After the Almighty Algorithm decided to choke our videos on the Third Age of Tolkien’s Universe, we,
being gluttons for punishment, decided to make the videos on the First Age,
so the Almighty Algorithm can strangle them, too. So, welcome to the first video on the
earliest period of the history of Arda, as we cover the events that led to the
war against the first Dark Lord - Morgoth. Consider liking, sharing, and commenting,
it might save us from asphyxiation. Or not. Whatever floats our collective Swan-ships.
There’s a decent chance that hearing about a world written into existence by someone else makes you
want to try it yourself, and for that we offer you a special deal from our sponsor World Anvil.
It’s the ultimate world building toolset and RPG campaign manager. It packages the whole
creative process together, providing tools for organizing maps, developing encyclopedias of lore,
and straight up writing content. The upside to keeping it all in World
Anvil is that it's easy to distribute, collaborate, and ultimately monetise.
And of course it’s extremely useful for anyone who needs to see or update
the work to do so at any time, making it perfect for running role playing
campaigns in particular - loads of rulesets are natively supported, and more are on the way.
Even if it’s just for you, the wiki-like database of lore, interactive maps,
character sheets, timelines, and relationship diagrams make writing your best-selling novel
much easier! It’s got your data covered too - World Anvil makes secure backups in
multiple locations every day to protect your universe from disasters in the real world.
You can check out World Anvil via our link in the description. If you use our code WIZARDS,
they’ll give you forty percent off all recurring memberships,
so support our channel and your imagination by taking a look.
Before the creation, there was Eru Ilúvatar - Father of all, wielder of the Flame Imperishable,
and the Supreme Deity who subsequently saw fit to create the Ainur. The Ainur or Holy Ones were a
group of primordial spirits fashioned from the Flame Imperishable itself. The universe - Eä,
and Arda - the world upon which the events of the Silmarillion take place were created through
the Ainulindalë or the Music of Ainur, who all were in harmony, save for one of them - Melkor,
who disrupted it with discordant tones. Upon the creation of Arda, the Ainur descended
to the surface deciding to live there as long as it should last and fourteen of the most powerful
among them became the Valar or the Powers of the World. Melkor who would come to be known
as Morgoth claimed Lordship over Arda, the other Valar opted for Manwë who despite not
being as powerful as Melkor understood the thoughts of Eru more than any other.
Melkor turned away from such a path becoming the first Dark Lord and forever altering the future of
Arda. The remaining Ainur who were lesser in power were to become the Maiar following their descent.
The Valar would then set about bettering the world they found themselves in, however,
Melkor would continuously disrupt their efforts as he had initially in disrupting their music.
For a long time, Melkor set his might against that of the other Valar and held the upper hand
due to his immense strength ensuring that Arda remained shapeless due to his destructive nature.
That was of course until the mighty Tulkas made his way to Arda and upon his descent
tipped the balance in favour of the Valar forcing Melkor to flee from Arda for a time.
This departure allowed the Valar to make something of the world in preparation for
the coming of the Elves. They constructed two Great Lamps - Illuin the Silver Lamp to
the North and Ormal the Golden Lamp to the South, which brought light to the world,
setting their main place of dwelling within their light. This caused an explosion in
biological life which came to be known as the First Spring, but it was not to last, as Melkor
returned to Arda along with a number of Maiar Spirits who had attuned themselves to his music.
Melkor then created a mighty fortress in the North naming it Utumno and to defend raised
the Iron Mountains. Decay would begin to emerge from this portion of Arda, alerting the Valar.
It was too late: Melkor emerged from Utumno bringing and casting the lamps down.
The fire contained within them burned through a vast portion of Arda and in attempting to contain
such wanton destruction Melkor was allowed to flee north. Following this destruction,
the Valar withdrew to the continent of Aman and upon this land built Valinor, allowing Melkor
to assume his reign over Middle Earth. In creating Valinor, the Vala Yavanna the Giver of Fruits sang
into existence the Two Trees, Silver Telperion considered to be male and the Golden Laurelin
deemed female. They would provide the light the world now lacked, starting the Years of the Trees.
