Now Valinor was dark and only the stars of Varda gave some light to the Valar and the Elves. Yavanna tried to heal the Two Trees, but they were dead and their light now only existed in the Silmarils of Fëanor. And Yavanna said :

"The light of the Trees has passed away, and lives now only in the Silmarils of Fëanor. Foresighted was he ! Even for those who are mightiest under Ilúvatar there is some work that they may accomplish once, and once only. The Light of the Trees I brought into being and within Ëa I can do so never again. Yet had I but a little of that light I could recall life to the Trees, ere their roots decay; and then our hurt should be healed and the malice of Melkor be confounded."

But though the Valar gave to Fëanor enough time to think about their wish, Fëanor felt like if he was surrounded by enemies and finally he denied to give the Silmaril to the Valar.

At that time messengers came from Formenos, telling the Valar that a great Darkness came northward and that Melkor came to Formenos and slew Finwë, King of the Noldor. Thus the first blood was spilled in the Blessed Realm. Melkor had taken all the jewels from Formenos and also the Silmaril were gone. From this time one Melkor was named Morgoth, the Black Foe of the World. Fëanor was very angry when he heared about what happened at Formenos, thinking that had he been at Formenos he would have slain Morgoth. He cursed the day when he came to the Taniquetil and left the Valar in deep anger.

Meanwhile, Morgoth escaped from the Valar and came to Araman, which laid northward between the Pélori and the Great Sea. Morgoth and Ungoliant passed this land and finally came through the great mists of Oiomurë to the Helcaraxë where the strait between Middle-Earth and Araman was filled with grinding ice. Thus Melkor and Ungoliant reached Middle-Earth and Melkor returned to the ruins of his old stronghold Angband. There Ungoliant asked Morgoth to give her the Silmaril so that she could eat them and with them all the light of the world. But Morgoth wanted to keep the Silmarils for himself. Ungoliant got angry and she rose against Morgoth and enmeshed him on a web to strangle him. Melkor cried out terribly and that cry was heard over a long distance and also deep in forgotten places it was heard. Far beneath the ruined halls of Angband Balrogs were awaiting the return of their Lord and when they heard Morgoth' cry they arose again. They freed Morgoth but Ungoliant was able to flee into Beleriand.

"Of the fate of Ungoliant no tale tells. Yet some have said that she ended long ago, when in her uttermost famine she devoured herself at last."

The Silmarils stayed in Morgoth' power and he settled down in Angband again and gathered all his servants there. He forged for himself a great crown of iron and set the Silmarils in this crown.

"Nonetheless his majesty as one of the Valar long remained. Though turned to terror and beofre his face all save the mightiest sank into a dark pit or fear."

In Valinor Fëanor now was full of wrath and hatred for he had lost the Silmarils and he claimed the kingship of all the Noldor and gathering togehter all the Noldor he asked them why they should stay in Valinor while the Valar were not able to protect them. He asked them why they shold still serve the Valar and finally he asked them to join him and leave Valinor.

"Fair shall the end be though long and hard shall be the road! Say farewell to bondage! But say farewell also to ease ! Say farewell to the weak ! Say farewell to your treasures!More still shall we make. Journey light: But bring with you your swords! For we will go further than Oromë, edure longer than Tulkas : we will never turn back from pursuit. After Morgoth to the ends of the Earth ! War shall he have and hatred undying. But when we have conquered and regained the Silmarils, then we and we alone shall be lords of the unsullied Light, and masters of the bliss and beauty of Arda. No other race shall oust us !"

A great part of the Noldor agreed with Fëanor, such as Galadriel, Fingon, Maedhros and many others, and only a few wanted to stay in Valinor. Most of the Noldor began to prepare their leaving and they were divided into two groups : Those who followed Fëanor and wanted him as their king and those who followed Fingolfin. The Valar did not hinder them to leave and so Fëanor led his people northward. His plan was to follow Morgoth' way, but he soon had to admit that his big group of people could never do it. So he went to Alqualondë, where the Teleri lived and aksed them to join him and to give them some of their white ships so that they all could cross the sea and reach the shores of Middle-Earth. But neither did the Teleri want to join him nor did they want to give them some of their ships and Fëanor´s wrath grew. In the night he went to the Haven of the Swans and began to man the ships and to take them away by force. A bitter fight was fought on the ships and the Noldor would have lost the battle if not Fingolfin and his people had helped them. So at last the Teleri were overcome and the Noldor took the ships of the Teleri and sailed north along the coast. But when they reached the borders of Araman they suddenly saw a huge dark figure standing on a rock. It is not known if it was Manwë himself or a herald of him but however the figure spoke the curse which is known as the Doom of the Noldor.

"Tears unnumbered ye shall shed, and the Valar will fence Valinor against you, and shut you out, so that not even the echo of your lamentation shall pass over the mountains. On the house of Fëanor the wrath of the Valar lieth from the West unto the uttermost East, and upon all that will follow them it shall be laid also. To evil end shall all things turn that they begin well; and by treason of kin unto kin, and the fear of treason shall this come to pass. The Dispossessed shall they be forever. Ye have spilled the blood of your kindred unrighteously and have stained the land of Aman. For blood ye shall render blood, and beyond Aman ye shall dwell in Death's shadow. For thought Eru appointed to you to die not in Ëa, and no sickness may assail you, yet slain ye may be, and slain ye shall be, : by weapon and by torment and by grief; and your houseless spirits shall then come to Mandos. There long shall ye abide and yearn for your bodies, and find little pity though all whom you have slain shall entreat for you. And those that endure in Middle-Earth and come not to Mandos shall grow weary of the world as with a great burden, and shall wane, and become as shadows of regret before the younger race that cometh after. The Valar have spoken."

Some now returned to the Valar, and among these also Finarfin was, and they recieved the pardon of the Valar, but most of the Noldor went on and they reached the North of the land. There Fëanor and his sons took counsel about the way to go. The Helcaraxe they deemed impassable and the ships were to few as many had been lost on their way. Suddenly a wind from north-west came upon and Fëanor and his kin left the shors secretly, leaving Fingolfin in Araman. The reached the shores of Middle-Earth and Fëanor burned the ships so that they could not be sent back to Fingolfin.

Fingolfin soon found out that Fëanor had left him and his people alone but still he desired much to come to Middle-Earth. Lead by him and his son and by Finrod and Galadriel they took the way up to Helcaraxe. This way also Fingolfin and his kin arrived in Middle-Earth.