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Dates
The Noldor departed from Aman into Middle-earth shortly before the first rising of the Moon and Sun;1 the Exile persisted for at least some of these Elves until the close of the Third Age
Location
The Noldor travelled into the far north of the world and crossed the narrow seas there; Fëanor and his followers sailed to reach Losgar, while Fingolfin and his people were forced to cross the Grinding Ice of the Helcaraxë
Race
Elves
Division
Noldor
Family
The exiled Noldor were led by two of the sons of Finwë
Pronunciation
Noldor is pronounced 'no'ldorr' (the final 'r' should be pronounced - 'rr' is used here to emphasise this)
Meaning
Noldor means approximately 'those with knowledge'
Other names
The departure of the Noldor that caused the Exile was known as the Flight of the Noldor (from Aman) or the Return of the Noldor (into Middle-earth); the Noldor in Middle-earth were known as the Exiles from Valinor, or simply the Exiles

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 17 October 2023
  • This entry is complete

Exile of the Noldor

The ban of the Deep Elves from Aman

"...for this ye shall know: as ye came hither freely, freely shall ye depart."
Manwë's messenger to Fëanor
Quenta Silmarillion 9
Of the Flight of the Noldor

After the Darkening of Valinor, Fëanor rebelled against the Valar, and set out from Aman with most of his fellow Noldor. His aim was to make war on Melkor for the recovery of the stolen Silmarils, and his hatred and pride were so great that he swore an Oath that bound himself and his sons to destroy any who held them from their goal.

From this Oath stemmed the Kinslaying at Alqualondë, and aboard the stolen ships of the Teleri Fëanor and his sons set out to gain their vengeance in Middle-earth. The Valar allowed them to depart, but closed their land against any return, making them Exiles from Aman. After long ages, the Exile was relaxed, and the Noldor were allowed to return to the Blessed Realm. Among the last of these was Galadriel, who had been part of the ancient rebellion, but was forgiven at last because of her actions in the War of the Ring.


Notes

1

The Annals of Aman (in volume X of The History of Middle-earth) give us slightly more precise dating for these events in terms of long Valian Years. The Doom of Mandos that exiled the Noldor was spoken in VY 1496 (counting from the making of the Two Trees), and the Noldor abandoned Aman and reached the north of Middle-earth in VY 1497. Each Valian Year is equivalent to a little less that ten solar years, so VY 1496 equates to about 29 years before the first rising of the Sun, and VY 1497 to about 22 years on the same scale.

With Valian Years being so long, this still makes any kind of precise calculation difficult, but if we assume that the Doom of Mandos was spoken in the later part of VY 1496, then the Exile was pronounced (very roughly) twenty-five years before the first sunrise, and the Noldor made their way across the northern seas a few years later.

See also...

Belthil, Dweller in the Deep, Eärwen, Grinding Ice, Noldolantë, Tareldar, Ulmo, White Lady of Gondolin, Wolfhounds

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 17 October 2023
  • This entry is complete

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2005, 2023. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

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Exile of the Noldor

The ban of the Deep Elves from Aman

Dates
The Noldor departed from Aman into Middle-earth shortly before the first rising of the Moon and Sun;1 the Exile persisted for at least some of these Elves until the close of the Third Age
Location
The Noldor travelled into the far north of the world and crossed the narrow seas there; Fëanor and his followers sailed to reach Losgar, while Fingolfin and his people were forced to cross the Grinding Ice of the Helcaraxë
Race
Elves
Division
Noldor
Family
The exiled Noldor were led by two of the sons of Finwë
Pronunciation
Noldor is pronounced 'no'ldorr' (the final 'r' should be pronounced - 'rr' is used here to emphasise this)
Meaning
Noldor means approximately 'those with knowledge'
Other names
The departure of the Noldor that caused the Exile was known as the Flight of the Noldor (from Aman) or the Return of the Noldor (into Middle-earth); the Noldor in Middle-earth were known as the Exiles from Valinor, or simply the Exiles

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 17 October 2023
  • This entry is complete

Exile of the Noldor

The ban of the Deep Elves from Aman

"...for this ye shall know: as ye came hither freely, freely shall ye depart."
Manwë's messenger to Fëanor
Quenta Silmarillion 9
Of the Flight of the Noldor

After the Darkening of Valinor, Fëanor rebelled against the Valar, and set out from Aman with most of his fellow Noldor. His aim was to make war on Melkor for the recovery of the stolen Silmarils, and his hatred and pride were so great that he swore an Oath that bound himself and his sons to destroy any who held them from their goal.

From this Oath stemmed the Kinslaying at Alqualondë, and aboard the stolen ships of the Teleri Fëanor and his sons set out to gain their vengeance in Middle-earth. The Valar allowed them to depart, but closed their land against any return, making them Exiles from Aman. After long ages, the Exile was relaxed, and the Noldor were allowed to return to the Blessed Realm. Among the last of these was Galadriel, who had been part of the ancient rebellion, but was forgiven at last because of her actions in the War of the Ring.


Notes

1

The Annals of Aman (in volume X of The History of Middle-earth) give us slightly more precise dating for these events in terms of long Valian Years. The Doom of Mandos that exiled the Noldor was spoken in VY 1496 (counting from the making of the Two Trees), and the Noldor abandoned Aman and reached the north of Middle-earth in VY 1497. Each Valian Year is equivalent to a little less that ten solar years, so VY 1496 equates to about 29 years before the first rising of the Sun, and VY 1497 to about 22 years on the same scale.

With Valian Years being so long, this still makes any kind of precise calculation difficult, but if we assume that the Doom of Mandos was spoken in the later part of VY 1496, then the Exile was pronounced (very roughly) twenty-five years before the first sunrise, and the Noldor made their way across the northern seas a few years later.

See also...

Belthil, Dweller in the Deep, Eärwen, Grinding Ice, Noldolantë, Tareldar, Ulmo, White Lady of Gondolin, Wolfhounds

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 17 October 2023
  • This entry is complete

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2005, 2023. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Axiom Discovery aptitude and skill testing.
Personality is one part of understanding a candidate's suitability, but aptitudes and skills are also key.