Sunday, April 21, 2024

The Blood of Numenor is all but spent,

"The Blood of Numenor 

 is all but spent, 

 its pride and dignity forgotten. 

 It is because of Men 

 the Ring survives. " 


 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%BAmenor


"Númenor, also called Elenna-nórë or Westernesse,  

is a fictional place in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings.  

It was the kingdom occupying a large island to the west of Middle-earth, the main setting of Tolkien's writings, and was the greatest civilization of Men. 

 However, after centuries of prosperity many of the inhabitants ceased to worship the One God, Eru Ilúvatar, and rebelled against the Valar, resulting in the destruction of the island and the death of most of its people.  

Tolkien intended Númenor to allude to the legendary Atlantis. 

 Commentators have noted that the destruction of Númenor echoes the Biblical stories of the fall of man 

 and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, 

 and John Milton's Paradise Lost."



 

"Description of the Island of Númenor, published in Unfinished Tales, was supposedly derived from the archives of Gondor.[T 2] 

 Númenor was in the Great Sea, closer to Aman in the West than to Middle-earth in the east.[T 3] 

 In shape it was a star, with five peninsulas extending from the central region,  

which was around 250 miles (400 km) across.[T 2] Karen Wynn Fonstad estimated the island to be 167,691 square miles [435,017 km2] in area. 

 Númenor had six main regions: the five promontories, named Andustar, Hyarnustar, Hyarrostar, Orrostar, and Forostar; and the central area, Mittalmar, which contained the capital city Armenolos. 

The fifth king Tar-Meneldur built a tower in Forostar to watch the stars. " 




"Tolkien wrote of Númenor as Atlantis in several of his letters.[T 1]  

Athanasius Kircher's map

 (inverted to show North at top) of Atlantis between America and Europe ("Hispania, Spain), 1669" ) 


"Númenor is a retelling of the myth of Atlantis, the only drowned island in surviving ancient literature, matching several details:  

it began as a perfect world, geometrically laid out to reflect its balance and harmony; 

 it abounds in valuable minerals; 

 and it has unmatched power, with a strong fleet able to project control far beyond its shores" 





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