First Age

The First Age, also known as the Elder Days,, Index of Names, entry "Elder Days" was the first historical era in Arda that witnessed the creation of the races of the Children of Ilúvatar, their flourishing in Valinor and Beleriand, their feats against Morgoth and his final defeat by the combined armies of the Valar, Elves and Edain. Its most significant events are chronicled in the Quenta Silmarillion.
== Overview ==
According to the Annals of Aman written by Elven loremaster Rúmil of Tirion, the beginning of the First Age was marked by the Awakening of the Elves, the Elder Children of Ilúvatar, upon the shores of Cuiviénen., Vol. X: Morgoth's Ring, The Annals of Aman: "… in the Year one thousand and fifty of the Valar, the Elves awoke in Kuivienen and the First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar began.", XVII: "Generational Schemes", Text 2: "The First Age begins with the Awaking [of the Elves] and ends with the Downfall of Angband." They were discovered by Oromë, and the great changes came about: the Valar battled against Melkor and besieged his fortress Utumno that was destroyed, while Melkor was brought in chains to Valinor. When Middle-earth became freed from his grasp, the Elves were invited by the Valar to the West, and many answered this summon but some chose to remain in Middle-earth. When the Great Journey of the Elves ended, and they finally came to and settled down in Aman, the significant period of peace followed. Melkor was imprisoned in the Halls of Mandos, and the Eldar dwelt in the bliss of the Two Trees of Valinor., Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter III: "Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor" Middle-earth was still covered in the darkness under the Stars, but since they were untroubled by evil, the Avarin and Sindarin Elves and the newly awakened race of the Dwarves dwelt there, building their civilizations., Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter X: "Of the Sindar"
The Years of the Trees of the First Age came to an end when Manwë released Melkor from his imprisonment. At first, the Dark Lord pretended friendly to the Eldar, but he quickly turned back to the darkness, wishing to corrupt them., Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter VI: "Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor" As a result, Melkor successfully sowed enmity among the Elves and obtained the aid of Ungoliant;, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter VII: "Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor" together, they killed the Trees and stole the Silmarils, and fled back to Angband., Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter VIII: "Of the Darkening of Valinor" Valinor was plunged into the Long Night, and seeking revenge against Melkor, whom he named Morgoth, the Black Enemy, Fëanor led a great host of the Ñoldor out of it and back to Middle-earth, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter VIX: "Of the Flight of the Ñoldor" near the end of the Age., Appendix F
So after the destruction of the Two Trees, the Valar made the Moon and Sun out of the last flower of Telperion and last fruit of Laurelin respectively, setting them in the heavens to give light to the World., Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XI: "Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor" Thus the Years of the Sun began, and Men awoke at the first rising of the Sun, and after that time every following Age was counted in solar years exclusively., Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XII: "Of Men" After the Sun started its way through heavens and Men awoke, the First Age continued for almost another six centuries, around which its most important events were centered. There were a series of terrible Wars in Beleriand waged by the dark power of Morgoth against the Ñoldor, Sindar and Three Houses of the Edain, their Mannish allies. These Wars had begun in the Years of the Trees, but were refreshed after the arrival of the Ñoldorin Exiles. There had been Elves in Beleriand for uncounted millennia, but they were passive, and Morgoth had little to do with them; the Ñoldor, on the other hand, particularly the Sons of Fëanor, had come with the express purpose of opposing Morgoth and retrieving the treasured Silmarils stolen by the Enemy., Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XIII: "Of the Return of the Ñoldor"
Eventual conclusion of the First Age was marked by the last great battle of the Wars of Beleriand called the War of Wrath. After the voyage of Eärendil the Valar intervened and initiated the titanic struggle between their Host of the West and Morgoth's legions of the Orcs, Balrogs, Dragons and other monstrosities. After a little more than forty years of warfare the Dark Lord was finally overthrown and banished into the Timeless Void. During the conflict the entire landmass of Beleriand drowned, and therefore the most Elves departed over the Sea, while the Edain migrated to the island Elenna, and the Second Age began., Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXIV: "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath" First Age lasted for 450 Years of the Trees plus 590 Years of the Sun, thus numbering in total 4,902 Years of the Sun, since each Valian Year was equal to 9.582 coranari (solar years).
