History of Arda

Music of the Ainur

The supreme deity in the world of the Hobbit is called Eru Ilúvatar. In the beginning, Ilúvatar created spirits called the Ainur. Ilúvatar and the Ainur sang together, creating the universe to Ilúvatar’s plan using divine music. Melkor, who was impatient and jealous of Iluvatar’s creation, disrupted the harmony of the music, creating darkness and evil in the world.

Ilúvatar’s plan included Arda (the Earth) and two races to dwell upon it: the First-born Elves, and the Men. However, two of the most powerful Ainur created life without Ilúvatar’s permission: Aulë, the smith, impatient for the waking of life, created the Dwarves, however, Eru forbade them waking before the Elves. Later, Melkor, the dark lord, was responsible for the creation of orcs, dragons, and trolls.

The first fifteen of the Ainur who descended to Arda, who are the most powerful ones, were called Valar, they were followed by the Ainur of lesser might who were called Maiar. Most of the Valar and Maiar followed Manwë, who best understood Ilúvatar’s will; this loyalty made Melkor jealous and bitter and he began working against the other Ainur.

Years of the Lamps

The Years of the Lamps began shortly after the creation of Arda by the Valar. When the Valar came to Arda, it was lifeless, perfectly symmetrical and flat, with only a misty light covering the ground. Needing light, the Valar collected this light into two large lamps, Illuin and Ormal.

The end of the Years of the Lamps came when Melkor attacked and destroyed the two lamps and Arda was again darkened. The lamps' fall spoiled the perfect symmetry of Arda's surface creating four continents, mountains, rivers, and all other features of the land.

Years of the Trees

Shortly after the destruction of the Two Lamps, Yavanna made the Two Trees, named Telperion (the silver tree) and Laurelin (the gold tree) in the land of Aman, where the Valar now lived. The Trees only illuminated the Valar’s home of Aman, leaving Middle-earth in darkness, save the light of the stars.

The Elves awoke in Middle Earth under the stars and were soon approached by the Valar, but also by Melkor. Most chose to follow the Valar to go live in Aman, but some chose to stay behind. Fëanor, a great leader of the Elves, collected light from the Two Trees and made them into three beautiful jewels called Silmarils. Fëanor was so enraptured by his creation that he made his sons take an oath to battle anyone who kept a silmaril from them.

During this time Melkor was captured by the Valar and imprisoned; eventually he convinced the Valar of his repentance and he was freed. This was all a ploy: once released he created discord among the Elves and allied himself with Ungoliant, the giant spider from the void; together they destroyed the two trees. Melkor then stole Feanor’s Silmarils which contained the only remaining light from the two trees.

Bitter at the Valar's unwillingness to pursue Melkor, Feänor and his sons left to pursue Melkor and the Silmarils. However, not all of the elves wished to pursue the fallen Valar and they refused to give them their boats. Feänor’s house attacked the other elves and stole the ships to pursue Melkor, now called Morgoth, to Middle Earth. This was the first battle of the Kinslaying, which would ultimately consume the house of Feänor.

Years of the Sun

The Vala Aulë built a vessel to carry the last flower of Telperion away into the sky, creating the moon, and another to bear away the last fruit of Laurelin, creating the sun. To protect the lands of the Valar they were hidden from the rest of Arda and those living in Valinor were forbidden from traveling back to Middle Earth. The first rising of the Moon marks the start of the Years of the Sun, which is equivalent to our recorded history.

The First Age

Morgoth (formerly Melkor) discovers men and attempts to turn them away from Ilúvatar, some choose to follow him, but others remained faithful and travel West towards Valinor.

Beren (a man) meets Lúthien (an elf) and they fall in love. Her father, fearing her death if the immortal elf married a mortal man, demands that Beren steal one of the Simarils from Morgoth’s crown as her bride price. Beren and Lúthien succeed in retrieving a Simaril, however, Beren dies immediately after. Grief-stricken, Lúthien lays down and dies. In the halls of Mandos her songs inspired pity and she was given two choices: she could dwell in immortal bliss with the Valar forever, or she and Beren could be returned to mortal life and die the death of men. She chooses to return and Beren and Lúthien wed and become the first union between man and elf.

Many years later the sons of Feanor destroys the home of Elwing, the granddaughter of Beren & Lúthien, while attempting to seize one of the Silmarils. During her flight to safety she meets and marries Eärendil, another child of an elf-maid and man. Shortly after she gives birth to twin sons, Elrond and Elros, the Sons of Feanor catch up with her, she sends her sons away and throws herself into the sea to escape. Lúthien and the Silmaril are transformed into a great white bird by Ulmo removing one of the Silmarils from Middle Earth forever.

Eärendil sails to Valinor in an attempt to convince the Valar to deal with Morgoth, who continues to attack and destroy both men and Elves. The Valar return to Middle Earth to battle Morgoth and his forces or orcs, dragons, trolls, evil men, and other creatures of darkness in the War of Wrath. They combined powers of the Valar, Elves, and other foreces of good eventually defeat Morgoth and he is cast into the Void. However, the battle is so devastating that Arda is reshapen: the Western portion of the continent sinks beneath the sea, mountains are flattened, and the great plaid of Modor rises from the seabed.

