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Racism

2008-06-10T23:52:32Z

82.23.2.133:

{{Cleanup}}
Since the publication of his works, '''Racist elements''' have been seen in the works of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] by proponents of both sides of the debate. This page will be used to summarize arguments and counterarguments for the claim.

''This page is currently undergoing expansion and improvement''

==Evil Men==
One of the clear racist elements in the Tolkien universe is the noticeable fact that all of the evil forces are the dark-skinned African and Asian influenced peoples of [[Easterlings]] and [[Southrons]]. The Easterlings are usually depicted as a Mongolian and Middle-eastern culture and are always aligned with [[Morgoth]] or [[Sauron]] with the single exception of [[Bór]]. The Easterlings are often described as being of fairly dark skin complexion, swarthy and exceedingly cruel. The [[Southrons]] (or [[Haradrim]]) however, are clearly depicted mainly as African soldiers with some Indian influences such as fighting on [[Mumakil|elephant]]-back. They are clearly stated to be black-skinned and cruel, evil, and uncompromising. They often have many piercings, tattoos and scarifications, just like many African tribes. Another racist element is the fact that the [[Númenoreans]] who suvived the destruction of [[Númenor]] yet were still loyal to [[Sauron]] were called [[Black Númenóreans]] and were referred to as a separate race; being both dark-skinned and evil, in sharp contrast to the white [[Dúnedain]].

==[[Orcs]]==
The racist element present in orcs is not quite as plain and clear as the evil men, though it is present. The main racism in orcs is that they are always depicted as black-skinned, though this may be due to their filthiness. Orcs also often resemble monkeys (black people resembling monkeys being a main racist claim). [[Peter Jackson]]'s [[Lord of the Rings]] depicts the orcs as of a dark skin complexion, but again this may be due just to the fact that they are covered with filth. Another possible offensive theme present in orcs (though not necessarily racist), is the fact that when the orcs talk, they often use the same phrases and accents that the English working-class is known to use.
==Good Side==
All of the good men and elves are all always very fair and white. The men of [[Rohan]] are clearly modeled after the [[Norse Mythology|Norse]], and the men of [[Gondor]] and the [[Elves]] are just general Europeans. The single good non-white person was again; [[Bór]]. The entire Tolkien universe is the white West versus the non-white rest of the continent, which is an allegory to the white Europeans versus the non-white Africa and Asia.

==References==
* [[The Lord of the Rings]]
* [[The Silmarillion]]
* [[The History of Middle-earth]]

[[Category: Real-world]]

Racism

2008-06-10T23:49:20Z

82.23.2.133: /* Good Side */

Racism

2008-06-10T23:48:24Z

82.23.2.133: /* Evil Men */

{{Cleanup}}
Since the publication of his works, '''Racist elements''' have been seen in the works of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] by proponents of both sides of the debate. This page will be used to summarize arguments and counterarguments for the claim.

''This page is currently undergoing expansion and improvement''

==Evil Men==
One of the clear racist elements in the Tolkien universe is the noticeable fact that all of the evil forces are the dark-skinned African and Asian influenced peoples of [[Easterlings]] and [[Southrons]]. The Easterlings are usually depicted as a Mongolian and Middle-eastern culture and are always aligned with [[Morgoth]] or [[Sauron]] with the single exception of [[Bór]]. The Easterlings are often described as being of fairly dark skin complexion, swarthy and exceedingly cruel. The [[Southrons]] (or [[Haradrim]]) however, are clearly depicted mainly as African soldiers with some Indian influences such as fighting on [[Mumakil|elephant]]-back. They are clearly stated to be black-skinned and cruel, evil, and uncompromising. They often have many piercings, tattoos and scarifications, just like many African tribes. Another racist element is the fact that the [[Númenoreans]] who suvived the destruction of [[Númenor]] yet were still loyal to [[Sauron]] were called [[Black Númenóreans]] and were referred to as a separate race; being both dark-skinned and evil, in sharp contrast to the white [[Dúnedain]].

==[[Orcs]]==
The racist element present in orcs is not quite as plain and clear as the evil men, though it is present. The main racism in orcs is that they are always depicted as black-skinned, though this may be due to their filthiness. Orcs also often resemble monkeys (black people resembling monkeys being a main racist claim). [[Peter Jackson]]'s [[Lord of the Rings]] depicts the orcs as of a dark skin complexion, but again this may be due just to the fact that they are covered with filth. Another possible offensive theme present in orcs (though not necessarily racist), is the fact that when the orcs talk, they often use the same phrases and accents that the English working-class is known to use.
==Good Side==
All of the good men and elves are all always very fair and white. The men of [[Rohan]] are clearly modeled after the [[Norse]], and the men of [[Gondor]] and the [[Elves]] are just general Europeans. The single good non-white person was again; [[Bór]]. The entire Tolkien universe is the white West versus the non-white rest of the continent, which is an allegory to the white Europeans versus the non-white Africa and Asia.
==References==
* [[The Lord of the Rings]]
* [[The Silmarillion]]
* [[The History of Middle-earth]]

Eöl

2008-05-06T18:13:35Z

82.23.2.133: /* See also */

{{sindar infobox
| image=[[Image:Ted Nasmith - Eöl Welcomes Aredhel.jpg|250px]]
| name=Eöl
| othernames=
| titles=The [[Dark Elf]].
| birth=[[Years of the Trees|Y.O.T.T]].
| realm=[[Nan Elmoth]].
| death=[[First Age]] 345.
| age=About 2,000.
| gender=Male.
| hair=Black.
| eyes=
| parentage=
| spouse=[[Aredhel]].
| children=[[Maeglin]].
| Book(s) = ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]''
| character_name = Eöl
| character_alias = The Dark Elf
| character_title =
| character_race = [[Elf (Middle-earth)|Elves]]
| character_culture = [[Avari]]; [[Tatyar]]/[[Teleri]]
|}}

In the fiction of [[J. R. R. Tolkien]], '''Eöl''', called the '''Dark Elf''', was an [[Elf (Middle-earth)|Elf]] of [[Beleriand]] and is a character existing in some form from the earliest to the latest writings.

==Appearances==
<blockquote>''"I acknowledge not your law. No right have you or any of your kin in this land to seize realms or to set bounds, either here or there. This is the land of the Teleri..."'' <ref> J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, editor,''[[The Silmarillion]]'', (1977), p.137, Eöl debates with Turgon about whether or not he can leave Gondolin.</ref></blockquote>

Eöl Mornedhel, the Dark Elf, was an [[Avari|Avar]] and lord of the forest of [[Nan Elmoth]], a fief, north-east of [[Doriath]]. He was one of the few Avari (assumed sharing kinmanship of both Noldorin and Telerian) who have traveled to the lands of Beleriand alone after the Three Clans of Vanyar, Noldor and Teleri left towards [[Aman|The Undying Lands]] earlier on. Even before he encountered the Dwarfs of the Blue Mountains in Eriador, he had close relationships with other Dwarfs, who he met (and learned much forging skills from) along his travel through [[Middle-earth]]. When he entered the lands of Beleriand, the [[Sindar]] from Doriath recognised Eöl's kinmanship, and was fairly quickly accepted among the high court of [[Menegroth]], due to his skills.

He was vassal of the High-king of Beleriand, [[Thingol]]. Before the wars began he lived in Doriath. When Melian enclosed it with her magic [[Girdle of Melian]] to aid its defense he became uneasy and moved to Nan Elmoth outside the Girdle. One of the greatest Elven-smiths of Middle-earth, he forged [[Anglachel]] and [[Anguirel]] two great, black, magic swords. Made from a [[meteorite]]'s metal, they can cut all earth-delved iron and have an entrapped sentience. His smithwork rivaled that of the greatest of the Elven-smiths, [[Fëanor]] and [[Celebrimbor]], in both fame and fate. One sword, Anglachel, he gave to Thingol as tribute for living in Nan Elmoth and it is eventually used by [[Túrin]] to slay [[Glaurung]] the dragon. The other sword, Anguirel, he kept for himself. Eöl devised ''[[galvorn (Middle-earth)|galvorn]]'', a black metal of great strength and malleability, which he fashioned into armour that he wore when he went abroad. He was friend of the [[Dwarf (Middle-earth)|Dwarves]] of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]] and, until the founding of the realms of the Noldor, all the traffic of goods between the Sindar and Dwarves passed though Nan Elmoth.

He ensnared [[Aredhel]] Ar-Feiniel, the willful sister of [[Turgon]], when, losing her way, she ventured into his forest. He wedded her, not wholly against her will according to ''The Silmarillion'', but by force according to ''Quendi and Eldar''<ref> J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, editor, ''[[History of Middle-earth]]'', Vol. XI, (1994) p. 409</ref>and without informing her family or going through the customs of the Noldor. <ref>However, see J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien editor, ''[[History of Middle-earth]]'' Vol.X, (1993), pp.207-214; pp.225-227; p.212: "but it was at all times lawful...to marry...without ceremony or witness". In his "[[Elf (Middle-earth)#The Elvish Life Cycle|Laws and Customs among the Eldar]]," Tolkien describes most Elven marriages as being harmonious and things like a marriage being broken, at most times, nonexistent. On the other hand, [[Fëanor]] and [[Nerdanel]], as well as many other spouses of the Exiled Noldor, such as Fingolfin's wife, do not follow the husbands into exile, Eöl and Aredhel are the only known case of an Elven couple separating or indeed, having any real marital strife outside of the Exile. .</ref> They had a son [[Maeglin]]. Eöl resented the pride and presumptive authority of the [[Noldor]] and, given to secrecy much like Turgon, refused permission for Aredhel and Maeglin to leave Nan Elmoth to seek out their Noldorin kin, the sons of Fëanor. Aredhel and Maeglin later left secretly for [[Gondolin]], stealing Eöl's sword, Anguirel. Eöl pursued them and entered the Hidden Way of Gondolin, and was captured by the guards and brought before Turgon, the king. He wished to go away with his son back to Nan Elmoth leaving Aredhel behind. He claimed Maeglin saying that as Turgon was Aredhel's brother, she could stay behind.Turgon wouldn't allow Eöl to leave Gondolin, offering only the choice of staying or dying. Eöl will not acknowledge any authority<ref>Both Eöl and Turgon attempt to restrict the movement of Aredhel and others in and out of their hidden realms. This is a common practice during the Wars of Beleriand as Thingol and Finrod also have hidden realms and restrict movement through them. In the cases of Eöl and Turgon, Eöl has the better authority as he is a legitimate vassal of Thingol the High-king and Lord of Beleriand. Additionally, upon the arrival of the Noldor, Thingol imposed conditions on them when he gave his leave for them to dwell in Beleriand, "...but elsewhere there are many of my people, and I would not have them restrained of their freedom...", J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, editor, ''The Silmarillion'', (1977), p.111.</ref> of Turgon over him and refused to remain, choosing instead death for himself and his son, Maeglin. He tried to kill his son, but his dart hit Aredhel who stepped in front of Maeglin. She called for her brother to spare Eöl, but the dart was poisonous and she died before she could speak her last words. Turgon decreed Eöl was to be put to death by being thrown from a cliff. Before he died, Eöl called out a curse on his son for betraying him, that Maeglin should suffer the same fate of his father. The fulfillment of the curse is told in the ''[[Fall of Gondolin]]''.

==Heritage==
In the published ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' Eöl is portrayed as a [[Sindar]]in Elf with an unspecified kinship to Elwë Thingol, however in very late writings by Tolkien <ref> J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, editor, ''History of Middle-earth'' Vol.XI, (1994), p.409, specifically ''Quendi and Eldar'', published in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]''</ref> it is his final view was that Eöl was an Avar, a Dark-elf, who descended from the same Second Clan of the Elves as the Noldor, the [[Awakening of the Elves|Tatyar]]. <ref> J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, editor, ''History of Middle-earth'', Vol. XI, (1994), p.422, the Tatyar Clan is itself made up of two groups of which it is said that most of the Noldor are from the younger group and it is possible that all the Tatyar that went to Aman were Noldor from this group. If, as it appears, Eöl is a Tatyar of the elder group it lends an additional irony to his conversation with [[Curufin]] about 'kin' and lends strength to his arguments to Turgon to release him.</ref> It is said here that his sword craft surpasses the Noldor of Aman. Eöl hates and envies his [[Valinor]]ean cousins, for their arrogance and condescension, as well as their knowledge and accomplishment. Eöl's love for smithying and friendship towards the Dwarves is consistent with Tolkien's view of the Noldor, which are described as Dwarf-friends in the [[First Age|First]] and [[Second Age]]s.

==References==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>

==See also==
* [[List of Middle-earth weapons]]

[[Category:Middle-earth Elves]]
[[Category:Characters in The Silmarillion]]

Eöl

2008-05-06T18:12:33Z

82.23.2.133:

{{sindar infobox
| image=[[Image:Ted Nasmith - Eöl Welcomes Aredhel.jpg|250px]]
| name=Eöl
| othernames=
| titles=The [[Dark Elf]].
| birth=[[Years of the Trees|Y.O.T.T]].
| realm=[[Nan Elmoth]].
| death=[[First Age]] 345.
| age=About 2,000.
| gender=Male.
| hair=Black.
| eyes=
| parentage=
| spouse=[[Aredhel]].
| children=[[Maeglin]].
| Book(s) = ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]''
| character_name = Eöl
| character_alias = The Dark Elf
| character_title =
| character_race = [[Elf (Middle-earth)|Elves]]
| character_culture = [[Avari]]; [[Tatyar]]/[[Teleri]]
|}}

In the fiction of [[J. R. R. Tolkien]], '''Eöl''', called the '''Dark Elf''', was an [[Elf (Middle-earth)|Elf]] of [[Beleriand]] and is a character existing in some form from the earliest to the latest writings.

==Appearances==
<blockquote>''"I acknowledge not your law. No right have you or any of your kin in this land to seize realms or to set bounds, either here or there. This is the land of the Teleri..."'' <ref> J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, editor,''[[The Silmarillion]]'', (1977), p.137, Eöl debates with Turgon about whether or not he can leave Gondolin.</ref></blockquote>

Eöl Mornedhel, the Dark Elf, was an [[Avari|Avar]] and lord of the forest of [[Nan Elmoth]], a fief, north-east of [[Doriath]]. He was one of the few Avari (assumed sharing kinmanship of both Noldorin and Telerian) who have traveled to the lands of Beleriand alone after the Three Clans of Vanyar, Noldor and Teleri left towards [[Aman|The Undying Lands]] earlier on. Even before he encountered the Dwarfs of the Blue Mountains in Eriador, he had close relationships with other Dwarfs, who he met (and learned much forging skills from) along his travel through [[Middle-earth]]. When he entered the lands of Beleriand, the [[Sindar]] from Doriath recognised Eöl's kinmanship, and was fairly quickly accepted among the high court of [[Menegroth]], due to his skills.

He was vassal of the High-king of Beleriand, [[Thingol]]. Before the wars began he lived in Doriath. When Melian enclosed it with her magic [[Girdle of Melian]] to aid its defense he became uneasy and moved to Nan Elmoth outside the Girdle. One of the greatest Elven-smiths of Middle-earth, he forged [[Anglachel]] and [[Anguirel]] two great, black, magic swords. Made from a [[meteorite]]'s metal, they can cut all earth-delved iron and have an entrapped sentience. His smithwork rivaled that of the greatest of the Elven-smiths, [[Fëanor]] and [[Celebrimbor]], in both fame and fate. One sword, Anglachel, he gave to Thingol as tribute for living in Nan Elmoth and it is eventually used by [[Túrin]] to slay [[Glaurung]] the dragon. The other sword, Anguirel, he kept for himself. Eöl devised ''[[galvorn (Middle-earth)|galvorn]]'', a black metal of great strength and malleability, which he fashioned into armour that he wore when he went abroad. He was friend of the [[Dwarf (Middle-earth)|Dwarves]] of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]] and, until the founding of the realms of the Noldor, all the traffic of goods between the Sindar and Dwarves passed though Nan Elmoth.

