| History of Arda |
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| Timeline of Arda |
The History of Arda includes the Days before days, Years of the Trees and Years of the Sun. A separate, overlapping chronology divides its history into several Ages, sometimes called the "Ages of the Children of Ilúvatar"[1] or "Ages of Awakening"[2]. The first such Age began with the Awakening of the Elves during the Years of the Trees and continued for the first six centuries of the Years of the Sun. All the subsequent Ages took place during the Years of the Sun. Most Middle-earth stories take place in the first three Ages of the world.
Basic history[]
Music of the Ainur[]
- Main article: Ainulindalë
The supreme deity is called Eru Ilúvatar. In the beginning, Ilúvatar created spirits named the Ainur. Ilúvatar made divine music with them. Melkor, J.R.R. Tolkien's equivalent of Satan, who was then one of the Ainur, broke the harmony of the music, until Ilúvatar began a third theme which the Ainur could not comprehend since they were not the source of it. The essence of their song symbolized the history of the whole universe and the Children of Ilúvatar who were to dwell in it - the Men and the Elves.
Then Ilúvatar created Eä, the universe itself, and the Ainur formed within it Arda, the Earth, "globed within the void": the world together with the airs is set apart from Kuma, the "void" without. The first 15 of the Ainur who descended to Arda, and the most powerful ones, were called Valar, and the Ainur of lesser might who followed were called Maiar.
Valian Years[]
Days before days[]
- Main article: Days before days
The Days before days began shortly after the creation of Arda by the Valar. After the Valar entered the world, there was a light veiling the ground. The Valar took this light and concentrated it into two large Two Lamps, Iluin and Ormal. The Vala Aulë forged great towers, one in the furthest north, and another in the deepest south upon which the lamps were placed. The Valar lived in the middle, at the island of Almaren. The time, when the Lamps shone, was known as the Spring of Arda, during which the first animal and plant life flourished upon the world. The end of the Days before days was marked by Melkor's destruction of the Two Lamps.
Years of the Trees and the First Age[]
- Main article: Years of the Trees
Shortly after the destruction of the Two Lamps, Yavanna made the Two Trees of Valinor, named Telperion (the silver tree) and Laurelin (the gold tree) in the land of Aman, where the Valar now lived. The Trees illuminated Aman, leaving Middle-earth in darkness, save the light of the stars.
The Elves awoke in Cuiviénen, and were soon approached by the Valar, but also by Melkor. This event marked the beginning of the First Age. Many, though not all, of the Elves were persuaded to go on the Great Journey westwards towards Aman. Along the journey several groups of Elves tarried, notably the Nandor and the Sindar. The three clans who arrived at Aman were the Vanyar, Ñoldor, and the Teleri.
The Valar had captured Melkor and placed him in chains in Aman. After he appeared to repent and was released, Melkor sowed great discord among the Elves, and stirred up rivalry between the Ñoldorin King Finwë's two sons Fëanor and Fingolfin. Out of jealousy and hatred for the Silmarils, three gems crafted by Feänor that contained the light of the Two Trees, Melkor stole them, killing Finwë, who was guarding the jewels. Then, with the help of the creature Ungoliant, he destroyed the Two Trees and escaped to Middle-earth.
Bitter at the Valar's inactivity, Feänor and his house left to pursue Melkor, cursing him with the name 'Morgoth'. A larger host, commanded by Fingolfin, followed him. They reached the Telerin port-city of Alqualondë, but their king, Olwë forbade them to use the Telerin ships. Feänor decided to take them by force and thus the first Kinslaying ensued and only by the strength in numbers were the Teleri overcome and their fair ships stolen.
Feänor's host sailed on the vessels, and burned them when he arrived in Middle-earth. Left behind, Fingolfin and his company crossed over to Middle-earth through the Helcaraxë (also known as the Grinding Ice) in the far north.
Feänor was soon lost in an attack by Morgoth's Balrogs - but his sons survived, and along with the House of Fingolfin and House of Finarfin, founded realms in Beleriand.
Years of the Sun[]
- Main article: Years of the Sun
The Years of the Sun began when the Valar made the Sun and the Moon out of the final fruit of Laurelin and the final flower of Telperion and set them in the heavens. Thereafter, years were reckoned in Middle-earth as they are in our own real world. The First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar continued into this new reckoning of time.
