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He was among the last surviving Numenoreans.
A mighty warrior and king who would be defined not by his great deeds, his rule over the
Dunedain, or his curse over an entire people, but for his possession of The One Ring - and
his failure to destroy it.
Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we cover the life and travels of Isildur.
Isildur is born in 3209 SA, the eldest son of Elendil.
Ten years later, his brother Anarion is born.
During Isildur’s youth, Numenor is in a unique position in its history.
For centuries, Numenor’s rulers had led them deeper and deeper into rebellion against the valar.
They had become cruel overlords of their settlements in Middle-earth, and the majority party - the
King’s Men, had become more and more oppressive of the Faithful - those who remained true
to the Valar and the Elves.
32 years before Isildur’s birth, one of the faithful Numenoreans, Tar-Palantir ascends
to the throne of Numenor.
Isildur is born into his family who are great among the Faithful.
His youth comes during the reign of Tar-Palantir, which lasts until 3255, when Isildur is 46 years old.
Upon Tar-Palantir’s death, the kingdom is plunged into turmoil.
The throne is usurped by Ar-Pharazon, leader of the King’s Men faction, who takes the
rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, as his wife.
Just seven years later, Ar-Pharazon would capture Sauron and bring him to Numenor as a prisoner.
But within that very year, the dark lord would corrupt the King and become his chief advisor.
One day, Isildur learns from his grandfather Amandil that the King would have the sacred
White Tree of Nimloth cut down.
In disguise, Isildur goes to Armenelos, to the very courts of the King and steals a fruit
from the tree at great personal risk.
When the guards are aroused, Isildur must fight his way out, and receives many wounds.
He returns to his family, where the fruit is planted in secret and blessed by Amandil.
Meanwhile, Isildur lies in a terrible state, nearing death.
However, as the first leaf opens on the sapling of Nimloth, Isildur awakes and his wounds trouble him no more.
While Sauron and Ar-Pharazon would lead Numenor further and further into darkness, Isildur
would have his first son - Elendur in 3299.
11 years later, Ar-Pharazon, feeling death drawing ever closer, orders the preparation
of a great fleet to make war upon the Valar.
Sauron had convinced the king that he could take immortality by force.
At this news, Elendil, Isildur, and Anarion begin preparing ships of their own to escape Numenor.
When Ar-Pharazon launches his fleet in 3319, Elendil’s family leads nine ships of Faithful
Numenoreans in fleeing their home.
Elendil commands four ships, Anarion commands two, and Isildur commands three - with his
own ship bearing the young White Tree descended from Nimloth.
Ar-Pharazon and his fleet perish and the once great island realm of Numenor is destroyed
- taken into the depths of the sea.
The Nine Ships of the Faithful are carried east to Middle-earth by the very storm that
brings about the great destruction.
Elendil’s ships are carried to the North, coming to shore in Lindon where Gil-galad,
Elrond, and Cirdan dwell.
Meanwhile, Isildur and Anarion are taken south to the mouths of the Anduin river.
While Elendil would travel up the River Lhun and establish the kingdom of Arnor, Isildur
and Anarion make their way up the Great River and found the realm of Gondor.
Among the possessions brought by the Numenorean exiles is a great black stone, which Isildur
places on the hill of Erech in western Gondor.
There, the King of the Men of the Mountain swears allegiance to Isildur.
He vows to aid the sons of Elendil and their kin forever, even if Death should take them.
Beginning in 3320, Isildur and Anarion would jointly rule the realm of Gondor.
Isildur sets up his dwelling in Minas Ithil, where he plants the sapling of the White Tree.
Anarion establishes Minas Anor - later known as Minas Tirith.
Their thrones, however, would sit side by side in the capital of Gondor - Osgiliath
- “the citadel of the stars”.
Together, they are Kings of Gondor under their father Elendil, the High King of Arnor.
With their father, Isildur and Anarion place the seven Palantiri - the seeing stones - in
strategic locations throughout their kingdoms.
These stones, created in ancient days by Feanor, allow the kings to communicate with one another
and gaze across their lands.
In the time of peace that follows, Isildur and his wife have two more sons - Aratan (3339)
and Ciryon (3379).
But this peace would not last.
For Sauron, whose body had been destroyed in the downfall of Numenor, would return.
He had made his way back to Mordor, regaining his physical form and seeking to destroy the
exiles of Numenor whom he hated.
In 3429, Sauron attacks Minas Ithil, capturing the city and burning the White Tree of Gondor.
However, once again, Isildur escapes - not only with his wife and sons, but also with
a seedling of the White Tree.
He sails down the Anduin river, then turns north - bringing word to his father in Arnor and to Gil-galad.
Meanwhile, Anarion holds out against Sauron in Minas Anor.
In 3430, Elendil and Gil-galad meet at Amon Sul and form the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.
Around this time, Isildur summons the Men of the Mountains to fulfil their oath, but
they would not, for they had worshipped Sauron in the Dark Years.
Then Isildur says to their king:
And they fled before the wrath of Isildur, and did not dare to go forth to war on Sauron's part.
The men instead hide themselves in the mountains, where they would dwindle and become the Dead Men of Dunharrow.
This same year, Isildur’s fourth son Valandil is born when his family is in Rivendell.
The following year, Elendil and Gil-galad march their combined force to meet Elrond and Isildur.
After three years of battle planning and forging weapons, The Last Alliance departs Imladris for war.
Staying behind are Isildur’s wife and youngest son.
Joined by elves from Greenwood and Lorien, as well as dwarves from Khazad-dum, the Alliance
travels south where they defeat Sauron’s forces in the Battle of Dagorlad.
Isildur goes with the army into the very lands of Mordor, laying siege to the dark tower of Barad-dur.
