He is among the greatest Kings of Men ever to
live. So revered among the Men of the West, it is the height of his greatest to which
Aragorn must aspire over 3000 years later. The leader of the exiles of Numenor, the
founder of the northern kingdom of Arnor, and the man who would personally
stand against Sauron in combat. Today on Nerd of the Rings, we cover
the life and travels of Elendil. Elendil is born in 3119 SA in Numenor, the only
child of Amandil, the Lord of Andunie. Despite being among the Faithful Numenoreans, Amandil
was kept on the council of King Ar-Pharazon, who belonged to the rival King’s Men faction who
turned their backs on the Valar and the elves. For Amandil and Pharazon had
once been childhood friends and Amandil was renowned as a mighty
sea-captain and held in high honor in Numenor. As for Elendil, his very name signified
his family’s allegiance to the elves. While in the elven language of Quenya Elendil
means “Lover of the Stars”, for men it meant “Elf-friend”. Ar-Pharazon would seize control of
Numenor in 3255 when Elendil is 136 years old. By this time, Elendil has two sons - Isildur who
is 46 and Anarion who is 36. Just seven years after taking the kingship, Ar-Pharazon brings to
Numenor a prisoner from Middle-earth - Sauron. Within that very year, Sauron
seduces the King with promises of worlds to rule and ever-growing power, and
the hearts of the Numenoreans are turned to the worship of Melkor - the world’s first dark
lord. All the king’s council, save for Amandil fell in line, falling for the lies of
Sauron. Amandil is dismissed from the council and withdraws to Romenna, where he secretly
begins gathering all of the Faithful Numenoreans. In 3310, Sauron convinces an aging Ar-Pharazon
that the only way to save himself from death is to conquer the lands of the
Valar. The Numenoreans begin building a massive fleet to make their assault.
Amandil, hearing of these evil deeds, resolves to sail west himself, just like
his ancestor Earendil of old - in an effort to seek the aid of the Valar. Before his
leaving, he goes to his son, telling Elendil: Then Amandil said farewell
to all his household.... Amandil takes his small ship and sails
West, and what became of him, no tale tells. Elendil follows his father’s advice, stationing
nine ships on the eastern coast of Numenor and upon those ships the Faithful put their wives
and children, their heirlooms, and great stores of goods. Many things there were of beauty and
power, such as the Númenóreans had contrived in the days of their wisdom, vessels and jewels, and
scrolls of lore written in scarlet and black. And Seven Stones they had, the gift of the Eldar; but
in the ship of Isildur was guarded the young tree, the scion of Nimloth the Fair. Thus Elendil held
himself in readiness, and did not meddle in the evil deeds of those days; and ever he looked
for a sign of his father that did not come. In 3319, the Great Armement complete, Ar-Pharazon
launches his fleet to attack Valinor. Elendil remained in Romenna, refusing the summons of the
King as he set forth to war. Hearing of this, soldiers of Sauron are sent to capture Elendil
and drag him to the fires of the Temple of Melkor. However, Elendil evades the soldiers,
taking the ships offshore and for the time, waiting. As Pharazon reaches Valinor and declares
it for his own, Eru Iluvatar intervenes. Pharazon and his soldiers are buried under the earth,
and a great devouring wave rolls over Numenor, and the island realm is taken by the sea. In the
process, Sauron’s physical form is destroyed. And whether or no it were that Amandil had indeed
come to Valinor and Manwe harkened to his prayer, Elendil and his sons and their people
are spared from the ruin of that day. For when the great wave took the island
realm, a great wind - wilder than any wind man had ever known, roared from the west and
swept the ships of the Faithful far away. So strong it was that their sails
were rent and their masts snapped. Scattered by the storm, the ships
of Elendil, Isildur, and Anarion finally come to the shores of Middle-earth.
Isildur and Anarion’s five ships are taken south where they would found the realm of Gondor.
Elendil’s four ships are taken north, where he founds the realm of Arnor. Upon landing on the
shores of Middle-earth, Elendil, exiled from the fallen Numenor proclaims: "Et Eärello Endorenna
utúlien. Sinome maruvan ar Hildinyar tenn' Ambar-metta" ("Out of the Great Sea
to Middle-earth I am come. In this place will I abide, and my heirs,
unto the ending of the world") In his northern realm, Elendil constructs the
capital city of Annuminas. Throughout both Arnor and Gondor, great towers are constructed
which house the seven Palantiri saved from the downfall of Numenor. In the south, seeing stones
are placed in Minas Ithil where Isildur also planted the seedling of Nimloth, Osgiliath, Minas
Anor, and Orthanc. In Elendil’s realm, he places stones in Annuminas, the watchtower of Amon Sul,
and the tower of Elostirion in the Emyn Beraid. The white towers of Emyn Beraid are built by
Gil-galad for his friend Elendil. And both tower and stone were maintained and guarded by the
elf lord Cirdan the Shipwright. And while the other six stones were used to communicate with
one another and see across their realms, it is said that Elendil used the Elostirion stone to
look back along the Straight Road across the sea to Eressea in the undying lands, where the master
stone still dwelt. And though he tried, Elendil could not see the fallen Numenor with the palantir
that would come to be known as the Elendil stone. Thus the peoples of Gondor and Arnor would thrive
and build their new realms in peace for over 100 years - Isildur and Anarion serving as kings of
Gondor, while Elendil is the High King over both great realms of men. Presumably, it is during
these years that Elendil writes the account of the Downfall of Numenor - or what we know as
the text of the Akallabeth in The Silmarillion. It is also through Elendil’s efforts
that the tale of Aldarion and Erendis is preserved, though he did
not write the account himself. However, the time of peaceful growth would come
to an end with the return of an old foe. For Sauron would return, his spirit coming back
to Middle-earth. No longer capable of taking fair form, he instead turns from methods
of deception to methods of fear and force. In 3429, Sauron attacks Minas Ithil, seizing the
city and causing Isildur to flee with his family and a seedling of the white tree of Gondor. As
Anarion is left in charge of Gondor, holding out against Sauron, Isildur flees north, sailing
to the shores of Arnor. Coming to his father, he tells Elendil the news of Sauron’s attack.
