Dúnedain

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Dúnedain
People
General Information
Other namesGreat People of the West, Men of the Ancient Houses, Men of the West, Men of Westernesse
OriginsDescendants of the Númenóreans in Middle-earth
LocationsEriador, Arnor, Gondor
AffiliationLast Alliance of Elves and Men, Host of the West
RivalriesSauron
LanguagesQuenya, Westron, Sindarin, Gondor Sindarin
MembersAmandil, Tar-Palantir, Argeleb I, Aragorn II
Physical Description
LifespanThrice the life of lesser men but later diminished (not so much in Arnor however)[1]
DistinctionsSuperior to the other men of Middle-earth in nobility of spirit and body
Average heightTaller than other Men
Hair colorDark
GalleryImages of Dúnedain

The Dúnedain (S: "west-men", pron. [ˈduːnedaɪn]), singular Dúnadan (pron. [ˈduːnadan]), were the Men of Númenor and (especially) their descendants who peopled Middle-earth in the Second and Third Ages.

History

Early History

After the Downfall of Númenor, the Exiles of Númenor, led by Elendil, established the Realms in Exile of Arnor and Gondor. There, many already dwelt who were in whole or part of Númenorean blood who welcomed Elendil and his sons.

Not all the Dúnedain in Middle-earth were descended from the followers of Elendil. Others had settled there independently before the Downfall, and later allied themselves with the founders of the Kingdoms of the Dúnedain. The ancestors of the Princes of Dol Amroth were among the most prominent of these.

The Dúnedain were from the beginning far fewer in number than the lesser men among whom they dwelt and whom they ruled, being lords of long life, great power, and wisdom.

Originally ruled by the High King of the Dúnedain, they were divided as the Dúnedain of Arnor and the Dúnedain of Gondor, following the death of Isildur, son of Elendil, in T.A. 2.

Division

Dúnedain of Arnor

See also: Dúnedain of Arnor.

Valandil, Isildur's youngest son, took up his rule in Annúminas, but his people were diminished, and of the Northern Dúnedain and of the Men of Eriador there remained now too few to people the land or maintain the places Elendil built; many of Dúnedain of Arnor had died in the War of the Last Alliance and the Disaster of the Gladden Fields .

After the reign of Eärendur, the seventh king that followed Valandil, that the Dúnedain of the North, became divided into petty realms and lordships, and the witch-realm of Angmar destroyed them one by one.

After the Angmar War, the Dúnedain of the North were reduced to Rangers wandering secretly in the wild, and other men knew not their homes nor the purpose of their journeys, and save in Imladris, in the house of Elrond, their ancestry was forgotten. Yet the shards of the sword were cherished during many lives of Men by the heirs of Isildur; and their line, from father to son, remained unbroken.

Dúnedain of Gondor

See also: Dúnedain of Gondor.

In the south the realm of Gondor endured, and for a time the splendour of the Dúnedain of the South grew, until it recalled the wealth and majesty of Númenor during the reign of Hyarmendacil I.

Yet at the last, in the wearing of the swift years of Middle-earth, the Dúnedain of Gondor waned for their blood became much mingled with that of other men, especially the Northmen of Rhovanion. King Eldacar, who himself had Northmannish blood, showed favour to the Northmen who supported him. This led to the Kin-strife, when many of the Dúnedain of Gondor were slain. After his return from exile, many noble houses, including the royal House of Anárion became more mingled with the blood of "lesser" Men.


By the time of the War of the Ring, the Dúnedain of Gondor lived in Minas Tirith and the adjacent townlands, as well as the tributary fiefs and royal lands of Anórien, Ithilien, and Belfalas.

Reunification

In the Fourth Age, the Dúnedain of Gondor and Arnor were reunited under King Aragorn II Elessar (who was also called the Dúnadan).

Etymology

"I thought you knew enough Elvish at least to know dún-adan: Man of the West, Númenórean."
Bilbo Baggins[2]

They are also called the Men of the West and the Men of Westernesse (direct translations of the Sindarin term) and comes from dûn and adan.

The Quenya name was Núnatan (pron. [ˈnuːnatan]), pl. Núnatani (pron. [nuːˈnatani]).

The Westron name for Dúnadan was simply Adûn, "westerner", but this name was seldom used.

References

  1. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur"
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "Many Meetings"