Isildur
Encyclopedia
Isildur is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien
's legendarium
. He appears in the author's books The Lord of the Rings
, The Silmarillion
, and Unfinished Tales
.
In The Lord of the Rings, he was first mentioned in The Fellowship of the Ring as a Dúnadan
of Númenor
, elder son of Elendil
. His full character history was detailed in The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. He was (briefly) the second king of Gondor
and Arnor
. His name means "devoted to the moon". In a note written well after the initial publication of The Lord of the Rings
, Tolkien gave Isildur's height as seven feet tall.
, Isildur's father, has a long history in the development of Tolkien's legendarium
. Elendil is the Quenya
for "elf-friend" and continues the character called Aelfwine in earlier revisions.
The son of Elendil was called Herendil in earlier conceptions of the story. A recurring father-son constellation called "elf-friend" and "bliss-friend" who preserve a memory of the fall of Atlantis is exposed in the unfinished story of The Lost Road. By conception, The Lost Road explored "time travel
" by genetic memory
, connecting a contemporary English father and son, called Audoin and Alboin, to a father and son called Elendil and Herendil in remote antiquity who lived through the destruction of Númenor
.
The son of Elendil "elf-friend" who together with his father survives the fall of Atlantis was "duplicated" into Isildur and Anárion for the purposes of the Lord of the Rings, named after the Moon and the Sun, respectively (Isildur being the elder brother as the Moon in Tolkien's creation myth was made before the Sun, in turn reflecting Telperion's seniority over Laurelin), exerting dual kingship
over Gondor
from the twin fortresses of Minas Anor and Minas Ithil.
, Isildur was born in the year 3209 of the Second Age
in Númenor, the first son of Elendil
son of Amandil
, the last Lord of Andúnië. He had a younger brother, Anárion
. Isildur had four sons: Elendur, Aratan
, Ciryon
, and Valandil.
In Isildur's youth, Númenor's King Ar-Pharazôn was corrupted by Sauron
, who urged the White Tree to be cut down. Isildur went to the courts of the king in disguise and stole a fruit of Nimloth
, though the guards were alerted and he was severely wounded in his escape. He was badly wounded, but his sacrifice was not in vain; Nimloth was cut down and burned shortly afterwards, but the line of the White Tree continued.
The Silmarillion explains that Isildur, together with his father and brother, fled when Númenor was destroyed
by Ilúvatar
. Isildur and Anárion landed in the south and established the realm of Gondor
, and their father landed in the north, founding the realm of Arnor
.
Isildur settled on the east bank of the Anduin
and established the city of Minas Ithil (which would later be named Minas Morgul), as well as the province of Ithilien
and setting his throne alongside his brother Anárion
in the city of Osgiliath. However, in 3429 (see the Appendix of The Return of the King, especially the chronology of the Second Age) Sauron
captured Minas Ithil and destroyed the White Tree. Isildur and his family escaped down the Anduin by boat, bearing with them a seedling of the tree. They sailed to Lindon
, seeking the Elven
High King Gil-galad
and Elendil in Arnor. Meanwhile, Anárion bought time for Gondor by defending Osgiliath and driving the Dark Lord back to the mountains, while Elendil and Gil-galad marshalled their forces.
As told in The Fellowship of the Ring
, he returned with his father and Gil-galad in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men in 3434. After the Alliance was victorious over Sauron's host at the Battle of Dagorlad, they advanced into Mordor
and laid siege to Barad-dûr
. With Minas Ithil recaptured, Isildur sent his younger sons Aratan and Ciryon to man that fortress, which would prevent Sauron and his forces from escaping that way. Isildur was accompanied throughout the war by his eldest son Elendur. The campaign in Mordor was long and bitter, and Anárion
was slain by a stone from the Dark Tower.
After seven years of besieging the Dark Tower, the enemy was all but defeated and Sauron appeared to challenge the king. During the final battle on the slopes of Mount Doom
, Elendil and Gil-galad were both slain in combat with the Dark Lord, but Sauron's mortal form was slain as well. Isildur took the hilt-shard of his father's sword Narsil
, which had broken beneath Elendil when he fell, and cut the One Ring
from Sauron's hand; causing Sauron's malignant spirit to flee.
