With the Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power series in full swing, existing fans, and Middle-earth enthusiasts get to uncover the events of the heralded Second Age. Most viewers will be familiar with the Third Age, as it set the stage for the classic trilogy and TheHobbit while die-hard fans will be knowledgeable about the events of the First Age, detailed in Tolkien’s works such as The Silmarillion.
The Second Age contains several very interesting and important events including the rise of Sauron, the forging of the Rings of Power, as well as the creation of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. An additional little-known fact also includes the sinking of Numenor. Current viewers will have been introduced to the region but there is a whole lot of history and information to unpack to truly understand its significance.
4 It Was The Most Powerful Realm Of The Second Age
It’s easy to imagine that the elves or dwarves had powerful and glorious empires but that spot goes to the Kingdom of Numenor. Initially given as a gift by the Valar, the Numenorean kings rose to power and made contact with influential characters from Middle-earth such as Gil-galad, the high elven king of the west. Notable Numenoreans include Elendil and his son, Isildur who founded the realms in exile, Gondor and Arnor. Aragorn of the Dunedain was also part of this line and it was said that those having the blood of Numenor were greater than their Middle-earth cousins, able to live up to 200 or even 300 years.
Apart from being great sailors and shipbuilders, the Numenorians were skilled horse breeders and warriors. The elves were greatly welcomed onto the island and both men and elves traded, bonded, and worked with one another. It was said that the Numenorians taught their Middle-earth cousins skills and traits to improve their everyday lives. Though initially not a war-like people, a shadow eventually fell upon the island kingdom and turned the once peaceful realm into an abrasive and power-hungry empire.
3 It Became An Oppressive Maritime Regime
Though peaceful, Numenor had its fair share of conflicts and clashes, notably against Sauron himself. Though victory was achieved and Sauron’s forces were driven back to Mordor, a shadow eventually fell upon the island kingdom as Sauron begin to subvert and warp its rulers.
The men of Numenor over time began to resent the Valar for imposing the Ban of the Valar, which prevented men from sailing east to the undying lands. So to compensate, the Numenorians began to colonize and occupy parts of Middle-earth as there was no other force that could stand against them. Fortunately, a minority of the Numenoreans, called the Faithful, remained friendly and hospitable to the Valar and elves.
2 Sauron Brought Ruin To The Numenoreans
Being the most powerful kingdom at the time, even Sauron himself surrendered to the Numenorean hosts that took up arms against him and he was brought back to the island. This would however prove to be the kingdom's downfall as Sauron warped and corrupted the Numenoreans from within. Initially a prisoner, Sauron wormed his way to becoming Ar-Pharazôn’s trusted advisor. Ar-Pharazôn was, of course, the last ruler of Numenor.
Sauron knew that Ar-Pharazôn feared old age and death and was able to convince the king to worship Morgoth and pay tribute to the first dark lord. In time, Sauron convinced the Numenoreans to take up arms against the Valar and seize the Undying Lands to achieve eternal life. This led to the Valar sinking the king’s entire armada and trapping his host within the Caves of the Forgotten, where they would remain until the end of time. At the same time, the world changed, as tides ravaged and eventually engulfed Numenor, killing everyone on the island. Only Elendil and his sons and followers escaped in nine ships. They would eventually sail to Middle-earth and form the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor.
1 Numenor Shares Similarities With Atlantis
The destruction of Numenor has more ties with the legend of Atlantis than most people think. The tale of a large, powerful, and advanced maritime civilization that fell prey to its hubris and was swallowed by the waves is textbook Atlantis. Most Tolkien fans wouldn’t be surprised as Tolkien himself was deeply inspired by Norse, Christian, Celtic, and Greek myths. Numenor’s fall is called ‘Atalantë’ which translates to ‘the Downfallen’ in the Quenya language.
Though mariners from Gondor in the Third Age would sail westwards in the attempt to rediscover the lost lands of their forebears, none would be able to confirm any surviving lands or verify their sightings. It is believed that Numenor will remain under the sea until the events of Dagor Dagorath (Tolkien’s Ragnarok/Apocalypse) come to pass.