The Lords of Andúnië - a proposal

compiled by Stephen Geard, sdgeard@ozemail.com.au.

Details in green are given by Tolkien. The rest is my invention. Unless otherwise noted all dates are for the Second Age. All names are Quenya.

See also my History and Complete Chronology of Númenor.

Notes on individual Lords:

1. Valandil: both the name and the birthdate are given by Tolkien
2. Eldacar was also the name of the son of Valandil, the first Middle-earth born High King of Arnor. I propose that Valandil of Arnor named his heir Eldacar, following the practice Valandil of Andúnië.
3. Silmarion: I propose that he was named after his great-grandmother, Silmariën. His is the masculine form of the name.
4. Arantar was also the name of an early High King of Arnor.
5. Siriondil was also the name of an early King of Gondor.
6. Valacar was also the name of a King of Gondor. I propose that Valacar of Andúnië was killed in the Battle of the Gwathló during the War of the Elves and Sauron.
7. Telumehtar: the name of the constelation Orion, was also the name of an early King of Gondor. I propose that Telumehtar of Andúnië succeded his father on the battlefield and commanded the army that pursued Sauron back to Mordor.
8. Anardil was also the name of an early King of Gondor.
9. Meneldil was also the name of an early King of Gondor.
10. Herendil: Tolkien invented this name (meaning "friend of bliss") for The Lost Road but never actually used it anywhere. So I am using it here.
11. Axantur was also the name of an early descendant of Elros Tar-Minyatur.
12. Vëandur is an abandoned name for a son of Isildur. The names of the twelfth to fifteenth Lords suggest an association with the Sea.
13. Ciryon was also the name one of the sons of Isildur.
14. Ulmondil: is a name of my own invention, meaning "friend of Ulmo." It is suggested by the names Manwendil, Aulendil and Oromendil - all early descendants of Elros Tar-Minyatur.
15. Eärendur: the name is given by Tolkien. He had a sister named Lindórië, whose daughter Inzilbêth was the wife of Ar-Gimilzôr.
16. Valandur: was also the name of a High King of Arnor.
17. Númendil: the name is given by Tolkien. He was Lord during the reign of Tar-Palantir.
18. Amandil: the name is given by Tolkien. He was Lord during the reign of Ar-Pharazôn. The "Age at Death" here refers to Amandil's age when he sailed into the West.

General notes:

• When did the Lordship come into being? We don't know the exact date. We do know that Valandil the first Lord was the son of Silmariën and Elatan of Andúnië, and that Silmariën was the eldest daughter and child of Tar-Elendil. I have here assumed that Tar-Meneldur appointed his cousin Valandil to be the first Lord in the same year as he himself took up the Sceptre. Of course, Valandil's appointment may have occurred later. However we do know that Valandil was Lord at the time of Aldarion and Erendis's circumnavigation of Númenor in 850.
• How long did the Lords live? The only guide we have are the ages of the Kings of Númenor. Their ages declined from an initial average of around 400 years to an average of around 220 years. If you graph the ages of the Kings you will see that they begin to fall away quite quickly after Tar-Atanamir. The ages of the Lords did not however decline as rapidly. Elendil was 322 at his death in battle, and Isildur 234. I propose a small decline in the lifespans of the Lords: from around 400 to around 360-370. If any significantly larger decline is advocated it becomes difficult to synchronize the reigns of Tar-Palantir and Lord Númendil.
• How old were the Lords at the birth of their heirs? This is the key figure in constructing a chronology. And here we do see a significant decline. Initially the Kings sired their heirs at ages in the range 130-190 years, dropping to around 80 towards the end. We also know that both Elendil and Isildur were 90 at the birth of their eldest sons. So the Lords curiously shared in this considerable decline, but not in the decline in overall lifespan.
• Were there any Ruling Ladies of Andúnië (like the Ruling Queens of Númenor)? I have not included any in the above list. I am not aware of any passage that explicitly excludes them, however I think the existence of a Ruling Lady would have rated a mention. Also there are passages which suggest that descent from Silmariën to Elendil was direct male descent. It may be that the Lords were more conservative than the Kings, and did not allow female heirs. Certainly the Lords were more conservative than the Kings in other matters (e.g. religion and language) - and resisted change to the end.