Despite the urging of Elrond
and Círdan
, Gil-galad's lieutenants, Isildur did not throw the Ring into the fires of Mount Doom
; Instead, he claimed it as an heirloom for his House, and as weregild
for the deaths of his father and brother.
After the fall of Sauron, the greater part of the army of Arnor returned home while Isildur stayed in Gondor for a year, restoring order and defining its boundaries. He planted the seedling of the White Tree in Minas Anor in memory of Anárion. As his brother's helm had been crushed during his death at Barad-dûr, Isildur left his helm from the overthrow of Sauron as the replacement for Gondor's crown. He placed Anárion's son Meneldil in charge of Gondor, and returned north to Arnor
with his three sons. His wife and fourth son Valandil had stayed behind in Rivendell
throughout the War of the Last Alliance and the aftermath, and Isildur also sought further counsel from Elrond.
, Isildur's party was ambushed by roaming Orcs
of the Misty Mountains
.
Tolkien wrote two differing accounts of the battle leading to Isildur's end:
The Silmarillion, which is told from the point of the view of the Eldar, states that Isildur had set no guard in his camp at night, deeming all his foes had been overthrown, and was attacked there.
In Unfinished Tales, Tolkien writes that Isildur was ambushed by Orcs while travelling:
Isildur departed Minas Anor with a party of around 200 soldiers. His men had to march as they supposedly had around ten horses, mainly as beasts of burden and not for riding. They had two dozen archers who were armed with the deadly Númenórean steel bows but their numbers were too few to be effective.
Fatefully, he chose to travel the route along the Anduin, instead of the safer if longer North-South road. Sauron had deployed an army of Orcs East of the Misty Mountains, however, to attack any stragglers of the Last Alliance. The Orcs did not show themselves when the full armies of the Elves and Men passed by, but they were easily more than a match for a company.
Isildur was assailed at sunset, and though the first Orc sortie were beaten off, they regrouped and surrounded Isildur's party to prevent his escape. When nightfall came, the Orcs assaulted him from all sides.
The Dúnedain
were surrounded and outnumbered, with Ciryon slain and Aratan mortally wounded in a failed attempt to rescue Elendur, who urged his father to flee. Isildur, realizing his mistake in keeping the Ring and attempting to return it to the holders of the three
, put on the Ring, hoping to escape under the cover of invisibility. Fleeing to the Anduin, he cast off his armour and tried to swim to the other side of the river, but the Ring slipped (of its own volition) from his finger. He was quickly overpowered by the Anduin's current, and so the Ring abandoned him. Isildur felt the Ring was missing and was compelled to give in to the river and drown, resigning his life at the loss of the Ring. Despite the darkness, the Elendilmir that he was wearing gave his position away to the Orcs on the far bank who were seeking survivors from the attack, and they killed him with their poisoned arrows. Isildur's squire
, Ohtar
, saved Narsil from the enemy, fleeing into the valley before the Orcs encircled Isildur's company. Estelmo, Elendur's squire, was found alive under his master's body, stunned by a club.
The Elves from Thranduil
's kingdom quickly got word of the attack, although they were too late to save any of the Dúnedain
. They organized a counter-attack, destroying the Orcs before they could mutilate the bodies of Isildur's company.
During the War of the Ring
(as chronicled in the Lord of the Rings), Sauron's servants had been searching the Gladden Fields but failed to find any traces of Isildur's remains. Their efforts were hampered by Saruman
, who had deceived Sauron's servants — indeed, the White Wizard had gotten there first before the Dark Lord. After the overthrow of Saruman and the opening up of the Orthanc (both portrayed in The Two Towers
), Gimli
found a hidden closet which contained the original Elendilmir, which was presumed lost forever when Isildur died.
's 1978 animated film
, Isildur (called Prince Isildur of the mighty Kings from across the Sea) appears as the events of the Last Alliance are portrayed in silhouette. He is called "the heroic shadow who slipped in" to chop off the One Ring from Sauron's finger. Later, he is sitting at the base of a tree by the River Anduin examining the One Ring. Sensing a disturbance, he draws his sword, but is shot by Orc arrows a moment later.
