It was the greatest of all the realms of Men. A shining beacon in the world of Arda. The island kingdom that would show the heights
the race of Men could achieve...and the depths to which they could fall. Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we’re doing
an overview of the great second age kingdom of Numenor. Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we cover the
Rise and Fall of Numenor. At the end of the First Age, with the lands
of Beleriand destroyed by the War of Wrath, the map of Arda is forever changed. While most of the change would be a loss of
land, there is an exception - an island southwest of the mainland of Middle-earth. This island is a gift of the Valar to the
Edain - the men of the First Age who fought with the Host of Valinor against Morgoth. These men are led by Elros, the brother of
Elrond, who chose to be counted among men. They sail from the coast of Middle-earth,
following the Star of Earendil, Elros’ father, arriving in the year 32 of the Second Age. The island comes to be known as Numenor, and
Elros is its first King, leading his people for the next 410 years, before dying at the
age of 500 (442 SA). The Numenoreans would come to be known as
the mightiest of men in both their nobility and their physical stature, believed to have
a typical height of around 7 feet tall. Over their early centuries, they develop a
close friendship with the Eldar of Tol Eressea, who bear many gifts to the island - giving
the Numenoreans birds, plants, lore, skills, and most notably the White Tree of Nimloth
- the ancestor of the White Trees of Gondor. First in a long line of Kings, Elros takes
on the royal name of Tar-Minyatur, a Quenya title meaning “High First-Lord”. Throughout history, taking a Quenya title
would be a tradition of the Kings and Queens of Numenor. The Numenoreans would become excellent ship-builders
and mariners. The only restriction on their seafaring was
the Ban of the Valar - which decreed that they should not sail west so far that their
own coasts could not be seen. Due to the Ban, they choose instead to explore
the world to the east, coming to the shores of Middle-earth in 600 SA. They sail to the realm of Lindon and establish
a close friendship with High King Gil-galad and the elves of his realm. The Numenoreans also came to meet the Men
of Middle-earth, who had long lived under a Shadow. They discover that while their languages are
different, they share a common origin, and have many common words. Starting from simple conversations, they become
friends, and the Numenoreans teach their new allies things such as agriculture and the
working of iron. The Men of Middle-earth come to revere these
tall sea-kings, even thinking of them as gods in the times between the Numenorean voyages
to their shores. In 750 SA, Prince Aldarion founds the Guild
of Venturers - a group of mariners that would accompany him on his voyages to Middle-earth,
and participate in the building of greater and greater ships. Aldarion not only sails to Lindon, but also
establishes the haven of Vinyalonde where the Gwathlo River meets the sea. We’ll cover the story of Aldarion and Erendis
in a future video, so for today’s summary of Numenor, we will stick to our overview
of the events in the Kingdom. Due to an order of his father, Tar-Meneldur,
Aldarion was no longer permitted to fell trees in Numenor to build his ships, leading the
mariner to take trees from the areas of Minhiriath and Enedwaith. This development would come to fuel animosity
between the native men and the Numenoreans. These Middle-men would eventually begin to
attack and ambush the Numenoreans when they could, leading the Numenoreans to drive deeper
into the mainland, expelling their attackers from their forest homes. This animosity would enture throughout the
centuries, to the very conflicts in the War of the Ring - as the Dunlendings ally with
Saruman. In 882 SA, Tar-Meneldur receives a warning,
and a plea for future help from Gil-galad. The elf king warns of a new shadow rising
in the East, some dark servant of Morgoth. In response, Tar-Meneldur gives the sceptre
to his son, making Tar-Aldarion the Sixth King of Numenor - for his experience in Middle-earth
would be needed in what was to come. The Numenoreans begin preparing forces and
supplies in case of war. By the early 1200s, Numenor makes permanent
settlements in Middle-earth. As Sauron nears his eventual invasion of Eriador,
he uses the animosity of the Middle-men toward Numenor for his advantage, sending them on
