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The Kings of Gondor: Part Nine – A Bloodline Lost

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Welcome back fellow hobbits and people of Middle Earth! It’s been a very long time since I last wrote about the Kings of Gondor, but after a long break and much time away with family I felt it time to return and continue writing.  So, looking forward to continuing this series and many others just like it.

83600606The Unwise King

Earnur was the son of Earnil II. He like his father was a great warrior and became a great leader of armies before he became King.  His greatest victory was against Angmar in the Battle of Fornost, in which he defeated the Witch-king, whom he intended to slay had his steed not panicked in terror of the Witch-king’s darkness.  Earnur became King in TA 2043, and was challenged by the Witch-king of Angmar.  The King of the Ringwraiths, who then resided in Minas Morgul wanted this King of Gondor dead and gone.  Earnur, being quick to anger and wrath, would have accepted his challenge had the wise Steward Mardil Voronwe not held him back, and so the first challenge went unanswered.  Just seven years later a second challenge came, mocking Earnur, and the steward Mardil was not able to stop the King this time.  Ernur accepted the challenge, and after entering the gates of Minas Morgul with a small escort, Earnur was never heard from again.  The unwise King was thought to be dead, so his crown now rests upon his father’s tomb in the Hallows of Minas Tirith.

Prophecy_GlorfindelThe Battle of Fornost

A year prior to the battle, the armies of Angmar conquered Arthedain, the last realm of Arnor. Angmar’s armies had taken Fornost, the capital of the Dunedain, and Arvedui, the last King of Arnor, had drowned in the Ice-Bay of Forochel. A year later, a fleet of ships under King Earnur arrived in the Grey Havens and set off toward what was left of the once-great northern kingdom. With the armies of Gondor came men from Rhovanion, elves from Lindon, and the remainder of the Dunedain (among them Aranarth, the Prince of Arthedain).

The battle itself did not take place in the city of Fornost, but on the plains to the west of the city, near Lake Evendim. The armies of Angmar hurried west to meet the assault, and seeing this, the cavalry of Gondor rode north into the Hills of Evendim to wait in ambush. As the main part of the army of Gondor met the enemy in battle, the Gondor cavalry set out from the hills to strike the rear of the army of Angmar. This served as the turning point in the battle, and allowed the combined armies of the west to gain the advantage. Realizing that his forces were all but completely destroyed, the Witch-king of Angmar fled eastward. As he fled, an army led by Glorfindel came up out of the south and blocked his escape, destroying what was left of his crumbling army; the Witch-king himself was able to escape during the night and fled southward. Though the battle itself had been lost and Angmar utterly destroyed, Sauron was extremely pleased with the Witch-King’s work, for the destruction of the northern kingdoms of the Dunedain was a victory for the Dark Powers which far exceeded the loss of the Witch-King’s realm.

Glorfindel,_Elrond_and_King_Earnur_unite_against_the_Witch-King_of_AngmarA Broken Bloodline

The Line of Anarion was broken with the disappearance of Earnur, and the rule of Gondor passed to the Stewards beginning with Mardil Voronwe, the Steward who had tried to restrain Earnur from going to Minas Morgul to face the Witch-king. The Stewards were to rule “until the King returns” for it wasn’t sure at first whether Earnur had been killed dueling with the Witch-king or not. In addition, Earnur left without naming an heir, and while many nobles in Gondor could lay some sort of claim to the kingship, those claims were generally held in doubt, and no one wanted to risk another civil war like the one that had devastated and weakened Gondor.

The Stewards of Gondor were firstly the chief high councilors to the Kings of Gondor and then the rulers of Gondor, until the return of the rightful king (Aragorn Elessar).

First created by the powerful King Romendacil I, Steward was the traditional title of a chief counselor to the Kings of Gondor.  The Quenya name for the title is Arandur , “Servant of the King”.  The steward was was usually an elderly man not from the Royal House chosen for his wisdom and integrity, and was never permitted to go to war nor to go abroad.  During the time of the Steward Pelendur, from the famous House of Hurin, the title became hereditary, passing the station of counselor from father to son, much like the Kingship.

The House of Hurin was founded by one Hurin of Emyn Arnen, Steward to King Minardil, the twenty-fifth King of Gondor. They were of high Numenorean blood, but not descendants of Elendil in the ruling line.

After the death of King Earnur, who left no heir to the throne of Gondor, the Steward Mardil Voronwe became the first of the Ruling Stewards. Mardil was the first of the Stewards to administer Gondor, and his descendants did so for 25 generations.

The Stewards watched over the throne until it could be reclaimed by a true King of Gondor, an heir of Elendil. When asked by his son Boromir how long a time must pass before a Steward could become a King, if the King did not return, Denethor II replied, “Few years, maybe, in other places of less royalty … In Gondor ten thousand years would not suffice” (The Two Towers).

The Stewards never sat on the throne of the King; instead, they sat on a simple chair of black stone placed below it.

I hope you all are enjoying this series as it has been an absolute blast to write and put together!  We are nearing the end of the series but still have a lot more writing to do, so stay tuned to the site and think about following so you never miss one of my series.

