Awakening of Men

The stirring of the first Men, in the far eastern land of Hildórien. The first Men - the Younger Children of Ilúvatar - appeared millennia after the Elves, at the same time that the Noldor were returning to Middle-earth far to the west.

The first Elves had awakened when Middle-earth still lay in darkness under starlight, and so they had no fear of the night. Indeed they loved the stars so fondly that Oromë called them the Eldar, the People of the Stars. Men, though, arose as the Sun first appeared, and for that reason the Elves called them the Children of the Sun, or the Night-fearers.

The earliest history of Men is lost in tale and rumour, but it is said that Melkor came to them soon after they had awakened, and sought their allegiance. Knowing no better, and being astonished by Melkor's power, it seems that many served him willingly, and so a shadow lay on the hearts of Men from the first years after their awakening. For this reason both Morgoth and Sauron found that Men could readily be made to accept them as Dark Lord.

Many of the newly-awakened Men shunned the shadow that had fallen on them, and began to spread out from Hildórien across Middle-earth. Some of these heard tales of the Powers in the distant West, and set out westward to search for the rumoured Light. Three houses of these travelling Men came at last to the Blue Mountains, and crossed them into Beleriand. These were the ancestors of the Three Houses of the Edain, and would become firm allies of the Eldar in their battle against Morgoth.