Anárion
Encyclopedia
Anárion is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien
's Middle-earth
legendarium
. His name is derived from Anar, which means "Sun" in Tolkien's invented language of Quenya
. He was the son of Elendil
and the brother of Isildur
, and with them established the Realms in Exile in Middle-earth after the downfall of Númenor
.
.
Driven in ships by great wind and waves from the downfall of Númenor, Elendil landed in the north near the Elven
realm of Lindon
, and there established the realm of Arnor
. Isildur and Anárion landed farther south, establishing the realm of Gondor
, where several Númenóreans had already settled.
Anárion and Isildur ruled jointly in Gondor and were chiefly responsible for the ordering of the kingdom. They founded the cities of Minas Anor and Minas Ithil, as well as the bridge and city of Osgiliath. The names of Elendil, Isildur, and Anárion refer, respectively, to the stars, the moon, and the sun; likewise, these were commemorated in Osgiliath "the citadel of the stars"; in Ithilien
and Minas Ithil "the tower of the moon"; and in Anórien and Minas Anor "the tower of the sun".
Sauron attacked Gondor and captured Minas Ithil. Isildur escaped down the Anduin
and sailed to bring help from Elendil in the North, while Anárion defended Gondor against Sauron. His forces held Osgiliath and drove Sauron back to the mountains for a time, though he realized that Gondor would not stand unless help arrived.
Gil-galad
, Elendil, and Isildur led the Last Alliance of Elves and Men from the North to challenge Sauron. Anárion joined in the campaign against Mordor
: he fought in the Battle of Dagorlad and in the Siege of Barad-dûr
, where he was slain by a stone hurled from the Dark Tower. The crown of Minas Anor, Anárion's helm, was crushed when he was slain. Isildur gave his own (plain) war helm as a replacement. Several generations later, Isildur's helm was replaced by an elaborate jewelled helm.
Anárion had four children. Anárion's fourth child, Meneldil, became King of Gondor. Meneldil was the last man born in Númenor
before its destruction
.
The bloodlines of Anárion and Isildur were reunited by the marriage of Anárion's descendant
, Princess Fíriel
of Gondor, with Isildur's descendant
, Prince Arvedui
of Arthedain. Their descendant Aragorn II in time became king of the Reunited Kingdom
.
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
legendarium
Legendarium
Legendary may refer to:*A hagiography, or study of the lives of saints and other religious figures**The South English Legendary, a Middle English legendary*A legend-Entertainment:*Legendary, an album by Kaysha*Legendary...
. His name is derived from Anar, which means "Sun" in Tolkien's invented language of Quenya
Quenya
Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...
. He was the son of Elendil
Elendil
Elendil is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
and the brother of Isildur
Isildur
Isildur is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in the author's books The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales....
, and with them established the Realms in Exile in Middle-earth after the downfall of Númenor
Númenor
Númenor is a fictional place in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. It was a huge island located in the Sundering Seas to the west of Middle-earth, the main setting of Tolkien's writings, and was known to be the greatest realm of Men...
.
Biography
Anárion was born in Númenor, the youngest son of Elendil. Together with his father and brother, Anárion was a leader of the Elendili or Faithful, the part of the Númenórean people that opposed the dark rule of king Ar-Pharazôn and SauronSauron
Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...
.
Driven in ships by great wind and waves from the downfall of Númenor, Elendil landed in the north near the Elven
Elf (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Elves are one of the races that inhabit a fictional Earth, often called Middle-earth, and set in the remote past. They appear in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings, but their complex history is described more fully in The Silmarillion...
realm of Lindon
Lindon (Middle-earth)
Lindon is the land beyond the Ered Luin, the Blue Mountains, in the northwest of Middle-earth in the fictional universe of J. R. R. Tolkien. It is the westernmost land of the continent. The Gulf of Lune divides it into Forlindon and Harlindon...
, and there established the realm of Arnor
Arnor
Arnor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador in Middle-earth. The name probably means "Land of the King", from Sindarin Ara- + dor...
. Isildur and Anárion landed farther south, establishing the realm of Gondor
Gondor
Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...
, where several Númenóreans had already settled.
