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Pronunciation
ata'natarr a'lkarin (the final 'r' sound of Atanatar should be pronounced, emphasised here by 'rr')
Meaning
Atanatar means 'Father of Men' (presumably as a reference to the Atanatári of the First Age); Alcarin means 'Glorious'
Titles

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  • Updated 22 October 2011
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Atanatar II Alcarin

King of Gondor at its height

"Atanatar Alcarin son of Hyarmendacil lived in great splendour, so that men said precious stones are pebbles in Gondor for children to play with."
The Lord of the Rings Appendix A I (iv)
Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion

Kings of Gondor

Hyarmendacil I was one of Gondor's greatest Kings, and expanded its borders and its wealth to their greatest extents. His son and heir Atanatar II inherited a land that stretched from the Greyflood to the Sea of Rhûn, and to which even the Men of Umbar and Harad paid homage.

The extent and power of the realm Atanatar had inherited earned him the title Alcarin ('Glorious') but he did little to maintain its strength, and nothing to expand its influence. Already during Atanatar's reign, then, Gondor began to stagnate. There is some evidence to suggest that Gandalf first visited Gondor during this period, earning the name Incánus from the Gondorians.

Atanatar II ruled Gondor for seventy-seven years, during which the wealth and power created by his father slowly began to wane. Atanatar was succeeded by his eldest son, who ruled as Narmacil I, but Narmacil had no children and was succeeded in turn by his brother, Atanatar's younger son Calmacil.


Notes

1

The date of Atanatar's birth appears only in The History of Middle-earth volume XII, The Peoples of Middle-earth. It cannot therefore be considered completely reliable.

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About this entry:

  • Updated 22 October 2011
  • This entry is complete

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