History TearJerker / TheSilmarillion

* When Eärendil wanders through the streets of deserted Valimar and the dust of the gemstones covers his feet. Note that this was originally supposed to be much more tragic, as Eärendil had arrived too late and the Elves had ''already left'' for Middle-earth; Tolkien changed it to make it a bit less tragic, with the Elves only being away at a festival and soon returning.
* The creation of the Dwarves. Aulë simply wanted something like him, something that he could love and teach his ways, but alas, only Eru can create souls, and the dwarves were nothing but soulless constructs. In despair, Aulë lifted his hammer to destroy them, weeping. Thankfully, Eru took pity on him and granted his creations souls.
* [[Literature/TheChildrenOfHurin Túrin]], oh god Túrin. Despite being kind of a prick, he hasn't exactly had a good life, to say the least. [[DoomMagnet He is cursed and pretty much every bad thing imaginable happens to him]]. There's a good reason Tolkien sometimes called his story "The Tale Of Grief". To give a brief summary of his TraumaCongaLine: he lost his little sister when he was just five, and he was forced to leave his home when he was eight. He accidentally killed an elf and had to exile himself from his second home. He became a leader of a group of warriors, but all of them were killed by a traitor. Then he accidentally murdered his best friend. Then he found a new home, but accidentally got the whole kingdom, including the princess he was supposed to save, killed. Then when Túrin finally found a HopeSpot and settled down with a loving wife, it turned out that said wife was his own ''[[SurpriseIncest long lost sister]]''. All of this trauma eventually culminated in his suicide. Feel-good novel of the century.

** Beleg. He was Túrin’s best friend and companion through their time spent in Dor Cúarthol. He abandoned his life in Doriath to follow Túrin, and he risked everything to save Túrin from a group of orcs. And he was murdered by the very friend he gave up everything trying to protect.

* Húrin as well. After he is captured in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, he is taken prisoner at Angband, where he is ForcedToWatch as his son's curse unfolds and brings his son and daughter to suicide. Things only get worse once he is released: he loses his wife, is shunned by his own people and shut out of Gondolin, and finally succumbs to despair and drowns himself. Particularly poignant is Turgon changing his mind and sending the eagles to bring Húrin to Gondolin, just hours too late.

** Maedhros searching frantically for the children for several days straight, and ultimately never finding them.
* The Petty-Dwarves. For unknown reasons, they were exiled from the seven clans of noble dwarves. They arrived in Beleriand before the elves and made their homes there. When the Sindar elves arrived, they did not recognize what these short people were. Thinking them animals, they hunted them and claimed their land for themselves. When the Sindar learned of their mistake, it was too late, and the petty-dwarves were nearly extinct.

** Maglor's ultimate fate: wandering Middle-earth until the end of the world. What makes it worse is that even though he swore the Oath and took part in all of the Kinslayings, by the end, he was probably the son of Fëanor ''least'' deserving of such a fate, since he genuinely tried to repent for his actions in the pursuit of the Silmarils.
** The death of Maedhros. After everything he and his brothers did and suffered to retrieve the Silmarils (and they did suffer, he more than the others probably), he finally has one in hand and it burns him for all the evil he's done. The only way he sees to escape the pain is ''to throw himself into a fiery chasm''. Not only was everything that he spent centuries fighting for ultimately for naught, he also left his last brother completely alone in the world. That he is the only known Elf to ''ever'' commit suicide doesn't help here.

** Even [[JerkassWoobie Fëanor]] has his moments. His mother died when he was born, something that very few elves among an immortal race will ever face. She could have returned from the Halls of Mandos, but she refused, and Fëanor was alone as a child. His father remarried, which made Fëanor feel out of place within the family, due to the elven culture of hyper-monogamy, and he feared that his father had forgotten his birth mother. His father was murdered and his most beloved craft, the three Silmarils, were taken away from him all in one day. And to top it off, his wife left him.

