InJ. R. R. Tolkien'slegendarium, thehistory of Arda, also called thehistory of Middle-earth,^[a] began when theAinur enteredArda, following the creation events in theAinulindalë and long ages of labour throughoutEä, thefictional universe. Time from that point was measured usingValian Years, though the subsequent history of Arda was divided into three time periods using different years, known as the Years of the Lamps, the Years of the Trees, and the Years of the Sun. A separate, overlapping chronology divides the history into 'Ages of the Children of Ilúvatar'. The first such Age began with the Awakening of the Elves during the Years of the Trees and continued for the first six centuries of the Years of the Sun. All the subsequent Ages took place during the Years of the Sun. MostMiddle-earth stories take place in the first three Ages of the Children of Ilúvatar.

Major themes of the history are thedivine creation of the world, followed by thesplintering of the created light as different wills come into conflict. Scholars have noted thebiblical echoes of God,Satan, and thefall of man here, rooted in Tolkien's own Christian faith. Arda is, as critics have noted, "our own green and solid Earth at some quite remote epoch in the past."^[1] As such, it has not only an immediate story but a history, and the whole thing is an "imagined prehistory"^[3] of the Earth as it is now.

The supreme deity of Tolkien's universe isEru Ilúvatar. Ilúvatar created spirits named the Ainur from his thoughts, and some were considered brothers or sisters. Ilúvatarmade divine music with them.Melkor, then the most powerful of the Ainur, broke the harmony of the music, until Ilúvatar began first a second theme, and then a third theme, which the Ainur could not comprehend since they were not the source of it. The essence of their song symbolized the history of the whole universe and theChildren of Ilúvatar that were to dwell in it –Men andElves.^{[T 2]}

Then Ilúvatar createdEä, which means "to be," the universe itself, and formed within it Arda, theEarth, "globed within the void": the world together with the three airs is set apart fromAvakúma, the "void" without. The first 15 of the Ainur that descended to Arda, and the most powerful ones, were called Valar; the lesser Ainur were called Maiar.^{[T 2]}

When theValar enteredArda, it was still lifeless and had no distinct geographical features. The initial shape of Arda, chosen by the Valar, was much more symmetrical, including the central continent ofMiddle-earth. Middle-earth was also originallymuch larger, and was lit by the misty light that veiled the barren ground. The Valar concentrated this light in two large lamps, called Illuin and Ormal. The ValaAulë forged two great pillar-like mountains, Helcar in the north and Ringil in the south. Illuin was set upon Helcar and Ormal upon Ringil. In the middle, where the light of the lamps mingled, the Valar dwelt at the island ofAlmaren upon the Great Lake.^{[T 3]}

This period, known as the Spring of Arda, was a time when the Valar had ordered the World as they wished and rested upon Almaren, andMelkor lurked beyond the Walls of Night. During this time animals first appeared, and forests started to grow.^{[T 3]}The Spring of Arda was interrupted when Melkor returned to Arda, creating his fortress of Utumno (Udûn) beneath the Iron Mountains in the far north. The period ended when Melkor assaulted and destroyed the Lamps of the Valar. Arda was again darkened, and the fall of the great Lamps spoiled the symmetry of Arda's surface. New continents were created:Aman in the West,Middle-earth proper in the middle, the uninhabited lands (later called theLand of the Sun) in the East. At the site of the northern lamp was later the inland Sea of Helcar, of whichCuiviénen was a bay. At the site of the southern lamp was later theSea of Ringil. After the destruction of the Two Lamps the Years of the Lamps ended and the Years of the Trees began.^{[T 3]} A Valian Year was considerably longer than a solar year.^{[T 4][b]}

After the destruction of the Two Lamps and the kingdom ofAlmaren, the Valar abandonedMiddle-earth, moving to the continent of Aman. There they built their Second Kingdom,Valinor.Yavanna made theTwo Trees, namedTelperion (the silver tree) andLaurelin (the golden tree) in the land of Valinor. The Trees illuminated Valinor, leaving Middle-earth in darkness. The Years of the Trees were contemporary with Middle-earth'sSleep of Yavanna (recalled byTreebeard as the Great Darkness).^{[T 3]}

