The Flight of the Noldoli (chapter)

The Flight of the Noldoli is the seventh chapter of The Book of Lost Tales Part One, in Christopher Tolkien's series The History of Middle-earth. It gives J.R.R. Tolkien's earliest account of the flight of the Noldor Elves from Valinor in the First Age. The final version of the tale would later become the chapter "Of the Flight of the Ñoldor" in The Silmarillion.

The chapter follows "The Theft of Melko and the Darkening of Valinor", and is followed by "The Tale of the Sun and Moon".

Chapter synopsis
Lindo, in the Cottage of Lost Play, continues his storytelling from the previous chapter.

The tale
After the death of his father and ransack by Melko, Fëanor is at the head of a great protest of thousands of Noldoli (Noldor Elves) at Kôr. The Noldoli go together to the "Swanhaven" Kópas Alqalunten (later Alqualondë) on the coast of Valinor, where the Solosimpi (the Falmari Elves) dwell. They proclaim their need of the Solosimpi's ships, being their only way to traverse the Sea away from the Great Lands. The Solosimpi refuse, and the Noldoli come to the harbors and pilot the ships by force. The Solosimpi are angered, and swords are drawn, and this elicits the first bloodshed between Eldar and Eldar. Many Elves of the Swanhaven are killed, and the Noldoli embark with all of their ships. A long time "of gloom" among the Solosimpi and the despondent Valar begins in Valinor.

Lindo ends here. Ælfwine asks about his mention of the dreaded passage of the "Qerkaringa" (later the Helcaraxë), and eventually Rúmil resumes the tale, telling of the failure of the Noldoli's journey by ship, and their slow crossing of the deadly ice-passages of Qerkaringa, at the north of the Sea, into Middle-earth.

Editor's commentary
After the story text, Christopher Tolkien lists and explains the changes his father made to names, plot-points, and other themes in the tale.