Noldor

The Noldor or Ñoldor were those of the second clan of the Elves who came to Aman. They were highly skilled in crafts and gained much knowledge, which they passed on to Men after their Exile. Their King was originally Finwë, but he was slain by Morgoth, leading his son Fëanor to avenge him and the theft of his jewels by making war upon Morgoth in Middle-earth. The war of the Noldor against Morgoth comprises many of the tales of the First Age.
== Origins ==
According to legend, the clan was founded by Tata, the second Elf to awake at Cuiviénen. With him were his spouse Tatië and their 54 companions, and this clan became known as the Tatyar. Finwë, the first Ñoldor to come to Valinor with Oromë, became their King, and led most of them to Valinor. Out of the original 56 Tatyar who awoke at Cuiviénen, 28 remained at the place of their awakening, becoming Avari, while the other original 28 and their offspring continued on their Great Journey.
== History ==
=== Elder Days ===
==== In Valinor ====
The Noldor were accounted the greatest of the Elves and all the peoples in Middle-earth in lore, warfare and crafts. In Valinor, "great became their knowledge and their skill; yet even greater was their thirst for more knowledge, and in many things they soon surpassed their teachers. The Noldor were changeful in speech, for they had great love of words, and sought ever to find names more fit for all things they knew or imagined". They were beloved of Aulë the Smith, and were the first to discover and carve gems. Their chief dwelling-place was the city of Tirion upon Túna. Among the wisest of the Noldor was Rúmil, creator of the first writing system and author of many books of lore. Fëanor, son of Finwë and Míriel, was the greatest of their craftsmen, "mightiest in skill of word and of hand", and creator of the Silmarils.
The Noldor earned the greatest hatred of Melkor, who envied their prosperity and, most of all, the Silmarils. So he went often among them, offering counsel, and the Noldor hearkened, being eager for lore. But amid his seemingly good advice, Melkor sowed lies to turn one House of the Noldor against another, and in the end the peace in Tirion was poisoned. After threatening his half-brother Fingolfin, Fëanor was banished from Tirion by the Valar, and with him went Finwë his father. Fingolfin remained as the ruler of the Noldor of Tirion.
But Melkor had yet other designs to accomplish. Soon after with the aid of Ungoliant he destroyed the Two Trees, and coming to Formenos he killed Finwë, stole the Silmarils, and departed from Aman. Fëanor, driven by grief and desiring vengeance, rebelled against the Valar by coming back into Tirion and making a speech before the Noldor, in which he persuaded them to leave Valinor, follow Melkor to Middle-earth, and wage war against him for the recovery of the Silmarils. He swore a terrible oath, as did his sons, to pursue Melkor and reclaim the Silmarils at all costs. Fëanor then claimed the kingship of the Noldor since his father was dead. Although the greater part of the Noldor still held Fingolfin as their leader, the rest followed Fëanor into Exile.
==== Exile ====
The Noldor led by Fëanor demanded that the Teleri let them use their ships. When the Teleri refused, they took the ships by force, committing the first kinslaying. A messenger from the Valar came later and delivered the Doom of Mandos, pronouncing judgement on the Noldor for the Kinslaying and rebellion and warning that if they proceeded they would not recover the Silmarils and moreover would be slain or tormented by grief. At this, some of the Noldor who had no hand in the Kinslaying, including Finarfin son of Finwë and Indis, returned to Valinor, and the Valar forgave them. Other Noldor led by Fingolfin (some of whom were blameless in the Kinslaying) remained determined to leave Valinor for Middle-earth. Prominent among these others was Finarfin's son, Finrod.
The Noldor led by Fëanor crossed the sea to Middle-earth, leaving those led by Fingolfin, his half-brother, behind. Upon his arrival in Middle-earth, Fëanor had the ships burned. When the Noldor led by Fingolfin discovered their betrayal, they went farther north and crossed the sea at the Grinding Ice at the cost of many lives.
==== In Middle-earth ====
===== Arrival =====
Fëanor's company was soon attacked by Morgoth. When Fëanor rode too far from his bodyguard during the Dagor-nuin-Giliath, several Balrogs, including their Lord Gothmog, fought him. Despite battling valiantly, Fëanor was mortally wounded and would have been captured and taken to Angband had it not been for the swift arrival of his sons. However, Fëanor died whilst being taken back to his own people.
Because Fëanor had taken the ships and left the Noldor led by his half-brother on the west side of the sea, much enmity remained between the royal Houses of the Noldor. Yet soon enough, Fingon, son of Fingolfin, saved Maedhros, Fëanor's son, from Morgoth's imprisonment and the feud was settled. Maedhros was due to succeed Fëanor, but he regretted his part in the Kinslaying and waived his claim to the kingship of the Noldor to his uncle Fingolfin, who became the first High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth. The House of Fëanor became known as the Dispossessed after this.
===== Kingdom of the Noldor =====
In the north-west of Middle-earth, the Noldor made alliance with the Sindar and later with the Edain. Fingolfin reigned long in the land of Hithlum, and his younger son Turgon later ruled in his Hidden City of Gondolin. The Sons of Fëanor, under Maedhros, ruled the lands of East Beleriand, while Finrod Felagund, Finarfin's son, was the King of Nargothrond ruled the greatest of the realms of the Noldor despite being the youngest of the princes.
