Concerning
the sources for most of the matter contained in the following Appendices,
especially A to D, see the note at the end of the Prologue. The section A III, Durin's Folk, was probably derived from
Gimli the Dwarf, who maintained his friendship with Peregrin and Meriadoc and
met them again many times in Gondor and Rohan.
The
legends, histories, and lore to be found in the sources are very extensive.
Only selections from them, in most places much abridged, are here presented.
Their principal purpose is to illustrate the War of the Ring and its origins,
and to fill up some of the gaps in the main story. The ancient legends of the
First Age, in which Bilbo's chief interest lay, are very briefly referred to,
since they concern the ancestry of Elrond and the Númenorean kings and
chieftains. Actual extracts from longer annals and tales are placed within
quotation marks. Insertions of later date are enclosed in brackets. Notes
within quotation marks are found in the sources. Others are editorial.[1]
The dates
given are those of the Third Age, unless they are marked S.A. (Second Age) or
F.A. (Fourth Age).[2] The Third Age was held to have
ended when the Three Rings passed away in September 3021, but for the purposes
of records in Gondor F.A.1 began on March 25, 3021. On the equation of the
dating of Gondor and Shire Reckoning see Vols. I 23 and III 486. In lists the
dates following the names of kings and rulers are the dates of their deaths, if
only one date is given. The sign † indicates a
premature death, in battle or otherwise, though an annal of the event is not
always included.
Fëanor was
the greatest of the Eldar in arts and lore, but also the proudest and most
selfwilled. He wrought the Three Jewels, the Silmarilli, and filled them with the radiance of the Two Trees,
Telperion and Laurelin,[3] that gave light to the land of the
Valar. The Jewels were coveted by Morgoth the Enemy, who stole them and, after
destroying the Trees, took them to Middle-earth, and guarded them in his great
fortress of Thangorodrim.[4] Against the will of the Valar
Fëanor forsook the Blessed Realm and went in exile to Middle-earth, leading
with him a great part of his people; for in his pride he purposed to recover
the Jewels from Morgoth by force. Thereafter followed the hopeless war of the
Eldar and the Edain against Thangorodrim, in which they were at last utterly
defeated. The Edain (Atani) were three peoples of Men who, coming first to the
West of Middle-earth and the shores of the Great Sea, became allies of the
Eldar against the Enemy.
There were
three unions of the Eldar and the Edain: Lúthien and Beren; Idril and Tuor;
Arwen and Aragorn. By the last the long-sundered branches of the Half-elven
were reunited and their line was restored.
Lúthien
Tinúviel was the daughter of King Thingol Grey-cloak of Doriath in the First
Age, but her mother was Melian of the people of the Valar. Beren was the son of
Barahir of the First House of the Edain. Together they wrested a silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth.[5] Lúthien became mortal and was lost
to Elven-kind. Dior was her son. Elwing was his daughter and had in her keeping
the silmaril.
Idril
Celebrindal was the daughter of Turgon, king of the hidden city of Gondolin.[6] Tuor was the son of Huor of the
House of Hador, the Third House of the Edain and the most renowned in the wars
with Morgoth. Eärendil the Mariner was their son.
Eärendil wedded Elwing, and with the power of
the silmaril passed the Shadows[7] and came to the Uttermost West, and
speaking as ambassador of both Elves and Men obtained the help by which Morgoth
was overthrown. Eärendil was not permitted to return to mortal lands, and his
ship bearing the silmaril was set to
sail in the heavens as a star, and a sign of hope to the dwellers in
Middle-earth oppressed by the Great Enemy of his servants.[8] The silmarilli alone preserved the ancient light of the Two Trees of
Valinor before Morgoth poisoned them; but the other two were lost at the end of
the Firth Age. Of these things the full tale, and much else concerning Elves
and Men, is told in The Silmarillion.
The sons of
Eärendil were Elros and Elrond, the Peredhil
or Half-elven. In them alone the line of the heroic chieftains of the Edain in
the First Age was preserved; and after the fall of Gil-galad[9] the lineage of the High-elven Kings
was also in Middle-earth only represented by their descendants.
At the end
of the First Age the Valar gave to the Half-elven an irrevocable choice to
which kindred they would belong. Elrond chose to be of Elven-kind, and became a
master of wisdom. To him therefore was granted the same grace as to those of
the High Elves that still lingered in Middle-earth: that when weary at last of
the mortal lands they could take ship from the Grey Havens and pass into the
Uttermost West; and this grace continued after the change of the world. But to
the children of Elrond a choice was also appointed: to pass with him from the
circles of the world; or if they remained, to become mortal and die in
Middle-earth. For Elrond, therefore, all chances of the War of the Ring were
fraught with sorrow.[10]
Elros chose
to be of Man-kind and remain with the Edain; bet a great life-span was granted
to him many times that of lesser men.
As a reward
for their sufferings in the cause against Morgoth, the Valar, the Guardians of
the World, granted to the Edain a land to dwell in, removed from the dangers of
Middle-earth. Most of them, therefore, set sail over Sea, and guided by the
Star of Eärendil came to the great Isle of Elenna, westernmost of all Mortal
lands. There they founded the realm of Númenor.
There was a
tall mountain in the midst of the land, the Meneltarma, and from its summit the
farsighted could descry the white tower of the Haven of the Eldar in Eressëa.
Thence the Eldar came to the Edain and enriched them with knowledge and many
gifts; but one command had been laid upon the Númenoreans, the ‘Ban of the
Valar’: they were forbidden to sail west out of sight of their own shores or to
attempt to set foot on the Undying Lands. For though a long span of life had
been granted to them, in the beginning thrice that of lesser Men, they must
remain mortal, since the Valar were not permitted to take from them the Gift of
Men (or the Doom of Men, as it was afterwards called).
Elros was the first King of Númenor, and was
afterwards known by the High-elven name Tar-Minyatur. His descendants were
long-lived but mortal. Later when they became powerful they begrudged the
choice of their forefather, desiring the immortality within the life of the
world that was the fate of the Eldar, and murmuring against the Ban. In this
way began their rebellion which, under the evil teaching of Sauron, brought
about the Downfall of Númenor and the ruin of the ancient world, as is told in
the Akallabêth.
These are the names of the Kings and Queens of
Númenor: Elros
Tar-Minyatur, Vardamir, Tar-Amandil, Tar‑Elendil, Tar-Meneldur,
Tar-Aldarion, Tar-Ancalimë (the first Ruling Queen). Tar-Anárion, Tar-Súrion,
Tar‑Telperiën (the second Queen), Tar-Minastir, Tar-Ciryatan,
Tar-Atanamir the Great, Tar-Ancalimon, Tar‑Telemmaitë, Tar-Vanimeldë (the
third Queen), Tar-Alcarin, Tar-Calmacil.
After
Calmacil the Kings took the sceptre in names of the Númenorean (or Adûnaic)
tongue: Ar-Adûnakhôr, Ar-Zimrathôn, Ar-Sakalthôr, Ar-Gimilzôr, Ar-Inziladûn.
Inziladûn repented of the ways of the Kings and changed his name to
Tar-Palantir ‘The Farsighted'. His daughter should have been the fourth Queen,
Tar-Míriel, but the King's nephew usurped the sceptre and became Ar-Pharazôn
the Golden, last King of the Númenoreans.
In the days of Tar-Elendil the first snips of
the Númenoreans came back to Middle-earth. His elder child was a daughter,
Silmariën. Her son was Valandil, first of the Lords of Andúnië in the west of
the land, renowned for their friendship with the Eldar. From him were descended
Amandil, the last lord, and his son Elendil the Tall.
The sixth King left only one child, a daughter.
She became the first Queen; for it was then made a law of the royal house that
the eldest child of the King, whether man or woman, should receive the sceptre.
The realm
of Númenor endured to the end of the Second Age and increased ever in power and
splendour, and until half the Age had passed the Númenoreans grew also in
wisdom and joy. The first sign of the shadow that was to fall upon them
appeared in the days of Tar-Minastir, eleventh King. He it was that sent a
great force to the aid of Gil‑galad. He loved the Eldar but envied them.
The Númenoreans had now become great mariners, exploring all the seas eastward,
and they began to yearn for the West and the forbidden waters; and the more
joyful was their life, the more they began to long for the immortality of the
Eldar.
Moreover,
after Minastir the Kings became greedy of wealth and power. At first the
Númenoreans had come to Middle-earth as teachers and friends of lesser Men
afflicted by Sauron; but now their havens became fortresses, holding wide
coast-tends in subjection. Atanamir and his successors levied heavy tribute,
and the ships of the Númenoreans returned laden with spoil.
It was
Tar-Atanamir who first spoke openly against the Ban and declared that the life
of die Eldar was his by right. Thus the shadow deepened, and the thought of
death darkened the hearts of the people. Then the Númenoreans became divided:
on the one hand were the Kings and those who followed them, and were estranged
from the Eldar and the Valar; on the other were the few who called themselves
the Faithful. They lived mostly in the west of the land.
The Kings
and their follower little by little abandoned the use of the Eldarin tongues;
and at last the twentieth King took his royal name, in Númenorean form, calling
himself Ar-Adûnakhôr, 'Lord of the West'. This seemed ill-omened to the
Faithful for hitherto they had given that title only to one of the Valar, or to
the Elder King himself.[11] And indeed Ar-Adûnakhôr began to
persecute the Faithful and punished those who used the Elven-tongues openly;
and the Eldar came no more to Númenor.
The power
and wealth of the Númenoreans nonetheless continued to increase; but their
years lessened as their fear of death grew, and their joy departed.
Tar-Palantir attempted to amend the evil; but it was too late, and there was
rebellion and strife in Númenor. When he died, his nephew, leader of the
rebellion, seized the sceptre, and became King Ar-Pharazôn. Ar-Pharazôn the
Golden was the proudest and most powerful of all the Kings, and no less than
the kingship of the world was his desire.
He resolved
to challenge Sauron the Great for the supremacy in Middle-earth, and at length
he himself set sail with a great navy, and he landed at Umbar. So great was the
might and splendour of the Númenoreans that Sauron's own servants deserted him;
and Sauron humbled himself, doing homage, and craving pardon. Then Ar-Pharazôn
in the folly of his pride carried him back as a prisoner to Númenor. It was not
long before he had bewitched the King and was master of his counsel; and soon
he had tamed the hearts of all the Númenoreans, except the remnant of the
Faithful, back towards the darkness.