The Years of the Trees were divided into two epochs. The first ten ages, the Days of Bliss, saw peace and prosperity in Valinor. TheEagles, theEnts, and theDwarves were conceived byManwë,Yavanna, andAulë respectively, but placed into slumber until theawakening of the Elves. The next ten ages, called the Noontide of the Blessed Realm, sawVarda kindling the stars above Middle-earth. This was the first time after the Spring of Arda that Middle-earth was illuminated. The first Elvesawoke in Cuiviénen in the middle of Middle-earth, marking the start of the First Age of theChildren of Ilúvatar, and were soon approached by the EnemyMelkor who hoped to enslave them. Learning of this, the Valar and theMaiar came into Middle-earth and, in the War of the Powers (also called the Battle of the Powers), defeated Melkor and brought him captive to Valinor. This began the period of the Peace of Arda.^{[T 5]}

After the War of the Powers,Oromë of the Valar summoned the Elves to Aman. Many of the Elves went with Oromë on theGreat Journey westwards towards Aman. Along the journey several groups of Elves tarried, notably theNandor and theSindar. The three clans that arrived at Aman were theVanyar, theNoldor, and theTeleri. They made their home inEldamar.^{[T 6]} After Melkor appeared to repent and was released after his servitude of three Ages, he revealed his deception by stirring up rivalry between the Noldorin KingFinwë's two sonsFëanor andFingolfin. With the help of the giant spiderUngoliant, he destroyed the Trees of the Valar. The world was again dark, save for the faint starlight. After destroying the trees, he killed Finwë and stole theSilmarils, three gems crafted by Fëanor that contained light of the Two Trees, fleeing with them to his fortress in the North of Middle Earth. There he forged a black iron crown for himself and set the Silmarils in it.^{[T 7][T 8]}

Bitter at the Valar's inactivity, Fëanor and his house left to pursue Melkor, cursing him with the name "Morgoth".^{[T 9]} While his brother Finarfin chose to stay in Valinor, a larger host led by Fingolfin followed Fëanor. They reachedAlqualondë, the port-city of the Teleri, who forbade them from taking their ships for the journey to Middle-earth. The first Kinslaying thus ensued, and the Noldor that partook were exiled indefinitely. Fëanor and his children in return swore an oath to retake the Silmarils, that the Valar turned to a curse over the house of Fëanor. Fëanor's host sailed on the boats, leaving Fingolfin's host behind – who crossed over to Middle-earth on theHelcaraxë (Grinding Ice) in the far north, losing many. The War of the Great Jewels followed, and lasted until the end of the First Age. Meanwhile, the Valar took the last living fruit ofLaurelin and the last living flower ofTelperion and used them to create the Moon and Sun, which remained a part of Arda, but were separate from Ambar (the world). The first rising of the sun over Ambar heralded the end of the Years of the Trees, and the start of the Years of the Sun, which last to the present day.^{[T 10]}

The Years of the Sun were the last of the three great time-periods of Arda. They began with the first sunrise in conjunction with the return of theNoldor toMiddle-earth, and last until the present day.^{[T 11]} The Years of the Sun began towards the end of the First Age of theChildren of Ilúvatar and continued through theSecond,Third, and part of theFourth in Tolkien's stories. Tolkien estimated that modern times would correspond to the sixth or seventh age.^{[T 1]}

The First Age of theChildren of Ilúvatar (Eruhíni) began during the Years of the Trees when theElves awoke inCuiviénen in the middle-east ofMiddle-earth. This marked the start of the years when the Children of Ilúvatar were active in Middle-earth.^{[T 14]}

The First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar, also referred to as the Elder Days inThe Lord of the Rings, began during the Years of the Trees when the Elves awoke at Cuiviénen, and hence the events mentioned above underYears of the Trees overlap with the beginning of the First Age.^{[T 14]}

