Decline of the Lifespan of the Númenóreans

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The Númenóreans worried and complained bitterly about the decline in their lifespans from the time of Tar-Atanamir (lived II 1800-2221[1], reigned II 2029-2221) until the passage of Aragorn Elessar, when even Arwen Undómiel complained about the Fate of Men[2].

The desire for life unending within the Circles of the World, described by Tolkien as an envy of the Eldar[3], was one of the pertinent and persistent causes of the rebellion of the Númenóreans in the Second Age. Indeed, Tolkien remarks that “the more joyful was their life, the more they began to long for the immortality of the Eldar.”[4] Even Tar-Minastir, who sent the Númenórean fleet to the assistance of Gil-galad in the mid-Second Age, “loved the Eldar but envied them.”[5]

But there were other causes as well – greed and hubris – behind the fall, as they were for the Noldor before them, and as they are for real people in our real world. Tolkien writes that “after Minastir, the Kings [of Númenor] became greedy of wealth and power. … their havens became fortresses, holding wide coastlands in subjugation. Atanamir and his successors levied heavy tribute, and the ships of the Númenóreans returned laden with spoil.”[6] Tar-Telemmaitë, the fifteenth king, “was so called because of his love of silver, and he bade his servants to seek ever for mithril.”[7] His successor, Tar-Vanimeldë, the third ruling Queen, was given to “music and dance”, while her husband wielded royal power. Tar-Vanimeldë’s husband so enjoyed the exercise of royal power that he usurped the throne from his own son and ruled for 20 years in his despite. [8]

Yet the desire for life unending within Arda was still the primary cause of the fall of the Númenóreans. Except for Tar-Palantir, it would appear that every King of Númenor from Tar-Atanamir to Ar-Pharazôn was concerned about obtaining life unending within the circles of the world.[9] Tar-Atanamir received an embassy from Valinor concerning his complaint about having to die. Along with this was a demand that the Númenóreans be admitted to Aman, “’and taste there, were it but for a day, the bliss of the Powers’”.[10] Messengers from Manwë rebuked the king, “’Yet it seems that you desire now to have the good of both kindreds, to sail to Valinor when you will, and to return when you please to your homes.’”[11] As for Ar-Pharazôn, he

…felt the shadow of death approach, as his days lengthened; and he was filled with fear and wrath. …

And [Sauron] said: ‘The Valar have possessed themselves of the land where this is no death; and the lie to you concerning it, hiding it as best they may, because of their avarice, and their fear lest the Kings of Men should wrest from them the deathless realm and rule the world in their stead …’

Then Ar-Pharazôn, being besotted, and walking under the shadow of death, for his span was drawing towards it end, hearkened to Sauron; and he began to ponder in his heart how he might make was upon the Valar.[12]

Even among the descendants of the Faithful in Gondor, the problem followed them, as Faramir spoke to Frodo in Henneth Annûn of the Dúnedain of Gondor:

‘Death was ever present, because the Númenoreans still, as they had in their old kingdom, and so lost it, hungered after endless life unchanging. Kings made tombs more splendid than houses of the living, and counted old names in the rolls of their descent dearer than the names of sons. Childless lords sat in aged halls musing on heraldry; in secret chambers withered men compounded strong elixirs, or in high cold towers asked questions of the stars. And the last king of the line of Anárion had no heir.[13]

Finally, let us consider the words of Arwen herself to Aragorn as prepared to die in his tomb in Rath Dínen:

‘”…There is now no ship that would bear me hence, and I must indeed abide the Doom of Men, whether I will or I nill: the loss and the silence. But I say to you, King of the Númenoreans, not till now have I understood the tale of your people and their fall. As wicked fools I scorned them, but I pity them at last. For if this is indeed, as the Eldar say, the gift of the One to Men, it is bitter to receive.”[14]