In Peter Jackson
's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
Isildur is portrayed by Harry Sinclair
. He briefly appears in the first scenes of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and in an extended flashback scene later on. In the theatrical versions, Anárion and heirs do not appear nor are mentioned at all, and Arnor does not feature at all. In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
, Legolas
refers to Isildur as "the last king of Gondor". However, in the extended edition, both Arnor and the House of Anárion are mentioned, and at times it is clear that Isildur was not the last King. In the first film, Isildur and Elrond go to the Crack of Doom where he refuses to destroy the Ring; however, Tolkien never wrote that he went to the Crack himself, only that he was advised to (as said above). In all versions, Isildur does not speak save for one word -"No"- when he refuses to throw the ring into the Crack of Doom. This line was not spoken by Sinclair, but by Hugo Weaving
, who played Elrond. The Disaster of the Gladden Fields is also depicted in Jackson's first film, with Isildur's column of mounted troops being ambushed on a dark forest road.
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's legendarium
Tolkien's legendarium
The phrase Tolkien's legendarium is used in the literary discipline of Tolkien studiesto refer to the part of J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy fiction being concerned with his Elven legends; that is, historic events that have become legendary from the perspective of the characters of The Lord of the...
. He appears in the author's books The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
, The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...
, and Unfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales is a collection of stories and essays by J. R. R. Tolkien that were never completed during his lifetime, but were edited by his son Christopher Tolkien and published in 1980.Unlike The Silmarillion, for which the narrative fragments were modified to connect into a consistent and...
.
In The Lord of the Rings, he was first mentioned in The Fellowship of the Ring as a Dúnadan
Dúnedain
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Dúnedain were a race of Men descended from the Númenóreans who survived the sinking of their island kingdom and came to Eriador in Middle-earth, led by Elendil and his sons, Isildur and Anárion...
of Númenor
Númenor
Númenor is a fictional place in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. It was a huge island located in the Sundering Seas to the west of Middle-earth, the main setting of Tolkien's writings, and was known to be the greatest realm of Men...
, elder son of Elendil
Elendil
Elendil is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
. His full character history was detailed in The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. He was (briefly) the second king of Gondor
Gondor
Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...
and Arnor
Arnor
Arnor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador in Middle-earth. The name probably means "Land of the King", from Sindarin Ara- + dor...
. His name means "devoted to the moon". In a note written well after the initial publication of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
, Tolkien gave Isildur's height as seven feet tall.
Development
The character of ElendilElendil
Elendil is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
, Isildur's father, has a long history in the development of Tolkien's legendarium
Tolkien's legendarium
The phrase Tolkien's legendarium is used in the literary discipline of Tolkien studiesto refer to the part of J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy fiction being concerned with his Elven legends; that is, historic events that have become legendary from the perspective of the characters of The Lord of the...
. Elendil is the Quenya
Quenya
Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...
for "elf-friend" and continues the character called Aelfwine in earlier revisions.
The son of Elendil was called Herendil in earlier conceptions of the story. A recurring father-son constellation called "elf-friend" and "bliss-friend" who preserve a memory of the fall of Atlantis is exposed in the unfinished story of The Lost Road. By conception, The Lost Road explored "time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
" by genetic memory
Genetic memory
Genetic memory may refer to:*Genetic memory , present if the state of a biological system depends on its history in addition to present conditions*Genetic memory , a memory present at birth that exists in the absence of sensory experience...
, connecting a contemporary English father and son, called Audoin and Alboin, to a father and son called Elendil and Herendil in remote antiquity who lived through the destruction of Númenor
Númenor
Númenor is a fictional place in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. It was a huge island located in the Sundering Seas to the west of Middle-earth, the main setting of Tolkien's writings, and was known to be the greatest realm of Men...
.
The son of Elendil "elf-friend" who together with his father survives the fall of Atlantis was "duplicated" into Isildur and Anárion for the purposes of the Lord of the Rings, named after the Moon and the Sun, respectively (Isildur being the elder brother as the Moon in Tolkien's creation myth was made before the Sun, in turn reflecting Telperion's seniority over Laurelin), exerting dual kingship
Diarchy
Diarchy , from the Greek δι- "twice" and αρχια, "rule", is a form of government in which two individuals, the diarchs, are the heads of state. In most diarchies, the diarchs hold their position for life and pass the responsibilities and power of the position to their children or family when they...
over Gondor
Gondor
Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...
from the twin fortresses of Minas Anor and Minas Ithil.