He ensnared [[Aredhel]] Ar-Feiniel, the willful sister of [[Turgon]], when, losing her way, she ventured into his forest. He wedded her, not wholly against her will according to ''The Silmarillion'', but by force according to ''Quendi and Eldar''<ref> J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, editor, ''[[History of Middle-earth]]'', Vol. XI, (1994) p. 409</ref>and without informing her family or going through the customs of the Noldor. <ref>However, see J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien editor, ''[[History of Middle-earth]]'' Vol.X, (1993), pp.207-214; pp.225-227; p.212: "but it was at all times lawful...to marry...without ceremony or witness". In his "[[Elf (Middle-earth)#The Elvish Life Cycle|Laws and Customs among the Eldar]]," Tolkien describes most Elven marriages as being harmonious and things like a marriage being broken, at most times, nonexistent. On the other hand, [[Fëanor]] and [[Nerdanel]], as well as many other spouses of the Exiled Noldor, such as Fingolfin's wife, do not follow the husbands into exile, Eöl and Aredhel are the only known case of an Elven couple separating or indeed, having any real marital strife outside of the Exile. .</ref> They had a son [[Maeglin]]. Eöl resented the pride and presumptive authority of the [[Noldor]] and, given to secrecy much like Turgon, refused permission for Aredhel and Maeglin to leave Nan Elmoth to seek out their Noldorin kin, the sons of Fëanor. Aredhel and Maeglin later left secretly for [[Gondolin]], stealing Eöl's sword, Anguirel. Eöl pursued them and entered the Hidden Way of Gondolin, and was captured by the guards and brought before Turgon, the king. He wished to go away with his son back to Nan Elmoth leaving Aredhel behind. He claimed Maeglin saying that as Turgon was Aredhel's brother, she could stay behind.Turgon wouldn't allow Eöl to leave Gondolin, offering only the choice of staying or dying. Eöl will not acknowledge any authority<ref>Both Eöl and Turgon attempt to restrict the movement of Aredhel and others in and out of their hidden realms. This is a common practice during the Wars of Beleriand as Thingol and Finrod also have hidden realms and restrict movement through them. In the cases of Eöl and Turgon, Eöl has the better authority as he is a legitimate vassal of Thingol the High-king and Lord of Beleriand. Additionally, upon the arrival of the Noldor, Thingol imposed conditions on them when he gave his leave for them to dwell in Beleriand, "...but elsewhere there are many of my people, and I would not have them restrained of their freedom...", J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, editor, ''The Silmarillion'', (1977), p.111.</ref> of Turgon over him and refused to remain, choosing instead death for himself and his son, Maeglin. He tried to kill his son, but his dart hit Aredhel who stepped in front of Maeglin. She called for her brother to spare Eöl, but the dart was poisonous and she died before she could speak her last words. Turgon decreed Eöl was to be put to death by being thrown from a cliff. Before he died, Eöl called out a curse on his son for betraying him, that Maeglin should suffer the same fate of his father. The fulfillment of the curse is told in the ''[[Fall of Gondolin]]''.

==Heritage==
In the published ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' Eöl is portrayed as a [[Sindar]]in Elf with an unspecified kinship to Elwë Thingol, however in very late writings by Tolkien <ref> J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, editor, ''History of Middle-earth'' Vol.XI, (1994), p.409, specifically ''Quendi and Eldar'', published in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]''</ref> it is his final view was that Eöl was an Avar, a Dark-elf, who descended from the same Second Clan of the Elves as the Noldor, the [[Awakening of the Elves|Tatyar]]. <ref> J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, editor, ''History of Middle-earth'', Vol. XI, (1994), p.422, the Tatyar Clan is itself made up of two groups of which it is said that most of the Noldor are from the younger group and it is possible that all the Tatyar that went to Aman were Noldor from this group. If, as it appears, Eöl is a Tatyar of the elder group it lends an additional irony to his conversation with [[Curufin]] about 'kin' and lends strength to his arguments to Turgon to release him.</ref> It is said here that his sword craft surpasses the Noldor of Aman. Eöl hates and envies his [[Valinor]]ean cousins, for their arrogance and condescension, as well as their knowledge and accomplishment. Eöl's love for smithying and friendship towards the Dwarves is consistent with Tolkien's view of the Noldor, which are described as Dwarf-friends in the [[First Age|First]] and [[Second Age]]s.

==References==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>

==See also==
{{Middle-earth portal}}
* [[List of Middle-earth weapons]]

[[Category:Middle-earth Elves]]
[[Category:Characters in The Silmarillion]]

[[ca:Eöl]]
[[es:Eöl]]
[[fr:Eöl]]
[[it:Eöl]]
[[nl:Eöl]]
[[no:Eöl]]
[[pl:Eöl]]
[[pt:Eöl]]
[[sl:Eöl]]
[[sv:Eöl]]
[[zh:伊奧]]

Snowmane

2008-05-04T22:55:29Z

82.23.2.133:

The steed of [[Théoden]], [[King of Rohan]], on which he rode to the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], and beneath which he fell in that battle.
He was burried where he fell and ever after the grass grew the most green. Snowmane was probably one of the [[Mearas]]. Also referred to as [[Theoden's Bane]] and [[Master's Bane]].

[[Category:Horses]]

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

2008-04-30T23:26:33Z

82.23.2.133: /* Cuts and alterations */

[[Image:Peter Jackson's The Return of the King - Poster.jpg|thumb|250px]]

'''''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King''''' is the third part in [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]], based on [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

The film premiered in [[Wellington]], [[New Zealand]], on December 1 2003, was attended by the director and many of the stars. Further premieres took place in major cities around the world in the days leading up to the film's worldwide theatrical release on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 with a runtime of 200 minutes (that is, 3 hours and 20 minutes).

Globally, The Return of the King is the 2nd biggest grossing film in cinema history. At the 2004 Oscars the film won 11 awards, equalling the record shared by ''Ben-Hur'' and ''Titanic''.

The first two films were ''[[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring|The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' and ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers|The Two Towers]]'', although the film's story includes later events in the section of the book ''[[The Two Towers]]'' as well as most of ''[[The Return of the King]]''.

==Cast==
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
! Role !! Actor
|-
| [[Frodo Baggins]] || [[Elijah Wood]]
|-
| [[Gandalf|Gandalf the Grey]] || [[Ian McKellen]]
|-
| [[Aragorn II|Aragorn]] (Strider) || [[Viggo Mortensen]]
|-
| [[Samwise Gamgee]] (Sam) || [[Sean Astin]]
|-
| [[Galadriel]] || [[Cate Blanchett]]
|-
| [[Théoden]] || [[Bernard Hill]]
|-
| [[Éowyn]] || [[Miranda Otto]]
|-
| [[Éomer]] || [[Karl Urban]]
|-
| [[Gimli]] son of [[Glóin]] || [[John Rhys-Davies]]
|-
| [[Treebeard]] || [[John Rhys-Davies]] (voice)
|-
| [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] (Merry) || [[Dominic Monaghan]]
|-
| [[Peregrin Took]] (Pippin) || [[Billy Boyd]]
|-
| [[Legolas Greenleaf|Legolas]] || [[Orlando Bloom]]
|-
| [[Elrond]] || [[Hugo Weaving]]
|-
| [[Arwen Evenstar]] || [[Liv Tyler]]
|-
| [[Bilbo Baggins]] || [[Ian Holm]]
|-
| [[Gollum]] || [[Andy Serkis]] (voice and motion capture)
|-
| [[Denethor II|Denethor]] || [[John Noble]]
|-
| [[Faramir son of Denethor II|Faramir]] || [[David Wenham]]
|-
| [[Rose Cotton|Rose "Rosie" Cotton]] || [[Sarah McLeod]]
|-
| The [[Witch-king of Angmar]] (Lord of the [[Nazgûl]]) || [[Lawrence Makoare]] (voiced by [[Andy Serkis]])
|-
| [[Gothmog, Lieutenant of Morgul|Gothmog]] || [[Lawrence Makoare]] (voiced by [[Craig Parker]])
|-
| [[Saruman|Saruman the White]] (Extended version only) || [[Christopher Lee]]
|-
| [[The Mouth of Sauron]] (Extended version only) || [[Bruce Spence]]
|-
| [[Gríma Wormtongue]] (Extended version only) || [[Brad Dourif]]
|}

==Awards==
On January 27, 2004, the film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score ([[Howard Shore]]), and Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Make-up, Best Music (Song), Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects; however, none of the ensemble cast received any acting nominations. On February 29, the film won all eleven Academy Awards, winning in every category for which it was nominated. It tied with ''Ben-Hur'' and ''Titanic'' for the most Oscars ever won by a single film, and broke the previous record for a sweep set by ''Gigi'' and ''The Last Emperor''. The film was the first of the fantasy genre to win the Best Picture award. The film's win was also only the second time a sequel had won the Best Picture category (the first being ''The Godfather, Part II''). It could be argued that it is in fact the third sequel to win Best Picture, as The Silence of the Lambs was based on characters appearing in Manhunter. In the opinion of some critics, however, this accolade was not just for the merits of the individual film, but more a reward for the trilogy as a whole.

The film won also four Golden Globes, two MTV Movie Awards, two Grammy Awards, nine Saturn Awards and the Hugo Award.

==Synopsis==

As confirmed in the feature on [[Gollum]] in the Extended DVD Edition of ''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'', [[Andy Serkis]] appears in person in a flashback scene playing Sméagol before his degradation into [[Gollum]]. This scene was actually held over from the previous film because it was felt that it would have a greater emotional impact if audiences had already seen what the Ring's influence had done to Sméagol. In his degraded state Gollum is "played" in the movies by a CGI character whose movements are sometimes derived from a motion-capture suit worn by Serkis, and sometimes from footage of Serkis interacting with the other actors and then digitally replaced by Gollum.

The city of [[Minas Tirith]], glimpsed briefly in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'', is seen in all its glory. The filmmakers have taken great care to base the city closely upon Tolkien's description in ''The Return of the King'', Book V, Chapter 1. Close-ups of the city are represented by sets and long shots by a large and highly-detailed model, often populated by CGI characters.

This film contains key scenes that occurred in the middle portion of the novel ''The Lord of the Rings'' but were not included in the film ''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers''. These include the scene in which the monstrous [[Shelob]] attacks Frodo and is wounded by Sam.

Other key events include the Siege of [[Gondor]]; the re-forging of the shards of [[Narsil]] into Aragorn's new sword [[Andúril]]; [[Aragorn]], [[Gimli]] and [[Legolas]]' journey through the [[Paths of the Dead]]; the epic [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], and the charge of the [[mûmakil]] (everything being carefully choreographed in advance, a process Jackson describes as like planning a real battle); [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] and [[Éowyn]]'s role in the defeat of the Lord of the Nazgûl; the destruction of the [[One Ring]] and the final fall of [[Sauron]]; Aragorn's assumption of the throne; and the departure of several of the heroes to the [[Undying Lands]].

''The Lord of the Rings'' movie trilogy is highly unusual in that it is to date the only movie series whose separate installments were written simultaneously and shot all at once, so that it could be considered three parts of a single very long film. This ensured that all three movies were consistent in terms of story, acting, effects, and direction.

==Plot==

The Lord of the Rings; The Return of the King picks up the story from the end of [[The Two Towers]]. The film begins with a flashback sequence, wherein we discover how the character [[Gollum]] first came across the [[One Ring]]. As this sequence ends, we find [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]], [[Sam Gamgee|Sam]] and [[Gollum]] approaching the mountains of [[Mordor]], with [[Mount Doom]]'s eruptions disturbingly close.

The plot then switches back to [[Isengard]]. [[Gandalf]], [[Aragorn]], [[Legolas]], [[Gimli]] and [[Théoden]], the victors of the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], there confront the traitorous wizard, [[Saruman]]. They are informed by [[Saruman]] that [[Sauron]] is readying his forces for a final strike. Before he can give them more information, he is attacked by his servant [[Wormtongue]]. He is fatally stabbed in the back, and plummets from [[Orthanc]]'s top to be impaled on one of his machines, dropping from his sleeve a [[Palantíri|palantir]], which [[Gandalf]] retrieves.

That night, after a post-battle party in [[Edoras]], [[Pippin]], fascinated by the seeing stone, takes it from [[Gandalf]], ignoring [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]]'s urgings to leave it alone. Whilst gazing into the crystal ball, [[Pippin]] is spied by [[Sauron]] and through a psychic link, the [[Dark Lord]] attempts to interrogate the hobbit. Barely able to resist the Eye's power, [[Pippin]] is nearly broken into submission, but [[Gandalf]] and [[Aragorn]] wrest it from his tortured fingers. [[Pippin]] is left deeply shaken, but lives.

Gandalf is now certain that Sauron will come after Pippin, thinking he has the ring.

==Cuts and alterations==

According to British newspaper reports appearing on November 13, 2003, [[Christopher Lee]] was unhappy to learn that a seven-minute scene featuring a confrontation at [[Isengard]] in which [[Gandalf]] casts [[Saruman]] out of the order of [[Wizards]], would ''not'' be appearing in the finished film, and he decided to boycott the premiere as a result. [[Peter Jackson]] confirmed that this scene, although not in the theatrical release, would be included in the extended VHS and DVD editions. These were released on December 10 2004 in the UK and December 14 in the U.S., with an expanded length of 250 minutes (4 hours, 10 minutes) (slightly shorter in PAL versions). The final ten minutes of the extended DVD comprises a listing of the names of the charter members of the official fan club.

[[Christopher Lee]] apparently reconciled his differences with Peter Jackson because he appears on the behind-the-scenes documentaries and Cast Commentary on the extended DVDs.

The release of the theatrical edition had originally been scheduled for worldwide release in late August but actually appeared on May 25. The early release of the standard edition had led some fans to hope that the extended edition might be released as early as August, but the release was actually put back from mid-November, presumably because of the amount of work involved in preparing the extra footage and bonus material.

Other rumours suggested that the extended DVD might be a five or six-disc set, with the movie occupying three discs rather than two, and that the extended cut might be as long as ''six hours''. In January 2004, [[Peter Jackson]] indicated that the then recently completed extended edition is actually four hours and ten minutes long. He mentioned the inclusion of the "Mouth of Sauron" scene, as well as [[Frodo]] and [[Sam Gamgee|Sam]] running with the Mordor orcs. He also stated that not all of the unused footage shot for the movie would necessarily appear in the extended cut. (In the Director and Writers' Commentary on the extended DVD edition he jokes about including some scenes in a 25th Anniversary edition, provided he is not too senile to remember by then.)

The extended DVD is actually a 4-disc set like its predecessors, with the movie and commentaries occupying Discs 1 and 2 and the behind-the-scenes material on discs 3 and 4. A Collectors' Box Set was also released, which also included a sculpture of [[Minas Tirith]] and a bonus 50-minute music documentary DVD, ''Howard Shore: Creating The '' Lord of the Rings ''Symphony: A Composer's Journey Through Middle-earth''.

Fans also hoped that the extended discs would feature deleted scenes and outtakes, but none are included except for a few in the behind-the-scenes documentaries. There are further rumours of an even more spectacular Lord of the Rings Trilogy box set in the future, and Jackson has half-seriously mentioned the possibility of re-editing the trilogy into a TV miniseries, along the lines of the ''Godfather'' movies.

