Talk:Elves in Middle-earth

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Article milestones
Date	Process	Result
September 12, 2007	Peer review	Reviewed
August 25, 2020	Good article nominee	Listed

Current status: Good article

Middle-earth High‑importance

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ages, and ages[edit]

The first Elves were awakened by Eru Ilúvatar near the bay of Cuiviénen during the Years of the Trees. This event marked the beginning of the First Age.

As I understand it, the First Age – more formally the First Age of the Sun – began with the first rising of the Sun and Moon. —Tamfang (talk) 05:54, 22 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

That would equate (or indeed conflate) the First Age and the Years of the Sun. As usual with Tolkien, things aren't that simple. Chiswick Chap (talk) 08:07, 22 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

That's a common misconception, which is actively spread by a few fallacious self-styled Tolkien 'scholars'. No version of the term "Age of the Sun" appears anywhere in Tolkien's writings. There were "Years of the Sun", starting with the first sunrise towards the end of the First Age... but the 'Ages' themselves were consistently referred to as "Ages of the Children of Iluvatar" (starting with the Awakening of the Elves) other than a handful of earlier forms/variations (e.g. 'Ages of the Stars'... because when Varda caused the stars to appear that was what triggered the Awakening of the Elves). Similarly, the First Age is repeatedly stated to be the longest of the three in Tolkien's stories... because, despite containing far fewer 'Years of the Sun', it had begun long before the Sun ever rose. --CBD 11:25, 22 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]