And Sauron
lied to the King, declaring that everlasting life would be his who possessed
the Undying Lands, and that the Ban was imposed only to prevent the Kings of
Men from surpassing the Valar. 'But great Kings take what is their right,' be
said.
At length
Ar-Pharazôn listened to this counsel, for he felt the waning of his days and
was besotted by the fear of Death. He prepared then the greatest armament that
the world bad seen, and when all was ready he sounded his trumpets and set
sail; and he broke the Ban of the Valar, going up with war to wrest everlasting
life from the Lords of the West But when Ar-Pharazôn set foot upon the shores
of Aman the Blessed, the Valar laid down their Guardianship and called upon the
One, and the world was changed. Númenor was thrown down and swallowed in the Sea,
and the Undying Lands were removed for ever from the circles of the world. So
ended the glory of Númenor.
The last
leaders of the Faithful, Elendil and his sons, escaped from the Downfall with
nine ships, bearing a seedling of Nimloth, and the Seven Seeing-stones (gifts
of the Eldar to their House);[12] and they were borne on the wings of
a great storm and cast up on the shores of Middle-earth. There they established
in the North-west the Númenorean realms in exile, Arnor and Gondor.[13] Elendil was the High King and dwelt
in the North at Annúminas; and the rule in the South was committed to his sons,
Isildur and Anárion. They founded there Osgiliath, between Minas Ithil and
Minas Anor,[14] not far from the confines of
Mordor. For this good at least they believed lad come out of ruin, that Sauron
also had perished.
But it was
not so. Sauron was indeed caught in the wreck of Númenor, so that the bodily
form in which he long had walked perished; but he fled back to Middle-earth, a
spirit of hatred borne upon the dark wind. He was unable ever again to assume a form that seemed fair to men,
but became black and hideous, and his power thereafter was through terror
alone. He re-entered Mordor, and hid there for a time in silence. But his anger
was great when he learned that Elendil whom be most hated, had escaped him, and
was now ordering a realm upon his borders.
Therefore,
after a time he made war upon the Exiles, before they should take root.
Orodruin burst once more into flame, and was named anew in Gondor Amon Amarth, Mount Doom. But Sauron
struck too soon, before his own power was rebuilt, whereas the power of
Gil-galad had increased in his absence; and in the Last Alliance that was made
against him Sauron was overthrown and the One Ring was taken from him.[15] So ended the Second Age.
The Northern Line
Heirs of Isildur
Arnor. Elendil †S.A. 3441, Isildur †2, Valandil 249,[16] Eldacar 339, Arantar 435, Tarcil 515, Tarondor 602, Valandur †652, Elendur 777, Eärendur 861.
Arthedain. Amlaith of Fornost[17] (eldest son of Eärendur) 946, Beleg 1029, Mallor 1110, Celepharn 1191, Celebrindor 1272, Malvegil 1349,[18] Argeleb I †1356, Arveleg I 1409, Araphor 1589, Argeleb II 1670, Arvegil 1743, Arveleg II 1813, Araval 1891, Araphant 1964, Arvedui Last-king † 1974. End of the North-kingdom.
Chieftains. Aranarth (elder son of Arvedui) 2106, Arahael 2177, Aranuir 2247, Aravir 2319, Aragorn I † 2327, Araglas 2455, Arahad I 2523, Aragost 2588, Aravorn 2654, Arahad II 2719, Arassuil 2784, Arathorn I † 2848, Argonui 2912, Arador † 2930, Arathorn II † 2933, Aragorn II F.A.120.
The
Southern Line
Heirs of Anárion
Kings of Condor. Elendil, (Isildur and) Anárion †S.A. 3440, Meneldil son of Anárion 158, Cemendur 238, Eärendil 324, Anardil 411, Ostoher 492, Rómendacil I (Tarostar) 1541, Turambar 667, Atanatar I 748, Siriondil 830. Here followed the four 'Ship-kings':
Tarannon Falastur 913. He was the first childless king, and was succeeded by the son of his brother Tarciryan. Eärnil I †936, Ciryandil †1015, Hyarmendacil I (Ciryaher) 1149. Gondor now reached the height of its power.
Atanatar II Alcarin ‘the Glorious' 1226, Narmacil I 1294. He was the second childless king and was succeeded by his younger brother. Calmacil 1304, Minalcar (regent 1240-1304), crowned as Rómendacil II 1304, died 1366, Valacar. In his time the first disaster of Gondor began, the Kin-strife.
Eldacar son of Valacar (at first called Vinitharya) deposed 1437. Castamir the Usurper †1447. Eldacar restored, died 1490.
Aldamir (second son of Eldacar) †1540, Hyarmendacil II (Vinyarion) 1621, Minardil †1634, Telemnar †1636. Telemnar and all his children perished in the plague; he was succeeded by his nephew, the son of Minastan, second son of Minardil. Tarondor 1798, Telumehtar Umbardacil 1850, Narmacil II †1856, Calimehtar 1936, Ondoher †1944. Ondoher and his two sons were slain in battle. After a year in 1945 the crown was given to the victorious general Eärnil, a descendant of Telumehtar Umbardacil, Eärnil II 2043, Eärnur †2050. Here the line of the Kings came to an end, until it was restored by Elessar Telcontar in 3019. The realm was then ruled by the Stewards.
Stewards of Gondor. The House of Húrin: Pelendur 1998. He ruled for a year after the fall of Ondoher, and advised Gondor to reject Arvedui's claim to the crown. Vorondil the Hunter 2029.[19] Mardil Voronwë ‘the Steadfast', the first of the Ruling Stewards. His successors ceased to use High-elven names.
Ruling Stewards. Mardil 2080, Eradan 2116, Herion 2148, Belegorn 2204, Húrin I 2244, Túrin I 2278, Hador 2395, Barahir 2412, Dior 2435, Denethor I 2477, Boromir 2489, Cirion 2567. In his time the Rohirrim came to Calenardhon.
Hallas 2605, Húrin II 2628, Belecthor I 2655, Orodreth 2685, Ecthelion I 2698, Egalmoth 2743, Beren 2763, Beregond 2811, Belecthor II 2872, Thorondir 2882, Túrin II 2914, Turgon 2953, Ecthelion II 2984, Denethor II. He was the last of the Ruling Stewards, and was followed by his second son Faramir, Lord of Emyn Arnen, Steward to King Elessar, F.A. 82.
‘Eriador
was of old the name of all the lands between the Misty Mountains and the Blue;
in the South it was bounded by the Greyflood and the Glanduin that flows into
it above Tharbad.
‘At its
greatest Arnor included all Eriador, except the regions beyond the Lune, and
the lands east of Greyflood and Loudwater, in which lay Rivendell and Hollin.
Beyond the Lune was Elvish country, green and quiet, where no Men went; but
Dwarves dwelt, and still dwell, in the east side of the Blue Mountains,
especially in those parts south of the Gulf of Lune, where they have mines that
are still in use. For this reason they were accustomed to pass east along the
Great Road, as they had done for long years before we came to the Shire. At the
Grey Havens dwelt Círdan the Shipwright, and some say he dwells there still,
until the Last Ship sets sail into the West. In the days of the Kings most of
the High Elves that still lingered in Middle-earth dwelt with Círdan or in the
seaward lands of Lindon. If any now remain they are few.’
The North-kingdom and the Dúnedain
After
Elendil and Isildur there were eight High Kings of Arnor. After Eärendur, owing
to dissensions among his sons their realm was divided into three: Arthedain,
Rhudaur, and Cardolan. Arthedain was in the North-west and included the land
between Brandywine and Lune, and also the land north of the Great Road as far
as the Weather Hills. Rhudaur was in the North-east and lay between the
Ettenmoors, the Weather Hills, and the Misty Mountains, but included also the
Angle between the Hoarwell and the Loudwater. Cardolan was in the South, its
bounds being the Brandywine, the Greyflood, and the Great Road.
In Arthedain the line of Isildur was maintained
and endured, but the line soon perished in Cardolan and Rhudaur. There was
often strife between the kingdoms, which hastened the waning of the Dúnedain.
The chief matter of debate was the possession of the Weather Hills and the land
westward towards Bree. Both Rhudaur and Cardolan desired to possess Amon Sûl
(Weathertop), which stood on the borders of their realms; for the Tower of Amon
Sûl held the chief Palantír of the
North, and the other two were both in the keeping of Arthedain.
‘It was in
the beginning of the reign of Malvegil of Arthedain that evil came to Arnor.
For at that time the realm of Angmar arose in the North beyond the Ettenmoors.
Its lands lay on both sides of the Mountains, and there were gathered many evil
men, and Orcs, and other fell creatures. [The lord of that land was known as
the Witch-king, but it was not known until later that he was indeed the chief
of the Ringwraiths, who came north with the purpose of destroying the Dúnedain
in Arnor, seeing hope in their disunion, while Gondor was strong.]’
In the days
of Argeleb son of Malvegil, since no descendants of Isildur remained in the
other kingdoms, the kings of Arthedain again claimed the lordship of all Arnor.
The claim was resisted by Rhudaur. There the Dúnedain were few, and power had
been seized by an evil lord of the Hill-men, who was in secret league with
Angmar. Argeleb therefore fortified the Weather Hills;[20] but he was slain in battle with
Rhudaur and Angmar.
Arveleg son
of Argeleb, with the help of Cardolan and Lindon, drove back his enemies from
the Hills; and for many years Arthedain and Cardolan held in force a frontier
along the Weather Hills, the Great Road, and the lower Hoarwell. It is said
that at this time Rivendell was besieged.
A great
host came out of Angmar in 1409, and crossing the river entered Cardolan and
surrounded Weathertop. The Dúnedain were defeated and Arveleg was slain. The
Tower of Amon Sûl was burned and razed; but the palantír was saved and carried back in retreat to Fornost, Rhudaur
was occupied by evil Men subject to Angmar,[21] and the Dúnedain that remained
there were slain or fled west Cardolan was ravaged. Araphor son of Arveleg was
not yet full-grown, but he was valiant, and with aid from Círdan he repelled
the enemy from Fornost and the North Downs. A remnant of the faithful among the
Dúnedain of Cardolan also held out in Tyrn Gorthad (the Barrowdowns), or took
refuge in the Forest behind.
