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  The Ainur

  When all was darkness and a great void, according to the ‘Ainulindalë’, that first book of The Silmarillion, there was an omniscient Being who lived alone in the vast emptiness. He was called Eru, the One, or as the Elves would later name him, Ilúvatar.

  This was the Being that Tolkien conceived as the source of all creation. Through the ‘Ainulindalë’, Tolkien tells us how the elemental thoughts of Ilúvatar became the race of gods called the Ainur (the ‘Holy Ones’), and through the power of His spirit – the ‘Flame Imperishable’ – Ilúvatar gave the Ainur eternal life.

  For this race of gods, Ilúvatar built a dwelling place in the Void, called the Timeless Halls. Here, the Ainur were taught to sing by Ilúvatar and became a vast heavenly choir. Out of the music of these god-like spirits came a holy vision that was a globed world whirling in the Void.

  Tolkien’s world of Arda was literally sung into being, and each of the heavenly hosts had a part in its conception, even that one mighty satanic spirit called Melkor who sang of strife and discord. However, the Music of the Ainur simply created a vision; it took the power of the Flame Imperishable to make Eä, the World That Is. Thus, the vision was given substance and reality. And into that world descended those of the Ainur who had the greatest part in its conception and who wished to take a further part in its shaping.

  The Timeless Halls were the dwelling place of the Ainur in the Void

  This was how Tolkien chronicled the creation of Arda. It is both strangely ethereal and vastly operatic in its conception. Also, it is a kind of double creation, for when the Ainur arrived on Arda, they found it was up to them to shape it.

  Although Tolkien tells us that the majority of the Ainur remained with Ilúvatar in the Timeless Halls, he tells us nothing more of them. His histories deal only with those who entered the spheres of the world. Here these godly, bodiless spirits take on more physical manifestations. They become the elements and the powers of nature, but like the Greek or Norse gods they have physical form, personality, gender and kinship with one another. The Ainur who entered Arda are divided into two orders: the Valar and the Maiar – the gods and the demigods.

  The Valar numbered fifteen: Manwë, King of the Winds; Varda, Queen of the Stars; Ulmo, Lord of the Oceans; Nienna, the Weeper; Yavanna, the Fruitful; Aulë, the Smith; Oromë, Lord of Forests; Vána, the Youthful; Mandos, Keeper of the Dead; Vairë, the Weaver; Lórien, Master of Dreams; Estë, the Healer; Tulkas, the Wrestler; Nessa, the Dancer; and Melkor, who was later named Morgoth, the Dark Enemy.

  Of the Maiar, there were a multitude, but only a few of these immortals are named in Tolkien’s chronicles. Eönwë, Herald of Manwë; Ilmarë, Maid of Varda; Ossë of the Waves; Uinen of the Calm Seas; Melian, Queen of the Sindar; Arien, the Sun; Tilion, the Moon; Sauron, the Ring Lord; Gothmog, Lord of the Balrogs; Thuringwethil, the Vampire; Ungoliant, the Spider; Draugluin, the Werewolf; Goldberry, the River-daughter; Iarwain Ben-adar (Tom Bombadil); and the five wizards – Olórin (Gandalf); Curunír (Saruman); Aiwendil (Radagast); Alatar; and Pallando.

  It is only after the world came into being and the Ainur enter into it that the count of time upon Arda begins. For the greater part of Arda’s history there was no sun or moon by which to measure time, so Tolkien gives us the chronological measure of Valarian Years, and Valarian Ages. Each Valarian Year, Tolkien tells us, is equivalent to ten years as we know them. And as each Valarian Age contains a hundred Valarian Years, each Age is equivalent to one thousand mortal years. Although there are many overlapping systems and variations in events and dates in Tolkien’s writings, there is enough consistency to estimate with some precision that the time elapsing from the Creation of Arda to the end of the Third Age of the Sun (shortly after the War of the Ring) was thirty-seven Valarian Ages, or more exactly 37,063 mortal years.

  Within this vast time frame, the first Valarian Ages were spent by the newly arrived powers in the Shaping of Arda. However, even as there was discord in the Music of the Ainur, so when the actual Shaping of Arda began, a host of Maiar spirits, led by that mighty Vala called Melkor, created a great conflict. This was the First War, which led to the natural symmetry and harmony of Arda becoming scarred and torn.

