Dominion of Men
Encyclopedia
The Dominion of Men is a period in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium
that follows the events of The Lord of the Rings
and the Third Age
.
, chronicles the End of the Third Age of Middle-earth
, and the destruction of the One Ring
. With Sauron
defeated, and the coming of the Fourth Age
, many things of the Elder Days
faded from the world or passed into the west, bringing about the "Dominion of Men." After the Battle at the Black Gates
and the victory of the Captains of the West, Gandalf
says to Aragorn
:
it was reckoned as beginning on 25 March of the same year (the second anniversary of the Downfall of Barad-dûr
).
The last of the four Ages
chronicled by Tolkien, and the one about which least is known (including its length). Although through notes and letters of Tolkien, a great deal of it published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien
, as well as in passages from the Annals of the Kings and Rulers (An appendix of The Return of the King) and other portions of The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion
, some events can be defined.
Under the long rule of Aragorn, Gondor prospered. The North-kingdom was reinstated, and united once again with South-kingdom to form a Restored kingdom of men. Though peace and freedom had returned to the Westlands, evils still survived the Fall of Sauron in the east, and Aragorn rode out with King Éomer
of Rohan
to face them in battle. Arwen
bore him a son and heir, Eldarion
, as well as at least two daughters.
Osgiliath was, to some degree, rebuilt and re-inhabited, but Minas Tirith
would remain the capital of the Southern half of the restored kingdom. Annúminas was restored as well, and served as the capital in the North. The Alliance of Gondor and Rohan would be strengthened and would endure long.
after the death of his father in IV 120.
For such an important character, almost nothing is known of Eldarion's life or deeds. Almost the only definite statement about him came from his father, who commented that he was 'full-ripe for kingship' in The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen
(given in Appendix A I (v) to The Lord of the Rings). Aragorn's ancestors had tended to take over their duties as Chieftain at about the age of ninety: if Eldarion followed this pattern, this would place his birth in the years around IV 30.
Eldarion inherited his Kingdom in a manner that recalled the ancient traditions of Númenor
: his father Aragorn Elessar gave him the tokens of his rule, and then gave up his life willingly
, as his ancestors had done thousands of years before. The new King's mother, Arwen, left him to rule alone, passing away to the now-empty land of Lórien, where her long life also came to an end. As well as being the Heir of Isildur
and High King, his descent from Elrond
through Arwen made Eldarion the lord of the remaining Elf
-lands of Middle-earth. This fact seems to be the source of his name, which apparently means 'Descendant of the Eldar'.
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...
that follows the events of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
and the Third Age
Third Age
The Third Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The history of Middle-earth is to be taken fictionally as a history of the real Earth....
.
The End of the Third Age
The last instalment of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the KingThe Return of the King
The Return of the King is the third and final volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, following The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers.-Title:...
, chronicles the End of the Third Age of 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....
, and the destruction of the One Ring
One Ring
The One Ring is a fictional artifact that appears as the central plot element in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy novels. It is described in an earlier story, The Hobbit , as a magic ring of invisibility. The sequel The Lord of the Rings describes its powers as being more encompassing than...
. With Sauron
Sauron
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...
defeated, and the coming of the Fourth Age
Fourth Age
In the fictional world of middle earth "'the fourth age'" and the ages that preceded it, are time periods from J. R. R. Tolkien's universe of Middle-earth, described in his fantasy writings...
, many things of the Elder Days
Elder Days
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Elder Days are the first Ages of Middle-earth.During the Second and Third Age, the term referred to the First Age and before, but in the Fourth Age the term began to be applied to all three ages which came before: a time before the dominance of Men and the...
faded from the world or passed into the west, bringing about the "Dominion of Men." After the Battle at the Black Gates
Battle of the Morannon
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Battle of the Morannon or Battle of the Black Gate is a fictional event that took place at the end of the War of the Ring...
and the victory of the Captains of the West, Gandalf
Gandalf
Gandalf is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a wizard, member and later the head of the order known as the Istari, as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West...
says to Aragorn
Aragorn
Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...