In The Lord of the Rings
As detailed in the appendices of The Return of the KingThe Return of the King
The Return of the King is the third and final volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, following The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers.-Title:...
, Isildur was born in the year 3209 of the Second Age
Second Age
The Second Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. Tolkien intended for the history of Middle-earth to be considered fictionally as a precursor to the history of the real Earth....
in Númenor, the first son of Elendil
Elendil
Elendil is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
son of Amandil
Amandil
Amandil is a fictional character from J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. Amandil was a Lord of Andúnië, succeeding his father Númendil upon his death. Amandil is most noted for being the father of Elendil, founder of the Númenórean Realms in Exile....
, the last Lord of Andúnië. He had a younger brother, Anárion
Anárion
Anárion is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. His name is derived from Anar, which means "Sun" in Tolkien's invented language of Quenya...
. Isildur had four sons: Elendur, Aratan
Aratan
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, Aratan was Isildur's second son and at the time of his death, Heir Presumptive to the High-Kingship of Arnor and Gondor. He was sent with his younger brother Ciryon to garrison the city of Minas Ithil and the pass of Cirith Ungol...
, Ciryon
Ciryon
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, Ciryon was Isildur's third son. In the War of the Last Alliance he was sent with his older brother Aratan to garrison the city of Minas Ithil and the pass of Cirith Ungol on the borders of Mordor and Ithilien, in case Sauron tried to escape through the pass...
, and Valandil.
In Isildur's youth, Númenor's King Ar-Pharazôn was corrupted by Sauron
Sauron
Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...
, who urged the White Tree to be cut down. Isildur went to the courts of the king in disguise and stole a fruit of Nimloth
Nimloth
In the fantasy world of J. R. R. Tolkien, Nimloth, Sindarin for "white blossom", was the name of the White Tree of Númenor. Nimloth was a seedling of Celeborn, which was a seedling of Galathilion, which was created by Yavanna in the image of Telperion, one of the Two Trees of Valinor.When the...
, though the guards were alerted and he was severely wounded in his escape. He was badly wounded, but his sacrifice was not in vain; Nimloth was cut down and burned shortly afterwards, but the line of the White Tree continued.
The Silmarillion explains that Isildur, together with his father and brother, fled when Númenor was destroyed
Akallabêth
Akallabêth is the fourth part of the fantasy work The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is relatively short, consisting of about thirty pages.-Synopsis:...
by Ilúvatar
Eru Ilúvatar
Eru Ilúvatar is a fictional deity in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Silmarillion as the creator of all existence . In Tolkien's invented language of Elvish, Eru means "The One", or "He that is Alone" and Ilúvatar signifies "Father of All"...
. Isildur and Anárion landed in the south and established the realm of Gondor
Gondor
Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...
, and their father landed in the north, founding the realm of Arnor
Arnor
Arnor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador in Middle-earth. The name probably means "Land of the King", from Sindarin Ara- + dor...
.
Isildur settled on the east bank of the Anduin
Anduin
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Anduin is the Sindarin name for the Great River of Wilderland, the longest river in the Third Age . The ancestors of the Rohirrim called it Langflood. It flowed from its source in the Grey and Misty Mountains to the Mouths of Anduin in the Great Sea...
and established the city of Minas Ithil (which would later be named Minas Morgul), as well as the province of Ithilien
Ithilien
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Ithilien is a region and fiefdom of Gondor.Ithilien, or "Moon-land," is the easternmost province of Gondor, the only part of Gondor across the Great River Anduin lying between the river and the Mountains of Shadow , subdivided by the stream of...
and setting his throne alongside his brother Anárion
Anárion
Anárion is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. His name is derived from Anar, which means "Sun" in Tolkien's invented language of Quenya...
in the city of Osgiliath. However, in 3429 (see the Appendix of The Return of the King, especially the chronology of the Second Age) Sauron
Sauron
Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...
captured Minas Ithil and destroyed the White Tree. Isildur and his family escaped down the Anduin by boat, bearing with them a seedling of the tree. They sailed to Lindon
Lindon (Middle-earth)
Lindon is the land beyond the Ered Luin, the Blue Mountains, in the northwest of Middle-earth in the fictional universe of J. R. R. Tolkien. It is the westernmost land of the continent. The Gulf of Lune divides it into Forlindon and Harlindon...
