The First War began before ARDA had finished taking shape, long before anything grew or walked on the earth. For a long time, MELKOR had the upper hand in these struggles until a spirit of great strength and hardihood came to the aid of the Valar. TULKAS the Strong heard about the battle in the Little Kingdom and joined with the Valar, then Arda was filled with the sound of his laughter. Melkor fled before the wrath and laughter of Tulkas and there was peace for a long age. Tulkas remained in the Kingdom of Arda and became one of the Valar. Melkor brooded in the outer darkness and hated Tulkas ever after.
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| "Lamp of the Valar" by Ted Nasmith |
After Tulkas joined them, the Valar were able to bring order to the seas and land without interference. Yavanna began planting the seeds she had made. Fires buried beneath the primeval hills but as they were tamed, the earth became dark. Aulë (at the request of Yavanna) made two giant lamps to give light to Middle Earth. Varda filled the lamps with light, Manwë blessed them and the Valar set them on high pillars, higher than any mountains. The lamps were placed at the north and south ends of the land. The northern lamp was called ILUIN, and the southern lamp was called ORMAL. The whole earth was lit constantly with these lamps; there was no night, only a changeless day.
Then the seeds that Yavanna had sown sprouted and the world was covered with green plants. Beasts came and populated Arda and they grazed on the plains, swam in the rivers and walked in the shadows of the woods. The richest section of the world was where the light of both lamps met and blended. In this section, Valar was established their first dwelling upon the ISLE of ALMAREN in the Great Lake. Manwë declared a great feast in order to celebrate the Spring of Arda; but Aulë and Tulkas were weary; they had been working without stopping since the war with Melkor. Melkor knew of their celebration and was exceedingly jealous; even as early as this, he had approached the beasts of Middle-earth and developed a network of spies that he persuaded to his cause.
The Valar did not perceive a threat under the light of Iluin, nor did they perceive the shadow of Melkor. Melkor had grown dark in the night of the Void where he existed. At this feast of Arda, Tulkas wed NESSA the sister of Oromë and she danced on the green grass of Almaren.
When Melkor's spies told him that Tulkas had fallen asleep, he knew his time had come. Melkor came with his host to Middle-earth in the far north where the Valar were not aware of him. He built a fortress underneath the earth and called it UTUMNO. His evil flowed out from this fortress and green things sickened and died; the forests grew dark and dangerous; the beasts became monsters of horn and ivory. When the Valar saw all these things, they knew that Melkor was abroad and they searched for his hiding place. But Melkor remained one step ahead of them, and struck his first blow...at the giant lamps. Melkor tore the pillars down, and the lamps fell to earth. So great were the pillars that the lands beneath the lamps were broken and the seas arose; the light of the lamps were a burning flame poured upon the Earth. The Earth darkened; the shape of the lands and waters were marred; the first designs of the Valar were never restored.
In the confusion and darkness, Melkor escaped. Even as he ran back to Utumno, he could hear the winds of Manwë and the pounding of Tulkas behind him, but he hid in Utumno before the they could catch him. The rest of the Valar did not pursue him; they were busy restoring the Earth to its previous condition. They did not want to tear up the earth again until they knew where the children of Ilúvatar would be found.
The dwelling on Almaren was destroyed and the Valar went over the BELEGAER SEA to the Western continent of AMAN to make their dwellings. They fortified the land of Aman because they did not have the strength to overcome Melkor. With that, the Spring of Arda came to an end. The Valar raised up a mountain range covering the north, east and southern part of their lands with nearly impassible mountains called the PELÓRI, in an effort to keep Melkor out. On the highest mountain of the range, TANIQUETIL (in the Quenyan tongue), Manwë and Varda built their great halls. From the summit, they could see everything to the furthest eastern lands.
Behind the Pelóri, the Valar established their realm of VALINOR and made their homes, planted gardens and built towers. They gathered together many things which had not been destroyed in the ruin of the world, and made new things fresher and more beautiful than before. The land was the richer than Middle-earth in the Spring of Arda. It was also blessed for nothing died; no flower faded or withered; there was no sickness of any kind in the land, for only the Deathless dwelt there.
When the mansions of the Valar were established, the Valar built their great city, VALIMAR It was located behind the Pelóri mountains in the midst of the plain. In front of the western gate of the city, there was a green mound called the MÁHANAXAR. Around this mound were set thrones of council for the Valar. On the mound, Yavanna sat for a long time, then began singing a song of power in which she set all her thought of things that grow in the earth. Nienna thought in silence, and then watered the mound with her tears. The other Valar gathered to hear the song; and sat on their thrones around Yavanna, and watched as two shoots pushed their way out of the ground. Under her song, they became two saplings and grew fair and tall, and came to flower. Of all the things made by Yavanna, the TWO TREES were the most renown; all the tales of the Elder days were woven around their fate.
