Elendil and Gil-galad forming the Last Alliance was my favorite moment. Some of the Faithful were able to survive the fires of the Temple of Melkor so that such a moment could be possible. Eru's hand guided the Faithful.
It’s only after years that I realize how PERSONAL the duel between Sauron and Elendil was. With his father and Sauron both being on the King’s council, they must’ve known each other well. Bitter foes.
Not to mention that Sauron accelerated the final stages of Númenor's corruption--already well advanced because of the human sense of entitlement, but without Sauron's influence the realm might have lasted for another king or two.
WOW !!! I have failed to realize how personal this duel was myself ! For some reason it has never dawned on me. Thank you commenting on this, who knows how long I would have gone without realizing this. When Isildor cut the ring off Saurons finger and claimed it for himself he did so out of YEARS of anguish and persecution, from the destruction of his home land to the loss of his family members. What an incredible story!
And even more interesting; Sauron imprisoned Beren and fought to take Luthien, Elendil's ancestors from the First Age. Elendil at last was able to fight the very being that fought his ancestors. For Sauron it was probably like fighting the ghost of his past enemies and moreso when Sauron would see Aragorn of the same family.
Ulmo most likely saved Elendil, Isildur and Anarion. Ulmo being the instrument of Illuvatar, he would've created the wave that carried the exiles and the will of Illuvatar.
Elendil's final moments really hit hard. And It is very poetic how Gil-Galad dies fighting his own Dark Lord like his fathers before him. They sacrificed their lives to usher in the new age.
@@nemanjap8768it’s a little complicated. While both The Unfinished Tales and The Silmarillion state that Gil-Galad is the son of Fingon, Christopher Tolkien, son of J.R.R. Tolkien himself, said that he was actually the son of Orodreth. But honestly I like the idea of having Gil-Galad the son of Fingon. It just makes it a bit more poetic how both Fingolfin and Gil-Galad would be killed taking down a dark lord in their own lifetime.
@@nemanjap8768it's debatable. But I think it was orodrerh. He was galadriels sister son... Nerds? Help me out? I've heard finrid felagund, I've heard feanor, and fingon is what the sil says.
I really think Amandil did in fact reach Valinor, the fact that the faithful survived could be conformation of this, I mean Eru could have easily destroyed the fleet of the faithful, but the fact that wind blew the ships away from Numenor could be proof of this.
@@sakataginko9092 more likely Amandil and his men were put to death after they reached the Uttermost West and asked for the Valar's help. What happened to Frodo, Sam, Bilbo and Gimli were exceptions made only because of their Jobs in favor of the Elves.
@@seanhartel5362 Ëarendil could choose because he was already an half-elf. In fact he chose to be counted among the Quendi only for his love to Elwing, who wanted to stay in Valinor, because in origin he wanted to live as a man like his father.
So, if I'm not mistaken, at the time of his death, Elendil was 322(!) years old, and still strong and healthy enough to fight a Maiar and win, though at the cost of his, and his dear friend's lives.
Wow, that is a really long life, even for one of Elros' descendants. Elros himself lived "only" 178 years longer and he had the longest lifespan of any mortal man (500 years). Not counting Lúthien and Arwen.
@@NerdoftheRings Indeed! I remember in your video on Elrond & Elros that Elros lived to be 500 years! No other king would ever reach this age again. It's interesting to see that, over generations, the life spans of the descendants of Numenor seem to go down. King Aragorn Ellessar only lived to 210, which is less than half of Elros' life. Still, over a period of nearly six-and-a-half thousand years, it's still an incredibly long life to live!
6:48 One of the mysteries to me in the LOTR trilogy is the lost opportunity of using subtitles when Aragorn sings the same words that Elendil spoke when he first landed on Middle Earth after the fall of Numenor. I think a lot of casual fans have no clue as to the significance of what Aragorn was singing. It is only mentioned in the bonus material by Viggo Mortensen himself what he was singing/saying in that scene.
@@rebekahv5185 Yes. Aragorn's song in an Elvish language is word-for-word right out of the book. He's speaking the same words Elendil, his ancestor, spoke many centuries ago. "Out of the Great Sea to Middle-earth I am come. In this place will I abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the world."
The versions I've watched have subtitles translating Aragorn's song to English. Or do you mean additional subtitles to explain that Elendil was the one who came up with those phrases?
I think the depiction of the last fight against Sauron in the films is somewhat misleading and doesn't do Elendil and Gil-Galad justice. In the film, it comes across as if Isildur cutting the ring from Sauron's hand is the cause of him "exploding"/being defeated. In reality however, Elendil and Gil-Galad actually DEFEAT Sauron in combat and Isildur only cuts the ring from Sauron's body after the fight is over.
The films made Isildur look more badass than he was in the books. Also IIRC Isildur didn't try and fail to drop the ring at the cracks of Doom either in the books?
@@NerdoftheRings Right, and if only Elrond and Círdan had been able to convince him to destroy it right there and then... It's also interesting that Isildur claims that the ring is his "weregild" for his father and brother. I always found it interesting how Tolkien integrated real historic concepts into his writings. The weregild motive comes up again when the sons of King Folcwine of Rohan are killed in the Battle at the Poros.
