The Factions of the First Age Explained

In this video, we look at the different factions of Elves, Men, and Dwarves from the First Age. Who led them? How powerful were they? And how did they get along with each other?

Thanks to my patrons - Vasco Sa Pinto, Gavin, Javi Iñesta ,Brn, JIV, Fipse, W Sean Mason, boi sophies, Stonetruck, ThunderStryken, Hallimar Rathlorn, Habimana, Ben Jeffrey, Harry Evett, Mojtaba Ro, Moe L, Paul Leone, Barbossa, mncb1o, Carrot Ifson, Andrew Welch and Catherine Berry

[jakobfriesen]

A first age show would be so badass if it was done properly. I can’t stress the “done properly“ part enough

[christiansenator]

Cirdan just chillin for like 11, 000 years

[ryancarter]

This lack of unity and acknowledgment of the high king was still a problem in the second age. When Sauron as Annatar arrived Gil-Galad banished him from his kingdom. But Celimbrimbor despite being his vassal and technically being part of his kingdom didn’t follow that command and welcomed Annatar. Showing how little control the high king had over the other kings and lords. We all know how that turned out

[concept]

If Fëanor and his children had spent half as much time fighting Morgoth as they did killing elves they'd have gotten the Silmarils.

[lukasmeier]

It's a shame that we don't know more about what happened to the house of Bor.

[pico]

I'd love to see a video listing and describing all the Dwarven realms that we know of (Nogrost, Belegost, the Blue mountains in the late third age, Gundabad, Grey Mountains, Iron hills, Khazad Dum, Erebor, Nulukkizdin etc)

[ciaranrocks]

A video on the various Half-Elven bloodlines and how they interlace with each other through the ages before becoming reunited in the Fourth Age would be a good idea for a video on a First Age topic I think.

[saladinbob]

The First Age is my favourite Age. The Third Age is rather mundane in comparison, and as much as I love the LoTR I think the First Age is where Tolkien's best stories lie.

[MrKurtank]

I wish more of the 1st and 2nd age was explored on this channel. The 1st Age is just mythic, a time of heroes but the connection is real when the major players of the 3rd Age are counted. The light shone on Glorfindel feels odd in the LotR because he is so vastly storied and heroic while the mention so brief; and yet those who fell about him in his moment of triumph could be counted even greater, many being his friends and relatives!!!! This is the sense of scale one gains with exposure to the Silmarillion lore. Thank you, as always.

[RobbyBurney]

There's a topic that hasn't been covered by any LotR content creator I've been keeping track of. Divine Intervention in Hobbit + LotR. There are a dozen+ noticable and author noted examples in the four texts

[superslayerguy]

Honey wake up Darth Gandalf just uploaded a factions of the first age video

[tombaker]

Great video. I always wondered why the silmarill did not burn King Thingol when he touched the gem. Seems to only burn elf killers only per Varda’s hollowing, and no other evil act.

[meliodasschreiber]

When will you do the History of all of Middle Earth / Arda? Also History of the Dwarfs :D?

[alanmike]

I have a question. What would've happened if the sons of feanor refuse to accept loss of kingship

[Bobay]

Thank you for this cool video. The Elves of the Falas and the House of Beor are my two favorites. Also a shout out to Mablung and Beleg Strongbow of Doriath for joining the Noldor host of Fingon during the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. Finally a suggestion for a First Age video: The travels of Tuor: Hithlum, Mount Taras, Gondolin and sailing West. Thank you.

[bristleconepine]

I was wondering if you were going to go into the factions within the Valar, e.g. the Counsel of Ulmo versus the Doom of Mandos.

[thorshammer]

Alot of the Elf leaders of these factions had a mixtures of bad attributes and committing to unwise thought processes that were extremely self sabotaging and contributed to the unneeded falls of their realms and the slaughtering of their peoples and nations.

Many had tunnel vision, impatience, short sightedness, blind to their worldview assumptions, or worse prideful and unhumble morons in some form or practice. You have nearly all these immortals who can't age and are suppose to have foresight and good objective wisdom yet many of the leader keep making the worse decisions ever with little coercion and solidarity. Many of them didn't practice enough strong incentive and agency like they should have done in this drastic situation which was urgent.

Even some of the noble and humble characters made critical mistakes that was a near complete strageic or logistic loss to their kingdoms and tribes in their decision making dooming many of their citizens in the long run. Likely resulting in tens of millions dying within the century of Morgoth's launching a full frontal grinding campaign with millions of orcs, trolls, and other abomniable creatures they had in large reserves. Fingolfin shouldn't have gone alone to duel Morgoth at his frontgate. Without him who was a powerhouse of a Elf, the strongest and shriftest of all the Elves in comparison at the time there was essentially very little respect for the level of authority around and willful submission to that authority.

Fingolfin should have known the Sons of Feanor were overly secretive, with little restraint and were lacking incentive in their ambitious attitudes would ultimately lead dissensions which would lead to lingering strife.

And how many of the elves already living in Middle Earth including the ones from outside the realms of the Teleri elves had to pay the price of the various factions leaderships actions or lack there of? I don't like sounding pessimistic or unrighteously mocking the Noldor characters in the book but in truth they had alot of responsibilities they didn't fulfill properly despite knowing the wars of annihilation they were in against the evil wicked forces of Morgoth and messed up so many times in a complied series of events contributing to so many regular folk dying in the consequences.

I hold some compassion for the Avari and men from the east who didn't join Morgoth's alliances. They likely little comprehension of how bad the scope of the conflict was and were experiencing the after effects of it. Then it would eventually lead to the 40 year long war of wrath came and a entire section of a continent collapsed as a new sea bed. And who knows how many innocent casualties there were in the process if the Valar host were able to evaluate most of them at all and were left with very little to regain their living once more.

It was nearly book of First Enoch levels bad with the some of the good things is that it was mainly concentrated on a section of a continent and not worldwide like it was in the Pre Flood days. The last thing you want is a entire evil society of monsters and 200 fallen angelics exalting themselves as gods when they are evil beings taking over the world. Especially when they are doing it through intelligent diplomatic means before removing their masks revealing their true intentions once the deeds are already done. Now that's a nightmare and be glad Morgoth's fruits weren't nearly as cunning and effectively executed as the villians of First Enoch were.

[ulbingelias]

Wonderful video 👍. I would find it interesting to see video about the army sizes of the first age or the elven military in general.

[tiltskillet]

I heard Mor...cloth?...Mor...froth?....More-edgy?...anyway, Mor-something-or-other had a pretty important faction. :P

[Tar-Elenion]

Feanor did not become king. Though he claimed the kingship, this was rejected by the most part of the Noldor, who refused to renounce Fingolfin's kingship.
Maedhros relinquished his claim to the kingship. Not the kingship itself (which he did not have).
Gil-galad as son of Orodreth does not seem to have been sent to the Falas, but rather, escaped the sack of Nargothrond and went to the Mouths of Sirion:
"(Their mother was a Sindarin lady of the North. She called her son Gil-galad.) Rodnor Gil-galad escaped and eventually came to Sirion’s Mouth and was King of the Ñoldor there."
PoMe, Shibboleth, The parentage of Gil-galad