Having crossed into Middle-earth, Fëanor was soon lost in an attack on Morgoth'sBalrogs (Maiar who had betrayed the Valar to come under Morgoth's service during the Days before days) – buthis sons survived and founded realms, as did the followers of his half-brotherFingolfin, who reached Beleriand after Fëanor's death. In theDagor Aglareb ("Glorious Battle"), the armies of theNoldor led by Fingolfin andMaedhros attacked from the east and west, destroying the invadingOrcs and laid siege to Morgoth's stronghold Angband. The Noldor for a time maintained the Siege of Angband, resulting in the Long Peace. This Peace lasted hundreds of years, during which timeMen arrived over theBlue Mountains.^{[T 15]} Fingolfin died when Morgoth broke the siege in theDagor Bragollach ("Battle of Sudden Flame").^{[T 16]} The Elves, Men, and Dwarves were all disastrously defeated in theNírnaeth Arnoediad ("Battle of Unnumbered Tears"),^{[T 17]} and one by one, the kingdoms fell, even the hidden ones ofDoriath^{[T 18]} andGondolin.^{[T 19]}

At the end of the age, all that remained of free Elves and Men inBeleriand was a settlement at the mouth of theRiver Sirion and another on the Isle of Balar.Eärendil possessed the Silmaril which his wife Elwing's grandparents,Beren and Lúthien, had taken from Morgoth. But Fëanor's sons still maintained that all the Silmarils belonged to them, and so there were two more Kinslayings.^{[T 18][T 20]} Eärendil and Elwing crossed theGreat Sea to beg the Valar for aid against Morgoth. They responded, sending forth a great host. In the War of Wrath, Melkor was utterly defeated. He was expelled into the Void and most of his works were destroyed, bringing the First Age to an end. This came at a terrible cost, however, as most ofBeleriand itself was sunk.^{[T 20]}

The Second Age is characterized by the establishment and flourishing ofNúmenor, the rise of Sauron in Middle-earth, the creation of theRings of Power and theRingwraiths, and the early wars of the Rings between Sauron and the Elves. It ended with Sauron's defeat by the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.^{[T 21][e]}

At the start of the Second Age, the Men who had remained faithful were given the island of Númenor, in the middle of the Great Sea, and there they established a powerful kingdom. TheWhite Tree of Númenor was planted in the King's city ofArmenelos; and it was said that while that tree stood in the King's courtyard, the reign of Númenor would endure. The Elves were granted pardon for the sins of Fëanor, and were allowed to return home to theUndying Lands.^{[T 21]} The Númenóreans became great seafarers, and were learned, wise, and had a lifespan beyond other men. At first, they honored the Ban of the Valar, never sailing into the Undying Lands. They went east to Middle-earth and taught the men living there valuable skills. After a time, they became jealous of the Elves for their immortality.Sauron, the mightiest of Maiar and Morgoth's chief servant, was still active. As Annatar, in his deceptive disguise, he taught the Elves ofEregion the craft of creatingRings of Power. Seven Rings were made for the Dwarves, while Nine were made for Men who later became known as the Ringwraiths. He built a stronghold calledBarad-dûr and secretly and deceitfully forged theOne Ring in the fires ofMount Doom to control the other rings and their bearers.Celebrimbor, a grandson of Fëanor, forged three mighty rings on his own: Vilya, possessed first by the Elven king Gil-galad, then by Elrond; Nenya, wielded by Galadriel; and Narya, given by Celebrimbor to Círdan, who gave it to Gandalf.^{[T 21]}

As soon as Sauron put on the One Ring, the Elves realized that they had been betrayed and removed the Three (Sauron eventually obtained the Seven and the Nine. While he was unable to suborn the Dwarf ringbearers, he had more success with the Men who bore the Nine; they became theNazgûl, the Ringwraiths). Sauron then made war on the elves and nearly destroyed them utterly during the Dark Years, but when it seemed defeat was imminent, the Númenóreans joined the battle and completely crushed the forces of Sauron. Sauron never forgot the ruin brought on his armies by the Númenóreans, and made it his goal to destroy them.^{[T 21]}

