The Dúnedain's early history is very mysterious. According to their own witness and the many, many accounts that would later be written, the Dúnedain hailed from an island to the far west. The Isle of Elenna, also known as Andor, the Land of Gift, for it had supposedly been raised out of the sea for the ancestors of the Dúnedain by the gods as a reward for their loyal service.
Upon the Isle of Elenna, the Dúnedain would build the Kingdom of Númenor. The name of this great kingdom and the island upon which it stood would eventually become synonymous. The residents of Númenor were granted many gifts, increased physical and mental strength, incredible stature and most amazing of all, immense longevity.
Not surprisingly, the long lives of the Dúnedain are legendary. Most people of Númenórean descent could expect to live to be more than three hundred years old. And their kings lived even longer, often living to be as old as four hundred. It is thus of no surprise that the First Men were amazed by these High Men. They were majestic and proud and yet possessed a strange wisdom and melancholy.
For Númenor was taken away. The account of Akallabêth, the Downfallen, relates the tale of the fall. The Númenóreans became proud and decadent. In their might and splendour, they turned against those who had granted them their gifts in the first place. And sought to wrest eternal life from them. After three thousand and three hundred years of history, the Númenóreans foolishly assaulted Aman, homeland of the Valar, the gods. The Valar beseeched their father, Eru Illuvatar, creator of all things, to intervene and he did so.
The island of Númenor was destroyed by Eru as a divine punishment for their arrogance. A massive wave of water swept over and drowned it forever more. The Nine Ships carried the Faithful, those of the Dúnedain who remained loyal and true. As reward for their faithfulness they were spared destruction and allowed to escape the Downfall. And yet, the hearts of the Dúnedain would always be turned westward, yearning for the homeland that was taken away. In all the long years of their presence in Westeros, even as the memory of Númenor faded, they never ceased to regard themselves in some measure as exiles. Nowhere is this more evident than in the name of their kingdom, the Realm-in-exile.
The land of Middle-earth is described as a great continent to the east of Elenna. The Númenóreans are described as having colonised the coasts extensively and to have warred with the locals.
Curiously no land matching the descriptions of Middle-earth has ever been found by any explorer, nor has any mariner ever been able to find a trace of the Dúnedain's homeland in the Sunset Sea. Many a sailor has tried and failed to cross the Sunset in hopes of discovering the fabled riches of Westernesse. The mariners of the Dúnedain themselves tried in crossing the Sunset Sea and their adventures are told of later in this volume.
This strange inconsistency has led some to believe in a rather ludicrous theory. The idea being that the reason why no trace of the lands written of in the Dúnedain's history has ever been found is because the Nine Ships were sent to a new world after the Downfall. Our world.
It is a rather preposterous idea, and yet it makes a disturbing amount of sense. It would presumably be within the power of gods to do such a thing and the Dúnedain themselves believe it possible. This is largely due to their initial inability to recognise any of the constellations in the sky and their lack of recognition of the lands of Westeros when they had supposedly mapped the constellations and lands of the entire world.
It is here we come to perhaps the greatest and yet also the most circumstantial proof. The Dúnedain insist that the world they hailed from was flat whereas proven by the Dúnedain themselves later on, our world is round.
Regardless of whether the Dúnedain speak true, they have made their mark on this world.
Scholars believe that the Dúnedain first came to Westeros some eight hundred years after the mythical Long Night. The date of their landing is commonly regarded as the start of the Arnorian calendar and years in Arnor are dated with the letters E.L., representing Elendil's Landing, and counting the years since that event.
Immediately upon their landing, their primary concern was to secure enough food for their people to survive the coming winter. It was Elendur, the grandson of Elendil, who had first made contact with the local people, a race of men who called themselves the 'First Men'.
However, the Dúnedain named them the Casterrim, meaning people or host of Caster, for the first lord of the First Men they encountered. The Dúnedain exiles held much respect for Caster, for he had bent the knee willingly to Elendil and joined his people with theirs.
Indeed, the friendship between the two peoples in many ways resembled the friendship between the early Dúnedain and the people of Middle-earth, to whom they had taught the working of iron amongst many other things.