A sequence that did not make it from the book into the film at all despite the hopes of many fans, was the "[[Scouring of the Shire]]", in which the [[Hobbits]] return home at the end of their quest to find they have some fighting to do, owing to Saruman's takeover of [[the Shire]]. Jackson felt that it would tax the audience's patience to mount another battle scene after the critical conflict, the defeat of [[Sauron]], had already been resolved.

In the book, the fall of [[Saruman]] takes place at the end of the scouring, but in the film's theatrical release Saruman is left trapped in the tower of [[Orthanc]] by the Ents. In the extended edition Saruman appears on the roof of Orthanc bearing a Palantír and taunts Gandalf and his company with hints of a darkness in the heart of Middle-earth which will destroy them. (This is apparently a reference to Denethor's madness.) [[Saruman]] is finally stabbed by [[Gríma Wormtongue]] (which in the book occurs at the end of the Scouring of the Shire) and Gríma is shot by [[Legolas]] (in the book he is shot by a Hobbit). [[Saruman]] falls from the tower and is impaled on a wooden stake projecting from a mill-wheel. (This is an homage to Lee's ''Dracula'' movies; Peter Jackson wanted to be the last director to drive a stake through his heart.) The Palantír then falls into the water where it is found by [[Pippin]]. In the theatrical version there is no explanation as to how the Palantír fell into the water. In the book Gríma simply throws the Palantír at the company, not realising its value.

Fans hoped that several other key scenes from the book would be included in the extended cut, although inevitably not all of them were:

*'''Book:''' [[Théoden]] meets [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] and [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]] and calls them ''holbytlan'', suggesting that the word ''hobbit'' is derived from [[Rohirric]]; Pippin comments that the King of Rohan is "A fine old fellow. Very polite." [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] promises to tell him more about [[pipe-weed]]; the relationships of [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] and [[Pippin]] with [[Théoden]] and [[Denethor]] are more significant in the books.<br />'''Movie:''' Just adds a scene where [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] pledges his allegiance to [[Théoden]].

*'''Book:''' On the way to the Morgul Vale, [[Frodo]], [[Sam Gamgee|Sam]] and [[Gollum]] pass through the Crossroads, where there is a giant statue of a seated king with his head laying on the ground nearby, "crowned" anew with flowers that have grown there, an image of hope amidst destruction.<br />'''Movie:''' Included without alteration.

*'''Book''': The [[Witch-king of Angmar|Witch-king]] enters Minas Tirith when its gate is breached and challenges [[Gandalf]] to fight, but as a cock crows the horns of the Rohirrim announce their arrival and the Witch-king is forced to return to meet their assault. In the book this takes place at the gate of Minas Tirith.<br />'''Movie:''' When the gate is breached trolls and orcs enter the city. Shortly afterwards, the Witch-king, riding his Fell Beast, intercepts [[Gandalf]] and [[Pippin]], on [[Shadowfax]], who are racing from the gate to the Citadel (at the summit of the city) to save [[Faramir]] from being burned alive by [[Denethor]]. The witch-king holds up his sword, which erupts into flame; Gandalf is then thrown off his horse as his staff breaks, presumably because of the witch-king's power. The arrival of the Rohirrim is announced by their horns, but there is no sound of a cock crowing first (despite the fact that Tolkien described this as one of his favourite images).

*'''Book:''' The Rohirrim bypass the main road to [[Gondor]] by negotiating with the Wild Men of Drúadan Forest for passage through their woods.<br />'''Movie:''' There is no mention of the Wild Men or of Drúadan Forest; the Rohirrim just ride all night.

*'''Book:''' In the Pyre of Denthor scene it is revealed that Denethor has a [[Palantíri|palantír]], usually kept in a secret room at the top of the White Tower of Ecthelion, which he has been using to obtain strategic information for the defence of [[Gondor]]. But [[Sauron]] has infiltrated the palantír and used it to show [[Denethor]] a vision of the Black Ships. The vision is true as far as it goes, but [[Denethor]] does not realise the ships have been taken over by [[Aragorn]]'s army.<br />'''Movie:''' Not included, but there is a scene after the Battle of Pelennor Fields, where [[Aragorn]] finds a Palantir in [[Denethor]]'s cloak in the throne room and reveals himself to Sauron (see below). The implication that this is the cause of [[Denethor]]'s madness is left to viewers with knowledge of the book. [[Denethor]], in the theatrical cut, does cryptically say that "the eyes of the White Tower are not blind", and he ''implies'' that he has a Seeing-stone, which someone that read the book might understand but would be lost on a movie-only audience. It is also possible, however, that the [[Palantíri|Palantír]] [[Aragorn]] used was the stone of Orthanc, and [[Denethor]]'s seeing-stone was completely cut out of the films.

*'''Book''': [[Éomer]] grieves over the deaths of [[Éowyn]] and [[Théoden]] after the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]].<br />'''Movie:''' We see [[Éomer]]'s shock at his sister's apparent death, and his attempts to nurse her back to health with the aid of [[Aragorn]].

*'''Book:''' [[Aragorn]] cures [[Éowyn]], [[Faramir]], and [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] in the House of Healing.<br />'''Movie:''' His healing of [[Faramir]] and [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] is not included, although the healing of [[Faramir]] was reportedly filmed.

*'''Book:''' [[Sam Gamgee|Sam]] must use the Phial of [[Galadriel]] to get past the Silent Watchers of [[Cirith Ungol]].<br />'''Movie:''' Although the Silent Watchers briefly appear on screen, [[Sam Gamgee|Sam]]'s confrontation with them, which was reportedly filmed, is not shown.

*'''Book:''' [[Faramir]] and [[Éowyn]] meet and fall in love in the [[Houses of Healing]].<br />'''Movie:''' Referred to in a brief scene in which they begin to bond.

*'''Book:''' [[Aragorn]] reveals himself and his reforged sword to [[Sauron]] using the ''palantír'' recovered at [[Isengard]].<br />'''Movie:''' Included with alteration. Takes place following the Last Debate; [[Sauron]] retaliates by showing [[Aragorn]] a vision of [[Arwen]] apparently dying, which is not in the book.

*'''Book:''' Incognito in [[Orcs|Orc]] armour, [[Sam Gamgee|Sam]] and [[Frodo]] are forced to march with a band of Orcs who are heading for the Black Gate.<br />'''Movie:''' Included. The scene ends with [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] and [[Sam Gamgee|Sam]] pretending to fight, causing the other Orcs to join in, and slipping away while they are distracted - a simplification of the original scene.

*'''Book''': The Mouth of Sauron taunts Gandalf at the Black Gate and presents evidence that Frodo had been captured (which was true, although Frodo was rescued by Sam before he could be interrogated).<br />'''Movie:''' Included with alterations. The Mouth torments the Fellowship by claiming that Frodo has been horribly tortured and killed. He then taunts Aragorn over his broken sword and Aragorn decapitates him with the reforged Andúril. In the book he is allowed to live until the battle.

* '''Book:''' The spirit of Sauron rises like a black cloud from the ruin of Barad-dûr before being blown away by the [[Aman|West]] wind.<br />'''Movie:''' Not included. In both versions of the film the destruction of the Ring causes the [[Eye of Sauron]] to erupt in flame and then explode as [[Barad-dûr]] collapses.

* '''Book:''' After the coronation, Gandalf counsels King Elessar and shows him where to find a seedling of the [[White Tree of Gondor|White Tree]].<br />'''Movie:''' Not included. In the extended cut Gandalf tells Pippin that the dead White Tree remains in the courtyard in the apparently forlorn hope that it will blossom again; in a later scene the tree is seen bearing a single white flower. During Aragorn's coronation the courtyard is covered by the blossoms, and the tree is seen in the background in full bloom.

* '''Book:''' Eowyn disguises herself as "Dernhelm," and smuggles Merry along with her, allowing them both to take place in the Battle of Pelennor Fields.<br />'''Movie:'''Included with alteration. Eowyn does stow away with the Rohirrim, and does take Merry with her. However, at no point does she use the guise of Dernhelm. Her face is never completely concealed, thus the audience is always aware of who she is. While some have argued this takes away the surprise later, when Dernhelm reveals herself to be a woman when told that no man can kill the Witch-King, it has been counter-argued that having the audience know who she is maintains their emotional investment in her character.

Other alterations to the story include:

*In the film, shards of [[Narsil]] are re-forged by [[Elrond]] at [[Arwen]]'s urging, and Elrond travels to [[Rohan]] where he presents the reforged sword to Aragorn and orders him to take the [[Paths of the Dead]]. In the book, Narsil was reforged when Aragorn first brought the hobbits to Rivendell (following a prophecy that the reforging could only take place after "Isildur's Bane", the Ring, was found).

*The company of [[Rangers of the North]], who along with the two sons of Elrond join Aragorn after Saruman is defeated, do not appear at all in the film, in which Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli take the [[Paths of the Dead]] alone. One of them also presents Aragorn with a banner woven by Arwen. Elrond's appearance; in which he presents Aragorn with Anduril; and the previous film's Elvish army at the Hornburg; partially substitute.

*In the book, the rangers, Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn ride through the mountain path to summon the dead, then ride through the Morthond valley to the [[stone of Erech]], where the dead agree to serve. Aragorn then leads the dead and members of his group to Pelargir to attack the corsairs. After the Dead defeat the corsairs, they disappear, and the ships carry Aragorn, the rangers, Legolas, Gimli, and some forces from southern Gondor to the battle of Pelennor fields. In the movie, Aragorn gets the dead to serve in an underground cave, exits the underground path at Pelagir to see the corsairs. The dead then sail on the ships to Pelennor fields. No rangers or southern Gondorians are in the movie. The book version makes more sense when considering the maps, as Pelargir is a long way from Edoras or Minas Tirith, and Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli run for a short time considering the distance. Also, in the film the dead are used to completely overrun and destroy the forces of Mordor on the [[Pelennor Fields]], though in the book the dead were only used to defeat the [[Corsairs of Umbar]].

*In the book, the beacons of Gondor are lit before Gandalf and Pippin arrive, as a part of Denethor's careful mustering of Minas Tirith's defences. In the film, Denethor refuses to light the beacon of Minas Tirith, or indeed to organize any defence of the city, so Gandalf persuades Pippin to sneak past the guards and light it, causing the rest of the beacons to be lit in response.

*In the book, Gondor's formal request for aid is sent to Rohan by a courier carrying the [[Red Arrow]] (although Rohan was already mustering to Gondor's defence, in part at Gandalf's urging). In the film, there is no courier, and the Riders are spurred to help Gondor by the beacons (above).

*In the film, [[Gollum]] tricks [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] into mistrusting [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]] and sending him away, so that Frodo enters [[Shelob]]'s Lair alone. In the book, Frodo and Sam have no break in their trust, except for a brief instant upon Frodo's rescue from the orc tower where he demands that Sam return the Ring.

* In the film, the burning Denethor runs along the "prow" of Minas Tirith and falls like a meteor. In the book, Denethor lights his pyre and lies down upon it to burn, clasping the ''palantír''. (In fact the "prow" of Minas Tirith, located on the Seventh Level, is on the opposite side of the city from the burial chambers where the pyre is, located on the fifth level. While on fire, Denethor would have had to run across the ''entire'' city to fall like that. In his commentary on the extended DVD Peter Jackson admits that he was aware of the distance issue but included the scene for dramatic effect.)

*Unlike the book, Merry is not taken to the Houses of Healing to recuperate from his encounter with the Witch-king (with the aid of Aragorn's knowledge of the healing herb [[athelas]], which he also uses to heal Faramir and Éowyn), but instead rides out to the Last Battle alongside Aragorn and Gandalf.

*In the book, there is a very rare sequence of lighthearted comedy in the Houses of Healing, where a Gondor doctor repeatedly recites herbal lores to a very frustrated Aragorn, who wants the herb but has no interest in hearing the bumbling healer's endless rhymes about them. This is omitted in the film.

*In the book, Gollum slips accidentally into the [[Crack of Doom]] while dancing in triumph after biting the Ring off Frodo's right hand third finger. In the film, Gollum bites the ring off Frodo's index finger, and Frodo jumps on him one last time, causing them both to fall; it is subsequently revealed that Frodo was able to catch himself on the rock below the precipice, from which Sam pulls him back (after a brief hesitation by an apparently suicidal Frodo).

*In the film, it is not revealed that Frodo is to sail to the west with Bilbo, Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, and Celeborn until after most of them have boarded the ship. In the book, Frodo and Sam join with Bilbo and the elves in the woods while travelling to the harbour. In the books Celeborn also takes a later ship.

Following the destruction of the [[One Ring]], most of the second book of ''The Return of the King'' involves tying up loose ends (although Tolkien considered the "[[Scouring of the Shire]]" to be one of the most important chapters of the trilogy, it is completely omitted from the film). These dénouements are only briefly summarized in the films, where we get a hint of [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]]'s periodic bouts of illness following his return to the Shire, we see [[Sam Gamgee|Sam]] getting married to Rosie, and we follow [[Gandalf]]'s and the [[Ring-bearer]]s' departure from the [[Grey Havens]]. The film's closing scene shows Sam returning from saying farewell at the Grey Havens and coming back to the Shire and his home and family (returning at night in the book, during the day in the film).

The film remains faithful to the book in quoting the last lines spoken by Gandalf ("I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil", although Gandalf has some minor dialogue following this in the movie) and by Sam ("Well, I'm back.").

==Score==

==Box office records==

After two years of attention and acclaim since the release of ''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,'' audience anticipation for the final installment of the trilogy had reached a fever pitch when the movie was finally released to theatres on December 17, 2003. New Line Cinema reported that the film's first day of release (a Wednesday) saw a box office total of $34.5 million—an all-time single-day record for a motion picture released on a Wednesday (until Spider-Man 2 came along and grossed $40.4 million). This was nearly twice the first-day total of ''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (which earned $18.2 million on its first day of release in 2001), and a significant increase over ''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' as well (which earned $26.1 million on its first day in December of 2002).

The substantial increase in initial box office totals caused optimistic studio executives to forecast that ''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' would surpass ''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' in total earnings. If this proved to be true, then this would be the first blockbuster movie trilogy for each successive film to earn ''more'' at the box office than its predecessor, when all three films were blockbuster successes. (The general opinion in movie circles in 2003 was that a movie had to earn more than $150 million to be considered a "blockbuster").

These forecasts proved accurate. According to [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/ Box Office Mojo], between the time of the film's release, its winning the Academy Award for Best Picture on Sunday, February 29, 2004, and Thursday, March 11, 2004, ''Return of the King'' had earned approximately $1,052,547,293 in worldwide box office revenue—$368,875,000 in North America, and $683,649,123 in sixty countries worldwide. The final North American box office stands at $377,027,325, and the worldwide take is $1,118,888,979 (about $741 million overseas). The worldwide revenue is slightly enhanced compared to the earlier movies when converted to US Dollars because of the decline in the dollar's exchange rate in 2003. It was the second film in history to earn over $1 billion in box office revenue in its initial release (the first being ''Titanic'' in 1997). This compares favourably to the first two films of the trilogy: in their first 35 weeks of theatrical release in North America, the gross income of the first two movies was $313,364,114 and $339,789,881.

These figures do not include income from DVD sales, TV rights, etc. It has been estimated that the gross income from non-box office sales and merchandise has been ''at least'' equal to the box office for all three films; if this is so, the total gross income for the trilogy would be in the region of $6 billion, a very respectable return for a $300 million investment.

