Now it must be told that Maidros son of Feanor perceived
that Morgoth was not unassailable after the deeds of
Huan and Luthien and the breaking of the towers of Thu,
but that he would destroy them all one by one, if they did
not form again a league and council. This was the Union of
Maidros and wisely planned. The Dark-elves were summoned
again from afar, and Men of the East were gathered together; and the
forces of Maidros sallied forth from Himring, and drove back
the Orcs and took their spies. The smithies of Nogrod and
Belegost were busy in those days making mail and sword
and spear for many armies, and much of the wealth and
jewelry of Elves and Men they got into their keeping in that
time, though they went not themselves to war. 'For we do
not know the rights of this quarrel,' they said, 'and we are
friends of neither side - until it hath the mastery.' Thus
great and splendid was the army of Maidros, but the oath
and the curse did injury to his design.
All the hosts of Hithlum, Gnomes and Men, were ready to his summons; and Fingon and Huor and Hurin were their chiefs. And
Turgon himself deeming that haply the hour of deliverance was at
hand came forth himself unlooked for, and he brought a great
army, and they encamped before the West Pass in sight of the walls
of Hithlum, and there was joy among the people of Fingon his
brother. Yet less was the aid that Maidros had of Men than should
have been, because of the wounding of Beren in the wood; for the
folk of Haleth abode in the forest, and few came to war. Orodreth,
moreover, would not march from Narog at the word of Maidros,
because of the death of Felagund, and the deeds of Curufin and
Celegorn. Yet he suffered a small company of the bravest, who
would not endure to be idle when great war was afoot, to go North.
Their leader was Gwindor son of Guilin, a very valiant prince; but
they took the devices of the house of Fingon and went beneath his
banners, and came never back, save one.
From Doriath too came scanty aid. For Maidros and his brethren
had before sent unto Doriath and reminded Thingol with
exceedingly haughty words of their oath, and summoned
him to yield up the Silmaril. This Melian counselled him to
do, and maybe he would have done, but their words were
overproud, and he thought how the jewel had been gained
by the sorrows of Thingol's people and the anguish of Luthien, and despite the
crooked deeds of the sons of Feanor; and covetice too, it
may be, had some part in the heart of Thingol, as afterwards
was shown. Wherefore he sent the messengers of
Maidros back in scorn. Maidros said nought, for at that
time he was already beginning to devise the reunion of the forces
of the Elves. But Celegorm and Curufin vowed aloud to slay Thingol, and destroy
his folk, if they came victorious from war, and the jewel were
not yielded of free-will.
For this reason Thingol fortified his realm, and went not forth, nor any out of
Doriath save Mablung, and Beleg who obeyed no man.
At length having gathered at last all the strength that he might
Maidros appointed a day, and sent word to Fingon and Turgon.
Now for a while the Gnomes had victory, and the Orcs were driven
out of Beleriand, and hope was renewed; but Morgoth was aware
of all that was done, and he took counsel against their uprising, and
he sent forth his spies and emissaries among Elves and Men, but
especially did these come unto the Swarthy Men, and to the sons
of Ulfang. Upon the East under the banner of Maidros were all the
folk of the sons of Feanor, and they were many; and the Dark-elves
coming from the South were with him, and the battalions of the
Easterlings, with the sons of Bor and Ulfang. But Fingon and
Turgon and the Men of Hithlum and such as came from the Falas
and from Nargothrond were gathered ready in the West upon the
borders of the Thirsty Plain, waiting under the banner of Fingon
for the signal of the advancing standards from the East. But
Maidros was delayed upon the road by the machinations of Uldor
the Accursed son of Ulfang, and ever the secret emissaries of
Morgoth went among the camps, thrall-Gnomes or things in elvish
form, and spread foreboding and thoughts of treason.
Long the army waited in the West, and fear of treachery grew in
their thought, when Maidros came not. Then the hot hearts
Fingon and Turgon became impatient. They sent their
heralds across the plain and their silver trumpets rang; and
they summoned the hosts of Morgoth to come out. Then
Morgoth sent forth a force, great and yet not too great. And
Fingon was moved to attack from the woods at the feet of
the Shadowy Mountains where he lay hid. But Hurin spoke
against it.
Then Morgoth led forth one of the heralds of Fingon that
he had wrongfully taken prisoner and slew him upon the
plain, so that the watchers from afar might see - for far and
clear do the eyes of the Gnomes behold things in bright air.
Then the wrath of Fingon burst its bonds and his army
leaped forth to sudden onslaught. This was as Morgoth designed,
but it is said that he reckoned not the true number
of their array, nor knew yet the measure of their valour, and
well nigh his plan went ill. Ere his army could be succoured
they were overwhelmed, and that day there was a
greater slaughter of the servants of Morgoth than there yet
had been, and the banners of Fingon were raised before the
walls of Angband.
