"Tolkien in Sheriwood" @ Sheriwood in SL 2013 (from the Event: "Salerno...

Here and Now in Tirion Elfhome

Here is a revision of the poem from "What Time Is It" describing "Here and Now" as being played in Second Life's "Tirion" region.  There's some praise of it, so I left it where it was, but after some welcome criticism, have revisited it.

 ye Guides of Tirion, learn and share it,
As you will, four quatrains and a couplet.

---------------------------------------

Bilbo and Frodo of far Bag-End
Will come to write beloved stories someday
One hundred hundred years from now, then wend
Here, over half the great round world away.

Gandalf, Sauron and Saruman find aims
As glad, young, idealistic wizards who
Learn power under fair but different names.
Galadriel's parents begin  to woo.





Now, Human-kind has yet to wake or be,
As Elves are in the flower of their age.
Dwarves and Ents are waking and made free,
While evil's types are scattered or in cage.

 


Nor Sun nor Moon have not been made, nor rose
O'er this flat world beneath her star-filled skies.
From Two Trees, gold and silver light now glows
O'er this calm world.  In peace, warm twilight lies.

This be where ye be in time and space.
Welcome, elves, to this first homely place.


------------------------------------------

Magic

In early versions of the legendarium, (the Book of Lost Tales, specifically) Aulë's house, situated in the outskirts of Valmar near its bordering open vale, contains a great court, "filled with magic webs woven of the light of Laurelin and the sheen of Silpion and the glint of stars"; still other webs were woven of gold, silver, iron, and bronze. Here also, per The Shilmarillion, Aulë laboured long while making "many beautiful and shapely works both openly and in secret", creating both the tools and the lore of the craftsmen.

This suggests a level of magic and craftsmanship not seen elsewhere in Tolkien's world.  Aule and his people likely have constructive and magical abilities surpassing Suaron, Gandalf, balrogs, the peoples of Rivendell, and even (the oft overlooked) Tom Bombadil.

To that end, I made a few effects for myself. More importantly, though I borrow and use others' work.  Here are credits to creators who helped shape Aule's magic in SL:

Mystical Cookie's Mystitool HUD:  

 

I first got this tool-rich device as a SL Mentor-only gift, and to date, I've still found nothing quite like it.  One can purchase the full version cheaply, but the basic HUD is a freebie 

Abranimations Couples HUD

 While I don't use the item pictured with 77 animations, ask me, and I can share the freebie version with 16 poses that isn't for sale, only by transfer.  I've emulated the scripts in this for all sort of other things, too.

Jopsy Pendragon's Particle Lab

While not a HUD or device I wear, most of my own created effects owe a nod to this excellent free full perm script- and tutorial-packed  sim.  If you go to Teal Sim (it's been there forever, and still evolves), do tip.

 

 

Aaron Cerveau's SpellFire 1.8

Aaron's since gone on to version 2, 3 and Azora and Omega meters with similar goals and usage.  It's a good system and a gold standard in SL combat systems.

 

Blackdog Ashbourne's "Empower Magic" 

You could spend months just seeing what's in the spendy Empower Magick HUD.   It's infinitely modifiable with great service, free updates for life, and a helpful community.  Here is an interview with BDA about a new RP HUD he's developing.  

Torley Linden's VidTuts

This enthusiastic fellow invented SL Vidtuts, creating items on nearly any subject you can name in SL. While now growing outdated, Torley's Video Tutorials still teach basic usage and creative techniques like no other.

 Thank you, each.

 

What Time Is It?

Short Answer:

In Second Life's "Tirion" Sim  for JRR Tolkien role playing, "today" is about 9600 years before the events in "The Lord of the Rings", or January 19, 12753 BC, fourteen thousand, seven hundred and sixty-six years from the date of this blog, more or less.

Long Answer:

We are role-playing the first seven chapters of the Silmarillion here in Tirion Sim. We feature the Noldor Elves in "Age the Two Trees". A time line of the events relates events recently passed and coming soon is here: http://aulethesmith.blogspot.com/2010/10/noldor-in-aman-timeline.html We can call 2013 AD representing 1241 Year of The Trees, since our lovely Anairë and stalwart Fingolfin wed in 2012, making our most recent key event, since Anairë has no children yet:
1240 Fingolfin weds Anairë.

To describe "Now"... ((And learn this, ye Guides of Tirion!))