==See Also==
* [[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King screenplay]]
{{films}}

[[Category:Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]]
[[de:Der Herr der Ringe: Die Rückkehr des Königs (Film)]]
[[fi:The Return of the King (2003)]]

Gimli

2008-04-30T23:08:10Z

82.23.2.133: /* Portrayal in Adaptations */

{{youmay|Gimli Elf-friend|the uncanonical [[Gimli (Noldo)|Gimli the Noldo]] in the ''[[Tale of Tinúviel]]''}}
{{quote|Only Gimli lifted up his head; a smouldering fire was in his eyes. . .|Gimli's response to the mention of the [[Mines of Moria]]}}
{{dwarves infobox
| image=[[Image:John Howe - Gimli 01.jpg|300px]]
| name=Gimli
| othernames=Elf-friend, Lockbearer, Lord of the Glittering Caves
| life=[[Third Age 2879]] - [[Fourth Age 120]]
| realm=[[Erebor]]
| parentage=[[Glóin son of Gróin|Glóin]]
| lineage=[[Durin the Deathless]]/[[Borin]]
| robes=
| gender=Male
|}}
'''Gimli''' was a [[dwarf]] of [[Durin's Folk]], a direct descendant of [[Durin the Deathless]] through [[Náin II]]'s younger son [[Borin]], and in turn [[Farin]]'s younger son [[Gróin]], and his younger son [[Glóin]]. Despite being too young at the time of the [[Quest of Erebor]] (only 62), he became famous as the only Dwarven member of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]].

==History==
Gimli was born in the [[Blue Mountains]] nine years after the tragic destruction of [[Dale]] and the wasting of [[Erebor]] by [[Smaug]] the Golden. Little is known about his early life (or the lives of young dwarves in general, as a matter of fact), but he was forbidden to join [[Thorin and Company]] because of his age: only 62 at the time, according to ''[[The Quest of Erebor]]''.

Years later, in [[Third Age 3017|TA 3017]], Gimli witnessed the tempting offers of the messenger of [[Sauron]] (presumed to be a [[Nazgûl]]) concerning the [[Ring of Power]], and accompanied his troubled father to [[Rivendell]] for the dual purpose of warning retired burglar (and old acquaintance) [[Bilbo Baggins]] and seeking the counsel of [[Elrond]] on such weighty matters. His purpose in going was unknown – he neither knew Bilbo, nor liked the [[Elves]] any more than any other Dwarf at that time. It is possible his father merely took him for the experience of being in [[Rivendell]]. Whatever the reason, he attended the [[Council of Elrond]] as a representative of the [[Dwarves of Erebor]].

===The Fellowship of the Ring===

Gimli, as the only young dwarf (so far as we know) at the council of Elrond, was appointed as a member of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]]. He alone of the company wore a mail-shirt, and carried a broad-bladed axe. He quickly distinguished himself in the company by declaring that he "needed no map" and naming the [[Misty Mountains]] individually by their [[Khuzdul]] names, inspiring the comment from [[Sam]]: "A fair jaw-cracker dwarf-language must be!"

Gimli, surprisingly, stood more than all the others with [[Gandalf]] on the matter of passing through [[Moria]]. This may be influenced by his curiosity about the fate of his second cousin [[Balin]], who went thither to refound the ancient kingdom of the [[Longbeards]], and also his vengeful nature. His first clash with [[Legolas of Mirkwood|Legolas]] occurred before the [[Doors of Durin]], in a brief dispute over whose fault it was (the Elves’ or the Dwarves’) that the friendship between them waned. Gandalf quickly intervened, though it was not until [[Lothlórien]] that they would truly become friends.

[[Image:Aleksandr Kortich - 03.jpg|thumb|left|300px|''Moria'' by [[Aleksandr Kortich]]]]He was quite helpful to Gandalf in explaining the Doors to the other curious members of the fellowship. Gandalf showed his appreciation of Gimli’s skills by letting him walk up front through the dark tunnels beside himself, and taking brief counsels with him when the way is unsure. It is probable that here Gandalf is tapping into Dwarven inborn or developed skills rather than actual knowledge of Moria itself, as Gimli had never personally been there.

Gimli reacted most indignantly to Sam’s suggestion that Moria was but “holes”, going so far as to chant for him the ancient song ''[[The World was Young, the Mountains Green]]''. Gimli continued to be helpful to Gandalf on the rest of the dark passage, and boldly aided in the [[Battle of the Chamber of Mazarbul]], protecting Balin’s tomb. After Gandalf remained behind to halt the Balrog, Gimli led the others across the [[Bridge of Khazad-dûm]].

He again shows great emotion when they near [[Kheled-zâram]], taking [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] alone out of all the company with him to see it (though Sam follows as well). This hints at a degree of affection for Frodo, though it may merely be because he was the most important of the company. Despite his helpfulness, at [[Lothlórien]] he became the greatest hindrance to the Company, when he alone was required to be blindfolded and of all of them liked the idea the least (save for perhaps Legolas). The compromise was made that the entire company would go through the Golden Wood in this manner, that Gimli would not suffer alone.

Despite this early struggle, it is Gimli of all the company that is most remembered for his deeds in Lothlórien. For his heart softened towards [[Galadriel]] and as a result toward Elves in general when that great lady sympathized with his sorrows, using the traditional Khuzdul names. In return he attempted to compliment her, as he saw her love and understanding. Though slightly clumsy in his first attempt, he distinguished himself when, as Galadriel gave the Company [[Gifts of Galadriel|gifts]], he asked only for a single strand of her hair. This Galadriel graciously gave with a blessing, probably remembering when [[Fëanor]] had requested a similar gift several millennia ago. Henceforth Gimli was known as "[[Lockbearer]]". He wept openly at the departure from Lothlórien, calling the light more dangerous than the darkness he had feared.

After the departure from Lothlórien Gimli is relegated a fairly minor role. He had, however, become a fast friend of Legolas the Elf, a result of Galadriel’s kindness. This, too, made him famous among all the Dwarves of the [[Third Age]].

===The Three Hunters===

[[Image:Ted Nasmith - Pursuit in Rohan.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''Pursuit in Rohan'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]] After the [[Breaking of the Fellowship]], during which he and Legolas slew many [[orcs]], Gimli listened in silence as his only remaining comrades, [[Aragorn II|Aragorn]] and Legolas, sang a lament for Boromir in the character of three of the Winds. Only the East Wind was left, and Gimli would not sing it, which Aragorn declared to be appropriate.

For most of the chase he served as a commentator, usually leaving the decisions to Aragorn. His reaction was quite hostile to the suspicious [[Rohirrim]], especially after [[Éomer]]’s rash comments about Galadriel. Little did either know that they would become close friends in the times to come as fiery words passed between them. After the [[Three Hunters]] were lent horses, Gimli and Éomer parted in peace, with promises to one another of reconciliation.

Of the Three Hunters, Gimli seemed the most shaken by [[Fangorn]] while they searched for traces of [[Merry]] and [[Pippin]]. Gimli felt no reluctance to shoot the “unarmed” old man whom they thought was [[Saruman]], unlike Aragorn and Legolas. After Gandalf was revealed to them, Gimli fell to his knees. Gandalf put his hand on Gimli’s head, and the dwarf laughed for the first time recorded during the [[Quest of the Ring]].

Gimli’s ire was raised again in King [[Théoden]]’s courts against [[Wormtongue]], who spoke slanderously of the Lady of the Golden Wood. Gandalf quickly calmed him. Gimli was delighted by the [[White Mountains]] and [[Helm’s Deep]], declaring “This country has tough bones”. He declared that if he had a hundred of his kin he could make the fortress invincible.

===War of the Ring===

[[Image:Ted Nasmith - The Glittering Caves of Aglarond.jpg|thumb|left|300px|''The Glittering Caves of Aglarond'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]During the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], Gimli saved Éomer’s life outside the gates. He came in, boasting of his first two orc-kills to his friend Legolas. Legolas estimated his slaughter to amount to twenty, starting the good-hearted orc-killing game that continued through the rest of the battle. Gimli was the first to the culvert when the orcs crept through, leaping heroically into their midst from the walls. He then proceeded to lead the blocking up of the culvert. During the course of the battle Gimli was one of those forced into the [[Glittering Caves]]. He was astonished to see the magnificence of these caverns, moving even Legolas with his glowing description of them. This one sight would change his life.

His final kill score number was forty-two in that battle, surpassing his friend the elf by one. Gimli shows a hint of humor and affection when he greets the two [[Hobbits]] Merry and Pippin comfortably situated among [[flotsam]] and [[jetsam]] in the ruin of [[Isengard]]. He declared himself deep in Pippin’s debt when the hobbit lent him his spare pipe.

As the fellowship of friends again began to break up – Gandalf and Pippin heading for [[Minas Tirith]], [[Théoden]] and his riders for [[Dunharrow]] – Gimli out of love and respect for Aragorn went with him, Legolas, the sons of Elrond, and the [[Dúnedain]] [[Rangers]] on the [[Paths of the Dead]]. He showed great reluctance before the [[Dark Door]], the final thought that drove him downward was the thought of being bested by an Elf underground.

[[Image:Luca Michelucci - 1999 - March.jpg|thumb|right|200px|By [[Luca Michelucci]]]]He participated in the epic [[Battle of Pelennor Fields]], returning with Aragorn and his other companions on the [[Black Ships]], and later recounted their journey to the fascinated Hobbits. He began to fear for Legolas, who seemed entranced by the Sea. His position on Elves completely changed, he remarked "If all the fair folk take to the Havens, it will be a duller world for those who are doomed to stay". He was much more skeptical as to the overall end of [[Men]] than his comrade.

Gimli fought in the [[Battle of the Morannon]], passing through unscathed, and finding the alive but bruised Pippin among the dead lying on the hill. He returned to the [[Field of Cormallen]] to be reunited to his friends, and there displayed open affection for all of them, even his frequent rival Pippin ("If only because of the pains you have cost me, which I shall never forget").

===After the War of the Ring===

After the coronation of Aragorn, Gimli said farewell to his old friend Éomer, who begged for pardon as to his words on Galadriel, though he slyly added that he didn’t think she was the fairest in the world: adding that [[Arwen]] was only when Gimli began to threaten him. Gimli was content with that.

During the return journey he visited many places with Legolas, including Fangorn Forest and [[Aglarond]]. Eventually he returned to Erebor, to find it nearly devastated by war. [[Dáin II Ironfoot]] had died, and [[Thorin III Stonehelm]] was now King. Eventually, though, he returned to the Glittering Caves with a contingent of dwarves, becoming the “Lord of the Glittering Caves”. He rebuilt the gates of Minas Tirith with [[mithril]] and steel, and in both [[Gondor]] and [[Rohan]] accomplished great works. In Aglarond, it is assumed, he lived on until he was old, and in [[Fourth Age 120]] it is believed that he sailed with Legolas his friend across [[Belegaer]] to [[Valinor]]. There he presumably died in peace.

==Character==

Gimli throughout ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' showed perhaps the greatest open contempt for Sauron and his minions, save for perhaps [[Boromir (son of Denethor II)|Boromir]]. He was a grim character, for the most part, laughing only occasionally and, though in a few rare situations inspiring amusement, never joking. Due to his comments especially in the chapter ''[[The Ring goes South]]'', he may be called more superstitious than the others, acting very much as if Caradhras was an actual living being.

Gimli also carries the characteristic of smoldering vengeance against enemies found in many dwarves, such as when speaking of Moria. It may be that Gimli’s strongest show of sentiment was when speaking of Balin and Moria. He also is shown to have a steadfast nature to match, noticeable, for instance, when he plunges heedlessly across a stagnant creek in his eagerness to get to Moria. He also seems to have a love (or an interest, at least) in food, complementing the [[lembas]] of the Elves most highly.

==Portrayal in Adaptations==

Gimli was portrayed in [[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings]] as almost as tall as Legolas and Aragorn. He was voiced by [[David Buck]].

[[Image:Gimli son of Gloin.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Gimli as portrayed by [[John Rhys-Davies]]]]In [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]], he was played by [[John Rhys-Davies]], who also provided the voice for [[Treebeard]]. His character has been criticized by Tolkien fans because he acted as the Comedian for ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers|The Two Towers]]'' and ''[[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]'', whereas in the books he was a solid, serious character. Also, his prowess in battle in the films is significantly inferior to [[Legolas]]'s battle skills. This is in sharp contrast to the books, where Gimli was a dangerous and ferocious fighter.

== Genealogy ==
{{familytree/start}}
{{familytree| | | | | | | FAR | | | | | | |FAR=[[Farin]]}}
{{familytree| | | |,|-|-|-|^|-|-|-|.| | | |}}
{{familytree| | | FUN | | | | | | GRO | | |FUN=[[Fundin]]|GRO=[[Gróin]]}}
{{familytree| |,|-|^|-|.| | | |,|-|^|-|.| | }}
{{familytree| BAL | | DWA | | OIN | | GLO |BAL=[[Balin]]|DWA=[[Dwalin]]|OIN=[[Óin son of Gróin|Óin]]|GLO=[[Glóin]]}}
{{familytree| | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| |}}
{{familytree| | | | | | | | | | | | | GIM | GIM='''GIMLI<br/>ELF-FRIEND''' }}
{{familytree/end}}

==See Also==
* [[:Category:Images of Gimli|Images of Gimli Elf-friend]]
{{sequence
|prev=none
|next=unknown
|list=[[Lord of the Glittering Caves]]<br><code>IV</code> ?? – 120
}}
{{fellowship}}

[[Category:Dwarves]]
[[Category:Longbeards]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]

[[de:Gimli]]
[[fi:Gimli]]

Men

2008-04-30T22:03:26Z

82.23.2.133: /* Third Age */

{{race
| image= [[Image:Brothers Hildebrandt - Ghân-buri-Ghân.jpg|300px]]
| name= Men
| dominions= [[Númenor]], [[Gondor]], [[Arnor]], [[Rohan]], [[Dunland]], [[Harad]], [[Khand]], [[Forochel]]
| languages= [[Taliska]], [[Adûnaic]], [[Rohirric]], [[Westron]], etc.
| height=
| skincolor=
| haircolor= Black, brown, blond, white and grey (in later years)
| distinctions= [[Gift of Men|Mortality]], [[Dominion of Men|inheritors of the rule]] of [[Middle-earth]]
| lifespan= c. 70 years (except [[Númenóreans]])
| members= [[Bëor]], [[Haleth]], [[Marach]], [[Beren Erchamion|Beren]], [[Uldor]], [[Elros]], [[Aragorn II]]
}}
<blockquote>''"West, North, and South the children of Men spread and wandered, and their joy was the joy of the morning before the dew is dry, when every leaf is green."
''—[[The Silmarillion]]'': "[[Of Men]]"</blockquote>
'''Men''' (when written with a capital letter, this word refers to the human race and does not denote gender) were one of the Kindreds of the [[Children of Ilúvatar]]. Men were called the [[Secondborn]] by the [[Elves]], their [[Elder Children of Ilúvatar|Elder]] brethren, because they were the last of all the [[Mirröanwi|incarnate]] races to come into being. Though they were born after the other sentient races, Men were destined to inherit and [[Dominion of Men|rule]] [[Middle-earth]].

==Origins and Nature==

The race of Men is the second race of beings created by the Supreme God, [[Ilúvatar]]. Because they awoke at the start of the [[First Age]] of the Sun, while the [[Elves]] awoke three Ages before them, they are called the Secondborn ([[Quenya]]: ''Atani'', [[Sindarin]]: ''[[Edain]]'') by the Elves. Men awoke in a land located in the far east of Middle-earth called [[Hildórien]]. When the Sun rose for the first time in the far West, Men began to wander towards it, a journey which culminated in some of them reaching Beleriand centuries later.

There is much evidence that, soon after their awakening, Morgoth came to Men and incited them to worship him and turn away from Ilúvatar, and that they complied. This makes Men the only race to have fallen completely under the Shadow, which may account for their propensity to do wrong. Though all were seduced by the Enemy, some Men repented and escaped; they were said to be the ancestors of the Edain.