Meanwhile, Melkor turned the once beautiful Middle Earth into a dark and cruel land filled
with terrible creatures. He also built a lesser fortress to the West as a bulwark against the
Valar - Angband. The Valar were unsure where the Elves would awake and remained unwilling to wage
open war and risk them. As a result, Melkor sent spirits to assault the fledgling Elves in the form
of great horsemen in order to cause them to fear the Vala Oromë - Lord of the Forests, who would
be the first to come upon them on his forays into Middle Earth. Melkor then began capturing
the Elves through his servants, corrupting them through torture and foul magic, crafting the first
Orcs in mockery of the Elves and Eru Ilúvatar. The remaining Elves were aided by Oromë who quickly
came to love them and determined that he would not allow them to be consumed by Melkor’s hatred.
Melkor’s ascendancy was challenged, as Vala Oromë forced the other Valar into immediate action,
and in the War of the Powers, the overwhelming force of the Valar devastated the enemy,
forcing him to retreat to Utumno, and after a brutal siege, the Valar dragged Melkor from its
darkness, bounding him with the great chain - the Angainor which had been forged by the
Vala Aulë the great smith of the Valar. Melkor was brought to Valinor where he pleaded for clemency.
This was granted, but he was to remain chained within the Halls of Mandos for three ages.
While this seemed to be the end of the matter, the Valar had failed to fully destroy Utumno,
leaving many of its pits and vaults unexplored and as a result, a corrupted
Maiar Sauron remained at large. The Valar also didn’t destroy the Balrogs also known as the
Valaraukar who gathered at the ruined remnants of Angband and began a lengthy hibernation in
preparation for the return of their Dark Lord. Oromë returned to the Elves to summon them to
Aman to live in peace and harmony among the Valar. However, many of them feared the immense
power which the Valar had unleashed in their war against Melkor and they sent three representatives
to inspect Aman. Ingwë, Finwë, and Elwë returned speaking of the glory and bliss of Valinor,
and this began the Great Journey which also came to be known as the Sundering of the Elves, as all
of the Elvish people agreed to join the Valar in Valinor apart from the Avari who chose to remain.
Of the three main groups of Elves who agreed to make their way to Valinor the Vanyar and the
Ñoldor were most eager and reached the coast first being taken to Valinor on an island of
Tol Eressëa with the Vala Ulmo guiding them across the Belegaer also known as the Sundering Sea.
The Teleri drawn to the forests and rivers of Middle Earth were the slowest of the groups,
allowing their curiosity to get the better of them. This caused them to separate into multiple
splinter groups such as the Nandor who would go on to become the Wood-Elves of Wilderland and later
that of Beleriand. Many of the Teleri who disliked the sea withdrew settling in the wooded areas of
Region and Neldoreth that would later come to be known as the Doriath. The Teleri who were
drawn most deeply to the sea settled the Western Shores becoming the Falathrim and would be ruled
by the Elf Círdan who would found the coastal cities of Eglarest and Brithombar. However,
the majority of the Teleri would eventually leave Middle Earth and go to the island Tol
Eressëa led by Olwë, who would become their king, as his brother Elwë never returned to Valinor.
The three Elven clans would develop their own differing and rich cultures with Ingwë becoming
the King of the Vanyar and Finwë of the Ñoldor. Following the end of his sentence,
Melkor feigned repentance, and Manwë incapable of comprehending his corruption, ordered his release.
For a time, Melkor behaved once more as the true thought of Eru which he had initially
been formed to represent. However, Tulkas and Ulmo, the Valar most associated with water,
were slow to forgive and remained vigilant. In truth, his immense defeat at the hands of the
Valar had roused even greater malice within Melkor, who sought to bring ruin to Aman.