Humanity is still just a dream
As Elves are in the flower of their age.
Dwarves and Ents are waking to their fates
But Evils are scattered or in cage.

The Sun and Moon have never yet been.
The world is flat here under star-filled skies
Gold and silver shining of Two Trees
Give oe'r the peaceful world, warm twilight lies.

Gandalf, Sauron and Saruman are
Glad, young and idealistic wizards who
Study under fair but different names.
Galadriel's parents have yet to woo.

Bilbo and Frodo of far Bag-End
Will live and write beloved stories someday
In perhaps a hundred hundred years
And over a half a great round world away.

This is where you are in time and space
Welcome, elves, to this first homely place

FROM LORD OF THE RINGS TO HERE

I wrote "a hundred hundred" when it's actually 9635 years for poetic licence. It's still doing math with timelines to relate ourselves to the Tolkien stories that almost everyone knows in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda#3018
All the events in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (four movies worth), beginning to end,  take20 years and 14 days. The first event in Fellowship of the Ring is a birthday party when Bilbo turns 111 and departs his party in the Shire for Rivendell on Sept 22, 3001. The last event is Samwise returning to the Shire after seeing the boats depart from Gray Haves to Tirion on October 6 3021.  If you wish to include the Hobbit, you can find the dates and times on the same timeline:
September 22, 2890 TA, meaning Third Age - Bilbo Baggins is born.

Note that TA, THIRD AGE, implies a First and Second age, so here we going backward in time now on the same page, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda#Third_Age
Several epic event events happened in "Second Age 3441" that were so significant and defining of the age that the year became a new "zero":

Elendil and Gil-galad face Sauron in hand to hand combat, but they themselves perish; Isildur takes the shards of his father's sword Narsil and cuts the One Ring from Sauron's finger. Sauron's physical form is destroyed and the Barad-Dûr is razed to the ground. In the aftermath of the War, many Elves of Gil-galad's following depart to Valinor: end of the Noldorin realms in Middle-earth.

The cutting of Sauron's ring was a stunning sequence used three times in the Jackson movies. Note this tiny line: END OF NOLDORIN REALMS OF MIDDLE EARTH. Most Noldor return to Tirion at that time, both those that had left Aman to help overthrow Sauron and those who had left Aman earlier in shame who had died or atoned.  Only a few Noldor remained in Middle Earth, notably Galadriel and her clan.

What signaled the change from the FIRST AGE (FA) and beginning of the SECOND AGE (SA) is again the a defeat of a major baddie and elves major motions in the world, per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda#Second_Age
Year FA 590 we find find Morgoth is cast into the Void; the Elves are summoned to Valinor and settle in Tol Eressëa; a small part of the Noldor and Sindar remain in Middle Earth Lindon or depart east and establish realms.

The FIRST AGE is CONFUSING

If you are a human, bad at math or history or both, fall asleep for a moment because SEVERAL entirely separate times can be called "First Age" in Tolkien.  Besides, humanity is not awake in most of these ages:

~First Ages where time is meaningless

• Before the Ainur were made.

• Before Eä (the universe) was made in the Ainulindalë

• Before Arda (the world) was made as the First Vision.
  

~First Valian Ages, where an Age is tens of thousands of years.

• The Valar enter and shape Arda.

• The Years of the Lamps.

~The Years of the Trees. , where an Age is a thousand years

• The first Era of the Two Trees, and the beginning of the count of Time.
• The second Era of the Two Trees,
  • The Age of the Stars, when the Elves awoke,
  • also, the first age of the captivity of Melkor.
  • The second age of the captivity of Melkor.
  • The third age of the captivity of Melkor. (YOU ARE HERE!)
  • The age in which Melkor lived in Valinor.
    

~ First Age of Years of the Sun, where an Age varies by history

• The First Age. 450 Years of the Trees + 583 Years of the Sun.

Note that this last "First Age" is the one almost always called "First Age", containing our existence here in Tirion AND the creation of the Silmarils AND  the end of the Two Trees AND the first Elven battles AND the Flight of the Noldor AND the first rising of the Sun and Moon AND the Awakening of Humanity AND a major change in the way time is reckoned.  More on that last in a moment.

Finally, non-First Ages in any Tolkien Reckoning:

• The Second Age. 3441 Years of the Sun.
• The Third Age. 3021 Years of the Sun.
• The Fourth Age. Not specified, but likely another 3000 years.
  