Men bear the so-called ''[[Gift of Men]]'', mortality. Elves are immortal, in the sense that even if their bodies are slain, their spirits remain bound to the world, going to the [[Halls of Mandos]] to wait until they are released or the world ends. Elves are tied to the world for as long as it lasts. When Men die, they are released from [[Arda]] and the bounds of the world and have rest from its troubles. However, the influence of Morgoth has caused Men to fear their fate, and view Death as a Doom instead of a Gift.

==Groups and Alignments==

Although all Men are related to one another, there are many different groups with different cultures. The most important group in the tales of the [[First Age]] were the Edain. Although the word Edain technically refers to all Men, the Elves used it to distinguish those Men who fought with them in the First Age against [[Morgoth]] in [[Beleriand]]. The Edain were divided into three Houses.

The First House of the Edain was the [[House of Bëor]], and entered Beleriand in 305 FA and were granted the fief of [[Ladros]] in [[Dorthonion]] by [[Finrod Felagund]]. The Second House of the Edain, the [[Haladin]], was led by Haldad and later by his daughter Haleth and settled in the Forest of Brethil. The Third House, which became the greatest, was led by [[Marach]] and later his descendant [[Hador]], and they settled in [[Dor-lómin]]. This house was known both as the House of Marach and the [[House of Hador]].

Other Men did not cross the [[Misty Mountains]] or fight against Morgoth. However, some, such as the Easterlings, fought openly on his side. In later Ages, the Haradrim and Easterlings would fight on Sauron's side against the descendants of the Edain. Here below follow the short descriptions of the most important groups of Men in the First, Second and Third Ages.

===[[Edain]] and [[Dúnedain]]===

As a reward for their services and assistance rendered to the Elves and the Valar in the [[War of Wrath]] at the end of the First Age, the Edain received a new land of their own from the Valar, between Middle-earth and the [[Undying Lands]]. This was the land of [[Númenor]], an island in the form of a five-pointed star that was far away from the troubles of Middle-earth.

They were led to this island by [[Elros]] with the help of his father [[Eärendil]], who sailed the heavens as the bright star of the same name and guided the ships of the Edain to Númenor. Once they arrived, Elros became the first King of Númenor and took the name Tar-Minyatur. The Edain became known as the Númenóreans or Dúnedain (Sindarin for ''Men of the West''). The kingdom of Númenor grew steadily in power, and the Dúnedain became the noblest and highest of all Men on Arda. In their early days, the Dúnedain remained allied to the Elves of Middle-earth, and aided them in battle against Morgoth's lieutenant [[Sauron]].

As the Men of the West increased in power and happiness, they came to resent the Gift of Men, Death. They wished to become immortal like the Elves and enjoy their possessions for all time. Most of the Númenóreans, including the line of the Kings, began to turn away from the Valar, and spoke against the Ban of the Valar that forbade them to sail west beyond sight of Númenor or to enter [[Valinor]]. The Númenóreans also became increasingly hostile to all Elvish influences in their realm, and in 2899 of the [[Second Age]], Ar-Adûnakhôr became the first king of Númenor to take his royal name in [[Adûnaic]], the language of Men, instead of [[Quenya]], the tongue of the Elves of Valinor.

During the early part of their rebellion, the Númenóreans became divided into two factions: the first, the [[King's Men]], enjoyed the support of the King and included the majority of the people. They wished to gain immortality and break away from their ancestral allegiance to the Valar. The King's Men also wanted to end relations with the Elves, and thus they favoured Adûnaic as the official language and eventually punished those who spoke the Elven tongues. The persecuted minority faction, the [[Faithful]], were led by the [[Lord of Andúnië|Lords of Andúnië]], the westernmost province of Númenor, and remained loyal to the Valar. They also tried to maintain friendship with the Elves.

When Sauron was apparently defeated and taken to the Isle by the Númenórean army near the end of the Second Age, he took advantage of the pride of the Númenóreans. By teaching the Dúnedain many things and flattering the King, [[Ar-Pharazôn]], he worked his way into the King's counsels and won the hearts of the people. Ultimately, Sauron advised Ar-Pharazôn to attack Valinor and claim immortality. This he foolishly did, and as a punishment Númenor, the island of the Men of the West, sank into the Sea and only the Faithful escaped. When the Faithful returned to Middle-earth, they founded the twin kingdoms of [[Gondor]] and [[Arnor]].

===[[Black Númenóreans]] and [[Haradrim]]===

The Faithful weren't the only Númenóreans left on Middle-earth when Númenor sank. When Númenor grew in naval power, many Númenóreans founded colonies in Middle-earth. In the second millennium of the [[Second Age]] there was an exodus of Men from the overcrowded island. Many of the King's Men settled in Middle-earth because they wanted to conquer more lands, and the Faithful because they were persecuted by the Kings. The Faithful settled in [[Pelargir]], while the King's Men ruled the [[Haven of Umbar]] and other colonies in the South. From these colonies Sauron recruited men who would become some of the nine [[Ringwraiths]] in the second millennium of the Second Age. When Númenor was destroyed, the King's Men became known as the Black Númenóreans and remained hostile towards the Faithful of Gondor. Eventually, the Black Númenórean stronghold of Umbar was conquered by Gondor in 933 of the Third Age.

Further east of Umbar another group of Men lived, called the '''Haradrim''' or Southrons. They were dark skinned Men and waged war on great Oliphaunts or ''Mûmakil''. They too were hostile to Gondor, though they were subdued in 1050 of the Third Age by [[Hyarmendacil I]].

Both Umbar and the Harad were left unchecked by Gondor's waning power by the time of the War of the Ring, and presented grave threats from the south. Many Haradrim fought with Sauron's forces in Gondor in that War.

See also: [[Southrons]]

===[[Easterlings]]===

Most Men who fought in the armies of Morgoth and Sauron were Easterlings, who came from the region around the [[Sea of Rhûn]]. Some Easterlings offered their services to the Elvish kingdoms in Beleriand; among them were [[Bór]] and his sons, and [[Ulfang the Black]] and his sons. This proved to be disastrous for the Elves in the [[Nirnaeth Arnoediad]] when Ulfang and his clan switched sides and defected to Morgoth, though Bór and his sons died bravely fighting on the side of the [[Eldar]].

After Morgoth's defeat Sauron extended his influence over the Easterlings, and although Sauron was defeated by the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]] at the end of the Second Age, the Easterlings were the first enemies to attack Gondor again in 492 TA. They were soundly defeated by King [[Rómendacil I]], but they invaded again in 541 TA and took revenge by slaying King Rómendacil. Rómendacil's son [[Turambar]] took large portions of land from them.

In the next centuries Gondor held sway over the Easterlings. When Gondor's power began to decrease in the twelfth century of the Third Age, the Easterlings took the complete eastern bank of the [[Anduin]] except [[Ithilien]] and crushed Gondor's allies, the Northmen.

The Easterlings of the Third Age were divided in different tribes, such as the [[Wainriders]] and the [[Balchoth]]. The Wainriders were a confederation of Easterlings who were very active between 1856 and 1944 TA. They posed a serious threat to Gondor for many years, but were utterly defeated by [[Eärnil II]] in 1944.

When Gondor lost its royal dynasty in 2050 TA the Easterlings started to reorganize themselves, and a fierce group called the Balchoth became the most important tribe. In 2510 TA they invaded Gondor again and conquered much of [[Calenardhon]], until they were defeated by the [[Éothéod]] who rode to Gondor's aid.

In the War of the Ring, the Easterlings were among the fiercest warriors deployed at the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] by Sauron.

===[[Northmen]]===

Not all the Men who remained east of the Blue Mountains and Misty Mountains during the First Age were tempted by Morgoth or Sauron, and they were joined after the War of Wrath by those of the Edain who did not wish to travel to Númenor. The Northmen who dwelt in [[Mirkwood|Greenwood the Great]] and other parts of [[Rhovanion]] were friendly to the Dúnedain, being for the most part their kin, and many of them became Gondorian subjects. The Men of [[Dale]] and [[Esgaroth]] were Northmen, as were the Woodsmen of Mirkwood, and the [[Éothéod]], who became the Rohirrim or Horse Lords.

===[[Dunlendings]] and [[Drúedain]]===

When Elendil founded the Kingdom of Arnor, its borders were quickly extended towards the river Greyflood (Sindarin:''Gwathló''), and Gondor likewise extended up through [[Enedwaith]]. In Enedwaith and [[Minhiriath]] (Sindarin for ''Land between the Rivers'') lived a group of Men related to those Men that became the House of Haleth, and they were known as the Dunlendings. They had lived in the great woods that covered most of Eriador, and when the Númenóreans started to chop these woods down to build their ships in the [[Second Age]], they earned the hostility of the Dunlendings. The Dunlendings later became bitter enemies of [[Rohan]], as they believed the Rohirrim had stolen their lands.

Because of their enmity with the Rohirrim, the Dunlendings served [[Saruman]] in the War of the Ring and fought against the Horse Lords in the [[Battle of the Hornburg]].

Another group of Men were the [[Woses]]. They were small and stooped, and were always few in number and shortlived compared to other races of Men. They lived among the House of Haleth in the First Age, and were held as Edain by the Elves, who called them ''Drúedain'' (from ''Drûg'', their own name for themselves, plus ''Edain'').

At the end of the Third Age a few Woses still lived in the Drúadan Forest. They held off [[Orcs]] with poisoned arrows and were vital in securing the aid of the Rohirrim in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. King [[Aragorn|Elessar]] granted the Drúadan Forest to them "forever" in the [[Fourth Age]].

===[[Hobbit]]s===

Hobbits were strictly a race of Men rather than a separate species. The origin of Hobbits is obscure; they first appeared in the records of other Men in the middle of the [[Third Age]].

== Names ==
The Elves called the race of Men '''[[Atani]]''' in [[Quenya]], literally meaning "Second People" (the [[Elves]] being the First), but also '''Hildor''' (Aftercomers), '''Fírimar''' (Mortals), '''Engwar''' (The Sickly), and many other names. The name ''Atani'' is cognate with [[Sindarin]] '''Edain''', but this term was later applied only to those Men who aided the Elves in their war with [[Morgoth]] in the [[First Age]].

==Notable Men==
===First Age===
*[[Bëor]] - leader of the [[First House of the Edain|First House]] of the [[Edain]] and the first of Men to come to [[Beleriand]]
*[[Marach]] - leader of the [[Third House of the Edain]]
*[[Haleth]] - led her people, the [[House of Haleth|Second House of the Edain]], to the [[Forest of Brethil]]
*[[Hador Lórindol]] - patriarch of the [[House of Hador]]
*[[Beren Erchamion]] - took a [[Silmaril]] from [[Morgoth]]'s crown; married [[Lúthien Tinúviel]]
*[[Húrin Thalion]] - greatest warrior of Men; captured by Morgoth
*[[Túrin Turambar]] - cursed by Morgoth; slew [[Glaurung]] the [[Dragon]]
*[[Tuor]] - came to [[Gondolin]] and married [[Idril]]; father of [[Eärendil]]
===Second Age===
*[[Elros Tar-Minyatur]] - son of Eärendil and first [[King of Númenor]]
*[[Tar-Aldarion]] - sixth King of Númenor and founder of the [[Guild of Venturers]]
*[[Ar-Pharazôn]] - twenty-fifth King of Númenor; humbled [[Sauron]]; caused the [[Downfall of Númenor]] by attacking [[Valinor]]
*[[Elendil]] - escaped the Downfall of Númenor and founded the Kingdom of [[Arnor]]; helped defeat Sauron
*[[Isildur]] - son of Elendil and cofounder of [[Gondor]]; cut the [[One Ring]] from Sauron's hand
===Third Age===
*[[Atanatar]] Alcarin - ruled Gondor at the height of its power
*[[Mardil]] - first ruling [[Steward of Gondor]]
*[[Eorl]] - founder of [[Rohan]]
*[[Denethor II]] - ruled Gondor at the time of the [[War of the Ring]]
*[[Boromir II]] and [[Faramir son of Denethor II|Faramir]] - sons of Denethor II
*[[Théoden]] - ruled Rohan at the time of the War of the Ring
*[[Éomer]] - nephew and heir of Théoden; fought at the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]
*[[Éowyn]] - sister of Éomer; battled the [[Witch-king]]
*[[Aragorn II]] - the [[Heir of Isildur]] and ruler of the [[Reunited Kingdom]]

[[Category:Races]]
[[Category:Men]]
[[Category:Characters in The Hobbit]]

[[de:Menschen]]

Amandil

2008-04-24T22:46:46Z

82.23.2.133:

''(See also [[Amandil of Númenor]])''
{{numenorean
| image=
| name=Amandil
| othernames=[[Lord of Andúnië]]
| birth=Late [[Second Age]]
| rule=
| death=c. [[Second Age 3316|S.A. 3316]]
| age=
| party=The [[Faithful]]
| language=[[Quenya]]
| gender=Male
| height=
| hair=
| eyes=
| parentage=[[Númendil]]
| siblings=
| spouse=
| children=[[Elendil]]
|}}
'''Amandil''' was the eighteenth and last [[Lord of Andúnië]] in [[Númenor]], suceeding his father [[Númendil]] upon his death. Amandil was the father of [[Elendil]], who would one day found the Númenórean [[Realms in Exile]].

== History ==
Amandil, like his father, was the leader of the [[Faithful]], those Númenóreans who still respected the will of the [[Valar]] and opposed the pride and policies of the [[King's Men]].

In his youth Amandil was a great friend of [[Ar-Pharazôn]], the last [[King of Númenor]]. Amandil was also famed across [[Númenor]] for being a great sea-captain in the days of Nùmendil. However when Ar-Pharazôn brought the conquered [[Sauron]] from [[Middle-earth]], his friendship with Amandil withered. As time passed, Ar-Pharazôn began persecuting the Faithful more vigorously. He eventually stripped Amandil of his Lordship over [[Andúnië]] and commanded him to move his family to [[Rómenna]]. Ar-Pharazôn also dismissed Amandil from his [[Council of the Sceptre|Council]], but since he and his son were still respected by the people, no one attempted to hurt them, unlike the rest of the Faithful.

Foreseeing the [[Downfall of Númenor]], Amandil urged his son Elendil to prepare for departure to Middle-earth, and he himself decided to travel to Valinor to beg the Valar for forgiveness for the evil deeds of his people.

Amandil set sail east and later turned west (to hide what he was doing) towards [[Tol Eressëa]], and was never heard from again. Elendil and his sons, having escaped the cataclysmic destruction of Númenor, made their way to [[Middle-earth]] to establish the [[Dúnedain]] kingdoms of [[Gondor]] and [[Arnor]]. The fact that Elendil and his sons recieved a great wind that brought them out of the destruction of Númenor and took them swiftly to Middle-earth can be seen as the Valar agreeing to Amandil's request and saving the Faithful Nùmenoreans.

== Etymology ==
Amandil means "Devoted to [[Aman]]" in [[Quenya]] (from ''-[[dil]]'' = "friend, lover, devoted to").

== Genealogy ==
<code>
[[Númendil]]
|
|
'''AMANDIL'''
|
|
[[Elendil]]
|
_____|_____
| |
| |
[[Isildur]] [[Anárion son of Elendil|Anárion]]
</code>
{{sequence
|prev=[[Númendil]]
|next=None<br>(stripped of Lordship)
|list=18th [[Lord of Andúnië]]<br><code>II</code> 3065 – c. 3300
}}

== Other Versions of the Legendarium ==
[[Elentir]], intended to be a brother of Amandil, was a character developed but never fully adapted into the formal history of Númenor. In one version of the story of [[Ar-Pharazôn]], his future wife [[Tar-Míriel|Míriel]], the daughter of the current king, was betrothed to Elentir. However, she fell desperately in love with Pharazôn and chose to become his queen when he took up the [[Sceptre of Númenor]]. This story is very different than the tale in the published ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', where Ar-Pharazôn takes Míriel very much against her will in order to claim the Sceptre. In either case, Elentir disappeared before Nùmendil died, leaving Amandil as the [[Lord of Andúnië]].

