The history of Middle-earth is divided
into three time periods, known as the Years of the Lamps, Years of the
Trees and Years of the Sun. The Years of the Sun are further subdivided
into Ages. Most Middle-earth stories take place in the first three Ages
of the Sun.
The Years of the Lamps began shortly
after the Valar finished their labors in shaping Arda. The Valar created
two lamps to illuminate the world, and the Vala Aulë forged great
towers, one in the furthest north, and another in the deepest south.
The Valar lived in the middle, at the island of Almaren. Melkor's destruction
of the two Lamps marked the end of the Years of the Lamps.
Then Yavanna made the Two Trees named Telperion and Laurelin in the
land of Aman. The Trees illuminated Aman, leaving the rest of Arda in
darkness, illuminated only by the stars. The Elves awoke beside Lake
Cuiviénen in the east of Endor, and were soon approached by the
Valar. Many of the Elves were persuaded to undertake the Great Journey
westwards towards Aman, but not all of them completed the journey (see
Sundering of the Elves). The Valar had imprisoned Melkor but he appeared
to repent and was released on parole. He sowed great discord among the
Elves and stirred up rivalry between the Elven princes Fëanor and
Fingolfin. He then slew their father, king Finwë and stole the
Silmarils, three gems crafted by Fëanor that contained light of
the Two Trees, from his vault, and destroyed the Trees themselves.
Fëanor persuaded most of his
people, the Noldor, to leave Aman in pursuit of Melkor to Beleriand,
cursing him with the name 'Morgoth' (Black Enemy). Fëanor led the
first of two groups of Noldor. The larger group was led by Fingolfin.
The Noldor stopped at the Teleri's port-city, Alqualondë, but the
Teleri refused to give them ships to get to Middle-earth. The first
Kinslaying thus ensued, Fëanor and many of his followers attacked
the Teleri and stole their ships. Fëanor's host sailed on the stolen
ships, leaving Fingolfin's behind to cross over to Middle-earth through
the deadly Helcaraxë (or Grinding Ice) in the far north. Subsequently
Fëanor was slain, but most of his sons survived and founded realms,
as did Fingolfin and his heirs.
The First Age of the Years of the Sun began when the Valar made the
Sun and it rose over the world, Imbar. After several great battles,
a Long Peace ensued for four hundred years, during which time the first
Men entered Beleriand by crossing over the Blue Mountains. When Morgoth
broke the siege of Angband, one by one the Elven kingdoms fell, even
the hidden city of Gondolin. The only measurable success achieved by
Elves and Men came when Beren of the Edain and Luthien, daughter of
Thingol and Melian, retrieved a Silmaril from the crown of Morgoth.
Afterward, Beren and Luthien died, and were restored to life by the
Valar with the understanding that Luthien was to become mortal and Beren
should never be seen by Men again.
Thingol quarreled with the Dwarves
of Nogrod and they slew him, stealing the Silmaril. With the help of
Ents, Beren waylaid the Dwarves and recovered the Silmaril, which he
gave to Luthien. Soon afterward, both Beren and Luthien died again.
The Silmaril was given to their son Dior Half-Elven, who had restored
the Kingdom of Doriath. The Fëanorians demanded that Dior surrender
the Silmaril to them, and he refused. The Fëanorians destroyed
Doriath and killed Dior in the second Kinslaying, but Dior's young daughter
Elwing escaped with the jewel.
By the end of the age, all that remained
of the free Elves and Men in Beleriand was a settlement at the mouth
of the River Sirion. Among them was Eärendil, who married Elwing.
But the Fëanorians again demanded the Silmaril be returned to them,
and after their demand was rejected they resolved to take the jewel
by force, leading to the third Kinslaying. Eärendil and Elwing
took the Silmaril across the Great Sea, to beg the Valar for pardon
and aid. The Valar responded. Melkor was captured and executed and most
of his works destroyed. This came at a terrible cost, as Beleriand itself
was broken and began to sink under the sea.
Thus began the Second Age of the
Sun. The Edain were given the island of Númenor toward the west
of the Great Sea as their home, while many Elves were welcomed into
the West. The Númenoreans became great seafarers, but also became
increasingly jealous of the Elves for their immortality. But after a
few centuries, Sauron, Morgoth's chief servant, began to organize evil
creatures in the eastern lands. He persuaded Elven smiths in Eregion
to create Rings of Power, and secretly forged the One Ring to control
the other rings. But the Elves became aware of Sauron's plan as soon
as he put the One Ring on his hand, and they removed their own Rings
before he could master their wills.
The last Númenorean king Ar-Pharazôn, by the strength of
his army, humbled even Sauron and brought him to Númenor as a
hostage. But with the help of the One Ring, Sauron deceived Ar-Pharazôn
and convinced the king to invade Aman, promising immortality for all
those who set foot on the Undying Lands. Amandil, chief of those still
faithful to the Valar, tried to sail west to seek their aid. His son
Elendil and grandsons Isildur and Anárion prepared to flee east
to Middle-earth. When the King's forces landed on Aman, the Valar called
for Ilúvatar to intervene. The world was changed, and Aman was
removed from Imbar. From that time onward, Men could no longer find
Aman, but Elves seeking passage in specially hallowed ships received
the grace of using the Straight Road, which led from Middle-earth's
seas to the seas of Aman. Númenor was utterly destroyed, and
with it the fair body of Sauron, but his spirit endured and fled back
to Middle-Earth. Elendil and his sons escaped to Endor and founded the
realms of Gondor and Arnor. Sauron soon rose again, but the Elves allied
with the Men to form the Last Alliance and defeated him. His One Ring
was taken from him by Isildur, but not destroyed.
The Third Age saw the rise in power
of the realms of Arnor and Gondor, and their decline. By the time of
The Lord of the Rings, Sauron had recovered much of his former strength,
and was seeking the One Ring. He discovered that it was in the possession
of a Hobbit and sent out the nine Ringwraiths to retrieve it. The Ring-bearer,
Frodo Baggins, traveled to Rivendell, where it was decided that the
Ring had to be destroyed in the only way possible: casting it into the
fires of Mount Doom. Frodo set out on the quest with eight companions—the
Fellowship of the Ring. At the last moment he failed, but with the intervention
of the creature Gollum—who was saved by the pity of Frodo and Bilbo
Baggins—the Ring was nevertheless destroyed. Frodo with his companion
Sam Gamgee were hailed as heroes. Sauron was destroyed forever and his
spirit dissipated.
The end of the Third Age marked the
end of the dominion of the Elves and the beginning of the dominion of
Men. As the Fourth Age began, many of the Elves who had lingered in
Middle-earth left for Valinor, never to return; those who remained behind
would "fade" and diminish. The Dwarves eventually dwindled
away as well. Peace was restored between Gondor and the lands to the
south and east. Eventually, the tales of the earlier Ages became legends,
the truth behind them forgotten.
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