Of the Sun and Moon: The Mythic Dawn of Middle-earth

In the beginning of Arda, only the stars shone in the heavens, placed there by Varda, the Queen of the Valar. These stars were created from the silver dews of Telperion and were the first lights to grace Middle-earth, providing hope and guidance to the first awakened Elves at Cuiviénen.

The Two Trees of Valinor brought unprecedented light and beauty to the Blessed Realm. Laurelin, the Golden Tree, and Telperion, the Silver Tree, waxed and waned in alternation every twelve hours, mixing their radiance in brief periods of gentle twilight. Their light blessed the land of Aman and made it the most beautiful realm in all of Arda.

While the Blessed Realm basked in the light of the Two Trees, the outer lands of Middle-earth remained in perpetual starlit dusk. This twilight realm was lit only by the distant gleam of Varda's stars, creating a mysterious and enchanting atmosphere that would forever remain dear to the hearts of the Elves who first awakened there.

The destruction of the Two Trees came during a time of festival, when Melkor allied himself with Ungoliant, a mysterious spirit of darkness and void. Together they attacked the Trees, with Ungoliant draining their light and life while Melkor struck them down. The Trees' radiant sap spilled forth and Ungoliant's poison turned it to ashes in the holy soil of Valinor.

For the first time since their creation, the Trees' light failed and darkness fell upon the Blessed Realm. The Valar and Eldar found themselves in a blackness deeper than any they had known, for even the stars were veiled by Ungoliant's unlight. This darkness brought fear and confusion to the immortal realm that had never known such absence of light.

In their desperation, the Valar gathered at Máhanaxar, the Ring of Doom, to seek counsel about this catastrophe. The fate of all Arda hung in the balance as they debated what could be done to restore light to the world. Their discussions were urgent and sorrowful, for they knew the Trees' loss would change the world forever.

During this council, Yavanna, the giver of fruits and creator of the Two Trees, spoke of a possible salvation. She revealed that if she could receive the last fruit of Laurelin and the final flower of Telperion, she might be able to revive the Trees with her power. However, this would require all of her strength, and even then, the Trees would never shine as brightly as before.

The Valar managed to preserve Telperion's last flower, which gleamed with a soft silver light reminiscent of the Tree's former glory. This precious blossom contained the pure essence of Telperion's radiance, unsullied by Ungoliant's poison, and would become the heart of the Moon.

From Laurelin, they saved a single golden fruit, still burning with the fierce light of the Golden Tree. This fruit held within it the last pure rays of Laurelin's magnificence, and would later become the core of the Sun.

These sacred vessels represented the last untainted light of the Two Trees, carrying forward their essence into a new age. The Valar treated these treasures with great reverence, knowing they would be crucial in bringing light back to Arda, though in a different form than before.

Aulë, the great craftsman of the Valar, worked with all his skill to create a vessel worthy of Telperion's last flower. He fashioned a great globe of crystalline materials that could contain and magnify the flower's silver light, making it bright enough to illuminate all of Arda.

For the guidance of this new light, the Valar chose Tilion, a hunter of Oromë's company. This Maia had long admired Telperion's silver radiance and begged for this honor. Despite his sometimes wayward nature, his love for the silver light made him the perfect choice for this task.

When the vessel bearing Telperion's last flower rose into the sky, it became known as the Moon, or Rána in Quenya. It was the first light to rise in the darkness after the Trees' destruction, and its appearance brought hope to all who witnessed it.

Following the creation of the Moon, Aulë and his most skilled craftsmen labored to create an even greater vessel for Laurelin's final fruit. This vessel needed to be stronger and more radiant, as it would contain the more powerful golden light.

The vessel they created was named Anar, the Fire-golden, and it was designed to carry the blazing light of Laurelin across the sky. Its craftsmanship surpassed even that of the Moon-vessel, for it needed to contain and direct much greater power.