The Númenórean Kings

The lives of the Númenórean kings began to decline immediately after Tar-Atanamir and his son and successor, Tar-Ancalimon. His eleven predecessors, from Vardamir Nólimon to Ancalimon, lived an average of 404 years. Tar-Ancalimë, the first Ruling Queen, had lived longest (other than Elros) at 412 years; Tar-Telperion, the Second Ruling Queen, and Tar-Amandil, the second king (his father, Vardamir Nólimon, declined the crown in his son’s favor), lived 411 years. Tar-Atanamir refused to surrender his life, lived 421 years, the longest since Elros; so he gained perhaps 9 extra years of questionable quality.[15] Tar-Atanamir’s son, Tar-Ancalimon, also refused to surrender his life, but only lived 400 years; his grandson, Tar-Telemmaitë continued the refusal to surrender his life, and died at age 390 years. There followed a rapid decline in the lifespan of Númenórean kings after that, as the chart shows: In the end, their lifespan was the same as that of other Númenóreans, about 3 times the life of other races of men, or about 210 years.[16]

After 14 generations of stable lifespans of about 405 years, the lifespan of Númenórean kings began to decline sharply. The yellow bar is for Tar-Anducal, who for 20 years usurped the throne from his son, Tar-Alcarin. Notice the straight-line character of the lives of the rulers from 14 to 22.

In contrast to the Kings and their close kindred in the royal house, there is evidence that the lifespan of their cousins, the Lords of Andúnië, declined much more slowly. Assuming that the Lords of Andúnië had the same lifespan as their cousins the Kings of Númenor, they would have also have lived an average of 405 years until the reign of Tar-Ancalimon. After Tar-Ancalimon there were 11 Kings of Númenor, but only 9 Lords of Andúnië.[17] Note that Elendil the Tall was 322 at the time of his death, but still hale and strong enough to fight Sauron side-by-side with Gil-galad.[18] The decline in their lifespans – along with their own wealth and aggrandizement – seems to have become the primary concern of the House of Elros. Since the Lords of Andúnië had longer lives than the royal house, part of the policy of Ar-Gimilzôr in marrying Inzilbêth, niece of Eärendur, 15th Lord of Andúnië, (his sister Lindórië was the mother of Inzilbêth), could have been an attempt to see that his offspring had longer lifespan. Inzilbêth seems to have been opposed to marrying Gimilzôr[19], but it one must understand that the growing power of the faction of the King’s Men, along with the increasingly tenuous position of the Faithful, would make it hard for her to resist his desire to marry. At this point, Ar-Gimilzôr moved many of the Faithful from the western regions of Númenor to the eastern regions near Rómenna.[20]

The length of the lifespans of the Númenórean kings collapsed rapidly during the third millennium of the Second Age, while the Lords of Andúnië retained a fairly stable lifespan.

The Lords of Andúnië may have retained their longer lives through a way of life more like that of the Eldar. In any case, the decline in the lifespan of the kings must have been a matter of serious concern.

Tar-Palantir, son of Inzilbêth and Gimilzôr, was the only Númenórean king since Tar-Atanamir to live longer than his predecessor.[21] Eventually, he died of grief as Númenóreans refused to reconcile themselves to the fate of Men and to the Eldar and Valar.[22] Part of the problem that plagued the Númenóreans is this very of refusal of reconciliation: Tolkien noted that the long lifespan of the Númenóreans was “brought about by assimilation of their mode of life to that of the Eldar … ‘Clinging to life’, and so in the end dying perforce and involuntarily, was one of the changes brought about by the Shadow and the rebellion of the Númenóreans; it was also accompanied by a shrinking of their natural life-span.”[23] Tolkien also implies that this represents an impiety on behalf of the Númenóreans,[24] and that this impiety and the accompanying rejection of “the ‘theological’ teaching the Númenóreans had received from [the Eldar]’ marked a fall from grace and the diminution of the lifespan of the Dúnedain in Númenor.[25] I think this rather implies that other kings of Númenor married outside the House of Elros after Tar-Aldarion’s time.

The lifespans of both the Kings of Arnor and Gondor continued to diminish in exile in Middle-earth. The Kings of Gondor lived about 20% longer than the Kings of Arnor (and their successors in Arthedain), although there were premature deaths from both warfare and from illness. The reasons for this difference in longevity is not quite clear: certainly Arnor was under desperate assault by Angmar, but likewise Gondor was under a series of attacks by Harad and various Easterlings peoples such has the Wainriders and the Balchoth[26] The weather was certainly milder in Gondor, which was the more southerly of the two kingdoms of the exiled Dúnedain.[27] Some of the difference might be due to a presumed to a return to the worship of Darkness among some of the people of Arnor, a practice that might have led to the weakening and eventual overthrow of Rhudaur by allies of Angmar.[28] The “waning of the Dúnedain” [29] from continuous civil war might describe not only the depopulation of the old kingdom of Arnor but also to shorter lives for its exilic inhabitants.