Here are references for that information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_Middle-earth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda#First_Age http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda#Years_of_the_Sun_in_the_First_Age

Now, wake up, humans! It gets easier.

SUN RISE!

Aulë thinks of the sun rising as a major event in time. From the first rising of the sun and the first Awakening of Humanity, it's 583 sun years to the Second Age, 3441 more years to the Third age, and another 3001 to LOTR, making it 7025 years of sunrises til the sun rises over Bilbo's Birthday party.


Now, backwards to now before the sun or moon ever rose, Quoting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valian_Years#Valian_Years

In the 1930s and 40s Tolkien used a figure which fluctuated slightly around ten before settling on 9.582 solar years in each Valian year. However, in the 1950s Tolkien decided to use a much greater value of 144 solar years per Valian year, and included this figure in The Lord of the Rings appendices as the length of the elven year (the yen).  Tolkien described time as having flowed more slowly in Aman, such that a Valian year there would 'feel' like the passage of a single solar year in Middle-earth despite being much longer.

Since a year in these ages before the sun rose was somewhere between nine and one-hundred-and-forty-four sun-years long, we can't compute our time precisely, but I like to use (as Anairë suggests) ONE Tree Year is TEN Sun years.

So, now it's 1241, Trees Time. Sun rise happened in 1500 in Trees Time. 1500 less 1241 makes 259 Tree Years before the Sun rises. 259 times 10 is 2590.  We'll ignore the plus or minus 9 sun years margin of error for now.  Add to 2590 the ages first and second, 583 and 3441, and 3021 TA more till Sam's home, and it' 9635 or about 9600 sun years from "Now" thru the Lord of  The Rings.

FROM "NOW" TO NOW

In an exceptionally thoughtful page http://3rings.webs.com/chronology, the author Ash Branch quotes JRR Tolkien writing around 1955:

“... I hope the, evidently long but undefined, gap(*) in time between the Fall of Barad-dûr and our Days is sufficient for 'literary credibility’, even for readers acquainted with what is known or surmised of 'pre-history’.

“I imagine the gap 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 S.A. and T.A. But they have, I think, quickened; and I imagine we are actually at the end of the Sixth Age, or in the Seventh.”

and the following quote from "The History of the Lord of the Rings"

“The moons and suns are worked out according to what they were in this part of the world in 1942 actually... I mean I'm not a good enough mathematician or astronomer to work out where they might have been 7,000 or 8,000 years ago, but as long as they correspond to some real configuration I thought that was good enough.”

Then follows Ash Branch's mathematics, astronomy, calendar making, and reasoning, resulting in dates for the Ages of Middle-Earth, and (thank you for permission to quote, Ash):

"the first uprising of the sun occurred on 25 March, 10,160 BC"

Going backwards from that first sun-rise, recall our 2590 years, give or take 9 years. Add 10,160 and 2,590 to get 12750 BC. Since today is Jan 19, 2013, take today's date and the "3" from the current year as our error factor because we can't compute any closer.  So, now in Tirion RP sim, "now" is

January 19, 12753 BC.  That is 14,766 years ago.

At 11:20 PM. Good night.

History of Noldor

This note was found in the Tirion library in Second Life. Who wrote it exactly, I cannot tell, but twas likely a Noldo.

--------------------------

Noldor in Valinor

The Noldor are accounted the best of the Elves and all the peoples in Middle-earth in lore, warfare and crafts.

In Valinor "great became their knowledge and their skill; yet even greater was their thirst for more knowledge, and in many things they soon surpassed their teachers.

 They were changeful in speech, for they had great love of words, and sought ever to find names more fit for all things they knew or imagined."

They were beloved of Aulë the Smith, and were the first to discover and carve gems.

On the other hand, the Noldor were also the proudest of the Elves; and, by the words of the Sindar, "they needed room to quarrel in".

Their chief dwelling-place was the city of Tirion upon Túna.

Among the wisest of the Noldor were Rúmil, creator of the first writing system and author of many epic books of lore.

Fëanor, son of Finwë and Míriel, was the greatest of their craftsmen, "mightiest in skill of word and of hand",and creator of the Silmarils.

The Noldor earned the greatest anger of Melkor, who envied their prosperity and, most of all, the Silmarils.

So he went often among them, offering counsel, and the Noldor hearkened, being eager for lore.

