LotR --- Appendix B -- The Tale of Years

[Estelyn Telcontar]

"Tale" is a rather misleading title for this section of the Appendices - "Chronology", as used in the subtitle, is more accurate. Though the facts given for some of the dates are more than just a list of what happened when, it is not a tale in the typical sense of the word. I suspect that most of us go here for information, not for entertainment - though the one does not preclude the other!

It begins with a brief list of the Ages and the events that mark their beginnings and ends. Less than three pages are then devoted to the Second Age, leaving the first out entirely, and the rest concerns the Third Age, with a brief glimpse at the Fourth Age at the end. That is only logical, since the story itself takes place in the Third Age, yet it is nice to have it set in the context of the Ages that precede and follow it.

I find it interesting to read the introductions to each age; they tell us which race (or part thereof) is predominant during that time. The Second Age: "...dark years for Men of Middle-earth, but the years of the glory of Númenor." Third Age: "...the fading years of the Eldar."

At the beginning of the section concerning the Third Age, we again find some brief information about the Wizards and the Rings of Power. Then the years in which important events occurred are listed with the corresponding facts. When we get to the time of the book, the timeline gets more detailed, with months and days listed. At the end of that section there is important information that was not included in the book itself, especially concerning battles that took place simultaneously at other places: Lórien, Mirkwood, Erebor. That gives us a glimpse of the involvement of other races in the war against Sauron.

The last chapters of the book are included, and interestingly, this is where the dates named are also put into Shire context! Then we get a brief glimpse into events that are "future" from LotR's point of view, and this part is definitely "Shire-centric", telling us almost exclusively about Hobbits and their fate.

There are tidbits of information that strike me when reading through this section: Bilbo is older than Aragorn's mother, for example. Events that take place in different places are connected with each other. I also found it interesting to realize that the Fellowship was not scattered all over Middle-earth when their lives ended - they were either in Valinor or in Gondor. Apparently the Fellowship was so integral to them that they sought to be together forever, so to speak.

For the most part, I do check out this appendix as a reference, either for discussions or for coordinating dates for RPGs or fan fiction. It is an invaluable source! Why do you read Appendix B? Or don't you? Is it important to you?