You all stay awesome and I bid you a fine farewell!

Cheers,

Iogro Merrybelly

 

The Battle of the Gladden Fields

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AnduinThe One Ring Lost

The Disaster of the Gladden Fields was a battle at the beginning of the Third Age, in which Isildur and a group of acompanying Dunedain were attached by a large group of Orcs as they were marching home after defeating Sauron. The king and his three eldest sons Elendur, Aratan, and Ciryon were all slain and the Ring of Power was lost in the River Anduin. Only three men survived this battle, Ohtar being one of them, an esquire of the kings which was able to save the shards of Narsil.

With the death of Isildur, it impacted both Gondor and Arnor as it left both kingdoms seperated and isolated.  Arnor wouldn’t be able to completely recover from this loss of it’s nobles and knights until the kingship of Aragorn in the Fourth Age. Most importantly, Isildur’s death prevented him from passing on the One Ring to the Keepers of the Three, which he had passed on to his brother Elendur to be his chief reason for visiting Elrond in Rivendell.

After the War of the Alliance, Isildur remained in Gondor for one year, taking back lost lands.  He sent a large part of Arnor’s armies back to Eriador through the Fords of Isen to Fornost.  After getting the affairs of the southern realm in order, he handed the South Kingdom over to Meneldil and marched to Rivendell. He chose to leave his wife and son at Rivendell, but also came for counsel from lord Elrond.

ae12The Battle Ground

The Dunedain traveled northwards from Lorien, marching along a path that led to Greenwood the Great where Thranduil ruled. They had to change routes due to the flooding of the Anduin, which led Isildur to take the road on the eastern banks of the river. Isildur’s party was flanked as the enemy used the steep cliffs overlooking the river.

The Dunedain sang cheerful songs but as the evening drew close they began to hear the orcs in the nearby forest. The first onslaught struck quickly so Isildur called for his esquire Ohtar to take the shards of Narsil back to Rivendell for safe keeping.  The second attack from the orcs brought down the Numenorians great defenses, and Elendur convinced Isildur to flee and cross the Anduin if he could and find safety back at Rivendell.

Isildur cloaked himself with the ring, and made a run for the valley parting ways with his armies and tried to cross the river. Unfortunately the rivers waters were flowing to hard and Isildur being exhausted got tangled in the reeds and in doing so the ring slipped from his finger. Nearby Orc’s caught sight of Isildur in the waters and out of fear quickly shot him and fled.

eiszmann42Wake of Destruction 

Only Ohtar, Elendur, Estelmo, and a handful of men survived the battle. Isildur’s body was never recovered, and was presumed captured and mutilated by Sauron’s forces  The orc army that ambushed the Dunedain were scattered among the lands by a relief force but they were to late.  Estelmo after being recovered spoke of how Isildur and Elendur related to each other about the One Ring. Isildur remarked: “I cannot use it. I dread the pain of touching it. And I have not yet found the strength to bend it to my will. It needs one greater than I know myself to be. My pride has fallen. It should go to the Keepers of the Three.”

Probably the biggest fall of the Gladden Fields was the union of Arnor and Gondor were broken by blood, and Isildur never managed to give the ring of power to the three.  Elrond, Galadriel, and Celeborn if given the chance probably would have destroyed the ring of power long before Sauron would have gathered his spirit and refortified Mordor.  But we all know how this story ends as Sauron does finally fall to the hands of many brave souls, and one very important little hobbit named Frodo.

The Forest of Fangorn

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treebeardThis is one of the most majestic, secluded, and peacful places in Middle Earth and it’s also home to Fangorn which was the original name of Treebeard.  He was the eldest of his species the “Ents” who looked after vast areas of the surrounding land which was named Fangorn Forest. Additionally, Fangorn translated in Sindarin from “fanga” meaning “beard” and “orne” meaning “tree”.  Sindarin was the language of the elves who originally awoke the Ents and taught them language.   In other parts of Middle Earth, Fangorn was knows as the “Entwood” by the Rohirrim.

Treebeard also referred to the forest by many different Quenya names in the Lord of the Rings, some of which were Ambrona which meant uprising, or Tauremornalome which meant sunrise.   Some other names he used were Tauremorna which meant gloomy forest as the folk of Middle Earth had heard many strange stories about Fangorn, some of which spoke about trees who moved and even spoke.

The Forest of Fangorn was located at the south-eastern end of the Misty Mountains near the Gap of Rohan. The mountains formed the western border of Fangorn. At the end of the mountain range stood the tower of Isengard the home of Saruman.  Rohan surrounded this forest to both the south and east, and Lothlorien just to the north.  This was a large forest that stretched many miles, with many paths to be traveled.  Two rivers ran through the forest as well, the Limlight to the north formed the northern border of Rohan which then merged with the much larger Anduin.  To the south, the Entwash spread deep into the forest arriving from Methedras, a mountainous region located near the Misty Mountains. The valley of Derndingle was located just to the south-west which is where the Entwash passed into Wellinghall just past the home of Treebeard.

