The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Anárion, from whom all the rulers of the Southern Line were descended, was born II 3219; his last direct heir, Tarannon Falastur, died III 913; the last member of the line in any degree, Eärnur, was lost III 2050
Location
Descendants of the line were Kings of the South-kingdom of Gondor
Origins
Anárion's son Meneldil became the first independent King of Gondor, and the Southern Line descended from him
Race
Division
Culture
Family
Settlements
The royal city of Gondor was originally Osgiliath, but the King's residence was later removed to Minas Anor (itself later renamed Minas Tirith)
Meaning
The line of Kings who ruled the southern realm of Gondor
Other names
Titles
The Kings of Gondor until the loss of Eärnur were descendants of this line

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About this entry:

  • Updated 11 June 2025
  • This entry is complete

Southern Line

Anárion and his descendants

A line of Kings descending from Elendil, the first High King of the Dúnedain in Middle-earth. The Southern Line descended through Elendil's younger son Anárion, and was thus in principle subordinate to the Northern Line, which descended from Isildur the elder son.

After the War of the Last Alliance Isildur became King of Gondor and Arnor. At this time Anárion was already dead (he had been slain in the Siege of Barad-dûr) and so when Isildur went north to take up the High Kingship, he left Gondor in the keeping of Anárion's heir, Meneldil. Isildur never reached his destination; he was slain on the northward road, and Meneldil established the Southern Line as the hereditary Kings of Gondor.

Though the direct line was broken several times, and the realm at one point descended into civil war between two of Meneldil's descendants, it nonetheless survived for thirty generations spanning more than two thousand years. It came to an end with the loss of King Eärnur in the year III 2050, but Gondor continued without a King, under the rule of the Stewards, for nearly a thousand years more. The Kingship was eventually re-established, and the realms reunited, by Aragorn Elessar; he was a direct descendant of the Northern Line that had split from the Southern some three millennia earlier.


For a genealogical chart and detailed table showing the Kings of the Southern Line, see the entry for King of Gondor.


Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 11 June 2025
  • This entry is complete

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