The Fall of Numenor by J.R.R. Tolkien

I am currently reading The fall of Númenor an extended version of the Akabellath in the Simarillion. Númenor was a kingdom of Men, established on an island that was brought up out of the sea by the Valar in the early Second Age, as a gift to men who aided the Elves in the war against Morgoth/Melkor following the final ruin of Beleriand.. Númenor was the kingdom of the Númenóreans, the Dúnedain, were granted wisdom and power and longer life, beyond that of other Men.

Numenor was located on an island in the Great Sea, between Middle-earth and Aman and was in the shape of a five-pointed star. At the center of the island the mountain Meneltarma was used by the Dúnedain as a temple to Ilúvatar. The largest city and capital of the island was Armenelos. The island had only two rivers: Siril, which began at Meneltarma and ended in a small delta near the town of Nindamos, and the Nunduinë, which reached the sea in the Bay of Eldanna near the human haven Eldalondë. It was given to the Three Houses of the Edain by the After the great war with the Dark Lord Morgoth”. Elros son of Eärendil was the first King of Númenor, taking the name of Tar-Minyatur (“High-First King”). Under his rule (SA 32 to SA 442 of the Second Age), and those of his descendants, the Númenóreans rose to become very powerful, with lifespans several times that of the Men of Middle-earth.

As time went on, Númenor continued to grow in wealth and might.The first ships sailed from Númenor to Middle-earth in the year SA 600 of the Second Age, making contact with Gil-galad and helping the Twilight Men of Middle-earth as teachers. the Númenóreans began establishing settlements along the coasts. Before he became King of Numenor, Aldarion, son of King King Tar Meneldur made many voyages to middle Earth, angering his father and wife Erendis who wanted him to settle down. However King Tar Meneldur calms down when he learns that during his many long voyages his son Aldarion has made contact with high Elf Lord Gil-Galad and learned that the evil lord Sauron, was at large in Middle-earth and dominated peoples of Middle-earth in the south and east through terror, force, and persuasion. Aldarion is eventually crowned Tar-Aldarion, King of Numenor after Tar Meneldur abdicates. However From Tar Aldarian onwards people start to become dissatisfied.

Meanwhile Sauron became alarmed at the growing power of Numenor and After secretly the forging the One Ring decided to launch an invasion of Eriador and destroyed Eregion in the War of the Elves and Sauron. king Ar-Pharazôn was angered by this and the Númenóreans swiftly came once more to Middle-earth with a great military force to aid the Elves of Lindon in confronting Sauron a final time in SA 3261. The NUmenoreans were so powerful that Sauron perceived that he could not defeat them by force. So Sauron surrendered and allowed himself to be taken to Númenor. Sauron perceived that King Ar Pharzôn was among many Numenoreans who feared death and old age and through sheer cunning guile and persuasion Sauron exploited this, until he managed to enthrall king, Ar-Pharazôn, and became adviser for the King, gradually convinced many officials to worship Morgoth, Until they too became corrupted. Under Sauron’s influence the Númenóreans prospered but became more nefarious, the Men of Middle-earth were hunted and enslaved and brought back to Númenor to be slain cruelly, sometimes sacrificed in the name of Morgoth. The White Tree, Nimloth, was cut down and its wood was used to light the first fire on the altar of a mighty Temple for Morgoth that was built in Armenelos.

Sauron Urged King Ar-Pharazôn, to seek the immortality that the Valar had apparently denied him, fanning the envy that many of the Númenóreans had begun to hold against the Elves of the West and the Valar. The people of Númenor strove to avoid death, but this only weakened them and sped the gradual diminishing of their lifespans. Sauron urged them to wage war against the Valar to seize the immortality denied them. So Ar-Pharazôn raised the mightiest army and fleet Númenor had ever seen. Ar-Pharazôn’s armada was known as the Great Armament. Ar-Pharazôn boarded his flagship Alcarondas ahead of his fleet and departed for Aman. The Valar feared that this host could wreak havoc in Valinor, but they were forbidden from killing or otherwise using force against Men. So The Manwë chief of the Valar and Elves of Aman, called on Ilúvatar for help….

However as soon as the fleet finally arrived on the shores of Aman and Ar-Pharazôn’s host made their camp about Túna. Ilúvatar opened up a huge chasm
Causing a massive earthquake in the sea between Númenor and Aman that swallowed the Great Armament of Ar-Pharazôn And the king himself, and sent a unstoppable tsunami which totally destroyed Númenor and sank it into the abyss, killing all. Sauron’s physical from was also destroyed in the cataclysm but being a Maia his spirit endured and he returned to Middle-earth. The world was remade, and Aman was removed beyond the Uttermost West so that Men could not sail there to threaten it.

However Some Númenóreans had remained loyal to the Valar, The Faithful, led by Amandil, Elendil and his sons Isildur and Anárion, managed to escape the catastrophe, on nine ships. Among their possessions were the Palantíri, the Ring of Barahir, the silver rod of the Lords of Andúnië, Narsil and a scion of Nimloth which grew from a fruit Isildur saved before the tree was cut down. the loyal Númenóreans reached the shores of Middle-earth. The survivors founded two kingdoms: Arnor in the north and Gondor in the south. And created a number of settlement on Middle EArth including Minas Anor, Osgiliath and Minas Ithil. Elendil reigned as High King of both kingdoms, but committed the rule of Gondor jointly to Isildur and Anárion. Elendil sought the help of Gil Galad the High Elf Lord of the Elves.

Around this time the Istari and the Ring Wraiths also first appeared, the Istari aided Elrond and Galadriel against Sauron, while the Ring wraiths were originally nine kings of men from the South and the East,who succumbed to the corrupting influence of Sauron. The elves and Faithful Numenoreans led by Elendil, then formed an alliance against Sauron and confronted him on the Dagorland plain, near Mordor.

Elsewhere Other corrupted Númenóreans also survived the fall of Numenor and established other realms such as the Haven of Umbar where they continued to serve Sauron.