Everything You Need To Know About Númenor Ahead Of 'The Rings Of Power'
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Amazon Prime’s The Rings of Power will debut on September 2nd with many events of the show taking place in Númenor. The kingdom of Men was only referenced in The Lord of the Rings, so most of what we know about it comes from Tolkien’s extensive notes. As a result, only hard-core Tolkien nerds know much about it. This primer is to give you everything you need to know about Númenor before diving into the new series.
Númenor was an island lifted from the Western Sea and gifted to the humans by the Valar at the beginning of the Second Age as a thank you for their help in defeating Morgoth. The star-shaped island was located between Middle Earth and the Undying Lands. The five peninsulas jutting out from the central core gave Númenor six distinct regions with unique geography and landscape: Forostar - the Northlands, Andustar - the Westlands, Hyarnustar - the Southwestlands, Hyarrostar - the Southeastlands, Orrostar - the Eastlands, and Mittalmar - the Inlands. The center region was a mountain surrounded by grasslands. There were beech and birch forests in north and oak and elm forests in the south. With the gift of Númenor, the Valar gave only one rule. The Númenoreans were not to sail so far west that they lost sight of the island as the Valar were afraid that they would reach the Undying Lands.
Image Source: One Wiki To Rule Them All
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The inhabitants of Númenor were noble people. They were friends with the Elves and worshipped the Valar. Their lives were many times longer than modern humans. An average Númenorean lived around 200 years, while the royals could live up to 400 years. They cultivated the land, herded sheep, raised horses, and became shipbuilders and explorers. At their peak, they were the greatest human civilization ever to be.
The first king of Númenor was the Half-elven Elros, the brother of Elrond who chose to be mortal. His reign began in the thirty-second year of the Second Age and lasted until 442. Until the year 1600, Númenor prospered, and the White Tree became their symbol of prosperity. They made colonies in Middle Earth and befriended the people there.
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In 1600, things began to change for the worse. Sauron, the chief antagonist in Lord of the Rings, forged the rings of power, including his one ring to rule them all. Soon after, Sauron was at war with the Elves. While the Elves won in the end, Sauron was not killed. The Númenoreans began to resent the Valar’s one rule and crave immortality. They began to colonize the lands to their east and slowly their rule turned tyrannical. Sauron was able to seduce them into thinking that if they changed their allegiance to Morgoth, they could live forever. Many Númenoreans abandoned the Valar, but some, known as the Faithful, continued worshipping the Valar.
During the reign of Ar-Pharazôn, the Númenoreans erected a huge temple to Morgoth. They dug up the White Tree and burned it as a sacrifice to Morgoth. Ar-Pharazôn then raised a huge armada to sail west to the Undying Lands and take immortality by force. The Valar called on Ilúvatar, the creator, for help. Ilúvatar made the world round, and, in the process, sank Númenor below the sea and destroyed most of its navy. Most Númenoreans were killed, but Elendil, leader of the Faithful, had been warned and escaped with his family and followers to Middle Earth. There they founded the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor. Elendil’s son, Isildur replanted the seed of the White Tree in Gondor. Although Númenor and the Númenoreans had been destroyed, their descendants would go on to influence many of the events of the Third Age.
It appears that The Rings of Power will be set before the reign of Ar-Pharazôn but during the decline of Númenor. Tolkien never wrote specifically about this period so the show will have plenty of room for new stories and expand on the lore.
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