First Age 455 (abbreviated to F.A. 455) is the 455th year of the Sun of the First Age of Middle-earth. This year is also known as the Fell Year.
Notable events in this year include:
Winter
- The Fourth Battle of Beleriand: Dagor Bragollach (Battle of the Sudden Flame). Morgoth breaks the Siege of Angband marking the end of Long Peace.[1]
- The Ard-galen is destroyed by Morgoth's rivers of fire and is renamed the Anfauglith, the Gasping Dust.[2]
- Glaurung leads forth an army of balrogs and orcs. The Noldor suffer heavy losses and are scattered across Beleriand.[2]
- Finrod Felagund is cut off from the rest of army in the Fen of Serech; he is saved by Barahir. Thereafter, oaths are made between Barahir and Finrod and Barahir receives a ring which becomes an heirloom.[2]
- Dorthonion is lost and its people remove to Hithlum. Celegorm and Curufin are defeated and flee to Nargothrond. Orcs capture Mount Rerir, destroy Thargelion and defile Lake Helevorn; Caranthir removes to Amon Ereb.[2]
- Deaths of Angrod, Aegnor, Bregolas, Hador Lórindol and Gundor.[2]
- Gelmir is captured.[3]
- Turgon, learning of the battle, sends ships to Valinor to ask for aid. No aid comes and few ships return.[4]
Other versions of the legendarium
According to The Grey Annals, the capture of Minas Tirith upon Tol Sirion and the defeat of Orodreth by Sauron took place in this year, even before Fingolfin was slain in his last stand against Morgoth in F.A. 456.[5] Nevertheless, Christopher Tolkien eventually did not include this change in the chronology into the published Silmarillion, preferring an earlier version from The Later Annals of Beleriand, where the city was captured in F.A. 457.[6]
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part One. The Grey Annals": §145
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part One. The Grey Annals": §151
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part One. The Grey Annals": §153-4
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, "Part Two: Valinor and Middle-earth before The Lord of the Rings, III. The Later Annals of Beleriand", entry for the year '257 [457]', p. 133