It is said that Angmar was for a time subdued
by the Elvenfolk coming from Lindon; and from Rivendell, for Elrond brought
help over the Mountains out of Lórien. It was at this time that the Stoors that
had dwelt in the Angle (between Hoarwell and Loudwater) fled west and south,
because of the wars, and the dread of Angmar, and because the land and clime of
Eriador, especially in the east, worsened and became unfriendly. Some returned
to Wilderland, and dwelt beside the Gladden, becoming a riverside people of
fishers.
In the days of Argeleb II the plague came
into Eriador from the Southeast, and most of the people of Cardolan perished,
especially in Minhiriath. The Hobbits and all other peoples suffered greatly,
but the plague lessened as it passed northwards, and the northern parts of
Arthedain were little affected. It was at this time that an end came of the
Dúnedain of Cardolan, and evil spirits out of Angmar and Rhudaur entered into
the deserted mounds and dwelt there.
It is said that the mounds of Tyrn Gorthad, as
the Barrowdowns were called of old, are very ancient, and that many were built
in the days of the old world of the First Age by the forefathers of the Edain,
before they crossed the Blue Mountains into Beleriand, of which Lindon is all
that now remains. Those hills were therefore revered by the Dúnedain after
their return; and there many of their lords and Kings were buried. [Some say
that the mound in which the Ring-bearer was imprisoned had been the grave of
the last prince of Cardolan, who fell in the war of 1409.]'
‘In 1974
the power of Angmar arose again, and the Witch-king came down upon Arthedain
before winter was ended. He captured Fornost, and drove most of the remaining
Dúnedain over the Lune; among them were the sons of the king. But King Arvedui
held out upon the North Downs until the last, and then fled north with some of
his guard; and they escaped by the swiftness of their horses.
‘For a
while Arvedui hid in the tunnels of the old dwarf-mines near the far end of the
Mountains, but he was driven at last by hunger to seek the help of the Lossoth,
the Snowmen of Forochel.[22] Some of these he found in camp by
the seashore; but they did not help the king willingly, for he had nothing to
offer them, save a few jewels which they did cat value; and they were afraid of
the Witch-king, who (they said) could make frost or thaw at his will But partly
out of pity for the gaunt king and his men, and partly out of fear of their
weapons, they gave them a little food and built for them snow-huts. There
Arvedui was forced to wait, hoping for help from the south; for his horses had
perished.
‘When
Círdan heard from Aranarth son of Arvedui of the king's flight to the north, he
at once sent a ship to Forochel to seek for him. The ship came there at last
after many days, because of contrary winds, and the mariners saw from afar the
little fire of drift-wood which the lost men contrived to keep alight. But the
winter was long in loosing its grip that year; and though it was then March,
the ice was only beginning to break, and lay far out from the shore.
‘When the
Snowmen saw the ship they were amazed and afraid, for they had seen no such
ship on the sea within their memories; but they had become now more friendly,
and they drew the king and those that survived of his company out over the ice
in their sliding carts, as for as they dared. In this way a boat from the ship
was able to reach them.
‘But the
Snowmen were uneasy; for they said that they smelled danger in the wind. And
the chief of the Lossoth said to Arvedui: "Do not mount on this
sea-monster! If they have them, let the seamen bring us food and other things
that we need, and you may stay here till the Witch-king goes home. For in
summer his power wanes; but now his breath is deadly, and his cold arm is
long."
‘But
Arvedui did not take his counsel. He thanked him, and at parting gave him his
ring, saying: "This is a dung of worth beyond your reckoning. For its
ancientry alone. It has no power, save the esteem in which those hold it who
love my house. It will not help you, but if ever you are in need, my kin will
ransom it with great store of all that you desire.”[23]
'Yet the counsel of the Lossoth was good, by
chance or by foresight; for the ship had not reached the open sea when a great
storm of wind arose, and came with blinding snow out of the North; and it drove
the ship back upon the ice and piled ice up against it. Even the mariners of
Círdan were helpless, and in the night the ice crushed the hull, and the ship
foundered. So perished Arvedui Last-king, and with him the palantíri were buried in the sea.[24] It was long afterwards that news of
the shipwreck of Forochel was learned from the Snowmen.'
The Shire-folk survived, though war swept over
them and most of them fled into hiding. To the help of the king they sent some
archers who never returned; and others went also to the battle in which Angmar
was overthrown (of which more is said in the annals of the South). Afterwards
in the peace that followed the Shire-folk ruled themselves and prospered. They
chose a Thain to take the place of the King, and were content; though for a
long time many still looked for the return of the King. But at last that hope
was forgotten, and remained only in the saying When the King comes back, used of some good that could not be
achieved, or of some evil that could not be amended. The first Shire‑thain
was one Bucca of the Marish, from whom the Oldbucks claimed descent. He became
Thain in 379 of our reckoning (1979).
After
Arvedui the North-kingdom ended, for the Dúnedain were now few and all the
peoples of Eriador diminished. Yet the line of the kings was continued by the
Chieftains of the Dúnedain, of whom Aranarth son of Arvedui was the first.
Arahael his son was fostered in Rivendell, and so were all the sons of the
chieftains after him; and there also were kept the heirlooms of their house:
the ring of Barahir, the shards of Narsil, the star of Elendil, and the sceptre
of Annúminas.[25]
'When the
kingdom ended the Dúnedain passed into the shadows and became a secret and
wandering people, and their deeds and labours were seldom sung or recorded.
Little now is remembered of them since Elrond departed. Although even before
the Watchful Peace ended evil things again began to attack Eriador or to invade
it secretly, the Chieftains for the most part lived out their long lives.
Aragorn I, it is said, was slain by wolves, which ever after remained a peril
in Eriador, and are not yet ended. In the days of Arahad I the Orcs, who had,
as later appeared, long been secretly occupying strongholds in the Misty
Mountains, so as to bar all the passes into Eriador, suddenly revealed
themselves. In 2509 Celebrían wife of Elrond was journeying to Lórien when she
was waylaid in the Redhorn Pass, and her escort being scattered by the sudden
assault of the Orcs, she was seized and carried off. She was pursued and
rescued by Elladan and Elrohir, but not before she had suffered torment and had
received a poisoned wound.[26] She was brought back to Imladris,
and though healed in body by Elrond, lost all delight in Middle-earth, and the
next year went to the Havens and passed over Sea. And later in the days of
Arassuil, Orcs, multiplying again in the Misty Mountains, begin to ravage the
lands, and the Dúnedain and the sons of Elrond fought with them. It was at this
time that a large band came so far west as to enter the Shire, and were driven
off by Bandobras Took.'[27]
There were
fourteen Chieftains, before the fifteenth and last was born, Aragorn II, who
became again King of born Gondor and Arnor. 'Our King, we call him; and when he
comes north to his house in Annúminas restored and stays for a while by Lake
Evendim, then everyone in the Shire is glad. But he does not enter this land
and binds himself by the law that he has made, that none of the Big People
shall pass its borders. But he rides often with many fair people to the Great
Bridge, and there he welcomes his friends, and any others who wish to see him;
and some ride away with him and stay in his house as long as they have a mind.
Thain Peregrin has been there many times; and so has Master Samwise the Mayor.
His daughter Elanor the Fair is one of the maids of Queen Evenstar.'
It was the
pride and wonder of the Northern Line that, though their power departed and
their people dwindled, through all the many generations the succession was
unbroken from father to son. Also, though the length of the lives of the
Dúnedain grew ever less in Middle-earth, after the ending of their kings the
waning was swifter in Gondor; and many of the Chieftains of the North still
lived to twice the age of Men, and far beyond the days of even the oldest
amongst us. Aragorn indeed lived to be two hundred and ten years old, longer
than any of his line since King Arvegil; but in Aragorn Elessar the dignity of
the kings of old was renewed.
There were thirty-one kings in Gondor after
Anárion win was slain before the Barad-dûr. Though war never ceased on their
borders, for more than a thousand years the Dúnedain of the South grew in
wealth and power by land and sea, until the reign of Atanatar II, who was
called Alcarin, the Glorious. Yet the signs of decay had then already appeared;
for the high men of the South married late, and their children were few. The
first childless king was Falastur, and the second Narmacil I, the son of
Atanatar Alcarin.
It was
Ostoher the seventh king who rebuilt Minas Anor, where afterwards the kings
dwelt in summer rather than in Osgiliath. In his time Gondor was first attacked
by wild men out of the East. But Tarostar, his son, defeated them and drove
them out, and took the name of Rómendacil 'East-victor'. He was, however, later
slain in battle with fresh hordes of Easterlings. Turambar his son avenged him,
and won much territory eastwards.
With
Tarannon, the twelfth king, began the line of the Ship-kings, who built navies
and extended the sway of Gondor along the coasts west and south of the Mouths
of Anduin. To commemorate his victories as Captain of the Hosts, Tarannon took
the crown in the name of Falastur 'Lord of the Coasts'.
Eärnil I,
his nephew, who succeeded him, repaired the ancient haven of Pelargir, and
built a great navy. He laid siege by sea and land to Umbar, and took it, and it
became a great harbour and fortress of the power of Gondor.[28] But Eärnil did not long survive his
triumph. He was lost with many ships and men in a great storm off Umbar.
Ciryandil his son continued the building of ships; but the Men of the Harad,
led by the lords that had been driven from Umbar, came up with great power
against that stronghold, and Ciryandil fell in battle in Haradwaith.
For many
years Umbar was invested, but could not be taken because of the sea-power of
Gondor. Ciryaher son of Ciryandil bided his time, and at last when he had
gathered strength he came down from the north by sea and by land, and crossing
the River Harnen his armies utterly defeated the Men of the Harad, and their
kings were compelled to acknowledge the overlordship of Gondor (1050). Ciryaher
then took the name of Hyarmendacil 'South-victor'.
The might
of Hyarmendacil no enemy dared to contest during the remainder of his long
reign. He was king for one hundred and thirty-four years, the longest reign but
one of all the Line of Anárion. In his day Gondor reached the summit of its
power. The realm then extended north to Celebrant and the southern eaves of
Mirkwood; west to the Greyflood; east to the inland Sea of Rhûn; south to the
River Harnen, and thence along the coast to the peninsula and haven of Umbar.
