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#REDIRECT ] |
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{{about|the fictional realm in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium|the prominent tree of Buddhism and Hinduism|Ficus racemosa}} |
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{{mergefrom|Corsairs of Umbar|discuss=Talk:Umbar#Merger proposal|date=December 2019}} |
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{{Infobox fictional location |
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| name = ''Umbar'' (Fate) |
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| source = ] ] |
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| image = |
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| image_size = 240px |
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| caption = |
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| alt_name = |
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| type = Harbour and city |
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| blank_label = Location |
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| blank_data = ], ] |
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| blank_label1 = Lifespan |
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| blank_data1 = |
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| blank_label2 = Founder |
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| blank_data2 = Unknown |
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| ruler = Kings of Númenor<br/>later ]<br/>later Kings of Gondor<br/>later ]<br/>later ] |
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{{R ME to section}} |
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{{R with history}} |
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{{R from fictional location|Middle-earth}} |
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'''Umbar''' is a fictional place in ]'s ]. It was a great harbour and city on the west coast of ], the vast region south of ] in ]. 'Umbar' was a name—of unknown meaning—given to the area by its original inhabitants. The ] adopted the name, probably aware that 'Umbar' was the ] word for 'fate'.<ref name=Flieger2009>{{cite journal|title=The Music and the Task: Fate and Free Will in Middle-earth |first=Verlyn |last=Flieger |authorlink=Verlyn Flieger |journal=] |volume=6 |pages=157 |year=2009 |quote=...in primitive Quenya ''umbar'', 'fate,' ... |doi=10.1353/tks.0.0051}}</ref> |
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==Fictional context== |
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Umbar was located on the western coast of ], south of ]. The great cape and land-locked firth of Umbar south of the ] formed a natural harbour of enclosing rock,<ref>{{ME-ref|CG|p. 509}}</ref> but the "great fortress of Númenor" ('']'') within it was not built until {{ME-date|SA|2280}}. It was only by this time that the evil ] ] had dared to threaten Númenor: "...the strength of his terror and mastery over men had grown exceedingly great, he began to assail the strong places of the Númenóreans upon the shores of the sea."<ref>{{ME-ref|Silm|"Akallabêth"}}</ref> |
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Like the earlier ] in ] far to the northwest, and the later harbour ] on the river ], Umbar became a base from which Númenórean influence spread over Middle-earth. It was at Umbar that the last king of Númenor, Ar-Pharazôn the Golden, landed in S.A. 3261, to challenge Sauron. After the Downfall of Númenor 58 years later, Umbar remained in the hands of the Númenóreans, in essence a Realm in Exile alongside ] and ]. But unlike these others, Umbar had been used by the "]", who had turned to the worship of Sauron's former master ] in the last days of Númenor. These "King's Men", unfriendly to the ] and to their fellow Númenórean survivors who were allied to the Elves, became known as ]. |
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Two Black Númenórean lords, ] and ], were probably from Umbar, as at the end of the ] they became very powerful amongst the ], a neighbouring people. Their fate is unknown, but they likely shared Sauron's defeat at the hands of the ]. The rulers of Umbar retained much influence over the ], the land of the Haradrim, well into the ]. When not under Gondor's rule Umbar's system of government may have been a ]: Black Númenórean and later ] Lords are paired when mentioned in Tolkien's works. Examples of this are Herumor and Fuinur, and later Angamaitë and Sangahyando. |
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Gondor's power, however, eclipsed that of Umbar as the Third Age progressed, and in {{ME-date|TA|933}} Gondor's King ] captured Umbar in a surprise attack, although this was "at great cost." For the following 500 years, Umbar was an important Gondorian city, a major seaport and a strategic centre from which Gondor projected influence over the Harad. It also marked the site of the submission of Sauron to Ar-Pharazôn, and so served as a proud reminder of the might of the ] of old: |
