VII. THE EARLIEST ANNALS OF BELERIAND. As with the Annals of Valinor, these are the 'earliest' Annals of Beleriand because they were followed by others, the last be- ing called the Grey Annals, companion to the Annals of Aman and belonging to the same time (p. 310). But unlike the Annals of Aman, the Grey Annals were left unfinished at the end of the story of Turin Turambar; and both as prose narrative and still more as definitive history of the end of the Elder Days from the time of The Lord of the Rings their abandonment is grievous. The earliest Annals of Beleriand ('AB') are themselves found in two versions, which I shall call AB I and AB II. AB I is a complete text to the end of the First Age; AB II is quite brief, and though it begins as a fair copy of the much-emended opening of I it soon becomes strongly divergent. In this chapter I give both texts separately and in their entirety, and in what follows I refer only to the earlier, AB I. This is a good, clear manuscript, but the style suggests very rapid composition. For much of its length the entries are in the present tense and often staccato, even with such expressions as 'the Orcs got between them' (annal 172), though by subse- quent small expansions and alterations here and there my fa- ther slightly modified this character. I think that his primary intention at this time was the consolidation of the historical structure in its internal relations and chronology - the Annals began, perhaps, in parallel with the Quenta as a convenient way of driving abreast, and keeping track of, the different el- ements in the ever more complex narrative web. Nonetheless major new developments enter here. The manuscript was fairly heavily emended, though much less so towards the end, and from the nature of the changes, largely concerned with dating, it has become a complicated document. To present it in its original form, with all the later changes recorded in notes, would make it quite unnecessarily difficult to follow, and indeed would be scarcely possible, since many alterations were made either at the time of writing or in its immediate context. A later 'layer' of pencilled emen- dation, very largely concerned with names, is easily separable. The text given here, therefore, is that of the manuscript afier all the earlier changes and additions (in ink) had been made to it, and these are only recorded in the notes in certain cases. The later pencilled alterations are fully registered. That AB I is earlier than the comparable portion of AV is easily shown. Thus in AB I, as in Q ($8), there is no mention of Fingolfin's march to Angband immediately on his arrival, whereas it appears in AV (p. 320); again as in Q and in con- trast to AV (p. 318) the Battle under Stars was fought, and Feanor died, before the encampment in Mithrim. Further, the names Dagor-os-Giliath and Eredwethion are added in pencil in AB I, whereas in AV they appear in the text as first written, and Erydlomin still means the Shadowy Mountains (see p. 333). That AB I is later than Q is shown by a multiplicity of features, as will be seen from the Commentary. There follows the text of AB I. ANNALS OF BELERIAND. Morgoth flees from Valinor with the Silmarils, the magic gems of Feanor, and returns into the Northern World and, rebuilds his fortress of Angband beneath the Black Moun- tain, Thangorodrim. He devises the Balrogs and the Orcs. The Silmarils are set in Morgoth's iron crown. The Gnomes of the eldest house, the Dispossessed, come into the North under Feanor and his seven sons, with their friends Orodreth, Angrod, and Egnor, sons of Finrod.' They burn the Telerian ships. First of the Battles with Morgoth,' the Battle under Stars. Feanor defeats the Orcs, but is mortally wounded by Gotmog captain of Balrogs, and dies. Maidros, his eldest son, is ambushed and captured and hung on Thangorodrim. The sons of Feanor camp about Lake Mithrim in the North- west, behind the Shadowy Mountains.(3) Year 1. Here Sun and Moon, made by the Gods after the death of the Two Trees of Valinor, appear. Thus measured time came into the Hither Lands. Fingolfin leads the second house of the Gnomes over the straits of Grinding Ice into the Hither Lands. With him came the son of Finrod, Felagund,4 and part of the third or youngest house. They march from the North as the Sun rises, and unfurl their banners; and they come to Mithrim, but there is feud' between them and the sons of Feanor. Morgoth at coming of Light retreats into his deepest dungeons, but smithies in secret, and sends forth black clouds. 2. Fingon son of Fingolfin heals the feud by rescu- ing Maidros. 1-100. The Gnomes explore and settle Beleriand, and all the vale of Sirion from' the Great Sea to the Blue Mountains,' except for Doriath in the cen- tre where Thingol and Melian reign. 20. Feast and Games of Reuniting were held in Nan Tathrin, the Land of Willows, near the delta of Sirion, between the Elves of Valinor returning and the Dark-elves, both those of the Western Havens (Brithombar and Eldorest)(8) and the scat- tered Wood-elves of the West, and ambassadors of Thingol. A time of peace followed.(9) 50. Morgoth's might begins to move once more. Earthquakes in the North. Orc-raids begin. Turgon son of Fingolfin is great in friendship with Felagund son of Finrod; but Orodreth, Angrod, and Egnor, sons of Finrod, are friends of the sons of Feanor, especially Celegorm and Curufin. 50. Turgon and Felagund are troubled by dreams and forebodings. Felagund finds the caves of Narog and established his armouries there.(10) Turgon alone discovers the hidden vale of Gondolin. Being still troubled in heart he gath- ers folk about him and departs from Hithlum, the Land of Mist about Mithrim, where his brother Fingon remains. 51 The Gnomes drive back the Orcs again, and the Siege of Angband is laid. The North has great peace and quiet again. Fingolfin holds the North-west and all Hithlum, and is overlord of the Dark-elves west of Narog. His might is gath- ered on the slopes of Erydlomin(11) the Shadowy Mountains and thence watches and traverses the great plains of Bladorion up to the walls of Morgoth's mountains in the North. Felagund holds the vale of Sirion save Doriath, and has his seat" beside Narog in the South, but his might is gathered in the North guarding the ac- cess to Sirion's vale between Erydlomin and the mountainous region of Taur-na-Danion, the for- est of pines. He has a fortress on a rocky isle in the midst of Sirion, Tolsirion. His brothers dwell in the centre about Taur-na-Danion and scour Bladorion thence, and join in the East with the sons of Feanor. The fortress of the sons of Feanor is upon Himling, but they roam and hunt all the woods of East Beleriand even up to the Blue Mountains. Thither at times many of the Elf-lords go for hunting. But none get tidings of Turgon and his folk. 70. Beor born in the East. 88. 90. Haleth, and Hador the Goldenhaired, born in the East. ...
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