Second Age of Middle-Earth

The Second Age of Middle-Earth is an era that features in Middle-earth.

History

The Second Age of Middle-Earth was the longest known age of Middle-Earth, beginning around year 584 of the First Age and ending in the year 3441. cataclysmic conclusion of the millennia-long War of Wrath. For ages, the forces of the Noldorin Elves, the Edain (Men), and eventually the Host of the West (the Valar and Maiar's army) had waged a brutal war against the original Dark Lord, Morgoth, in the lands of Beleriand in the northwest of Middle-earth. The conflict reached its crescendo when Eärendil the Half-elven, bearing a recovered Silmaril, sailed to the Uttermost West and successfully pleaded with the Valar for aid. In response, a mighty host was sent forth, engaging Morgoth's vast armies, including his newly unleashed winged dragons, in a titanic struggle that lasted for more than forty years. This War of Wrath resulted in the utter defeat and capture of Morgoth, who was then judged and cast out of the physical world into the Outer Void. However, the immense power expended during the conflict, along with the sheer ferocity of the battles, caused a great physical transformation of the world; the entire landmass of Beleriand was destroyed and sunk beneath the Sea, fundamentally reshaping the coastline and geography of Middle-earth. The survivors of the faithful Men, the Edain, were rewarded by the Valar with the creation of the island kingdom of Númenor, a new land raised from the sea in the West, while many of the remaining Elves established realms like Lindon on the new coasts. With the primary Dark Lord vanquished, the world entered a new era of relative peace, marking the official beginning of the Second Age, though the threat of Morgoth's chief servant, Sauron, still lingered in the east.

After the tumultuous events of the War of Wrath and the start of the Second Age, Middle-earth entered an era of uneasy peace and great prosperity for Men, but it was also a time that laid the groundwork for future conflicts. The faithful Men of the Edain flourished in their new island realm of Númenor, becoming a great maritime power whose lifespan was trebled as a reward for their loyalty. They established contact with the Elven realms on the mainland, particularly those of Lindon and Eregion, and explored the oceans extensively. While this golden age for Men was underway, the lingering shadow of the first Dark Lord's servant, Sauron, began to fall over the eastern lands of Middle-earth. Sauron, having feigned repentance after his master's defeat, eventually fled and established himself in the land of Mordor, building the dark fortress of Barad-dûr. He began consolidating power, gathering Orcs, corrupting Men into his service, and establishing his dominion over all non-elven lands. His deceit reached its peak when he appeared in Eregion in a fair guise, calling himself Annatar, the "Lord of Gifts," and taught the Elven smiths the art of creating Rings of Power. Together, they forged the Great Rings, though Sauron secretly forged the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom to rule them all. The Elves became aware of his treachery the moment he put on the One Ring, leading to a long and devastating war that ultimately culminated in the Downfall of Númenor, the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, and Sauron's temporary defeat at the end of the Age.

Overview

The Second Age saw the rise and fall of Numenor, the distribution of the Rings of Power and the Last Alliance's battle with and defeat of Sauron.

Participants

• Sauron :

Notes

• The Second Age of Middle-Earth was created by J.R.R. Tolkien where it featured in the Lord of the Rings universe.
• Based on Tolkien's comments in a 1958 letter, the Second Age probably stretched from around c. 10,501 BC to c. 7061 BC.

Appearances

• The Lord of the Rings:
• The Silmarillion:

External Links

• Lord of the Rings Wiki Entry

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