Fangorn was said to be humid, and the trees trunks grew large with dense foliage which allowed very little to penetrate the forest. Similarly, Fangorn was said to be a dangerous and evil place like Mirkwood where huge spiders roamed the forest and other evil creatures lay, but this unlike Mirkwood had not been corrupted in such a way.  This forest was home to many different creatures but Huorns also lived in the forest, similar to Ents but more discreet and lived very deep in the forest.

hobbitsmeettreebeardOne of the greatest and also oddly sized meetings in the forest was when Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took entered the forest meeting Treebeard and alerted him of the danger Saruman posed to the Ents and their forest. Following an Entmoot, the rest of the Ents agreed to march against Isengard, taking Merry and Pippin with them, and sent Huorns to Helm’s Deep to deal with the Orcs there. Part of the Ents’ anger was caused by Saruman’s Orcs chopping down the trees at the south and west side of the forest. It was especially notable in that Fangorn Forest was embodied by Treebeard.

Other famed visitors to this great forest were Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas as they entered the forest to search for Merry and Pippin. They encountered an old Man dressed in white which at first they believed to be Saruman before realizing that it was Gandalf, whom they thought had been killed at Khazad-dum.

Fangorn forest was, just the easternmost remnant of the immense forest that spanned all of Eriador and Calenardhon in the First Age and early Second Age. Treebeard expressed a deep sadness at the loss of the forest to the Orcs and to the age of Men and their machines. The rest of the forest was destroyed by the Numenoreans and Sauron. This portion of the forest was the the oldest part of Treebeard’s realm, and the Ents’ last retreat.

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The Kings of Gondor – Part Eight – Battle of the Plains

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Greetings Middle Earth Wanderers,

It has literally been months since I wrote episode seven and that is mainly due to a needing a break from writing.  During this series I have also been in the middle of writing my own novel along with a couple of other projects.  Needless to say I was burning out and had to trim some of the projects.  Unfortunately this was one that I had to pause, but we are back on track once again.

In our last episode we left off with with Gondor retaking Umbar and king Telumehtar defeating the Corsairs and this this week we pick up with week we pick up with Telumehtar’s son, Narmacil who became the 29th king of Gondor.

Tower of EchelionThe Tower of Ecthelion

We don’t have a great deal of information on Narmacil, but what we do know is He had a very brief reign as king.  During his sixth year a group of Easterlings called the Wainriders overran the territories of Gondor’s eastern bank of the Anduin.  Narmacil prepared his armies and marched to Rhovanion to confront the invaders, but he was unsuccessful and was slain during the Battle of the Plains.  His son Calimethar took the throne in early in the third age after his fathers death becoming the 30th king of Gondor.

During his reign as king the Wainriders once again became a threat to Gondor and the lands to the west. In this time Calimehtar built the White Tower of Ecthelion which was the tall tower in the Citadel of Minas Tirith, and on top of this great tower waved the banner of Gondor that arose one thousand feet into the air.  The king was also tipped off to the impending invastion from the Wainriders by his good friends and ally’s the Eotheod.  They were a race of Northmen and were the ancestors of the Rohirrim.  It was The Eotheod leader Marhwini who warned the king about the invasion, which gave Gondor the time needed to assemble an army in Ithillien which was the eastern most province of Gondor.

Calimehtar took his army and marched north, sending his calvary to attack the unguarded enemy in the undeeps which were two great westward lands of the Anduin, located between the Brown Lands and the great Wold of Rohan.  The king and his Eothod allies finally met the Wainriders in Dagorlad and defeated them.  He had avenged his fathers death, and the great victory inspired the slaves in Rhovanion to rebel against the Easterling slavers.  Calimehtar ruled Gondor for eighty years, and died in the third age passing the crown to his only son Ondoher.

img-wainridersThe Wainriders Return

Ondoher succeeded his father Calimehtar and his daughter Fíriel married Prince Arvedui of Arthedain.  Not to long after Ondoher took the crown, the Wainriders invaded Gondor from the east while their allies, the Haradrim invaded Gondor from the south. Ondoher and his eldest son Artamir led the main army close to the Black Gate where they clashed with the Wainriders. The left wing of Ondoher’s army was commanded by Adrahil, the Prince of Dol Amroth. The right wing was commanded by Minothar, the captain of Gondor’s armies. The center was commanded by Ondoher himself.

In the ensuing battle Ondoher was slain together with his eldest son and heir Artamir, and Gondor defeated. The rearguard of the army defended Ithilien while Adrahil got help from General Earnil who defeated the Haradrim.  Though Earnil finally defeated the Wainriders it was learned that Ondoher’s second son Faramir (not to be confused with Faramir, brother of Boromir) was slain with his father, while law required that at least one heir to the throne be left behind.

