In the north of the world Melkor had in the ages past reared the Iron Mountains, as a fence to his citadel of Utumno. The mountains stood upon the borders of the regions of everlasting cold in a great curve from east to west. Behind the Iron Mountains, where they bent back northwards, Melkor built Angband.

To the west of Thangorodrim lay Hithlum which in the west was bounded by the Echoing Mountains that marched near the sea, and in the east and south by the Shadowy Mountains, that looked across Ard-Galen and the Vale of Sirion. Fingolfin and his son Fingon held Hithlum and their chief fortress was at Eithel Sirion in the east of the Shadowy Mountains.

West of Dor-lómin, beyond the Echoing Mountains, which south of the Firth of Drengist marched inland, lay Nevrast. There for many years was the realm of Turgon the Wise, son of Fingolfin. It was a hollow land, surrounded by mountains and great coast-cliffs, higher than the plains behind, and no river flowed thence; and there was a great mere in the midst of Nevrast, called Linaewen.

South of Ard-galen the great highland named Dorthonion stretched for sixty leagues from west to east; great pine forests it bore, especially on its northern and western sides. From the northern slopes of Dorthonion Angrod and Aegnor, sons of Finarfin, looked out over the fields of Ard-Galen, and were the vessels of their brother Finrod, lord of Nargothrond.

"Now the great and fair country of Beleriand lay on either side of the mighty river Sirion, renowned in song, which rose at Eithel Sirion and skirted the edge of Ard-Galen ere he plunged through the pass, becoming even fuller with the streams of the mountains. Thence he flowed south for one hundred and thirty leagues, gathering the waters of many tributaries, until with a mighty flood he reached his many mouths and sandy deltar in the Bay of Balar."

The realms of Nargothrond extended and Finrod became the overlord of all the Elves of Beleriand between Sirion on the Sea, save only in the Falas. There dwelt those of the Sindar who still loved ships, and Círdan the shipbuilder was their lord, but between Círdan and Finrod there was friendship and alliance, and with the aid of the Noldor the havens of Brithombar and Eglarest were built anew. Thus the realm of Finrod was the greatest by far, though he was the youngest of the great Lords of the Noldor.

Upon the left hand of Sirion lay East Beleraind, at its widest a hundred leagues from Sirion to Gelion and the borders of Ossiriand. At this site of the river also lay the guarded woods of Doriath, abode of Thingol the Hidden King, into whose realm none passed save by his will.

In Ossiriand dwelt the Green-Elves. The woodcraft of these Elves was such that a stranger might pass through their land from end to end and see none of them. They were clad in green in spring and summer, and the sound of their singing could be heard even across the waters of Gelion.

The sons of Fëanor under Maedhros were the lords of East Beleriand, but their people were in that time mostly in the north of the land and rode only to hunt in the greenwoods. But there Amrod and Amras had their abode and they cam seldom northwards.