The Encyclopedia of Arda - First Age (original) (raw)

Dates The time before the War of Wrath and the expulsion of Morgoth from the world; the First Age long predated the first rising of the Sun, but after this point years can be numbered from I 1 Other names Indexes: Alphabetical: F Time and Calendars About this entry: Updated 5 July 2009 Updates planned: 1

The Age of the Wars of Beleriand The first of the four Ages chronicled by Tolkien. Unlike the Second and Third Ages, there is no detailed chronicle of the events of the First Age, at least in any canonical sources, and so some dates must be inferred from references in the text - hence many dates in this Age are necessarily approximate. We do have two sources for dating this period, The Annals of Aman and The Grey Annals, in volumes X and XI of The History of Middle-earth respectively. While not formally canonical, in the absence of any other comparable material, these sources are especially useful in dating events of the First Age. This entry deals with events of the First Age of the Years of the Sun; for earlier events see the entry for Years of the Trees, and for the rationale behind this distinction, see the essay Dating the First Age below.The First Age began with the Return of the Noldor to Middle-earth, the first rising of the Moon and the Sun, and the Awakening of Men in Hildórien. It ended with the War of Wrath, the destruction of Beleriand and the final defeat of Morgoth. The end of the First Age was marked by the return of many of the Noldor, accompanied also by many Sindarin Elves, into the West to dwell on Tol Eressëa. Key Events of the First Age Dating the First Age Establishing the point where the First Age began is not as simple as might be imagined. The only really definite statements are in the drafts of the Appendices to The Lord of the Rings, which originally included this comment, relating to the time of the awakening of the Elves: The History of Middle-earth volume XI, 3 V The Tale of Years According to this dating, the First Age began about 4,312 years before the rising of the Sun, making the entire Age some 4,902 years long. This calculation is backed up by a further comment from other drafts of the Appendices: 'The First Age was the longest.' The History of Middle-earth volume XII, 1 VI The Tale of Years of the Second Age It's perhaps notable that no direct comment on the beginning of the First Age, or its length, survived into the published version of the Tale of Years (which indeed does not attempt to provide a chronicle of the First Age at all). It's hard to be sure why this should be, but part of the problem was doubtless the complication of having two dating systems: one before the rising of the Sun, and one after. The whole notion of measuring time in 'years' is of course dependent on the existence of the Sun, so before it was created, a different dating system was needed. This worked on so-called 'Valian Years', dating from the making of the Two Trees; on this system the first Elves awoke in 1050. However, Valian Years were rather longer than solar years, so 1050 is equivalent to about 10,062 conventional years (actually there are various ways of making this calculation, so this is necessarily an approximation). We might imagine that the beginning of the First Age would restart the count of years, but in fact that did not happen until the Sun was created 1500 Valian Years (about 14,374 solar years) after the making of the Trees. From that point the First Age is dated in normal years. So, a full chronicle of the First Age would involve two dating systems, using two different types of years; first a period of 450 Valian Years (4,312 solar years) starting in (Valian Year) 1050, then a period of 590 solar years starting at year 1 (the rising of the Sun). Dates using the former system fall within the period known as the Years of the Trees (where they are used in entries here, they are given in Valian Years, usually with a suitable conversion to solar years). Dates after the rising of the Sun began a new sequence known as the Years of the Sun (sometimes abbreviated to 'YS').1 To keep dates consistent in form, these Years of the Sun in the First Age - from the first rising of the Sun to the end of the Age - are here given the prefix 'I' (followed by 'II' for the Second Age, 'III' for the Third Age, and so on). Thus the year 'I 1' refers to the appearance of the Moon and Sun, and to the Awakening of Men. By most definitions it was not the actual first year of the First Age, but it was the first measurable Year of the Sun in that Age. Notes 1 These solar years are used by Tolkien himself, for example, in the Grey Annals and various associated genealogies published in volume XI of The History of Middle-earth. The Grey Annals describe events both before and after the rising of the Sun, so they necessarily include the changeover from one dating system to the other. In that source, the first year of the new system is labelled 'YS 1', and thereafter no further prefix is used (since these annals never extend beyond the First Age, there is no risk of confusion with later Ages). See also... Aghan, Alders, Aman, Amon Obel, Amrod, Anach, Ancalagon, Ancient Darkness, Ancient West, Angband, Anghabar, Annatar, Arda, Arminas, Arvernien, [See the full list...]Azaghâl, Balrogs, Bane of