But this numerical calculation omits certain factors. Númenórean mental development was also assimilated to some degree to the Eldarin mode. Their mental capacity was greater and developed quicker than that of ordinary Men; and it was dominant. After about seven years they grew up mentally with rapidity, and at 20 years knew and understood far more than a normal human of that age. A consequence of this, reinforced by their expectation of long-lasting vigour which left them with little sense of urgency in the first half of their lives, was that they very often became engrossed in lore, and crafts, and various intellectual or artistic pursuits, to a far greater degree than normal. This was particularly the case with men.
Desire for marriage, the begetting, bearing, and rearing of children, thus occupied a smaller place in the lives of Númenóreans, even of the women, than among ordinary Men. Marriage was regarded as natural for all, and once entered into was permanent;[fn1] [4] but like the Eldar they tended to make the period of parenthood (or as the Eldar called it, the “Days of the Children”)[5] a single connected and limited period of their lives. This limitation was regarded as natural. The connexion, the treating of the period of child-bearing as an ordered and unbroken series, was considered proper and desirable, if it could be achieved. That the married pair should dwell together, with as few and short times of separation as possible, between say, the conception of their first child to at least the seventh birthday of the latest, was held to be the ideal arrangement. It was particularly desired by the women, who were naturally (as a rule) less engrossed in lore or crafts; and who had far less desire for moving about. [Author’s Note 2]
Thus the Númenóreans, who seldom had more than four children in each marriage, would frequently produce these within a period of about 50 to 75 years (between the first conception and the last birth). The intervals between the children were long as a rule, in ordinary terms: often ten years, sometimes 15 or even as much as 20 years; never less than about five years.[fn2] But it has to be remembered in this regard that in proportion to their total life-span this period was only equivalent to one of about 10 to 15 years of normal human life. The intervals, if reckoned also according to their degree of approach towards the end of vigour and fertility, were thus equivalent to a (rare) minimum of one year, with a more frequent allowance of two, three, or sometimes four years.
“Vigour”, that is primarily bodily health and activity, and the period of fertility and child-bearing in women, were of course not co-extensive. The child-bearing period of women was similar to that of ordinary women, though reckoned in Númenórean terms. That is, it ranged from puberty (reached by Númenórean women not long before full-growth) to an “age” equivalent to a normal human 45 (with occasional extension towards 50). In years this means from about 18 to about 125 or a little more. But first children were seldom if ever conceived at the end of this time.
Thus a Númenórean woman might marry when 20 (marriage before full-growth was not permitted); but most usually she married at about 40 to 45 years (“age” 24 to 25). Marriage was considered unduly delayed in her case if postponed much beyond her 95th year (“age” about 35).[fn3] [6]
Men seldom married before their year 45 (age 25). Their time from the year 15 to 45 was usually engrossed in learning, in apprenticeship to one or more crafts, and (more and more as time went on) in seafaring. Postponement of marriage to about the 95th year (age 35) was very common; and, especially in the case of men of rank, high duty, or great talents, it was not seldom entered into as late as the 120th year (age 40). In the Line of Elros (especially among the children of actual kings), which was somewhat more longeval than the average and also provided many duties and opportunities (both for men and women), marriage was often later than normal: for women 95 (age 35) was frequent; and for men might be as late as the 150th year (age 46) or even later. This had one advantage: that the “Heir to the Sceptre”, even if the king’s eldest child, would be able to succeed while still in full vigour, though he would probably have passed through the “Days of the Children” and be more free to devote himself to public concerns.[fn4]
Númenóreans were strictly monogamous: by law, and by their “tradition”: that is by the tradition of the original Edain concerning conduct, afterwards re-inforced by Eldarin example and teaching. There were in the early centuries few cases of the breach of the law, or even of desire to break it. The Númenóreans, or Dúnedain, were still in our terms “fallen Men”;[7] but they were descendants of ancestors who were in general wholly repentant, detesting all the corruptions of the “Shadow”; and they were specially graced. In general they had little inclination to, and a conscious detestation of lust, greed, hate and cruelty, and tyranny. Not all of course were so noble. There were such things as wickedness among them, at first very rarely to be seen. For they were not selected by any test save that of belonging to the Three Houses of the Edain. Among them were no doubt a few of the wild men and renegades of old days, and possibly (though this cannot be asserted) actual conscious servants of the Enemy.
