return

1352 the return of the king
I
THE NÚMENÓREAN KINGS
(i)
númenor
Fëanor was the greatest of the Eldar in arts and lore, but also the
proudest and most selfwilled. He wrought the Three Jewels, the
Silmarilli, and filled them with the radiance of the Two Trees,
Telperion and Laurelin, 1 that gave light to the land of the Valar.
The Jewels were coveted by Morgoth the Enemy, who stole them
and, after destroying the Trees, took them to Middle-earth, and
guarded them in his great fortress of Thangorodrim. 2 Against
the will of the Valar Fëanor forsook the Blessed Realm and went
in exile to Middle-earth, leading with him a great part of his
people; for in his pride he purposed to recover the Jewels from
Morgoth by force. Thereafter followed the hopeless war of the
Eldar and the Edain against Thangorodrim, in which they were
at last utterly defeated. The Edain (Atani) were three peoples of
Men who, coming first to the West of Middle-earth and the
shores of the Great Sea, became allies of the Eldar against the
Enemy.
There were three unions of the Eldar and the Edain: Lúthien
and Beren; Idril and Tuor; Arwen and Aragorn. By the last the
long-sundered branches of the Half-elven were reunited and
their line was restored.
Lúthien Tinúviel was the daughter of King Thingol Greycloak
of Doriath in the First Age, but her mother was Melian of
the people of the Valar. Beren was the son of Barahir of the First
House of the Edain. Together they wrested a silmaril from the
Iron Crown of Morgoth. 3 Lúthien became mortal and was lost
to Elven-kind. Dior was her son. Elwing was his daughter and
had in her keeping the silmaril.
Idril Celebrindal was the daughter of Turgon, king of the
1 Cf. pp. 318; 781; 1273: no likeness remained in Middle-earth of
Laurelin the Golden.
2 p. 316; p.932.
3 p. 253; p.932.