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| {{sources}}
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| {{people infobox | | {{people infobox |
| | name=Men of Arnor | | | name=Arnorians |
| | image= | | | image= |
| | caption= | | | caption= |
| | pronun= | | | pronun= |
| | othernames= | | | othernames=Men of Arnor, Dúnedain of Arnor, Northern Dúnedain, Rangers, Rangers of the North, Arnorians |
| | origin=Descendants of the [[Númenóreans]] in [[Arnor]] (partly [[Men of Eriador]] and [[Bree-men]]) | | | origin=Descendants of the [[Númenóreans]] |
| | location=[[Eriador]], [[Arnor]] | | | location=[[Eriador]], [[Arnor]] |
| | affiliation=[[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]], [[Host of the West (Arnor)|Host of the West]], [[Grey Company]] | | | affiliation= |
| | rivalry=[[Hill-men]] | | | rivalry=[[Hill-men]] |
| | language=[[Westron]], [[Númenórean Sindarin]], [[Quenya]] | | | language=[[Westron]], [[Sindarin]], [[Quenya]] |
| | members=[[Argeleb I]], [[Aragorn II]], [[Gilraen]] | | | members=[[Amandil]], [[Tar-Palantir]], [[Argeleb I]], [[Aragorn II]] |
| | lifespan= | | | lifespan=Three times the life of a regular man but later slightly diminished<ref>{{App|Eriador}}</ref> |
| | distinctions= | | | distinctions= |
| | height= | | | height=Taller than other [[Men]] |
| | hair= | | | hair= |
| | skin= | | | skin= |
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| | weapons= | | | weapons= |
| }} | | }} |
| The '''Men of Arnor''' were the inhabitants of Arnor and its successor kingdoms. The '''Dúnedain of Arnor''', also known as the '''Dúnedain of the North''' or the '''Northern Dúnedain''', constituted the ruling class and nobility of [[Arnor]] being descendants of the [[Exiles of Númenor]] who established the North-Kingdom. The history of the Men of Arnor is extensively dominated by the actions of the Dúnedain of the North. | | The '''Dúnedain of Arnor''' were one of the two great divisions of the descendants of the [[Númenóreans]] in [[Middle-earth]] (the other being the [[Gondorians]] of the South-kingdom). |
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| ==History== | | ==History== |
| ===Foundation===
| | The North-kingdom of [[Arnor]] had originally held the capital of High King [[Elendil]] at [[Annúminas]], and the [[Dúnedain]] of that land were ruled for centuries by the descendants of Elendil's eldest son [[Isildur]]. |
| After the [[Downfall of Númenor]], the [[Exiles of Númenor]], led by [[Elendil]], established the [[Realms in Exile]] of [[Arnor]] and [[Gondor]]. [[Elendil]] was cast up by the waves in the land of [[Lindon]], and he was befriended by [[Gil-galad]].<ref name=rings>{{s|Rings}}</ref> He then passed up the River [[Lhûn]], and beyond [[Ered Luin]], he established the realm of [[Arnor]].<ref name=rings/>
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| The [[Exiles of Númenor|Exiles]], and later the Northern Dúnedain, dwelt in many places in [[Eriador]] about the courses of the [[Lhûn]] and the [[Baranduin]]; but their "chief city was at [[Annúminas]] beside Lake [[Nenuial]]. At [[Fornost]] upon the [[North Downs]] also the Northern Dúnedain dwelt, and in [[Cardolan]], and in the hills of [[Rhudaur]]; and towers they raised upon [[Emyn Beraid]] and upon [[Amon Sûl]]".<ref name=rings/> The Men of Arnor were, from the beginning of their history, always less powerful and populous than their southern counterparts, the [[Gondorians]].<ref>{{PM|Atani}}</ref> | | The population of Arnor suffered a lot during the [[War of the Last Alliance]] and the [[Disaster of the Gladden Fields]]; after Isildur's death in {{TA|2}}, not many Dúnedain or [[Middle Men]] of [[Eriador]] remained to populate the places built by Elendil.<ref name=rings>{{s|Rings}}</ref> |
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| In [[Arnor]], the [[Men of Eriador]] accepted the new kingdom of [[Elendil]] and helped to people and maintain the many places that the Northern Dúnedain built.<ref name=rings/> When [[Elendil]] led his people into the south to battle against [[Sauron]], these [[Men of Eriador]] marched alongside the [[Dúnedain]].<ref name=rings/> The [[Men of Bree]] also became subjects of the [[North-kingdom]].<ref name=languages>{{App|Men}}</ref>
| | Arnor was ruled by his direct descendants, beginning with [[Valandil (King of Arnor)|Valandil]], his youngest son. Before the end of the first millennium of the [[Third Age]], the land of Arnor fell into dispute between the sons of King [[Eärendur (King of Arnor)|Eärendur]], and the Dúnedain who lived there became divided into three realms: [[Arthedain]], [[Cardolan]] and [[Rhudaur]]. One by one, these kingdoms fell to war, plague, and assaults by the witch-realm of [[Angmar]], until at last the Dúnedain of Arnor had become a dwindled and wandering people known as the [[Rangers of the North]]. Their ancestry was forgotten and unknown, except in [[Rivendell]].<ref name=rings/> |
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| ===Decline===