The decline in the length of the lives of the Kings of Gondor was slower than that of the Kings of Arnor and Arthedain. Toward the end of the kingdom, warfare took an increasingly greater toll on the royal house. The yellow bar is for Castamir the Usurper. Note the descending, almost straight-line character of the lives of those kings not killed in war. There is a rapid decline after 25, Hyarmendacil II: Minardil was killed, Telemnar died in the Plague, and his cousin Tarondor moved the capital to Minas Anor from Osgiliath.

From the beginning of the Third Age, the Kings of Arnor had shorter lives than the Kings of Gondor. There is straight-line character in the shortening lives of the Kings of Arnor from 3 to 27, but then the lifespan of the Chieftains of the Dúnedain stabilized at just short of 160 years.

The lifespan of Aragorn Elessar[30] is roughly in line with the declining lifespan of the Kings of Gondor, but an increase of about one-fourth for the lifespan of 8 the last 10 Chieftains of the Dúnedain. Of the Chieftains of the Dúnedain, the last two, Arador and Arathorn II, died violent deaths in battle, as did Aragorn I; excluding these three, the Chieftains lived almost 160 years. The lifespan of the Chieftains of the Dúnedain seems to have stabilized at this level. This is also the lifespan of the last King of Gondor live to the end of his natural life, Eärnil II. The length of Aragorn II’s life, however, is instead in line with that of the Kings of Gondor, and was roughly the same as the age of a King of Númenor just before the downfall and drowning of that land. Part of this is that “in Aragorn Elessar the dignity of the kings of old was renewed”[31], and a special grace granted to Aragorn, but also in part perhaps due to the fact that Aragorn had grown up in the house of Elrond, who “’came to love him as a son of his own.’”[32] Part of it may also been that Aragorn lived more like the Eldar than any other Dúnadan since the days of his forefather Valandil: he had assimilated the mode of his life to that of the Eldar.

The lifespan of the Kings of Arnor was never as long as those of Gondor. Aragorn's lifespan, however, was more in line with that of a King of Gondor. Notice the straight-line character of the lines, excluding those rulers killed in combat.

Other Númenóreans

The length of life for other Númenóreans is not explicitly referenced except in a few places. Tarinya-Almarian, the queen of Tar-Meneldur, told her husband that “’The kin of Erendis have not the length of life that is granted to the descendants of Elros…”[33] Tolkien wrote that Tar-Aldarion was so unhappy in his marriage to Erendis, for which he blamed her fate of a shorter life, that he made a law that the King’s Heir in Númenor could wed only among the descendants of Elros, but then he notes that “this rule of ‘royal marriage’ was never a matter of law, but it became a custom of price: ‘a symptom of the growth of the Shadow, since it only became rigid when the distinction between the Line of Elros and other families, in life-span, vigour, or ability, had diminished or altogether disappeared.’”[34] From this we may deduce that the average Númenórean was living to something beyond 200 years, since the kings were dying at about that age.[35] One wonders how much shorter the lives of average Númenóreans had become having begun their time on Númenor with lifespans “in the beginning thrice that of lesser Men”[36] if “the distinction between the Line of Elros and other families, in life-span … had diminished or altogether disappeared”. I think that in this context, we must imagine that the lifespans of even the average Númenóreans had become noticeably shorter as well.[37]

The line of the Stewards seems stable but with high variance. The Princes of Dol Amroth show a marked decline in lifespan.[38] Only the Lords of Dol Amroth show the straight-line character of declines in the royal houses in the Second and Third Ages.

