Fourth Age
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| The History of Arda |
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| Ages of the Children of Ilúvatar |
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- This article also concerns the later Ages of Middle-earth, after the Third Age
The Fourth Age followed the defeat of Sauron and the destruction of his Ruling Ring, but did not officially begin until after the Bearers of the Three Rings left Middle-earth for the Uttermost West.)-(SR)-((}})<()or(}})=()and(}})<())}}}}} |V|VY|V.Y.|VALIAN=V.Y. |L|YL|Y.L.|LAMPS=Y.L. |T|YT|Y.T.|TREES=Y.T. |1|YS|Y.S.|1ST|SUN=Y.S. |2|SA|S.A.|2ND|SECOND=S.A. |3|TA|T.A.|3RD|THIRD=T.A. |4|FA|F.A.|4TH|FOURTH=F.A. |S|SR|S.R.|SHIRE=S.R. |})<()or(}})=()and(}})<())}}}}} }}}
Some events of the first centuries of the Fourth Age can be gleaned from the Appendices, and follow below.
Men
Realms of Men prospered, as the re-united Númenórean kingdoms in exile (as the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor) fully recovered under Elessar and later Eldarion. Lasting peace was made with former Mannish enemies: the Easterlings and Southrons either became allies, or even became part of the Reunited Kingdom. Many former slaves of Sauron were freed, and given land in Mordor around the sea of Núrnen for their own. Allied realms such as Rohan and Dale also prospered, as did the protected enclaves of the Shire and the Woses of Ghân-buri-Ghân.
Elves
The Silvan realms in Emyn Lasgalen (Thranduil's realm and Celeborn's East Lórien) seem to have expanded some, although much of its population gradually departed to the West. The Grey Havens and with it the rest of Lindon were abandoned save for Círdan and a few others, who remained behind. For at least a while an Elven colony led by Legolas was founded in Ithilien.Dwarves
The Dwarves of Durin's Folk prospered in Erebor, and there are indications Gimli led a group of Dwarves to Aglarond. Mining expeditions were sent to Khazad-dûm where mithril was again mined, used to restore the gates of Minas Tirith, but Khazad-dûm was not immediately recolonized. There are however indications that a Durin the Last later did rebuild this Dwarven Kingdom, returning Durin's Folk to their ancestral homes.Others
Orcs and Trolls fled to the far east, and never really recovered. Either during Eldarion's rule or near the end of Aragorn's, there was some talk of "Orc-cults" although these seem to have been founded and run by humans.As recorded in The New Shadow, the abandoned sequel to the LOTR.The Fellowship
Of the remaining members of the Fellowship of the Ring, it is recorded that Sam Gardner became mayor of the Shire, and was an advisor of King Elessar. His daughter Goldilocks became one of Arwen's handmaidens. Near the end of his life he is believed to have left for Valinor on one of the last ships of Círdan.
Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took became Master of Buck Hall and The Took in due time. They remained in close friendship with the royal houses of Rohan and Gondor. When of advanced age they departed for Gondor and Rohan together, and both died around F.A. 64. They were buried in Rath Dínen.
Legolas is said to have eventually built a ship, and to have sailed to the West. According to many, Gimli left with him—the only Dwarf to ever do so, evidently out of his desire to once more see Galadriel.
Later centuries
Tolkien's writing does not provide information on more than the first few centuries of this age, so it is not known when it ended. It is stated that the Fourth Age was when Men became dominant in Middle-earth, and the Fading of the Elves began. As such, the Fourth Age marks the bridge from the fantastic fictional pre-history of earth to the real history.
Later Ages
Tolkien said that he thought the time between the end of the Third Age and the 20th century A.D. was about 6000 years, and that in A.D. 1958 it should have been around the end of the Fifth Age if the Fourth and Fifth Ages were about the same length as the Second and Third Ages. He said, however, in a letter written in 1958 that he believed the Ages had quickened and that it was about the end of the Sixth Age/beginning of the Seventh.} |=FAIL |HOBBIT|THE HOBBIT=TH |TFOTR|FELLOWSHIP|THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING|LOTR1=FOTR |TTT|TWO TOWERS|THE TWO TOWERS|LOTR2=TT |TROTK|RETURN OF THE KING|THE RETURN OF THE KING|LOTR3=ROTK |S|SIL|TS|SILMARILLION|THE SILMARILLION=SILM |UNFINISHED TALES=UT |1|LT|LT1|TBOLT|LOST TALES|THE BOOK OF LOST TALES=BOLT |2|LT2|TBOLT2|LOST TALES 2|LOST TALES II|THE BOOK OF LOST TALES II=BOLT2 |3|TLOB|LAYS|THE LAYS OF BELERIAND=LOB |4|TSOME|SHAPING|THE SHAPING OF MIDDLE-EARTH=SOME |5|TLROW|LOST ROAD|THE LOST ROAD AND OTHER WRITINGS=LROW |6|TROTS|RETURN OF THE SHADOW|THE RETURN OF THE SHADOW=ROTS |7|TTOI|TREASON|THE TREASON OF ISENGARD=TOI |8|TWOTR|WAR OF THE RING|THE WAR OF THE RING=WOTR |9|SAURON DEFEATED=SD |10|MORGOTH'S RING=MR |11|TWOTJ|WAR OF THE JEWELS|THE WAR OF THE JEWELS=WOTJ |12|TPOME|PEOPLES|THE PEOPLES OF MIDDLE-EARTH=POME |TLOJRRT=LETTERS |BIOGRAPHY=CARPENTER |READER'S COMPANION=RC |BIBLIOGRAPHY|DESCRIPTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY=DB |TOLKIEN READER|THE TOLKIEN READER=TR |FAMILY ALBUM|TOLKIEN FAMILY ALBUM=TFA |PICTURES=P |ARTIST & ILLUSTRATOR=A&I |TREE & LEAF=T&L |MONSTERS|THE MONSTERS AND THE CRITICS=M&C |BLISS|MISTER BLISS=MB |ROVERANDOM=R |THE ROAD GOES EVER ON=RGEO |LFC|LETTERS FROM FATHER CHRISTMAS=FC |BILBO'S LAST SONG=BLS |}}}|}}}
Speculation concerning Later Ages
As other ages began with the cataclysmic fall of tyrants, many Tolkien fans believe that Tolkien considered the Seventh Age to begin with the fall of Nazi Germany, and thus base Seventh Age dates on 1945. Likewise it is believed that the birth of Jesus Christ may have been the start of the Sixth Age, as Tolkien was a devout Catholic and there are veiled references to Christ's upcoming birth in philosophical essays such as Atrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth. A possible start date for the Fifth Age may then be based around Abraham or Moses.While Tolkien originally described Middle-earth as a fictional early history of the real Earth he later adjusted this slightly to describe it as a mythical time within the history of our world. This 'mythical' distinction served to remove the stories of Middle-earth from any specific time period where they might contradict known details of actual history.
Determining the epoch of a Fifth Age is important for those who apply the Tolkien calendar to present dates. For example, issue 42 of Mallorn, the journal of the Tolkien Society (August 2004), carried a lengthy article analysing all the available data and concluding that the Years of the Sun began on March 25, 10160 BC, the Second Age on December 26, 9564 BC, the Third Age on December 24, 6123 BC, and the Fourth Age on March 18, 3102 BC.
Notes and references
External links
See also: Timeline of the Fourth Age.
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