It is noted, in the annals, of the very strong friendship between Elendur, son of Isildur, and Corlos, son of Caster. Prince Elendur would later be much grieved when his friend died at the age of 66 long before his own death. History has recorded Elendur as cursing his Númenórean ancestors for desiring eternal life when their fellow men lived but a mere fraction of their immense lifespan.
Yet, they had many years of friendship before Corlos's inevitable death. Legend tells that a month after Caster swore fealty to Elendil, Elendur and Corlos tracked a lion to its den in a nearby hill and slew it. The lion and its mate had been plaguing their people and so the two had striven to eliminate them. In an act of mercy, they had spared the cubs of the pair. In that moment a ray of sunlight illuminated the cave, revealing to them a massive vein of gold. Elendur had immediately informed his grandfather who then claimed the hill as the royal possession of his house.
Elendil had been crowned King shortly after Caster's fealty. With his ascension to kingship he proclaimed the founding of the Númenorean Realm-in-exile, The Kingdom of Arnor. 'Arnor' being a word derived from the Sindarin language spoken by many of the Dúnedain. It means 'Land of the King' and is presumably derived from Elendil's oath upon his landing in Westeros that he and his heirs would dwell there until the end of time. Arnor is a very fitting name for the realm, for one would never find any monarch in all the world as majestic or regal as the Heir of Elendil.
The gold hill discovered by Elendur and Corlos would be hollowed out and fortified over the following centuries and the gold within made the House of Elendil the wealthiest in Westeros. In later years it would become the capital of the Realm they built and would become known as Annúminas, The Tower of the West.
It is written in many works, many descriptions of Annúminas which are greater than what this author could write here. For what words could truly do it justice?
Annúminas is set into, upon, and beneath a great hill of rock. The hill stands upon the greatest lode of gold in the known world and was named Amon Erain, Hill of Kings, after Elendil claimed it. Great battlements adorn the outer exterior of the fortress, carved out of the hill itself. Within the rock, its halls and corridors have been formed over the span of countless centuries. Long and wide, in some places, veins of gold have even been left as decoration upon the walls. Sheltered within this great castle are countless caves, caverns, and halls hewn from the rock. Housed there are the endless armouries and treasures of the royal house. Deep below, the sound of metal clanging against rock can be heard still, as the excavation of new halls and the mining of inexhaustible veins of gold continued.
The peak of the Amon Erain had been flattened in ages past and built atop it was a great citadel wherein the royal family dwelt. A great tower, known as the Tower of Elendil towers above the citadel, adding a further 300 feet to the already impressive height of the fortress. The tower, like the fortress below, was made entirely out of white marble and golden rock. Beneath the sun, the tower shone and glimmered, resembling a mighty spike of pearl and gold against the sky. Unfurled at the pinnacle of the tower was the standard of the House of Elendil, a white tree upon a black field, beneath seven silver stars and a mithril-gold crown.
At the base of the tower was built the Tower Hall where the throne of the king was placed. Before the tower and directly forward from the Tower Hall was a courtyard paved with white stone save a great circle in the middle. That circle was a small patch of green and planted within was the White Tree of Arnor. The seedling of Nimloth the Fair was white with silver leaves and clusters of white blossoms. It was immensely beautiful and stood as a symbol of the royal house. It is said that the fate of the tree is tied to the line of Elendil and that when Arnor prospers so too does the tree.
Before the hill, was set a great city, extending all the way to the beach where the Nine Ships had landed. The city was built entirely out of white marble and gold rock, just like the fortress it surrounded and took its name from. Only the outermost wall was built of a different substance, black stone, indestructible and smooth. The city and the fortress combined made seven levels protected by seven walls, the seventh and final level beings the citadel atop Amon Erain itself.
Shipyards and wharfs dotted the mighty harbour, bearing ships laden with goods from all the Known World. Parks, shops and homes were all housed and protected by strong walls, stalwart gatehouses and high watchtowers. The people lived with utter surety, proud of their kingdom and confident in its strength.