* Elrond. Everything about Elrond. His father left them when he was a child, his mother would rather throw herself in the ocean than surrender some shiny stone, and he's raised as a hostage by the two elves who drove his parents away. He eventually grows to love Maedhros and Maglor, presumably viewing them as surrogate parents, but the former commits suicide and the latter leaves never to be seen again. His own brother chooses the mortal life, and so does his eventual daughter, and his wife leaves for the Undying Lands centuries before him. Is it any wonder he's bitter during the ''Lord of the Rings''?

* Finrod and Sauron's [[MagicMusic duel]]. As Sauron uses a magic song to uncover the disguises of Beren and Finrod's group, Finrod replies with his own song, countering Sauron's [[HannibalLecture cynicism]] with [[ShutUpHannibal heroism and hope.]] In the middle of Sauron's EvilTowerOfOminousness, Finrod conjures up [[SugarWiki/SweetDreamsFuel peaceful images]] to lighten the darkness: the birds singing in Nargothrond, the sound of the sea, and the most beautiful thing he can think of, his home of Valinor. [[HopeCrusher Sauron]] immediately [[FlawExploitation jumps on this]] by [[YourWorstMemory bringing up]] the [[MoralEventHorizon Kinslaying]] of the Teleri in Valinor by the Noldor, something Finrod didn't participate in but [[ArmorPiercingResponse nevertheless cannot refute,]] [[BreakThemByTalking causing him]] to [[HeroicBSOD lose the duel]] and leading to his [[HeroicSacrifice death.]]

** For the Noldor, after winning a great victory against Sauron in the war he had launched after the creation of the Rings of Power, they finally reached the apex of their civilization in Middle Earth. But in the aftermath of the Last Alliance, High King Gil-Galad is dead and with him the title of High King is left unused as no one with the authority to claim it even wants it. His capital and kingdom in Lindon is all but abandoned, and the remnants led by his lieutenant Cirdan are basically just a glorified bodyguards and shipbuilders for elves returning across the sea. The losses the High Elves incurred in the battles were so devastating that the story explictly says that they will ''never'' be able to amass a force like that again. The Noldor are so demoralized and just ''done'' with Middle Earth that they spend the entirety of the Third Age sailing back to Valinor or preparing too. It's just such a sad and ironic end to their story that after all that defiance and bravado, after all their achievements, most High Elves just can't bare to remain in the mortal world.
** For the Wood Elves of Greenwood (Later Mirkwood), things weren't much better. They suffered similar losses to the Noldor and had their own kings slain. The elves of the Greenwood did live in peace for a time under King Thranduil, but their newfound weakness evetually caught up with them when they were near defenseless to stop the return of Sauron, now going by the name of "The Necromancer." In response, they grew cold and defensive. A far cry from the joyful and adventurous people in Doriath from whom many of them are descended.
** Finally, the elves of Lothlorien suffered a similar fate. But with the added tragedy of losing their king, Amroth, who went south to find his betrothed. Over time, Lothlorien went from its own independent kingdom to a glorified refugee camp where Elves from all over come to hide from the forces of evil. This realm is so dependent on Lady Galadriel and her ring that from the moment the One is destroyed, it's abandoned in record time. After only a hundred years into the 4th Age, Lorien was deserted.
* The Darkening of Valinor, and in particular Melkor's and Ungoliant's destruction of the beautiful Two Trees Telperion and Laurelin, is devastating.

‐‐>'Men could not a second time be saved by any such embassy, and for the treason of Númenor there was no easy absolving.'

** Finally, the elves of Lothlorien suffered a similar fate. But with the added tragedy of losing their king, Amroth, who went south to find his betrothed. Over time, Lothlorien went from it's own independent kingdom to a glorified refugee camp where Elves from all over come to hide from the forces of evil. This realm is so dependent on Lady Galadriel and her ring that from the moment the One is destroyed, it's abandoned in record time. After only a hundred years into the 4th Age, Lorien was deserted.