raids against these settlements and disrupting their lumber industry. Finally, in 1695, long after Aldarion’s
time, Tar-Minastir, the 11th King of Numenor, receives word from Gil-Galad. Sauron (who by this time has forged the One
Ring) has invaded Eriador. The time for Numenor’s aid had finally come. As Sauron continues his devastating march
through Eriador, the Numenoreans finally arrive with tremendous force in 1700 SA. Their fleet turns the tide of the war, and
Sauron is decisively defeated in the Battle of the Gwathlo in 1701. The dark lord retreats to Mordor, vowing vengeance
upon Numenor. It is said that in the very reign of Tar-Minastir,
a shadow begins to fall upon Numenor. While the king was a friend of the Eldar and
cared greatly for them, he also begrudged them of their immortality. Over the years, this envy also grew in the
hearts of the men of Numenor. By 1800, they begin establishing dominions
on the coasts of Middle-earth, and their views toward the Men of those lands changed. Rather than being teachers and friends, they
sought to set themselves above these men, making them subjects and requiring tribute. The reign of Tar-Atanamir, the 13th king,
marks a turning of the tide in Numenor. During this time, those that followed the
king spoke openly against the Valar and the Eldar, though they still honored the Ban of
the Valar out of fear. In 2221 SA, under the 14th king, Tar-Ancalimon,
the Numenoreans are divided into two parties - the King’s Men, who followed the King
and his teachings, and the Faithful - or elf-friends - who remained true to the Valar and the Eldar. The King’s Men would explore the coasts
along the south of Middle-earth, far from the elves, making trading posts into cruel
vice-kingdoms, such as Umbar. Meanwhile, (2350), the Faithful Numenoreans
build the great port city of Pelargir, in what would one day become Gondor. The pride and cruelty of the Kings of Numenor
and their men would grow over the coming centuries, hitting a new level in 2899, when the son
of King Tar-Ardamin ascends to the throne. This 20th king of Numenor forsakes the Quenya
naming of his fathers and instead takes the Adunaic name Ar-Adunakhor - a blasphemous
name, meaning “Lord of the West” - a title properly referring to Manwe, the lord of the
Valar. Ar-Adunakhor forbids his people from speaking
the elven tongue and begins persecuting the Faithful, leading the elven ships from Tol
Eressea to come only in secret, and very seldom. The Faithful would not have hope in their
own lands until 3177 SA, when the 24th King would come of their own people. Tar-Palantir, “the Far-sighted”, would
be taught in secret by his mother of the friendship of the elves and some of Numenor’s former
glory would be restored. During his rule, the White Tree would be properly
tended and he would once again take part in the three annual religious ceremonies of their
people. Tar-Palantir’s foresight led him to conclude
that should the White Tree ever perish, the line of the Kings of Numenor would also come
to an end. With the King’s Men greater in number and
their ways entrenched in the lands, Tar-Palantir’s rule is met with both strife and rebellion. Despite being a just and good ruler, the Valar
did not respond to Tar-Palantir’s repentance on behalf of his people. Too great was the hostility of his people
toward the Valar, and the insolence of the kings before him. Chief among those against the king were his
brother and nephew, Gimilkhad and Ar-Pharazon. When Tar-Palantir dies in 3255, his daughter,
Tar-Miriel had the right to the throne and thus should have become the fourth Ruling
Queen of Numenor. However, her cousin Ar-Pharazon leads a rebellion,
takes her unwillingly as his wife, and claims the sceptre for his own, declaring himself
Ar-Pharazon the Golden. By 3261, Sauron had begun to declare himself
King of Men and Lord of the Earth, among other titles, and began boasting of his desire to
destroy Numenor. Enraged at this and Sauron’s attacks upon
Numenorean settlements in Middle-earth, Ar-Pharazon sails with a mighty force to challenge the
Dark Lord himself. So mighty was the army of Numenor that the
servants of Sauron fled before any battle had even begun. Realizing the futility of fighting, Sauron
instead submits to Ar-Pharazon and is taken as prisoner back to Numenor (3262). In a remarkably short timespan, Sauron goes
from captive to chief advisor to the king. With his lies and deceit, he poisons the mind
of the king and leads the greater part of Numenoreans to the worship of Morgoth. For now, having the ears of men, Sauron with