Tolkien notes that during the rule of the Stewards, “the lifespan those [Dúnedain of Gondor] even of the purer blood steadily decreased.”[39] He also notes that

...though not in the direct line, the Hurinionath [the Stewards], the family to which Pelendur and Mardil belonged, were of Númenórean blood hardly less pure than that of the kings, and undoubtedly had some share in the actual blood of Elendil and Anárion.[40]

These two families must be considered extraordinary in Gondor. The Princes of Dol Amroth had elven blood in them from the elf-maid Mithrellas. The Stewards were related to the House of Anárion: it should not be surprising that the house of the Stewards would be related to the kings whom they served, nor should it be thought unusual that the royal house would marry into the other noble houses of the land: indeed, it would be unusual if they did not, as it was in the latter years of Númenor. In addition, the two houses were related by the end of the Third Age: Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth was brother-in-law to Denethor II, so Faramir was his nephew.[41]

Of the Stewards, only Hador, the seventh Ruling Steward, lived to an age comparable to the royal houses: he died at age 150 in III 2395. Belegorn, his great-grandfather and fourth Ruling Steward, died age 130 in III 2204. The White Tree planted by Tarondor in Minas Tirith died during the reign of Belecthor II, the 21^st Ruling Steward; thereafter, none of the five Ruling Stewards lived beyond 100 years. (Faramir lived to 120 years after Aragorn II restored the kingdom and planted a seedling of the White Tree.) As an interesting note, none of the Ruling Stewards died in battle, although Boromir, 11^th Ruling Steward and ancestor of the Boromir of The Fellowship of the Ring, died at age 79: “His life was shortened by the poisoned wounds he received in the Morgul-war.”[42]

In the case of the Princes of Dol Amroth, their lifespan from III 2913 onward was not more than real-world folk of quite advanced age: none of the last 4 Princes of Dol Amroth mentioned by Tolkien lived beyond age 100. Since these were the two leading families of Gondor, and they probably had the “purest” blood in that land – and so the longest lives by Tolkien’s logic – I think it is reasonable to expect that by the end of the Third Age, most of the folk of Gondor were typically living what we real-world folk would call advanced but not particularly fanciful age.

Tolkien does not mention the lifespans of families other than the royal houses until after the fall of Gondor. None of the other families were of interest until the House of Anárion became extinct.

Possible considerations for Tolkien’s notes

JRR Tolkien was a capable mathematician. In one of his letters, he reported his calculation that the “Númenórean calendar was just a bit better than the Gregorian”, and then explains that while the Gregorian calendar is 26 seconds fast, the Númenórean calendar is 17.2 seconds slow.[43] This is a bit of a tedious calculation without a computer or calculator: Tolkien did it by hand.

The distinct declines in the lifespans of the Númenórean rulers appear to be straight-line calculations. There should be notes among his papers on this decline, or perhaps even a chart or rough graph for the ruling houses of Númenor, Arnor and Gondor. (I doubt there is a graph or set of calculations for the Lords of Andúnië, but perhaps there is.)

There are also similar declines for the Lords of Dol Amroth, as I have noted. It is entirely possible that Tolkien did all this work without sketching out a chart other than the tables he constructed: no charts or graphs have ever been referenced in The History of Middle-Earth series.

Appendix 1: The House of Elros[44]

		king	born	sovereign	Retired	died	age	ruled	Comment
1	I	Elros	-58	32	442	442	500	410	High King of the Númenóreans
2	II	Vardamir	61	442	443	471	410		nominally ruled 1 year
3	III	Amandil	192	442	590	603	411	148
4	IV	Elendil	350	590	740	751	401	150	father of Silmariën, wife of Elatan of Andúnië; ancestor of Elendil and Aragorn; sent first Númenórean ships back to Middle-Earth
5	V	Meneldur	543	740	883	942	399	143
6	VI	Aldarion	700	883	1075	1098	398	192	born Anardil
7	VII	Ancalimë	873	1075	1280	1285	412	205	first ruling queen
8	VIII	Anárion	1003	1280	1394	1404	401	114
9	IX	Súrion	1174	1394	1556	1574	400	162
10	X	Telperiën	1320	1556	1731	1731	411	175	second ruling queen
11	XI	Minastir	1474	1731	1869	1873	399	138	may have been coregent from ca. 1700; sent fleet to help Gil-galad
12	XII	Ciryatan	1634	1869	2029	2035	401	160	the Shadow falls on Númenor
13	XIII	Atanamir	1800	2029		2221	421	192	refused to lay down his life
14	XIV	Ancalimon	1986	2221		2386	400	165
15	XV	Telemmaitë	2136	2386		2526	390	140
16	XVI	Vanimeldë	2277	2526		2637	360	111	third ruling queen
		Anducal	2286	2637		2657	371	20	husband of Vanimeldë; usurped throne from Alcarin, his son; ruled 20 years
17	XVII	Alcarin	2406	2657		2737	331	100	ruled 80 years; rightful king 100 years
18	XVIII	Calmacil	2516	2737		2825	309	88
19	XIX	Ardamin	2618	2825		2899	281	74	Ar-Abattârik in Adûnaic
20	XX	Adûnakhôr	2709	2899		2962	253	63	first king to take his name in Adûnaic
21	XXI	Zimrathôn	2798	2962		3033	235	71
22	XXII	Sakalthôr	2876	3033		3102	226	69
23	XXIII	Gimilzôr	2960	3102		3177	217	75	moved the Faithful to Rómenna
24	XXIV	Palantir	3035	3177		3255	220	78	Ar-Inziladûn in Adûnaic
25	XXV	Pharazôn †	3118	3255		3319 †	201	64	seized Míriel (Zimraphel), daughter of Palantir; usurped the throne; ruined Númenor by attacking Valinor