  The Great Lamps

  In the ‘Quenta Silmarillion’ we are told that after the First War, the Valar built an idyllic kingdom called Almaren in the Great Lake in the midst of Middle-earth. In the north and the south of Middle-earth they raised two titanic Lamps of Light. However, in the far north, the cruel Vala Melkor raised the Iron Mountains and built his dark kingdom of Utumno. In the ensuing war the Lamps were destroyed, and – in the cataclysm that followed – the Valar fled to the furthest western land of Aman.

  Years 5,000–10,000

  Manwë Sulimo was Lord of the Valar in Arda

  The Ages of the Lamps

  The ‘Quenta Silmarillion’ and the later publication of Tolkien’s drafts and chronologies in ‘The Ambarkanta’ and the ‘Annals of Valinor’ tell us of an idyllic time after the time of Creation and the Shaping of Arda. In the Ages of the Lamps, the Valar filled the world with natural wonders of great beauty and harmony, despite the Marring of Arda during the First War. These Ages were so named because the Valar fashioned two colossal lamps with which to light the world.

  It was the Vala called Aulë the Smith who forged these golden vessels, while the Star Queen, Varda, and the Wind King, Manwë, filled them and made them radiant with light. It took the combined powers of the other Valar to raise each up on a mighty pillar, taller by far than any mountain. One lamp was placed in the north of Middle-earth and was called Illuin. It stood in the midst of an encircling inland sea called Helcar. The other was in the south and was called Ormal. It stood in the midst of the inland sea called Ringol.

  During the Ages of the Lamps, the First Kingdom of the Valar, on the Isle of Almaren, was built in the Great Lake in the midmost point of Arda. Filled with the beautiful mansions and towers of the Valar and Maiar, it was a wonder to see, and the world was filled with joy and light.

  This was an idyllic time that was also called the ‘Spring of Arda’. Yavanna the Fruitful brought forth the great forests and the wide meadows, and many gentle and beautiful beasts and creatures of field and stream.

  But Almaren was not the only kingdom built in this time. Far to the north, the rebel Maiar spirits once again gathered, and Melkor again entered Arda. In secret, while the Valar rested from their labours, Melkor raised the vast Iron Mountains like a mighty wall across the northlands and built beneath them a dark fortress called Utumno. From that refuge he began to corrupt the work of the Valar, and poisons seeped into the waters and forests. Yavanna’s beautiful creatures were twisted and tortured until they became monstrous and filled with a desire for blood.

  At last when he thought he had grown strong enough, Melkor came forth openly with his wicked host and made war on the Valar. Catching them unprepared, he cast down the mighty pillars of the Great Lamps so the mountains were broken, and the consuming flame of the Lamps spread all over the world. In the tumult, the kingdom of Almaren was totally destroyed.

  In this terrible conflict, the Spring of Arda was ended, and the world was once again plunged into darkness, except for the destructive fires of the earth, and the tumult of earthquakes and rushing seas. It required all the strength of the Valar hosts to quell these mighty upheavals, lest the world itself be entirely destroyed. Rather than do battle with Melkor in the midst of such tumult and cause further destruction, the Valar abandoned Almaren and Middle-earth altogether. They went into the furthermost west, to the great continent of Aman, which later was called the Undying Lands. So the Ages of the Lamps ended with the Valar making a new kingdom in the West, while all the wrecked lands of Middle-earth were left in thrall to the evil power of Melkor.

  The great lamps wrought destruction upon the land as they fell

  THE UNDYING LANDS

  Years 10,000–20,000

  The Ages of the Trees
/>   The Valar built a new kingdom called Valinor on the continent of Aman in the west. Beyond the gates of their city of Valimar they grew the Trees of Light.

  These mighty trees filled all the Undying Lands of Aman with a blessed light. Meanwhile, Middle-earth and the rest of Arda was plunged into the Ages of Darkness. Melkor ruled as master of Middle-earth from his heinous realm of Utumno. He also built his second stronghold of Angband, and placed it under the command of his loyal disciple, Sauron.