== Timeline ==
=== Years of the Trees ===
=== Years of the Sun ===
== Terminology ==
J.R.R. Tolkien did not give dates of the First Age in the Appendix B or in Quenta Silmarillion. In his original manuscripts such as the Annals of Aman from Morgoth's Ring and The Grey Annals from The War of the Jewels, Tolkien measured the First Age with the Years of the Trees (YT) or the Valian Years (VY) and then the Years of the Sun (YS) respectively., Vol. XI: The War of the Jewers, The Grey Annals
Robert Foster, among other Tolkienists, attempted to chronicle the First Age, using as convention the Years of the Sun as "First Age", keeping a format similar to the annals in Appendix B. For example, the twentieth Year of the Sun is referred to as I 20 or FA 20, though Foster admits that the definition YS 1 would be more accurate than FA 1., Appendix A: A Chronology of the First Age Unfortunately, this convention creates the misconception that FA 1 was the first year of the First Age marked as such by the first sunrise, leading to the fanonical term "Ages of the Sun", which never appears in Tolkien's works.
However, in the Appendix F to the J. R. R. Tolkien himself wrote explicitly that the Flight of the Ñoldor and their return to Middle-earth took place at the end of the First Age, thus meaning that the year labeled FA 1 was in fact placed near the end of that long Age. Furthermore, in the Annals of Aman Tolkien mentioned that the First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar began in YT 1050 when the Elves awoke at Cuiviénen, while in the of Histories he also pointed out that the First Age was the longest (of all Ages),, Vol. XII: , The Prologue and Appendices to The Lord of the Rings as well as in his Letter 131 to Milton Waldman, where Tolkien described the First Age as long.Letter 131: "Several tales of victory and tragedy are caught up in it; but it ends with catastrophe, and the passing of the Ancient World, the world of the long First Age." Additionally, in Tolkien also desctibed the First Age beginning with the Awakening of the Elves and ending with the Downfall of Angband. Therefore, all of this signifies that the term "First Age" is required to be expanded before the first rising of the Sun, and indeed Robert Foster in his undoubtedly defined events of the Years of the Trees following the Awakening of the Elves as an integral part of the First Age, as well as both J.E.A. Tyler in his Complete Tolkien Companion and Paul H. Kocher in his Reader's Guide to The Silmarillion., entry "First Age"Paul H. Kocher, A Reader's Guide to The Silmarillion, Chronology of the First Age Karen Wynn Fonstad also attributed the events before the first rising of the Sun to the First Age in her .Karen Wynn Fonstad, , Introduction to the section "First Age"It is perhaps interesting that in their Reader's Companion to both Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull also mistakenly identified the first sunrise wiith the beginning of the First Age, but later they corrected this: "p. 136, ll. 12–13 from bottom: For ‘only at the beginning of the First Age when the Sun first rose in the heavens’ read ‘when the Sun first rose in the heavens late in the First Age’."
It is quite possible that the term "Age of the Sun" was in fact "invented" by David Day,Tolkien: The Illustrated Encyclopedia, section "History" a Canadian author whose books are widely criticized for their inaccuracies and misinterpretations of J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology.David Bratman's Home Page, "Recommended books on Tolkien"The Tolkien Meta-FAQ, "Notes on David Day's Tolkien Books"Parma-kenta, "Tolkien Transactions XXXIII"
== Chief battles ==
* The Battle of the Powers was fought exclusively between the forces of the Valar and Melkor, and the Elves knew only what the Valar told them about this disastrous clash during which the face of Arda itself changed significantly, since there were formed new seas and lands. The most part of the conflict was occupied by the long-enduring siege of Utumno, but in the end the Valar successfully crushed its bastions and penetrated it, dragging Melkor out and chaining him with the Angainor. Although the Valar demolished Utumno to the ground, some of Melkor's servants, most importantly Sauron and the Balrogs, escaped and sheltered in Angband waiting for their master's return.