Gazing upon the paradise the Elves now enjoyed, Melkor’s greatest desire became the corruption
of this race and he found the Ñoldor the most willing to listen. Melkor spread lies among them,
bringing the Valar and particular their reasoning for bringing the Elves to Aman to disrepute.
He claimed the Valara neglected to inform the Elves of the coming of the race of Man and a vast
portion of the Noldor now believed that the Valar had stolen their birthright - Middle Earth, by
bringing them to Aman to allow the Men to inhabit those lands exclusively. the Ñoldor and they would
begin to openly dissent against the Valar, with the chief amongst these dissidents
being Fëanor, the firstborn son of the Finwë. Born in Valinor during the Years of the Trees,
Fëanor drew so much strength from his mother Miriel that she voluntarily left her life
to go to the Halls of Mandos. After some time, his father Finwë would remarry an Elvish woman
Indis who bore him four further children Fingolfin, Finarfin, Findis, and Irimë.
Fëanor disliked his mother-in-law and wasn’t fond of his step-siblings. He lived apart from
them during this time as an apprentice to the master smith Mahtan, learning his craft at the
feet of the Vala Aulë himself. Mahtan taught him much of metallurgy and he would soon marry his
daughter Nerdanel, who bore him seven sons. Fëanor spent the majority of his time either
in solitude or among his children who were completely loyal to him. He became restless
exploring the majority of Aman and continuously crafting new and increasingly masterful works.
The greatest achievement of Fëanor was the creation of the three breathtaking gems -
Silmarils. He captured the intermingled light of the Two Trees of Valinor and sealed it into three
large diamond-like gems. Their beauty brought great praise to Fëanor and he came to love these
gems above all else, coveting them with immense greed, ignoring that the light which ensured
their beauty was not of his own making. He would vainly put the jewels on display one day before
fearing for their welfare the next and guarding them from all but his closest family members. His
greed and jealousy would eventually cause him to keep the jewels under lock and key at all times.
In spite of his immense hatred and fear of Melkor, Fëanor became the loudest Noldor expressing
discontent with the stewardship of the Valar, who were distracted by this young Princeling,
which allowed Melkor to continue his work in the background unperturbed.
The Valar did not act immediately, as was their way, and were only roused to action
when Fëanor threatened his brother Fingolfin with violence, causing them to summon the Elf
to the Ring of Doom to answer for his actions. Feanor claimed that Melkor had convinced him
that his half-brother sought to usurp his heirship to his father’s position and to take from him the
Silmarils. Tulkas immediately departed in search of his hated enemy, but Melkor could not be found.
Although he was provoked by Melkor, Fëanor’s actions and their consequences remained his own,
and the Valar exiled him to Formenos in the hills to the north of Valinor and he
went away taking with him an immense treasure including the Silmarils. In a show of support,
Finwë renounced his Kingship and joined his son in exile refusing to take up the mantle of rulership
again so long as Fëanor remained in exile. Sometime later, Melkor came to Formenos
feigning friendships in an attempt to wrest from the Elf his most prized possessions.
Fëanor saw through this and refused the Dark Lord’s platitudes shutting the doors of Formenos.
Fearing the ill portents of this visit, Finwë reported the incident to the Valar, who once
again failed to catch Melkor. The latter fled, unwilling to face the might of his counterparts,
before coming to Avatahar and finding Ungoliant - a primordial the origin of which remains unknown,
who took the shape of a spider of gigantic proportions. Melkor promised the Great
Spider that he would finally satiate her unrelenting hunger and led her back to Valinor.
Seven years after Fëanor’s exile, Valar decided to reconcile with the Ñoldor
and announced a great feast to which the exile was also invited. During the feast,
Fingolfin recognized the seniority of his brother before the gathered crowds and Fëanor
begrudgingly accepted this acknowledgment. Their father Finwë did not get to see this,
as he had stayed at home keeping to his promise to remain in Formenos until his son’s exile was over.