| | Nonetheless, the line of Isildur was maintained through the [[Chieftains of the Dúnedain|Chieftains]] of this people. [[Aragorn|Aragorn II]] was Isildur's Heir through thirty-nine generations, and it was he who reunited the [[Realms in Exile|Kingdoms of the Dúnedain]] after three thousand years of separation.<ref name=rings/><ref>{{App|A}}</ref> |
| Originally ruled by their [[High King (Dúnedain)|High King]], the Dúnedain were divided between Arnor and [[Dúnedain of the South|Gondor]], following the death of [[Isildur]], son of [[Elendil]], in {{TA|2}}.<ref name=rings/><ref name="AppB">{{App|B2}}</ref> [[Valandil (King of Arnor)|Valandil]], [[Isildur]]'s youngest son, took up his rule in [[Annúminas]], but his people were diminished, and of the Northern Dúnedain and [[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 at the [[Disaster of the Gladden Fields]].<ref name=rings/>
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| After the reign of [[Eärendur]], the seventh king that followed [[Valandil]], the Dúnedain of the North became divided into the petty realms of [[Arthedain]], [[Cardolan]], and [[Rhudaur]], owing to dissensions among his sons.<ref name=rings/><ref name=eriador>{{App|Eriador}}</ref>
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| ===Conflicts with Angmar===
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| {{main|Angmar War}}
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| In the beginning of the reign of [[Malvegil]] of [[Arthedain]], the realm of [[Angmar]], lead by the [[Witch-king]], arose in the North beyond the [[Ettenmoors]]; the [[Witch-king]] was indeed the [[Lord of the Nazgûl]] who came north with the purpose of destroying the Northern Dúnedain in disunion.<ref name=eriador/>
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| In the days of [[Argeleb I]], son of [[Malvegil]], the line of [[Isildur]] had failed in the other kingdoms and so, the [[Kings of Arthedain]] laid claim to the lordship of all the Northern Dúnedain.<ref name=eriador/> This claim was resisted in [[Rhudaur]], where the [[Dúnedain]] were few, and a lord of the [[Hill-men]], whose allegiance lay with [[Angmar]] in secret, seized power.<ref name=eriador/>
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| A great host came out of [[Angmar]] in {{TA|1409}} and entered [[Cardolan]], besieging the [[Weathertop|Tower of Amon Sûl]]. The Northern Dúnedain were defeated and [[Arveleg I]], as well as the last prince of [[Cardolan]], were slain.<ref name=eriador/> From that time onward, [[Rhudaur]] was occupied by evil men subject to [[Angmar]], and the Northern Dúnedain that remained were slain or fled west.<ref name=eriador/> Although [[Cardolan]] was ravaged, a remnant of the faithful among the Dúnedain of Cardolan also held out in [[Barrow-downs|Tyrn Gorthad]] (the Barrow-downs), or took refuge in the [[Old Forest]].<ref name=eriador/>
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| Although the northern parts of [[Arthedain]] were little affected, the remnants of the [[Northern Dúnedain]] were affected by the [[Great Plague]]; the joint garrison (of the North and South Kingdoms) at [[Tharbad]] ceased to exist,<ref>{{UT|6d}}</ref> and the last of the Dúnedain of [[Cardolan]] died on the [[Barrow-downs]].<ref name=eriador/>
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| In {{TA|1974}}, the [[Witch-king]], with his host from [[Angmar]], invaded [[Arthedain]] and captured [[Fornost Erain]], driving most of the Northern Dúnedain there over the [[Lhûn|Lune]],<ref name=eriador/> including the sons of [[Arvedui]],<ref name=eriador/> who later perished in a shipwreck. The remnants of the Men of Arnor later joined the great [[Host of the West (Arnor)|Host of the West]], lead by [[Círdan|Círdan the Shipwright]] and [[Eärnur]], in which, also with the help of [[Elves]] from [[Rivendell]] led by [[Glorfindel]], they overthrew [[Angmar]].<ref name=gondor>{{App|Gondor}}</ref>
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| ===Later History===
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| {{main|Rangers of the North}}
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| After the [[Angmar War]], all the people of [[Arnor]] were diminished.<ref name=eriador/> The Dúnedain of the North were reduced to a few [[Ranger of the North|Rangers]] wandering secretly in the wild, and their heritage was forgotten, save in [[Rivendell|Imladris]], where the [[Heir of Isildur|Heirs of Isildur]] were harboured and their line, from father to son, remained unbroken.<ref name=rings/><ref name=eriador/>
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| By the time of the [[War of the Ring]], [[Halbarad]], kinsman of [[Aragorn]], mustered 30 Northern Dúnedain (all that could be gathered in haste),<ref name="Grey"/> and this [[Grey Company]] rode to the aid of [[Aragorn]] in [[Rohan]].<ref name="Grey"/>
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| In the [[Fourth Age]], the Dúnedain of Arnor and Gondor were [[Reunited Kingdom|reunited]] under King [[Aragorn|Elessar]] (who was the last [[Chieftain of the Dúnedain]]) so that the Men of Arnor became a part of a great [[Reunited Kingdom]] that spanned western [[Middle-earth]].