No-one with a valid claim to the throne could be found, and Arvedui of Arthedain claimed the throne. Although Arvedui had a strong claim by his way of his wife Fíriel, who by ancient Numenorean law now should have become Ruling Queen.  Earnil II was selected to become king after his predecessor, King Ondoher and his heirs, were slain in battle. In the previous year an attack had been launched upon Gondor by the Haradrim and the Wainriders. In response, King Ondoher led the main army north to counter the Easterling invasion at Dagorlad and was defeated. Earnil was commander of Gondor’s southern army and guarded Pelargir. Earnil led his army to the Crossings of the Poros where he defeated the Haradrim. This enabled him to turn his attention to the invading Wainriders. The Wainriders, certain of victory, were celebrating their success before they would enter Minas Anor. They were unaware of Earnil’s victory in the south and were taken by surprise when Earnil attacked them and resulted in the victory of the Battle of the Camp

FornostGondor’s Long Wait For a King

After the threat was eliminated Gondor’s attention shifted towards Steward Pelendur and the Council of Gondor, for King Ondoher along with his two sons were slain at Dagorlad.  Both he and prince Arvedui had claim to the throne. Arvedui based his claim on that he was the direct descendant of Isildur (second High King of Arnor and Gondor and uncle to Meneldil first King of Gondor), and as the husband of Firiel, only surviving child of King Ondoher. The claim was rejected and Earnil of the House of Anarion was elected king for his deeds, heritage, and because the Steward, Pelendur, claimed that “The crown and royalty of Gondor belongs solely to the heirs of Meneldil, son of Anarion, 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”.

Aside from being a gifted general Earnil was also a wise ruler. 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 royalty of Arnor, nor deny our kinship, or wish that the realms of Elendil be estranged. I will send to your aid when you have need, so far as I am able.” That time came finally came for Earnil as messages came to Gondor that Arthedain was in grave danger, and that the Witch-King of Angmar was preparing to strike against them. Earnil sent his son Earnur north with a fleet, as swiftly as he could, and with as great a strength as he could spare to aid Arvedui. Earnur arrived too late to save Arthedain and Arvedui who had fled north and drowned in the Ice-Bay of Forochel, but had managed to defeat the host of Angmar’s army in the Battle of Fornost with the help of Cirdan, the Lord of the Grey Havens and Glorfindl with an army from Rivendell. There, Earnur earned the hatred of the Witch-king.  Earnil died late in the Third Age after a rule of ninety-eight years and was succeeded by his son Earnur, who was as good a general as his father but lacked his wisdom.  This marked a very long void in Gondor’s throne before the heir of Isildur returned.

Until next time, I’m your host Iogro Merrybelly and I bid you a fine farewell!

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Refuge of the Faithful

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1407637422The Great Port

Pelargir, was one of the first settlements of the Numenoreans founded in Middle-earth and was built in the year 2350 of the second age as a haven of the Faithful. The King’s Men established havens farther South but Pelargir was one of the cities that assembled Gondor when it was founded in 3320 by the Faithful.  The great port was was located off the Anduin river, just South of the White Mountains.

As Gondor’s power grew, Pelargir became the home of its navy. But during the civil war, also known as the Kin-strife, the city was besieged by Eldacar, as it had become a stronghold of the sons and supporters of Castamir. The siege was only a partial success, as Eldacar had driven out the enemies, but they escaped and fled to Umbar.  The son’s of Castamir, and the surviving enemies heirs became known as the Corsairs of Umbar.  They plagued Gondor with war and tormented their ports for years to come.

Battle_of_PelargirThe Stronghold was Broken

With the decline of Gondor’s power, Pelargir became weaker by the day and an easy target for the Corsairs, who by this time had made an alliance with Sauron.  Although Gondor’s power was in decline they managed to defend their coasts.  In 1634 of the third age, the Corsairs overtook the city and slayed King Minardil in the process.  Gondor was able to regain the city quickly and drove the Corsairs out once more.

During the War of the Ring, the years of conflict between Gondor and the Corsairs was about to come to a quick end. A great Corsair fleet attacked the city as Gondor’s armies were caught at Minas Tirity, and there were not enough troops to defend the coasts or Pelargir.  At what looks to be a defeat in Pelagir, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, along with the Grey Company and the Army of the Dead, arrived and defeated the Corsairs.  Once they took over the Corsairs fleet of ships, Aragorn released the spell that had bound the dead men of dunharrow.  Aragorn and his men arrived at Minas Tirith to defend it from Sauron’s forces. The Corsairs were driven out and they never attacked Gondor, or Pelagir again once Sauron had been killed.

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The Kings of Gondor – Part Four – The Great Ship Kings

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Hey everyone!

Last week we left off with the history and bloodline of the House of Anarion, and ended with the line of the Ship Kings which is where we pick up today.

numenor shipThe Line of Ship Kings

Tarannon, and his younger brother Tarciryan succeeded their father Siriondil after his death in 830 of the Third Age.  Tarciryan took his place as the High King of Gondor in which brought a peacful time for the lands.  His brother Tarannon became the first “Ship King” of Gondor in which started the construction of Gondor’s naval fleets, and under his expansion of the military forces Gondor was able to extend it’s borders both West and South of the Mouths of Anduin.  Tarannon was one of the two Kings of Gondor who had no children, which was a breaking point in the bloodline.  Even though he had no children, his rule was marked as so great due to the naval fleet expansions that he was named the “Lord of the Coasts”.