Towards the end of the age, the Númenóreans became increasingly haughty. Now they sought to dominate other men and to establish kingdoms. Centuries after Tar-Minastir's engagement, when Sauron had largely recovered, Ar-Pharazôn, the last and most powerful of the Kings ofNúmenor, humbled Sauron – his armies deserting in the face of Númenor's might – and brought him to Númenor as a hostage, although this was Sauron's goal. Still beautiful in appearance, Sauron gained Ar-Pharazôn's trust and became high priest in the cult of Melkor, who Sauron deceived them to worship. At this time, the Faithful (who still worshipped the one god,Eru Ilúvatar), were persecuted openly by those called the King's Men, and were sacrificed in the name of Melkor. Eventually, Sauron deceived Ar-Pharazôn to invade Aman, promising him that he would thus obtain immortality (Sauron knew they would not be granted immortality).^{[T 21]} Amandil, chief of the Faithful, sailed westward to warn the Valar. His sonElendil and grandsonsIsildur and Anárion prepared to flee eastwards, taking with them a seedling of the White Tree of Númenor before Sauron destroyed it, and thepalantíri, gifts of the elves. When the King's forces set foot on Aman, the Valar laid down their guardianship of the world and called on Ilúvatar to intervene.^{[T 21]}

The world was changed into a sphere and the continent of Aman was removed, although theOld Straight Road, a sailing route from Middle-earth to Aman, accessible to the Elves but not to mortals, persisted. Númenor was utterly destroyed, as was the fair body of Sauron; however, his spirit returned toMordor, where he again took up the One Ring, and gathered his strength once more. Elendil, his sons and the remainder of the Faithful sailed to Middle-earth, where they founded the realms in exile ofGondor and Arnor.^{[T 21]}

Sauron arose again and challenged them. The Elves allied with Men to form the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. For seven years, the Alliance laid siege toBarad-dûr, until at last Sauron himself entered the field. He slewElendil, High King of Gondor and Arnor, andGil-galad, the last High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth. However,Isildur took up the hilt ofNarsil, his father's shattered sword, and cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. Sauron was defeated, but not utterly destroyed. Afterward, Isildur ignored the counsel ofElrond, and rather than destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, he kept it asweregild for his dead father.

The Third Age lasted for 3021 years, beginning with the first overthrow ofSauron at the hands of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men following the downfall ofNúmenor, and ending with theWar of the Ring and final defeat of Sauron, the events narrated inThe Lord of the Rings. Virtually the entire history of the Third Age takes place inMiddle-earth.^{[T 25]} The Third Age saw the rise in power of the realms of Arnor andGondor, and their fall. Arnor was divided into three petty Kingdoms, which fell one by one in the wars with Sauron's vassal kingdom of Angmar, whilst Gondor fell victim to Kin-strife, plague,Wainriders, andCorsairs. In this time, the line of the Kings of Gondor ends, with theHouse of the Stewards ruling in their stead. Meanwhile, theheirs of Isildur from the fallen kingdom of Arnor wander Middle-earth, aided only byElrond inRivendell; but the line of rightful heirs remains unbroken throughout the age.^{[T 25]}

Early in the Age, the Ring betrayed Isildur by slipping from his finger as he was escaping from anOrc ambush at theGladden Fields, leading to Isildur being killed by an orc arrow and the Ring being lost in theAnduin River.^{[T 21]}

This age was characterized by the waning of theElves. In the beginning of the Third Age, many Elves left forValinor because they were disturbed by the recent war. However, Elven kingdoms still survived in Lindon,Lothlórien, andMirkwood. Rivendell also became a prominent haven for the Elves and other races. Throughout the Age, they chose not to mingle much in the matters of other lands, and only came to the aid of other races in time of war. The Elves devoted themselves to artistic pleasures, and tended to the lands which they occupied. The gradual decline of Elven populations occurred throughout the Age as the rise of Sauron came to dominateMiddle-earth. By the end of the Third Age, only fragments of the once-grand Elven civilization survived in Middle-earth.^{[T 25]}

TheWizards arrived around a thousand years^{[T 25]} after the start of this period to aid the Free Peoples from the possible return of Sauron, with the most important Wizards beingGandalf andSaruman. TheOne Ring was found bySméagol but, under the power of the Ring and ignorant of its true nature, he retreated with the Ring to a secret life under theMisty Mountains.^{[T 25]} Middle-earth's devastating GreatPlague originated in its vast eastern region, Rhûn, where it caused considerable suffering.^{[T 26]} By the winter of lateT.A. 1635 the Plague spread from Rhûn intoWilderland, on the east of Middle-earth's western lands; in Wilderland it killed more than half the population.^{[T 27]} In the following year the Great Plague spread intoGondor and thenEriador. In Gondor the Plague caused many deaths, including King Telemnar, his children, and theWhite Tree; the population of the capital cityOsgiliath was decimated, and government of the kingdom was transferred toMinas Tirith. In Eriador, the nascentHobbit-realm ofthe Shire suffered "great loss" in what they called the Dark Plague.^{[T 25]}

