Q: What Was the Waning of the Dúnedain?
ANSWER: J.R.R. Tolkien used the expression “waning of the Dúnedain” to refer to two states or conditions of the Numenoreans in Numenor and Middle-earth. The first waning began in the days of Tar-Minastir, the Numenorean king who sent a large armada to Middle-earth in the middle of the Second Age to help Gil-galad and his allies against Sauron. This waning was foreshadowed by the reluctance of the Numenoreans to accept their mortality; they became envious of the immortality of the Eldar and at the same succumbed to greed and arrogance.
As the Kings of Numenor fell into open rebellion their lifespans — once about 400 years long — began to shorten. The welfare of the Numenorean people in general also declined. Some Numenoreans established permanent colonies in Middle-earth, in some cases even intermarrying with local peoples. These families quickly lost their own long lifespans, although the texts indicate that simply living in Middle-earth had more to do with that than anything else.
Nonetheless, as Numenor became more rebellious the Valar gradually withdrew their gifts that had enriched the lives of the early generations of Numenoreans. The waning occurred most pronouncedly and swiftly among the followers of the Kings, whereas the Faithful Numenoreans, especially those dwelling in Andúnië, retained their vitality and long lifespans more than other Numenoreans.
After the destruction of Numenor the surviving Dúnedain of Arnor and Gondor and the Black Numenoreans of various lands continued to suffer the gradual decline of their vitality, height, and lifespans. It is generally assumed that the Black Numenoreans experienced this decline at a faster rate than the Faithful Dúnedain but the only explicit reference to the rapid waning of any Black Numenoreans concerns those of Umbar. The Mouth of Sauron seems to have had a life-span equivalent to that of the Dúnedain of Gondor at the end of the Third Age.
The lifespans and vitality of the Dúnedain were almost certainly closely tied to the piety of their rulers. The Kings of Gondor were faced with a succession crises after Eldacar, son of Valacar and a Northman princess, took the throne. The leading families of Gondor fought a bloody civil war which led to the deaths or exile of many Dúnadan families, thus depriving Gondor of a large pool of long-lived families. After Eldacar’s day the Dúnedain of Gondor were more open to intermarrying with families of other lineage.
The Dúnedain of Arnor faced their own divisions when the princes of the Line of Isildur divided Arnor into three realms. However, after a few generations two of the kingly families died out and the eldest line of kings claimed the rule over all of former Arnor. When their kingdom was finally overthrown the kings went into hiding. They retained more of their vitality and lifespans than the Dúnedain of Gondor, especially after the southern line of kings ended.
Tolkien’s second use of “the waning of the Dúnedain” referred to their dwindling numbers, their loss of lore and ancient records, and their reduced political and military power in Middle-earth. This waning in numbers and supporters threatened the survival of the Dúnadan race altogether, and they were very nearly wiped out in Eriador after the fall of Arnor. With each passing generation or century the Dúnedain of both Arnor and Gondor became fewer in number, remembered fewer ancient skills and secrets, and became more like the Men of Middle-earth whom they ruled.
It was this second waning that posed the greatest threat to the Dúnedain for they apparently could not replenish their numbers even during periods of relative peace and stability. In Gondor the Kings and the Stewards brought many Northmen south to live in the realm. Cirion the Ruling Steward ceded Calenardhon to the Éothéod in Third Age year 2510. In Arnor the Dúnedain watched over the Hobbits of the Shire and Buckland and the Men and Hobbits of Bree but they did not recruit any new peoples to live in their realm.
The reader is led to infer that Aragorn’s restoration of the monarchy and his marriage to Arwen daughter of Elrond reinvigorated the Dúnedain and helped them survive long into the Fourth Age and perhaps beyond. However, their lifespans continued to grow shorter. The first type of waning of the Dúnedain thus continued, even if they were able to reverse the second type of waning and increase their numbers in the early Fourth Age.
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