The history of Middle Earth
consists of different ages. The events depicted in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings,
which most of us are familiar with, took place at the end of the Third Age
of the sun, or simply the Third Age. However, the War of the Ring makes up only a very small part
of Middle Earth's history. This is because Middleearth,
or rather the world named Arda, which Middle Earth is a part,
appeared a very long time ago. Hello, friends. Welcome to Middle Earth. I'm your guide, dragon. Today I'll tell you the history
of Middle Earth from beginning to end. The primordial age without time has no name, but it may be appropriate to call
it Creation or Music of the Ainur. Although it is not an age we perceive. The age that followed is
called the Age of the Lamps. The Age of the Trees followed. But while the Age of the Trees were happening in one part of Arda, the Age of the Stars
were happening in Middle Earth. Finally, the ages of the sun began
and they are referred to as the First Age, the Second Age,
the Third Age and the Fourth Age. If you pay attention,
you'll notice that all ages, except for the Age of Creation are
related to how Arda was illuminated. The Age of the Trees should not confuse you
because although they are slightly different, they're also
a form of illumination. So when one light disappears,
another one appears and a new age begins. Let's go back to the Age of Creation or to give it a better name,
the Music of the Ainur. You may not have come across the names Iluvatar or Eru while reading The Lord
of the Rings because this name is first mentioned in the Silmarillion,
which came out long after the trilogy. Iluvatar is the entity
that created everything. First, Eru created entities called Ainur and they made music together
called the Great Music. Each Ainu contributed to this music according to the power
given to them by Eru. And when the music ended, the world
named Arda appeared in the void. Because the Great Music was in the timeless halls,
the concept of time had not yet emerged. Therefore, we do not know
how long the music lasted. However, this world was
not fully developed. To prepare the world for the elves and men called Eru's children, some Ainu
came to the surface of the world. 15 of them were more powerful than
the others and they were called Valar. The weaker entities were called Maiar
and they were assistants to the Valar. As their first task,
the Valar placed two great towers at the north and south of the world, each
with a powerful source of light on top. Thus, the age of lamps began. During this age, the Valar organized the world's mountains,
valleys, oceans and natural life. The world was now ready
for the development of the children. However, one of the Valar named Melkor hated what the others had done and wanted
the world to be as he desired and destroyed the two Great Lamps leaving
the world in darkness and causing the collapse of the massive lamps
which changed the face of the earth. After the destruction of the lamps Valar
strives to prevent further damage to the world and then travel to Aman
located in the west of Middle Earth. This place is also known as
the Undying Lands and Valinor. Two Great Trees are grown from the ground here. One of the trees radiates golden light while the other
gives off silver light. Thus, a day and night
cycle is established. However, the Great Trees only illuminate Valinor while Middle Earth
in the east is in darkness. Therefore, the Valar Varda
places stars in the sky. Thus, while the age of trees are experienced in Valinor, the age of the
stars are experienced in Middle Earth. With the formation of the stars. The first elves awaken
according to Eru's plan. After their awakening, the dwarves awaken in their stone halls
and the Ents awaken in the forest. Although the Vala Aule made the dwarves
and the Vala Yavanna made the ents it is still Eru who gives them
consciousness and life. After some time,
the Valar realized that the elves have awakened and do not want to leave them
at the mercy of Melkor who has already noticed the elves and created his
own twisted orc grace from them. A great war breaks out among the Valar. Melkor is captured, brought
to Valinor and imprisoned. The elves are invited by the Valar to live under the light of the Great Trees
in Valinor and most of them except during Melkor's imprisonment
the elves flourished in Valinor. Among the Nolder elves,
Feanor crafted three jewels named Silmarills that contained
the light of the Two Great Trees. However, there is tension between
the stepchildren as Feanor's father, the king of Noldor married twice
contrary to the custom of elves. After centuries, Melkor's captivity came to an end and he noticed the unrest within
the Noldor royal family sowing seeds of discord and eventually
leading to drawn swords. However, Melkor's plan was not just