The Men of the Vales of Anduin acknowledged its authority; and the kings of the
Harad did homage to Gondor, and their sons lived as hostages in the court of
its King. Mordor was desolate, but was watched over by great fortresses that
guarded the passes.
So ended the line of the Ship-kings. Atanatar
Alcarin son of Hyarmendacil lived in great splendour, so that men said precious
stones are pebbles in Gondor for children to play with. But Atanatar loved ease
and did nothing to maintain the power that he had inherited, and his two sons
were of like temper. The waning of Gondor had already begun before he died, and
was doubtless observed by its enemies. The watch upon Mordor was neglected.
Nonetheless it was not until the days of Valacar that the first great evil came
upon Gondor: the civil war of the Kin-strife, in which great loss and ruin was
caused and never fully repaired.
Minalcar,
son of Calmacil, was a man of great vigour, and in 1240 Narmacil, to rid
himself of all cares, made him Regent of the realm. From that time onwards he
governed Gondor in the name of the kings until he succeeded his father. His
chief concern was with the Northmen.
These had
increased greatly in the peace brought by the power of Gondor. The kings showed
them favour, since they were the nearest in kin of lesser Men to the Dúnedain
(being for the most part descendants of those peoples from whom the Edain of
old had come); and they gave them wide lands beyond Anduin south of Greenwood
the Great, to be a defence against men of the East. For in the past the attacks
of the Easterlings had come mostly over the plain between the Inland Sea and
the Ash Mountains.
In the days
of Narmacil I their attacks began again, though at first with little force; but
it was learned by the regent that the Northmen did not always remain true to
Gondor, and some would join forces with the Easterlings, either out of greed
for spoil, or in the furtherance of feuds among their princes. Minalcar
therefore in 1248 led out a great force, and between Rhovanion and the Inland
Sea he defeated a large army of the Easterlings and destroyed all their camps
and settlements east of the Sea. He then took the name of Rómendacil.
On his
return Rómendacil fortified the west shore of Anduin as far as the inflow of
the Limlight, and forbade any stranger: to pass down the River beyond the Emyn
Muil. He it was that built the pillars of the Argonath at the entrance to Nen
Hithoel. But since he needed men, and desired to strengthen the bond between
Gondor and the Northmen, he took many of them into his service and gave to some
high rank in his armies.
Rómendacil
showed especial favour to Vidugavia, who had aided him in the war. He called
himself King of Rhovanion, and was indeed the most powerful of the Northern
princes, though his own realm lay between Greenwood and the River Celduin.[29] In 1250 Rómendacil sent his son
Valacar as an ambassador to dwell for a while with Vidugavia and make himself
acquainted with the language, manners, and policies of the Northmen. But
Valacar far exceeded his father's designs. He grew to love the Northern lands
and people, and he married Vidumavi, daughter of Vidugavia. It was some years
before he returned. From this marriage came later the war of the Kin-strife.
'For the
high men of Gondor already looked askance at the Northmen among them; and it
was a thing unheard of before that the heir to the crown, or any son of the
King, should wed one of lesser and alien race. There was already rebellion in
the southern provinces when King Valacar grew old. His queen had been a fair
and noble lady, but short-lived according to the fate of lesser Men, and the
Dúnedain feared that her descendants would prove the same and fall from the
majesty of the Kings of Men. Also they were unwilling to accept as lord her
son, who though he was now called Eldacar, had been born in an alien country
and was named in his youth Vinitharya, a name of his mother's people.
Therefore
when Eldacar succeeded his father there was war in Gondor. But Eldacar did not
prove easy to thrust from his heritage. To the lineage of Gondor he added the
fearless spirit of the Northmen. He was handsome and valiant, and showed no
sign of ageing more swiftly than his father. When the confederates led by
descendants of the kings rose against him, he opposed them to the end of his
strength. At last he was besieged in Osgiliath, and held it long, until hunger
and the greater forces of the rebels drove him out, leaving the city in flames.
In that siege and burning the Tower of the Stone of Osgiliath was destroyed,
and the palantír was lost in the
waters.
'But
Eldacar eluded his enemies, and came to the North, to his kinsfolk in
Rhovanion. Many gathered to him there, both of the Northmen in the service of
Gondor, and of the Dúnedain of the northern parts of the realm. For many of the
latter had learned to esteem him, and many more came to hate his usurper. This
was Castamir, grandson of Calimehtar, younger brother of Rómendacil II. He was
not only one of those nearest by blood to the crown, but be had the greatest
following of all the rebels; for he was the Captain of Ships, and was supported
by the people of the coasts and of the great havens of Pelargir and Umbar.
'Castamir
had not long sat upon the throne before he proved himself haughty and
ungenerous. He was a cruel man, as be had first shown in the taking of
Osgiliath. He caused Ornendil son of Eldacar, who was captured, to be put to
death; and the slaughter and destruction done in the city at his bidding far
exceeded the needs of war. This was remembered in Minas Anor and in Ithilien;
and there love for Castamir was further lessened when it became seen that he
cared little for the land, and thought only of the fleets, and purposed to
remove the king's seat to Pelargir.
'Thus he
had been king only ten years, when Eldacar, seeing his time, came with a great
army out of the north, and folk flocked to him from Calenardhon and Anórien and
Ithilien. There was a great battle in Lebennin at the Crossings of Erui, in
which much of the best blood in Gondor was shed. Eldacar himself slew Castamir
in combat, and so was avenged for Ornendil; but Castamir's sons escaped, and
with others of their kin and many people of the fleets they held out long at
Pelargir.
'When they had gathered there all the force
that they could (for Eldacar had no ships to beset them by sea) they sailed
away, and established themselves at Umbar. There they made a refuge for all the
enemies of the king, and a lordship independent of his crown. Umbar remained at
war with Gondor for many lives of men, a threat to its coastlands and to all
traffic on the sea. It was never again completely subdued until the days of
Elessar; and the region of South Gondor became a debatable land between the
Corsairs and the Kings.'
'The loss of Umbar was grievous to Gondor, not
only because the realm was diminished in the south and its hold upon the Men of
the Harad was loosened, but because it was there that Ar-Pharazôn the Golden,
last King of Númenor, had landed and humbled the might of Sauron. Though great
evil had come after, even the followers of Elendil remembered with pride the
coming of the great host of Ar-Pharazôn out of the deeps of the Sea; and on the
highest hill of the headland above the Haven they had set a great white pillar
as a monument. It was crowned with a globe of crystal that took the rays of the
Sun and of the Moon and shone like a bright star that could be seen in clear
weather even on the coasts of Gondor or far out upon the western sea. So it
stood, until after the second arising of Sauron, which now approached, Umbar
fell under the domination of his servants, and the memorial of his humiliation
was thrown down.'
After the
return of Eldacar the blood of the kingly house and other houses of the
Dúnedain became more mingled with that of lesser Men. For many of the great had
been slain in the Kin-strife; while Eldacar showed favour to the Northmen, by
whose help he had regained the crown, and the people of Gondor were replenished
by great numbers that came from Rhovanion.
This mingling did not at first hasten the
waning of the Dúnedain, as had been feared; but the waning still proceeded,
little by little, as it had before. For no doubt it was due above all to
Middle-earth itself, and to the slow withdrawing of the gifts of the
Númenoreans after the downfall of the Land of the Star. Eldacar lived to his
two hundred and thirty-fifth year, and was king for fifty-eight years, of which
tea were spent in exile.
The second
and greatest evil came upon Gondor in the reign of Telemnar, the twenty-sixth
king, whose father Minardil, son of Eldacar, was slain at Pelargir by the
Corsairs of Umbar. (They were led by Angamaitë and Sangahyando, the
great-grandsons of Castamir.) Soon after a deadly plague came with dark winds
out of the East The King and all his children died, and great numbers of the
people of Gondor, especially those that lived in Osgiliath. Then for weariness
and fewness of men the watch on the borders of Mordor ceased and the fortresses
that guarded the passes were unmanned.
Later it
was noted that these things happened even as the Shadow grew deep in Greenwood,
and many evil things reappeared, signs of the arising of Sauron. It is true
that the enemies of Gondor also suffered, or they might have overwhelmed it in
its weakness; but Sauron could wait, and it may well be that the opening of
Mordor was what he chiefly desired.
When King
Telemnar died the White Tree of Minas Anor also withered and died. But
Tarondor, his nephew, who succeeded him, replanted a seedling in the citadel.
He it was who removed the king's house permanently to Minas Anor, for Osgiliath
was now partly deserted, and began to fall into ruin. Few of those who had fled
from the plague into Ithilien or to the western dales were willing to return.
Tarondor, coming young to the throne, had the
longest reign of all the Kings of Gondor; but he could achieve little more than
the reordering of his realm within, and the slow nursing of its strength. But
Telumehtar his son, remembering the death of Minardil, and being troubled by
the insolence of the Corsairs, who raided his coasts even as far as the
Anfalas, gathered his forces and in 1810 took Umbar by storm. In that war the
last descendants of Castamir perished, and Umbar was again held for a while by
the kings. Telumehtar added to his name the title Umbardacil. But in the new
evils that soon befell Gondor Umbar was again lost, and fell into the hands of
the Men of the Harad.
The third
evil was the invasion of the Wainriders, which sapped the waning strength of
Gondor in wars that lasted for almost a hundred years. The Wainriders were a
people, or a confederacy of many peoples, that came from the East; but they
were stronger and better armed than any that had appeared before. They
journeyed in great wains, and their chieftains fought in chariots. Stirred up,
as was afterwards seen, by the emissaries of Sauron, they made a sudden assault
upon Gondor, and King Narmacil II was slain in battle with them beyond Anduin
in 1856. The people of eastern and southern Rhovanion were enslaved; and the
frontiers of Gondor were for that time withdrawn to the Anduin and the Emyn
Muil. [At this time it is thought that the Ringwraiths re-entered Mordor.]
Calimehtar,
son of Narmacil II, helped by a revolt in Rhovanion, avenged his father with a
great victory over the Easterlings upon Dagorlad in 1899, and for a while the
peril was averted. It was in the reign of Araphant in the North and of Ondoher
son of Calimehtar in the South that the two kingdoms again took counsel
together after long silence and estrangement. For at last they perceived that
some single power and will was directing the assault from many quarters upon
the survivors of Númenor. It was at that time that Arvedui heir of Araphant
wedded Fíriel daughter of Ondoher (1940). But neither kingdom was able to send
help to the other; for Angmar renewed its attack upon Arthedain at the same
time as the Wainriders reappeared in great force.