** Maglor's ultimate fate: wandering Middle Earth until the end of the world. What makes it worse is that even though he swore the Oath and took part in all of the Kinslayings, by the end, he was probably the son of Fëanor ''least'' deserving of such a fate, since he genuinely tried to repent for his actions in the pursuit of the Silmarils.

* Nirnaeth Arnoediad, the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. Such a [[CurbStompBattle crushing defeat]] for the Noldor and for the men. It was abundantly clear that this was the last possible opportunity for the Noldor in Middle-Earth to turn the tide of the war and stop Morgoth's advance. The worst part is that the narrative takes a second to note that the [[HopeSpot Alliance fought so hard that Morgoth's master plan was almost undone]].
** The aftermath of the battle is pretty dismal. With [[TheGoodKing Fingon]] dead, Hithlum is in complete disarray and undefended against the hordes of Easterlings set against them by Morgoth. The Sons of Fëanor are in hiding likely with their own armies heavily reduced. [[HiddenElfVillage The Gondolin Elves]], who still have an army, locked down even harder than before despite Turgon now being the defacto ruler of all the Noldor, not just his city. And the Men, having lost their own leader and without the protection of the elves, are completely at the mercy of the Enemy and work hard to stay in the good graces of their new Easterling warlords.

* The FinalDeath of Luthien Tinuviel, from the perspective of those left behind. For the first time ''ever'', the soul of an elf is truly lost, passing beyond the walls of the world as those of Men do.

** Khîm, whom Andróg shoots for pretty much no reason. The Outlaws then prevent Mîm from catching up for another day and possibly healing him, leading to the depressing scene of Mîm finding his remaining son Ibûn weeping over Khîm's corpse, and Túrin being unable to do anything to atone beyond a hollow apology.

** [[JerkassWoobie Mîm the Petty-Dwarf]], despite being a racist and traitor, still deserves a mention for his demise. He and his two sons are the last of the Petty-Dwarves. Then Khîm is shot dead by Andróg, and Ibun is killed offpage, leaving Mîm the LastOfHisKind. He is finally killed by Húrin. He begs for his life, but Húrin is having none of it.

* The final scene in ''The Children of Húrin''. After twenty-eight long years of imprisonment, Húrin was finally released. He traveled to the grave of their son and daughter and found his wife Morwen there. Their reunion was short, though, as she was ill from her long hopeless travels. When the sun set, she passed in her husband's arms on the grave of her children, and the last person Húrin loved died.

* [[Literature/TheChildrenOfHurin Túrin]], oh god Túrin. Despite being kind of a prick, he hasn't exactly had a good life, to say the least. [[DoomMagnet He is cursed and pretty much every bad thing imaginable happens to him]]. To give a brief summary of his TraumaCongaLine: he lost his little sister when he was just five, and he was forced to leave his home when he was eight. He accidentally killed an elf and had to exile himself from his second home. He became a leader of a group of warriors, but all of them were killed by a traitor. Then he accidentally murdered his best friend. Then he found a new home, but accidentally got the whole kingdom, including the princess he was supposed to save, killed. Then when Túrin finally found a HopeSpot and settled down with a loving wife, it turned out that said wife was his own ''[[SurpriseIncest long lost sister]]''. All of this trauma eventually culminated in his suicide. Feel-good novel of the century.

** Beleg. He was Túrin’s best friend and companion through their time spent in Dor Cúarthol. He left Doriath to keep Túrin safe. He risked his life to save Túrin from a group of orcs. And he is murdered by the very friend he gave up everything trying to protect.

** Related: the death of Urwen (aka Lalaith), his first daughter, by a wind-borne plague out of Angband, when she's ''three years old''.