[[Category:Númenóreans]]
[[Category:Lords of Andúnië]]
[[de:Amandil (Anführer der Getreuen)]]
[[fi:Amandil]]

Nienor

2008-04-24T22:09:14Z

82.23.2.133:

[[Image:Ted Nasmith - Túrin Discovers Nienor at the Mound of Finduilas.jpg|thumb|300px|''Túrin Discovers Nienor at the Mound of Finduilas'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]
'''Nienor''' ([[First Age]] 473 – 499, aged 26 years), also called ''Níniel'' ("Tear-Maiden"), was [[Húrin Thalion|Húrin]] and [[Morwen Eledhwen|Morwen's]] third child and the sister of [[Túrin Turambar]]. Her father was a great foe of [[Morgoth]] and was cursed by the Dark Lord. That curse would also ensnare his children, leading to the greatest tragedies of the First Age.

She was born in [[Hithlum]] in the year of the [[Nirnaeth Arnoediad]] ("The Battle of Unnumbered Tears"), during which her father was captured by the servants of Morgoth. After the battle, the [[Easterlings]] settled in the land and oppressed the [[House of Hador|People of Hador]]. Fearing for her son's life, Morwen sent Túrin to the kingdom of [[Doriath]] for safety. As a result, Túrin never saw his sister.

Nienor remained in [[Hithlum]] with her mother for twenty years before they went to Doriath in hopes of finding Túrin. He had left the kingdom, but Nienor and her mother heard a rumor that the mysterious [[Mormegil]], war chief of the Kingdom of [[Nargothrond]], was actually Túrin. The two then journeyed out with a company of [[Elves]]. Unfortunately, the [[Dragon]] [[Glaurung]] had just sacked the Elven city, and, sensing their approach, caused a cloud of foul vapor to rise from the river [[Narog]]. The party's horses panicked and Nienor was separated, at which point the worm Glaurung used his enchantments to put her in a state of total amnesia.

Eventually, the amnesiac woman was found by [[Mablung]], who intended to take her back to Doriath but they were attacked by [[Orcs]] while attempting to cross the river [[Taeglin]]. In confusion and terror, Nienor tore off her clothes and ran naked through the forest until she fainted.

Here her brother Túrin found her, naked and terrified, at the [[Haudh-en-Elleth|grave of Finduilas]], the elf-maid whom he had loved. Because Nienor did not remember her identity and Túrin did not know he had a living sister, he named her [[Níniel|''Níniel'']] ("Tear-Maiden") and brought her to safety in the [[Forest of Brethil]].

The men of Brethil returned to the settlement of [[Ephel Brandir]] soon after. When "Níniel" fell sick, [[Brandir]] tended to her, secretly falling in love. However, "Níniel" loved Túrin more, and after three years, they were wed. By the next spring, she was halfway through her first pregnancy.

It was then that rumors of Glaurung's approach reached Túrin, who went out to slay him. Unfortunately, the dragon envenomated him even as he dealt the worm a mortal blow, and Túrin fell into a swoon. At this moment, "Níniel", who feared for her husband's life, arrived and found him apparently dead. The dying Glaurung then removed Nienor's amnesia with his last words. Realising she had married her own brother and was carrying his unborn child, she threw herself into the gorge of [[Cabed-en-Aras]] in an attempt to kill herself. No tale tells if she did indeed die. When Túrin finally awoke, he was told of Nienor's fate by [[Brandir]], but he refused to believe it, and slew him in anger. Then [[Mablung of the Heavy Hand|Mablung]] of Doriath arrived and corroborated Brandir's tale. In utter misery, Túrin killed himself on his sword [[Gurthang]].

The tragedy of Túrin and Nienor's love and suicide appear to have been carefully scripted by the curse of Morgoth, as meted out by his servant Glaurung — this was his most dangerous weapon and the coincidences are too great to be accidental. That Nienor would arrive naked and amnesiac on the grave of Túrin's love, who had been tragically murdered; the repercussions of this incident are too specific to not be the work of the curse.

== Genealogy ==
<code>
[[Baragund]] [[Galdor of Dor-lómin|Galdor]] = [[Hareth]]
| |
| ______|______
| | |
| | |
[[Morwen Eledhwen|Morwen]] = [[Húrin Thalion|Húrin]] [[Huor]]
|
______|_______
| | |
| [[Lalaith, daughter of Húrin|Lalaith]] |
| |
[[Túrin Turambar|Túrin]] = '''NIENOR'''
</code>

== See Also ==
* '''[[:Category:Images of Nienor|Images of Nienor Níniel]]'''
* [[House of Húrin]]
* ''[[Narn i Chîn Húrin]]'' ("Tale of the Children of Húrin")

[[Category:House of Hador]]

Rings of Power

2008-04-20T21:10:26Z

82.23.2.133: /* The Three */

'''The Rings of Power''' or '''Great Rings''' were twenty Rings of Power. The [[Elves]] of [[Eregion]] made nineteen of the Rings of Power (and many other lesser rings) with knowledge obtained from [[Sauron]], and several of them with Sauron aiding the creation. Sauron forged the twentieth Great Ring, called the [[One Ring]] or the Ruling Ring, secretly in the fires of [[Mount Doom]].

A verse that summarizes the Great Rings and their ownership is an important part of the lore of Middle-earth. It translates as follows:

One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them. One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

== The Creation of the Rings of Power ==
According to Appendix B of [[The Lord of the Rings]], in approximately S.A. 1500 the Seven and Nine were created first, in Eregion by an alliance of the Elven smiths led by [[Celebrimbor]] and Sauron. Sauron departed, and Celebrimbor went on to forge the three, finishing around S.A. 1590, using the knowledge he had gained from Sauron but without his involvement. The one, created around S.A. 1600, was finally completed by Sauron, alone, in the heart of Mount Doom. Sauron created it to rule over all the other rings, and he put a great part of his power into the One. The Elves, upon creation of the One, heard Sauron speak the closing lines of the preceding poem's verse, and realized they had been betrayed. They defied Sauron, and though they fought valiantly, Sauron gained all the rings still in their posession save the Three.

== The Three ==
The Three Rings of the Elves of Eregion were forged by [[Celebrimbor]] alone, and were never touched by Sauron. However, their forging involved some of the arts taught to Celebrimbor by Annatar (Sauron); thus they too were bound to the One Ring to some extent. They were named [[Narya]], the Ring of Fire, worn by [[Cirdan]] then later given to [[Gandalf]]; [[Nenya]], the Ring of Water, worn by [[Galadriel]]; and [[Vilya]], the Ring of Air, borne by [[Elrond]]. They remained hidden, and the whereabouts of two were not revealed until the end of the Third Age, after the One Ring was destroyed, and the [[Dark Lord]] Sauron was overthrown (Galadriel reveals her posession of one of the rings to [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] in [[Fellowship of the Ring]]).

== The Seven ==
Sauron gave the Seven Rings to the Dwarf-kings (although according to Dwarvish tradition the Elves gave one of them to the Dwarf [[Durin III]]) and the Nine Rings to Mortal Men. The Dwarves used their Rings to establish their treasure hoards, but Sauron, according to portions of ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', was unable to force the Dwarven bearers to submit. Indeed, the rings did not even turn them invisible; they were immune to some of the more detrimental effects of the rings. It is believed that the dwarves natural hardiness, and the fact that it was only the more powerful dwarf lords who possessed them, made them resistant to Sauron's control, yet allowed them to accumulate treasure. Of the Seven the dwarves now possess none. The final ring to leave the possession of the dwarves occured when Thráin II was captured, and imprisoned by Sauron (in the guise of the necromancer) in 2845 of the Third Age.

== The Nine ==
''Main article: [[Nazgûl]]''

The nine rings for mortal men were those divided amongst those evil-hearted men doomed to become the Nazgûl, the [[Ringwraiths]]. None are mentioned specifically throughout [[The Lord of the Rings]] save their leader, the [[Witch-king of Angmar]]. His second-in-command is named in the [[Unfinished Tales]] as [[Khamûl]], the Black [[Easterlings|Easterling]].
The early Middle-earth Role Playing games name the eight other Ringwraiths, Er-Murazor (the Witch-king, of Númenórean race), Dwar, Ji Indur, Akhorahil, Hoarmurath (Númenórean), Adunaphel (female Númenórean), Ren and Uvatha, but none of these names are considered canon, and especially the idea of a female Ringwraith is extremely unlikely within the context of Tolkien's work.

== The One ==
''Main Article: [[One Ring]]''

The one ring, secretly forged by Sauron in the heart of Mount Doom, had the power to dominate all nineteen other rings. His domain over the other rings was incomplete, but the force Sauron could bring to bear with the Ring was amazing nonetheless. This was due in part to his placing a large amount of his own power into it at its forging; a necessity that later led to his downfall at Frodo's hands.

== The Power Of The Rings ==
The Rings of Power all had certain abilities, shared amongst them; the only different ones were the three. Below are some of the abilities they granted.

=== The Nine and the Seven ===
* '''Invisibility''' - According to Tolkien, all the rings save the Three made the wearer invisible. Note that, though the Seven did presumably grant invisibility, it did not do so for any dwarf. Dwarves are largely immune to the Rings of Powers effects in this area; prevention of invisibility in this case also defended them from the fate of those Men who wore the Nine.
* '''Ability Enhancement''' - All these rings granted the bearer an increased ability in his innate talents; the Dwarves specifically are made mention of having used their rings to increase their treasure troves; arguably the ring's corruption can be seen even here. The treasure hoards of these dwarves drew the mightiest of dragons and opponents.

=== The Three ===
The Three do not do as the other rings. They do not make one invisible (though they themselves can be made so, as Galadriel showed Frodo), and they have the ability enhancement, but it is largely secondary to the main effect the Elves achieved - that of stasis. A wearer of one of the Rings of Three gains the power to preserve, in many different ways, whatever they control. Galadriel's allows her to fend off Sauron and preserve [[Lothlorien]]. Elrond's allows him to do much the same in his domain.

=== The One ===
* '''Control''' - Control, over the other rings and in a limited sense the bearers was gained by whomever controlled the power caged inside the One Ring.
* '''Power''' - In its forging, to give it the ability of control, it was necessary for Sauron to allow a fatal amount of his power into the One Ring. Any bearer could use this power, though it would take time, determination, skill, and knowledge to do so.
*'''Invisibility''' - As is seen many times the One confers invisibility upon the wearer.

== The Final Disposition of the Rings of Power ==
[[Dragons]] destroyed four of the Seven Rings, and after [[Sauron|Sauron's]] return he recaptured the remaining three (the last from Thrain, father of [[Thorin Oakenshield]], just before or during the action of ''[[The Hobbit]]''). At the end of the [[War of the Ring]], they were presumably buried in the ruins of [[Barad-dûr]].

The Nine he took back from his [[Ringwraiths]], and they were still in his possession at the time of his fall. These, too, probably lie in the ruins of Barad-dûr.

The Three were hidden from him, and their bearers eventually took them to [[Aman]].

The One was destroyed in the [[Crack of Doom]] in [[The Return of the King]]. With its destruction, the remainder of the Seven, the Nine, and the Three Elven rings all became powerless.

[[Category:Rings and Jewels]]

Bret McKenzie

2008-04-20T20:57:08Z

82.23.2.133:

'''Bret McKenzie''' played [[Figwit]] in [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]] and [[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]]. He is also the son of [[Peter McKenzie]] who played [[Elendil]] in the first film. He has a very successful band and show on HBO; both titled [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_of_the_conchords | Flight of the Conchords].

[[Category:Actors and actresses]]

Bret McKenzie

2008-04-20T20:55:58Z

82.23.2.133:

'''Bret McKenzie''' played [[Figwit]] in [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]] and [[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]]. He is also the son of [[Peter McKenzie]] who played [[Elendil]] in the first film. He has a very successful band and show on HBO; both titled [http://www.en.wikipedia.org/flightoftheconchords| Flight of the Conchords].

[[Category:Actors and actresses]]

Bret McKenzie

2008-04-20T20:55:23Z

82.23.2.133:

'''Bret McKenzie''' played [[Figwit]] in [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]] and [[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]]. He is also the son of [[Peter McKenzie]] who played [[Elendil]] in the first film. He has a very successful band and show on HBO; both titled [http://www.en.wikipedia.org/flightoftheconchords|Flight of the Conchords].

[[Category:Actors and actresses]]

Beregond

2008-04-17T16:24:25Z

82.23.2.133: /* History */

[[Image:SBG - Beregond.gif|thumb|'''Beregond''' as portrayed by the [[Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]]]
'''Beregond''', son of [[Baranor of Gondor|Baranor]], was the first Captain of the [[White Company]], the guard of [[Faramir son of Denethor II|Faramir]] of [[Ithilien]]. He was appointed to this rank after he saved the life of Faramir during the [[Siege of Minas Tirith]] in the later [[Third Age]], as described in [[The Lord of the Rings]].

==History==
Beregond's fathers originally were from the vales of the [[White Mountains]], most likely in [[Lossarnach]], prior to that they lived in [[Ithilien]]. Beregond had two sons, [[Bergil]], who was ten years of age at the time of the [[War of the Ring]], and a younger son named [[Borlas]].

Beregond was a member of the [[Tower Guard|Third Company of the Citadel]]. He admired Faramir and saw him as a brave warrior and a great leader. Beregond did not travel outside of [[Minas Tirith]] often but understood the threat that [[Sauron]] posed to the city.

===March 9th===
On the morning of March 9th, [[Third Age 3019|T.A. 3019]], Beregond had no other tasks to perform so he was assigned to help [[Peregrin Took]] who had just become a Guard of the Citadel. As Beregond had never met a [[hobbit]] before, he was eager to meet Pippin and he was astounded that Pippin looked much like a child yet had faced more dangers than most Men of Gondor.

===March 13th===
On the night of March 13th, Beregond saw a strange light in the tower of Minas Tirith and he believed Denethor was confronting Sauron, and he was correct as the light was that of the [[palantír]].

===March 15th===
On the morning of March 15th, Beregond was on watch as the sentinel at the gate of the Citadel. Pippin rushed to tell him that Denethor was attempting to burn Faramir alive. Beregond knew his duty of protecting Faramir was more important than to remain at his post so he rushed to his Captain at the [[Silent Street]]. The guard to the street would not let him pass and Beregond was forced to kill him so he could enter, he regretted his decision but he was forced to act quickly. Two more servants of Denethor's guard were killed as they attempted to light the funeral pyre. He stood upon the steps with his sword to ward off the rest until [[Gandalf]] arrived.

After Faramir was rescued, Denethor would still not give up, and drew a knife to attempt to kill his son, but Beregond stepped forward to block Denethor. Denethor then gave up and set himself on fire and died.

After helping to carry Faramir to the [[Houses of Healing]], Gandalf gave the key to the [[Closed Door]] to the injured Faramir. Beregond stood guard over Faramir at the Houses of Healing and was present when he awoke.

===March 18th===
On March 19th, Beregond left with the [[Captains of the West]] to march towards the [[Black Gate]].

===March 25th===
On March 25th, at the [[Battle of the Morannon]], Beregond stood in the front rank with Pippin when a great Troll-chief rushed in. Beregond was stunned and nearly killed, but Pippin was able to kill the Troll and save Beregond.

===Later life===
Upon [[Aragorn II]]'s coronation on May 1st, Beregond was brought forward to receive judgement for leaving his post and for killing the Denethor's guards on hallowed ground. The penalty would have been death, but the King showed mercy as the deeds were done out of love for Faramir. For his bravery in battle, Aragorn appointed him the Captain of the Guard of Faramir, which was also called the [[White Company]]. He later went to live in [[Emyn Arnen]] in [[Ithilien]] to serve his lord, Faramir, the new [[Prince of Ithilien]].