Flinding, it is said, and the men of Nargothrond burst
even within the gates; and fear came on Morgoth on his
throne. But they were slain or taken, for no help came." By
other secret gates Morgoth let issue forth the main host that
he had kept in waiting, and Fingon and the Men of
Hithlum were beaten back from the walls.
Then in the plain began the Battle of Unnumbered
Tears,' of which no song or tale tells the full, for the voice
of the teller is whelmed in lamentation. The host of the
Elves was surrounded. Yet in that hour there marched up at
last the banners of Maidros and his allies from the East.
Even yet the Elves might have won the day, for the Orcs
wavered. But as the vanguard of Maidros came upon the
Orcs, Morgoth let loose his last forces, and all Angband
was empty. There came wolves and serpents, and there
came Balrogs like fire, and there came the first of all the
dragons, the eldest of all the Worms of Greed. Glomund
was his name and long had his terror been noised abroad,
though he was not come to his full growth and evil, and
seldom had he been seen.(17) Thus Morgoth strove to hinder
the joining of the hosts of the Elves, but this the Eldar say
he would not even so have achieved, had not the captains
of Men in the hosts of Maidros turned and fled, and their
number was very great. Treachery or cowardice or both
was the cause of that grievous wrong. But worse is to tell,
for the swart Men, whom Uldor the Accursed led, went
over to the foe and fell upon Maidros' flank. From that day
were Elves estranged from Men, unless it be from the children
of the children of Hador.(18)
There Fingon fell in flame of swords, and a fire it is said
burst from his helm when it was cloven; but he was beaten
to the earth and his white banners were trodden under foot.
Then the army of the West, sundered from Maidros, fell
back as best it could win its way, step by step, towards the
Shadowy Mountains or even the dreadful fringes of Taurna-
Fuin. But Hurin did not retreat, and he held the rearguard,
and all the Men of Hithlum and his brother Huor
were there slain about him in a heap, so that not one came
back with tidings to their home. The valiant stand of Hurin
is still remembered by the Elves, for by it was Turgon enabled
to cleave his way from the field and save part of his
battle, and rescue his people from the hills, and escape
southward to Sirion. Renowned in song is the axe of Hurin
that slew a hundred Orcs, but the magic helm that Gumlin
his sire bequeathed him he did not wear that day. Thereon
was set in mockery the image of the head of Glomund, and
oft it had gone into victory, so that the Men of Hithlum
said: We have a dragon of more worth than theirs. It was
Telchar's work, the great smithy of Belegost, but it would
not have availed Hurin on that field, for by the command
of Morgoth he was taken alive, grasped by the hideous
arms of the uncounted Orcs, till he was buried beneath
them.
Maidros and the sons of Feanor wrought great slaughter
on Orc and Balrog and traitor Man that day, but the dragon
they did not slay and the fire of his breath was the death of
many. And they were driven in the end far away, and the
Gorge of Aglon was filled with Orcs and the hill of
Himling with the people of Morgoth. But the seven sons of
Feanor, though each was wounded, were not slain. o
Great was the triumph of Morgoth. The bodies of his enemies
that were slain were piled in a mound like a great hill
upon Dor-na-Fauglith, but there the grass came and grew
green in that place alone in all the desert, and no Orc thereafter
trod upon the earth beneath which the Gnomish
swords crumbled into rust. The realm of Fingon was no
more, the sons of Feanor wandered in the East, fugitives in
the Blue Mountains. The armies of Angband ranged all
the North. To Hithlum Morgoth sent Men who were his servants
or afraid of him. South and East his Orcs went in
plunder and ruin-, well nigh all Broseliand (22) they overran.
Doriath yet held where Thingol lived, and Nargothrond. But
he heeded these not much as yet, maybe because he knew
little of them. But one thing grievously marred his triumph,
and great was his wrath when he thought of it. This was the
escape of Turgon, and in no way could he learn whither
that king had gone."
Hurin was now brought before Morgoth and defied him.
He was chained in torment. Afterward Morgoth remembering
that treachery or the fear of it, and especially the treachery
of Men, alone would work the ruin" of the Gnomes,
came to Hurin and offered him honour and freedom and a
wealth of jewels, if he would lead an army against Turgon,
or even tell him whither that king had gone; for he knew
that Hurin was close in the counsels of the sons of
Fingolfin. But Hurin mocked him. Therefore Morgoth devised
a cruel punishment. Upon the highest peak of
Thangorodrim he set him chained upon a chair of stone,
and he cursed him with a curse of never-sleeping sight like
unto the Gods, but his kin and seed he cursed with a fate
of sorrow and ill-chance, and bade Hurin sit there and
watch the unfolding of it.