Tar-Ancalimë

"Queen Ancalime the Princess Shepherdess" by Sara M. Morello
Númenórean
Tar-Ancalimë
Biographical Information
Other names	Emerwen Aranel (Q, "Princess Shepherdess")
Titles	Ruling Queen of Númenor
Location	Númenor
Language	Adûnaic, Sindarin and Quenya
Birth	S.A. 873 Armenelos
Rule	S.A. 1075 - 1280 (205 years)
Death	S.A. 1285 (aged 412)
Family
House	House of Elros
Parentage	Aldarion and Erendis
Spouse	Hallacar
Children	Anárion
Physical Description
Gender	Female
Gallery	Images of Tar-Ancalimë

Tar-Ancalimë was the seventh ruler and first Ruling Queen of Númenor. Her reign lasted for 205 years, longest after that of Elros Tar-Minyatur.

History

Early life

Tar-Ancalimë was born in S.A. 873 as the first and only child of the King's Heir, Aldarion and his wife Erendis.

When Ancalimë was four years old, her father Aldarion left his family to return to the sea, promising to return in two years. When he left, Erendis took Ancalimë from Armenelos to the White House of Erendis to be raised in the pastures of Emerië. Erendis, who already felt that her husband loved the sea more than her, grew bitter during the years he was gone. Ancalimë was educated by her mother. She learned the Elven-tongue and that became her primary language, as Erendis disliked Adûnaic, the language used by Aldarion. In reading scrolls and books, Ancalimë learned much of Númenor and its ancient history. Her only childhood companion was Zamîn, a servant of her mother. Erendis had become bitter towards men and sought to feed her daughter with her own bitterness. Ancalimë encountered few men during her childhood; she saw no one save her mother and few servants, most of whom were female, and the few servants who were not lived at a homestead a distance away.

Her first encounter with a boy was in the summer of her seventh year, when a boy older than her came to the house on an errand from a distant farm. Noticing her staring at him, he offered her a loaf of bread. Zamîn saw him and told him to be off. After he left, Ancalimë asked Zamîn "What noisy thing was that?" Zamîn told her it was a boy. When Ancalimë asked if the boy had a father, Zamîn told her that the boy's father was one of the venturers who had gone with her father Aldarion. This was the first time she had heard anything of her father. She later asked her mother if it was true that Aldarion was her father, and when he would return, angering Erendis.

When Ancalimë was nine years old her father returned to Númenor. Ancalimë, who had not seen him for five years, had no memory of him. It was at this reunion that Aldarion first promised to make her his heir, despite the fact that this was not possible under the current law of succession. Aldarion then rode to Armenelos to meet with the King, Tar-Meneldur, who announced he was resigning and passed the Sceptre to Aldarion. A few days later a letter from Tar-Meneldur arrived at Emerië, commanding that Erendis return to Armenelos and bring Ancalimë with her. Erendis refused to come but allowed Ancalimë to go.

Ancalimë's personality was similar to her mother's due to being raised primarily by her, but she also shared many traits with her father. Like her father, she was resolute and obstinate when it came to politics. She understood Aldarion's anger towards Erendis, but also believed her mother was correct in her treatment towards him when he returned. She shared in Erendis' dislike towards men, and had a dislike for marriage, especially obligatory marriage. She had something of her mother's coldness and sense of personal injury, but she was less prim than Erendis and liked jewels, music, admiration, and deference.

Little is known of her life between the year her father returned and the year she became Queen, but it is said that she spent her days in both Emerië and Armenelos and Queen Almarian took a great liking to her, while she drifted apart from Erendis, whom she found irksome.

King's Heir

In S.A. 892, Tar-Aldarion changed the Law of Succession in Númenor, not just out of caring for his daughter but also for "reasons of private concern rather than policy" and out of his "long resolve to defeat Erendis". Under the new law the King's Heir would be the eldest child of the King or Queen regardless of gender. At just nineteen years old, Ancalimë was proclaimed the King's heir.

She withdrew to the countryside, to a land near Emerië on the borders of the land of Hallatan of Hyarastorni, rejecting all the many suitors who sought her royal hand. While she was dwelling in the sheep-lands of Númenor she acquired the title Emerwen Aranel, which is Quenya for "Princess Shepherdess".