Tarannon had his own personal struggles outside of keeping the coasts of Gondor safe and building the great naval fleet.  His wife Beruthiel was manipulative and chose to spy on the people of the kingdom, eventually Tarannon had enough and exiled his wife into the South which is why he never had children.  Tarciryan had a son Earnil who took the throne after his uncle Tarannon died in 913 of the Third Age.

Earnil I took his place as the King of Gondor and the rightful place of the second Ship King. He continued his uncles great military expansion and during his time as King captured Umbar, but was lost at sea in 936 of the Third Age.

Harad port of UmbarThe Port of Umbar and Glory of Gondor

His son Ciryandil took the throne and became the fourteenth King of Gondor and the third Ship King.  Ciryandil continued his fathers naval expansions and spent his life defending the recently captured port of Umbar against the Black Numenoreans, and the Haradrim who tried to capture the port.  He reigned as king for 79 years and was slain during a siege on Umbar.  His son Ciryaher took the throne in 1015 and began reorganizing Gondor’s armies and declared war on the Haradrim in which he finally defeated them in 1050. The Haradrim were forced to recognize him as their lord and king and paid tribute to Gondor, and their sons where forced to live as hostages in the court of the king. After this victory, he called himself Hyarmendacil, meaning South-victor.

After the defeat of Harad, Gondor became very rich and under his reign the realm reached its greatest extent and power. The passes of Mordor were well guarded by well-kept fortresses, so evil had no place to turn during Hyarmendacil’s reign. No one ever dared to contest his power and Gondor was at peace for the rest of his long reign.  He died in 1149 after 138 years of keeping the lands of Gondor safe, and evil at bay.  He had one son Atanatar II who became the sixteenth king of Gondor.   It is said that Atanatar’s reign as king was the most prosperous of Gondor, and that his wealth was so great that historians remarked that “precious stones are pebbles in Gondor for children to play with”.

He was also known as “The Glorious King” but his actions as king were neglected and he made no attempts to watch the borders of Mordor or grow the armies of Gondor.  Atanatar by no means maintained the power that his father commanded and this time was seen as the start of Gondor’s great decline.

We pick up next week with the line of kings beginning to fail and a land who will once again face it’s greatest enemy.

Until then, I’m your host Iogro Merrybelly and I bid you a fine farewell!

The Kings of Gondor – Part Three – The House of Anarion

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Hail and Well Met Everyone!

Last week we left off with Isildur, the high king of both the kingdom of Arnor and Gondor. Since the death of Isildur we see a direct split in the lines and the title of High King did not fall to the House of Anarion.

tyler-realms-in-exile-01A Kings Line Divided

Meneldil was born in Numenor a year before its fall.  He was the fourth child of Anarion, and was the last recorded child born of Numenor before it’s destruction.  He had three older sisters and became the King of Gondor in the second year of the Third Age, after the death of his uncle Isildur.  Meneldil was the first “King of Gondor” to rule independently from the High Kingdom of Arnor.

It is uncertain whether Meneldil was King by right, because his father Anarion was only co-ruler of Gondor under his brother Isildur, who was the High King.  Meneldil did have a cousin that could have made the rightful claim to the throne of both kingdoms, but he never stepped forward to make such claim.  The people of Gondor accepted Meneldil’s claim over Gondor, but King Valandil of Arnor never made any real attempt to take rule over both kingdoms until Anarion’s line had failed.  Meneldil did serve Gondor from Arnor for 156 years before his death in year 158, but the title of High King still remained with the northern kingship line.

A Rule of Peace in the Lands

Cemendur took the throne after the death of his father Meneldil, but little is known about his reign.  It was a peacful time, and he ruled Gondor for 80 years and died in 238 of the Third Age.  He had one son Earendil who continued the reign of peace in the lands. There were no major events recorded during his time as king, but ruled Gondor for 86 years and died in 324 of the Third Age.  Earendil’s son Anardil took the throne after his fathers death.  The only major event recorded during his reign is he was the last king to dwell in Osgiliath, and his son Ostoher helped rebuild and expand Minas Anor.  Anardil died in 411 of the Third Age and ruled Gondor for 87 years.

Minas-Tirith3Ostoher took reign of Gondor and during his time as king he turned Minas Anor into a great dwelling place for his people, and continued to expand Minas Anor until it bacame a city as well as his fortress.  This city is one of the most renown of all Middle Earth as most people know it as the captial city of Gondor, or better known as Minas Tirith.  The white city became the captial some 1200 years after the great plague that hit the city in 1636.

Ostoher faced some challenges during his reign as in the last two years of his rule the Easterlings planned attacks on Gondor.  Because of the advanced technology and fortified keeps the king sent his son Tarostar who commanded his armies and was able to ward off and the Easterling threat. Ostoher ruled Gondor for 81 years and died in 492 of the Third Age in which his son Tarostar took reign of Gondor.  Tarostar, fought the Easterlings for almost a hundred years before defeating them, and after the victory renamed himself Romendacil, which means East-Victor.

The Line of Stewards Created

It was Romendacil, that created the line of Stewards for Gondor, as they were to be the men of wisdom and learning that would serve as high councilors to the king.  This bloodline of men were known as the House of Hurin, and they would later become the rulers of Gondor when the line of kings failed in 2050 of the Third Age.

