[Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring] – Part 1 – Background information – 3rd Age and before Lord of the Rings, Numenor and Sauron’s plot, Why there were few elves on Middle Earth,
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[Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring] – Part 1 – Background information – 3rd Age and before Lord of the Rings, Numenor and Sauron’s plot, Why there were few elves on Middle Earth,

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Lord of the Rings – 3rd Age / Explanation of the timeline of the Legendarium

The Lord of the Rings is part of the history of the 3rd Age the history of Middle Earth in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Legendarium.

The 1st Age marks the war between elves and Melkor (Morgoth) the former master of Sauron. The 2nd Age marks the creation of the rings of power, war between elves and Numenor against Sauron.

 

 

The 3rd Age marks the final destruction of the One Ring of Sauron and the end of the era of elves. The real-life history of humans is described as the 6th Age of humans.

The Silmarillion covers the stories of the 1st Age and the 2nd Age while The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings cover the stories of the 3rd Age.

 

 

Power Scale difference between the 1st Age and the 3rd Age

All beings during the 1st Age were much more powerful and fearsome compared with the characters and beings during the 3rd Age.

The fearsome balrog in Lord of the Rings was merely a low-grade officer lieutenant in Morgoth’s forces where legions of balrogs and dragons were deployed.

While a single balrog or dragon could destroy kingdoms by itself in the 3rd Age, legions of balrogs and dragons fought during the wars during the 1st Age and were merely considered elite ‘troops’. 

 

 

The “High elves of the West” described in the Lord of the Rings referred to the Noldor elves that were much powerful than the Silvan elves, green elves residing on Middle Earth during the 3rd Age(time period of the Lord of the Rings)

The Noldor elves were elves that dwelled in Valinor and the Aman continent, the land of the Valars before they crossed the Great Sea to face Morgoth by the Oath of Feanor.

Galadriel herself was a Noldor elf and she was a descendant of the royal bloodline of the Noldor Elves.

 

 

Elrond was also born in the end of the 1st Age and had some lineage of the Noldor Elves as he was born to the half-human half-elf hero Earendil and the elf princess Elwing.

The ‘Edain’ humans during the 1st Age were also much powerful than ordinary humans where some heroes could take down balrogs and dragons single handed.

The descendants of the Edain humans were the Numenoreans that were the ancestors of Gondor. Aragorn was a far descendant of Numenor, thus he had a longer life span than ordinary humans and was much powerful as well.

 

 

Elves – Sindar Elves, Noldor elves, green elves, Silvan elves, wood elves – Why there aren’t much explanation of the different types of elves in the movie Lord of the Rings

There are many types of elves divided by when they woke up(Amanyar, Umanyar, Avamanyar), whether they’ve headed to the west when the elves first woke up at Cuivienen(Eldar, Avari), the sequence the elves woke up(Vanyar, Noldor, Lindar, {Teleri, Avari} or whether they’ve gave up on the journey to the west(Falmari, Sindar, Nandor, laiquendi) whether they reached Valinor and saw the Light of the Two Trees of Valinor(Calaquendi, Moriquendi).

 

All of this information would have made the viewers sick so the movie Lord of the Rings doesn’t give emphasis on the different types of elves. In short, most of the ‘royal’ line of elves in Lord of the Rings were mostly Sindar or Noldor elf.

Galadriel was a Noldor elf, Celeborn, Legolas, Cirdan and Thranduil were Sindar elves. Elrond had Noldor and Sindar elf lineage as well as Edain human.

 

 

To be more specific Elrond was a half-elf that chose the fate as an elf where his twin brother Elros was a half-human that chose the fate as a human. Elros was also the founder of Numenor and the first king. Except for the notable characters, most of the elves in Lord of the Rings were Silvan elves or forest/wood/green elves.

There is a complicated history even among the elves but this would have seriously complicated the viewers so the elves were all simplified in the movie Lord of the Rings.

 

 

Why there were few elves on Middle Earth and why they constantly migrated to Valinor

The divine being of the Legendarium, the god Iluvatar created the elves immortal and after discussion between the Valars, the Valars decided to migrate all elves to Valinor(Aman) at some point. The Valars and Iluvatar meant to leave Middle earth for the humans.

However because of Morgoth’s evil, even the Noldor elves that already settled on Valinor headed back to Middle Earth to defeat Morgoth(Melkor). The Noldor elves couldn’t return to Valinor by the Oath of Feanor.

 

 

The Oath of Feanor was a curse and declaration to the Valars by the Noldor elf king Feanor that created the Silmarils claiming that the Noldor elves would never return to Valinor unless Morgoth was defeated.

After Morgoth was defeated by the War of the Wrath that marked the last of the 1st Age, most of the elves on Middle Earth sailed to the Aman continent where Valinor, the land of the Gold was. However still many elves decided to remain on Middle Earth.

Among these elves that have lost purpose on Middle Earth would head west to the Grey Havens to sail for Valinior. Many elves migrating to west were witnessed during Lord of the Rings as well.  

 

 

Brief explanation of Numenor

Numenor was an island kingdom between Middle Earth and the continent of Aman. Aman was the continent ruled by the Valars and Maiars where elves have resided. Valinor also known as the golden land was part of Aman.

The people of Numenor, the Numenoreans were the descendants of the Edain human that fought with the former dark lord Morgoth(Melkor), Sauron’s master alongside the elves as well. Edain humans were powerful humans during the 1st Age.

 

 

Some Edain humans could single handedly battle balrogs and dragons by their own. The Valars blessed the Edain humans with long life and gifted them the island of Numenor.

Elrond’s twin brother(Elrond was a half-elf and human) Elros would lead the Edain humans and founded the Numenor kingdom.

Gondor and Arnor were both kingdoms that descended from Numenor. Aragon was the heir of Anarion and Isildur, thus Aragon had the lineage of Numenor.

Thus, Aragon didn’t age much and he was much stronger than ordinary humans as he was part of the bloodline of Numenor.

 

Downfall of Numenor and why Sauron couldn’t maintain his body without the One ring

However, as time flowed, Numenoreans started to question the Valars, Maia and the elves as they accused them for endorsing the secret of immorality. Numenoreans started to believe that Valinor hid the secrets to immortality as it was called the land of immortals, land of gold and prosperity.

In reality, “death” was a gift given to men by the Divine All Mighty god, Iluvatar. After death, human souls could travel beyond Iluvatar’s might so death was considered a gift.

 

 

Also, Valinor was called the land of immortals not because it had the secret to immortality but simply because immortals such as the Valars, Maia and the elves resided in Valinor.

However, Numenoreans didn’t realize these facts and majority of the Numenoreans would turn against the Valars and elves in jealousy of immortality.

Sauron knew the only forces that could oppose him were the Numenoreans so Sauron plotted to perish Numenor and instigated the jealousy and anguish of Numenor towards the elves and the Valars.

 

 

Only a handful of Numenoreans called the Faithful would favor the elves and worship the Valars. The Faithful led by Elendil would later build Gondor and Arnor.

By the deception of Sauron, Numenoreans invaded Valinor that caused the rage of Iluvatar and the Valars. Numenor was sunk by high tides and waves as a consequence of the wrath of the Valars and Iluvatar.

Sauron was also present on Numenor during the downfall of Numenor also called the Akallabeth and Sauron’s body was sank to the Great Sea with Numenor. Sauron’s soul managed to escape to Mordor but Sauron couldn’t maintain a physical form without the power of the One Ring.

 

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