The Court was formed in the waning years of the First Age of Arda, when Morgoth, the Black Enemy, ruled the Northwest of Middle-earth, possessing the Silmaril in his Iron Crown. As is well known, after the death of the Two Trees of Valinor (which had lighted Valinor and to a lesser extent the rest of the world), the Valar created the moon and the sun, which were much brighter than the dim luminescence which had filtered to Middle-earth from Valinor and the Trees, and it blinded and drove into hiding nearly all of Morgoth's servants. Only in the night and the relative dimness of the moon could they roam abroad and cause terror, and even then they cursed the silvery lunar light, preferring overcast skies. Morgoth thought long upon this, and decided that the sun and moon too, must be destroye