The Númenóreans dwindled through wars and by marrying lesser Men. Still the Gondorian Kings were growing in power with realms that began to reach Lorien and Greenwood. "The Free Men of the North (so called by the Elves because they were not under the rule of the Dúnedain, and had not for the most part been subjected by Sauron or his servants) were spreading southwards: mostly east of the Greenwood, though some were establishing themselves in the eaves of the forest and the grasslands of the Vales of Anduin" (p. 259, Unfinished Tales).
"The Dwarves hid themselves in deep places, guarding their hoards; but when evil began to stir again and dragons reappeared, one by one their ancient treasures were plundered, and they became a wandering people" (p. 365, The Return of the King). Moria was still strong and secure but its people began to dwindle as well. But even so none could match the works of metal and stone produced by the Dwarves.
"Those were the Fading Years, and in them the last flowering of the Elves east of the Sea came to its winter. In that time the Noldor walked still in the Hither Lands, mightiest and fairest of the children of the world, and their tongues were still heard by mortal ears. Many things of beauty and wonder remained on earth in that time, and many things of evil and dread: Orcs there were and trolls and dragons, and fell beasts, and strange creatures old and wise in the woods forgotten..." (p. 299, The Silmarillion). And so it was when, around 1000, a Shadow arose.
Indeed, the forest of Greenwood the Great, the realm of King Thranduil and the Silvan Elves the darkness was first perceived. First their were rumors of wars in the East amongst Men who had served Sauron. "But there was in Thranduil's heart a deeper shadow" (p. 259, Unfinished Tales). Thranduil knew well the darkness of Sauron having fought in the Last Alliance where his father, Oropher, had died. "...A darkness crept slowly on the wood from the southward, and fear walked there in shadowy glades; fell beasts came hunting, and cruel and evil creatures laid their snares" (p. 299, The Silmarillion).
Thranduil and his people, "...retreated before it as it spread ever northward, until at last Thranduil established his realm in the north-east of the forest and delved there a fortress and great halls underground" (p. 259, Unfinished Tales). As an aside, it was super cool to meet Thranduil the Hobbit movie. Thranduil is the Elven King in the book although Tolkien did not have the intricate histories of Middle-earth fully conceived at the writing of The Hobbit. "Then the name of the forest was changed and Mirkwood it was called, for the nightshade lay deep there, and few dared to pass through, save only in the north where Thranduil's people still held the evil at bay" (p. 299, The Silmarillion).
"Whence it came few could tell, and it was long ere even the Wise could discover it. It was the Shadow of Sauron and the sign of his return. For coming out of the wastes of the East he took up his abode in the south of the forest, and slowly he grew and took shape there again; in a dark hill he made his dwelling and wrought there his sorcery, and all the folk feared the Sorcerer of Dul Guldur, and yet they knew not at first how great was their peril" (p. 299, The Silmarillion).
I love how Tolkien's works read, most of the time, as a first/second hand account of actual history. I am moved by the description of the Elves at the beginning of this post. That they attempted nothing new but lived only in memories of the past. No wonder the Elves were portrayed in sadness in Peter Jackson's theatrical interpretation. That would be a sad existence indeed. I can relate, however, as I can often live in my past (the good and bad) or on the other extreme thinking only about the future. Failing, as it were, on appreciating, living in, and enjoying Right Now. To be fair, the Elves have always been foresighted and loved Middle-earth; and those two things I think led to a sobriety among the Elves: there time was ending and the dominion of Men preparing.
Middle-earth timeline: Third Age, circa 1000
Today's reading comes from: The Return of the King, page 365, Unfinished Tales, page 259, and The Silmarillion, page 299
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