Many of the Wainriders now passed south of
Mordor and made alliance with men of Khand and of Near Harad; and in this great
assault from north and south, Gondor came near to destruction. In 1944 King
Ondoher and both his sons, Artamir and Faramir, fell in battle north of the
Morannon, and the enemy poured into Ithilien. But Eärnil, Captain of the
Southern Army, won a great victory in South Ithilien and destroyed the army of
Harad that had crossed the River Poros. Hastening north, he gathered to him all
that he could of the retreating Northern Army and came up against the main camp
of the Wainriders, while they were feasting and revelling, believing that
Gondor was overthrown and that nothing remained but to take the spoil. Eärnil
stormed the camp and set fire to the wains, and drove the enemy in a great rout
out of Ithilien. A great part of those who fled before him perished in the Dead
Marshes.
'On the
death of Ondoher and his sons, Arvedui of the North-kingdom claimed the crown
of Gondor, as the direct descendant of Isildur, and as the husband of Fíriel,
only surviving child of Ondoher. The claim was rejected. In this Pelendur, the
Steward of King Ondoher, played the chief part.
'The
Council of Gondor answered: "The crown and royalty of Gondor belongs
solely to the heirs of Meneldil, son of Anárion, to whom Isildur relinquished
this realm. In Gondor this heritage is reckoned through the sons only; and we
have not heard that the law is otherwise in Arnor."
'To this
Arvedui replied: "Elendil had two sons, of whom Isildur was the elder and
the heir of his father. We have heard that the name of Elendil stands to this
day at the head of the line of the Kings of Gondor, since he was accounted the
high king of all the lands of the Dúnedain. While Elendil still lived, the
conjoint rule in the South was committed to his sons; but when Elendil fell,
Isildur departed to take up the high kingship of his father, and committed the
rule in the South in like manner to the son of his brother. He did not
relinquish his royalty in Gondor, nor intend that the realm of Elendil should
be divided for ever.
'"Moreover,
in Númenor of old the sceptre descended to the eldest child of the king,
whether man or woman. It is true that the law has not been observed in the
lands of exile ever troubled by war; but such was the law of our people, to
which we now refer, seeing that the sons of Ondoher died childless."[30]
To this
Gondor made no answer. The crown was claimed by Eärnil, the victorious captain;
and it was granted to him with the approval of all the Dúnedain in Gondor,
since he was of the royal house. He was the son of Siriondil, son of
Calimmacil, son of Arciryas brother of Narmacil II. Arvedui did not press his
claim; for he had neither the power nor the will to oppose the choice of the
Dúnedain of Gondor; yet the claim was never forgotten by his descendants even
when their kingship had passed away. For the time was now drawing near when the
North-kingdom would come to an end.
'Arvedui
was indeed the last king, as his name signifies. It is said that this name was
given to him at his birth by Malbeth the Seer, who said to his father: "Arvedui you shall call him, for he will
be the last in Arthedain. Though a choice will come to the Dúnedain, and if
they take the one that seems less hopeful, then your son will change his name
and become king of a great realm. If not, then much sorrow and many lives of
men shall pass, until the Dúnedain arise and are united again."
'In Gondor
also one king only followed Eärnil. It may be that if the crown and the sceptre
had been united, then the kingship would have been maintained and much evil
averted. But Eärnil was a wise man, and not arrogant, even if, as to most men
in Gondor, the realm in Arthedain seemed a small thing, for all the lineage of
its lords.
'He sent
messages to Arvedui announcing that he received the crown of Gondor, according
to the laws and the needs of the South-kingdom, "but I do not forget the
loyalty of Arnor, nor deny our kinship, nor wish that the realms of Elendil
should be estranged. I will send to your aid when you have need, so far as I am
able."
'It was,
however, long before Eärnil felt himself sufficiently secure to do as he
promised. King Araphant continued with dwindling strength to hold off the
assaults of Angmar, and Arvedui when he succeeded did likewise; but at last in
the autumn of 1973 messages came to Gondor that Arthedain was in great straits,
and that the Witch-king was preparing a last stroke against it. Then Eärnil
sent his son Eärnur north with a fleet, as swiftly as he could, and with as
great strength as he could spare. Too late. Before Eärnur reached the havens of
Lindon, the Witch-king had conquered Arthedain and Arvedui had perished.
'But when
Eärnur came to the Grey Havens there was joy and great wonder among both Elves
and Men. So great in draught and so many were his ships that they could
scarcely find harbourage, though both the Harlond and the Forlond also were
filled; and from them descended an army of power, with munition and provision
for a war of great kings. Or so it seemed to the people of the North, though
this was but a small sending-force of the whole might of Gondor. Most of all,
the horses were praised, for many of them came from the Vales of Anduin, and
with them .were riders tall and fair, and proud princes of Rhovanion.
Then Círdan
summoned all who would come to him, from Lindon or Arnor, and when all was
ready the host crossed the Lune and marched norm to challenge the Witch-king of
Angmar. He was now dwelling, it is said, in Fornost, which he had filled with
evil folk, usurping the house and rule of the kings. In his pride he did not
await the onset of his enemies in his stronghold, but went out to meet them,
thinking to sweep them, as others before, into the Lune.
'But the
Host of the West came down on him out of the Hills of Evendim, and were was a
great battle on the plain between Nenuial and the North Downs. The forces of
Angmar were already giving way and retreating towards Fornost when the main
body of the horsemen that had passed round the hills Came down from the north
and scattered them in a great rout. Then the Witch-king, with all that he could
gather from the wreck, fled northwards, seeking his own land of Angmar. Before
he could gain the shelter of Carn Dûm the cavalry of Gondor overtook him with
Eärnur riding at their head. At the same time a force under Glorfindel the
Elf-lord came up out of Rivendell. Then so utterly was Angmar defeated that not
a man nor an orc of that realm remained west of the Mountains.
'But it is
said that when au was lost suddenly the Witch-king himself appeared,
black-robed and black-masked upon a black horse. Fear fell upon all who beheld
him; but he singled out the Captain of Gondor for the fullness of his hatred,
and with a terrible cry he rode straight upon him. Eärnur would have withstood
him; but his horse could not endure that onset, and it swerved and bore him far
away before he could master it.
'Then the
Witch-king laughed, and none that heard it ever forgot the horror of that cry.
But Glorfindel rode up then on his white horse, and in the midst of his
laughter the Witch-king turned to flight and passed into the shadows. For night
came down on the battlefield, and he was lost, and none saw whither he went.
'Eärnur now
rode back, but Glorfindel, looking into the gathering dark, said: "Do not
pursue him! He will not return to this land. Far off yet is his doom, and not
by the hand of man will he fall." These words many remembered; but Eärnur
was angry, desiring only to be avenged for his disgrace.
'So ended the evil realm of Angmar; and so did
Eärnur, Captain of Gondor, earn the chief hatred of the Witch-king; but many
years were still to pass before that was revealed.'
It was thus in the reign of King Eärnil, as
later became clear, that the Witch-king escaping from the North came to Mordor,
and there gathered the other Ringwraiths, of whom he was the chief. But it was
not until 2000 that they issued from Mordor by the Pass of Cirith Ungol and
laid siege to Minas Ithil This they took in 2002, and captured the palantír of the tower. They were not
expelled while the Third Ago lasted; and Minas Ithil became a place of fear,
and was renamed Minas Morgul. Many of the people that still remained in
Ithilien deserted it.
'Eärnur was
a man like his father in valour, but not in wisdom. He was a man of strong body
and hot mood; but he would take no wife, for his only pleasure was in fighting,
or in the exercise of arms. His prowess was such that none in Gondor could
stand against him in those weapon-sports in which he delighted, seeming rather
a champion than a captain or king, and retaining his vigour and skill to a
later age than was then usual.'
When Eärnur
received the crown in 2043 the King of Minas Morgul challenged him to single
combat, taunting him that he had not dared to stand before him in battle in the
North. For that time Mardil the Steward restrained the wrath of the king. Minas
Anor, which had become the chief city of the realm since the days of King
Telemnar, and the residence of the kings, was now renamed Minas Tirith, as the
city ever on guard against the evil of Morgul.
Eärnur had
held the crown only seven years when the Lord of Morgul repeated his challenge,
taunting the king that to the faint heart of his youth he had now added the
weakness of age. Then Mardil could no longer restrain him, and he rode with a
small escort of knights to the gate of Minas Morgul. None of that riding were
ever heard of again. It was believed in Gondor that the faithless enemy had
trapped the king, and that he had died in torment in Minas Morgul; but since
there were no witnesses of his death, Mardil the Good Steward ruled Gondor in
his name for many years.
Now the
descendants of the kings had become few. Their numbers had been greatly
diminished in the Kin-strife; whereas since that time the kings had become
jealous and watchful of those near akin. Often those on whom suspicion fell had
fled to Umbar and there joined the rebels; while others had renounced their
lineage and taken wives not of Númenorean blood. So it was that no claimant to
the crown could be found who was of pure blood, or whose claim all would allow;
and all feared the memory of the Kin-strife, knowing that if any such
dissension arose again, then Gondor would perish. Therefore, though the years
lengthened, the Steward continued to rule Gondor, and the crown of Elendil lay
in the lap of King Eärnil in the Houses of the Dead, where Eärnur had left it.
The Stewards
The House
of the Stewards was called the House of Húrin, for they were descendants of the
Steward of King Minardil (1621-34), Húrin of Emyn Arnen, a man of high
Númenorean race. After his day the kings had always chosen their stewards from
among his descendants; and after the days of Pelendur the Stewardship became
hereditary as a kingship, from father to son or nearest kin.
Each new
Steward indeed took office with the oath 'to hold rod and rule in the name of
the king, until he shall return.' But these soon became words of ritual little
heeded, for the Stewards exercised all the power of the kings. Yet many in
Gondor still believed that a king would indeed return in some time to come; and
some remembered the ancient line of the North, which it was rumoured still
lived on in the shadows. But against such thoughts the Ruling Stewards hardened
their hearts.