Fingolfin's reign was marked by warfare against Morgoth and in F.A. 60, after their victory in Dagor Aglareb, the Noldor besieged Angband, the fortress of Morgoth. Yet in F.A. 455, the Siege was broken by Morgoth in the Dagor Bragollach, in which the north-eastern Elvish realms were conquered. Fingolfin rode in despair to Angband and challenged Morgoth to single combat. He dealt Morgoth seven wounds but perished, and was soon succeeded by his eldest son Fingon, who became the second High King of the Noldor.
===== Demise =====
In F.A. 472, Maedhros organised an all-out attack on Morgoth and this led to the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. Betrayed by the new-come Easterlings, the forces of the Noldor, Sindar and Edain were utterly defeated. Fingon the Valiant was slain; he was succeeded by his brother Turgon as the third High King of the Noldor.
Morgoth scattered the remaining forces of the Sons of Fëanor, and in F.A. 495, Nargothrond was also overridden. Turgon had withdrawn to Gondolin which was kept hidden from both Morgoth and other Elves. In F.A. 510, Gondolin was betrayed by Maeglin and sacked. During the attack, Turgon was killed; however, many of his people escaped and found their way south. Turgon was the last surviving male descendant of Fingolfin, so Gil-galad, great-grandson of Finarfin, became the fourth and last High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth.
Finally, the Host of the West came down to Middle-earth and in F.A. 545 to 583, the War of Wrath was fought and Morgoth was cast into the Void. As a result of the cataclysmic war, Beleriand sank into the sea, except for a part of Ossiriand (Lindon), and a few islands. The defeat of Morgoth marked the end of the First Age and the start of the Second.
=== Second Age ===
Most of the Noldor sailed back to Tol Eressea at the end of the First Age; but some, like Galadriel daughter of Finarfin, or Celebrimbor, grandson of Fëanor, refused the pardon of the Valar and remained in Middle-earth. Gil-galad, last heir of the kings of the Noldor in exile, and acknowledged as "High King of the Elves of the West", founded a new kingdom at Lindon, and ruled throughout the Second Age, longer than any of his predecessors.
Gil-galad's people were mainly Noldor (especially from Gondolin, but also from the Houses of Finarfin and Fëanor); early in the Second Age, most of the Noldor that remained in Middle-earth lived in Lindon. During this time, the few Exiles that remained also lived in Lindon.
In S.A. 750, some Noldor learned that mithril was found in Moria under the Misty Mountains, so they went to Eregion. Because of their legacy as craftsmen, they were less unfriendly to the Dwarves than the Sindar. They became the Gwaith-i-Mírdain under Celebrimbor and formed the closest friendship ever between Elves and Dwarves. Although war soon befell Eriador along with Celebrimbor's death, remnants of Eregion, including many Noldor, either followed Elrond to establish Imladris or fled to Lothlórien.
Gil-galad perished in the War of the Alliance at the end of the Second Age, and so ended the High Kingship of the Noldor. He fathered no children; however, the line of the High-elven kings, including the High Kingship of the Noldor, was alone preserved in the descendants of Elros and Elrond.
=== Later history ===
After the fall of Gil-galad (during the time of the Kings of Arnor), there was still a remnant of the Noldor who dwelt at the Grey Havens of further inland in Lindon who constituted the largest population of Noldor remaining in Middle-earth. However, in Eriador, the chief dwelling of the Noldor was Imladris.
In the late Third Age, the Noldor in Middle-earth were greatly diminished, as most had passed over the Sea. If any remained in the early Fourth Age, they were few.
After the Dominion of Men was taken up by Aragorn II Elessar, the last of the Noldor set sail from Mithlond and left Middle-earth forever.
== Rulers ==
: In Valinor
The first two kings were not distinguished as being in Valinor, since the entire population of the Noldor lived in Valinor at that time.
# Finwë, first King of the Noldor.
# Fëanor, first son of Finwë; claimed the title after his father's death.
# Finarfin, third son of Finwë, remained in Aman after the Exile of the Noldor and ruled the remnant of his people in Tirion, although he never officialy claimed this title.
; In Middle-earth
; Fingolfin, second son of Finwë; held to be the first High King of the Noldor by the majority of the Noldor after Maedhros son of Fëanor gave up his claims.
# Fingon, first son of Fingolfin.
# Turgon, second son of Fingolfin.
# Gil-galad, great-grandson of Finarfin.
== Characteristics ==
The Noldor were the Second Clan of the Elves in both order and size, the other clans being the Vanyar, a smaller group, and the Teleri, a much larger one. The Noldor typically had grey eyes and dark hair, save for the members of the golden-haired House of Finarfin.
From their beginning the Noldor (meaning "Those who Know") were always distinguished, by their knowledge of the things that are and were in this world, and by their desire to learn more. They were the most skillful of these Clans, and were specially loved by Aulë, from whom they learned many things, although less than they wanted to know. Their skills included the developing of their language, the building of great towers and halls, and gem extraction. One of their most famous artefacts were the crystallic Fëanorian lamps; the craft to make them was lost to Middle-earth when they left.
The Noldor were the proudest of the Elves; in the words of the Sindar, they came to Middle-earth because "they needed room to quarrel in". It was this pride that Melkor used to turn the Houses of Fëanor and Fingolfin against each other. The pride of the Noldor also led to their Fall and Exile (and their continued quarrels in Middle-earth, as noted by the Sindar).
Of the three clans of the Eldar they are also the people who most favours swords and shields as their weapons.