#Noldor

[general-illyrin]

A Collection of Maps Exhibiting the Changing Political Landscape in Beleriand

Note: These maps are not meant to show every single single political shift, but are generally broader strokes, and usually show approximate distribution rather than exact.  In addition, there could be inaccuracies as I was skimming The Silmarillion to look for pertinent parts.  I apologize if there are any, and if you see some, please let me know; I will update the descriptions to include them.

This map shows the general distribution of the Teleri, Noldor, and Petty-dwarves soon after the Elves crossed into Beleriand.  The Vanyar were not mentioned int he part of the text I read, but presumably they are with the Noldor.

The Petty-dwarves are included here because according to The History off Middle-earth, the Petty-dwarves settled in Beleriand, specifically Dorthonion, before the Elves crossed the mountains and entered it.  Tarn Aeliun is circled with a smaller circle because in Mîm's Klage, Mîm is said to have lived there.  (However, Mîm's Klage is generally not considered canon from what I am aware, and it does present a contradiction in the form of how long dwarves can live if one accepts it as canon in its entirety.  That said, I do not think it unlikely that Petty-dwarves lived near it, as it was a freshwater lake in an area they are known to have inhabited.  But that is conjecture.). In addition, we have no knowledge of whether the Petty-dwarves had at this time yet settled in Amon Rûdh and Nargothrond; they are marked purely to show where the Petty-dwarves might have been at this point.

This map shows the general distribution of the Teleri, Vanyar, Noldor, and Petty-dwarves as the Vanyar and Noldor were led by Oromë to the lands around the Sirion.  The Teleri had at this point crossed into East Beleriand, and many were searching for Thingol when the Noldor and Vanyar moved onto the island Ulmo moved into the Bay of Balar.  (In this map, I represented that by marking the Isle of Balar.). The dotted blue line indicates that it is possible the Teleri ventured into Doriath at this time, in search for Thingol, though that is not stated.

See the previous map for notes on the Petty-dwarves.

This map shows the general distribution of the Teleri and Petty-dwarves after the Vanyar and Noldor left Beleriand for Aman.  "But when they learned that Ingwë and Finwë and their peoples were gone, then many of the Teleri pressed on to the shores of Beleriand, and dwelt thereafter near the Mouths of Sirion, in longing for their friends that had departed..." - The Silmarillion  The dotted lines represent a possible expansion of the Teleri, as they began moving into Falas and collecting under Círdan.  But again, this is conjecture.  Since the text says. that "many of the Teleri pressed on to the shores", implying that at least some remained in the areas they were previously inhabiting (as is later confirmed by the text stating that Elves still searched in those areas for Thingol), marked by the note on the map.

See previous maps for notes on the Petty-dwarves.

This map shows the general distribution of the Teleri and Petty-dwarves after the rest of the Teleri left Beleriand for Aman.  At this point, the Teleri who remained seemed mostly to divide into those that followed Círdan as their lord and settled in Falas, and those friends of Thingol who remained in the Hither Lands, searching for him.  They possibly lived outside of Doriath, and from what I remember, it is not known for sure whether they searched there (though I think I remember it mentioning that those searching for him searched in forests, which would likely include Doriath, especially since that was the place he was originally traveling to).  However, I marked that area as it is a place that their people become centralized at after Thingol returns.  In addition, the note on Teleri still living near the mouth of the Sirion and beginning to scatter throughout Beleriand is purely conjecture, anticipating the occurrences in the next map.

See previous maps for notes on the Petty-dwarves.

There is an inaccuracy on this map; the people labeled 'Iathrim' would more accurately be labeled 'Eglath', as that was what they called themselves.  

This map shows the general distribution of the Teleri, Lauquendi, Petty-dwarves, and Greater Dwarves after Thingol's re-emergence and taking up the crown over all Teleri.  At this point, almost the entirety of Beleriand is said to be Thingol's realm, represented by the blue dashed lines.  Within this are, many elves wander, but they are centralized under Círdan in Falas and under Thingol in Doriath.  The Laiquendi also come up form the south and settle in Ossiriand.

In addition, the Greater Dwarves enter Beleriand, emerging from their cities in the mountains and discover the Elves have been hunting their kindred.  By this time, the Petty-dwarves have been hunted almost to extinction.  Thus, they likely no longer remained in Dorthonion, though that is conjecture.  (I did not reflect this conjecture in the map.)  I am unsure when the hunting of the petty-dwarves would have begun, but since they only have a Sindarin name, it is possible that they were only discovered sometime after the Noldor and Vanyar left for Aman.  

This map shows the general distribution of the Teleri, Lauquendi, Petty-dwarves, Greater Dwarves, Orcs, and Ungoliant after the Darkening of Valinor and Morgoth's flight to Middle-earth.  At this point, Ungoliant has taken up residence in the Ered Gorgoroth.  The dashed lines filling the space between them and the edge of Doriath represent the extent of her and her offspring's possible range; since that road was know to be dangerous and taken only at great need, it implies that they reached that far.