In response, Elendil turns to his elven friend. Now Elendil and Gil-galad took counsel
together, for they perceived that Sauron would grow too strong and would
overcome all his enemies one by one, if they did not unite against him. Therefore
they made that League which is called the Last Alliance, and they marched east into Middle-earth
gathering a great host of Elves and Men; and they halted for a while at Imladris. It is
said that the host that was there assembled was fairer and more splendid in arms than any
that has since been seen in Middle-earth, and none greater has been mustered since the
host of the Valar went against Thangorodrim. Gil-galad meets Elendil at Amon Sul, and there, in
3430 they form the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Elendil binds the alliance with a great oath, invoking the name of Eru as witness. Their
combined force marches to Imladris where they spend the next three years forging weapons and
making battle plans for their war upon Sauron. Finally, in 3434, they cross the Misty Mountains,
turning south toward Mordor. Sauron burns the lands of the entwives in an effort to slow their
march. But the alliance, now joined by elves from Greenwood and Lorien, as well as dwarves of
Khazad-dum, marches on, finally coming to the Black Gate of Mordor. Elendil is joined there by
Anarion’s forces from the south. And despite heavy losses on both sides, the alliance is victorious
and continues on to the very tower of Barad-dur. Elendil and Gil-galad’s armies make camp upon the
plains of Gorgoroth and for the next seven years, they lay siege to the dark tower. In the sixth
year of the siege, Elendil’s youngest son Anarion is killed by a rock thrown from the tower.
Finally, in 3441, Sauron issues forth with a small host of his followers, driving back the
alliance forces to the very slopes of Mount Doom. There, the two great kings - Elendil and Gil-galad would fight the dark lord
face to face in single combat. But at the last the siege was so
strait that Sauron himself came forth; and he wrestled with Gil-galad and
Elendil, and they both were slain, and the sword of Elendil broke under him as
he fell. But Sauron also was thrown down. Elendil and Gil-galad give their lives to
defeat Sauron. Elendil killed by a strike from the dark lord, and Gil-galad’s face scorched
by the heat of Sauron’s hand. In that moment, as Sauron is also thrown down, Isildur takes
the broken hilt shard of his father’s blade and cuts the ruling ring from Sauron’s hand.
Sauron abandons his broken body, his spirit fleeing, and Isildur claims the One Ring as
weregild for his fallen father and brother. Isildur buries his father’s remains on the top of
a hill between the Gondorian realms of Calenardhon and Anorien. Isildur would order
that the location be kept secret, and only the kings and later ruling stewards
would ever venture there when in need of wisdom or in days of danger or distress. The rulers would
also take their full-grown heirs to the tomb of Elendil where they would tell them of the making
of the tomb and matters of which they should know. In time, the memorial mound would
come to be covered in white flowers of alfirin, known to men as the Simbelmyne. Over 2500 years (2510 TA) after Elendil’s death,
Ruling Steward Cirion of Gondor would bring Eorl the Young to the summit of Amon Anwar. There, they
would pledge an oath and like Elendil before him, Cirion calls Eru himself as witness to their
pledge - forming Eorl’s new kingdom of Rohan and swearing the kingdoms to aid
one another in all days to come. Now that Gondor was no longer the
same realm as in the days of Isildur, Cirion removes the tomb of Elendil and places
the casket in the Hallows of the Rath Dinen, the resting place of the
kings and rulers of Gondor. We also know there would be at least one statue of
Elendil, which stood in the halls of Minas Tirith. While his body would lie in Minas Tirith,
Elendil’s legacy would reach far beyond its walls. His name would be held in special
reverence, and none among the Dunedain would ever be named Elendil after him. He would
also live on in the memory of his enemy. For Sauron hated and feared the line of
Elendil and his sword that had maimed him. Both would come to haunt him in the War of the
Ring, with the rise of Aragorn - Elendil’s great grandson by 39 generations who would wield both
the reforged Anduril and use his ancestor’s name as a battle cry. When the dark lord meets his
uttermost defeat, Aragorn is crowned High King of the reunited kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor just
as his famous ancestor. During his coronation, Aragorn Elessar spoke the words of Elendil:
Out of the Great Sea to Middle-earth I am come. In this place will I abide, and my
heirs, unto the ending of the world… as always i want to say a huge thank you to my
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