|
The Second Age
Númenor and Eregion
The theatre for the Second Age of Arda is mainly the island von Númenor as well as the events taking place in the elven kingdoms in Eregion which were founded after the destruction of Beleriand in the War of Wrath (see The First Age).
This page is split into sections. Please use the links below for easier navigation:
The Island of Númenor
The Elven Kingdoms of Eregion
The key events of The Second age, as given in the Encyclopedia of Arda, are as follows:
|
1
|
Foundation of the Elven-kingdoms in the west of Middle-earth, Mithlond and Lindon.
|
|
32
|
Arrival of the Edain in Númenor. Elrond's brother Elros becames their first king, taking the name Tar-Minyatur.
|
|
600
|
The first ships of the Númenoreans return to Middle-earth.
|
|
1200
|
Sauron comes to the Elves of Eregion in a fair guise, and begins to teach them.
|
|
1590
|
The smiths of Eregion complete the Three Rings of the Elves.
|
|
1600
|
Sauron forges the One Ring in Orodruin, and so reveals his true purposes to the Elves.
|
|
1693
|
War begins between the Elves and Sauron.
|
|
1701
|
Sauron's forces, after taking much of Eriador, are driven back into the East by an army of Númenor.
|
|
2250
|
First appearance of the Nazgûl.
|
|
3261
|
Ar-Pharazôn, last King of Númenor, usurps the throne.
|
|
3262
|
Ar-Pharazôn sails to Middle-earth and takes Sauron as prisoner back to Númenor. There, he begins to corrupt the Númenoreans.
|
|
3319
|
Ar-Pharazôn sails into the west to assail the Valar. The Downfall of Númenor.
|
|
3320
|
Arnor and Gondor are founded by Elendil and his sons Isildur and Anárion.
|
|
3430
|
Formation of the Last Alliance.
|
|
3441
|
Defeat of Sauron by the Last Alliance.
|
The Island of Númenor TOP
Númenor was raised by the Valar out of the Great Sea as a reward to the Edain who had fought against Morgoth and Sauron during the First Age of Arda.
The Edain were led to the island by Elros, son of Eärendil and Elwing, who chose as a Half-Elven to be accounted among men.
Being then subject to death he still has been granted a very long lifespan of 500 years and became the first king of Númenor, ruling for 410 years.
The Lords of Valinor placed the "Ban of the Valar" on the Númenóreans which prohibited them from sailing so far west from their island that they could not see its coasts preventing them from becoming enamoured of the immortality of the Valar and the Eldar.
The Island was shaped like a five-pointed star with six major regions, one in the center and the others in the peninsulars shown in the map. The central region was called Mittalmar (Inlands), and it had no coasts except the land about Rómenna and the head of its firth. In a small portion, called the Arandor, the Kingsland, stood the Meneltarma, the Pillar of Heaven, a mountain which was regarded as a holy place in worship of Eru Illúvatar. The mountain had gentle lower slopes but grew ever steeper until the summit, which could not be scaled. A winding spiral road was cut into the mountain which ended upon the summit to the north and was the only work done on the mountain.
The summit itself remained untouched by hands and containded thus no altar or other form of building.
No tool or weapon had ever been borne on the Meneltarma and none save the king were permitted to speak.
For the most part the Mittalmar was a region of pastures and chief region of the Shepherds.
The Forostar, the northern peninsular, was the least fertile part, consisting mainly of stony regions with few trees save on the westward slopes.
The Andustar, the north-western peninsular, was in it´s northern regions rocky as well, but contained large fir-woods looking out upon the sea. Three small bayes it had, facing west, cut back into the highlands. The southerly part of the Andustar was fertile and there great woods of birch and beech grew upon the upper ground with oaks and elms upon the lower.
The south-western peninsular was called the Hyarnustar with the great Bay of Eldanna containing the most beatiful haven Eldalondë. There in the earlier days the great ships of the Eldar of Eressëa, the lonely island, came most often.
The Hyarnustar countained in its western part a mountainous region with great cliffs on the western and southern coast.
The Hyarrostar, being the south-eastern peninsular, contained abundant trees of any kind. Great plantations there were to furnish timber for ship-building.
The last peninsular in the east, called the Orrostar, was a cooler land, but it was protected fomr the cold north-east winds by highlands that rose towards the end of the promontory. In the inner regions mainly grain was grown, especially in the parts near to the borders of Arandor.