TELPERION was the name of the first and had dark green leaves which were silver underneath; from each flower a dew of silver light fell and the earth was covered with the shadows of these leaves. The second was called LAURELIN and had leaves of a young green with edges of glittering gold. Flowers on the branches grew in clusters of yellow flame forming a golden horn that spilled a golden rain upon the ground. From the blossoms of the trees there came a great light. The light from the trees came and went in 7 hour cycles, when Telperion was getting brighter, Laurelin was dimming. Twice a day, the soft light of both trees intermingled for an hour. The Valar began reckoning time using the light of the trees as a guide; the first hour began with a mingling of the lights as Telperion became brighter. The Valar had 12 hour days; each day ended with the mingling of the lights. The light spilled from the trees lasted a long time before it was taken up in the ai! r or vanished down into the earth. The dews that fell from Telperion, and the rain that fell from Laurelin were caught by Varda in great vats of Water and Light. This was the beginning of the Bliss of the Valinor, and also the beginning of the Count of Time.
The ages drew on to the appointed time for the coming of the Firstborn. In the twilight, beneath the stars of Varda, Middle-earth lay waiting. But also in the darkness, Melkor often walked in many shapes of power and fear. From the beauty and bliss of Valinor, Manwë, the highest and holiest of the Valar, looked out from his high throne in Taniquetil across the land of Middle-earth. Spirits in the shapes of hawks and eagles flew to and from his halls and brought word to him of what happened in Arda; yet some things were hidden from his gaze. Melkor sat in dark thought where impenetrable shadows lay.
After they retired to their lands behind the Pelóri mountains, the Valar seldom came to Middle-earth. In the center of the Blessed Realm, Aulë built his mansions; he loved making things and he loved the earth. He often made beautiful and shapely works, both openly and in secret.
Ulmo was alone; from the beginning he dwelt in the Outer Ocean, and he dwells there still. He did not have a place in the land of Aman. He governs the flowing of all waters, all seas, streams, rivers and springs. In the deep places, he gives thought to music great and terrible. The echo of the music is in all the waters of the earth, in sorrow and in joy, from the joyfull fountain that rises in the sun to the springs that are wells of sorrow in the foundations of the Earth. It was the by power of Ulmo that life survived in many secret loades, and the earth survived even under the darkness of Melkor. Ulmo has never forsaken Middle-earth no matter what may have befallen, and he will not forsake it until the end of days.
Yavanna also did not forsake the dark lands; she mourned the loss of green and growing things, and would often leave Valinor to try to heal the lands of the hurts of Melkor. When she returned, she often would urge the Valar to war against Melkor before the arrival of the Firstborn.
Oromë, tamer of beasts, would also ride in the darkness of the unlit forests as a mighty hunter pursuing the monsters and creatures of Melkor. But even as he passed, the servants of Melkor would gather again, and again the land was filled with shadows.
Ilúvatar sat alone in the silence of his throne after the departure of the Valar. For an age, he sat lost in thought. "I love the Earth," he said, "which will be a mansion for the Quendi (the Elves) and the Atani (the Men). I shall make the Quendi the fairest of all Earthly creatures, but to the Atani, I will give a new gift. The hearts of Men shall seek beyond the World, and find no rest therein. They will have the power to shape their own lives amid the powers and chances of the world, beyond the Music of the Ainur which will be as fate to all others." Ilúvatar knew that Men would stray often and not use their gifts in peace and harmony.
It is because of this gift of freedom that Men dwell in this world only a short time, and then depart. They are not bound to it; and where they go after that, the Elves do not know. The Elves will remain with the Earth until the End of Days; their love of the Earth is single and poignant, and as the years lengthen, ever more sorrowful. The Elves will not die until the World dies unless they are slain or waste away in grief; age does not weaken them, unless one can grow weary of ten thousand centuries; dying, they come to the Halls of Mandos and there they remain until they are returned to the flesh.
The Elves call Men the Guests or the Strangers for they do leave the world; death is their fate, the gift of Ilúvatar. But Melkor cast a great shadow on it, confounded it with darkness and brought forth evil from good, fear from hope. Yet the Valar declared to the Elves that Men would join in the Second Music of the Ainur. But Ilúvatar has not revealed what he proposes for the Elves after the World's end, and Melkor has not discovered it.