Dates for Ar Pharazon's taking Sauron prisoner

[elfscribe]

Hi guys - just wondering if anyone knows the answer to this one.

I note in the the RotK appendices that Ar-Pharazon lands at Umbar in 3261. Some other source I read (don't make me look it up) says that it took him 7 days to march inland and set up his circus of tents in many colors. But then supposedly Sauron wasn't taken prisoner until 3262. So wtf was going on in the meantime? I'm solving the problem by making the whole episode happen near the end of the year so it can happen in only a matter of a couple of weeks. Although, it probably doesn't make sense for Ar-Pharazon to set out for a big battle like this in winter seas.
Oh well, if anyone has anything enlightening to say, have at it. Otherwise I'm going with my version.

[Darth Fingon]

Dec 11, 2008 19:29:27 GMT -6 elfscribe said:

Hi guys - just wondering if anyone knows the answer to this one.

I note in the the RotK appendices that Ar-Pharazon lands at Umbar in 3261. Some other source I read (don't make me look it up) says that it took him 7 days to march inland and set up his circus of tents in many colors. But then supposedly Sauron wasn't taken prisoner until 3262.

This could very well be a case of Tolkien's Patented Illogical Chronology. See other examples: it takes five years, according to some timelines, between the end of the War of Wrath and the beginning of the Second Age. It takes a year for the refugees of Gondolin to walk to Avernien. The War of Wrath spans exactly 50 years, and most important events happened (and most important characters were born) in years with conveniently round numbers.

All of this despite the Elves working on a base-twelve mathematical system rather than base-ten (so a number like 100 would have no special significance to them: it would be as important as 84 is to us).

I treat them all as epic approximations, not exact dates.

[elfscribe]

Thanks for the note Darth. I feel reassured. Sometimes trying to stay with canon is a pain in the backside.