor. Although he failed to break through Sauron's forces to relieve Eregion, Elrond had preserved many Elves and Men from death or capture in the War of the Elves and Sauron, and he withstood a lengthy siege. Descended of a powerful Maia and of both Sindarin and Noldorin kings, Elrond had been fostered by a son of Feanor, had stood with the Host of Valinor at the breaking of Thangorodrim, and had been enhanced by Eonwe in wisdom and skill upon choosing to be of Elven-kind. As he was Gil-galad's vice-regent in Eriador²⁴, so Elrond may have represented the High King of the Elves of the West in his dealings with other Elven lords.

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