Nonetheless the Stewards never sat on the
ancient throne; and they wore no crown, and held no sceptre. They bore a white
rod only as the token of their office; and their banner was white without
charge; but the royal banner had been sable, upon which was displayed a white
tree in blossom beneath seven stars.
After
Mardil Voronwë, who was reckoned the first of the line there followed
twenty-four Ruling Stewards of Gondor, until the time of Denethor II, the
twenty-sixth and last. At first they had quiet, for those were the days of the
Watchful Peace, during which Sauron withdrew before the power of the White
Council and the Ringwraiths remained hidden in Morgul Vale. But from the time
of Denethor I, there was never full peace again, and even when Gondor had no
great or open war its borders were under constant threat.
In the last
years of Denethor I the race of uruks, black orcs of great strength, first
appeared out of Mordor, and in 2475 they swept across Ithilien and took
Osgiliath. Boromir son of Denethor (after whom Boromir of the Nine Walkers was
later named) defeated them and regained Ithilien; but Osgiliath was finally
ruined, and its great stone-bridge was broken. No people dwelt there
afterwards. Boromir was a great captain, and even the Witch-king feared him. He
was noble and fair of face, a man strong in body and in will, but he received a
Morgul-wound in that war which shortened his days, and he became shrunken with
pain and died twelve year after his father.
After him
began the long rule of Cirion. He was watchful and wary, but the reach of
Gondor had grown short, and he could do little more than defend his borders,
while his enemies (or the power that moved them) prepared strokes against him
that he could not hinder. The Corsairs harried his coasts, but it was in the
norm mat his chief peril lay. In the wide lands of Rhovanion, between Mirkwood
and the River Running, a fierce people now dwelt, wholly under the shadow of
Dol Guldur. Often they made raids through the forest, until the vale of Anduin
south of the Gladden was largely deserted. These Balchoth were constantly
increased by others of like kind that came in from the east, whereas the people
of Calenardhon had dwindled. Cirion was hard put to it to hold the line of the
Anduin.
'Foreseeing the storm, Cirion sent north for
aid, but over-late; for in that year (2510) the Balchoth, having built many
great boats and rafts on the east shores of Anduin, swarmed over the River and
swept away the defenders. An army marching up from the south was cut off and
driven north over the Limlight, and there it was suddenly attacked by a horde
of Orcs from the Mountains and pressed towards the Anduin. Then out of the
North there came help beyond hope, and the horns of the Rohirrim were first
heard in Gondor. Eorl the Young came with his riders and swept away the enemy,
and pursued the Balchoth to the death over the fields of Calenardhon. Cirion
granted to Eorl that land to dwell in, and he swore to Cirion the Oath of Eorl,
of friendship at need or at call to the Lords of Gondor.'
In the days of Beren, the nineteenth Steward,
an even greater peril came upon Gondor. Three great fleets, long prepared, came
up from Umbar and the Harad, and assailed the coasts of Gondor in great force;
and the enemy made many landings, even as far north as the mouth of the Isen.
At the lame time the Rohirrim were assailed from the west and the east, and
their land was overrun, and they were driven into the dales of the White
Mountains. In that year (2758) the Long Winter began with cold and great snows
out of the North and the East which lasted for almost five months. Helm of
Rohan and both his sons perished in that war; and there was misery and death in
Eriador and in Rohan. But in Gondor south of the mountains things were less
evil, and before spring came Beregond son of Beren bad overcome the invaders.
At once he sent aid to Rohan. He was the greatest captain that had arisen in
Gondor since Boromir; and when he succeeded his father (2763) Gondor began to
recover its strength. But Rohan was slower to be healed of the hurts that it
had received. It was for this reason that Beren welcomed Saruman, and gave to
him the keys of Orthanc; and from that year on (2759) Saruman dwelt in
Isengard.
It was in
the days of Beregond that the War of the Dwarves and Orcs was fought in the
Misty Mountains (2793‑9), of which only rumour came south, until the Orcs fleeing from Nanduhirion attempted to cross Rohan and
establish themselves in the White Mountains. There was fighting for many years
in the dales before that danger was ended.
When
Belecthor II, the twenty-first Steward, died, the White Tree died also in Minas
Tirith; but it was left standing 'until the King returns', for no seedling
could be found.
In the days
of Turin II the enemies of Gondor began to move again; for Sauron was grown
again to power and the day of his arising was drawing near. All but the
hardiest of its people deserted Ithilien and removed west over Anduin, for the
land was infested by Mordor-orcs. It was Túrin that built secret refuges for
his soldiers in Ithilien, of which Kenneth Annûn was the longest guarded and
manned. He also fortified again the isle of Cair Andros[31] to defend Anórien. But his chief
peril lay in the south, where the Haradrim had occupied South Gondor, and there
was much fighting along the Poros. When Ithilien was invaded in great strength.
King Folcwine of Rohan fulfilled the Oath of Eorl and repaid his debt for the
aid brought by Beregond, sending many men to Gondor. With their aid Túrin won a
victory at the crossings of the Poros; but the sons of Folcwine both fell in
the battle. The Riders buried them after the fashion of their people, and they
were laid in one mound, for they were twin brothers. Long it stood, Haudh in Gwanûr, high upon the shore of
the river, and the enemies of Gondor feared to pass it.
Turgon followed Turin, but of his time it is
chiefly remembered that two years ere his death, Sauron arose again, and
declared himself openly; and he re-entered Mordor long prepared for him. Then
the Barad-dûr was raised once more, and Mount Doom burst into flame, and the
last of the folk of Ithilien fled far away. When Turgon died Saruman took
Isengard for his own, and fortified it.
'Ecthelion
II, son of Turgon, was a man of wisdom. With what power was left to him he
began to strengthen his realm against the assault of Mordor. He encouraged all
men of worth from near or far to enter his service, and to those who proved
trustworthy he gave rank and reward. In much that he did he had the aid and
advice of a great captain whom he loved above all. Thorongil men called him in
Gondor, the Eagle of the Star, for he was swift and keen-eyed, and wore a
silver star upon his cloak; but no one knew his true name nor in what land he
was born. He came to Ecthelion from Rohan, where he had served the King
Thengel, but he was not one of the Rohirrim. He was a great leader of men, by
land or by sea, but he departed into the shadows whence he came, before the
days of Ecthelion were ended.
'Thorongil
often counselled Ecthelion that the strength of the rebels in Umbar was a great
peril to Gondor, and a threat to the fiefs of the south that would prove
deadly, if Sauron moved to open war. At last he got leave of the Steward and
gathered a small fleet, and he came to Umbar unlooked-for by night, and there
burned a great part of the ships of the Corsairs. He himself overthrew the
Captain of the Haven in battle upon the quays, and then he withdrew his fleet
with small loss. But when they came back to Pelargir, to men's grief and
wonder, he would not return to Minas Tirith, where great honour awaited him.
'He sent a
message of farewell to Ecthelion, saying: "Other tasks now call me, lord,
and much time and many perils must pass, ere I come again to Gondor, if that be
my fate." Though none could guess what those tasks might be, nor what
summons he had received, it was known whither he went. For he took. boat and
crossed over Anduin, and there he said farewell to his companions and went on
alone; and when he was last seen his face was towards the Mountains of Shadow.
There was
dismay in the City at the departure of Thorongil, and to all men it seemed a
great loss, unless it were to Denethor, the son of Ecthelion, a man now ripe
for the Stewardship, to which after four years he succeeded on the death of his
father.
'Denethor II was a proud man, tall, valiant,
and more kingly than any man that had appeared in Condor for many lives of men;
and he was wise also, and far-sighted, and learned in lore. Indeed he was as
like to Thorongil as to one of nearest kin, and yet was ever placed second to
the stranger in the hearts of men and the esteem of his father. At the time
many thought that Thorongil had departed before his rival became his master,
though indeed Thorongil had never himself vied with Denethor, nor held himself
higher than the servant of his father. And in one matter only were their
counsels to the Steward at variance: Thorongil often warned Ecthelion not to
put trust in Saruman the White in Isengard, but to welcome rather Gandalf the
Grey. But there was little love between Denethor and Gandalf; and after the
days of Ecthelion there was less welcome for the Grey Pilgrim in Minas Tirith.
Therefore later, when all was made clear, many believed that Denethor, who was
subtle in mind and looked further and deeper than other men of his day, had
discovered who this stranger Thorongil in truth was, and suspected that he and
Mithrandir designed to supplant him.
'When
Denethor became Steward (2984) he proved a masterful lord, holding the rule of
all things in his own hand. He said little. He listened to counsel, and then
followed his own mind. He had married late (2976), taking as wife Finduilas,
daughter of Adrahil of Dot Amroth. She was a lady of great beauty and gentle
heart, but before twelve years had passed she died. Denethor loved her, in his
fashion, more dearly than any other, unless it were the elder of the sons that
she bore him. But it seemed to men that she withered in the guarded city, as a
flower of the seaward vales set upon a barren rock. The shadow in the east
filled her with horror, and she turned her eyes ever south to the sea that she
missed.
'After her
death Denethor became more grim and silent than before, and would sit long
alone in his tower deep in thought, foreseeing that the assault of Mordor would
come in his time. It was afterwards believed that needing knowledge, but being
proud, and trusting in his own strength of will, he dared to look in the palantír of the White Tower. None of the
Stewards had dared to do this, nor even the kings Eärnil and Eärnur, after the
fall of Minas Ithil when the palantír
of Isildur came into the hands of the Enemy; for the Stone of Minas Tirith was
the palantír of Anárion, most close
in accord with the one that Sauron possessed.
'In this
way Denethor gained his great knowledge of things that passed in his realm, and
far beyond his borders, at which men marvelled; but he bought the knowledge
dearly, being aged before his time by his contest with the will of Sauron. Thus
pride increased in Denethor together with despair, until he saw in all the
deeds of that time only a single combat between the Lord of the White Tower and
the Lord of the Barad-dûr, and mistrusted all others who resisted Sauron,
unless they served himself alone.
'So time
drew on to the War of the Ring, and the sons of Denethor grew to manhood.