@@johnquach8821 As far as Elrond tells the story in the book, Isildur didn't want to listen to him and Círdan, advising him to destroy the ring in the Sammath Naur. My impression always was that he didn't actually go there.
Elendil is my Idol. He is great commander. He is King over the all Kings of the Middle-Earth. He knew to sacrifice himself to save the world. Even the Aragorn when was his coronation he spoke the Elendil song ( Out of the Great Sea to Middle-Earth I am come...) His names tells us he is great friend of elves. Gil-Galad liked him and helped him a lot. This was a great video. I learned something new and I know most of it. Keep it going.
One aspect that isn't discussed much is his nickname "The Tall" which I think is worth mentioning. In his time, the average height for a Númenorean man was 6' 4" but Elendil was 'more than man-high by nearly half a ranga' which is around 7' 11". Assuming he wasn't a skinny ectomorph, he would have been enormous, not as big as Beorn, but still huge.
Fun fact: According to Tolkien, Numenoreans and later the Dunedain of pure blood did not have facial hair due to having Elvish blood. The image at :50 seconds of Elendil, Amandil and Ar-Pharazon is a good example.
Only Numenoreans of the Line of Elros had no facial hair, due to their elvish blood. That always bugs me about all these depictions, people can't seem to stop giving them beards!
@@specialnewb9821 NoMe - Beards "The tribes of Men from whom the Numenoreans were descended were normal, and hence the majority of them would have had beards. But the royal house was half-elven, having two strains of Elvish race in their ancestry through Luthien of Doriath (royal Sindarin) and Idril of Gondolin (royal Noldorin). The effects were long-lasting: e.g. om a tendancy to a stature a little above average, to a greater (though steadily decreasing) longevity, and probably the most lasting in beardlessness. Thus none of the Numenorean chieftains of descent from Elros (whether king or not) would be bearded. It is stated that Elendil was descended from Silmarien, a royal princess. Hence Aragorn and all his ancestors were beardless."
"Nine ships there were...And the deeps rose beneath them in towering anger, and waves like unto mountains moving with great caps of writhen snow bore them up amid the wreckage of the clouds, and after many days cast them away upon the shores of Middle-earth." --Akallabeth, JRRT My favorite Elendil life moment is when he's riding those gnarly waves "like unto mountains".
He was the First King of Arnor and Gondor. I guess Isildur was the King of both realms for a short time, but then the realms split and weren't recombined until King Elessar, that is Aragorn, reunited the Northern and Southern kingdoms under one rulership at the end of the Third Age.
What really intresting is that Ar Pharazon and his followers (King's Men) manage sailed to the Shore of Aman. So theres actually a theory Amandil did manage arrive to Aman but either must face the gift of men or goes back and lost to sea or he Failed to success it Man, Tolkien world really are full of Mysteries
The mysteries are some of my favorite parts. I love that he realized there would be no way for the men and elves of Middle-earth to know what happened to Amandil so it should remain a mystery!
A side note I know, but I can't help but feel devastated when I think about how the show could have been if it was lovingly crafted to portray the Simarillion. There's no doubt that Elendil and his family would have made incredible protagonists, and just imagining the scene where he makes his oath gives me chills. Battered and broken by the sea, with only half of the last numenorians with him (having no idea whether the others, including his only son's, are alive or dead) he collapses onto the sands of middle earth and swears to commit everything that he is and ever will be to a world that CAN be.
Found your site by chance and you made me rediscover Middle earth, the valor and Tolkien. You gift of retelling and explaining all of Tolkien works is so amazing. Thank you from your newest fan girl. Continue the work.
Thank you so much for this. Elendil is my favorite of all of the men of Middle-Earth and the Last Alliance my favorite of the stories to think on. Thank you.
A perfectly wondrous, glorious story, one that continues even after death. You tell these stories so well and give them such a form of life. Tolkien smiles upon you. Thank you for making these videos and bringing us so much more from the beautiful world of Middle Earth
The story is just so beautiful but on top of that your voice and the beautiful art makes this even more special.Tolkien and his timeless stories will surely live through many more years because of people like you.
Ive said this many times. At 200 years old, you were forced to travel to away from home. And your very home got destroyed. After a hundred years, you will again face the Dark Lord who was the reason of the destruction of your homeland. He stood and did not falter. He was Elendil the faithful. That even Aragorn Elessar revered.
The poem of his arrival is truly beautiful. It holds a meaning for me personally representing a lifes journey. "Out of the Great Sea to Middle Earth I am come" The Great Sea is representative of the turmoil and ups and downs of life. "To Middle Earth I am come" Now as I stand on the solid ground of my Faith which is the foundation I am come. "In this place I abide," This is my place of comfort of rest until my end comes.
Thanks for the video! Elendil has been a character of interest, especially with the upcoming show (for those who wish to enjoy it or not). There has been a weird fascination for me about the strange but lesser known artifacts, like simbelmyne. Perhaps a video on some of the lesser known stuff, like plants, foods, and drinks!