==Etymology==
"Beregond" may stem from [[beren]] meaning "bold" and [[gond]] meaning "stone".

==References==
* [[The Return of the King]]; [[Minas Tirith (chapter)]], [[The Siege of Gondor]], [[The Pyre of Denethor]], [[The Houses of Healing]], [[The Black Gate Opens]], [[The Steward and the King]]
* [[The Lost Road and Other Writings]]; [[The Etymologies]]
* [[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]; [[The New Shadow]]

[[Category:Gondorians]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[de:Beregond (Sohn von Baranor)]]
[[fi:Beregond (Valkoisen Komppanian päällikkö)]]

Beregond

2008-04-17T16:00:17Z

82.23.2.133: /* March 18th */

[[Image:SBG - Beregond.gif|thumb|'''Beregond''' as portrayed by the [[Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]]]
'''Beregond''', son of [[Baranor of Gondor|Baranor]], was the first Captain of the [[White Company]], the guard of [[Faramir son of Denethor II|Faramir]] of [[Ithilien]]. He was appointed to this rank after he saved the life of Faramir during the [[Siege of Minas Tirith]] in the later [[Third Age]], as described in [[The Lord of the Rings]].

==History==
Beregond's fathers originally were from the vales of the [[White Mountains]], most likely in [[Lossarnach]], prior to that they lived in [[Ithilien]]. Beregond had two sons, [[Bergil]], who was ten years of age at the time of the [[War of the Ring]], and a younger son named [[Borlas]].

Beregond was a member of the [[Gondor Tower Guard|Third Company of the Citadel]]. He admired Faramir and saw him as a brave warrior and a great leader. Beregond did not travel outside of [[Minas Tirith]] often but understood the threat that [[Sauron]] posed to the city.

===March 9th===
On the morning of March 9th, [[Third Age 3019|T.A. 3019]], Beregond had no other tasks to perform so he was assigned to help [[Peregrin Took]] who had just become a Guard of the Citadel. As Beregond had never met a [[hobbit]] before, he was eager to meet Pippin and he was astounded that Pippin looked much like a child yet had faced more dangers than most Men of Gondor.

===March 13th===
On the night of March 13th, Beregond saw a strange light in the tower of Minas Tirith and he believed Denethor was confronting Sauron, and he was correct as the light was that of the [[palantír]].

===March 15th===
On the morning of March 15th, Beregond was on watch as the sentinel at the gate of the Citadel. Pippin rushed to tell him that Denethor was attempting to burn Faramir alive. Beregond knew his duty of protecting Faramir was more important than to remain at his post so he rushed to his Captain at the [[Silent Street]]. The guard to the street would not let him pass and Beregond was forced to kill him so he could enter, he regretted his decision but he was forced to act quickly. Two more servants of Denethor's guard were killed as they attempted to light the funeral pyre. He stood upon the steps with his sword to ward off the rest until [[Gandalf]] arrived.

After Faramir was rescued, Denethor would still not give up, and drew a knife to attempt to kill his son, but Beregond stepped forward to block Denethor. Denethor then gave up and set himself on fire and died.

After helping to carry Faramir to the [[Houses of Healing]], Gandalf gave the key to the [[Closed Door]] to the injured Faramir. Beregond stood guard over Faramir at the Houses of Healing and was present when he awoke.

===March 18th===
On March 19th, Beregond left with the [[Captains of the West]] to march towards the [[Black Gate]].

===March 25th===
On March 25th, at the [[Battle of the Morannon]], Beregond stood in the front rank with Pippin when a great Troll-chief rushed in. Beregond was stunned and nearly killed, but Pippin was able to kill the Troll and save Beregond.

===Later life===
Upon [[Aragorn II]]'s coronation on May 1st, Beregond was brought forward to receive judgement for leaving his post and for killing the Denethor's guards on hallowed ground. The penalty would have been death, but the King showed mercy as the deeds were done out of love for Faramir. For his bravery in battle, Aragorn appointed him the Captain of the Guard of Faramir, which was also called the [[White Company]]. He later went to live in [[Emyn Arnen]] in [[Ithilien]] to serve his lord, Faramir, the new [[Prince of Ithilien]].

==Etymology==
"Beregond" may stem from [[beren]] meaning "bold" and [[gond]] meaning "stone".

==References==
* [[The Return of the King]]; [[Minas Tirith (chapter)]], [[The Siege of Gondor]], [[The Pyre of Denethor]], [[The Houses of Healing]], [[The Black Gate Opens]], [[The Steward and the King]]
* [[The Lost Road and Other Writings]]; [[The Etymologies]]
* [[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]; [[The New Shadow]]

[[Category:Gondorians]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[de:Beregond (Sohn von Baranor)]]
[[fi:Beregond (Valkoisen Komppanian päällikkö)]]

Beregond

2008-04-17T15:58:45Z

82.23.2.133: /* History */

[[Image:SBG - Beregond.gif|thumb|'''Beregond''' as portrayed by the [[Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]]]
'''Beregond''', son of [[Baranor of Gondor|Baranor]], was the first Captain of the [[White Company]], the guard of [[Faramir son of Denethor II|Faramir]] of [[Ithilien]]. He was appointed to this rank after he saved the life of Faramir during the [[Siege of Minas Tirith]] in the later [[Third Age]], as described in [[The Lord of the Rings]].

==History==
Beregond's fathers originally were from the vales of the [[White Mountains]], most likely in [[Lossarnach]], prior to that they lived in [[Ithilien]]. Beregond had two sons, [[Bergil]], who was ten years of age at the time of the [[War of the Ring]], and a younger son named [[Borlas]].

Beregond was a member of the [[Gondor Tower Guard|Third Company of the Citadel]]. He admired Faramir and saw him as a brave warrior and a great leader. Beregond did not travel outside of [[Minas Tirith]] often but understood the threat that [[Sauron]] posed to the city.

===March 9th===
On the morning of March 9th, [[Third Age 3019|T.A. 3019]], Beregond had no other tasks to perform so he was assigned to help [[Peregrin Took]] who had just become a Guard of the Citadel. As Beregond had never met a [[hobbit]] before, he was eager to meet Pippin and he was astounded that Pippin looked much like a child yet had faced more dangers than most Men of Gondor.

===March 13th===
On the night of March 13th, Beregond saw a strange light in the tower of Minas Tirith and he believed Denethor was confronting Sauron, and he was correct as the light was that of the [[palantír]].

===March 15th===
On the morning of March 15th, Beregond was on watch as the sentinel at the gate of the Citadel. Pippin rushed to tell him that Denethor was attempting to burn Faramir alive. Beregond knew his duty of protecting Faramir was more important than to remain at his post so he rushed to his Captain at the [[Silent Street]]. The guard to the street would not let him pass and Beregond was forced to kill him so he could enter, he regretted his decision but he was forced to act quickly. Two more servants of Denethor's guard were killed as they attempted to light the funeral pyre. He stood upon the steps with his sword to ward off the rest until [[Gandalf]] arrived.

After Faramir was rescued, Denethor would still not give up, and drew a knife to attempt to kill his son, but Beregond stepped forward to block Denethor. Denethor then gave up and set himself on fire and died.

After helping to carry Faramir to the [[Houses of Healing]], Gandalf gave the key to the [[Closed Door]] to the injured Faramir. Beregond stood guard over Faramir at the Houses of Healing and was present when he awoke.

===March 18th===
On March 19th, Beregond left with the [[Host of the West]] to march towards the [[Black Gate]].

===March 25th===
On March 25th, at the [[Battle of the Morannon]], Beregond stood in the front rank with Pippin when a great Troll-chief rushed in. Beregond was stunned and nearly killed, but Pippin was able to kill the Troll and save Beregond.

===Later life===
Upon [[Aragorn II]]'s coronation on May 1st, Beregond was brought forward to receive judgement for leaving his post and for killing the Denethor's guards on hallowed ground. The penalty would have been death, but the King showed mercy as the deeds were done out of love for Faramir. For his bravery in battle, Aragorn appointed him the Captain of the Guard of Faramir, which was also called the [[White Company]]. He later went to live in [[Emyn Arnen]] in [[Ithilien]] to serve his lord, Faramir, the new [[Prince of Ithilien]].

==Etymology==
"Beregond" may stem from [[beren]] meaning "bold" and [[gond]] meaning "stone".

==References==
* [[The Return of the King]]; [[Minas Tirith (chapter)]], [[The Siege of Gondor]], [[The Pyre of Denethor]], [[The Houses of Healing]], [[The Black Gate Opens]], [[The Steward and the King]]
* [[The Lost Road and Other Writings]]; [[The Etymologies]]
* [[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]; [[The New Shadow]]

[[Category:Gondorians]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[de:Beregond (Sohn von Baranor)]]
[[fi:Beregond (Valkoisen Komppanian päällikkö)]]

Men

2008-04-15T21:59:19Z

82.23.2.133: /* Easterlings */

{{race
| image= [[Image:Brothers Hildebrandt - Ghân-buri-Ghân.jpg|300px]]
| name= Men
| dominions= [[Númenor]], [[Gondor]], [[Arnor]], [[Rohan]], [[Dunland]], [[Harad]], [[Khand]], [[Forochel]]
| languages= [[Taliska]], [[Adûnaic]], [[Rohirric]], [[Westron]], etc.
| height=
| skincolor=
| haircolor= Black, brown, blond, white and grey (in later years)
| distinctions= [[Gift of Men|Mortality]], [[Dominion of Men|inheritors of the rule]] of [[Middle-earth]]
| lifespan= c. 70 years (except [[Númenóreans]])
| members= [[Bëor]], [[Haleth]], [[Marach]], [[Beren Erchamion|Beren]], [[Uldor]], [[Elros]], [[Aragorn II]]
}}
<blockquote>''"West, North, and South the children of Men spread and wandered, and their joy was the joy of the morning before the dew is dry, when every leaf is green."
''—[[The Silmarillion]]'': "[[Of Men]]"</blockquote>
'''Men''' (when written with a capital letter, this word refers to the human race and does not denote gender) were one of the Kindreds of the [[Children of Ilúvatar]]. Men were called the [[Secondborn]] by the [[Elves]], their [[Elder Children of Ilúvatar|Elder]] brethren, because they were the last of all the [[Mirröanwi|incarnate]] races to come into being. Though they were born after the other sentient races, Men were destined to inherit and [[Dominion of Men|rule]] [[Middle-earth]].

==Origins and Nature==

The race of Men is the second race of beings created by the Supreme God, [[Ilúvatar]]. Because they awoke at the start of the [[First Age]] of the Sun, while the [[Elves]] awoke three Ages before them, they are called the Secondborn ([[Quenya]]: ''Atani'', [[Sindarin]]: ''[[Edain]]'') by the Elves. Men awoke in a land located in the far east of Middle-earth called [[Hildórien]]. When the Sun rose for the first time in the far West, Men began to wander towards it, a journey which culminated in some of them reaching Beleriand centuries later.

There is much evidence that, soon after their awakening, Morgoth came to Men and incited them to worship him and turn away from Ilúvatar, and that they complied. This makes Men the only race to have fallen completely under the Shadow, which may account for their propensity to do wrong. Though all were seduced by the Enemy, some Men repented and escaped; they were said to be the ancestors of the Edain.

Men bear the so-called ''[[Gift of Men]]'', mortality. Elves are immortal, in the sense that even if their bodies are slain, their spirits remain bound to the world, going to the [[Halls of Mandos]] to wait until they are released or the world ends. Elves are tied to the world for as long as it lasts. When Men die, they are released from [[Arda]] and the bounds of the world and have rest from its troubles. However, the influence of Morgoth has caused Men to fear their fate, and view Death as a Doom instead of a Gift.

==Groups and Alignments==

Although all Men are related to one another, there are many different groups with different cultures. The most important group in the tales of the [[First Age]] were the Edain. Although the word Edain technically refers to all Men, the Elves used it to distinguish those Men who fought with them in the First Age against [[Morgoth]] in [[Beleriand]]. The Edain were divided into three Houses.

The First House of the Edain was the [[House of Bëor]], and entered Beleriand in 305 FA and were granted the fief of [[Ladros]] in [[Dorthonion]] by [[Finrod Felagund]]. The Second House of the Edain, the [[Haladin]], was led by Haldad and later by his daughter Haleth and settled in the Forest of Brethil. The Third House, which became the greatest, was led by [[Marach]] and later his descendant [[Hador]], and they settled in [[Dor-lómin]]. This house was known both as the House of Marach and the [[House of Hador]].

Other Men did not cross the [[Misty Mountains]] or fight against Morgoth. However, some, such as the Easterlings, fought openly on his side. In later Ages, the Haradrim and Easterlings would fight on Sauron's side against the descendants of the Edain. Here below follow the short descriptions of the most important groups of Men in the First, Second and Third Ages.

===[[Edain]] and [[Dúnedain]]===

As a reward for their services and assistance rendered to the Elves and the Valar in the [[War of Wrath]] at the end of the First Age, the Edain received a new land of their own from the Valar, between Middle-earth and the [[Undying Lands]]. This was the land of [[Númenor]], an island in the form of a five-pointed star that was far away from the troubles of Middle-earth.

They were led to this island by [[Elros]] with the help of his father [[Eärendil]], who sailed the heavens as the bright star of the same name and guided the ships of the Edain to Númenor. Once they arrived, Elros became the first King of Númenor and took the name Tar-Minyatur. The Edain became known as the Númenóreans or Dúnedain (Sindarin for ''Men of the West''). The kingdom of Númenor grew steadily in power, and the Dúnedain became the noblest and highest of all Men on Arda. In their early days, the Dúnedain remained allied to the Elves of Middle-earth, and aided them in battle against Morgoth's lieutenant [[Sauron]].

As the Men of the West increased in power and happiness, they came to resent the Gift of Men, Death. They wished to become immortal like the Elves and enjoy their possessions for all time. Most of the Númenóreans, including the line of the Kings, began to turn away from the Valar, and spoke against the Ban of the Valar that forbade them to sail west beyond sight of Númenor or to enter [[Valinor]]. The Númenóreans also became increasingly hostile to all Elvish influences in their realm, and in 2899 of the [[Second Age]], Ar-Adûnakhôr became the first king of Númenor to take his royal name in [[Adûnaic]], the language of Men, instead of [[Quenya]], the tongue of the Elves of Valinor.

During the early part of their rebellion, the Númenóreans became divided into two factions: the first, the [[King's Men]], enjoyed the support of the King and included the majority of the people. They wished to gain immortality and break away from their ancestral allegiance to the Valar. The King's Men also wanted to end relations with the Elves, and thus they favoured Adûnaic as the official language and eventually punished those who spoke the Elven tongues. The persecuted minority faction, the [[Faithful]], were led by the [[Lord of Andúnië|Lords of Andúnië]], the westernmost province of Númenor, and remained loyal to the Valar. They also tried to maintain friendship with the Elves.

When Sauron was apparently defeated and taken to the Isle by the Númenórean army near the end of the Second Age, he took advantage of the pride of the Númenóreans. By teaching the Dúnedain many things and flattering the King, [[Ar-Pharazôn]], he worked his way into the King's counsels and won the hearts of the people. Ultimately, Sauron advised Ar-Pharazôn to attack Valinor and claim immortality. This he foolishly did, and as a punishment Númenor, the island of the Men of the West, sank into the Sea and only the Faithful escaped. When the Faithful returned to Middle-earth, they founded the twin kingdoms of [[Gondor]] and [[Arnor]].

