#anfauglith

[eloquentsisyphianturmoil]

Anfauglith Deep-dive

Exploring Anfauglith’s infertility, design, and Elven interaction with it.

The only plant life that grew was on Haudh-en-Nirnaeth. Volcanic planes are usually very fertile; in this case Thangorodrim’s lava must have been exceptionally acidic.

(‘Acidic’ geologically means ‘high in silica’). Likely it contained high levels of sulfur. Given Ard-Galen is a moisture rich plane, the sulfur would react to produce sulfuric acid, to such an extent that it rendered Anfauglith infertile.

The amount of bodies in Haudh-en-Nirnaeth was clearly enough to rebalance pH. As far as I am aware, this is a chemically possible scenario.

Thus Anfauglith is incredibly sulfurous. Two example environments are Brennisteinsfjoll, Iceland, and Dallol, Ethiopia. Both are volcanic.

Areas of Brennisteinsfjoll may be more fertile than Anfauglith, but the landscaping and mineral colours are similar to what we may expect (images at bottom).

Dallol is a more extreme environment, and interesting in its own right. (Extra resources here). High in carbon dioxide and Sulfur gas, the average yearly temperature is 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit). (Images at bottom).

Anfauglith was crossed unbroken by Rochallor and Huan, but likely cannot be by any lesser beast. Of more interest is the Nirnaeth Arnoediad and the fighting and camping of troops on Anfauglith. (The hostility of the battlefield should not be discounted when discussing the reasons for the battle’s loss).

—

Brennisteinsfjoll:

Dallol:

[berensreverie]

Fingolfin rode across Anfauglith

[tolkienillustrations]

Rivers of fire at dead of night in winter lying cold and white upon the plain burst forth, and high the red was mirrored in the sky. From Hithlum’s walls they saw the fire, the steam and smoke in spire on spire leap up, till in confusion vast the stars were choked. And so it passed, the mighty field, and turned to dust, to drifting sand and yellow rust, to thirsty dunes where many bones lay broken among barren stones. Dor-na-Fauglith, Land of Thirst, they after named it, waste accurst, the raven-haunted roofless grave of many fair and many brave.

Dagor Bragollach, The Lays of Beleriand

[whats-in-a-sentence]

Map of Beleriand

"The Silmarillion" - J.R.R. Tolkien

[tenth-sentence]

There he dismissed the horse of Curufin, and bade it leave now dread and servitude and run free upon the green grass in the lands of Sirion.

"The Silmarillion" - J.R.R. Tolkien

[alicebeckstrom]

By the command of Morgoth the Orcs with great labour gathered all the bodies of those who had fallen in the great battle, and all their harness and weapons, and piled them in a great mound in the midst of Anfauglith; and it was like a hill that could be seen from afar. ~ The Silmarillion, Chapter 20 (Anfauglith by MatejCadil, deviantART)

[omnomnomwisenom]

Hi, I did sketch a day*  this February, and some of these are Silm-related:

Anfauglith; Namo the Dark Lord; Luthien as a fruit bat; Luthien; Melkor

* sketch per 15 minutes before going to sleep, that’s what I would call it

[tolkienillustrations]

The Battle of the Sudden Flame by Alan Lee

Then suddenly Morgoth sent forth great rivers of flame that ran down swifter than Balrogs from Thangorodrim, and poured over all the plain... In front of that fire came Glaurung the golden, father of dragons, in his full might; and in his train were Balrogs, and behind them came the black armies of the Orcs in multitudes such as the Noldor had never before seen or imagined. — Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin