Here you will find answers to the most common questions asked in the Lore Forum along with others that should have been in this Forum! Note that the FAQ is actually divided in two parts, one containing short descriptions of several terms regarding Items, wars, battles and events. The other part gives LINKS to threads already existing in this Forum and which are able of answering the questions in a more complete and pluralistic way.
Please take time to visit them.

What is this Forum about?

This Forum is for the Plaza Members to discuss everything related to the Lore of Middle-earth. The title of the Forum is quite general and therefore it is easy to be confused about what kind of questions to post here. The categorising of questions in this FAQ might be of some help to you, in choosing if this is the right Forum for your questions.

When can I start a thread in this forum?

First, be careful not to SPAM when you post in this Forum, as in any other. Before starting a new thread in this Forum read this and the almighty Plaza FAQ. If you do not find the answer to your question here, please check the most recent pages of the Forum to verify that your question is not already answered there. After you do all this, you can finally post a new topic! But if you do, be careful to stay on topic. The Encyclopaedia of Arda always remains as a good and valid source regarding the Lore of Middle-earth

Important Events

1. Ainulindale, the making of the world, took place in the Timeless Halls, the Dwelling of Eru. There Eru and the Ainur created Arda with their song.

2. The awakening of Men took place at the beginning of the First Age, in Hildorien.

3. The destruction of Barad-dur took place in the year 3019 of the Third Age and marks the ending point of the War of the Ring. It fell when the One Ring was thrown into the Cracks of Doom and Sauron was diminished.

4. The council of Elrond took place in the year 3018 of the Third Age in Rivendell. There gathered representatives of all the races except the ones that served evil (and Ents). It was a call of destiny for them to find themselves in the right place at the right time to decide the fate of the One Ring. There they decided that Frodo would take the Ring to Mordor in order to destroy it, accompanied by 8 companions: Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Merry, and Pippin. These nine people formed the Fellowship of the Ring.

5. The darkening of Valinor took place just a few years before the beginning of the First Age; the title describes the assault of Morgoth and Ungoliant upon Valmar and the destruction of the Two Trees of Valinor, which were made to bring light into the world.

6. The founding of Numenor took place in the year 32 of the Second Age by Elros Tar-Minyatur. It was the island that the Valar raised from the ocean floor as a gift to the Men that stood by their side in the fight against Morgoth.

7. The Fall of Numenor took place in the year 3319 of the Second Age, when Ar-Pharazon arrogantly assaulted Valinor under the guidance of Sauron, at which point Eru Iluvatar intervened, engulfing the fleet of Ar-Pharazon and the Island of Numenor.

8. The Great Journey of the Elves took place a short time after their awakening in Cuivienen, long before the First Age, when the Valar led them through Middle-earth to the Great Sea. With the use of Tol Eressea as a ship, they finally reached the Undying Lands in the West. Many did not start or complete the journey.

9. The founding of Gondor the Southern Kingdom of Numenor in Middle-earth, took place in the year 3320 of the Second Age. Along with Arnor, the Northern Kingdom, it was founded by Elendil and his sons,. These Kingdoms united the remains of the Dunedain that escaped from the destruction of Numenor and came to Middle-earth with Elendil.

10. The founding of Rohan took place in the year 2510 of the Third Age when the Eotheod, later called the Rohirrim, marched from the North to Gondor's aid. The steward Cirion gifted Calenardhon to Eorl, and there he founded the Kingdom of Rohan.

11. The forging of the Rings of Power took place in Eregion between the years 1500 and 1600 of the second age. They were made under the guidance of Sauron by the Elves of Eregion, except the three Elven rings that Celebrimbor made alone and the One that Sauron forged in Mount Doom.

Threads discussing Important Events:

Items of Power

1.The greatest of the Rings Of Power, were 20

Nine for the race of Men,
Seven for the race of Dwarves
Three for the race of Elves
And One for the Dark Lord.

The malice of Sauron and his will for corruption, was put in all of them except for the three that he never touched. He controlled them all with the One.

The Nine he gave to Nine Kings of Men that slowly fell to his power and became the Nazgul.

The seven to seven Dwarf Lords but they, due to steadfastness, which Aule imbued in them, were very hard to corrupt so they did not fall to Sauron?s power. However, the rings did cause the Dwarves to become greedy, which was a benefit to Sauron.

The three, the Elves kept. They were
Vilya: The Ring of Air originally in the hand of Gil-galad later passed to Elrond
Narya: The Ring of Fire, originally given to Gil-galad who entrusted it to Cirdan and was later passed to Gandalf.
Nenya: The ring of water kept by Galadriel Their bearers remained a secret to all but few, and they were used to preserve and heal until the End of the Third Age. When the One was destroyed they lost all their powers.

The One Ring was kept by Sauron, Isildur, Deagol, Smeagol, Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Frodo, and Smeagol again in this order.
It had many powers that were in accordance with the power of its keeper, the most obvious of them was that it made its bearer invisible and practically immortal for as long as he kept it. It was finally destroyed where it was forged, in the Cracks of Doom, by Smeagol/Gollum after Frodo brought it there.

2. The Silmarils (3) were made by Feanor during the Years of the Trees.
Their shell was made of an unknown substance, but they contained inside the light of the Two Trees, and even though they were considered the most beautiful jewels ever constructed, the "circle of their life" spun disaster and great pain for all the races. After causing Wars, Murders and Kinslayings, one was cast into the Sea by Maglor, another was thrown by Maedros into the fiery pits of the earth along with himself, and the last one that remained was taken to Valinor by Earendil, and together they became the Morning and Evening Star that travels through the Heavens.

3. The Palantiri were made by Feanor, and were seeing stones, which means spheres made in several sizes and from a very strong and heavy material.
They were used for communication between remote places. Many of them were given to the Numenorians and Seven of them finally reached Middle-earth with Elendil. They were originally placed by the Dunedain in Amon Sul, Elostirion, Annuminas, Osgiliath, Orthanc, Minas Ithil, and Minas Anor. At the Fourth Age, only two stones remained at the hands of the Dunedain for sure. A master stone was kept in the Tower of Avallone on Tol Eressea.
The fates of the stones are as follows:
Orthanc- Used by Saruman up to the time of the War of the Ring, and was then taken to be in the possession of Aragorn, as its rightful owner as descendent of Elendil.
Minas Anor/Tirith- Discovered to be used by Denethor at the time of the War of the Ring
Minas Ithil- Taken by Sauron in the Fall of Minas Ithil in the year 2002 of the Third Age.
Osgiliath- Fell into the Anduin in the civil war of the Kin-strife and was lost in the year Third Age 1437.
Amon Sul- Lost with king Arvedui, in a shipwreck in the Bay of Forochel, in the year 1975 of the Third Age.
Annuminas- Same as the Stone of Amon Sul
Elostirion (on Emyn Beriad)-Held by Cirdan in Lindon until the end of the Third Age, but it had a different power from the others: it could only be used to look into the west upon the Master Stone in the Tower of Avallone on Eressea. It could not communicate with the others.

4. The Mirror of Galadriel was a magic basin in which one could see visions of the past the present and even a version of the future, when it was filled with water and breathed upon by Galadriel.

5. The Phial of Galadriel was a phial filled with water from the fountain upon Caras Galadon when the star of Earendil was glimmering in it. The phial could illuminate even the darkest places with a blazing light, and it was given as a gift to Frodo when he left Lorien.

6. The Arkenstone was an amazing white jewel that was treasured by the Dwarves; it was also called "the heart of the Mountain". It was originally discovered by Thrain I in Erebor. It appears in ?the Hobbit?, when the 13 Dwarves find it remaining as the greatest of the treasures held inside the Lonely Mountain by Smaug.

7. The Iron Crown was made by Morgoth for holding the Three Silmarils that he stole. He wore it until the War of the Wrath, after that the Valar made it into a collar for his neck.