The siege would last seven long years.
In year six, his brother Anarion is killed by a rock thrown from the dark tower (3440).
The following year, Sauron makes a last-ditch effort to expel his attackers - coming forth
from Barad-dur, he drives the alliance back toward the very slopes of Mount Doom.
Elendil and Gil-galad personally go up against the dark lord and unlike in the films, together
they throw down Sauron, but both are killed in the deed.
Elendil’s sword Narsil breaks under him as he falls.
Isildur comes to the body of his father and takes up the hilt shard of Narsil.
Approaching the fallen Sauron, he cuts the One Ring from his hand.
Elrond tells of this moment in The Fellowship of the Ring:
Rather than destroying the One Ring and defeating Sauron once and for all, Isildur takes the
ring in recompense for his fallen family and decrees it an heirloom of his house.
After the fall of Sauron, Isildur returns to Gondor and takes his father’s role as
King of Arnor and leader of the Dunedain of Middle-earth.
He also takes possession of the Elendilmir - a star-shaped white gem set upon Mithril
also known as the Star of the North.
For one year, he remains in the southern kingdom of men, planting the seedling of the White
Tree in Minas Anor in memory of his fallen brother.
Here, the White Trees of Gondor would remain into and even after the days of Aragorn Elessar.
While in Gondor he puts things in the realm in order, and begins teaching his nephew,
Anarion’s son Meneldil, in ruling over the realm.
With his nephew and a small company, Isildur rides through the lands of Gondor and comes to Anorien.
There, they create a tomb and memorial for Elendil upon a hill which would be known as
Amon Anwar - “Hill of Awe”.
It is during his time at Elendil’s tomb that Isildur documents on a scroll how he
came to possess the One Ring and transcribes the writing that appears on the ring when it is hot.
It is this very scroll that Gandalf the Grey would read in Minas Tirith roughly 3000 years later.
Finally, on September 5, in the year Two of the Third Age, Isildur hands the rule of Gondor
to Meneldil and journeys north toward Rivendell, where his wife and youngest son were still living.
King Isildur, his three eldest sons, and a guard of 200 soldiers travel along the Anduin
river on their way north.
After one month of travel, they reach the northern portion of the Gladden Fields, where they make camp.
As Isildur believed all the servants of Sauron had been destroyed, the camp is left unguarded.
Though no one was aware of it, the One Ring, still laden with Sauron’s evil will, would call to his servants.
The Dunedain are ambushed by a group of 2000 orcs from the Misty Mountains.
Trapped and facing a force 10 times his own, Isildur sends his esquire Ohtar to flee with
the shards of Narsil.
The orcs attack again and again one by one, Isildur’s sons are slain until only Elendur, his eldest, remains.
I go without your leave.
Elendur kissed him.
At his son’s insistence, Isildur puts the ring on his finger with a cry of pain.
Isildur is made invisible, though the Elendilmir on his brow continues to shine, blazing like
a red and wrathful star.
Isildur covers the gem with his hood and in great anguish of heart, he runs from the battle,
coming at last to the banks of Anduin in the dead of night.
He attempts to swim across the mighty river, struggling among the clinging weeds before
suddenly realizing the ring had gone.
After an initial overwhelming sense of loss, he realizes the pain has left him and a great
burden had been taken away.
He comes up out of the mud on the western shore of the river.
Despite being more vulnerable than ever before, his appearance strikes fear into the hearts of the orcs nearby.
They see a hulking shape with a piercing eye like a star.
They loose their poison arrows and flee.
Needlessly, for Isildur unarmed was pierced through heart and throat, and without a cry
he fell back into the water.
No trace of his body was ever found by Elves or Men.
So passed the first victim of the malice of the masterless Ring: Isildur, second King
of all the Dúnedain, lord of Arnor and Gondor, and in that age of the World the last.”
With Isildur and three of his sons slain, the Kingship would pass to Valandil, who would
become the Third King of Arnor and be given a new Elendilmir by the elves of Rivendell.
In the south, the Kings of Gondor would come from the line of Anarion.
While the realm would persevere through dark times, the line of its Kings would come to an end.
Meanwhile, in Arnor, while the realm itself would fall into ruin, the line of Isildur
would continue, unbroken all the way to Aragorn, who would bear the reforged sword Anduril,
the second Elendilmir, and the Ring of Barahir.
The likeness of Isildur would live on not only in these heirlooms, but in the mighty Argonath.
The great pillars of the kings.
These gigantic figures, carved in the likeness of Isildur and his brother Anarion, would
be made after a great victory for Gondor against the invading Easterlings.
Nearly 1800 years later, Isildur’s heir would pass the Argonath with the Fellowship
and though time had taken its toll on the figures, they still exuded power and majesty,
standing in defiance of the enemies of Gondor.
Aragorn would go on to not only wield the reforged sword, but also enlist the cursed
Dead Men of Dunharrow for the battle at Pelargir and lead the Free Peoples in their battle against Sauron.
After the War of the Ring, he discovers a familiar sapling on Mount Mindoluin, and renews
the line of the White Tree of Gondor.
When Aragorn orders the restoration of Orthanc, another startling discovery is made.
Behind a hidden door, in a steel closet, was the long lost Elendilmir of Isildur.
Aragorn would wear this Elendilmir on his brow, just as his ancestor had, as he works
to restore Gondor and Arnor to their former glory as in the days of Elendil, Anarion, and Isildur.
Now if you haven’t heard already, our friend Fellowship of Fans broke the news that Isildur
will be the main character of Amazon’s new series.
Check out his new video, featuring yours truly, where we talk about what this means for the
show and let me know here in the comments what you think of Isildur being the main character
of LOTR on Prime!
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