The so-called Watchful Peace began inT.A. 2063, when Gandalf went toDol Guldur and the evil dwelling there (later known to be Sauron) fled to the far east. It lasted untilT.A. 2460, when Sauron returned with new strength. During this period Gondor strengthened its borders, keeping a watchful eye on the east, asMinas Morgul was still a threat on their flank andMordor was still occupied withOrcs. There were minor skirmishes withUmbar. In the north, Arnor was long gone, but theHobbits ofthe Shire prospered, getting their first TookThain, and colonizingBuckland. Driven out ofErebor by the dragonSmaug, theDwarves ofDurin's folk under Thorin I settled in theGrey Mountains, where most of their kin now gathered. Meanwhile, Sauron created a strong alliance between the tribes ofEasterlings, so that when he returned he had manyMen in his service.^{[T 25]}

The main events ofThe Hobbit occur inT.A. 2941.^{[T 25]} By the time ofThe Lord of the Rings,Sauron had recovered, and was seeking the One Ring. The events of the ensuingWar of the Ring leading to the end of the Third Age is the subject ofThe Lord of the Rings, and summarized inOf the Rings of Power and the Third Age. After the defeat of Sauron, which happened when the One Ring was destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom,Aragorn takes his place as King of the Reunited Kingdom of Arnor andGondor, restoring the line of Kings from theStewards of Gondor. Aragorn marries the daughter of Elrond,Arwen, thus for the last time adding Elvish blood to the royal line. As the age ends, Gandalf,Frodo andBilbo Baggins, and many of the remaining Elves of Middle-earth sail from the Grey Havens toAman.^{[T 25]}

With the end of the Third Age began the Dominion of Men. Elves were no longer involved in Human affairs, and most Elves left for Valinor; those that remain behind "fade" and diminish. A similar fate meets the Dwarves: althoughErebor becomes an ally of the Reunited Kingdom, there are indications thatKhazad-dûm is refounded together with a colony established byGimli in theWhite Mountains. Together, they disappear from human history.^{[T 28]}

Eldarion, son of Aragorn II Elessar and Arwen Evenstar, became King of the Reunited Kingdom in F.A. 120. Aragorn gave him the tokens of his rule, and then surrendered his life willingly, as his ancestors had done thousands of years before. Arwen left him to rule alone, passing away to the now-empty land ofLórien where she died.^{[T 29]} Upon the death of Aragorn, Legolas departed Middle-earth for Valinor, taking Gimli with him and ending the Fellowship of the Ring in Middle-earth.^{[T 30]}

Tolkien once considered writing a sequel toThe Lord of the Rings, calledThe New Shadow, which would have taken place in Eldarion's reign, and in which Eldarion deals with his people turning to evil practices – in effect, a repetition of the history ofNúmenor.^{[T 31]} In a 1972 letter concerning this draft, Tolkien mentioned that Eldarion's reign would have lasted for about 100 years after the death of Aragorn.^{[T 32][f]} His realm was to be "great and long-enduring", but the lifespan of the royal house was not to be restored; it would continue to wane until it was like that of ordinary Men.^{[T 33]}

Later Ages continue up to modern times, the remade Arda being equated with Earth. With the loss of all its peoples except Man, and the reshaping of the continents, all that is left of Middle-earth is a dim memory infolklore,legend, andold words.^[5] Tolkien estimated that the Fourth Age began approximately 6,000 years ago, and that we would now be in the 6th or 7th Age.^{[T 1]}

In a letter, Tolkien wrote that "This legendarium [The Silmarillion] ends with a vision of the end of the world [after all the ages have elapsed], its breaking and remaking, and the recovery of the Silmarilli and the 'light before the Sun' – after a final battle [Dagor Dagorath] which owes, I suppose, more to the Norse vision ofRagnarök than to anything else, though it is not much like it."^{[T 34]} The concept of Dagor Dagorath appears in many of Tolkien's manuscripts that were published by his sonChristopher inThe History of Middle-earth series, but not in the publishedSilmarillion, where the eventual fate of Arda is left open-ended in the closing lines of theQuenta Silmarillion.^{[T 35]}

