Have Island, Will Rebel - Page 10
© Michael Martinez
The Lords of Ladros ended with Beren, technically, though he never governed his people, who had all left Dorthonion during his father's time. These Beorians became incorporated into the societies of Brethil and Dor-lomin, the latter group thus taking the Lords of Dor-lomin as their leaders. Had Barahir gone with his people to Dor-lomin, would he perhaps have been accepted as an equal by Galdor of Dor-lomin, or would Fingon have established a second lordship for Men in his kingdom? The implications of such a move would be serious. Beren would probably have never met Luthien, Dior would not have been born, Doriath would have survived, but Hithlum might still have been overcome in the end. What, then, would have become of the heirs of the dispossessed lords?
As matters progressed, however, the Edain of Hithlum were cut off from their rightful lords for generations, and in the absence of those lords they may have developed leaders who would have become strengthened in their prerogatives by custom and tradition. Hence, Elros would have needed to win the respect and support of these leaders, and he could not have ruled as autocratically as Ar-Pharazon eventually did. The Edain took to Numenor the custom of the folkmoot and the tradition of being led by many chieftains of smaller peoples. Somewhere in the process of building his kingdom Elros seems to averted the necessity of recognizing numerous separate "peoples" (as developed in Anglo-Saxon England, each leader giving his name to the community he founded) while retaining and perhaps enriching the folk traditions that provided for autonomy.
The retention of autonomous traditions may at first have been a stabilizing force in Numenorean society, but inevitably it seems to have led to a degree of instability. Tar-Meneldur was concerned that Aldarion's Guild of Venturers would foster ambitions for the conquest of foreign lands in the Numenoreans, but it seems that the inevitable competition between the Kings and the various aristocratic families would have brought on such colonization efforts anyway. The Guild of Venturers may have opened the door, but they could not have forced the Numenoreans to walk through it. So the dissensions which arose centuries later as the Kings and their supporters began to turn away from the Valar in resentment of their mortality may owe something to the autonomy enjoyed by the leading families. They were free to some extent to speak and live as they pleased. By the time Ar-Pharazon established near absolute control over Numenor, the Faithful had mostly fled to Middle-earth, where centuries of colonization afforded them a friendly base of support and the means of continuing their civilization in despite of the King's ill will.
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