But Melkor sowed lies, and in the end the peace in Tirion was poisoned. Fëanor, having rebelled against Fingolfin his half-brother, was banished, and with him went Finwë his father.

Fingolfin remained as the ruler of the Noldor of Tirion.

But Melkor had yet other designs to accomplish.

Soon after with the aid of Ungoliant he slew the Two Trees, and coming to Formenos he killed Finwë, stole the Silmarils and departed from Aman.

  Fëanor then, driven by the desire of vengeance, rebelled against the Valar and made a speech before the Noldor, persuading them to leave Valinor, follow Melkor to Middle-earth and wage war against him for the recovery of the Silmarils.

He swore a terrible oath to pursue Melkor and claimed the title of the High King; but though the greater part of the Noldor still held Fingolfin as King, they followed Fëanor to be not separated from their kin.


 Exile to Middle-earth

The Noldor led by Fëanor demanded that the Teleri let them use their ships.

When the Teleri refused, they took the ships by force, committing the first kinslaying.

A messenger from the Valar came later and delivered the Prophecy of the North, pronouncing Doom on the Noldor for the Kinslaying and rebellion and warning that if they proceeded they would not recover the Silmarils and moreover that they all will be slain or tormented by grief. 

At this, some of the Noldor who had no hand in the Kinslaying, including Finarfin son of Finwë and Indis, returned to Valinor, and the Valar forgave them.

Other Noldor led by Fingolfin (some of whom were blameless in the Kinslaying) remained determined to leave Valinor for Middle-earth. Prominent among these others was Finarfin's son, Finrod.


The Noldor led by Fëanor crossed the sea to Middle-earth, leaving those led by Fingolfin, his half-brother, behind.

Upon his arrival in Middle-earth, Fëanor had the ships burned. When the Noldor led by Fingolfin discovered their betrayal, they went farther north and crossed the sea at the Grinding Ice which cost them many lives. With the Two Trees destroyed by Melkor, the departure of the Noldor out of the Undying Lands marked the end of the Years of the Trees, and the beginning of the Years of the Sun when the Valar created the Moon and the Sun out of Telperion's last flower and Laurelin's last fruit.

Fëanor's company was soon attacked by Morgoth. When Fëanor rode too far from his bodyguard during the Battle under Stars, he was attacked by several Balrogs including their Lord Gothmog, who had issued forth from Angband, the enemy's fortress in the north. Despite a valiant fight, Fëanor he was mortally wounded and would have been captured and taken to Angband had it not been for the swift arrival of his sons. However Fëanor died whilst being taken back to his own people.

Because Fëanor had taken the ships and left the Noldor led by his half-brother on the west side of the sea, the royal houses of the Noldor were feuding, but Fingon son of Fingolfin, saved Maedhros, son of Fëanor, from Morgoth's imprisonment and the feud was settled. Maedhros was due to succeed Fëanor, but he regretted his part of the Kinslaying and the abandonment of Fingolfin and left the High Kingship of the Noldor to his uncle Fingolfin because he was the eldest, who became the first High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth. His brothers did not agree to this, and began to refer to themselves as the Dispossessed, because the High Kingship had passed them by. It should be stressed that after the fall of Fingolfin that there is little evidence that the Feanorians respected the command of his successors.

In the north-west of Middle-earth the Noldor made alliance with the Sindar, the Elves of Beleriand, and later with Men of the Three Houses of the Edain. Fingolfin reigned long in the land of Hithlum, and his younger son Turgon built the Hidden City of Gondolin. The Sons of Fëanor ruled the lands in Eastern Beleriand, while Finrod Finarfin's son was the King of Nargothrond and his brothers Angrod and Aegnor held Dorthonion. Fingolfin's reign was marked by warfare against Morgoth and in the year 60 of the First Age after their victory in Dagor Aglareb the Noldor started the Siege of Angband, the great fortress of Morgoth. In the year 455 the Siege was broken by Morgoth in the Battle of Sudden Flame, in which the north-eastern Elvish realms were conquered. Fingolfin in despair rode to Angband and challenged Morgoth to single combat. He dealt Morgoth seven wounds but perished, and he was succeeded by his eldest son Fingon, who became the second High King of the Noldor in Beleriand.