to create dissension among the elves. He killed the Noldor king Finwe, stole the Silmarills and convinced
the great spider Ungoliant who lived in the darkness in the south
of Aman to destroy the Two Trees. Thus, the Age of the Trees came to an end. The world was once again deprived of light
but the Valar undertook the monumental task to ensure that it would
never be destroyed again. They created the sun and the moon from the last fruits of the Two Trees
ushering in the Ages of the sun. The first Age of the sun is marked
by the struggle between Melkor who fled his fortress in Angband and the
Nolder elves seeking revenge. With the rising of the sun,
humans also wake. But being naturally indecisive,
some join the elves in the fight against Melkor -now known as Morgoth the Dark enemy
of the world- while others side with him. Throughout the First Age, there are many battles but the most
important are the six wars fought between the Elves and Melkor known as the War
of the Jewels or the Beleriand Wars. At first, the Elves gain the upper
hand and Angband is besieged. However, Melkor launches
a counterattack that breaks the siege. For a while, the struggle is even, but in the fifth battle,
the Unnumbered Tears, the elves and their human allies suffer
a great defeat and Melkor begins to conquer Beleriand in the western
part of Middle earth. In the 6th battle, the War of Wrath, everything is turned around as the Valar
who had decided not to interfere due to the noldor's departure from Valinor
change their mind and join the war. Melkor is captured again, but this time he is imprisoned beyond
the world and Beleriand is submerged during the war marking the end
of the First Age of the sun. The peace of the Second Age of the sun begins with the defeat of Morgoth,
the Dark Enemy of the world. However, most of the Elves have already been slaughtered in wars or
have returned to Valinor. The Second Age is mostly
the age of human dominance. For the humans who fought against Melkor,
Eru bestowed an island called Numenor where the inhabitants lived
longer than other humans. While the people of Numenor were living
on their island Sauron, Melkor's right hand man came to the Elves
by presenting himself as an envoy from Valinor and together with the Elven
smiths, they made the Rings of Power. However, Sauron's purpose is
to control those who wear these rings. With the one ring he made himself. But when he wears the One Ring,
his real identity is sensed by the Elves. And thus, war breaks out
between the Elves and Sauron. Sauron's army quickly gains control
and his ultimate victory is not far off. But the people of Numenor come to help and Sauron is defeated
and retreats to Mordor. Meanwhile, over the thousands of years that have passed Numenor has forgotten its
roots and despite all their power, they begun to question why they're not
immortal like the Elves and ultimately have turned their backs on both
the Elves and the Valar. Just like his master Melkor,
Sauron notices this weakness in his enemy and allows himself to be taken
to Numenor as a prisoner. He quickly becomes the king's adviser from captivity and Numenor embarks
on a great campaign against Valinor. This rebellion results
in the sinking of Numenor by Eru. Everyone dies except for those among the Numenorians who still
remain loyal to the Valar. These faithful ones come to Middle earth and establish the kingdoms
of Gondor and Arnor. However, Sauron survives the island sinking and eventually these two
powers face each other once again. On one side is Sauron, and on the other is the last alliance army of elves and humans. Sauron is defeated, the One Ring is taken from him, and thus, the Second Age of the Sun comes to an end. Most of the Third Age is spent with Sauron regaining his strength and returning to a physical form. Therefore, the struggle is mostly between his commanders and army against humans, as the elves and dwarves are now even fewer in number compared to the previous age. Sauron's commander, the Witch-king, leads the fight and first ensures the fall of Arnor, and then makes efforts to weaken Gondor. Meanwhile, the wizards known as Istari, who come from Valinor, also join the struggle. Finally, an unexpected development occurs when Sauron returns to Mordor. The One Ring, which was lost at the beginning of the Third Age, is found, and thus begins the period known as the War of the Ring. this time, there is no help coming to Middle-earth from outside, and the peoples fight against Sauron on their own. Ultimately, the One Ring is destroyed, and Sauron is permanently defeated. This marks the end of the Third Age. Unfortunately, what we know about the Fourth Age is limited to just a few sentences. However, we can say that with the Fourth Age, human rule definitively begins. As time passes, the others either migrated or their numbers decreased significantly. If you liked the video, help Middle Earth Tales grow! Subscribe, like and share.