* [[Literature/TheChildrenOfHurin Túrin]], despite being kind of a prick, hasn't exactly had a good life, to say the least. He is cursed and pretty much every bad thing imaginable happens to him. He was only five years old when he was introduced to evil when it took his younger sister Lalaith, and it was all downhill from there. He loses every friend he has made along the way. And he was responsible for causing most of those deaths (albeit by accident), leaving him alone to live with the guilt. Any time he thinks he is safe from his curse, it comes back to bite him harder. And then when Túrin finally finds a HopeSpot and settles down with a loving wife, it turns out that said wife was his own ''long lost sister''. [[TraumaCongaLine With a life like this,]] is anybody really surprised by his decision to kill himself?
** Many of the deaths surrounding him are tearjerkers in their own right: Khîm, Gwindor and Niënor, just to name a few. The worst part is that he brings doom on countless people even when he means well. He isn’t malicious, he’s just suffering from a lethal combination of stubbornness, pride, and really, really bad luck.
** Niënor. Poor girl just wanted to meet her brother, and she unfortunately got her wish. Glaurung took her memories and identity away from her. With no idea of who she was, or who her brother was, she unknowingly married him. When the truth of their sins is revealed, she is unable to deal with the grief and throws herself off a cliff.

** Mablung. He actually survives the curse of Túrin. Of course, he ends up traumatized by his experiences. Mablung was the last person Túrin talked to, and the first person to find Túrin's body after his suicide. Mablung unknowingly brought Túrin the ill tidings that pushed him over the edge. This causes Mablung to have a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment.

** In the published Silmarillion, the twins Amrod and Amras die together in the Third Kinslaying. However, there is an alternate draft where Amrod dies much earlier. When Fëanor burns the ships, he did not know that Amrod was on one of those two ships, and one of his youngest sons perishes, leaving Amras as the AngstySurvivingTwin. To make it worse, Nerdanel may have accidentally sealed her son's fate. She declared that one of her youngest sons will stay behind and "never step foot in Middle-earth". [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor She got her wish.]]

** Related: the death of Urwen (aka Lalaith), his daughter, by a wind-borne plague out of Angband, when she's ''three years old''.

* The petty-dwarves. For unknown reasons, they were exiled from the seven clans of noble dwarves. They arrived in Beleriand before the elves and made their homes there. When the Sindar elves arrived, they did not recognize what these short people were. Thinking them animals, they hunted them and claimed their land for themselves. When the Sindar learned of their mistake, it was too late, and the petty-dwarves were nearly extinct.

** Maedhros searched for the children frantically for several days straight, but could never find them.
* [[JerkassWoobie Mîm the Petty-Dwarf]], despite being a racist and traitor, still deserves a mention for his demise. He and his two sons are the last of the Petty-Dwarves. Then Khîm is shot dead by Andróg, and Ibûn gets killed by Orcs, leaving Mîm the LastOfHisKind. He is finally killed by Húrin. He begs for his life, but Húrin is having none of it.

* [[Literature/TheChildrenOfHurin Túrin]], despite being kind of a prick, hasn't exactly had a good life, to say the least. He is cursed and pretty much every bad thing imaginable happens to him. He loses every friend he has made along the way. And he was responsible for causing most of those deaths (albeit by accident), leaving him alone to live with the guilt. Any time he thinks he is safe from his curse, it comes back to bite him harder. And then when Túrin finally finds a HopeSpot and settles down with a loving wife, it turns out that said wife was his own ''long lost sister''. [[TraumaCongaLine With a life like this,]] is anybody really surprised by his decision to kill himself?

** Even [[JerkassWoobie Fëanor]] has his moments. His mother died when he was born, something that very few elves among an immortal race will ever face. His father remarried, which made Fëanor feel out of place within the family, due to the elven culture of hyper-monogamy, and he feared that his father had forgotten his birth mother. His father was murdered and his most beloved craft, the three Silmarils, were taken away from him all in one day. And to top it off, his wife left him.