@bastiat I personally don't care if people watch the show or not. Despite the absolute mess of a marketing campaign, the constant focus on identity politics of its actors (or activists, depending on how you see them), the lackadaisical approach to the lore, some are still hoping to enjoy it. I might see it, but I would watch it just to spot the problems. We all had high hopes, and they made their decision; they have to live with it. I often humor the thought that LotR fans will treat this show as ATLA fans had about a particular movie.
I wonder what the Valar did with Amandil. Bilbo and Frodo proved that living in Aman for mortals was physically possible but Amandil still broke the ban of the Valar when he came even with the good intentions. Mandos wanted Earendil himself killed for the same reason. Like in what manner can a Vala execute a child of Eru that it would be considered not sinful?
He violated the ban, so he probably died...but he did it selflessly in an effort to warn the Valar, so the Valar paid him back by sparing his kids and allies from Númenor's destruction. That's my guess.
If Amandil had a skilled Mair Attorney arguing on his behalf, he would maybe be able to negotiate a nice comfortable cottage on one of those little islands off the coast of Valinor. You know...the art of the compromise.
A great and very helpful recounting of the story of Elendil-Thanks! And thanks also for the fascinating conversation with Lloyd Owen-very insightful and impressive!
I think amandil will be in the show, if you look at elendil’s sword in the show, its not narsil. But in one of the pics of numenor, you can see the monument holding the real narsil. I believe Amandil will pass it to elendil before he goes off to the valar.
Visualizing a star in the mind’s eye is an ancient yogic technique for attaining Yoga, union of jiva and Shiva, the individual soul and the cosmic One.
The post Downfall establishment of Gondor and Arnor is what I feel will be most hurt by the time compression of the show. It simply won't make sense, and there won't be time for the construction of all these great towers and cities :(
That's always what I thought. A lot of the faithful had to have been fleeing Numenor to the elvish influenced northwest of middle-earth centuries before Numenor fell, and maybe under direction to establish these cities and citadels "just in case" because it doesn't look good at all. No matter how tall and powerful the Numenoreans were, no one was building Osgiliath in a day or populating those lands to the point that such an army as faced Sauron could be supported. Where's the logistics?
You have this down to an art! Like a lightning rod to channel Tolkien's works, while being a tremendous aid in recognizing all the devices and connections while exploring them ourselves- awesome video!
I've recently gotten back into the whole Tolkien universe hype due to being gifted miniatures for the Games Workshop tabletop wargame. I played it about 15 years ago and read the lotr and hobbit books about 10 years ago. Your channel has been my main source of lore deep dives and explanations and I really appreciate your great style of presentation. Thank you for all the work you put into this!
Tolkien’s prose is so damn good. New languages aside, everything reads with this beautiful poetic cadence and otherworldly vocabulary. Uhhahhh…never gets old…only richer with time.
BUDDY, I might be super late to the party here… but when you gracefully read out what Elendil said when he first landed in Arnor, i was instantly reminded of Aragorn’s song during his coronation in ROTK… I had no idea.. that is as epic as it gets.
Now this is a character that I am most excited to see in Rings of Power, the show has many problems but I think ghat tjey got it right with Elendil! That guy who portrays him look so badass in my opinnion and looks like he IS an Aragorn's badass ancestor! He is King of Men! ......but that is only by the look of Lloyd Owen we will see how the lore will progress during the Show! Nerd as always great video, one of my favorite Characters in legendarium and one of the best videos on the channel!
He was the one I spoke with most at SDCC and I'm really excited to see his portrayal. One thing was abundantly clear to me - he cares A LOT about this character and doing his best to get him right. He was talking about reading the Notion Club Papers for insight on Elendil, which is something I think a lot of Tolkien fans haven't even read.
Indeed, the actor looks the part and seems to care about the lore, which is great. Hope they also feature Elendil's father in the show as well, in some form at least.
@@NerdoftheRings I watched IGN's Who's Who - Numenoreans and I did not get that feeling about Lloyd Owen. He says that while the family is well known, that they are are not high up in power or prestige. As heir to the lordship of Andunie, I find that hard to believe. Can you give me your thoughts on this matter?
I’ve known Lloyd since I was a child! He’s a phenomenal actor and really cares about his craft. I can’t believe he’s actually playing elendil! Not a huge fan of the looks of the show but he’s going to do a great job!
Matt, thanl you for this videos and knowledge of the Tolkien World, Im addicted to your channel and videos, so thank you for all the work and love you put into this.
your videos should have been around decades ago when I was making heads or tails of the Tolkien lore. you are akin to my favorite teacher whose words are easier to commit to memory than any other channel out there. I salute you.
Listen, I love the LoTR Trilogy. They're phenomenal films that do justice to most of Tolkien's work, but the way the PJ adaptations treated an important character like Elendil is probably THE only "bad" thing about the films. I get why they did that, condensing close to 3 and a half thousand years of lore into less than 10 minutes of exposition is no easy feat but the importance of Elendil is felt throughout the films - especially in The Return of the King. He's referenced 3 times in that movie, 4 if you count the extended scene with Aragorn and the Palantir. I'm so glad you're finally talking about him and here's hoping the Rings of Power show does justice to that amazing character!
