Númenor

Númenor, also known as Westernesse, was the greatest civilization of Men ever to exist, a high and ancient island kingdom whose legacy would define the history of Middle-earth long after its catastrophic end. It was the reward granted by the Valar, the Lords of the West, to the Edain, the three houses of Men who had fought alongside the Elves in the desperate war against the first Dark Lord, Morgoth. After his overthrow at the end of the First Age, the Valar raised a new land from the depths of the Great Sea, far to the west of Middle-earth but still within the circles of the world, and gave it to these faithful Men. This was the Isle of Elenna, or Númenor, the Land of the Star.

Geography and the Gift of Long Life

Númenor was a large island, shaped like a five-pointed star, lying in the Sundering Seas between Middle-earth and the Uttermost West. Its heart was a great central mountain, the Meneltarma, whose summit was so high that the far-sighted could descry the white tower of the Haven of the Eldar in Eressëa, the island of the Elves just off the coast of Valinor. The Númenóreans were blessed with a life-span three times that of lesser Men, a reward for their service against Morgoth. However, the Valar laid a strict prohibition upon them, 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 they were mortal and could not be granted the immortality of the Elves.

The Rise and the Shadow

For many centuries, the Númenóreans grew in wisdom, power, and joy. They became master mariners, exploring all the eastern seas and returning to Middle-earth, where they taught the lesser Men and established great havens. The first King of Númenor was Elros Tar-Minyatur, the son of Eärendil and brother of Elrond, who chose the fate of Men. His line ruled the island for over three thousand years. But as their power and wealth increased, so did their pride. A shadow began to fall upon Númenor. The Kings and their followers grew envious of the immortality of the Elves and began to murmur against the Ban. They abandoned the Elven tongues, persecuted the Faithful—the minority who remained loyal to the Valar—and began to extract heavy tribute from the Men of Middle-earth. The shadow deepened until the twentieth king, Ar-Adûnakhôr, took his royal name in the Númenórean tongue, a title that had previously been reserved for one of the Valar, a clear sign of rebellion.

The Downfall

The final crisis came in the reign of Ar-Pharazôn the Golden, the proudest and most powerful of all Númenor's kings. He sailed to Middle-earth with a great navy to challenge Sauron, who was then building his power. So overwhelming was the might of Númenor that Sauron's own servants deserted him, and he humbled himself before the King, begging pardon. Ar-Pharazôn, in his folly, brought Sauron back to Númenor as a prisoner. The Dark Lord quickly bewitched the King and became his chief counsellor, turning the hearts of all but the Faithful towards darkness. Sauron lied to the King, telling him that everlasting life could be won by those who possessed the Undying Lands. Driven by the fear of death, Ar-Pharazôn prepared the greatest armament the world had ever seen and broke the Ban of the Valar, sailing west to wrest immortality by force. When he set foot upon the shores of Aman, the Valar laid down their Guardianship and called upon the One, Ilúvatar. The world was changed. Númenor was thrown down and swallowed by the Sea, and the Undying Lands were removed forever from the circles of the world. The glory of Númenor was ended.

The Legacy

The last leaders of the Faithful, Elendil the Tall and his sons Isildur and Anárion, had foreseen the disaster. They escaped the Downfall with nine ships, bearing a seedling of the White Tree, the Seven Seeing-stones (Palantíri), and the heirlooms of their house. They were cast by a great storm upon the shores of Middle-earth, where they established the Númenórean realms in exile: Arnor in the north and Gondor in the south. The blood of Númenor, though mingled with that of lesser men, endured in these kingdoms, and the memory of its ancient glory and its tragic fall became a central part of the lore and sorrow of the Dúnedain. The name of Númenor, and the warning of its fate, echoed through the ages, a constant reminder of the peril of pride and the rejection of divine wisdom.