 | |
| People | |
| Black Númenóreans | |
|---|---|
| General Information | |
| Other names | Sauronians[1] |
| Origins | Númenóreans seduced and corrupted by Sauron |
| Locations | The southern lands of Middle-earth, and especially Umbar |
| Affiliation | King's Men, Sauron |
| Rivalries | Exiles of Númenor, Gondorians |
| Languages | Adûnaic, Westron |
| Members | Herumor, Fuinur, Berúthiel, Mouth of Sauron |
| Gallery | Images of Black Númenóreans |
The Black Númenóreans emerged from the King's Men party;[2] they were cruel oppressors and overlords over the primitive Men of Middle-earth. Since they were colonising the continent, they survived the Downfall of Númenor but swiftly diminished.
Background
The Númenóreans' power and knowledge had grown throughout the course of the Second Age, and became increasingly preoccupied with the limits placed on their happiness—and eventually their power—by mortality, the purpose of which they began to question. They started fearing the Gift of Men and attempted to delay it or recall life. This growing wish to escape death made most of the Númenóreans envious of the immortal Eldar, who they had come to physically resemble. The Eldar sought ever to remind the Men of Númenor however, that death was a gift of the One God, Ilúvatar, to all men, and the will of Ilúvatar could not be gainsaid.[3]
During the reign of the Númenórean kings Tar-Ciryatan and Tar-Atanamir, who were both greedy for wealth, the Númenóreans formed two parties, the party of the Faithful, who remained faithful to the Valar and maintained their friendship with the Elves and the party of the King's Men, who followed the policy of the King to oppose the Ban of the Valar that forbade to sail to Aman and did not maintain the friendship with the Elves.[4] The King's Men sailed far away to the south of Middle-earth and established lordships and strongholds[5] in Umbar, Harad and many other places on the coasts of Middle-earth.[6] The Númenóreans in the service of Tar-Ciryatan and Tar-Atanamir oppressed the men of Middle-earth and levied heavy tribute from the men of the coasts and their ships brought back metals and gems from Middle-earth.[7]
Three of the Ringwraiths were Númenóreans lords corrupted by Sauron.[3] Over 1000 years[8] before the Downfall, they served Sauron, being enslaved to his will.
History
Second Age
Origin
Many of the King's Men who had sailed to the shores and seaward regions in the south of Middle-earth and established fortresses and dwellings during Sauron's sojourn in Númenor were already bent to the will of Sauron.[9] As a consequence, the King's Men hated the followers of Elendil. Umbar was a stronghold of the King's Men.[2]
After the Downfall of Númenor
The King's Men were afterwards called the Black Númenóreans.[2]
When Sauron returned to Middle-earth after the Downfall of Númenor many of the Black Númenóreans served him still. Two Black Númenóreans, Herumor and Fuinur rose to power among the Haradrim in the lands south of Mordor.[9]
As Sauron was preparing to go to war against the Elves and Exiles, he gathered great strength of his servants from the south, including many Black Númenóreans.[9]
Decline
After the fall of Sauron in the War of the Last Alliance, the race of the Black Númenóreans "dwindled" swiftly or "became merged with the Men of Middle-earth".[2] However, their descendants retained control over Umbar and inherited their hatred of Gondor.[2]
Although the race of the Black Númenóreans had dwindled, a few notable figures were Black Númenóreans in later times. One of these was Queen Berúthiel, the "nefarious, solitary, and loveless" wife of Gondor's King Tarannon Falastur, who ruled from T.A. 830 until T.A. 913 who had her exiled from Gondor and her name erased from the Book of the Kings.[10][11][12]
In T.A. 933,[13] King Eärnil I captured Umbar, driving the lords of Umbar into exile.[14] 82 years later, in T.A. 1015,[15] these lords led the Haradrim in a siege of Umbar[14] during which King Ciryandil of Gondor, the son of Eärnil I, was killed.[15][note 1]
Another more notable Black Númenórean was the Mouth of Sauron. He "entered the service of the Dark Tower when it first rose again" and learned great sorcery and had forgotten his own name.[16][note 2] He mocked the army of King Elessar in front of the Morannon.[16]
By c. T.A. 1050[17][18] the settlements of the Men of Númenor in the south "beyond Umbar" had been "absorbed" or had become hostile and parts of Sauron's dominions, because they had been established by Men of Númenor who had already been corrupted by Sauron in Númenor. Sauron was probably most active in Near Harad and Far Harad, because those regions were a source for man-power for him, but the people of Harad could probably also be converted more easily to resist against Sauron than those of other regions in the south.[19] It is not known, whether "absorbed" meant that the settlements were conquered by other Men of Middle-earth, that the Men of Númenor in those settlements intermarried with other people from Middle-earth or that the settlements were absorbed by the sea during the floods that were caused by the drowning of Númenor on the shores of Middle-earth.
