The First age began when the elves awoke by the lake Cirien in Middle Earth. They were at once approached by the Valar who told them to come and live with them in the land of Aman across the newly made sea for their safety. Many elves died in the process of crossing the sea but eventually they made it. When they arrived, they found that the Valar had imprisoned Melkor. In time, the elves became skilled in art and craft and one day a young elven king named Fëanor, son of Finwe created three perfect gems from the light of the two trees. He named these the Silmarills. One day, Melkor was released from gaol on parrol. He then, killed Finwe and sturred up a rivalry between Fëanor and his brother Fingolfin. Then he lashed out and destroyed the two trees, plunging the world into darkness. Next however, he struck out at Fëanor and with the help of Ungoliant the giant spider, he stole the Silmarills. Then, Fëanor persuaded his people, the Noldor to pursue Melkor to Beleriand, cursing him as Morgoth, or "The Black Enemy". On the way to Beleriand, the Noldor stopped at the elven port city of Teleri. They asked the Teleri whether they could use their ships and the Teleri said no. So, at what is now known as the first kinslaying, The Noldor attacked the Teleri and stole their ships. Then Fëanor's host of warriors rode over the sea Beleriand in Middle Earth, leaving Fingolfin and his host behind. Fingolfin and his host were then forced to cross the Helcaraxe, or griding ice, a great, dangerous and desolate mound of ice, linking Aman and Middle Earth. This path was later destroyed. Subsequently, in the battles with Morgoth, Fëanor was slain but his sons lived on to found other realms. Meanwhile, the Valar took the last two fruit from the two trees and created the sun and the moon. The years of the sun began and after the great battles there were many long years of seige, also known as the Siege Of Angband, in which time the Edain, the first men crossed the Blue Mountains to Beleriand. When Morgoth broke the siege, one by one the elven kingdoms fell, even the hidden city of Gondolin. The only measurable success of the now united humans and elves in the war was when Beren of the Edain and Luthien Tinuvial , daughter of Thingol and Melian of the elves, stole a silmarill from the crown of Morgoth. Afterwards, Luthien and Beren died but were restored to life by the Valar in the understanding that she would become mortal and Beren would never be seen by men again. Then, Thingol, Luthien's father, argued with the dwarves of Nograd and they slew him, stealing the Silmarill. Then Beren assailed the dwarves, stole the Silmarill and gave it to Luthien. Soon Beren and Luthien died again and the Silmarill was given to their son Dior the half elf who had restored the kingdom Doriath. Fëanor's sons demanded that Dior give them the Silmarill as their father had created it but Dior refused. And so, at the second kinslaying, the sons of Fëanor destroyed Doriath and killed Dior. But Dior's young daughter Elwing escaped with the jewel. Three of Fëanor's sons, Celegorm, Curufin and Caranthir died tring to retake the jewel. Elwing then married Eärendil. but the Fëanorians again demanded that the jewel be returned to them, but their demand was rejected and so they resolved to take the Silmarill by force. This resulted in the third kinslaying and Elwing and Eärendil fled across the sea and asked the Valar for pardon and aid. The Valar then captured Gorgoth and banished him beyond the confines of the world and into the Door Of Night. The Silmarills were recovered but Beleriand sank to the bottom of the sea. Fëanor's last two sons then stole the Silmarills from the Valar but the Silmarills burned into their hands. Realising that this was a sign that the Silmarills dident belong to them, one of the two threw himself and his Silmarill into a chasm of fire, and the other threw his into the sea. So, as Eärendil died later with the Silmarill on his brow, the sea, the earth and the sky recieved one of the Silmarills each.