many arguments gainsaid all that the Valar had taught; and he bade men think that in
the world, in the east and even in the west, there lay yet many seas and many lands for
their winning, wherein was wealth uncounted. And still, if they should at the last come
to the end of those lands and seas, beyond all lay the Ancient Darkness. With the words of Sauron in his ear, Ar-Pharazon
leads his people to become even more warlike and brutal. They hunt the men of Middle-earth and make
them into slaves. He also builds a 500 foot temple on the island
for the worship of Melkor. There, they would practice human sacrifice
- most often of the Faithful Numenoreans. In another sacrifice to Melkor, Ar-Pharazon
has the white tree of Nimloth cut down and burned in the temple. Luckily, Isildur - the very same who would
later claim the One Ring, saved a fruit from the tree at great personal risk, which allowed
the ancient line of the trees to live on. By 3310 of the Second Age, Ar-Pharazon is
nearing 200 years old and the shadow of death begins to loom over him. Playing upon his fear of death, Sauron convinces
Ar-Pharazon that he should make war upon the For the next nine years, the king builds up
an armada, known as the Great Armament. In 3319, he boards his flagship and sails
toward Aman. Sauron remains behind, delighting in the chaos
and darkness he had wrought from within. Ar-Pharazon lands on the shores of Aman and
makes camp at the hill of Tuna. In this moment, Iluvatar opens a massive chasm
in the sea, swallowing the fleet of Numenor. Ar-Pharazon and his host on the land is buried
under falling hills and the shape of the world is changed from flat to round, with Aman and
Tol Eressea being made so that no mortal sailor could ever reach the Undyling Lands again. Meanwhile, in Numenor, the island is covered
by massive waves and sinks into the abyss below, under the sea. As the catastrophe comes upon her homeland,
Tar-Miriel rushes to reach the sacred peak of Meneltarma, but is taken by a great wave. Sauron is in the Temple of Melkor as the waves
come for the island. His body is destroyed, but his spirit survives. He would return to Mordor in 3320. Unable to ever again assume his fair form,
he abandons his previous tactics of secrecy and treachery, and begins to rule through
terror and force, much like his master before him. Precious few Numenoreans survived the destruction
of their Kingdom. The most famous of which were Elendil and
his sons Isildur and Anarion, with their nine ships of the Faithful. Aside from the faithful, there were other
Numenoreans who survived - those who already dwelt in the settlements of Middle-earth and
were among the King’s Men. These men continue their loyalty to Sauron,
and come to be known as the Black Numenoreans. It was one of the Black Numenoreans who would
become the Mouth of Sauron. As for the Faithful, they would bring the
seedling of Nimloth, the seven palantiri, and other important artifacts to Middle-earth
as they are cast ashore by the tumultuous storm that destroyed their home. They establish the Numenorean realms in exile:
Arnor and Gondor - realms that would play vital roles in the remainder of the Second
Age, and beyond. Numenor would from then on be known as Akallabeth
or Atalante - meaning “the Downfallen”. Ever after, the survivors of Numenor would
yearn for their lost home. Elendil would gaze into one of the palantiri
in an attempt to see the island of his youth, only to see the waters where it had been. In later days after the Fall, those who survived
Numenor’s destruction came to believe that the sacred mountain of Meneltarma survived
the destruction and was raised to be an island of its own. Over time, Elendil’s heirs would once again
build great ships in search of the mountain, but they would not find any such land. They would sail west only to discover that
the world was now round, and that their great island realm was truly gone forever. Never again would the kingdoms of men reach
such heights as Numenor, though over the years, among their people, their rulers, and their
kings, there would be glimpses of the greatness of old. The remnants of Numenor living on in the Dunedain
- the Men of the West of Gondor and Arnor. Now this is just the first in what I’m sure
will be many videos on Numenor. There’s some great stories and lore to cover
for this incredible island realm, so if you have a topic or character you’d like to
see covered, let me know in the comments.