Jan_Pospisil_-_Dale_units_vs._RhunAlmost 500 years of peace is what the land of Gondor saw but that was about to come to an end as the Easterlings invaded the land once again in 541 and killed Romendacil.  His son Turambar took the throne at a very young age, probably as a young teenager and avenged his fathers death.  Turambar expanded the lands of Gondor as he took his armies and conquered large parts of Rhun from the Easterlings.  This land became known as the East Land province of Gondor.  Turambar ruled Gondor for 126 years, which was the longest reign since king Meneldil.  He died in 667 of the Third Age at which his son Atanatar took reign over Gondor.

Not much is recorded of Atanatar’s reign other than it was a peacful time of Gondor.  He passed in the year 748 of the Third Age and had one son.

Siriondil took the throne after his fathers death in 748 and had two sons, Tarannon, and Tarciyan.  There were no major events recorded during his reign and was probably a continued time of peace for the land.  He ruled for 82 years and died in 830 of the Third Age.  Tarciryan took his place as the King of Gondor after his fathers death, but his brother Tarannon became the first Ship King of Gondor as he built the kingdoms great naval fleet!

Next week we will continue taking a historical look at the kings line of Gondor, and the great Ship Kings.

Until then, I’m your host Iogro Merrybelly and I bid you a fine farewell!

The Origins Of Evil – Part Four – The Death of Morgoth

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Hail and Well Met Everyone!

You might have been wondering where in the world I had vanished…. well I won’t lie, it’s been a nice little three week break over the holidays and beginning of the new year.  I’m finally back on a regular schedule of writing, planning, and getting new topics lined out for the website.  This is a rather long article of lore….So let’s not dilly-dally any longer and get to it shall we.

When we left off last time we had just seen the Battle of Flames and a small band of men called the Edain who were able to withstand the corruption of Morgoth and began feeding the elves information about the dark lords every move.

AnghbandSiege of Angband

The siege of Angband was broken 455 years after Fingolfin came to Middle-earth, when Morgoth started the War of Sudden Flame or it’s Sindarin name “Dagor Ballogach”. One cold winter night, when the Elves were off guard, Morgoth brought terrible rivers of fire and lava from Thangorodrim and poisonous fumes from the Iron Mountains. The Elves were completely unprepared for such an assault, and many Noldor perished on the Ard-galen, as the fires consumed it and transformed it into a lifeless wasteland, forever after known as the Anfauglith.

With the exception of Maedhros and his fortress upon the Hill of Himring, the sons of Feanor and Finarfin were overthrown and defeated. Fingolfin and Fingon only just barely managed to defend Hithlum from Morgoth’s onslaught, as the mountains surrounding it provided an effective barrier against Morgoth’s fires. The Elves were completely driven from the forests of Dorthonion, and many of the Grey elves forsook the war altogether and went to Doriath. When news came to Fingolfin of the defeat of the Elven forces, a great despair came upon him. Believing the Noldor to have been defeated beyond any hope of recovery, he rode forth from Hithlum to the gates of Angband in a wrath so potent that he was said to have resembled Orome himself.  When he arrived at Morgoth’s fortress he challenged the Dark Lord to come forth and fight. Though Morgoth did not wish to, Fingolfin’s challenge was heard by all in Angband, and was given in such an insulting manner that to ignore it would have been to lose face before his captains.

Morgoth came forth dressed in his black armour from Angband to confront Fingolfin. Wielding the terrible hammer Grond in which he attempted to kill the Elven-king repeatedly, but succeeded only in carving many fiery pits in the ground from his missed strikes. Fingolfin managed to avoid Morgoth’s blows, and wounded the Dark Lord seven times. But at last, Fingolfin grew weary, and Morgoth brought him to his knees. Fingolfin arose each time to continue the fight, but eventually he fell backwards into one of the many pits formed by Morgoth’s missed attacks. Morgoth took his foot upon Fingolfin’s neck and killed him, but not before Fingolfin, cut Morgoth’s foot with his sword.  Morgoth enraged broke the Elven-king’s body, but Thorondor, the King of the Eagles, swooped down on Morgoth, marring his face with his talons, and rescued the body of the Elf-king.

Fingolfin’s last stroke gave Morgoth a permanent limp, and the pain of his seven wounds could not be healed, nor were the scars ever erased.

After the battle, Morgoth sent out spies to watch over the Edain men, but when the Edain refused his false offers of peace he summoned the Easterlings over the Blue Mountains. However, he soon realized that he had underestimated the resolve and valor of his foes, for the Elves and Edain, recovering from the initial shock of Morgoth’s onslaught, had begun to make small gains against his outlying forces. He therefore checked his advances, and withdrew the main groups of Orcs to Angband.  Though Morgoth’s victory had been great, his own losses had been as numerous as the losses that had been accrued by the Elves. Seven years passed before Morgoth renewed his offensive abilities. He assailed Hithlum with great strength but just as he was on the verge of victory, Cirdan and a large army under his command came at the last moment and helped Fingon to turn the Orcs back.