:
The Fourth Age
The Fourth Age was held to have begun with the passing of the Ring-bearers over the sea from Mithlond on 29 September 3021 3A (though in GondorGondor
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...
it was reckoned as beginning on 25 March of the same year (the second anniversary of the Downfall 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...
).
The last of the four Ages
Ages of Middle-earth
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the time is typically rendered in Ages. Ages are one epoch of the Valar. Before the arising of the Sun they were approximately one thousand Valian Years in length In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the time is...
chronicled by Tolkien, and the one about which least is known (including its length). Although through notes and letters of Tolkien, a great deal of it published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Reuel Tolkien is the third and youngest son of the author J. R. R. Tolkien , and is best known as the editor of much of his father's posthumously published work. He drew the original maps for his father's The Lord of the Rings, which he signed C. J. R. T. The J...
, as well as in passages from the Annals of the Kings and Rulers (An appendix of The Return of the King) and other portions of The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...
, some events can be defined.
Under the long rule of Aragorn, Gondor prospered. The North-kingdom was reinstated, and united once again with South-kingdom to form a Restored kingdom of men. Though peace and freedom had returned to the Westlands, evils still survived the Fall of Sauron in the east, and Aragorn rode out with King Éomer
Éomer
Éomer is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in The Two Towers and The Return of the King, the second and third volumes of Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings....
of Rohan
Rohan
Rohan is a realm in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy era of Middle-earth. It is a grassland which lies north of its ally Gondor and north-west of Mordor, the realm of Sauron, their enemy . It is inhabited by the Rohirrim, a people of herdsmen and farmers who are well-known for their horses and cavalry....
to face them in battle. Arwen
Arwen
Arwen Undómiel is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium. She appears in his novel, The Lord of the Rings, usually published in three volumes. Arwen is one of the Half-elven who lived during the Third Age.-Literature:...
bore him a son and heir, Eldarion
Eldarion
Eldarion Telcontar is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He was the only recorded son of Arwen and Aragorn, born in the Fourth Age. He became the Second High King of the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor after his father died."Eldarion" means "Son of the...
, as well as at least two daughters.
Osgiliath was, to some degree, rebuilt and re-inhabited, but Minas Tirith
Minas Tirith
Minas Tirith , originally named Minas Anor, is a fictional city and castle in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings. It became the heavily fortified capital of Gondor in the second half of the Third Age...
would remain the capital of the Southern half of the restored kingdom. Annúminas was restored as well, and served as the capital in the North. The Alliance of Gondor and Rohan would be strengthened and would endure long.
Eldarion
The son of Aragorn II Elessar and Arwen Evenstar; almost nothing is known of his life, but that he became King of the Reunited KingdomReunited 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...
after the death of his father in IV 120.
For such an important character, almost nothing is known of Eldarion's life or deeds. Almost the only definite statement about him came from his father, who commented that he was 'full-ripe for kingship' in The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen
The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen
The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen is a story written by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It can be found in Appendix A of Tolkien's most famous book, The Lord of the Rings. It takes place in the Third Age of the author's fictional universe, Middle-earth...
(given in Appendix A I (v) to The Lord of the Rings). Aragorn's ancestors had tended to take over their duties as Chieftain at about the age of ninety: if Eldarion followed this pattern, this would place his birth in the years around IV 30.
Eldarion inherited his Kingdom in a manner that recalled the ancient traditions 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...
: his father Aragorn Elessar gave him the tokens of his rule, and then gave up his life willingly
Gift of Men
The Gift of Men in Middle-earth refers to a gift of Ilúvatar to his Younger Children, which remains a source of some confusion for Tolkien enthusiasts. The concept includes both mortality and free will...
, as his ancestors had done thousands of years before. The new King's mother, Arwen, left him to rule alone, passing away to the now-empty land of Lórien, where her long life also came to an end. As well as being the Heir 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 High King, his descent from Elrond
Elrond
Elrond Half-elven is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Hobbit, and plays a supporting role in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.-Character overview:...
through Arwen made Eldarion the lord of the remaining Elf
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...
-lands of Middle-earth. This fact seems to be the source of his name, which apparently means 'Descendant of the Eldar'.