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A History of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Part 1 - Page 3

© Michael Martinez

Elendil's realm in Arnor was greater in size and strength than his sons' kingdom of Gondor. The Dunedain and the peoples they settled amongst dwelt between the Lhun and the Gwathlo rivers⁹. Elendil's people dwelt mostly between the Lhun and the Baranduin rivers, and between the Hills of Evendim and the North Downs¹⁰. Some also settled in Tyrn Gorthad and the South Downs. Tharbad, an ancient Dunadan outpost and port on the river Gwathlo, became a link between the two kingdoms with a fortress on either side of Gwathlo and a bridge spanning the river¹¹. Other Men lived in Eriador besides the Dunedain. The Men of Bree, most northerly representatives of their race, were akin to most of the peoples of Minhiriath and Enedwaith as well as to the wild tribes of Ered Nimrais and Calenardhon who lived on Gondor's western frontier¹². The hill-tribes who lived between Bruinen and Mithieithel may have been friendly to the Elves, but appear not to have acknowledged Elendil's authority. Nor did the tribes living in the north, members of the Forodwaith who later gave rise to the Lossoth and perhaps the Men of Carn Dum¹³. However, Elendil's people probably also included descendants of clans related to the Folk of Bor and Ulfang in the First Age¹⁴. Gondor's people came mostly from the Dunedain and their kin living in and near Pelargir, as well as along the coast of Belfalas. They built the new cities of Osgiliath, Minas Anor, and Minas Ithil, thinking that Sauron was no longer a threat¹⁵. Elendil's sons extended their sway northward into Calenardhon as well. But the choice of location for their new cities implies the Black Numenoreans of the south were a cause for concern¹⁶. And though the ancient Elvish haven of Edhellond lay west of Gondor's heart, the dales of Ered Nimrais from Lamedon to the sources of the rivers Lefnui and Adorn were home to a race of men who had served Sauron in previous centuries¹⁷. When it became evident that Sauron had survived the Downfall of Numenor, Isildur concluded an alliance with at least one group of these men, but their king feared Sauron too much to fulfill his oath. There were other men in Enedwaith, akin to the mountain-folk of Ered Nimrais and the Men of Bree, who had long opposed Numenorean incursions. Their antipathy forced Gondor to construct the twin fortresses of Angrenost and Aglarond, which guarded the pass of Calenardhon against the west, rather than the east¹⁸. Thus the need for a strong garrison at Tharbad was underscored by the need for a strong guard over Enedwaith itself.

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