Appendix 2: The House of Valandil of Andúnië

The “corresponding Númenórean King” is the king at the death estimated for the Lord of Andúnië except for Amandil and Elendil, who are presumed to have outlived Ar-Pharazôn. Before the reign of Tar-Atanamir, the Lords of Andúnië have been assigned the average age of the Kings of Númenor. After that, the ages of the Lords of Andúnië is calculated to decline so that there are only 19 generations of Lords of Andúnië while there are 21 for the Kings of Númenor.

		line from Elros	Born	died	age	Comment	est. birth	est. death	est. age	Corresponding Númenórean King	Age of the Kings of Númenor
1	I	Elros	-58	442	500	High King of the Númenóreans	-58	442	500	Elros	500
2	II	Vardamir	61	471	410	ruled nominally 1 year	61	471	410	Vardamir	410
3	III	Amandil	192	603	411		192	603	411	Amandil	411
4	IV	Elendil	350	751	401	father of Silmariën, mother of Valandil of Andúnië; ancestor of Elendil and Aragorn	350	751	401	Elendil	401
		Silmariën	521			Silmariën, daughter and eldest child of Elendil, married Elatan of Andúnië	521	934	413	Meneldur	401
1	I	Valandil	630			first Lord of Andúnië	630	1035	405	Aldarion	398
2	II						787	1192	405	Ancalimë	412
3	III						944	1349	405	Anárion	401
4	IV						1102	1507	405	Súrion	400
5	V						1259	1664	405	Telperiën	411
6	VI						1416	1821	405	Minastir	399
7	VII						1573	1978	405	Ciryatan	401
8	VIII						1731	2136	405	Atanamir	421
9	IX					Tar-Ancalimon becomes King of Númenor	1888	2293	405	Ancalimon	400
10	X						2045	2450	405	Telemmaitë	390
11	XI						2195	2593	399	Vanimeldë	360
12	XII						2336	2729	393	Alcarin	331
13	XIII						2470	2857	386	Ardamin	281
14	XIV						2596	2977	380	Zimrathôn	235
15	XV	Eärendur				his sister Lindórië was the mother of Inzilbêth mother of Tar-Palantir	2715	3089	374	Sakalthôr	226
16	XVI						2825	3193	368	Palantir	220
17	XVII	Numendil				his son Elentir might have been betrothed to Tar-Míriel, daughter of Tar-Palantir.	2928	3290	362	Pharazôn †	201 †
18	XVIII	Amandil		3319		last Lord of Andúnië; sailed to Eressëa to warn the Valar of Ar-Pharazôn’s impending attack. Might have been the younger son of Numendil.	3023	3379	355	Pharazôn †	201 †
19	XIX	Elendil †	3119	3441	322	"The Tall", High King of the Dúnedain (Annúminas)[45]	3119	3441 †	322 †	Pharazôn †	201 †