There is nothing bad in Elendil interpretation bec they dont have a copyrights on it, unless you want to be sued, even the Amazon has no copyrights either, so dont put faith on them. 😂😂
It’s hard to decide, since his whole life is so full of tough situations and his noble deeds to overcome them. Maybe his claim of the lands of Numenore and Gondor. I like the parallel with Aragorn. So often Tolkien has more elf heroes, then human ones, but Elendil is right up there with Elrond .
Really explains the exponential result if the Numenor, led by Pharazon, became one of the faithfuls to the Ainurs, especially to Eru. Numenorians could easily turn the tide of the hard-fought battles of the free folk and end Sauron once and for all. With great power comes great responsibility.
Elendil is a fascinating character that I wish Tolkien had written more about (yes, it's a pretty long list). I think of him as being very similar to his many generations removed descendant, Aragorn, and not in just appearance.
Excellent video, Matt! My favorite part would be looking for Numenor to no avail. Would really suck to have slight hope of your home remaining and to see nothing but the sea.
Very beautiful, informative and rich recap of such anticipated characters and events.. Great job and thank you. Hopefully the Amazon series will deal with these chronicles.
I can't imagine that you _haven't_ done one yet, but you have so many videos now that I'm not even sure what keywords to use to find it if you have. Have you done a video on learning/speaking the languages of Tolkien? I could listen to *you* quote the text all day, and this video made me realize how jealous I am of your proficiency in it.
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Which of Elendil's life moments is your favorite?
Fighting Sauron with Gil Galad in a single combat for sure!
@@rangerofthenorth1970 that was ba reading about it
His poem when he comes to Middle-earth and waiting for Gil-Galad atop of Amen Sul.
Leaving numenor because if he didn't, non of the future events would have happened
Elendil and Gil-galad forming the Last Alliance was my favorite moment. Some of the Faithful were able to survive the fires of the Temple of Melkor so that such a moment could be possible. Eru's hand guided the Faithful.
It’s only after years that I realize how PERSONAL the duel between Sauron and Elendil was. With his father and Sauron both being on the King’s council, they must’ve known each other well. Bitter foes.
Not to mention that Sauron accelerated the final stages of Númenor's corruption--already well advanced because of the human sense of entitlement, but without Sauron's influence the realm might have lasted for another king or two.
WOW !!! I have failed to realize how personal this duel was myself ! For some reason it has never dawned on me. Thank you commenting on this, who knows how long I would have gone without realizing this. When Isildor cut the ring off Saurons finger and claimed it for himself he did so out of YEARS of anguish and persecution, from the destruction of his home land to the loss of his family members. What an incredible story!
And even more interesting; Sauron imprisoned Beren and fought to take Luthien, Elendil's ancestors from the First Age. Elendil at last was able to fight the very being that fought his ancestors. For Sauron it was probably like fighting the ghost of his past enemies and moreso when Sauron would see Aragorn of the same family.
The difference in Tolkien and other great writers,,,, he layered it in so many levels,,,, stories within stories within stories,,,, fabulous!!
Ulmo most likely saved Elendil, Isildur and Anarion. Ulmo being the instrument of Illuvatar, he would've created the wave that carried the exiles and the will of Illuvatar.
Yeah man, you rule at this. Keep up the great writing. You're leaving a sweet legacy for future Tolkien fans to gain insight.
Thanks so much! That truly means a lot.
@@NerdoftheRings You bet! :)
And present Tolkien fans ;)
Dude
You talk like me
I send anyone who is vague about the details of Arda here. There is no resource that tells this story clearer.
Elendil's final moments really hit hard. And It is very poetic how Gil-Galad dies fighting his own Dark Lord like his fathers before him. They sacrificed their lives to usher in the new age.
Whi was Gil-Galads father?
@@nemanjap8768it’s a little complicated. While both The Unfinished Tales and The Silmarillion state that Gil-Galad is the son of Fingon, Christopher Tolkien, son of J.R.R. Tolkien himself, said that he was actually the son of Orodreth. But honestly I like the idea of having Gil-Galad the son of Fingon. It just makes it a bit more poetic how both Fingolfin and Gil-Galad would be killed taking down a dark lord in their own lifetime.
I guess, it's ok that he died in combat with a maiar. Woulda been cooler to survive, like isildur.
@@nemanjap8768it's debatable. But I think it was orodrerh. He was galadriels sister son... Nerds? Help me out? I've heard finrid felagund, I've heard feanor, and fingon is what the sil says.
@@johnbarrientosiii6586fingolfin woukd have one shotted Sauron tho, Sauron is so much weaker then Morgoth
I really think Amandil did in fact reach Valinor, the fact that the faithful survived could be conformation of this, I mean Eru could have easily destroyed the fleet of the faithful, but the fact that wind blew the ships away from Numenor could be proof of this.
It's an interesting idea... I always imagined Amandil leaving with his ancestor Ëarendil until his death, being the only man who left Arda in Valinor
Through logic .i think he did make it to aman and the price for it is to never see what he left behind
@@sakataginko9092 more likely Amandil and his men were put to death after they reached the Uttermost West and asked for the Valar's help. What happened to Frodo, Sam, Bilbo and Gimli were exceptions made only because of their Jobs in favor of the Elves.
