Fourth Age

E268773

The Fourth Age is the era in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth that follows the defeat of Sauron and the War of the Ring, marking the beginning of the dominion of Men and the fading of Elves and other ancient races.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf era of Middle-earth
fictional historical era
associatedWithCharacter Aragorn
Frodo Baggins
Gandalf
Gimli
King Elessar
linked to: Elessar

Legolas
Samwise Gamgee
associatedWithEvent Legolas and Gimli’s voyage West
Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor
Samwise Gamgee’s later voyage to the West
crowning of Aragorn as King Elessar
departure of the Ring-bearers from Middle-earth
diminution of the Shire’s special protection
beginsAfterEvent War of the Ring
defeat of Sauron
destruction of the One Ring
characterizedBy diminishing of magic in Middle-earth
dominion of Men
fading of the Elves
waning of other ancient races
cosmicChange Sauron is permanently overthrown
no new Dark Lord arises in Tolkien’s published canon
follows Third Age
governedBy Reunited Kingdom under King Elessar
successors of King Elessar
hasTheme end of the Elder Days
rise of Men
transition from mythic to historical time
introducedInWork The Lord of the Rings
inUniverseLocation Middle-earth
inUniverseWorld Arda
languageShift Westron and Mannish tongues dominate
mentionedIn Appendices to The Lord of the Rings
The Return of the King
The Silmarillion
Unfinished Tales
notableRaceStatus Dwarves decline in prominence
Elves largely depart Middle-earth
Hobbits remain but become hidden from Big People
partOf legendarium of J. R. R. Tolkien
powerStructureChange Rings of Power lose their power
Three Elven Rings become ineffective
linked to: Elven Ring of Power
precedes no later named Age in Tolkien’s canon
settingOf post-War of the Ring period
temporalRelationToRealWorld intended to lead toward our own historical era

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (19)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Middle-earth hasAge Fourth Age
House of Isildur timePeriod Fourth Age
House of Telcontar era Fourth Age
Elfstone timePeriodInFiction Fourth Age of Middle-earth
linked to: Fourth Age
Eldarion era Fourth Age of Middle-earth
linked to: Fourth Age
Arda hasAge Fourth Age
Belegaer era Fourth Age
Hobbiton timePeriod Fourth Age
Dwarves eraActive Fourth Age
Goldilocks Gardner in-universeTimePeriod Fourth Age of Middle-earth
linked to: Fourth Age
Hamfast Gardner generation Fourth Age
Blue Mountains existsInAge Fourth Age
Third Age precedes Fourth Age
Rose Gardner timePeriod Fourth Age of Middle-earth
linked to: Fourth Age
Merry Gardner appearsInFictionalPeriod Fourth Age of Middle-earth
linked to: Fourth Age
Bilbo Gardner in-universeEra Fourth Age of Middle-earth
linked to: Fourth Age
Took family chronologicalEra Fourth Age (early years)
subject linked to: The Took family
linked to: Fourth Age
House of Durin timePeriod Fourth Age
Dale timePeriod Fourth Age