Years of the Sun of the First Age[]
- Main article: First Age
Men awoke at the first rising of the first Sun. The Long Peace lasted hundreds of years; during which time Men arrived over the Blue Mountains, but the peace was not to last; and one by one the kingdoms, even the hidden ones of Gondolin, Nargothrond and Doriath eventually fell to the power of Morgoth.
At the end of the age, all that remained of free Elves and Men in Beleriand was a settlement at the mouth of the River Sirion and another settlement on theIsle of Balar. Eärendil had possession of a Silmaril, which his wife Elwing's ancestors Beren and Lúthien had taken from Morgoth, but the Feänorians had a claim on the Silmaril still and so there was another Kinslaying. Eärendil and Elwing took the Silmaril across the Great Sea, to beg the Valar for aid.
They responded with the War of Wrath. Melkor was exiled into the Void; and most of his works were destroyed. This came at a terrible cost, as Beleriand itself sank beneath the sea.
Second Age[]
- Main article: Second Age
The Men who had remained faithful were given the island of Númenor, in the middle of the Great Sea whilst those Elves that wished to were allowed to return home.
The Númenóreans became great seafarers, but were jealous of the Elves for their immortality. Meanwhile, in Middle-earth it became apparent that Sauron, Morgoth's chief servant, was still active. In disguise, he worked with Elven smiths in Eregion on the creation of the Rings of Power, and forged the One Ring to dominate them all. The Elves noticed this and removed theirs. Sauron attacked them in the War of the Elves and Sauron, but he was defeated by the Númenóreans.
Towards the end of the age, the Númenóreans were growing increasingly proud. King Ar-Pharazôn humbled even Sauron and brought him to Númenor as a hostage. Sauron worked his way into Pharazôn's court, and became high priest in a cult of Morgoth. Eventually, Pharazôn was persuaded to attempt to invade Aman, promised that immortality would result.
Amandil, chief of the Faithful, sailed westward to warn the Valar of this. His son Elendil and grandsons Isildur and Anárion prepared to flee to Middle-earth. When the King's men landed on Aman, the Valar lay down their guardianship of the world and called for Ilúvatar to intervene.
The world was changed into a sphere, and the straight road from Middle-earth to Aman was broken. Númenor was utterly destroyed, as was the fair body of Sauron. Elendil and his sons founded the exile realms of Gondor and Arnor.
Sauron arose again and challenged them. The Elves allied with the Men to form the Last Alliance, which defeated him. His great Ring was taken from him by Isildur but not destroyed.
Third Age[]
- Main article: Third Age
The Third Age saw the rise in power of the realms of Arnor and Gondor, and their decline. Arnor was divided into three petty Kingdoms, which fell one by one, whilst Gondor was beset by the civil war of the Kin-strife, plague, Wainriders, and the Corsairs of Umbar.
By the end of the age, Sauron had recovered again, and was seeking the One Ring. He discovered that it was in the possession of a Hobbit named Baggins, and sent out the Ringwraiths to find him and retrieve it.
The Ring-bearer, Frodo Baggins, set out for Rivendell, where it was decided that the One Ring must be destroyed once and for all and it can only be unmade in the fiery depths of Mount Doom where it was forged. He set out on this quest with eight other companions who comprised the Fellowship of the Ring.
After a long and difficult journey, he and Samwise Gamgee finally completed the mission, succeeding due to the inadvertent intervention of the creature Gollum. Sauron was thus destroyed forever and they were lauded as heroes.
Aragorn took his place as King of the Reunited Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor, at last restoring the line of Kings from the Stewards of Gondor.
Fourth Age[]
- Main article: Fourth Age
The end of the Third Age marked the end of the involvement of the Elves in Middle-earth, despite a short-lived revival of Elven presence in Gondor under Legolas. Most Elves who lingered in Middle-earth left for Valinor. Those who remained behind "fade" and eventually diminish; a similar fate occurs for the Dwarves. Although the Lonely Mountain becomes an ally of the Reunited Kingdom, Khazad-dûm was later refounded, and a colony is established under Gimli in the Glittering Caves. The Dwarves become ever more reclusive and disappear from history. Morgoth's creatures are wiped out and hunted to extinction. During the later Fourth Age, as the heirs of the Númenóreans forget their heritage, the tales of the earlier Ages become legends and are eventually considered fantasies.
Since then, Tolkien wrote that the ages have quickened, and he estimated that the 20th century was in the Sixth or Seventh age.
References[]
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. X: Morgoth's Ring, The Annals of Aman
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth, Of Dwarves and Men
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