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| ==Culture==
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| ===Skills and Customs===
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| The Northern Dúnedain were a martial folk, even considered great warriors in their decline as [[Théoden]] remarked that the skill of the [[Grey Company]] could not be counted by their numbers.<ref name="Grey">{{RK|V2}}</ref> The Rangers were believed to have strange powers of sight and hearing, and to understand the language of beasts and birds.<ref name="Sign"/>
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| The [[Númenóreans|Númenórean]] monarch of the Men of Arnor governed the realm and its people with the frame of ancient law, of which he was administrator (and interpreter) but not the maker.<ref name="politics">{{L|244}}</ref>
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| The [[Heir of Isildur|Heirs of Isildur]], being men of long life, were "not accustomed to wed until they had laboured long and journeyed in the world".<ref name=Tale>{{PM|Aii}}, p. 263</ref> For women, the age of 22 is considered too early, according to the customs of the Northern Dúnedain, to be wed.<ref name="Av">{{App|Tale}}</ref>
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| ===Languages===
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| [[Westron]], or the Common Speech, was the native language of the people of [[Arnor]].<ref name=lang>{{App|F1}}</ref> Among the [[Dúnedain]] however, including those of [[Arnor]], "the kings and high lords, and indeed all those of [[Númenóreans|Númenórean]] blood in any degree," for long used [[Númenórean Sindarin|Sindarin]].<ref>{{PM|Languages}}, p. 34</ref> [[Quenya]] was known to the learned of [[Arnor]], a tradition which has continued from the loremasters of [[Númenor]], to be used for places of fame and reverence in addition to the names of royalty and men of great renown.<ref name=languages/> All the royal names of the [[Kings of Arnor]] were [[Quenya]] names.<ref name=North>{{App|North}}</ref> The [[Kings of Arthedain]] and later the [[Chieftain of the Dúnedain|Chieftains of the Dúnedain]], however, took [[Sindarin]] names.<ref name=North/>
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| ==Characteristics==
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| ===Physical Description===
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| The Men of Arnor, at least those of [[Númenóreans|Númenórean]] descent, were tall, pale-skinned, with dark hair, shining grey eyes, and proud faces.<ref name="Sign">{{FR|Sign}}</ref> They were taller and darker than the [[Men of Bree]].<ref name="Sign"/> They were described as being stout and lordly men; the [[Rohirrim]] looked like boys beside them.<ref name="Grey"/> Despite being stern, grim-faced and silent for the most part, they were a courteous people if moved to speak.<ref name="Grey"/><ref name="Sign"/>
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| The [[Dúnedain]], including those of [[Arnor]], were lords of long life, great power, and wisdom; far superior to the [[Middle Men|Men of Middle-earth]] among whom they dwelt and whom they ruled.<ref name=languages/> They were from the beginning far fewer in number than the [[Middle Men|lesser men]].<ref name=languages/>
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| ===Lifespan===
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| The [[Third Age]] marked the beginning of the waning of the Dúnedain, including the Northern ones, in which their gifts of wisdom, nobility, and long life were slowly withdrawn due to the [[Downfall of Númenor]] and their mingling with [[Middle Men|lesser men]].<ref name=gondor/> "More swift was the waning in the [[Arnor|North-kingdom]], for [[Eriador]] became colder and there, the [[Dúnedain]] became ever less".<ref>{{PM|Third}}, p. 227</ref>
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| In the beginning of their history, the [[Dúnedain]] were blessed with a lifespan thrice the life of [[Middle Men|lesser men]], yet this ever-diminished over the course of the [[Third Age]].<ref name=eriador/><ref name=languages/>
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| In [[Arnor]], the strife and dissensions between the kingdoms of [[Arthedain]], [[Cardolan]], and [[Rhudaur]] hastened the waning of the Dúnedain.<ref name=eriador/> Although, their lifespans ever continued to shorten,<ref name=eriador/> the [[Dúnedain of Arnor]], especially their [[Chieftain of the Dúnedain|Chieftains]], maintained significant longevity living to twice the age of [[Middle Men|lesser men]].<ref name=eriador/> The [[Heir of Isildur|Heirs of Isildur]] even lived up to 160 years or more.<ref name=Tale/>
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| Even upon the reunification of the [[Kingdoms of the Dúnedain]], the life-span of all Dúnedain, even those of [[Arnor]], was not restored and continued to wane until it became as that of other men.<ref name="Elendil">{{PM|Elendil}}</ref>
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| {{references}} | | {{references}} |