A second marriage was permitted, by traditional law, if one of the partners died young, leaving the other in vigour and still with a need or desire of children; but the cases were naturally very rare. Death untimely, whether by sickness or mischance, seldom occurred in the early centuries. This the Númenóreans recognized as due to the “grace of the Valar” (which might be withheld in general or in particular cases, if it ceased to be merited): the land was blessed, and all things, including the Sea, were friendly to them. In addition the people, tall and strong, were agile, and extremely “aware”: that is they were in control of their bodily actions, and of any tool or material they handled, and seldom made absent-minded or blundering movements; and they were very difficult to take “off their guard”. Accidents were thus unlikely to occur to them. If any did, they had a power of recovery and self-healing, which if inferior to that of the Eldar, was much greater than that of Men in Middle-earth.[fn5] Also among the matters of lore that they specially studied was hröangolmë or the lore of the body and the arts of healing.[8] Pride was no doubt their chief weakness, increased later by contact with Men of lesser kinds – though not at first: their first sentiments and motives were of pity and benevolence. They were also proud of their ancestry, in general and in particular, as a people and as individuals; and all men of all ranks kept scrolls of their descent. Descent “from Eärendil” or “from Beren and Lúthien” were their chief titles to nobility.
The later law, or rather custom, by which those of the royal house (especially the Heir) wedded only members of the Line of Elros, was not in the early generations possible. But in the days of Tar-Aldarion, or about the year 1000, there were numerous descendants of Elros sufficiently divergent in kinship. (Marriage with kin nearer than second cousin was at all times prohibited, until the latter days of the Shadow, even in the royal house.) This rule of royal marriage was never a matter of law, but it became a custom of pride: a symptom of the growth of the Shadow, since it only became rigid when in fact the distinction between the Line of Elros and other families, in life-span, vigour, or ability, had diminished or altogether disappeared.
AUTHOR’S NOTES
[Note 1] The Númenóreans were not of uniform racial descent. Their main division was between the descendants of the “House of Hador” and the “House of Bëor”. These two groups originally had distinct languages; and in general showed different physical characteristics. Each House had, moreover, numerous followers of mixed origin. The people of Bëor were on the whole dark-haired (though fair-skinned), less tall and of less stalwart build; they were also less long-lived. Their Númenórean descendants tended to have a smaller life-span: about 350 years or less. The people of Hador were strong, tall, and for the most part fair-haired. But the chieftains of both Houses had already in Beleriand intermarried. The Line of Elros was regarded as belonging to the House of Hador through Eärendil (son of Tuor, the great-great-grandson of Hador); but it was also descended on the distaff side from the Hou
se of Bëor through Elwing wife of Eärendil, daughter of Dior, son of Beren (last chieftain of the House of Bëor, and seventh in direct descent from Bëor).
The Númenórean language was in the main derived from the speech of the people of Hador (much enlarged by additions from the Elven-tongues at different periods). The people of Bëor had in a few generations abandoned their own speech (except in the retention of many personal names of native origin) and adopted the Elven-tongue of Beleriand, the Sindarin. This distinction was still observable in Númenor. Nearly all Númenóreans were bilingual. But where the main mass of settlers came from the people of Bëor, as was the case especially in the North-west, Sindarin was the daily tongue of all classes and Númenórean (or Adûnayân) a second language. In most parts of the country Adûnayân was the native language of the people, though Sindarin was known in some degree by all except the stay-at-home and untravelled of the farming folk. In the Royal House, however, and in most of the house of the noble or learned, Sindarin was usually the native tongue, until after the days of Tar-Atanamir.