@@seanhartel5362 Tuor was counted among the Quendi, so he became immortal just like the elves
@@seanhartel5362 Ëarendil could choose because he was already an half-elf. In fact he chose to be counted among the Quendi only for his love to Elwing, who wanted to stay in Valinor, because in origin he wanted to live as a man like his father.
Hey, it’s that guy Aragorn is always shouting about!
😂😂😂
Middle Earth Pc games flashback 😂
Ya think?
😂
So, if I'm not mistaken, at the time of his death, Elendil was 322(!) years old, and still strong and healthy enough to fight a Maiar and win, though at the cost of his, and his dear friend's lives.
You are correct! I should have mentioned his age at death because it is kind of a big deal how long these guys lived!
Wow, that is a really long life, even for one of Elros' descendants. Elros himself lived "only" 178 years longer and he had the longest lifespan of any mortal man (500 years). Not counting Lúthien and Arwen.
@@NerdoftheRings Indeed! I remember in your video on Elrond & Elros that Elros lived to be 500 years! No other king would ever reach this age again.
It's interesting to see that, over generations, the life spans of the descendants of Numenor seem to go down. King Aragorn Ellessar only lived to 210, which is less than half of Elros' life.
Still, over a period of nearly six-and-a-half thousand years, it's still an incredibly long life to live!
@@jdeck306 He was also 90 and 100 years old when he fathered his sons......not bad! 🤣 🤪
@@jdeck306 220 actually, Elessar lived that long.
6:48 One of the mysteries to me in the LOTR trilogy is the lost opportunity of using subtitles when Aragorn sings the same words that Elendil spoke when he first landed on Middle Earth after the fall of Numenor. I think a lot of casual fans have no clue as to the significance of what Aragorn was singing. It is only mentioned in the bonus material by Viggo Mortensen himself what he was singing/saying in that scene.
I actually like that there are some tidbits just for the devoted readers. Aragorn/Viggo's song is just for us.
In which one of the LOTR trilogy did Aragorn sing? 🤔 Are you referring to the scene where Aragorn is being crowned king?
@@rebekahv5185 Yes. Aragorn's song in an Elvish language is word-for-word right out of the book. He's speaking the same words Elendil, his ancestor, spoke many centuries ago. "Out of the Great Sea to Middle-earth I am come. In this place will I abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the world."
The versions I've watched have subtitles translating Aragorn's song to English. Or do you mean additional subtitles to explain that Elendil was the one who came up with those phrases?
I think the depiction of the last fight against Sauron in the films is somewhat misleading and doesn't do Elendil and Gil-Galad justice. In the film, it comes across as if Isildur cutting the ring from Sauron's hand is the cause of him "exploding"/being defeated. In reality however, Elendil and Gil-Galad actually DEFEAT Sauron in combat and Isildur only cuts the ring from Sauron's body after the fight is over.
100% It's a huge misconception that a TON of folks don't know. Also, they don't realize it wasn't basically dumb luck that Isildur cut the ring.
The studio should have given Peter Jackson the money to do the entire fight between Gil Galad Elendil and Sauron
The films made Isildur look more badass than he was in the books. Also IIRC Isildur didn't try and fail to drop the ring at the cracks of Doom either in the books?
@@NerdoftheRings Right, and if only Elrond and Círdan had been able to convince him to destroy it right there and then... It's also interesting that Isildur claims that the ring is his "weregild" for his father and brother. I always found it interesting how Tolkien integrated real historic concepts into his writings. The weregild motive comes up again when the sons of King Folcwine of Rohan are killed in the Battle at the Poros.
@@johnquach8821 As far as Elrond tells the story in the book, Isildur didn't want to listen to him and Círdan, advising him to destroy the ring in the Sammath Naur. My impression always was that he didn't actually go there.
Elendil is my Idol. He is great commander. He is King over the all Kings of the Middle-Earth. He knew to sacrifice himself to save the world. Even the Aragorn when was his coronation he spoke the Elendil song ( Out of the Great Sea to Middle-Earth I am come...) His names tells us he is great friend of elves. Gil-Galad liked him and helped him a lot. This was a great video. I learned something new and I know most of it. Keep it going.
I never cry at funerals. I cry every time at the end of most of your videos. You, sir, have a talent!
Steady on there...😮
I can't get enough of Tolkiens world. Thank you Nerd of the Rings, I enjoy listening to you so very much.
One aspect that isn't discussed much is his nickname "The Tall" which I think is worth mentioning. In his time, the average height for a Númenorean man was 6' 4" but Elendil was 'more than man-high by nearly half a ranga' which is around 7' 11". Assuming he wasn't a skinny ectomorph, he would have been enormous, not as big as Beorn, but still huge.
Yeah nearly as big as Bullroarer
Fun fact: According to Tolkien, Numenoreans and later the Dunedain of pure blood did not have facial hair due to having Elvish blood. The image at :50 seconds of Elendil, Amandil and Ar-Pharazon is a good example.
Only Numenoreans of the Line of Elros had no facial hair, due to their elvish blood. That always bugs me about all these depictions, people can't seem to stop giving them beards!
