Siege of Eregion

The Siege of Eregion was a deadly battle between Sauron and the Elves of Eregion during the Second Age, marking the beginning of the War of the Elves and Sauron.

History

Enraged by Celebrimbor's resistance, Sauron marched his armies out of Mordor and invaded Eriador in the year SA 1695. In answer, Gil-galad dispatched a force under Elrond to aid Celebrimbor and also sent word to Númenor seeking support. Sauron attempted to draw the Haradrim to his side as well, but the influence of the Blue Wizards among them limited his success, delaying his assault on Eregion. Celeborn led an early sortie from Eregion, pushing back the vanguard of Sauron’s forces before joining with Elrond and reinforcements from Lindon. Yet as Sauron’s full strength approached, the defenders found themselves hopelessly outnumbered. Eregion was soon encircled, cutting off any chance for Elrond and Celeborn to return.

By SA 1697, Ost-in-Edhil had fallen. Celebrimbor made a final stand on the steps of the House of the Mírdain but was ultimately captured by Orcs. Sauron seized the Nine Rings and tortured Celebrimbor into revealing the location of the Seven. Afterward, Celebrimbor was slain by arrows, and in some accounts, Sauron used his body as a grim banner when confronting Elrond’s forces. Elrond’s army might have been destroyed, but Sauron’s host was suddenly attacked from the rear by Dwarves of Khazad-dûm and Elves of Lórinand under Amroth. Sauron turned to crush this new threat, swiftly defeating them, but the diversion allowed Elrond and his followers to escape.

Elrond gathered the surviving Elves of Eregion and retreated north, where he founded the refuge of Imladris. Other survivors fled into Khazad-dûm, aided by their Dwarven allies, and eventually passed through the mountains to the woodland realm later known as Lothlórien. The Doors of Durin were shut and would remain closed for thousands of years.

Sauron gained possession of all the Rings of Power except the Three, which he believed had been entrusted to Gil-galad and Galadriel. His armies devastated much of Eriador and pressed west toward Lindon in hopes of capturing one of these Rings. At the same time, he sent a large force to besiege Elrond, aiming to prevent any counterattack from the rear.

In adaptations

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

In season two of The Rings of Power, the armies of the Mordor Orcs are led not by Sauron, but by Adar — while Sauron, still in his Annatar guise, remains in Ost-in-Edhil. Adar’s forces dam the Glanduin, forcing the Elves to prepare for an imminent assault. Once the riverbed is drained, the Orcs march across and begin battering the city walls with Ravagers, but Elrond and Gil-galad lead a force of Lindon Elves to reinforce their Elven brethren in Eregion.

At the same time, Celebrimbor uncovers Annatar’s true identity. Fleeing his tower, he entrusts the Rings of Men to Galadriel before returning with several guards to confront Sauron. The confrontation ends in tragedy: Sauron slays Celebrimbor and his companions within the tower. Adar, still trying to breach Eregion, refuses to retreat which puts him at odds with Glúg and his troops. In an effort to destroy the walls of Eregion and enter it to kill Sauron completely, Adar sends Damrod the Hill-Troll to fight, which ends in mixed results as Damrod kills defending Elves, but as Glúg warned, also kills several Orcs in an effort to breach the wall. Damrod is slain by Gil-Galad, Elrond, and Arondir, but not after damaging the wall's foundations with the Ravager. When morning arrives, Adar's forces launch a renewed attack, and his troops at the wall finally break it down with the Ravager, leading the Orc legions to flood the city. Triumphantly, Adar takes Nenya from Elrond, as most of his forces storm the city, but Glúg refuses to join the attack. Galadriel, attempting to lead the remaining Elves northward, is pursued and captured by Orcs. To protect her people, she surrenders herself, and the Orcs deliver her to Adar.

But this meeting is a trap—set for both Galadriel and Adar. Sauron has secretly won the allegiance of Glûg, Adar’s right-hand lieutenant, along with many other Orcs who he commanded (being second-in-command, Glûg had a position of great respect among the Orcs and grew in popularity among them as Adar began making costly battlefield decisions, so he had amassed a fairly sizable following of his own and commanded his own legion). Under the orders of Adar, Glúg and his troops finally entered Eregion, where they found Sauron at Celebrimbor's forge and swore loyalty to him. When a seemingly dying Glûg is brought before Adar and Galadriel, neither suspects treachery, and Adar in particular shows great sympathy for Glûg. Glûg and his followers strike, killing Adar, while Galadriel and Sauron clash on the hill above Ost-in-Edhil.

As battle erupts, the Dwarves — among them Narvi — arrive to aid the Elves. Yet the Orcs are too numerous. Eregion falls, and Sauron claims the Rings of Men. Despite this, the Dwarves force the Orcs to pull back from Eregion (at this point, Glúg's followers are among the Orcs inside Eregion, but there are other Orcs who did not directly follow Glúg; yet, given the situation, they are all retreating as one and Glúg has already solidified the loyalty of all his Orcish brethren to Sauron by killing Adar, so all the Orcs are now taking orders from Sauron whether or not they joined Glúg in killing Adar). Upon retreating, Sauron drives the Orcs back into the fray despite Glûg’s desperate objections; when Glûg speaks out, Sauron stabs him through the throat, leaving him to die slowly—just as he feared, countless Orcs are sacrificed in the renewed assault.

With the Dwarves holding the Orcs at bay, the surviving Elves — Elrond, Gil-galad, Galadriel, Arondir, and others escape into the northern valley. There, amid the ruins of their defeat, they begin to found a new refuge: Imladris, later known as Rivendell.

Translations

References