Chronology of Arda (II)
We continue our exploration of Tolkien's universe; this time, we'll see the Years of the Sun.
In our dizzying journey through the thousands of years of Arda’s history, we were left right at the most dramatic moment.
Melkor (henceforth known as Morgoth) had taken the two trees of Valinor, fled with the Silmarils of the Noldor, and murdered their king Finwë in the process.
His son Fëanor and many of the Noldor were leaving for Middle-earth to fight against Morgoth, avenge their king and recover the Silmarils.
As if that were not enough, the Valar were creating the Moon and the Sun at that time, while in Hildórien (east of Middle-earth), the Men were awakening at last. The years were counted as the present ones.
Everything was ready for the most extraordinary adventures and the most horrible tragedies.
First Age of the Sun (Duration: 590 years)
In this age, many things happen in which the destinies of countless characters are intermingled.
In another article, we will go in-depth into its development, but there are key moments that serve to get a general idea of what happened during these nearly six centuries.
The main scenario is Beleriand, the westernmost area of Middle-earth. In those lands lived a significant part of the Teleri (part of those who did not go to Aman and decided to call themselves Sindar) and all the Noldor who returned to fight against Morgoth, who was entrenched in the north.
The Men awoke far away, in the East, but some finally reached Beleriand and fought alongside the many Elven kingdoms against Morgoth. These came to be called Edain and were divided into three houses: Beor, Haleth, and Hador.
The struggle of Elves (Sindar and Noldor) and Edain against Morgoth go through several phases and battles.
At the beginning of the First Age, Morgoth is besieged in his fortress of Angband for almost 400 years. The Noldor create kingdoms around the north and constantly watch over the Dark Lord.
After many stories in the different elven kingdoms and adventures throughout these four centuries, the vigilance over Morgoth relaxes, and Morgoth takes the opportunity to break the siege.
Decades later, only a few redoubts remain to resist Morgoth’s onslaught. Little by little, the darkness is gaining ground in Beleriand. Heroes fall (Fëanor, Fingolfin, Finrod, Barahir, Turgon, and many others). Elvish kingdoms fall one after another, as do those of the Edain.
In a desperate act, Eärendil (half elf-half human, heir of the three races of elves and the three houses of Edain) manages to reach Aman to claim the help of the Valar. These end up accepting and assembling the largest army ever seen to leave for Middle-earth.
The War of Wrath is then unleashed, a total conflict that will last more than 40 years and ends with Morgoth’s army wholly defeated and the Dark Lord thrown into the eternal Void beyond the Gates of the Night, where he would remain until the end of time.
The conflict was so brutal that Beleriand ended up sunk under the sea. The Valar forgave the Elves and let them return to Valinor, while the Edain were rewarded with longer lives and an island of their own between Aman and Middle-earth: Númenor.
Thus ended the First Age of the Sun and began the Second Age.
Second Age of the Sun (Duration: 3441 years)
The War of Wrath ended, and Middle-earth changed. Beleriand collapsed, Sauron (Morgoth’s lieutenant) was not captured and fled to the east, and the Edain went to live on the island of Númenor.
The Elves lived for centuries in peace in the land of Eriador (the western part of Middle-earth) and founded several kingdoms, including Lindon and Eregion. Likewise, Númenor was experiencing years of prosperity and prosperity.
However, Sauron eventually regained his power and returned to the west with a different strategy than the one that had led his master Melkor/Morgoth, to failure.
Under a pleasant guise and through subtle arts of persuasion, he convinced the elves of Eregion to forge the Rings of Power and thus preserve the beauty of the elves in the world (which had begun to wane, like magic, slowly but unstoppably).
When the elves finished forging the rings, Sauron secretly created the One Ring in Mordor, with the firm intention of dominating the rest and thus imposing himself as ruler of all races (elves, men, and dwarves).
However, the Elves warned of the Dark Lord’s deception and hid their three magic rings. Sauron demanded them, and in the face of the elven refusal, the Eregion War began.
