▁the ▁Four th ▁Age ▁or ▁even ▁later : ▁" For ▁many ▁thousands ▁of ▁years ▁have ▁passed ▁since ▁the ▁fall ▁of ▁G ond olin ." ▁( The ▁L ham mas , ▁p .   1 8 0 ). ▁No ▁aut ograph ▁manuscript s ▁of ▁the ▁L ham mas ▁of ▁P eng ol od h ▁were ▁left ; ▁the ▁three ▁manuscript s ▁we ▁possess ▁come ▁from ▁the ▁original ▁manuscript ▁through ▁an ▁unknown ▁number ▁of ▁intermediate ▁copies . ▁ ▁Con cept ▁and ▁creation ▁The ▁L ham mas ▁was ▁written ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 7 . ▁It ▁exists ▁in ▁two ▁versions , ▁the ▁shorter ▁one ▁being ▁called ▁the ▁L amm as ath en . ▁Both ▁are ▁published , ▁as ▁edited ▁by ▁Christopher ▁Tol k ien , ▁in ▁The ▁Lost ▁Road . ▁ ▁The ▁L ham mas ▁and ▁related ▁writ ings ▁like ▁" The ▁Et ym ologies " ▁illustrate ▁Tol k ien ' s ▁conception ▁of ▁the ▁languages ▁of ▁Middle - ear th ▁as ▁a ▁language ▁family ▁analog ous ▁to ▁Ind o - Europe an , ▁with ▁diver ging ▁branches ▁and ▁sub - branch es ▁— ▁though ▁for ▁the ▁imm ort al ▁El ves ▁the ▁proto - language ▁is ▁remembered ▁rather ▁than ▁re construct ed . ▁This ▁" con cept ▁of ▁increasing ▁separation " ▁was ▁also ▁employed ▁for ▁the ▁Sund ering ▁of ▁the ▁El ves ▁in ▁Tol k ien ' s ▁legend arium . ▁ ▁Ó san we - k enta ▁The ▁Ó san we - k enta , ▁or ▁En qu iry ▁into ▁the ▁Communic ation