I am attempting to cover the most important parts of the First Age, and I will be following chronological order as best as I can.  However, there are great chunks of history that are missing from the lesson.  Some will be covered next month, and some not at all.

  Before we begin I want to point out that there are three main events that mark the beginning of the First Age.  They are: The Return of the Noldor to Middle Earth, the Rising of the Moon and Sun, and the Awakening of Men.  All of these will be discussed, as well as other important events in this period of Middle Earth History.

Review

If you recall, The Years of the Trees were the ages when the Two Trees lighted Valinor and Middle Earth was lit by starlight.

The Elves awoke in Cuiviénen and wandered in Middle Earth until Oromë came upon them and eventually convinced the Elves to embark on the Great Journey to Valinor.  Middle Earth was a treacherous place at this time, and most of it was under the influence of Melkor, the Ainur who sought power and created evil in Middle Earth.  It is important to note that Melkor would eventually become known as Morgoth, and that he would corrupt and train Sauron.

The Rising of the Moon and Sun

When he stole the Great Jewels, Melkor threw down the Two Trees of Valinor, casting the Undying Land into darkness (called the Darkening of Valinor).  Though the Two Trees were destroyed, one flower from the Silver Tree, and one fruit from the Gold Tree survived.  The Valar crafted these into the Moon and the Sun, which lit Arda and signalled the beginning of the First Age.  There are two other events indicative of the start of the First Age, and they are the Awakening of Men and the Return of the Noldor (which led to the War of the Jewels).

The Awakening of Men

Not much is said about the Awakening of Men in Middle Earth.  They first awoke in the eastern land of Hildórien at the beginning of the First Age, as the Sun rose in the sky, and the Noldor made their journey back to Middle Earth.  Upon seeing the sun, many of the Men travelled westward, coming at last to Beleriand, after some 300 years of wandering.

Men are unique in that they possess the Gift of Men, Death, by which they leave the world after an appointed time, and go beyond it.  Through the ages of Middle Earth there have been many races of men and the lineage becomes quite involved and convoluted.  In fact, it could be its own course!  I will discuss some of the more pertinent races of men later.

The Return of the Noldor and the Wars of Beleriand

In last months lesson, I also discussed briefly the Return of the Noldor.  When Melkor stole the Silmarils and killed Finwë, Fëanor swore a terrible oath to return the jewels.  With many of the Noldor following him, he left Valinor in a self-imposed exile to make war on Melkor.

Not long before the rising of the Moon, Fëanor and his followers were attacked by Melkor (now known as Morgoth) in Middle Earth.  A great battle ensued, known as Dagor-nuin-Giliath, or the Battle-under-Stars.  The Elves managed to beat back the forces of Morgoth and were victorious in this battle.  Dagor-nuin-Giliath was only the second of five main battles in the Wars of Beleriand.  These wars were fought throughout the First Age between the Noldor and their allies and Morgoth and his evil forces.  Men did not arrive in Beleriand and pledge to help the Noldor until after the third battle. 

Im not going to discuss the Wars of Beleriand in any greater detail except to tell you that in the last of the five battles, called Nirnaeth Arnoediad (Unnumbered Tears), the Noldor and their allies purposed the final overthrow of Morgoth, but were themselves utterly defeated.

During the Wars of Beleriand, Morgoths armies included Orcs, Trolls and Balrogs.  He had at his service Ungoliant (who took the shape of a giant spider) and Sauron, a corrupted Maia originally loyal to one of the greatest of the Valar.  Sauron became Morgoths trusted lieutenant and the most feared of Morgoths servants.

The Edain

Edain was the name given by the Elves to the men who remained faithful to them during the Wars of Beleriand.  The Edain were comprised of the Three Houses of Men, which were: The House of Bëor, The House of Haleth, and The House of Hador.  The greatest races of men were all descended from one of these three houses of Edain. 

The House of Bëor

The oldest of the Edain, the House of Bëor was comprised of the descendents of Bëor the Old, who was the leader of the first group of men to cross the Misty Mountains from the East.  Bëor became a servant in the household of Finrod of the Noldor.  Finrod is a very important figure throughout the First Age, and will be seen again in future lessons.

The House of Haleth

This house is comprised of the descendents of Haldad (called the Haladin) and is named for his daughter, Haleth, who assumed leadership of the house when her father and brother will killed.  Haleth led her people from Beleriand to the Forest of Brethil, where they dwelt in the later years of the First Age.