The conflict ended with Sauron's defeat, as at the last moment, the Númenóreans arrived to help the elves and dwarves.
After another period of quiet, Sauron showed himself again. This time he had planned the defeat of Númenor. The Dark Lord allowed himself to be captured by the Númenóreans and traveled to their island, where for decades, he corrupted their king, Ar-Pharazôn, so that they claimed immortality before the Valar and go to war with them to elude death as the elves do.
The affront ended with the collapse of Númenor and the disappearance of most of the Númenóreans. Aman disappeared from the earthly plane and was hidden from the world (only the elves could reach it with their ships). Arda, which until then was flat, became spherical.
Some men of Númenor survived the disaster. They arrived in Middle-earth to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor, which will soon ally with Lindon’s elves in the Last Alliance to fight again with Sauron, who survived the catastrophe of Númenor and plans the final assault on Middle-earth.
However, the Elvish and Númenórean kings (Gil-Galad and Elendil) defeated the Dark Lord. Isildur, son of Elendil, cut off the finger on which Sauron carried the Ring.
Sauron was defeated, and his body was destroyed. Isildur kept the Ring and thus ended the Second Age of the Sun.
Third Age of the Sun (Duration: 3021 years)
With Sauron defeated, Isildur set out for home. However, he died in a skirmish, and the One Ring was lost in the river Anduin.
Gondor and Arnor evolved over the years separately, increasingly cut off from each other. The same happened with the Elven kingdoms (Rivendel, Lórien, and Lindon), which nevertheless endured the passage of time thanks to the fact that each of their leaders possessed one of the Three Rings of the Elves.
The One Ring was lost but not destroyed. That meant that Sauron had not disappeared from Arda, so after many centuries he returned.
This time he settled in the Black Forest, north of Mordor, a place that soon filled with dark creatures and drove away the Green Elves who lived there.
Several events occurred during Sauron’s return:
The Valar sent the Istari (wizards) to guard the shadow that was rising again.
Arnor decayed completely, first splitting into three minor kingdoms and then razed to the ground by the kingdom of Angmar (a move by Sauron, who sent his greatest lieutenant, the Witch-King, to destroy the northern kingdom).
Gondor prospered, but the royal line of succession was cut off, and the kingdom was left without a king.
Two Hobbits found the One Ring. One of them killed the other and kept it. That Hobbit would be called Gollum.
Years later, Sauron would be driven out of the Green Forest thanks to the Istari and some of the most potent elves of the Third Age.
Years later, however, the War of the Ring would come.
The free peoples of Middle-earth create the Fellowship of the Ring, which is responsible for carrying the One Ring rediscovered by Bilbo Baggins (who snatched it from Gollum) and bequeathed to Frodo Baggins.
During the war, it is discovered that Aragorn, chief of the Dunedain, is the heir to the throne of Gondor. Saruman, one of the Istari, is corrupted and tries to get hold of the Ring.
Frodo and Sam arrive alone at Mount Doom in Mordor. Meanwhile, the rest of the Fellowship participates in the war of Rohan against Saruman and later in the battle of Minas Tirith against Mordor.
The Ring was finally destroyed, and with it, Sauron disappeared once and for all. The great threat of the Second and Third Ages ends.
Aragorn was crowned as Elessar, king of Gondor and the Dunedain (who will become Arnor again). Soon after, the Unified Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor was established, the largest kingdom of men since Númenor.
Finally, after many millennia, almost all the elves returned to the West. The few who decided to stay ended up disappearing at the same time that magic vanished from the world. The dwarves took refuge in the mountains little by little until, at some undetermined time, they never came out again.
Elrond and Galadriel, lords of Rivendel and Lórien (along with Frodo, Bilbo, and Gandalf), left Middle-earth for Haman.
Thus ended the Third Age of the Sun, giving way to the Fourth Age and the complete rule of Men.