An alternative First Age timeline inspired by Huinesoron

[Huinesoron]

Doing a quick comparison:

AAm:
Awakening-Finding: 35VY = 335SY
Finding-March: 20VY = 192SY
March-Arrival in Aman: 28VY = 268SY
Arrival in Aman-Death of Trees: 362VY = 3469 SY

Arvegil:
Awakening-Finding: 865SY
Finding-March: 205SY
March-Arrival in Aman: 415SY
Arrival in Aman-Death of Trees: 1972SY

Huinesoron:
Awakening-Finding: 2016SY
Finding-March: 216SY
March-Arrival in Aman: 576SY
Arrival in Aman-Death of Trees: 2664SY

It's interesting that the Finding to the March stays roughly stable across all versions...

I think your version is going to run into problems if you start adding detail. The VII March timeline is 420 SY from leaving Cuivienen to reaching Beleriand; if you keep the "Noldor depart 1VY later", then you need to cut about 1VY out of the March somewhere. Given that the Rhun sojourn is used in other text (I think you posted them when talking about Cirdan), the best place would be in the 1.5VY they spent around the Isen.

Then you've got the whole Aman period, which needs to be practically cut in half. I just about got away with cutting the extra time out of the middle (ie between Finrod's birth and Melkor's unchaining, 958 SY in AAm vs 140 SY in my timeline). You couldn't do that: AAm Finrod is born 1600 SY after the arrival in Aman, which your version would place about 60 SY after the Silmarils were made!

So you'd have to decide what Tolkien would have shortened. Squeezing the genealogical parts of AAm down to about half their length would work; you end up with Finrod born in FA 2424, and Melkor unchained in FA 2546. That's probably the least disruptive to the story, because it maintains (as I did) the 910 SY from the unchaining of Melkor to the death of the Trees untouched.

hS

[Arvegil145]

Originally Posted by Huinesoron

Doing a quick comparison:

AAm:
Awakening-Finding: 35VY = 335SY
Finding-March: 20VY = 192SY
March-Arrival in Aman: 28VY = 268SY
Arrival in Aman-Death of Trees: 362VY = 3469 SY

Arvegil:
Awakening-Finding: 865SY
Finding-March: 205SY
March-Arrival in Aman: 415SY
Arrival in Aman-Death of Trees: 1972SY

Huinesoron:
Awakening-Finding: 2016SY
Finding-March: 216SY
March-Arrival in Aman: 576SY
Arrival in Aman-Death of Trees: 2664SY

It's interesting that the Finding to the March stays roughly stable across all versions...

I think your version is going to run into problems if you start adding detail. The VII March timeline is 420 SY from leaving Cuivienen to reaching Beleriand; if you keep the "Noldor depart 1VY later", then you need to cut about 1VY out of the March somewhere. Given that the Rhun sojourn is used in other text (I think you posted them when talking about Cirdan), the best place would be in the 1.5VY they spent around the Isen.

Then you've got the whole Aman period, which needs to be practically cut in half. I just about got away with cutting the extra time out of the middle (ie between Finrod's birth and Melkor's unchaining, 958 SY in AAm vs 140 SY in my timeline). You couldn't do that: AAm Finrod is born 1600 SY after the arrival in Aman, which your version would place about 60 SY after the Silmarils were made!

So you'd have to decide what Tolkien would have shortened. Squeezing the genealogical parts of AAm down to about half their length would work; you end up with Finrod born in FA 2424, and Melkor unchained in FA 2546. That's probably the least disruptive to the story, because it maintains (as I did) the 910 SY from the unchaining of Melkor to the death of the Trees untouched.

hS

What are your impressions on this (very) unfinished attempt by myself: https://ethercalc.net/gca59xpk4mxi.html

I adopted the AAm differences in the dates of birth of Aman characters, however I multiplied the differences (for example, Fingolfin was born in YT 1190, Finarfin in 1230 = 40 old VY difference = 40 x 9.582 = 383.28 years).

What I did then was to divide, say, 383.28 years by 1.515671, which would give the difference between their birth dates as 252.87 years (rounding it down to 252 years).

How on earth did I come up with that 1.515671 conversion rate...ehhh...I'd like to answer that question, but I couldn't remember it if I banged my head against the wall .

All I know is that it made perfect sense when I came up with it .


EDIT: I also used 'YB' to denote Beleriand years, even though I'm not sure it was ever attested - but I only used it because it's simpler than 'Bel.' and looks nicer IMO.

I also massively shortened the timespan between the birth of Galadriel and the creation of the Silmarils (here, it's less than 100 years; in AAm it's over 800!).

[James the Just]

The Second Age is somewhat less than 3,456 years (432 × 8).
The Third Age is somewhat less than 3,024 years (432 × 7).

Originally Posted by JRR Tolkien - Letter 211
*I imagine the gap to be about 6000 years: that is we are now at the end of the Fifth Age, if the Ages were of about the same length as S.A. and T.A. But they have, I think, quickened; and I imagine we are actually at the end of the Sixth Age, or in the Seventh.

So the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Ages should be somewhat less than 6,480 years (432 × 15 or 8 + 7).
8 + 7 = 6 + 5 + 4.

Death of Trees is 24 VY (= 3,456 [YS]) after Awaking = VY 888. First Age should then occupy 4,032 years = 28 VY. That is 3,456 (Death of Trees) + 576 sun-years (= 4 VY). But actually war lasts until 600? So FA = 4,056 [YS] = 28[VY +]/24[YS].

If the number of years of the Years of Beleriand were only 590 then it would be 4,031 solar years from the start of that to the beginning of the Third Age.
That's one year less than 28 VY (144 × 28 = 4,032).

What is interesting is that a Great Year, or a full precession of the equinoxes, was traditionally thought to be 360 Great Days of 72 years each. This would come out to 25,920 years, or 180 VY. A Great Season, as it were, would be 6,480 years (432 × 15).
But, in actuality, a full precession cycle is closer to 25,800 years. That would make a season 6,450 years (430 × 15). Maybe that could explain why the ages are somewhat shorter.

[James the Just]

Here's an idea.

VY 1 1st Age
VY 73 2nd Age
VY 142 3rd Age
VY 208 4th Age

VY 271 1st Age
VY 331 2nd Age
VY 388 3rd Age
VY 442 4th Age
VY 493 5th Age

VY 541 1st Age
VY 586 2nd Age
VY 628 3rd Age
VY 667 4th Age
VY 703 5th Age
VY 736 6th Age

VY 766 1st Age
VY 793 2nd Age
VY 817 3rd Age
VY 838 4th Age
VY 856 5th Age
VY 871 6th Age
VY 883 7th Age
VY 892 8th Age
VY 898 9th Age

VY 901 1st Age
etc.

The entire cycle lasts for exactly 5 Great Years.