The Encyclopedia of Arda - Sunset (original) (raw)
The town of Andúnië on Númenor’s western coasts
Sunset (the city of Andúnië) on the western coasts of Númenor (slightly conjectural)
Sunset (the city of Andúnië) on the western coasts of Númenor (slightly conjectural)
At the western end of the Andustar, the westernmost promontory of Númenor, were a series of bays of the Great Sea. At the head of the largest of these, the Númenóreans built a city, with a harbour on the Sea itself, and houses running up the steep slopes behind. From its position at the eastern end of the long bay, the Sun could be seen sinking into the Sea each evening, and from this the city took its name: Andúnië in Elvish, meaning 'Sunset'.
In the early centuries of Númenor's history, a nobleman from the Sunset city named Elatan wedded Silmariën the daughter of the King, and from them arose the line of the Lords of Andúnië, of which their son Valandil was the first. In later times, as the people of Númenor became divided into the parties of the Faithful and the King's Men, the Lords of Andúnië aligned themselves with the Faithful faction, keeping the traditional devotion to the Valar and the friendship of the Elves.
The last Lord of Andúnië was Amandil, who literally set out into the Sunset. In his time, Sauron had come to the island and turned King Ar-Pharazôn down dark and dangerous paths. Amandil sailed into the West to seek the aid of the Valar, but was never heard from again. His son Elendil and his grandsons Isildur and Anárion also set sail, so escaping the Downfall of Númenor. They sailed away from the doomed isle, passing eastward into Middle-earth where they founded the realms of Arnor and Gondor.
Notes
| 1 | The line of the Lords of Andúnië was not established until some centuries into the history of Númenor (the first Lord, Valandil, was born in II 630). This might be taken to imply that the city was founded at about this time. However, the existence of a great western road early in Númenor's history seems to suggest that the Sunset city was already in place for some time before the [seventh century](../chronicle.html?startyear=601&startage=2&endyear=700&endage=2&c=The Seventh Century of the Second Age) of the Second Age. |
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- Updated 10 February 2023
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