Tolkien first struck through the final sentence, and then bracketed the whole paragraph and struck it through.
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11 As first written, this date was “VY 888”; the year was then struck through and replaced with “864”, which was itself then altered to “865”.
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12 That is, 1,202 years since the Awaking of the Quendi in VY 864, and so calculated before the revision of the year to 865.
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13 That is, under the former scheme where 1 Valian Year = 10 Sun Years (löar). With the Valian year 1050 as that of the Awaking of the Elves under the “old scheme”, cf. X:71.
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14 Tolkien first wrote that the Quendi awoke in 864/1, but later changed this in blue ball-point pen to 865.
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15 As first written, the entry for 1393 began:
Valar prepare for War. Land in NW. Invest Angband. Angband held by Sauron. Melkor retreats to Utumno. They decide that Quendi must be given chance of rescue, since the War will be great and destructive.
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XIV Calculation of the Increase of the Quendi
1 Increasingly rough notes and calculations, found on the verso of what is now the last of this small bundle of sheets, and subsequently struck through in red ball-point pen, appear to be draft material for what became the first scheme presented here:
A better calculation. First Elves produce the 2nd gen. at once. It begins therefore to appear in VY 1000/9, and only takes about VY 1/9 to complete. All the 72 original pairs are wedded, and produce an average of 6 children each.
The time at which the succeeding gen. begins to produce the next gen. steadily increases: 1st gen. at once (24), 2nd gen. + 6 (30), 3rd gen. + 6 (36) 4th gen. + 6 (42), 5th gen. + 6 (48), 6th gen. + 6 (54). Average product wanes from 6 in first 3 gens. to 5 in gen. 4, to 4 in gen. 5, to 3 thereafter (6 –). Also the proportion of available pairs that actually wed is reduced: 1) the exactitude of proportion of males and females is not maintained, 2) not all can find mates, 3) various accidents. So that after the 1st gen. the pairs will be overestimated if the previous generation is divided by two. A proportion increasing from 1% through to 10% must be deducted in each generation.
Thus: First Elves. 2nd gen. appears in VY 1000/9.
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2 As first written, the average was “V2/6 = 294 löar”.
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3 The text originally continued as follows on the verso of the sheet, before the whole side was subsequently struck through in black ink:
This average V2/6 represents 294 löar, made up of 6 gestations = 54 löar + 240 löar representing five intervals of 48 löar for 5 births (60 for 4 births, 80 for 3 births, and 120 for 2 births).
1) Average production of children per pair also decreases from 6 in generations 1, 2, 3 > 5 in gen. 4 > 4 in gen. 5 > 3 thereafter in gen. 6 and subsequent gens. (at least up to arrival in Valinor).
2) After the production by the First Elves and their “destined spouses” of 2 generation the proportions of males and females varied (though remaining never v. far from equality). Not all, however, could find spouses; already a few did not desire them; and there were various accidents and losses – increasing when Sauron discovered their dwellings. So that the wedded pairs cannot be found by dividing the number of each generation by 2. A proportion beginning with 1% of 2 gen. and increasing by 1% in each succeeding generation until 10% is reached, must be deducted from the complete 100s of each generation before division by 2.
If these factors are taken into account, we shall be able to calculate with reasonable accuracy the increase of the Quendi from VY 1000 until the Finding by Oromë in V [Tolkien here leaves the date blank, presumably pending further calculation].
The First Generation or First Elves numbered 144. In V1001/90 they had completed the 2 gen. which numbered 72 × 6 = 432. Pop. 576.
The Second Generation began to appear in V1000/9. It began production of 3 gen. after 30 years from that date. In a further V2/6 it had completed the 3 gen. of 6 children per pair in V1000/39 +
The rejected text ends here, at the bottom of the page and mid-sentence. There are however two marginal notes added in red ball-point pen that read:
Time between first and last births of each generation therefore VY 2/6 – 9 = 285 löar or VY 1/141.
If VY 2/6 is [?needed] for first birth to last birth for [a] generation this will allow a small margin for [illegible].
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4 In the event, as will be seen, the first table of generations Tolkien produced following this statement actually shows 6 children per pair for generations 1 through 4, 5 in the 5th gen., 4 in the 6th gen. and 3 in the 7th gen.
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5 The clause “or any other date decided upon” is an addition in red ball-point pen, as is the tabular footnote of intervals.
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6 The population column was an addition in pencil. Beside the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gen. entries, in the left margin, Tolkien later wrote in red ball-point: “865/9 866/90”, “873/18 876/99”, and “887/27 892/108”, respectively, apparently the dates of first and last births of those generations in a revised chronology where the Elves awake in FA 865.
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7 This paragraph entered as a marginal note written in red ball-point pen.
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8 It is unclear where Tolkien’s figure of 850 years comes from. In The Annals of Aman of the early 1950s, the Elves awoke at Kuiviénen in VY 1050, and Oromë discovered them there in VY 1085 (X:71–2), which means they were left unguarded for 35 VY, which in the scheme in effect at that time was 350 sun-years. Tolkien may have forgotten that at that time the Elves did not awake in VY 1000.