The House of Hador

Considered to be the most renowned of the houses of the Edain, its people were led by Hador Lórindol.  It was this house that gave rise to many of the important figures of the late First Age, including the great Eärendil.

Quenta Silmarillion

Im not going to go into great detail about the Silmarillion.  Im just going to give you the basic events of the continuing quests to recover the jewels.

The Silmarils were the three great jewels created by the greatest of the Noldor craftsmen, Fëanor.  When he created the Silmarils, Fëanor locked in them the light of the Two Trees.  Melkor invaded Formenos, the stronghold of Fëanor and his father Finwë, killing Finwë and stealing the Silmarils.  Most of the history of the First Age is concerned with the long and fruitless effort by the Noldor to take back the Silmarils from Melkor.  The Quenta Silmarillion, or Tale of the Silmarils, is extremely involved, and the Silmarils themselves were not recovered until the end of the Age.

Many of the Noldor Elves were embroiled in the Wars of Beleriand.  They fought for hundreds of years and were largely unsuccessful in their efforts.  It wasnt until I 465 that a jewel was finally recovered. 

The Quest of the Silmaril The Price of Lúthiens Hand

Beren Erchamion was descended from Bëor the old, of the House of Bëor of the Edain.  In the land of Doriath, he came upon Lúthien Tinúviel, the daughter of King Thingol of the Sindar Elves and Melian of the Maiar.  The two eventually fell in love.  However, Lúthiens father would not consent to her marrying Beren.  He sent Beren on the Quest of the Silmaril; the apparently impossible task of retrieving a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth. 

After Beren had been gone for some time, a heavy darkness fell over Lúthiens heart.  Her mother explained that it was because Beren had been captured and was being held by Sauron.  Against her fathers wishes, Lúthien left Doriath and travelled to help Beren.  Along the way she encountered many adventures and finally rescued Beren and defeated Sauron with the aid of Huan the Hound.  Reunited, Beren and Lúthien set out again for Angban, the iron stronghold of Morgoth. 

Lúthiens magic made it possible for her and Beren to gain entrance to Morgoths court, where she cast a spell to put Morgoth and his denizens to sleep.  Beren cut on of the three Silmarils from Morgoths Iron Crown.  Leaving Angban, they again encountered the great wolf that guarded the gates.  Beren held out the jewel to protect him and the wolf bit off Berens hand and swallowed the jewel with it.  However, the Silmaril was so blessed that it could not be touched by evil flesh, and the wolf ran howling into the south, its innards burned.

Returning to the halls of her father, Beren and Lúthien discovered that the wolf had run into the woods of Doriath, and Beren and Thingol set out to the Hunting of the Wolf.  They returned that night, the wolf slain and the Silmaril recovered, but Beren was wounded beyond the healing power of the Elves, and he died.  Shortly after his death Lúthien wasted away in grief, having chosen the mortal life of her true love.  The story of Lúthien and Beren is one of the most tragic and beloved of Elf lore and Lúthien is still considered the most beautiful Elf to ever live, and Beren is honoured as a hero.

However, the Silmarillion does not end here.  Only one of three jewels had been recovered.  Late in the First Age, Eärendil the half-Elven sought the Valar.  Eärendil was the son of Tuor of the Edain, and Idril of the Noldor.  He sailed into the west, seeking passage to the Undying Lands to beg the assistance of the Valar in the continuing struggle against Morgoth.  His wife Elwing came to him at sea, in the shape of a sea bird and baring the Silmaril on her breast.

It is said that the power of the jewel allowed Eärendil to find Aman, where he emplored the Valar to help him.  They agreed and sent a powerful force to Middle Earth.  Thus began the War of Wrath, the final great war of the First Age fought between the Valar and the forces of Morgoth.  Morgoth was finally destroyed, him army almost completely destroyed, and his Iron Crown was fashioned into a collar for his neck.  The Great Jewels were finally taken back.  In the War of Wrath, Beleriand and the lands to the north were destroyed and sunk into the sea, and Middle Earth was changed forever.

The final chapter in the story of the Silmarils was closed when the two surviving sons of Fëanor, Maedhros and Maglor snuck into the Valar camp and stole the two Silmarils.  However, the evil deeds perpetrated during their long pursuance of the jewels drove the brothers insane.  Maedhros threw himself and his jewel into a fiery chasm, Maglor cast his into the depths of the sea, and the two Silmarils were lost forever.

The final jewel is still held by Eärendil.  The one surviving Silmaril sits on the Great Mariners brow as he sails the heavens, and it is seen by all as the Morning and Evening Star.