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A History of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Part 2 - Page 5

© Michael Martinez

Most of the original leaders of the Alliance never saw the end they worked so hard to achieve: Gil-galad, Elendil, Oropher, Amdir, and Anarion all perished. The Elvish forces suffered grievous losses, as apparently did Arnor's host, too. Nothing is said of what happened to Khazad-dum's army and king.

One of the probable benefits of the war to the Free Peoples was a diminishment of the Black Numenoreans who, though not destroyed, were unable to establish a great kingdom like Gondor or Arnor (unless it were Umbar, which eventually was conquered). But one of the great costs of the war would have been the virtual ruin of the ancient Beleriandic civilization in Lindon. Cirdan's folk absorbed a remnant of Gil-galad's people into Mithlond and some may have settled in or near Imladris, but most of the survivors abandoned Middle-earth⁵⁷.

Arnor emerged from the struggle greatly weakened. Gondor, however, grew in power from that time onward, and for more than 1600 years maintained a watch upon Mordor against Sauron's eventual return. The Alliance failed to achieve a lasting victory over Sauron, largely because in the end Isildur failed to destroy the One Ring when he had the chance. And yet, had he followed the advice of Cirdan and Elrond, what would have become of the Elves in Middle-earth? Isildur's folly was the Alliance's triumph, for the Eldar were thus able to use their three remaining Rings of Power for more than 3000 years to enhance their world.

Tolkien wrote that the Third Age was "the fading years of the Eldar. For long they were at peace, wielding the Three Rings while Sauron slept and the One Ring was lost; but they attempted nothing new, living in memory of past." (The Return Of The King, p. 365). Perhaps they established no new kingdoms, but the Elvish songs relating the tragic stories of Nimrodel and the Ents' search for the Ent-wives show that the Elves continued to flourish and interact with other peoples around them long after the war was over.

To be continued in Part 3...

Michael Martinez is the author of Visualizing Middle-earth, which may be purchased directly from Xlibris Corp. or through any online bookstore. You may also special order it from your local bookstore. The ISBN is 0-7388-3408-4.

The copyright of the article A History of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Part 2 - Page 5 in J.R.R. Tolkien is owned by Michael Martinez. Permission to republish A History of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Part 2 - Page 5 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.