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9 Tolkien here actually wrote “1388/84 + 2 VY + VY 2/84 = 1392/24”, but this is an error. The correct total is 1392/168 = 1393/24, which I have provided. Similarly, I have corrected the subsequent calculation from “VY 1392/24 + VY 2 + VY 2/84 = 1396/108”.
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10 This figure derives from the original number of children Tolkien assigned to each pair, 11, multiplied by the number of pairs, 430, and the corresponding increase of 4,730. Tolkien later changed the number of children to 12 (in accordance with the number born to each pair in the 1st and 3rd generations) and revised the increase to 5,160, but he did not revise the figure for the total population. However, he nonetheless used the new increase of 5,160 to derive the number of pairs in the 3rd gen., sc. 2,580. I have therefore let the mathematical error stand, to show the intended scheme, even though the numbers do not add up.
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11 I cannot account for the fact that immediately following this statement (which begins a new page but is not evidently a marginal note), Tolkien presents a new scheme in which the Quendi are in fact much more “prolific and precipitate” in producing offspring.
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12 The total gestations + intervals time of VY 2/18 (= 306 years) here is inconsistent with a reduction of the number of children born to each married pair, even with the increase of the individual interval from birth to next conception to 18 years. Since there is an average of 11 offspring of the 3rd gen. for each married 2nd-gen. pair, the total time of gestations should be 11 × 9 = 99 years, and the total time of intervals should be 10 × 18 = 180 years, for a total span from first conception to last birth of 279 years = VY 1/135. It appears that Tolkien has instead calculated the times as 12 gestations × 9 (= 108) + 11 intervals × 18 (= 198) = 306. It may be that Tolkien had not yet settled on the reduced number of children per pair in the 2nd–4th generations when he made these calculations; but there is no indication that the calculations of increase were a later insertion.
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13 Similarly, the figure of VY 2/84 (= 372 years) here and in the 4th gen. seems to be a calculation based on 12 gestation
s × 9 (= 108) + 11 intervals × 24 (= 264) = 372.
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14 In both cases “VY 3” as the time to maturity was altered by Tolkien from “VY 2”, and in the first case the correction was underscored in red ball-point pen.
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15 Tolkien here actually started the generations from 1, not 2; but in doing so he must have meant generations after the First Elves (who strictly speaking were not “generated” in the womb). I have altered the generation numbering to accord with that which Tolkien used everywhere else, to avoid confusion.
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16 Tolkien miscalculated the total population of the 2nd gen. as 572 (it should be 144 + 432 = 576), and carried this error through the rest of his population tally. I have corrected this error throughout.
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17 Tolkien here miscalculated 13,100 × 5 as 75,500, and thus the total as 120,634. I have corrected the error.
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XVI Note on the Youth and Growth of the Quendi
1 For the issue of ageing with respect to Maeglin, see chaps. X, “Difficulties in Chronology”, and XI, “Ageing of Elves”, above.
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2 There is nowhere any indication of just when this “nowadays” is meant to be.
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XVII Generational Schemes
1 Cf. the previous chapter.
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2 A marginal note here, subsequently struck through in pencil, read: “Marriage was soon delayed by 3 löar as usually or beyond 24.”
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3 As first written, this sentence ended: “before the ‘waning of the hröa’ was far advanced”. The last three words were struck through in ink. The words that later replaced them were added in pencil.
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4 The footnote here entered as a marginal addition in pencil against this paragraph. The main text itself here originally read: “c. age 96 (= year 24 + coimendi 72 = 24 + 5,184 = c. 10,392)”, with the various figures subsequently being altered in pencil.
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5 In this sentence “two generations” was changed in pencil from original “three generations”, and “6 children” was changed in pencil from original “9 children”.
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6 This was altered in pencil from: “the average was 6 children”. About the 5th generation Tolkien actually wrote “5⁄₆ @ 5[th gen.]”, but I interpret this as an error for 15⁄6, since the trend appears to be that the average number drops by about one third in generations succeeding the first two.
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7 That is, at 24 growth-years (löar) + 24 VY = 24 + 24 × 144 löar = 24 + 3,456 = 3,480 löar.
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8 The implication here is that Elves gestate in the womb for one sun-year, as in the previous chapter.
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9 As first written, before pencil alterations, this sentence read: “It might be extended to 1 coimen or in some cases even more”. Here, a coimen is 144 sun-years (again cf. the previous chapter).
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10 The phrase “birth to begetting” replaced the original “conception to conception” in the act of writing.
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11 As first written the final clause read: “+ 1 year at each end for gestation = 110”. Further, the text originally, before strike-through in ink and pencil, read:
But the Onnalúmë of the First Elves was only 54 [sun-years]: intervals 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 = 52 + 2 = 54. This was the Onnalúmë of the First Elves with 9 children, 2nd Elves, Third. The 4th generation produced only 6, and this remained usual average for three generations, before falling successively to 5, 4 where it long remained. Onnalúmë of the 6th gen. was intervals of 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 = 90 + 6 = 96. Onnalúmë of the 5th gen.: 12, 21, 30, 39 = 102 + 5 = 107. Onnalúmë of the 4th gen.: 24, 36, 48 = 108 [+ 4 =] 112.
