Q: Why did the Noldor Only Establish Two Realms in the Second Age?
ANSWER: J.R.R. Tolkien appears to have written little about the motivations and politics of the Noldorin princes of the Second Age. However, it is obvious that the noble houses founded by the sons of Finwë were almost completely wiped out by the end of the First Age. Except for Maglor, who abandoned his people, none of Fëanor’s sons survived the end of the wars of Beleriand. Celebrimbor was thus the last surviving heir of Fëanor at the beginning of the Second Age, and his father Curufin was never a king in Beleriand.
Gil-galad was, according to information published by Christopher Tolkien in The Peoples of Middle-earth, the son of Orodreth and thus the last heir of the House of Finarfin in Middle-earth. Gil-galad was also related to Cirdan through his mother and to Elwë Thingol through Finarfin’s wife Eärwen. Gil-galad was thus probably considered the most noble of Elven lords among the Eldar.
Elrond son of Eärendil had chosen to be of Elven kind. His father had been the leader of a small community of Elves and Men in Arvernien. The Elves of Arvernien had come from survivors of Gondolin and Doriath, and Eärendil’s mother was Idril Celebrindal, daughter of Turgon. Upon Turgon’s death the High Kingship of the Noldor-in-Exile passed to Gil-galad, who somehow ended up living with Cirdan’s people on the Isle of Balar.
Of all the Noldorin princess who led their people into exile, only Galadriel survived into the Second Age, remaining in Harlindon with her husband Celeborn, also said to be a kinsman of Thingol. The history of Galadriel and Celeborn, however, was never fully defined by Tolkien. In the last years of his life he decided they were married in Aman and that Celeborn was a grandson of Olwë, brother of Thingol.
Galadriel had never ruled a kingdom in Beleriand. Hence, she had no royal authority among the Noldor who remained in Middle-earth, just as Elrond had no royal authority among them. Hence, Celebrimbor, Elrond, and Galadriel were all subject to Gil-galad’s rule and they would have needed to recruit followers from among his people.
That appears to be what Celebrimbor did when he led Noldor east to establish the realm of Eregion around Second Age year 700. Of course, some texts say that Galadriel and Celeborn led this migration and that Celebrimbor only later rebelled against their rule. What we can be sure of is that Celebrimbor was always seen as the leader of the great smiths and artisans of Eregion, who may have been descended from Fëanor’s followers.
After the War of the Elves and Sauron Gil-galad allowed Elrond to establish a refuge in Imladris which was to be the easternmost outpost of Noldorin authority in Middle-earth. It would seem, therefore, that few Noldorin princes were available to lead their own realms and that among these few survivors there was less ambition than among previous generations.
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