Elendil

**Elendil** (Quenya: "Elf-friend" or "Star-lover"), also known as **Elendil the Tall**/**the Fair** or **Voronda** ("The Faithful"), was a Man of Númenor and the father of Isildur and Anárion who led the survivors of its Downfall to the shores of Middle-earth where they founded two Realms in Exile, Arnor and Gondor. Thus, Elendil became the first King of both realms and held the title of first High King of the Dúnedain, making him supreme overlord of all exiled Númenóreans in the lands east of the Great Sea. Elendil was killed alongside his friend, the High King Gil-galad, by the Dark Lord Sauron at the Siege of Barad-dûr, in the War of the Last Alliance in the late Second Age.

## Biography

### Life in Númenor

Elendil was born in 3119 of the Second Age in Númenor, son of Amandil, Lord of Andúnië and leader of the Faithful (those who remained loyal to the Valar), who maintained a strong friendship with the Elves and preserved the old ways against the practices of Ar-Pharazôn and Sauron. For this Sauron hated Amandil, and by extension Elendil, the most out of all the Númenóreans. He was married to an unnamed Númenórean woman no doubt of the same upbringing and noble blood to which they had two sons: Isildur and Anárion. It is not known whether she followed him to Middle-earth after the Downfall of Númenor.

When Ar-Pharazôn and Sauron were preparing their assault on Valinor, Amandil told him to gather the Faithful in Rómenna and escape to Middle-earth. Elendil did as his father bade, and gathered the Faithful and their wives and children in 9 ships, and waited just off the coast. With them, they took the palantíri, the "Seeing Stones" that were given to the Lords of Andúnië by the Elves of Tol Eressëa, and a seedling of Nimloth, the White Tree of Númenor.

When the Downfall came, the great wave that devoured Númenor was coming towards Rómenna when a great storm came out of the West, snapping the sails of his ships and tossing them around in giant waves, and carried him all the way to Middle-earth. With the Downfall, Elendil and his children became the sole surviving descendants of the House of Elros.

### Founder of Arnor and Gondor

Elendil's four ships were separated from those of his sons and arrived in Eriador. As he landed Elendil proclaimed in Quenya: *Et Eärello Endorenna utúlien. Sinome maruvan ar Hildinyar tenn' Ambar-metta* - "Out of the Great Sea to Middle-earth I am come. In this place will I abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the world." His heir and 38th-great-grandson Aragorn spoke these traditional words again when he took up the Crown of Gondor at the beginning of the Fourth Age.

Elendil was welcomed to Eriador by the Elven-king Gil-galad and in SA 3320 he founded the Kingdom of Arnor, building the city of Annúminas as his capital. The five ships carrying Elendil's sons landed further south, where Anárion founded the city of Minas Anor in Anórien, and his son Isildur founded Minas Ithil in Ithilien. They ruled the new realm of Gondor jointly as its Kings from their capital city of Osgiliath. Across the realms towers were built for the palantíri, with which the two kingdoms kept contact.

### Last Alliance of Elves and Men

In time Sauron returned to Mordor and began to rebuild his power. In SA 3429, he attacked seizing Minas Ithil. Isildur went north to take counsel with his father, leaving Anárion in charge of the defence of Gondor. In SA 3434, Elendil and Isildur returned south together with the Elven High King Gil-galad and their combined armies, in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.

After defeating Sauron's armies and advancing into Mordor itself, the armies of Elves and Men settled into a siege of the main tower of Sauron: Barad-dûr. During this siege Anárion was killed.

After seven years of siege, in SA 3441 Sauron came out to personally do battle with his enemies. Elendil, together with Gil-galad, overthrew Sauron, but they were both killed in the process, and Elendil's sword broke when he fell.

Isildur used his father's broken sword to cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. Vanquished, Sauron's spirit fled. Isildur built a hidden tomb for his father on the summit of the hill of Amon Anwar, the midpoint of Gondor. Later, with the creation of the Kingdom of Rohan, the Steward Cirion had Elendil's casket moved to Rath Dínen in Minas Tirith.

### Legacy

Leading the remnant of the Faithful Númenóreans to Middle-earth, Elendil established strong regimes there and created the great alliance that put an end to Sauron's power for over a thousand years. His bloodline and spirited leadership survived in the Dúnedain of the North and South of Middle-earth, that would in turn sire the brave and heroic Men that would help bring a final end to Sauron in the War of the Ring.

Aragorn's battle-cry in the *The Lord of the Rings* was "Elendil!"*.*

#### The Oath of Elendil

Lyrics, in Quenya:

*Et Eärello*

*Endorenna utúlien*

*Sinome Maruvan*

*ar Hildinyar tenn' Ambar-Metta*

Translation:

*Out of the Great Sea to Middle-earth I am come.*

*In this place I will abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the world.'"*

This oath was sung an age later by Aragorn II Elessar, during his coronation at the end of the War of the Ring.

## Description

Elendil was nicknamed "the Tall", because, even by the lofty Númenórean standards, he was exceptionally tall, at 2.5 *rangar* or around 7'11. He was known as the greatest warrior of all the Dúnedain and the sword Narsil and the great horn Windbeam were his heirlooms.

## Etymology

*Elendil* meant either "Elf-friend" or "Star-lover" in Quenya.