Boromir, five years the elder, beloved by his father, was like him in face and
pride, but in little else. Rather he was a man after the sort of King Eärnur of
old, taking no wife and delighting chiefly in arms; fearless and strong, but
caring little for lore, save the tales of old battles. Faramir the younger was
like him in looks but otherwise in mind. He read the hearts of men as shrewdly
as his father, but what he read moved him sooner to pity than to scorn. He was
gentle in bearing, and a lover of lore and of music, and therefore by many in
those days his courage was judged less than his brother's. But it was not so,
except that he did not seek glory in danger without a purpose. He welcomed
Gandalf at such times as he came to the City, and he learned what he could from
his wisdom; and in this as in many other matters he displeased his father.
'Yet
between the brothers there was great love, and had been since childhood, when
Boromir was the helper and protector of Faramir. No jealousy or rivalry had
arisen between them since, for their father's favour or for the praise of men.
It did not seem possible to Faramir that any one in Gondor could rival Boromir,
heir of Denethor, Captain of the White Tower; and of like mind was Boromir. Yet
it proved otherwise at the test. But of all that befell these three in the War
of the Ring much is said elsewhere. And after the War the days of the Ruling
Stewards came to an end; for the heir of Isildur and Anárion returned and the
kingship was renewed, and the standard of the White Tree flew once more from
the Tower of Ecthelion.'
'Arador was
the grandfather of the King. His son Arathorn sought in marriage Gilraen the
Fair, daughter of Dírhael, who was himself a descendant of Aranarth. To this
marriage Dírhael was opposed; for Gilraen was young and had not leached the age
at which the women of the Dúnedain were accustomed to marry.
'
"Moreover," he said, "Arathorn is a stern man of full age, and
will be chieftain sooner than men looked for; yet my heart forebodes mat he
will be shortlived."
'But
Ivorwen, his wife, who was also foresighted, answered: "The more need of
haste! The days are darkening before the storm, and great things are to come.
If these two wed now, hope may be born for our people; but if they delay, it
will not come while this age lasts."
'And it
happened that when Arathorn and Gilraen had been married only one year, Arador
was taken by hill-trolls in the Coldfells north of Rivendell and was slain; and
Arathorn became Chieftain of the Dúnedain. The next year Gilraen bore him a son,
and he was called Aragorn. But Aragorn was only two years old when Arathorn
went riding against the Orcs with the sons of Elrond, and he was slain by an
orc-arrow that pierced his eye; and so he proved indeed shortlived for one of
his race, being but sixty years old when befell.
Then
Aragorn, being now the Heir of Isildur, was taken with his mother to dwell in
the house of Elrond; and Elrond took the place of his father and came to love
him as a son of his own. But he was called Estel, that is "Hope", and
his true name and lineage were kept secret at the bidding of Elrond; for the
Wise then knew that the Enemy was seeking to discover the Heir of Isildur, if
any remained upon earth.
'But when
Estel was only twenty years of age, it chanced that he returned to Rivendell
after great deeds in the company of the sons of Elrond; and Elrond looked at
him and was pleased, for he saw that he was fair and noble and was early come
to manhood, though he would yet become greater in body and in mind. That day
therefore Elrond called him by his true name, and told him who he was and whose
son; and he delivered to him the
heirlooms of his house.
'
"Here is the ring of Barahir," he said, "the token of our
kinship from afar; and here also are the shards of Narsil. With these you may
yet do great deeds; for I foretell that the span of your life shall be greater
than the measure of Men, unless evil befalls you or you fail at the test. But
the test will be hard and long. The Sceptre of Annúminas I withhold, for you
have yet to earn it."
‘The next
day at the hour of sunset Aragorn walked alone in we woods, and his heart was
high within him; and he sang, for he was full of hope and the world was fair.
And suddenly even as he sang he saw a maiden walking on a greensward among the
white stems of the birches; and he halted amazed, thinking that he had strayed
into a dream, or else that he had received the gift of the Elf-minstrels, who
can make the things of which they sing appear before the eyes of those that
listen.
‘For
Aragorn had been singing a part of the Lay of Lúthien which tells of the
meeting of Lúthien and Beren in the forest of Neldoreth. And behold! there
Lúthien walked before his eyes in Rivendell, clad in a mantle of silver and
blue, fair as the twilight in Elven-home; her dark hair strayed in a sudden
wind, and her brows were bound with gems like stars.
‘For a
moment Aragorn gazed in silence, but fearing that she would pass away and never
be seen again, he called to her crying, Tinúviel,
Tinúviel! even as Beren had done in the Elder Days long ago.
‘Then the
maiden turned to him and smiled, and she said: "Who are you? And why do
you call the by that name?"
‘And he
answered: "Because I believed you to be indeed Lúthien Tinúviel, of whom I
was singing. But if you are not she, then you walk in her likeness."
' "So
many have said," she answered gravely. "Yet her name is not mine.
Though maybe my doom will be not unlike hers. But who are you?"
‘
"Estel I was called," he said; "but I am Aragorn, Arathorn's
son, Isildur's Heir, Lord of the Dúnedain"; yet even in the saying he felt
that this high lineage, in which his heart had rejoiced, was now of little
worth, and as nothing compared to her dignity and loveliness.
‘But she
laughed merrily and said: "Then we are akin from afar. For I am Arwen
Elrond's daughter, and am named also Undómiel."
‘
"Often is it seen," said Aragorn, "that in dangerous days men
hide their chief treasure. Yet I marvel at Elrond and your brothers; for though
I have dwelt in this house from childhood, I have heard no word of you. How
comes it that we have never met before? Surely your father has not kept you
locked in his hoard?"
‘
"No," she said, and looked up at the Mountains that rose in the east.
"I have dwelt for a time in the land of my mother's kin, in far
Lothlórien. I have but lately returned to visit my father again. It is many
years since I walked in Imladris."
‘Then
Aragorn wondered, for she had seemed of no greater age than he, who had lived
yet no more than a score of years in Middle-earth. But Arwen looked in his eyes
and said: "Do not wonder! For the children of Elrond have the life of the
Eldar."
‘Then Aragorn was abashed, for he saw the
elven-light in her eyes and the wisdom of many days; yet from that hour he
loved Arwen Undómiel daughter of Elrond.
‘In the
days that followed Aragorn fell silent, and his mother perceived that some
strange thing bad befallen him; and at last he yielded to her questions and
told her of the meeting in the twilight of the trees.
‘ "My
son," said Gilraen, "your aim is high, even for the descendant of
many kings. For this lady is the noblest and fairest that now walks the earth.
And it is not fit that mortal should wed with the Elf-kin."
"Yet
we have some part in that kinship," said Aragorn, "if the tale of my
forefathers is true that I have learned."
‘ "It
is true," said Gilraen, "but that was long ago and in another age of
this world, before our race was diminished. Therefore I am afraid; for without
the good will of Master Elrond the Heirs of Isildur will soon come to an end.
But I do not think that you will have the good will of Elrond in this
matter."
'
"Then bitter will my days be, and I will walk in the wild alone,"
said Aragorn.
‘
"That will indeed be your fate," said Gilraen; but though she had in
a measure the foresight of her people, she said no more to him of her
foreboding, nor did she speak to any one of what her son had told her.
'But Elrond
saw many things and read many hearts. One day, therefore, before the fall of
the year he called Aragorn to his chamber, and he said: "Aragorn,
Arathorn's son, Lord of the Dúnedain, listen to me! A great doom awaits you,
either to rise above the height of all your fathers since the days of Elendil,
or to fall into darkness with all that is left of your kin. Many years of trial
lie before you. You shall neither have wife, nor bind any woman to you in
troth, until your time comes and you are found worthy of it."
‘Then
Aragorn was troubled, and he said: "Can it be that my mother has spoken of
this?"
‘ "No
indeed," said Elrond. "Your own eyes have betrayed you. But I do not
speak of my daughter alone. You shall be betrothed to no man's child as yet.
But as for Arwen the Fair, Lady of Imladris and of Lórien, Evenstar of her
people, she is of lineage greater than yours, and she has lived in the world
already so long that to her you are but as a yearling shoot beside a young
birch of many summers. She is too far above you. And so, I think, it may well
seem to her. But even if it were not so, and her heart turned towards you, I
should still be grieved because of the doom that is laid on us."
‘
"What is that doom?" said Aragorn.
‘
"That so long as I abide here, she shall live with the youth of the
Eldar," answered Elrond, "and when I depart, she shall go with the,
if she so chooses."
‘ "I
see," said Aragorn, "that I have turned my eyes to a treasure no less
dear than the treasure of Thingol that Beren once desired. Such is my
fate." Then suddenly the foresight of his kindred came to him, and he
said: "But lo! Master Elrond, the years of your abiding run short at last,
and the choice must soon be laid on your children, to part either with you or
with Middle-earth."
‘ "Truly," said Elrond. "Soon,
as we account it, though many years of Men must still pass. But there will be
no choice before Arwen, my beloved, unless you, Aragorn, Arathorn's son, come
between us and bring one of us, you or me, to a bitter parting beyond the end
of the world. Yon do not know yet what you desire of me." He sighed, and
after a while, looking gravely upon the young man, he said again: "The
years will bring what they will. We will speak no more of this until many have
passed. The days darken, and much evil is to come."
'Then
Aragorn took leave lovingly of Elrond; and the next day he said farewell to his
mother, and to the house of Elrond, and to Arwen, and he went out into the
wild. For nearly thirty years he laboured in the cause against Sauron; and he
became a friend of Gandalf the Wise, from whom he gained much wisdom. With him
he made many perilous journeys, but as the years wore on he went more often
alone. His ways were hard and long, and he became somewhat grim to look upon,
unless he chanced to smile; and yet he seemed to Men worthy of honour, as a
king that is in exile, when he did not hide his true shape. For he went in many
guises, and won renown under many names. He rode in the host of the Rohirrim,
and fought for the Lord of Gondor by land and by sea; and then in the hour of
victory he passed out of the knowledge of Men of the West, and went alone far into
the East and deep into the South, exploring the hearts of Men, both evil and
good, and uncovering the plots and devices of the servants of Sauron.
Thus he became at last the most hardy of living
Men, skilled in their crafts and lore, and was yet more than they; for he was
elven-wise, and there was a light in his eyes that when they were kindled few
could endure. His face was sad and stem because of the doom that was laid on
him, and yet hope dwelt ever in the depths of his heart, from which mirth would
arise at times like a spring from the rock.