The Dúnedain brought with them a few precious heirlooms from the downfall. These were all the property of the king and thus most were stored in Annúminas. Most notable was the sword of Narsil, forged in Nogrod of old, The Ring of Barahir, the Silver Rod of the Lords of Andúnië, and the Star of Elendil.
The Silver Rod of Andúnië would later become known as the Sceptre of Annúminas and would be the chief symbol of kingship in Arnor. The Star of Elendil or the Elendilmir was a great white gem, star-shaped and set in a mithril fillet. Together with the Ring of Barahir and the Winged Crown of Arnor forged later on, these heirlooms made up the crown jewels of Arnor.
Most mysterious of the heirlooms however were the palantiri, seeing-stones. Smooth, round, and dark, the palantiri were seven in number, a gift to the Faithful in old Númenor from the Eldar. Using the palantiri, one could see lands far away and communicate with other palantiri. It is believed that the chief and greatest of the stones is set in a secret room in the Tower of Elendil. The Annúminas-Stone, too large for a single man to lift and Master of the other six stones. The stone of Annúminas can see everything that the other stones see and has the ability to eavesdrop on conversations between the other stones, fitting for the stone used by the king.
Although it would be many years before Annúminas was complete, (and indeed some would argue that is still not complete, with its constant excavations and expansions) the crowning of Elendil attracted much attention and many of the chiefs and lords of the First Men came and did homage willingly, so awed were they by the majesty of the Dúnedain that they willingly accepted their overlordship. And so did Arnor grow in prosperity and strength and the Dúnedain grew and multiplied swiftly in their new kingdom. But not all accepted the Dúnedain as their lords and kings and it would not be long before the prosperity of Arnor was threatened, … with war.
In the year 30 E.L, war was declared between the fledgling Kingdom of Arnor and the Hooded Kingdom of House Banefort to the north. Prince Isildur led an army northward to face the enemy, Hooded King Morgon, at the Battle of Steelbow Hill, a few days south of the Crag.
Shortly after, Isildur and his army marched on the Crag where House Westerling, an ally of Banefort, surrendered to them. With the submission of Westerling secured, Isildur marched on the Banefort where the garrison, led by Morgon's younger brother refused to submit. After a brief siege, the Arnorian army assaulted Banefort and the line of House Banefort was doomed to die when the last Banefort was sent to the Wall. By right of conquest, Isildur seized Banefort in his royal father's name.
With the death of Morgon Banefort, the last rival to Arnorian power in the region was destroyed. Arnor's power and influence would then swiftly expand to fill the entirety of the region of Malldolan, meaning 'Gold Hill Land'. It is a very apt description as the wealth of Arnor is famed throughout the whole world. That wealth originates from the vast amounts of gold, silver, and gems in the hills and mountains of Arnor. Indeed, the wealth of Arnor would eventually grow such that during its Golden Age there was a common saying in other lands, "precious stones are pebbles in Arnor for children to play with". Such was the incredible wealth and prosperity of Arnor that it drew much envy and admiration. The Kings of Arnor wisely realised the necessity of protecting their fledgling realm very early on.
The castle of Banefort became a royal fortress and was renamed Fornost, Northern Fortress. It would later be rebuilt with Númenórean building techniques to make it strong and near impenetrable. From texts in the King's Archives it can be determined that a second palantir, the Fornost-stone was placed in the Northern Fortress after its reconstruction some ten years after its acquisition by Arnor.
Fornost was but the first of many fortresses built to defend the realm of Arnor. Northwest of the capital of Annúminas a road leads to the city of Tarnost in the foothills of the Ered Mellais, the Gold Mountains. The road continues onwards to a great pass which commands one of the few safe paths into Arnor from the east. The area was rich in gold and a mighty fortress city was built there.
Minas Anor, the Tower of the Sun, established in the year 112 E.L. It was the seat of the House of Anárion, the second son of Elendil. Anárion was charged with the defense of Arnor's eastern border and for this task a third palantir, the Anor-stone, was placed in Minas Anor. The surrounding region would eventually come to be known as Anórien, the Land of the Sun.
