The Kinslaying at Alqualondë

My entry for round 5 of the Middle Earth LEGO Olympics. My category was Valinor from The Silmarilion, and I chose to recreate the Kinslaying at Alqualondë. The build was loosely inspired by this image, particularly the landscaping. It took 7 days to complete, and weighs a whopping 26.2 pounds, making it my largest solo build to date! The build process proved to be very challenging at times, especially the water and mossy hillside. Initially I just was using trans clear 1×2 bricks for the water, but it was warping so much I had to add plates to connect it to the bottom layer of water, so that it would attach correctly. Below is a summary of the Kinslaying at Alqualondë for those of you who are interested.

“The Kinslaying at Alqualondë was the first slaying of Elf by Elf, and was the act that banned the Ñoldor from returning to Aman, the lands of the West, for centuries. When Fëanor intended to leave Valinor, he needed ships to get to Middle-earth without great loss, but the Ñoldor possessed no ships, and Fëanor feared that any delay in their departure would cause the Ñoldor to reconsider. The Ñoldor, led by Fëanor and his sons, tried to persuade their friends, the Teleri of Alqualondë, to give him their ships. However, the Teleri would not help in any way against the will of the Valar, and in fact attempted to persuade their friends to reconsider and stay in Aman. Unwilling to take “no” for an answer, the Ñoldor started taking the ships and sailing them away. This angered the Teleri, and they threatened the Ñoldor with rocks and arrows, and they threw many of Fëanor’s followers out of the ships and into the harbor. They also began to attempt to block the harbour; however, it is only slightly possible that the Teleri drew first blood. Then the Ñoldor drew swords, and the Teleri their bows, and there was a bitter fight that seemed evenly matched, if not even in favor of the Teleri, until the second Host of the Ñoldor, led by Fingon, arrived together with some of Fingolfin’s people. Misunderstanding the situation, they assumed the Teleri had attacked the Ñoldor under orders of the Valar, and they joined the fight”