Morgoths CourtThe Quest of the Silmaril

Some time later, the Elven-maiden Luthien and her human lover Beren, seeking to recover a Silmaril, came disguised to Morgoth’s court. Morgoth was able to see through her disguise, but she was undaunted by his eyes, and offered to sing for him. As she sang, Morgoth conceived a lust and an evil more abominable than any he had yet committed, and allowed her to continue singing. This was his downfall; suddenly shadow hid her, and she sang a terrible song of power that cast a spell of sleep.

All Morgoth’s court was cast down in a deep sleep by her song, but the Silmarils burned, and became so heavy that the head of Morgoth sagged upon his chest. He fell from his throne, the Iron Crown rolled away with a clang, and Beren cut a Silmaril from the neck of Morgoth.  However, rather than leaving immediately with his prize, he tried to take another of the Silmarils.  As he attempted to pry the second jewel loose, his knife snapped.  One shard struck Morgoth’s face, and he began to awaken. Beren and Luthien fled, but the dreaded werewolf Carcharoth bit off Beren’s hand. Then Morgoth awoke, and in a rage he and his court roared up in pursuit, only to see Thorondor carrying off the raiders. Morgoth’s rage at the loss of the Silmaril caused the Iron Mountains to begin erupting, but Morgoth wasn’t able to recover the Silmaril.

Soon after, Morgoth became aware that Maedhros was making a great army against him, and driving his orcs off the northern heights.  He took council against them and prepared his forces for a major confrontation. When the Elves made it to Angband, the Battle of Nirnaeth Arnoediad, began. Ultimately, the battle was a complete and decisive victory for Morgoth. The power of the Elves and the Edain were broken against Morgoth. The Noldor from the north of Beleriand, and all their great kingdoms besides Gondolin were destroyed. The Edain who did not flee were enslaved by Easterlings, and Hurin was taken captive.

tumblr_static_tumblr_static_bbp7i3c1334gos0wsc0o88k8w_1280The Cursing of Hurin

Morgoth was also well known for the imprisonment of Hurin of the House of Hador during the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. In the last hours of the battle Hurin and his kin defended Turgon, for he was the last heir to the throne of Gondolin and of Fingolfin after his brother, Fingon, died in battle. Turgon narrowly escaped the clutches of the orcs due to the valor of Hurin and Huor and their men.

Unfortunately, all but Hurin fell after the onslaught of Morgoth’s forces. After slaying untold numbers of Trolls and Orcs, Hurin was captured by Gothmog and sent to Angband. Morgoth knew that Hurin had been to Gondolin, and knew of its location. Morgoth sought to extract the information from him but, despite inflicting terrible torment upon his captive, was unsuccessful.

hqdefaultMorgoth sentences Hurin

From a distance Morgoth put the son and daughter of Hurin, Turin and Nienor, under a species of diabolic oppression: his thought followed them and gave them bad luck, though they were not possessed. By this means he drove them at last to madness and despair; though there is doubt as to whether in the extremity of his malice he cheated himself, as their madness saved them from damnation.

Morgoth brought a great curse upon the people – “Behold! The Shadow of my thought shall lie upon them wherever they go, and my hate shall pursue them to the ends of the world.” But all whom you love my thought shall weigh as a cloud of Doom, and it shall bring them down into darkness and despair. Wherever they go, evil shall arise. Wherever they speak, their words shall bring ill counsel. Whatsoever they do shall turn against them. They shall die without hope, cursing both life and death.

And so Hurin stayed and was chained atop Thangorodrim, forever watching his homelands fall under the shadow of Morgoth until he released him. Turin, who was valiant and powerful, nearly escaped the curse, as feared by Morgoth, but could not leave it. He and his sister perished and the curse of Morgoth on the Children of Hurin was fulfilled.

howe_gondolinNZThe Fall of Gondolin

Though he had been unable to force Hurin to reveal the location of the last great Elven kingdom, Morgoth eventually captured Maeglin, son of Turgon, the King of Gondolin. Threatened with unimaginable torment, Maeglin offered the secrets of Gondolin’s defenses in exchange for his own wellbeing. Additionally, he made a promise to kill Tuor personally, and was given permission by Morgoth to take Idril for himself.  With the promise of having Idril, Maeglin became Morgoth’s servant and sent him back to Gondolin to aid the invasion from within when the time came.

Soon after, Morgoth assaulted Gondolin, the last great realm of the Noldor, and with a superior force and Maeglin’s treacherous information, the city was destroyed without hope and quickly fell.

 

angliflin the blackFinal defeat and War of Wrath

However, Morgoth’s triumph was relatively short lived. Due to the plea actions of Earendil, the Valar were persuaded once again to take up arms against Morgoth’s tyranny. Morgoth himself did not expect that the Valar would ever help the Noldor after the terrible sins they had committed, and did not foresee the assault from Aman. But the Valar took pity on the Noldor, and a great battle began between Morgoth and the Host of Valinor. Morgoth emptied all of Angband, and his devices and engines and armies of slaves were so various and powerful the fighting spilled across all Beleriand.

