The Encyclopedia of Arda - Elatan (original) (raw)
Ancestor of the Lords of Andúnië
A nobleman of Andúnië who lived in the early centuries of the Númenórean kingdom. He wedded Silmariën, the daughter and eldest child of Númenor's fourth King Tar-Elendil. Under the later laws of succession, Silmariën would have succeeded her father to become a Ruling Queen, and Elatan's descendants would therefore have been Kings of Númenor. In those early years, however, only the male line could succeed to the Sceptre, and so Silmariën's younger brother Meneldur became King in her place.
Nevertheless, Elatan's descendants were far from forgotten. His son Valandil was the first to use the title 'Lord of Andúnië', a noble line that would survive down through the entire history of Númenor. Even after the Downfall, the last rightful Lord, Elendil, escaped with his sons to Middle-earth and founded Arnor and Gondor there. From this line, through an immensity of time spanning more than five millennia, Elatan was the very distant ancestor of Aragorn Elessar.
Notes
| 1 | We have no dates for Elatan, but we know that he married Silmariën the daughter of Tar-Elendil. Silmariën was born in II 521, so presumably Elatan's birth date would have been similar. |
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| 2 | The meaning behind Elatan's name is not explained, but the fact that he dwelt in Andúnië on Númenor's western coasts might imply a connection to the Star of Eärendil, which rose into the sky in the West beyond the Great Sea. |
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- Updated 5 February 2022
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