8. The White Ship took the Ring Bearers out of Middle-earth and its departure marked the end of the Third Age and the beginning of the Fourth.

9. Vingilot was the ship of Earendil in which he reached Valinor and in which he travels the Heavens bearing the Silmaril.

10. Elessar (Elfstone) was the name of the green stone that Galadriel gave to Aragorn when he departed from Lorien. He took his surname from it.

11. Anduril as the name that Aragorn Elessar gave to Narsil, the ancient sword of Elendil, when it was reforged at the time of the War of the Ring.

12. Glamdring was a sword forged in Gondolin for Turgon. In the Third Age, Gandalf found it in a Troll cave and kept it for his own.

13. Orcrist was also forged in Gondolin; it became the sword of Thorin Oakenshield after he found it in the Third Age; it was buried with him when he died in the Battle of the Five Armies.

14. Sting was originally a knife forged in Gondolin, like all the blades that were forged by the Elves it glittered when Orcs were near. In the Third Age, it was used by Bilbo as a sword and it later passed to Frodo.

15. Gurthang originally known, as Anglachel was a sword forged by Eol the Dark Elf, it was given by him to Thingol, who gave it to Beleg. Roused in the night when Beleg was trying to save him, Turin took the sword and killed Beleg with it; Turin then kept it as his own and it was reforged by the Elves of Nargothrond, and with it, Turin committed suicide.

16. The Lamps of the Valar Illuin and Ormal where made by Aule the Vala, and they were placed in the North and the South part of Middle-earth. Melkor destroyed them in the beginning of days as part of an assault against the Valar who dwelt on Almaren.

17. Mithril was the most precious and rare metal in Middle-earth, also known as the True Silver. It was extremely light but also too strong to break. The coat of mail given as a present to Bilbo, and later worn by Frodo, was made out of it. It was through mining for Mithril that the Dwarves of Khazad-dum awoke the Balrog Durin?s Bane.

(The threads about the rings are quite full of answers but you could also check this group of questions for a quick view:

a. Who made the Rings of Power, and Why?

You likely know that the Rings of Power were made by the Elves of Eregion with the aid of Sauron. However, the Three Rings were made by the Elf Celebrimbor alone and the One Ring by Sauron alone. The Elves? motive in making the rings was to preserve what they loved and to prevent the weariness of the world, which they experienced in Middle-earth (where they were noble), but not in the Undying Lands (where they weren?t overly special). Sauron on the other hand wanted to be able to dominate the Elves, and turn them to his will. When he gave the Seven and the Nine to the Dwarves and Men, he had the same purpose.

b. Why Invisibility?

Tolkien originally imbued the Ring with the power of invisibility simply as a means of allowing Bilbo to escape from Gollum and the Goblins. However, when he decided to further the story of The Hobbit, as well as his mythology in the Silmarillion, Tolkien explained that the Ring?s power of turning the bearer invisible was caused by Sauron?s part in the forging of the rings, since he was a Maia spirit who lived in the wraith world. Moreover, invisibility is actually just a partial transfer into the wraith, or shadow, world that cannot be seen, except by those with somewhat of a wraith nature.

c. Why weren?t the Three Elven Rings evil?

The Three Elven Rings were not evil because they were forged by the Elven-smith Celebrimbor without the aid of Sauron. Furthermore, the Elves? motive in making the rings was mainly good: preservation, but this motive still was one somewhat concerned with power. Nonetheless, the Three were still under the control of the One Ring since they were the result of Sauron?s instruction, and their use would be futile and corrupt while Sauron had the Ruling Ring.

d. Why weren?t the bearers of the rings of the Dwarves turned into Ringwraiths?

The Dwarves were not turned into wraiths or dominated by Sauron?the only adverse effect of the seven was making the Dwarves slightly greedier?due to their nature as Dwarves; they were made by the Vala Aule to withstand an evil and dark world that was present at their making. Thus, the Dwarves "ill endure the domination of others, and the thoughts of their hearts are hard to fathom, nor can they be turned to shadows" (The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age").

e. What happened to the other Rings of Power when the One Ring was destroyed?