In the year 472, Maedhros organised an all-out attack on Morgoth and this led to the Nírnaeth Arnoediad, the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. Betrayed by the new-come Easterlings, and surrounded by the forces of Morgoth, the Noldor, Sindar and Edain were utterly defeated. Fingon the Valiant was slain by Gothmog and other Balrog; he was succeeded by his brother Turgon.

Morgoth scattered the remaining forces of the Sons of Fëanor, and in 495 Nargothrond was also overridden. Turgon had withdrawn to Gondolin which was kept hidden from both Morgoth and other Elves. In 510, Gondolin was betrayed by Maeglin and sacked. During the attack Turgon was killed; however, many of his people escaped and found their way south. Turgon had no sons, so Gil-galad, last surviving male descendant of Fingolfin, became the fourth and last High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth.

Finally the Valar came to Middle-earth and in the years 545-583 the War of Wrath was fought and Morgoth was cast into the Void. But Beleriand sank into the sea, except for a part of Ossiriand (Lindon), and a few isles. The defeat of Morgoth marked the end of the First Age and the start of the Second.

Second and Third Ages

Most of the Noldor sailed back to Aman at the End of the First Age; but some, like Galadriel (daughter of Finarfin) or Celebrimbor (grandson of Fëanor), refused the pardon of the Valar and remained in Middle-earth. Gil-galad founded a new kingdom at Lindon, and ruled throughout the Second Age, longer than any of the High Kings except for Finwë. He was also accepted as High King by the Noldor of Eregion. But after a while Sauron had replaced his master Morgoth as the Dark Lord. With the aid of the Ruling Ring he fortified Mordor and began the long war with the remaining Elves. He attacked Eregion, destroying it, but was withstood in Rivendell and Lindon. With the aid of the Númenóreans, the Noldor managed to defeat him for a time.

However, in the year 3319 of the Second Age Númenor fell due to Ar-Pharazôn's rebellion against the Valar, in which Sauron had a great part. When Elendil with his sons escaped to Middle-earth and established the realms of Arnor and Gondor, Sauron tried to conquer Gondor before it could take root. Both Elendil and Gil-galad set out for Mordor in the Last Alliance of Men and Elves and defeated Sauron in the Battle of Dagorlad and finally in the Siege of Barad-dûr. There Gil-galad perished, and so ended the High Kingship of the Noldor. No new High King was elected, as no one claimed the throne; for this reason, the High Kingship of the Noldor was said to have passed overseas, to the Noldor of Valinor, ruled by Finarfin, the third son of Finwë who had never left. In Middle-earth of the descendants of Finwë only Galadriel and Elrond Half-elven remained (and the Númenórean Kings through Elrond's twin brother Elros).

In the Third Age, the Noldor in Middle-earth dwindled, and by the end of the Third Age the only big communities of Noldor remaining in Middle-earth were in Rivendell and Lindon. Their further fate of fading utterly from the World was shared by all Elves.

 High Kings of the Noldor

In Valinor:
Finwë, first High King
Fëanor, first son of Finwë; claimed the title after his father's death
Fingolfin, second son of Finwë; held to be the High King by the majority of the Noldor
Finarfin, third son of Finwë; ruled the Noldor remaining in Aman

In Middle-earth:
Fingolfin, after Maedhros son of Fëanor gave up his claims
Fingon, first son of Fingolfin
Turgon, second son of Fingolfin.
Gil-galad, son of Orodreth, son of Angrod, the last High King of the Noldor in exile.

It is not known exactly how Finwë became High King: he may have been a descendant of the Noldorin primogen "Tata", or simply have been accepted as leader based on his status as ambassador to the Valar. The Noldor had many princely houses besides that of Finwë: Glorfindel of Gondolin and Gwindor of Nargothrond, while not related to Finwë, were princes in their own right. These lesser houses held no realms, however: all the Noldorin realms of Beleriand and later Eriador were ruled by a descendant of Finwë.

The Mannish descendants of Elros (the Kings of Arnor) now claimed the title High King, although there is no indication that this referred anything other than a High Kingship over the Dúnedain. As descendants through the female line Elros and his brother Elrond were not considered eligible, and Elrond indeed never claimed Kingship.

It is perhaps notable that Galadriel, the last of the House of Finwë in Middle-earth (other than the Half-elven) and Gil-galad's great-aunt, likewise never claimed a king title let alone the title of High Queen. Indeed the only known Elven Kingdom in Middle-earth after the Second Age was the Silvan realm of Mirkwood, ruled by the Sinda Thranduil.