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12 Tolkien actually started this sentence with: “But the Finding should be (as above) not till VY 864”, but since the only other texts in the “Time & Ageing” bundle that place the Finding in VY 864 are the generational tables that immediately follow this text in the bundle, I have removed the likely confusing direction.
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13 It is unclear to what “Older Scheme” Tolkien is here referring. In the Annals of Aman, the Eldar do not start on the Great March until VY 1105 (X:81–2). It may be noted however that in text A of chap. VII, “The Awaking of the Quendi”, above, Melkor is said to have discovered Men in VY 1080, which was 10 VY before the Valar opened their attack on Melkor.
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14 This sentence was a later addition in green ball-point pen.
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15 The father of Ingwë is nowhere else named (and is of course not found in The Silmarillion because he was there one of the First Elves and so had no parents), nor is his spouse, nor is he elsewhere than this bundle of texts identified as the father of Indis. In other somewhat contemporary sources Indis is said variously to be Ingwë’s sister (X:261–2) or niece (XII:343; and cf. XII:365). Also, in other and earlier sources, the son of Ingwë is named Ingwiel (cf. V:144, 326).
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16 This note is an addition in pencil.
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17 990 here is an error for 1000. I have not corrected it, however, because of the additional error introduced in the 4th generation.
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18 433 is an error for 423 (846 ÷ 2) and thus the number of married pairs, 428, is higher than it should be (c. 419), but Tolkien did not catch the mistake, and so all succeeding population numbers are higher than they should be (about 1,350 too high at the 29th generation).
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19 This is another miscalculation: 6,900 + 1,236 is 8,136, not 7,136; but Tolkien has carried this through the rest of the generations.
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20 This is yet another miscalculation: 10,772 + 1,188 is 11,960, not 12,160. This does however balance out the previous miscalculation.
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21 Tolkien has here miscalculated the year of first marriage as 1160 (and thus the year of first birth as 1161). The correct number (the year of the first birth of the preceding generation, plus the age at marriage) is 1164 + 96 = 1260. Tolkien has carried this error through all subsequent generations, thus miscalculating all the subsequent years of first marriages and first births. As Tolkien subsequently refers to and makes calculations with these erroneous figures, I have let them stand. The correct years of first marriages and first births for generations 21–29 should be:
21) First m. 1260 First birth 1261
22) First m. 1369 First birth 1370
23) First m. 1478 First birth 1479
24) First m. 1587 First birth 1588
25) First m. 1708 First birth 1709
26) First m. 1829 First birth 1830
27) First m. 1950 First birth 1951
28) First m. 2083 First birth 2084
29) First m. 2216 First birth 2217
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22 See the previous editorial note. Tolkien’s estimate of pre-March births are too high, if strictly determined by dividing the span of each date-range by the stated interval: by 2 or perhaps even 3 in generation 25 (intervals of 49), and by 1 or 2 in the subsequent generations (intervals of 51 and 61).
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23 Tolkien here in fact wrote that “at the Finding they were 24 + 2011 in age”, but I have altered this to avoid the confusion of the two different ages cited in this sentence, in which the first refers to age in sun-years but the second to age in Elvish life-years.
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XVIII Elvish Ages & Númenórean
1 The title as originally written was added in the top margin in red ball-point pen. The words “& Númenórean
” were added to the title, and the pages numbered, in green ball-point pen.
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2 The phrase “‘full age’ or ‘steadfast body’” is a replacement in red ball-point pen of original “maturity”.
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3 “Maturity’ or standstill” is a replacement in red ball-point pen for original “old age” and for intermediary “full age” (which was also a replacement in red ball-point pen).
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4 In later writing Elmo is the grandfather of Celeborn (not as here his father): cf. UT:233–4; also XI:350.
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5 Tolkien would later reject this parentage for Amroth: see UT:240, 244.
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6 As first written, before most of it was struck through, this concluding sentence (after the colon) read: “The following calculation is probable. Celeborn’s wife [?stole] away and left him with a son, Amroth”. In conjunction with this, it appears that the following footnote was supplied:
The Elves did not normally marry again, but after the judgement of Míriel they were permitted lawfully to do [so] if one partner deserted the other. This very seldom occurred; but in such a time of divided feelings as [the] end of [the] First Age this could occur.
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7 The parenthetical clause “i.e. not till SA 24” was a later insertion in red ball-point pen.
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8 In the first (1955) and Ballantine (1965) editions of RotK, the Tale of Years (App. B) still gave TA 100 as the year of Celebrían’s wedding to Elrond. This was changed in the second revised edition (1966) to TA 109.
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9 As first written, the text here continued:
In fact probably at the Númenórean rate of 1 year to 3 Sun-years after “full growth”, which was at elvish rate 24 years. One of the Half-elven therefore
The Nature of Middle-earth Page 42