@@paulmartyn3388 it doesn't really hold. Tolkien himself said Elves can grow beards in the third "phase" of their life, like Cirdan.
@@specialnewb9821 NoMe - Beards "The tribes of Men from whom the Numenoreans were descended were normal, and hence the majority of them would have had beards. But the royal house was half-elven, having two strains of Elvish race in their ancestry through Luthien of Doriath (royal Sindarin) and Idril of Gondolin (royal Noldorin). The effects were long-lasting: e.g. om a tendancy to a stature a little above average, to a greater (though steadily decreasing) longevity, and probably the most lasting in beardlessness. Thus none of the Numenorean chieftains of descent from Elros (whether king or not) would be bearded. It is stated that Elendil was descended from Silmarien, a royal princess. Hence Aragorn and all his ancestors were beardless."
No doubt a TALL order to cover Elendil, but of course another masterclass by you!
Groan, what a dad joke 😆
@@TheMarcHicks :)
patrickstarboo.jpg
With apologies to Shakespeare: I like thy wit well, i'faith.
Splendid and expertly narrated as always, Matt!
My absolute favorite person of the 2nd age. Elendil the Tall! The faithful 👑. Saur-Saur's fiercest foe. Keep up the great work Mellon! ECTHELION!
"Nine ships there were...And the deeps rose beneath them in towering anger, and waves like unto mountains moving with great caps of writhen snow bore them up amid the wreckage of the clouds, and after many days cast them away upon the shores of Middle-earth."
--Akallabeth, JRRT
My favorite Elendil life moment is when he's riding those gnarly waves "like unto mountains".
The Numenorean's must have build incredibly badass ships to survive that.
I think that every age has a leading man at the front of it: first age had Beren, second age had Elendil, and third age had Aragorn
And I love how they are all related.
Eliendil is a awesome chance I really didn't think thaat much about him until now
He was the First King of Arnor and Gondor. I guess Isildur was the King of both realms for a short time, but then the realms split and weren't recombined until King Elessar, that is Aragorn, reunited the Northern and Southern kingdoms under one rulership at the end of the Third Age.
@@Enerdhil oh cool!! Awesome thankyou
What really intresting is that Ar Pharazon and his followers (King's Men) manage sailed to the Shore of Aman. So theres actually a theory Amandil did manage arrive to Aman but either must face the gift of men or goes back and lost to sea or he Failed to success it
Man, Tolkien world really are full of Mysteries
The mysteries are some of my favorite parts. I love that he realized there would be no way for the men and elves of Middle-earth to know what happened to Amandil so it should remain a mystery!
@@NerdoftheRings Gandalf would have known...
I wish you had been a consultant on the show. This video makes me want to watch it.
A side note I know, but I can't help but feel devastated when I think about how the show could have been if it was lovingly crafted to portray the Simarillion. There's no doubt that Elendil and his family would have made incredible protagonists, and just imagining the scene where he makes his oath gives me chills.
Battered and broken by the sea, with only half of the last numenorians with him (having no idea whether the others, including his only son's, are alive or dead) he collapses onto the sands of middle earth and swears to commit everything that he is and ever will be to a world that CAN be.
Found your site by chance and you made me rediscover Middle earth, the valor and Tolkien. You gift of retelling and explaining all of Tolkien works is so amazing. Thank you from your newest fan girl. Continue the work.
Thank you so much for this. Elendil is my favorite of all of the men of Middle-Earth and the Last Alliance my favorite of the stories to think on. Thank you.
Goosebumps every time I listen to your stories!!!
We love you! Nerd of the Rings rocks!
A perfectly wondrous, glorious story, one that continues even after death. You tell these stories so well and give them such a form of life. Tolkien smiles upon you. Thank you for making these videos and bringing us so much more from the beautiful world of Middle Earth
The story is just so beautiful but on top of that your voice and the beautiful art makes this even more special.Tolkien and his timeless stories will surely live through many more years because of people like you.
Ive said this many times.
At 200 years old, you were forced to travel to away from home. And your very home got destroyed.
After a hundred years, you will again face the Dark Lord who was the reason of the destruction of your homeland. He stood and did not falter.
He was Elendil the faithful. That even Aragorn Elessar revered.
The poem of his arrival is truly beautiful. It holds a meaning for me personally representing a lifes journey. "Out of the Great Sea to Middle Earth I am come" The Great Sea is representative of the turmoil and ups and downs of life. "To Middle Earth I am come" Now as I stand on the solid ground of my Faith which is the foundation I am come. "In this place I abide," This is my place of comfort of rest until my end comes.
Thanks for the video! Elendil has been a character of interest, especially with the upcoming show (for those who wish to enjoy it or not).
There has been a weird fascination for me about the strange but lesser known artifacts, like simbelmyne. Perhaps a video on some of the lesser known stuff, like plants, foods, and drinks!
Great idea! I'll add some of those type of videos to my list!!
@bastiat I personally don't care if people watch the show or not. Despite the absolute mess of a marketing campaign, the constant focus on identity politics of its actors (or activists, depending on how you see them), the lackadaisical approach to the lore, some are still hoping to enjoy it.
