The Dúnedain
the Men of the West; the descendants of the Faithful of Númenor
Names and Etymology
The Dúnedain (“Men of the West”, singular Dúnadan) are the Men of Númenórean blood who dwelt in Middle-earth after the fall of the island — in strict lore the remnant of the Faithful who escaped the Drowning, and their descendants. In the older speech they were called the Men of Westernesse, the “Men of the West”.
Origin and History
- After the Drowning recounted in the Akallabêth, Elendil and his sons led the Faithful remnant in their ships through the sea and founded the Realms in Exile: Arnor in the North and Gondor in the South, whose people were the Dúnedain.
- In the South the Dúnedain kept the long kingship of Gondor, mingling over the generations with lesser men yet maintaining the line and the nobility of their blood; in the North, after the fall of Arnor and the passing of its kings, the remnant became the hidden Rangers, the Dúnedain of the North, wandering in Eriador and guarding its borders unseen.
- The Dúnedain were accounted the tall, high, long-lived Men of the age, descended from the strain of the kings of Númenor, dwindling in number and in length of days as the ages wore on.
Culture and Institutions
- In Gondor the Dúnedain kept the kingship, the laws and lore of Númenor, the palantíri, and the line of the White Tree, watched over by the Stewards in the years without a king.
- In the North the remnant kept the heirlooms and the heirship of Isildur in the house of the Chieftains, fostered in the hidden valley of Rivendell, until the Ranger who should be king returned in the days of the War of the Ring.
- The return of the king — Aragorn, the Chieftain of the Dúnedain of the North — at the crowning as King Elessar restored the kingship of the Reunited Kingdom, joining the northern and southern Dúnedain under one crown.
Language
The Dúnedain spoke the Common Speech (Westron), which had in great part grown out of the ancient tongue of the Men of Númenor; and among the lords of their blood, especially in Gondor, the Elven-tongue Sindarin was also used and beloved, and their noble and royal names were given in it.
Significance
The Dúnedain are the seed of Númenor’s goodness cast upon Middle-earth: the Faithful remnant through whom the kingship, the White Tree and the friendship with the Elves survive the Drowning and are at length restored — the folk from whom the kings of Men in the later age spring.