Epiloge 1: Akallabéth

[Wayfarer]

Akallabéth, The Downfall of Númenor, is not strictly a part of the Silmarillion. Although the events this chapter describes take place long after the War of the Jewels has come to its conclusion, they nonetheless have their origins in that same war. It is for this reason I give this chapter (and the next) the title of Epilogue.

Chapter Summary:

The War of the Jewels ends. Middle Earth is abandoned to the servants of Morgoth. The Eldar are allowed to return into the west, where they settle on Tol Eressëa. For the Edain, they raise a new island, which goes by many names, but is best remembered as Númenórë.

The Island of Numenore

Eönwë comes among the Edain and teaches them, the Eldar hang out with them, and the get all kinds of neat stuff. They become known as the Dúnedain (or Númenóreans), and Elros becomes their first king. The Dúnedain are, in almost every way, more like elves than men - but still mortal.

Life goes great for the next couple of thousand of years. Well, Middle Earth is currently going through a dark age worse than any that’s been before, but the Númenóreans have it good. Because of this little Ban the Valar have put on them, the can’t go too far west. So they make a habit of going east, doing some favors for their less enlightened brethren and alleviating the suffering in some small parts of the world.

The Númenóreans suspect that grass must be greener on the other side of the world. They complain about not being able to go west and schmooze with the immortal types. They complain about the Ban, and complain about Mortality. Messengers trying to explain the difference in fates between men and elves are ignored. 2000 years into the Second Age, the Dúnedain have fallen back into the fear of death, and the 13th king (Tar Atanamir) clings to life until senility takes him.

When he does finally die, Númenórë is split into two factions. The Kings Men fear death, and increasingly reject the Elves, the Valar and the One. The Faithful have less fear of death, and remain on good terms with Valinor.

Númenórë is no longer a happy place. The Dúnedain obsess over death, and utterly failing to make themselves immortal still manage to fill the land with tombs, wherein the store perfectly preserved dead bodies. Still the lords of Neat Stuff, they now turn their hands to less benign purposes, and begin to conquer the people of Middle Earth.

Sauron, who by now had been in Mordor for several centuries, is peeved.

Corruption continues, with a brief arrest during the reign of Tar-Palantir, who was Faithful, but couldn’t stop the decline of the people and (although everybody feared and respected his wisdom), held less loyalty than his brother.

Pharazon, his nephew, seizes the throne upon Tar-Palantir’s death, and takes his cousin Miriel (who would have been queen) by force as his wife. He is the worst king yet.

Ar Pharazon builds a huge army and navy. When he hears Sauron is making a bid to be the Lord of Men, the throws a fit, takes his whole massive force to Middle Earth, and sits down to demand Sauron’s fealty. He gets it.

Sauron is taken back to Númenórë, and within three years is Pharazon's closes advisor. He quickly corrupts the king, introduces Morgoth worship into the land, and does lots of nasty stuff. Amandil, one of the King’s friends in youth and one of the Faithful, rallies the Elf-Friends around himself.
Sauron tries to convince Pharazon to destroy Nimloth, the white tree that was the symbol of the royal line, but the king hesitates. Isildur, the son of Elendil (the son of Amandil), manages to steal one of the fruits from the tree before Pharazon finally gives in.

Sauron offers up Nimloth as the first sacrifice on a temple he has built to Melkor. Sacrifices continue basically nonstop - including human sacrifices often taken from among the Faithful.

Things continue miserably until Pharazon is getting old and nears death. Sauron finally convinces him that if he wants to be immortal, he can achieve it by taking Aman from the Valar. Work commences on the greatest armament ever see in history.

Amandil, hearing of this, sets out to warn the Valar. He presumably doesn’t make it. Elendil and the remaining faithful resolve to wait. Meanwhile, even the weather has turned bad, with huge eagle-shaped clouds dropping lightning on Numenor. Hearts harden against the Valar. Sauron’s temple is blasted, but he stands on the spire and defies the lightning, which convinces the people he’s a god.

Ar Pharazon takes his fleet and heads to Aman. He wavers, but presses on, setting foot on Valinor and encamping his army about Túna. The Valar call upon Eru, who rends the world. The fleet is drawn down into the abyss and drowned, the King and his warriors are buried, and doom comes upon Numenor which goes down into the sea.

Numenore Falls

Elendil and the Faithful escape on nine ships. The wild wind carries him and his ships far away, to land on the shores of middle earth. The world is made round, and all the coastlines changed, but Elendil and his ships survive to found kingdoms in Middle Earth.

The Ships of the Faithful

Sauron goes down laughing into the abyss, and his fair form destroyed forever, but his spirit escapes and returns to Mordor, where he takes a new and dreadful form for himself.

Aman is separated from Middle Earth, and thereafter can never be freely reached again. Only the elves can now find the Straight Way that leads beyond the world.