In the end, Morgoth’s forces were completely defeated. The Balrogs were destroyed, except a few that fled and hid themselves in the caverns of the earth, and the Orcs were slaughtered. Morgoth hid in fear, and dared not come forth himself, but he had one last weapon at his command; the monstrous Winged Dragons. From out of the pits of Angband he called them to battle, with great power and fire, they drove back the Valar. But then Earendil came with Vingilot, accompanied by Thorondor and all the great birds, and killed Ancalagon The Black, whose great body fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim destroying them. Morgoth, utterly defeated stood and watched. He fled into the deepest of his mines, but his feet were cut from under him, and he was cast down upon his face. He was bound with the chain Angainor, his Iron Crown was beaten into a collar for his neck, and he was thrust through the Door of Night into the Timeless.

This concludes our lore series on the dark lord, but next week we kick off a brand new series (The Kings of Gondor) so until next weeks episode, I’m your host Iogro Merrybelly and I bid you a fine farewell!

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I Once Was A Hobbit – Part Two

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misty_printIn a Desperate Search for Precious

Gollum eventually left the Misty Mountains and pursued Bilbo a few years later, but the trail was cold. He made his way south into Mordor where all evil was being drawn at the time, discovering the secret stair located near Minas Morgul and surviving an encounter with Shelob.  He was captured on his return and taken to the enemy’s stronghold and forced to reveal under intense torture what he knew about the Ring.  Gollum was then strangely freed, as he shows no particular loyalty towards Sauron, but caught by Aragorn, and interrogated by Gandalf, who placed him in the care of the Silvan Elves living in Thranduil’s kingdom in Mirkwood.  Assisted by Orcs he escaped the elves, and slipped out to search for for the Shire. He passed through Moria, but could not make it out of the East gate. He was stuck and waiting, but got lucky when the Fellowship passed through.

poort1Finding the Fellowship

Gollum met and started following the Fellowship in Moria, and was spotted and heard by Frodo several times during that journey.  The Fellowship was divided when Gandalf disappeared while fighting a Balrog. Gollum continued following the remaining members of the Fellowship. It is unknown how he crossed the Bridge of Khazad-dum, but he came with them to Lorien without their knowing.  Gollum followed their boats down Anduin to Rauros and pursued Frodo and Sam across the Emyn Muil when they decided to make the journey to Mordor on their own. Gollum followed them, but after a confrontation with Sam in which Frodo finally stopped him and threatened to kill him with Sting, which Gollum recognized from his encounters with Bilbo.

03_KALUTA_01Frodo decided it best to tie a rope around Gollum’s neck for a leash, but the mere touch of the rope pained him. Taking pity on the wretched creature, Frodo made Gollum swear to help them. Agreeing to the oath, Gollum swore by the “Precious” itself and Frodo released him. The three of them then made their way to the Black Gate of Mordor.  Upon arriving the Black Gate they found it well guarded, Gollum convinced them if they went this way they would surely be caught and Sauron would regain the Ring. Gollum knew of another way farther to the South, another way into Mordor that was safer.

We shall pick up in the next episode and find out what happens with the journey to the South and supposed safer entrance into Mordor.

Until Next Week, I’m your host Iogro Merrybelly and I bid you a fine farewell

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A Watchtower Stands

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images (10)The Great Watchtower

Weathertop as a lot of fans know it, but it’s true name was known as Amon Sul, which was a hill in the Eriador region of Middle-earth, the southernmost and highest summit of the Weather Hills, hence the name “Weathertop”. The watch tower at its top overlooked the Great East Road in central Eriador, east of Bree, about halfway between the Shire and Rivendell.

This great hill was a watchtower and according to the Atlas of Middle Earth, it was around a thousand feet tall and stood abroad against relatively flat lands around it.  The lower Weather Hills stretched northwards and offered a very commanding view of every direction.  There was a path that led from the north side of Weathertop to the other surrounding Weather Hills.

The strategic importance of Weathertop was recognised early, and during the reign of Elendil the Dunedain of Arnor built a watchtower on its summit, installing the most powerful of Arnor’s three Palantíri in the tower. This Palantír further enhanced Weathertop’s value, as it could be used for intelligence gathering and rapid communication with the King in Annuminas, or later in Fornost.

images (9)The Great Dividing Fall

In the third age around year 861, Arnor was divided into the kingdoms of Arthedain, Cardolan and Rhudaur.  Weathertop stood at the junction of their borders, and became the focus of a long-running territorial dispute between the three kingdoms, with frequent border skirmishes and minor wars. During this time, Weathertop may have changed hands on several occasions. By the latter part of the 14th century, Weathertop was controlled by Arthedain and Cardolan, which were at that time allied against Rhudaur and Angmar, and was the chief fortress in their fortified border with Rhudaur. The watchtower and fortifications were burned and destroyed in the year 1409 by forces of the Witchking.

King Arveleg I was slain while defending the watchtower, but the Dunedain of Arthedain saved the Palantír and took it to their capital at Fornost. By the time of the War of the Ring only a ring of broken stonework remained of the watchtower forever leaving it a broken ruin of Middle Earth’s great past.

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