* ''[[Literature/TheChildrenOfHurin Túrin]]'', despite being kind of a prick, hasn't exactly had a good life, to say the least. He is cursed and pretty much every bad thing imaginable happens to him. He loses every friend he has made along the way. And he was responsible for causing most of those deaths (albeit by accident), leaving him alone to live with the guilt. And then when Túrin finally finds a HopeSpot and settles down with a loving wife, it turns out that said wife was his own ''long lost sister''. [[TraumaCongaLine With a life like this,]] is anybody really surprised by his decision to kill himself?
** Many of the deaths surrounding him are tearjerkers in their own right: Khîm, Gwindor and Niënor, just to name a few. The worst part is that he brings doom on countless people even when he means well. He isn’t malicious, he’s just suffering from a terrible combination of stubbornness, pride, and really, really bad luck.
** Beleg. He was Túrin’s best friend and companion through their time spent in Dor Cúarthol. He left his position in Doriath to keep Túrin safe. He risked his life to save Túrin from a group of orcs. And he is murdered by the very friend he gave up everything trying to protect.

* ''[[Literature/TheChildrenOfHurin Túrin]]'', despite being kind of a prick, [[JerkassWoobie hasn't exactly had a good life]], to say the least. He is cursed and pretty much every bad thing imaginable happens to him. He loses every friend he has made along the way. The thing is that he is responsible for causing most of those deaths (albeit by accident) and left to live with the guilt. And then when Túrin finally finds a HopeSpot and settles down with a loving wife, it turns out that said wife was his own ''long lost sister''. [[TraumaCongaLine With a life like this,]] is anybody really surprised by his decision to kill himself?
** Many of the deaths surrounding him are tearjerkers in their own right: Khîm, Gwindor and Niënor, just to name a few. The worst part is he brings doom on countless people even when he means well.

* Mîm the Petty-Dwarf. He and his two sons are the last of their kind but Khîm is shot dead by Androg and by the time his father gets home he is too late to save his son. Then Mîm's other son Ibûn gets killed by Orcs, leaving Mîm the LastOfHisKind. Finally Mîm gets killed by Húrin.

** Even [[JerkassWoobie Fëanor]] has his moments. His mother died when he was born, something that very few elves among an immortal race will ever face. His father remarried, which made Fëanor feel out of place within the family, due to elven hypermonogamy and the feeling that his father had forgotten his mother. His father was murdered and his most beloved craft, the three Silmarils, were taken away from him all in one day. And to top it off, his wife left him.

* Despite their actions, you can't help but feel for the sons of Fëanor when they all die tragically in the ultimately failed pursuit of the Silmarils.

** In the published Silmarillion, the twins Amrod and Amras die together in the Third Kinslaying. However, there is an alternate draft where Amrod dies much earlier. When Fëanor burns the ships, he did not know that Amrod was on one of those two ships, and one of his youngest sons perishes, leaving Amras as the sole surviving twin. To make it worse, Nerdanel may have accidentally sealed her son's fate. She declared that one of her youngest sons will stay behind and "never step foot in Middle-earth". [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor She got her wish.]]

* Húrin, as well, loses his whole family before his eyes, is shunned by his own people and shut out of Gondolin, and finally driven to suicide. Particularly poignant is Turgon changing his mind and sending the eagles to bring Húrin to Gondolin, just hours too late.

* Maglor's ultimate fate: wandering Middle Earth until the end of the world. What makes it worse is that even though he swore the Oath and took part in all of the Kinslayings, by the end, he was probably the son of Fëanor ''least'' deserving of such a fate.
* The death of Maedhros. After everything he and his brothers did and suffered to retrieve the Silmarils (and they did suffer, he more than the others probably), he finally has one in hand and it burns him for all the evil he's done. The only way he sees to escape the pain is ''to throw himself into a fiery chasm''. Not only was everything that he spent centuries fighting for ultimately for naught, he also left his last brother completely alone in the world. That he is the only known Elf to ''ever'' commit suicide doesn't help here.