The Kings of Gondor: Part Nine – A Bloodline Lost

July 25, 2017July 20, 2024 / Detached / Leave a comment

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.

The 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.

The 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.

A 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

July 5, 2016July 5, 2016 / Detached / Leave a comment

The 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.

The 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.

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

February 6, 2015 / Detached / Leave a comment

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.

A 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.

Ostoher 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.

Almost 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 Nazgul – Part One

June 6, 2014June 7, 2014 / Detached / Leave a comment

After taking a break from writing this past week and finishing up the Newbie Blogger Initiative event for the month of May I have been itching to get this new post out so I hope you enjoy.

We’re taking a look at Sauron’s dark servants The Nazgûl or also known as the Ring-Wraiths, Black Riders, or The Nine which is my favorite name for these menacing enemy’s of Middle-Earth. They were the dreaded ring-bound servants of Sauron who served him through the second and third ages.

Once nine great Kings of Men, they were all given Rings of Power. The Nine took them without question and subsequently, after the forging of the One Ring, became slaves of Sauron and later his lieutenants. Centuries later the effect of the rings left the kings spectral, invisible to all but Sauron and whoever wore the One Ring.

Only two of the Nine were ever named: You have the Witch-King of Angmar which I will be doing a series on later this month, and you also had Khamul, the Lieutenant of Sauron.

The Nazgul in the Second Age

During the Second Age of Middle-earth the Elven-smiths of Eregion forged the Rings of Power, nine of which were given to great and powerful kings of Men. For many years the nine kings used these rings, which gained them great wealth, prestige and power. However, the effect of the rings made their bodily forms fade over time until they had become wraiths entirely, and served only the second Dark Lord Sauron.

The nine, were first seen around 2251 of the Second Age, and soon became established as Sauron’s primary servants, though they were temporarily dispersed after Sauron’s downfall in 3434 at the hands of Isildur in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.

When the Nine Returned

Because the One Ring was not destroyed, the Nazgûl re-emerged around 1300 of the Third Age. It was around this time that the Witch-king of Angmar started war against the kingdom of Arnor. The first target was the realm of Rhudaur. After conquering Rhudaur and replacing the Dúnedain king with one of the native Hillmen, possibly descended from the kin of Ulfang, in the year TA 1356 the Witch-king moved against Arthedain, resulting in the death of King Argeleb I.

Arthedain hadn’t been defeated just yet, it still managed to hold a line of defense along the Weather Hills. The attack came on Cardolan around TA 1409 and during this time, the forces of the Witch-king burned and destroyed the watchtower of Amon Sûl. With the fall of Cardolan, Arthedain’s capital Fornost followed, and with that the last kingdom of Arnor was destroyed. A year later, a prince of Gondor named Eärnur arrived with the intention of aiding Arthedain.

Discovering that he was too late, he and his army marched against the forces of the Witch-king, utterly destroying them at the Battle of Fornost. The Witch-king escaped and retreated to Mordor, as Angmar had served its purpose. At some point, the Witch-king sent Barrow-wights to the Barrow-downs to prevent Cardolan from being resurrected. Upon his return to Mordor, the Witch-king gathered the other eight Nazgûl. Around the year TA 2000 the Nazgul attacked and after a two year long battle finally took Minas Ithil. They renamed it Minas Morgul, and also acquired a Palantir for the Dark Lord.

It was from Minas Morgul that the Nine directed the rebuilding of Sauron’s armies and the preparation of Mordor for their master’s return. In 2942 Sauron returned to Mordor, and declaring himself returned by TA 2951. He sent two or three of the Nazgûl to garrison his fortress Dol Guldur in Mirkwood. They were led by Khamul, the second most powerful of the Nazgul behind the Witch-King.

Be prepared as next week we will continue our story and finish out what happens to the Nazgul in the Third Age and discover the critical role they play in Sauron’s great plan to overtake Middle-Earth.

A Hobbits Journey

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