===[[Black Númenóreans]] and [[Haradrim]]===

The Faithful weren't the only Númenóreans left on Middle-earth when Númenor sank. When Númenor grew in naval power, many Númenóreans founded colonies in Middle-earth. In the second millennium of the [[Second Age]] there was an exodus of Men from the overcrowded island. Many of the King's Men settled in Middle-earth because they wanted to conquer more lands, and the Faithful because they were persecuted by the Kings. The Faithful settled in [[Pelargir]], while the King's Men ruled the [[Haven of Umbar]] and other colonies in the South. From these colonies Sauron recruited men who would become some of the nine [[Ringwraiths]] in the second millennium of the Second Age. When Númenor was destroyed, the King's Men became known as the Black Númenóreans and remained hostile towards the Faithful of Gondor. Eventually, the Black Númenórean stronghold of Umbar was conquered by Gondor in 933 of the Third Age.

Further east of Umbar another group of Men lived, called the '''Haradrim''' or Southrons. They were dark skinned Men and waged war on great Oliphaunts or ''Mûmakil''. They too were hostile to Gondor, though they were subdued in 1050 of the Third Age by [[Hyarmendacil I]].

Both Umbar and the Harad were left unchecked by Gondor's waning power by the time of the War of the Ring, and presented grave threats from the south. Many Haradrim fought with Sauron's forces in Gondor in that War.

See also: [[Southrons]]

===[[Easterlings]]===

Most Men who fought in the armies of Morgoth and Sauron were Easterlings, who came from the region around the [[Sea of Rhûn]]. Some Easterlings offered their services to the Elvish kingdoms in Beleriand; among them were [[Bór]] and his sons, and [[Ulfang the Black]] and his sons. This proved to be disastrous for the Elves in the [[Nirnaeth Arnoediad]] when Ulfang and his clan switched sides and defected to Morgoth, though Bór and his sons died bravely fighting on the side of the [[Eldar]].

After Morgoth's defeat Sauron extended his influence over the Easterlings, and although Sauron was defeated by the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]] at the end of the Second Age, the Easterlings were the first enemies to attack Gondor again in 492 TA. They were soundly defeated by King [[Rómendacil I]], but they invaded again in 541 TA and took revenge by slaying King Rómendacil. Rómendacil's son [[Turambar]] took large portions of land from them.

In the next centuries Gondor held sway over the Easterlings. When Gondor's power began to decrease in the twelfth century of the Third Age, the Easterlings took the complete eastern bank of the [[Anduin]] except [[Ithilien]] and crushed Gondor's allies, the Northmen.

The Easterlings of the Third Age were divided in different tribes, such as the [[Wainriders]] and the [[Balchoth]]. The Wainriders were a confederation of Easterlings who were very active between 1856 and 1944 TA. They posed a serious threat to Gondor for many years, but were utterly defeated by [[Eärnil II]] in 1944.

When Gondor lost its royal dynasty in 2050 TA the Easterlings started to reorganize themselves, and a fierce group called the Balchoth became the most important tribe. In 2510 TA they invaded Gondor again and conquered much of [[Calenardhon]], until they were defeated by the [[Éothéod]] who rode to Gondor's aid.

In the War of the Ring, the Easterlings were among the fiercest warriors deployed at the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] by Sauron.

===[[Northmen]]===

Not all the Men who remained east of the Blue Mountains and Misty Mountains during the First Age were tempted by Morgoth or Sauron, and they were joined after the War of Wrath by those of the Edain who did not wish to travel to Númenor. The Northmen who dwelt in [[Mirkwood|Greenwood the Great]] and other parts of [[Rhovanion]] were friendly to the Dúnedain, being for the most part their kin, and many of them became Gondorian subjects. The Men of [[Dale]] and [[Esgaroth]] were Northmen, as were the Woodsmen of Mirkwood, and the [[Éothéod]], who became the Rohirrim or Horse Lords.

===[[Dunlendings]] and [[Drúedain]]===

When Elendil founded the Kingdom of Arnor, its borders were quickly extended towards the river Greyflood (Sindarin:''Gwathló''), and Gondor likewise extended up through [[Enedwaith]]. In Enedwaith and [[Minhiriath]] (Sindarin for ''Land between the Rivers'') lived a group of Men related to those Men that became the House of Haleth, and they were known as the Dunlendings. They had lived in the great woods that covered most of Eriador, and when the Númenóreans started to chop these woods down to build their ships in the [[Second Age]], they earned the hostility of the Dunlendings. The Dunlendings later became bitter enemies of [[Rohan]], as they believed the Rohirrim had stolen their lands.

Because of their enmity with the Rohirrim, the Dunlendings served [[Saruman]] in the War of the Ring and fought against the Horse Lords in the [[Battle of the Hornburg]].

Another group of Men were the [[Woses]]. They were small and stooped, and were always few in number and shortlived compared to other races of Men. They lived among the House of Haleth in the First Age, and were held as Edain by the Elves, who called them ''Drúedain'' (from ''Drûg'', their own name for themselves, plus ''Edain'').

At the end of the Third Age a few Woses still lived in the Drúadan Forest. They held off [[Orcs]] with poisoned arrows and were vital in securing the aid of the Rohirrim in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. King [[Aragorn|Elessar]] granted the Drúadan Forest to them "forever" in the [[Fourth Age]].

===[[Hobbit]]s===

Hobbits were strictly a race of Men rather than a separate species. The origin of Hobbits is obscure; they first appeared in the records of other Men in the middle of the [[Third Age]].

== Names ==
The Elves called the race of Men '''[[Atani]]''' in [[Quenya]], literally meaning "Second People" (the [[Elves]] being the First), but also '''Hildor''' (Aftercomers), '''Fírimar''' (Mortals), '''Engwar''' (The Sickly), and many other names. The name ''Atani'' is cognate with [[Sindarin]] '''Edain''', but this term was later applied only to those Men who aided the Elves in their war with [[Morgoth]] in the [[First Age]].

==Notable Men==
===First Age===
*[[Bëor]] - leader of the [[First House of the Edain|First House]] of the [[Edain]] and the first of Men to come to [[Beleriand]]
*[[Marach]] - leader of the [[Third House of the Edain]]
*[[Haleth]] - led her people, the [[House of Haleth|Second House of the Edain]], to the [[Forest of Brethil]]
*[[Hador Lórindol]] - patriarch of the [[House of Hador]]
*[[Beren Erchamion]] - took a [[Silmaril]] from [[Morgoth]]'s crown; married [[Lúthien Tinúviel]]
*[[Húrin Thalion]] - greatest warrior of Men; captured by Morgoth
*[[Túrin Turambar]] - cursed by Morgoth; slew [[Glaurung]] the [[Dragon]]
*[[Tuor]] - came to [[Gondolin]] and married [[Idril]]; father of [[Eärendil]]
===Second Age===
*[[Elros Tar-Minyatur]] - son of Eärendil and first [[King of Númenor]]
*[[Tar-Aldarion]] - sixth King of Númenor and founder of the [[Guild of Venturers]]
*[[Ar-Pharazôn]] - twenty-fifth King of Númenor; humbled [[Sauron]]; caused the [[Downfall of Númenor]] by attacking [[Valinor]]
*[[Elendil]] - escaped the Downfall of Númenor and founded the Kingdom of [[Arnor]]; helped defeat Sauron
*[[Isildur]] - son of Elendil and cofounder of [[Gondor]]; cut the [[One Ring]] from Sauron's hand
===Third Age===
*[[Atanatar]] Alcarin - ruled Gondor at the height of its power
*[[Mardil]] - first [[Steward of Gondor]]
*[[Eorl]] - founder of [[Rohan]]
*[[Denethor II]] - ruled Gondor at the time of the [[War of the Ring]]
*[[Boromir II]] and [[Faramir son of Denethor II|Faramir]] - sons of Denethor II
*[[Théoden]] - ruled Rohan at the time of the War of the Ring
*[[Éomer]] - nephew and heir of Théoden; fought at the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]
*[[Éowyn]] - sister of Éomer; battled the [[Witch-king]]
*[[Aragorn II]] - the [[Heir of Isildur]] and ruler of the [[Reunited Kingdom]]

[[Category:Races]]
[[Category:Men]]
[[Category:Characters in The Hobbit]]

[[de:Menschen]]

Arda

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{{location
| image=[[Image:A_Map_of_Middle-earth_and_the_Undying_Lands_%28color%29.jpg|350px]]
| name=Arda
| othernames=
| etymology=[[Valarin|V.]] ''[[Aþâraphelûn]]''
| type=World
| location=[[Eä]]
| inhabitants=[[Valar]], [[Maiar]], [[Elves]], [[Men]], [[Dwarves]], etc.
| realms=
| description=The World
| events=
| references=
|}}
'''Arda''' ([[Quenya|Q]]: Realm) was the [[Quenya]] name for the world as a whole, containing the continental masses of [[Middle-earth]] and [[Aman]] in particular. It lay within [[Eä]] as a creation of [[Eru Ilúvatar]]. Arda is linguistically a derivation from the [[Valarin]] word for the same subject, ''[[Aþâraphelûn]]''. Though not found in Tolkien's writings, the [[Sindarin]] name would likely have been '''Ardhon'''.

==Beginnings==
(''Main article: [[Years of the Lamps]]'')

[[Image:Ted Nasmith - Illuin, Lamp of the Valar.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''Illuin, Lamp of the Valar'' by [[Ted Nasmith]] (actually [[Ormal]])]]Arda was first brought into existence with the [[Music of the Ainur]], for the purpose of creating a home for the [[Children of Ilúvatar]]. Ilúvatar appointed the [[Valar]] as its masters, and they invented its geography, for at the time it was largely without feature. They gave it symmetry and form.

As for light source, the Valar decided upon [[two lamps]]. One, a blue light, was placed at the north, and it was called [[Illuin]]. The other, a golden light, was placed at the very southernmost point, and was called [[Ormal]]. [[Aulë]], craftsman of the Valar, forged two towers: [[Helcar]] and [[Ringil]], placed at the north and south respectively. The Valar chose as their own home the green isle [[Almaren]].

It was at that time that [[Melkor]] made his first attempt, spreading chaos across Arda. He destroyed the Lamps and the Towers, ruining the symmetry of the world. Continents formed: especially [[Aman]], [[Endor]], the [[Dark Land]], the [[Hither Lands]], and the [[Land of the Sun]]. So Arda was created.

==Geography==

===Before the Shifting===

Arda was originally flat, like a plate. Encircling the continents was [[Ekkaia]], the Encircling Sea. Farthest to the West was the great continent of [[Aman]], composed primarily of two geographical features: the [[Plain of Valinor]], and the [[Pelóri]] Mountains. [[Taniquetil]] was the highest mountain in this range, and in the world. To the east was the great sea of [[Belegaer]].

Across Belegaer, to the north, was [[Endor]], or [[Middle-earth]]. The west side of this land mass was called [[Beleriand]], the north [[Dor Daidelos]], and the east [[Palisor]]. According to [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]’s earlier maps, it was in Palisor that there was the great inland [[Sea of Helcar]], and the shores of [[Cuiviénen]]. Middle-earth was dominated by many mountain ranges and forests.
{{Pronounce|Arda.mp3|Ardamir}}
To the south of Endor, connected by the [[Straits of the World]], was the [[Hither Lands]] according to Tolkien’s earlier maps, corresponding closely with Africa.

Across the great [[East Sea]] was the [[Dark Land]], also known as the South Land. No-one lived there, [[elf]] or [[dwarf]], except for perhaps some wild men.

To the farthest east possible was the [[Land of the Sun]], with a great curved mountain range called the [[Wall of the Sun]]. In the ''[[Ambarkanta]]'' it is called the “''Dark Land of the Sun''”. Corresponding to Taniquetil was the mountain [[Kalórmë]].

===2nd Age and Beyond===

During the tumultuous [[War of Wrath]], the Valar broke and reshaped much of the world. The most prominent change was the drowning of Beleriand. Also [[Ossë]] raised [[Andor]] – a large, star-shaped isle – out of Belegaer. The world was stretched and made into the shape of a sphere. The continents shifted.

[[Image:Darrell Sweet - The Fall of Numenor.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''The Fall of Númenor'' by [[Darrell Sweet]]]]The second great change was the [[Drowning of Númenor]]. The most significant changes were that Andor sank and Aman was removed from the [[Circles of the World]] – Arda, inaccessible save by the [[Straight Way]].

The Númenóreans were great sailors and explorers. They may have been the ones to discover the [[Dark Land]] and the [[Land of the Sun]]. Otherwise, Tolkien tells us little about the lands beyond Aman and Middle-earth.

==Arda Marred and Arda Unmarred==

The [[Elves]] held to the concept of [[Arda Marred]] (Quenya: ''[[Arda Hastaina]]''). In the beginning, at the time of the Music of the Ainur, was [[Arda Unmarred]]. According to the idea of Arda Unmarred, the world was originally “unstained” by evil. It became Arda Marred after Melkor entered and introduced chaos. They also clung to the idea that one day the world would become [[Arda Healed]] (Quenya: ''[[Arda Envinyanta]]''). According to this belief, Arda Healed will not come about until the [[Dagor Dagorath]], the Last Battle.

==See Also==
* [[Timeline]]
* [[:Category:Arda]]
* [[:Category:Images of Arda]]

[[Category:Arda]]
[[de:Arda]]
[[fi:Arda]]

Ogres

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'''Ogres''' were monstrous and destructive creatures of legend and folklore. In fact, it is doubtful whether Ogres ever existed in [[Middle-earth]]. [[Tolkien]] mentions them only once, in [[The Hobbit]], during [[Bilbo's Riddle-game]] with [[Gollum]]. In his attempt to solve Gollum's fifth riddle, Bilbo '...sat in the dark thinking of all the horrible names of all the giants and ogres he had ever heard told of in tales...' Since no ogre is ever again mentioned, it is entirely possible that they were a mythical race even to the inhabitants of Middle-earth. It is also possible that Ogre is just another name for the [[Trolls]], as is true in many mythologies.

[[Category:Creatures]]

Hunter and Rider

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A shadowy creature of [[Elvish]] legend, said to have plagued the newly-awakened [[Elves]] at [[Cuiviénen]]. Those Elves captured by the Hunter were thought to have been corrupted by [[Melkor]] to form the race of [[Orcs]]. The Hunter may have been Melkor himself in an attempt to deceive the elves into thinking that the Valar were in fact evil.

[[Category:Creatures]]

Celeborn (White Tree)

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''(See also [[Celeborn, Lord of Lórien]], spouse of [[Galadriel]])''
{{Pronounce|Celeborn.mp3|Ardamir}}
'''Celeborn''' was the name of the '''White Tree''' that flourished in [[Tol Eressëa]]. It was a seeding of the tree [[Galathilion]], which in turn had been made in image of [[Telperion]], the eldest of the [[Two Trees of Valinor]].

Celeborn was an ancestor to the [[White Tree of Númenor|White Trees of Númenor]] and of [[White Tree of Minas Tirith|Gondor]].

[[Category:Trees]]
[[Category:Pronounced articles]]

[[de:Celeborn (Baum)]]
[[fi:Celeborn (puu)]]

Nimloth (tree)

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''(See also [[Nimloth of Doriath|Nimloth]], wife of Dior Eluchíl)''

'''Nimloth''' was the [[White Tree of Númenor|White Tree]] that grew in the [[King's Court]] of [[Númenor]]. It was burned at the instigation of [[Sauron]]. [[Isildur]] stole a fruit from the tree before it was destroyed, which he later planted in the courts of [[Minas Tirith]].

[[Category:Trees]]

Rivers

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Many '''Rivers''' are etched into the land of [[Arda]], for a list of names see the [[:Category:Rivers|Rivers Category]].

[[Category: Rivers]]
[[Category: Locations]]