In the late First Age, the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the Kingdom of Doriath, attempting to take by force the Nauglamír, along with the Silmaril set in it.
History[]
Prelude[]
After the two treasures were brought together, Thingol sought to take it and set about it his neck but the Dwarves withheld it from him, saying that he had not the right to do so as it was a Dwarven heirloom taken from Nargothrond by theft. Then in a gesture of great pride, Thingol scorned the Dwarves as inferiors undeserving in comparison to himself and proceeded to speak ill of them, deeming they should be gone out of his realm forever. Insulted and ever wanting the Silmaril, the Dwarves' hearts kindled to rage. They fell upon him, and there was a great battle within the palace; Thingol was seemingly defeated. The Dwarves of Nogrod took the Nauglamír and the Silmaril but were driven out of the fortress.
The Dwarves left Menegroth, but it did not take long for the alarm to be raised on what had been done, and soon all of Doriath was roused. The Dwarves were pursued to the death with great wrath, and all but two returned home to Nogrod. When they arrived, the survivors lied about what happened, saying their brothers had been slain at the command of Thingol, hoping to cheat them of their reward. The Dwarves of Nogrod then became filled with wrath and desired revenge. They tried to get the Dwarves of Belegost to help them, but they refused.
Later the Dwarves were allowed past the realm's barrier of enchantment with the help of treacherous Elves under the curse of the treasure. Meanwhile, Thingol was lured out of the fortress on a hunt with only a tiny company of arms. The Dwarves were waiting for him. Finally, an ambush slew the King, and the fortress of the Thousand Caves was taken and plundered, bringing to ruin the glory of Doriath.
Melian, full of grief and pain at her husband's loss and seeing that the doom she had feared had finally come upon Doriath, withdrew her protection of the realm. The Dwarves could neither harm nor seize her, and she went forth.
The attack[]
The Dwarves of Nogrod assembled a great host. They marched out of the Blue Mountains, crossing the River Gelion, and headed westward to Doriath. Crossing the Aros River, the Dwarves reached Doriath with no barrier (such as the Girdle of Melian) to stop them. The Elven sentinels and their captains were no match for the Dwarves, quickly being defeated. Then, with few losses, the Dwarves passed over the Bridge of Menegroth and entered the caves. After fierce fighting in which many on both sides were killed, they were victorious. They pillaged, plundered, and destroyed at their leisure, and much was taken from the Menelrond. Then, they came to the treasury, slew Mablung before its doors, and took the Nauglamír and the Silmaril.
Aftermath[]
The Dwarves left Doriath, but at Sarn Athrad were ambushed by an army of Laiquendi led by Beren and his son Dior. The Dwarven host, heavily weighed down with loot, were destroyed, and survivors that fled into the forest ran into the Ents and were killed. Both the Silmaril and Nauglamír were taken by Beren to Tol Galen. This marked the end of the first Kingdom of Doriath until Dior and his wife Nimloth came to claim it, ruling over the surviving Sindar soon afterward.[1]
Other versions of the legendarium[]
In the account given in Beren and Lúthien (2017), Melian sought after Beren and Lúthien to warn them of the Dwarves' approach. Giving them a chance with the help of the Green-elves to stop the Dwarves at the Battle of the Stony Ford. Melian also told Beren about the dangers of the Mîm's cursed treasure and discussed it with her daughter Lúthien. She gave the Silmaril to Beren for safe-keeping. In time Lúthien faded, and Beren died. Their son Dior became heir to Doriath (taking the Silmaril with him) and helped raise its glory. However, Melian dwelt in that place, and she returned to the Gods.
Alternatively, in a later account (closer to how it appears in The Silmarillion), Dior left later while his family was still alive and became the new King of Doriath. When Green-elves brought him a coffer with the Necklace of the Dwarves, he knew his parents had died. He stared at the Silmaril long with grief that death had come upon his parents so soon.
In the story, as it appears in "Of the Ruin of Doriath", Melian entrusted Mablung to send word to Beren at Tol Galen and gave him the Silmaril for safe-keeping. She then left Middle-earth and returned to Valinor, with Doriath unprotected.
Translations[]
References[]
- ↑ The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXII: "Of the Ruin of Doriath"
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Danish | Menegroths første udplyndring |
| Korean | 1차 도리아스 약탈 |