Valian Years

The Valian Years referred to the measurement of time prior to the destruction of the Two Trees, encompassing both the Years of the Trees and events before the Two Trees first bloomed.The History of Middle-earth, Vol. X: Morgoth's Ring, The Annals of Aman
== History ==
===Days before days ===
The Days before days began shortly after the Music of the Ainur, when the Valar descended into Arda. After they entered the world, it was still lifeless and had no distinct geographical features. However, Melkor claimed Arda for himself alone, and there were the First War that ravaged until the coming of Tulkas whose prowess urged Melkor to retreat.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter I: "Of the Beginning of Days"
When the Valar finally repaired damage made by Melkor, they chose the initial shape of Arda; it was of a symmetrical continent lit by the Two Lamps: one in the continent's north, and one in the south, made out of the misty light that veiled the barren ground. The Valar concentrated this light into two colossal vessels, Illuin and Ormal. Then Aulë the Smith forged great towers, one in the north, Helcar, and another in the south, Ringil. In the middle, where the light of the Lamps mingled, the Valar dwelt at the island of Almaren, their first kingdom. Thus the Spring of Arda flourished upon the earth.
The Two Lamps shone until they were destroyed by an assault of Melkor. Arda was again darkened, and the Lamps' fall spoiled the perfect symmetry of Arda's surface, and thus the Spring came to an end. Separate continents were created: Aman in the far West, Middle-earth, or Endor, in the centre from the north to south, and the Land of the Sun in the far East. At the site of the northern Lamp later formed the inland Sea of Helcar, of which Cuiviénen was a bay. After that the Years of the Trees began when Yavanna grew the Two Trees of Valinor. However, Middle-earth was still covered in the darkness and Melkor dominated it residing in his stronghold Utumno.
===Years of the Trees ===
After Yavanna created the Two Trees upon the hill Ezellohar, Valinor bathed in their blessed light and the Valar managed to restore some semblance of the Spring upon their lands. But the light of the Trees never reached Middle-earth where Melkor established his dominion corrupting its lands from his seat in Utumno. Of the Valar, only Oromë and Yavanna at times visited Middle-earth, and the latter healed marring of living things made by Melkor while the former tirelessly hunted down the Enemy's monsters.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter III: "Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor"
For a thousand Valian Years the Valar dwelled in Aman until they held a council at the Ring of Doom where the future coming of the Children of Ilúvatar was discussed. After that Varda fashioned the new stars for a next fifty years until she completed her work setting the Valacirca at northern skies as a challenge to Melkor, and then the Elves soon awoke in Cuiviénen. Valar did not know about them until Orome discovered them during one of his rides. Upon his returning to Valinor and reporting about the Elves, Manwë decided to make war upon Melkor. After Utumno was besieged and destroyed, and Melkor imprisoned in the Halls of Mandos, the Valar offered the Elves to live with them in Aman. After the Great Journey of the Eldar, they settled in the West and dwelled there in peace until Melkor was released from his bondage.
All following events led to the Darkening of Valinor for Melkor turned back to evil. Through his lies, there was strife among the Elves, especially the Ñoldor, and after Melkor escaped from Valinor he obtained the support of Ungoliant. Together, they killed the Two Trees and plunged the kingdom of the Valar into Darkness. Moreover, Melkor stole Fëanor's gems the Silmarils and slew his father, the Ñoldorin King Finwë. This resulted the rebellion of the Ñoldor instigated by Fëanor, and he led his people from Aman to Middle-earth for revenge.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter VIII: "Of the Darkening of Valinor"The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter IX: "Of the Flight of the Ñoldor"
Valian Years came to an end when the Valar, grieving upon the death of the Trees, witnessed how Yavanna managed to grow one last flower of Telperion and one last fruit of Laurelin. The former became Moon while the latter Sun, and both items were settled in the heavens thus giving light to the World, and with the first rising of the Sun at the end of the First Age,The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F the new count of time began, the Years of the Sun.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XI: "Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor" It was a time when the Sun first rose in the west that Men, another race of the Children of Ilúvatar, awoke in Middle-earth.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XII: "Of Men"
== Timeline ==
=== Days before days ===
=== Years of the Trees ===
== Other version of the legendarium ==
Unlike other reckonings of time created by J.R.R. Tolkien to set his legendarium, the Valian years did not have a complete and definitive form. In the 1930s and 1940s Tolkien handled a length of the Valian year fluctuated slightly around a number of 10 solar years. In the notes to The Annals of Aman, Tolkien stated a single Valian year lasts 1,000 Valian days. Each of these Valian days is divided into 12 Valian hours, with each Valian hour having a duration equivalent to 7 solar hours. Thus, a single Valian year would last 84,000 solar hours. As a single solar year is approximately 8,766 hours, it was easy to calculate the precise equivalence of 9.582 solar years for each Valian year.
However, in the 1950s , J. R. R. Tolkien decided to use a much larger measurement, 144 solar years for each Valian year (this concept was included in his Appendix D to The Lord of the Rings as the duration of yén, or Elvish "great year"). Furthermore, one Valian Day equals one solar year, and one Valian hour equals one solar month. This new value extended the time line already established by the author: the duration of the Flight of the Noldor, which was 5 Valian years, went from signifying around 50 solar years to being converted in about 700 solar years.The Nature of Middle-earth, Part One: Time and Ageing, I: The Valian YearThe Lord of the Rings, Appendix D, "The Calendars"
Some studies suggest that these new durations would be too long if applied directly to existing dates, so the new definition should be understood as a new measure that is completely different from the previous one, and therefore not applicable to the dates noted in previous drafts of Tolkien's writings. Other authors are of the opinion that Tolkien describes time as flowing more slowly in Aman, such that a Valian year would "feel" like the passage of a single solar year, despite having a much longer "real" duration.
== References ==
Category:Eras
Category:Time
Category:Valian Years
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