Sindarin used for a long period by mortal Men naturally tended to become divergent and dialectal; but this process was largely checked, at any rate so far as the nobles and learned were concerned, by the constant contact that was maintained with the Eldar in Eressëa, and later with those who remained in Lindon in Middle-earth. The Eldar came mostly to the West regions of the country. Quenya was not a spoken tongue. It was known only to the learned, and to the families of high descent (to whom it was taught in their early youth). It was used in official documents intended for preservation, such as the Laws, and the Scroll and Annals of the Kings, and often in more recondite works of lore. It was also largely used in nomenclature. The official names of all places, regions, and geographical features in the land were of Quenya form (though they usually also had local names, generally of the same meaning, in either Sindarin or Adûnayân). The personal names and especially the official and public names of all members of the Royal House, and of the Line of Elros in general, were given in Quenya form. The same was true of some other families, such as the House of the Lords of Andúnië.
[Note 2][9] Númenor was a land of peace; within it there was no war or strife, until the last years. But the people were descended from ancestors of a hardy and warlike kind. The energy of the men was chiefly transferred to the practice of crafts; but they were also much occupied in games and physical sports. Boys and young men loved especially to live, when they could, freely in the open and to journey on foot in the wilder parts of the land. Many exercised themselves in climbing. There were no great mountains in Númenor. The sacred Mountain of the Menel-tarma was near the centre of the land; but it was only about 3,000 feet high, and was climbed by a spiral road from its southern base (near where was the Valley of the Tombs, in which the kings were buried) up to its summit. But there were rocky and mountainous regions in the promontories of the North and North-west and South-west, in which some heights were about 2,000 feet. The cliffs, however, were the chief places of climbing for the daring. The cliffs of Númenor were in places of great height, especially along the west-facing coasts, the haunts of innumerable birds.
In the Sea the strong men took their greatest delight: in swimming or in diving; or in small craft for contests of speed in rowing and sailing. The hardiest of the people were engaged in fishing: fish were abundant, and at all times one of the chief sources of food for Númenor. The cities or towns where many people congregated were all by the coast. From the fisher-folk were mostly drawn the special class of mariners, who steadily increased in importance and esteem. At first the Númenórean craft, still largely dependent on Eldarin models, were engaged only in fishing, or in coastwise journeys from port to port. But it was not long before the Númenóreans by their own study and devices improved their art of ship-building, until they could venture far out into the Great Sea. It was in S.A. 600 that Vëantur, Captain of the King’s Ships under Tar-Elendil, first achieved a voyage to Middle-earth and back. He brought his ship Entulessë (‘Return’) to Mithlond on the Spring winds (which often blew strongly and steadily from the West) and returned in Autumn of the following year. After that sea-faring became the chief outlet for daring and hardihood among the men of Númenor. It was Aldarion son of Tar-Meneldur who formed the Guild of Venturers to which all the tried mariners belonged, and many young men even from the inland regions sought admission.
The women took little part in these things, though they were generally nearer to men than is the case with most races in stature and strength, and were agile and fleet of foot in youth. Their great delight was in dancing (in which many men also took part) at feasts or in leisure time. Many women achieved great fame as dancers, and people would go on long journeys to see displays of their art. They did not, however, greatly love the Sea. They would journey in need in the coastwise craft from port to port; but they did not like to be long aboard or to pass even one night in a ship. Even among the fisher-folk the women seldom took part in the sailings. But nearly all women could ride horses, treating them honourably, and housing them more nobly than any other of their domestic animals. The stables of a great man were often as large and as fair to look upon as his own house. Both men and women rode horses for pleasure. Riding was also the chief means of quick travel from place to place; and in ceremony of state both men and women of rank, even queens, would ride, on horseback amid their escorts or retinues.