I might see it, but I would watch it just to spot the problems.
We all had high hopes, and they made their decision; they have to live with it.
I often humor the thought that LotR fans will treat this show as ATLA fans had about a particular movie.
One of the coolest characters ever!
I wonder what the Valar did with Amandil. Bilbo and Frodo proved that living in Aman for mortals was physically possible but Amandil still broke the ban of the Valar when he came even with the good intentions. Mandos wanted Earendil himself killed for the same reason. Like in what manner can a Vala execute a child of Eru that it would be considered not sinful?
He violated the ban, so he probably died...but he did it selflessly in an effort to warn the Valar, so the Valar paid him back by sparing his kids and allies from Númenor's destruction. That's my guess.
If Amandil had a skilled Mair Attorney arguing on his behalf, he would maybe be able to negotiate a nice comfortable cottage on one of those little islands off the coast of Valinor. You know...the art of the compromise.
Thank you Matt, it's always so good to get taken to Middle-Earth with you💛
You're such a compelling storyteller and your passion for the lore really shines through. Thank you
I literally watch a video every day while I get ready for work. I love this page! Amazing work!
Hannon le, Nerd of the Rings. I have been waiting for this video.
A great and very helpful recounting of the story of Elendil-Thanks! And thanks also for the fascinating conversation with Lloyd Owen-very insightful and impressive!
I think amandil will be in the show, if you look at elendil’s sword in the show, its not narsil. But in one of the pics of numenor, you can see the monument holding the real narsil. I believe Amandil will pass it to elendil before he goes off to the valar.
do you think alpharazon still lives in the show?
Worthy of his ancestor earendil.
Worthy of his kin of the three great houses of men and kings..
A hero
Visualizing a star in the mind’s eye is an ancient yogic technique for attaining Yoga, union of jiva and Shiva, the individual soul and the cosmic One.
Beautiful video! I rem reading about Elendil’s tomb as the place Eorl’s kingdom was oathed from Unfinished Tales!
The post Downfall establishment of Gondor and Arnor is what I feel will be most hurt by the time compression of the show. It simply won't make sense, and there won't be time for the construction of all these great towers and cities :(
That's always what I thought. A lot of the faithful had to have been fleeing Numenor to the elvish influenced northwest of middle-earth centuries before Numenor fell, and maybe under direction to establish these cities and citadels "just in case" because it doesn't look good at all. No matter how tall and powerful the Numenoreans were, no one was building Osgiliath in a day or populating those lands to the point that such an army as faced Sauron could be supported. Where's the logistics?
Already this channel is better than the upcoming Amazon series
Bravo sir! That was an excellent video! Now I really can't wait for next Saturday.
I literally cannot get over your videos. Chills every time I watch them. Huge LoTR fan, massive respect for you
Who else’s day gets better when that little bell goes off? Keep up the good work man!
Cheers from Canada :)
Whoever made that Elendil art for the video cover did a good job making it resemble Lloyd Owen, unless they made it after the trailers.
Best channel on TH-cam. Thank you so much.
this is the content i come here for. this was excellent
This is by far the greatest channel on TH-cam.
This man just doesn’t miss
Aah, I've been waiting for this video. Knew it was coming; it was inevitable
You have this down to an art! Like a lightning rod to channel Tolkien's works, while being a tremendous aid in recognizing all the devices and connections while exploring them ourselves- awesome video!
Just wanted to say thanks for all your hard work. These videos are awesome !
Oh my. This was genuinely touching and deep. I had no idea how incredible Elendil was. Thanks for the AWESOME vid and channel!
Honestly it’s thanks to you that I managed to deepen my knowledge of Tolkien’s books. Keep it up!! 👍🏼
I've recently gotten back into the whole Tolkien universe hype due to being gifted miniatures for the Games Workshop tabletop wargame. I played it about 15 years ago and read the lotr and hobbit books about 10 years ago. Your channel has been my main source of lore deep dives and explanations and I really appreciate your great style of presentation. Thank you for all the work you put into this!
This video is more entertaining than the entirety of Rings of Power. ❤️
You really have the talent and voice for an audiobook.
A prize?
That's wonderful
Great video, as usual! You're getting better and better at making high quality videos for us lore hungry nerds. Keep it up, love your channel!
You shoud have men of the west as a guest on a character ranking
Very nice video! I like the coverage of Elendil!
The thumbnail art actually looks like the Elendil actor from the Rings Of Power 😍❤
And this greatness tale you told us this day amazon is going to written off!!! Just a glorious tale!!! Thank you.
I’m haunted by Elendil’s longing for Númenor after the island was sundered.
Great video Matt! Really excellent. I hope Lloyd likes it 😉
If only he had more stories in the books. Easily favorite character. The epitome of being a king. Also long lived wtf 322 years old.
You always do such a good job on all your videos I'm always excited to watch them great job 👍
I’m not crying, Númenor’s just being flooded in my eyes.
I always scream ELENDIL every time I'm running and feel down, so that I feel empowered and keep running.
Touch of tism there?
I’ve been trying to understand for almost 30 years this actually helped thank you
Great video again, the map animations always help.