The Valar chose Arien, a powerful Maia who had once tended Laurelin's flames, to guide the Sun. Unlike Tilion, Arien was a spirit of pure fire who had never swerved from her appointed path. Her strength was so great that she could endure the brilliance of Laurelin's fruit without being consumed.

The light of the Sun proved to be far more intense than the Moon's gentle radiance, just as Laurelin had shone more brightly than Telperion in the days of the Trees. When Anar first rose, its golden rays reached every corner of Arda, bringing warmth and revealing both the beauty and the marring of the world.

The first rising of the Sun occurred in the West, contrary to its later path, illuminating first the lands of the Blessed Realm. The Valar chose this direction to honor the light of the Two Trees and as a sign of doom to Morgoth in the North.

For the first time, true daylight spread across all of Arda, revealing lands that had dwelt in twilight since their creation. The mountains cast long shadows, the waters sparkled with golden light, and all of Middle-earth was transformed by this new radiance.

The new light posed a direct challenge to Morgoth's power, forcing his creatures to hide from its rays and revealing the extent of his marring of Arda. His servants retreated into shadows and deep places, though their master's power remained strong in the North.

This moment marked the true beginning of the First Age of the Sun. The world entered a new era, one that would see the rise of Men, great battles against darkness, and the fulfillment of many dooms that had been set in motion during the Years of the Trees.

To establish order in the movements of the new lights, the Valar created the Gates of Morning in the East, determining that the Sun would rise there and traverse the sky to the West. This decision reshaped the geography of Arda and established the familiar pattern of dawn and dusk.

The paths of both the Sun and Moon were carefully planned to ensure regular cycles of light and darkness across Middle-earth. These paths followed the ancient track of the Two Trees' light through Ilmen, the region of pure starlight above the atmosphere.

With the regular movements of Sun and Moon established, the counting of time began in earnest. Days were measured by the Sun's passage, months by the Moon's cycles, and years by the complete circuit of seasons marked by the Sun's journey.

Tilion, steering the Moon-vessel, proved to be an unpredictable guardian who would sometimes alter his course to draw nearer to Arien's brighter vessel. His unreliability in maintaining his appointed path led to variations in the Moon's speed and position in the sky.

These irregular movements of Tilion created the phases of the Moon, as the silver vessel's face would appear to change shape throughout its cycle. This pattern became an important marker of time for the peoples of Middle-earth.

The interaction between sunlight and moonlight created the familiar rhythm of day, night, and the in-between times of dawn and dusk. These transitions echoed the mixing of gold and silver light that once occurred between the Two Trees, though in a less perfect form.

The Elves, who had awakened under starlight and had known the light of the Trees, maintained a special affinity for the gentler radiance of the Moon and stars. They often conducted their festivals and gatherings during starlit nights, finding beauty in the silver light that reminded them of Telperion.

The race of Men, called the Secondborn of Ilúvatar, awoke at the first rising of the Sun in Hildórien. This timing forever linked them to the Sun's light, and they became known as the Children of the Sun, drawing strength from its rays and ordering their lives by its passage.

The new lights brought unprecedented growth to Middle-earth, as plants and trees that had lain dormant in the starlight began to flourish under the Sun's warmth. Forests spread, flowers bloomed, and life proliferated across the lands in ways never seen during the Years of the Trees.

The movements of the Sun and Moon became the primary means of measuring time throughout Middle-earth. The Elves, Men, and other races developed sophisticated calendars based on the cycles of these celestial vessels, though each culture marked time in slightly different ways.

Different peoples developed their own names and stories for the Sun and Moon. The Elves preserved the true history in their lore, while Men created various myths to explain these lights, having awakened after their creation. Some saw them as vessels, others as divine beings, and still others as objects set in the sky.

Though the Two Trees were gone, their light continued to shine upon Arda through their last remnants in the Sun and Moon. This preserved memory of the Trees' light would continue to influence the history of Middle-earth throughout all its ages, serving as a reminder of the ancient light that once blessed the world.