South of Minas Anor, the second of the main passes into Arnor was defended by the Tower of Cirith Dúath, established in 115 E.L., a large tower-fort that was partially underground.
The Arnorians would also build many outposts in the Ered Mellais, to strengthen the defenses everywhere, not just at the passes. Watchtowers such as Amon Hen and Amon Lhaw in the Gold Mountains and outposts such as Durthang and Amon Sul on the outer side of the mountains, were all constructed by the end of Elendil's reign
To the south of Malldolan, the Gold Mountains slowly give way to lowland forests and plains, making the southern border much more vulnerable. The fief of Ithilien is named for its chief fortress, Minas Ithil, the Tower of the Moon. It sits on the western shore of a great lake called Red Lake by the Casterrim. The Arnorians named the lake, Naruael, a direct translation of its local name.
Minas Ithil, established 113 E.L, was the seat of Isildur, Elendil's eldest son and heir. When Elendur, son of Isildur, ascended the throne, he granted his younger brother Aratan, Minas Ithil and charged him with the defense of the southern border. Like its twin fortress-city, Minas Ithil also had a palantir, the Ithil-stone.
Together the four palantiri of Annúminas, Fornost, Minas Anor and Minas Ithil formed a network, strengthening the defense of Arnor with the speedy communication between the four fortresses and the seeing abilities of the stones. The Ithil-stone and Anor-stone are noted to be twin sister-stones, and are more closely linked to each other than any of the other stones. Fittingly, the fortresses they were placed in were regarded as twin sisters by the Arnorians as well. The remaining three palantiri of Arnor would remain in Annúminas for many years until Arnor expanded further.
Arnor however would not only build many fortresses but would also come to have many cities; Minas Anor, Minas Ithil, and Fornost would all later develop into great cities and various towns and cities such as Linhir, Tarnost, and Calembel are but some of the larger settlements of note in the rest of Arnor. The wealth of Arnor allowed it to boast the largest number of cities in Westeros.
Dol Amroth in particular is quite interesting. It is the name of the city that lies on the tip of the great peninsula to the north of Annúminas. It was granted as a fief, alongside most of the peninsula, to Amroth, the second son of King Tarcil. In later years, the Swan Knights of Dol Amroth would become renown as some of the finest warriors in Westeros.
Safe behind the fortresses guarding the Ered Mellais, Arnor began to prosper. Its people flourished and grew plentiful. The technologies and sciences brought by the Dúnedain from Númenor ushered in a new revolution of knowledge. With improved agriculture, sanitation, and medicines, the population of Arnor grew swiftly and so did its might.
It is around this time that an increasing number of citizens in Arnor came to be of mixed Dúnedain and First Men descent. Curiously, these so called Lesser Dúnedain were near indistinguishable from those of pureblooded Númenórean descent, at least for the first few generations. It required a significant amount of interbreeding with lesser men for the descendants of the Dúnedain to show any noticeable diminishment in their heritage. That heritage being their supernatural lifetimes, stature and weak telepathy amongst other things.
Supposedly, many of the Arnorians came to believe that their blessings would hold true whether or not they maintained the purity of the Númenorean bloodline. Their gifts would remain undiminished so long as they remained true to Eru. This faction would be opposed in the matter by many of the nobility and other Dúnedain. They held belief in the purity of the blood of Númenor and feared that the mixing of their blood with that of lesser men would weaken their heritage and gifts. For many long years the matter was simply one of debate. In truth, the beliefs of both groups held merit. It was not clear exactly how many generations were required for the gifts to diminish, the often touted figure of three generations was an arbitrary figure chosen to best determine the categorization of the person. Should a person be able to claim at least an eighth of Númenórean descent, that person was generally considered a Dúnedain. However, in many cases those in the second generation would begin seeing noticeable declines in their lifespans but in other cases, individuals with a Númenórean ancestor as far back as six generations would still have the full undiminished gifts of their heritage. This uncertainty would be the root of many arguments and tragically these arguments would escalate much later on.
As a result, Arnor would come to be composed of three major ethnic groups. The Casterrim, pure-blooded descendants of the First Men, The Dúnedain, pure-blooded descendants of Númenor, and the Tergil, those of mixed descent. In later millennia the majority of the population would come to be made up of the third group.