Appendix 3: The House of Anárion[46]

		king	born	sovereign	died	age	ruled	Comment	Arnor
1	I	Elendil †	3119	3320	3441 †	322	121	"The Tall", High King of the Dúnedain (Annuminas)	Elendil
		Anárion †	3219		3440 †	221		killed by a stonecast at Barad-dûr; never sovereign	Elendil
1	I	Meneldil	3318	10	158	280	148	King of Gondor. Seat at Osgiliath	Valandil
2	II	Cemendur	3399	158	238	279	80		Valandil
3	III	Eärendil	48	238	324	276	86		Eldacar
4	IV	Anardil	136	324	411	275	87		Arantar
5	V	Ostoher	222	411	492	270	81		Tarcil
6	VI	Rómendacil I †	310	492	541 †	231	49	born Tarostar; slain in battle with Easterlings	Tarondor
7	VII	Turambar	397	541	667	270	126		Elendur
8	VIII	Atanatar I	480	667	748	268	81		Elendur
9	IX	Siriondil	570	748	830	260	82		Earendur
10	X	Falastur	654	830	913	259	83	born Tarannon; first childless king	Amlaith
11	XI	Eärnil I †	736	913	946 †	210	33	nephew of Falastur; drowned in storm off Umbar	Beleg
12	XII	Ciryandil †	820	946	1015 †	195	69	fell in battle with against Harad	Beleg
13	XIII	Hyarmendacil I	899	1015	1149	250	134	born Ciryaher	Celepharn
14	XIV	Atanatar II	977	1149	1226	249	77	called Alcarin, the Glorious. Height of power of Gondor	Celebrindor
15	XV	Narmacil I	1049	1226	1294	245	68	second childless king	Malvegil
16	XVI	Calmacil	1058	1294	1304	246	10	brother of Narmacil I	Malvegil
17	XVII	Rómendacil II	1126	1304	1366	240	62	regent from 1240 for his uncle and then his father; built Argonath	Arveleg I
18	XVIII	Valacar	1194	1366	1432	238	66	married Vidumavi, daughter of King of Rhovanion	Araphor
19	XIX	Eldacar	1255	1432	1490	235	58	born Vinthanarya; deposed 1437-1447 by Castamir	Araphor
		Castamir †	1259	1437	1447 †	188	10	called "The Usurper". Descendant of Calmacil; killed by Eldacar at Ethraid Erui	Araphor
20	XX	Aldamir †	1330	1490	1540 †	210	50	died fighting rebels of Umbar allied with Harad	Araphor
21	XXI	Hyarmendacil II	1391	1540	1621	230	81	born Vinyarion; defeated Harad in vengeance for Aldamir	Argeleb II
22	XXII	Minardil †	1495	1621	1634 †	139	13	killed by the great-grandsons of Castamir at Pelargir	Argeleb II
23	XXIII	Telemnar	1516	1634	1636	120	2	died in the Plague with his children. White Tree died.	Argeleb II
24	XXIV	Tarondor	1577	1636	1798	221	162	nephew of Telemnar. Moved seat to Minas Anor. Planted scion of White Tree. Mordor unguarded.	Arveleg II
25	XXV	Umbardacil	1632	1798	1850	218	52	born Telumehtar. destroyed Havens of Umbar	Araval
26	XXVI	Narmacil II †	1684	1850	1856 †	172	6	Nazgûl re-entered Mordor. killed in battle with the Wainriders	Araval
27	XXVII	Calimehtar	1736	1856	1936	200	80	defeated Wainriders. Built White Tower of Minas Anor	Araphant
28	XXVIII	Ondohir †	1787	1936	1944 †	157	8	he and his sons killed by Wainriders. Daughter Fíriel married Arvedui of Fornost	Araphant
		Interregnum		1944			1	interregnum; Pelendur the Steward of Ondoher ruled	Araphant
29	XXIX	Eärnil II [47]	1883	1945	2043	160	98	grandson of Narmacil II; sent fleet to Lindon to fight Angmar; Nazgûl seized Minas Ithil	Aranarth
30	XXX	Eärnur †	1928	2043	2050 †	122	7	went to Minas Morgul to face Lord of the Nazgûl, never returned. Last King of Gondor.	Aranarth