The Three, the Seven (four of the Seven had already been destroyed by Dragons), and the Nine, all lost their power once the One Ring was destroyed, because the One Ring "contained the powers of all the others" (Letter 131). Thus it was necessary for their existence, (the rings could exist on their own before the One Ring was forged because they still contained all of their own powers). Elrond foretells of the fading of the Three: "maybe when the One has gone, the Three will fail, and many fair things will fade and be forgotten. That is my belief" (Fellowship of the Ring, "The Council of Elrond"), and Tolkien affirms this in his Letters.

f. How did Gandalf use the Ring Narya?

Upon arriving in Middle-earth, Gandalf was given Narya by Cirdan the Shipwright, who said to him, "in all it will support thee and defend thee from weariness. For this is the Ring of Fire, and herewith, maybe, thou shalt rekindle hearts to the valour of old in a world that grows chill." Thus, the ring would keep Gandalf from growing tired of the mortal world, and perhaps more importantly, it allowed him to inspire other people to do courageous acts. Certain examples of this may be inspiring Bilbo to go on the quest to Erebor, Frodo to bear the Ring to Mordor, Aragorn to return as King of Gondor, and Theoden to lead his men into battle against Orthanc.

Greatest Wars and Battles

1. The Wars of Beleriand
There were five main battles between the Elves and their allies the Edain against Morgoth and his forces, which took place in the First Age.

The First Battle took place when Morgoth returned to Middle-earth and assaulted the Elves of Doriath and Falas; the Elves prevailed, but the victory came at a great cost, and from this battle until the return of the Noldor, Orcs roamed freely in Middle-earth.

The Dagor-nuin-Giliath, (First year of the First Age) took place upon the return of the Noldor to Middle-earth. The forces of Morgoth prevented the Noldor?s assault on Angband, but ultimately the Elves were victorious; unfortunately, Feanor was killed by Gothmog.

The Dagor Anglareb (c.75 1st Age), the Glorious Battle, was the Elves? victory over Orcs sent by Morgoth to attack Beleriand.

The Dagor Bragollach (455 1st Age) also known as the "The Battle of Sudden Flame?, it caused the Ruin of Beleriand. The forces of Evil where aided by Glaurung the Dragon and so the Elves lost the battle along with Fingolfin who went to Angband and demanded single combat with Morgoth in which he was slain after wounding Morgoth eight times.

Last but certainly not least was the Battle of the Unnumbered Tears (471 1st Age), the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. It marked the complete defeat of the Elves and their Allies.

2. The War of Wrath The Great Battle in the year 583 of the First Age. After Earendil asked for the help of the Valar, they came to Middle-earth along with the Amanyar Elves, and Morgoth was at last completely defeated and exiled outside the walls of the world. Beleriand was destroyed during this War and the shape of Arda changed.

3. The War of the Ring. It was not exactly a War, more like a sequence of battles and conflicts between the minions of Mordor and Isengard against the free races of Middle-earth that took place between the years 3018 and 3019 of the Third Age. The secret and ultimate goal of that War was the destruction of the One Ring, which would bring the final End of Sauron. The Task was accomplished by the ring bearers, Sauron was defeated, and the Third Age ended.

4. The Kinslaying of Alqualonde The first killing amongst the Elves; it occurred when the Noldor decided to leave Valinor and tried to take charge of the Teleri ships at Alqualonde, the Haven of the Swans. The Teleri withstood and suffered great loss as the Noldor stole their ships.

5. The War of the Last Alliance (3429-3441 2nd Age) This War lasted for 12 years and refers to the battles between Elves and Men against the Minions of Mordor. This War took its name from the Alliance that the Elves under the command of Gil-galad and the Men under Elendil made in the Year 3430. The Alliance marched against Mordor. Many were slain in the war, including the two leaders who threw down Sauron; when Isildur removed the One Ring from Sauron?s body, the Alliance became the victors.