Elros became, as stated above, the first king of Númenor, ruling for 410 years. Below are given all Númenorean kings with their specific dates, as given in the Unfinished tales (in some parts different the the Tale of Years).
You may note the time of Tar-Atanamir, the 13th king. At his time the shadow fell upon Númenor and he openly spoke against the Valar. He also refused to lay down his life or renounce the sceptre before his death thus ruling until his death.
Below the table I have inserted a graph showing the age of the respective king and the time he or she ruled.
|
|
Quenya Name
|
Númenorean Name
|
Year of Birth
|
Sceptre received (Year)
|
Years ruled (Died)
|
|
I
|
Tar-Minyatur
|
Elros
|
525 (First Age)
|
|
410 (442)
|
|
II
|
Nólimon
|
Vardamir
|
61
|
410
|
1 (471)
|
|
III
|
Tar-Amandil
|
|
192
|
4101
|
148 (603)
|
|
IV
|
Tar-Elendil
|
Parmaitë
|
350
|
590
|
150 (751)
|
|
V
|
Tar-Meneldur
|
|
543
|
740
|
143 (942)
|
|
VI
|
Tar-Aldarion
|
|
700
|
883
|
192 (1098)
|
|
VII
|
Tar-Ancalimë
|
|
873
|
1075
|
205 (1285)
|
|
VIII
|
Tar-Anárion
|
|
1003
|
1280
|
114 (1404)
|
|
IX
|
Tar-Súrion
|
|
1174
|
1394
|
162 (1574)
|
|
X
|
Tar-Telperien
|
|
1320
|
1556
|
175 (1731)
|
|
XI
|
Tar-Minastir
|
|
1474
|
1731
|
138 (1873)
|
|
XII
|
Tar-Ciryatan
|
|
1634
|
1869
|
160 (2035)
|
|
XIII
|
Tar-Atanamir
|
|
1800
|
2029
|
192 (2221)
|
|
XIV
|
Tar-Ancalimon
|
|
1986
|
2221
|
165 (2386)
|
|
XV
|
Tar-Telemmaitë
|
|
2136
|
2386
|
140 (2526)
|
|
XVI
|
Tar-Vanimeldë
|
|
2277
|
2526
|
111 (2637)
|
|
-----
|
|
Herucalmo2
|
2286
|
2637
|
--- (2657)
|
|
XVII
|
Tar-Alcarin
|
|
2406
|
2657
|
80 [100] (2737)
|
|
XVIII
|
Tar-Calmacil
|
|
2516
|
2737
|
88 (2825)
|
|
XIX
|
Tar-Ardamin
|
|
2618
|
2825
|
74 (2899)
|
|
XX
|
Tar-Herunúmen
|
Ar-Adùnakhôr
|
2709
|
2962
|
63 (2962)
|
|
XXI
|
Tar-Hostamir
|
Ar-Zimrathôn
|
2798
|
2962
|
71 (3033)
|
|
XXII
|
Tar-Falassion
|
Ar-Sakalthôr
|
2876
|
3033
|
69 (3102)
|
|
XXIII
|
Tar-Telemnar
|
Ar-Gimilzôr
|
2960
|
3102
|
75 (3177)
|
|
XXIV
|
Tar-Palantir
|
Ar-Inziladùn
|
3035
|
3177
|
78 (3255)
|
|
XXV
|
Tar-Calion
|
Ar-Pharazôn
|
3118
|
3255
|
64 (3319)
|
(1) Vardamir Núlomon was 381 years of age when Elros died. He did not ascent the throne but gave the Sceptre to his son. He is nonetheless accounted the second king of Númeor and is deemed to have reigned for one year
(2) Herucalmo was the husband of Tar-Vanimeldë. After her death he withheld the sceptre from his son Alcarin until his own death. Herucalmo is not accounted in the Line of Kings whereas Tar-Alarin is accounted to have ruled for 100 years.
During the time of Ar-Pharazôn, a man eager for wealth and power, the envy of the Númenoreans of the immortality of the Valar and the Eldar escalated into hate. This was achieved not only by Sauron, who was brought to Númenor as a hostage of war (at least at the beginning) but also by the pride of Ar-Pharazôn.
He thus made plans how to make war upon the Valar and on day sailed from Númenor to make war upon the Valar. They came upon Tol Eresëa and landed even upon the shores of Aman.
