That's the point of the whole "...called the Third Age by some..." intro to the books. Their timeline is not a straight line - it may very well be the case in this universe that the seeds of the beginnings of certain elements of Ages to come are planted in small amounts in the past, so each succession of Ages build on one another.
In other words, there is no "beginning", but there are "beginnings". Hence, there is no FIRST Age, but there are Ages that are called "the First".
In other words, since the Creator and the Dark One exist outside of time, their activities in this universe are governed by the rules of a predestination paradox because they are simultaneously working in the past and the future.
In other words, there is no "beginning", but there are "beginnings". Hence, there is no FIRST Age, but there are Ages that are called "the First".
In other words, since the Creator and the Dark One exist outside of time, their activities in this universe are governed by the rules of a predestination paradox because they are simultaneously working in the past and the future.
That there are endlessly repeating Ages and humankind might number their respective Age how they want. However, their was of course a first 1st Age, a second first Age (which one could of course also call the "8th Age" ), and so on. In any case, nothing suggests that RJ e.g. wouldn't know which of the 7 Ages is always supposed to be our own "real life-Age".
This message last edited by Etzel on 23/04/2010 at 10:22:02 AM
thinking on the 4th-7th and 1st ages....
- 21/04/2010 10:32:38 PM
1224 Views
I don't know that there could really be a first or last Age...
- 22/04/2010 07:48:11 AM
747 Views
Yeah, it's the "third age"...
- 22/04/2010 02:13:56 PM
720 Views
Difficult to see how you can refer to a billion people as a "fringe"... *NM*
- 22/04/2010 05:02:08 PM
324 Views
You really think half of all christians believe that Earth is only 3000 years old? *NM*
- 23/04/2010 12:35:01 AM
330 Views
Last I've heard, the majority of Christians weren't fundamentalists
- 23/04/2010 01:54:04 PM
629 Views
That's not entirely right
- 22/04/2010 03:54:23 PM
674 Views
I think FT is saying that human conceptions of time don't apply to eternity.
- 22/04/2010 04:14:45 PM
613 Views
However, I think RJ definitely had an idea, what each Age of the 7 Ages is supposed to be. *NM*
- 22/04/2010 09:53:20 PM
309 Views
I don't think so.
- 22/04/2010 09:57:43 PM
591 Views
No, the point is...
- 23/04/2010 10:06:03 AM
667 Views
Not sure what your point/question is. Doesn't seem like an issue to me quite frankly 
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- 26/04/2010 04:45:21 PM
668 Views
.
- 26/04/2010 04:45:21 PM
668 Views
Well, maybe.
- 22/04/2010 06:32:05 PM
642 Views
Doesn't make sense
- 22/04/2010 09:51:55 PM
580 Views
Why?
- 22/04/2010 11:16:21 PM
611 Views
The question isn't if it would be possible for the Creator...
- 23/04/2010 08:34:23 AM
606 Views
Yes, but as we also know from the cosmology of WoT...
- 23/04/2010 09:08:58 AM
658 Views
Yeah...
- 23/04/2010 10:03:19 AM
616 Views
Why must there have been such a thing?
- 23/04/2010 07:30:02 PM
620 Views
So, you believe there never was a first 1st Age? *NM*
- 24/04/2010 08:55:45 AM
329 Views
Yes and no...
- 24/04/2010 10:55:02 PM
587 Views
Don't think so, but might be an interesting question for BS! *NM*
- 25/04/2010 09:38:09 AM
298 Views
Re: thinking on the 4th-7th and 1st ages....
- 23/04/2010 04:15:49 AM
665 Views
Can't be...
- 23/04/2010 08:27:29 AM
634 Views
Yeah, but Loial apparently read a copy of The Lord of the Rings somewhere...
- 23/04/2010 09:11:00 AM
674 Views
It's reversed...
- 23/04/2010 10:10:56 AM
737 Views
I doubt it, I don't have the books with me right now...
- 23/04/2010 07:31:34 PM
681 Views