, seeking the Elven
Elf (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Elves are one of the races that inhabit a fictional Earth, often called Middle-earth, and set in the remote past. They appear in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings, but their complex history is described more fully in The Silmarillion...
High King Gil-galad
Gil-galad
Ereinion Gil-galad is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, and featured in The Silmarillion.- Character overview :...
and Elendil in Arnor. Meanwhile, Anárion bought time for Gondor by defending Osgiliath and driving the Dark Lord back to the mountains, while Elendil and Gil-galad marshalled their forces.
As told in The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes of the epic novel The Lord of the Rings by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It takes place in the fictional universe Middle-earth. It was originally published on July 29, 1954 in the United Kingdom...
, he returned with his father and Gil-galad in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men in 3434. After the Alliance was victorious over Sauron's host at the Battle of Dagorlad, they advanced into Mordor
Mordor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Mordor or Morhdorh was the dwelling place of Sauron, in the southeast of northwestern Middle-earth to the East of Anduin, the great river. Orodruin, a volcano in Mordor, was the destination of the Fellowship of the Ring in the quest to...
and laid siege to Barad-dûr
Barad-dûr
Barad-dûr is the fortress of Sauron in the heart of the black land of Mordor and close to Mount Doom in the fantasy world of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...
. With Minas Ithil recaptured, Isildur sent his younger sons Aratan and Ciryon to man that fortress, which would prevent Sauron and his forces from escaping that way. Isildur was accompanied throughout the war by his eldest son Elendur. The campaign in Mordor was long and bitter, and Anárion
Anárion
Anárion is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. His name is derived from Anar, which means "Sun" in Tolkien's invented language of Quenya...
was slain by a stone from the Dark Tower.
After seven years of besieging the Dark Tower, the enemy was all but defeated and Sauron appeared to challenge the king. During the final battle on the slopes of Mount Doom
Mount Doom
Mount Doom is a volcano in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. It is located in the heart of the black land of Mordor and close to Barad-dûr, it is approximately high. Alternative names, in Tolkien's invented language of Sindarin, include Orodruin and Amon Amarth...
, Elendil and Gil-galad were both slain in combat with the Dark Lord, but Sauron's mortal form was slain as well. Isildur took the hilt-shard of his father's sword Narsil
Narsil
Narsil is a fictional sword featured in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. It is introduced in The Lord of the Rings as having once belonged to King Elendil of the Dúnedain...
, which had broken beneath Elendil when he fell, and cut the One Ring
One Ring
The One Ring is a fictional artifact that appears as the central plot element in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy novels. It is described in an earlier story, The Hobbit , as a magic ring of invisibility. The sequel The Lord of the Rings describes its powers as being more encompassing than...
from Sauron's hand; causing Sauron's malignant spirit to flee.
Despite the urging of Elrond
Elrond
Elrond Half-elven is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Hobbit, and plays a supporting role in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.-Character overview:...
and Círdan
Círdan
Círdan the Shipwright is a fictional character created by J. R. R. Tolkien. He was a Telerin Elf, a great mariner and shipwright, and lord of the Falas during much of the First Age. He was the bearer of the Great Ring Narya, which he in turn gave to Gandalf.He had a beard, which was rare for...
, Gil-galad's lieutenants, Isildur did not throw the Ring into the fires of Mount Doom
Mount Doom
Mount Doom is a volcano in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. It is located in the heart of the black land of Mordor and close to Barad-dûr, it is approximately high. Alternative names, in Tolkien's invented language of Sindarin, include Orodruin and Amon Amarth...
; Instead, he claimed it as an heirloom for his House, and as weregild
Weregild
Weregild was a value placed on every human being and every piece of property in the Salic Code...
for the deaths of his father and brother.