This is largely due to the First Men custom of the First Night, wherein the lord has the right to bed the bride on her wedding night. The tradition was outlawed by King Elendil but it was practiced still by many lords, both First Men and later Dúnedain. Dúnedain lords dared not attempt the custom on their fellow Dúnedain, but sadly the voices of First Men citizens of Arnor were often ignored in favour of Dúnedain. At the very least it should be noted that more often than not the smallfolk were tolerant if not outright supportive of the custom of the First Night being taken by their Dúnedain lords. Many of them saw their Dúnedain lords as almost godlike and considered it an honour to bear and raise their children. Even in later years, when the ban against the First Night was more heavily enforced, there were still many illegitimate children of Númenórean descent. These were of course unacknowledged but they were often given lavish gifts by their real fathers. The mothers of such children were thus considered blessed.
As the years passed in Arnor, the First Men who dwelt within would change in many ways. Culturally, they began to identify more and more with their new overlords than they did with their kin in other lands, adopting Númenórean religion, culture, writing, and language. Consequently, the name 'Casterrim' which had previously been used to refer to all First Men, began being used to refer to only those of the First Men who had sworn fealty to Arnor and had shifted culturally closer to the Dúnedain.
As mentioned elsewhere, the Dúnedain believed that they were contacted by the Ainur, higher beings, of their new world. According to Númenórean beliefs, the Ainur or Maiar, were not gods, but rather the immensely powerful servants and representatives of the one true God, Eru Illuvatar. The Maiar should not be worshipped, but they should be venerated and respected.
Syncretism developed in Arnor between the faiths of the Dúnedain and Casterrim due to the former's recognition of the gods of the latter as the Seven Maiar. As the years passed, a single faith centred around the worship of Eru and the veneration of his Maiar servants would develop in Arnor, religiously uniting the Dúnedain and their First Men vassals.
Aforementioned above is the history of the controversial First Night in Arnor. Despite their distaste for that particular custom, the Dúnedain adopted quite a few customs of their new subjects, most notably, the tradition of sealing guest right with bread and salt and the practice of lords carrying out their own sentences both became commonplace.
The language of the First Men is known simply as the Old Tongue. It is believed that the First Men adopted this language from the Children of the Forest and the original language they had once used before coming to Westeros was abandoned. The Dúnedain called the language 'Casterric" for the Casterrim people. The languages brought by the Dúnedain to Westeros, Quenya and Sindarin, would largely supplant the use of Casterric. In time, the common people of Arnor would speak either or both Sindarin and Casterric. Quenya would be used only by the nobility and scholars, as it was seen as an ancient and archaic language. Interestingly, the Dúnedain records indicate that Sindarin and Quenya had not been the primary languages of their ancestors. Adûnaic had been the official language of the Númenóreans.
However, the Dúnedain who came to Westeros refused to speak Adûnaic nor teach it to their children. They associated the language with their kinsmen, the same kinsmen whose arrogance and decadence had caused their homeland's destruction. None now are alive who can speak Adûnaic and only a few words are still known.
In the place of Adûnaic, the Dúnedain would use Quenya and Sindarin, the Elvish tongues spoken by the Eldar, a race of immortal human-like beings whom they had fought alongside in their earliest legends. Supposedly, it had been their envy of the Eldar's immortality that had led to their attempt to wrest eternal life from the Valar, and consequently the Downfall of Númenor. With this negative association, it is perhaps easy to understand why the Faithful, the faction of the Dúnedain who had come to Westeros, disregarded Adûnaic. According to legend, all three languages had once been spoken, but as the Númenóreans' envy grew, they abandoned the elven tongues. Only the Faithful had preserved their use, and in direct contrast to their kinsmen, they abandoned Adûnaic.
The writing system for both Quenya and Sindarin, the Tengwar script, was superior to the runes used by the First Men and became the dominant writing system in Arnor, being used for Casterric as well. The runes of the First Men were almost forgotten entirely, but were later saved and preserved by King Arantar the Scholar.