Though she rejected her courting nobles, she grew close to a shepherd by the name of Mámandil. She could tell that he was beginning to fall for her, but she ignored his hinting until he openly declared his love for her. She withdrew and refused, saying that she could not marry him as she was the King's Heir. Mámandil simply laughed, and revealed that he was not a simple farmer but Hallacar son of Hallatan, of the Line of Elros. His deceit greatly angered her, and she again rejected him, stating that she did not wish to marry anybody, and especially not him.

In the year S.A. 985, her mother Erendis perished in the waters off the haven of Rómenna.

In the end, she did wed Hallacar in the year S.A. 1000. Several stories tell of her reasons for marrying him: in one, his persistence combined with the Council's urgings convinced her; in another, her cousin Soronto tried to argue that she could not be made Queen under the law as she was unwed, so she married him to spite him; in a third, the law that the Queen must be married had been rescinded but she was still required to have children lest Soronto have claim to the Sceptre when she died. However, it was clear that she neither desired love nor a son and so their marriage was an unhappy one.

In S.A. 1003 she had her first and only child, her son Anárion. She did not wish for a son though, and was noted as saying "Must I become like Queen Almarian, and dote upon him?" She begrudged Hallacar for him, and there was strife between them thereafter. As part of this, she sought to subject him, claiming ownership of his lands and forbidding him to dwell upon it, for she would not, as she said, have her husband a farm-steward.

In response, as Ancalimë had forbidden her serving-women to marry, Hallacar in secret arranged their weddings and a wedding feast at his old house in before he left it. He declared the feast to be a last farewell feast at his house and invited Ancalimë to it. When Ancalimë arrived with her serving-women and learned the true nature of the feast, she was furious and refused to attend. It was too far for her to ride back alone, so she listened to the laughter of the feast from her chamber alone, imagining it to be mockery directed at her. After that event, Ancalimë pursued Hallacar with hatred.

Ruling Queen

Ancalimë became the first Ruling Queen of Númenor in S.A. 1075 when her father surrendered the sceptre to her. After her father's death in S.A. 1098 she neglected all his policies and no longer provided help to Gil-Galad in Lindon.

Tar-Ancalimë had three grandchildren through Anárion, two elder granddaughters and a younger grandson, Súrion. Her two granddaughters feared and disliked her, and refused the Heirship to the sceptre; in revenge, Ancalimë would not allow them to marry, and thus they remained unwed.

Notably, it was during Tar-Ancalimë's reign, in the year S.A. 1200, that Sauron, disguised as Annatar endeavoured to seduce the Eldar. Additionally, even though Ancalimë had neglected all of Aldarion's policies, the Númenóreans began to make permanent havens in Middle-earth in that year.

In S.A. 1280 she surrendered the sceptre to her son Tar-Anárion and died in S.A. 1285 at the age of 412 years. In S.A. 1394, over a hundred years following her death, her influence had the effect that Tar-Anárion was succeeded by his youngest son, Súrion, instead of his elder daughters who had refused the Heirship because of their grandmother Tar-Ancalimë.

Etymology

Ancalimë (pron. [aŋˈkalime]) is a Quenya name. Its meaning is not glossed, but Paul Strack suggests it means "Brightest" as a feminised form of ancalima ("brightest"), which consists of the superlative or intensive prefix an- and the element calima ("bright"). It is possible that her parents gave her this name, because she was beautiful even from birth. Like all the rulers of Númenor who took their royal names in Quenya, Ancalimë added the prefix tar- ("high") to her name when she received the Sceptre.

Genealogy

Vardamir Nólimon S.A. 61 - 471

Tar-Amandil 192 - 603

Nolondil b. 222

Tar-Elendil 350 - 751

Axantur b. 395

Beregar unknown

Núneth unknown

Tar-Meneldur 543 - 942

Almarian unknown

Cemendur b. 575

Erendis 771 - 985

Tar-Aldarion 700 - 1098

Ailinel b. 712

Orchaldor unknown

Almiel b. 729

Hallatan b. 711

Soronto b. 799

TAR-ANCALIMË 873 - 1285

Hallacar 852 - 1211

Tar-Anárion 1003 - 1404

Two daughters unknown

Tar-Súrion 1174 - 1574

References

Born S.A. 873	Tar-Ancalimë House of Elros	Died S.A. 1285
Preceded by Tar-Aldarion	7th Ruler/1st Ruling Queen of Númenor S.A. 1075 - 1280	Followed by Tar-Anárion