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Exploring Tolkien's Fourth Age

© Michael Martinez

Many people are curious about how the Fourth Age would have unfolded had Tolkien written much about its history. Unfortunately for curious fans Tolkien felt the wonder of Middle-earth sort of died with Aragorn. After his time "the dynasts descended from Aragorn would become just kings and governors -- like Denethor or worse" (Tolkien, "Letters", p. 344). Tolkien did begin a story set in the Fourth Age, the working title of which was The New Shadow. This would have been a sequel to The Lord of the Rings, but he abandoned the work after only a few pages, feeling there was nothing left to say which would have been fantastic and enchanting. There was no longer a physical embodiment of evil in the world. There was no longer a universal enemy. Sauron and Melkor had both been defeated and rendered impotent, so the Free Peoples were no longer at risk of being subjugated against their wills in ways that no man could dominate others. The New Shadow would have been set in Gondor, or at least would have begun there, in the house of Borlas, the younger son of Beregond, the guardsman of the Citadel who became Captain of the White Company, Faramir's guard, after the War of the Ring. There is a problem with the dating of the story, however, in that Tolkien originally set it about 100 years after the Downfall of Sauron, at the beginning of Eldarion's reign. But years later Tolkien changed the time to 100 years after Eldarion ascended the throne. However, Tolkien retained Borlas as the primary character, and one must wonder why he would do such a thing. Borlas would have to have been about 200 years old, which is an incredibly long time for even a Dunadan to live, unless he were a descendant of Elros. Probably Borlas would have become a grandson or great-grandson of Beregond. Borlas was concerned with rumors of a strange and secret cult gaining popularity in Gondor. It had become fashionable among Gondorian boys to play at being Orcs, doing Orcish things (such as destroying trees for no apparent reason). But now men were whispering of a new leader, Herumor (which is Quenya for "dark lord"), around whom a cult had formed (Tolkien called it a Satanic cult, and presumably it would have been a revival of Morgothian worship). The story proceeds no farther than Borlas' receipt of an invitation from Saelon, a younger man who grew up with Borlas' son, to attend a secret meeting (most undoubtedly of Herumor's followers). It is not clear whether Saelon would have been a member of the cult attempting to recruit (or murder) Borlas, or if he was engaged in some campaign against the cult and required Borlas' aid.

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