Secrets of the Lost Kingdom - An Exploration of Arnor and Annuminas
The narrative of Lord of the Rings, understandably so, focuses on Gondor much more than its sister realm in the north. For one, Gondor still existed, whereas Bree, the Shire and the hidden realm of the Rangers were all that remained of a realm that had fallen apart over two millennia prior. However, it is frustrating that even the historical texts tend to bypass Arnor - the only true narrative that we receive is, frustratingly, the final story of the realm, the destruction of the North and the death of the last King. So we are left with scraps to piece together some sort of picture. But, I believe, that there is some interesting results to discover.
The founding of Arnor, and its capital at Annuminas, is only detailed in Of The Rings of Power and The Third Age:
"Thence [Elendil] passed up the River Lhun, and beyond Ered Luin he established his realm, and his people dwelt in many places in Eriador about the courses of the Lhun and the Baranduin; but his chief city was at Annuminas beside the water of Lake Nenuial."
The name of the city, Annuminas, is interesting. My first thought was that it derived from the name of the lake and surrounding hills; however, considering Elendil was the final Lord of Andunie, I would think that the naming was the other way around. Elendil named the city in honor of his sunken home, a legacy of lost Numenor. It is telling, perhaps, that the fabled scepter of Annuminas was also once the silver rod of the Lords of Andunie.
In the essay Of Dwarves and Men, Tolkien noted that the men of Eriador that were friends to the Numenoreans "dwelt about Lake Evendim, in the North Downs and the Weather Hills, and in the lands between as far as the Brandywine, west of which they often wandered though they did not dwell there. They were friendly with the Elves, though they held them in awe. Also they feared the Sea and would not look upon it." In turn, the boundaries of Lindon it was said "South of the Lune it had no clear bounds, but the Tower Hills (as they were later called) were maintained as an outpost." in the early Numenorean times. Even more of interest, it is said that after the War of the Last Alliance, Lindon "no longer extended east of the Ered Luin", and implies that those lands became part of Arnor as it states that "all the lands between the Ered Luin and the Greyflood and Hoarwell became regions of Numenorean influence".
Going back to Of The Rings of Power and The Third Age, Elendil's realm extended quickly across Eriador, with both Fornost and Amon Sul being constructed and settlements made in Rhudaur and Cardolan. What was mentioned first, however, is the settlements along the Lhun and Baranduin, eventually expanding to the former territories of eastern Lindon, and constructing towers on the hills once an outpost of the elves. At the same time, we are told that the early Middle Men of Eriador did not live across the Baranduin. Therefore, I think we can safely establish that the lands between the southern shore of Lake Evendim, Ered Luin, the Tower Hills and the Baranduin were virtually exclusive to the descendants of the Numenoreans, especially the capital at Annuminas. As such, this area was probably considered "Arnor proper", with the three divisions representing provinces whose inhabitants were primarily Middle Men.
In the Appendix, it said that Arnor was badly depopulated during the War of the Last Alliance. Likely, this was most prominent among the Numenorean descendants; and gradually the remaining populace gravitated towards the more populated regions of Arnor. There may have been a tradition to give the princes rulership of the 'provinces', and the shifting of population centers coupled with the perfect storm of three strong-willed princes each ruling one of the three provinces probably explains the reason Arnor split up, and Annuminas, a monument to glories of the past and probably inhabited solely by Numenoreans, to finally be abandoned.
It should be noted two things: according to the Appendix, the Kings of Arthedain still claimed the lands between the Lhun and the Baranduin as the own; yet when the hobbits were granted the Shire, "it had long been deserted", yet at one time "there the king once had many farms, cornlands, vineyards and woods". At the time, it should be noted, they were not granted the lands between the Tower Hills and the Far Downs; while perhaps many reasons for this, it might have been the last Dunedain settlements in the area, tending to the towers.
The second thing, also from the Appendix, is that in the end the remaining Dunedain were "driven over the Lune" with the sons of King Arvedui. While the mystery of the 'hidden fastness' of Dunedain was solved by an obscure note stating that the were in the Angle - presumably because of it being surrounding by swift rivers and close to the protection of Rivendell - we now have Numenoreans living along the banks of the Lhun from the earliest days of Arnor, to the refugees of Arnor fleeing to the lands between the Lhun and the Blue Mountains after the fall of Fornost. Could there be Dunedain living there still? The main argument against it, of course, is the statement from The Fellowship of the Ring: "In those days no other Men had settled dwellings so far west, or within a hundred leagues of the Shire." (in reference to the settlements in Bree-land). A fair point, but as far as the second part of the sentence, the hidden Dunedain strongholds within the Angle fall within 100 leagues of the Shire, so one could make the call that this only applied to open settlements. At the very least, even if Dunedain survivors living in the wilderness of the Lhun valley doesn't seem reasonable, at least the idea that the Rangers might have bases here - similar to those at Sarn Ford or the ruins of Fornost - might be considered.