Anárion and Isildur ruled jointly in Gondor and were chiefly responsible for the ordering of the kingdom. They founded the cities of Minas Anor and Minas Ithil, as well as the bridge and city of Osgiliath. The names of Elendil, Isildur, and Anárion refer, respectively, to the stars, the moon, and the sun; likewise, these were commemorated in Osgiliath "the citadel of the stars"; in Ithilien
Ithilien
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Ithilien is a region and fiefdom of Gondor.Ithilien, or "Moon-land," is the easternmost province of Gondor, the only part of Gondor across the Great River Anduin lying between the river and the Mountains of Shadow , subdivided by the stream of...
and Minas Ithil "the tower of the moon"; and in Anórien and Minas Anor "the tower of the sun".
Sauron attacked Gondor and captured Minas Ithil. Isildur escaped down the Anduin
Anduin
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Anduin is the Sindarin name for the Great River of Wilderland, the longest river in the Third Age . The ancestors of the Rohirrim called it Langflood. It flowed from its source in the Grey and Misty Mountains to the Mouths of Anduin in the Great Sea...
and sailed to bring help from Elendil in the North, while Anárion defended Gondor against Sauron. His forces held Osgiliath and drove Sauron back to the mountains for a time, though he realized that Gondor would not stand unless help arrived.
Gil-galad
Gil-galad
Ereinion Gil-galad is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, and featured in The Silmarillion.- Character overview :...
, Elendil, and Isildur led the Last Alliance of Elves and Men from the North to challenge Sauron. Anárion joined in the campaign against Mordor
Mordor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Mordor or Morhdorh was the dwelling place of Sauron, in the southeast of northwestern Middle-earth to the East of Anduin, the great river. Orodruin, a volcano in Mordor, was the destination of the Fellowship of the Ring in the quest to...
: he fought in the Battle of Dagorlad and in the Siege of Barad-dûr
Barad-dûr
Barad-dûr is the fortress of Sauron in the heart of the black land of Mordor and close to Mount Doom in the fantasy world of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...
, where he was slain by a stone hurled from the Dark Tower. The crown of Minas Anor, Anárion's helm, was crushed when he was slain. Isildur gave his own (plain) war helm as a replacement. Several generations later, Isildur's helm was replaced by an elaborate jewelled helm.
Anárion had four children. Anárion's fourth child, Meneldil, became King of Gondor. Meneldil was the last man born in Númenor
Númenor
Númenor is a fictional place in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. It was a huge island located in the Sundering Seas to the west of Middle-earth, the main setting of Tolkien's writings, and was known to be the greatest realm of Men...
before its destruction
Akallabêth
Akallabêth is the fourth part of the fantasy work The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is relatively short, consisting of about thirty pages.-Synopsis:...
.
The bloodlines of Anárion and Isildur were reunited by the marriage of Anárion's descendant
House of Anárion
In the literary works of J. R. R. Tolkien the House of Anárion was the Royal House of Gondor, descended from Anárion, joint first King of Gondor with his elder brother Isildur who went north to Arnor...
, Princess Fíriel
Fíriel
Fíriel is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's universe of Middle-earth.As the daughter of King Ondoher of Gondor, Fíriel was wed to Prince Arvedui of Arthedain during a time when Arvedui's father Araphant made an alliance with Ondoher...
of Gondor, with Isildur's descendant
House of Isildur
In the literary works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the House of Isildur was the Royal House of Arnor, Arthedain, Cardolan, Rhudaur and, much later, Gondor The house was descended from Isildur, elder son and heir of Elendil the Faithful...
, Prince Arvedui
Arvedui
Arvedui is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium.Arvedui was the son of King Araphant of Arthedain. He was born in T.A. 1864 and came to the throne in 1964 at the death of his father...
of Arthedain. Their descendant Aragorn II in time became king of the Reunited Kingdom
Reunited Kingdom
The Reunited Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor is a fictional realm from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.When Aragorn became King of Gondor at the end of the War of the Ring, he was also the descendant of the Kings of Arnor, and by right he was crowned High King of both Arnor and Gondor and Reunited the...
.
External links
- A History and Complete Chronology of Númenor - A detailed chronology of Númenor, its successor states and their rulers.