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:''on the highest hill of the headland above the Haven they (…) set a great white pillar as a monument. It was crowned with a globe of crystal that took the rays of the Sun and of the Moon and shone like a bright star that could be seen in clear weather even on the coasts of Gondor or far out upon the western sea.''<ref>{{ME-ref|PoMe|"The Heirs of ]"}}</ref> |
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Even the Faithful who founded Gondor and Arnor respected the column, as it was a symbol of the submission of Sauron to the might of Númenor before he corrupted them. Many Black Númenóreans had fled Umbar from the assault of T.A. 933, to their subjects in Near Harad, but 82 years later they attempted to recapture the city. Despite killing King ] in their attack and then besieging Umbar for 35 years, they failed to take the city. Its supply was easily maintained "because of the sea-power of Gondor". In T.A. 1050, Ciryandil's son, ] utterly defeated the Haradrim attackers.<ref>{{ME-ref|RotK|"Appendix A", Annals of the Kings and Rulers}}</ref> |
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During the Gondorian ], Umbar consistently supported ]. Thus, Gondorian possession of Umbar came to an abrupt end in c. T.A. 1448. Umbar rebelled against Gondor and became independent. ] at the time had no navy, so was obliged to let Umbar go. Castamir's descendants and their followers, the notorious '']'', quickly established themselves as a major military threat to Gondor. Alone and in alliance with the nearby Haradrim, they were a constant menace to shipping in Gondor's waters, and on many occasions attacked its coastal regions. Gondor prepared to retaliate, but these preparations were halted as Gondor was soon after ravaged by the ]. Vengeance, if not swift, was certainly devastating: 176 years after Minardil's death, his great-grand nephew succeeded in briefly recapturing Umbar, and even renamed himself ]. However, Umbar was soon again lost to Harad. |
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Throughout the rest of The Third Age, Umbar was home to a new generation of 'Corsairs of Umbar'. These new Corsairs were cruel slavers who often raided the coasts of ] and ] in Gondor. In T.A. 2746, for example, Amrothos, the 15th Prince of ], fell defending his town against them. |
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When Sauron declared himself openly again in 2951, Umbar declared its allegiance to him, and the great monument commemorating Ar-Pharazôn's triumph at Umbar was thrown down. Umbar's fleet was largely destroyed 29 years later, when Thorongil, in fact ], the last heir to the throne of Gondor, as it later turned out, who was then in the service of the ] ] in disguise, led a task force south and burned them, killing the Captain of the Haven in the process. |
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During the ], Umbar had not fully recovered from this, but could still send "fifty ] and smaller vessels beyond count" to raid the coastlands of Gondor and draw off major forces from the defence of ]. They were once again defeated by Aragorn, and the Dead Men of Dunharrow. In the years that followed this defeat Umbar was further weakened, and was ultimately reconquered for Gondor by Aragorn. |
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In '']'' it is stated that the Númenóreans had built other havens south of Umbar, but that they were likely absorbed by the native Haradrim.<ref>{{ME-ref|UT|"The Istari"}}</ref> |
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==Publishing== |
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The Corsairs of Umbar were first mentioned in '']'' when this third volume of ''The Lord of the Rings'' was published in 1955. The Appendix A to ''The Lord of the Rings'', "Annals of the Kings and Rulers", also contains an overview of the fictional history of Gondor including the constant strife with Umbar until the end of the Third Age. '']'', edited by Tolkien's son ] from his father's manuscripts and published in 1977 five years after Tolkien's death, contains a part '']''. This expands further on the events of the Second and Third Age that had been mentioned before in the Appendix to ''The Lord of the Rings''. Umbar appeared on the bottom edge of ] found in earlier editions of ''The Lord of the Rings'', but it is absent from modern editions, which maps a slightly smaller area of ]. |
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{{Portal|Speculative fiction}} |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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{{refbegin}} |
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*{{cite web|url=http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/h/havenofumbar.html |title=Haven of Umbar |work=Encyclopedia of Arda|date=9 October 2010}} |
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{{refend}} |
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==External links== |
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* Discussion of Umbar related issues at - http://lalaith.vpsurf.de/Tolkien/Fr_Umbar.html |
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{{Arda Realms Age2}} |
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{{Arda Realms Age3}} |
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] |
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