Understand how and why the Union of Maedhros collapsed, and what place the Nirnaeth Arnoediad holds in the Doom of the Noldor.
Chapter guide
The Battle of Unnumbered Tears
After the Dagor Bragollach broke the Siege, and the deed of Beren and Lúthien showed that Morgoth could be shaken, the Elves resolve to attack. Maedhros, Fëanor's eldest son, gathers a great alliance, the Union of Maedhros: Noldor, Sindar, Men of the Three Houses of the Edain, the Dwarves of Belegost, and the host of Gondolin under Turgon. The plan is to lure Morgoth's forces out of Angband and crush them in the open field.
The plan fails. Morgoth sows discord and treachery. The Easterlings (Men of the East) of the house of Ulfang turn traitor at the decisive moment and strike the Elves in the back. The host is cut apart; the army of the West is destroyed. The Dwarf Azaghâl of Belegost gravely wounds Glaurung, father of dragons, and forces him to retreat; this saves what is left of the army, but he himself falls.
Húrin and Huor, Men of the house of Hador, cover Turgon's retreat to Gondolin, crying out that the sun will rise again (a sign of hope). Huor falls, and Húrin is taken alive: Morgoth wants to learn where Gondolin is hidden, but Húrin stays silent and is doomed to a curse.
The outcome is a catastrophe: Beleriand is in effect lost, the Elven kingdoms are bled white, and the road to the ruin of the Noldor lies open.
Lesson notes
The Battle of Unnumbered Tears
After the Dagor Bragollach broke the Siege, and the deed of Beren and Lúthien showed that Morgoth could be shaken, the Elves resolve to attack. Maedhros, Fëanor's eldest son, gathers a great alliance, the Union of Maedhros: Noldor, Sindar, Men of the Three Houses of the Edain, the Dwarves of Belegost, and the host of Gondolin under Turgon. The plan is to lure Morgoth's forces out of Angband and crush them in the open field.
The plan fails. Morgoth sows discord and treachery. The Easterlings (Men of the East) of the house of Ulfang turn traitor at the decisive moment and strike the Elves in the back. The host is cut apart; the army of the West is destroyed. The Dwarf Azaghâl of Belegost gravely wounds Glaurung, father of dragons, and forces him to retreat; this saves what is left of the army, but he himself falls.
Húrin and Huor, Men of the house of Hador, cover Turgon's retreat to Gondolin, crying out that the sun will rise again (a sign of hope). Huor falls, and Húrin is taken alive: Morgoth wants to learn where Gondolin is hidden, but Húrin stays silent and is doomed to a curse.
The outcome is a catastrophe: Beleriand is in effect lost, the Elven kingdoms are bled white, and the road to the ruin of the Noldor lies open.
What the names mean
— “Nirnaeth Arnoediad” is Sindarin for “Unnumbered Tears” (literally “tears without number”). The name is given both to the battle itself and to the dreadful field of Anfauglith, strewn with bones.
— The “Union of Maedhros” is the last great attempt to unite the peoples of Middle-earth against Morgoth; its collapse shows that those who live in Middle-earth cannot overcome the Enemy by their own strength alone. This sets up the end of the book directly: salvation will come only from the West, from the Valar, at Eärendil's plea.
— Ulfang's treachery is the motif of the “bought enemy”: Morgoth had paid for the betrayal in advance. Not all Men followed him: the house of Bór stayed loyal and fell in battle.
Recurring motifs. The Oath of Fëanor indirectly poisons this alliance too: distrust among the Noldor (the memory of the Kinslaying at Alqualondë and the burning of the ships at Losgar) keeps them from acting together. Here, too, Húrin's personal tragedy begins: his captivity and the curse on his kin are the direct prologue to Túrin's story (chapter 21).