The inland roads of Númenor were for the most part “horse-roads”, unpaved, and made and tended for the purpose of riding. Coaches and carriages for journeying were in the earlier centuries little used; for the heavier transport went largely by sea. The chief and most ancient road, suitable for wheels, ran from the greatest port, Rómenna, in the East, north-west to the royal city of Armenelos (about 40 miles), and thence to the Valley of Tombs and the Menel-tarma. But this road was early extended to Ondosto within the border of the Forostar (or Norlands), and thence straight west to Andúnië in the Andustar (or Westlands); it was however little used for wheeled vehicles of travel, being mainly made and used for the transport by wains of timber, in which the Westlands were rich, or of stone of the Norlands, which was most esteemed for building.
Though the Númenóreans used horses for journeys and for the delight of riding they had little interest in racing them as a test of speed. In country sports displays of agility, both of horse and rider, were to be seen; but more esteemed were exhibitions of understanding between master and beast. The Númenóreans trained their horses to hear and understand calls (by voice or whistling) from great distances; and also, where there was great love between men or women and their favorite steeds, they could (or so it is said in ancient tales) summon them at need by their thought alone.[10]
So it was also with their dogs. For the Númenóreans kept dogs, especially in the country, partly by ancestral tradition, since they had few useful purposes any longer. The Númenóreans did not hunt for sport or food; and they had only in a few places upon the borders of wild lands any great need of watch-dogs. In the sheep-rearing regions, such as that of Emerië, they had dogs specially trained to help the shepherds. In the earlier centuries country-men also had dogs trained to assist in warding off or tracking down predatory beasts and birds (which to the Númenóreans was only an occasional necessary labour and not an amusement). Dogs were seldom seen in the towns. In the farms they were never chained or tethered; but neither did they dwell in the houses of men; though they were often welcomed to the central solma or hall, where the chief fire burned: especially the old faithful dogs of long service, or at times the puppies. It was men rather than women who had a liking to keep dogs as “friends”. Women loved more the wild (or “unowned”) birds and beasts, and they were especially fond of squirrels, of which there were great numbers in the wooded country.
Of these matters more is said elsewhere, concerning the tame (or “owned”) animals of Númenor, the native beasts and birds, and the imported.
This last topic is
taken up in chap. XIII, “Of the Land and Beasts of Númenor”, below.
XII
THE AGEING OF NÚMENÓREANS
Apparently in conjunction with writing the preceding text, and so probably likewise c. 1965, Tolkien wrote two brief texts, both written in black nib-pen, giving more precise tabulations of the differences in the age of maturity and subsequent rates of ageing between the Line of Elros and other Númenóreans. I give them in what appears to be their chronological order.
TEXT 1[1]
Númenóreans Line of Elros
Manhood 20 20
Full-growth 25 25 – 30
Youth 25 – 125 (or later) 25 – 200 (or later)
Vigour 25 – 175 (or later) 25 – 300 (or later)
Coming of weariness 200 – 225 (or later) 350 – 400 (or a little later)
The best time for marriage was held to be in “youth”, though it could be delayed during the years of vigour. For the Line of Elros it was seldom entered into in the first years of youth; and seldom after the last years.
Marriage could by nature take place thus between manhood and the end of the years of vigour; but it was seldom entered into in the first years of youth or delayed until (or beyond) their end. For the Line of Elros about the year 100 was held to be the high or best time for wedding; for others, about the year 50. But many women were married earlier than this; for them (in the Royal line) 50 was the high time, and 30 for others, and they have children seldom after 150.
TEXT 2
Númenóreans Line of Elros
Manhood 20 25[2]
Full-growth 25 25 – 30
Maturity[3] c. 50 c. 100 – 150
Youth 25 to 125 (or later) 25 to 200 (or later)
Vigour 25 to 175 (or later) 25 to 300 (or later)
Coming of weariness 200 (or later: seldom later than 250) c. 400 (or a little later)
The Nature of Middle-earth Page 27