Culture
The Black Númenóreans were "enamoured of evil knowledge" and worshipped Sauron.[16] They hated the followers of Elendil and their realm Gondor. After the fall of Sauron in the War of the Last Alliance their race "dwindled" swiftly or "became merged with the Men of Middle-earth".[2] It is not known, whether this dwindling meant that their lifespan and knowledge dwindled like that of the Dúnedain of Gondor or that their numbers dwindled.
It is possible that Faramir was referring to the King's Men or the Black Númenóreans, when he said that most of the Men of Númenor who settled far and wide on the shores and seaward regions of Middle-earth fell into eviles and follies: many became enamoured of the Darkness and of black arts, some were fully idle and lived at ease and some fought each other until they were conquered by the wild men when they were weak.[20]
Portrayal in adaptations
Black Númenóreans in adaptations
-
Black Númenórean - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
-
A typical Black Númenórean in The Lord of the Rings Online
2006: The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king:
- The Black Númenóreans inhabit the land of Angmar and the Witch-king turns their allegiance to him to help fight against Arnor. The Black Númenóreans are playable units as well as their counterparts, Dark Rangers and Thrall Masters.
2007: The Lord of the Rings Online:
- The Black Númenóreans are portrayed in service of the different Lieutenants of the Enemy. The Angmarim inhabit the lands surrounding Carn Dum in Angmar and serve Mordirith and later Amarthiel. Much later, Umbarrim Black Númenóreans make appearance in Dol Guldur of Mirkwood. When the lands of Mordor are explored following the downfall of Sauron, Black Númenórean cultists known as Mordorrim are shown to be among its inhabitants.
Notes
- ↑ It is not known if these lords were Black Númenóreans. It seems plausible, because they were still alive in T.A. 1015, 82 years after they had been driven out from Umbar in T.A. 933, which suggests they had a considerable longevity.
- ↑ It has been noted that this reference is difficult to interpret; according to Appendix B the Dark Tower arose first some time after S.A. 3320 and again in T.A. 2951. If the Mouth lived in the Second Age, he would be one of the King's Men of Númenor, and probably prolonged his life with sorcery (cf. Robert Foster, The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, entry Mouth of Sauron, p. 274); in the second interpretation he would serve Sauron only for 68 years, and this would make him a Black Númenórean of the Third Age of Umbar or Harad. The second interpretation is more feasible (and supported by Michael Martinez) but both have been considered.
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien; Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 156, (dated 4 November 1954)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion", footnote to the paragraph about King Eärnil I, pp. 1044-5
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Akallabêth: The Downfall of Númenor"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Akallabêth: The Downfall of Númenor", fifteenth to twentyfourth pargraph
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Akallabêth: The Downfall of Númenor", twentyeighth paragraph
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VI. The Tale of Years of the Second Age", manuscript T4, entry for the years 2000-3000
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor", entry XII Tar-Ciryatan and entry XIII Tar-Atanamir
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Second Age", entry for the year 2251, p. 1083
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age"
- ↑ Daphne Castell, "The Realms of Tolkien", Festival in the Shire Journal, Issue 1, accessed 7 May 2012
- ↑ Humphrey Carpenter, The Inklings, "Thursday evenings", pp. 137-8
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Istari", note 7
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 933, p. 1085
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion", entry for King Eärnil I, p. 1044
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 1015, p. 1085
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Black Gate Opens", p. 888
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 1050, p. 1085
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", second paragraph of the introduction after The Third Age, p. 1084
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Istari", note from before the publication of the second edition of The Lord of the Rings in 1966 about Gandalf's possible journeys to Harad in the "earlier days of his labours"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "The Window on the West", p. 677
- ↑ "Enemies", www.warinthenorth.com, accessed 15 February 2012