Appendix 4: The House of Isildur[48]

				king	born	sovereign	Died	age	ruled	comment	Gondor
High King	1	1	I	Elendil †	3119	3320	3441 †	322	121	"The Tall", High King of the Dúnedain (Annúminas)	Elendil
	2	2	II	Isildur †	3209	3441	2 †	234	2		Meneldil
Arnor	1	3	III	Valandil	3430	10	249	260	239	High King of Arnor (Annúminas)	Eärendil
	2	4	IV	Eldacar	87	249	339	252	90		Anardil
	3	5	V	Arantar	185	339	435	250	96		Ostoher
	4	6	VI	Tarcil	280	435	515	235	80		Rómendacil I
	5	7	VII	Tarondor	372	515	602	230	87		Turambar
	6	8	VIII	Valandur †	462	602	652 †	190	50		Turambar
	7	9	IX	Elendur	552	652	777	225	125		Siriondil
	8	10	X	Eärendur	640	777	861	221	84	Arnor divided into 3 kingdoms after he died	Falastur
Arthedain	1	11	XI	Amlaith	726	861	946	220	85	King of Arthedain (Fornost)	Ciryandil
	2	12	XII	Beleg	812	946	1029	217	83		Hyarmendacil I
	3	13	XIII	Mallor	895	1029	1110	215	81		Hyarmendacil I
	4	14	XIV	Celepharn	979	1110	1191	212	81		Atanatar II
	5	15	XV	Celebrindor	1062	1191	1272	210	81		Narmacil I
	6	16	XVI	Malvegil	1144	1272	1349	205	77		Rómendacil II
	7	17	XVII	Argeleb I †	1226	1349	1356 †	130	7	killed in battle with Rhudaur and Angmar	Rómendacil II
	8	18	XVIII	Arveleg I †	1309	1356	1409 †	100	53	killed fighting Angmar at Amon Sûl	Valacar
	9	19	XIX	Araphor	1391	1409	1589	198	180		Hyarmendacil II
	10	20	XX	Argeleb II	1473	1589	1670	197	81		Tarondor
	11	21	XXI	Arvegil	1553	1670	1743	190	73		Tarondor
	12	22	XXII	Arveleg II	1633	1743	1813	180	70		Umbardacil
	13	23	XXIII	Araval	1711	1813	1891	180	78	Defeated Angmar with help of Lindon and Rivendell	Calimehtar
	14	24	XXIV	Araphant	1789	1891	1964	175	73	war with Angmar resumes	Eärnil II
	15	25	XXV	Arvedui †	1864	1964	1975 †	111	11	crushed by sea-ice during war with Angmar. Married Fíriel daughter of Ondoher of Gondor. Claimed throne of Gondor, but claim rejected.	Eärnil II
Chieftains	1	26	XXVI	Aranarth	1938	1975	2106	168	131	Chieftain of the Dúnedain (Imladris)	none
	2	27	XXVII	Arahael	2012	2106	2177	165	71		none
	3	28	XXVIII	Aranuir	2084	2177	2247	163	70		none
	4	29	XXIX	Aravir	2156	2247	2319	163	72		none
	5	30	XXX	Aragorn I †	2227	2319	2327 †	100	8	slain by wolves	none
	6	31	XXXI	Araglas	2296	2327	2455	159	128		none
	7	32	XXXII	Arahad I	2365	2455	2523	158	68		none
	8	33	XXXIII	Aragost	2431	2523	2588	157	65		none
	9	34	XXXIV	Aravorn	2497	2588	2654	157	66		none
	10	35	XXXV	Arahad II	2563	2654	2719	156	65		none
	11	36	XXXVI	Arassuil	2628	2719	2784	156	65		none
	12	37	XXXVII	Arathorn I †	2693	2784	2848 †	155	64		none
	13	38	XXXVIII	Argonui	2757	2848	2912	155	64		none
	14	39	XXXIX	Arador †	2820	2912	2930 †	110	18	killed by hill-trolls in the Coldfells	none
	15	40	XL	Arathorn II †	2873	2930	2933 †	60	3	killed by an orc-arrow	none
High King	1	41	XLI	Aragorn II	2931	2933	3019	210	206	King of the Reunited Kingdom as Elessar	Aragorn II
	2	42	XLII	Eldarion		120				born ca. IV 30; ruled at least 100 years	Eldarion