'It came to
pass that when Aragorn was nine and forty years of age he returned from perils
on the dark confines of Mordor, where Sauron now dwelt again and was busy with
evil. He was weary and he wished to go back to Rivendell and rest there for a
while ere he journeyed into the far countries; and on his way he came to the
borders of Lórien and was admitted to the hidden land by the Lady Galadriel.
'He did not
know it, but Arwen Undómiel was also there, dwelling again for a time with the
kin of her mother. She was little changed, for the mortal years had passed her
by, yet her face was more grave, and her laughter now seldom was heard. But
Aragorn was grown to full stature of body and mind, and Galadriel bade him cast
aside his wayworn raiment, and she clothed him in silver and white, with a
cloak of elven-grey and a bright gem on his brow. Then more than any kind of
Men he appeared, and seemed rather an Elf-lord from the Isles of the West. And
thus it was that Arwen first beheld him again after their long parting; and as
he came walking towards her under the trees of Caras Galadhon laden with
flowers of gold, her choice was made and her doom appointed.
Then for a
season they wandered together in the glades of Lothlórien, until it was time
for him to depart. And on the evening of Midsummer Aragorn, Arathorn's son, and
Arwen daughter of Elrond went to the fair hill, Cerin Amroth, in the midst of
the land, and they walked unshod on the undying grass with elanor and niphredil
about their feet And there upon that hill they looked east to the Shadow and
west to the Twilight, and they plighted their troth and were glad.
'And Arwen
said: "Dark is the Shadow, and yet my heart rejoices; for you, Estel,
shall be among the great whose valour will destroy it."
' But
Aragorn answered: "Alas! I cannot foresee it, and how lit may come to pass
is hidden from me. Yet with your hope I will hope. And the Shadow I utterly
reject. But neither, lady, is the Twilight for me; for I am mortal, and if you
will cleave to me, Evenstar, then the Twilight you must also renounce."
'And she stood then as still as a white tree,
looking into the West, and at last she said: "I will cleave to you,
Dúnadan, and turn from the Twilight. Yet there lies the land of my people and
the long home of all my kin." She loved her father dearly.
'When
Elrond learned the choice of his daughter, he was silent, though his heart was
grieved and found the doom long feared none the easier to endure. But when
Aragorn came again to Rivendell he called him to him, and he said:
' "My
son, years come when hope will fade, and beyond them little is clear to the.
And now a shadow lies between us. Maybe, it has been appointed so, that by my
loss the kingship of Men may be restored. Therefore, though I love you, I say
to you: Arwen Undómiel shall not diminish her life's grace lot less cause. She
shall not be the bride of any Man less than the King of both Gondor and Arnor.
To the men even our victory can bring only sorrow and parting – but to you
hope of joy for a while. For a while. Alas, my son! I fear that to Arwen the
Doom of Men may seem hard at the ending."
'So it
stood afterwards between Elrond and Aragorn, and they spoke no more of this
matter, but Aragorn went forth again to danger and toil. And while the world
darkened and fear fell on Middle-earth, as the power of Sauron grew and the
Barad-dûr rose ever taller and stronger, Arwen remained in Rivendell, and when
Aragorn was abroad, from afar she watched over him in thought; and in hope she
made for him a great and kingly standard, such as only one might display who
claimed the lordship of the Númenoreans and the inheritance of Elendil.
'After a
few years Gilraen took leave of Elrond and returned to her own people in
Eriador, and lived alone; and she seldom saw her son again, for he spent many
years in far countries. But on a time, when Aragorn had returned to the North,
he came to her, and she said to him before he went:
'
"This is our last parting, Estel, my son. I am aged by care, even as one
of lesser Men; and now that it draws near I cannot face the darkness of our
time that gathers upon Middle-earth. I shall leave it soon."
'Aragorn
tried to comfort her, saying: "Yet there may be a light beyond the
darkness; and if so, I would have you see it and be glad."
'But she
answered only with this linnod:
Ónen i-Estel Edain, ú-chebin estel anim,[32]
and Aragorn
went away heavy of heart. Gilraen died before the next spring.
'Thus the
years drew on to the War of the Ring; of which more is told elsewhere: how the
means unforeseen was revealed whereby Sauron might be overthrown, and how hope
beyond hope was fulfilled. And it came to pass that in the hour of defeat
Aragorn came up from the sea and unfurled the standard of Arwen in the battle
of the Fields of Pelennor, and in that day he was first hailed as king. And at
last when all was done he entered into the inheritance of his fathers and
received the crown of Gondor and sceptre of Arnor; and at Midsummer in the year
of the Fall of Sauron he took the hand of Arwen Undómiel, and they were wedded
in the city of the Kings.
'The Third
Age ended thus in victory and hope; and yet grievous among the sorrows of that
Age was the parting of Elrond and Arwen, for they were sundered by the Sea and
by a doom beyond the end of the world. When the Great Ring was unmade and the
Three were shorn of their power, then Elrond grew weary at last and forsook
Middle-earth, never to return. But Arwen became as a mortal woman, and yet it
was not her lot to die until all that she had gained was lost.
'As Queen
of Elves and Men she dwelt with Aragorn for six-score years in great glory and
bliss; yet at last he felt the approach of old age and knew that the span of
his life-days was drawing to an end, long though it had been. Then Aragorn said
to Arwen:
' "At
last, Lady Evenstar, fairest in this world, and most be-loved, my world is
fading. Lo! we have gathered, and we have spent, and now the time of payment
draws near."
'Arwen knew
well what he intended, and long had foreseen it; nonetheless she was overborne
by her grief. "Would you then, lord, before your time leave your people
that live by your word?" she said.
' "Not
before my time," he answered. "For if I will not go now, then I must
soon go perforce. And Eldarion our son is a man full-ripe for kingship."
'Then going
to the House of the Kings in the Silent Street, Aragorn laid him down on the
long bed that had been prepared for him. There he said farewell to Eldarion,
and gave into his hands the winged crown of Gondor and the sceptre of Arnor,
and then all left him save Arwen, and she stood alone by his bed. And for all
her wisdom and lineage she could not forbear to plead with him to stay yet for
a while. She was not yet weary of her days, and thus she tasted the bitterness
of the mortality that she had taken upon her.
'
"Lady Undómiel," said Aragorn, "the hour is indeed hard, yet it
was made even in that day when we met under the white birches in the garden of
Elrond where none now walk. And on the hill of Cerin Amroth when we forsook
both the Shadow and the Twilight this doom we accepted. Take counsel with
yourself, beloved, and ask whether you would indeed have the wait until I
wither and rail from my high seat unmanned and witless. Nay, lady, I am the
last of the Númenoreans and the latest King of the Elder Days; and to me has
been given not only a span thrice that of Men of Middle-earth, but also the
grace to go at my will, and give back the gift. Now, therefore, I will sleep.
' "I
speak no comfort to you, for there is no comfort for such pain within the
circles of the world. The uttermost choice is before you: to repent and go to
the Havens and bear away into the West the memory of our days together that
shall there be evergreen but never more than memory; or else to abide the Doom
of Men."
'
"Nay, dear lord," she said, "that choice is long over. There is
now no snip that would bear the hence, and I must indeed abide the Doom of Men,
whether I will or I nill: the loss and the silence. But I say to you, King of
the Númenoreans, not till now have I understood the tale of your people and
their fall. As wicked fools I scorned them, but I pity them at last. For if
this is indeed, as the Eldar say, the gift of the One to Men, it is bitter to
receive."
' "So
it seems," he said. "But let us not be overthrown at the final test,
who of old renounced the Shadow and the Ring. In sorrow we must go, but not in
despair. Behold! we are not bound for ever to the circles of the world, and
beyond them is more than memory, Farewell!"
'
"Estel, Estel!" she cried, and with that even as he took her hand and
kissed it, he fell into sleep. Then a great beauty was revealed in him, so that
all who after came there looked on him in wonder; for they saw that the grace
of his youth, and the valour of his manhood, and the wisdom and majesty of his
age were blended together. And long there he lay, an image of the splendour of
the Kings of Men in glory undimmed before the breaking of the world.
'But Arwen
went forth from the House, and the light of her eyes was quenched, and it
seemed to her people that she had become cold and grey as nightfall in winter
that comes without a star. Then she said farewell to Eldarion, and to her
daughters, and to all whom she had loved; and she went out from the city of
Minas Tirith and passed away to the land of Lórien, and dwelt there alone under
the fading trees until winter came. Galadriel had passed away and Celeborn also
was gone, and the land was silent.
'There at
last when the mallorn-leaves were falling, but spring had not yet come,[33] she laid herself to rest upon Cerin
Amroth; and there is her green grave, until the world is changed, and all the
days of her life are utterly forgotten by men that come after, and elanor and
niphredil bloom no more east of the Sea.
'Here ends
this tale, as it has come to us from the South; and with the passing of
Evenstar no more is said in this book of the days of old.'
'Eorl the
Young was lord of the Men of Éothéod. That land lay near the sources of Anduin,
between the furthest ranges of the Misty Mountains and the northernmost parts
of Mirkwood. The Éothéod had moved to those regions in the days of King Eärnil
II from lands in the vales of Anduin between the Carrock and the Gladden, and
they were in origin close akin to the Beornings and the men of the west-eaves
of the forest. The forefathers, of Eorl claimed descent from kings of
Rhovanion, whose realm lay beyond Mirkwood before the invasions of the
Wainriders, and thus they accounted themselves kinsmen of the kings of Gondor
descended from Eldacar. They loved best the plains, and delighted in horses and
in all feats of horsemanship, but there were many men in the middle vales of
Anduin in those days, and moreover the shadow of Dol Guldur was lengthening;
when therefore they heard of the overthrow of the Witch-king, they sought more
room in the North, and drove away the remnants of the people of Angmar on the
east side of the Mountains. But in the days of Léod, father of Eorl, they had
grown to be a numerous people and were again somewhat straitened in the land of
their home.
'In the two thousand five hundred and tenth year of the Third Age a new peril threatened Gondor. A great host of wild men from the North-east swept over Rhovanion and coming down out of the Brown-lands crossed the Anduin on rafts. At the same time by chance or design the Orcs (who at that time before their war with the Dwarves were in great strength) made a descent from the Mountains. The invaders overran Calenardhon, and Cirion, Steward of Gondor, sent north for help; for there had been long friendship between the Men of Anduin'