  The trees filled Valinor with radiant light

  The Trees of Light

  After the destruction of the Great Lamps and the First Kingdom of Almaren, the Valar went west to the continent of Aman, where they built a second kingdom called Valinor, meaning ‘Land of the Valar’. There they each took a part of that land and raised mansions and created gardens, but also built Valimar, the ‘Home of the Valar’, a walled city with domes and spires of gold and silver that was filled with the music of many bells.

  On a hill just outside the western golden gates of Valimar, the Valar grew two huge, magical trees. These were the tallest trees that ever grew and were called Laurelin the Golden and Telperion the White. Nearly the size of the Lamps of the Valar, these Trees of Valinor gave off a brilliant glow of gold and silver light. The waxing and waning of each Tree’s blossoming gave a means by which the days might be measured, and their light nourished all who lived within the glowing presence.

  We learn from Tolkien’s early drafts of the chronicles, in the ‘Annals of Valinor’, that the Ages of the Trees began one thousand Valarian Years after the creation of Arda; that is, the Tenth Valarian Age, or ten thousand mortal years after the Creation. We also learn that the Ages of the Trees were nearly twenty Valarian Ages, or twenty thousand mortal years, in duration.

  There is, however, a complicating factor in Tolkien’s chronology of Arda because the Ages of the Trees apply only to the Undying Lands. We are told that upon arriving in Aman, the Valar raised up a great wall in the form of the Pélori Mountains to keep out Morgoth and all his minions. These mountains, the tallest in the world, did indeed protect Valinor from invasion, but they also shut in the Light of the Trees.

  Consequently during the Ages of the Trees we are dealing with parallel systems of time. So, while the Undying Lands were basking in the glory of the Trees, Middle-earth underwent two epochs, each lasting ten thousand mortal years: the Ages of Darkness and the Ages of the Stars.

  In the Undying Lands, the Ages of the Trees were divided into two eras. The first ten Valarian Ages, or ten thousand mortal years, of the Ages of the Trees were known as the Years of Bliss in Valinor. During this time the Valar and Maiar prospered. The Eagles were created by Manwë, the Ents were conceived by Yavanna, and the Dwarves were conceived by Aulë. Blissful indeed were the times in Valinor, while beyond the walls of the Pélori Mountains, Middle-earth endured the terror and evil of Melkor’s dominion during the Ages of Darkness.

  During the next ten Valarian Ages, we learn much more of events in Valinor and Middle-earth. This second era of the Ages of the Trees was called the Noontide of the Blessed, but upon Middle-earth it was called the Ages of the Stars. This was the time when Varda, the Queen of the Heavens, rekindled the stars above Middle-earth and caused the Awakening of the Elves.

  In time, when news reached the Undying Lands of Melkor’s attempts to slay and corrupt the Elves, the Valar made a council of war. The Valar and the Maiar came into Middle-earth and drove Melkor’s legions wailing before them.

  This was called the War of Powers and in that war were many battles and duels wherein the Valar utterly destroyed Utumno. Thereafter, Melkor was held captive in Valinor and bound with unbreakable chains. This time was known as the Peace of Arda, and lasted through most of the remaining Ages of the Trees in Valinor and Ages of Stars on Middle-earth.

  These were the great years for the Elven race, for without the hateful wrath of Melkor, these chosen people prospered and grew ever more powerful. After the War of Powers, the Valar summoned the Elves to come and live with them in the Land of Light. This was the mass migration called the Great Journey of the Eldar, those Elves who answered the call of the Valar.

  The Great Journey was the theme of many an Elven song, for the time was long, and the Eldar were divided into diverse races. Those who reached the Undying Lands were of three kindreds: the Vanyar, the Noldor and the Teleri. For those chosen people, the Valar gave a part of the Undying Lands called Eldamar, the ‘Elven-home’, and it was a wonder to behold. Many were its mansions, but the finest were in the Vanyar and Noldor capital of Tirion, and the Teleri cities of Alqualondë on the coast and Avallónë on the Isle of Tol Eressëa.

  The Haven of Alqualondë was home to the white ships of the Teleri

  The Haven of Alqualondë

  On the shores of the Undying Lands the Teleri built Alqualondë, which is ‘haven of swans’, and the ships of these Elves were like swans with eyes and beaks of jet and gold. Beneath the arch of sea-carved stone that is the gate of Alqualondë, the Teleri set sail their swan ships, sing fair songs, and listen to the murmuring sea on the shore.