Glaurung, Bar-en-Nibin-noeg, Barach, Barad Eithel, Barahir, Baranor, Barazinbar, Bauglir, Bay of Balar, Beautiful Mere, Beleriand, Bent World, Bëor, Bëorians, Beren, Biter, Black Hand, Black King, Blade that was Broken, Blue Mountains, Bór, Borlach, Borlad, Brethil, Brodda, Butterflies, Cape Balar, Captain of the Host of the West, Celandines, Child of the Twilight, Círdan the Shipwright, Cold-drakes, Crown of Durin, Dark Elves, Dark Hand, Dark Lord, Dark Power of the North, Deep Elves, Dimbar, Dírhavel, Dor Caranthir, Dor Dínen, Doriath, Dorthonion, Downlands, Dragons, Drû, Drû-folk, Drúath, Drúedain, Drúedain of Beleriand, Drúedain of Númenor, Drughu, Drûgs, Durin’s Bane, Durin’s Day, Dwarf-kind, Dwarf-lords, Dwarves of Belegost, Dwarves of the Blue Mountains, Eagles of the North, East Beleriand, Easterlings, Echoriath, Edain, Edhellond, Eithel Ivrin, Eldar of Eressëa, Eldar of Valinor, Elder Days, Eldest Days, Elessar, Elessar of Eärendil, Elf-kings, Elfstone, Elmo, Elrond, Elu Thingol, Elven-cloaks, Elven-halls, Elven-wise, Elvenesse, Elvenking’s Halls, Elves beyond the Sea, Elves of Beleriand, Elves of Eregion, Elves of Eressëa, Elves of Harlindon, Elves of Lindon, Elves of Ossiriand, Elves of Sirion, Elves of the High Kindred, Elvish, Elvish World, Emyn Duir, Enemy of Men and Elves, Ereinion Gil-galad, Erellont, Fall of Nargothrond, Falls of Ivrin, Fangorn Forest, Fathers of Men, Fathers of the Númenóreans, Fëanor, Fëanorians, Fell Winter of the First Age, Fen of Serech, Filbert, Findegil, First House of the Edain, Flame of the West, Foam-flower, Fords of Aros, Forest of the Great Fear, Forest under Nightshade, Forlindon, Forodwaith, Fourth Battle, Galadriel, Gate of Angband, Gaurwaith, Ghosts, Glamdring, Goblin-cleaver, Gods, Gold-worm of Angband, Goldenbed, Golug, Gondolin, Gondolindrim, Gorgûn, Gorse, Gorthaur, Great Battle, Great Battle, Great Eagle, Great Enemy, Great Eye, Great Isle, Great Jewels, Great Shadow, Great Siege, Green-elves, Greycloak, Greymantle, Grond, Guild of Weaponsmiths, Guilin, Hadhodrond, Hador, Haleth, Half-elven, Hareth, Havens of Círdan, Havens of Sirion, Havens of the Ships, Hazel, Heir of Durin, Hell, Hemlock, Hidden City, Hidden King, Hiding of Valinor, High Men, Himlad, Himling, Himring, Hísimë, Hithaeglir, Hither Shore, Hollowbold, Host of the West, Hound of Sauron, House of Fëanor, House of Finrod, House of Ransom, Húrin I, Húrin II, Iant Iaur, Iarwain Ben-adar, Iron Crown, Isle of Balar, King of Doriath, King of Durin’s Folk, King of Eagles, King of Gondolin, King of the Eldar, King’s Sword, Knights, Ladros, Laiquendi, Lake Helevorn, Land of the Elves, Land of the Star, Last Battle, Leaflock, Lembas, Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dûr, Light of Aman, Lindon, Lisgardh, Living Creatures, Long Peace, Longbeards, Lord of Belegost, Lord of Eagles, Lord of Middle-earth, Lord of Nogrod, Lord of Rivendell, Lord of the Black Land, Lord of the Dark Tower, Lord of the Havens, Lords of the West, Losgar, Maiar, Maiar of the Sea, Mar-nu-Falmar, Master, Master of Fangorn’s Wood, Master of the Grey Havens, Men of Darkness, Men of Dorthonion, Men of Eriador, Men of Hithlum, Men of Númenor, Men of the Ancient Houses, Men of the Lake, Men of the Mountains, Men of the Three Houses, Middle Days, Middle Men, Middle Peoples, Middle-earth, Midsummer, Minas Tirith, Misty Mountains, Mordor, Morgoth, Mountains of Iron, Mountains of Lune, Nan-tasarion, Narsil, Nibin-noeg, Nibin-Nogrim, Noegyth Nibin, Nogrod, Nóm, North Wind, Northern Lands, Númenor, Númenóreans, Oath of Fëanor, Oghor-hai, Old Ent, Old Forest Road, Olórin, Ondolindë, Orc-arrows, Orc-fire, Orcs of the Misty Mountains, Ormal, Orod-na-Thôn, Orodreth, Over-heaven, Pass of Light, People of Bëor, Petty-dwarves, Power of Terror and of Hate, Power of the Black Land, Power of the North, Powers of the World, Queen of Doriath, Ramdal, Ring of Barahir, River Anduin, River Baranduin, Ruin of Beleriand, Ruling Steward, Sauron, Sea-kings, Serpents, Seven Names of Gondolin, Seven Rivers of Ossir, Shadowy Mountains, Shadowy Seas, Silent Land, Silmarillion, Silvan Elvish, Silver Swan, Sindar of Beleriand, Skin-changers, Sons of Fëanor, Sources of Narog, South Road, Spiders, Spirit of Fire, Starlight, Steward of Gondor, Sting, Stone of the Hapless, Straight Way, Strawheads, Swarthy Men, Tale of the Children of Húrin, Taur-na-neldor, Taur-nu-Fuin, The Accursed, The Black, The Blessed, The Cruel, The Deathless, The Dragon, The East, The Ever-cold, The Gift, The Hunter, The Light, The Manhearted, The Mariner, The Minstrel, The Seer, The Steadfast, The Terrible, The Wise, The Worm, Three Houses of Men, Three Houses of the Elf-friends, Three Jewels, Throne of Morgoth, Thuringwethil, Tol Fuin, Trolls, Túrin I, Two Captains, Uilos, Ulfast, Unchaining of Melkor, Unnumbered Tears, Urulóki, Uttermost West, Vales of Anduin, Valmar, Vassal, Vinyamar, Voyage of Eärendil, Walls of the World, War of the Jewels, Wars of Beleriand, West Beleriand, West of Middle-earth, Western Mountains, White Lady, White Mountains, White-fiends, Wild Men, Wise People, Wolf-men, Woodmen, Years of the Sun, Younger Days Indexes: Alphabetical: F Time and Calendars About this entry: Updated 5 July 2009 Updates planned: 1 For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. 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