Unfortunately for the Valars, they have left the Trees unguarded, allowing Melkor to use a great
spear and pierce them: Ungoliant started feasting upon the sap which flowed from the foul gashes,
drained the Trees, and poisoned them, causing them to wither and die, plunging Aman once more into
darkness. The Valar realizing that the only way to restore the Two Trees was through the Silmarils,
asked for them from Fëanor who refused to give them up of his own free will, stating that forcing
his hand would make them no better than Melkor. This all-encompassing darkness caused fear and
despair across Valinor and in this confusion Melkor slayed Finwë, stealing the Silmarils and
Fëanor’s other gems. However, the Silmarils were of immense purity and they burned Melkor’s hands
with unimaginable agony. Still, he refused to release them and was brutally burned.
With the Valar chasing them, Melkor and Ungoliant fled north, cloaked by the Unlight of the latter.
Crossing the Grinding Ice of the Helcaraxë they made their way to Middle Earth.
Here they came upon the ruins of Angband and Melkor sought to abandon his companion. Ungoliant
quickly saw through Melkor’s ruse, demanding that he surrender the gems in order to her hunger.
However, the Vala refused, prompting Ungoliant to attack. Empowered from draining the Two Trees
she was able to weave her dark webbing around Melkor. The cries of pain and woe this drew
from the Dark Lord awakened the Balrogs from their sleep in Angband’s darkest depths. They
swiftly came to their Lord’s aid driving away the Great Spider who fled before their might.
Melkor, anticipating that his actions would not come without consequences began
to rebuild his fell fortress of Angband to stand before what was yet to come.
Upon learning of what had transpired, Fëanor cursed Melkor naming him Morgoth or Black Foe
of the World. Ignoring his exile Fëanor the now King of his people returned the city of
the Ñoldor to Tirion and gave a dark speech: “Fair shall the end be,’ he cried, ‘though
long and hard shall be the road! Say farewell to bondage! But say farewell also to ease!
Say farewell to the weak! Say farewell to your treasures - more still shall we make! Journey
light. But bring with you your swords! For we will go further than Tauros, endure longer than Tulkas:
we will never turn back from pursuit. After Morgoth to the ends of the Earth! War shall
he have and hatred undying. But when we have conquered and have regained the Silmarils
that he stole, then behold! We, we alone, shall be the lords of the unsullied Light,
and masters of the bliss and the beauty of Arda! No other race shall oust us!”
His rage blinded him causing, the new King to include many of the lies Morgoth had fed
him and simultaneously unfairly blaming much of his suffering upon the Valar.
While this alone roused the anger of his people, what was to come next would forever
alter the future of Arda. Fëanor swore an oath upon the name of Eru Ilúvatar himself:
‘Be he foe or friend, be he foul or clean, brood of Morgoth or bright Vala,
Elda or Maia or Aftercomer, Man yet unborn upon Middle-earth,
neither law, nor love, nor league of swords, dread nor danger, not Doom itself,
shall defend him from Fëanor, and Fëanor’s kin, whoso hideth or hoardeth, or in hand taketh,
finding keepeth or afar casteth a Silmaril. This swear we all:
death we will deal him ere Day’s ending, woe unto world’s end! Our word hear thou,
Eru Allfather! To the everlasting Darkness doom us if our deed faileth.
On the holy mountain hear in witness and our vow remember, Manwë and Varda!”
This would come to be the great woe of his family and the Elves themselves,
wreaking upon them and the lands they would tread death and destruction at every turn.
However, this is the story for our next documentary. The next few videos in our
series on the history of the Middle Earth Universe will be dedicated to the battles of the First Age,
but we are planning to cover the battles of many other fantasy, sci-fi, and space opera universes,
so make sure you have subscribed and pressed the bell button! Please, consider liking and sharing,
as it helps immensely, and don’t forget to comment - we will try to read and respond to
every comment as we want to know what you think about this video and which videos you hope to see
in the future! This is the Wizards and Warriors channel and we’ll catch you on the next one!