Great job, man
Thank you for this! For some reason, this entire presentation gave me hope!!
Tolkien’s prose is so damn good. New languages aside, everything reads with this beautiful poetic cadence and otherworldly vocabulary. Uhhahhh…never gets old…only richer with time.
BUDDY, I might be super late to the party here… but when you gracefully read out what Elendil said when he first landed in Arnor, i was instantly reminded of Aragorn’s song during his coronation in ROTK… I had no idea.. that is as epic as it gets.
awesome work, as always
Loving your videos , im learning alot about Tolkiens works. Keep them coming.
Now this is a character that I am most excited to see in Rings of Power, the show has many problems but I think ghat tjey got it right with Elendil! That guy who portrays him look so badass in my opinnion and looks like he IS an Aragorn's badass ancestor! He is King of Men!
......but that is only by the look of Lloyd Owen we will see how the lore will progress during the Show!
Nerd as always great video, one of my favorite Characters in legendarium and one of the best videos on the channel!
He was the one I spoke with most at SDCC and I'm really excited to see his portrayal. One thing was abundantly clear to me - he cares A LOT about this character and doing his best to get him right. He was talking about reading the Notion Club Papers for insight on Elendil, which is something I think a lot of Tolkien fans haven't even read.
Indeed, the actor looks the part and seems to care about the lore, which is great. Hope they also feature Elendil's father in the show as well, in some form at least.
@@NerdoftheRings I watched IGN's Who's Who - Numenoreans and I did not get that feeling about Lloyd Owen. He says that while the family is well known, that they are are not high up in power or prestige. As heir to the lordship of Andunie, I find that hard to believe. Can you give me your thoughts on this matter?
facts😂
I’ve known Lloyd since I was a child! He’s a phenomenal actor and really cares about his craft. I can’t believe he’s actually playing elendil! Not a huge fan of the looks of the show but he’s going to do a great job!
Matt, thanl you for this videos and knowledge of the Tolkien World, Im addicted to your channel and videos, so thank you for all the work and love you put into this.
Such an amazing video. Elendil is my favorite character.
What a fantastically portrayed story! I found myself stirred by the presentation and by the content. Well done!
I’m going to imagine that this is spam.
your videos should have been around decades ago when I was making heads or tails of the Tolkien lore. you are akin to my favorite teacher whose words are easier to commit to memory than any other channel out there. I salute you.
There's so many 'full circles' in Tolkien's lore. Full closures that are epic and satisfying
Keep up the great work! I really enjoyed this one!
Listen, I love the LoTR Trilogy. They're phenomenal films that do justice to most of Tolkien's work, but the way the PJ adaptations treated an important character like Elendil is probably THE only "bad" thing about the films. I get why they did that, condensing close to 3 and a half thousand years of lore into less than 10 minutes of exposition is no easy feat but the importance of Elendil is felt throughout the films - especially in The Return of the King. He's referenced 3 times in that movie, 4 if you count the extended scene with Aragorn and the Palantir.
I'm so glad you're finally talking about him and here's hoping the Rings of Power show does justice to that amazing character!
There is nothing bad in Elendil interpretation bec they dont have a copyrights on it, unless you want to be sued, even the Amazon has no copyrights either, so dont put faith on them. 😂😂
It’s hard to decide, since his whole life is so full of tough situations and his noble deeds to overcome them. Maybe his claim of the lands of Numenore and Gondor. I like the parallel with Aragorn. So often Tolkien has more elf heroes, then human ones, but Elendil is right up there with Elrond .
This was beautiful! One of the best tales in the legendarium.
Wooo. Been waiting ages for this one. Thanks. Any chance of Dain or anything Dol Amroth related
So good. Please don’t ever stop what you are doing. It helps us lesser nerds understand lol.
Really explains the exponential result if the Numenor, led by Pharazon, became one of the faithfuls to the Ainurs, especially to Eru. Numenorians could easily turn the tide of the hard-fought battles of the free folk and end Sauron once and for all. With great power comes great responsibility.
This video is one if the best yet in all categories and it made me appreciate Amandil and Elendil way more!
Elendil is a fascinating character that I wish Tolkien had written more about (yes, it's a pretty long list). I think of him as being very similar to his many generations removed descendant, Aragorn, and not in just appearance.
Excellent video, Matt! My favorite part would be looking for Numenor to no avail. Would really suck to have slight hope of your home remaining and to see nothing but the sea.
Best video I’ve ever seen.
Very beautiful, informative and rich recap of such anticipated characters and events.. Great job and thank you.
Hopefully the Amazon series will deal with these chronicles.
I can't imagine that you _haven't_ done one yet, but you have so many videos now that I'm not even sure what keywords to use to find it if you have.
Have you done a video on learning/speaking the languages of Tolkien? I could listen to *you* quote the text all day, and this video made me realize how jealous I am of your proficiency in it.
I haven't, but that is a great idea that I've also thought would be kind of cool. Like a Quenya 101 or neo-Khuzdul or something
Great video!
Clearly top 5 Best Men of all the ages
The grind is incredible
I've watched .. gosh, probably fifty of your videos, and this is in the top three for me!