* The First Battle of the Wars of Beleriand was fought soon after the destruction of the Two Trees of Valinor and before the return of the Ñoldor to Middle-earth. After his own return to Middle-earth, Morgoth loosed legions of the Orcs upon Thingol and Círdan, at that time the two greatest lords of Beleriand. Though the Elves managed to save both their kingdoms of Eglador (Doriath), and Falas, the former was shrouded with magical Girdle by Melian while the latter was besieged by the Orcs who roamed Beleriand freely after this battle until the coming of the Ñoldor.
* The Dagor-nuin-Giliath, so named because it was fought before the rising of the Sun, was fought soon after the arrival of the Ñoldor. Morgoth sent a raiding party from Angband to attack the Ñoldor encampment in Hithlum, but the Elves drove it back. Fëanor was killed. It is considered the second battle in the Wars of Beleriand, after one that took place during the Years of the Trees.
* The Dagor Aglareb was fought about eighty-eight years after the return of the Ñoldor. Morgoth again attacked the Ñoldor, and (again) with no success. The Ñoldor became so bold as to besiege Angband for almost four hundred years. However, the Siege was of limited effectiveness, because the northern side of Angband on the north side of the Ered Engrin was unapproachable to the Elven forces.
* The Dagor Bragollach began when Morgoth poured rivers of fire out of Angband, ruining the besieging Ñoldorin armies. The Ñoldor eventually mustered a defense, but their losses were severe. For instance, the green plain of Ard-galen had been permanently laid waste by the rivers of fire, and was now called Anfauglith, the Choking Dust; and the highlands of Dorthonion, which had been inhabited by Edain, were made inhospitable. This battle was mournfully remembered by the Elves for High King Fingolfin died in it, dueling Morgoth himself at the gates of Angband., Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XVIII: "Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin
* The Nírnaeth Arnoediad was the first battle to be started by the Ñoldor for the purpose of ending the power of Morgoth. They massed an army composed of Elves, Edain, and the Easterling houses of Bór and Ulfang allied to the Sons of Fëanor. The Elves and their allies came very close to Angband, but Morgoth's trickery had upset their battle plan, and Ulfang proved to be treacherous. The name Unnumbered Tears comes from the fact that the Elves' last hope of victory was utterly destroyed. The land of Hithlum was lost, the Sons of Fëanor were largely scattered, and the free peoples of Beleriand had been decimated. The forces of Morgoth made a heap of the Elven and Mannish dead in the center of Anfauglith., Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXIV: "Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad
* The War of Wrath took place after Eärendil sailed to Valinor and persuaded the Valar to help those whom they had forsaken. The Valar gathered an army comprised of Maiar, Vanyar, and those Ñoldor who had stayed in Valinor. The Teleri refused their aid, due to the Kinslaying at Alqualondë, but consented to ferry the Host of Valinor in their famous ships. This battle marked the first appearance of the winged dragons, most notably Ancalagon the Black, but the Valar had the day. Morgoth was captured, and cast out of Arda, but his lands, as well as most of Beleriand, had been destroyed and sunk under the sea in the heat of battle.
