Tolkien provides readers six appendices to the text of The Lord of the Rings. Although the information is not necessary to understand the main story, they add details to the history and describe the fates of many of the characters. Appendix A recounts the history of various rulers of Middle-earth, including the kings of Númenor and their descendants, the kings and stewards of Gondor, the rulers of Rohan, and the dwarves. This appendix also provides the complete history of Aragorn and Arwen’s romance, including Elrond’s initial disapproval.
Appendix B gives a chronology of major events. It begins with the most significant occurrences of the First and Second Ages, followed by a more detailed summary of the Third Age. The events of The Lord of the Rings are listed by specific date, and significant events in the lives of the characters after the end of the story are noted. Merry becomes Master of Buckland and Pippin becomes the Took, both heads of their families. Sam is elected Mayor. Aragorn brings his court north to visit occasionally and keeps in contact with the hobbits. Eventually, Sam passes the Red Book to his daughter and goes to the Havens, where the last Ringbearer also sailed to the Undying Lands. Merry and Pippin travel at last to Gondor and are laid to rest beside Aragorn. After Aragorn dies, Legolas and Gimli set sail, the last of the Fellowship to leave Middle-earth.
Appendix C provides the family trees of Frodo, Pippin, Merry and Sam, while Appendix D explains the Shire calendar and its relationship to the calendars of elves and men. Appendix E explains pronunciation and forms of writing. Appendix F explains the languages and races of Middle-earth during the time of the story, as well as commenting on some of the difficulties of translating all of these languages into modern English for today’s readers.