The two Simarils that Morgoth possessed when he was defeated are stolen by the two remaining sons of Feanor. However, due to the evil deeds committed by the brothers the jewels burnt their hands. Unable to bear the guilt and pain one brother casts himself and his Silmaril into a fiery chasm in the earth, and the other casts his jewel into the sea and disappears, doomed to wander Middle Earth until the end of all things. This marks that end of the Simarils in Middle Earth, and the end of the First Age.

The Second Age

After the banishment of Morgoth, and the breaking of the world, many of the elves travel to the western shore of Middle Earth and settle in Mithlond under the rule of Gil-Galad. The dwarves abandon many of their ruined kingdoms in the west and travel east to Durin’s Kingdom of Moria.

For their services and assistance rendered to the Valar in the War of Wrath the Men were rewarded with a new land of their own between Middle-earth and the Undying Lands. This was the island of Númenor; an island far away from the evil of Middle-earth. Elros Half-elven, brother to Elrond, chose a mortal life and was made the first King of Númenor by the Valar. These faithful servants of Ilúvatar were granted longer lives and given the assistance of the Elves in developing their arts and culture. Ilúvatar’ one firm rule was the Ban of the Valar, which forbade them to sail west beyond sight of Númenor or to enter the Undying Lands of the Valar.

Sauron regains his power after the defeat of his master, Morgoth, and begins to build Barad-dûr in Mordor. He calls the surviving orcs and other evils to serve him. Wearing his most beautiful of forms he comes to Gil-Galad and offers his services, and although the King does not recognize him as Annatar ("Lord of Gifts") he distrusts him and turns him away.

Annatar (Sauron) then travels to Eregion, where the leader also mistrusts him, however his smiths are impressed by his talent at the forge. Together, Annatar and the smiths forge sixteen rings of power. The elves forged another three, using his teaching but without his assistance. However, in secret, Annatar forged the last ring, in to which he poured all his malice and might. This One Ring, was a master ring that would rule all of the other rings, enabling him to dominate all of Middle-Earth through their influence.

With the intent of the rings of power revealed, Sauron laid waste to the Elven Kingdom of Eregion and seized the sixteen rings he and the smiths had created together. But, the elves defied him and withheld the three rings created without his assistance, which, although subject to the One Ring’s influence were uncorrupted by his evil. As a final act of defiance, Celebrimbor, the Lord of Eregion sent the three Rings of the Elves away in secret to be given to the most powerful Elven leaders of the Age, Elrond, Galadriel, and Gil-Galad.

The sixteen rings that Sauron was able to recover he gifted to the leaders of mortal races. Seven went to the Dwarf lords, who resisted Sauron’s power, but the Rings turned their love of gold and treasure into an obsession that brought them and their kingdoms to ruin. Nine Rings were given to Men, who were more easily corrupted; in time they became the Nazgûl, powerful wraiths that served at his command.

The elves go to war with Sauron and force him and his forces back to Mordor. Elrond establishes Rivendell in a hidden valley safehouse for Elves traveling to the West.

During this period the Númenorians became powerful and came to resent the Elves and the Valar for their immortality. They turned away from the Valar and began to call the Gift of Men the Doom of Men, cursing the Ban of the Valar. A civil war began between the King’s Men, who had turned from Ilúvatar to worship Melkor, and the minority of the Faithful, called the Dúnedain.

Sauron, who had suffered a series of losses against the forces of elves and men in recent years, saw this discord as an opportunity. Allowing himself to be captured by the Númenorian King Ar-Pharazôn he claimed repentance and became one of the King’s chief advisors. The Faithful, recognizing Sauron’s deceit, began fleeing Númenor, creating the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

Ultimately, Sauron convinced Ar-Pharazôn to sail West, attack Valinor, and claim immortality from the Valar. The Valar were forbidden from using force against Men, and called upon Eru Ilúvatar to halt the invasion. Eru opened a chasm in the sea which swallowed Ar-Pharazôn’s fleet, and the island of Númenor sank under the waves, killing all who remained. Ilúvatar then broke the world, changing its shape from flat to round, and making it so no mortal sailor can reach the shores of Valinor again. Sauron’s body was destroyed in this cataclysm and he was never again able to assume a fair and charming form.

In the last years of the second age, in response to the attacks by Sauron, the Last Alliance of Men and Elves was created. The King of the Dúnedain, Elendil; the High Kind of the Elves, Gil-Galad; and the King of Moria, Durin IV joined together to march on Mordor. After a seven year siege of Sauron’s fortress at Barad-dûr Sauron came out to face the allies on the field of battle. Gil-Galad and Elendil fought Sauron and managed to defeat him even though they both died in battle. After Sauron’s defeat Elendil stepped forward and cut the One Ring from Sauron’s hand, dispersing his spirit.

The War of the Last Alliance and Sauron’s defeat signaled the end of the Second Age. The line of the High Kings of the Elves had ended with Gil-Galad and the Elves began leaving Middle Earth; Isildur, son of Elendil become the King of the Dúnedain. Unfortunately, Isildur chose not to destroy Sauron’s Ring of Power and three years later was killed in battle and the One Ring was lost in a river.

Saruon, weakened but not destroyed, begins rebuilding his power in the East.