Valandil
04-06-2007, 10:45 PM
I am currently re-reading the UT sections on Numenor: A Description of Numenor, Aldarion and Erendis and The Line of Elros.
Got a few questions.
I'm wondering what JRRT pictured it to be like - when the last Human refuges were rounded up, put on Elven ships and taken off to follow the star - to their new land.
First of all: When did it happen? The UT material says that the Age of Numenor is considered to begin when Elros first sat down on his throne in the city of Armenelos - in year 32 of the Second Age. So - did the migration to Numenor take place in year 1 of the Second Age? Or a little later than that? How much time transpired between the defeat of Morgoth by the Valar, and the settling of Beleriand into the sea? There had to be SOME amount of time, because various Elves went this way and that, and Sauron even went to Eonwe to repent for his evil deeds - and the last two sons of Feanor were wandering around with two of the jewels for awhile. So - how long do you think it took for Beleriand to sink (are we explicitly told someplace?)? And - just when in there did the refuges sail for Numenor?
Second: How many people do you think there were? I think it was very low - 5000 max, probably between 1000 and 2000, maybe as few as 500 or so. Most of the Edain had been wiped out. Only a few here and there made it to the mouth of Sirion.
I think that once they got to Numenor, the Edain tended to have rather large families at first, and then smaller ones once the island had been populated. Since they lived so long, and stayed so much of that time in the prime of life, it stands to reason that the women were of child-bearing age for a long time. Even three thousand years later, Isildur's four sons were separated by something like 121 years! So - if they wanted, they could probably have very large families - and spread their children out pretty widely.
It's just interesting to me to try and picture what it might have been like - the refuge camp, the arrival of the Elven ships, and being told about their new "land of gift", the farewells of Elrond and Elros ("Well... I guess this is it."), the voyage, the landing, moving inland and staking out the main city - and then beginning to build.
What do you guys think?
Got a few questions.
I'm wondering what JRRT pictured it to be like - when the last Human refuges were rounded up, put on Elven ships and taken off to follow the star - to their new land.
First of all: When did it happen? The UT material says that the Age of Numenor is considered to begin when Elros first sat down on his throne in the city of Armenelos - in year 32 of the Second Age. So - did the migration to Numenor take place in year 1 of the Second Age? Or a little later than that? How much time transpired between the defeat of Morgoth by the Valar, and the settling of Beleriand into the sea? There had to be SOME amount of time, because various Elves went this way and that, and Sauron even went to Eonwe to repent for his evil deeds - and the last two sons of Feanor were wandering around with two of the jewels for awhile. So - how long do you think it took for Beleriand to sink (are we explicitly told someplace?)? And - just when in there did the refuges sail for Numenor?
Second: How many people do you think there were? I think it was very low - 5000 max, probably between 1000 and 2000, maybe as few as 500 or so. Most of the Edain had been wiped out. Only a few here and there made it to the mouth of Sirion.
I think that once they got to Numenor, the Edain tended to have rather large families at first, and then smaller ones once the island had been populated. Since they lived so long, and stayed so much of that time in the prime of life, it stands to reason that the women were of child-bearing age for a long time. Even three thousand years later, Isildur's four sons were separated by something like 121 years! So - if they wanted, they could probably have very large families - and spread their children out pretty widely.
It's just interesting to me to try and picture what it might have been like - the refuge camp, the arrival of the Elven ships, and being told about their new "land of gift", the farewells of Elrond and Elros ("Well... I guess this is it."), the voyage, the landing, moving inland and staking out the main city - and then beginning to build.
What do you guys think?