The Encyclopedia of Arda - Darkening of Valinor (original) (raw)

ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random
Dates Approximately fifty years before the beginning of the First Age1 Location The mound of Ezellohar, west of Valmar Indexes: Alphabetical: D Alphabetical: V Events About this entry: Updated 9 September 2012 This entry is complete The destruction of the Two Trees Years of the Trees First Age I Second Age II Third Age III Fourth Age IV After Melkor's part in the unrest of the Noldor was discovered, he escaped from Valinor and travelled in secret to the dark southern lands of Aman, where he encountered the monstrous spider Ungoliant. Allying himself with this creature, he returned to Valinor at a time of festival and, as he had planned, found the Two Trees unwatched while the people of Valinor celebrated on the slopes of Taniquetil. Descending from the mountain of Hyarmentir, Melkor and Ungoliant sped across the plain of Valinor to the base of the Trees, and Melkor struck each of them with his spear. Then Ungoliant, whose thirst for light was unending, consumed the glistening sap as it flowed from the dying Trees. So the Light of Valinor failed, and the entire land was darkened. Melkor and Ungoliant left the ravaged Trees, travelling north to Fëanor's stronghold at Formenos, where they slew Finwë and stole the Silmarils before escaping from the darkness they had brought down on the realm of the Valar. Yavanna, who had brought the Trees into being when the Valar first came to Valinor, had hope of rekindling their Light through the power of the Silmarils. It was not known at that time that Melkor had taken the Jewels, which carried the last glimmer of the Light of the Trees, but nonetheless Fëanor refused to give them up. Learning of the loss of the Silmarils, he led his people out of Valinor on a quest of vengeance against the Dark Lord. Meanwhile the dying Trees gave out the last of their Light: a single silver flower of Telperion and a glowing golden fruit of Laurelin. The Valar created vessels for these last remnants of the Two Trees, and sent them aloft into the high airs to create the Moon and the Sun. Notes 1 The Annals of Aman date the Darkening as happening in YT 1495 (that is, the 1,495 Valian Year since the Trees first bloomed - 'YT' stands for 'Year of the Trees'). The first rising of the Moon, marking the beginning of the First Age, is dated on the same system as YT 1500. One Valian Year is equal to about 9.6 solar years, so the period in question was forty-eight years in our terms, though this must be something of an approximation. (The Annals of Aman are to be found in volume X of The History of Middle-earth, Morgoth's Ring). See also... Aldudénië, Aman, Aredhel Ar-Feiniel, Black King, Celegorm, Corollairë, Coron Oiolairë, Dagor Dagorath, Days of Bliss, Doors of Angband, Eldar of Hithlum, Eldest Days, Eldest of Trees, Elemmírë, Elu Thingol, [See the full list...]Elves of the Light, Exile of the Noldor, Finwë, Golden Tree, Grinding Ice, Guarded Realm, Hells of Iron, Hiding of Valinor, Hound of Valinor, Iron Crown, Isil, King of the World, Lament for the Two Trees, Light of Aman, Light of Valinor, Lords of the West, Mindon Eldaliéva, Narrow Ice, Noldor, Noontide of Valinor, Nurtalë Valinóreva, Opening Hour, Sauron, Second Spring of Arda, Sleep of Yavanna, Tareldar, Telperion, The Moon, The Sun, Three Kindreds, Tilion, Trees of Silver and Gold, Two Trees of the Valar, Two Trees of Valinor, Ulmo, Unchaining of Melkor, Ungoliant, Valmar, Wells of Varda, Years of the Trees Indexes: Alphabetical: D Alphabetical: V Events About this entry: Updated 9 September 2012 This entry is complete For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1998, 2000, 2002, 2012. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.Prefer to use printed DISC questionnaires? Discus can print questionnaires in any of dozens of languages.

The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien

ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE

SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random

Dates Approximately fifty years before the beginning of the First Age1 Location The mound of Ezellohar, west of Valmar Indexes: Alphabetical: D Alphabetical: V Events About this entry: Updated 9 September 2012 This entry is complete The destruction of the Two Trees

Years of the Trees First Age I Second Age II Third Age III Fourth Age IV After Melkor's part in the unrest of the Noldor was discovered, he escaped from Valinor and travelled in secret to the dark southern lands of Aman, where he encountered the monstrous spider Ungoliant. Allying himself with this creature, he returned to Valinor at a time of festival and, as he had planned, found the Two Trees unwatched while the people of Valinor celebrated on the slopes of Taniquetil. Descending from the mountain of Hyarmentir, Melkor and Ungoliant sped across the plain of Valinor to the base of the Trees, and Melkor struck each of them with his spear. Then Ungoliant, whose thirst for light was unending, consumed the glistening sap as it flowed from the dying Trees. So the Light of Valinor failed, and the entire land was darkened. Melkor and Ungoliant left the ravaged Trees, travelling north to Fëanor's stronghold at Formenos, where they slew Finwë and stole the Silmarils before escaping from the darkness they had brought down on the realm of the Valar. Yavanna, who had brought the Trees into being when the Valar first came to Valinor, had hope of rekindling their Light through the power of the Silmarils. It was not known at that time that Melkor had taken the Jewels, which carried the last glimmer of the Light of the Trees, but nonetheless Fëanor refused to give them up. Learning of the loss of the Silmarils, he led his people out of Valinor on a quest of vengeance against the Dark Lord. Meanwhile the dying Trees gave out the last of their Light: a single silver flower of Telperion and a glowing golden fruit of Laurelin. The Valar created vessels for these last remnants of the Two Trees, and sent them aloft into the high airs to create the Moon and the Sun. Notes 1 The Annals of Aman date the Darkening as happening in YT 1495 (that is, the 1,495 Valian Year since the Trees first bloomed - 'YT' stands for 'Year of the Trees'). The first rising of the Moon, marking the beginning of the First Age, is dated on the same system as YT 1500. One Valian Year is equal to about 9.6 solar years, so the period in question was forty-eight years in our terms, though this must be something of an approximation. (The Annals of Aman are to be found in volume X of The History of Middle-earth, Morgoth's Ring). See also... Aldudénië, Aman, Aredhel Ar-Feiniel, Black King, Celegorm, Corollairë, Coron Oiolairë, Dagor Dagorath, Days of Bliss, Doors of Angband, Eldar of Hithlum, Eldest Days, Eldest of Trees, Elemmírë, Elu Thingol, [See the full list...]Elves of the Light, Exile of the Noldor, Finwë, Golden Tree, Grinding Ice, Guarded Realm, Hells of Iron, Hiding of Valinor, Hound of Valinor, Iron Crown, Isil, King of the World, Lament for the Two Trees, Light of Aman, Light of Valinor, Lords of the West, Mindon Eldaliéva, Narrow Ice, Noldor, Noontide of Valinor, Nurtalë Valinóreva, Opening Hour, Sauron, Second Spring of Arda, Sleep of Yavanna, Tareldar, Telperion, The Moon, The Sun, Three Kindreds, Tilion, Trees of Silver and Gold, Two Trees of the Valar, Two Trees of Valinor, Ulmo, Unchaining of Melkor, Ungoliant, Valmar, Wells of Varda, Years of the Trees Indexes: Alphabetical: D Alphabetical: V Events About this entry: Updated 9 September 2012 This entry is complete For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1998, 2000, 2002, 2012. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.Prefer to use printed DISC questionnaires? Discus can print questionnaires in any of dozens of languages.