However, Tolkien later came to the conclusion that the Elves themselves had no objective idea of the end of Arda, although they understood with some clarity that it would be achieved through a large-scale catastrophe. The only thing the Elves could count on wasestel, which is hope on Eru that his divine plan would ultimately result in salvation and good for the whole world and all the peoples who lived in it. In this context, the legend of the Second Prophecy of Mandos and the specific events of Dagor Dagorath were in fact an ancient Mannish myth of Númenórean origin.^{[T 36]}

Scholars, noting that Tolkien was a devoutCatholic, have stated that theAinulindalë creation mythechoes the Christian account of creation.Brian Rosebury calls its prose "appropriately 'scriptural'".^[6]Verlyn Flieger cites Tolkien's poemMythopoeia ("Creation of Myth"), where he speaks of "man, sub-creator, the refracted light / through whom is splintered from a single White / to many hues, and endlessly combined / in living shapes".^{[T 37][7]}She analyses in detail the successive splintering of the original created light, via the Two Lamps, the Two Trees, and the Silmarils, as the wills of different beings conflict.^[8] She states that for Tolkien, this creative light was equated with theChristianLogos, the Divine Word.^[7]Jane Chance remarks on the biblical theme of the conflict between the creator Eru Ilúvatar and the fallen ValaMelkor/Morgoth, mirroring that between God andSatan. Similarly, she notes, the struggles of Elves and Men corrupted by Morgoth and his spiritual descendant Sauron echo those of Adam and Eve tempted by Satan in theGarden of Eden, and thefall of man.^[9]

Flieger has observed that the splintering of the created light is a process ofdecline and fall from a once-perfect state. She identifies a theory of decline that influenced Tolkien, namelyOwen Barfield's theory of language in his 1928 bookPoetic Diction. The central idea was that there was once a unified set of meanings in an ancient language, and that modern languages are derived from this by fragmentation of meaning.^[10] Tolkien took this to imply the separation of peoples, in particular the complicated and repeatedsundering of the Elves.^[11]

Scholars including Flieger have noted that if Tolkien intended to createa mythology for England,^[12] in the history of Arda as told inThe Silmarillion he had made it very dark.^[13]John Garth has identified his experiences in theFirst World War as formative; he began his Middle-earth writings at that time.^[14] Flieger suggests that Middle-earth arose not only from Tolkien's own wartime experience, but out of that of his dead schoolfriends Geoffrey Bache Smith and Rob Gilson.^[15]Janet Brennan Croft writes that Tolkien's first prose work after returning from the war wasThe Fall of Gondolin, and that it is "full of extended and terrifying scenes of battle"; she notes that the streetfighting is described over 16 pages.^[16]

The Tolkien scholar Norbert Schürer notes the 2022 bookThe Fall of Númenor and the Amazon television seriesThe Rings of Power, both about the Second Age, and asks what the period signifies for the legendarium as a whole. In his view, the period is problematic, having only one finished tale, theAtlantis-styleAkallabêth. He proposes that Tolkien wanted to link the First Age (most of the content of the 1977The Silmarillion) with the Third Age (ofThe Lord of the Rings) by joining them together with a central period. In his view, this could not work for Tolkien, because the Second Age centred on "the failure, decline, and corruption" at the core of human life; Schürer argues that this was unacceptable to Tolkien as a Christian.^[17]

Amongthe many influences that scholars have proposed as possibly important on the history of Arda isGreek mythology. The disappearance of the island ofNúmenor recallsAtlantis.^{[T 38][T 39]} The Valar borrow many attributes from theOlympian gods. Like the Olympians, the Valar live in the world, but on a high mountain, separated from mortals;Ulmo, Lord of the Waters, owes much toPoseidon, andManwë, the Lord of the Air and King of the Valar, toZeus.^[18][19] Tolkien compared Beren and Lúthien withOrpheus andEurydice, but with the gender roles reversed.^{[T 38]} He mentionedOedipus, too, in connection with Túrin in theChildren of Húrin.^{[T 34]} Flieger has comparedFëanor withPrometheus: they are associated with fire, and are punished for rebelling against the gods' decrees.^[20]