After the fall of Sauron, the greater part of the army of Arnor returned home while Isildur stayed in Gondor for a year, restoring order and defining its boundaries. He planted the seedling of the White Tree in Minas Anor in memory of Anárion. As his brother's helm had been crushed during his death at Barad-dûr, Isildur left his helm from the overthrow of Sauron as the replacement for Gondor's crown. He placed Anárion's son Meneldil in charge of Gondor, and returned north to Arnor
Arnor
Arnor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador in Middle-earth. The name probably means "Land of the King", from Sindarin Ara- + dor...
with his three sons. His wife and fourth son Valandil had stayed behind in Rivendell
Rivendell
Rivendell is an Elven outpost in Middle-earth, a fictional realm created by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was established and ruled by Elrond in the Second Age of Middle-earth...
throughout the War of the Last Alliance and the aftermath, and Isildur also sought further counsel from Elrond.
Death
At the Gladden FieldsGladden Fields
The Gladden Fields is a location in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. In his works, the Gladden Fields are located where the Gladden river joins the Anduin....
, Isildur's party was ambushed by roaming Orcs
Orc (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings, Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings — Morgoth, Sauron and Saruman...
of the Misty Mountains
Misty Mountains
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy world of Middle-earth, the Misty Mountains is a mountain range, running for 795 miles from north to south, between Eriador and the valley of the Great River, Anduin, and...
.
Tolkien wrote two differing accounts of the battle leading to Isildur's end:
The Silmarillion, which is told from the point of the view of the Eldar, states that Isildur had set no guard in his camp at night, deeming all his foes had been overthrown, and was attacked there.
In Unfinished Tales, Tolkien writes that Isildur was ambushed by Orcs while travelling:
Isildur departed Minas Anor with a party of around 200 soldiers. His men had to march as they supposedly had around ten horses, mainly as beasts of burden and not for riding. They had two dozen archers who were armed with the deadly Númenórean steel bows but their numbers were too few to be effective.
Fatefully, he chose to travel the route along the Anduin, instead of the safer if longer North-South road. Sauron had deployed an army of Orcs East of the Misty Mountains, however, to attack any stragglers of the Last Alliance. The Orcs did not show themselves when the full armies of the Elves and Men passed by, but they were easily more than a match for a company.
Isildur was assailed at sunset, and though the first Orc sortie were beaten off, they regrouped and surrounded Isildur's party to prevent his escape. When nightfall came, the Orcs assaulted him from all sides.
The Dúnedain
Dúnedain
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Dúnedain were a race of Men descended from the Númenóreans who survived the sinking of their island kingdom and came to Eriador in Middle-earth, led by Elendil and his sons, Isildur and Anárion...
were surrounded and outnumbered, with Ciryon slain and Aratan mortally wounded in a failed attempt to rescue Elendur, who urged his father to flee. Isildur, realizing his mistake in keeping the Ring and attempting to return it to the holders of the three
Three Rings
In Tolkien's legendarium, the Three Rings are magical artifacts forged by the Elves of Eregion. After the One Ring, they are the most powerful of the twenty Rings of Power....
, put on the Ring, hoping to escape under the cover of invisibility. Fleeing to the Anduin, he cast off his armour and tried to swim to the other side of the river, but the Ring slipped (of its own volition) from his finger. He was quickly overpowered by the Anduin's current, and so the Ring abandoned him. Isildur felt the Ring was missing and was compelled to give in to the river and drown, resigning his life at the loss of the Ring. Despite the darkness, the Elendilmir that he was wearing gave his position away to the Orcs on the far bank who were seeking survivors from the attack, and they killed him with their poisoned arrows. Isildur's squire
Squire
The English word squire is a shortened version of the word Esquire, from the Old French , itself derived from the Late Latin , in medieval or Old English a scutifer. The Classical Latin equivalent was , "arms bearer"...
, Ohtar
Ohtar
Ohtar is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.In the story "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields" found in Tolkien's Unfinished Tales, Ohtar was introduced as squire to Isildur, the Númenórean prince who cut the ruling ring from the hand of Sauron at the end of the Second Age...
, saved Narsil from the enemy, fleeing into the valley before the Orcs encircled Isildur's company. Estelmo, Elendur's squire, was found alive under his master's body, stunned by a club.