6. The Assault in the Beginning of Days Soon after the creation of Arda, when the Ainur were still dwelling in the East of Middle-earth on the Island of Almaren, Melkor made his first strike against them by destroying the Two Lamps, which in turn destroyed their dwelling. After this, he escaped to Utumno, his fortress in which he hid, and the Ainur departed for Valinor where they made their new dwelling.

7. The Chaining of Melkor-Just after the Awakening of the Elves, the Valar led an assault upon Melkor?s fortress Utumno in Middle-earth in order to save the Children of Iluvatar from his corruption. Through largely the efforts of Tulkas, they bound Melkor with the chain Angainor that was forged by Aule and brought him to captivity in Valinor.

8. The Darkening of Valinor. A while before the First Age, Melkor was released by the Valar. He soon turned back to his evil ways, and teaming up with the foul giant spider Ungoliant, he made an attack on Valmar, the Valar?s home. Ungoliant destroyed the Two Trees of Valinor, and before escaping to Middle-earth, Melkor stole the three Silmarils from Formenos and killed Finwe.

9. The Downfall of Numenor (the Akallabeth). Ar-Pharazon, the last king of Numenor, was persuaded by Sauron to attack Valinor in the Year 3319 of the Second Age. When his armies reached Aman, Eru intervened and they were removed permanently from the circles of time. Numenor was also sunk, taking with it the greatest part of the population. Only few survived including Elendil and his people, as well as Sauron, although he lost the ability to take fair form.

10. The Battle of the Pelennor Fields On the 14 of March in the year 3019 of the Third Age Sauron's armies, led by the Nazgul, assaulted Minas Tirith, where they were defeated by the defenders of the City. Merry and Eowyn killed the Lord of the Nazgul.

11. The Destruction of Isengard Took place on the 3rd day of March in the year 3019 of the Third Age through the efforts of the Ents. With all the devilry of Saruman stayed, they made a pool and left Orthanc standing in the Middle. Saruman was left trapped inside. At the same time, the Rohirrim were defending Helms Deep from Saruman?s forces in The Battle of Hornburg and undertaking the Battles of the Fords of Isen.

12. The Disaster of the Gladden Fields. After the War of the Last Alliance ended, Isildur, accompanied by his sons, was returning to Arnor. While passing through the Gladden Fields, he was attacked by the Orcs; all his followers (except one sent away before the attack) died in that battle. As Isildur was trying to escape, the One Ring betrayed him, fell from his hand, and was lost in the River Anduin, leaving him visible to the Orcs, who finally killed him.

13. The Battle of the Five Armies Took place in October of 2941 of the Third Age, and was between the Dwarves, Men, Elves, Orcs, and Wolves; Beorn, in bear form, was also an important participant in the battle, as well as the Eagles. Finally the evil powers where defeated, but Thorin Oakenshield was killed.

14. The Dagor Dagorath. The last battle where Manwe will challenge Melkor and if he prevails, Eru and all his creations will unite their voices to create a new theme, even greater than the previous ones and therefore a new Arda. Little is known about the battle, as it is only a prophecy.

Important Deeds and Actions/ Powers

For most of the following frequently asked questions, there are no clear answers, therefore the links to the best threads debating them are given without introduction. It is highly recommended that you visit the threads and try figuring it out for yourself!

Concepts and Ideas in the Lore of Middle-earth.

For most of the following frequently asked questions, there are no clear answers, therefore the links to the best threads debating them are given without introduction. It is highly recommended that you visit the threads and try figuring it out for yourself!

Comparisons and Glimpses of Truth in the Myth of Middle-earth

For most of the following frequently asked questions, there are no clear answers, therefore the links to the best threads debating them are given without introduction. It is highly recommended that you visit the threads and try figuring it out for yourself!

Rhetorical Questions

For most of the following frequently asked questions, there are no clear answers, therefore the links to the best threads debating them are given without introduction. It is highly recommended that you visit the threads and try figuring it out yourself!