Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we are taking a tour of Middle-earth as it exists during the First Age.
Specifically, the lands of Beleriand, which factor heavily in the events of The Silmarillion.
In later videos we’ll cover the lands of Middle-earth as they appear in the Second and Third Ages.
The first thing we’ll take a look at is how the land of Beleriand
fits with the lands of the second and third age that we know so well.
Now this map isn’t accurate in that it depicts realms from all three ages simultaneously,
but it gives a good sense of place for Middle-earth as a whole. During the first age,
the vast majority of Eriador is a gigantic forest - which by the third age is reduced to Fangorn.
But for today, we are concentrating on Beleriand. This land is where nearly all the
events of the First Age take place. We’ll begin our tour in the Northwest. The land of Lammoth,
where Ungoliant would turn on Morgoth and he would be rescued by his balrogs.
In the south of Lammoth lies Losgar, the place where Feanor’s people landed their ships
and he subsequently burned them. South across the firth of Drengist
lies the lands of Nevrast. While he would be most known for ruling Gondolin,
Turgon founds the dwelling of Vinyamar along the coast as his first settlement in Beleriand. After
the elves leave for Gondolin, this area would be largely empty of inhabitants, aside from animals.
Going a bit north, Hithlum is a larger realm that lies east of Lammoth. This realm was
led by Feanor’s half brother Fingolfin. Fingolfin rules from the mountain fortress of Barad Eithel.
Within Hithlum are two smaller realms important in their own right.
Dor-Lomin is a realm of men of the first age - the Edain - most notably Hurin and his son Turin.
Dor-Lomin is one of many realms to factor heavily in the Children of Hurin.
The other is Mithrim, site of the Dagor-nuin-Giliath - the
battle under stars - one of the earliest battles between the elves and Morgoth,
in which Feanor is mortally wounded. Here, you’ll notice a familiar name - Minas Tirith.
That’s right, there was once a different Minas Tirith than the one we know from The Lord of the
Rings. This one was built by Galadriel’s brother, Finrod Felagund around the year 60 of the First
Age. Nearly 400 years later, it is captured by Sauron in the aftermath of the Dagor Bragollach,
and is renamed Tol-in-Gaurhoth - the Isle of Werewolves.
One of the greatest elven cities to ever exist is Gondolin. Even after Morgoth gains control
of the North of Beleriand, he knows fear purely due to the threat of the hidden city.
It’s fall in 510 FA is one of the most devastating blows in the war against Morgoth.
Continuing our journey across the north, we have the great desert plain of Anfauglith.
At one point, this was a green plain known as Ard-Galen,
but was scorched by the forces of Morgoth during the Dagor Bragollach.
Dorthonion is a forested region which would also fall under Morgoth’s dominion after the battle
of sudden flame, after which it is known as Taur-nu-Fuin - forest under nightshade.
Beren and his father Barahir would lead a group of outlaws in causing trouble for the
orcs of Taur-nu-Fuin, after they are forced from their homes in the lands of Ladros.
Just south of Dorthonion, we have the Ered Gorgoroth - the Mountains of Terror. This was
the area where Ungoliant made her temporary home after her confrontation with Morgoth’s balrogs.
There, she spawned many evil spiders. Due to Ungoliant and her spiders,
the valley to the south becomes known as Nan Dungortheb - the valley of dreadful
death. In one of his most impressive feats, Beren takes this path when he
leaves Dorthonion and makes his way to the forest of Neldoreth, where he meets Luthien.
In the northmost area of Beleriand we have the Iron Mountains,
where Morgoth dwells deep in his fortress of Angband beneath the three peaks of Thangorodrim.
In the northeast of Beleriand, lies the lands of Lothlann,
where we find the hill of Himring. Maedhros, the eldest son of Feanor, built his stronghold
on the hill. This fortress is notable as it manages to stand after the Dagor Bragollach,
despite the lands around it being overtaken by the Dark Lord. Another interesting note about Himring
is that a portion of it survived the destruction of Beleriand at the end of the War of Wrath. While
all of Beleriand sunk into the sea, the hill of Himring becomes the small island of Himling.
Now, back to the first age - Caranthir, another son of Feanor,
and his people lived around Lake Helevorn, an area which was taken over after the Dagor Bragollach.
