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Dates
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The seat of the King was at Armenelos
Pronunciation
a'rr-adoo'nakhorr (where 'rr' emphasises that the final 'r' sound should be pronounced)
Meaning
Other names
Tar-Herunúmen; also seen in the shortened forms Adûnakhôr or Herunúmen
Titles

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  • Updated 31 December 2019
  • This entry is complete

Ar-Adûnakhôr

The first King of Númenor to be named in Adûnaic

Rulers of Númenor

Adûnakhôr was born in the year II 2709, at the time when his great-grandfather Tar-Alcarin held the Sceptre of Númenor. When Adûnakhôr was twenty-eight years old, his grandfather Tar-Calmacil succeeded as King. Until that time it had been tradition for the Kings of Númenor to take their names in Elvish form, but Tar-Calmacil became the first to use a name in his native Adûnaic. Though he officially used the Elvish name Tar-Calmacil, privately Calmacil was known by the name Ar-Belzagar.

This convention was carried on by Tar-Calmacil's son (and Adûnakhôr's father), whose royal name was Tar-Ardamin, but who was referred to by the King's Men by the Adûnaic name Ar-Abattârik.

When Adûnakhôr succeeded in turn to become Númenor's twentieth ruler, he took this rejection of the Elvish tongues to an extreme degree. Not only did he publicly take a name in his native tongue - Ar-Adûnakhôr, 'Lord of the West' - but he even went so far as to ban the use of Elvish languages from use in his kingdom.1 It was thus during his reign that the Elves no longer travelled openly to the land of Númenor, but came only secretly to its western shores, where still many of the Faithful were friendly to them.

Ar-Adûnakhôr ruled Númenor for sixty-three years, and was succeeded by his son, who ruled as Ar-Zimrathôn.


Notes

1

The loremasters were reluctant to give up ancient tradition so easily, and despite Ar-Adûnakhôr's ban, they inscribed his name in Elvish in the Scroll of Kings: Tar-Hernúmen. It's unclear whether Adûnakhôr himself approved of this action, or was even aware of it.

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About this entry:

  • Updated 31 December 2019
  • This entry is complete

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