On 21-26 June 472 FA, the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, or Nirnaeth Arnoediad, was fought in Middle Earth between the Union of Maedhros under Maedhros and Fingon against Angband under Morgoth during the Wars of Beleriand.
Why did it happen?
Following Morgoth’s victory at the Battle of Sudden Flame in 455 FA, the Noldor lost complete control of the north of Beleriand with only the strongholds of Hithlum, Himring and Nargathrond remaining. However, after Beren and Luthien successfully stole a Silmaril from Angband in 466 FA, Maedhros became convinced that Morgoth could be overthrown and in 468 FA established the Union of Maedhros comprising Elves, Men and Dwarves from all over Beleriand. By 472 FA, even though many Noldor refused to join the Union because of the Oath of Feanor and the evils that his sons had committed earlier in the First Age, the Union was ready to assault Angband. However, after the Union cleared Beleriand and Dorthonion of Orcs, Morgoth was alerted to Maedhros’ plans through his network of spies and was prepared for the coming battle.
Who was involved?
The Union of Maedhros at the Nirnaeth Arnoediad numbered 40,000 Elves, Men and Dwarves. The force was divided into two armies: The western army was stationed in the valleys and woods below Ered Wethrin under Fingon and the eastern army was stationed at Dorthonian under Maedhros himself. The western army consisted of 30,000 Elves and Men from Hithlum, Falas, Brethil, Nargothrond and Gondolin while the eastern army consisted of 10,000 Elves, Men and Dwarves from Himring, Amon Ereb, Nogrod and Belegost. The Union of Maedhros’ strategy was for the eastern army to advance over the plain of Anfauglith to lure Morgoth’s armies out of Angband before Fingon’s forces attacked Angband’s army from the west and surrounded it. Angband’s army at the Nirnaeth Arnoediad numbered 100,000 Orcs, Wargs, Balrogs, Dragons and Easterlings. Angband’s strategy was to send out a token force of Orcs to bait the Union of Maedhros into attacking before unleashing its full strength to annihilate the Elves, Men and Dwarves.
What happened?
On 21 June, after Angband’s Orcs executed Gelmir in front of the Western Army, the Noldor under Gwindor and Fingon ordered an attack, cutting their way through the Orcish ranks. As the Western Army drove the Orcs back to the walls of Angband, Gwindor and the Elves of Nargathrond penetrated the gate and slew Morgoth’s bodyguards upon the stairs of Angband. But after Morgoth unleashed his hidden reserves of Orcs, Gwindor was taken prisoner and Fingon was driven from the walls of Angband. After retreating over the Plain of Anfauglith, the army of Fingon was surrounded by Angband’s Orcs on 24 June, with desperate fighting continuing for two days. At 3 am on 26 June, Turgon and the Eastern Army under Maedhros arrived to relieve Fingon’s beleaguered forces. Just as victory seemed assured, however, Morgoth unleashed his Wargs, Balrogs and Dragons from Angband. To make matters worse, the Easterlings under Ulfang and Bor betrayed the Union of Maedhros and attacked the Union's forces in the flank and rear. While Maedhros and the Noldor of the Eastern Army hewed their way out of the encirclement and retreated southward, the Dwarves of Belegost remained on the battlefield and wounded the Dragon Glaurang, forcing his brood to retreat. At the same time, Fingon and Turgon engaged the Balrog, Gothmog, who slew Fingon with his black axe. With the battle lost, Turgon ordered a retreat south to the Pass of Sirion. To safeguard his retreat, Hurin, Huor and the Men of Hador fought a rear-guard action with Hurin slaying 70 Orcs before being captured. The battle had been a disaster for the Union of Maedhros with 20,000 Men, Elves and Dwarves being killed in the six-day encounter.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Unnumbered Tears was a decisive victory for Angband. In the aftermath of the battle, the Orcs of Angband gathered all the dead Elves, Men and Dwarves and piled their bodies in a mound on the Plain of Anfauglith. So decisive was Morgoth’s victory in the battle that the following year, large numbers of Orcs and Wargs invaded and established themselves in Beleriand as far south as Nar-tathren in the west and Ossiriand in the east. As stated by J.R.R. Tolkien, “The realm of Fingon was no more; and the sons of Feanor wandered as leaves before the wind. Their arms were scattered, and their league broken; and they took to a wild and woodland life beneath the feet of Ered Lindon, mingling with the Green-elves of Ossiriand, bereft of their power and glory of old” (Tolkien, 2013, p.231). Turgon of Gondolin, who had contributed 10,000 Elves to the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, became the new king of the Noldor, but in 510 FA, Gondolin was discovered and sacked by Angband’s forces and Turgon was killed. Morgoth continued to dominate Beleriand until his defeat by the Valar in 587 FA during the War of Wrath, which formally ended the First Age.
Bibliography
Kieran. “Fifth Battle - Nirnaeth Arnoediad (The Battle of Unnumbered Tears).” 6mm Wargaming. Last revised July 2021. www.6mm.wargaming.info/FAFifthBattle.shtml
Larsen, Merlin Douglas. “The wars of Beleriand – Battles from the Silmarillion.” Larsen Family. Accessed August 2, 2022. www.larsen-family.us/~1066/silbattles.html
Tolkien, J.R.R. & Tolkien, Christopher. The Children of Hurin. London, Harper Collins Publishers, 2007.
Tolkien, J.R.R. & Tolkien, Christopher. The History of Middle Earth: The Book of Lost Tales Part One. London, Allen & Unwin, 1983.
Tolkien, J.R.R. & Tolkien, Christopher. The History of Middle Earth: The Shaping of Middle Earth. London, Allen & Unwin, 1986.
Tolkien, J.R.R. & Tolkien, Christopher. The Silmarillion. London, Harper Collins Publishers, 2013.