We also see here the northern portion of the Blue Mountains, much of which
also survives the destruction of Beleriand - but we’ll cover them more in just a moment.
Heading back to the west of Beleriand, we have the coastal region of Falas. Cirdan
the Shipwright was the lord over this group of elves, who had havens at Eglarest and Brithombar.
The tower of Barad Nimras, yet another construction of Finrod,
was created to watch the western seas. Soon after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad - the Battle of Unnumbered
Tears - in 472 FA, Morgoth’s forces attacked Falas, destroying the tower and sacking the realm.
Cirdan and his people would flee south to the Bay of Balar. He establishes a refuge
on the Isle of Balar. Here at the Havens of Sirion, is where the Third Kinslaying
would take place - where elves were slain by their own kind in pursuit of the Silmarils.
Moving to the north, we come to another mighty kingdom of the elves, Nargothrond. This realm
is founded in 52 FA by Finrod and where he would rule for the rest of his life.
This is another important location during The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin.
In 495 FA, it would be destroyed by a force of Morgoth, led by the dragon Glaurung.
To the northeast of Nargothrond lies the great hill of Amon Rudh. This is the hill where Mim
the Petty Dwarf lived with his sons, and would - rather reluctantly - share with Turin and his
band of outlaws. This group - also known as the Gaurwaith (gour-weyeth) or “Wolf-men” - would
come to plague the orcs in the region. As we previously noted that Morgoth had seized control
of Tol Sirion, his forces could now easily make their way into the west of Beleriand.
Due North of Amon Rudh, we have the mannish realm of Brethil. This area was gifted to the
Men of the House of Haleth by King Thingol - as it was previously a part of Doriath, though it
laid outside the protection of the Girdle of Melian - the magic border of Thingol’s wife,
who was a Maia. It is in Brethil that Glaurung, Turin, and Nienor would meet their demise.
Heading west, we have the forest of Neldoreth. This was a beech-forest,
and the previously mentioned location of the first meeting of Beren and Luthien.
These woods were within the Girdle of Melian and part of the larger realm of Doriath,
under Luthien’s father King Thingol. Menegroth is the capital, which was an underground fortress. It
is in a very similar manner to Thranduil’s Halls in Mirkwood in the Third Age - which would make
sense as Thranduil and his father Oropher were both citizens of Doriath during the First Age.
The forest of Nan Elmoth was where Thingol first met Melian. Later,
Eol the Dark elf would live there for a time with his wife Aredhel and their son Maeglin,
before they would return to Gondolin and each have tragic ends of their own.
Now you may be getting to the point where you’re wondering - where are the dwarves?
We’re kind of running out of map here. Well, the Dwarves of the first age had two cities in the
Blue Mountains - Belegost and Nogrod. These realms were actually founded prior to a lot
of the elven cities and realms we’ve covered thus far. Belegost and Nogrod are founded by
two of the fathers of the dwarves who awoke in the Blue Mountains sometime during the Years of the
Trees. These dwarves were known as the Broadbeams and the Firebeards. Their cities also survive the
destruction of Beleriand, though, 20 years into the second age, most of the remaining dwarves
would abandon these realms and move to Khazad-dum to join the Longbeards - or Durin’s Folk.
As we make our way southwest, we see Amon Ereb - a lonely hill that Caranthir would fortify after
losing Lake Helevorn after the Dagor Bragollach. Ramdal marks the end of the Andram - a long wall
of hills through central Beleriand. To the south, we have the mysterious Taur-in-Duinath - the
forest between Rivers. It’s a dark and gloomy forest where no one ever wandered - save for a
few of the Avari elves - those who first refused the invitation of the Valar to live in Valinor.
Finally, we have the realm of Ossiriand, inhabited by the Green Elves. This area is largely untouched
by the wars of the first age - though it would still sink into the sea after the War of Wrath.
It is marked by it’s six parallel rivers and is also home to Tol Galen. This is the small green
isle where Beren and Luthien would live after they are granted a second mortal life by the Valar.
So there you have it, a tour of the lands of Beleriand - the primary location for the First
Age of Middle-earth. In future installments, I’ll cover the maps of the Second Age,
which sees the aftermath of Beleriand’s destruction, and the Third Age,
which we all know from the events of The Lord of the Rings.
If you enjoyed this video and would like deeper dives into realms of Middle-earth,
let me know what you’d like to see in the comments!