Tar-Aldarion
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Tar-Aldarion (700–1098 S.A., reigned 883–1075 S.A.) is a character from J.R.R Tolkien's fantasy-fictional prehistory of the world.
He was the sixth King of Númenor, succeeding his father, Tar-Meneldur. Tar-Aldarion was married to Erendis, a Númenórean lady who, however, was not descended from the Half-Elven line of King Elros Tar-Minyatur, and therefore had a much shorter life-span than did Aldarion. His love for sea voyages lasting years at a time caused a permanent rift between the couple. The tale of their marriage and estrangement survived the Downfall of Númenor as "Aldarion and Erendis, or The Mariner's Wife".
The True Name of Tar-Aldarion (Anardil) means 'Lover of the Sun. He was called "The Mariner", and his name signifies "of the trees" because he was a noted tree steward and forester — trees were essential to the construction of his fleets, but he took great care to replenish what was being felled. His first love was the sea, and he was already a great explorer before he became king. He made several journeys to Middle-earth and established contact with Gil-galad and his realm in the Grey Havens. He also established a vital Númenórean port in Middle-earth, named Vinyalonde (New Haven). He built the great haven of Lond Daer on the river Gwathló, and under his reign the deforesting of Enedwaith and Minhiriath began.
Because he and Erendis separated before she bore him a male heir, Aldarion felt compelled to establish his only daughter, Ancalimë, as heir to the throne, although this violated both the law and traditions of Númenor. The rules of succession were changed, replacing the principle of agnatic succession with that of gender-neutral primogeniture. Although Aldarion had living kinsmen who might have continued the series of males and the male-line on the throne, their rights were set aside.
Hoping to spare his successors the domestic travails he endured, Aldarion also decreed that in future the heir to the crown could only marry a fellow descendant of Elros, thus narrowing the pool of potential consorts to Númenórean aristocrats who would, however, share in the longevity of the royal line. Thus Ancalimë became the first ruling Queen of Númenor. If the law hadn't been changed then the throne would have either passed to his sister's son Soronto, or to Malantur, a descendant in the direct line from Tar-Minyatur.
The partial story of Aldarion and Erendis can be found in Tolkien's Unfinished Tales, (ed. Christopher Tolkien). Though the actual story was left incomplete, the book does give some hints on how it continued. The story also contains the first hints of the return of the Shadow, i.e. Sauron, to Middle-earth.
| Preceded by Tar-Meneldur |
Rulers of Númenor | Succeeded by Tar-Ancalimë |