Then the Valar laid down their government of Arda for a time and called upon Ilúvatar. He showed forth his power and changed the face of Arda. The land of Aman and the island of Eresëa were removed beyond the reach of men into the void. Númenor and the Númenorean fleet were drowned in a massive casm which was opened between Aman and Númenor. Sauron himself escaped as a spirit and fled back to Middle-Earth to Mordor.
The Elven Kingdoms in Eregion TOP
Gil-galad was the only son of the High King Fingon and was sent in his youth to the havens of Círdan for safe-keeping during the Dagor Bragollach and the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. After Fingon was lost in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad the crown went, due to Gil-galad´s youth, to his uncle Turgon. Only after the downfall of Gondolin and the death of Turgon Gil-galad became High King of the Noldor in Exile.
After the destruction of Beleriand during the War of Wrath Gil-galad founded a new Elven kingdom between the Blue Mountains and the Great Sea; the region afterwards known as Lindon.
Celebrimbor, the son of Curufin and grandson of Fëanor, settled after the destruction of Beleriand near the Misty Mountains and founded the Elven kingdom of Eregion.
In the year 1000 of the Second Age Sauron began to stir again in Middle-Earth in the Land of Mordor, where he starts building Barad-dûr. In the year 1200 he comes to the Elves of Eregion in a fair guise, calling himself Annatar, the Lord of Gifts. He was rejected by Gil-galad and Círdan but received by Celebrimbor.
He lend great aid to the Mírdain, the jewel-smith´s of Eregion, in making the Rings of Power. Many ring´s were maid but only nineteen were regarded as Great.
Nine of these were given to Men, seven to the dwarves and three rings were kept by the elves.
Sauron himself forged in Orodruin the One Ring to rule all other magical rings, the Great Ones and the others made by the Elven-smith´s. By the power of the One Ring he corrupted the nine Men bearing the Rings of Power to evil. These Men became the Nazgûl, Sauron´s dark and deathless servants.
When Sauron had first worn the Great Ring the Elves became aware of him and hid their three rings, which Sauron had never touched. These rings were in fact Nenya, the Ring of Water borne by Galadriel in Lórien, Narya, the Ring of Fire originally borne by Círdan the Shipwright but given to Gandalf on his arrival in Middle-Earth, and Vilya, the Ring of Air originally held by Gil-galad but given to Elrond at the time of the founding of Rivendell.
Sauron uses the One Ring to finish Barad-dûr in the year 1600; 93 years later war erupts between Sauron and the Elves. In this war the Elves of Eregion were destroyed and only with the help of the Númenóreans, who sent a great fleet to the aid of the Elves, were Sauron forces driven back into the east.
Sauron then sought to build up power in the east rather than the west.
When Ar-Pharazôn was king of Númenor he became aware of the growing power of Sauron in the east and preparing a great fleet he sailed to Middle-Earth and taking Sauron as a hostage brought him to Númenor (see above descriptions for more detail).
After the Drowning of Númenor Eldendil with his sons Isildur and Anárion came back to Middle-Earth and founded the realms of Gondor and Arnor in the year 3320.
After returning in secret to Mordor in the same year Sauron again prepares for war and finally assails Gondor in the year 3429 of the Second Age. He forced Isildur to give up Minas Ithil but was checked by Anárion at Osgiliath and temporary driven back. Isildur fled to Annúminas where his father Elendil and Gil-galad, the High King of the Noldor, proposed a unified attack on Sauron to finally destroy him, the Last Allicance of Elves and Men.
The host assembled and prepared for war in Imladris, or Rivendell, which took nearly three years. In 3434 finally the host marched over many passed over the Misty Mountains and were joined by other forces coming out of Lórien, Mirkwood and Rhovanion.
The battle on the plain on Dagorlad in front of the Black Gate of Mordor lastet for many days but finally the field was won by the Alliance. In the same year the siege on Barad-dûr began and lasted for seven years when finally Sauron himself came forth to face his enemy.
A final battle came up between Sauron, Gil-galad, Elendil, Isildur and Elrond. Sauron was wearing the One Ring and for a long time had the mastery. He slew Gil-galad and Elendil but was finally overwhelmed by Isildur, who cut the finger with the One Ring from Sauron´s hand. Thereafter Sauron´s spirit fled as Middle-Earth had peace for many years.
This event marked the end of the Second Age.
|
