In Feanor's Footsteps - Page 8
© Michael Martinez
It doesn't seem like the mountains were ringing beneath the feet of the Elves. So the Vanyar and Noldor must have been sent to deal with Morgoth's Orcs, and perhaps some of the Men who had been allowed to settle in Beleriand. Orome could have gone hunting dragons across the countryside, while Tulkas led the vanguard of Eonwe's army, pushing back the more powerful Maiar in Morgoth's service. Eonwe could have led the central army north along Sirion.
But it shouldn't take 40 years to move the world's most powerful armies north along Sirion. At worst, it may have required a year to move as north as Tol Sirion, assuming Morgoth's forces slowly retreated. On the other hand, what if the struggles between the Maiar and Valar required that they rest for extended periods of time? It might require a year to move only a hundred miles or so, for then the Valar and Maiar with the Host of Valinor would have to confront their counterparts and rest.
But it may also be that the Teleri were bringing a constant stream of new troops to Middle-earth for several years. The voyages probably lasted for weeks or months, and there is no reason to assume that their fleet could carry all of Eonwe's troops in one pass.
And then we must keep in mind that the war concluded with two massive battles or campaigns. In the first phase, Morgoth's assembled on Anfauglith. The Host of Valinor met the enemy there in the north and proved to be victorius. So, how long did the fighting last? And if the mountains rang beneath the feet of the Valar and Maiar, did they spend some time rootng out Morgoth's forces in the Ered Wethrin and the Echoriath? There must have been skirmishing or significant battles throughout the mountains. It may be that Morgoth's forces fought delaying actions while he assembled his main hosts on Anfauglith.
But though there must have been dragons serving Morgoth, there were no winged dragons in sight. Morgoth held the winged dragons back until all his other forces were destroyed. The fighting must have lasted a long time, if only because the Elves and Edain (who had been freed at some point to fight beside the Host of Valinor) could not travel across the landscape instantaneuously. Perhaps there were several battles for control over Anfauglith before the Host of Valinor swept around Angband.
And then the winged dragons came out. There must have been many of them. One can almost imagine a multitude of the creatures craning their long necks for a glimpse of the battle, eager to join the war. But Morgoth held them back until it was too late to save his armies. Nonetheless, they poured out of Angband with such fury that the Host of Valinor was thrown into dismay. Eonwe, Orome, and Tulkas must have all been stunned by the attack, as well as all their Maiaric soliders. The Vanyar and Noldor, and the Edain, would have never seen anything like the winged dragons.
The copyright of the article In Feanor's Footsteps - Page 8 in J.R.R. Tolkien is owned by Michael Martinez. Permission to republish In Feanor's Footsteps - Page 8 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