== In other versions ==
In earlier texts, such as The Later Annals of Valinor, J.R.R. Tolkien referred to the 'First Age(s) of the World' rather than the 'First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar'. This variation had much earlier starting point, extending the First Age back to the creation of Arda, but consistently ended with Morgoth's defeat in Beleriand., Vol. V: , The Later Annals of Valinor
== Translations ==
Foreign Language 	Translated name
Afrikaans 	Eerste Era
Albanian 	Epoka e parë
Amharic 	የመጀመሪያው ዘመን
Arabic 	العصر الأول
Armenian 	Առաջին Ղարաշրջան
Assamese 	প্ৰথম যুগ
Azerbaijani 	Birinci Dövrü
Basque 	Lehen garaia
Belarusian Cyrillic	Першая эпоха
Bengali 	প্রথম যুগ
Bosnian 	Prvo doba
Bulgarian Cyrillic 	Първат Епоха
Burmese 	ပထမခေတ်
Chinese (Hong Kong)	第一紀元
Cambodian 	សម័យកាលទីមួយ
Catalan 	Primera Edat
Cebuano 	Unang Panahon
Cornish 	Ooj Kensa
Croatian 	Prvo doba
Czech 	První éra
Danish 	Førsteæra
Dutch 	Eerstetijd
Esperanto 	Unua Epoko
Estonian 	Esimene ajastu
Faroese 	Fyrstiárstíđ
French 	Premier Âge
Frisian 	Earste âldens
Finnish 	Ensimmäinen Aika
Filipino 	Unang Edad
Galician 	Primeira Época
Georgian 	პირველი ხანა
German 	Erstes Zeitalter
Greek 	Πρώτη Εποχή
Gujarati 	પ્રથમ યુગ
Haitian Creole 	Premye Epòk
Hebrew 	העידן הראשון
Hindi 	पहला युग
Hungarian 	Első Korszak
Icelandic 	Fyrstur Tímabil
Indonesian 	Zaman Pertama
Irish Gaelic 	Chéad Ré
Italian 	Prima Era
Japanese 	第一紀
Javanese 	Jaman Pisanan
Kannada 	ಮೊದಲ ಯುಗ
Kazakh 	Бірінші дәуірі (Cyrillic) Birinşi däwiri (Latin)
Konkani 	पयलो युग
Korean 	제1시대
Kurdish 	Serdema Yekem (Kurmanji)
Kyrgyz Cyrillic 	Биринчи доору
Laotian 	ຍຸກທຳອິດ
Latin 	Prima Era
Latvian 	Pirmā laikmets
Lithuanian 	Pirmojo epocha
Luxembourgish 	Éischt Ära
Macedonian Cyrillic	Првото време
Malagasy 	Andron'ny Voalohany
Malaysian 	Zaman Pertama
Malayalam 	ആദ്യ യുഗം
Maltese 	Ewwel Età
Maori 	Era Tuatahi
Marathi 	प्रथम युग
Mongolian Cyrillic 	Эхний үе
Nepalese 	पहिलो युग
Norwegian 	Førsteepoke
Occitan 	Primièra Èra
Pashto 	لومړی دوره
Persian 	دوران اول
Polish 	Pierwsza Era
Portuguese 	Primeira Era
Punjabi 	ਪਹਿਲੀ ਯੁੱਗ
Romanian 	Epoca Prima
Romansh 	Emprim Temp
Russian 	Первая Эпоха
Samoan 	Tausaga Muamua
Sanskrit 	प्रथम युग
Sardinian 	Primu Era
Scottish Gaelic 	Chiad Epoch
Serbian 	Прва доба (Cyrillic) Prva doba (Latin)
Shona 	Nguva yekutanga
Sicilian 	Primu Era
Sindhi 	پهريون عمر
Sinhalese 	පළමු යුගය
Slovenian 	Prvo doba
Slovak 	Prvý Vek
Somali 	Kowaad Da'
Spanish 	Primera Edad del Sol
Sundanese 	Kahiji Umur
Swahili 	Enzi ya kwanza
Swedish 	Förstaeran
Tajik Cyrillic 	Давраи аввал
Tamil 	முதல் காலம்
Tatar 	Беренче чоры
Telugu 	మొదటి యుగం
Thai 	ยุคแรก
Turkish 	Birinci Çağ
Turkmen 	Birinji Asyry
Ukrainian Cyrillic 	Перша Епоха
Urdu 	پہلا دور
Uzbek 	Биринчи даври (Cyrillic) Birinchi davri (Latin)
Venetian 	Prima Epoca
Vietnamese 	Thời đại đầu tiên
Welsh 	Yr Oes Gyntaf
Xhosa 	Ixesha lokuqala
Yiddish 	ערשטער עפאכע
Yoruba 	Akọkọ ọjọ ori
== Notes ==
== References ==
Category:Eras
 
Category:Time
Category:Years of the Sun
Category:Years of the Trees
de:Erstes Zeitalter
es:Primera Edad del Sol
fr:Premier Âge
he:העידן הראשון
it:Prima Era
nl:De Eerste Era
pl:Pierwsza Era
pt-br:Primeira Era
ru:Первая Эпоха