The red arrows represent the orc's invasion of Beleriand after Morgoth's return.

And the Petty-dwarves' uncertain status in Dorthonion (see previous map's note for details) is represented by the purple question mark. 

This map shows the general distribution of the Teleri, Lauquendi, Petty-dwarves, Greater Dwarves, Orcs, and Ungoliant after Thingol and the Laiquendi defeated the orcs in East Beleriand.  At this point, Cirdan and his people are driven to the rim of the sea (possibly referring to Brithombar and Eglarest?).  Thingol retreats to Doriath, and the Gridle of Melian is created.

The dotted purple line around Amon Rûdh represents the uncertain status of the Petty-dwarves there.  It was there home at one point, but the only time we see Petty-dwarves living there is when Mîm and his sons living there.  (If I am remembering correctly, after being kicked out of Nargthrond, according to The History of Middle-earth.)

This map shows the general distribution of the Teleri, Lauquendi, Petty-dwarves, Greater Dwarves, Orcs, and Ungoliant after the arrival of the Noldor and their defeating the orcs in East Beleriand.  This is before the dividing of the lands among the Noldor, so I chose not to represent them on this map. For notes on other people groups, see previous maps.

This map shows the general distribution of the Teleri, Lauquendi, Noldor, and Ungoliant after the dividing of the land among the Noldor.  The red area shows the land under control of the sons of Feanor: Specific territories for each son are outlined with dashed lines and labelled; dashed lines extending beyond the territory shows areas they are mentioned wandering/being in, but are not specifically said to have been their realms.  The orange area shows the land under control of the sons of Finarfin: Sspecific territories for each son are labelled.  The dark blue area shows the land under control of Fingolfin and his sons: Specific territories for each person are outlined with dashed lines and labelled; dashed lines extending beyond the territory shows areas they are mentioned wandering/being in, but are not specifically said to have been their realms.

The green area shows Thingol's territory, and the sea green/lighter blue shows Círdan's territory.  And the black wording shows the area the Dark Elves are said to wander in.

Finally, purple represents the area under control of Ungoliant and her offspring.  (Note: I forgot to include the dashed lines extending to the border of Doriath in this one.)

In addition, I did not include either of the Dwarves, though the Greater Dwarves are still in the same place.  And at this point, the Petty-dwarves are almost extinct, with only Mîm and his two sons living in (presumably) Amon Rúdh.

Anyway, I hope this is helpful to someone!

[dfwbwfbbwfbwf]

Tbf, some Noldor did come to colonize. Ironically, it was the fan faves who did that - Finrod and Galadriel were mentioned explicitly.

(And is it bad colonizing if you take over land that was abandoned? Cause that's what the Fëanárions did. They only lived in the northern land Thingollo had abandoned.)

It was an accident, but I'm keeping it forever.

Feanor, to his sons: “remember, my sons, one may take pride in what he creates, but family is the only real treasure.”

Also Feanor: “where are my hecking silmarils.”

[anattmar]

Maedhros

[venduri]

Only you could accomplish such art, Celebrimbor

Assad Zaman as Celebrimbor from JRR Tolkien's The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales

[giganticmarshmallow]

Who needs therapy when you can spend all evening drawing feanorians

[strelkovski]

"I'm a shadow of what I once was"

[thesummerestsolstice]

Concept: Elrond is, by Middle-Earth standards, a perfectly respectable level of fancy. You know, he's an elf-lord, he has plenty of robes with intricate embroidery or layers of flowing fabric, he wears finely-crafted jewelry, especially during formal occasions. He's elegant, but not gaudy– there are some tasteful references to his various ancestors in his outfits, he's got a whole image. He assumes that this is like, standard for the Noldor.

What Elrond failed to realize when he sailed to Valinor is that the expectations for "Middle-Earth elf lord with vaguely Noldorian implications" and "Noldor prince in the Blessed Realm" are two very different things. He goes to a feast and everyone is dressed like they'll die if they're not wearing four layers of skirts and at least 20 pounds of gems and precious metals. He shows up to Finarfin's court wearing more jewelry than he ever would've worn in Rivendell and people still flash him strange looks and ask him whether he wasn't feeling up to dressing up that night. He'll braid his hair in the half-up half-down style he often wore in Rivendell and it'll cause a scandal because– gasp– Elrond had part of his hair loose. In public. Noldor keep giving him jewelry because they've collectively decided that he's clearly been deprived in Middle Earth. He's confused and a little bit afraid, frankly.

Thankfully, most of the attention is taken off Elrond when Tirion is engulfed in drama the likes of which hasn't been seen for hundreds of years. The cause? Galadriel showing up in Tirion with her hair entirely loose, and no jewelry to speak of. Her robes are entirely plain. Her only adornment is her unbearably smug smirk.