Arda is summed up by the Tolkien scholarPaul H. Kocher as "our own green and solidEarth at some quite remote epoch in the past."^[1] Kocher notes Tolkien's statement in the Prologue, equating Middle-earth with the actual Earth, separated by a long period of time:

Those days, the Third Age of Middle-earth, are now long past, and the shape of all lands has been changed; but the regions in which Hobbits then lived were doubtless the same as those in which they still linger:the North-West of theOld World, east ofthe Sea. Of their original home the Hobbits in Bilbo’s time preserved no knowledge.^{[T 40]}

In a letter written in 1958, Tolkien states that while the time is invented, the place, planet Earth, is not (italics in original):^{[T 1]}

I have, I suppose, constructed an imaginarytime, but kept my feet on my own mother-earth forplace. I prefer that to the contemporary mode ofseeking remote globes in 'space'... Many reviewers seem to assume that Middle-earth is another planet!^{[T 1]}

In the same letter, he places the beginning of the Fourth Age some 6,000 years in the past:^{[T 1]}

I imagine the gap [sincethe War of the Ring and the end of the Third Age] to be about 6000 years; that is we are now at the end of the Fifth Age if the Ages were of about the same length as Second Age and Third Age. But they have, I think, quickened; and I imagine we are actually at the end of the Sixth Age, or in the Seventh.^{[T 1]}

The Tolkien scholarRichard C. West writes that one of the "very final passages" of the internal chronology ofLord of the Rings,The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen, ends not just withArwen's death, but the statement that her grave will remain on the hill of Cerin Amroth in what wasLothlorien "until the world is changed, and all the days of her life are utterly forgotten by men that come after ... and with the passing of [Arwen] Evenstar no more is said in this book of the days of old."^[3] West observes that this points up a "highly unusual" aspect of Tolkien's legendarium among modern fantasy: it is set "in the real world but in an imagined prehistory."^[3] As a result, West explains, Tolkien can build what he likes in that distant past, elves and wizards and hobbits and all the rest, provided that he tears it all down again, so that the modern world can emerge from the wreckage, with nothing but "a word or two, a few vague legends and confused traditions..." to show for it.^[3]

West praises and quotes Kocher on Tolkien's imagined prehistory and the impliedprocess of fading to lead from fantasy to the modern world:^[3]

At the end of his epic Tolkien inserts ... some forebodings of [Middle-earth's] future which will make Earth what it is today ... he shows the initial steps in a long process of retreat or disappearance by which all other intelligent species, which will leave man effectually alone on earth... Ents may still be there in our forests, but what forests have we left? The process of extermination is already well under way in the Third Age, and ... Tolkien bitterly deplores its climax today."^[21]

The Tolkien scholarStuart D. Lee and the medievalistElizabeth Solopova make "an attempt at a summary",^[5] which runs as follows. TheSilmarillion describes events "presented as factual"^[5] but taking place before Earth's actual recorded history. What happened is processed through the generations as folk-myths and legends, especially among the (Old) English. Before theFall of Númenor, the world was flat. In the Fall, it became round; further geological events reshaped the continents into the Earth as it now is. All the same, the old tales survive here and there, resulting in mentions of Dwarves and Elves in real Medieval literature. Thus, Tolkien's imagined mythology "is an attempt to reconstruct our pre-history."^[5] Lee and Solopova comment that "Only by understanding this can we fully realize the true scale of his project and comprehend how enormous his achievement was."^[5]

The poetW. H. Auden wrote inThe New York Times that "no previous writer has, to my knowledge, created an imaginary world and a feigned history in such detail. By the time the reader has finished the trilogy, including the appendices to this last volume, he knows as much about Tolkien's Middle Earth, its landscape, its fauna and flora, its peoples, their languages, their history, their cultural habits, as, outside his special field, he knows about the actual world."^[g][22] The scholar Margaret Hiley comments that Auden's "feigned history" echoes Tolkien's own statement in the foreword to the second edition ofLord of the Rings that he much preferred history, true or feigned, toallegory; and that Middle-earth's history is told inThe Silmarillion.^[23]

• Fictional history
• Middle-earth

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