  The fair city of Tirion was home to the Noldor and the Vanyar

  The City of Tirion

  In the Undying Lands, the Noldor and Vanyar Elves built the first and greatest city in Eldamar. This was Tirion of the white towers and crystal stair, and it was set on the hill of Túna in Calacirya, the Pass of Light. The city was placed so that not only could the Elves live in the Light of the Trees and look out on the sea, but also, from under the shadow of Túna and the tall towers, could view the glittering stars that are so dear to their hearts.

  The Darkening of Valinor

  After the Ages of Chaining, Melkor came before the Valar to be judged. He seemed to have changed, and claimed to have repented, so Manwë, the Lord of the Valar, ordered his chains to be removed. But the Valar were deceived for Melkor only seemed to be fair and good; in secret he plotted their downfall. First he sowed strife among the Elves, and then in alliance with the Great Spider Ungoliant he made open war on the Valar. He came with Ungoliant to the Trees of the Valar and struck them with a great spear, and the Spider sucked the light and life from the Trees so they withered and died. All of Valinor was made hideously black with the Unlight of Ungoliant, and Melkor laughed with villainous joy because, for a second time, he had put out the great Lights of the World.

  Melkor and Ungoliant looked with hatred upon the light of the Valar

  The Flight of the Noldor

  After the destruction of the Trees of the Valar, Melkor slew Finwë, the Noldor king, and took the Silmarils from him. In great wrath the Noldor pursued the evil Vala, and, despite the warning by the Valar, they made their way back to Middle-earth. Some went in ships, which they took from the Teleri, but a great number, led by Fingolfin, crossed Helcaraxë, the Grinding Ice. This was the northern narrow gap of sea and ice between the Undying Lands and Middle-earth. In that crossing many an Elf lord and lady fell into the sea or perished beneath collapsing towers of ice.

  The bitter hardships of crossing the Helcaraxë claimed many Noldor lives

  MIDDLE-EARTH

  Melkor’s hordes bred in the darkness of Utumno

  The Ages of Darkness

  While Valinor and the Undying Lands were bathed in the Light of the Trees, all the lands of Middle-earth were plunged into gloom. These were the Ages of Darkness on Middle-earth, when Melkor dug the Pits of Utumno ever deeper beneath the Iron Mountains. With evil splendour, he fashioned hellish, subterranean palaces with vast domed halls, labyrinthine tunnels, and fathomless dungeons out of black stone, fire, and ice.

  Here the Lord of Darkness gathered all the bad powers of the world. Their numbers seemed without limit, and Melkor never tired of creating new and ever more dreadful forms. Cruel spirits, phantoms, wraiths and vile demons stalked the halls of Utumno. All the serpents of the world were bred in the pits of a dark kingdom that was home to werewolves and vampires and innumerable bloodfeedin
g monsters, and insects that flew, crawled and slithered. Within Utumno, all were commanded by Melkor’s demon disciples, the fiery Maiar spirits called the Balrogs, with their whips of flame and their black maces. Greatest among these was the High Captain of Utumno, Gothmog the Balrog.

  Nor was Utumno Melkor’s only kingdom. At the beginning of the Ages of Darkness, Melkor rejoiced in his victory over the Valar, and his destruction of Almaren and the Great Lamps of Light. Thereafter, he strove to increase his power, and in the westernmost part of the Iron Mountains he built a second kingdom. This was the great armoury and stronghold called Angband, the ‘Iron-Prison’.

  Then he proclaimed the mightiest disciple, Sauron the Maia Sorcerer, the Master of Angband. Except for the watchful eye of Manwë the windlord, looking down from the sacred mountain of Taniquetil, and the occasional visitations of Oromë, the Wild Horseman, among all the Valar only Yavanna, the protector of forests and meadows, entered Middle-earth in those days. Upon all the flora and fauna that she created, she cast a protecting spell called the Sleep of Yavanna, so they might survive the darkness and wickedness of Melkor’s rule.

  And so, for the most part, these were the Ages of Glory for Melkor, the Lord of Darkness. By his destruction of the Lamps of Light, Melkor inherited the whole of the wrecked and darkened lands of Middle-earth. There he held dominion for ten thousand mortal years.