[arlenianchronicles]

My second submission for this year's @tolkienrsb (slide 85) in collab with @polutrope! Elrond (the one in white) finds Maglor wandering on the beach, and they have a little reunion :''')

The fic's link is here, but it won't be made public until Sept 6, so just keep an eye out! XD

[elvinye]

There's a superstition among the Noldor that it's an ill omen if none of your children are at least proficient at your craft.

Curufin becoming a smith was an ideal scenario. Still, he needs more siblings, since none of his brothers show the slightest inclination towards Nerdanel's craft.

Fëanor refuses to learn to sew because he refuses to admit Míriel isn't coming back. He'll get a younger sibling who can sew and weave one day.

Anairë was the first architect in the family; Turgon just followed in her footsteps. Argon showed every sign of having his father's knack for politics but died too soon.

Eärendil became a sailor like his father. Elros became the King of a nation of seafarers and commanded ships personally.

Most Noldor try very, very hard not to think about how Elros has Maedhros' knack for strategy and Elrond is an excellent singer (if rather shy about it).

Everyone looks at Elrond with pity when Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen all prove hopeless at healing. Elrond isn't worried. He's raised countless generations of Men and loved them as his own children. When you count them, he's had generations of children go on to be skilled healers.

[inthehouseoffinwe]

Crack idea: Elrond’s tired of elves constantly asking him to be king, and when they finally say ‘if not you, at least choose one of your sons!’ plonks the crown on Aragorn.

He has the training. The skills. Is well known and generally loved by the vast majority of elves anyway.

And if they don’t like it? Well. They should’ve been more specific.

It’s worth mentioning Thranduil finds the whole thing *hilarious* and doesn’t even try to hide that he’s sending his most problematic elves Aragorn’s way. Elrond and Galadriel start doing the same and we end up with Gondor filled with hardcore Doriathrim and Fëanorians.

The only reason they’re not throwing hands is the position of High King is cursed and no one wants to answer to Elrond if his youngest son gets so much as a paper cut on their watch. Especially since this whole thing is their fault. Aragorn ends up with a constant guard of Sindar and Noldor he can’t shake off no matter what he does.

[general-illyrin]

I was reminded recently of this map I made when I first read the Silm, showing the general outlines of each realm in Beleriand after the Noldor arrived, so here it is in case it helps anyone. Granted, since this was my first read-through when I made it, there could be inaccuracies.

Key:

red - Sons of Feanor (specific territories for each son are outlined with dashed lines and labelled; dashed lines extending beyond the territory shows areas they are mentioned wandering/being in, but are not specifically said to have been their realms)

orange - Sons of Finarfin (specific territories for each son are labelled)

green - Thingol

jade - Green elves

light blue - Cirdan

dark blue - Fingolfin & his sons (specific territories for each person are outlined with dashed lines and labelled; dashed lines extending beyond the territory shows areas they are mentioned wandering/being in, but are not specifically said to have been their realms)

black wording - Dark elves (not outlined because it says they wander here, implying it isn't a specific realm of theirs)

magenta - Ungoliant and her offspring

[wisesnail]

"High upon the shoulders of Thangorodrim [Fingon] climbed, and looked in despair upon the desolation of the land; but no passage or crevice could he find through which he might come within Morgoth's stronghold. Then […] he took his harp and sang a song of Valinor […]; and his voice rang in the mournful hollows that had never heard before aught save cries of fear and woe. Thus Fingon found what he sought."

Tolkien, J. R. R. (2013). The Silmarillion. HarperCollins.

Aka Fingon finally finds Maedhros

Prints and other stuff on my RedBubble and Threadless

[sakasakiii]

a while ago i was sent an ask from @waterjewelsspite (answered below) wherein i was asked about different elven fashions.... so from left to right: doriathrim fashion, teleri + nargothrond fashion, vanya fashion :DD these have been sitting in my drafts as uncoloured wips since early 2022 omg, but better late than never i suppose !!!

i didnt have a specific sketch page for the noldor that i did back then hahahaha so i came back to it recently and took it as a chance to do some assorted concept doodles with the kind of outfits i imagine them wearing in mundane situations? i dont quite know how to explain it but i hope my annotations can help show my thought process a bit!!

cant believe it took me this long to give like half the characters proper fullbody refs or designs (im looking at YOU beleg and mablung) but this has been super fun and really refreshing, so thank you again waterjewelsspite for the kind ask!!! sorry again it took. two and a half years. OMG. for me to get it done 😭😭😭 i hope this sufficed!!!

in usual fashion, bonus feanorian shenanigans: caranthir's first business/publishing/entrepreneurship/girlboss venture

[anattmar]

and thereafter he wandered ever upon the shores, singing in pain and regret beside the waves

[matias-crtz-art]

Finrod.

"Thunder rumbles, the fires burn"