The Elves from Thranduil
Thranduil
Thranduil is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is a supporting character in The Hobbit, and is referenced briefly in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.-In literature:...
's kingdom quickly got word of the attack, although they were too late to save any of the Dúnedain
Dúnedain
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Dúnedain were a race of Men descended from the Númenóreans who survived the sinking of their island kingdom and came to Eriador in Middle-earth, led by Elendil and his sons, Isildur and Anárion...
. They organized a counter-attack, destroying the Orcs before they could mutilate the bodies of Isildur's company.
During the War of the Ring
War of the Ring
In the fictional high fantasy-world of J. R. R. Tolkien, the War of the Ring was fought between Sauron and the free peoples of Middle-earth for control of the One Ring and dominion over the continent. The War of the Ring took place at the end of the Third Age. Together with the Quest of Mount Doom,...
(as chronicled in the Lord of the Rings), Sauron's servants had been searching the Gladden Fields but failed to find any traces of Isildur's remains. Their efforts were hampered by Saruman
Saruman
Saruman the White is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He is leader of the Istari, wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form by the godlike Valar to challenge Sauron, the main antagonist of the tale, but later on aims at gaining...
, who had deceived Sauron's servants — indeed, the White Wizard had gotten there first before the Dark Lord. After the overthrow of Saruman and the opening up of the Orthanc (both portrayed in The Two Towers
The Two Towers
The Two Towers is the second volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. It is preceded by The Fellowship of the Ring and followed by The Return of the King.-Title:...
), Gimli
Gimli (Middle-earth)
Gimli is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. A Dwarf warrior, he is the son of Glóin ....
found a hidden closet which contained the original Elendilmir, which was presumed lost forever when Isildur died.
Portrayals in adaptations
In Ralph BakshiRalph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi is an Israeli-American director of animated and live-action films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, five of which he wrote...
's 1978 animated film
The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is a 1978 American fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi. It contains both animation and live action footage which is rotoscoped to give it a more consistent look throughout the length of the movie. It is an adaptation of the first half of the high fantasy...
, Isildur (called Prince Isildur of the mighty Kings from across the Sea) appears as the events of the Last Alliance are portrayed in silhouette. He is called "the heroic shadow who slipped in" to chop off the One Ring from Sauron's finger. Later, he is sitting at the base of a tree by the River Anduin examining the One Ring. Sensing a disturbance, he draws his sword, but is shot by Orc arrows a moment later.
In Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
Isildur is portrayed by Harry Sinclair
Harry Sinclair
Harry Sinclair is a film director, writer, and actor. In his early career he was an actor and member of The Front Lawn, a musical theater duo. He went on to write and direct several short films, a TV series and three feature films.-Background:...
. He briefly appears in the first scenes of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and in an extended flashback scene later on. In the theatrical versions, Anárion and heirs do not appear nor are mentioned at all, and Arnor does not feature at all. In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy-drama film directed by Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...
, Legolas
Legolas
Legolas is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. He is an Elf of the Woodland Realm and one of nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring.- Literature :...
refers to Isildur as "the last king of Gondor". However, in the extended edition, both Arnor and the House of Anárion are mentioned, and at times it is clear that Isildur was not the last King. In the first film, Isildur and Elrond go to the Crack of Doom where he refuses to destroy the Ring; however, Tolkien never wrote that he went to the Crack himself, only that he was advised to (as said above). In all versions, Isildur does not speak save for one word -"No"- when he refuses to throw the ring into the Crack of Doom. This line was not spoken by Sinclair, but by Hugo Weaving
Hugo Weaving
Hugo Wallace Weaving is a Nigerian born, English-Australian film actor and voice artist. He is best known for his roles as Agent Smith in the Matrix trilogy, Elrond in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, "V" in V for Vendetta, and performances in numerous Australian character dramas.-Early...
, who played Elrond. The Disaster of the Gladden Fields is also depicted in Jackson's first film, with Isildur's column of mounted troops being ambushed on a dark forest road.
External links
- Isildur at The Thain's Book
- A History and Complete Chronology of Númenor - A detailed chronology of Númenor, its successor states and their rulers.