Still, there's something poetic about the thought of Dunedain families emerging from isolated farmsteads or wilderness forts to return to the shores of Lake Evendim at the behest of King Elessar, to rebuild and repopulate the ancient city of Annuminas, once built in honor of lost Andunie.
The founding of Arnor, and its capital at Annuminas, is only detailed in Of The Rings of Power and The Third Age:
"Thence [Elendil] passed up the River Lhun, and beyond Ered Luin he established his realm, and his people dwelt in many places in Eriador about the courses of the Lhun and the Baranduin; but his chief city was at Annuminas beside the water of Lake Nenuial."
The name of the city, Annuminas, is interesting. My first thought was that it derived from the name of the lake and surrounding hills; however, considering Elendil was the final Lord of Andunie, I would think that the naming was the other way around. Elendil named the city in honor of his sunken home, a legacy of lost Numenor. It is telling, perhaps, that the fabled scepter of Annuminas was also once the silver rod of the Lords of Andunie.
In the essay Of Dwarves and Men, Tolkien noted that the men of Eriador that were friends to the Numenoreans "dwelt about Lake Evendim, in the North Downs and the Weather Hills, and in the lands between as far as the Brandywine, west of which they often wandered though they did not dwell there. They were friendly with the Elves, though they held them in awe. Also they feared the Sea and would not look upon it." In turn, the boundaries of Lindon it was said "South of the Lune it had no clear bounds, but the Tower Hills (as they were later called) were maintained as an outpost." in the early Numenorean times. Even more of interest, it is said that after the War of the Last Alliance, Lindon "no longer extended east of the Ered Luin", and implies that those lands became part of Arnor as it states that "all the lands between the Ered Luin and the Greyflood and Hoarwell became regions of Numenorean influence".
Going back to Of The Rings of Power and The Third Age, Elendil's realm extended quickly across Eriador, with both Fornost and Amon Sul being constructed and settlements made in Rhudaur and Cardolan. What was mentioned first, however, is the settlements along the Lhun and Baranduin, eventually expanding to the former territories of eastern Lindon, and constructing towers on the hills once an outpost of the elves. At the same time, we are told that the early Middle Men of Eriador did not live across the Baranduin. Therefore, I think we can safely establish that the lands between the southern shore of Lake Evendim, Ered Luin, the Tower Hills and the Baranduin were virtually exclusive to the descendants of the Numenoreans, especially the capital at Annuminas. As such, this area was probably considered "Arnor proper", with the three divisions representing provinces whose inhabitants were primarily Middle Men.
In the Appendix, it said that Arnor was badly depopulated during the War of the Last Alliance. Likely, this was most prominent among the Numenorean descendants; and gradually the remaining populace gravitated towards the more populated regions of Arnor. There may have been a tradition to give the princes rulership of the 'provinces', and the shifting of population centers coupled with the perfect storm of three strong-willed princes each ruling one of the three provinces probably explains the reason Arnor split up, and Annuminas, a monument to glories of the past and probably inhabited solely by Numenoreans, to finally be abandoned.
It should be noted two things: according to the Appendix, the Kings of Arthedain still claimed the lands between the Lhun and the Baranduin as the own; yet when the hobbits were granted the Shire, "it had long been deserted", yet at one time "there the king once had many farms, cornlands, vineyards and woods". At the time, it should be noted, they were not granted the lands between the Tower Hills and the Far Downs; while perhaps many reasons for this, it might have been the last Dunedain settlements in the area, tending to the towers.
The second thing, also from the Appendix, is that in the end the remaining Dunedain were "driven over the Lune" with the sons of King Arvedui. While the mystery of the 'hidden fastness' of Dunedain was solved by an obscure note stating that the were in the Angle - presumably because of it being surrounding by swift rivers and close to the protection of Rivendell - we now have Numenoreans living along the banks of the Lhun from the earliest days of Arnor, to the refugees of Arnor fleeing to the lands between the Lhun and the Blue Mountains after the fall of Fornost. Could there be Dunedain living there still? The main argument against it, of course, is the statement from The Fellowship of the Ring: "In those days no other Men had settled dwellings so far west, or within a hundred leagues of the Shire." (in reference to the settlements in Bree-land). A fair point, but as far as the second part of the sentence, the hidden Dunedain strongholds within the Angle fall within 100 leagues of the Shire, so one could make the call that this only applied to open settlements. At the very least, even if Dunedain survivors living in the wilderness of the Lhun valley doesn't seem reasonable, at least the idea that the Rangers might have bases here - similar to those at Sarn Ford or the ruins of Fornost - might be considered.
Still, there's something poetic about the thought of Dunedain families emerging from isolated farmsteads or wilderness forts to return to the shores of Lake Evendim at the behest of King Elessar, to rebuild and repopulate the ancient city of Annuminas, once built in honor of lost Andunie.
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